Body of Ash (9 page)

With his decision to send Rachel away, Angela
assumed he was. It seems Marge thought so, too.
She should pity the woman for being stupid enough to equate sex with love, but didn’t. She resented them both.

Despite her antagonism towards Brian, a sliver of relief worked its way through her. If Brian wasn’t planning on leaving her, she wouldn’t be on the verge of divorce and needing a backup plan.

Maybe I should rethink
Rachel’s schooling.

Angela
had long since lost any attachment to her husban
d, but she was accustomed to the life they had in the small Litchfield County town.  Rachel had grown up in the house and Angela appreciated the small church community. When Rachel was little, Angela enjoyed being able to get her on the bus in the morning and being the first one her daughter saw when she returned home in the afternoon. Even Angela’s mother approved of the way she kept her home immaculate and Rachel well cared for – and that seldom happened.

I have to clean up this mess.

Angela raised her chin, nodding towards the door.
“People will know that you and your worthless daughter are deceitful bitches.”

Marge
paled. “What?”

“By tomorrow, everyone will learn how you came to our home, after we so lovingly welcomed you into our church family, and threatened to blackmail us with this sickening accusation unless we paid you off.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Brian cut in. 

Ignoring her husband, Angela continued to address
Marge
. Her words came ou
t cool and steady to ensure Marge
understood.

“Because of our firm commitment in the Lord, we will ask the community to pray for your sins and to not judge you too harshly.”

“You
wouldn’t
.” Streaks of black
mascara ran down her cheeks. Marge
looked more used up than usual.

Angela glanced at her husband. His
posture slumped in defeat
.

Brian met her stare and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

You’re sorry you were
caught.

Turning her back on him, she headed for the stairs. “Get your whore out of my house.”

13

BRIAN

Thursday 9:10 PM

Brian stepped onto the porch. Scanning the darkness, he watched for signs of an audience
.
Marge needed to pull herself together. The
neighbors didn’t miss much. If the two were witnessed in an emotional
state,
rumors would never die down.

“You let her talk to me like that,”
she whimpered. Burrowing
her
face into his shoulder, h
e could feel the
moisture
from her nose and eyes
seep through the
linen
fabric
of his shirt
. He hated when women did that.

“Keep your voice down.” Brian tugged her fingers
from their
clasp
on his sleeve. “We don’t want to cause a scene.”  Voices carried at night. He needed her to get a grip.

Marge
’s face crumpled
.

“You let her call me a whore.” As another sob racked her thin frame,
Marge
fumbled for the smooth railing. Brian grabbed her elbow – steadying her.

“What did you expect?” he whispered. “That I could just end my
marriage because you thought the time was fitting
?” 

Shaking him off her arm, she glared, “Marriage? That’s what you call your relationship to that bitch?” With her eyes wide,
Marge stared at the front
door,
weary that
Angela could come rushing out.

He rubbed his temples.

Damn, she’s exasperating.

“You don’t understand. With my position in town, I can’t just leave my wife.” He stepped closer, wan
ting to placate her. “These things are complicated
.”
Trailing
his hand down her spine
, he couldn’t help but notice that t
he thin material of her tank didn’t leave much to the imagination.

Fishing through the black vinyl bag she carried,
Marge
pulled out a wad of tissues. Dabbing her eyes, she smiled. 
“I can be
your wife. I know how to make you happy.”

As
Marge
sidled up to him, Bri
an inhaled
her fragrance. He remembered it from the night they screwed in the back of the Escalade. She had been wearing a leopard print thong and the memory still got him going.
He loved the way she made him feel like a man, desiring every inch of his body.
Both of his brothers used to call him gay. Still in Georgia, they were the ones stuck with fat heifers for wives. After years of making his childhood hell, Brian gloated on their misery. They would never know what it was like to lay a woman as wild as Marge.

“You don’t need to be my wife to make me happy.”

Marge
laced her hand around his and guided his fingers across her cool skin. His entire body hummed in response as she sent him exploring under her tank and around the full mound of her breast. As he touched her nipple, a sigh escaped her lips. She had lovely breasts and he wanted to savor them again
.

All of her again…

His eyes traveled back up to her luscious mouth. She tantalized him by moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue.

Brian pulled away. He desired her, but couldn’t do anything about it now. Angela was getting ready for bed and he would have a lot of explaining to do.

“Now isn’t a good time for me,” he rasped. With
Marge
tempting him, he no lon
ger felt the chill in the air.

“Tomorrow?” she
asked, fishing for her keys.

“Maybe.”

She leaned in closer and kissed him vigorously.

“No ‘maybe.’
T
omorrow.”

As
Marge
headed down the walkway, Brian couldn’t help but watch the sway of her hips. She darted across the street, disappearing into her
parked
car
.

He should have made a clean break. He should have insisted it was over.

But she’s so damn hot.

Stepping back into the house, he found Angela sitting at the bottom of the staircase
.
Her long hair spilled around her face. From the way she held her head in her hands, he knew she wasn’t going to just let this slide.

God forbid she
waits
until tomorrow to have me castrated.

Glancing up at him, Angela’s face
blanched
.

“Rachel’s gone,” she choked.

1
4

MARGE

Thursday 9:25 PM

As Marge unlocked the apartment’s deadbolt, she could hear the thrumming bass of her stereo’s sound system. When she left, Katie was lounging across the couch, watching a “Teen Mom” marathon on MTV. Marge told her not to wait up, but from the scent of smoke that floated into the hallway – it was clear her daughter made other plans.

Dropping her purse on the rocking chair next to the door, Marge glanced around the cramped space. She hated the
living room’s dated shag carpet, but was proud of the decent sofa her lawyer insisted Williston give her after the divorce.  She saved for the coffee table and lamps through K-Mart’s layaway plan, but what really gave the place panache was her Precious Moments Collection. It was on display in the corner of the room in a mirrored curio cabinet. 

The apartment was only temporary until Marge could upgrade her and Katie to a nicer home
.
A home like Brian’s on Maple Avenue would be perfect. Until then, she and Katie would need to start acting the part of a preacher’s family. It was time they showed others just how high-society they were.

Following the trail of clothing across the floor, Marge peeked into Katie’s room. Propped against a boy, her daughter wore only a bra and panties. A quick glance at the male, revealed his perfect tanned skin in nothing but boxer shorts. The two were sharing a joint.

“Can’t you knock?” Katie’s voice sputtered, blowing out smoke.

“What? Like you?” Marge teased. Strolling to the CD player, she turned down the volume.

She saw a worried look pass the boy’s face as he tugged a sheet over his legs, but Marge wasn’t mad.  Teenagers needed
to have fun and as long as they did it in the safety of someone’s home, she was fine with it.

Feeling the weight of the evening, Marge needed to unwind.

Crossing the room, she pushed a pile of Katie’s clothes onto the floor and sat down onto a plush chair.  She motioned to the boy to pass her the doobie.  Now that she had a clearer view of his face, she recognized him as Tony Shaw’s son.

Another old family from town…

Marge took a drag and leaned back closing her eyes.  From her job at the florist, she knew all of the well-to-do families in town and that was why she thought she belonged with Brian. He could give her everything she ever wanted and she would give him connections. Brian was motivated and wasn’t afraid of chasing down a new challenge. When Marge gave him a few hints that she was open to an affair, he wasted no time in coming to her bed.  She liked that about him.