Alice watched the rain come down. She wondered if it was raining in Japan right now, which was where Paul was supposed to be. Paul's business was international trade. He spent ten months of each year outside the U.S., much of his time in the Orient. Alice wondered – Paul being abroad so much of the time – whether maybe he hadn't gotten involved in some affairs.

He's probably got a whole harem over there, that nagging voice said. And here you are, afraid to even flirt with a man. Here you are, thirty-nine years old, and you've only fucked one cock in your life. How many cocks has Zenobia fucked, Alice? And when was the last time Paul's middle-aged cock really satisfied you? Be honest, Alice. You're lonely, you're frustrated, and you're not getting any younger. You work out hard, you take care of yourself, and you've got the figure and looks of a younger woman. But how long will that last? Take a chance, Alice. Grab your pleasure while you still can – before it's too late.

"Oh, that boy!" Alice ran from the TV room, down the hall and into the foyer. She threw open the front door.

Ricky, resembling a drowned rat, trudged in through the door, his sneakers squishing. "Gotta get my raincoat," he said, panting hard from his sprint through the rain and up the front walk. He shivered, clutching himself.

Alice whisked off his baseball cap, showering the oak wall with rainwater. "Why didn't you wear your raincoat to school?"

"Forgot it. Got a ride to school, remember?" He started for the hallway, leaving a puddle behind.

Alice caught him. "Take off your shoes. Hilda's on vacation and I'm not going to clean up after you."

The boy groaned and tugged off his sneakers, plopping two bare feet on the brick floor of the foyer.

"Didn't you wear socks?" Alice said.

"Forgot," the boy said, turning for the hallway.