Free Now and Forever 5, Love's Journey by Jean C. Joachim

Alan’s office. He could feel Alan was
up to no good in some way and Rex was determined to find out what
it was.
    Staying at Deena’s sometimes worked out well
for Rex. Deena couldn’t afford a big apartment, but she kept the
place clean and stocked his favorite gin. She also made some of his
favorite foods from time to time. After having sex, Rex and Deena
would stay up late watching television. She hugged him and touched
him often. Rex had never had much affection as a child and he found
he liked it. He was growing used to being with Deena. In fact, he
began to look forward to it.
     
    * * * *
     
    “Two hundred bucks a month?” Deena slipped
her hand in his as they left the restaurant and headed to The Wet
Tee Shirt.
    “Yeah. For doing nothin’ really. How many
guys doin’ that for you?” Rex arched an eyebrow.
    “None. You ever been in love, Rex?”
    “Never found the one, Deena.” He turned to
face her.
    She placed her palm on his cheek and looked
into his eyes.
    “It’s time you did.”
    Got her. Hook, line and sinker.
    He smiled at her.
    “You volunteering for the job?”
    “Maybe.”
    “You make me hard, baby.” His gaze swept her
body.
    “That’s not love.”
    “As close as I’m gonna get.”
    Deena stopped and moved into his arms. She
placed a sweet kiss on his lips.
    “Maybe I can change your mind.” Deena pursed
her lips and pushed her breasts up against him.
    She’s into me.
    “Maybe you can, baby. Ain’t gonna stop you
from tryin’.”
    It was obvious to Rex Deena felt safer at
The Wet Tee Shirt with him there as the bouncer. He never missed a
day and never came to work drunk, like Benny did. He was always
alert and she knew no one would give her a hard time as long as he
was there.
    Deena was getting good at gathering
information. When she suspected a customer had something to hide,
she had Raj make their drinks stronger. She slipped him twenty
dollars from time to time, thinking Rex didn’t know, so Raj
wouldn’t ask questions. She flirted and talked with as many patrons
as she could, always looking for information to give to Rex. Every
time she had a good tip, he was happy and appreciative, giving her
small gifts, taking her out and making love to her.
     
    * * * *
     
    At eight o’clock in the morning, Alan left
Rex sleeping in the guest room and went to his office where the
first thing he did was count the number of women in his Survey of
Western Literature classes. There were fifty-three women out of two
classes of fifty students. He smiled. Surely one of those women
will fail…unless she was a little friendly.
    Alan was lonely. His wife, Beth had left him
for her chemistry teaching assistant. Beth and Cal Dexter worked
together for two semesters and Alan never had any hint they were
having an affair. Beth had still had sex with Alan and seemed to be
satisfied. Of course when he looked back on it, he could see her
interest in affection, outside of the sex he initiated, dwindled
down to nothing during the year. Her pulling away was so
subtle.
    Then it happened, after final exams one day
in May when he came back from submitting his final grades. He’d
never forget the moment…that moment of ultimate humiliation. He’d
walked into their house and Beth was not there. There was no note,
no message on his cell phone. In fact, he’d found her cell phone on
the dresser. A sense of dread had come over him as the empty house
became so quiet he could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. He
had approached her closet, afraid to open the door. When he finally
got the courage, he was shocked to see only empty hangers. All her
clothes were gone.
    Next he checked her bureau drawers. They
were all empty too. Her two suitcases were gone from the closet
shelves. He searched the house for a note, but found none. Beth was
gone. Alan couldn’t breathe. Feeling a tightness in his chest, he
sat down. He didn’t know what to do. Where was Beth? Why did she
go? Was she coming back?
    They had been