Near Miss

“What is it?” Stone asked.

“You better let Ed Rawls know about this semi-truce you have with Peter G. before he shoots the man’s eye out.”

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll bet that’s Ed,” Dino said. “The scent of single-malt Scotch has reached his house.”

Stone peered through the peephole, then opened the door. “Speak of the devil.”

“The devil drinks brown whisky,” Rawls said, handing Stone his shotgun, as another man might hand him his umbrella, which he was also carrying and handed over. “So, you’re talking about me already?”

“We couldn’t help ourselves,” Dino said.

“Take a seat and be briefed,” Stone said. Rawls did so.

“Is the war over?” Rawls asked.

“How prescient of you to ask,” Stone said. “Peter G. has assumed Gromyko’s former position. He is calling off the mob’s dogs and taking his operations legit.”

“Well, shit,” Rawls said. “How am I going to entertain myself?”

“Just keep on doing what you’re doing, until we get the all-clear.”

“You mean keep shooting Russians?”

“No, unless violently provoked.”

Ed took a big swig of his Scotch. “No fun at all, eh?”

As the group chatted on, Stone got up, retrieved an umbrella from the holder near the front door and exited the house onto the back porch. He took a seat in a damp, Weatherend love seat, and was soon joined by Carly.

“Hey, there,” she said.

“Haven’t I seen you someplace before?”

“I’m glad I’m, at least, a familiar face.”

“You’re more than that.” Stone put an arm around her.

She snuggled closer and gave him a little kiss on the neck.

“What was that?”

“That was a little kiss on the neck. Would you like a bigger one, perhaps somewhere else?”

He looked down at her and got a kiss full on the lips, with a little tongue thrown in.

“Hang on,” he said, feeling a stirring.

“Onto what?” she asked, placing a hand on his thigh.

“Didn’t I tell you not to get entangled with anyone at the firm?”

“No. You told me not to let Herb Fisher get me into bed. You said nothing about you.”

“Was that what I said?”

“If you want the exact quote, I can give it to you.”

“I’m sure you can.”

She lifted her hand. “Are you saying that rule applies to all the lawyers at Woodman & Weld?”

Stone floundered, trying to come up with an answer.

“I mean, you didn’t bring a girl besides me on this trip. I’m inclined to take that as inviting.” Her hand settled back on his thigh. “Am I wrong?”

“I’m not sure there’s a right answer to that question.”

“Of course, there is,” she said. “Tell you what, you think about that for a while, and I’ll wait until you’re in bed for a straight answer, so to speak.”

She kissed him again, even better this time, then got up and went back into the house, leaving him to talk his anatomy down to a non-visible size. He picked up his umbrella, opened it, and walked out into the rain. The wind had dropped, but the rain continued. He kept his back to the windows, until normalcy had returned, then strolled down to the dock and inspected the boats — the Hinckley picnic boat and the Concordia sailing yacht.

Nobody took a shot at him, so he went back into the house. Carly was nowhere in sight.

“Wet enough for you out there?” Viv asked.

Stone shook like a dog. “I think I’m going to need to change clothes.”

“Well, Dino and I are going to repair to the guesthouse for a little nap before dinner,” she said, ogling Dino into action.

“Enjoy,” Stone said.

“You, too,” Viv said.

“Wait. Where’s Ed?”

“I told him we wouldn’t be eating until eight-thirty tonight,” Dino said. “So he went home for a bit and said he’d be back in time to eat.” He and Viv left.

Stone put away his umbrella and headed upstairs to the master bedroom. He walked into the room and found Carly in his bed, apparently naked, but with a sheet covering her breasts. She was reading an old New Yorker by a bedside lamp.

She reached up and switched it off. “Hello again. It took you a little longer than I thought.”

Stone got out of his wet clothes, and she held the sheet up to make room for him, and to give him a better view of her body, the beauty of which exceeded his suppositions.

“I have a feeling I’m going to regret this,” he said, kissing her on a nipple.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” she said, reaching for him.

“That speaks volumes,” Stone said, giving himself to the moment.

A little later, Stone lay on his back, taking deep breaths.

“Are you going to need resuscitation?” Carly asked.

“Whatever that was worked just fine.”

Carly laughed, something she did not do a lot of. “You can have a rest, and we can resume after dinner.”

“No need to wait,” he said, turning toward her. “It’s my turn, anyway.”

“You won’t get an argument from me,” she said, running her fingers through his hair, steering him home.

Chapter 47

Stone woke to find Carly gone from the bed, then she emerged from the bathroom, toweling herself.

“Awake at last!” she said.

“Sort of,” he replied, kicking off the covers.

“I like the two of everything idea,” she said, indicating the baths and dressing rooms. “No waiting.”