The Good Neighbor (15 page)

For now.

But it wouldn’t do forever. I was going to go
back over there, no matter what that damn Owen said. He didn’t
scare me. And now that I knew he was keeping watch over the broad,
I’d be better prepared next time.

And next time, I wasn’t going to settle for a
stupid diddling. I wanted it all. I would have her, completely.
Tonight might’ve eased the need to have her, but it didn’t erase
it. It was still there. The desire to be inside her, to squeeze and
bite her flesh...It was almost too much to bear.

I fished her panties out of my pocket. I gave
them a good looking-at and them brought them up and buried my face
in them. I breathed deeply through my nose, inhaling her scent. I
could feel the tingling in my crotch through the pain. I had no
doubt there would be a raging hard-on waiting to greet me in the
morning.

After things calmed down and everyone left,
Carla and I laid on the couch together. She wasn’t ready to go back
to the bed yet, and I didn’t blame her. Plus, I wasn’t tired.

I was still seething at Bernie. I didn’t want
her to see it, though. I wanted to help her calm down and I
couldn’t do that if she saw the fury in my eyes. I pulled it
together and lay with her on the couch, talking until she fell
asleep. I remained awake, mulling everything over in my mind.

I would never be able to forget the sound of
Carla’s voice when she shrieked, as she realized what was happening
or the look on Bernie’s face as he spilled his vile seed on her
bed.

I would also never forget the way Carla
looked when she bashed his groin with the golf club. She was angry
and she was standing up for herself. I was proud of her. Had she
not had the presence of mind earlier to stash weapons around the
house, who knows what would’ve happened? We wouldn’t have had a
golf club in the bedroom. I would’ve had to fight Bernie with my
fists, which I had no doubt I could easily do. But what if I hadn’t
been here tonight? If I hadn’t been here, and she hadn’t thought
ahead and put the club in the room, what would’ve happened?

I shuddered at the thought. No doubt, Bernie
would’ve raped her. The thought of his filthy body pressed against
hers made me want to go next door and finish him. I already hated
that he’d touched her. To know what would’ve happened had I not
been here made me sick.

I had no doubt that Bernie would want to come
back. He’d want to finish what he started. He wanted Carla and this
wasn’t enough to satisfy him. But surely what I’d said to him and
the beating he’d received was enough to keep him away. I knew that
he’d heard in my voice, if not seen on my face, that I was dead
serious. But would it be enough? Would it keep him away from
Carla?

I doubted it.

I dozed off sometime just before dawn. I
awoke when Carla did. She kissed me and got up to start the day,
leaving me wondering why I didn’t stay over every night. It felt
right waking up with her.

I got up and used the restroom, freshening up
before the kids came down. I washed my face and combed my hair,
trying to look presentable. I thought briefly about going home and
showering and coming back, but the thought of leaving Carla alone
scared the hell out of me.

So I asked Carla if she’d come to my house
while I did what I had to do.

“Sure,” she agreed. I watched her pour the
kids each a bowl of cereal. She did her best to act as if nothing
had happened. She didn’t want to scare the kids. I guessed she
probably didn’t even want me to know how bad this upset her. But I
had some idea.

After breakfast, we all walked down to my
house. I noticed Carla intentionally avoid looking at Bernie’s
house. She brought her head up and stiffened her shoulders, but she
never even glanced in his direction. It made me smile to see her
pride prevail over her fear. She was stronger than I’d given her
credit for. I wondered if maybe she wasn’t putting on a brave
front. Maybe she was really okay.

The three of them stayed downstairs while I
showered and dressed upstairs. It was good to hear laughter in the
house. It had been so long.

We ended up staying the day at my house. We
played board games with the kids, we watched cartoons, we had lunch
on the back patio, and at the end of the day, we ordered pizza for
dinner and watched a movie.

The kids each fell asleep in the chairs they
were sitting in. I retrieved blankets from the linen closet and
covered them.

Carla and I sat for a while on the couch,
looking at the television but not really watching it.

“How am I going to get them home now?” Carla
asked, referring to the sleeping children.

I laughed. “Who said you’re going home?”

She looked at me and smiled. “You want me to
stay?”

“Of course I want you to stay.” It was true.
I did want her to stay, even though it would be difficult. After
all, we’d be sleeping in the same bed Holly and I had slept in. In
the off chance that Carla was up to it, we’d even be making love
there. It would be odd and slightly uncomfortable perhaps, but it
was certainly what I wanted.

Carla kissed me passionately, which led to us
calling it a night. We turned off the TV and all the lights except
for a lamp before heading upstairs.

Carla took her clothes off, all of them. I
wasn’t sure she would, but she did. I did the same. We got in bed
and lay there in each other’s arms for a long time, not speaking. I
wasn’t sure what to say, but it didn’t matter. I was content with
no words being exchanged. With her, silence was just as good and
fulfilling as intent conversation.

“You don’t mind if we skip doing anything
tonight, do you?” In her voice, I heard a type of reluctance, as if
she were afraid I’d be mad at her for not wanting to have sex.

“No, I don’t mind. Don’t be silly. We don’t
have to do that all the time, you know. And after last night, I
wouldn’t blame you if it was a while before you wanted to do it
again.”

I felt her relax against me once she realized
that I wouldn’t be mad at her. It bothered me a little that she had
thought that at all, but I could understand. I felt better knowing
that now she knew she was what was important to me, not the
lovemaking.

I lay there in the dark holding Carla. I
could tell by her shallow breathing she’d fallen asleep.

Now all I had to do was slip out without
waking her or the kids.

I grabbed my clothes quietly and took them
downstairs where I dressed in silence, determined to not wake Carla
or the kids. Without a sound, I slipped out of the house and into
the night.

I was exhausted. I had dozed off at Carla’s
before Bernie’s crap, and I had just barely fallen asleep on the
couch before day broke. A total of about two or three hours sleep
at best. I needed sleep. I wanted sleep. It would get my sleeping
schedule back on track finally.

But first, I had things to do.

I yawned as I walked down the street to
Carla’s house. I wanted desperately to get back to my cozy bed and
snuggle up with a naked Carla.

No lights were on in any of the houses at
this end of the street. I wasn’t surprised. It was late, just after
midnight. In a town of twelve thousand people, there wasn’t much to
do after midnight.

I went around to the back door, the same door
Bernie had broken into. I saw the damage he’d caused. It didn’t
prevent the door from closing or locking, but a light push opened
it right up.

I shut the door behind me and went through
the house, turning on a light to examine the room, and then turning
the light off before going to the next room. I couldn’t see any
other damage he’d caused. I didn’t really figure I would find
anything broken or missing. I had a clear impression that he’d only
broken in for one reason. And had I not been here with her, he’d
have gotten exactly what he wanted. And if that had happened...I
didn’t want to think about that.

I yawned as I walked upstairs, led only by
the light of the streetlamps that came through the windows.

I shuddered when I saw Carla’s bed. The
memory of Bernie’s face as he ruined her bed covers was burned into
my mind. Before, looking at her bed brought wonderful images to
mind, but not now. Bernie had ruined it. It was no wonder Carla
didn’t want to sleep in this bed. I wondered if she ever would. I
also wondered if she had nightmares of Bernie touching her. Maybe
she was having a nightmare right now.

I hurried to finish what I had to do so I
could get back to her.

I clicked the light on in Carla’s bedroom and
saw she had already stripped the bed of the linens ruined by the
monster next door. They were at the foot of the bed in a heap. I
knew she wanted them burned, but I would put them in trash bags and
set them at the curb. I didn’t think it mattered whether they were
burned, as long as they were gone. I was as eager to be rid of them
as she was.

I found some fresh blankets and sheets and
put them on the bed. I knew it wouldn’t erase the memory of what
happened, but it was a start.

I flicked off the light and picked up the
heap of ruined linens. I yawned again as I walked out of the
bedroom.

I was halfway down the stairs when I heard
it.

I didn’t need the screwdriver I’d brought me
with me to open the door so I tucked it in my back pocket.

My excitement grew as I crept through the
house. I made a little noise in the kitchen when I opened a drawer
and removed the largest knife I could find. The clink of the
silverware was deafening in the still house, but surely only to
me.

It had been so exciting last night to fondle
her while she slept. It would’ve been even better to be inside her
as she woke.

Even though she’d dealt a nasty blow to my
privates, I’d still managed to keep a boner most of the day. That
boner now throbbed and tingled, knowing what was getting ready to
happen. It was time to take care of it.

I headed upstairs.

I heard a noise downstairs and froze in my
tracks. My mind raced. I knew it had to be Bernie. Who else would
it be?

I carefully and quietly headed back to
Carla’s bedroom, still carrying the dirty linens. I looked around
the room, trying to come up with a plan of action.

I arranged the dirty linens on the bed, under
the clean blankets, to appear to be a woman sleeping. It wasn’t
perfect, but I knew it would fool Bernie. He was always half-drunk,
and horny enough to not pay attention to the details. This would
work. It had to.

I had no weapon. The golf club had remained
downstairs with us last night. I had only my fists, but I was sure
that would be enough.

I slipped into the closet and closed the door
almost completely. I left a crack so I’d be able to see the right
time to pounce.

I struggled to keep my heart from beating out
of my chest and keep my breathing steady.

Now, I waited.

I slowly pushed open the bedroom door, hoping
like hell it didn’t squeak to give me away. I wanted to surprise
her like I had last night. I wanted her to know nothing until she
opened her eyes and stared up into mine as I was banging her.

I stood beside the bed, undetected so far,
and thought of what I wanted to do to her and how I would do it.
There were so many things and so many ways, it would take all night
to do them all. Did I have all night? I didn’t know.

I quietly stripped down to nothing. I stood
beside the bed, naked, holding a knife. My heart was pounding with
excitement.

I reached down and felt my dick. I was ready.
I was more than ready. I’d never experienced this level of horny
before. Not even last night, when I came on her bed was I this
horny. I think the pain that came with the hard-on added to this
new level of desire.

I felt that animal urge building in me again.
It was stronger this time. There was no way I’d be able to fight
it. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t want to fight it. I wanted to
let it consume me. I wanted to step aside and let this urge take
over and do what it wanted to do to this whore.

I wanted to do as much as I could without
waking her. I wanted to violate her in every way, but I wanted her
to remain asleep until things were well under way. If she woke
before I had started, she would fight me. I was sure she was going
to fight me anyway, but it would be harder to do if I was already
on her and things were already happening.

The thought of her under me, struggling, only
turned me on more. I felt my dick throb as I imagined her wiggling
around under me, beating my chest with her fists, screaming and
crying.

I stepped closer to the bed.

I could smell her again. I could smell the
same scent that was in her panties, only not as strong.

The room didn’t smell of sex this time. I
wouldn’t be wallowing in Owen’s gunk. He hadn’t done her tonight.
It would be all mine. That thought made me shudder. I could wait no
longer.

I leaned over and pulled the blanket gently
down her body.

I stood in the closet for several minutes,
waiting. I was getting uneasy. Nothing was happening.

If I left the closet now, I chanced running
into Bernie and would lose my surprise attack strategy. The
surprise was what I’d been counting on.

I decided to chance it.

I slowly opened the closet door.

No one.

I walked out of the bedroom, looking around
carefully. Still no one.

I walked downstairs, pausing on each step to
listen for any sound the house had to offer, but hearing
nothing.