Boy Next Door (Parkside Avenue Book #2) (2 page)

“Anything but, Bro, anything
but.” He slapped me on the shoulder and steered me inside. “Mind you, if you’re
into that kind of thing, I know a few joints. Great places to pick up the chicks.
It’s surprising how many of them are up for proving they can straighten you
out.” His eyebrows shot up. “Gotta admit, I’ve let a few of them think they have.”

I laughed, undecided as to
whether I believed him or not. “Maybe next time.”

Inside the club, the smoky atmosphere
hit me like a gas cloud. Had they not heard of the smoking ban? “Christ, does anyone
ever get out of here alive?” I asked.

“You’ll get used to it,” Kendrick
said. “Pete, the owner, has chain smoked for years. Doesn’t give a damn about
the penalties. He’s cool. It’s one of the reasons it’s so popular here.” He
lifted a Doc Marten onto the metal footrest and leaned over the bar. “That and
the back room poker.”

My interest piqued. Kendrick had
no idea what an intriguing snippet of information he’d revealed. Poker was rife
at uni, and I’d learned fast. Not only had my winnings provided beer money, but
I’d stashed a good amount in the bank too. Mum’s life insurance had taken care
of my student loans, and there was even a bit left over. I figured with a few
years of hard graft, I’d have enough to buy the patch of land, before I reached
thirty. But if I could get a few games in here, perhaps I could reach my goal
sooner than I thought. “Ever been in?”

“Where?”

“The back room.”

“Couple of times. Lucked out,
though. There’re some serious dudes in there, Bro. And serious consequences for
those who don’t pay up. Got my nose busted open for owing a twenty. You play
poker?”

“Doesn’t everyone? Can you get me
in?”

“Invite only.”

Figured as much. “So, who did you
have to shag?”

“Fuck off. Everyone loves me
here.” The barman slammed two bottles of beer in front of us and snatched the waiting
note. Rick picked up his bottle and nodded at the other. “Grab that and rack
‘em up.”

Chapter Two

Three beers and two games later,
we were in the middle of the decider.

“Hey there, sexy.” A girl, with
more flesh on show than she had covered, sidled up to Kendrick. Her long, black
hair flowed in waves down her bare back, stopping short of her hip hugging
skirt. She wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a more than friendly
kiss on his cheek.

“Hey yourself,” Kendrick replied.
“I thought you were grounded. Did you get time off for good behaviour?”

“Me, good behaviour? Get real. I
snuck out.”

“Lucky me.” His eyes drank in the
girl’s cleavage as he talked. “You here for some action?”

I could spot a slut at ten paces,
and I leaned back against the pool table, watching, as she trailed a finger
down Kendrick’s chest. Evidently I’d been wrong about his skills, even if he
had hooked up with a tramp. The way she draped her body over his did more than
suggest she was a regular fuck-buddy, and even though alley catting isn’t my
scene, I had to admire his style.

“I could be, but I’m here with
Tina. She’s at the bar getting the drinks in,” she said.

“And if I sort Tina out?”

“I am
not
sharing you.”

“Actually, I was talking about my
brother, newly back from uni and looking for company.” Great, Bro. Thanks for labelling
me a loser who can’t pick up his own skirt.

“Brother? I didn’t know you had a
brother, Rick.”

Kendrick cocked his chin in my
direction. “Johnny, meet Lexi. Lexi, Johnny.”

I held up a palm in silent
greeting.

Lexi angled her head and ran the
tip of her tongue over her teeth. “Hmm. I might be willing to re-think the
sharing thing on my part. I see your family went halves on the good looks.”

Kendrick slapped her butt cheek. “You
really are a little slut, aren’t you?”

“Oh, baby.” Lexi pouted. “Have I
hurt your feelings? I didn’t realise you wanted exclusivity.”

“You haven’t. And I don’t.” He
pulled her closer and they locked lips.

Tina arrived with the drinks,
walking past me without a glance. She nudged one at Lexi. “Jeez, Lex. I thought
we’d come for a quick game. Don’t say you’re leaving me hanging again?” She
stood tapping her foot until the couple broke contact.

“Course not,” Lexi said,
accepting her drink. “You can have a booty call too. Rick has a brother.” She
looked over Tina’s shoulder and smiled at me.

I studied my potential date. Not
conventionally pretty, and certainly not my usual type, this girl was all skin
and bone, long and lean, no curves at all. Only her fluffy, fake fur jacket,
prevented her looking like a stick stuck into black, scuffed stilettos.

Her red hair flew out, like a
flag blowing at the top of a flagpole, as she swung around to greet me. “Hi,
Rick’s brother. How’s it hanging?” she asked, her gaze travelling down to my
jeans, and spending a moment too long there, before reverting to my face.

“Can’t complain.”

As she downed half of her drink
in one long mouthful, I found myself wondering what else she could fit in that
wide mouth. Yeah, it was definitely time to get laid by an actual woman again.
I’d almost forgotten what one felt like. It wasn’t as if I’d climbed on the leg-over
wagon, but after one too many one-night stands, at uni, I’d realised that getting
off for a few minutes, or an hour, relieves the frustrations but gains no
lasting satisfaction. Sleeping around just wasn’t my scene. It was time to find
that elusive, meaningful love: the kind my parents shared, the destructive kind
that ends badly more often than it works out. I was ready. I wanted it. Tina
wasn’t it. But it didn’t hurt to take what was on offer, and Tina was
definitely offering. One last random shag could be just what I needed. The game
was a bust anyway. Kendrick had Lexi up against the wall, greedily partaking of
every inch of her exposed caramel flesh.

Tina inched closer. “So, where
you been hiding, then?”

“Uni.”

“Brainbox, huh? That mean you’re
gonna get one of those city toff jobs and earn loads of dosh?” She threw her
head back, laughing, like one of those boxed clowns at the funfair: a horsey
laugh with little snorts at the end.

“Nah, not my style, babe.”

She raised a sceptical brow,
finished her drink, and lit a cigarette. Was I the only one who didn’t smoke
around here? “You wanna go somewhere?” she asked, chewing on a piece of gum
like a cow chewing cud.

“Like where?”

“Anywhere. You choose.”

“How about your place?”

“Still live with my folks and
three baby sisters.” She paused for a second. “Guys usually wanna go to Crown
Point.”

Yeah, I bet
. “I don’t have
wheels yet.”

“Your house?”

It was past midnight, and Pappa’s
hearing wasn’t what it used to be. I pictured him snoring heavily in his bed.
We might get away with the sofa, if she was quiet. It was worth a shot, and
better than taking her up against the side alley wall surrounded by discarded
kebab trays and yesterday’s empty beer bottles.

“I’m bunking with my grandfather.
I guess it would be okay. But no screaming.”

Her eyes twinkled. “You usually
make girls scream?”

“Don’t get too excited. You want
something. I want something. I’m not out to impress.”

Tina shrugged; clearly not out to
impress me, either.

***

Arriving at the end of Pappa’s
driveway, I was puzzled to see the living room light still glowing. Didn’t all
old folk crash early? Perhaps he’d left on the bulb as a welcome home, or
fallen asleep in his chair.

“Wait here,” I whispered.

I crept up to the window and
peered through a gap in the curtains. The standard lamp lit up Pappa’s spot,
and there he was, newspaper and pen in hand, scribbling away. Shit. Who does a
fucking crossword in the middle of the night? I contemplated sneaking Tina past
him and up to my room, but there was always the chance he might see, and this
girl wasn’t worth upsetting Paps for. I turned to Tina. “The old man’s still
awake. Some other time, maybe.”

“Not so fast, buster. Don’t you
know it’s bad form to get a girl all worked up and drop her without so much as
a fumble? What about the garage?”

Fuck me. She was desperate to get
some. “It’s locked, and I don’t have a key.”

“Round the back then?”

I thought for a moment. “There’s
a shed.”

“Perfect.”

A few minutes later, I had Tina
pressed up against the wooden slats next to the plant pots. She had her hand up
my shirt, running those huge lips over my stomach faster than a whip crack, and
I had to admit, it felt kinda good. Wet, but good. In the dark, I tried to put
another face to my date, but the only one I could conjure up was Cora’s. A bevy
of beauties out there, and all that came to mind was somebody’s frigging
mother. I pulled Tina’s head level with mine and kissed her hard, imagining her
friend Lexi instead. At least Lexi was young and pretty. I wouldn’t have minded
going there for the night, if Kendrick hadn’t staked his claim first. Tina
responded with enthusiasm, prising my lips open with her tongue and thrusting
inside. She tasted of cigarettes. Old, musty cigarettes. I imagined it must be
a similar experience to lick a dirty ashtray. Not that I’d ever tried it, even
in my most drunken of moments. Tina’s mouth was as big as her lips suggested,
and I struggled to keep up with it. An episode of tonsil tennis was normally
all it took to get me geared up for the main action, and yet, things were oddly
quiet down there. My dick obviously found Tina as unattractive as my eyes did. It
was time to get things moving.

Raising my hands from her waist,
I headed for her tits, but they were so flat, it felt like I was touching up a
freaking boy. She let out a moan. She liked it. Me, not so much. Even thumbing
her nipples brought no response where it was needed. This was gonna be a tough
call. I couldn’t have her opening that big mouth of hers and spreading it
around town that I couldn’t get it up.

Her hands moved further under my T-shirt,
pushing it up until I let her slip it over my head. Then her lips smoothed over
my pecs, and she fumbled with my fly, opening it and pushing my jeans past my
hips. My dick flopped into her hand.

“You’re not ready.” She sounded
disappointed.

I shrugged. “Probably the beer.”

“Hmm.” She glanced up for a
second before looking down again. “Let’s see if we can get things moving, shall
we?” Her fingers set to work, and my blood pumped. “Must be wearing off,” she
said. “It’s stiffening.”

Couldn’t she just shut the fuck
up? I was finally gaining traction, but her voice was killing the mood. I
pushed on her shoulders, and she got the message.

Yeah, that’s right, rubber
lips, down you go. Ahh
.

Thankfully, that mouth was good
for something after all, and I was hard in seconds. Thinking about Cora’s ass
in her skintight shorts helped. What was it about that woman? Pappa and Kendrick
had both succumbed to her charms and now she was wheedling her way under my
skin too. But hell, at least something was working, and I’d take what I could
get.

“I think that’s done the trick,”
she said with a note of satisfaction. “My turn.”

What the fuck?
If she
thought I was going down on her, she could forget it. My tongue was not going
to the same place I imagined dozens of dicks in town had. I grabbed her by the
shoulders and flipped her around to bend over the potting bench.

“Whoa there. Not so rough,” she
protested.

“Sorry.” I reached under her
skirt and yanked down her panties. I needed to get the job done before she
softened my wood with her voice.

With one hand on her bare ass, I rooted
for my wallet with the other.

“Hurry up,” Tina shouted.

“Can you just be quiet for one
damn minute? I’m trying to find a rubber.” I always kept one on me, just in
case. I prayed it wasn’t out of date.

“I’m on the pill.”

“Good for you.” Girls lied about
that kind of thing. I knew. My best buddy at uni had been caught out like that,
and I’d be damned if I was going to let it happen to me. Besides, when you go
swimming with sharks, you need a strong cage.

When I thrust into her, she
gasped, and her nails scraped over the tabletop, but she bent her knees and
rocked against me, encouraging a faster rhythm. Tina could fuck. Bonus. Steadying
the pace, I focused on building to release, feeling bad that I didn’t fancy the
girl, but hey, she was getting what she wanted, just as much as I was. Trouble
was, as I rammed harder, and the pressure built, my thoughts were honed on one
thing. Cora’s ass.

Chapter Three

It was almost lunchtime when I
crawled out from under the bedspread and moseyed down to the kitchen. I poured
a glass of juice and gazed through the window as I drank. The sun was out, and Pappa
was pruning the hedge, with Smokey laid out at his feet, black fur shimmering
in the breeze. I went outside to say good morning.

When he saw me, Smokey wagged his
tail, jumped up, and ran around my legs. I stroked his back as I asked, “Need a
hand, Paps?”

“Oh, morning, son.” Pappa looked
flushed and was panting from the exertion. “It would be wonderful if you could
save me stretching. Grab those ladders over there and start on the top, if you
would. There’s another pair of shears in the shed, at least there should be. I
was actually in two minds about whether to call the police or not. The shed
appears to have been broken into, last night.”

Yeah, by a horny couple
. “What
makes you say that?” I asked, opening the shed door.

“Stuff everywhere, tools on the
floor which I know I hung up, broken plant pots, and they made a right mess of
my potting bench. Haven’t found anything missing, though. Very strange.”