PluckingthePearl (19 page)

When she heard the front door close, her nerves jumped with
the thrill of anticipation instead. She needed to be held after the day she’d
had.

“I hope you like fish and cornbread and—”

Caleb’s mouth covered hers before she could finish. She
gasped and shivered with delight when he lifted the back of her striped dress
and caressed her thighs.

“The food—” she protested.

“It’ll keep,” he said as he sucked the side of her neck.

When his bare cock brushed her thigh, dragging a hot, sticky
trail across her flesh, she moaned. His fingers undid her garters and he pulled
down her panties and stockings just enough to bare her backside.

Her conversation with Aunt Wilma drifted away as urgent heat
radiated from her pussy, making it wet and swollen.

“Bend over the oven, honey.”

A thrill shot through her chest. By the sound of his voice,
he meant to be obeyed. When he’d talked about doing this before, she had no
idea how arousing it would be. The edges of the electric oven were warm under
her fingers as she inhaled the tantalizing scents of what she’d cooked.

Her ass felt bare and exposed as Caleb pulled her dress up
around her waist. If Aunt Wilma could see her now… Luckily her thoughts derailed
when she heard the familiar sound of unrolling rubber followed by his shaft
pushing inside her. She gasped as she struggled to accommodate the long, hard
heat filling her so suddenly.

His powerful hands gripped her hips as he pumped her with
every inch of that wonderful cock. He’d never taken her from behind before and
his penis felt longer than ever. Her sensitive pussy lips felt the coarse hairs
around his balls as they pounded against her. Each stroke penetrated her all
the way through, straight to her soul. She moaned a guttural cry with each one.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” he asked.

“No,” she whispered, barely able to talk.

“Because I could stop.” And he did, pulling completely out
of her.

“Don’t stop,” she cried. “Fuck me, Caleb.”

“What was that? I didn’t hear you.”

“Yes you did. Fuck me now!” She reached back for his cock
but it slipped out of her fingers. “Damn you.”

He chuckled, infuriating her further as he slid his member’s
swollen head across her folds.

“Is this what you want, honey?” he asked.

She answered by thrusting her hips back, desperate to get
him inside her again. He only gave her an inch or two so she thrust and thrust,
making the oven rock and shake on its four legs. With no warning, he speared
his cock all the way inside her again.

“Yes!” she cried.

He followed that pounding thrust with another and another
until one blended into the next.

Pearl’s head, weak and dizzy with passion, drooped over the
stove. Having Caleb take her this way was like being caught up in a rip
current. There was no time to think or breathe. She couldn’t escape even if she
wanted to but she definitely didn’t want to…

The heat from the oven and steaming food competed with the
fire burning in her pussy and bathed her face, drenching it in perspiration.
She hung on to both sides of the stove, making it rock with Caleb’s thrusts.
The cookware clattered and danced until the bowl of collard greens fell on the
floor, shattering.

“Leave it,” he ordered before she could react.

All too quickly, she yelled hard enough to split her throat
in half with her climax as her belly exploded. It echoed around the hard
surfaces of the kitchen as aftershocks continued to rock her. She cried out
again when Caleb’s cock withdrew and hot semen rained across her backside.

She cleaned herself with a nearby towel, pulled her dress
skirt back down and grabbed the oven again for support. “You could warn a girl
before you do something like that.”

He winked at her, cleaned himself and put his cock back into
his pants. “You looked so adorable standing there, I couldn’t resist.”

“And you shouldn’t have taken the condom off,” she added.
“I’m a mess!”

“I wanted to see you in the new dress,” Caleb said, “but I
suppose it’s a good thing we didn’t muss it up.”

Now that the tidal wave of passion had passed through, her
troubled thoughts returned as she stared at the mess of greens and broken
crockery on the floor.
Whore.
This time she hadn’t even done it in his
bed like a respectable woman. He’d pulled down her indecent, see-through
panties and taken her from behind in the kitchen.

In fact, she’d begged him to fuck her like an animal and all
the vulgar words he’d taught her were such second nature to her now they were
part of her thoughts. Just thinking about cunts, cocks and fucking made her
wetter than rain.

Unable to bear the sight of the floor a moment longer, she
grabbed the wastebasket and mop. “Go sit in the dining room, Caleb. If dinner
can be saved, I’ll serve it.”

He took the items out of her hands, set them aside and
touched her face. “What’s wrong, honey? You looked upset at the plant today
too. Did you have an argument with your aunt?”

She pressed her lips together. He knew her too well. “We
didn’t argue exactly.”

“Then she must have said something.” Caleb pulled her close,
holding her hand while he gazed at her with kind blue eyes.

She was so lucky to have him. Why ruin it by telling him how
she really felt inside?

“Sadie is getting married,” she said in the most cheerful
voice she could muster.

He smiled. “That’s great. You’re not happy for her?”

“Of course I am. I guess I’m just a little envious and I
found… Never mind.”

“Found what?”

Pearl took a deep breath. Holding her feelings back from him
was even harder than holding back her passion.

“I was putting your socks away and came across your wedding
picture. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snoop.”

He sighed. “If it’s any comfort to you, I didn’t love her. I
only married her because I thought I should.”

She looked across the room. “I appreciate what we have and I
know you care about me. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t help feeling like
a whore.”

Caleb put his hand on his hip. “Pearl, we’ve been over this
before.”

“I know. The way Aunt Wilma looked at me today and what she
suggested just upset me.”

His face looked even more serious than it had in his wedding
picture. “Maybe you should stay away from her for a while.”

Pearl nodded.

“I’m going out,” he announced.

She looked at the food she’d worked so hard to cook. “But
what about dinner?”

“I’m afraid I’m not hungry.”

“Don’t leave.” She grabbed his arm. “You look upset too.”

He shook his head. “Pearl, I’ve tried every way I know how
to make you feel special. Every time I see the pain and shame on your face, it
kills me that I can’t do a damn thing about it.”

Darn Aunt Wilma, Sadie’s engagement and that wedding
picture, Pearl thought after he walked out. She had Caleb’s heart. Why wasn’t
that enough?

* * * * *

The damp, rainy weather the next evening matched Caleb’s
mood as he walked to the Sapphire Crab. Murdock hadn’t done a thing about the
men’s bathroom today so he’d fired him as promised.

“You haven’t heard the last of this!” the other man had
yelled, pointing a threatening finger in his face.

Caleb promoted a shucker who’d worked at the company for
twenty years to take his place, wondering why he hadn’t done it sooner. Just
when he’d been about to go home to spend a quiet evening with Pearl, Henry
summoned him to this important meeting with the mayor.

It couldn’t be good.

When he walked inside the restaurant, Betty ushered him to
the small private room in the back where several tables had been joined into
one large one. The mayor sat with several men he knew, including the restaurant
owner, and several he didn’t. His stomach shifted when he eyed the hard-looking
strangers. Who were they?

But he knew. He could see it in Henry’s cautioning
expression as he motioned to the empty seat beside him.

The Klan had come to Oyster Island.

“Now that we’re all here,” Mayor Carter began, “let’s get
started. As I’ve discussed with most of you, I’m concerned about incidents that
have happened nearby.”

Cambridge was hardly nearby, Caleb thought.

“I’ve invited these gentlemen to help us implement our plan
of action,” the mayor stated.

The room felt especially cold and smelled musty from lack of
use. Caleb’s stomach felt queasier with each man Mayor Carter introduced. They
were from all over the state and each had a title. Chairs squeaked, punctuating
the rain and quiet voices.

Although he’d always known the Klan was around, he’d never
come face-to-face with it before. He didn’t see why he needed to now either.
Oyster Island was a peaceful place but he knew better than to speak up at this
meeting. Luckily Bill Murdock was not important enough to be here.

“Our members give our organization its strength,” the Klan
leader, a heavyset bearded man, said. “The more we work together, the quicker
we can deal with
problems
.”

By wearing white sheets and burning crosses on people’s
lawns? Caleb reached for a cracker from the bowl in the center of the table to
settle his stomach. If he had to listen to much more of this, he was afraid
he’d get sick. The only drinks provided were glasses of water. This meeting
must be more serious than he thought.

“Prevention is just as important as reaction,” another man
said. “If you join with us, you can draw on the strength of a large
organization.”

When Tom Lewes nodded, Caleb couldn’t believe how agreeable
everyone looked. Was he the only person in this room who thought the Klan was
wrong? Sweat broke out across his forehead.

“Say we have an incident,” Mayor Carter said. “What should
we do?”

“Call us,” the leader replied. “We’ll send men here to help
you. On the flip side of that, members are expected to help others too when
needed. We’re brethren.”

The mayor nodded. “That’s a small price to pay for security
and peace of mind. Don’t you gentlemen agree?”

Caleb’s body and throat froze so he couldn’t answer or nod.
Henry shot him another warning look.
Let this meeting be over soon
,
Caleb thought,
before I make a scene and lose my daddy’s company
.

“What about the law?” the mayor asked.

“Get your sheriff to join,” the leader replied. “Then you
won’t have anything to worry about.”

“I’ll do that,” Mayor Carter replied. “What’s the next
step?”

“We’d need to set up an initiation ceremony so your
townspeople can officially join.”

The mayor grabbed a cracker and broke it into pieces as he
set a date two weeks in advance.

“That will give us time to spread the word,” he said.
“Gentleman, clear your calendars for this event. That goes without saying.”

Sweat now coated Caleb’s entire face and neck and his jaw
twitched so hard he could barely open it to talk. He couldn’t believe this! The
mayor expected them all to join the Klan.

“Wh-what happens if some of the townspeople don’t want to
join?” he managed to say.

“We all have to work together,” the mayor said. “Anyone who
isn’t
for
the town isn’t
part
of the town.”

In other words, join or lose everything, Caleb thought. He
struggled to breathe as the paneled walls threatened to close in on him.
Thankfully, the meeting was over. Plastering a smile onto his face that he was
sure looked more like a grimace, he shook hands with everyone and left.

The cool air outside didn’t make him feel any better. As a
gagging sensation clawed at his throat, he hurried down to the pier near the
restaurant. Henry was right behind him as fine-needled mist peppered his face.
The smell of spoiled seafood refuse in the nearby garbage bin didn’t help.

“Are you all right, brother?”

Caleb crouched on the pier, on the verge of being sick into
the mist-pebbled water but not quite. “No.”

Henry crouched beside him. “Tough meeting. You did well.”

Nausea still hovered around Caleb’s head like a cloud. “I
can’t believe this is happening. Oyster Island doesn’t need their kind here.”

“I know.” Henry stared into the water. “I don’t like it
either but it doesn’t look as though we have a choice.”

“I can’t do it.” A cramp seized Caleb’s abdomen. “I can’t do
any of it—the white sheets, the initiation, none of it.”

His brother touched his shoulder. “Does this have something
to do with your housekeeper?”

Caleb shook off his hand. “That’s not all of it. Even if I’d
never met her, this would make me sick. The mayor is taking away our rights and
our freedom.”

Henry waved. “This is all just for show. You’ll see. It won’t
affect our day-to-day lives.”

Caleb looked at his brother. “So you’re going to join?”

“I’d rather join than go against the mayor. Besides, I’m on
the boat most of the time.”

“I have a feeling everyone is going to join.” Caleb threw a
broken shard of oyster shell into the angry-looking water. Being the odd man
out would be akin to throwing his entire company away.

“Even those who don’t fully agree will feel pressured to go
with the herd,” Henry added.

Caleb blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the fact the
world he’d known all his life had just flipped over.

“Even if I did go through their lousy initiation ceremony,”
he thought out loud, “how could I look Pearl in the face and tell her I joined
the Klan?”

“Who says you have to tell her?”

Caleb stood. “I’d better get home.”

But he couldn’t face Pearl, knowing what he knew. He
couldn’t face any of it.

Pearl lay awake in Caleb’s bed that night. He’d gone to a
meeting hours ago. She’d listened to evening music programs on the radio again
but she couldn’t concentrate on learning new songs.

Where on earth was he? Maybe he was avoiding her because
she’d told him she felt like a whore. From now on, she vowed to keep those
thoughts to herself. If only she could stop the feelings too. They were lucky
to have as much as they did and she knew if she didn’t start appreciating it,
she could lose it all.

When he finally came into the bedroom, she sat up.

“Turn on the light,” she said. “I’m awake.”

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” he said.

He barely looked at her and the sight of his face turned her
heart to a cold stone. His skin was as white as the sheets and he had hollows
under his eyes.

“Caleb, you look ill,” she exclaimed. “Can I get you
something?”

“No, thanks. My stomach was just a little upset earlier.”

She watched as he stripped down to his underwear. “How was
the meeting?”

He waved. “A waste of time. The mayor has some silly ideas
for the island, that’s all.”

“Like what?”

Caleb took a long time to hang up his clothes. “Some
nonsense about seagulls, I believe. I don’t even remember half of it now.”

Well, something was wrong, she thought, and it wasn’t
seagulls. Why wouldn’t he tell her?

“Did you stay away because of our argument last evening?”
she asked.

“No, Pearl.” He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to
her.

She touched his arm. “Then what is it? You can’t deny
something is bothering you.”

He sighed. “Stop worrying and go to sleep. It’s nothing I
can’t deal with.”

Pearl put her arms around him from behind and held him
tightly, wishing he wouldn’t keep things from her.

“Thank you, honey.” He stroked her hands wrapped around his
middle. “Tomorrow we’re going to the jewelry store.”

“Whatever for?” she asked.

“I want to get you something nice to prove how special you
are to me.”

Warmth filled her as she leaned her head against his back.
“You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

He squeezed her hand hard. “I want to. Maybe I can’t tell
the whole world you’re my wife but you are. From now on, I’m going to treat you
like one.”

Sweet warmth filled her veins so suddenly she thought they
would burst.

She kissed his pale cheek as tears pricked her eyes. “Caleb,
you’re the most incredible man I’ve ever met. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Pearl.” His voice filled the room as if he
wanted all of Oyster Island to hear it.

Of its own accord, her hand brushed across the front of his
undershorts.

His breath caught and the warm mass of his genitals stirred
beneath her fingers. “What are you doing, Pearl?”

“Trying to make you feel better. Don’t wedding vows mention
something about sickness and health? Lie down.”

Pinkness returned to his cheeks and he even half-smiled as
he lay flat and interlaced his fingers behind his head.

Pearl pulled down his undershorts, exposing his semi-rigid
penis. It was the first time he hadn’t been as hard as a rock around her.
Something must really be on his mind, she thought. Something big.

“Make it hard, honey,” he whispered. “I know you can.”

She lifted his warm flesh, running her tongue along the
length of it. Next, she popped the head into her mouth and sucked. All her love
for this man went to her mouth. She hoped the strength of their passion would
cure whatever worried him.

As if by magic, his organ slowly hardened and lengthened
beneath her mouth and fingers. She rubbed the sensitive insides of his thighs
where his skin was softer and less covered by coarse hairs. He rewarded her
efforts with a gentle moan.

Within minutes, his hips bucked off the bed as he thrust
into her mouth. Frantically, she scored his balls with her nails as he pounded
his frustrations and worries into the circle of her mesmerizing lips. The
massive bed squeaked beneath their efforts, mixing with Caleb’s growling moans.

Hearing his pleasure and smelling his male scent made her
pussy tight and wet beneath her nightgown. She longed to straddle his hard
cock, slippery from her saliva, and satisfy the deep ache in her cunt but
tonight was about healing him. He’d given her so much she wanted to give
something back.

“Pearl, this is…you’re so…wonderful. Oh. Oh. I’m going to
come!”

He’d barely finished the words before his balls contracted
in her hands and hot semen filled her mouth. He groaned as more fluid filled
her. She tunneled her fingers through his coarse pubic hair as she swallowed
everything he gave. In this way, at least, there was nothing between them.

When she sat up, he reached up and stroked her wet bottom
lip. “That was amazing and just what I needed. Thank you.”

“I drank all your worries, Caleb. Did you forget about
them?”

He grinned, looking healthy and more like himself again.
“What worries?”

Within moments, his eyes closed and his breathing slowed
with sleep. Pearl turned out the light and pulled the sheet over their bodies.
She curled up next to Caleb, determined to feel safe despite the doubts clawing
her spine in the dark.

* * * * *

The next day, Caleb walked with Pearl down Main Street,
wishing he could hold her hand. Their footsteps echoed against cobblestones wet
from last night’s rain. The fog was so thick the buildings loomed around them
in dim, gray shapes. As gray as the new cloche hat she now wore. He’d bought it
for her to replace the one that had blown in the river. And today a ring…

He couldn’t believe what she’d done last night to make him
feel better. He’d gone from worried sick to hot and hard in moments. It only
reminded him how lucky he was to have her.

“I still think you should go without me,” she said quietly.
“I doubt I’ll be welcome in the jewelry store.”

“Of course you will. You’re my housekeeper and we’re buying
a ring for Mrs. Abbott, remember?”

Despite the silly roles they had to play in public, a
contented smile curved her lips as she nodded. She must be so happy to get a
ring from him she didn’t care how they had to go about it. Personally he’d
rather see her wearing her new dress instead of the old, gray one.

Unfortunately, he did care and disliked sneaking around like
some kind of thief. He loved this woman so much he wanted to stand on top of
the tallest building and shout it across the sea. One misstep could mean the
end of his business, however, and the arrival of the Klan had made things even
worse.

“Wait a moment,” she said. “My shoelace is loose.”

He put his hands into his pockets and looked around while
Pearl bent to fix her shoe. The mist hinted at a new sign on the hardware store
so he squinted to read it.

“The South shall rise again. White power,” he mouthed
silently as his face went clammy with nausea.

Good God, it was worse than he thought. The Klan had taken
over the town and was spreading its sick propaganda. He had to stop this but
how? Pearl mustn’t find out about any of this but it would be hard to keep it a
secret for long with signs going up everywhere.

When she stood up, he guided her down a different street so
she wouldn’t see the hardware store.

“Isn’t the jewelry store over there?” she asked.

“We’ll take the long way,” he said, “and have a nice walk.”

But their new direction was no better. Caleb’s hands tingled
with dread when he noticed Murdock and some of his cronies. They were leaning
against a boat storage house, smoking and looking belligerent.

“Well, if it isn’t mighty Mr. Rockfield,” the supervisor
he’d fired called out. “Walking around town with a colored woman by his side
like they was husband and wife. What do you suppose that means, fellows?”

Caleb stopped abruptly, wondering how best to handle this.
Beads of sweat prickled his forehead under the fedora he wore. Pearl clutched
the collar of her coat, looking stricken. Now he regretted taking her out to
get a ring. He should have just bought it himself and spared her this.

It would have looked better if she’d walked behind him but
he wasn’t sure if even that would have made a difference. The close
relationship he and Pearl shared must be more visible than he realized. Hell,
it must be as obvious as one of those awful signs on the hardware store.

“She’s just my housekeeper,” he said slowly, “and she’s only
helping me with an errand today.”

“She looks like a bed warmer to me,” another called out.

Bill Murdock took a deep drag from his cigarette. “Better
run along now, Mr. Rockfield, before the whole town finds out you’re a—”

“Come on, Pearl.” Caleb spoke loudly, hoping to block the
horrible epithet Murdock had just thrown at him. But he could see by the way
her lips trembled she’d heard.

Rage burned through Caleb’s entire body and his hands
clenched into painful fists as he ached to punch every one of those arrogant
men. Knowing how suicidal that would be, he forced himself to walk away. Pearl
followed him down a private alley.

“Let’s go home,” she said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“No. I’m not going to let those buffoons ruin this. I’m
buying you a ring today, damn it.”

He headed to the jewelry store even though his instincts
told him to go home as Pearl had suggested.

“Mr. Rockfield, what a pleasant surprise,” Albert Whitley,
the owner, said. “What can I help you with?”

Caleb took a deep breath, enjoying the quiet sanctuary of
the store after the confrontation on the street. He was grateful there were no
other customers inside. Dozens of lamps made gems sparkle in display cases. He
wished he could buy the entire store for Pearl. She deserved it for enduring so
much humiliation this morning.

“My sister-in-law has a birthday soon and I want to buy her
a ring,” Caleb announced. “She likes pearls.”

The tall man with shoulders stooped over from years of
intricate work smiled. “Certainly, Mr. Rockfield. We have a nice collection
here. This one has a cluster of tiny pearls and these over here are
solitaires.”

The old floor creaked as he moved from one display to the
next.

“The solitaires are impressive.” Caleb smiled, feeling in
control again. Finally someone treated him with the respect he was used to.

“Pearl, where are you?” He turned to realize she stood
several feet behind him. “Which one do you…do you think Mrs. Abbott would
prefer?”

“Oh, I surely wouldn’t know, Mr. Rockfield.”

“Nonsense,” he said equably, wishing she wouldn’t play the
housekeeper so well. “I’m a man and have no taste in jewelry. I do like that
one with the large pearl, though.”

“I’ll take it out for you,” Mr. Whitley said.

Excitement shot through Caleb when he held the gold ring in
his hand. With his fingertip, he traced the perfect roundness of the pearl. The
nearby lighting brought out the warm iridescence just as his love brought out
her passion.

It was perfect.

“That’s a mighty fine ring,” Pearl said, looking at it over
his shoulder. “I’s sure Mrs. Abbott will be pleased with it.”

“Pearl, your hand is about the same size as hers,” he said.
“Try it on.”

Mr. Whitley cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Mr. Rockfield.
We have a policy. No coloreds try on the merchandise.”

Caleb flipped the ring in his hand. “Don’t you realize I’m
about to spend a lot of money on this expensive ring? I find your policy
inconvenient to say the least.”

The other man rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Well,
I suppose I could clean it afterward but I have to think of my customers. If
any of them found out I let colored folk try on the merchandise, they wouldn’t
buy it. I’d go out of business.”

Another case of everyone going along with the herd because
people were afraid to do otherwise, Caleb thought with disgust. When would it
end? It wouldn’t, he realized, because everyone was too lily-livered to stand
up and fight it, including him.

He let the ring drop on top of the glass display case.
“Well, you just lost one customer already. Come along, Pearl.”

“Wait!” Mr. Whitley called out after they were halfway to
the door.

Caleb returned to the counter. “Yes?”

“She can try it on if you buy it,” the proprietor said. “I-I
can resize it if it doesn’t fit.”

“All right,” Caleb said, reaching for his wallet.

Albert Whitley looked worriedly at the front door. “Quickly
now, before other customers come in.”

When Caleb slid the beautiful ring on Pearl’s left hand, his
breath caught in his throat. Everything they’d gone through this morning washed
away with the tide. She was his and this ring proved it.

She looked up at him with love and humiliation warring in
her green eyes. “It fits real good, Mr. Rockfield.”

Although he longed to scoop her into his arms and tell her
how much he loved her, he cleared his throat gruffly instead, remembering the
proprietor was watching them.

“Excellent,” Caleb told her. “Take it off now so Mr. Whitley
can pack it up in a nice box for Mrs. Abbott.”

When they got home, he couldn’t wait to close the door
behind him and shut out the nasty, bigoted world. Under his own roof, he made
the rules. He hung up his hat and pulled the ring box out of his jacket pocket,
hoping this moment would erase their difficult morning.

He’d dreamed of this moment for days and had even rehearsed
what he wanted to say to her. They were about to come as close to marriage as
they could possibly get. His mouth went as dry as a nervous schoolboy’s.

But she shook her head as she took off her coat and eyed the
box in his hand. Maybe he should wait for a better time but he couldn’t rest
until this ring was on her finger where it belonged. He opened the box and took
the ring out.