Chapter 1

I groaned inwardly as I pushed the mower through the lawn. Here I was, moved in to a new town with a mall and a great park, and I was stuck mowing the lawn. It wasn’t that bad, in reality, being late August and all. The breeze was nice and the sun strong enough to give me a bit of a tan. I was starting a new school in a few days and a nice tan couldn’t hurt my chances with the ladies, I guess.

My mom was out at work, even though it was Saturday. With my father passed away, money was on short supply. She’d picked up extra shifts at the hospital. The company owning the truck that had hit and killed my dad was slow-playing the trial and all the money my mother had saved was going to our lawyer.

It had been my mom’s decision to move and I hadn’t argued. There had never been much to hold us in our old town; small high school, few new faces, few changes. Our new town, though, was completely different. Three malls, two universities, and a huge high school, not to mention one of the state’s biggest hospitals. Quite a different area and I was glad for the change. It would be nice to meet some new people.

A car door slammed and I looked up. Across from the backyard of the small house where my mom and I lived was a brand new duplex complex. Even the cheapest ones were more expensive than his house and those ones were on the far side of the lot. Those closest cost nearly half a million dollars and were, I had heard, decked out with some of the top-end finishes around.

The car in question was a Lexus, I could tell that even at this distance, but not the model. A young woman had gotten out of the passenger’s side and was walking with the brisk steps of unhappiness toward the nearest building. The driver’s door opened and a young man stepped out and began shouting.

I slowed and stopped the mower. I had wrestled on the varsity team at my old school from 8th grade to sophomore year, but dropped it after dad died. At 5’10”, I was tall, but well-muscled from hours spent on the mats. I hadn’t so much as stepped on a mat in months, but I remembered everything I’d learned and by the way the man was yelling at the woman, those moves might need to be used sooner rather than later.

The man managed to beat the woman to the door and grabbed her by the arm. I rolled my eyes. Why can’t they ever just let the girl walk away? I thought, leaving the mower. I ran across the yard toward the fence, grabbed my shirt, planted a hand on top of it and vaulted over into the parking lot.

I was still a ways away when I saw the man raise a hand to strike the woman. I threw my shirt on as I raced across the parking lot.

“Hey!” I called out.

The man stopped, his hand having just begun its descent. He shoved forward and she banged her head.

“Who the hell are you?” he demanded.

Now that I was closer, I saw the guy wasn’t much older than me, probably in college. I was eighteen, so I guessed the jerk was about twenty or twenty-one. He was bigger than me, maybe a football player, and wore a new Nike sweatshirt and sweatpants, as if he’d just left the gym. Even in the bulky clothing, he easily had twenty or thirty pounds on me. He had black hair and a five o’clock shadow.

“I’m the guy who was mowing the lawn when some asshole had to start shoving women around because he doesn’t have the brains to use his words.”

“Do you know this bitch?” he demanded, gesturing at the woman. I couldn’t see her fully, but knew I didn’t. I’d only been here for a few weeks.

“Not really, but it seems like you don’t either, considering she doesn’t want to be with you.”

The woman lifted her head up, hand on her forehead. Even with her face partially obscured, I saw she was beautiful. But not wasn’t the time to check her out. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t going to leave with just a little posturing on my side.

“How about you leave and we’ll call it a day?” I offered. I took another step closer, not no more than ten feet away.

“How about you fuck off before I break your neck?”

“I’m not seeing that happening. Especially not with how you treated her.”

“Listen man, I don’t have time for your shit. This is between me and her. Now screw off or I’ll break your nose.”

“By all means try.”

Fed up with the back and forth, the guy stepped away from the car and took a swing. I ducked easily and took a step back. I was already mad that this jerk was hitting women, so I figured I’d have some fun with him. I could tell from his one swing that he was an amateur fighter, but a big time bully. My favorite kind of person to put in their place.

He swung again and I sidestepped it, placing myself between him and the woman. He swung with his right again and this time I grabbed his arm, twisting it and slamming his face on the hood of the car. I quickly slid my right arm under his, putting him in a solid half-nelson hold.

“I think this is over,” I said, exerting enough pressure for it to hurt, but not do any lasting damage.

My confidence nearly got me a broken face. With a surge of strength I didn’t think the guy possessed, he broke my hold and spun around, his fist clipping my cheek as I jumped backward. Growling, he moved his right arm gingerly for a few moment before suddenly running at me. I moved just out of reach and tripped him, sending him sprawling. His face smacked the concrete and I planted my knee in the middle of his back, quickly putting a hand under his chin and pulling his head up, the other hand grabbing the bottom of his sweatpants and yanking his leg up. He was mine now. He’d only get out by breaking his leg or spraining his neck real bad.

“Now that you’re in a better position to listen,” I said, “I want to be clear about this. I live there.” I pointed to the house next to mine. I didn’t want the creep knowing where I lived, just that I was close. “It seems you’re too stupid to leave the young woman alone, so I’m going to be spending more time in my backyard, doing unnecessary lawn mowing so I can make sure assholes like you aren’t bothering her.” The guy struggled a bit. I hooked my elbow under his chin and pulled his neck back a bit farther. “Please don’t do this. I get that you’re used to getting women, but this is stupid. Can we agree to call it a day?”

The guy said nothing for a moment before spitting out “Fine.”

“Good. And just to level with you, I see you here again, I’m going to call the cops. My uncle stops by too often with nothing to do.” It was a lie, but I figured I might as well try and press my luck while I had the advantage.

I got off the guy. He must have a pretty strong neck, because he slowed his dropping head before his chin could smack the concrete. I stepped back and he rose with a groan. He kept his eyes on me. “You fucked with the wrong guy, man,” he said. “I’m a linebacker at the university.”

“And you got taken down by a guy who did high school wrestling for three years. What’s your point?”

“You’re gonna get yours. One day. Maybe not today, but one day I’m going to kick your ass for this.”

“Yeah, yeah. Got anything else to say?”

The guy bared his teeth in a silent snarl for a moment before turning and limping off, his phone immediately in hand.

I stood there, watching him put the phone to his ear and continuing to walk away. When he reached the driveway and disappeared from view, I turned to the woman.

She had stood up and was brushing the dirt from herself. After a few moments, she turned to me. My breath caught in my throat.

I’ve always been told it’s inappropriate to stare, but this woman merited it. She was stunning. Long wavy auburn hair with just a hint of blonde highlights fell past her shoulders. Pale green eyes stared at me, her incredibly full lips slightly parted. Her makeup was faint, a little blush along her cheeks, a small amount of eyeshadow, and just a touch of lipgloss. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful. I glanced down and wished I hadn’t. An unzipped light blue sweatshirt revealed a very tight super girl tank top, doing little to disguise her very full breasts and tight stomach. Below was a pair of tight yoga pants and I thanked god she wasn’t turned around. Fighting my arousal was hard enough at the moment.

I swallowed.

“Thank you,” she said after a moment. I saw her staring at me and realized I was still shirtless.

“I’m glad I could help. It seems like that guy’s gone now.”

She spared a glance down the parking lot and I got my first good look at her forehead. A good bump was developing there. It would bruise nicely.

“You should get some ice on that.”

The woman brought a hand up to the bruise and flinched as her fingers brushed it.

“I don’t want to be too forward,” I said, “but it might be easier if I took care of it. My mom’s a nurse, so I have a rough idea of what I’m doing. I promise I can talk better than the other guy.”

Despite her pain she laughed. “All right,” she said.

I hadn’t noticed her purse on the ground when she went to pick it up, but then again, I’d been a bit late to the party.

She fished out a pair of keys from the Dolce and Gabbana pink purse and walked to the nearest condo. The dark wood of the door was in contrast to the white exterior and I was curious if the rumors about the top end interiors was true. She turned the key and opened the door. The rumors were bullshit. This place wasn’t great, it was fantastic.

Dark hardwood flooring, a plush gray carpet in the living room to the right. Deep chairs and couches dotted the room and the immense TV was only dwarfed by the large hutch filled with photos of family and friends. Further back I saw a large dining table between the living room and a large kitchen. Even from this distance I knew the sight of high-end appliances and granite counter tops. At the back was a small eat-in section off the kitchen and a door to the backyard.

By the time I gathered myself, the young woman was already passing the dining room table. And like a magnet, my eyes dropped to her ass. Boom! Instant erection. There are those lovely Instagram pictures of those hot chicks who have great asses in the gym and this one was the rival of any of those. All muscle, the yoga pants did nothing to conceal its round firmness. I quickly adjusted my groin, glad I was behind the young woman.

“I think I have an icepack over here, under the sink,” she said and I quickly caught myself and followed her.

Pulling out a chair at the dining room table, I went over to look for myself and found a small first aid kit. Popping it open, I grabbed the ice pack, one of the chemical ones, and popped the inner pouch, cold spreading in seconds. Wrapping it in a thin dish towel, I handed it to her.

“Thank you,” she said and for a few moments we sat in silence.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but I realized I don’t even know the name of the man who saved me.”

My chest swelled a bit at being called a man and not a young man, but I found my words quickly. “My name’s Luke Stevens,” I said, extending a hand, which she shook with a surprisingly firm grip. “I live just on the other side of the parking lot, in one of the smaller houses there.”

“I’m Rachel. I just finished up my student teaching and I’m looking for a full-time teaching job now. My parents cover most of my costs, but I took up a job tutoring the football players at the local university. Extra money never hurts and the head coach was going to put in a good word with the principals for me. Not sure of that now that you beat up his young star.”

Damn ramifications. “I’m sorry -”

Rachel waved me off. “It’s fine. He already sent the letter of recommendation. Besides, that jerk had it coming. He’s been hitting on me way too long and could never pick up a hint.”

“Too bad he couldn’t be smarter. I think you’re stunning.” Maybe a bit much, but I was willing to throw a compliment her way. What’s the worst that could happen?

Rachel smiled. “So Luke, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you new.”

I nodded, but hesitated before I said too much. Did I want to tell her I was a high schooler who just moved here with his mom? Nah, not yet.

“Yeah. Just moved in. Still looking for a job.”

At least that bit was true.

“So I don’t want this to come off as rude, but my girlfriend’s coming home in a bit and I need to get ready, so...”

I could take a hint. “No problem. You and your girlfriend...”

Rachel giggled. “Not girlfriend, silly. My best friend. She and I are going to have a girls night out.”

“Ah, well, enjoy nonetheless.”

I rose and made my way to the door, Rachel right behind. The sun had given way to clouds and the light pitter patter of rain.

“Sorry about your mowing,” Rachel said, peering outside.

“No worries. There’s always tomorrow. School doesn’t start for a few more days. See you soon.”

“Count on it,” Rachel said with a wink.

After spending the rest of the afternoon masturbating thinking about Rachel, I had an early dinner and hit the hay. I missed mom coming home between shifts and woke the next morning around 10 am. Wolfing down some french toast, I went back out to finish the mowing. I still had a week left until school and I wanted to be able to relax without mom hounding me about the lawn, especially with the sky graying overhead.

I was nearly done when I heard a familiar voice.

“Maybe if you’d shown up without your shirt on, Ryan wouldn’t have tried to fight you.”

I turned and saw Rachel leaning on the fence, watching me with a smile. She wore a pale gray unzipped sweatshirt, a sea foam green sports bra top and very short, skintight shorts.

I returned the smile, glad of all the hours I spent working out, all those pushups, chin ups, squats, and countless other exercises finally paying off in the eyes of a woman.

“Is Ryan our friend from yesterday?” I asked, turning the mower off.

She nodded.

“What can I do you for?” I asked. “I know watching me mow the lawn isn’t the best thing you could be doing with your time.”

“It’s not. I was hoping I could treat the man who saved me to a lunch.”

“I’d love to, but I’m a bit sweaty...”

“Don’t worry. You can shower at my place.”

Holy shit.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“I know I’m not as tall as you, but I think a pair of my sweatpants should fit you. I see those are the same shorts as yesterday. I need to do a colors wash and we can throw those in.”

I glanced down at my faded navy basketball shorts. Mom and I were still tight on money and we only did washes once a week. And what the hell, right? She was fucking hot.

I pushed the lawnmower into the shed in the far corner of the our yard and jogged back. Rachel was still smiling and let out a surprised laugh when I hopped the fence in one jump, my hand barely touching the top.

“That was impressive,” she said.

“Being around beautiful women makes me want to show off a bit.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me.”

I returned her smile and we headed across the parking lot.

“How’s the job hunt going?” I asked conversationally.

“I had an interview today and I think I’ll be getting a job at the school I’ve been hoping for.”

“I’d give you any job if you showed up to your interview looking like that.”

Rachel laughed. “No, this is my jogging outfit. I wanted to get rid of some tension after that interview, but I think I might need bit more to be fully relaxed.”

I was a few steps from her, doing my best to keep a steady pace and my eyes forward. While Rachel’s allusion to physical activity and her current wardrobe quickly led my mind to dirty thoughts, I made sure to keep myself under control. We arrived at her door a few minutes later. I had no erection and left her laughing with a story about a food fight I’d started when I was a kid.

We entered her apartment and I took my shoes off by the door. I didn’t want to ruin my welcome by tracking dirt in.

“Why don’t you hand me your shirt, shorts, and socks?”

“Um ... now?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t jump you...” She left the thought hanging as if to say ‘yet’. “My wash is in and I have a second load I need to do later, too.”

Taking a second to mentally calm myself, I stripped my clothes off. In a few seconds, shirt, shorts, and socks were in a pile on the floor. But Rachel didn’t make a move to pick them up. At least not right away.

I looked up and caught her staring at my body again. I smirked and let her have her moment. Her eyes ran from my abs to my chest and finally met mine.

“I’m sorry...” she began, blushing.

“No worries,” I said. “I’d be lying if I’d say I wasn’t flattered. But let’s be honest, you’re rather easy to look at, too”

She blushed again. “Thank you for the compliment.”

“It’s well deserved. But I’m here for lunch and a quick shower, right?”

“Right. Follow me.”

I was between Rachel and the stairs, and I stepped by as she passed. It took all my power to keep my eyes up and my mind in a somewhat innocent state while I followed her. I wasn’t sure how far her innuendo and flirting went and didn’t want the cops called. It wouldn’t do for her to turn around with me having a full hard on.

She led me upstairs. It was an impossible task to make it up the stairs in a civil manner. If I was a few steps behind her, I’d be staring at her ass. If I was a step closer, I’d be on top of her. Too far behind and I’d look foolish. I took the third option, knowing it was better to look foolish than like a pervert. At least for now.

She took a right at the landing and down the hall. Once again I fought to keep my eyes on her shoulders, hair, back, anywhere but on her ass. I looked down and admired the thick, soft carpet. It was a pale brown, accenting the light blue walls nicely. Glancing left, I saw a picture of Rachel and another beautiful young woman with long dark hair. They were in some sort of small pool next to a waterfall in some place tropical. The trees and brush were thick on all sides, leading me to think it was a rather hidden area. But that wasn’t what caught my attention most. Rachel and the other young woman were topless, hands on each other’s large breasts, kneeling on a mossy rock in the pool’s center, and kissing, their lips barely touching.

I heard Rachel chuckle and turned. “I forgot about that.”

“How could you forget about that?”

Rachel shrugged. “It’s just me and my roommate. She and I have been friends for a while and ... well, I guess once you see it every day you kind of get used to it.”

I was at a loss for words and felt my cock beginning to rise.

“But you have a shower to take and I have to make lunch.”

Rachel turned and continued down the hall. I remained unsure if she’d seen my half-mast, but didn’t want to draw attention to myself either.

We reached the end and she opened the door. Her bedroom was immense, easily twice the size of mine, if not more. Her bed, probably a queen size, sat on the right wall with a large painting of wild flowers above it. Her dresser sat on the wall opposite it with a cork board covered with pictures of what looked like Rachel and her friends. A TV was on top of her dresser with a few DVDs stacked next to it. A deep bay window faced the door filled with heavy cushions.

“Over here,” Rachel said. She was standing next to a white door with five small rectangular windows that had some sort of partially obscuring pattern on them, one eyebrow raised.

I went over and she opened the door. The bathroom was as impressive as the rest of the apartment. The floor seemed to be one solid slab of marble. Rachel stepped in and, adjusting a slider on the left, turned on the lights. To the left was a large, deep soaker tub with a few unlit candles positioned around its edge. In front of me was a wall to wall mirror with only a small break in the middle for a handsome wooden cabinet. The countertops matched the white flooring and a subtle green paint set it off nicely. Peering around the thick, white bathrobe hanging next to the door, I saw probably the coolest shower I’d ever seen. Two of those rainforest shower heads sat in the ceiling with four body jets in the wall and a regular detachable shower head in the wall. Light blue mosaic tiling covered the wall and floor. To top it all off, a deep bench sat inside the glass enclosure on the far wall.

“Holy shit,” I said.

“That was my first reaction, too.”

An awkward silence fell all I could do was stand there and think of everything but Rachel naked in the deep tub or under the spray of the shower.

“All right, so here are the towels,” Rachel said, making her way over to the far wall. “Shower controls are pretty straight forward. I’m going to drop off a pair of my larger sweatpants for you while you’re going and I’ll throw your underwear in with my wash.”

“Um ... okay.”

We stood there for a few moments before Rachel said, “I’ll go start lunch and you get clean.”

“Thanks.”

She left and I waited a few moments before hearing the bedroom door before dropping my briefs on the ground. It felt a bit odd undressing in someone else’s bathroom, but I went with it.

My dick didn’t help matters, bobbing up strong and hard, but I went into the shower to try and figure out what to do. There were a bunch of buttons, but I ignored them and went for the regular knobs. Sure enough, they worked like I thought and soon the shower was steaming up.

I stepped in and let out a loud sigh as heat washed over me. No matter how awkward the situation, it felt damn good to take a shower after working on the yard. I grabbed the bar of soap from the dish next to the dials and began to lather myself up. I didn’t realize how tight my muscles were and began digging the soap into my upper back and shoulders, massaging the knots away.

I set the soap down and stepped under the spray. I caught a flicker of movement to the right and saw a shadow standing there, facing me. For a few seconds I didn’t respond.

“Rachel?” I called.

“Um ... yes, it’s me. Sorry I forgot to knock. I was just ... um ... grabbing your stuff to put in the wash.”

I suddenly realized that I was still quite hard and noticed that Rachel’s outline was facing toward me. Could she see me? Was she staring at me? Would she kick me out, stark naked because I had a boner in her shower?

She turned away and said, “I didn’t realize that all my pants were dirty, so you’ll have to wear my robe. Sorry. The last few weeks have been hectic and I didn’t realize how much dirty laundry I had.”

“No worries.”

Rachel left the room without anther word, quickly closing the door behind her.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in. Whatever the fuck had just happened, it seemed I was in the clear for now. I finished rinsing myself off, dried off, and, somewhat awkwardly, put on Rachel’s bathrobe.

It was too short. Much to short. In fact, it barely came halfway down my thighs. I took it off and checked the back. Victoria’s Secret. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was.

Was she trying to seduce me? Flirting with me, having me reveal myself for her enjoyment? I toyed with the idea for a minute. First, she didn’t really know my age. She knew I lived in a small house and mowed the lawn, which any young college grad could. I’d been offered beers at bars and restaurants more than once when out with older friends and family, so the notion wasn’t too far fetched.

I decided to play along. I entered her bedroom, but before I left, I decided to poke around a bit. It was only fair, considering the situation. Her dresser didn’t reveal much, aside from an excellent supply of lacy underwear and skimpy bras and she only had shoes under her bed. The table next to her bed had the basics - tylenol, gum, pens, a few magazines - and for a few moments I wondered if that was really it. I decided to press on. I’d had a friend when I was younger who’d had a deep bay window and the bench in front had opened up to be a small storage area, which we used to win countless games of hide and seek. I decided to try there.

Tiptoeing across the room, I tried to lift the bench up. No dice. I moved the pillows to see if anything was under them. Nothing there, either. I took a long, hard look at the area. One end seemed to be slightly deeper than the other and I went to the shallower end. Moving the pillow from there, I saw a small notch in the wood. Setting the pillow aside, I slid my finger into the drawer and pulled it open.

Jackpot.

Inside was a variety of ribbed, curved, and different shaped dildos. Some were long, some were wide, and some were battery operated. It was kind of shocking to see so many, but then again a girl has needs. I even noticed a few odd shaped dildos farther back and picked one up. It didn’t taper quickly like the other ones. It bulged out wide and the tapered back in. There were a few others that were bigger and smaller (but mostly bigger), and it took me a few moments to realize what they were. Butt plugs.

Holy shit! This girl is a freak!

I moved the dildos around a bit and found six total. A couple were small and could fit in the palm of my hand, while others were quite a bit larger. One had a wire running to a remote control.

And to think I’d thought this girl to be innocent and simple.

I shook my head and smiled. Maybe today would be interesting after all. Adjusting the sizable erection the last few minutes had given me, I shut the drawer, carefully replaced the pillows, and paced the room until I was flaccid once again.

With nothing left to do, I left Rachel’s room and went back downstairs. She was in the kitchen, putting the final touches on a salad and wearing an identical robe to mine, revealing mouthwatering cleavage as she turned around. I still felt a bit awkward wearing such a short robe, but I shrugged off the notion. I heard the clothes washer running toward the back and stifled a chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

“Come and sit,” she said, indicating the table. It was a hand-carved light brown circular table, with four matching chairs around it.

“I’m sorry again for the robe,” she said, putting the salad on the table. “If it makes you feel any better, I have to wear my roommate’s.”

“What’s her name?” I asked, taking a seat opposite Rachel.

“Tina. She’s two years older than me and works at the middle school, although she might get moved to the high school this year.”

Holy shit! I thought. I’d have absolutely no problem with that babe teaching me anything.

“How long have you two known each other?”

“We met in college when I was a sophomore and she was a senior. We became best friends and when she moved to grad school out here, I decided to come with her. We’re not a couple, if that’s what you’re thinking, but I realized I was kind of over that college and wanted to start fresh here. I graduated early and just finished my Master’s a few months ago.”

Smart and beautiful, I thought.

“And you picked up tutoring jocks to help pay for your accelerated timetable,” I added.

Rachel nodded. “It was the most effective way to keep up. Scholarships covered most of my tuition, but the tutoring would cover the rest and give me some pocket change.”

“Yeah, having a little pleasure money is a good thing,” I said.

Rachel raised an eyebrow and smirked, but didn’t comment on that. “What about you?” she asked. “I only just noticed you recently. Did you move here recently?”

Uh oh. She thinks I’m her age and own the house. Shit...

“Yeah. I was done with my old town and needed a new start. I ended up here and, well, aside from dropping that Ryan guy, all I’ve done is unpack and mow the lawn. Or at least try to.”

“It’s too bad I didn’t know you were mowing sooner. Otherwise I’d have been keeping a closer eye on you.”

I stopped, fork halfway to my mouth. “Oh?”

“Oh. You really have no idea about who lives around here, do you?”

“Not really.”

“Aside from Tina and myself, there are very few people living in these apartments who aren’t married with kids, married to their work, or married to life on the road. Or old rich people. And I’m all for having sex, but having an old lecher watching me doesn’t tickle my fancy. I want something real. Either the people ignore one another or their kids are all over the place causing a damn racket. That’s why it’s so nice to have a man my age walk through here.” She leaned in and smirked.

Holy shit. She’s really coming on to me.

I wasn’t really sure what to say for a moment. I mean, hell, when was the last time a hot grad student came on to you?

“You don’t have a girlfriend, do you?” Rachel asked almost too casually.

I suppressed a smile. “Not at the moment.” I hesitated before continuing. “But even if I did, you’d certainly give her a serious run for her money, whoever she was.”

“You’re certainly being heavy on the flattery.”

“I didn’t think the truth would be considered flattery.”