Loving Thy Neighbor (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  With a push to each heel, she shoved her sandals from her feet and traipsed into the gold and ivory bathroom. She flipped the bright light on. Maybe a nice bath will make me feel better. I can't believe this crap.

  For the past four days, she'd been trying to reach him. Has he started gambling again? He wasn't this way when I first married him.

  I desperately need some TLC. I'd rather have a man but... Far behind the towels and wash cloths, she reached for and grasped the purple vibrator. Such a lifesaver. She brought it out. After unscrewing the cap on the base, she slid in two, fresh double-A batteries and closed it. With a twist to the crystal knobs above the bathtub, she ran and tested the water's temperature.

  Once she’d unplugged the phone and removed her cut-offs, top and thong, she added scented bath beads and salts to the steaming stream. After closing the door, fragrant steam filled the room, clouding the mirror. Soon, she stepped into the water, bent her knees and sat down, stretching her smooth, mocha legs in front of her in the luscious water.

  I'll do this tonight. I need it. A man feels better, though.

  It took a couple of minutes to loosen up. The problem with Josh now a distant memory, she lay back as the waterline moved on her body. She slid down until the water’s surface touched her neckline and began turning a bar of soap over and over on a washcloth. Suds bubbled, scented and shiny.

  Charley's face popped into her mind. At her side, she grasped the vibrator and turned it on. As she visualized his strong biceps, tattoo and chiseled jaw, she guided the tip of the shaking, humming wonder onto her clitoris. Her canal contracted and her core quivered. It's Charley pleasing me. Her breathing rate quickened and she gasped as she climbed to the pinnacle. I shouldn't...I know I shouldn't visualize him. It's so wrong and I'm still legally married. But I'd like to be around him...maybe just to talk. She thought more about him for a couple of moments and then an orgasm wracked her body.

  Chapter Three

  When the show Survivor broke for a commercial later that evening, Nora got up to the kitchen to pop some corn. I feel so puffed up that maybe I should leave the salt off.

  The phone rang and she put the handset to her ear. "Hello?"

  "Hey, Nora, hi."

  "Hi yourself."

  "Listen, kid. Jeff and I are having a cookout next Friday at seven. We'd be honored if you could come. It's nothing elaborate, mind you. Jeff's going to do some burgers on the grill. I'll make some covered dishes. Oh, and dress casual. Bring your swimsuit, if you want."

  Nora pictured herself wearing her skimpy two-piece suit and tensed. Huh-uh. No freakin’ way. Forty-year-old women don't wear skimpy suits in public, do they? Grave reservations abounded and she hesitated. Besides, mostly white couples will attend. And then there'd be me in a swim suit?

  "Hello?"

  "I'm sorry."

  "I thought I lost you."

  "Uh, I dropped something. Uh, I don't know if Josh'll be home." "It's no big deal, kid."

  Am I up to this?

  "Look at the bright side. You won't have to cook."

  Nora cleared her throat and sat up straight on the sofa. What's the matter with me? She lightened her tone. "I'd love to come, Ruth. What time?"

  "Seven. Don't bring a thing. Just bring you, hon. Like I said, it's nothing fancy. Just a few of the neighbors will be here, that's all." She sucked in a breath and added, "And I just wanted to mention, Charley did an exceptional job on your yard. It's the best I've seen it look in years."

  Nora squinched her face until her eyes nearly closed. They suspect something's going on between me and—"Oh thank you, Ruth. Yes, he did. When I see him again, I'll tell him you complemented it. But I don't know when that'll be—”

  "I suspect you can tell him at our barbecue. Why sure you can, dear. See you then. Bye."

  During the next couple of days on the job at Crumley's Real Estate and at home in the evening, she considered several excuses to give Ruth, but they all sounded phony. I should bow out of the invitation. Once she decided to go, she agonized over what to wear more than whether Josh would finally come home.

  * * * *

  Charley noticed her right away. Nora arrived to the gathering conservatively dressed, he noticed. On his way to the bar, he couldn't help gawking. She looks fine. She'd look good wearing a gunny sack.

  It was a perfect night. Not a breeze stirred. The only problem he had was with the bloodthirsty mosquitoes. It put him in mind of Somalia when he’d served in the Marines.

  “How’re you doing, Jeff?” After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jeff left the gazebo. As Charley looked on, Jeff turned off the pump and filter of their in-ground pool. A beer will taste good.

  The aquamarine water in the swimming pool stopped moving. The lights shimmered on the mirror-like surface, mesmerizing him. Ruth put on soft music and several couples stepped up to the deck, slipped their arms around each other and shifted their weight from one foot to another. Others scattered away from the speakers and stood in small groups, out in the shadows of the yard. They waved at bugs, chatted and sipped a cocktail or soda. Giggling women sat in the spa. Others occupied lawn chairs, watching a couple of men flip burgers on the grill. Mrs. Miller put plastic-covered side dishes on a cloth-covered picnic table.

  Charley's attention returned to Nora who wore white Bermuda shorts, a red, sleeveless tunic top that lined her hips. The bottom V of her blouse plunged between her ample breasts, torturing him and fueling the ongoing fantasy he had toyed with for the past year and a half. He observed her hand movements as she talked to Ruth and Jeff. She's vulnerable and alone. I should make her feel at home. It'd be a scandal of the decade in the cul de sac if I—we got together.

  Undecided, Charley ambled to the bar. "I dunno. I guess I'll take a Lite."

  "All right," a young bartender named Mike said. He wore a white muscle shirt and Hawaiian shorts. After dumping a new sack of ice into a bin, Mike let go of an ice scoop and grabbed a mug from a freezer to his right. In one fluid motion, he raised it to the spigot and pulled the long handle, filling it until foam spilled onto the grates below. He placed the dribbling glass on a Bud coaster and pushed it toward Charley. "There you go, sir."

  “Thanks.” He sipped the icy brew wondering, does Josh even care about Nora? Charley’s gaze locked and held for an instant with hers.

  The scent of burgers and hot dogs mixed with the chemical smell of chlorine from the pool. I'd give ten dollars for a can of Off! Insect Repellant.

  Charley longed to walk up and strike a conversation with Nora, but realized two dozen sets of eyes would spy and later discuss it. At least two dozen. Shit. Josh is neglecting the house, the yard and Nora emotionally and probably physically.

  Charley swung a leg over a stool and turned to one side. Little does her hubby Josh know that I'm ready, willing and able to take his place. I like her. After all, I've been observing her over the last few years. She's the type of woman a man can feel comfortable around.

  * * * *

  Nora fidgeted with a small roll of Tums and sighed in frustration. Did I at least bring any aspirin? She rifled through her handbag. There's nothing like poor planning. She closed her purse and managed a smile as she chatted with a few acquaintances. They seemed friendly enough and put her at ease. She listened as Ruth and a few of the neighbors complained about the littered, vacant lot near the entrance to Schooner Cul De Sac. It seemed carloads of teenagers passed by nightly. They threw beer cans, whiskey bottles and what have you into the weeds, making the area an eyesore and setting the neighborhood in a bad light.

  “Next will come the crack heads,” said bald and skinny Tom Wakefield from across the street.

  "We can't let it happen. We need to go to the mayor immediately," Karen Miller from the house closest the entrance.

  During the heated discussion, she felt Charley's gaze scrutinizing her every move from across the yard. He did it in a way that she liked. She felt drawn. The attention made her feel sexy, though the guilt nagged at her s
ense of right and wrong.

  Is my stomach pooched out because my period is about to start? I bet I look six months pregnant. Or, is it from eating that burrito at lunch? she wondered after a gaggle of loquacious women dispersed. Watching moths skim over lighted water, she recalled a page from a new book she'd read: Slenderize Now. Call for your free information. Guaranteed results. Call tomorrow. She held her breath. Flat stomach rule number one—suck in stomach and hold it. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. She breathed again. It won't work. They're out to get your money.

  Words hadn't passed between Charley and herself that evening and she knew that he knew her thoughts...and vice versa. It'll be conspicuous if I don't go over and at least say hello. It'd look like we are purposefully avoiding each other.

  An elongated sigh left her lips. He can't be looking at me with lust in his eyes. Surely not. Oh my God.

  She smacked a mosquito on her lower right arm. Several of the swollen spots where they had feasted earlier itched like crazy. I shouldn't hobnob with Charley or any man for that matter, until I've at least signed divorce papers. Right away I should make Josh permanently leave the house, if I ever see him.

  Charley grabbed his beer and strolled in her direction.

  Crap.

  He stopped to talk to an occasional friend. In a nonchalant way, he looked handsome in his deck pants, sandals and loose button up shirt.

  Hoping to hide her nervousness, she looked away as Karen Miller bent to her ear with news of her daughter's pregnancy.

  A spot felt wet on the back of Nora's shorts. She visualized a big red spot on the back of her shorts. I knew it! "Oh no."

  "Is everything okay?" the white-haired grandmother asked.

  "I'm fine." She lowered her voice. "Uh, well, no. I think I'm starting my period. Oh no. Where is the bathroom?"

  Mrs. Miller pointed toward the house. "Up the stairs, into the kitchen and to the right."

  "Thank you," she said and hurried away. "Oh dear." Following Karen's directions, she hurried, hoping nothing showed on the back of her pants as she scurried up the steps. Why did I wear white, for God sakes? That unmistakable dull ache throbbed in her lower abdomen. I hope Charley doesn't think I'm running from him.

  Chapter Four

  Charley bit his lip and didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. "Is she okay?" he asked, glancing toward the sliding glass door on the deck.

  Two faces, ten, maybe eleven feet behind Mrs. Miller, glanced his way with curious expressions on their faces.

  Mrs. Miller's brow rumpled. "Nora?" she asked, in a tone of puzzlement. Her grin reminded him of Joker in Batman. Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut.

  He cleared his throat and tamped down any emotion that may form on his face. "Yes."

  After a couple of blinks, she cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered, "She's having a female problem, I believe..."

  Nodding, he said, "Oh?"

  "Yes."

  Charley raised a hand to his forehead and looked down. "Hm." I should check on her. "Thanks."

  When he could sneak away, he let himself out the gate, hoping, if anyone saw him, they couldn’t guess his destination. Experiencing strong mojo for Nora, he trekked around the side of the house. Jeff forgot to turn the front porch light on. That's good for me. He stepped up the front steps and slipped inside via the front door. Maybe she needs me to get something. With the exception of one dim light, darkness surrounded him inside. The central air blew up through a vent and a flower arrangement on a stand wiggled. The house smelled of air freshener and disinfectant.

  Their dog greeted him by wagging his tail. "Hi boy. Don't bite, okay? I'll be out of here in a jiffy." What an easy place for a burglar to break in.

  Charley tiptoed up the steps of the bi-level home in the dark entry way as the family's unconcerned Rottweiler padded along beside him panting. The music, talk and laughter sounded muffled and far away.

  As the thick, soft carpeting flattened under his shoes, Charley tried to remember the home's layout. How many bathrooms does Jeff's place have anyway? Where the hell are they?

  He'd been in their home twice that he recalled, but four years had passed, before his wife had started drinking heavily. A hint of light shined through the slender glass to the right of the door, he noticed as his eyes adjusted. Trying to remain optimistic, he ascended the carpeted stairs and made a right down a dark corridor. A bathroom, if he remembered correctly, existed behind the second door to his left. Sure. Upon arrival, reaching in, he flipped the light switch on. In the empty room, he observed an onyx stool with the lid down, a shower stall with gold accessories and matching sink. Adult sex toys with suction cup bases clung to the shower wall. A smile spread on his lips. He had a horrible, sinking feeling Jeff and Ruth hadn't intended for anyone at the party go into that part of the house. I'd better get moving. For a brief moment, his Marine Special Forces' training flashed in the back of his mind. Be quick and be covert. He raised a finger and pushed the button down, darkening the area.

  "Damn." I should give it up. But I won't.

  After searching the upper level, he descended the stairs and passed through the rec room with the dog still two steps behind, following him. There, in the corner, to the right of the big screen television, he located another bathroom. Much to his relief, a slit of bright light shined below the door.

  She's in there.

  Charley stopped and took a deep breath. At first, he hesitated for a second or two. Should I? No or yes? The overwhelming need to go ahead enveloped him. I can't help myself. He raised his hand. After rapping two quick times, his heart beating rapidly, he said, "Excuse me. But, uh, Nora. This is Charley. Do you need anything? Are you okay?"

  "No. I'm not," Mike Carroll said in his deep voice.

  Charley grimaced and rolled his eyes toward the shadowy ceiling. Now Mike Carroll will tell everyone what I'm up to.

  "Try the bathroom through the kitchen that leads to the deck. Maybe Nora's in that one. I must've eaten something bad for lunch."

  "Thanks. I can see I'm never going to live this down."

  Mike's nasty laugh sounded and Charley had the urge to tell him to keep quiet, but he didn't.

  Charley hurried upstairs, through the kitchen and bumped into her in a hallway. He inhaled her scent and felt her soft curves pressing into his hard body. A sudden, hot jolt to his starved system. It was too much for him. He had to have his hands on her. Without thought or premeditation, his needy lips sought hers. The moment turned magical. He plunged his tongue into the dark inner recesses of her mouth as his splayed hands moved down the slope of her waist and back to cup her hips bringing her into his body. I want this woman. His heart beat hard in his chest. Withdrawing from her a little, he gazed down into her silhouetted face. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

  "Charley, maybe we shouldn't be doing this. Anyway, I've had a slight accident. My period started. My Bermuda shorts are ruined."

  "I'll walk you home."

  "I need something to cover my backside up with."

  "It'll be dark."

  "I know. I still want it covered up."

  "How about a towel?"

  "Good idea."

  Nora switched on the hallway light, opened a closet door and brought out a large bath towel. "I'll bring it back." She wrapped it around her waist, covering the back of her pants. "I can't tell you how embarrassing this is."

  "Don't worry about it."

  "I'll bet this is cute."

  "Earlier tonight, I looked at you and thought you'd look good wearing a gunny sack."

  "A sack?" she asked and laughed. "I wish—-"

  "I'm serious."

  Nora switched off the light and ambled up to Charlie.

  "Who’s that with you?"

  "Whose who?" he asked, looking around.

  "The dog."

  "Oh." Charley chuckled. "He just started following me."

  "Your friend?"

  "Yeah, he is. Thank God he do
esn’t bite."

  Charley wrapped his hand around hers. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your house.” They went outside leaving the dog behind, wanting to join them. “Sorry. You’re staying here,” he told the whining dog.

  Out in the yard they looked up at the stars that twinkled like small gems against a coal-colored background. The noise from the cookout faded, he noticed, the as they walked. Another dog barked.

  Her hand feels so small and soft wrapped in mine.

  Behind a tree, near the house, he didn’t know what came over him. He drew her to him and brought her into a strong embrace. Suddenly he realized that someone who lived in the house across Schooner Cul de Sac could see them, but he didn’t really care. "I'm sorry. I-I can't help myself."

  "This feels good."

  He smelled the clean, flowery scent of her hair and tasted her minty mouth. One last time their lips brushed in a loving kiss that set Charley's soul on fire. Holding her gave him promise, whether true or imagined, of having her in his life...and his bed, regardless of her marriage to Josh.

  Still holding the towel at her waist, Nora stepped back. "Thanks for being there for me, again."

  "My pleasure." He dipped his head a moment and they resumed walking.

  "Well, I'm going in to take a bath."

  He had to get the question out of his mind. "May I ask you something before you go inside?"

  "Yeah sure."

  "Are you and Josh...breaking up? Tell me if I’m getting too personal with my—"

  "Yeah, I believe we are,” she said. “He won't return my calls. I just wonder what he's been up to. Most men would at least call home once in two weeks."

  "Is that when you saw him last? Two weeks ago?"

  "Yeah. Actually it has been thirteen days.” An audible sigh left her lips. “I'm afraid he's started gambling again. He’s not helping with the bills."

  "Did he act that way when you first met him?"

  She shook her head. “No way. I wouldn’t’ve married him.”

  "I'm sorry. He owes you an explanation." The jerk.