Rose stood staring at them.

Myra let out another one of her mean-scary laughs. “Don’t worry about your picture, dear. I’m really quite professional with a camera. In fact, I made quite a bit of money that way before I was married, quite a bit. You’d be surprised at the sums people paid me for certain pictures that I took of them.”

Rose shook her head, seeming to shake off her fear for the moment. She said that Myra was going to get a surprise if she didn’t drag her ass out of there.

“Now, beat it, you baggy old bitch! Take your buggy boy friend and clear out of here before I forget I’m a lady!”

“In a moment, dear. Just as soon as I take your picture—with Lennie.”

“Take my picture! Why, goddam you—”

“Mmm-hmm, take your picture. With Lennie. It’ll be much safer than killing you, and every bit as effective at keeping you quiet, and—‘tear her clothes off, Lennie!’”

Lennie’s hand darted out before Rose could move. It caught in the front of her dress and ripped downward, taking the underclothes along with the dress. Before you could blink an eye, she was standing in a puddle of rags, naked as a baby jay.

Lennie burbled and choked on his own spit, and about a pint more spilled over his chin. Myra gave him a lovin’ look.

“She looks very good, doesn’t she, darling? Why don’t you see if she really is?”

“Guh, guh—” Lennie hesitated doubtfully. “M-Maybe she hurt me?”

“Now, of course she won’t hurt you,” Myra laughed. “You’re big and she’s little, and anyway I’m here to protect you.”

“Guh, guh—” Lennie still hesitated. He’d ripped Rose’s clothes off, but just doing that, just the one quick grab, didn’t take much guts. He wasn’t quite ready to go the rest of the way, even with Myra to nerve him up and tell him it was okay. “W-What— how I do it, Myra?”

“Just grab her and throw her down,” Myra said, and then, sharply, forcing him to obey before he could think, “‘Grab her, Lennie!’”

Rose had been standin’ sort of stunned since her clothes were ripped off. Glazed-eyed, too stupefied even to try to cover herself.

But then Lennie grabbed, hugging her to him, slobbering over her, and everything was changed. She came to life like a turpentined bobcat, screaming, clawing, kicking and pounding. Lennie got hit and clawed in about a dozen places at the same time, not to mention a kneein’ in his crotch and a kicking on his shins.

He fell away from her, blubbering and clutching himself. Rose darted into the bedroom and shammed the door, and Myra hauled off and kicked Lennie in the tail.

“You big boob, go after her! Break the door down!”

“I’m a-scairt,” Lennie whined. “She hurt me!”

“I’ll hurt you a hot worse!” Myra twisted his ear by way of demonstration. “I’ll beat you black and blue if you don’t do what I tell you. ‘Now, break that door down!’”