Free Drifter's Blues (Erotic Noir) by P.J. Tallis

insane with lust. He supposed it would make his and Donna’s eventual reunion all the sweeter.
    Kyle parked the truck in his usual spot and walked across the gravel to the front door. As always his pulse quickened at the thought of seeing Donna. He lifted his hand to ring the doorbell when the door opened, startling him.
    Blair Thurgood stood in the doorway, dressed for work in another power suit, staring at Kyle.
    ‘Hello, pool boy,’ he said. His tone was friendly enough.
    Kyle fought the urge to take a step backward. ‘Mr Thurgood,’ he said, as steadily as he could.
    ‘Enjoying your work here?’ Thurgood said. Had he laid the faintest emphasis on the word work ? Kyle couldn’t be sure.
    ‘Yes, thank you, sir. You have a beautiful pool.’
    ‘Indeed I do.’ Thurgood advanced on to the front porch and clapped a hearty hand on Kyle’s shoulder. ‘I have a lot of beautiful things. As I’m sure you’ve noticed.’
    Oh shit , thought Kyle. He held Thurgood’s gaze. The man’s hand rested heavily on his shoulder.
    The silence stretched out uncomfortably.
    ‘What’s your name, pool boy?’ asked Thurgood, sounding genuinely interested.
    ‘Kyle Cantrell.’ This time Kyle didn’t add sir . He was getting irked at the other man’s repeated use of pool boy .
    ‘You a married man, Kyle?’
    ‘No.’ If Thurgood didn’t remove his hand from Kyle’s shoulder in the next few seconds Kyle was going to do it himself. As if reading his mind, Thurgood lifted the hand and punched Kyle playfully on the upper arm.
    ‘I’m married, Kyle. Well, you know that. You’ve met my wife.’ Again, there was the hint of an emphasis on met . ‘Been married eleven years. And one thing I’ve learned in those eleven years, Kyle, is that two people can’t keep anything secret from one another for very long. Can’t be done. You become too finely tuned to the other person’s little ways and tell-tale signs.’
    ‘What’s your point, Mr Thurgood?’ asked Kyle, suddenly tired of these games.
    Thurgood raised his palms heavenward, adopted a surprised expression. ‘No point really, Kyle. Just a little food for thought for when you get married one day. Think of it as an old geezer sharing his worldly wisdom with a hot young buck.’ And he grinned.
    Kyle waited for more, but none came. He said, ‘Mr Thurgood, I need the keys to the chalet, if that’s okay.’
    ‘Sure.’ Thurgood produced the keys and dropped them into Kyle’s outstretched hand. ‘My apologies. I don’t want to keep you. I know you’ve got a lot to do this morning.’ Without taking his eyes off Kyle’s face he called, ‘Donna, honey. Kyle the pool boy’s here.’
    He stepped forward and Kyle moved aside to let him pass, bracing himself in case the guy took a swing at him. He didn’t.
    Thurgood turned his head and said, ‘Donna’ll be glad you’ve come. She gets so hot, she’ll be wanting a swim after you’re done.’
    And he sauntered off toward the waiting Cadillac.
    Standing by the Caddy was the driver in his uniform and cap, watching Kyle. Again Kyle noted the smirk on the man’s face.
    Kyle watched the big car pull away up the driveway, and it was only then that he noticed something odd about his pickup truck. It was listing a little to one side.
    He hurried over. As he got closer he slowed, not believing what he saw.
    Both tires on the driver’s side, front and back, were flat. Each had a ragged slash in it which had been clearly made by a blade of some sort.
    ‘Son of a bitch,’ he breathed, crouching to inspect the damage.
    The driver had done it, quickly and quietly, while Thurgood had been talking to Kyle. He stared up the driveway but the Cadillac was long gone.
    Kyle debated going up to the front door and ringing the bell for Donna. But that would be playing into Blair’s hands. They’d agreed to keep contact to a bare minimum, and that was what they’d do.
    He slumped against the truck, reflecting that although the