Page 103 of Repentance and Absolution

I chuckled. “You know, you don’t own me. I may be your secret husband, but I can dance with a girl if I want.”

Oscar swiveled his head around and pinned me with a glare.

“I suppose you can.” He gazed at me in silence for a few moments, while Irene took another swig of gin. “You know that girl couldn’t handle a cock the size of yours, Jimmy, nor a hidin’ like you enjoy givin’ me.Psht.”

Irene’s eyes went wide, and she put a hand to her mouth to stop her laughter. I reached o’er and took Oscar’s hand. He didn’t want to give it to me, he was so mad. But I dragged it to my knee and held it there.

“I reckon you’re right. And I ain’t got no interest in her. But it ain’t gonna kill you to watch me dance with a girl or two once a year to keep up appearances.”

“Hmph. I don’t know about that.”

Irene put her hand on Oscar’s knee. “Oscar, you know you’re a hell of a lot prettier than that girl, don’t you?”

I could have kissed Irene that second. That was the exact right thing to say to Oscar just then.

He shrugged, because of course he wasn’t gonna admit that that was exactly what he wanted to hear.

I squeezed his hand and leaned in close. “Irene’s right. I bet most of those girls and women were lookin’ at you and imaginin’ how you’d look with no clothes on.”

He pulled back and gave me a quizzical look. “Are you drunk, Jimmy Downing?”

I laughed. “On fruit punch? Fuck no.”

“You truly think those women were hot for me?”

I gave him a leer.

“Why wouldn’t they be? Don’t tell me you don’t think their fancy airs and polite manners don’t hide needs and wants as powerful as ours. But they can’t show it any more’n we can. The whole world’s fucked up, and that’s the truth.”

“Amen,” Irene said.

And Oscar laughed. He turned his hand up under mine and twined our fingers together.

“You know what, Jimmy?”

I gazed at him with fondness and a simmering desire to get him alone. “What, Oscar?”

“When we get home, you’re gonna have to prove how much you care for me, to make up for dancing with other folks all night.”

I grinned and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I look forward to it.”

Irene threw her head back and laughed, her voice drifting up to the stars that looked down on us and twinkled in complicity.

Irene and Clarence dropped us off, and Irene climbed up into the wagon seat with her husband.

“Good night, boys! Don’t stay up too late lovin’ on each other.”

Clarence rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Now don’t think you’re off the hook, Clarence Trelawney. I’m gonna expect some sweet talk and soft handling once we get home.”

“Don’t I know it,” Clarence said in a long-suffering tone. But he winked at us andchirruped to the horses. He nodded toward the porch of our house. “You’d better let your poor cat in.”

Sure enough, Sprite was walking back and forth in front of the door, winding her body this way and that, scowling at us and mewling as if she were scolding us for being gone so long.

We waved them off and walked up the steps of our new front porch. Oscar took hold of the door handle, but I stayed him with a hand to his shoulder.

“Oscar,” I said.