Divine Evil

Beneath the lacy black bra she'd swiped from her older sister, her heart pounded pleasantly.
    “I'm usually finished about nine,” Ernie told her. “Wecan use my place, nobody'll be around to bother us.” He smiled then, letting his lips spread slowly away from his teeth. “Unless you figure Josh'll get pissed.”
    She smiled again, more comfortable on familiar ground. “We sort of broke up. Josh is cute and all, but he can really be a pain.”
    “Yeah? You two have been pretty tight the last few weeks.”
    She tossed back her rich fall of dark hair. “We just hung around some. People started putting us together after we found that empty grave. If you want, I can come by tonight, and we can get started.”
    He smiled a little. “Yeah, we'll get started.” He wondered if she was a virgin.
    After school Ernie drove to Clare's. He didn't mind the idea of having sex with Sally, but the hot, sweaty dreams he'd been having had centered on his new neighbor. He wondered how it would be to have both of them at once, the way he'd seen in the porno tape he'd copped from Less Gladhill at the gas station.
    His hands were sweaty as he thought of it. He liked the idea of control, domination, power. Doing both of them would prove something. Would make him somebody.
    He pulled into Clare's drive and shut off the engine. From there, he watched her work with hammer and snips. It was warmer today, and she was wearing shorts, snug ones frayed at the hem, and a big T-shirt that slipped over one shoulder.
    What would it be like to walk in, to rip that shirt away? Right there, right now, in broad daylight. Her eyes would widen, the pupils dilating with fear and shock. He'd pullher down to the concrete. She'd whimper. But then… then she would be hot and wet and ready.
    He didn't like the idea that Sheriff Rafferty was moving in on her, but he wasn't overly disturbed. Ernie figured he could take care of Rafferty if he had to.
    He climbed out of the truck and walked toward her.
    Intent on shaping the metal in her vise, Clare didn't notice him until he was almost beside her. She straightened, pressed a hand on her lower back, and smiled.
    “Hi.”
    As she arched her back, her small, unencumbered breasts strained against the cotton T-shirt. He imagined squeezing them.
    “You said I should come by after school sometime.”
    “So I did.” She set the hammer aside. “I'm glad you decided to help me out.” She took a moment to pull herself out of the project at hand and into a new one. “Listen, there's a chair inside the kitchen. Why don't you drag it out here? You can grab yourself a Pepsi if you want.”
    “Okay.”
    When he came back, she had cleared off a space on a worktable. “Just set it over there. You might want to rest your arm on that bench from time to time. Don't be afraid to tell me if you're getting tired.” She hoisted herself up on the worktable, turned down the volume of the old Moody Blues number on her stereo, and gestured for him to sit. “I'm just going to do some sketches. I think if you set your elbow on that bench and make a fist…yeah.” She smiled at him. “So how's school?”
    “Okay.”
    “I guess you've only got a few weeks left.” She was sketching on a pad as she spoke, and tried to put him at ease.
    “Yeah.”
    A man of few words, she thought, and tried again. “You into sports or anything?” “Not into sports.” “Got a girl?”
    His gaze slid up her legs. “Not one in particular.”
    “Ah, a wise man. So, what do your folks do?”
    He grimaced, from habit. “Run the pizza parlor.”
    “No kidding?” She stopped sketching. “I had some the other night. It's terrific. I have to tell you, the idea of leaving New York pizza behind made the decision to come back here tough. Rocco's made up for it.”
    He shrugged, embarrassed to be pleased. “It's no big deal.”
    “Easy to say when you've grown up with it. Open your fist once and spread your fingers. Mmmm.” With a frown of concentration, she continued to sketch. “So, where'd you live before here?”
    “New Jersey.”
    “Oh, yeah? Why did you move here?” The sulky look came back in his eyes. “Don't ask me. They didn't.”
    Sympathetic, she smiled at him. “It's not such a bad place.”
    “It's dead. I hate it. People sit around and watch the grass grow.”
    Three sentences in a row, she thought. He must have strong feelings. “I guess it's hard to believe there'd ever come a time when you'd actually appreciate