Nightmare in Pink by John D. MacDonald

Author:John D. MacDonald [MacDonald, John D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 978-0-307-82726-5
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2013-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

At 121 East 71st, the doorman held the door for us. I walked her past the desk and back to the elevators. She smiled her weak apologetic thanks, touched my hand and stepped in and pressed the button for the ninth floor.

I went to the desk. The pale clerk looked suspiciously at me through heavy glasses. “Yes sir?”

“Miss Hersch was feeling faint. I want to give her a chance to get up there and then phone up and see if she is all right.”

He hesitated, nodded, lifted a house phone onto the counter. He plugged me into 9A and rang.

Bonita answered. “Yes?”

“Trav. I wanted to be sure you got up there all right.”

“I’m all right. Sweet of you to phone.”

“I’d like to see you again.”

“Phone me at the office, dear. Thank you for the drinks and the nice talk.”

I thanked the clerk and went out. The early dusk was arriving. There was a chill in the air. I exchanged weather pleasantries with the doorman and gave him a dollar to whistle me up a cab. I wanted him to remember me as the legitimate guest of a resident of his carefully guarded tower.

• • •

I knocked at Nina’s door. She opened it, grabbed me and hauled me in. After a devoted business of kissing, I held her at arm’s length to admire her. She had her hair pulled back and tied. She wore a flowered blouse and sexy black stretch-pants. She looked fresh as morning, dainty as lace, innocent as a field of lambs. She gave me a vast bawdy wink that screwed up half her face.

“It’s the only way I can wink,” she said. “Unless I hold the other eye shut. And that looks ridiculous. Where the hell have you been?”

“How are you for guilt and regrets?”

She looked blankly at me. “Guilt? Regrets? Heck, if I’ve decided not to be prim, why should you bring it up?”

“Just to be sure.”

“I’ve invented fifty more things we can do. Darling, you’re like owning the key to the candy store.”

“You frighten me.”

“Good! Where have you been?”

“With a female creature. Let me tell you about you. After being with her in an intimate bar, Miss Nina, you are exceptionally glorious. You are invaluable. You are honest and true.”

“Of course.”

“There is a very smart little male spider who first grabs a bug and wraps it up and then a-courting goes, hoping he can be done and away before the big savage female spider finishes eating the bug.”

“Did you bring me a bug?”

“No.”

“Pretty careless of you.”

“One should take a bug to Bonita Hersch.”

“Did you?”

“I didn’t go near the web.”

“If you ever do, McGee, I’ll peel you with a dull knife and feed you to the snakes.”

“You’re very fierce today, Miss Gibson.”

“Man, I’m plain savage. And healthy. And tired of waiting.”

With no warning except a sudden expression of mischief, she leaped up at me, wrapped her arms high around my neck and locked her legs around my waist. She put her teeth into the side of my neck and made a small and comfortable snarling sound.

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