Welcome to the Neighbourhood

Fiona's mouth went dry, her hands frozen in midair over her cookie sheets. Her eyes gazed out her red and green trimmed window and caught a glimpse of her neighbour.

He smiled and offered a small nod as he walked by with his little multicoloured mutt.

She tried to smile back but her lips refused to curl, instead she stared blank-faced and frozen until he passed mercifully out of sight.

Air whooshed from her lungs and her hands dropped to her worktable.

What the fuck was wrong with her? He was just a man, wasn't he? Yeah, a man who bore a striking resemblance to Jamie Dornan, she thought absently.

She resumed her focus and continued piping her whipped shortbreads onto their pans. The neighborhood Christmas cookie exchange had seemed like such a great idea when her neighbour, Sheila, mentioned it. Now that she was elbows deep in the process of making 150 cookies, she was reconsidering her involvement. Her hands ached from piping and her fingers were pink from slicing maraschino cherries.

Sheila, a vivacious, witty woman of 78, figured this would be a good way for Fiona to get to know her neighbours a little bit. She'd been in this house for 4 months now and still only knew 3 people by name. Most of them just smiled or offered slight waves, including the Jamie Dornan look-alike whom she had affectionately dubbed "Hot Guy With a Dog".

He walked his dog easily 5 times a day and always past her house. She was, after all, between him and the park.

She wondered what he thought of her, a late 20s divorcee with a permanent deer-in-the-headlights look. He probably thought she was about as sharp as marble. One time he'd caught her off guard as she snipped herbs from her window box. He'd waved and said hello with a dazzling smile that forced heat to pool in her core. Instead of smiling and greeting him in return like a normal person, she'd blushed crimson and slammed her window, turning away. Who did that? The memory alone mortified her.

Granted, she hadn't been friendly with any men other than her ex-husband for over eight years. And she'd barely been "friendly" with him for the past three on account of how friendly he was being all over his office with his administrative assistant.

***

Fiona hurriedly poured coffee into her travel mug and threw on her bright red, oversized toque to cover her wild dark curls. She zipped into her knee-length jacket while stepping into her boots. In a flurry of graceless movements, she managed to lock her door and start towards her car when her skin prickled to attention.

"Good morning," said a knee-weakening voice behind her.

She fought the urge to freeze and managed to turn to face the voice.

There he was. Hot neighbour with his dog. They were both smiling.

To avoid looking directly at him she instead looked at the dog, but addressed them both.

"Good morning!" she said, hearing her awkward intonations.

She quickly squatted down to pet the dog and accidentally poured her coffee onto his scruffy paws.

Her cheeks burned.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" She frantically rubbed the dog's paws, and the dog seemed delighted with the attention.

A deep, rumbling laugh brought her attention back up to her neighbour. His laugh deepened as he saw her flaming cheeks.

"Are you always this poised?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with humour.

"Pretty much," she said, shrugging, deciding to join in and laugh at herself.

He extended his hand to her. "I'm Malcolm, this is Pebbles."

She took his hand and shook. "I'm Fiona."

"Well Fiona, it looks like you're in a hurry to get somewhere so I won't keep you. I figured I'd take the opportunity to finally introduce myself since there is no window for you to slam shut." He winked.

Her mouth dropped open and she covered her face.

"So you noticed that huh?" she said from behind her mitts.

He laughed again, "well I'm not blind so--"

"I'm just, I'm divorced. And I'm not good with men--attractive men mostly, my brain just shuts down--I'm not usually like this," she stammered, the words sliding out in a stream before she could catcg them.

His eyes widened and his smile broadened. "You hear that, Pebbles? She thinks we're attractive."

She felt sweat beads forming under her toque as her skin burned with embarrassment.

"I need to get to work, it was nice meeting you Malcolm." She fumbled with her fob and dropped her coffee before waving awkwardly as she folded herself into her seat.

"Nice meeting you too, Fiona." He said smoothly as he turned to continue on to the park.

***

That night, Fiona finished boxing up her cookies and headed upstairs to get dressed.

She slid on a black knee length dress that had a modest neckline exposing only a taste of her fabulous cleavage, ruched waist and a pleated slit that cut high but not indecently so. She pulled on sheer black knee highs securing them to her black lace garter. Her hair was sleek and smooth and her make up festive, with a bold red lip and a gold shimmering shadow.

She felt sexy, and confident for the first time in years. She wasn't sure what to expect, but she was happy to be going out to meet new people.

She grabbed the pair a bright red heels she'd bedazzled with glitter and bells earlier that day and popped them in a tote to bring to Sheila's with the cookies.

She walked the 20 steps to Sheila's, where she could hear music and laughter through the walls.

She smiled as Sheila ushered her inside with a warm hug.

"Come in, come in. Here, let me take those." Sheila took the cookies and disappeared to the dining room.

As Fiona took off her jacket and boots, more guests arrived behind her. The atmosphere was festive.

Sheila reappeared. "OK, let's get you a drink. I have mulled wine, egg nog, and spiked cider.Only Christmas drinks tonight."

Twenty minutes later, Fiona was nursing her mulled wine and chatting with a couple, Janine and Al, from across the cul-de-sac when her nerves tingled, alerting her that she was being watched. She turned, looking to the kitchen, and saw Malcolm watching her. He gave her a warm smile and raised his glass to salute her. She returned the gesture.

"You know Malcolm already?" Janine asked conversationally. "Oh of course you do! You two are direct neighbours. Geez you can probably hear each other through your bedroom walls."

"Actually, we just met officially this morning," Fiona replied.

"Not for a lack of effort on my part, though," Malcolm interjected from behind her. "Turns out our new neighbour is shy around strange men. In fact, she's almost adorably rude."

He smiled teasingly and took a sip of his cider.

Fiona wasn't sure if it was her outfit, the wine, or the atmosphere, but she was more at ease around him this evening than she had been to date.

She returned his smile. "I'm not used to having such friendly neighbours. It's a little disarming. My old neighbourhood was a cookie cutter new development. Huge houses, tiny yards. No one even made eye contact. After 8 years I still knew no ones name."

"Well it's not like that here. Mostly because of Sheila. Honestly, she's the glue. She hosts fabulous parties every few months for us all to mingle. Janine and I have been here 10 years, Malcolm is, or I guess was our newest neighbour moving in 2 years ago. Of course Pebbles made him an instant hit," Al chuckled.

"What brought you here from your last place?" Janine inquired tilting her head to the side.

"Well, one night my husband sent me a text saying he'd be home late from work. Which wasn't unusual. Thirty seconds later he sent a message to me that he intended for his assistant, which read, and I quote, "Get in my office right now so I can bend you over my desk and pound your pussy until I cum all over your ass". Needless to say upon realizing his error he panicked, tried to deny it for a minute but then realized there was no point. We'd been in a loveless marriage for years so this was actually a blessing in disguise." She shrugged, Janine and Al were both wide-eyed in surprise.

"'Get in my office right now so I can bend you over my desk and pound your pussy until I cum all over your ass," Malcolm repeated, shaking his head with a mocking smile. "How could you fall out of love with a man with such prose?"

Fiona burst out laughing. This felt good, socializing, laughing. She needed this.

Janine and Al meandered off and Fiona and Malcolm continued to chat. They shared similar hobbies, politics and world views. They talked for over an hour, never missing a beat.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to visit the ladies' room." She put down her glass and smoothed her dress over her hips. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked up the stairs.

As she came out of the washroom, she saw Malcolm in the hall. Thinking he needed to use the facilities she went to step aside. He stopped her smoothly, placing his hand on her hip, his other hand reaching up under her chin, tilting her face to his. His eyes explored hers for a moment, seeking permission. Her breath caught and she nodded almost imperceptibly. He exhaled and his lips took hers. Warm and soft at first, then a rumble sounded low in his throat. His hands tightened around her body, exploring her, his kiss deepening, his tongue caressing hers.

He pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door with his foot, locking it without breaking contact with her.

Her knees were wobbling and her skin was on fire. Electricity tingled down her spine, sending sparks deep in her center.

Her hands caressed his chest, his muscles hard below his shirt. Her hands trailed down to his hips, snaking around his waist and pulling him to her. He growled and bit her lip taking her by surprise. She'd never been with anyone who'd been this passionate. His hands massaged her breasts through the fabric of her dress, the lace of her push up creating friction on her nipples. She whimpered, moisture pooling between her thighs.

He peppered kisses down her chin, to her neck and back up the other side. His hand leaving her breast, it went down her hip to her exposed thigh. He lightly caressed the material on her stocking with his fingertips.

"I would like to take you home tonight and peel these off you with my teeth," he breathed in her ear.

His fingers wandered to her inner thigh and softly ran over the lacy fabric covering her most sensitive area.

He shuddered, nuzzling and kissing her neck. "Please say you'll come home with me."

Her breathing was ragged as his fingers stroked her through her soaked panties. "Yes," she managed to squeak.

His body relaxed and he took her mouth with his. He pushed aside the material and slid his fingers up and down her lips. She gasped as he pressed his middle and ring finger in.

He groaned, "You're so wet."

His fingers curled forward, sliding in and out of her, and her legs trembled. Pressure built inside her as he kissed her mouth. Just as she was about to release, he pulled his fingers out, leaving her clutching at the emptiness he left behind. She whined. His hands caressed her body sweetly as his kisses softened once more.

He took her hand in his and kissed it.

"Let's finish this at my place," he said.

Her eyes travelled along his body and she realized his erection was still pressing forcefully against his pants. She bit her lip. Her desire to have that erection inside her was overwhelming. He smiled knowingly and adjusted himself to hide it.

"You ready?" he asked, hand on the door knob.

She nodded. "You have no idea."

He laughed. " I think I might."

He opened the door and they exited the bathroom to a mercifully empty hallway. They weren't so lucky to go unnoticed as they came downstairs. Janine's jaw hung open as she watched them descend hand in hand, while Al offered a cheers.

As they made their rounds of goodbyes, Sheila loaded them each down with a dozen boxes of cookies.

"Now, I knew you too would hit it off didn't I, Malcolm?" she said with a wink, giving them each a hug.

To Fiona's surprise, Malcolm flushed slightly. "Thank you for another lovely party, Shelia."

They exited into a beautiful snowfall, the cool air doing nothing to quell the heat deep in her core. She wanted him, more than she'd ever wanted a man in her life. The lust was all consuming.

"Stop looking at me like that or I might just take you right here on Sheila's porch," he said tightly.

She believed him.

They made a quick pace, past her place to Malcolm's door, which was unlocked. Before she could even get her jacket off, he was on her. His lips finding hers, his tongue massaging hers. He unzipped her jacket and pushed it off her shoulders before shrugging his off. He pushed her against the wall of his foyer and grabbed under her thighs, lifting her to wrap her legs around him.

He was stronger than she'd expected. His hands squeezed her thighs as he pressed his hips between her legs. She could feel every inch of him hard and ready against her and she purred rocking her hips.

"Are you using any birth control?" he asked, low against her lips.

She nodded, unable to form words.

"Thank God."

The kiss deepened, his clothed erection pushing against her.

His need rumbled deep in his throat as he pulled her away from the wall and strode easily with her on his hips towards the living room. He eased her down onto a large plush sectional. Pinning her beneath him with his body,he rolled his hips, humping her through their clothes, while they made out like teenagers.

Her fingers worked the buttons on the front of his shirt, his skin under her hands was addictive. She needed more. Her hands traced his flesh, pressing into his muscles, pulling him closer. She pushed his shirt off of him and before she could undo his pants he rolled her slightly to unzip her dress, tugging it off her shoulders. His lips and tongue danced across her now bare flesh, across her shoulders and the tops of her breasts.

"Yes," she whimpered, barely audible.

He released her breasts and kissed them over the tops of the lacey cups. Continuing to press himself against her, he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, catching her by surprise. He rolled his tongue around it and sucked hard again, this time nipping it at the end.

She ached. She needed him inside her. Her hands darted to his belt where she made quick work of buckle and button. She pushed his pants and underwear down over his hips and felt his smooth, warm, hardened flesh fall against her lace imprisoned lips.

She shivered with anticipation. His mouth found hers again as he pressed the head of his cock against her panty clad opening. Her breath caught. The material of her panties gave him only about a half an inch of access. As he pushed against her again, the sides began to give way, going up into her with the girth of the knob. She panted, as the heat of him gained even more access, now a good inch and a half. He continued to press into her through her tiny soaked triangle of material. Teasing her. His pace increased and his breathing grew

heavier.

Finally, his hands went between her legs and tore a hole in the middle of the resistant material. He took his cock in his hand and pressed the head into her, through the hole he'd created. He moaned as he slid all the way in. She reached her hands down and grabbed his hips, pulling him as deep into her as he could go. His body tense, he thrust into her, over and over again. Her legs wrapped tight around his hips, urging him deeper, harder.

The way his length stroked her every nerve inside was everything. The world faded away around her. Only the friction between them existed. The heat built and built until it exploded. She shattered into the cushions of the couch. She felt him biting her shoulder as he pounded into her, screaming as he came, spurt after hot spurt of cum into her.

They lay there a while, fingers teasing each other's skin. Gently kissing. Basking in their post coital glow.

He smiled down at her. "I hope you don't have plans tomorrow morning because I intend to take you to my room and have my way with you all night. This was just breaking the ice."

She smiled up to him. "I have no plans. I hope you're able to deliver on that bold promise."

In response he kissed her and slid off, lifting her to her feet and dragging her up the stairs.

She smiled to herself. She'd known this neighbourhood had been the right choice.