“—looking sweet and sexy.You may be seventeen, but you acted like twenty-five tonight.The way you were writhing when I was trying to get you ready for bed was indecent.Is there a problem that I don’t know about, Pam?”
She was aghast.“I don’t have any problem.You’re the one—”
“Your mother was like that.She came on to me too.”
“You lie!”Pam cried.
“No.She was a hungry bitch.”
“Don’tsaythat.”
“Ask her, if you don’t believe me.”
Pam’s stomach was churning, pushing her anger up and out.“I can’t ask her and you know it!She’s too fragile.And anyway, it’s not true.It’s one more thing yoursick mind has dreamed up.”Her voice shook.“You’re the one with the problem, John.You’ve always had a problem, but this time you’ve gone too far.I’m not forgetting what happened tonight.What you tried was disgusting.It was immoral and illegal.It wassick.As soon as I get back to Boston, I’m going to report you—”
“To who?”he asked, but he didn’t look particularly upset, which made her madder.
“To the police.To Bob Grossman.To my guidance counselor.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”she asked indignantly.
“Because given your age and the mental instability on your mother’s side, they’ll never believe you.They’ll think you’re a hysterical young girl, lashing out at the brother who is trying to keep you on track.They’ll think you need psychiatric help.You’ll be taken for a fool.”
Pam swallowed hard and shook her head.“They’ll listen to me.”
“But you haven’t got any proof, Pam.There are no bruises on your body.And you’re still a virgin.”
“How doyouknow that?”
“Precisely.”He gave a silky smile.“I don’t know for sure, but a doctor will.If you’ve given it away, we’ll know that it wasn’t to me.But I’ll want to know who you did give it to, so I’ll go to your school.I’ll question your friends and their parents.I’ll make a lot of noise about my ‘wronged’ sister.Mmmm, I’ll relish playing the role of the injured brother.It would add a nice twist to the image.”
“You’re sick,” Pam whispered, but despair was creepingup on her fast.She was a virgin, of course, so John’s threat was empty.By virtue of the same fact, though, no one would believe what he’d tried to do.He was right: she didn’t have any proof.And much as she wanted to think differently, his credibility was greater than hers.People would believe what he said.
She was back to square one, without any idea of what to do.The problem was temporarily alleviated when all that had been churning in her stomach came up.She ran to the bathroom in time to be violently sick and stayed there until John appeared at the door.
“Go to bed, Pam,” he said in a coldly familiar voice.“And don’t worry.I won’t touch you.You’re pretty unappealing this way.”
By the time she mustered the strength to turn her head, he had disappeared into his own room and shut the door.
Chapter 14
Pam barely slept that night.Although she bolted her door, she didn’t trust that John wouldn’t find a way in.And even apart from that fear was the memory of what he’d done.No sooner did she doze off than the image of his hand on her flesh jolted her awake.She was alternately nauseated, shaky, and tearful.By the time she boarded the plane for Boston the next morning, she felt as though she’d been through the wringer.Back in the townhouse, she was pale and wan and had little to say about the trip.
After watching her silently suffer through a kitchen dinner she barely touched, Marcy finally spoke up.“What happened down there?”
Pam’s eyes shot to hers.“Down where?”
“In Palm Beach.”
Pam shrugged and looked away.“It was a disappointing trip.That’s all.”
But Marcy’s voice held quiet conviction.“It was morethan that.”She was still for a long minute.“He touched you.”
Pam didn’t take the time to wonder how she knew.Her head came up again along with a quick denial.“He didn’t do anything.”
“But he tried.”Marcy was still for another long minute, then her voice rose in remorse.“I should’a known.I should’a warned you.”
