“I didn’t hear any complaints until Ricky showed up.” Ajax touched the long, reddish scab on his face where my ring had cut him. “That was when you came down with cat scratch fever.”

“Go away, Ajax.”

“I’m willing to drop the complaint,” he told me, as I began to shut the door. “One word to Jerry from me, and the whole thing goes away. I know you need the job.”

“What do you want in return?”

“Nothing. You and me start over. That’s all. Come on, let me in, and we’ll talk. Just talk, I swear.”

I opened the door wider. “You lay a hand on me, and I’ll kick you where it counts.”

“I believe you.”

We went into the living room together. Ajax took one end of the sofa, and I took the other. He lit up a cigarette, and so did I. We watched each other warily. We didn’t say anything for a long time, which I suppose was his plan. He simply wanted to sit in my house and let me feel the sexual tension between us. And I did. I had experience in realizing that he knew how to kiss and what to do with his hands. The longer we sat there doing nothing but smoke, the more I thought about taking off his clothes. Just to see what it would be like.

“You’ll drop the complaint?” I said finally. “Are you serious about that?”

“Actually, it’s already done. I told Jerry to yank it. I told him I overreacted. We were at the bar, we’d both had a little too much to drink. Things happen.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure.”

“You know, I don’t get you,” I told him, shaking my head. “You’ve got a gorgeous wife and gorgeous kids. Why do you sleep around?”

“Why do you care?”

“I’m just curious.”

“Well, I don’t get you, either. You’re way out of Ricky’s league. Why did you marry him?”

“That’s what you do around here. You get married.”

“You could have done better.”

“In Black Wolf County? Not likely. You take what’s in front of you.”

Ajax slid his cigarette out of his mouth. “Ricky says you’re frigid, you know.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s what he tells everybody. You don’t move when he screws you, like you can’t wait for it to be over.”

“I don’t give a shit what Ricky tells people,” I snapped.

“Is it true?”

“Go to hell, Ajax.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you. I see Ricky as a two-pump chump. Who wants that?”

“So what are you saying? One night with you will change me forever?”

“Maybe.”

“Wow, you’ve got quite the ego.”

Ajax chuckled. “Yeah, I plead guilty to that. But what would it hurt to give it a try? I mean, no one has to know.”