Gentrified

by Kirsten McCurran

  “Really? Jess hasn’t mentioned a thing. I’ll have to speak to her about that.”

  “Maybe I haven’t done anything worth mentioning, yet.”

  Nicole sized him up, and smiled. “Oh, I doubt that. Let me get you a drink.”

  “Beer’s good.”

  “I’ll be right back, Winston.”

  “I’ll be waiting, Nic.”

  Flirting with Nicole was diverting, but Winston was still interested in what he came for. He wanted to locate Jessica. Still, he took a moment to admire the wiggle of Nicole’s tight ass as she walked away. She’d have to be careful bending over in that short dress, he thought. He hoped she wouldn’t be.

  Winston said a casual hello to some of the people standing around him, and could tell that they were wondering what the hell he was doing there. They were not as thrilled to see him as Nicole. The little brunette came right back as promised, flashing perfect white teeth in a flirty smile as she handed him a long-necked bottle of some kind of yuppie bullshit beer. He tapped the neck of his bottle to hers, and they both drank.

  “So, have you made friends with all your new neighbors, or just the pretty blonde ones?” Nicole asked.

  “I’m a friendly guy. I’ll be friends with anyone,” he replied. This Nicole was a ballsy one, he thought. He liked it. “Not sure many people here want to get to know me, though.”

  Nicole glanced around the room and leaned in close to answer. Winston had to bend down to hear her. “This is probably the closest some of them have ever been to someone like you.”

  “Someone like me?” He chuckled, amused.

  “Are we being coy now? These are Jess’s friends from the ‘burbs, mostly. Some of Kyle’s friends. How many big, strong, proud black men do you think they’ve been around in a social setting. Don’t get me wrong. They aren’t racist…”

  “Of course not.”

  “But they are probably afraid you think they’re racist.”

  They were so close as they spoke that Nicole put her hand on his chest. It looked so small on the broad canvas. His large hand rested on her tiny waist. From a distance, it might appear they were sharing an intimate moment. And it was in that moment that Winston spied Jessica back in the kitchen. She looked like she was caught short seeing him with Nicole like that.

  “If I believed in that micro-aggression bullshit, I probably would. They need to loosen up.”

  “People are people, right?” Nicole said.

  “We all want the same things, right?”

  Nicole’s tongue briefly darted out to wet her bottom lip. “I’m beginning to think so.”

  Winston could feel Jessica watching them and realized it could work to his favor. Seeing him with Nicole may make her realize she wanted him all to herself, though she might not know why—not yet. It was always good for a woman to see you desired by other women. He guided Nicole closer.

  He noticed a slight change in the blonde’s behavior over the last couple weeks when he’d seen her in the morning with Maddy. Jessica was more reserved than before, just a little bit, like there was something on her mind. Winston thought her husband may have said something, warned her to stay away from him, but Kyle didn’t seem that type, despite the grandstanding in the park. He still thought Kyle would be eager to be his friend, which was part of what he wanted to work on today.

  “Wow, you made it,” Jessica said, finally coming out from the kitchen. “Nic, this is Winston, he lives across the street.”

  “We’ve met. I can’t believe you’ve been keeping him all to yourself,” Nicole replied. She turned, and was pressed to his side. She was so diminutive beside him.

  Jessica smiled tightly. “I’ve been doing no such thing. Maybe if you came down here more often you’d have met Winston.”

  “Maybe I’ll have to do that more often. I miss my girls.”

  Winston felt a buzz of excitement. He was sure Jessica was jealous. It did not make a whole lot of sense, and he didn’t expect it this early, but there was no other explanation for her behavior. Jessica was probably nursing a crush—a harmless crush to her. But he would make sure it was anything but harmless. It would make moving things along that much easier. Running into Nicole first was quite fortuitous. She would make a useful tool, and he could have some fun along the way. He guessed that Nicole might not mind being used.

  “Now ladies, there’s enough of me for both of you,” he said mirthfully.

  Jessica’s blush was unmistakable. She changed the subject. “Maddy will be thrilled you’re here.”

  “Where is that girl?” he asked.

  “Out back. I can show you,” Jessica replied.

  “Sorry, but there’s a girl here more important than all the others,” he said to Nicole.

  “That’s cool. I’ll catch you a little later.”

  Winston recognized the ploy to get him away from Nicole, and he went with it. He needed to spend some quality time with both the little girl and her mother anyway. He followed Jessica through the kitchen and tried not to spend too much time staring at her ass. She wore a pale pink polo shirt dress that just about came to her knees. The thin knit of the dress made it cling to Jessica’s figure just enough to highlight her ass and the round swell of her tits. Her pretty feet—toenails painted to match the dress—were free in flip-flops, and her hair was pulled back into a short ponytail. Jessica was every bit the pretty young mom, and nothing about her look was intentionally sexy, but that was what made Winston want her even more.

  Maddy ran and jumped at Winston the moment she saw him, startling some of the on-lookers. Kyle was back there, as were a couple other guys, who looked to be his friends. They eyed Winston with suspicion, and he wondered if it was just natural, or if Kyle had voiced concerns to his friends about the black guy who’d befriended his wife and daughter. Winston didn’t care. It made no difference to his plans. But he knew Kyle wasn’t hostile when the dad came over and gave him a handshake and a big clap on the back. No, Kyle was happy to see him. His friends were just exhibiting a natural distrust. Ironically, those assholes were right, he thought.

  The afternoon passed in a blur. Winston had genuine affection for Maddy, but children’s parties were not his idea of fun. He did his best to remain interested, which was made easier when Nicole made her way back over to him. And predictably, he was never alone with Nicole for too long before Jessica found an excuse to come over. Winston enjoyed sharing the women’s attention.

  As he spoke to others at the party, Winston felt them relax around him, at least mostly. Jessica’s parents were polite to a fault, but kept their distance. Jessica’s sister was nice, but there was something odd about her and her husband, Mike. The couple seemed way too interested in him, almost in the same way Nicole was. Jen seemed embarrassed by how eager Mike was to get to know him, and it seemed like she was working overtime to mask her thoughts. They could have been one of those couples.

  Winston had never sought them out, but he had met one or two couples looking for a very specific kind of play. They were called cuckolds, or hotwife. The husband wanted to sit back and watch him have sex with the wife. Each time, he’d been picked up while hanging out in a club. The first time, the husband came over and got right to the point. Winston was happy to oblige him. The second time, the wife shamelessly flirted with him—right in front of her husband—and it took her forever to get to the point. When she did, Winston went with the couple to their hotel. The husband was timid and ashamed, but more than that, eager. He was on the edge of his seat as he watched Winston fuck the shit out of his wife.

  Mike and Jen seemed way too uptight for that sort of thing, but Winston had found you never knew what went on in people’s bedrooms. It was why he was sure he could bed Jessica. No one knew what they were really capable of until confronted with a situation, and he knew he could make the pretty blonde melt, no matter how devoted to her husband she was. He had never been wrong before.

  But her sister and brother-in-law were definitely looking for som
ething, and it felt like Mike was sure Winston could provide it. Jen seemed more uncertain, leading him to believe it was Mike’s idea and she was going along with it. That happened a lot, and he knew how that usually went. Jen would be uncertain right up until he started touching and kissing her, and then Jen would be begging for it. And Mike would be stunned. Winston chuckled as he considered the possibility of working his way through Jessica and her sister. That would be a new one for him.

  Winston refocused on his current prey. He worked his way over to Kyle, to get a little face time in with the husband. Winston was pleased to find no hostility or suspicion from Kyle now that the ice had been broken. Kyle even seemed pleased to see him. It was just a couple bros having beers.

  “How’s it been going, man?” Kyle asked.

  “Doin’ my thing. You know how it is. Keeping busy. I’ve been doing some contracting work on the side for my cousin, just to make a little extra money.”

  “I didn’t know you do that sort of thing. We could have used you to do some of the stuff in the house.”

  “If you ever need a hand, let me know. I’m only right up the street. Jessica knows I’ve got her back.” Winston was careful not to use the familiar Jessie around her husband.

  “I really do appreciate that, man. I actually go away for work quite a bit. It’s nice knowing that someone’s looking out for my girls.”

  “Really? How much you go away?” Winston feigned ignorance.

  “At least a few days every month. Sometimes up to a week. It feels like work is eating up my life, y’know? Jess hates it.”

  “A man’s got to do what he’s got to do to take care of his family, right? You got to make sacrifices.”

  “I know. And I know deep down Jess understands. It’s just difficult.”

  Kyle shook his head and sipped his beer. He acted like he may have already had one too many. It was later in the party, and several of the guests had left. Kyle was winding down and relaxing.

  “How about you, Winston? When are you going to start a family?”

  Winston laughed heartily. “I’m still having my fun, brother. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the type to settle down.”

  “Not even if you meet someone special? I didn’t think I was ready to either, until I met Jess.”

  “I can see where a woman like Jess would make a man think about it. She’s pretty impressive.”

  “That she is,” Kyle agreed. The men chinked their bottles together.

  “May I say, that’s a fine woman you got there, brother. Sexy as hell.”

  Kyle nodded and looked pleased by the compliment. It may have been all the beers, but he didn’t see Winston as any kind of threat at all. Perfect.

  “Yeah, she is. And you should have seen her back in school. Oh man.”

  Winston laughed and clapped his arm over Kyle’s shoulders. “I bet. I get it, brother. But for me, there’s a lot of special ladies out there.”

  “And you want to try them all.”

  “As many as I can.”

  “I hear ya,” Kyle said. “I think every married man still looks. No harm in that.”

  “None at all. You ever look at that Nicole?”

  “Jess’s friend Nic?” Kyle sounded confused.

  “Yeah, man. I bet she’s a little firecracker.”

  “Sure, she’s cute.”

  “She’s more than cute, man. That’s a fun girl, and if I get my way, I’m going to find out just how much fun.”

  “Really?”

  Winston took no offense at what Kyle was implying. He seemed surprised that Winston thought he had a shot at the little brunette. That was fine. A guy like Kyle probably knew his wife’s best friend was hot, but he went out of his way not to think about her like that.

  “Yeah, I ain’t bragging, but she was making it obvious before. She’s worth a spin, ain’t she?”

  Kyle seemed befuddled. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

  Winston gave him a conspirational wink. “Don’t worry, man. If I get in there, I’ll tell you all about it.”

  “Yeah, man.”

  Winston left it at that. He’d accomplished what he needed to. Hearing that Winston was looking at another woman, Kyle would be even less suspicious about the black man’s friendship with his wife, and Kyle would be sure to mention something to his wife about Nicole and Winston, sparking jealousy, if he was right and Jessica was already nursing a crush.

  Kyle went off to talk to one of his friends and Winston returned inside the house to find his hostess. He wanted to jet before he overstayed his welcome, but he couldn’t leave without saying goodbye. The last time he’d seen Jessica she was cleaning up with Nicole. Maddy’s friends had all left, and she was playing with her new toys in front of the television.

  Winston didn’t see Jessica in the house and asked if anyone had seen her. A woman with mom hair said she thought Jessica ran down to the basement for something. Her implication was clear—Winston needn’t follow her down there, he could wait for her to return. He left the cool bitch in the living room and went back to the kitchen, and the stairs to the basement. The stairs were narrow and old, and he took his time to tread lightly. Winston heard voices below and peered down to see what was going on.

  “I told you, I’ve got it, Chazz. It was sweet of you to offer to help me, but I’m good,” Jessica insisted.

  “Hey, I’ve got two good hands. I’m here to help.”

  Winston spied Jessica by the washer and dryer, and it looked like she was cornered by some tall, lanky guy in cargo shorts and a loose shirt. Winston had seen him around the party. From the looks of things, Winston wasn’t the only one with designs on Jessica. He shook his head. That was cold to go after your boy’s wife. It wasn’t like he and Kyle were really friends, or Winston wouldn’t be trying to bed Jessica. He waited for the right moment to interrupt.

  “The stuff is in the washer now, so we can go back upstairs.” She tried to move past him, but Chazz shifted to block her.

  “How come I don’t see you guys more? You only live like a few blocks away. I thought we’d be hanging out all the time when you guys moved down here. I was looking forward to it.”

  “We’re pretty busy with work and Maddy and the house. We don’t have a lot of free time to see anyone,” Jessica said, annoyance in her tone.

  “I was especially looking forward to seeing you, Jess. I know Kyle’s away a lot. I know it can be uncomfortable to be alone in the house. I could always come over…”

  The light from the single hanging bulb was dim, but Winston could see well enough. Chazz had placed those two good hands on Jessica’s arms and was moving in on her. She put her hands on his chest to keep him back. Winston liked the way she was handing this. Jessica wanted to punch this guy, but her manners kept her civil.

  “Chazz, stop it. You’re drunk. Whatever you think is going on here, it isn’t,” she said forcefully.

  “Jess…”

  “Hey, there you are,” Winston announced loudly. “I was told you came down here.”

  Chazz jumped back like he’d been smacked and Jessica looked relieved. Winston was her hero.

  “Yeah, Maddy spilled on her outfit and I wanted to get it right in the wash, with some other things.”

  Winston stepped into the basement and clapped a large hand on Chazz’s shoulder, giving a firm squeeze. Chazz winced. “You’re Chazz, right? I think Kyle was looking for you, man.” Winston helpfully turned Chazz toward the stairs.

  “Uh, yeah, okay.” Chazz seemed dazed, but he wasted no time getting up those stairs.

  “Thank you,” Jessica sighed, when they were alone.

  Winston placed a protective hand on her shoulder, which she didn’t seem to mind at all. “Are you okay? That guy seemed like a pushy little…”

  “How much did you hear?”

  “Enough.”

  “It’s okay, really. Chazz has had a thing for me forever. Every few years he gets drunk enough to get up the nerve to try and kiss me.”

 
“You must be used to that. I don’t mean him—he’s an asshole—I mean men in general, wanting you.”

  Jessica’s blush flashed full force. “I, uh, thanks.”

  “Beautiful women get hit on, that’s a fact, Jessie. Don’t pretend you don’t know that.”

  “I guess. Whatever. Anyway, he’s harmless. Like I said, he’ll try to kiss me, if it gets that far, and I push him away. It’s just frustrating. You’d think he’d have gotten the message after all this time. I’ve never told Kyle. There’s no point. I can handle it.”

  “But you shouldn’t have to,” Winston said. It was telling that she kept the advances from her husband.

  “No. I shouldn’t. You’re right. I’m a married woman.”

  Winston smiled, flashing white teeth, hoping he still seemed harmless. “Everyone thinks differently, right? A lot of guys think that a woman being married doesn’t mean all that much. It’s not going to stop them. And a lot of the time, they’re right.”

  “I guess. I just don’t really think that way. I mean, I’m not naïve, but he could try forever, I’d never be tempted.”

  “No one is tempted—until they are.”

  “You’re right,” Jessica agreed.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m just tired of that bullshit. And tired in general.”

  “Come here,” Winston said softly.

  Jessica passed the test. She melted right into his hug. He expected at least token resistance, but there was none. He knew it was the frustration, exhaustion from the party, and the beer. She just needed a hug. She put her arms around him and rested her head on his chest with a sigh. Winston held her firmly, but chastely, aware of her deep, relaxed breathing. Jessica was completely comfortable with him, despite the awkwardness she’d shown lately. Either she’d forgotten her crush, or she’d given into it, just long enough for a warm hug. Her hair smelled wonderful, like flowers.

  Winston felt his body reacting to hers, and forced it not to. This was not the time. Jessica was comfortable in his arms, and it felt like she might stay there all night. It was Winston who eased her back, as it should be.