Her Cups Runneth Over (12)

This is the twelfth installment of a short story which began HERE.

A torrid sun; a tropical paradise; a frustrated writer; a cheating wife; a mysterious sultry woman ... the ingredients for a forbidden affair? Or the recipe for murder and the perfect crime?

XXXV

I could hear their voices. Eve was telling me what had been happening for the last two days. Then Nova's seductive voice filled me in on some other details. It was dark and I could see nothing. I couldn't move, for I seemed to be bound to a chair. I couldn't speak. I could only listen. I could never have imagined such skulduggery. The story they told me was so fantastic that it had to be true.

~~~Eve: John, I'm so sorry you got caught up in all of this. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. It was supposed to be a simple exchange - a lot of cash for some top secret documents. I'm afraid I cannot divulge the nature of those documents, not even to you, my ... husband. That's where Nova came in.
~~~Nova: It was my job to...ah...to keep you occupied. First, I had to get your attention. You did notice me on the beach, didn't you? Once the exchange had been set up, I had to make sure you that you did not cross paths with your...wife. That meant I had to 'pick you up' in the lounge that night.
~~~Eve: Dear husband, even though it was unscripted, you played your part perfectly. What frustrated husband, knowing his wife was out 'picking up' bed partners, wouldn't have jumped at the advancements of a gorgeous woman wanting to jump his bones?
~~~Nova: Why thank you, Eve. Coming from such a voluptuous gal as you, I consider that a compliment.

I managed a long moan. Was I so transparent? This frustrated husband had been set up. They had played and preyed upon my sense of betrayal. My weakness, the primal sexual libido and drive of the human male had made me an easy target for their scheme. I had been nothing but a pawn in their game. What was their game?

~~~Eve: John, forgive me...forgive us, but it became necessary when she showed up out of nowhere. I know you want to know and need to know who she is and why we look so much alike. For now I'll tell you this, she was your wife...and I am your wife! I'm the one you met ten years ago. She's the one you married the next day and the one who flew home with you. I'm the one with whom you renewed the wedding vows five years later. She's the one who accompanied you on this vacation. You see you have been intimate, in love with and married to twin sisters!

XXXVI

I strained at the bonds holding me in place. The rage was welling within me! I wanted at that moment to do nothing short of smashing my fists into their beautiful faces. I had wanted answers, but this was a question I had not asked. That knowledge was something I didn't need then, although I doubted that I would ever want to hear it. When was the right time to find that one, even without his own knowledge, was a bigamist?

My head was filled with a firestorm of images from the past. Which one was I with for our first Thanksgiving together? Our first Christmas? Which one gave me oral sex from underneath a table in that fancy restaurant? Which one of them was it with whom I had made love to on the hood of our car while rush hour traffic had been speeding by?

All the while those thoughts were coursing through my brain, the two women continued their incredible story of espionage and deceit. To keep from going stark raving mad, I designated the two Eves as A and B. The one who came with me to this island resort was Eve A, and the one holding me prisoner with her accomplice Nova was Eve B. The designations did in no way reveal which was which, but at least it afforded me a point of reference.

I hesitated to consider one as the Evil Eve and the other as the Good Eve, simply because I had no way of knowing one way or the other. It was certain however, that what ever the game was, they were both playing from opposite sides of the fence. The burning question tormented me; which one had I shot and killed?

Apparently both Eves were after those secret documents. The appearance of a second Eve had thrown a monkey wrench into the words jeopardizing the exchange. A coded message had been drawn up by Nova to warn Eve B about Eve A. Nova's cover as a maid employed by the hotel had given her access to my suite. She hid the note and the blue bra of her bikini in the drawer containing Eve's underwear.

Intrigued, I listened as Nova explained that the 'wrong' Eve had found the note. She then moved the bra to my dresser. Her intentions had been all too clear to Nova. Eve A had decided that her sister was expendable. The bra in my drawer was intended to implicate me as her killer.

An apologetic tone came over Nova's voice when she stated that, unnoticed she had slipped a 'mickey' into my drink while we were sitting at the table in the lounge. My ego took another blow when she said that I had passed out in the bed from the effects of the combination of alcohol and the drug. Of what may or may not have happened, she didn't elaborate.

With me indisposed she then had hurried to the site of the exchange knowing that Eve B was in danger. Once she had found her, they had changed clothes in the event that Eve A showed up for the exchange. They couldn't let the man see two identical looking women. The documents dealer was expecting a woman dressed in a white blouse and leather mini-skirt. As a final arrangement to know that she was no undercover stand-in, the man had insisted that she not wear any underpants. Nova had removed her blue bikini bottom and given it to Eve to complete the disguise.

Eve B crossed the street and hid in the shadows of an alley while Nova proceeded to the designated door to complete the exchange. To their horror when the door opened there stood Eve A dressed in a white blouse, leather mini-skirt and no doubt sans underwear.

Eve A reached for a pistol that had been previously hidden behind the wheel of a trash dumpster. The gun was gone! In the next moment Naismith emerged from the shadows with the gun pressed against the small of her back. He pushed her across the street to where Eve A was holding a gun to Nova's forhead. Behind her, his face hidden beneath the shadow of the brim of a fedora, stood the dealer in obvious distress.

Naismith stunned Eve B by striking the back of her head with the butt of the pistol. He carried her upstairs to a balcony overlooking the street where he and the dealer then removed her blue underpants. As she lay there barely conscious Naismith tied on the pants to a wrought iron railing of the balcony. Then the two men lifted her and forced her head into the leg of the pants. Without further thought they lifted her and dropped her motionless form over the balcony.

Before they had a chance to take any action against Nova, a siren was heard fast approaching. The police car screeched to halt beneath Nova's dangling feet. In a matter of seconds the trio scrambled into the night through a back door.

I heard a shuffling of feet and knew that Eve was approaching. "John my dear, that pretty much brings you up to date," she said. "As you no doubt have guessed by now, my death was faked. Nova went into hiding. The local police have been working with the agency. We had it make it look real to them. You see, my dear sweet sister pulled a fast one on them and stole the document from under their noses. And she has our money."

It was Nova who spoke next, "They are after me too. They know about me and you. We were seen together. That John, is the reason that you too are in danger."

Eve spoke again, "That is why you must be taken out of the picture. You won't remember any of this after today. In fact, you won't be around to see this thing played out to its end."

There was a sudden sharp sting in my arm as the needle pierced the vein. I cried out as she yanked the duct tape from my mouth. She leaned forth and placed her lips upon mine. She then tugged gently the material that had been covering my eyes. Partially blinded by the sudden presence of bright light from an overhead fixture, I struggled to keep my eyes open. I felt sleep coming rapidly. The last thing I saw, dangling in her hand inches above my face, was the material that had covered my eyes ... a blue bikini bra.

To be continued.... HERE.

No.1143