by Jessica Ashe
“Only in my bladder. Are you going to let me go?” she asks timidly.
I take my hands off, but keep her pinned up against the wall. “You can leave anytime you want. If you like, I can leave with you.”
“I don’t ‘like.’ I just want to go home and go to bed.”
“Funny, that makes two of us.”
“I want to go to sleep.”
“Oh, that’s where we differ. Because I want to get you naked, spread your legs, and taste your sweet pussy.”
She thinks about it. There’s an intake of breath and a pause long enough for me to know that her answer is not instinctive. She comes so close to giving in and acting out her desires. So close, yet so far.
“I’m going back to my hotel alone,” she replies. “I’m not interested in a one-night stand.”
“How do you know until you have one?”
“I just know.”
“Maybe we don’t just have a one-night stand.”
“Just because I’m shy, doesn’t mean I’m naïve. Don’t pretend you want anything more than sex. Besides, I don’t live here. I live in New York and I’m moving to DC, so we’ll never see each other again.”
Usually words like that are music to my ears, but I’m surprisingly disappointed to find out I’ll never see her again. Once I’ve had a taste of her, I’m going to want more.
“You haven’t said you don’t want me,” I point out. “You keep making excuses, but we both know you want the same as me. Your nipples have been stiff ever since we met, and I bet if I reach between your legs I’ll find you dripping wet for me.”
She squeezes her legs together in response. That tells me all I need to know.
“Give in,” I whisper in her ear. I reach down and lightly stroke the outside of her thigh, hitching my fingers underneath the hem of her black dress and lifting it up. Her panties are nearly exposed, when she yanks my hand away with surprising strength and tugs her skirt down.
“No, I can’t do this.”
She runs outside straight into a taxi that has just dropped off more customers. I look around for another taxi, but there isn’t one. Dammit, I’ve always wanted to jump in one and yell ‘follow that car.’
I’ll never see her again. That doesn’t seem real. I’m usually the one who makes that decision.
Fuck it, I’m not giving up just yet.
I run back into the bar and find Sadie who is smiling politely for the guy she’s talking to, although I can tell she’s bored out of her brains. I recommended her a good lay, but conversation isn’t his strong point.
“Sadie, can I have a word quickly?”
“Oh God, yes,” she says quickly. “Any luck?”
“Not really. She’s just gone back to her hotel.”
“Dammit, that girl doesn’t know what’s good for her. She staying at Premier Hotel, room 318. Why don’t you pay her a little visit?”
I’m supposed to be shutting up the bar tonight, but that’s what my staff are for, even if they are useless.
“Is Elena the type to appreciate men showing up at her hotel room?” I ask
“Probably not. Sorry.”
“Shit. What about breakfast?” I ask. “I can show up to the hotel when you guys are having breakfast in the morning. Say eight o’clock?”
“Better make it nine,” Sadie replies. “I haven’t given up on getting a little action tonight.”
“Don’t tell Elena. I have a feeling she’ll skip breakfast if it means avoiding me.”
“Probably. She’s stubborn, that one.”
“I’ll see you in the morning then.”
Sadie ends up leaving at midnight with her guy, and I close the bar an hour early, much to everyone’s disgust. I don’t care. I could do without a load of lightweights throwing up all over the bathroom.
Elena wants me, but she doesn’t want a one-night stand. If I show up at breakfast then I have a chance of winning her over. After all, a quick morning fuck can’t be considered a one-night stand for obvious reasons.
Still, I’m going to a lot of effort for one woman. I don’t exclusively have one-night stands. I get horny during the day too, and I often have a woman on hand for those moments when I can’t wait until the evening. I even go back to the same woman occasionally. Well, the same handful of women.
It’s not new for me to put effort into getting sex, but it is new for me to care as much as I do about one particular woman. I enjoy the chase, the anticipation of new pussy wrapping around my hard cock. This time I want Elena. Specifically her, not any of the other law students in the bar. That is new. New and a little bit scary.
Chapter Five
Elena - Two Months Later
“Ow. What was that for?”
“You were daydreaming.”
“Sorry. I just… do you recognize that guy? He looks familiar.”
Sadie points towards a man coming out of the townhouse next to ours. He’s wearing jeans and a wife beater, exposing tattoos that cover nearly his entire right arm.
A dragon appears to be wrapped around the bicep, with the neck going around the shoulder and presumably finishing on his chest.
It’s probably a work of art, although I prefer art to hang on walls, not be inked into the skin. On him though….
Come to think of it, that tattoo does look familiar.
He throws a bag into the trash can at the end of the drive, and then looks directly at me.
Yeah… it’s him.
Sadie’s right. This guy does have a familiar face. It’s one I’ve been trying to forget for two months.
It’s Tanner. Tanner fucking Rockwell.
And he’s my new neighbor.
This is bad. Really bad.
“What the hell is he doing here?” I whisper urgently to Sadie.
“I really do wonder how you got a job as a detective sometimes. Let’s look at the evidence. He’s just walked out of the house next door to ours carrying a bag of trash which he’s placed in a trashcan. I’m going to a hazard a guess and say that he lives there.”
“Did you know about this?”
“Of course not. You came to view the house with me and we didn’t see him.”
“Shit, he’s coming over.”
I frantically climb over boxes and head towards the back of the truck pretending to look for something.
Please go away, please go away, please go away.
I’ll have to see him at some point, but not now. I’m drenched in sweat, and I’ve spent six hours in a truck this morning. I smell worse than his bar. Oh, and we spent last night in a cheap motel, so I’ve barely slept. I look like the living dead.
“Good morning, ladies,” Tanner says cheerfully. “I must say, I’m amazed you’ve gone to this much effort to see me again. You could have called and I would’ve come to visit you in New York.”
“Hi, Tanner,” Sadie says with a level of excitement she shouldn’t possibly be able to muster after the morning we’ve had. “Fancy seeing you again.”
“Incredible, isn’t it? So what happened, did Elena insist on moving to Chicago to see me again?”
I give up trying to hide and come out from the back of the truck holding a small box just to pretend I wasn’t hiding.
“We’re moving here for work,” I say firmly. “As you so astutely point out, I could have called your bar at any time if I’d wanted to see you. You’ll note that I didn’t.”
I did call once, but a woman answered. I was going to pretend I’d left something there just to hear his voice. I wanted to hear him talk dirty to me. I wanted to feel that burning desire again.
Then there’s the online stalking. I’m not proud of that.
Tanner doesn’t bother with Facebook or Twitter, but Hard Times has a Yelp page. Sadie even left a review saying she had fun while at the bar and afterwards. I sincerely regretted having a hotel room next to hers that night.
That was before I knew I’d be living in Chicago. Sadie somehow got transferred before she even started, and
Dad worked his connections to get me a job as well. Moving in next to Tanner… well, that’s just the universe having fun at my expense.
“Never mind,” Tanner says. “I forgive you. You can make it up to me tonight if you like.”
“No I would not—”
“She’d love to,” Sadie says. “I don’t suppose you’d be able to give us a hand with these boxes?”
“We can manage,” I say sternly.
“No we can’t,” Sadie says. “We can’t even lift that one there.” She points to the box of law books still lying on the path. “There’s plenty more boxes like that in the truck. We could use your help.”
“It would be a pleasure,” Tanner says.
“We’re not doing anything for you in return,” I say. “Well, except maybe a glass of water. Once we’ve unpacked the glasses.”
“I’m sure we can buy you something to eat as well,” Sadie adds.
“Something to eat would be lovely,” Tanner says. “Preferably something sweet and juicy.”
Sadie’s mouth drops open and I steady myself against the side of the truck. He’s not at all subtle. He’s obvious and vulgar. So why do I want nothing more than for him to climb into this truck and close the door?
Something about me changes when I’m around him. It’s not just that I want him, it’s that I want him in ways that scare me. When we were in the bar, I wanted him to lift up my dress, slide my panties to the side, and have me right there while everyone watched. I even wanted a back-alley fuck, pressed up against the wall between dumpsters. Now I want him in this dusty truck.
When did I become the type of girl who wanted risky, dirty sex? When did I become the type of girl who wanted sex with guys like Tanner?
Tanner grabs the box of law books that had been giving us so much trouble, and lifts them up effortlessly, his muscles flexing as he walks into the house. Sadie and I both stare at him until he’s out of sight.
“Remind me why you didn’t fuck him again?” Sadie asked. “Because I can’t think of a single reason not to sign away my body to him to do as he wishes.”
“Just because he has a few muscles, doesn’t mean I’m going to screw him. Don’t you listen to the words that come out of his mouth?”
“I heard him say he wants to eat your pussy, if that’s what you mean?”
“Sadie,” I snap. “Don’t be disgusting.”
“He basically said that. Anyway, it’s the least you can do to thank him for helping us move in.”
“And what are you going to do to thank him?”
“Whatever he wants.”
“Ugh. Let’s just get this over with.”
Tanner comes back outside and grabs a couple more boxes. He’s making light work of this, but I’m determined not to owe him anything. I pile one box on top of another, and lift them out of the truck. I can barely see where I’m going, but I stagger up the path and into the house.
It’s a townhouse, and we live on the second floor. It takes me so long to get up the stairs that I would’ve been better off making two trips.
My arms can’t carry the boxes any longer, so I drop them on the floor the second I’m inside. There’s nothing valuable in them. I hope.
When I look up, Tanner is digging through the box he’s just brought in. For a second, I assume the box is kitchen supplies and that he just wants a drink. Then I see the writing on the side. “Elena’s Bedroom.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” I yell. “You can’t go through my stuff.”
“It’s labeled as kitchen supplies.” Tanner turns around the box and shows me the other side which has ‘kitchen’ written on it in large letters. “These don’t look like anything I keep in the kitchen though.” He holds up a pair of lacy blue French panties. “What do you cook with these?”
“Put them back,” I command.
“Are they clean?”
“Of course they’re clean.”
“That’s a shame.” Tanner puts the panties back in the box. “I wonder what else you have in there. Any toys?”
“You’re not going to find out.” I grab the box and dump it into the room I’m claiming as my bedroom.
“So this is your room. It’s interesting you would pick this one.”
“I didn’t pick it. This one is the smallest, so Sadie picked the other one.”
“This one might be the smallest, but it definitely has the best view.”
I walk over to the window, but make sure to keep a few feet between myself and Tanner. He’s sweating a little bit now, but the faint odor only makes me want him more.
At some point, he’ll do something that will put me off him completely. Maybe he’s got a small penis? No, fat chance of that. I saw the bulge that night in the bar. He’s either got a huge cock or he stores a spare pair of socks down there.
“What am I looking at?” I ask. We don’t have much of a view. All I see out the window is the house next to ours.
“That window opposite is my bedroom window. Very convenient don’t you think. I often wander around my bedroom naked by the way. Just a head’s up.”
“In that case, can you please keep the blinds closed? Believe it or not, not every woman wants to see you naked.”
“I don’t believe it.”
He’s behind me now. When did that happen? I can feel his breath on the back of my neck, my hair moving slightly and sending shivers down my spine.
“I do hope you return the favor,” he says softly. “Nothing gets me motivated for the gym like seeing a woman naked—nipples erect and pussy dripping with excitement.”
I stand there silently as he places his hand on my stomach and pulls me into him. His cock presses against my lower back. It’s not hard, but it’s thick; intimidating and sexy at the same time.
I’m vaguely aware I should say something. Admonish him for being so lewd and filthy. Tell him to stop. But I don’t.
If he cares that I’m sweaty, then he doesn’t show it. His hands move slowly up to my breasts, which now feel completely inadequate in his palms.
“Just as I suspected. The nipples are rock hard again. You can’t pretend you’re cold this time.”
I sink back into him as his right hand leaves my breasts and travels down towards my middle. I can’t let him touch me, but I can’t stop him either. My quiet gasps have turned into rapid pants as I struggle to keep my breathing under control. His fingers pass my waistband and are an inch from my sex when the loud noise of Sadie dropping a box on the floor shakes me out of my trance.
“Elena have you seen the box with the—wow, didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” I say firmly, as I step away from Tanner. “Thank you for helping with all the heavy boxes, Tanner. We can manage the rest from here.”
“What about furniture?” Tanner asks.
“We don’t have any. We ordered a load of flat pack stuff online.”
“Let me know when it arrives and I’ll give you a hand to make it.”
“Just because we’re women, doesn’t mean we can’t build furniture.”
“Yes it does,” Sadie says quickly. “We’d love you to help. I’m sure you’re very skilled with your hands.”
“Tough and delicate at the same time,” Tanner says with a smile. “Isn’t that right, Elena?”
“I wouldn’t know. Didn’t you say you had a gym workout to get to?”
“Sure, I guess I do. See you later, princess.”
Once Tanner’s left, I fish around for a couple of glasses and pour us each a drink of water. “I reckon we’ll be done within half an hour,” I say. “Want to go grab a bite to eat afterwards? We passed a burrito place just five minutes from here.”
“Nice try, princess.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not going to distract me with talk of food.”
“Usually works.”
“What the hell was that between you two? If I’d turned up a few minutes later you’d have been pres
sed up against the window with his massive cock squeezed inside you.”
“He was just showing me his bedroom. It’s opposite mine.”
“Looked like he was showing you how to have an orgasm. It’s been so long you’ve probably forgotten.”
“Yeah, okay, very funny. He tried it on, and I turned him down. Again. That’s all there is to it.”
God, I hope she didn’t hear me gasping. I’m already sweaty, so any excitement down there should be well-covered. How does he do that? I usually need ten minutes of foreplay to get anywhere near that aroused. He whispers a few dirty things in my ear and I’m ready to take him.
“Why are you putting up such a fight?” Sadie asks. “He lives next door. That’s got to be the universe’s way of telling you to screw the guy.”
“Need I remind you, that when we first met him, you said I should screw him because I’d never see him again. Now you’re saying I should screw him because I’ll see him every day.”
“Just think of the benefits. Whenever you’re horny, you can just pop over and sit on his cock. Or demand he come over and eat you out. Jesus, I’m getting excited just thinking about it.”
“Do you mind not getting excited about my sex life? Or lack of it.”
“I just want you to have a bit of fun. You’ve been so down this last year since you split up with your ex. Sex with men like Tanner… well, it’s a lot of fun. I told you about my night with the guy from Hard Times?”
“You didn’t need to tell me about it. I was in the room next to you. I thought he was hurting you at one point.”
“He was,” Sadie says blissfully. “Anyway, you can’t ignore him forever, so you might as well get on with it. There’s no way you will be able to keep turning him down.”
“Watch me.”
On our way out of the apartment, I look into my bedroom and stare straight out the window towards Tanner’s bedroom. I think he’s changing his shorts before going to the gym, but I can’t see anything below his waist. I can only imagine what he’s packing between his legs.
Sadie’s right. Resisting him for one night took all my strength and I thought about it for weeks afterwards. How the hell am I ever going to resist him when I live next door to him? He’s going to catch me in a moment of weakness and once I’ve given in I’m going to want more.
