by Afton Locke
“Maybe you should have joined after all,” she said.
Caleb threw down his fork. “No. I have no regrets about my decision.”
“Well, I do,” she exclaimed. “Watching your business die and you along with it kills me inside. How long will it take before you hate me?”
He stood up so fast he knocked over his chair. “Damn it, woman. I told you I would love you forever and that will never change.”
To her surprise, he clasped her hands and pulled her against him so hard she tripped.
“Marry me, Pearl.”
“What?” Had someone hit him in the head today?
Fury burned in his pale eyes. “I refused to marry you all this time because I worried about what people might think. Well, I can’t live with myself anymore if I have to hide behind one more appearance.”
“Caleb, calm down,” she said.
“I made you feel like a whore.”
Pearl tried to pull away, her pulse fluttering in her throat as if it were a trapped bird. “That’s behind us now.”
“The mayor knows about us.”
She gasped. “What? How?”
“The jeweler told him. All that matters is that I’ve heard you called a whore for the last time,” he insisted as he tightened his grip on her. “It’s past time I got the guts to make you the wife you deserve to be.”
The irony of his words made her want to scream with frustration. All this time she’d longed to be his wife, figuring it was a dream that would never come true. She wanted it more than anything, but not this way.
“No, Caleb,” she cried. “There’s too much trouble already. Marriage is supposed to be about love, not proving something.”
“We can do it in your family’s church if you like,” he added.
“So the Klan can burn it down?” she yelled. “Think of my family. Think of me!”
The angry fire in his eyes dimmed with disappointment as he finally let go of her. “Are you saying no?”
She looked around the room, which seemed to spin out of control. Everything was happening so fast. Her hand trembled as she touched his cheek.
“Caleb Rockfield, there’s nothing I want more than to be your wife. I’m so honored that you asked me, but we can’t marry unless this trouble fades away. We just can’t.”
Without a word, he abandoned dinner and closed himself in his study. Pearl paced around the parlor, wringing her hands with worry. The whole atmosphere of the town seemed to vibrate with hatred.
How simple things were when they’d first met, she thought. Those stolen moments in the shucking room, exploring their bodies, were all their own. Now everyone knew about them. Caleb shouldn’t have bought her that ring. They shouldn’t have been so careless. Most of all, he should have joined.
She stopped short, realizing the man she loved couldn’t go through with it. If he had, he wouldn’t be Caleb. For better or for worse, they were who they were.
An hour later the phone rang and she answered it. “Rockfield residence.”
“Is Caleb there?” It was Henry and he sounded rushed.
“Yes,” she replied, forcing a calmness into her voice she didn’t feel. “Just a moment and I’ll get him for you.”
“No time. The oyster plant…tell him…tell him it’s on fire.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Terror raced through Caleb’s limbs when Pearl told him the news. A fire could be caused by a lot of things like bad wiring, but he knew it wasn’t the wiring.
It was the Klan.
When he saw Pearl putting on her coat, he seized her by the shoulders. “You stay here and keep the doors locked.”
“But, Caleb, I want to help.”
“It’s too dangerous out there with the Klan at large.” He gave her a gentle shake. “Stay here!”
He scurried into his car without a hat and nearly drove into the water when he saw the ugly orange flames on the second floor of his plant, the white paint eaten by a spreading ring of black. Damn. They’d managed to get his office.
When he got out of the car and ran to the building, he noticed fire burning the unloading dock in back too. Several men, white and black, worked a bucket brigade using water from the river. Instead of the splashing and frantic voices, Caleb could only hear the sickening hissing breath of the flames.
Off to the side, he saw a couple of men in the dreaded white hoods and robes, carrying torches and watching the spectacle. Murderous rage seared every muscle in his body as he rushed toward them, tempted to kill them with his bare hands.
“Caleb!”
Henry’s voice stopped him, giving the masked men a chance to run away. He didn’t even know who the miserable cowards were.
“We could use some help over here,” Henry called out.
Caleb ran toward his plant, panting from the heat, smoke and horror that stole his breath away. His brother’s face was red and slick with sweat as he hauled water from the river. Caleb waded in and put his hands around his throat.
“What do you know about this?” he demanded.
“I heard a tip at the restaurant so I came to—” Anger made Henry’s face even redder. “Are you suggesting I set this fire?”
“You’re one of them now, aren’t you?” Caleb asked with a growl.
Henry pulled free of the grip around his neck, falling in the water. When he came up, sputtering, he grabbed Caleb’s throat in return.
“Do you think I’d burn Daddy’s company? Damn it, Caleb. You should have joined. You should have joined!”
Caleb stumbled out of the water and ran toward the open dock doors, the oven-hot heat contrasting with the cold, wet trousers clinging to his legs. He couldn’t stand by and watch his very life disintegrate before his eyes. A good captain went down with his ship.
Henry ran after him and pulled his arm. “Don’t go in there! The roof could cave in.”
Caleb grabbed the empty bucket out of Henry’s hands and tossed it aside. “What’s the use? It’s gone. They’ve won.”
Henry picked up the bucket again and shoved another one into Caleb’s hands. “They will if you don’t stop gabbing and start working. Come on. We can minimize the damage.”
“Where’s the hell’s the fire department?” Caleb asked. “After all that money I donated, they could have at least shown up.”
But he knew the answer. The police and fire department were part of the Klan now. Henry was right. He had to work to save it. At least it kept his mind off the fact that everything he’d worked for was going up in smoke.
* * * * *
At home, Pearl paced for so many hours she swore she’d worn holes in the rugs. More than once, she’d opened the door and looked outside, tempted to run to the burning plant. The thought of being assaulted, or worse, by the Klan stopped her. Caleb had been through enough. The least she could do was obey his orders.
The tang of more smoke seeped inside from the cold night air every time she opened the door. As the hours ticked by on the mantel clock, she began to fear the Klan had killed him too.
Caleb didn’t get home until well after midnight, sooty, tattered and exhausted. He staggered through the door and collapsed to the rug on his knees, coughing. Tears streamed down Pearl’s face at the pitiful sight of him. He’d always exuded such power and now he looked completely broken.
She knelt beside him on the rug, not sure what to do for him. He’d probably lost everything and there wasn’t anything she could possibly do to fix it.
“Caleb, can I get you something?”
But he just looked at her instead of answering. His pale, blue eyes looked eerie against his sooty face.
“Is it…all gone?” she whispered.
“Not quite.” His voice came out as a croak from all the smoke.
The sound of a siren wailed down the street.
“Did you hear that?” she asked. “It must be a fire engine.”
“Too late,” he replied.
He coughed again, grimacing from physical or emot
ional pain. She wasn’t sure which. At some point, his coughs turned to sobs. Pearl’s heart reared into her throat at the pitiful, gut-wrenching sound of it.
She reached out and touched the top of his head, pulling him toward her as she sat with her legs folded under her. His head found her lap as his arms went around her hips. Thinking he might want to eat when he got home, she still wore her apron.
Caleb’s soot and tears stained the white fabric while silent tears streamed down her face as well.
She rested calming hands on his heaving shoulders. Why? Why had those hateful people destroyed this man and their love?
He used to be so happy and powerful. Now that she was part of his life, he’d nearly lost everything. As she stroked the hair of the man she loved, her tears stopped as quiet resolution filled her.
She knew what she must do.
* * * * *
The next day, Caleb drove Pearl to the plant so they could see the damage. The vibration and sound of the car engine reminded her of the days she’d spent on his boat. She kept her hands folded in her lap. Neither of them spoke of how he’d cried in her lap last night. She imagined Caleb Rockfield didn’t cry very often. The last time had probably been when his father had died.
She didn’t tell him she planned to leave him. The last thing she wanted was for him to try to change her mind or come after her. He’d already lost so much because of her. She had to get away from him before he lost the rest of Rockfield’s and maybe even his own life.
When the backs of her eyes burned, she stared out the car window to keep her tears in. True love wasn’t about selfish passion. It was selfless and doing what was best for the other person. Caleb had always tried to do what was right for her. Now it was her turn.
He reached over and touched her folded hands. “Don’t look so sad. We’ll get through this, together.”
Pearl bit her lip. How could he possibly want to continue their relationship after what had happened?
“It’s my fault,” she said.
“You stop that kind of talk right now,” he said as he turned toward the plant.
The sight of the damaged building brought her hand to her mouth as he stopped the car. She saw the second floor was badly burned and partially missing. Half the unloading dock was gone too.
“Oh, Caleb, no!”
When he helped her out of the car, his face was pale and as grim as stone but a tiny smile flickered over his lips.
“Well, at least it’s still standing,” he said.
They walked around back. The sight and smell of so much charred wood pressed a band so tight around Pearl’s chest she could hardly breathe. It was like the cross at church all over again only much worse.
Henry emerged from inside with a clipboard. His eyes had dark circles under them and his overalls were filthy with soot. He looked just as tired and beaten as Caleb. In spite of everything that had happened and the fact he was part of the Klan now, he greeted her politely and took off his cap.
“The fire truck came after you left,” he told Caleb.
“I heard,” Caleb replied. “I don’t know why they bothered.”
“They were afraid the fire would spread to other buildings,” his brother replied.
Caleb turned and peered at the clipboard over Henry’s shoulder. “How bad is it?”
“The second floor needs major rebuilding. Your metal file cabinets managed to save some of the papers but even those are somewhat charred. We’ve lost about half the shucking space.” He pointed to the dock. “I guess we’ll get that bigger dock after all.”
“We’ll rebuild,” Caleb said. “We’ll just have to run at reduced capacity for a while.”
“Assuming the hardware store will sell us lumber at reasonable prices,” Henry added.
“Then we’ll get it shipped in,” Caleb said. “We can’t let them win.”
Henry sighed. “If you join the Klan now, they might pitch in and help you.”
Caleb glared at him. “I’ll burn the rest of it down myself before I do that.”
Pearl stared at the water, hoping Caleb would reconsider his brother’s advice after she left.
Looking into the main shucking room reminded her of first coming here to work. What job awaited her now? She didn’t even know where she’d go. All that mattered was getting out of Caleb’s life so he could get back everything he’d lost. Even though Henry had offered to find her other employment, she didn’t want Caleb to know where she’d gone.
“Thanks for everything you’ve done here,” Caleb told his brother. “Go have a nice breakfast at the Sapphire Crab. I’d like to be alone here for a while.”
Henry nodded. “The first floor is pretty stable but keep your eyes up in case something drops from above.”
They squeezed each other’s arms affectionately. After Henry walked toward the restaurant, Pearl followed Caleb into the plant. Ironically, her old shucking station was unscathed but other areas were damaged. Half-burned wooden shucking stalls lay about like driftwood.
They walked across the first floor, entering the small shucking room. The sun coming through the small windows warmed it.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Caleb said, looking around in wonder after he laid his hat and their coats on the shucking table. “It’s unscathed.”
So were the memories of their early times together. Pearl headed toward the door, needing to get out of this room before she shattered to pieces. But Caleb got there first. In a gesture she knew too well, he flipped the lock.
Her body reacted automatically, tightening the nipples under her bra and making her panties slick with arousal.
She shook her head. “Caleb, you can’t possibly—”
He cut off her words with a passionate kiss. Strong hands reached around her waist, pulling her toward the hard bulge under his trousers. Caleb’s power was back.
Don’t kiss me! It would only make leaving him harder than it already was.
He looked at her when the kiss ended. “Do you realize this room is the oldest part of the plant? My daddy started out with this room. That has to mean something.”
“It’s a special room,” she agreed. “It means Rockfield’s will go on.”
He kissed her again. “It means we’ll go on too.”
The familiar brush of moustache on her face started a fire of its own deep in her belly. His breezy scent penetrated the residue of the smoke in the building. Pearl almost wished this room had burned to echo the end of their relationship.
Caleb’s hands pulled up the back of her dress, undid her garters and tugged her panties and stockings down several inches.
“We can’t do this,” she protested. “Not here. Not now.”
Not ever again.
“I need you,” he said hoarsely as his teeth nipped her earlobe and his fingers brushed across the swelling mound between her legs.
Her knees buckled as resolve slipped out of her.
“How can you still want me when all of this happened because of me?” But even as she asked, her fingers unbuttoned his shirt and reached inside to feel his chest one last time.
Caleb squeezed her upper arms. “If you ever say that again, I’ll spank you senseless. None of this is your fault.”
She buried her face in his neck, needing to memorize every scent and texture of him. Many men would have decided she wasn’t worth the trouble by now, but she’d learned a long time ago Caleb Rockfield wasn’t like most men.
He was so special it made her heart ache.
“I wish we could live on that private island,” she said, moaning as he pushed her bra straps down and pinched her nipples.
“I do too, honey.”
Pearl flung her head back when his hot, wet mouth moved across her bare chest. How could she ever live without this? Without him? She would have to figure it out somehow. There was no choice.
“You know what the problem with this plant is?” Caleb whispered in her ear. “We never fucked in it.”
She laughed. “It�
�s not as comfortable as your bed.”
Her hand wandered down to his hard bulge and caressed the cock that had given her so much pleasure. Despite all the hard surfaces, this room was even more appealing than his bed. Their love and passion had been born here and grown one night at a time.
She couldn’t have picked a better place for goodbye.
He spread their coats out across the shucking table and lifted her to lie on top of them. It reminded her of the night he’d explored her pussy with his mouth. Her clitoris tingled, wondering if he was about to do that again.
“Lick me, Caleb,” she begged.
Anticipation made a giant pulse beat inside her body as he pulled off her panties, stockings and shoes. She whimpered as his hard mouth slid across her wet folds and his hands spread apart her labia. The combination of his probing fingers, hot tongue and rough moustache nearly sent her to the ceiling on the first lick.
“Caleb!”
Having him cry in her lap last night had brought them closer than ever before. Because of it, the pleasure he gave her now was even sweeter than any he’d ever given her.
Breath hissed in her throat when he let go of her. Don’t leave me! The darkness of their upcoming parting chased away the heat until Caleb grabbed her hips and flipped her over.
“Get on your knees so I can fuck you.”
A fire of her own raced through every limb at Caleb’s words. Of all the positions she’d tried, being taken from behind was the best of all. Remembering the night he’d fucked her in front of the oven sent sizzling juices streaming from her pussy.
As Pearl’s bare knees pressed into the wool of his outstretched coat, Caleb’s sheathed, poker-hot cock teased her opening. Her clitoris throbbed as she rubbed it against the swollen head.
“Take me now,” she begged. Take me for the last time.
But instead of filling her as she so desperately needed, he brushed one of the dangling garters across her bare ass cheek. She shuddered from the light, unexpected sensation.
“The last time we were in this room, you were saving yourself for marriage,” he pointed out. “Little did we know you were saving yourself for me. For this.”