Your Neighborhood Manager: The Neighborhood #8

by Tarrah Anders

  I swallow and return her smile.

  “Micah, my name is Micah. I–.”

  “Changed it for the club, I know. I’m not really Clarisse. I’m Carol, nice to–well officially meet you,” she holds her hand out.

  I grasp it, the warmth from her touch bringing back memories from our last night together. The night that I was expecting to be the last time that I ever saw her. Instead, she’s standing in front of me, in the daytime, and now as my neighbor.

  “So, I’m going on a long shot and am figuring out that we’re now neighbors?” she asks.

  “It would appear so, welcome to Mercy. What brings you here?” I ask her.

  “I moved.” she smirks, her pink crimson lips begging for my touch.

  “Really? That’s how that happens?” I laugh.

  “I’d rather not dive into it, after all, we barely know one another, I wouldn’t want to spill all my dirty secrets to you.”

  “Au contraire. I think that we know one another just a little bit.” I flirt.

  What the fuck am I doing? I shouldn’t be flirting with her. This is the kind of thing that I do when I’m nervous.

  “Listen, Clarisse, I mean Carol. I’m sorry. The club, our lives there, that is completely separate from the life that I live here. This is my home. The city, the club was my playground. No one here, knows the kind of stuff that would happen in the club.”

  “Your secret is completely safe with me,” she replies and I can see the sincerity in her eyes and hear it in her tone.

  “Thank you. It’s just, this is a small town and small-town people know everyone’s business.”

  “Right. Listen, we can start off as brand new friends, if that is what you would like? Pretend that part of our lives never occurred?”

  I want that, but I also do not want that. I don’t want to go on as if I don’t know her, but the truth in the matter is that I really don’t. For Christ's sake, up until five minutes ago, we only knew on another by our scene names. The nearness of her excites me, and I want nothing more than to push her up against the moving van.

  I don’t recall that I’ve fucked anyone outside of the club in months. Actually, I haven’t even fucked anyone besides her for months as well.

  Is she really the reason that I couldn’t do anything to find a new scene partner the other night?

  Is it her that I want?

  Chapter Four

  My office is dark aside from the small light illuminating the payroll that glares up at me from underneath it. I’ve been doing what I can to distract myself from the new development of a certain woman becoming my new neighbor that the mess on my desk is organized and I’m almost finished with this month’s vendor bills.

  I haven’t moved from my seat since getting in at nine in the morning and by now, it’s well past lunch, as I stretch to take a break.

  “Might as well take advantage of some good food while I’m here,” I say to myself in the empty room.

  I walk down the hallway and take a seat at the end of the bar. Deb is on shift this afternoon and steps beside me.

  “You need something, Bossman?” she asks tapping her manicured red nails on the bar surface.

  “Can you place an order for me?” I ask her.

  “It would be my pleasure. What can I getcha today?” she offers me a smile.

  “Sun-dried burger with a side salad?”

  “Are ya asking, or are you requesting?” she winks.

  “Even though I’m not the owner, I can still fire your ass,” I joke with her.

  “No, you can’t, and you damn well know it,” she playfully swats my arm.

  “Well, yeah that’s true, but I’m going to start payroll after lunch and I’m pretty sure that I can accidentally lose your timecard.”

  “You shouldn’t even joke about that, Darrel gets his first paycheck from the firehouse next week, and I need to go and buy groceries on payday,” she pouts.

  “Deb, you know that I would never do that,” I assure her changing my tone and softening my eyes.

  “I know, but you just teasing, gave me a mini-heart-attack,” she says with her hand over her chest.

  “Hey, Micah. Fancy seeing you here,” a voice that has been haunting me for three whole days says from behind.

  Slowly, I turn in my seat, just as Deb does at the same time.

  “Hey, Carol. Yeah, hello.” I say, my voice cracking.

  I immediately regret opening my mouth as I catch Deb smirking at the exchange.

  “So, I guess this bar is the happening place,” Carol says.

  “Well, besides the diner, The Neighborhood Bar is the best place to be,” Deb smiles proudly. “Hi, I’m Deb, and you are?”

  Carol turns her glance at Deb and smiles while holding out her hand.

  “I’m Carol, I just moved in next door to this guy, new to town and all.”

  “Oh yeah? Where did you move from, Carol?” Deb asks.

  “Um, I’m from Hollybrooke.”

  “Cool, we love them city folk.” Deb smiles. “Pretty soon, Mercy is going to be just as big as the city with all these new folks moving here, wouldn’t you say so, Mic?” Deb looks to me, unknowingly calling me by the only name Carol has known me by for months. A name that’s not new for staff around here to use, but I can see that Deb calling me by Mic peaks Carol’s interest as she tilts her head in her direction, studying her quietly.

  “So, the bar is the hot spot?” Carol asks.

  “It is, and the place keeps getting bigger, since you’re new here, you get to see this town in all its glory. The place next door is opening up soon and is an extension of the bar, and then there’s talk about an event space–” Deb starts.

  “Deb, let’s not bore Carol with all the details, let her see them for herself once it all opens,” I smile.

  “Shit, sorry boss. I’m going to get your order in, Carol would you like anything from our kitchen?” Deb asks standing up and moving around us poised with her pad and pen.

  “No thanks, I already ate. I just wanted to come and say hi, I was actually on my way out.”

  “Oh, don’t leave on account of my babbling, have a drink, stay a little.” Deb says with a wink.

  Carol looks at the watch on her wrist and smiles.

  “I don’t have anywhere to be, so I guess I can manage a drink,” she takes the stool that Deb was sitting in and orders a beer which has Deb rushing behind the bar to let Miles know and to place the ticket into the system for Percy in the kitchen.

  Carol and I sit awkwardly beside one another until she clears her throat.

  “So, I thought you said that no one knew about your, you know?”

  “I’m not catching, what?” I turn and ask.

  “She called you, Mic.” Carol leans in and whispers.

  “Yeah, a few people here and there do. But it’s in a completely different way. Not in the same manner that you’re thinking of,” I explain.

  We’re quiet for a moment. “Do you work here? She also called you bossman,” Carol asks.

  “You’re really into names, aren’t you?” I tease her.

  “I catch onto small details, yes.”

  “That’s always a good thing. I manage this place, so yeah, in a way, you could say that I’m her boss.”

  “In a way?”

  “Well, I’m just The Neighborhood’s manager, I’m not the owner. Noah, the lead bartender is,” I explain.

  Carol nods her head in understanding, “that makes sense.”

  “Really?” I ask in shock.

  “No, not really,” she laughs.

  My afternoon continues after lunch and drinks. Carol had to get back to whatever it was she needed to do, and I had a lot on my desk to pay attention to. I return to my office, lock the door, then turn on my laptop to find a playlist to drown my thoughts in to finish up my day as I complete and submit the bars payroll.

  I leave the bar just before the dinner rush and went back to the house to shower. I look at the house next door, there
are lights on and a blue car in the driveway. One window is open, and I can hear Justin Timberlake coming out of the house, with someone singing along to the words, talking about drinking someone away.

  This is distracting, I need to do something about having the woman that I crave next door to me.

  Chapter Five

  I’m sitting in a chair in front of a large window. I look inside the room and a naked woman is splayed across a St. Andrews Cross awaiting the masked man in the room to begin. The man is mostly out of view, but when he moves to stand in front of her, he’s holding a flogger with one hand, with his fingers threading through the tails.

  He says something to her, and a smile erupts on her face as her teeth pull her lower lip into her mouth. The man begins light small circular whips of the tails across the skin of her upper thigh to her outer thigh and as he navigates to the other side of her body, his hand skims over where he’s flogged her already, soothing her sensitive skin in aftercare. For several moments, I watch them play, until he has her out of breath and her entire body flushed with excitement.

  Personally, in my scenes I don’t have much of this kind of play, but it’s always nice to watch what others are doing, to see what excites me.

  What excites me is the looks of pleasure on her face as the masked man completes his aftercare on her, before proceeding to the next scene in their evening. When his pants loosen and he pulls his cock out, I watch as he slowly enters her, bites her neck and begins thrusting into her before I move the great room of Lancaster’s View.

  I spot Lance sitting with a beautiful woman, the same woman I saw him with last time I was here, on his lap. He waves me over as she moves from his lap and sits between us.

  “Mic, enjoying the sights again?” he asks, as the woman’s fingers trail along his neck.

  “I am, and how are you two this evening?” I ask.

  “We are well, would you like Danielle to do anything for you this evening?” he asks, offering his partner to me.

  “As kind of an invite as that is, no thank you. I’m here tonight to unwind from the stress of my day,” I explain.

  “What better way to unwind than to have a beautiful woman sitting on your cock?” Lance asks.

  “I could make it good for you,” she coos leaning into me, and licking her lips.

  “I’m going to have to decline, my apologies,” I say politely.

  “Suit yourself. Her pussy is heaven,” Lance licks his lips while staring at her.

  What Lance doesn’t know is that I don’t share, I don’t do scenes with other couples, and I certainly don’t fuck in the great room.

  “I was just going to have a quick beverage before I headed on home. I’ve been here for a few hours already, watching and enjoying.”

  “You wouldn’t mind if she took care of me here, would you friend?” Lance asks.

  “Knock yourself out,” I salute him.

  “She likes it when someone watches,” Lance pulls the woman atop his lap again and begins rubbing her body with his large hands.

  I watch them fuck in the booth. The woman sits on his lap facing me, giving me a view of Lance moving in and out of her. My eyes stray to that a few times, to Lance’s hand on her tits and then at times to her face, where she’s staring openly at me with lust in her eyes.

  Both my hands rest above the table, and my own cock, which is hard from what’s unfolding in front of me, isn’t begging for my touch.

  While they are still fucking, I move out of the booth, and move to kiss her on the cheek as they continue, then I leave the club to head back home.

  I’m parked in my driveway, my brother’s bike is at the top of the driveway and I stare at the house beside me.

  I get out of my car and stand beside the door. There’s a light on in the front room of Carol’s house.

  I walk next door and stand on her porch.

  I want to see her. I need to see her.

  I want her.

  I raise my hand and knock on her door. A moment later she answers.

  She’s dressed in shorts and a sweatshirt that hangs off her right shoulder. She’s not wearing a bra and I want nothing more than to push her against the wall and feel her.

  “Everything okay?” she asks.

  “I wish it was, but you see, there’s something that’s bothering me about you living next door to me,” I say with my voice controlled.

  “Um, okay. And what’s that?” she asks defensively crossing her arms over her chest, pressing her tits up higher. I can see her nipples and it takes everything in me to not tear away her sweatshirt in the doorway.

  “I can’t live next to you and not have you,” I say bluntly.

  She opens her mouth, but no sounds come out.

  I step forward into her space like she’s my prey until she’s backed up against the wall. I kick the door closed with my shoe and place my hands on either side of her body on the wall.

  “What are you doing?” she whispers.

  “No club, no games. I want you and I can’t let that night be our last,” I whisper while I trace her jaw with my nose.

  I watch the rapid beating of her heart against the fabric of her sweatshirt as I look down along my path. My hands move to lift her shirt, and she doesn’t move to stop me.

  “Micah,” she says in a low moan.

  “Carol,” I return moving to her lips.

  I plunge my tongue into her mouth and wrap my hand around her neck, pulling her body against mine. She returns the kiss with more desire than she’s ever kissed me before and it takes everything inside of me to control myself and not fuck her against the wall.

  I lift her and move through the house, finding her bedroom on my own and gently laying her on the bed, while I hover over her.

  I lean up and move my hands to my belt. I release it, pull off my shoes, and discard of my shirt.

  My pants are hanging over my hips while she leans up on the bed.

  She crooks her finger and I come to stand in front of her.

  “There’s no club right now, this is you and I here. This is Micah and Carol, not Mic and Clarisse,” I say to her quietly.

  “This is blurring the lines of our original agreement,” she warns with her hands on the waistband of my jeans.

  “That one is over, we can start a new one,” I say quietly leaning down, but she pulls away.

  “No. No, I can’t do any more agreements.”

  “What? Why not?” I ask.

  “I can’t do any more agreements, that’s one of the reasons why I left the club. I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

  “We can change it up,” I offer her.

  “No, I can’t. I have my feelings involved, Micah. If you can’t do this without another agreement, then there’s nothing here for either of us.”

  Unsure with how to navigate this without an agreement with her, I take a moment and note the seriousness in her expression, take a step back and pick up my shirt.

  Chapter Six

  After leaving Carol’s the other night, I’ve done what I could to stay busy to try to not think about her in my arms. I can’t stop thinking about her and wishing that we could continue with the life we were living for all those months.

  At work, I’ve stayed in my office, called for dinner and then left out the back door much later than I usually would for no reason.

  At home, I would keep to myself, venture out if I only needed to, but I stayed inside and was truly only there to sleep.

  I thought about going back to the club, but what I wanted was living right next door to me.

  All that I know with her is having an arrangement. Would I be able to be with her, to know her as well intimately as I do, without an agreement?

  I don’t do any of the BDSM shit, there are never lines crossed, and everything done is consensual. Do I really need an agreement outside of the club?

  I haven’t had many relationships, the few times that I’ve fucked someone outside of the club were women just driving through town, lookin
g for a warm body, no one that I would see again.

  I text Noah that I need to speak with him when he comes in for his shift, knowing that he’s closing tonight. I have a few hours left of my afternoon to get more work done and to think about exactly what I want to say. Then hoping that Noah can give me a different perspective.

  A knock on my open office door pulls me away from the spreadsheet that’s on the computer screen and Deb pokes her head in.

  “Hey, that chick is asking for you,” she relays once I look up.

  “Carol?” I ask for clarification, buying time, because who else would it be.

  When Deb nods, I take a deep breath and stand.

  “You know what, I like her,” Deb says.

  “Okay,” I reply awkwardly.

  “You know, I have never seen you with anyone and I think she would be good for you. She seems nice and I definitely can tell that she digs you.”

  “Yeah,” I say robotically as we walk out the office and down the back hallway.

  “She’s at the bar,” Deb points and the walks away.

  My eyes and Carol’s meet and she gives me a small wave and a smile as I approach.

  “Look, I know coming here, to your work is stupid and you can’t really talk, but I wanted to apologize. I think it’s silly that we’re avoiding each other…”

  “I’m not avoiding you, not at all,” I defend quickly, even though it’s a lie.

  She smiles knowingly and then continues, “anyways, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I think I understand.”

  “Can we talk about this later tonight? I’m off in a few hours and I would rather not speak about this stuff, here.” I ask quietly leaning into her.

  She nods, looks down at her hands on top of the bar and then pushes back to stand.

  “Yeah, I’ll be home, so just come by whenever,” she nods and turns on her heel.

  Before I can say anything else, she’s walking away and out the door. Just as the front bar door begins to close, Noah walks through and smiles.

  “I got your text, looks like I have perfect timing.”