Free Dorothy Garlock by A Place Called Rainwater Page B

virgin the art of sexual gratification.
    Jill Jones would be a delight to teach.
    In a law office above the bank on Main Street, Jill was also on the mind of the man leaning back in his chair with his feet on the desk. She was a little scrawny for his taste, he thought now as he viewed her once again in his mind's eye. She was pert, sassy as a young colt and not at all bad to look at, as Justine must have been all those many years ago. The little country miss would fit nicely into his plans, although he preferred women with large breasts, meat on their bones and little or nothing in their pretty heads.
    Lloyd Madison's character had been forged not only by the permanent disfigurement on his face, but also by a father who was sixty years old when he was born. Over the years he had become so used to the blood-red mass that even if it were possible to have it removed, he would not part with it. He rather enjoyed having people stare at him. The mass that some called the mark of the devil made him unforgettable.
    “You've got the mark of the devil on your face, ”his father had told him almost every day as he was growing up. “But you've got my brains. Use them as well as that appendage between your legs. Let no man or woman stand in the way of what you want.” When the dried-up old bastard finally died, setting Lloyd free, he had just turned eighteen.
    He had taken the old man's advice to heart: used the brains inherited from him and the money the old miser had held on to until the last breath. He got through law school, roamed a little, then headed for Oklahoma.
    The devil part of Lloyd's character had taught him to be calculating, persistent and to search out details that would be beneficial to him, while presenting a persona of caring and decency. The traits had been far more rewarding than he had expected.
    While in Rainwater, Lloyd had carefully crafted his image as the badly disfigured young man who spent his time and talent bravely fighting the oil companies on behalf of the laborers they employed, the small businessmen in the town and the ranchers whose land they leased.
    Only with Justine Byers did he allow the real Lloyd Madison to surface, and he had a good basis for that. She was the reason he had come to this godforsaken place. And as long as she lived, he intended for her to be on tenterhooks wondering what he would do next. He wanted her to know first uneasiness and then outright fear.
    He laughed aloud remembering when he had first presented himself to her. He'd been here in Rainwater a few weeks and was already established firmly on the side of the workingman when he finally caught her alone on the porch of the hotel.
    “Mrs. Byers? I'm wondering if we have met before.”
    She peered up at him, and when he turned his face toward her, she gasped, “Oh, my God! ”
    “So you do remember me.” He sat down on the bench, placed his ankle on his knee and stared at her. “People usually do.”
    “Lloyd! Oh, my God. Lloyd.”
    “I hear that you're ailing. Well, don't kick off too soon. You and I have some settling up to do. Hear? ”
    “What do you … mean? ”she stammered.
    “You figure it out. Don't worry. I'll be here as long as you are and …longer. I'll be back to see you from time to time so you'll not…forget me.”
    He had left her then before the look on her face caused him to burst out laughing. He had managed to get her alone several times since then. Each time he had managed to convey his hatred without speaking of it. He was determined to make her a nervous wreck before she died.
    Hunter Westfall, too, had made the big mistake of making an enemy of him. Plans had already been set in motion to ruin the oilman. Lloyd would enjoy every minute of it.
    Was there anything in the world as sweet as revenge?
    “Yes, ”he said aloud with gusto. “One thing! ”
    Utterly relaxed and satisfied with himself, Lloyd leaned his head back against the wall while he considered his next move. He entertained