Snakepit Read Online Free Page B

boast to the Kalandas, this young woman was a perfect victim.
    â€œAh, that sounds like the name of a car,” she said, looking pleased with her retort.
    â€œNever mind,” he said, knowing well that he was talking to a social climber. It suited him perfectly, for the last thing he wanted was to talk about work or academics with somebody who had been to university but had failed to amount to much. She had probably been to secondary school, judging from the way she spoke, which was fine by local standards. “I am thinking of leaving.”
    â€œIt figures if you live so far away.”
    â€œNot necessarily. I drive very fast. It is just that I am tired of this company and the soft drinks.”
    â€œI would not blame you, sir.”
    â€œDo you need a lift or do you drive your own Boomerang?” he said, smiling and thinking about how white her teeth were. He wished his teeth sparkled like hers.
    â€œA lift would be just fine. I happen to be a woman of modest means.”
    â€œYou ought to listen more carefully to the radio. They say everything is possible and that everybody can become stinking rich in this country.”
    She emitted a sudden gut laugh, as if something had got stuck in her throat, and her body quivered. Watching her gave him a strong erotic pang. Her mouth reminded him of Mrs. Kalanda’s: eager, suggestive, packed with a big tongue.
    Night had fallen very quickly and the motley congregation was disbanding, with the wrestlers getting dressed, the musicians packing up, the eaters groaning somewhere in the grass and the invited guests leaving amidst waving and cheering. As Bat removed the keys from his pocket, Victoria remarked that she had never seen such a beautiful car. Don’t lie to me, he thought. What about the other XJ10s owned by the generals? Have they never given you a lift?
    Inside the car she said that she wanted to see where he lived. He touched her hair, to send a clear message to her, and he was pleased that she did not make any sound or effort to resist him. To test her he swung the car violently and took off at high speed. He waited for her to ask him to slow down, but she said nothing. You must be used to the reckless driving of the soldiers or whoever gives you lifts, he thought to himself. I am impressed.
    CAUGHT IN THE HEADLIGHTS, Bat’s house looked like a precious parcel sitting on its wraps. He looked at it again, admiring its spacious garden, the view it commanded and its big windows, very proud that his very first house was not a dim little affair with an iron roof, but this gorgeous edifice. The fact that there was a beautiful woman beside him, awed by his achievements, made the moment very moving.
    As they enjoyed a nightcap, sitting on the sofa and looking out on to the garden, and later when they were in bed, Victoria felt something new, as if she was on the threshold of a new beginning. I can feel it in my bones, she said to herself, yes I can. The fact that this rich man has taken the time to please me, instead of just aiming to fuck and ejaculate, roll over and snore, is a good sign. I am surprised by the way I feel because I originally came here to do a job and play a role. I have participated wholeheartedly in the sex, reaching orgasm easily. That is always a sign. My body and mind felt open to him. He could penetrate right through me. For the first time in two years my dream of having a child may be about to be fulfilled.
    In the past two years Victoria had slept with many men who had met a bad end, some of whom she had even advised to flee for their lives. Sex had been nothing but an extension of her work, a tool like a gun or a knife. But it felt different now and she wanted it to stay that way. For that to happen she realized that she would have to disobey General Bazooka, who had sent her to track Bat and bring him to a hard fall. As she lay next to Bat, her hatred for the General rose up in her bosom like a wave crashing on the