Tracy's Trap

I will freely admit that this was all my own fault. I never should have made serious advances toward another woman. Ruby deserved better than that. It was just that our life had gone a little dull, and I had weakened against temptation and fantasy. Tracy had certainly been tempting enough, and my fantasies about her had come to the boiling point. And I let it happen. I gave in to the temptation.

And now I've taken my punishment, and feel like a dog that has had his nose rubbed into his mess, my weakness exposed to both of them. Still, I am hopeful for forgiveness. It is clear though that things are going to be different now. What is done cannot be undone.

It was early in the spring when she moved in. I came home from work one bright, brisk, cut-grass scented afternoon to find her truck parked in the driveway of the fixer-upper next door. The driveway was separated from ours only by a narrow strip of lawn. We'd seen the sale announced on the realtor's yard sign, and hoped that the new owner would be up to doing the fixing.

While I was admiring the truck and what it meant, she emerged from it, carrying a lamp. Even dressed for moving in jeans and a t-shirt, her dirty-blonde hair tied back, she hit the pleasure spot in my brain, the one that lights up at the sight of an attractive woman. She wasn't the stereotypical bombshell, mind you. But her figure swelled in the right places and was taut in the right places. Her face was clear and youthful with oceanic blue eyes and an impish mouth, and the brilliant smile it took on when she caught sight of me made the last digit of the jackpot fall into place.

"Hi, you must be Jason," she said. "So pleased to meet you. I'm Tracy. I'm moving in here."

Her voice was aural silk. She put down the lamp and extended her hand.

"That would be me," I said, taking it. "Very pleased to meet you as well, Tracy."

I must have sounded slightly confused.

"I've met your wife already. That's how I knew your name. We hit it off right away. So glad to have such nice neighbors here."

Her hand, still in mine, was warm and smooth, her grip gentle yet assertive.

"Likewise, I'm sure," I said, at last releasing her. "But it looks like you could use some help."

"Oh, yeah. I had promises from a couple of friends, but they flaked out on me. Well, actually one had an unexpected shift change and couldn't make it. But when moving day comes, it's gotta get done."

"Please allow me to help, then. I know what moving alone is like."

"Why, thank you, Jason. That's downright neighborly of you. Just grab anything and follow me. This load is all going to the bedroom."

Was there a twinkle in her eye as she said that? No, of course not. I was already off in fantasy land. Looking into the truck, I saw a bedside table that didn't look too heavy. I went to it, picked it up.

"Okay, lead on, Tracy."

Her hips swayed deliciously as she walked up the driveway to the front door, carrying the lamp. Of course I noticed. Was I too terrible? Or just no more terrible than any other man married for five years, with the initial excitement well past and routine set in?

The door was propped open, and we walked right in with our burdens. The living room was already set up, if a little out of order. We continued on into the bedroom. Her bed was already there, a full-size single mattress awaiting sheets. Comfortable, but maybe a bit lonely?

I set the table down next to the headboard.

"You've gotten a lot done here by yourself," I told her.

"Yeah, the finish line is in sight. I'll be back at work tomorrow."

"Oh? Where do you work?"

"Mercy West. I'm a nurse in pediatrics."

And me with my thing for women who are nurses. It figured. Visions of her in her work clothes rose unbidden. No, really, scrubs are sexy. You just have to be me.

"That's great," I managed. "Well, lets keep going and get you unloaded."

We continued on, one item after another, until at last the truck was empty.

"Thanks so much for the help, Jason," she said, as I helped her close the truck gate and doors. "Now you go home to your dinner. Ruby said she was making your favorite tonight. I have one more load to do, but it's small and I can handle it, no problem. Should be done by eight, then I'll relax. Have a good night."

And she offered her hand again. I took it in both of mine.

"You too, Tracy. We're both glad you're here."

I let myself in by the kitchen door. Ruby was there, tending a pot of chili, filling the air with familiar aromas of tomato and spices.

"Hi, hon," she said. "I was wondering when you were going to get in."

I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. It's not that she's changed from the woman I married; her dark hair and eyes, her womanly curves, her quick wit, all the things that had attracted me, were still the same. We'll find the excitement again, I thought.

"I was helping our new neighbor move in. She said she's met you already."

"Oh, yeah. Tracy seems very nice. I had her in for coffee. I think we're gonna be good friends. But do you think she'll be able to deal with all the work that house needs?"

"I think so," I said. "She did something like five trips with the truck today, all by herself. Seems plenty tough."

I still had a hand on her waist, and gave it a little tug. She yielded, letting me press her hip into mine.

"Say," I said. "It's still cool enough to have the fireplace. Want to curl up by it later, have some wine, see what happens?"

"Oh, Jason, I'm sorry. I have to get up early tomorrow. I have to go see Kelly about some papers for the house assessment. I was just gonna try to go to sleep early. Can you take a rain check? Promise I'll make it up to you."

"Sure, hon. Hey, this stuff smells great. Are we about there? Suddenly I'm very hungry."

"Just about ready. Be an angel and set the table, won't you?"

Saturday happened to be Tracy's day off, as we found out when our paths crossed as Ruby and I were heading out for some light grocery shopping. The day was warm, and she was wearing shorts. Her legs, smooth and graceful, lit up my pleasure zone again. Ruby asked her what she had planned for the day.

"Oh, I'm gonna start on some house things. You know, the broken screen door, that slow drain in the kitchen sink, that kind of thing."

"Why don't we help?" I said, looking at Ruby. "We really weren't doing anything else today, were we?"

"Sure," she said. "I know, let's make a day of it, and then I'll make us dinner."

"I can help with that," Tracy put in, with that radiant smile going. "You two are so sweet to offer."

"We're going to the store right now," I said. "We'll be back in an hour, and then we'll get started. Oh, what do you like for dinner?"

"Anything, really. I don't have any food taboos. Just keep it simple. Don't go to too much trouble."

"Okay, we have carte blanche then. See you soon!"

At the store we settled on spaghetti with marinara. It would be simple enough and Ruby could get the sauce started early and let it simmer while we worked. A little salad on the side would bring it to perfection. We got everything needed for dinner and the pantry staples we had originally come for, and were back home in forty-seven minutes.

We got a lot more done that day than I had thought possible. The screen door had a broken hinge that sent it off square so it couldn't be closed without main force to set it straight. I remembered that I had one that could fit, in a junk box at home. Retrieving it, I found that it was close enough in size to the other one to not be noticeable. A few turns of the screwdriver and it was done.

Meanwhile Tracy had gotten drain opener into the sink. While it was working, she started tightening up several loose drawer pulls in the kitchen. One was missing altogether, but she had already purchased an exact replacement earlier in the week, along with wood putty because the original screw holes were stripped. She proceeded to install the new pull with smooth, confident movements. She knew what she was doing.

Ruby had brought over her rug shampooer and started deep-cleaning the living room carpet. Tracy told me of a broken tile in the shower, and that there were some spares in the basement. I found them and set about removing the grout around the broken tile, breaking it up and removing the pieces, and cementing in a replacement.

By the time I had finished it was three-thirty, and the three of us gathered in Tracy's kitchen. While Ruby started chopping onion and garlic for the sauce, Tracy fished out a bottle of pinot grigio and, with our consent, poured out glasses for us.

"I know it's a bit early," she said, "but I can't thank you guys enough. This is a great day."

"Well, here's to a great day," I said, raising my glass.

Soon the sauce was on to simmer and we went back to work. I went back down to the semi-finished basement for a look around and found a square piece of ceiling board was missing, exposing some plumbing. Most likely a plumber had ripped it out to make a repair and then just left it for the previous owner to deal with, which obviously hadn't happened. I made a mental note to get wallboard, crack filler and some texturing material. We could at least get it to look better than this.

In the furnace room I checked the filter on a hunch. Sure enough, it was clogged with dust. By good fortune there was a spare sitting back in a corner. A minute later the system was back to full efficiency. Bit by bit, I thought.

Returning upstairs, I set about cleaning windows, some of which were downright filthy. Tracy and Ruby had teamed up to remove some genuinely grotesque wallpaper from the dining area. A painting party was doubtless in the works.

We carried on until the sun was low and the aroma of the sauce was too enticing to wait any longer. I volunteered to cook the pasta while Ruby put together the salad. By six we were seated at Tracy's table before a homespun feast. The second bottle of wine was pouring as we set to.

For the first few minutes the talk was little but praise for Ruby's cooking, not least from me. My wife is a talented cook; I know it, and only do my best to keep up. Once our initial hunger had been tamed, the conversation broadened.

To our inquiries, Tracy told us more about herself. She had been born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and had moved with her family out to our Midwestern city at the age of sixteen.

"Was it hard to adjust to life here?" Ruby asked her.

"At first, it was so different. Everyone seemed so alike and so...well, to be honest, bland. I mean, for one, no one seemed to know what Italian food was really like, like this wonderful dish you've created, Ruby. They would go to some chain restaurant and think that was it. But after awhile, I realized that I was just in the wrong part of town."

"So, you were out in Westwood or someplace like that?" I asked.

"Greendale. You got me. You know, what I like about being here is that it's a mixed neighborhood. It reminds me of where I grew up. I mean, there, everyone was different, different backgrounds and religions and whatever, but they all looked out for each other. I get that same feeling here."

"We totally agree with you," I said. "We wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Yeah," she agreed. "They can keep their McMansions out in Greendale. Okay, your turn now. Tell me about yourselves."

We told her as much as seemed important. Local kids, met at State University, married after graduation, settled into jobs that were a letdown compared to what we had been led to expect. Doing the best we could. Would we start a family? Maybe a few years down the road. It depended on how everything worked out financially.

"No regrets then?" Tracy asked.

"For getting married?" said Ruby. "Nope. Best thing we ever did."

"Same here," I agreed. "She keeps me on a short leash, though," I added, half joking.

"You bet I do," replied Ruby, grinning. "I'm not letting go of this man for anything."

"It's nice to see two people happily married," said Tracy. "Maybe I will be some day. For now, I really don't mind living alone. I kind of like the freedom. I just wish I could strike sparks with someone sometimes. Seems like it was a lot easier back in school."

She followed up with a couple of bad-date stories. We sympathized.

When dinner was finished we moved out to her living room to finish the wine. Our stories flowed more freely, the laughter became louder. By the time we were ready to wrap up the night, Tracy had become part of our circle.

And we had clearly become part of hers. She thanked us again for all our help and gave each of us a warm hug which we each returned with equal warmth.

After that day our lives intertwined. The painting party happened Wednesday evening; this time I handled dinner, popping a quickly-assembled pan pizza into Tracy's oven. I had gotten my building materials and set out to repair the hole in her basement ceiling. Tracy watched as I shaped the hole into a square and nailed the square of wallboard into place. She took over for the final steps, filling the cracks, applying the texture and smoothing it into the old surface so that the sections matched as much as possible. I admired her ability to pick up skills quickly, and generally enjoyed her company as well, while admittedly indulging in a bit of fantasy inspired by the fact that she was again wearing shorts that night.

"We did it!" I said to her as she descended the stepladder. "Good work, Tracy!"

"Oh, that was the easy part. I could only do it because you set it up for me."

She grinned and held up a closed hand. I returned the grin and followed through with a quick fist bump before we headed back upstairs.

Tracy often got together with Ruby for coffee when their days off coincided—usually at our house. When this happened to be on a weekend, I, having a regular five-day work schedule, would be present. It was always a pleasure to see her, naturally. I would usually say hello and go about my business. Sometimes, though, they would draw me into their conversation.

One Saturday morning the subject of family had come up again.

"Oh, that would be great, someday," Tracy said. "I love children—that's why I work where I do. But there's lots to get figured out before that."

"You mean like finding your mate?" It was really only half a question from Ruby.

"Well, yeah. I'm not really that goal-oriented though. I just want to enjoy my life and see what happens. I did come close once, back in school."

She stopped there.

"And? Don't leave us hanging," I said.

"Well...okay. Sorry, don't mean to be a tease. Glenn was just one of a group of us who used to hang out together. He was an English major, very bright, always involved in things like creating podcasts and collaborative writing projects. You kind of remind me of him, Jason. You have his eyes. Anyway, we got together and I was really happy. Even thought he might be the one."

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing terrible. I got close to graduation and it was clear that we were on different life paths. So we talked it over and decided to go back to being good friends. I still hear from him; he's doing well."

"Sounds like that worked out better than it could have," Ruby said.

"Yeah. So, what about you? You have anyone special before you met Jason?"

I chuckled.

"If she tells you yes, that'll be more that she ever let on to me. What I'm told is, basically every guy she went out with turned out to be a jerk. I said, 'Come on, there had to be someone nice in there somewhere.' Nope, they were all jerks."

"Well, it's true," Ruby insisted. "Actually, I had better luck with girls."

"Uh, I didn't think you were going to share that part."

"Oh, you understand, don't you Tracy? And, yeah, my roommate and I kept each other content for a good while. It was really a matter of convenience. I do like men more. And this one has been my lifeline."

Ruby snuggled up to me and put an arm around my shoulders.

"That's so sweet," said Tracy.

"Honey, Tracy needs our help. Her car's stalled and she thinks it's the battery."

Ruby held out her phone. By 'our' she meant 'your'. I took it from her.

"Tracy?"

"Jason, can you come and give me a jump? I'm at the gym, you know the one just on the north side of the 11th Street bridge? The engine won't turn over. I know the battery's been getting weaker, but I never got around to doing anything about it. I can't leave it here and I don't want to have to pay for a tow. Please?"

"Of course I will."

I gave her my number.

"Call me if I'm not there in ten minutes," I said.

I checked that the jumper cable was still in the trunk, started up and pulled out of the driveway. The sun was just setting at eight o'clock summer time, beginning a sultry June twilight. The air was sticky and I turned on the air conditioner for the short drive to the bridge.

In five minutes I was pulling into the lot of the strip mall. I recognized her car immediately in the fading light and pulled into the space next to it. My cable would be long enough to reach from here. I popped the hood and trunk and got out.

Tracy was there to greet me, dressed for gym. With her hair tied back she reminded me of the way she looked on that first day with the moving truck.

"Oh, you've saved my day, Jason!"

"Any time," I told her. "If you can open your hood we can get this thing going."

She did. I connected up the cable, restarted my car and revved it up a bit. She turned the key and her engine turned over and started up. I carefully removed the cable, stashed it and buttoned up both cars. Hers was running at a smooth idle.

"Do you have a charger at home?" I asked.

"I do. When I get home I'll put it on and charge overnight. That should be enough for it to start and I'll take it in to be looked at. Probably cost me a new battery."

"Most likely. I'll follow you home in case it stalls on the way."

"Oh, thank you so much," she said. She moved closer to me. I became aware of her warmth, the smell of her skin, damp from exercise and the humidity of the evening. A sudden pang of desire went through me.

Her arm went quickly around my waist and I felt her soft, warm lips press against my cheek. She released me as quickly as she had advanced.

"Have a good night," she said.

Back at home, she waved to me across our narrow separating strip before going inside.

She texted me the next day. I was at work and had just gotten back from lunch when my phone buzzed.

Hi Jason just wanted to say thank u again back on road with new batt - Tracy

Oh, of course—she had my number. I texted back a quick "You're welcome" and went about my day.

That was the start of it, what I guess you could call my obsession. My fantasies about her were constantly at the ready as an escape during a dull work day. At times I resolved to push them away. It wasn't right, I told myself. They could never come about. If somehow they did, and Ruby found out, it could be the end of our marriage. Best to just let them go. But they refused.

Making love with Ruby was a relief from my dilemma. With my face buried between her thighs, my tongue working at her clit while her hips trembled and she moaned, inhaling her sweet musk and tasting her flowing juice, I could forget. This is right, I thought. This is where I belong. When she spread her legs wide and begged for my cock, Tracy no longer existed for me. Softly teasing her opening with my glans and then slowly sliding into her felt like coming home.

But it didn't last. Often afterward a vague feeling of dissatisfaction would come over me. What we had, Ruby and I, was good but not great. It had become routine with little adventure. She loved receiving oral, but was not so keen on giving. She would do it, but it felt like it was out of a sense of duty. She would never suggest a new position; if I wanted it I would have to be the one to ask. I supposed I should try to talk with her about it, but that felt awkward and more than a little scary. The last thing I wanted was to offend her, and it seemed like that would be easy to do unless I was very careful.