Ascending Lauren Ch. 21

Seconds later, several perplexed neighbors heard an engine roar to life from across the cul-de-sac. One was Ruth Nunnery who, peering over her well-trimmed hedges, saw the Millers' pickup soar backward down the driveway and screech to a stop. With tires barking, it then lurched forward and catapulted down the street.

Such strange behavior out of those two these days, she thought to herself. Maybe it's a good thing they are moving.

+++++

"Lauren."

Zane opened the door to his modest home and stuck his head out in surprise. "What brings you here?"

Although he was not expecting her, it was only logical her husband would have been with her. She'd never before visited without him. Of course, that had all been before the Ashley Date.

"Is Corey with?"

"No, he's at home," the very put-together brunette smiled. "So, aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Oh, uh yeah, sure."

Lauren followed him inside, trying to conceal her drooling over the tight tee and cute sweat bottoms he was wearing. Yet, as happy as he seemed to see her, she could detect some reluctance in his tone.

"Bad time?"

"Well, yeah kind of. I mean no, but..."

Seemingly oblivious to the answer, she stepped up and planted a kiss squarely on his lips. Not one to be shy, Zane reacted in the way any man would. He kissed her back.

Two minutes later the pair came up for air.

Lauren patted his chest. "Wow."

"Yeah," the mechanic wiped the corner of his mouth. "Um, why exactly are you here?"

Lauren pressed the wrench into his chest. "Returning your award, silly. Before it gets lost in the move. You remember THAT night, don't you?"

He cracked a nervous smile, all the while looking towards his driveway. "How could I forget?" Setting the trophy on a coffee table, he wiped his hands on the back of his sweats. "Eh, thanks."

An awkward silence permeated the air. There was an elephant in the room, and both knew it.

"Last night," Zane began cautiously, "are you sure that was the right thing to do? I mean, we were really drunk. Did he really enjoy that?"

Lauren nodded with sincerity. "Jacked off last night listening to us. And then again, this morning. In front of me."

Picardo rubbed the back of his neck. "Er, right. I'm not sure I should be hearing that."

"Why not?" Lauren replied matter-of-factly, looking at how the living room had been arranged specifically around a big screen television, like for a watch party. "You asked."

"Yeah, I gotta stop doing that."

"Expecting company?"

It didn't take long for her question to be answered. As if on cue, the front door swung open, and in walked Sean Hale and Toby Boone, each carrying a six-pack. The men were the third and fourth members of the Fearsome Four, along with Zane and Corey. Friends for decades.

"Hey bro, you ready to watch Rodriquez kick the shit out of Lane?" Toby puffed, "I got twenty he..."

The new arrivals froze as Lauren and their friend broke a tight embrace and quickly separated.

"Um...okaaaay. Hi, there Lauren," Sean gulped, eying Zane suspiciously.

"Hi, Sean. Hi Toby," she wiggled her fingers with folded arms, blushing.

Toby just grinned, then turned to Zane, "We still watching the fights, or...you got other plans?"

The mechanic frowned. "No, man, we're still on."

Lauren's eyes widened. Of course, boxing matches. She wasn't a fan but knew Corey and the guys always got together to watch.

"Oh, hey listen, don't mind me, I was just leaving."

As the beautiful office manager gathered herself to go, the men took notice of her skimpy jumpsuit and intoxicating perfume. Simply put, she was smokin'. It was Toby that spoke first. He may have been married, but that didn't mean he was dead. "Hey boys, we don't mind her staying, do we?"

Zane and Sean stood stoically as they tried to mask their gawking. They shook their heads.

"There, no good reason for you to run off, is there?" Ripping a can from the pack, Toby handed it to her. "Here, take a load off."

Lauren looked at Zane as if for permission, but he just shrugged. What's a fight without a little eye candy, he thought.

"Have a seat, first round in thirty minutes." He pointed to a plastic erase board and a magic marker on the table. "There are two fights tonight. Get your bets in now."

+++++

By the time Corey arrived in his old friend's neighborhood, he'd driven for nearly twenty minutes. He probably could have made it in half that time, but drove judiciously, waiting for the whiskey to kick in. As he rolled passed the modest house, he was surprised to see two other cars in the driveway alongside Lauren's. Braking, it slowly suddenly dawned on him whose they were.

Sean's and Toby's.

What the hell are they doing here? 

Intrigued, he decided against pulling in, but instead, continued down the block and made a right at the next corner. The side street would provide him with some anonymity, and the alley that ran the length of the eight homes on that row, some cover should he need it. Leaning against the tailgate, Corey pondered his next move.

First... why would Lauren come over here if she knew his other friends were going to be here. That made zero sense.

Or did it?

'Go where so many of your friends have gone.'

The more he contemplated that statement, the more a sinking, abysmal feeling washed over him like a cloak of doom. The connotation was so awful, so wicked that shook his head violently to try and shake the vile thought from his rattled brain.

No way. Surely, that had been just part of the tease! A way to grind his gears. There was zero chance Lauren was sleeping with Sean and Toby too, much less being here for...some twisted group thing.

Right?

+++++

Lauren browsed her phone patiently, listening to the classic rock station playing in the background while Zane, Toby, and Sean watched the pre-fight festivities on television and talked trash about each boxer. Occasionally, she could feel eyes upon her, only to look up and find one of the men looking away. All three were guilty and it happened more than once. She had to grin.

So even the married friends have wandering eyes, huh?

It was no wonder; the vertical straps that traversed her chest from neck to waist were vertically narrow, only about three inches wide, enough to barely cover her breasts while leaving most of her chest and navel exposed. A wrong move one way or the other could produce a prominent nipple slip, something the boys were surely hoping for.

How did she feel about that? It was good to be noticed, of course, and letting them look did no harm. Not that anyone but Zane would stand a chance. Judy and Shelly were her friends too, and Lauren may have been a lot of things, but a homewrecker she was not.

As the announcers continued to build excitement and boxers given last-minute instructions, she thought of Corey and why they didn't invite him.

"Hey guys, just curious. Why isn't Corey here?"

The men glanced at each other as if they had already discussed that.

"We, uh, well," Toby hemmed a bit, "we honestly thought since you were leaving soon that you would want some alone time. At least that's what Zane said."

Lauren glanced over at the biker. "Oh really?" She found it odd that he was just 'looking out for them'. More than likely, he was not yet ready to face Corey after last night. It did prove, however, that the guys had no idea of her and Corey's changing relationship. Well, two of them anyway. They fully expected the Millers to be fucking like rabbits.

Clearing her throat, the sexy executive stood and smoothed out her clothing.

"Who needs another beer?"

+++++

Corey's mind was racing a mile a minute.

Were Shelly and Judy over as well? That was plausible. Not getting an invitation kind of rubbed him the wrong way, but maybe Picardo was just feeling guilty. 

But something was off. If Zane knew Lauren was coming, why would he invite the other couples over too? Her being there without him would certainly raise a red flag.

Of course, it would. So, then the only other explanation was...

Jesus.

Settle down, dude. Think this through. No way what you think might be happening in there is. Two out of three of them were happily married.

Just like Picardo used to be.

Okay, so I need to sort this out in my head. To know for sure.

Looking behind the houses, there was plenty of darkness to get away with it. Zane's house was the fifth one down, almost in the middle of the block. If Corey could make it to the back gate, he could easily remain undetected. Any dusk to dawn lights there were had not worked for years. And he knew the house well. Doing some reconnaissance should be easy.

With a heavy sigh, he threw the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, stuffed shaking hands into faded jeans' pockets, and quickly pattered down the alley.

+++++

All three men inconspicuously bent their necks to watch Lauren Miller's ass walk away and into the kitchen. When she disappeared, Toby was the first to lean forward.

"So, you hittin' that?" he asked Zane with too much exuberance.

"Dude, not cool," Sean shook his head.

"Why? How long have we been friends? Inquiring minds want to know. C'mon Zane, give it up."

The mechanic blinked back with a perfect poker face. "Where'd you get that idea?"

Toby looked at Sean, who shrugged. "Gail. She told us about that night at Clancy's."

"Screw her. Gail don't know jack."

Toby begged to differ. "Let's see. I fucked the shit out of your wife sounds pretty conclusive, man."

"Listen, about that..." Zane frowned, clearly irritated. Unfortunately, Lauren came back into the room, ensuring that his friends would have to wait for the truth.

Leave it to Toby to remind him that he owed them an answer.

You didn't deny it, he mouthed to his pal when she wasn't looking, the corners of his mouth turning up into a broad smile. Lucky motherfucker.

+++++

"So, wait a sec," Lauren pointed at the screen, opening her fourth beer.

A young blonde in a micro-bikini was strutting around the fight ring holding a sign.

"You mean a girl comes out every intermission and bares all just to tell everyone what round it is?"

Sean chuckled. "Kind of. It's called a one-minute, but yeah, essentially."

"Why don't they just have a scoreboard like at the football games."

"Now where would the fun be in that?" Toby joked, taking another drink.

Zane agreed and fist-bumped his friend.

"Hell, I could do that," Lauren professed.

"Hah," Picardo laughed. "As if."

Lauren cocked her eyebrows. "Oh really?"

Grabbing the washable sharpie off the table, she wrote down the current round number on the betting board and stood up.

+++++

Nostrils stinging with ripe garbage, Corey dashed passed the dumpsters and trash cans until he came to a familiar garage and backyard, one in which he had shared many a drink with his best friend. In the distance, a lone dog barked, a mild threat to his presence, but not really. With a quick push, he swung open the chain-link gate and sprinted over the winter dormant lawn. This was the second time in little more than a week that he had followed Lauren to spy on her. First at Alpha Sigma Beta and now here. Feeling more like a private eye than a spurious husband, he slunk past dead bushes along the side of the home until he reached the gangway between Zane and his neighbors. Up near the front would be a tall skinny side window with a view of the living room. Sure enough, the flicker from a television could be seen filling the darkness between the two houses. Unluckily, when he arrived, the bottom sill was a foot above his head. Two minutes and a makeshift pile of landscaping rock later, he was able to peek in.

And that's when he saw his best friends... BFFs...his posse, sitting around in a circle, laughing, catcalling, and leering.

...at his wife.

There, sure as shit, was Lauren in that sexy jumpsuit, smiling and prancing around like a showgirl while shaking her ass.

And being the wife of a long-time buddy, every single one of them was looking right at it, wondering what it would be like to be so lucky.

+++++

DING, DING.

It took the peal of the round end-bell to tear the guys' eyes away from the near-perfect buttocks. Lauren seemed a little disappointed that a sweaty old fight had wrested back their attention. She vowed to rectify that.

Smiling from ear to ear, she gave each a sexy smile as she meandered to the kitchen to get another round.

The fights! Of course! Now Corey had his reason. But if true, why not invite me? The four of them always watched this shit together unless one of them was working.

Unless she was...

...the after-party entertainment?

Stop it! Just stop it!

On the television, the boxers went to their respective corners.

"Do it again," Toby toasted their personal ring girl with a big, expectant smile on his face. "Can you remind me what round it is again?" It was a clear invitation to shake her tail again.

"What are you, like twelve?" Sean asked, rolling his eyes. He liked that show as well as any man would but had to admit Corey's wife's behavior was a little erratic. And then there was that embrace when they walked in. Far friendlier than he'd want Shelly to be with Zane, that's for sure.

Lauren dismissed the comment and picked up the non-perm marker and dry-erase board. Turning around, she wrote something down, then stood in front of Toby, nearly calf to calf. He looked at the plastic still under her arm.

"Well, miss smarty pants? What round is it?"

Slowly she sank to her haunches, putting her even with his sitting crotch. With a devilish smirk, the board was revealed.

It was blank.

"Um, I think you forgot to write it down."

But she hadn't. No, not at all. With an even steamier grin, Lauren set down the placard and placed one of Toby's hands on the right front strap of her jumpsuit.

"Take a look," she glanced down at her chest, inviting him to pull.

Lauren, what are you doing? Corey scowled in the cold outside.

"Uh, oh, I..." Toby stuttered, looking between both of his pals. They simply stared back at him as his hand trembled on the material.

"Don't you want to know what round it is?" Lauren purred.

Swallowing hard, Toby pulled the polyester away from her skin. Beneath it, a small braless nipple popped out. Just above the dark areolae was the number zero.

Corey spit on the ground. I fucking knew it.

Lauren then placed his other hand on the left strap. There was no mistake in what she wanted him to do this time. He pulled that one too exposing her other tit. Above the nipple, the number 7 was written.

"Sev...seventh round. Th-thanks," Topy said, sweat forming on his brow.

Wow, Sean mouthed at Zane, who just shook his head. What's gotten into her?

Attention now reacquired, Lauren continued her tease, emboldened by beer and their reactions. The guys were doing their best to look casual about the whole thing, but the growing tents in their pants said otherwise.

"Mmm, I love this song," she said of a song that had just come on the radio.

Whether she did or not didn't matter. Rising from a squat, she began to dance sensuously around the room. Being the center of excitement these days was something she was growing quite fond of, even if it was from her husband's best friends. Somehow that made it hotter.

The fight now all but forgotten, it was hard not to notice that all eyes were on her as she began to twirl and danced sensuously around the room. Including two small beady ones peering over the windowsill.

Lauren closed her eyes and enjoyed her buzz. She felt like dancing.

Was that a crime?

+++++

"What a goddamn tart," Corey grumbled, watching his wife's hips sway and swoon seductively. SHE JUST FLASHED MY FRIENDS!

Like a wet dream, she glided through the living room, euphoric and whimsical, a witch in flight. Her body snaked suggestively, a cross between a belly dancer and a snake handler, mesmerizing the three cobras who could not take their eyes off her. With every risqué move, their heads followed, drinking in her aura, each one imagining the PTA mom naked. Unsure gazes were slowly turning into ones of longing while at the same time, she dined on the testosterone that was filling the air.

Corey snorted. This was proof it was no longer all about him. You don't even know I'm here and still you flirt. 

What a slut.

+++++

Grooving steadily to the beat, Lauren twirled methodically, hands traversing and caressing her upper body, then to her hips. Occasionally she would squat, open and close her legs, putting the stretch material to the test. From there she would spin upward, like an ice dancer ending a routine, then begin hugging herself all over again. It was sexy, erotic...

...and dangerous.

"On the mat he goes!" the announcers shouted of the forgotten bout. One of the fighters had gone down hard and the referee was now counting.

"Hell yes!" Sean broke out of the trance and jumped up realizing he'd backed the right horse in the first fight.

"Looks like you're up forty, dude," Zane tore his eyes away and high-fived his friend while handing him the three crisp twenty-dollar bills on the table.

"I'm telling' ya, Rodriquez is going to put a beating on Lane too."

"This says bullshit," Toby interjected, throwing a fifty on top of the betting sheet. Seeing Lauren's tits were great and all, but money was money.

Zane and Sean shook their heads. "No way," they argued, both showing twenty and tens to call.

"How's this work?"

The men looked at Lauren. She had taken a seat and now sat crossed-legged like a lady, arms outstretched along the back of her chair. The thin material of the bodice was gathered taut across her chest again.

"We each put in fifty," the mechanic mansplained. "If Pedro Rodriquez wins, Toby goes home with an extra hundred. If Nick Lane wins, Sean and I are up fifty each."

"Wanna play?" Toby gushed, drawing odd looks from the other guys. "What? Just trying to be inclusive."

"Sure," Lauren shrugged, "but I don't have any cash."

"That's okay, we'll figure something out."

A pregnant pause sucked the air out of the room.

"Okay, I'm in. Sounds like fun."

Given what had just happened, and any foreshadowing it may have brought, not one damn cock wasn't hard.

Both inside and outside the house.

+++++

Corey tightened the hoodie and blew tepid air into his hands. Okay, what to do?

He could leave his perch and walk in the front door, sort of 'hey bro, 'sup?' He could yank Lauren right on out of there and take her home.

But he couldn't. Something rooted him to the spot. What the hell was he there for then? To do something about this

...or just watch?

Although he couldn't quite understand what was being said inside, Sean had evidently won the bet on the first bout. The next one would be the title fight, judging from the time. Corey was wondering just how much more cold he could take when one of the stones he was standing on shifted and crumbled, throwing him to the ground.

And those dusk-to-dawn motion detectors that hadn't worked in years?

Shit.

+++++

Everyone inside the house looked toward the wall of windows when the spots came on.

"Neighbor?" Sean suggested as Zane got off his lounger and walked calmly over to where his coat hung.

"Maybe."

+++++

Bathed in blinding white light, Corey scampered for cover, jumping behind some yews big enough to hide his large frame. Holding his breath, he heard someone open a door, and then the crunch, crunch, crunch of shoes walking about on the frosty ground.

Fuck!