by Sam Crescent
She was at the breaking point to be asking her sister for help. Beth maybe older than she was, but Elisha really didn’t believe she was better at making decisions.
“Is that it?” Beth looked toward Andrew.
“What? What do you think I should do?” She really wanted to get this matter resolved, and the sooner the better as far as she was concerned.
“Talk to him? Reason with him?” Andrew said. “Guys respond real well to being spoken to.”
Elisha glared at him. “I can handle everything without the sarcasm, thank you.”
“What’s the big deal?” Beth asked. “He has a few parties, and has sex. Has he not invited you?”
“Well, he has, but I turn him down—”
“Why do you turn him down?” Beth asked. “You know what, don’t answer that. You ever thought that part of the problem with your neighbor is because you don’t put yourself out there?”
“I’m a good neighbor.”
“Why are you? Because you clean up? You don’t have any parties? What is it, Elisha?”
“You’re being unreasonable. There’s more to life than partying.”
“And there’s more to life than cleaning.”
“You know what, I’m not in the mood to go to the hospital today. I’m going to check on the kids.” Andrew made his escape, rushing out of the house.
Elisha stared at her sister. “I like cleaning.”
Beth sighed. “That’s all you do. You clean, and the men in your life cheat on you. Everything starts out beautiful, and it’s all romantic, and I get that you don’t want to move on from that, but, honey, you’re really losing something right now.”
“You think I should just accept a party invitation?” Elisha asked.
“If you even get another one, then yes, accept it, and embrace it. Don’t turn him down. You’ve got to learn to live a little, and right now, you’re not living at all.” Beth shook her head. “I know it’s hard being out in the world—”
“I own a successful cleaning business.”
“I don’t care, honey. You’re in need of a reality check. You’re not getting any younger. One day you’re going to look back and wonder why you spent most of your adult life with a cloth in your hand rather than actually doing something. It’s sad. Now is the time for you to screw random guys, obviously making sure there’s a condom in place. Have some fun.”
“I’ve tried to have fun, and it’s not in my nature.”
Beth stared at her. “Your kind of fun is cleaning out a toilet. Normal people, they like to socialize and have fun. I mean look at you, you’ve been tense since you got here. You just want to get stuck in and start cleaning, don’t you?”
Biting her lip, she nodded. “Your kitchen could do with a clean.”
“I left it like this on purpose,” Beth said. “I like my kitchen to be clean when I use it. I just like to mess with your head. Not everything needs you to clean it, Elisha. It’s hard being your big sister, and watching life, all kinds of life, pass you by. You should be having sex, having your heart broken, and finding a replacement guy to fall in love with.”
“You didn’t do that with Andrew.”
“Andrew is the love of my life. We got caught early with kids, and I don’t have a problem with that.” Beth smiled. “We’ve got beautiful children, and a wonderful life. When we go on our date night, I have my moments when I can just be that girl. I leave to go to a bar, and Andrew comes and finds me. We have our moments together, and it’s magical.”
For a split second, Elisha was struck by a little jealousy. Her sister did have a happy life, and one that she wished she had as well.
When she was younger she had wanted marriage and children, but that had changed over the years. Her life was about her work, and keeping everything clean.
“You think I should accept an invitation.”
“I’m being honest here. I doubt you’ll even get another one. I wouldn’t invite someone who was like you. It’s too much trouble.”
“Beth, you’re not supposed to say that.”
“You’re my sister, I love you, but I have every right to tell you that you’re a pain in the ass, and you are, totally.”
Rolling her eyes, Elisha smiled. For the first time in months, even before all the problems with her neighbor, she felt happy.
****
“Go and ask her,” Brant said.
“Fuck off. She’s your neighbor, and she called you horrible. I’m not going to go and ask her shit.” Sean held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not doing anything to get her angry.”
Brant stared at his younger brother, annoyed and frustrated.
It had been a week since his encounter with his neighbor. During the last week his art work had taken a dramatic turn, and he was sketching her garden, the neatness of all of her plants. He’d even watched her walk down her lawn, and where there was a strip of grass she’d gotten some scissors, and trimmed it neatly back. Brant found her need for neatness infuriating. He wanted to dirty her up, mess up her calm exterior. She was such a beautiful, sexy woman, yet she kept herself back from feeling anything.
He’d done some research into his neighbor, and discovered she owned a cleaning business. After watching her clean her trash bin, and empty out each carton to make sure it was sparkling clean, he’d decided she was a little too OCD for his taste.
No matter how much he tried to put her out of his mind, nothing was working. He thought about her during his work, when he was at home. Three days ago he’d called Kasey over to work out his problem, only to find that it was thoughts of Elisha that had him pounding into Kasey’s pussy. What the fuck was wrong with him? The woman had called him awful, and he was fantasizing about her to get off.
“Why do I put up with you? You’re a little asshole,” Brant said, glaring at his younger brother.
“I’m the hot brother. You need me to get other women.”
“Fuck off.” Walking out of his house, Brant left his door open, and jumped the small fence. Her garden was spotless, not that he expected anything different. He’d do anything to be given the chance to dirty her up.
Raising his hand he knocked on her door, waiting for her to answer. He didn’t know why he was even bothering to ask her to his party.
It’s being nice.
Not awful.
He was really pissed off about his neighbor calling him awful. All of his friends liked him, and none of them ever thought of him as awful.
Brant was about to leave when her door opened. She was so damn beautiful with her raven hair and flawless skin. Elisha was like a hotter version than that fairy tale that he couldn’t remember the name of.
“Hello,” she said, tensing up.
“Look, we got off on the wrong foot, and I don’t want to be known as that kind of neighbor. I’m having a party tonight, a few friends, why don’t you come over. We can have a few beers, chat, some food—”
“I don’t drink.”
“You do eat though, right?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t want a rift to start between us. I like where I live, and I have no intention of leaving.”
Silence fell between them.
Elisha stared at him, her blue eyes assessing yet keeping everything back from him. He didn’t like it when he was the one on the receiving end of being watched.
“Sure, why not?” She gave him a forced smile.
“Really? You’re going to come?” he asked.
“Yes. I’d like that, and I want to apologize for being so rude to you last week. It was my own fault.”
He smiled. “No problem. No harm done.”
“What time do you want me tonight?”
“Turn up whenever you want.”
“There’s no time restriction?”
“None.”
“Yay.”
He was sure she was being sarcastic, but decided to let it slide. “See you tonight.” Brant left, making his way toward his own home.
�
��Well, what happened?” Sean asked. “Did she shoot you down?”
“No, she’s coming.”
“She’s coming here?” Sean asked, looking up from his cell phone. “Why?”
“I invited her.”
“She never comes.”
“Tonight she is.” Brant couldn’t help but think of how she would actually look underneath him as he made her come with his tongue. Damn, he needed to get his head together before tonight.
Chapter Three
“Do you have some tit showing?” Beth asked.
“No!” Elisha snapped at the phone. She had her sister on speaker phone in an attempt to make the most out of tonight.
“Why not? It’s a party.”
“I’m not going over there to advertise anything.”
“Aren’t you looking for a man to scratch that itch?”
“I don’t have an itch, Beth.”
“Puh-lease, every woman has that kind of itch. You’re in serious denial, and it’s dangerous.”
Elisha fluffed up her curls and shook her head, recalling that her sister wasn’t actually there. “No, it’s not. Not every woman needs a release from a man.”
“If you don’t find a man soon, you’re going to explode, and when that happens, there is going to be chaos everywhere.”
“I’ve got a lot more control than that.”
Beth groaned over the line. “You own a business, and you think you’re above needs. You don’t scratch that itch, it’s going to cause you problems when you least expect it. Before you know what is happening, you’re screwing men you’d never even consider.”
“I’ll worry about that when it happens. I’m happy with my life.”
Another unwomanly noise came out of Beth.
“You’re supposed to be helping me.”
“You won’t show any tit, and you’re acting like it’s more a social event. It’s a party, and from what you’ve described, it’s not about sitting around a table tasting wine and cheese.”
“This was a total mistake,” she said, staring at her reflection. “I’m wearing a cocktail dress as if I’m going to dinner. I’m out of my depth.”
“Wear a pair of tight jeans, and a shirt that hangs low over your breasts, enough to show cleavage, but not nipple.”
“You’re sounding like my pimp.”
“It’s what sisters are for.”
Removing her cocktail dress, Elisha rummaged through her wardrobe to find a pair of jeans and a black shirt. It was bland, and rather boring, but it would suit going next door. Parties were always hard for her. Unless she was having a good time, she struggled with the urge to clean.
Quickly tugging on her jeans and shirt, she turned toward her reflection, satisfied. “I’m done.”
“Tell me all about it tomorrow. I can’t wait to hear that you’ve fucked some guy.”
“I’m hanging up right now. I don’t need to hear any more of this,” she said, grabbing her cell phone.
“Remember you only live once, and you may as well live it to the fullest.”
Disconnecting the call, Elisha smiled. Her sister was always looking out for her, even when she didn’t need to.
Pocketing her cell phone, she made her way out of her house. She made sure to turn off most of the lights, and to lock the door. Her neighbor’s front yard was already filled with cars, and empty beer cans. A quick glance at her watch, she saw it was after nine.
Maybe she should just go back home.
No, Elisha, you’re going to do this.
Knocking on the door, she waited for someone to answer. Nothing happened.
Lifting her hand, she knocked again, and still nothing.
“What are you doing?”
She spun around to find no one around. Frowning, she raised her hand only to pause when someone started talking.
“Just come in.”
Looking up, she found Brant leaning out of a window.
“You’re not going to come and see me in.”
“I was just taking a piss. Come in. It’s a party, and you’re invited.”
“You know leaving your door unlocked is unsafe.” She was only next door, and there was no way in hell she would leave her door open.
“How do you expect to have a party unless you leave your door open?” He leaned further out of the room. “The door is shut, just not locked. Come in, have fun.”
“Wash your hands,” she said, opening the door, and entering chaos.
I can do this. It’s just a party. A big party with lots of people.
She was suddenly grateful that she didn’t wear her cocktail dress. Some of the women were wearing bikinis, and others miniskirts. She was overdressed.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Brant said, coming downstairs.
“I’m here.”
“And now it’s time for you to have some fun. First, I want to introduce myself. I’m Brant Miller, your new neighbor.” He held his hand out.
Just do it. Just take his hand, and get over whatever shit is going on.
“I’m Elisha Jackson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Was that hard?” he asked, smiling.
“A little bit. You did wash your hands, right?”
“You’ll never know. You’re going to have to trust me.”
He kept hold of her hand, and led her through the maze of people toward his kitchen. The state of the kitchen was a nightmare, but she kept it together. Not once did she make a comment that it was a mess, or that he needed to do something to the state of the surfaces.
“You don’t drink, so I’ve got something special for you. I went out to the store, and where we go.” Brant leaned into his fridge, and retrieved a small can of soda. She stared down at the brand, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You went and got soda for me?” She took the can, cracking it open.
“Ah, wait, I also got you a straw in case you couldn’t stand to drink where other people put their mouths. Here.” He went into a draw, and she watched him open a fresh packet, and hand her one.
“Thank you.” Placing the straw in the drink, she took a sip of the cool orange soda. “Perfect.”
“See, not an awful neighbor.”
“No, sorry.” She liked standing close to him. Being this close and personal with him reminded her how damn sexy he was. His arms were thick, and bare of any ink. The shirt he wore was stretched over his chest, highlighting how muscular he was, or the fact he liked wearing smaller shirts. “What happens now?”
“Now, we have some fun.” He took hold of her hand, and he started introducing her to his friends.
She discovered that he had a lot of friends, and several of them were in the art business.
“You’re a professional cleaner?” Danny asked. He was an event planner.
“Yes. I clean pretty much anything. We’re contracted by businesses, or for personal home cleaning. Anything that is a mess, I clean.”
“There’s a venue I was looking at for my client’s latest art exposition, but the building has just been recently renovated. The décor is finished, but it’s a mess. Builders clean away their tools, but there hasn’t been any time to clean it.”
“Do you have a picture?” she asked.
He pulled his cell phone out, and proceeded to show her.
“Yep, we can do that.”
“Sweet.”
She gave him her business number, and left him to it.
“You’re using my friends to get business,” Brant said, placing his arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t blame me. I was asked. If you want I don’t have to take the business.”
“Nah, Danny’s harmless, and it’ll stop him from moaning about finding the perfect venue. Be warned, baby, you’re going to have a lot of work thrown your way.”
They made their way out toward the backyard, where people were dancing. Brant owned a pool, and it was full of men and women kissing. Averting her gaze from the action, she sipped from her soda, and she found herself h
aving fun.
“This is my brother, Sean,” Brant said.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Sean said, smiling.
She shook Sean’s hand, and started talking with him. He was a business major, and he had a thing for sports. Brant never left her side, which made her rather nervous, but she liked it. Elisha liked being in his company. He wasn’t that bad after all.
****
Several of his guests had left, and Kasey was sitting beside him. Brant didn’t care for his regular fuck as his gaze was on the beautiful, sexy neighbor, currently playing pool with his brother. She was laid back, laughing at all of Sean’s jokes, and just being sexy as fuck. His need to draw her was getting stronger the more he looked at her.
“I never knew Sean was into older women,” Kasey said.
Brant turned toward her. Kasey was the same age as he was, but Elisha was younger than both of them, by a couple of years. Sure, his neighbor was older than Sean, but from the tone of Kasey’s voice, she didn’t like being ignored. Sean didn’t give Kasey any attention, and often treated her with disdain.
Brant fucked Kasey, and it wasn’t up to him for his family to like her or not. His brother didn’t approve of his relationship with Kasey. As far as he was concerned, Kasey was an easy fuck, and that was all.
“You got a problem with Elisha?” he asked.
“She’s all over him. It’s sad really. She should stay to her kind of people.” Kasey was shooting evil glares toward his neighbor.
“Her people? What the fuck people are you talking about?” Kasey was starting to grate on his nerves. This was his damn party, the first one with Elisha, and he’d found it to be the most fun. He’d not touched any alcohol, and to enjoy his own parties, he needed alcohol to get through them.
“You know, fat people. They’re not like us. They’re not hot, and they need to go to an all you can eat buffet.”
Brant was disgusted, and looking at Kasey now, he had to wonder what he even saw in her to fuck her. She was a nasty piece of work, and not a person he wanted to get to know.
“I want you out of my house.”
He stood, making his way into his kitchen. Kasey had taken his relaxed mood and angered him. She followed him.
