tell it’s not. ”
“May I see?”
She didn’t wait for an answer. A sheet covered his lower body, and she drew it down to mid-thigh. His penis was soft, and her hand went to it automatically, held it gently.
“Can you feel anything?”
“ No. ”
“But you like that I’m holding it.”
“ Yeah. ”
“And you can tell that I’m holding it, can’t you? I mean, of course you can, you can see what I’m doing, but let’s try something. Close your eyes, and I’ll hold it and then not hold it, like off and on, and you’ll know when I’m holding it and when I’m not. At least I think you will. Can we try that? Can you close your eyes?”
Eye, she thought. He only had one eye to close. Was it wrong to say what she’d said?
Well, it didn’t seem to matter. And he’d closed both eyes, anyway, because that’s how the eyelids seemed to work, you closed or opened them both at once, the real one and the glass one.
She played with him, fondled him. Then let go of him. Then held him again.
“You can tell, can’t you?”
“ Yeah. ”
“Even if you can’t feel anything, you can tell. So deep inside somewhere, you’re feeling it. Your mind just doesn’t know it.”
“ Maybe. ”
“You have a beautiful penis. I don’t want to stop touching it. It doesn’t matter if it’s hard or soft. It’s just beautiful.”
And it was, sort of. In a sense it was just a dick, and God knows she’d seen enough of them in her time, but she was connecting with it in a way that was, well, getting her hot. He couldn’t feel anything, and she was getting hot. Go figure that one.
“I want it in my mouth,” she told him. “I want to suck that beautiful cock, and play with your balls, and stick my finger up your ass. I want it for me, see, and I don’t give a shit whether you can feel anything or not. But you’re gonna feel it, Alan, even if the message doesn’t get all the way to your brain. Your cock’s gonna feel it. It’s gonna get hard as a fucking rock and I’m gonna suck it and suck it and suck it and you’re gonna come like crazy and I’m gonna swallow every drop. Every fucking drop, you hear me?”
“Alan?”
His eyes opened, and the good one met hers and held it. Was it clearer now? Was there a light in it that hadn’t been present earlier?
“Did you feel any of that?”
He took a moment. Then he said, “ I knew when it happened. ”
“Was there pleasure?”
“ Kind of. ”
“There was for me. I had an orgasm.”
“ Don’t have to say that. ”
“It’s true.”
“ Yeah? ”
“I was touching myself, but I think I would have come anyway. It was all intensely hot for me. I’m glad you got Joanne to give us some time alone. I guess this is what you had in mind.”
“ No. ”
“Or something like it, and if there’s anything else—”
“ Different. ”
“Oh?”
“ You wouldn’t do it. ”
“Wouldn’t do what? Alan, anything you want me to do, all you have to do is ask.”
His eye bored into hers. There was something there but it was hard to read.
“You’re afraid to tell me what you want.”
“ Yeah. ”
“Because of what I’ll think of you? Alan, I won’t—”
“ Don’t care what you think of me. ”
“Then why—”
“ Because you won’t do it. ”
“I can’t if you won’t tell me what it is.”
“ Only thing I want. ”
She waited. That would do it, she knew. If she just waited him out, sooner or later he’d tell her.
“ Pam . . . ”
Still waited.
“ Kill me. ”
Words and phrases, spilling out in fits and starts:
Can’t stand it. Nothing to live for. Can’t get better. Can’t keep from getting worse. Dying by inches. Sis won’t let me die. ‘Bubba, you’re all I live for.’ Jesus. ‘Bubba, together we’ll keep you going.’ Sweet Jesus. ‘Bubba, keeping you alive’s what keeps me alive.’ Only person ever loved me and I’m starting to hate her because she won’t let me fucking die.
Just kill me. All I