We’ve met several of the main characters in the section Spring, 1938 of my unpublished novel Falls the Shadow. Today, we’ll meet a third. Enjoy!

———

3

The day started as every other. Nicolette and Mother had breakfast, Mother went to the hotel to make sure the books were in order, and Nicolette went prowling.

Niki’s “hobby” was an unspoken sore spot between her and Mother. The latter had known for several years that the girl was active in that fashion, but had not asked about it, had not really cared to ask about it, Nicolette thought, but she knew. If for no other reason, she knew because of the money. At times, Nicolette’s deft womanhood had kept them in groceries and heat, particularly in the slow winters in Sauk Centre, when the drifts cover everything and nothing is without a glare.

Every day, Nicolette spent her time scouting potential clients. The terribly unfortunate part of this was that they were in a small town. But the good part was, she had several high-paying regulars, usually widowers with nothing better to do or overzealous businessmen who had recently entered the farming industry and not yet realized how uneconomical it was to pay for such a frivolous thing.

Today, though, she had no such appointments, and went to the local farmer’s market to pick up a few items for the house. That’s where she met Neal. It was March of 1938. The snows had melted, and Neal had come to visit his step-grandfather for what he thought was the final time, he said. He thought a bit of fresh country air would do him good, he said. He was hoping he might find a lady to escort him around town some evenings, show him what there was to do in these parts, he said.

Niki was overjoyed to have a fresh stab at fresh meat, and found that this gentleman was quite charming, too, which was always an added bonus.

With most of the regulars, the job took about twenty minutes — give or take, depending on just how horny the johns were — to complete. Most often, she would walk in, hike up her skirts and steady herself against an end table or even against the front door of the house, and whoever John was that night would simply spread her thighs and have his way. There was no eye contact, not even really a look at each other. Most of the old men felt shameful for “taking advantage” of the situation, and sometimes Niki had to spend a little extra time just smoothing out her clients’s emotions. Truthfully, she preferred the easier quick fuck.

But charming Neal Sanford from New York City who had come to enjoy the simple life and spend time with his dying grandfather had simply swept her — yes, she was going to admit it — right off her feet, right there in the marketplace, under the shining spring sun and beneath the puffy clouds that floated across the sky like giant sheep in God’s pasture.

And here she was, sharing her secrets with him, telling him things she would never think of telling a client — not that he was a client yet, that was still to be determined, but oh, how to broach the subject? — And they strolled around the market, arm in arm, giving the old biddies plenty of fodder with which to get Mother all excited later over to the lady’s auxiliary bridge game.

“You’ve really birthed a cow before?” Neal asked. His eyes were wide, his mouth too, and he really looked absolutely astonished to think that this girl, who was certainly no tom-boy that he could tell, had simply taken a baby cow and pulled and yanked it free of the womb.

“Of course. What else were we going to do, let the mother and the baby die?”

“Well, no, that wouldn’t work at all, I guess.”

“So, tell me a little about yourself, Neal.”

“I really don’t know where to start, Niki. I guess the best place would be with Grandfather. He used to own the farm up on Zurich Lane, but he’s sold that now. He was upset when none of the children wanted to pursue the career that had basically broken him, and so my father and all his siblings left, one by one, and Grandfather was alone. It wasn’t long after that he sold it. Some family named Asfeld or Apfeld — something-feld, anyway — bought it, I think,” Neal said.

“That’s terrible! Why would his children abandon him like that?”

“Grandfather was… well, he was a little crazy. He’d stand on the porch and look over the fields and mutter to himself about something that was coming. He’d stand out there for hours, sometimes, and often it was when he needed to be planting, or worse, harvesting.

“So many times we saw him lose himself in those mutterings, saw him lose those crops that he had worked hard to grow, and we all decided that none of us wanted that. So we all left.”

“What about his wife? Your grandmother?”

“Oh, she died a long time before any of us grandkids came around. I never knew her. I’m not sure if I’ve even seen a picture of her.”

“That’s so sad.”

“Really, it isn’t — it’s more harsh than anything. It’s almost like we forced him into selling the farm. But in the end, the hard knocks lesson plan worked out. Grandfather has been so chipper and active in the last fifteen years.”

“So, your grandfather has lived in Sauk all those years?” Nicolette asked.

“Yes, ma’am. He originally moved here in 1898, about three years before that hotel burned down in town. Owned by the people that ended up buying his farm, I think.”

“Yes, that’s right. The Apfeld family. John, I think the man’s name was.” She paused for a moment, more to decide on whether or not she should divulge exactly how much she knew about that hotel. “Actually, the man who rebuilt it in 1901, Ralph Palmer, is — or, was, rather — my uncle.”

“Was?” Neal asked.

“Yes, was. The hotel was supposed to open on October 17, 1901, and when it didn’t, the police went to investigate and found eleven people dead inside, including the owner, Ralph, and his wife. The stories say that there was a river of blood that ran out of the Palmer House Hotel that day, but no photographers got a picture, so I think that’s mostly just speculation.”

The two walked in complete silence by the stand with fresh strawberries and blueberries again.

“Do you have any plans right now?” Nicolette asked Neal.

“Well, no, I don’t. What did you have in mind?”

“Take me to the lake, will you? I want to sit by Sauk Lake and smell Phlox and Yarrow and Gypsy flowers on the the wonderful spring breeze.

“I think that sounds wonderful, Niki.”

“Please,” she said, her eyes distant. “Call me Nicolette.”

———

yeah i think she bought it

are you sure

sure as i can be theres no real guaranty is there

swear it

i swear that im telling you what i see and i see that she bought it

you better not fucking lie to me neal

not a chance buddy you know me right right

yeah i know you the conniving little shit for brains who cant be trusted farther than you can be thrown

a lot of time has passed since then

yeah a lot of time that i havent been able to track you down too

i think she bought it

yeah you think so

yeah i think so david

———

At the lake, Nicolette scouted the bank and finally stopped a quarter mile from the dock, on a nice grassy waterfront ledge that overlooked a four foot descent into the water. Here the lake was shallow within a foot or two of the short, but dropped off to ten or fourteen feet further out. There were trees blocking any view of them from one side, and the other side — the side she had come in on — broke away from the crest of a small hill. They could be alone here. Nicolette spread out her skirts, and sat down on the soft, feathery grass.

“What do you think?” she asked.

Neal looked at her with defensive eyes. “I think you’ve probably brought other fellows here from time to time,” Neal said.

“I’m not going to lie to you. There have been times — a select few, mind you — that I have been accompanied to this exact spot. The first time was with my brother, David, when I was about six. David was four then, and probably doesn’t remember it at all.”

Neal laughed out loud, and plopped onto the ground next to her.

“What’s so funny, mister?” Nicolette asked.

“Oh, nothing, Nicolette. It’s just that when you said you had been ‘accompanied’, my brain gave a very different definition to me.”

Her face drained of color. “You thought I meant that I had brought men here to know a woman, does that about sum it up?”

Neal cleared his throat. He sat up and crossed his legs in front of him, stretched them toward the lakeshore, and leaned his upper body back on his hands.

“Well, yes. To put it directly.”

“There have been times.” Nicolette stood up, and walked toward the shore. She was wearing a long, light dress because it was spring and the sun was warm. She turned toward Neal and smiled. She hefted the skirts up, and peeled the dress over her head, giving Neal full access to every wonderful feature of her body.

The dress fell in a pile next to her with a soft whuump. She stood exactly where she was, posed and slightly backlit by the sun, until she was sure than she hadn’t scared Neal off with her directness. She walked over two him, one leg on either side, and was not self-conscious when she saw his eyes glance at her secret garden. She dropped to one knee, then to both, and straddled his lap.

“Would you make love to me, Neal?” Nicolette said.

“Yes, I would, right hear, right now. But…” Neal glanced over her shoulder. “Last one in’s a deviled egg!”

Neal gently, but with a firmness she was unable to deter, pushed her aside, and rolled her off his lap and onto the grass. He was on his feet in an instant, and trying so hard to strip down to his skivvies and make it into the lake. Of course, Nicolette was already naked, so once she realized what the game was, she easily breezed him past and launched herself from the shore into the chilly spring water.

Not long after — but still long enough for Nicolette to demonstrate the doggy paddle, the backstroke, and a wonderfully sensual breast stroke (and pinch and squeeze…) — Neal leaped off the escarpment.

“Cannonball!” he shouted, and came down with an enormous splash.

Nicolette had seen this coming, and made a beeline for the shore, so when he came up, looking farther out on the lake, he didn’t see her. The little giggle that tumbled out of her mouth tipped him off, however, and he whirled around. His smile was genuine, and he swam toward the place where she was standing against the small cliff.

He came to her, braced himself with an arm on either side of her, and kissed her deeply. She put her arms around him and pulled his body close. She could feel his excitement throbbing against her.

Neal pulled back from the kiss and looked into Nicolette’s deep brown eyes.

“Take me now, if you’ll have me,” he said.

“I will, and I must,” she replied, nearly breathless.

Neal leaned in to kiss her again, and Nicolette brought one arm around front and reached for Neal’s erect penis. She gasped slightly at the size of it — it was incredibly thick, and quite long, based on her experience.

She positioned her hips, and placed him at her labia. Neal thrust forward slightly, then more fully, and their kiss broke, both of their bodies went rigid, and for a moment, they only held onto each other, each feeling as though to separate would be to lose a piece of the other.

In the brief snapshots of memory that flew through her mind during this moment, Nicolette remembered what it was like to kiss a man while fucking him, she remember the difference between fucking and making love, she remembered candlelight and darkness, and silk and manila rope, she remember a boy, and she remembered a man. Oh, David, she thought. Her eyelids sprang open, and she looked at Neal, horrified that he had somehow read her mind, had somehow been able to sense her thoughts from the connection they now shared, and saw his face falter, felt his erection stutter away, and pushed herself away.

The rush of feeling as Neal’s penis slid out of her was deafening, and it took her a moment to regain her composure.

“I’m sorry, Neal, I — it’s just — “

“No, I’m the one who should apologize, Nicolette. I’ve been much too forward with you.”

Nicolette giggled at this. “No, not at all. The moment was amazing. It’s just that I should probably tell you — “

“Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re ready.”

She felt suddenly cold, and wanted very badly to be out of the lake.

“No, Neal, it can’t. Please, call me Niki.”

She told him, spilled the story, everything, right there in Sauk Lake, and Neal sat complacently still and listened to, almost consumed, every word. The he swam to the nearest low shore, and climbed out. Nicolette followed him.

“What if I offered to pay top dollar for the sexual services that you provided, so long as you let me have the shards of time like today’s market walk on the house.”

Nicolette considered this, considered how the man’s demeanor had gone from sweet and charming to cold and calculating in such a short span of time. Her lips were tightly drawn across her face, and she could feel herself balling fists at the end of her wrists, could feel the nails biting into her fleshy palms. She was becoming cold herself, and not because of her dip in the lake.

“I guess that would depend on how long you’ll be around for, Mr. Sanderson. I can’t give deals like that to all of my clients.”

Neal looked up at her as he positioned his pants in front of him. She could see his cock dangling lifeless between his muscular thighs. He gave a cunning smile and returned to putting on his trousers.

“I’ll be in town long enough to warrant a deal, Ms. Palmer. Please meet me for lunch at the café on Main Street day after tomorrow, and we’ll quantify the arrangement.”

He had now fastened his pants, and was putting on his shoes. A few moments later, he simply walked away without another word to her.

Nicolette, still naked, sat on the grass. She was mortified, ashamed, and there was no going back now, no second thought to choose anymore. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and occasional sobs barked from her mouth. She had told him the flat truth, and was getting what she had expected, but oh Jesus in heaven was the rest of him — especially his cock — magnificent. Her sobs turned to giggles, and her tears slid away. She thought of their walk through the marketplace, and felt a tingle between her thighs, and brought her legs up tight around the center of it. After a moment, the feeling was so intense that she couldn’t stand it any longer. She used the first three fingers of her right hand to penetrate herself, and used the other hand to diddle the orgasm-inducing bundle of nerves hidden just above her slit. After several moments, she lay trembling on the shore of Sauk Lake, her fingers and toes completely without sensation, but the rest of her body screaming, as if it contained a demon that was summoning the savages of Hell to have her let it out.

———

…continued…