Gentrified

by Kirsten McCurran

  The house was dark and quiet. She could hear the rain beating down outside and the rumble of thunder. She hated coming home to a dark house. It was one of the primary reasons she hated Kyle’s travelling for work, and the effect was worse when Maddy wasn’t there. Jess was not a shrinking violet, but it was hard to fight the creeping paranoia that someone might be lurking in the darkness. Every shadow in the house seemed to move. She texted Kyle and impatiently stood just inside the door until he replied.

  K: the ac probably blew the breaker again. Just go downstairs and flip it

  No way, she thought. I am not going down into that dark, creepy basement alone. She texted her husband, telling him so.

  K: I can’t do anything about it from here. If u won’t do it, go get Winston to come over and do it

  -me and Winston alone in a dark house?

  K: didn’t even think of that. honest. In the middle of a business dinner. Just trying to solve ur problem

  -this house is our problem

  Jess was annoyed. She recalled every fight they’d ever had about the house.

  K: call Winston or not. I can’t do anything from here

  Kyle was being dismissive, which pissed her off even more. If her husband wasn’t there to fix things and kill spiders, what good was he? She was too angry to even tease him. Going over to Winston’s half-naked and soaking would feed right into Kyle’s fantasy, but she did not snap a picture of herself. Instead she texted him back one word: Fine.

  Jess did not give it a second thought before slamming the door behind her and jogging across the street in the pouring rain to bang on Winston’s door. She hoped he wasn’t entertaining Nicole.

  seventeen

  Winston almost ignored the knocking at his door. He hadn’t ordered food and couldn’t imagine who was on his doorstep. Whoever it was, they could go away. He was wrapping a set of curls. He planned on heading out after a shower. One of his boys was bartending tonight, which meant he could drink for free. If he was lucky, Nicole might make a late night booty call.

  The visitor was persistent, and when he decided the knocker would not go away on their own he heavily dropped his dumbbells to the floor with a thud and yanked the door open. He was shocked to find a soaking wet Jessica standing there in nothing more than a mostly black sports bra and skintight black yoga pants with a colorful waist. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail, however it dripped with rainwater and hung limply. Her mascara must have been waterproof, as it was mostly intact. She stared into his muscular, bare chest for a moment before looking up at him. Winston was so busy memorizing all that pale, exposed skin that he barely heard her when she spoke. She repeated herself, but he didn’t think he heard her correctly.

  “I need you,” she said. There may have been a twinkle of mischief in her slate gray eyes, but it was hard to tell in the pouring rain.

  “What was that?”

  “I need your help. My power’s off and Kyle sent me to you.”

  “Come inside out of the rain. You’re dripping.”

  “I don’t want to get your floor wet.”

  “You’re being ridiculous.”

  Winston gently grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. She did drip all over his floor, but he didn’t mind. She looked so incredible he had to concentrate on not staring. Even flattened out by the sports bra, her tits looked perky and perfect, and her flat stomach was sexy. It looked like maybe he could close his big hands around her slender waist, but she was toned, not just skinny. The moment she entered his chilly, air conditioned living room her nipples popped out through the sports bra, two little points daring him to look away.

  “Kyle thinks it’s the breaker, but I didn’t want to go in there and deal with it by myself. It just feels creepy in there, in the dark, by myself. I swear, I’m not usually this much of a wuss.”

  “It’s cool, Jessie. I’m always here for you,” he said, thinking, look at her eyes. Look at her eyes. He hoped his struggle wasn’t as obvious as it felt.

  “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

  “No. Just working out. Let me throw something on and grab a flashlight.”

  Winston thought she seemed as distracted as he was. He felt her tracking him as he moved about the living room, and he took his time finding a shirt. She liked what she saw. She couldn’t hide it. Her eyes drifted down to where his growing erection tented through his tight boxer-briefs and baggy basketball shorts. It might be a good time to just grab Jessica and kiss her, but he would take her home and help her first. He wanted to be sure she was ready. Moving too soon would still be a mistake.

  He snagged a ribbed tank top from the couch and pulled it on, and then found a flashlight. Jessica stayed by his front door the whole time, watching and trying to seem nonchalant.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “Sure. I don’t think the rain is going to let up anyway.”

  They darted across the street and in just that short minute Winston was soaked. Jessica opened the door and they stumbled inside. His shirt clung to him. She shook her head and water whipped off her ponytail into him. She took her hair out of the ponytail and shook it loose, splashing more water onto him.

  “Sorry,” she said, laughing. “I’m like a wet dog.”

  “Not from here you’re not,” he commented.

  “Oh no?”

  “You’re more like one of those girls washing a car and playing with the hose in slow motion.”

  “Really? Should I start moving in slow motion for you?”

  Jessica mimed a slow, Baywatch-style jog, but could only maintain it for a few seconds. It was enough to get Winston’s blood pumping. The glow from the streetlights through the front window melded with the shadows to bring her curves out in sharp relief. He didn’t even pretend he wasn’t staring anymore. She was halfway through laughing when she caught him, and straightened up with one of her tight-lipped smiles.

  “Sorry I’m not Pamela Anderson. You know who she is, right?”

  “I’m only a couple years younger than you. I remember Baywatch. And her sex tape.”

  “I never saw it,” she said quickly, leaving him wondering if she was lying, although she did not seem like the type to watch celebrity sex tapes, or porn in general.

  “It was mostly boring, like vacation video stuff. Gotta say, though, my man Tommy Lee has a huge dick. The girls liked that.”

  “I don’t think you were intimidated.” Jessica quickly closed her mouth, like she knew she revealed something.

  Winston kept his knowledge to himself. It was enough to know his cock was on her mind. But he couldn’t help taunting her. “Oh yeah?”

  “Just…you’re a big guy. Anyway, I was talking about Pamela Anderson, not big dicks.”

  “It’s okay, Jessie, we can talk big dicks if you want to.” He laughed. Even in the dim light be could tell she was blushing.

  “Come on!”

  “Okay, okay. It’s all good, Jessie. I like to tease. You don’t mind, do you?”

  She paused, then looked at him. “That all depends.”

  The moment hung between them in the near darkness. “I like my women real, Jessie. Not like plastic dolls. I like real softness.” He reached out and lightly stroked her arm and she jumped like she’d been shocked. But she let his hand rest where it was. She was so smooth and warm under his fingertips.

  “Um, we should probably do something about the power,” she said softly.

  “Yeah. Let’s go to the basement.”

  “Us?”

  “I need someone to hold the flashlight. Don’t worry, Jessie. I’m here to take care of you. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

  She looked up at him, something expectant in her eyes. “Promise?”

  “I’ll always take care of you, girl.”

  Winston flicked on the flashlight and Jessica followed him back to the basement door. She did not follow when he started down the narrow, rickety steps, so he took her hand and led her down. She held onto him tightly.

  �
��Do I really need to come down here with you?”

  “Nothing’s going to jump out at you.” He chuckled. Winston probably didn’t need her, but he wanted Jessica in a dark, confined space with him.

  It was noticeably cooler in the basement, which he appreciated, as he’d began to sweat upstairs. The basement was also much darker, and he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face without the flashlight. He had a nice, high-powered LED light, but had purposely chosen an older flashlight with a weak, yellow glow. The basement was cluttered and he had to weave around objects to get back to the breaker box. When he found it, he saw he was going to have to stretch to reach it past the boxes stacked in front of it.

  He turned to hand Jessica the flashlight and she was so close he ran right into her. She tried to back up, but a support beam kept her right where she was. She looked up at him expectantly in the pale light. She looked afraid of the dark, but that wasn’t the only thing he read on her face. The darkness wasn’t the only thing that had her nervous. He could see she was shaking too, but he didn’t think it was the cold.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be under foot,” she said softly.

  “You’re right where I need you to be, Jessie.”

  The tension he’d felt upstairs was back again, this time increased tenfold. He knew it was time. He brushed her wet hair back, touching her soft cheek with his thumb. Her lips parted slightly in anticipation. Winston knew what a girl looked like when she was waiting to be kissed. He’d wanted this for so long that he hesitated, but only for a moment. His lips touched hers, and Jessica gasped. She froze and he waited for her to respond, just brushing her lips with his. The flashlight went on top of a box, shining its dim light away, so they were in near darkness. His hand went to her slender hip, and he held her against him. His twitching cock pressed into her stomach. There was a moment when he thought she might pull back, but then Jessica leaned forward and completed the kiss.

  Jessica’s hands were on his chest, pinned between them, but she reached around grabbing onto his shoulders, pulling him down closer to her. The kiss started slow, but it grew into a fiery exchange of passion in seconds. They kissed like long separated lovers. She kissed Winston like she needed him, not just wanted him. He tried to kiss her delicately, but maybe that was too respectful, because she poured herself into that kiss. He felt her tongue on his, pushing into his mouth. He nearly growled as his passion went into the next gear, and he grabbed her tight little ass and felt the line of her thong. She pulled on his shoulders harder, nails digging in, and he lifted her off the ground. Her legs wrapped right around his waist. He pinned her against the beam behind her.

  His cock throbbed for her, the tip teased as it was caught between them and Jessica was slowly grinding into his hard body. Winston thought the pretty, reserved blonde would need some coaxing, but Jessica was all over him. He wondered how else she would surprise him.

  Winston spied an old workbench against the back wall of the basement and he sat her on it. Her legs stayed wrapped around him, but now they were lined up, and when she tightened her thighs she pulled his growing cock against her. His fingers were in her damp hair and he pulled her head back so he could kiss and nibble her sweet neck. She moaned and dug her nails deeper into his flesh. She tasted like rainwater and salty sweat. Her lips found his broad shoulder and she kissed him while he nibbled on her. Winston had to throttle back, lest he leave marks on her pale flesh. He almost laughed. He was giddy at finally having her. He returned his lips to hers, and her tongue shot right into his mouth.

  Jessica grinding into him drove Winston crazy. He felt like his cock was going to explode. It had been years since he’d worried about being too excited and blowing his load too soon. He should probably slow down, but he couldn’t do it. He grabbed the bottom of her sports bra and pulled it upward. She kept her arms down, stopping him, but then must have made a decision and lifted her arms. He dropped her top onto the sawdust covering the bench. Before he could grab her beautiful breasts, Jessica pulled on his tank top, peeling it away from him. Their nude torsos crushed together when she pulled him back into a kiss. Her nipples burned into his chest. He desperately wanted to touch her.

  Winston’s hands covered her sides and his thumbs strummed her nipples. Her skin was still slippery with rainwater. It was nearly dark in the rear of the basement, but he could see how perfect her tits were. Even better than he’d imagined. Plump and round, but not too big for her slender body, capped by pale pink nipples, which had hardened into tight little points. She shuddered when his thumbs teased them and a soft cry tore from her throat. He leaned her back onto her elbows on the table and covered her pale tits with his dark hands. The contrast of their skin tones was perfect to him, even more pronounced than with Nicole. He loved how it looked. It was one of the reasons he loved fucking pale white women. He sculpted her breasts with his hands, gently pinching her nipples. Jessica closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. When he pinched harder her eyes shot open and she groaned. Winston feared he hurt her, but she tightened her thighs around him, crushing her mound to his cock. Even through their layers of clothing, he imagined he could feel her wetness.

  Jessica whimpered his name when he licked her nipples. She massaged his head when he sucked on them. He was bent at an awkward angle to reach her, but he didn’t care. He could feel the heat rising in her body as he teased her. She thrust her chest up at him and ground her pussy harder into his crotch.

  “Oh god,” she whimpered. “Oh god!”

  She pulled his lips back to hers and pushed him back upright while they furiously kissed. Her sneakers were hooked behind his legs, using his solid body as leverage so she could grind into him. It felt like back in the day when dry humping was the thing, and it felt great, but Winston wasn’t going to settle for that. He forced a hand between them, creating space, and cupped her mound. Jessica backed off for a moment, but when he pressed his fingers into her she thrust back. Her yoga pants were soaked through and it wasn’t the rainwater. He felt the outline of her lips and knifed his hand between them, frustrated by the fabric in his way. She whined into their kiss, rubbing furiously into his hand.

  Winston pulled her hand from his shoulder and planted it on his crotch. She grabbed him with no further prompting. His boxer-briefs and thin nylon basketball shorts didn’t offer much of a barrier and he knew she could feel the flared head of his cock as her fingers traced the line of his shaft. She gripped it hard and he grunted, surprised by her aggressive attack.

  Jessica tore her lips from his and laid her forehead on his chest. Her breath was ragged. She began moaning loudly, but then clamped her lips closed and it sounded like she was humming. She gripped his cock so tightly it was almost painful, and her nails dug into his flesh. Winston knew she was close. He put his fingers in just the right place, pressing on her clit, and Jessica did the rest. She rubbed her clit into his hand, working her hips back and forth.

  “Yes…” she hissed. “Uhnn…”

  “Come on, Jessie. Let me feel you come. Let go girl, that’s it,” he encouraged, whispering in her ear.

  “Mmm…mmm…uhnn…mmm…ohhh…”

  Jessica cried out in the quiet basement and froze, motionless but for her ragged breathing. Her thighs locked round his hand, trapping it there, and it felt like her pussy pulsed against his hand as her muscles contracted. She stayed that way for endless seconds before relaxing. The moment she did, Winston pulled on the waist of her yoga pants.

  “No, we can’t,” she whimpered.

  “I know you want it, Jessie. Just let go,” he whispered.

  Winston tugged again, and she lifted her butt for a moment, but then pressed down onto the workbench, stopping him, with her ass half out.

  “Winston, we have to stop. I have to stop.”

  He kissed her, and the way she kissed him back did not say she wanted him to stop. She kissed him like he was all she wanted. But then she broke the kiss and remained insistent.

  “I can’t. I’m sorry.”


  “I need you, Jessie. You have me so fucking hard.”

  Her hand still held him, and he flexed his cock for emphasis.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just can’t right now.” She let go of his cock and put her hand over his, which still held onto her yoga pants.

  Winston had never been so torn. He was confident that if he pressed on Jessica would crumble. He would never force a woman to have sex with him, and he didn’t think he would need to force her anyway. She was right there, right on the edge, ready to tumble over. But if he pushed her she might resent it afterward. She might use it as an excuse for her actions, no matter how much she enjoyed it. But if he was patient, she might come to him. It was a big risk. A woman like Jessica could revert to her moral center and just shut it down cold, but he didn’t think so. Winston thought she was already past that, even if she didn’t realize it yet. He had to make the gamble.

  “Okay, Jessie. I don’t want to make you. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said soothingly.

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

  “Don’t be. I know this isn’t over.” They kissed.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

  “I’ll be waiting when you’re ready, Jessie.”

  He kissed her again and pulled back. Jessica nearly collapsed forward, still clinging to him, even as she denied she wanted him. She sat up, and Winston nearly rushed her, tempted by her beautiful body. She didn’t cover up, and her breasts stood out defiantly, daring him to touch them. Jessica realized he was staring at her and found her top. It was full of sawdust, so she didn’t put it on, but held it in front of her.