The Neighbor Read online

  “Thank god. The movie is good enough but too girly for me. What else you got?”

  “I was thinking Gravity. It has George Clooney for you and I love the special effects. On the ultra-HD it looks fantastic.” Ryder loved his toys. I thought my 48” screen was advanced.

  “I can give or take Clooney. He’s a little played out.”

  “You don’t like older men?” Ryder whipped his head around as he was opening the sliding glass doors.

  I laughed. “Older is fine. Not that much older though.”

  “Just checking.”

  Ryder collapsed on the couch next to me. It was obvious that we were the first to use the furniture. The sticker was still attached to the armrest. It was gray with random prints. I was happy that the place was not decorated in a golf motif. He saved that for the bedroom. I noticed his decorators touch but I was not preoccupied with it. He dimmed the lights with his phone. That damn thing did everything except wipe his ass. For all I knew, it probably did.

  I could sense the energy between us charging.

  Ryder’s finger was on the button about to press play. Instead, he dropped the phone and put his sinewy arm around my waist. I read Cosmo like every other American woman. We were all supposed to have an erogenous zone. Mine was wherever his hand moved. He pulled me close. Our eyes met as if there was some imaginary tether between us. His breath was sweet as the first time it hit my neck at the driving range. Ryder inhaled like he was preparing to take a leap. Tentative, he pulled back for a moment. I could sense that he wanted to kiss me but he was unsure how I would react.

  I understood his hesitation. He knew I was much younger than he was. Didn’t he know that I was a willing participant? I had a few sexual partners in previous years. I had settled in a nice routine of having sex with Max but we ended as friends as he left for college. It had been some time since I enjoyed the touch of a guy. Never the touch of a man. I was ready. It felt like Ryder was the man I had been waiting for. He felt safe and the attraction was undeniable.

  Our lips finally met. We began kissing rapidly and hard. His hand slipped beneath my blue tank top and settled on my belly.

  “Are you okay Jenna?” Ryder asked against my lips and I nodded. “Come with me.”

  Ryder and I rose from the couch. He pulled my tank top off and threw it on the floor. I stood in my white satin bra. The alcohol had taken effect on us both. Inhibitions were gone as he pushed me in the direction of his room. We didn’t stop kissing and neither of us wanted to. We weaved in and out of the boxes of his unpacked belongings. He was pushing me with his body as he pulled me closer. He had a firm grasp on my belt, which he used to guide me.

  He pulled my head back with a firm grip on my hair and looked in my eyes. He seemed to be asking if I was all right with what was happening as if either of us could stop. I was indeed okay with what was happening. I had wanted him ever since he wrapped his body around me to teach me how to swing a golf club.

  We fell to his bed. We moved to the hum of the ceiling fan above. It provided a lovers melody. He reclined as I mounted him and felt his dick bulging through his jeans. I grabbed beneath his pants pulling them to his knees along with his boxers, revealing his hard cock. It appeared ready to blow.

  He grabbed my breast and kissed as much of it as my bra would allow while he massaged the other. I felt confidence and lust rise inside of me. I took control. I removed his pants one leg at a time. I was moving slowly and deliberately never taking my eyes off his. I placed his hands behind his head and he clasped his fingers. He lay motionless except for his throbbing erect cock.

  I slipped off the bed. He turned his head to see me as I slowly undressed. I threw my bra and panties in a pile next to me. I felt my body as I caressed my breasts and glided my fingers through the lips of my pussy.

  It was his turn to feel my fingers.

  I gently but firmly grabbed his dick and started rubbing. He looked as if his loss of control was imminent. I sealed my lips around his penis and started to suck. I slowed and started fondling his balls. I kissed down the length of him before sucking in my mouth each ball. His body quivered so I made my way back to the bulging head of his cock, knowing he was about to come. I sucked on just the head while stroking his shaft as fast as I possibly could.

  He started to cry like a wild animal. He pulled out of my mouth and released all over my body. It was warm, smooth and sticky. He pulled me by the back of the neck and our lips connected once again. We kissed slowly to allow our tongues to explore each other’s. We became tangled. My legs formed a vice grip around his torso. It seemed as if it was the start of a long night.

  Unexpectedly, Ryder pulled away and said, “I’m not feeling well. How about we just go to sleep?”

  What man turns down sex?

  “I am fine as long as I can remain next to you. Feeling you,” I responded even though disappointed.

  He smiled and said, “Good night Jenna and thank you.”

  “No one has ever thanked me for oral sex before,” I said and Ryder laughed.

  “I mean – of course for that but mostly for just being here with me.”

  I lay next to him and rested my head on his chest. He didn’t seem sick but I wasn’t in the mood to question him. I slowly closed my eyes listening to his heartbeat.

  I didn’t know if Ryder or I fell asleep first. I was sure of one thing though. It was the most erotic night I had without getting fucked.

  Chapter Eight

  I woke up the next morning in a pool of sweat mixed with his scent from the night before. I had to unwrap myself from Ryder’s tight squeeze. He was still sleeping soundly. He was breathing with a soft rattle. It was a soothing sound and I nearly snuggled back in beside him. I resisted the temptation.

  I heard my mother’s beagle Potato barking. It was a hideous name for a hideous dog. She called him Potato because it was the last solid food my father ever ate. Shortly after my dad died, she had a dream in which my father sent her to the pound to get a dog. A very odd story, but it was befitting for a very odd mother.

  I turned over and pulled up the crumpled sheet. I was fully naked the previous night but my modesty kicked in. I knew Ryder had seen my body the night before but things were a lot different because I was now sober. My head was throbbing and the fact that I had just spent the night with Ryder came flooding back. I looked around for my purse and I realized that it was next to the couch.

  I padded out of the bedroom and past the boxes. I could hear my phone vibrating. I followed the sound and when I reached it, the vibration had stopped. I had two missed calls from my mother. Ugh. She was wondering where I was. She didn’t really care much. She was only curious. She was usually on the computer late into the night often with a bottle of Gin by her side. She would roam the dating sites and tell lies about herself. For a couple of years my brothers and I felt sorry for her but we didn’t care anymore. She had grown accustomed to being the grieving widow and there was little any of us could do for her. She would roll out of bed eventually to let Potato in and then panic would set in. She did not know how to work the coffee maker. At least that is what she said. Perhaps she would figure it out if she got desperate.

  “Jenna?” Ryder called out from bed.

  “Be right there,” I said. I had managed to find my shirt. Who knew where the rest of my attire was.

  I walked back into the bedroom. It was the “morning after” kind of awkwardness.

  “Go back to sleep Ryder. We were up late last night. I have to run home before my mother’s dog wakes up the entire neighborhood.”

  I spotted the rest of my clothes next to the bed. I leaned over to pick up my bra and panties when Ryder pulled me back into bed. His body in the early sunlight was more tempting than it had been the night before.

  “You feel so fucking good. To hell with the dog,” he said and softly kissed my lips.

  “We will have to pick this up later. I have to get an early start on the day.” I kissed him on the lips and stood u
p to get dressed. I could feel his eyes upon me as I fastened my bra and slipped into my panties and jeans. I dressed slowly because I liked knowing that he was watching me. In an instant, Ryder jumped out of bed. I thought he was going to grab me from behind, which wouldn’t have been bad. Nope. He sprinted towards the bathroom.

  From the bathroom, I could hear him vomiting. It was an awful guttural sound. The pinot gris must have been too much for him. I was surprised because I was usually the lightweight.

  “Want me to wait out here until you are finished to make sure that you are okay? Do you need anything? I can grab you a cool towel and a couple of ibuprofen. There must be some in the other bathroom,” I called through the closed door.

  “Jenna. Please just go home. I will be fine. I drank too much or maybe it was the shrimp. We will talk soon. I know where you live.” Ryder tried to make a joke but he could barely speak between yaks.

  I didn’t want to leave him alone, but he obviously didn’t want me there. He said talk soon, which did not seem specific enough for the night we had just shared. Hoping he would call me, I went home to face my mom’s fifty questions and brush my teeth. On the way home I nearly tripped over Potato. The dog looked at me as though he knew what I had done the night before. I was hoping the rest of the people I encountered that day would not know the same.

  I stumbled into the house where I found my mom in a battle with the coffee maker. It was a mess. She still smelled of gin from the night before. A mixture of whole beans and coffee were scattered across the floor.

  “It is about time you came home. I was not sure if you were sleeping in late or dead. There was no one to let Potato in and the coffee was not made so I looked in your room. There was no Jenna. You did not answer your phone. A couple of more hours and I was going to call the cops.”

  “Sorry mom. I should have called. Let me assist you with the coffee maker. For starters, you can’t brew whole beans. I can see you figured it out. The grinder is out but you had a little difficulty with that. The thing can be confusing. I will take care of it this time but you will have to learn to work with it eventually. It may be best to make the trip to the Coffee Shack.”

  “Enough Jenna. Don’t treat me like a kid. Just make the god damn coffee.”

  My mother sat down at the kitchen table. It was obvious that the coffee fiasco had embarrassed her. She had not always been a helpless woman and occasionally I noticed a hint of the old Marnie Walsh. I poured a cup of coffee, which cleared out the cobwebs.

  “Mom, I met the neighbor next-door.” I had not planned to share my evening with Ryder with my mother. The events of the previous evening were built up inside of me so I decided to give the PG-13 version. She didn’t know about the blow job or us sleeping naked together. I told her we fell asleep on the couch.

  “What is the guy’s name and how the hell did you meet him? I’ll bet he came by to thank you for the pie.”

  “Not exactly. I knew Ryder all along.” I continued to tell my tale. My mother’s reaction was priceless. If she was still tipsy from the night before, she was stunned into sobriety.

  “So are you going to see him again? Well, obviously you will see him because he lives next-door. It will be uncomfortable if things were left on a sour note. I can’t imagine opening up a wound over and over again. What if he brings a lady home with him…which will happen. You got into it now Jenna,” my mother said. She seemed to want company in her misery. She enjoyed it when I mis-stepped.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything. If you run into Ryder, don’t mention me. Treat him just as if you would a neighbor. Be friendly and please don’t try to date him. I am going to change and go for a run.”

  ---

  The next day I threw on some spandex. I inserted my ear buds and turned on my iPod. If Ryder had one it would have been nicer than mine. Everything he had was new generation. I kept everything until it no longer worked. I was too poor to do otherwise. I had a pop mix that my 12-year old nephew created. He was on the cutting edge of everything current. He had a way of making me feel ancient at 18-years old.

  As I headed to the nearby river, I glanced in Ryder’s driveway where I spotted his Lexus. Parked behind his vehicle was another car. I felt a twinge of jealousy and suspicion. It was not a feeling I liked or that I had ever experienced so strongly in the past.

  I took a long slow run to clear my head. I thought it was frustrating the way things were left with Ryder. I knew his age…and that he had a big dick but little else. I didn’t really know him at all.

  My slow run tuned into a fast jog as I headed back to Lewis Avenue from the river. The second car in Ryder’s driveway was gone. I decided to check on him.

  I walked up the steps to the front door and knocked. There was no answer so I continued knocking. I remembered the sliding glass doors and thought perhaps that Ryder was resting on the couch. He probably had the volume turned up and did not hear me.

  “Hey Ryder are you home!” I shouted.

  As I was walking around to the patio, Ryder called from the front door, “Hey Jenna!” He opened the front door about a foot. “Hi. I was going to call. I wanted to make sure you got home okay and everything but I’ve been sick and couldn’t get the energy to call you the past couple of days. You might not want to get any closer because I think it’s the flu. It couldn’t have been the booze or the shrimp cause I continue to feel worse. I hope you don’t get what I have,” Ryder said.

  Ryder was wearing a robe and he looked like shit.

  “Why don’t you let me take care of you? I feel fine and I will make sure we don’t get close. That will be a challenge after last night but I think I can make it.” I winked and smiled.

  “Nope. I just want to be left alone to suffer. I have some classic Palmer tapes that I am going to watch. I’ll call you when I’m better.” Ryder began to close the door.

  “Arnold Palmer? Now you are dating yourself. I thought he was dead,” I joked.

  “That isn’t funny to a true fan of the game. The day he dies should be a national day of mourning. Later Jenna. I have to go puke.” He started to close the door again.

  “Ryder. Did you have a visitor today? I noticed a strange car parked in your driveway.” I realized I was beginning to sound desperate but I couldn’t help myself.

  “You must be imagining things. I have been alone all day.”

  Ryder closed the door after his condescending comment. I tried not to be offended but I was. He was sick. I was hoping he would add a comment about how epic our date was.

  I walked into my yard. If he were back on his couch, he would have had a clear view as I hosed off. It was a hot day so I doused myself with water. If I knew Ryder and I think I did in some respects, he would enjoy watching me. When my body was soaked, I slicked back my hair. If he was looking at me through the window, I hoped I looked hot

  I spent the rest of the day packing and wondering what Ryder was up to. Maybe he was a bad idea.

  Chapter Nine

  I was disappointed when Ryder didn’t contact me before I left for school. I packed most of my stuff in a trailer, which Sayler was driving. She was going to follow me as I drove my Sol to Columbia, South Carolina. Sayler would not be joining me at college. She planned to stay close to home where she felt she was needed. Who knew what Juliet Lindner would do in her absence?

  I said goodbye to my Mother in the kitchen. Our farewell was bittersweet. I was anxious to start living on my own but scared to step into the unknown.

  “This is it mom. Thank you so much for everything. I know it has not been easy around here since dad died.”

  “I have not been the best mom since he died. Maybe this will be a fresh start for the both of us. I will have to learn how to use the coffee maker and take care of that damn dog.”

  “Yeah mom. About that dog Potato. Who names their dog after a boring food product? I could see if we lived in Idaho or something.”

  She laughed through tears. I cried too. My mom was quirky but I loved he
r.

  I would fill the void left by Sayler with my very close friend Max Burgess. The relationship between Max and I had been going strong in one form or another since I was in kindergarten. We went from being playmates, to hating one another, then friends, which eventually became friends with benefits. We hated each other again for a couple of weeks until the benefits kicked in again and now we were strictly friends.

  Knowing that Max would be there if I became terribly homesick was a comfort. I had to make it clear to him that there would be no benefits. I was assuming he would be interested, which was not necessarily the case. Ryder was in my mind.

  “Hey Sayler. Do they even have CB radios anymore? I can’t imagine the use for them with cell phones and Twitter.” I was planning to talk to Sayler on the way upstate.

  “I do not know. You will have to ask one of those 18-wheeler guys. Did you hear from the hot golfer?”

  “No Sayler. It’s kind of strange. We seemed to have a good thing going. We had good conversations and I even sucked him like a Dyson. He could not have any complaints in that department. It is the last time I give a blowjob on a first date.”

  “Don’t sweat it Jenna. He is golfing at Magnolia and you will be away at college. You live your life and allow him to live his. When you see him again your tryst will be a distant memory.”

  “I will chalk it up to experience. Now I have experience with an older man although he didn’t act much different than boys my own age,” I said.

  “What about Max Jenna?”

  “What about Max. We have a history but it has evolved into a plutonic friendship. I can tell him anything. He is like a big brother to me.”

  “I would test the waters with him again before you reveal that you blew the golfer,” Sayler warned me.

  “I’m not going to do anything with Max again. You are staying the night with me right Sayler?”

  “Absolutely. I say we order a pizza. Isn’t that what college kids do?”

  “Not sure. We have been eating pizza in your bedroom for years. I will call Max when we get to campus. He can join us and tell us where to get the best pie. Never mind, pie reminds me of Ryder.”