Free Cuts by Richard Laymon

my concern?”
    “I understand. Let go of me.”
    He rubbed her shoulders gently. “In a year or two, per haps, if our relationship has developed to a point where we’re both
     willing to make that commitment…”
    “Shut up,” Janet said. Shrugging off his hands, she turned around and looked up at his somber face.
    “I’m sure you’ll come to realize…”
    “I’ll tell you what I’ve already come to realize,” she said. “I realize you don’t love me. If you loved me, you wouldn’t want to kill our baby. There’s nothing
     else to know.”
    He frowned, then walked to the dresser and took a pipe off its rack. “And how do you define this ‘love’?”
    “Please, I wish you’d go. I want to get my things and leave.”
    “First tell me what you mean by ‘love.’ ”
    “Please?”
    He smiled nonchalantly and started to fill his pipe. “Do you mean, by ‘love,’ a mutually satisfying relationship? One that
     fulfills the needs of both parties?”
    “Boy, you’re being suave this morning. I know your Hugh Hefner routine really wows the gals, but I’m in no mood so why don’t
     you drop it?”
    His eyes were amused. “Tell me exactly what you mean by ‘love.’ ”
    She leaned back against the door and folded her arms across her gray sweatshirt and said nothing.
    Dave lit his pipe. “Trust? Is trust a part of this thing you call ‘love’?”
    “I’d like you to leave.”
    “You broke our trust, didn’t you?”
    “I what?” she asked, suddenly feeling a hot blush spread over her skin.
    “You broke our trust, our understanding that you’d be careful. You broke that trust, didn’t you?”
    “I was careful.”
    “You accidently lost track of your period?”
    “ You’re the one who wouldn’t wear condoms.”
    “Because I trusted you to know when it’d be safe.”
    “I tried…”
    “I think you wanted to become pregnant. I think you lost track on purpose. ”
    “I did not,” she said.
    Did I? she wondered. She’d sometimes gotten careless , that’s for sure. There’d been times when they’d gone ahead and made love even though she’d known it would be more risky
     than usual.
    But not because I wanted to get pregnant, she thought. We got carried away, that’s all. Did it because we were too turned on to stop.
    Those had been some of the best times, too.
    Nevermore.
    Looking down, Janet said, “I loved you. I thought you loved me , too, but I was wrong.”
    “Were you?” He grinned with the pipe between his teeth.
    “I think that’s pretty obvious now,” she said.
    “Is it?”
    “Cut it out.”
    “Maybe I still love you in spite of your betrayal.”
    “I didn’t betray you.”
    “You got pregnant.”
    “If you loved me, you wouldn’t call it a betrayal. So go to hell. I’m having the baby and I’m done with you.”
    “But maybe I’m not done with you .” He blew smoke in her face.
    Janet waved it away. “You are,” she said. “Whether you know it or not.” She unhooked the guard chain. “But don’t sweat it,”
     she said. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding an adequate replacement.”
    “Maybe I don’t want a replacement.” He blew more smoke in her face.
    “The world is teeming with young women who would leap at the chance of having a mutually satisfying relationship with a man
     of your charm.”
    He laughed. “But I want you.” He blew more smoke.
    Janet slapped the pipe from his mouth. It hit the floor, throwing out ashes and smoldering shreds of tobacco.
    Dave picked it up. His foot crushed the smoky pile. “You really should do something,” he said, “about these violent tendencies.”
    Janet opened the door. “Good-bye.”
    “See you soon, darling.”
    “Please don’t.”
    “Oh, I will. Count on it.”

TWELVE
    HAPPY HOUR
    Done with work on Monday afternoon, Lester shut the high, oak door of the Doan Library at Blessed Virgin College and locked
     it. Watching his feet, he descended the front steps and walked along the