An Unlikely Gentleman Ch. 06

I'd like to thank LadyVer for sticking with my writing, editing all the stories in this series.

Danielle avoided me, which made me feel too many things at once.

I needed to apologize, but living next door to each other wasn't helpful. Since she went out of her way to not talk to me, I could only see her from my window. Any time I'd go out to talk to her, she'd immediately disappear, or simply ignore me. Childish. But it did hurt.

There were other things I felt and didn't understand, and it wasn't that I was lying to myself; it was that I truly didn't understand my reactions, or hers. For a guy who thinks of himself as at least mildly smart, I wasn't sure what to do.

I had been told it'd be a week. That didn't make the wait any shorter. Daily, I went over to check the mailbox on the first floor because there was only one possibility of getting anything other than "you're eligible for a new credit card" in the mail. Day after day, and still nothing. Finally, a small, simple envelope arrived. Since I did everything electronically and had all bills e-mailed to me, I knew for sure what the envelope contained.

I skipped all the medical jargon that meant zilch to me and went straight for the results.

I sighed with relief about the lack of STDs. I had thought I'd never have to go through that since my sex life before all the Danielle-friend-circle thing was pretty much average for a young single guy. I had flings, but not a long series of one-night stands, which meant that if Danielle were clean, I had no sickness to fear, and neither did she.

I just hoped she was on the pill. The moment I thought that, I had a flashback to the sensation of her pussy squeezing my bare cock and I shuddered with the remembered pleasure. It was wrong. And of course, that meant it was hotter. Dante, you have no shame.

After leaving the papers in my drawer, I felt like going out again to breathe some air.

First time I had ever taken such a test. The all-clean results made me feel like I used to when getting a passing grade on a difficult subject in college, not knowing beforehand if I had done well enough on the exam. I felt liberated from a weight I hadn't realized I'd been carrying.

Soon, I once again immersed myself in thoughts of Danielle.

It had been a while ago and only once, but I relived it without even trying. It had been something way beyond sex. I still was mystified by the connection we shared, as though our beings synchronized every time we touched. I didn't need to think hard to understand her. Which meant I also knew that if Danielle and I could have any future together beyond simply fucking, it wasn't going to be easy. She and I were—

"Earth to Dante, over."

"Angelica, what's up?"

"Nothing compared to what's happened to you, I see." She smiled, and I knew she knew.

"Did she tell you?"

"No, but I can see it. You took your damn time, you know?"

It started to make sense.

Angelica had been pushing Danielle and me together for a while. It had been subtle, going beyond the short comments that she made when she spoke to me, including how she had never stopped whatever happened between Danielle and me when we shared those tense moments—unlike Trish. I didn't ask her how she knew, but rather, the question that I actually wanted the answer to. If she took matters into her own hands to make it happen, that question was, "why?"

"Because you've been drooling over her all this time. Well, you don't drool, but I've gotten to be able to read your moods," Angelica admitted. I was OK with her knowing how to discern my expressions. "Also, because we can't."

True enough. She was referring to the fact that we didn't work as a couple. Couldn't work. I sensed she wasn't done talking, however, so I let her continue.

"And because Danielle is more complex than you'd think. She has weird needs—even more so from a man. If you aren't good at anticipating female ways of acting... but you can manage. You're smart enough and intense enough." Then she winked. "It does help that she finds you hard to resist."

Angelica was starting to sound like a fortune cookie, making allusions and not being clear about them, but I was learning more than I had been able to until then. Danielle, like me, didn't always freely give out personal information. For some reason, I didn't normally feel like asking, but rather, waiting until she offered it.

"She thinks she's ready and she's not. She needs time, but she needs you there. Don't jump to conclusions, and don't go too crazy with what's going to happen, but don't back off too much either. Enough space and time for both of you will work well in the end. Just don't let her cling on you quickly."

I mimicked shaking a Magic 8-Ball. "It isn't clear."

"You'll live." Angelica winked at me again and walked away.

I noticed then that we were in the park.

I'd been walking to the store on my daily trip. The spot where we were was halfway through the walk. Which meant that the exotic girl had actually gone out of her way to meet with me and tell me all the obfuscated truths. So, an absolutely inexpressive, unpredictable young man and woman who had been taught that a strong personality was wrong...

Apparently, my friends had a knack for being unusual.

***

The good news behind the test was refreshing, but that didn't stop me from noticing that Danielle dropped off the radar. Although her car was parked in her spot every day, my neighbor was not to be seen. I didn't hear her even through the thin wall between our apartments; not even faint piano notes were heard.

What was worse, this thing for my neighbor wasn't a subtle desire. Each day I felt more and more like a junkie in need of a fix. Was Danielle actually spying on me before leaving or arriving at her apartment? It seemed like a possibility after so long without even a glimpse of her.

Friday came along.

I was given less work than usual, so anything that came my way was quickly taken care of. I hadn't gotten any new ideas from Hernán, just more simple tasks like double-checking that the company logo and image guidelines on some posters had been followed properly.

As I checked the slogan below the logo, I thought about my neighbor. It was infuriating being obsessed like a teen with a crush while trying to work. It was too much for me. After that, it was just a matter of emailing back and forth with the people in charge of printing as my mind raced with thoughts that weren't work-related.

Three o'clock. I handed everything in and hinted at my leaving early unless there were other plans. Hernán backed me up, as always, saying I'd done everything he'd needed for the day. He had been behaving more and more like a friend, but he was nervous.

And then it happened. As I was about to leave, Hernán approached me.

"Dante... you've been kept out of the loop."

"How is that?"

"You're acting too laid back, and I haven't seen you search for a job. Remember, I told you?" Hernán paused.

A void appeared in my stomach, growing bigger with every passing second. He had already made a hushed comment about his checking out other jobs, suggesting that I do the same.

Hernán was shy though. I thought he had been fed up with the job and was looking to change. I didn't actually expect a hidden warning to be in his comments. Processing the information, I stared at my co-worker as he continued in a low volume.

"I'm guessing you haven't heard the news. There's a company that is planning to invest heavily in this one, and although they have a lot of shared departments, they only mentioned that their marketing area was big enough to handle both companies. It's strange. Just before the offer happened, this person came over asking for you, so I had thought you'd be safe. Apparently, we both might lose our jobs."

I hadn't heard. I then understood the downside of keeping yourself out of any friendly contact at work, of keeping one's professional life strictly job-related.

Fuck.

There was only one person I could think of that could be behind this. Apparently, calling a grown woman names was enough to risk a job. The vindictive little Sarah, whom I had offended a few weeks back, was probably behind this. I doubted she could alter a whole company just to get back at me for a petty comment. It would be too far-fetched and childish, a complete over-reaction.

That being said, I didn't know what kind of money she had; neither did I know her personality. So this could be an elaborate bluff or a serious act of spite taken to the extreme.

It was probably the last straw. A few minutes later, I was checking for jobs online and had sent out a few e-mails with my résumé.

To overload my brain, I had unwittingly decided to hunt Danielle down. I was thinking about strategies on how to catch my hot and elusive neighbor when Galahad's text reached me.

"Bro! Flying over for the weekend, doing the Propeller thing."

My brother was the distraction I needed from everything. It had been days since I had seen Danielle and work had just taken a turn for the worse. This thing with my brother would be good. Every now and then his ex-band would get together and play. They were good, maybe not super-star good, but pretty damn good, enough to have been offered more than once to sign up with a major label. Unfortunately, it had never worked; some members thought it was too risky to leave a steady job to pursue an elusive dream. So the Propeller, the bar that had already seen me a few times this last month, would be full on the weekend since the band still had some following.

I texted Danielle.

"Want to go to a rock show? My treat." It was surprising to me that she answered. I was expecting the same treatment from her.

"Is it ok if I bring friends?"

I assumed she didn't trust herself around me just yet. I answered right away, maybe even too quickly, showing how desperate I was. Pathetic. "I'll bring mine, too."

"I'm so there."

Of course, I went hard. Why not? Receive a text, get aroused. The kind of thing that happens when it comes to Danielle.

***

The Propeller was more crowded than I had expected. Overshadowed had quite the following for a band that was only performing at infrequent, random times.

That particular night, there were four bands in total, but many were there for Galahad's. Even I knew a few of the people there. Maybe not by name, but I had seen them a few times already. My friends Pan, Maria, Alice, and Ralph were with me. We snatched a pair of adjacent tables since we were expecting some crowding.

Talking lightly, although it was mostly Ralph and Alice doing the actual speaking, the minutes went by.

I chastised myself when, for the fifth time, I silently asked the universe if Danielle would show up. I knew that my anxiousness didn't show externally. There were only the subtle signs that people that had known me for a long time could read.

The rock bar still had legal capacity for more people, and the owners were about to push its limits since the place was starting to fill beyond the usual crowd. I assumed that one of the bands was a fairly new and popular one since I didn't recognize the name.

Finally, near the corner, I saw Clarissa, Angelica, Janet, and Danielle looking for us.

My hot neighbor wore some kind of skirt that wasn't entirely formal, but not too laid back, which accentuated her hips marvelously. She was also wearing some kind of skin-colored stockings or maybe pantyhose that made her legs look like a ballerina's. A t-shirt that had some cutesy skulls didn't give her the whole appearance of being a rocker. Maybe it was a bit too girly, but it worked for her. The rest of her friends took on a more serious tone when dressing up to be in tune with the surroundings.

"So you banged all of them?"

"Ralph, come on—"

"I mean, your record is looking good. Dibs on anyone?"

"Ralph," I said again. But I saw that my friend was serious. "Actually, just leave the neighbor alone."

"Can I bang Rihanna? Or are you hogging them all for yourself?"

"Her name is Angelica, and you can try, but I think it's not gonna work. I don't think she looks like Rihanna, for that matter, but—whatever."

Ralph continued evaluating his possibilities aloud, making comments that were sometimes not too respectful. Pan, Maria, and Alice looked at the exchange, already used to such inappropriate banter from him since Ralph was able to pull it off without looking like an ass. He had that touch; he could say something utterly insulting, but his smile and ways won you over.

I waved to the girls.

They came over, making their way through the crowd.

Instantly, Ralph was all over Angelica, and while the guy looked like an underwear model, he needed to be a bit sharper to win over the exotic woman. He was shot down, hard. Numerous times. For all his charisma, it was evident he wasn't utterly bright, and I knew Angelica's type by then. Also, the woman looked out of place. She constantly made it evident with her expression.

Only after a while did Ralph notice that Clarissa, the Asian girl next to him, was looking at him, starry-eyed. His predatory grin grew wider.

Danielle made small talk for a while and came closer to me when Lorelai and Hunter arrived, giving them enough space. It was more contact than I could account for in the previous days, but I wanted more out of her. Way more.

A tattooed arm closed around my neck and I stayed immobile, rolling my eyes and sighing, maybe too much like the stereotypical older brother.

"Glad you could make it, Devil," my brother's baritone voice greeted me.

"Devil?" Danielle looked suitably afraid.

"Galahad here tries to give me nicknames, but they don't stick. I think this one is from a video game."

"Devil May Cry!"

"That one."

Danielle smirked with what I think was recognition. Since I don't play video games, I don't know if she got the reference or saw how I could be related to Devil May Cry.

My brother chatted with us for a while. Although he didn't look particularly interested in any of our female friends, he was a total man slut. I knew his style. He'd do the rock star thing and then hunt the girl down, but he'd study the whole place before focusing his attempts on anyone.

The first band came up on stage and started playing. They were a punk-oriented quartet with a violin who I guess wanted to be another Yellowcard. Not bad, but nothing awe-inspiring.

That, however, wasn't my priority. I didn't sit idle.

Knowing the table blocked the view—and Danielle was next to me—I placed my hand on her knee. Cute in her conservative reaction, my neighbor sat up, stiff. I smirked, still caressing her knee. From the sly look that Galahad gave me, he knew I was trying something.

For as long as the band played—and they did play 'Firewater,' covering Yellowcard—I was busy inching higher on Danielle's leg.

When I reached a spot around her mid-thigh, she stopped me. I backed down slightly but continued caressing her. She was talking with Pan and Maria. I nodded every now and then, making comments in Galahad, Janet, and Angelica's conversation while both Danielle and I pretended nothing was happening.

We were all letting Ralph and Clarissa figure out if they were into each other enough. Clarissa was easy to impress. I raised my eyebrow towards Ralph who subtly flexed his biceps for her every now and then, showing his huge physique for the tiny girl. It was working.

The second band came up and Galahad said he had to leave, that the band needed to warm-up before going up onstage and that he was taking too long.

The band currently onstage went for a mellower sound overall. I would've described it as an indie band that went for the typical acoustic, alternative sound, but with a hint of Bon Jovi in it. The Propeller was a rock bar; they didn't show any bands that didn't have some aggressiveness.

The conversation changed. Now we were all talking among ourselves as much as one can in a rock place, leaving only Ralph and Clarissa in their own private bubble. But I had more important matters to see to.

My hand inched up again, and little by little, I covered more ground.

Suddenly, my fingers felt a different texture, and I knew I had reached that spot right between her legs. Her pussy lips had only the flimsy material of the pantyhose separating us.

I groaned when I made the discovery—no panties!—and Danielle became flustered. She stopped my hand and pulled back slightly. Content with pressing my fingertips all around the area that I was given access to, I kept going, just a fraction of an inch away from her pussy lips. I pressed and caressed, enjoying her look of guilt and pleasure.

The second band's turn was over. There were murmurs of expectation all around the bar.

It was then I noticed that the conversation had ended, of course, in sex. Even Clarissa and Ralph were into it, and thank goodness it was a more mature talk, not a giggling, prepubescent approach towards it. Okay, there were giggles every now and then, but not the dorky, awkward ones that made you want to roll your eyes.

Delightfully tense looks were exchanged every now and then around the table. The electric charge of sexual tension was definitely in the air.

Out of the blue, the silence was total, so we turned to look at the stage.

Overshadowed was making its entrance. My brother had removed his shirt to show off his tattooed arms and body. Since he enjoyed parkour and everything similar to snowboarding, skateboarding, and surfing, there was no doubt he was in shape. Covered with old Russian-styled depictions of folk tales our parents used to read to us, you could spot Vasilisa the Beautiful and Emelya and the Pike, among others.

Sail, the guitarist, came on stage and the murmurs returned, low and tense. Ed, the bassist, and then Paul, the second guitarist, appeared next. Galahad looked around in triumph but didn't introduce the band. Neither did he ask how everybody was doing that night. He marked the tempo, and they started playing immediately.

Again, it was incredible to see them live. Galahad managed to sing and play drums, and Sail was the background vocals just when needed. My little brother was outdoing himself, and I felt proud. The music was more aggressive than the previous bands, but not overly so.

Danielle's resistance wavered, and I slid my hand to massage her pussy through the thin fabric. The intake of breath wasn't audible over the songs, but I saw it clearly. I touched her as much as I could, the magnetism between us still there. I was almost fingering Danielle in the middle of the bar, delighted in the whole naughty situation. My neighbor couldn't believe it. She was trying to act nonchalant, but the rush was evident.

I felt her getting wetter and wetter. She was probably whimpering as my hands worked feverishly right in front of our friends. I think she was about to come, when Overshadowed said they were about to end their show, that it was going to be their last song.

Danielle went still, terrified of being heard, but I didn't stop. My other finger poised itself against my lips. I silently indicated for her to be quiet, rubbing her through the fabric quickly and feeling her about to come again. My efforts became more frantic.

I leaned over to whisper into her ear. "Pretend to say something into my ear so nobody sees you come."

She immediately covered her face with my profile. I heard her moan softly, then whimper, then gasp, and I felt her tremble. I was hard as a rock, but I smirked, knowing I had done it. It probably looked as if whatever she was telling me had been amusing.

The crowd cheered for the band as they came down the stage.

I separated my hand from Danielle and discreetly brought it up to my face. I feigned thinking about something, with my hand near my mouth, but I let Danielle see I actually licked her juice off my lips.