The Voyeur Next Door (17 page)

My gaze jumped back up to his. “No.”

Something in his eyes flickered, it was quick, but it made my mouth dry and my palms sweat. I hurriedly threw my purse strap over my shoulder and edged towards the door.

“I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I was thankful when he didn’t stop me. I practically threw myself down the stairs and bolted out of the shop at a near run.

At home, I tossed my purse and keys onto the table and kicked off my shoes. I padded quickly into the bedroom and hurriedly undressed. The cool air skimmed over the moist folds of my sex, sending a shiver through me that littered my skin with goose flesh and puckered my nipples. My hand went to the pins containing my hair and I yanked them out hastily. Some dropped to the floor and I left them. The rest were tossed onto the nightstand with one hand while the other shot to the drawer.

Mr. Happy was a birthday present to myself. He’d kept me warm and, well, happy for over a year now and the best part was that we got along amazingly well. He never left his socks on the floor, or whined about my cooking, or lack thereof, and he always made sure I came first.

What a gentleman.

The best part was that there was no vibrator attached. Real men, in the real world, didn’t vibrate. The whole sensation wigged me out. The flesh colored phallus was an acceptable seven inches with a smooth, fat head and rugged veins running up the thick shaft from the twin balls at the end. The base was flat and could suction onto just about any flat surface. I didn’t need a surface. I didn’t even get on the bed. I stayed right where I was, too worked up to wait. My grip was barely steady as I guided the rubber head between my parted thighs and nudged at my opening.

The phone rang.

The unexpected intrusion to my moment of bliss dropped the dildo from my hand and nearly sent me clean out of my skin. The rubber cock bounced on the carpet and hit the top of my foot before wiggling to a stop. My gaze shot to the phone, my heart somewhere in my throat.

“Jesus!” I exhaled a few times before reaching for the phone. “Hello?”

My annoyance must have echoed in my tone, because there was a pause, then,
“Uh, is this a bad time?”

It took me several tense seconds to recognize the voice.

“Tamara?”

“Hey!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose and regretted ever giving her my number. “What’s up?”

“Just calling to check in on the costume,”
the girl stated.
“We’re starting rehearsals in like a week and I was wondering if it would be ready in time.”

I glanced at the small mess taking over the armchair tucked in the corner of the room. From a distance, it looked like a lace factory had exploded.

“Um…” I grimaced slightly. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Awesome! Okay, I have to jet, but I’ll catch you later.”

She hung up without waiting. The line went dead in my ear. I set the receiver down on the end table and dropped down on the bed to stare broodingly at the ceiling.

That had not been how I had envisioned myself hearing bells.

With the moment ruined, I rolled to my feet and grabbed my robe. It slithered over my hot skin and settled comfortably around my shoulders. I drew in a breath and checked the clock; there was still half an hour before seven o’clock. Nothing to do but wait.

I made a can of steak and potato soup and ate it while watching reruns of
I Love Lucy
and waiting to make my call.

“
Hey.”

He picked up on the fifth ring and tingles rocketed up my spine.

“Hi.”

“Are you ready?”

I didn’t have to ask for what. I knew and I was ready.

“Yes!”

He chuckled and the sound filled me with a weightless light that glowed bright in my chest. I loved how husky and gentle it was. I also loved that I could make him laugh. But more than anything I loved that he was willing to neighbor watch with me. He didn’t think my hobby was odd, or disturbing. It was such a surreal sensation not to be judged.

“What do we have today?”
he asked.

I stepped onto the terrace and waited for the windows across from me to come alive with life. I waited for lights to come on and for people to get home.

“Nothing yet,” I said. “But it’s still early. How was your day?” I paused, before asking, “Am I allowed to ask that?”

He chuckled.
“Yeah, it’s fine. Exhausting. How was yours?”

I rolled my shoulders in a shrug he couldn’t see. “Pretty much the same. I think I’m going to start looking for another job soon.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

I sighed, hoping it would lessen the weight settling on my chest. It didn’t.

“There’s lots of reasons.” I broke off, not sure how to explain my rollercoaster ride of emotions whenever Gabriel was around. It was just not something you talked about with a guy. “I’m just not sure I belong there.”

“Someone over there giving you a hard time?”

Heat prickled in my cheeks. “Not exactly. At least it’s nothing I can’t handle. I just think it’s the right choice.”

“If that’s what you want to do, then I think you should.”

I nodded in agreement and focused once more on the windows. Most of the top floor was dark. The Asian couple with their daughter came home first. The girl, in her pretty, yellow sundress, was having a meltdown.

“Oh! We got one!” I exclaimed happily into the receiver. “Row two, window one. Asian Couple and Their Evil Spawn.”

Q chuckled.
“Do you not like children, or something?”

“Oh, no, I love children,” I protested. “Mine. Other people’s kids not so much.” I squinted at the window. “Evil Spawn is throwing oranges out of the fridge.”

“Why?”

I inwardly grinned, having already expected that question. “It’s Tuesday. That means tofu night. Evil Spawn doesn’t like tofu night.”

“Who does?”
Q wondered contemplatively.

“Last week, she threw apples,” I went on. “I think it’s good that she changes her fruit. It shows character.”

Q laughed.
“What are the parents doing?”

I squinted at the glass. “The father is attempting to reason with her. The mother is yelling at the father and pointing at the daughter. I think she blames him for the child being such a little monster. Oh! Dad is moving to the phone.”

“What does that mean?”

“Pizza,” I answered simply. “Evil Spawn has won. Crises has been averted for another day.”

Q whistled softly through his teeth.
“That was really close.”

“Slutty Blonde, window two, second row, just got home,” I noticed. “She’s alone … oh, nope, never mind. Looks like Handsome Dark Haired Dude, window three, second row, has been relieved of his sex duties. Guess his extra-large cock wasn’t cutting it anymore.”

“I really need to meet my neighbors,”
Q stated with a mild hint of amazement.
“It’s going to bug me now.”

I chuckled. “Well, Slutty Blonde will definitely go for you.”

“Why’s that?”

“You have a cock and thus are her type.”

He made a humming sound.
“I’m not into blondes. I like brunettes.”

“Are you saying that because I’m a brunette?” I teased.

“Are you? I hadn’t noticed.”
I heard something squeak in the background, the sound of disturbed leather and imagined him shifting on the sofa.
“Tell me what you look like.”

I had to think about it a moment. Of all the things in the world I hated, it was talking about myself, even something as simple was describing my features. So I stuck to the basics.

“Brown hair, hazel eyes.”

“And?”
he prompted with a chuckle when I stopped.

“Roughly five-five. What do you look like?” I evaded.

“Black hair, gray eyes that sometimes look blue in certain lights. Six-nine and roughly two-thirty.”

Wow, a big boy, was my initial thought, before it jumped to places I didn’t want to visit, like how Gabriel had black hair and gray eyes and roughly seven feet. It was ridiculous to think he was the only one with those measurements, but I couldn’t help stamping his face over the dark silhouette that had been Q. I immediately felt guilty, but not enough to erase the image.

“It’s eight,” I stated, already turning away from the windows and venturing back into the seclusion of my apartment. I kept the windows open to let in the warm, evening air, but shut the drapes. “What are you doing?”

I heard him grunt.
“Sitting here thinking about you.”

“What about me?”

I stepped around the bed and started in surprise when my toe sent something rubbery rolling into the nightstand. My forgotten dildo glared up at me, outraged at being forgotten. I grimaced and scooped it up.

“Just how much I want to watch you again.”

My fingers tightened around the rubber cock. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”
His low husky purr sent shivers scuttling down my spine.
“But you still haven’t given me your answer if this is what you want.”

I chuckled weakly and dropped the dildo back inside my drawer. “I thought I did.”

“No.”

My tongue moved nervously over my lips. “Yes,” I whispered. “I want this.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

His groan rumbled with satisfaction and my insides trembled.
“Are your blinds open?”

“No.”

“Open them and the terrace doors.”

I didn’t bother telling him those were already open. I shoved back the curtains and stared at the doors across from mine.

“They’re open.”

“Do you still have that bench at the foot of your bed?”

“Yes.”

“Drag it near the doors, but not too close.”

I had to put the phone down as I followed his instructions. I pulled the bed bench near the patio doors, leaving it lengthwise rather than widthwise.

“Done.”

“Take off your robe.”
The demand came out in a growl that tightened my nipples and sent a whip of fire lashing up the core of my body. My fingers trembled as I undid the sash.
“Lie on the bench with your legs open towards me.”

My heart rocketed in my chest, sounding impossibly loud as I did what he said. I straddled the bench and reclined. I scooped my hair up and let it cascade over the end in a thick waterfall.

“Done.” Even to my own ears, my voice sounded breathless and excited.

“Stay reclined,”
he said.
“Keep your head back.”

I was panting. I couldn’t help it. I stared at my ceiling while the muggy air whispered over the moist lips of my sex and tried not to think of anything except how much I wanted this. A small part of me kept assuring me that he was too far, and in my reclined position, he couldn’t possibly see all the flaws. Plus at that vantage point, all he could really see was my pussy.

“Are you going to watch?” I asked the man on the other end of the phone.

“Yes.”

I barely staved back the quiver that lanced through me. In my ear, the quiet squeak of rusty hinges made me jump. I squeezed my eyes shut as my entire body stiffened. His husky groan snatched at my pussy, making it clench in anticipation.

“Put me on speaker phone,”
he ordered.
“You are going to need both hands.”

Sucking in a breath, I fumbled with the buttons until the right one was selected. Then I set the phone just above my head.

With it gone, my hands felt infinitely empty and useless. I didn’t know what to do with them except set them on my shuddering abdomen.

“Touch yourself,”
he instructed.

Having never done this for an audience, I was lost for a moment. I wasn’t sure where I should begin.

I started by taking a breath and blocking out all other thoughts. The clamor of noise and voices in my head was tearing at my concentration. It didn’t help that there was someone seeing me naked for the first time since before I learned how to bathe myself. That alone had me tense and I was too scared to check and see if he was still there. He hadn’t spoken since his command and I couldn’t help wondering if maybe he’d taken one look and darted back inside.

I suddenly felt exposed and vulnerable. It took all my resistance not to roll to my feet and lunge for cover. It also made me wonder just how good his eyesight was. Maybe he couldn’t see me very well. Maybe it was too dark.

“What’s wrong?”

I gave a start at the intrusion.

“Nothing,” I lied. “I was just getting comfortable.”

I took a deep breath, held it for two whole heartbeats before letting it out slowly and willing my hands to move.

They went almost automatically to my breasts. The hard points skimmed beneath my palms. I felt the first crackle of heat slide up the length of my spine to pool at my center. My heart thundered against my ribcage, egging me on as I expertly played the tune of my own arousal across the planes of my excited body. My thighs parted of their own volition and I shifted my hips for something that wasn’t there. My thumbs ghosted over my nipples, teasing them just enough to make me ache for more. Something moist trickled down the crevice of my ass to soak into the cushions beneath me.