Killmore

by Martha Sweeney

Laurie looks around the room and decides to sit on the edge of the cushion of the couch across from him, not wanting to relax into the seat. Once she lowers, he and I follow suit. The dogs are calm, but I can sense that Cain is a little nervous. He probably smells the hint of Jimmy in the house.

  “Please, Laurie,” the man begins. “I want to offer my deepest apologies for any confusion that happened yesterday with Jimmy.”

  Laurie lets out a snicker, but covers it quickly with a cough. “Shouldn’t I be apologizing to you? And, who are you?”

  “Ha. That’s right, we haven’t officially introduced ourselves. My apologies. Where are my manners,” he laughs. “I’m Quintin, your next door neighbor.” He stands and reaches for her hand.

  I nudge her to accept the gesture and she does after a few seconds of hesitation.

  Quintin lifts her hand and kisses the back of it. His lips linger a few seconds too long for my liking. Once he releases her, he says, “And, who’s this handsome gentleman you brought with you?”

  Handsome? Did he just call me handsome?

  “Aiden,” I offer, standing and reaching my hand forward. “Aiden Daniels, her boyfriend.”

  “Pleasure,” he returns, taking my hand. His grip is tight in an authoritative and yet almost condescending manner.

  One of the two men come back into the room with a tray.

  “Would you like some tea before dinner is served?” Quintin inquires, returning to his seat.

  “Yes, thank you,” I answer.

  “Yes, please,” Laurie replies calmly, taking my lead.

  The man serves us each a cup and saucer, followed by filling our cups before Quintin’s. Then, he offers honey, sugar, and lemon while we sit quietly waiting for our conversation to resume. We all sit in an awkward silence.

  “Now, where were we?” Quintin asks as his goon leaves. “Ah, yes. There’s no need for you to apologize, Laurie. Jimmy was, in fact, on your property.”

  “What was he doing there?” she asks with a little heat to her words.

  “The boys get antsy sometimes, being stuck in the house,” Quintin shares. “From what Todd told me, Jimmy was on the phone and wandered into the trees.”

  “It’s a half mile,” she presents snidely.

  “Laurie,” I correct under my breath.

  She looks at me sharply and then back to Quintin.

  “I agree,” Quintin returns. “I was not home, so I’m not sure as to why he may have ventured that far onto your land, but I can assure you that it won’t happen again.”

  Laurie doesn’t reply.

  Laurie and I had checked her cameras to see if they caught anything twice: once later that day and then the following morning. There were bits and pieces, but that was it.

  “As for the misunderstanding regrading him attempting to shoot your dog,” Quintin continues, “Jimmy stated that he was caught off guard and mistook your dog for a coyote. They are known to be around the whole area, are they not?”

  “Yes,” Laurie confirms.

  Quintin’s brow lifts as if expecting her to say more, but she doesn’t.

  “How is Jimmy, by the way?” I inquire.

  “He’s recovering well,” Quintin offers.

  “Why didn’t you call the cops on me?” Laurie pushes.

  I squeeze her hand, hoping she’ll temper herself.

  “What do you mean, Laurie?” Quintin returns.

  “You know what I mean,” she challenges.

  “He’s not dead…though you did give him quite a beating,” Quintin muses. “I must say. I didn’t believe it at first when the boys told me a woman who is practically half of Jimmy’s size took him down. I’m very impressed.”

  “Where is he?” Laurie asks.

  “Jimmy?” Quintin checks. “He’s here. A dear doctor friend of mine is staying at the country club, so he came right away when we called. There was no need to take him to the hospital.”

  Bingo! Quintin does know someone in town.

  “Besides, a man’s pride is damaged enough when he gets whipped by a woman…having doctors ask questions, as well as police officers, would just make it more embarrassing,” Quintin states.

  “So, why dinner?” Laurie says, cutting to the chase.

  “Pix,” I call softly.

  “No, Aiden,” Quintin corrects. “She has every right to question me. I just wanted to apologize. It’s unfortunate that we’ve had to meet under such unpleasant circumstances, but I figured that there wasn’t any other time like the present to finally meet at least one of my neighbors.”

  “How long are you staying?” Laurie pries.

  Realizing that Laurie’s not planning on holding back as well as that Quintin seems to be able to take the wrath of a pissed off woman, I don’t bother to interject, merely watching from the sidelines.

  “Pardon me?” Quintin checks.

  “How long are you staying in town?” Laurie repeats, slowing down her words.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Quintin answers. “I like the quaintness of it all. Why?”

  “Just curious,” Laurie returns.

  “I promise you, dear,” Quintin comments. “There won’t be any more challenges with my boys while I’m living next door. You have my word.”

  “Boys?” Laurie snickers. “They don’t look like you.”

  “They’re a part of my security,” Quintin answers. “I’m sure this isn't unfamiliar for you, given the type of vacationers that typically come to town.”

  “No,” she confirms.

  “If I may ask,” Quintin begins, “how long have you lived in town?”

  Laurie doesn’t reply right away, clearly studying Quintin and deciding how she wants to answer.

  “I’ve just moved to town a few months ago with my father,” I offer when the room stays silent for more than another minute, knowing that Laurie won’t answer him.

  “Really?” Quintin asks, perking up. “Did you have to finish up work before joining Laurie?”

  “No,” I comment.

  “The love bug must have really bitten the two of you, then?” Quintin states slyly as if he’s fishing for information.

  “Aiden and I dated a while ago,” Laurie comments. “When we were in our twenties. We were together for a few years and then we split. We haven’t seen each other since then until we ran into each other back when he first moved to town.”

  “I like your balls, Aiden,” Quintin chuckles. “Stalking the woman you love and moving to the town where she lives in hopes to win her back.”

  “It wasn’t quite like that,” I offer with a grin.

  “No?” Quintin baits.

  Neither Laurie or I expound on the topic further.

  “Mr. Carroll,” one of the men calls. “Dinner’s ready.”

  “Thank you, Boris,” Quintin returns, standing. “Shall we?” He gestures for us to follow Boris out of the living room and into the adjacent dining room.

  Though everything has a place, the decor and atmosphere of the house feels out of place. The dining table is large and has a table setting at one end with two side by side. Laurie is offered the seat closest to the head of the table, so I pull out the chair and guide it in for her before taking my seat. Quintin takes the end as expected and I get myself settled quickly.

  “I hope you’re hungry,” Quintin says, beaming with excitement. “I made sure the chef took good care of us tonight.”

  Our conversations are minimal as two small appetizers are served. Quintin seems to not mind Laurie’s lack of offering information or asking questions. He does, however, ask a few questions on occasion to be polite.

  “Laurie,” he poses. “Where are you both originally from?”

  “California,” she answers.

  Silence falls for a few beats as we each take a bite.

  “Ah,” he sighs. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the owner of the Willow River Cafe, is that correct?”

  “Yes,” she returns curtly.

  “Have you owned it since you’v
e arrived?” he inquires.

  “Yes,” she confirms.

  “I’ve heard good things about your restaurant,” Quintin muses. “Good enough to be some mild competition for Charles.”

  Laure offers a half, fake smile, but doesn’t comment.

  Quintin laughs in amusement. “Is she like this at home, Aiden?”

  With a grin, I offer, “Indeed.”

  “I love how you don’t even apologize for it either,” Quintin remarks.

  “Why should I?” Laurie comments.

  “Exactly,” Quintin bellows before taking another sip of his soup. “It’s so nice meeting someone, especially a woman, who isn’t afraid to be herself.”

  Laurie’s mouth curls up a little, but I can tell she’s not impressed with the man or his compliments.

  “If you weren’t with her, Aiden,” Quintin begins, “I would be seeking her out.”

  “What makes you think I’d give you the time of day?” Laurie jabs with a smirk.

  Quintin’s chuckles turn into laughter.

  I smile and nod.

  “Aside from her beauty, she’s got a dazzling personality,” Quintin adds, wiping tears from his eyes.

  “I wouldn’t call it dazzling,” Laurie challenges.

  Quintin roars with laughter. “That’s exactly what I mean. All the women I’ve met or know are stuffy. You’re a breath of fresh air.”

  “Most wouldn’t see it as such,” Laurie comments.

  “Most people don’t have a sense of humor,” Quintin returns, still smiling. “They take life too seriously.”

  Laurie doesn’t reply.

  “So, Aiden,” Quintin calls. “What do you do here in town? Do you help Laurie with the business?”

  “Not really,” I offer. “If she’s there and needs assistance, I do, but I mostly partake in tech related services and day trading.”

  “Interesting,” Quintin comments. “What do you think of the current housing debacle?”

  “It’s the same as it was almost ten years ago,” I state. “They’ve done the same thing, just called it something different.”

  “So, you’re saying the market’s going to crash again?” Quintin speculates.

  “Exactly,” I confirm.

  “I agree with you,” he says. “It’s a shame. Some people get stuck in the same line of business and don’t learn from their mistakes.”

  “Are you referring to the people who make all the money by doing the deceiving or the people who have been lied to?” Laurie presses.

  “Looks like you’re even smarter than I had anticipated,” Quintin replies with a grin. “I like that. I think we’ll have many great conversations.”

  “What makes you think we’ll have more than tonight?” Laurie jabs with a devious smile.

  “Oh, you’re too much for me,” Quintin bellows, laughing again. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other around from time to time.”

  “I doubt that,” Laurie teases.

  “Well, if I have to visit you at the cafe just to see you to having these amusing conversations, I will,” Quintin challenges.

  “We do have a back door,” she goads.

  Quintin roars with laughter and the two of them go back and forth with more casual jabs.

  As dinner progresses, the conversations continue with Quintin laughing half the time from something Laurie says or doesn’t say, all while staying rather pleasant for a meal with a man who has the interest of the government. Laurie and I do our best to be respectful while maintaining our own sense of self and not giving anything away that either of us feel uncomfortable about. Quintin, ever the generous host, keeps talking without pressing for too much information.

  We get back to the house just after nine in the evening and Laurie lets the dogs out through the back patio. I head to the monitor and check the clarity of the feed while switching on the encryption to my phone and call Paul about the evening. He explains that the audio was picked up and the cameras were able to see bits and pieces of movement in the house. We discuss what was and wasn’t said during the time we were there and that he’s already looking into the name of the doctor Quintin knows. As soon as Laurie comes back inside with the dogs, I rush to get off the phone with Paul, hoping she wasn’t serious about not getting any action.

  Unfortunately she was, and I’m left sleeping in my bed alone. She had gone to her room earlier than usual, clearly wanting to make a point. Lying wide awake, I masturbate while remembering what it was like to sleep next to Laurie in her bed, getting to wake up to see her beautiful face, and the idea of being able to convince her to reopen the option of putting it in any of her holes.

  Forty Five - Laurie

  Over the next couple of days, I torture Aiden, and myself, with my threat of no sex. I’m seriously not liking my own rule, especially when Aiden purposefully does things to get me in need of release. He’s not only hugging and kissing me, but he’s become daring with smacking my ass, blatant caresses in areas he knows I like as well as walking around the house or yard practically or completely naked.

  Before lunch, I’m out in the greenhouse taking care of the plants with the dogs. The irrigation system just kicked on, spraying cool water above me. Aiden saunters in, wearing only a pair of shorts and no underwear. How do I know? He’s a commando kind of guy. The man only has about three pairs of underwear in the drawers and only wears them if he’s wearing dress slacks.

  The little beads of water spring off of his skin, almost evaporating instantaneously. I’d say that the water is steaming off of him because it’s over eighty degrees outside and even warmer inside the greenhouse. One stray droplet manages to cling to his chest and methodically drips down in a manner that emulates a car crash in slow motion. Each little twist and turn the water bead makes is captivating as it glistens, purposefully reflecting the light and entrancing me. Millimeter by millimeter it travels south, getting closer to the little line of hair that maps the route from his belly button to his cock.

  I feel my throat swallow hard, dry from thirst. My tongue jets out of my mouth, trying to moisten my parted and slightly cracked lips. Fuck! This would be so much easier to resist if I didn’t already know the glorious beast that rests between his legs.

  “See something you like, Pix?” Aiden inquires with a cocky brow.

  “Huh?” Trying to pretend that I was focused on something else, I comment, “What are you talking about?”

  With a pleased grin, Aiden says, “I saw you checking me out.” The muscles in his arms pop a little as if to purposefully flex as a wink for being caught.

  “I was thinking about the cherry tree,” I return. “I think…I think it needs to get a little more sun.”

  “Right,” Aiden chuckles, grabbing my hips and pulling me into him. “I’d have to say that I’ve got a pretty nice view too.” His eyes trail down to my chest where my thin, white tank is starting to cling to my body, saturated by the water.

  “I know you want it…need it.” His lips tease my cheek, baiting for a response.

  “Nope,” I lie. “I’m on the rag.”

  “Bullshit,” he laughs. “It hasn’t been that long.”

  “Whatever,” I huff, turning to break free and avoid my growing need for an orgasm — multiple orgasms — by someone other than me.

  “I can smell you, Pix,” Aiden states, yanking my ass into his groin. “Deny it all you want, but your body is shouting you need it.”

  “Is not,” I fib.

  His lips caress my ear before his teeth nip at it. Aiden’s hands slowly and firmly graze my body, nearing my most sensitive places, yet denying me full contact. “Pix,” he whispers into my ear. Aiden’s tongue dances along my neck as one of his hands grabs my hair and tilts my head to the side to give himself better access. “Let me make you feel good, baby,” he coaxes.

  “You mean make yourself feel good,” I challenge, pressing my ass into him more.

  “It’s a win-win, sexy,” he states, slipping a hand up my shirt and taking a
hold of my breast. He manages to pop it free from the bra cup and pinches my nipple. Aiden’s other hand dips just below the edges of my shorts.

  A groan escapes my mouth when his fingers dance gently along the edge of my slit.

  “How many do you want?” he asks sinfully.

  I stay quite, not wanting to admit that this is happening.

  “Should I give you want you need?” he questions, continuing to rile me up with his mouth and hands.

  “Fuck,” I groan as my left hand reaches back into his hair.

  “Or, should I tease you?” he muses. “Get you to beg for it.”

  My head shakes gently in opposition.

  “Oh,” he laughs. “You don’t like the sound of that, do you?”

  Aiden presses his cock harder into my ass as he turns my face and takes my mouth with his. He suddenly has my shorts around my ankles and smacks my ass. I move to face him, but he corrects me to face the table, positioning my hands in a manner to support myself.

  “Condom,” I remind.

  “I’ve got some out here, babe,” he comments. “Don’t you worry.”

  “Since when?” I ask.

  “Since I knew we’d be christening the whole house,” he shares.

  A sting is suddenly present on my right cheek and I moan from the pleasure of it.

  “You like that, Pix?” Aiden searches.

  I don’t answer.

  “You need to tell me if you want to come today,” he informs.

  “Yes,” I sigh.

  “Can I stick it anywhere?” he asks nicely.

  “No,” I deny.

  “Please,” he begs, twirling his fingers over my sex.

  My head shakes, wanting to hold on to some control.

  After getting my first orgasm to arrive with just his fingers, Aiden is quick to enter me from behind. I’m sure that someone, anyone, who is in at least a quarter mile radius from us, can hear everything that is going on as we continue.

  When we sit down for dinner, Aiden mentions that we should offer to do dinner again with Quintin. I vehemently oppose, letting him know that there is no way in hell that I’m going to invite that man into my home. Aiden soothes my temper and suggests maybe inviting him to a meal at the Cafe. I tell him that I’ll consider it, but in the end, I'll object no matter what.