The new neighbor 4

The following Friday, I had a rare weekday off. Kelly was off at a workout, the kids were at school, and the house was quiet. Needing to get out, I decided to drive to a small coffee shop in the next town over, a place I rarely went, hoping the change of scenery would help clear my head. Kristen’s text had been replaying in my mind all week, a dangerous and enticing promise.

I was waiting for my latte when I heard a familiar, melodic voice. “I’ll have a large iced Americano, please.”

My head snapped up. There she was. Kristen. Standing just a few feet away, her back to me as she ordered. She was in her workout clothes again—black leggings that hugged her incredible figure and a loose, off-the-shoulder top. It felt like a cruel joke by the universe. Of all the coffee shops in all the towns, she had to walk into this one.

She turned from the counter, and her hazel eyes met mine. For a second, she looked as shocked as I felt. Then, that slow, mischievous smile I was coming to know so well spread across her face.

“Fancy meeting you here, neighbor,” she said, her voice a low murmur as she walked toward me.

“Kristen. Wow. What are the odds?” I replied, my voice hoarse.

“Small world,” she said, her eyes glinting. “Or maybe it’s fate.” She glanced around the bustling cafe. “Not exactly the most private place to chat.”

My mind was racing. “No, it’s not.” The barista called my name, and I grabbed my coffee, my hands feeling unsteady. “I, uh… I should get going.”

“Wait,” she said, placing a light hand on my arm. The simple touch was electric. “Go where? You have the day off, right?”

I just nodded, unable to form words.

“Me too,” she said. “Josh is at the office, kids are at school. Let’s go for a drive. My car is here. I can follow you.”

It was a reckless, terrible idea. And I heard myself say, “Okay.”

A few minutes later, I was driving aimlessly, my black SUV leading the way, her white minivan a constant presence in my rearview mirror. My heart was a frantic drum against my ribs. I had no plan, no destination. I just drove. Finally, on instinct, I turned down a quiet side street lined with the backs of old commercial buildings and pulled into a deserted alleyway, shielded from the main road by a row of overflowing dumpsters. I put the car in park and killed the engine.

Kristen pulled in behind me, got out of her van, and slid into my passenger seat holding her coffee, closing the door and plunging us into an intimate silence.

“A little romantic, isn’t it?” she joked, but her eyes were serious, filled with the same desperate energy I felt.

“Kristen, what are we doing?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

“Following through on that text,” she whispered. She slid her coffee in the cup holder and, with a lithe movement, climbed over the center console into the backseat. The cavernous space of my SUV suddenly felt small and intensely private. She looked at me, her gaze an explicit invitation. “Get back here, Brian.”

My resolve crumbled into dust. I unbuckled my own belt and clambered into the back with her. The air was thick with the smell of her perfume and the unspoken words between us. Before I could say anything, her hands were at the button of my jeans, her fingers deft and sure. She unzipped them and pushed them down over my hips, her eyes never leaving mine.

Then, she knelt before me on the floor of the SUV. She looked up, her blonde hair catching the dim light filtering through the tinted windows, and gave me a look of pure, unadulterated hunger. And in the cramped, thrilling privacy of that backseat, she took me into her mouth.

It was incredible. More intense and intoxicating than any fantasy I had ever conjured. She was confident, skilled, and uninhibited, her enthusiasm driving me insane. The world outside—the distant traffic, the responsibilities, my wife, my family—all of it faded away into a muffled roar. There was only the quiet of the alley, the heat of her mouth, and the exhilarating, terrifying thrill of the moment. It was a complete surrender, and as my body tensed and I exploded in a wave of pure, unadulterated pleasure, the only thought in my head was that this was the most reckless, and the most incredible, thing I had ever done.

To be continued.