Author's Notes:

'Frank and Elyse' is a little experiment with perspective.

From the comments I received after I first published this story that experiment went off the rails on a few occasions. I decided to make some adjustments where I thought they were most needed. I believe the end result is a smoother read.

I hope you enjoy it.

All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.

********

Chapter 1

The final moments of twenty-one years of marriage were disturbingly quiet, the only sound being the scratch of a pen across paper. Making it official, signing the death certificate for a promise of love and fidelity.

Frank felt a stab of pain shoot through his chest as he set the pen down. These days he didn't think twice about that pain. Early on in the divorce he'd gone to his doctor who sent him out for all the tests. The results came back indicating he was healthy as a horse. The pain didn't have a physical cause. It was all in his head, his doctor helpfully suggested.

Neither his physician nor his cardiologist could explain where the pain originated.

But Frank remembered when it began. To the second.

He slid the document to his lawyer as Frank's signature was the last one needed to make it final. Taking a deep cleansing breath, he looked up and across the table at the slim 39 year old blond woman sitting stiffly in her chair, arms crossed under the impressively large fake breasts he'd paid for. At her request he'd paid for a series of 'upgrades' over the years, though each time he'd tried to argue that he thought she was ravishingly beautiful as she was. She would not be swayed in her demands so she got what she wanted. Slowly but surely she became a different woman.

Today, especially today, she bore no resemblance to the sweet smiling eighteen year old he'd fallen in love with and married.

Cold radiated from her beautiful blue eyes as she looked back at him with contempt, her overly plump lips turned down in a pouty frown.

"It's over," Frank said quietly.

Something flared in her eyes and she stood up quickly. He saw she was trembling. Was- was she frightened?

The gob of spit struck his left cheek then she spun on her high heels and stormed out of the meeting room, her long white blond hair bouncing perfectly over her shoulders. Her lawyer apologized quickly and rushed after his client.

Frank's lawyer handed him a tissue which he used to clean his cheek.

"George, do you think I could have a moment alone?"

"Sure Frank. I'll be in my office down the hall when you're ready."

"Thanks."

His lawyer left the room and Frank turned his chair to face out the window. The view of New York's skyline was pretty but he'd seen this view for over a year as he'd battled with his wife and her lawyer. He needed a change. A big one.

Frank was retiring from his job and leaving the city. Hell, he was crossing the country to get away from everything that reminded him of her. He was going to find himself a nice little bungalow within walking distance of a beach and he thought he'd make an attempt at writing that novel he felt floating around in the back of his mind.

He looked back to the hallway where Stephanie had walked away as fast as her tight pencil skirt and four inch stiletto heels would allow. She'd taken to dressing very young as she desperately fought back the years. She certainly had the body for the outfit, what with the nip and tuck and lipo then the personal trainers- another pang went through his chest.

The amount of money Stephanie required for her pursuit of eternal youth was staggering. Her new sugar daddy was paying those bills now.

He'd have been willing to go to a marriage councillor but she wanted the divorce. She'd lined up a new husband. A rich one that looked the other way when she...

Frank gave his head a shake. Stephanie was no longer his problem. He had to let it go. He had to get on with his life.

Looking out over the glittering lights he took stock of his current situation. He was a forty year old male in excellent health. OK, maybe he was a little soft around the middle. For the last decade his job had him trapped at his desk. His morning workouts and weekend cycling trips weren't enough to completely combat the time he spent at his desk. His doctor had informed him he could stand to lose 15 pounds. Now he'd have time to dedicate to making his body hard and fit as it had once been.

He was now a divorcé. No kids. Not because he hadn't wanted them but his wife hadn't been able to carry a child to full term. Three miscarriages had been the limit he was able to endure as each time he'd almost lost her as well. He'd planned on getting a vasectomy but he discovered after the third miscarriage they'd removed her uterus to save her life. There'd been no point in the vasectomy after that.

He was 5' 8" with broad shoulders, had a full head of black hair, silvering at his temples now courtesy of his ex, and he had all of his teeth. He'd been told he had a nice smile but he hadn't had a reason to show it for some time. With his square jaw and hawkish nose he knew he wasn't pretty like the men Stephanie preferred to fu- no... don't go there. He rubbed his chest and winced.

He'd been told by a few women in his office that he was 'a catch'. One had even expressed an interest in being the one to catch him when his divorce was finalized. He'd thanked them but he was in no emotional state to be thinking about getting into another relationship any time soon. Considering how destroyed he felt now, maybe ever.

He no longer had any ties to the city. They'd sold the Bed-Stuy townhouse and the cottage in Martha's Vineyard. They'd split the money on those. After months of hostile meetings and spiteful delays it turned out that she didn't want his money. She just wanted him to hurt. Now she was gone.

He stood up. It was time to move forward.

His partners were eager to buy him out at the company. George had the papers for him to sign in his office once the divorce was done so he'd have more than enough savings to retire and live very comfortably and then some. So that was what he was going to do.

Frank looked at the ring he was unconsciously rolling on his finger. It was just a simple gold band. Signifying his undying love and fidelity to the woman who poisoned both. With a sigh he pulled it off and dropped it in the trash on his way out.

Chapter 2

"YOU'RE A FUCKING CUNT! YOU KNOW THAT? A COLD FUCKING BITCH!"

Elyse quietly sat across the table from the screaming man. Her lawyer was telling him to lower his voice and his lawyer was tugging him back into his chair. That wasn't an easy thing to do considering how big Michael was. The 28 year old professional football player stood 6' 2" and carried 230lbs on his big frame. Enraged he was a dangerous man. Elyse's black eye was visible proof that she knew personally how dangerous he could be. It had been the second and final time he'd raised his hand to her. Five years of marriage, mostly happy, now flushed down the drain because of his substance abuse and subsequent physical abuse. She'd tried to get him help for the first but he wasn't interested. Told her to fuck off and mind her own business in fact. When he began to get physically violent she knew she had to get out of their marriage. The police report on the second assault certainly helped expedite that.

The big man finally sat and glared at the divorce papers. He was paying for the abuse. A lump sum. Elyse had her own money and a good job so she didn't want the financial ties to him which alimony would bring. Her lawyer had convinced her to make the amount count so she did. The lawyer was getting his piece of the pie so he was the only one in the room with a smile on his face.

The threat of her pressing assault charges and the prenup they'd signed before they got married was making everything so much simpler.

She saw Michael doing that thing with his eyes he always did before he began an attempt at bargaining.

"Sign the papers. We're done," she ground out between her teeth.

Michael's eyes snapped to hers and she saw them go cold. He picked up the pen and signed. Then he stood and left.

Her lawyer picked up the document and followed Michael's lawyer out of the room with a nod to her. Elyse found herself sitting alone. She finally allowed herself to cry. She'd been terrified of her husband but she needed him to sign. Now she was free of him.

When her tears stopped and her body finished shaking she composed herself as best she could and looked out the window at the twinkling lights of Los Angeles at dusk. It was pretty but she'd come to hate the city. It was Michael's home town and where his team was based. Everything about the city reminded her of him so she was leaving. She'd put her house up for sale and was expecting to get it sold before the weekend as offers were already coming in. She was looking at a little house in a pretty neighborhood in a small town further up the coast and would be putting an offer on it as soon as the money from the divorce came through. She'd already worked out the logistics of working remotely from there. Her office was delighted to be able to keep her as she made them good money.

Not everyone supported her decision to leave. The group of ladies she hung out with at work unanimously said she was nuts and she'd be back within the year. Of course they'd also been keen for her to marry Michael.

They said she was too young at 32 to move to a town noted for its suitability for retirees. They didn't understand she'd had too many years of living as the wife of a sports celebrity. He was four years younger than her and in their five years his enthusiasm for clubbing, partying, sports banquets, and road trips never waned. She'd joined him on a couple of those road trips and vowed never again. She was done with that!

She stood and stretched feeling every one of the bruises Michael left on her body. His last attack had been surprisingly violent. He'd carelessly left his cell phone on his dresser which rang as she passed by. She picked up the phone as the caller id was displaying a photo he'd obviously taken of the young redhead swallowing his cock down to the base. The tattoo he wore on his clean shaven groin just above his junk was unmistakable. She'd carried the cell to him in their living room and confronted him with the evidence of his fling. She'd told him she'd had enough and wanted a divorce. She barely saw the first punch coming for her eye and the others came after she was down. She was lucky to survive. She called the police when she woke alone on the floor. They brought the ambulance. She hadn't been alone with Michael from that day on.

She left the meeting room and ducked into the ladies' room to see how much of a disaster she'd made of her make-up. She stood before the mirror and sighed. Taking in her straight white blonde hair hanging to her shoulders she wondered if she should get it cut. Michael liked it this length. She frowned. Fuck him, she also liked it this length so it was staying.

She looked at her pale green eyes and saw the swelling was noticeably reduced on her black eye. She had, what did her friends call them when they teased her? Oh yes, 'bedroom eyes'. It wasn't intentional on her part. Her heavy lidded eyes combined with the natural upturn on her full wide sensual lips had gotten her into more uncomfortable situations than she cared to admit. She'd taken to wearing a pair of glasses with non-prescription lenses for meetings with clients. This did a good job of preventing these unintended miscommunications.

She was diligent about going to the gym so her 5' 10" body was reasonably fit. As Michael was a gym rat and had equipment at home she'd made good use of it. Her genes ensured she kept some of her curviness and unlike the bolt-ons that redhead slut on Michael's phone had been showing off, her large breasts were natural.

Enough! He was the past. He could have all the sluts he wanted now. She had her own life to restart.

Again. It was divorce number two for her.

She fought off a resurgence of tears. She had such fucking awful taste in men! Always the jocks! Always the over confident, charming alpha men! Maybe it was because of her height that she was drawn to big men.

Derrick Chance had been her first husband. Her first mistake. Granted she'd been an innocent eighteen year old when she married him. She'd been infatuated with the 6' 5" professional basketball player. He was big, black and tremendously talented on the court and between the sheets. Her parents were mortified that their daughter, pure as the Nebraska snow of home, had shared her bed with one of 'his kind'. They'd quickly disowned her and she hadn't spoken with them since. They would have hated Michael as well she supposed.

She followed her new husband to Los Angeles as he'd signed a multiyear contract to play professionally. She learned a lot about what she liked and didn't during her three years with Derrick. He had a voracious appetite for sex and she discovered that she did too. However, the thing she liked least was Derrick's tendency to stuff his cock into any and every receptive hole when he was away from home. The availability of free pussy on the road was a temptation he made no effort to resist.

She walked away from that marriage wiser in many ways but terribly hurt by his cheating. Worse, he'd been the one to ask for the divorce as he said he didn't love her anymore.

Elyse had stayed away from the dating scene for three years and only met Michael when her frustrated coworkers dragged her to a bar after work. There'd been a party for a group of players from his football team there. He was immediately mesmerized by her looks and intrigued by her resistance. When so many women practically threw themselves at him it was the woman who pulled away that drew his attention. He'd wooed her successfully over the course of two months and discovered he'd struck the jackpot the first night they'd had sex. She was uninhibited, energetic, and knew what she wanted. His career was taking off and he wanted her along for the ride in more ways than one.

As Elyse stared at her sad reflection she recalled how he'd promised to be true to her. She'd let him know how her first marriage had ended and he'd assured her that wouldn't happen with him.

She dropped her head forward and closed her eyes. She allowed herself one final tear then she tugged her wedding band off. Leaving it on the counter she made her way outside to begin again.

Chapter 3

Three weeks after he'd stepped out of his lawyer's office Frank stood watching a delivery truck pull away from his new home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, a beautiful small community of artists and writers. And the occasional nosy neighbor.

Walking down the sidewalk towards him came one such neighbor. She lived two doors up the street from his place. He'd only been in his new home for about a week but already he'd had three visits from Beverly Stoddart. Her husband Rick had been driving them by on their way home the first time. She'd made him stop and she got out to say hello. Rick had simply waved at him from the car, drove into his driveway and went inside. The anti-social Stoddart. Beverly made up for her husband by being overly social.

"Good morning Beverly!" he said smiling to the petite brunette. She had to be in her fifties but she seemed to take care of herself. She couldn't have been more than 5' 1" and he'd almost mistaken her for a child when he'd first seen her due to her size. Her husband Rick looked his age and then some. Earlier in the week Frank had spotted him standing on his deck enjoying a cigar and the foul stench had drifted downhill to Frank's deck driving him inside.

"It's a lovely morning indeed Frank! What did you get?" she asked peering at the large, plain cardboard boxes. Then she spotted the mattress in its plastic bag. "A new bed? Didn't you bring any furniture with you?"

"Yes, a new bed. I only brought my clothes and a few boxes of personal items. No furniture. That stuff sold with the house. Neither of us wanted any reminders," he said unconsciously crossing his arms.

Beverly had already drawn out of him that he was recently divorced, he was from New York City, and he was retired. He was doing his best to keep her curiosity at bay for anything juicier.

"You poor dear!" Beverly said as she patted his forearm. Then she left her hand resting on his arm.

That was something else about Beverly. She was a toucher. It made him a little uncomfortable that she seemed to need to touch him when she talked with him. He did his best to ignore it.

"I'll get stuff as I need it. I won't mind living in a minimalist way for a while. It's actually refreshing without all the clutter. The bed though, that I needed."

"Do you need any help getting all this inside? Why didn't the delivery people do it?" Beverly said looking at the boxes and obviously itching to get inside his home.

"No, that's alright. I asked them to leave it here. I want to do this myself and I'd better get to it!" he said as he gently pulled away from her grip with a smile.

She had a little frown on her face but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

A moving van turned onto their street and made its way up the hill. Beverly and Frank both paused to look as the truck came to a stop across the street from his place.

"Oh! Our other new neighbor is arriving! How exciting! Having two homes right across from each other sold within days of each other! It's so nice to have new faces in the neighborhood!" Beverly gushed.

The truck shut off its engine but no one got out as the owner hadn't arrived yet. Frank turned to the task of moving the bed parts inside. He had an assembly job to do.

Beverly remained outside, saying she was keeping an eye on the boxes but really she was just waiting to see the new neighbor.

The day was warmer than usual and Frank was getting overheated from lifting all the awkward boxes (it really was a two person job) so he went to his bedroom and switched his shirt to a sleeveless tank top. He went back outside to get the mattress. Not surprisingly Beverly was talking with the delivery men.

Just then a sporty little silver car pulled around the corner and came up the street to park in the driveway across from his. Curiosity got the better of him so he stopped to see who his new neighbor was.

The door opened and long slim legs unfolded themselves out onto the driveway. Next he saw the blond hair then she was standing next to the car looking back at him.

For just a second Frank swore it was Stephanie standing across the street scowling back at him. Shocked, it felt like a slap and he staggered back a step. His ankle caught on the mattress he was holding up and he lost his balance, falling backwards. Luckily he fell onto the mattress which went down with a loud thump.

Frank could hear the delivery men laughing and his face burned with embarrassment. Lifting his head he scowled at them but that just made them laugh harder. He was still a little unnerved by the woman's resemblance to his ex so he struggled to his feet and carried the mattress inside. He shut the door behind him. He had an assembly job to do.

Chapter 4

The drive to Carmel had been truly lovely. Once she'd escaped the hellish traffic of LA that is. Elyse managed to calm down once she'd gotten to the relatively empty roads north of the sprawling city. She'd actually made up most of the lost time during the long drive up the coast. And no tickets!

She'd just visited the realtor's office and had her keys. As she drove through the quaint neighborhoods towards her new home she felt a thrill run through her body. She was home! Here was her new start!

Of course she was still feeling a little sting of disappointment from not getting the house she'd fallen in love with. Some jerk had swooped in at the last minute with a bid she couldn't match and bought her dream home out from under her. The house across the street was almost as nice and she got a better deal on it as its lot was smaller. She put the extra money she saved on the house towards her new car. She loved the sporty little beast!

Now that she was smiling again she turned onto her street and saw the moving truck had arrived and was waiting. As was a small grey-brown haired woman standing next to the truck and a dark haired man standing in front of the house that should have been hers! Her frustration resurfaced. Was he the jerk who stole her house?

Elyse pulled into her driveway and shut off the car. She took a deep breath and stepped out.

The first thing she noticed was that the man had broad shoulders and really nice arms. Then she saw he was looking at her with the strangest expression. It certainly wasn't a smile. What was that for?

She stifled a snort as he fell backwards onto a mattress he was carrying then hid her smile behind her hand as he stood stiffly and carried the awkward load inside. He didn't return.

"Hello! Are you the new home owner? I'm your neighbor from up the street. Beverly Stoddart," the brunette chirped happily with her hand out.

Elyse shook the hand and smiled at the woman. "Elyse..." As she said her name she realized she no longer wanted Michael's last name. She'd go back to her maiden name. "Elyse Williams."

One of the movers walked over with a clipboard. "Williams? It says here we're delivering for an Elyse Cabrella."

Elyse frowned. "Yes, that's me. I'm having my name changed back to my maiden name but for now it's Cabrella."

"Oh! Your neighbor across the road, Frank Dunn, he's recently divorced as well!" Beverly volunteered with a smile.

Elyse noticed Beverly still hadn't released her hand so she smiled and pulled it away.

"Can we get started?" the mover asked.

"It was nice meeting you Beverly! I'd better help these men get to it. I'll talk to you later?" Elyse asked.

"Guaranteed!" Beverly grinned as she walked back towards her own home.

Elyse moved her car into the garage to free up the space for the moving van then walked to her front door and opened it. She walked inside and smiled to herself. It really was a nice home. She stood by the front window as the movers maneuvered the big van a little closer. Just beyond the truck was the home she should have been moving into.

No! She couldn't allow herself to think that way or she wouldn't enjoy her new home as she should.

The first boxes were coming in so she moved to direct them to the proper rooms. There was so much to do!

Chapter 5

He couldn't get over how advanced bicycles had become. The old clunker he'd left in New York was an anchor compared to the one he'd just bought.

Frank stood in the bicycle shop waiting for the mechanic to bring out his brand new mountain bike. Actually it was more of a touring mountain bike as it had drop handlebars like a road bike. No heavy suspension junk, just a super light but strong frame and big 29 inch wheels... it looked like a tank but moved like a jaguar. This was just the first step in his body rehabilitation plan. The bike came with front and rear racks and he'd picked up some waterproof panniers for the rear rack so he could run errands with the bike. Once he'd built his fitness up sufficiently he planned on getting himself some front panniers, a tent, some other camping gear, and do a little bike touring. For now though he'd just get the bike and rebuild his endurance.

Now he was glad he'd left his old mountain bike back in New York. It was too much of a hassle bringing it across the country anyway and he thought he deserved the upgrade. He also had a new helmet, gloves, shoes, short and long sleeve cycling jerseys, cycling shorts and tights, and rain gear. Oh! And a new lock and lights too. He'd dropped some serious money in this shop today but it was all for a good cause.

His new Jeep was parked outside complete with a bike rack. He'd needed a new car as he'd sold his sport sedan before heading for the west coast.

He'd slept wonderfully on his new bed last night. It hadn't taken him long to assemble it. The mattress was just right, not too firm and not too soft. Having the bed all to himself hadn't yet become something he enjoyed. It reminded him of too many hotels but he was hopeful that the empty feeling would fade.

The mechanic finally rolled his new ride out to him and he smiled in appreciation.

"Here you go. It's a sweet ride bro!" the young tattooed man said with an envious look.

"Thanks! I can't wait to get it out on the trails!" Frank grinned. He shook the mechanic's hand and took his purchases outside. The bags went into the back seat and the bike went onto the rack.

The drive home was fairly short which was great because it meant he'd be able to ride to the shop if he needed the bike tuned up or needed some extra gear. Generally, his car would stay in the garage as much as possible as he intended to use the bike for most travel in town.

He backed his Jeep into the driveway and got out to get his packages. He noticed his new neighbor's car pulling out of the drive and he turned to smile at her but caught the tail end of a disapproving look on her face as she drove past.

"Christ, just like Stephanie," he growled to himself as a chill ran down his spine. Well fine. He didn't have to be friends with everyone in the neighborhood. His goal was to write his novel which meant a lot of quiet time by himself so he didn't need the distractions anyway.

He carried his packages inside then moved his bike into the garage up onto hooks on the wall. Finally he moved the Jeep into the garage and locked the door.

He saw a white van parked in front of the house across the street. The truck was plastered with an ad for low cost internet.

"Excuse me! You know where the owner of this place is?" a man with a clipboard called out to him from her driveway.

"Sorry, no idea. I saw her leaving just a little while ago," Frank called back.

The man shrugged and got back into his truck and drove away.

Frank went inside and made himself a sandwich. The old fridge that came with the house was making an odd tinkling sound but it had lasted this long and he really didn't want to buy new appliances until he'd decided what he was going to do about the kitchen. It was really dated and he was probably going to have it gutted and redone. Carrying his lunch and his laptop out onto the deck he made himself comfortable and did a little research on what it might cost to redo the kitchen.

Frank must have been outside for over an hour when he heard a voice calling his name. He stood up and looked over his privacy screen in the direction of Beverly's place. He could barely see her through all the vegetation between their homes but she perked up as she caught sight of him.

"There you are! I knocked on your front door but you didn't answer," she gently scolded him.

"Sorry, I was just having lunch on the deck."

"I'll be right there." Then she was gone.

Frank sighed. He really wasn't feeling up to a visit but it looked like he wasn't being given a choice. He went inside with his laptop and walked to the front door. She knocked as he got to the door so he opened it up.

"Hi again! May I come in for a moment? I just wanted to ask you something," she said cheerfully.

He stood back and she walked in, her eyes darting everywhere and growing wider as she took in the absence of... everything. She peered up at his face in surprise.

"You weren't kidding about living in a minimalist way! You have nothing!" she squeaked and her voice echoed in the empty living room.

He smiled and nodded. "It feels good. For now I have a bed, a working fridge, stove, washer and dryer. Oh, and I have my Internet working so I have everything I need. What did you need to ask me?"

"Right! I would like to invite you to dinner tonight to welcome you to the neighborhood," she said with a wide smile.

"Tonight?"

"At 7pm sharp! You told me you're retired so you shouldn't have any excuses for not showing!" she grinned as she placed her hand on his right bicep, giving it a little squeeze.

Frank was once more feeling a little uncomfortable but the quickest way to get her out was to agree. "Fine. I'll be there. Thanks!"

"Excellent! Dinner attire is 'dressy casual'," she said over her shoulder as she made her way back outside. She grinned back at him as she waved. He just returned her smile and closed the door.

Dressy casual. Right.

He headed to his bedroom. He had to see if he had anything that fit that description.

Chapter 6

"aaaAAAHHH!"

Elyse woke with a scream and sat up gasping. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings then it all came back to her. Her new house. Her perspective was skewed because she was sleeping on her mattress on the floor. The night before she discovered she had no tools to assemble the frame. The movers disassembled the bed before loading it on the truck but they'd left before she noticed they hadn't reassembled it here.

She flopped back on the mattress and let her heart rate slow down. The last time she'd woken this close to the floor had been after Michael had beaten her. A shiver ran down her spine.

She'd been up so late the night before unpacking. She glanced at her flip alarm clock and it said 7:01AM. It was time to get her day started. She just had the weekend to get the essentials in place so she could begin working from home on Monday. The Internet service provider she'd contacted said they would hook up her service this afternoon between 1 and 4PM so she had to get most of her running around done in the morning.

She found her towels and bathroom supplies and took a quick invigorating shower. She slipped on her panties and bra, a casual top, yoga pants, short socks, and pulled on her hoodie and sneakers. She was ready to run her errands.

As she passed by the kitchen she glanced at the wall clock. It said 11:35AM! She rushed back to the bedroom and the clock still showed 7:01AM. It wasn't plugged in. She rushed back out to the kitchen and picked up her cell. 11:36AM. She'd slept in!

"FUCK!" she yelled in frustration.

She had almost no time to get anything done! She'd have to scramble to get at least some of her tasks done and be back in time for her service window.

She grabbed her keys and locked up as she rushed outside and got her car out of the garage. She was going to need to get a garage door opener as having to close it manually was going to get tiresome pretty quickly. She glanced at the clock on her cell again. "SHIT!"

As she pulled out of her driveway her eyes were drawn to the Jeep parked across the road. Michael had a Jeep and went on and on about how awesome off-roading was. When he wasn't taking drugs and beating her up that is. Now she had that unpleasant reminder to look at every day. She pushed the unhappy thoughts from her head and drove up the street quickly to get to the post office. She'd have to put off getting groceries until after the service call.

The post office and the bank took longer than expected so she rushed back home and arrived with just fifteen minutes to spare before 1PM. She went inside and realized she hadn't eaten since breakfast the day before. She couldn't go out now and she didn't have any numbers to order delivery or internet service to look it up. Well, she would just have to wait until dinner. She went back to unpacking.

A few minutes later she heard a knock on the front door. Finally, something was going her way today.

She answered expecting to see the installer but her brunette neighbor... Beverly, was standing there instead.

"Hi Elyse! I won't keep you as I'm sure you are busy with unpacking but I just wanted to invite you to dinner tonight to welcome you to the neighborhood!"

"Oh, uh, that- that would be very nice! Thank you." Elyse said, surprised by the kind gesture.

Beverly smiled and turned to leave, pointing to her house. "Dinner's at 7PM. Attire is 'dressy casual'," she finished with a smile.

"OK, see you then." Elyse responded with a puzzled expression. "What a strange little woman," she thought to herself as she closed the door.

She immediately checked to see if the dress she had in mind needed ironing but it was in good shape. She went back to unpacking but she kept an ear open for the door.

By 3PM she was starting to get nervous they weren't going to show. She called the office and waited on an automated queue for twenty minutes before someone finally answered.

"DeltaComm Internet, how can I help you today?" said a pleasant female voice.

"Hello, I'm having Internet installed at my home today and I was wondering when the installer was going to arrive." Elyse asked.

"Could I have your name and address please?"

Elyse gave her the details and listened to the sound of a keyboard being pecked at.

"Yes, I see you have an appointment between 1 and 4PM. It's only 3PM so the installer should be there within the next hour. Due to the number of appointments we have and the unique situations each installation may incur we cannot give exact times for the appointments," the voice said with a bored tone. Elyse had obviously been categorized as a nuisance caller.

"I understand that. It's just rather critical that I get this work done today. Is there any way to contact the installer and confirm he is going to be able to get here today?" she asked.

"I will put in a call and if there are any issues we will call you back." The line went dead.

Elyse stared at the phone in annoyance. How rude!

Frustrated she went back to unpacking.

By 4PM the installer still hadn't arrived so she got back on the phone but was trapped on the automated queue for forty minutes.

When a human voice finally answered she was more than a little upset.

"DeltaComm Internet, how may I help you today?" This time the voice was male and already had the bored tone firmly in place.

"My installer never showed. I need my Internet service connected today!" Elyse blurted.

"Could I have your name and address please."

Elyse gave him the details and again heard the click of keys.

"Ok, it says here that the installer knocked and no one answered," the voice accused.

"I was here from 1PM to 4PM and the only person who knocked in that time was a neighbor." Elyse ground out.

"I'm just telling you what it says in our system. The installer arrived, knocked, received no response and moved on to the next job."

"And I'm telling you that didn't happen because I was here. Can you send them back?" Elyse asserted.

"All installers are currently doing other jobs and will be busy for the rest of the day. Looking at the calendar the earliest we could have an installer return to your home would be Wednesday-"

"WEDNESDAY?!?" Elyse cried out.

"Ma'am please don't yell at me. Do you want me to book the appointment for you for Wednesday between 1 and 4PM or not?" the voice responded in a terse manner.

Elyse took some deep breaths to calm herself. She was going to have to call around to see if she could find anyone else to come earlier. In the meantime she'd have to book this appointment just in case she wasn't successful. "Yes."

"OK, you are booked. Anything else we can do for you today?"

"No."

"Thank you for your busine-" The line went dead before he'd finished his words.

Elyse then realized she didn't have any means to look up other Internet providers.

"FUCK!!!" she screamed in frustration.

She recalled she was going to dinner with Beverly. Maybe she had a phone book or better yet Internet access.

Taking a few more deep breaths she calmed herself. She could go get some groceries now. Glancing at the clock she hoped the store was open late on Saturdays.

Fuck.

Chapter 7

Knocking on Beverly and Rick's door just a little before 7PM, Frank took another quick glance at his 'dressy casual' outfit. A nice pair of dark grey slacks and a blue pinstripe dress shirt open at the collar with the sleeves rolled up his muscular forearms. Black loafers and a black leather belt completed the outfit. It was all he had that could be considered dressy casual.

After a few moments the door was opened by Rick. Once more Frank was surprised to see how much older he appeared than Beverly. Rick was maybe a little shorter than him, thirty pounds heavier, and balding with just a ring of grey hair.

"Yes?" the man said with a raspy voice.

"Good evening Rick."

"Do I know you?" the man said peering at him.

"Frank Dunn. Your neighbor from two doors down. Beverly invited me to dinner?" Frank explained but was beginning to feel uncomfortable due to the blank look on Rick's face.

"Oh for heaven's sake Rick, invite our guest in." Beverly's voice gasped from further down the hall. "I told you about our dinner plans at breakfast!"

Rick's eyebrows went up a little. "Oh. Christ woman, you know I don't listen to half of what you say." He turned back to Frank. "Well come on in. Seems we have dinner plans." He stopped when he saw Frank was carrying a bottle of wine and his face lit up. "Is that for us?"

Frank smiled with a nod and handed him the bottle. "I wasn't sure what was being served, if I should get a red or a white wine, so I got a bottle of rosé. I hope that's ok."

"It's very ok! It's French! Ooo la la!" Rick said, practically chuckling. Beverly stuck her head out into the hallway and scowled at her husband who ignored her.

"Good evening Beverly," Frank said and her smile returned.

"Thank you very much for the wine Frank. You didn't have to."

"My parents taught me never to arrive for a dinner invitation empty handed."

"Well, bless their hearts!" Rick grinned.

"Put that on the table and show Frank into the living room. Dinner will be in a few minutes." Beverly instructed her husband.

Rick pouted a little having to put the bottle down but he did as he was told.

Frank just got seated when there was another knock on the door. Rick looked at him and he just looked back. Rick left the room and moments later arrived with another guest. Frank stood and felt a jolt pass through his body. White blond hair, knock out figure in a lovely flowered dress... and a frown on her lovely lips. He felt a familiar pain pass through his heart and he struggled to get his breathing started again. He unconsciously rubbed at his chest.

"Elyse! Welcome!" Beverly said as she came down the hall to meet the woman at the entrance to the living room.

Frank saw the woman was feeling about as uncomfortable as he was. This definitely felt like an ambush.

Rick was looking at their faces and picked up the clues pretty quickly. "You two didn't know the other had been invited did you?"

Frank and Elyse both shook their heads. Rick scowled at his wife. "And you wonder why you don't get invited out more by the neighborhood wives?"

"What? I invited them over for dinner? What's the harm in that?" Beverly barked at her husband but Frank saw Rick had struck a sensitive spot with his comment. He instinctively moved forward to defuse the situation.

"It's ok. It was just a surprise." He turned to the tall blond. That was one difference this woman had to Stephanie who was two inches shorter than him. Up close there were several other differences, each of which he was grateful for as the more she differed from his ex the better. He held out his hand. "Hello, I'm Frank Dunn."

He saw the woman collect herself and take his hand in hers. "Elyse Cabrella. I mean Elyse Williams. I'm changing it."

"Frank is also divorced but I suppose it is simpler for men who don't have to change their surnames." Beverly said. She was almost bubbly now that she'd been 'forgiven'. Rick was still glaring at her.

Frank looked at Beverly and winced. Simpler? "Divorce is anything but simple for anyone involved."

"Maybe I'll ask you for some pointers after dinner," Rick grumbled and moved into the living room.

"Of course, I meant no offence Frank!" Beverly said and placed her hand on his arm again.

He just nodded and glanced at the blond. She was still looking uncomfortable. "Shall we sit?" That got a nod from her. They all moved into the living room and found seats. Rick had already claimed his favorite spot, an old leather Lazy Boy recliner, so Beverly sat on the couch next to Frank and Elyse sat in a lovely old high back chair facing the couch.

"Are you all unpacked yet?" Beverly asked the woman.

"No, I have a ways to go," she said with a guarded smile.

"Frank arrived with only a few boxes and his clothes," Beverly offered and Frank nodded uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what kind of impression that fact made.

"As I was coming from the other side of the country the less I brought the simpler it was. It's like a new start for me too," he said and glanced at Elyse who was giving him a funny look. Time to go on the offensive. "How about you? Where did you move from?"

"Los Angeles. I still have a job there but I'll be working remotely... once I have my internet hooked up." Elyse told them.

"So, the installer didn't come back?" Frank asked. He saw the blonde's pretty green eyes open wide as she stared at him.

"What do you mean 'come back'? He never showed for my scheduled appointment!"

Frank was a little taken aback as her voice was becoming rather sharp. "The van arrived shortly after you drove out of your driveway this morning. He knocked but you obviously weren't there. He asked if I'd seen you and I told him you'd just left."

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" the woman barked. Her face was red and her eyes held so much pent up anger.

Frank flashed back to the torture of dealing with his ex in the lawyer's conference room day after day and his hands began to shake. Suddenly he didn't really feel up to a social evening tonight. He stood up and faced Beverly who looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry. Maybe this isn't such a good idea. I'll see myself out. Have a good evening." With that he strode from the room and stepped outside, closing the front door behind himself.

He felt the shakes building so he trotted back to his house and got inside before it got out of hand. He went into his bedroom and undressed. Then he dropped and began to do push ups. This helped him burn off the excess adrenaline. He didn't stop until his arms could no longer lift his body. He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

This was the last present Stephanie ever gave him. A year of psychological abuse leading to this.

And now he had a neighbor who could trigger it.

Great.

Chapter 8

Elyse watched Frank stand and say his goodnights as her burst of anger quickly drained away. She opened her mouth to stop him but he was gone. When her frayed nerves had finally exploded she'd seen him freeze in place. Except for his big hands. They were trembling. What had she done?

Her afternoon had left her feeling more than a little frustrated. She'd picked up groceries once she found the store but the cashier was just back from her break and had just broken up with her boyfriend. She proceeded to have an emotional breakdown after Elyse put all her groceries onto the belt. It took thirty minutes to get through the checkout process as they were short staffed. She was almost home when she remembered she needed tools as well so she had no tools to assemble her bed.

By this point it was time to get ready for dinner at Beverly's so she took a quick shower and put on her favorite summer dress and sandals.

Even the dress hadn't improved her outlook. Truthfully she was in no mood to attend the dinner but she'd already said she would and she didn't have Beverly's phone number to call and cancel. Besides she needed to borrow a phone book as well so this was a good opportunity.

Then ambush and her nerves went on high alert. The news of missing the installer had been the final straw, pushing her beyond her control and she lashed out.

Now she sat in the living room with two stunned strangers after hurting a man who had done her no real harm. She felt terrible!

"Oh my god, I'm sorry! It's been such an awful day. I didn't mean to snap at him like that." Elyse said to her hosts.

Beverly and Rick just blinked back at her. She couldn't do this. Not tonight.

She stood. "I'm sorry. We should reschedule this. I'm obviously not very good company at the moment. I'll let myself out." She turned and hastily made her way outside and walked back to her house. She stopped as she reached her driveway and looked across the street at Frank's home. An image of how his big strong hands had trembled flashed in her mind and she wondered what had happened to him. Something that had driven him across the country!

She felt terrible! She turned to cross the road but something stopped her. Her nerves were still too jittery. She'd probably say something else stupid. With a final sad look across the street she turned and went home.

Then she realized she didn't get the phone book from Beverly.

Shit. What a perfect ending for the day.

Chapter 9

Waking early was built into Frank's brain. He couldn't sleep in if he tried. He'd gotten used to it and used the extra time to work out.

He looked out the window and the morning was looking bright and clear. An excellent day to go for a ride. He ducked his head out the patio door to test the temperature and there was a bite to the air. He went back to the bedroom and pulled out his full length cycling tights, a long sleeve jersey and his windbreaker. The outfit made him look like he was dressing up as a superhero but it was damn comfortable.

He also brought along his panniers in case he found a place to buy some fresh vegetables. He went outside, locked up, and got his bike out of the garage. He put his helmet and gloves on, mounted the bags to the rear rack and set off downhill.

The roads were pretty quiet this early in the morning and he enjoyed the peaceful ride. It didn't take him long to reach the beach and he stopped for a while just to feel the ocean breeze. The bite was stronger here so he was glad he chose to cover up.

Once he'd had his fill he made his way up the hill away from the beach towards the shopping district. He kept his riding level pretty tame as this was just a shakedown ride for his new bike. So far it was living up to expectations and he was deeply impressed with the quality of the ride. Traffic picked up the closer he got to the main drag and he learned that the disc brakes worked very well when a senior citizen obliviously pulled out of a parking lot in front of him. The old man glared at him as he left the parking lot at a snail's pace.

Frank decided he would do a little more exploring so he headed inland and came upon a dirt trail through the trees. That was fun so he rode as many of the trails as he could find.

When he exited the path at a roadway he recognized where he was and knew there was a grocery store not far away. He rode along the road until he spotted the shopping complex. He parked and locked his bike and went inside with his panniers. He left his helmet on as this was the simplest way to carry it but he popped open the chinstrap. He got a few stares as he was wearing his cycling clothes but he just ignored the gawkers... after he confirmed nothing important was showing.

He loaded up on fresh fruit and vegetables then cashed out. Everything went into his two panniers and he realised he might want to pick up the front panniers for larger loads or pick up a trunk bag for the top of the rear rack. He was thrilled that this experiment was working so far but he still needed to get the loaded bags on the bike and all the way home. He had no idea how the bike would handle with the heavy bags in place. Only if the groceries, and he, survived the trip home could he truly call it a success.

Frank was on his way out of the store when he spotted Beverly walking towards him with a concerned look on her face. Damn.

"Good morning Frank."

"Good morning Beverly," he replied.

"I'm so sorry dinner didn't work out last night. I never expected it to end like that," Beverly lamented, clinging to his arm.

They were blocking the entrance so he guided them over to where he'd parked his bike and he set down his bags.

"I'm sorry it turned out that way as well. We can reschedule for another night- not tonight," he asserted when it looked like Beverly was going to make the suggestion. "Let's give it a few days. Did you have a nice dinner with Elyse after I left?"

"Elyse was so apologetic after you went home. She was terribly upset so she left shortly after you did," Beverly pouted. "I put your wine in the fridge to chill so we can have it at our next get together."

Frank wondered just how much of that apology was for him and how much was just to let Elyse escape the dinner. He put that thought aside.

"OK, I'd better get these groceries home. Later in the week we can give dinner another try, ok?" Frank said and she nodded with a smile.

"Don't you have a car?" Beverly asked looking at his bicycle.

He smiled at her puzzled expression. "Yes, but this is healthier. I get exercise as I run my errands."

"You look good in those tight pants!" Beverly said with a grin and he smiled awkwardly at her. How was he supposed to respond to that?

He connected the bags to the rack and unlocked the bike. Once the bike was clear of the rack he swung his leg over and closed the straps on his helmet.

"You have a good day Beverly. I'll see you later!" he said to the woman who just nodded and continued to watch him with that silly grin on her face. No, she was leering now. He sighed.

He rode back towards the main intersection out of the parking lot and paid close attention to the bike's handling but he didn't really notice any significant changes. Soon he was riding back towards his place and he was no longer conscious of the load he was bringing along. He rolled down the hill and his braking showed no differences either. He pulled into his driveway and got off of the bike. He tugged the panniers off then moved the bike into the garage and up onto its hooks. The helmet went onto its own hook and he ran his fingers through his hair so it wasn't flattened to his skull.

As he stepped out of the garage he came to a halt as Elyse was standing by his bags. He saw she was wearing yoga pants and a tight stretchy top under a loose hoodie left unzipped. The outfit accentuated her curves which he found more than a little distracting. Lovely green eyes were looking at him cautiously.

"Good morning," he said quietly. He locked the garage and turned back to look at her. Damn, she made him nervous!

"Good morning. I want to apologize for how I behaved last night. I'd had a very frustrating day and I lost my temper at you for no good reason. I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me." She was tipping her face down and looking at him from under her bangs. He felt a tremble go through his body. She was so damn beautiful!

Frank felt himself beginning to tingle in a place that was not so well covered at the moment. He hadn't felt anything there in... a very long time. He struggled to understand why his body was betraying him at such an inappropriate time.

"Yes, of course. We all have bad days," he said, trying to hide his reaction to her. He pointed to the bags at her feet to indicate he needed to pick them up.

"Oh!" She looked down and bent to lift the bags giving Frank an unexpected view of her cleavage. His face warmed up.

"Wow! These are heavy! What's in them?" she asked lifting the full panniers.

Frank accepted the bags from her hands and held them in front of his bike shorts as he was just beginning to show his reaction to her body. "Groceries. I should get them into the fridge." When she made no move to leave he continued. "Would- would you like to come in for a moment?"

She smiled and he was momentarily stunned by it. He turned and walked to his front door and let them into his house.

"It's empty!" she exclaimed.

He smiled and glanced at her look of surprise. "Yes, as Beverly mentioned last night I brought almost nothing with me from New York."

She stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. "It's such a lovely house," she sighed as he moved past towards the kitchen. She followed.

Frank set the panniers down on the countertop and began pulling the contents out. She was watching and her eyes showed how surprised she was at how much he'd carried in them.

"Do you always ride your bicycle to get your groceries?" she asked in wonder.

"Actually this was my first attempt and I believe it was a complete success! Nothing got crushed or damaged in any way." He opened the old fridge and loaded the crisper tray with the veggies and the fruit went on the shelf above that.

When he looked back he caught her staring at his ass but she quickly turned away and walked over to the breakfast nook where he'd set up a cheap card table and four folding chairs. He swore her cheeks were showing a blush of her own.

"You know, I put a bid in on this house as well," she said quietly.

"We were bidding against each other?" he asked in surprise.

She nodded as she looked out the windows to the deck.

"Sorry?" he said carefully.

She shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. "No, it's fine. You won fair and square. I admit I was upset at the time as I was eyeing this property for some time. Since I filed for divorce... a month ago.

Frank couldn't suppress the snort of surprise that escaped. A month? He saw she was looking at him curiously.

"Sorry. My divorce process took over a year. It was... a very bad time." He looked down to avoid seeing her resemblance to his ex.

"May I ask you something?" she asked quietly.

He glanced nervously at her. "Sure."

"You... seem to have trouble looking at me. Why is that?" she asked gently.

Frank's face burned and his hands felt clammy. "I'm sorry. It's just- you look a little like Stephanie. My ex. She... put me through hell in the past year." He really wanted to be someplace else at the moment.

"Oh my god! You moved across the country to avoid her and ended up across the street from someone who..." Elyse's voice failed. "I'll go."

Frank turned to look directly into her eyes. He forced steel into his spine to hold himself in place. "No! I mean, it's not your fault. It's an issue I have to deal with. I know you aren't her. The resemblance is superficial. Her blond hair was longer and wavy. Her eyes were blue, not a lovely shade of green and her lips were over inflated and... always sneering or frowning... unlike yours..." Her shy smile once more filled his vision and he lost track of himself momentarily. He forced himself to turn away to get his control back. "I really should get cleaned up."

"Of course. Before I go could I borrow your phone book? I have to look up Internet service providers to see if I can't get someone to do the installation today. It's critical I get a connection by tomorrow. My office expects me to work remotely."

"I never received a phone book. I don't think they print them anymore. It's all done online these days. If you want, you can connect to my network to do your research."

Her brows crinkled in worry. "I don't think that will work. Before I left my office the techs installed something called a VPN on my laptop. I don't even know what a VPN is but the way they explained it to me I think I have to use it from my own home Internet connection."

He nodded with a smile. "I know a thing or two about VPN's. It means Virtual Private Network. It's a piece of software run on your laptop that sets up a secure connection between the laptop and a server at your office. You can use your laptop anywhere as the security of the connection is based on the software on your laptop."

"Oh! That actually makes sense to me! Do you work in IT?" she asked.

"No but I traveled a lot and had to securely connect to my office from various places. I've used VPN's quite frequently. I'm retired now."

"Retired? How can you be retired? You're much too young!" she exclaimed in surprise.

"I sold my shares in the company I created to my partners. So... now I'm retired," Frank said with a smile. "Why don't you get your laptop and give me fifteen minutes to get cleaned up then come over to do your research. I can make us lunch. I was going to make a chicken caesar salad."

Once more she flashed her brilliant smile at him and nodded. His equilibrium took a hit each time she did that. His mind kept expecting her to scream vile accusations or belittling insults at him. When he got kindness instead he reeled in confusion. He braced himself against the counter and her eyes went to his hands.

"Are you ok?" she asked gently.

He forced a smile out and nodded stiffly.

"She really did a number on you, didn't she?" Elyse said compassionately, her eyes softening.

Frank's eyes widened and he had to grit his teeth to contain the gasp as a huge wave of emotion, feeling strangely similar to relief, washed over him. "Excuse me please," he croaked as he turned and walked down the hall towards his bedroom. He heard the front door closing as he walked into his master ensuite. He pulled off his cycling clothes and stepped in the shower. Tremors ran through his muscles as he turned his face up to the spray.

He allowed himself a few minutes of that and felt himself calming. Shampooing and soaping himself clean took only a few moments and he actually felt much better once he stepped from the shower. He toweled himself dry and put on some comfortable jeans and a polo shirt. He slipped his sandals on and went back out to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Twenty minutes later he came to the conclusion that Elyse wasn't coming back. He stepped outside and crossed the road to knock on her door. Moments later the door opened and she looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Are you coming over to do that research and have lunch?" he asked.

She bit her lip and his eyes were immediately drawn to the gesture. Damn.

"Are you sure it's ok?" she asked.

"Yes! As I said, it's just something I need to deal with. I feel much better now. Thank you," he said with a smile.

"I'll get my laptop. One moment." She darted back to her kitchen and returned with the device in her hands. She locked up and they went back to his place.

Once they were inside he led her back to the kitchen and she sat at the card table. "Your taste in furnishings is very... utilitarian," she said with a grin.

He smiled self-consciously. "Yes, the table and chair set was cheap and temporary. I plan on redoing the kitchen from scratch so I didn't want to get any furniture until the room is done." He put two plastic bowls on the table with plastic cutlery and carried the large bowl of caesar salad to the table. He then brought three smaller bowls to the table. One contained freshly grilled chicken strips, the second had freshly sliced lemon wedges in it, and the last contained seasoned croutons.

"All I have to drink is water or wine," he said. He looked in the fridge again. "The wine's a nice pinot grigio."

Elyse nodded. "I'll have a glass of wine please."

Frank got two glasses out of the cupboard and poured for both of them. He carried them to the table and Elyse's eyebrows went up. "Not plastic?" she teased.

"Never!" he responded in mock outrage.

He took a seat across from her and they filled their bowls with the salad and added the chicken and croutons. Frank squeezed lemon juice on his salad as Elyse watched curiously then she did as well.

"What shall we toast?" Elyse asked.

"How about to new beginnings?" Frank suggested.

Her smile was warm as she nodded and raised her glass. They sipped the chilled wine and it was delicious.

"Oh, that's really nice! Very light!" she said and he could tell she meant it. He nodded and tucked into his lunch.

They ate in silence for a bit then she glanced over at her laptop. "Do you think you could show me how the VPN thing works? If I can connect to the office today the IT department will see I was able to connect and that may relieve some of the pressure of getting a connection for Monday."

"Sure, no problem," he said.

"The salad is delicious!"

"Well, it's difficult to make a bad salad if your ingredients are fresh," he stated.

"Did you grill the chicken?" she asked

"Sliced and grilled," he admitted.

"You like to cook?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

He cocked a brow and pinned her with his eyes. "What makes you think I wouldn't?"

It was her turn to blush. "Sorry, I have to admit I got totally the wrong impression of you from day one."

He looked away and nodded. "So did I... of you."

She lifted her glass once more and caught his eye. "To new beginnings?"

He nodded looking into her warm green eyes. "Yes. I'd like to start over."

"Your Jeep, your bicycle, and your muscles all led me to believe you were some kind of jock," she confessed after she swallowed the sip of wine.

He snorted in amusement. "No, I'm no athlete. I got the Jeep to help me get the bicycle to the start of remote trails. It will remain in the garage if my destination is reachable by bike or the stuff I am picking up can fit in my panniers. I love cycling for the exercise it gives me and the peace and grace of the movement. My muscles are just the result of perseverance and hard work. I don't enjoy working out but I know it's good for me so..." He shrugged.

He glanced at her and frowned slightly. "I'm sorry to admit I let your resemblance to my ex set my impression of who you were. As I said she was... difficult... over the past year and I seemed to catch you when you were frowning... or yelling." Elyse put her face in her hands. "It reinforced the impression. I can see you aren't like her at all. I just have to undo what she's done to me. I ask for your patience while I work on that." She nodded to him and they returned to eating.

When they were done Frank collected the dishes and put them by the sink. He'd do them while she was using the Internet.

"Let's work on that VPN connection," he suggested.

She nodded and brought her laptop over and flipped it open and on. Once it reached the desktop she turned it to Frank and he connected her to his wireless network.

"Now whenever you come over with your laptop it will automatically connect," he smiled as he turned the laptop back to her. "This icon loads the VPN software. I've used this one before. Just double click on it."

She did and the application opened. "You see this setting here? Your techs have already configured the connection. All you need to do is click on this and then click on the connect option. Go ahead."

She followed his instructions and a prompt jumped up on the screen asking for her password. He looked away as she typed it in. A few second later the prompt disappeared.

"What happened? Where did it go?" Elyse blurted.

"It's still running. See the little icon at the bottom right? If you see that it means you have a good connection. If you open up your applications that access your office servers you should now be able to get to them."

She opened her office chat client and immediately received a message from the on-duty IT staffer acknowledging her successful connection.

"AH! It's working!" she squeaked with glee and clapped her hands together.

"There you go. Simple, right?" he grinned at her enthusiasm.

"Sure when you explain it. I must have asked the tech who installed it on my laptop to explain how it worked a half dozen times and each time it just sounded more and more technical and complicated!"

"Yeah, that's how techs speak. I picked up enough tech talk to learn how to pick out the important bits," he nodded thoughtfully.

Elyse sent a quick note to the tech indicating she would be connecting the following day. He acknowledged her response.

She looked at Frank once more.

"To disconnect the VPN just right click on the little icon down there and choose disconnect. Then do it again and choose exit."

She did it and the icon disappeared. She grinned and clapped once more. "Oh my god Frank! I can't tell you how nice it is to get help with this stuff from someone who doesn't just drown me in tech jargon."

He just shrugged and grinned. "You still have an Internet connection so you can do your research for Internet providers with a browser. You ok from here? I'm going to go do the dishes."

"Yes, thanks!" She popped open her browser and began.

"Would you like some more wine?"

She looked at him with a happy grin and nodded quickly so he topped up her glass.

Frank moved to the kitchen sink and began to fill it. His knees were wobbly from all the smiles she was hitting him with. He sipped at his wine hoping it would relax him in her presence.

As he worked he could hear the sound of her talking on her cell as she called the places she found online. He wasn't listening to the words but just the tone and inflection in her voice. She had a very warm and friendly manner and he let that sink into his brain as he held an image of her beautiful smiling face in his mind. He hoped that would help break the link to his memories of Stephanie.

The dishes done he glanced over at Elyse and saw she was deep in conversation with someone so he went out to the garage and grabbed his toolbox. He carried it back inside and pulled a tape measure from the box. He took some measurements of the walls in the living room and entered them into his notes app on his cell. He planned on painting this room and he'd need to know how much paint he'd need. Also drop cloths to protect the beautiful hardwood floors.

He heard footsteps behind him and looked to see Elyse walking into the living room with a frustrated look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "None of the service providers I called can get an installer to my place before Wednesday. I already have an appointment with the original company for Wednesday so I may as well stick with them. They had the best price for what I need anyway."

"If you want you can work from here until you get your connection. I mean, it's probably not as comfortable as your place with all your fancy comfortable chairs and proper height desks and stuff," he said in a teasing tone and drew a smile from her.

"I'd hate to impose on you," she said wincing but he saw she was relieved by his offer.

"It's no bother at all. When does your work day begin and end?"

"I could be over at 8:30AM and leave by 4:30PM if that's ok."

"I'll give you a key. I may be out riding at that time in the morning," he replied.

She blinked in surprise. "You'll give me a key?"

Suddenly Frank worried he may be sending her the wrong message. His face flushed and he back pedaled. "You know, so you can let yourself in tomorrow if I'm out riding. No other reasons. No expectations," he blurted then closed and rubbed his eyes as the words sounded even more damning.

He heard a quiet snort and opened his eyes. She was smiling happily at him so he hadn't offended her. That was a relief!

"You're a very sweet man, Frank. I will borrow a key. Thank you."

Unreasonably warmed by her words, he nodded and walked to his bedroom to get the spare key. He handed it to her when he got back out to the living room.

"What are you measuring?" she asked as she added the key to her keychain.

"I'm going to repaint the living room as the walls are looking a little dingy. Something bright but neutral. Eggshell?" he said looking critically at the room.

Elyse looked shyly at Frank. "May I offer a suggestion?"

He looked pleadingly at her. "Please! I have very little design sense and this is the first home I've had to do by myself." Frank suddenly realized the scope of that task and felt completely inadequate to meet the challenge. "Any help you could give me would be welcome." He saw her eyes light up at his request.

"Ok... well, I think this room needs a little warmth. It's a gathering place for friends and family. It deserves welcoming colors and fabrics. What's your style?" she asked.

Frank blinked at her. "Style?"

"Traditional, Country, Rustic, Casual, Transitional, or Contemporary?" she said tilting her head as she looked at him. She seemed to be trying to get a read from him. "Wait! You bought a bed, right? I need to see it!" With that she hustled down the hall towards his bedroom.

Frank froze in place. Following her into his bedroom just seemed to be a little too intimate. Moments later she returned and nodded to him.

"What made you pick that bed?" she asked.

"It's very well made. Quality work and... I liked how it looked," he admitted.

"Good! You have excellent taste. It's what I would call Transitional. Somewhere between Traditional and Contemporary. Simple and sophisticated."

"That first part sounds like me," he said with a self-deprecating grin.

She gave him a fake stern look and assessed the room once more.

"Linen white."

"What's that?"

"That's the color I'd paint these walls. It's light and warm but has a creaminess to it. I'd take it right from the front door to just outside the kitchen. Down the hallway as well. Not inside the kitchen, dining room, or the bedrooms though," she said as her eyes were focused on the image in her mind.

Frank got his tape measure out and measured the remaining area he'd need to paint. "Well, I know what I'm doing tomorrow," he grinned at her when he was done.

"Do you have dinner plans tonight?" she asked.

"Uh, no."

"To thank you I'd like to take you out to dinner. I saw a lovely place on my drive up the coast. I made a reservation for 7PM, a table inside by the window so we'll get to enjoy the sunset." Elyse was looking at him hopefully and he couldn't help but smile and nod.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 6:30PM," she grinned and he returned it.

She looked at his tool box then back to him with another hopeful look. "Could I borrow some tools so I can assemble my bed frame?"

"Sure, as long as I get them back," he teased.

She flashed him another bright smile and he felt its impact through his body. When she turned to pick out the tools she needed he leaned back against the wall to brace himself.

Elyse turned to show him the tools she had in her hands. Just a few screwdrivers and a couple of adjustable wrenches. He nodded. "Oh! My laptop." She turned back to walk to the kitchen.

"There's a plastic bag on the counter you can use to carry the tools," he suggested.

She stopped and put the tools in the bag then grabbed her laptop.

He walked her to the front door. "What's the dress code for dinner?"

"How did Beverly put it? Ah yes, dressy casual," she smiled as she shook her head. She looked back at Frank. "Thank you so much for your help with the VPN, for loaning me the tools, and for that delicious lunch!" she said beaming her lovely smile at him.

"You're most welcome!" he replied as his cheeks burned. His brain was spinning but he did his best to remain calm. She hesitated then she was out the door.

He sighed as he closed the door. Aside from the shakes he hadn't felt this good... in a very long time.

As he returned to taking measurements he looked forward to dinner.

Chapter 10

She made quick work of assembling her bed frame now that she had tools to do it. After she lifted her mattress up onto the frame she sighed with relief as she hoped this would allow her to wake peacefully. This morning had been a repeat of the previous one. She woke disoriented and gasping in fright. Not a happy way to start the day.

She put Frank's tools back into the plastic bag and sat on the edge of the bed smiling to herself. While she could drive over to the hardware store to get her own tools, not having them gave her an excuse to visit her new neighbor. She caught herself grinning and gave her head a firm shake. It was a little too soon after her divorce to be having romantic thoughts. It was certainly too early for Frank who was going through some rather severe post-divorce trauma.

She frowned as she remembered his almost panicked look when he saw her standing in his driveway this morning. When she walked over to apologize she saw him lifting his bike up on the hooks in the garage and found herself admiring his physique in the skin tight cycling clothes. When he exited the garage he locked up when he saw her. Her guilt for yelling at him the previous night had come pouring back.

He'd been very gracious to accept her apology which surprised her as she'd expected him to be far more gruff and uptight about it. Michael was always resentful after being scolded.

She hadn't prepared for what to do after she apologized so when he invited her in to see the house she was delighted. She hadn't expected the house to be mostly empty. In her mind she'd pictured a lot of big and heavy furniture.

Thinking about it she was most surprised by how he kept her off balance with each new insight into his true character. Sure he looked strong and masculine like Michael, a man's man, but in reality he was a quiet, thoughtful man, comfortable with who he was. There'd been so much bullshit machismo with her ex-husbands she'd just come to expect it. Frank was... refreshingly different.

She stopped to think about that. He certainly wasn't as tall as her ex-husbands. He was a little shorter than her but she could tell he wasn't the least bit uptight about that.

He was clearly older than Derrick and Michael. Older than she was though she wasn't exactly sure of his age and she'd feel odd asking. Was it his age that made him seem... mature? Derrick took offence to every perceived slight and Michael was a sullen pouter when he didn't get his way.

Frank seemed stable as a rock compared to her two exes.

Then she recalled his reaction to her asking him why he wouldn't look at her. When he'd explained she felt awful! To travel that far to free himself of reminders only to be confronted with a look-alike living right across the road! And he'd obviously suffered some kind of abuse as his behavior with her indicated. When she'd gone home she didn't know what to do. The thought of being a source of torment for him was almost too much. She knew she had to be prepared to stay away from him to let him heal.

But he'd come looking for her.

He was facing his demons, so to speak, and getting on with his life the best he could. She was very impressed with his inner strength. She hoped she was dealing with her own as well as he was.

He had excellent taste in wine and the lunch he'd made was very yummy. He was an excellent teacher, when it came to technology at least, and wasn't afraid to ask for help when he needed it. Best of all the help he'd asked for was to decorate that lovely home. She'd dreamed of what she would do with it when she bought it, cried when she discovered she wouldn't get to live out that dream, and now he was giving her the opportunity to do it after all.

She was so looking forward to dinner. She leapt to her feet to go look for a nice dress to wear. Not that it was a date!

Hours later she'd finally settled on her off the shoulder knitted, ribbed grey dress which hugged her curves and ended slightly above mid-thigh. To tone down the amount of skin and cleavage she was showing up top she threw on a burgundy lace shawl. To complete the outfit she slipped her feet into some burgundy high heel pumps. Since he didn't seem to be offended by her height she'd enjoy the benefits it gave her. She quickly touched up her hair and make-up and realized it was almost 6:30PM.

She rushed to the front door and collected her clutch purse with her wallet and car keys. She stepped outside, locked up, pulled her car out of the garage, locked that and pulled out of her driveway and into Frank's.

She was already finding her garage door to be a nuisance. Adding a motorized opener would be number one on her list of home improvements!

Before she could undo her seatbelt Frank was standing next to the passenger door. She popped the lock and he let himself in, falling the last few inches to the seat with a thump.

"Geez!" he exclaimed. He looked at her in surprise. "This car is really low to the ground!"

"It's a sports car, silly! Of course it is!" she grinned. "Buckle up!"

He did and they got underway. He sat with his hands folded in his lap and his eyes a little wider than normal as she worked the gears smoothly to navigate their way quickly through the light traffic. Soon they were zipping along on the coastal highway.

"The car handles really well and it has excellent pickup!" he said. "I think I left my stomach back there on that last curve."

"Are you dissing my driving?" she teased.

He held up his hands in surrender. "No, no! You're an excellent driver!"

She nodded with a hint of a smile on her lips, mollified by his praise.

They reached the restaurant minutes before their reservation and slipped into a spot someone was just vacating.

Frank heaved himself up to his feet and out of the car. Closing his door he quickly walked around the car to open her door for her.

She smiled up at him and took his offered hand. Long toned legs stepped out onto the parking lot and he helped her rise from the seat. He suddenly found himself looking up into her eyes as her heels placed them a good four inches above his own.

She smiled cautiously at him, waiting for his reaction. He stepped back to take in her ensemble and she saw he was more than a little awestruck. She felt butterflies in her stomach and chided herself for reacting like this for just a dinner between friends. Neighbors.

"You- you look... exceptionally lovely!" he managed to get out at last. Her eyes flashed with happiness at his words and she dipped her head in thanks as she scoped out his outfit.

He was wearing a navy blue sports jacket over a white, long sleeve dress shirt, open at the collar, tight black jeans and black leather shoes. She was thrilled with how powerful his chest, shoulders, and arms looked in the jacket.

"And you look very handsome," she replied drawing a smile from him.

He turned and offered his elbow and she blinked at him.

His face fell and he looked at her in embarrassment. "Sorry, old habits die hard."

"No, you just took me by surprise. It's a really nice habit." Michael and Derrick never showed any understanding of proper etiquette. Michael would typically rest his hand on her hip or more often, her ass. She slipped her hand around his arm and rested it on his forearm, enjoying the feel of the strength there.

They made their way inside and more than a few eyes turned in their direction as the host led them through the dining area to their reserved table by the window. Elyse could almost hear their thoughts. Who was this powerful looking man with the statuesque blond on his arm? She chuckled to herself but just shook her head at Frank's curious gaze.

He held her chair out for her and she enjoyed his gentlemanly attentions. He sat across from her and made a visible effort to pull his eyes away from her to look at their view.

"You weren't kidding about the view this restaurant would have. Sunset should look pretty amazing from here," he blurted as he kept his eyes on the view.

Suddenly Elyse felt distressed. Maybe she was reminding him of his wife again. Maybe he was hurting because of her!

"Am I causing you anxiety? Am I making it worse, you know, looking like your ex?" she said, worried.

His eyes snapped back to her. "What? Oh! No! No, that's not it at all! It's... it's just that I feel like an awkward eighteen year old again. Trying not to look like or act like an uncultured boob in front of a beautiful woman."

"What?" she blinked.

"Like I said, your resemblance to Stephanie is superficial. Close enough it seems to trigger... a reaction but it's just the same hair color and body shape." He paused to take in her beauty and he shook his head. "When I first met her... so many years ago, I was completely smitten. I thought she was the loveliest creature to ever walk amongst us mortals and being so young myself I was completely tongue tied around her. I almost drove her away with my foot in my mouth all the time. When I finally got that under control I pursued her unmercifully until she agreed to date me." She saw Frank swallowing and his eyes dropped for a second then he looked back at her once more.

"Stephanie isn't even in your league. You're..." She saw he was struggling to put into words what his eyes were so obviously telling her. She felt a thrill zing through her at the effect she had on him.

He pushed back suddenly. "Now it's my turn to make you feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry!" She saw his face flush with embarrassment.

Elyse reached across the table and seized his hand. He froze.

Pitching her voice so it only reached his ears she leaned forward. "You're not making me feel uncomfortable! I'm very flattered! It's been some time since I've heard anyone say such nice things about me. A woman likes to hear the words from time to time." She smiled at him until she drew his smile back.

The waiter appeared and they admitted they hadn't looked at the menus yet. He informed them of the specials and said he would bring them water as he left.

Elyse realized she was still holding Frank's hand and his thumb was unconsciously stroking the back of hers. That felt so good but she realized it wasn't something friends, neighbors, would or should do. Begrudgingly she pulled her hand back.

They turned their attention to the menus and she found a pasta dish that sounded yummy.

"You found something?" he asked.

"The pasta primavera sounds good!" she replied. He took another look and closed his menu.

"It does. Shall we order wine?" he asked.

"What would you recommend?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Have you tasted any Italian Soave wines?"

"No, I don't believe I have," she replied.

He picked up the wine list and scanned through the white wines until he found one that sounded promising. "Would you care to try one?"

She nodded with a grin and he looked for the waiter.

The man returned and they placed their orders, Frank requesting a bottle of an Italian Soave he spotted on the list.

When they were alone again she looked at Frank and he seemed to be more relaxed now. Something he'd said earlier reminded her of a question she'd had about his age. Maybe there was a way to get an answer. She'd have to be willing to talk about her own life though. Then she realized she could... with him.

"I have a question but I'm not sure if you are comfortable talking about your marriage. You seemed to be earlier."

"Yes, it's fine."

She relaxed a little. "You mentioned you were eighteen when you met Stephanie. How long were you married?"

"Twenty one years," he said quietly.

She thought about that. That was a significant amount of time to invest in a relationship. She saw the sadness in his eyes. "Are you still in love with her?"

"What? No... no. She was clinically efficient in excising any trace of love for her from my heart," he said with a frown.

"I'm sorry for mentioning it. You just seemed sad."

"Well... I'm sad about losing what we had but it seems that died some time ago and I was just too busy working to notice." Frank sighed.

"So... you're thirty-nine?" she asked.

He smiled at her and shook his head. "Forty. It took a year of wooing to get her to marry me."

"Ah," she said with an embarrassed grin.

"You could have just asked me how old I am," he said.

"I wasn't sure if that would offend you," she said and bit her lip. His eyes locked onto the gesture then he pulled them away. He cleared his throat.

"No, I don't get offended by such things. I'm forty. A divorcé. I have no kids. I have no family for that matter."

"Since we are being open and honest, divulging our secret truths, I'm 32 and a double divorcé. I have no kids from either marriage and my family disowned me when I married my first husband who was black much to their horror. My second husband was of Italian descent so they probably would have hated him too." She held his eyes with hers but all she saw in them was compassion. He wasn't shocked or disgusted by her past.

"Being disowned must have been rough," he said.

She nodded. "It was certainly eye opening. I have a little sister I haven't spoken to since that day. She was always too much under my mother's influence so it isn't surprising. But it is sad."

The waiter returned with the wine and poured for them.

Once he'd left Frank lifted his glass and she did as well. "To new friends?" he asked.

"Definitely, to new good friends!" she grinned and he nodded as his eyes fluttered a little. They took a sip and she caught his eyes once more. "May I ask you another question?"

He hesitated then nodded.

"Why do your eyes do that when I smile at you?" she asked gently.

He looked down at the table and seemed to take a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't press-" she quickly added.

"No, it's alright." He lifted his face to look at her with a sad smile. "It's just a reaction driven by the stuff my ex did to me during each and every meeting we had and there were many." He took another breath.

"I've... gotten used to... some pretty vicious verbal abuse from a pretty blond. So when a beautiful blond treats me to a smile and kind words my brain doesn't really know how to process that and... it takes a little holiday."

Elyse lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she looked at him in dismay.

"No, please don't hide your mouth from me. Those smiles are Heaven on Earth for my soul. My brain can twitch all it likes as long as I can keep seeing them!" he pleaded quietly.

She dropped her hand to the table and was unable to stop her lips from flashing another smile at him.

"Oh my god you're charming!" she growled playfully at him as her face heated up to keep pace with his.

Dinner arrived and saved them both from further embarrassment. It was a good choice and they both enjoyed their meals very much. Halfway through Elyse looked out the window and realized it was dark.

"Oh no!"

Frank looked up in worry. "What is it?"

She gave him a smirk. "We missed the sunset!"

His head whipped around and he barked out a laugh when he saw how dark it was. He looked back at her and shrugged. "I knew I'd miss it."

"You knew you'd miss viewing the sunset?" she said raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"There are far more dazzling sights to behold just across the table," he said as he returned to his salad with a small smile in the corners of his mouth.

Elyse felt her whole body respond to that last compliment. "Did I mention you're a charmer?"

He nodded without looking up. She could see his cheeks were red. He was still struggling against what his ex had done but he wasn't giving up. She took another drink of her wine and he topped up her glass. She was really enjoying the wine!

They ate the rest of their meals in companionable silence, each enjoying just being together with the occasional admiring glance.

As they finished Elyse was craving something sweet. She picked up the tiny dessert menu and cast her eyes up and down the short list. The cheesecake immediately jumped out at her.

"Mmmm! Cheesecake. I know what I'm having for dessert!" she purred.

He chuckled and just shook his head to indicate he would pass.

The waiter arrived to collect their plates and Elyse ordered the sweet treat.

A moment later he returned with a generous slice of cheesecake on a plate with two forks.

"If you think I'm sharing this you have another thing coming!" she teased and he just shook his head with a grin.

She managed to get halfway through when she realized there was no way she could finish.

"Ok, maybe you can have one bite," she said pitifully.

"Sure. Just one," he agreed as he reached for the fork. She scooped another forkful and lifted it up towards him.

She saw him lock up again, his eyes darting between the fork and her, then he moved towards the fork slowly until his lips closed over it. He pulled back as she remained frozen, eyes locked on his mouth. He sat back, slowly relishing the taste of the dessert in his mouth until it was gone.

"That was good cheesecake," he said.

"Yes... it was," she said after she pulled the fork from her mouth. She realized she was feeling very warm all over. She looked over at the bottle and realized it was empty. "How much wine did I drink?"

"I think you may have had three glasses," he replied.

"And you?"

"Just the one."

"Hmmm... do you know how to drive a stick home? Ah! I mean a stick shift!" she blurted when her mind immediately flashed to an alternate meaning of her question.

He must have heard it as well as his face was a little red. "Yes, I can drive your car. Not as well as you obviously but tonight it might be a good idea."

She signaled the waiter and asked for the check. While she waited she drank her glass of water as a preventative measure to head off tomorrow's dehydration headache.

"Are you sure you don't want me to pitch in for dinner?" Frank asked.

"No! It's my treat!" she insisted.

"Thank you for a lovely dinner!" he said and she grinned at him. Woo! She was feeling the wine!

She paid the bill and Frank stood up to pull her chair back. He took her hand and helped her to her feet. She felt the room begin to tilt so she clung to his arm.

"The wine?"

"The wine."

They headed for the exit but she stopped when they got to the front door. She looked at him a little desperately. "Three glasses of wine and one big glass of water means I won't make it home. I should use the ladies room before we go."

"Sure, I'll wait here," he said.

Elyse carefully made her way into the bathroom and found an empty stall. She lifted her dress and slipped her silky g string downwards. Why had she chosen her sexy underwear for a dinner with a friend? She struggled to get them off and accidentally dropped them. They landed in a puddle on the bathroom floor near the toilet bowl. It was probably just mop water but she couldn't put them back on now! She stepped clear and finally sat to do her business. Her relief was enormous.

When she was done she stood and took another look at her panties sitting in the puddle. She pulled her dress back down and used some tissue to grab a dry section of the waistband and carried the underwear to the trash can. She washed her hands and sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. He was being such a gentleman and here she was walking around with no panties. A little tingle went through her and she clamped down on it. Not the time or place.

Elyse walked back out to the front door and Frank held it open for her. When they got outside she wobbled a little on the driveway so he put an arm around her to help steady her walking. God that felt so good!

They got to the car on the passenger side and he looked at her.

"Yes?" she said looking deeply into his eyes.

"Keys?"

She blushed crimson. "Sorry. Keyless entry." She gripped the door handle and the doors unlocked. He held the door for her and she got in. He closed her door and got in the driver's side once more plopping down onto the seat. She snorted in amusement.

"Sorry. Not used to how low this car is yet," he said smiling self-consciously.

Elyse watched him make himself familiar with the layout of the controls then he got them underway. She was impressed with how smoothly he worked the gears. She must have made a sound as he glanced over at her.

"My Jeep's a standard too."

"Ah!" she sighed then giggled. She wasn't feeling drunk so much as just really relaxed. Frank made her feel safe. He was a careful driver too. She leaned back in her seat.

She felt a warm hand on her shoulder gently shaking her and heard her name. She opened her eyes and saw they were in her driveway.

"We're home? Already?"

"You nodded off," Frank smiled.

"Mmmm!" she purred as she stretched.

"Looks like its sleepy time for someone," he teased. "Give me the key to the garage and I'll get your car inside," he said.

She fished them out of her clutch and he got out to open the garage. She watched him and felt a tingle beginning in her intimate places. She squirmed and rubbed her thighs together, remembering she wasn't wearing panties. She felt very naughty and began to giggle.

Frank got back in and looked at her. "What's funny?"

She just looked at him and bit her lip as she shook her head. He got a strange look on his face then moved the car forward into the garage. He got out again and crossed to open her door. She needed his help to get out as her muscles were still relaxed from the wine and the sleep. So he held her against his chest as he closed her door.

She breathed in his clean, warm masculine scent and her whole body began to tingle. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. She felt him freeze then he was hugging her too.

Then she felt something pressing back against her in a very nice way and she gasped. He pulled back.

"I think you'd better go inside and get some rest. You have work tomorrow," he said, his voice rumbling with suppressed need.

She gazed into his eyes and saw he was looking a little desperate. She nodded and they walked outside so he could close and lock the garage. He handed her the keys.

"Thank you for a truly lovely night! I'll see you tomorrow morning? Just let yourself in with your key. I'll likely be out riding and won't get back until sometime between 9 and 10AM."

She bit her lip, worried she'd hurt him. That must have shown in her eyes.

"It really was a perfect night. I think we'd both better head off to our own beds. As attracted to you as I obviously am we both know it's too soon," his voice trembled.

Elyse knew he was right. "Good night Frank! I had a really nice time too! I'll see you in the morning."

He relaxed a little and smiled at her. He nodded and headed home. She unlocked her door and stepped inside. She turned back and saw he was waiting to make sure she got inside. He waved and went inside his own home.

She closed and locked her door and leaned back against it. Her whole body was tingling and aching for release. She walked down the hall to her bedroom and went into the ensuite to draw a bath. She dropped in some scented oils and lit a few candles around the room.

As the tub filled she went back out to the bedroom and undressed. Her outfit had been a huge success. Frank couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She sat on the bed and put her face in her hands. Was she really pursuing this man after just meeting him two days ago? Her body throbbed YES and she shook her head.

It was crazy! He wasn't even her type! Well, if her type was based on who she married at least. He wasn't taller than she was. He was eight years older than she was. He even said he wasn't an athlete though his body felt hard in all the right places.

Her tingling spiked so she got up and entered the bathroom once more, turning off the lights on the way in. She tied her hair up into a bun to keep it dry then stepped into her tub and sighed as the hot water soothed her muscles. She sank into it until the water reached her chin.

She ran her fingers over her skin and imagined it was Frank touching her. A deep throb shook her body and she gasped. What was it about him that got her this worked up? He wasn't aggressive like Michael or absurdly self-confident like Derrick had been. His personality was almost a polar opposite to theirs yet she wanted him!

Her fingers had reached the heat between her legs and she ran two fingers down the sides of her lower lips while her middle finger stroked directly across the sensitive flesh.

"Ohhhh fuck!" she moaned. She was so sensitive!

Up and down she stroked, slowly and firmly and her mouth dropped open as she gasped at how incredible it felt. Fuck! She was close already! She slipped her finger inside as her palm pressed down on her clit.

"Ah! Oh fuck! Ah! AH! AHHH! YES!"

Elyse rubbed in tiny rapid circles and the pleasure washed over her, shaking her muscles and sending sparks dancing along her nerves. It wasn't a huge release but it had taken her by surprise with its intensity and the rapid build-up. Her mind floated in the afterglow as the heat of the bath relaxed her spent body. She missed sex.

She was really looking forward to seeing Frank again!

Chapter 11

The bicycle moved under him in perfect synchronicity, responding to his aggressive pedaling with a surge of speed as he danced on the pedals to accelerate himself up the hill at a rapid clip. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding but he felt completely alive! In fact he felt better than he had in over a year!

Dinner the night before had been incredible! Or rather the company had made it that way. Elyse was... words failed him again. She was beautiful inside and out and his mind was reeling at the thought of being able to spend more time with her.

Being distracted while he was cycling wasn't such a good idea though so he did his best to keep his mind on the road and the occasional car he encountered. He didn't want to jeopardize his chances of getting back to see her.

He had his panniers with him again as he intended to pick up the ingredients for making chicken and chorizo paella. If she was interested in sharing dinner with him that is.

He rode a big loop around the town and ended up back at the grocery store once more. He was locking up his bike when he felt someone watching him. He turned and caught Beverly staring at his spandex covered ass.

"Good morning Beverly! Fancy bumping into you here again two days in a row!" he said. He tried to ignore her blatant stare.

She jumped a little and smiled shakily at him. "Good morning Frank! Yes, uh, I needed some ingredients for baking cookies for the church bake sale. You?"

"I'm just getting some stuff to make dinner," he admitted.

"The offer to come over to our place is still open you know," she reminded him.

"I know. Why don't we schedule that for Thursday or Friday? Gives me some time to settle in. I'll ask Elyse when she's available and I'll let you know," he said with a smile.

"So you two have spoken since the... since the dinner party?" Beverly asked curiously, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes. She dropped by yesterday to apologize and I let her use my Internet connection to look up Internet providers. She's going to stick with the one she has so I'm letting her work from my place until her connection is installed on Wednesday."

"That's... great! You two are hitting it off," the woman smiled but Frank got the impression that something was off. He really didn't want to dig too deep as he wanted to get on with his shopping so he could get home.

"Yeah. Well, I'd better get started. Have a good day!" He'd noticed she was carrying bags so she was done her shopping. That eliminated one reason for her to follow him in.

"Ok, you have a good day as well. Looking forward to hearing from you!" she blurted so he smiled and nodded as he entered the store.

He made his way quickly through the store and picked up the items he needed and paid for them. Into the panniers they went and he loaded them back onto his bike.

The ride back was quick and he put his bike back in the garage and locked it up. As he came around to the front door with his loaded panniers he saw Elyse standing in the open doorway and his breath caught in his chest. She was wearing a pale yellow button down blouse which was just a little tight across her generous breasts and cute green capris which just made her long legs seem even longer. She'd left a few buttons open to relieve the strain on her top and his eyes were drawn to her soft- whoa!

He blinked and started breathing and moving forward again. He hadn't realized he'd come to a standstill as he gazed at her. Her eyes were twinkling with joy as she smiled at his appreciation.

"Good morning Frank!"

"Good morning Elyse! Sleep well?"

"So much better now that the mattress is off the floor! Thank you!" she responded and stepped back to let him enter.

He kicked off his cycling shoes and made his way back to the kitchen, aware that she was taking a good look at his ass in the tight pants. He began to swell in the front so he moved up to the counter to hide his now obvious reaction to her. He spotted the bag of tools he'd loaned her on the counter as well.

"How are you finding working remotely?" he asked.

"It's a little too quiet. I'm used to a group of ladies sitting around me gossiping all day. I tuned them out mostly but I guess I miss the sound of other people nearby. I hadn't thought of that."

Frank was putting away the groceries and nodded as he recalled his own work experiences. "I used to travel a lot for my job and spent way too many hours in hotels in cities all over the world connected to the office with my laptop. I did all of that alone. It is lonely."

Elyse went still and her eyes locked on his. "So you were on the road a lot? Lonely? While you were away from home you never sought... companionship?" she asked carefully. There was a tightness in her voice.

He looked deeply into her eyes and saw pain there. Ah.

"No. I couldn't and wouldn't. That's not who I am," Frank said quietly. "Your exes?"

Elyse nodded and dropped her eyes.

"Fools," he growled and quickly left the kitchen to put the panniers in the closet by the front door. He was trembling in anger at the thought of these two men hurting Elyse. It was nuts as he didn't know them at all and barely knew Elyse. He had to get control of himself. He took some deep breaths and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Are you ok?"

He turned to see her concerned eyes gazing into his. His heart leapt into his throat. He cleared it.

"Yes, sorry. It just threw me a little to know they hurt you like that. I guess I'm just a little sensitive to the issue," he shrugged not looking at her.

"Did Stephanie-"

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go take my shower now," he said with a weak smile and eased past her to make his way to his bedroom. He closed the door and stripped his sweaty bike clothes off. He stepped into the shower and stood under the hot water, feeling it loosen the tight muscles. He knew he was still running from the truth of what Stephanie had done. He knew he was partially responsible. He just truly hadn't faced it head on. She had beaten him verbally with it again and again but he was trying desperately to keep it from touching him. From touching the last and best memories of their marriage. Why he was fighting so hard to keep that he didn't know.

He washed his hair and body on autopilot as his mind was miles away. Finally, he stepped out and dried himself off.

He pulled on some underwear, socks, khakis and a comfortable short sleeve button down shirt. He picked up his laptop and left the bedroom, walking back to the kitchen to see Elyse typing away on her own laptop. She stopped when he arrived and faced him.

"I'm so sorry for asking such personal questions," she said contritely.

"No, it's fine. My apologies for being overly sensitive. I'll have to ask for your patience," he said quietly.

She nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Would you mind if I shared the table to do a little work of my own?" he asked.

"Please! I'd welcome the company," she said with a smile.

Frank got himself set up and checked up on some banking details his lawyer had contacted him about. He confirmed the latest deposits were going into his accounts and worked on a note back to the lawyer.

Occasionally he would catch Elyse smiling at him but she'd quickly look away when he'd look over at her.

His curiosity buzzing he had to ask. "Ok, what is it?"

"Your laptop suits you," she said with a grin and he looked at the device in question. He didn't get what she was trying to point out.

Due to the amount of traveling he'd done to some pretty rough places, he'd purchased a machine with an armored case. Military spec protection for the delicate electronics inside. Over those years the machine had taken a beating but continued to work dependably. He'd upgraded the guts several times but the outer shell showed its years of service in places. When he left his company the machine came with him.

He shook his head as he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Its wide screen is like your shoulders, the black rubber is dark like your hair, and the screen has two silver patches at the tips like your temples," she grinned.

He pulled the screen towards himself and sure enough there were two silver metal caps protecting the top corners of the screen under the rubber shell. He smiled at Elyse and shook his head as she grinned back at him. He finished off his message and shut down the laptop.

Looking at the clock he saw it was approaching the lunch hour.

"Would you like some lunch? I was going to make a grilled cheese sandwich," he asked.

Her smile turned into a grin. "I haven't had a grilled cheese sandwich since I was a little kid! I'd love one!"

He smiled back and nodded. He'd picked up sour dough bread and several bricks of good cheese at the grocers. He pulled a bottle of olive oil from the cupboard and a brick of unsalted butter from the fridge. Elyse got up from the card table and walked over to watch what he was doing.

He cut four generous slices of the sour dough from the loaf. He took a grater from a drawer and made three piles of grated cheese on a cutting board; Parmesan, Old Cheddar (orange) and Swiss Gruyere. Then he got a large frying pan from under the counter. The pan went on the stove on high heat. He buttered one side of each slice of bread while he waited for the pan to heat. He added a little olive oil to the pan and turned the heat down to medium after swirling the oil around. He added two slices of bread and sprinkled on the cheeses in thick layers, topping it with the other slices of bread, butter side up.

The smell of the butter melting and the cheese oozing out filled the room. He flipped the sandwiches over after four minutes to let the other side become golden and crispy as well. After another four minutes he scooped the sandwiches out of the pan onto the cutting board. He moved the pan to a back burner and shut off the stove. Frank then sliced the sandwiches diagonally to make two triangles and lifted them onto the plates.

"Would you like a glass of milk with your sandwich?" he asked and she clapped with joy.

He poured two glasses and they moved to the card table.

"Oh my god this smells delicious! I was expecting sandwich bread, margarine and processed cheese slices!" she gasped.

"That can taste good too but this..." he took a bite and sighed with happiness, "This is divine."

Elyse took her first bite and the cheese melted across her taste buds. When she finally allowed the food to be swallowed she looked at Frank with bliss. "This is amazing!"

"Comfort food," he agreed with a content smile.

She nodded as she had a mouthful of the wonderful sandwich. They didn't speak again until they'd both finished their lunch and washed it down with the cold, fresh milk.

"Frank, you're spoiling me."

"What?"

"First the delicious chicken caesar salad now this! I would have just popped a slice of bread in a toaster and slathered peanut butter on it."

"That sounds tasty too," he replied.

"Please! It's not in the same league as the meals you've made! You're a genius in the kitchen!" she said as she rubbed her happy tummy.

He smiled bashfully. "Thank you but it's really been pretty simple stuff." He paused and looked at her. "I have to go out this afternoon to pick up all the paint and supplies. I was thinking if you don't have plans for dinner I could make us a chicken and chorizo paella. If you don't have dinner plans already... that is," he finished, stumbling over his tongue.

"Paella? I don't think I've ever had that. I'd love to try it though. How about you bring it over to my place and we'll have dinner there," she suggested.

He allowed himself to relax a little. "That would be perfect! Are you ok with dinner at 7:30PM? That would give me some time to get some painting done too. Eating at your place also means no smell of paint."

"Sounds like a plan!" she grinned.

"Great!" He stood up and collected her plate and glass. He proceeded to clean up the kitchen while she went back to work.

When he was done he went out to his Jeep and drove over to the local hardware store. He picked up the supplies and waited for them to mix the paint for him, linen white. He also picked up white ceiling paint and white paint for the baseboards and the crown mouldings.

When he got back he immediately began masking all of the baseboards and crown moulding so he could paint the ceilings and the walls in the areas he intended to do. Then he taped down the drop cloth in those areas as well.

Occasionally Elyse would wander out of the kitchen to watch him work. When he'd catch her she'd grin and disappear back into the kitchen to do her own work.

When he was done preparing the area he wandered back into the kitchen to get a glass of water and she looked up from her laptop. "Sorry for being such a distraction from your work," he said.

"It's not your fault. I'd much rather be helping you than doing this," she sighed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm an editor. I'm editing a book for one of my company's authors. Unfortunately I find him incredibly dull. He has a following so he continues to get published. I'm the third editor to be assigned his work. Apparently you can only work with him for so long before a homicidal urge to throw him onto a bonfire made from his own books becomes overwhelming."

"Huh."

"What's that mean?"

"You're an editor. That's great! I may need to pick your brain in a little while," he answered.

"Oh?"

"One of my goals now that I'm retired is to finally sit down and write the novel I've been carrying around in my head for the last few decades. Maybe once I've written a few chapters I could ask you to take a look at them and tell me if I'm just wasting my time." He saw she was looking a little worried. "You won't hurt my feelings if you tell me it stinks. I've never written a book before and I have no idea if I have the talent to do so. I'm not hinging any future life goals on my ability to get the book published. It's just something I thought I'd try."

"What kind of book is it?" she asked.

"What would you call a story about a detective solving a case?" he asked.

"Detective Fiction," she replied.

"Oh. Ok, it's one of those," he smiled sheepishly.

"Sure, I could take a look. Several authors I've worked with specialize in that genre so I have a pretty good idea of what sells and what doesn't," she agreed.

"Thank you in advance then. Listen, I'm going to start painting now. I'll do the ceilings first and I'll try to be careful and not drip any paint but be careful when you walk through," he said and she nodded.

He nodded in return and headed down to his bedroom. He needed to change out of his clothes and put on the painter's coverall he got at the hardware store. He stripped down to just his underwear as the coverall didn't breathe and would be hot. Once he got it on he realized it was a flimsy thing but at least it would keep the paint off of him. It was a little tight around his chest and arms.

He went back out to the front hall and began there. He had a step ladder to help him reach the ceiling with a paint brush to get the edges all the way around. He wouldn't have to get so close with the roller now. The ceiling paint was thick and didn't drip... much. He made quick work of the foyer ceiling with the roller.

He moved into the living room and once more made his way around the circumference of the room with a paint brush. Next came the roller work and he was making excellent progress when he suddenly spotted Elyse standing in the kitchen entrance watching him with a distracted but sexy smile on her face. He stopped and looked at her. She jumped and turned to go back into the kitchen but stumbled and bonked her forehead against the doorjamb.

"Owww!" she winced with her eyes closed, rubbing the sore spot.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, more embarrassed than hurt," she moaned.

"See what being distracted gets you?" he grinned.

She pouted and disappeared back into the kitchen.

He focused on finishing the ceiling and got back into his groove.

The painter's coverall was so bloody hot he was sweating to death in it. Finally he couldn't take it any longer so he undid the buttons to the waist and pulled his arms out of the sleeves. He pushed it off his shoulders and used the sleeves to tie it around his waist. Now his sweaty torso was bare but at least the coverall wouldn't fall down.

Feeling better he made his way back and forth across the ceiling slowly making his way closer to the kitchen. He began to hear the oddest sound as he pushed the roller back and forth in slow sweeps. He thought maybe the roller was beginning to jam as the sound seemed to get louder when he was stretched out or pulling back. He watched the roller carefully but it didn't seem to be binding at all.

Then he stopped moving and the sound kept going. He turned his head because the sound was coming from the doorw-

Elyse was there, watching him with wide eyes. She was the source of the noises!

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

Her face flushed as she seemed to realize she was the one making the moaning noises. She grimaced and looked back at him in embarrassment. "Sorry about that!"

"No really, what were you doing?"

"I- I think I was moaning,"

"Yes, it sounded like a moan. The question is, why were you moaning while I was painting?" he pressed.

Elyse ducked back into the kitchen. When she returned she had her laptop in her arms, clutched to her chest. "My workday is over so I'm just going to head home. I'll expect you over for dinner a little after 7:30PM?"

He nodded in confusion.

"Great! See you then! Looking forward to it!" she said quickly, pausing to pass her eyes over his glistening chest muscles once more before she darted across the room and out the front door.

Frank stared after her in puzzlement. What the hell happened?

Chapter 12

Leaning back against the inside of her front door she thumped her forehead with her fist in frustration.

She'd been moaning! Out loud! God, how embarrassing!

It was bad enough that she kept finding herself standing in the kitchen doorway watching him work. Then he caught her and she banged her forehead on the doorway. Worse yet, when he was working topless she was unconsciously moaning as she watched him bunch and flex his sweaty muscles. She couldn't help it! It was so fucking sexy!

She closed her eyes and rested her head back against the door. She had to get moving or she'd dwell on this and end up curled into a little ball on the floor.

It was only 4:20PM and she had until 7:30PM. She should run some errands. She should pick up some dessert for after the paella. Maybe ice cream. Everyone likes ice cream, right?

And wine! While she'd been distracted today she looked up a suitable wine companion for Frank's paella and read about a nice fruity rosé from France. She wanted to find it in town.

She also wanted a garage door opener. Maybe she could find someone to install one for her.

Her mind suddenly filled with an image of Frank wearing only a small pair of tight shorts up on a ladder installing the opener. His hard muscles were glistening with sweat and his eyes burned with his desire for her.

SWAT!

She slapped her forehead to evict these devilish thoughts.

"Ooo!" she moaned as her stinging face had taken too much self-abuse today.

She pushed off the door and moved to put her laptop away. She grabbed her hoodie and headed back out. She had errands to run.

She spent a few hours searching for the items in town and was back home by 6PM to get ready. The wine went in the fridge to chill, the ice cream went into the freezer to harden and she rushed down the hall to get freshened up herself.

Elyse showered, washed her hair, and shaved her legs. Then she shaved her intimate areas as well because... you never know.

Next came the lotion to soften her skin. She used an unscented cream as perfumes gave her headaches. She was delighted that Frank wasn't a cologne user and seemed to use unscented personal hygiene products as well.

Her hair was straight so she just used a brush and her hair dryer to dry and give it some body. She didn't like adding gels or sticky sprays on her hair as she preferred it to be silky smooth.

A careful application of some eyeliner and eye shadow finished off with a lip gloss to moisturize and accentuate them. She got the impression from Frank that he appreciated a more natural look. She glanced at the time and saw she had to hurry. Lingerie and another off the shoulder knit dress, red this time and without the wrap. Red high heel pumps finished the outfit.

The doorbell rang and she jumped. With a final glance in her mirror she rushed down the hall to the front door and opened it to see Frank standing there with oven mitts on, holding a large cast iron frying pan with a lid on it. She watched his eyes widen and his lips curve into a smile as he gazed at her in appreciation. A tingle shot from her head to her toes.

"Frank! Please come in." She stepped back as he manoeuvred the pan in the door. He slipped off his loafers by the door and followed her into her kitchen to set the pan down on the stovetop.

"Do you want the element on?" she asked.

"No, it's done. Ready to serve," he replied. He stopped to admire her outfit. "You look breathtaking!"

She was busy drinking in his masculinity with her eyes. He had on a black dress shirt, open at the collar under a grey, herringbone tweed jacket and dark slacks. His hair was still a little wet from the shower but that just accentuated the silver patches at his temples. She felt an almost tangible pull towards him.

"Right, so... do you have plates and a serving spoon?" he asked as she stood there silently admiring him.

"Sorry, I was just- you look... dreamy," she sighed and he chuckled.

"I don't think I've ever been called that before. Thank you!" he said more than a little self-consciously.

She finally got moving and put two plates on the counter and handed him a serving spoon. While he scooped out their portions she quickly set the table. Tablecloth, napkins, cutlery, wine glasses (empty) and water glasses (full). She glanced back at him and decided to add some candles. Once they were lit she moved back as he set the plates down. She collected the wine from the fridge and the wine cooler from the cabinet above the fridge.

"I picked up a bottle of wine. I read it goes well with paella. I hope you like it!" she said.

"I hope you like the paella!" he returned with a hopeful smile.

He held her chair again and she felt a secret thrill run through her. He sat across from her as she opened the wine and poured some into their glasses.

"Oh my god Frank, this smells and looks delicious!" she gushed.

"It's one of my favourite recipes. I don't make it very often... actually I haven't made it in... some time, but I thought I'd like to share some with you."

She lifted her glass and chuckled. "We seem to be toasting quite frequently."

Frank looked at her in mock dismay. "We forgot to make a toast with our glasses of milk at lunch!"

She giggled at his silly look and raised her wine glass. "To amazing food with amazing people!"

"I can toast to that!" Frank grinned and raised his glass. They held each other's eyes as they took a sip.

"Bold! Fruity! I think it will be a good mix with the paella!" Frank said in admiration of the wine.

"Strong too!" Elyse noted and Frank nodded.

She took a forkful of the paella including a piece of the chorizo and put it in her mouth. As she chewed the spiciness of the sausage combined with the flavors of the rice, chicken stock, and...

"Saffron?"

He grinned. "Yes! I'm glad you could taste that!"

"This is so good!" she sighed as she cut a slice of chicken and ate it with some of the rice.

He grinned happily then concentrated on his own plate.

They ate quietly for a bit then Elyse took a break and looked across the table. "How much did you get done... after I stopped distracting you?" Her cheeks went a little red as she said that.

He swallowed his mouthful then nodded as he kept his eyes on his plate. "I made good progress today. The ceilings are done. I also painted the walls in the front entrance."

Her eyes widened. "You really did make good progress!"

He nodded again and smiled at her. "This is excellent wine!"

She poured him another as she recalled how tipsy she'd gotten the previous night. She wasn't going to be the one drinking most of this bottle.

"You mentioned you traveled a lot. When did you learn how to cook like this?" she asked.

"Stephanie wasn't a cook. The woman could burn water. It was either learn how to cook or starve," he grinned.

"So you were the primary chef in the household?" she asked.

"Yup, for the first ten years or so at least," he replied and shrugged.

"Then you started eating out more?"

He grinned. "No, well yes for me because I started to have to travel more for my job. For home we hired a housekeeper who would also make dinners. Mostly for Stephanie as I was going all over the world. We had no kids so it was just her." He frowned.

"I don't mean to pry. I'm just curious to know how you became this man who makes such awesome meals and is equally comfortable working on his house," she said shaking her head in wonder.

He looked at her in puzzlement. "I'm not that special. I'm just moderately talented at a wide variety of things."

She snorted. "Moderately talented! You have no idea what moderate means do you!" she teased with a grin.

"Moderate: Keeping within reasonable limits. Not extreme, excessive, or intense. I'm sure you've met people with greater talents. Your exes for instance! They must have had some talents that were greater than moderate for you to have married them!" he blurted enthusiastically then his face went beet red as he heard the words that had just escaped his mouth. "Oh god. I'm sorry."

She held her hand up and smiled at him. "It's ok. No offense taken." She watched Frank until she saw he'd calmed down.

"Derrick was a very good basketball player. The team who signed him wanted him desperately and he was really good at his job. He had... other talents, it's true, but he also traveled a lot for that job and he shared his other talents with any woman who asked. Our marriage lasted only three years. Michael was a football player and he was reasonably good at that but to get better he started taking steroids. It made him a better player but it ruined our marriage as he started to get violent. He wouldn't listen to my concerns about his drug use. Then I found evidence he'd also cheated on me when he was on the road. When I confronted him about it he beat me unconscious. That's why he gave me my quick divorce. It was either that or jail time."

She looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see he was visibly angry. "What's wrong?"

"What kind of monster would hit you?" he growled deep in his chest and she saw a visible tremor shake his broad shoulders.

"One on drugs that made him unstable. I tried but couldn't make him stop taking the drugs. I wasn't about to tolerate his infidelity. Getting out was my only option." She reached across the table and took his hand. That seemed to calm him down.

"So it was just you and Stephanie and the housekeeper?" Elyse asked trying to draw out more of Frank's story.

"Yes, we'd tried to have kids early on in our marriage but Stephanie had a miscarriage. A bad one. I almost lost her and it shook us up. A couple of years later we tried again but once more she miscarried. It was awful. I got her to promise we wouldn't try again. I offered to get a vasectomy but she insisted the pill was a better option as it helped her in other ways. Two years later she stopped taking the pill without telling me and she became pregnant for a third time. I was travelling more by that point and didn't find out until I was called home to see her in the hospital. The damage was pretty extensive and they had to remove her uterus to save her life." He shook his head and took a deep breath. "I was angry and scared and I wanted to scream at her but she looked so destroyed in that hospital bed I... I couldn't do it. Instead I tried to console her but she lashed out at me. She told me the third child wasn't mine."

Elyse gasped.

"I loved her. I wanted to fix our marriage. When she recovered from the miscarriage she began asking for cosmetic surgery to 'fix imperfections'. I told her she was perfect as she was but she just kept pushing. To keep her happy, I agreed. I had to work more hours to afford the treatments she was asking for. I was asked to take over our acquisitions department which meant more money but a lot more travel. It was the only way I could afford to pay for Stephanie's new hobby." He took another breath and Elyse gently squeezed his hand. He smiled at her but his eyes were a little glassy.

"Rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast augmentation, face lift, porcelain caps for her teeth. Once she'd exhausted the operations she could get she started in on trainers. She wanted to tone and harden her muscles. I told her I would work out with her but she told me I wasn't trained and she wanted a professional. I didn't know this would be an ongoing expense. She then needed tennis lessons and a tennis pro to teach her. She got an expensive membership at a country club and showed off the new Stephanie there. She made new friends, none of whom I was allowed to meet. By this point I had no time to meet them anyway as I was spending most of my time either at the office, on a plane, or in a hotel. When I was home Stephanie was indifferent or hostile towards me so it was just easier to go back out on the road." He shuddered and drained his wine glass.

Elyse realised she was still holding his hand and he wasn't pulling away. If anything he was holding tighter. She reached for the wine bottle with her free hand and poured more in his glass. He nodded his thanks and took a few more mouthfuls. Whatever he had to say must have been difficult for him.

"Then I got a call from a neighbor. Burt. Nice older man. Lived in the house behind ours. He said... he said there was something going on in my back yard that I needed to see. So... I went home at lunch. When I got there I saw black smoke rising up from the back yard. I ran around and saw a roaring blaze in the fire pit. It was our photo albums... and her wedding dress. She was burning everything that connected us."

Frank lifted his wine glass to his lips and swallowed. Then he began again. "I wasn't alone in the backyard. Stephanie... she... my wife was by the pool... spit roasted between the cocks of her tennis pro and her fitness instructor. I asked her what the hell she was doing but she just ignored me and kept going. If anything she got louder and more aggressive. I wasn't going to just stand there and watch so I turned to leave. That's when she lost it. She flew into a rage and came at me claws extended. I pushed her in the pool to cool off and her fitness instructor, Gunter... a big guy, he came at me swinging. The police pulled me off him. Burt called them when I got there. Smart man. I might have killed the trainer. He'd broken one of my ribs and my nose but it took a week for him to regain consciousness."

He took another gulp of his wine. "Surprisingly the Tennis Pro told the police I was just defending myself. Stephanie had taken off. Burt came over and gave a statement as he'd watched the entire thing from his back window. The next day I was notified by my lawyer that Stephanie was filing for divorce. During every meeting at the lawyer's office she'd tell me about the men she'd fucked since her third pregnancy. She never told me who got her pregnant the third time but I think it was someone we both knew. Maybe one of my business partners while I was out of town. She... she fucked everybody. Most of the husbands of the couples we knew. Friends of the family with a cock. If I had any kind of relationship with a man she would find a way to fuck him or suck him. All of it... all of it was to punish me. For not being there for her. For abandoning her. For not being enough of a man for her."

A huge shudder went through his big frame and he closed his eyes. But he didn't let go of her hand.

Elyse looked at the man sitting across from her and thought about his... confession. She understood now. That's what this had been. She could hear it in the tone of his voice and see it in his body language. He believed he was responsible for what she'd done.

"Frank?"

His eyes opened and looked at her sadly.

"I'm sorry your wife decided to punish you instead of just talking to you. If she'd just sat down and told you how she was feeling all of this could have been avoided. Even if you had been honest about how angry and scared she'd made you by the third miscarriage you have to remember that she'd already betrayed you. Instead of trying to talk to you about her feelings she chose to betray your love by taking a lover. She'd already given up."

Frank jolted in her grip but she held on. His eyes took on a desperate look and she got up and walked over to his side of the table. She tugged until he stood up. She pulled him into a hug and she felt his hard body trembling. He clung to her body like a lifeline.

They stood like that, gently rocking back and forth and she waited for the tears. But they never came. Instead, Frank's trembling slowly stilled and Elyse's body began to respond to the heat and solidity of the man pressed so firmly against her. She didn't want to ruin the moment for him but her body was tingling like mad and it was all she could do to keep from grinding against him.

He pulled back from her so he could see her eyes and she saw his need in his. Frank's lips touched hers gently like he was still unsure she wanted his kiss. She pressed her lips more firmly against his and the kiss became sensual. He stroked her lush lower lip with his drawing a gasp from her. Then he gently sucked on her upper lip and ran the tip of his tongue along its surface. Elyse felt that sensual touch fire electric bolts through her entire body. She moaned and his tongue found her lower lip.

Shocks were going through her body continuously as she clung to him, grinding her pelvis against him. Something was rising to press back against her deliciously. That felt promising!

Elyse sucked Frank's tongue into her mouth and his hands slid down her back to knead her ass cheeks in his strong fingers. The bulge in his pants rubbed insistently against her mound causing her to gasp into his kiss. She had to have him! Now!

She pushed him back and he looked at her in surprise. She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway to her bedroom. She shimmied out of her dress and stood before him in her lingerie. He gasped as he gazed at her body.

"My god you're beautiful!" he sighed.

"Your turn," she smiled, warmed by his words. He began to undress while she lit a few candles around the room. She turned the overhead light off and the room became far more intimate. She turned back to him and saw he was down to his black silk boxers. She grinned as he'd put on his own sexy underwear.

He was looking a little nervous so she prowled up to him and wrapped her arms around him to pull him into a hug. He felt so good especially when his big hands were on her body. She loved being in his strong arms and she felt him stiffening in his boxers once more. She smiled.

Pulling back she looked into his eyes and moved her lips to his. His lips were soft against hers and his tongue stroked her plump lower lip once before her tongue came out to caress his. They kissed deeper, tongues tangling in each other's mouths, breath coming in gulps as their hearts beat rapidly.

He moved his hands down once more but this time they went under the waist band of her silk panties to hold the flesh of her ass.

"OOoohhhh fuck!" Elyse pulled back to gasp as she rested her forehead against his. His hands were doing incredible things to her ass and her legs were beginning to get wobbly. She had to get them on the bed. Except he was pulling her tighter against his hidden cock and squeezing her ass as he did it. She felt her tingling become a bonfire.

"Frank! Wait! Oh my god! You're getting me so hot!" she gasped as she pushed at his chest.

He finally relented and she stepped back from his chest. She looked at him and his eyes were looking into hers with heat and desire raging in them. He wanted her! FUCK that was HOT!

She took his hands and pulled him after her until they were at the end of the bed. She turned his back to the bed and gently pushed him back so he sat on the edge. "Move up to the pillows," she commanded in a silky purr. He pulled himself up the mattress then she followed on her hands and knees. When he was high enough she stopped him with a hand on his ankle. He looked down the bed as she slowly climbed up his body. She wanted to rip his boxers off but a slow reveal would be sexier.

Elyse lowered her body over Frank's and his hands found her ass once more. She felt the ridge of his cock resting against her clit and she gasped as he rocked her back and forth across it.

His lips found hers again and she kissed him deeply, sucking on his clever tongue which was doing sexy things in her mouth.

"OH FUCK FRANK! OH GEEZE!" she cried out as his hands slipped down between her ass cheeks to stroke across her tender flesh. She felt her pleasure getting out of control and she could find herself cumming too soon so she pushed herself down his body to move his hands away from the danger areas. She watched him lift his fingers, wet with her juices, up to his face. He looked at the juices covering the ends of the two fingers he'd stroked her with. His eyes moved to hers and held them as he slipped the fingers into his mouth.

"ohhh!" she moaned watching him suck the slickness from his fingers. She felt herself throb in reaction to the sexy, hungry look on his face.

"I've never tasted a woman before. I want more," he rumbled.

She trembled at his words but grinned up at him. "You'll have to wait your turn." She moved further down and hooked her thumbs under the waistband of his boxers. He arched his back lifting his ass from the bed so she could pull them down. The elastic caught on his cock which slapped up against his body when she managed to tug the boxers further down.

Elyse took her first look at Frank's naked and very erect cock. Her mind immediately compared it to the ones she was most familiar with. Derrick was nine inches with a decent girth. Michael had been eight inches but slimmer. Looking at Frank's she realized it was much like him. While it was probably six and a half inches in length its girth was a little daunting. Like his wide shoulders and broad chest, his cock was thick! Thicker than both of her exes... maybe combined!

And hard! She wrapped her fingers around its heat and it felt like iron. She couldn't recall either of her husbands getting this hard! It felt so silky smooth in her hand.

"Oh geezus." Frank moaned as she stroked it.

"Are you close Frank?" she purred looking up at him with a sexy smile.

He lifted his head from the pillows to look down his body. "What? Uh, no, your hand just feels really good!" His head dropped back as he enjoyed the sensations.

"Really, then you might like this." Elyse ran her tongue up the underside of his cock from the base to the fat head.

"OH FUCK! What- what was that?!?" His head rose from the pillows once more to stare down at her in surprise.

She raised her eyebrows. "You've never experienced this before?" She stroked his cock once more with her tongue then began licking the sides of the heavy flesh, kissing her way upwards. She felt both powerful for how she was making him writhe in bliss and nervous about how fucking thick his cock was! She was picturing it forcing its way inside her and she gasped at the image in her mind.

"Oh my god! That's- FUCK! Oh geezus that's incredible!" he cried out as her lips finally reached the purple cap of his heavy appendage. She slid the head into her mouth and ran her tongue over the hot, soft surface.

"FUCK! Oh fuck! Elyse! What you're doing to me! Oh GOD! FUCK! Ahhhh, that's so good!" he jumped and jolted under her busy lips and tongue.

Elyse was in heaven. She loved the feel of a cock in her mouth and Frank's was amazing. It was so damn hard! She could feel his rapid pulse in it. It was difficult to get much of it in her mouth due to its girth but she tried. It didn't bend but it had a gentle upwards curve. That gave her an idea. She slipped her panties off, moved up the bed then swung her leg over Frank's chest. He gave her a worried glance.

"Not teasingly light and not too rough. You have a sensual touch so you'll do fine," she grinned.

He smiled and nodded. His big hands were on her hips then she felt herself being lifted up towards his face. Fuck he was strong! She gasped as his lips kissed and caressed the insides of her thighs. He was already doing well.

She turned her attention back to his cock which was now upside down for her. Its curve would work with her instead of against her now. She gripped the base and tingled at how hot and stiff it was. She moved her lips to kiss the head and pulled back to cry out as Frank's tongue finally reached its target and stroked across her pussy.

"YES! Oh Frank! That's good! Like that!" she gasped out to him as he ran the flat of his tongue up and down her wet pussy. He began to plunge his tongue deep into her as he stroked across it and she writhed in his strong grip. His hands had moved to her ass once more and his fingers were stroking her sensitive bits as well.

She was at risk of being overwhelmed by the sensations so she turned her attention back to Frank's cock. She'd squeezed a bead of precum out and it glistened on top of the head. She dipped her tongue into the droplet and stroked it over the head of his cock feeling him jump under her body. She smiled to herself. He was going to love this! She opened her mouth wide and plunged forward, taking his cock deep into her mouth until the fat head wedged itself in the top of her throat and would go no further.

"AAAHHHH!!! FUCK! ELYSE! FUCK! AHHHHHH!" Frank cried out, her pussy momentarily forgotten as the intense bliss of having his cock buried in her throat blotted out his senses. "Oh my god!"

Elyse's eyes were rolling back. The feeling of his thick, hot cock so completely filling her mouth was overwhelming. She never wanted it to end but she couldn't breathe so she reluctantly pulled her head back and slid his cock out to the head. Then she drove it back down.

"OOHHHH FUCK!!!" Frank gasped.

She pulled back and drove forward fucking her mouth with his cock. She realized she was unable to get it in as far now because it was swelling to become thicker.

Then Frank's mouth was back on her pussy, sucking and licking vigorously as one of his thick fingers slid deeply into her.

She gasped with a mouthful of cock and moaned as he pumped the thick digit in and out while he thrashed her clit with his tongue. She was going to cum if he kept that up and she couldn't stop him. His index finger on his other hand was teasing her asshole as he fucked her with his finger- OH SHIT! Two now!

Elyse was racing up to a colossal release as she pumped Frank's cock deep into her mouth. She felt his hard muscles begin to stiffen up in preparation of his own orgasm. With his finger circling her tight ass teasingly it was too much for her and her body went into convulsions as her orgasm ripped through her mind. She still had his cock in her mouth and she sucked harder.

"CUMMING ELYSE! I'M CUMMING!" Frank called out, trying to pull his cock from her mouth but she firmly held it in place as his balls unloaded into her mouth. She gulped and swallowed as quickly as she could but there was just too much and she couldn't concentrate with her body exploding through its own fireworks.

She pulled her head back to release his cock, squeezing out the last of his cum with her lips. Then she reached back and pushed his hand from her body before flopping down over him, gasping for breath.

"Oh my god Elyse... that was... it was... I've never..." Frank struggled to put into words his first time experience, and failed.

She smiled. It had been heavenly for her as well. God, he was so damn sexy! She pushed herself up and swung her leg over his body so she could lie beside him. She smiled up at him and saw him smile in return so she tucked herself against his side as he brought his arm around her to pull her in tight.

He was looking into her eyes in wonder and his gaze sent a tingle through her entire body.

"That was the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced!" he said in awe.

"So... you've never done that before?" she asked quietly.

"No. Stephanie was my one and only and right up to the last time we made love... which was a very long time ago, she insisted on me being on top and our mouths were only to be used for kissing. I wasn't even allowed to touch her down there.

"But there are so many other ways to enjoy sex!" Elyse gasped.

"Yes... I guess she discovered that... without me."

Elyse frowned sympathetically then leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "If it makes you feel better now you can learn all those other ways with me!"

Frank snorted in amusement and she looked at him in surprise. "If it makes me feel better? Learning all the wonderful ways to enjoy sex with the sexiest woman I've ever met? Yes please!" he said with a big grin. His grin dropped for a second. "I have to warn you though, I'm a complete novice so you may have to repeat the lessons many times for me to get it right."

Elyse beamed a wide excited smile at him and swung her leg over him to move her body up onto his. She immediately moaned as his cock was pressing against her still sensitive pussy.

"Wait! Wait! I don't have any condoms! Are you on the pill?" Frank gasped.

Elyse bit her lip and groaned because he was right. She'd jumped into the deep end before thinking. "No, I'm not on the pill and it wouldn't be safe to go without some protection at this time." She pouted as she dragged herself up and down on his stiffening cock. God it got hard so fast!

"We have to stop! Geezus!" Frank moaned. "Please stop that!" he pleaded as Elyse's hips were rocking on their own as she rubbed herself against him.

Her hips seemed to have a mind of their own as they gyrated faster and faster. It went on and on and Frank was getting desperate as each turn seemed to bring the head of his cock closer to her wet opening.

He took her head between his big hands and kissed her, deeply. This just made her hips rock faster and she whimpered into the kiss. She was clinging to him with all her strength so he rolled them over until she was under him. Her movements were now restricted but his cock was pressing much more firmly against her clit.

Elyse pulled back from his kiss. "OH FUCK! FRANK! I'M RIGHT THERE! FUCK!"

Frank looked down at her desperately. He didn't seem to know what to do but he began rocking his own hips in a slow circular motion. He was careful to make sure he didn't drive his cock inside her.

Elyse couldn't believe how much better it now felt. The pressure he was adding was bending her mind! "YES! YESSSSSSS FRANK! LIKE THAT! LIKE- LIKE- OH! FUCK! LIKE... FFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKK!!!!!!" she screamed as her body crested explosively. She grabbed his ass and squeezed hard, pulling him tighter against her.

Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her senses until she was spent and gasping for breath. She blinked her eyes open and saw Frank gazing down at her with a happy smile.

"Did I do that right?" he asked.

"Oh my... god Frank!... Yes... you did very well!" she panted.

She suddenly realized he was still very hard. She was almost exhausted but she had an idea. She caught her breath then tugged on Frank to get him to move up.

"Frank, I want you to bring that beautiful cock of yours right here between my breasts. Kneel over me and stroke it between them."

His eyes went wide as she undid her lace bra and freed her heavy tits.

"They're beautiful!" he gasped as he climbed up her body, careful not to put too much weight on her.

"I want you to fuck them with your hard cock!" Elyse said to Frank with a wicked grin. She saw his cock twitch as he heard her naughty words. He smiled and pushed his cock down between her tits and she squeezed her soft flesh around it.

"Oh my, that feels really good!" he said and he slowly pumped his cock between her tits.

"Mmmm, it looks sexy as hell from my vantage point." Elyse replied as she watched the thick head slide into view and disappear in her cleavage.

Frank must have been close as he began to twitch and speed up. Elyse squeezed her tits tighter together and he moaned at the sensation. His hips picked up speed again.

"Elyse! This feels too good! I'm going to cum!"

"Just let it happen Frank. Give me your cum. Fuck my tits and cum for me!" she said, keeping up the naughty talk as it really seemed to excite him. Stephanie must have been quite the prude... before she... changed.

"Fuck! I'm cumming! Fuck! Ahhhh!"

Elyse tipped her chin down and opened her mouth with her tongue extended to catch his cum. She was surprised when the first jet shot into the back of her mouth. The second struck her tongue and the third landed on her cheek. She leaned closer and sucked the thick head between her lips and caught the next few directly in her mouth. She had to rest her head back and a final surge landed on her neck.

"Oh my god Elyse! That was incredible! You're incredible!" Frank gushed as he carefully lifted himself off of her body. Her face was flushed and her nipples were stiff with excitement. He looked from them to her eyes. "Did... you want to-"

"No! I mean no, I'm good! Actually... I'm exhausted," she smiled tiredly up at him.

Frank had a smile on his face and Elyse looked more closely at him. He seemed truly relaxed for the first time since she met him. "How are you feeling?"

"Happy."

She grinned. "Me too."

"Good."

"I'm kinda sticky though," she teased.

She watched his face turn red with embarrassment. "You said..."

"I know. I'm teasing! I'm going to take a quick shower. You can join me but no funny business!" she said with a fake stern look when his eyes lit up.

Frank helped her up and followed her into the ensuite. She set some towels on the counter and tucked her hair into a shower cap as she was too tired to spend time drying it. Then she stepped into the shower stall to get the water running. She gestured for him to join her once the water was hot. She watched Frank but he was back to his gentlemanly behavior. He washed her quickly and efficiently and didn't try to cop a quick feel. When he turned her to rinse the soap away he felt a knot in her shoulder muscle so he massaged it until it was loose. She moaned in relief as her muscles turned to putty under his strong hands. Eventually she moved out from under the spray and he quickly washed himself.

Elyse went out to sit on the edge of the bed. She bit her lip as she watched Frank walk out of the bathroom with only his towel wrapped around his waist.

"Frank?"

He was picking up his boxers from the floor. "Hmm?"

"Would- would you stay with me tonight?" she asked and bit her lip nervously.

He smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

"Tomorrow you buy condoms. Lots of condoms."

She surprised a laugh out of him. "Sure."

Chapter 13

The morning sun was hidden behind the most beautiful fog Frank had ever seen. Granted his impression may have been colored by the bliss of having spent one of the best nights of his life with the most beautiful woman he'd ever had the good fortune to meet. They'd done things he'd never experienced before. He felt like a complete novice at sex and she was opening the doors on a whole new world for him. Also, he hadn't slept so peacefully... ever. It felt completely natural to wake up spooning the gorgeous blonde. She seemed so happy this morning as well. They snuggled and kissed in bed for... Ahhh, he'd better get his mind back on what he was doing! He felt himself thickening in his cycling pants. Not a good combination.

He was on his way to the drug store to pick up some condoms. Lots of condoms. She'd recommended the extra-large size due to his girth. He'd take her word for that. He'd never used a condom before.

He parked and locked his bike then ducked into the drug store. He grabbed a basket and made his way down the aisles until he came upon a wall of brightly colored boxes. Condoms of every shape color and size. He stared in dismay at the overwhelming variety. He spent a few minutes scanning the shelves until he spotted a black box with 'X-LARGE' printed in bold gold letters on the front. It seemed to be a popular brand considering the number of other boxes with the same logo on them. He confirmed they were lubricated and picked up a box of 30. Then he recalled Elyse's teasing words this morning for him to buy 'lots and lots of condoms'. He grinned and dropped two more boxes of 30 in his basket.

She'd also told him to pick up a bottle of lube as she was concerned with how thick he was. He'd said that Stephanie seemed to be able to take him easily enough. Apparently Elyse would be tighter. That made him a little concerned too. He didn't want to hurt her.

He found the lubes and dumped a large bottle into his basket with a small box of individual size packets for when they were not at home.

The reality of what he was contemplating stunned him momentarily. Frank stood in the aisle looking into the basket. Only a few days ago he was contemplating how barren of love his life had become and how empty it looked like it would be from now on. Now he had this incredibly beautiful woman in his life and she seemed to be equally happy to be there! It was way too soon to be using words like love but it seemed to fit what he was feeling now. He felt reality slipping around him.

He gave himself a shake and made his way up to the cashier at the front of the store. He was second in line. An older woman had a buggy full of items and she was carefully loading them onto the belt. There was only one open cashier station.

"Good morning Frank!"

Shit.

He turned around and sure enough there was Beverly. "Good morning Beverly. We bump into each other a lot don't we."

"Not as much as you seem to be planning to 'bump into' someone else," she smiled wickedly as she looked into his basket.

His face began to burn. "Very funny."

"It gets better. May I introduce you to Janice Hawkins and Kelly Sinclair? These are your neighbors directly downhill from your place," she said grinning widely as she gestured to the two women standing behind her in line.

Frank's smile froze in place as he faced the two additional women. Both were looking into his basket and wore identical knowing grins. All three women were wearing workout clothes and had yoga mats tied up and hanging on their shoulders. Tight yoga pants, tight tank tops and a hoodie over top. They were likely on their way to the studio. Each was purchasing a bottle of water.

Janice was a 5' 6" strawberry blonde whose hair just reached her shoulders in a bob cut. She was very slim and firmly muscled. She might have been in her fifties but it was difficult to tell considering how fit she looked. Frank shook her hand with a smile and she gave him a wide smile in return.

He shook Kelly's hand as well. The 5' 4" brunette had her auburn hair pulled back into a pony tail which hung down to her shoulder blades. She was a little chunkier than Janice and her boobs were struggling to free themselves from her tight spandex top. When she caught where his eyes were trying not to look her smile turned just a little bit sultry and he saw she had a slight overbite. A weakness of his, that caused a tingle down below. She was probably just a little older than he was.

"Off to the yoga studio?" he asked the group trying to deflect attention from his basket which he moved up onto the counter behind him. Three sets of eyes dropped to check out the rather obvious bulge in his tight shorts. Eyes and grins got wider.

"Yes, we like to stay flexible," Beverly cooed and there was little doubt of her innuendo. Janice and Kelly giggled at her words.

Frank just smiled and nodded. He'd noted that all three women were wearing wedding rings so they were obviously just teasing.

"You going for a ride?" Beverly continued. More giggles.

His mind jumped the rails a little until he recalled he was wearing his cycling clothes. "Yes, just a short one though. I'm repainting my living room today. I have to get back to it."

"Oh! I thought Elyse was working from your place." Beverly said in surprise.

"She is. She's in the kitchen while I'm painting," he explained.

The cashier had finally finished with the old woman she was serving and began taking the items out of his basket. Now Frank was cursing himself for thinking it would be fun to tease Elyse by showing up with so many condoms. When Janice noticed the boxes all had 'X-LARGE' printed on the front she reached out to grip Kelly's arm and her eyes shot back to the front of his bike shorts. Frank turned to face the clerk but saw the young woman was also staring at his tight shorts. He sighed and waited for her to finish the transaction. The large bottle of lube made the ladies begin to giggle nervously though they did their best to suppress it.

Face burning, Frank paid for his items and collected his shopping bag.

"It was nice meeting you. Have a good day!" he said and the three women were only able to wave.

Frank beat a hasty retreat to his bike and loaded the shopping bag into his pannier which he would remember to bring in the store with him in the future as it was also useful for hiding parts of his anatomy. He bent over to undo the locks from the bike and heard a wolf whistle. He looked back and there was Beverly with a big smile on her face. Janice and Kelly were right behind her admiring his ass too. He stood up and gave Beverly a frustrated look. She raised her hands in surrender with a grin and hustled away, the other two women casting admiring glances back at him as they followed her.

He wasted no further time in getting back home. After he put the bike away and locked the garage he headed inside and went straight down the hall to the bedroom. He didn't think his little joke was so funny anymore. Now he was just embarrassed.

"How did it go?"

Frank jumped, not expecting Elyse to follow him to his bedroom. He turned to see her amused expression.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to spook you!" she grinned. She tried peering around him as his face was beginning to pink up.

Frank sighed. He wasn't going to get away with this. "I thought I would tease you about your 'lots and lots' comment so I bought... lots." He pulled the shopping bag from the pannier and dumped its contents out onto the bed.

"Oh my! You did get lots!" she grinned widely and clapped her hands together once in delight.

"Guess who I bumped into at the store," he sighed.

"Oh no!" Elyse gasped with her hands hiding her big grin.

"Oh yes. Beverly."

She began to laugh. Hard.

Frank watched her enjoy his embarrassment.

"Guess who she was with?"

Elyse gasped and tried to catch her breath as she shook her head.

"The women who are my neighbors in the next two houses downhill. Janice Hawkins and Kelly Sinclair."

Elyse looked to what the boxes were boasting, the large bottle of lube and the box of lube packets. She looked back into Frank's eyes as her eyes flew wide and her laughter burst forth once more.

He couldn't really stay annoyed with Elyse enjoying herself so much. He pouted but he couldn't keep the smile from his lips. She pulled him into a hug and he squeezed her in return.

"So much for first impressions," he grumbled.

"Oh I think you made a fabulous first impression for these women, especially wearing your tight bike clothes!" she giggled and gripped his ass in her hands.

"Hey! We have work to do before we get play time!" he reminded her.

"Oh pooh! I want play time now!" she cooed as she pressed herself against his chest.

"But your office would probably prefer you to have work time during the hours they are paying you for," he sighed as his inner voice told him to shut the fuck up.

"Right. That. Having a job. Getting paid and having money to make mortgage payments and buy food," she pouted and batted her long lashes as him.

"God, don't do that!" he gasped.

She immediately looked contrite. "I'm sorry, did that trigger your nerves?" she asked with concern.

"No! You just looked so adorable and sad I felt my heart breaking!" he exclaimed.

Her eyes lit up with joy and she grabbed him to kiss him hard.

His head was spinning wildly when she pulled back but there was a difference to his loss of equilibrium now. Before there was a sick sense of desperation, despair, and depression behind it. Now all he could see was a beautiful and bright future ahead and his heart was filled with wonder and happiness.

"Oh my god Elyse, what you do to me!" he said with joy showing in his own eyes.

She looked like she wanted to jump his bones right then but she stepped back with a smile on her lips. "We are having a little play time at lunch!" she said as she pointed at him and raised an eyebrow to let him know she was serious. He nodded and grinned at her. She turned and skipped back to the kitchen.

Frank quickly rinsed off in the shower and pulled on a tight white t-shirt he could replace if he got paint on it and some old denim cut off shorts. He went out to the living room and pulled the tape off the top edge of the walls as he was done with the ceilings. He added tape to protect the crown moulding now and began painting the walls. He had this room and the hallway to finish. Then he'd redo the tape to protect the walls when he painted the baseboards and crown moulding.

He had a system worked out so he was able to power through the painting of the room and the hallway. When he finished he stood back and admired the job. He felt eyes on him and turned to see Elyse watching him from the kitchen door.

"Time for lunch. Play time first?" she said eagerly.

The doorbell rang and the sudden look of disappointment on Elyse's face surprised a chuckle out of him.

"Let me see if I can't shoo them away," he replied as he made his way to the front door.

When he opened it he saw five ladies standing on the path leading to his door. The woman who'd pressed the doorbell was a stranger as was the one standing at her left elbow. But behind them was Janice, Kelly, and at the back looking both nervous and overjoyed was Beverly.

Frank had an epiphany. These were likely the 'neighborhood wives' Beverly's husband Rick had been talking about. Beverly had found a way to get back into their good graces. By introducing them to the new arrivals. He'd play along for now as he was interested in getting to know the neighbors too. Funny how none of the men were making the same effort. Maybe they were at work and he'd see them later.

"Hello." He gestured behind himself for Elyse to join him at the door.

"Good day! I'm Holly Marshall and this is Heather Cumberland. We live in the houses across the street." She gestured to the houses on either side of Elyse's who had reached his side by this point. Holly's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in reaction to the beauty standing next him.

"Hi, Frank Dunn and this is Elyse... Williams." He recalled what Elyse said at the failed dinner party.

They shook hands and Janice and Kelly stepped forward to shake Elyse's hand and make introductions.

"Beverly tells us you are painting and I know it's short notice but we thought you might like to escape the paint fumes and come over to lunch at my place. Just some sandwiches and drinks. A 'get to know you' lunch," Holly said with a smile.

"That's very nice of you," he said and glanced at Elyse as he knew she had other things in mind for their time.

"That would be lovely," she agreed.

"I, uh, should probably get changed," Frank said looking down at himself.

"If you are going to be doing more painting later don't bother changing. It's just a casual lunch." Holly said with a smile and her eyes did a quick appreciative pass over his body.

"Maybe I'd-"

"Let's go!" Elyse said before Frank could protest further. The women all smiled at Elyse.

He glanced at her then slipped his runners on his feet as Elyse pulled her shoes on. They stepped outside and Frank locked up then followed the group to Holly's place. He saw Beverly was smiling, happy to be included.

Holly's home was lovely and probably twice the square footage of his. Tastefully furnished, he saw some serious money had been spent here. Based on some of the artwork, very serious money.

She led them to the large solarium at the back of the house behind the kitchen where there were a number of comfortable chairs arranged around low tables. A perfect spot for conversations. Holly gestured for them to take a seat while she and Heather went back to the kitchen to get the food and drinks.

Frank noticed there were no two seaters and the chairs were positioned to be equally distant from each other. He looked at Elyse but she seemed to be comfortable with finding a seat. He took the chair next to hers. The others took their chairs but they left the two chairs to Frank's left open for their hosts.

Holly returned with a large tray of small delicious looking wraps. She pointed out the ones with chicken, the ones with tuna, and the veggie wraps.

Heather set a tray down with a large jug of sangria, seven glasses, and paper plates. She handed the plates to Holly then poured for everyone, handing out the glasses.

Frank put a couple of the wraps on his plate and waited for the others to get theirs. Holly was playing the gracious host role and she seemed to have had a lot of practice.

She was 5' 8" and had generous curves that were likely gifted to her surgically. She had a symmetry that seemed just a little too precise to be natural, breasts a little too high and perfectly round to be natural, and an ass... well, it couldn't be natural either. Her sun yellow blond hair cascaded down to midback. She was probably a few years older than him.

Her friend Heather was far too slim. Maybe she starved herself. Her modest implants were made all the more obvious by the lack of fat anywhere else. Her raven black hair was currently braided into a thick bundle hanging down to almost her ass.

Holly raised her glass once everyone was seated again. "Here's to welcoming our new arrivals to the neighborhood."

Everyone joined in the toast and they sipped at the sangria. Frank thought it was very good if a little strong. He'd have to be careful with his consumption of this beverage. It was easy to forget its bite.

He took a bite of a chicken wrap and it was really good! "Delicious!" he said with a nod to Holly.

"There's a lovely catering place in town. We use them when Daryl entertains here at the house. My husband's company in Silicon Valley designs military satellites so he spends most of his time flying between San Francisco and Washington," she said in an offhand manner but there was no mistaking the boast. Frank nodded with a suitably impressed look earning him a satisfied smile from Holly.

"Heather's husband is a movie producer in LA. You may spot him in the area on weekends. Janice's husband is the financial controller of a major pharmaceuticals manufacturer in San Jose and commutes. Kelly's husband is an investment banker right here in Carmel."

"Though you'll only ever see him on the golf course," Kelly pouted.

It was obvious that aside from Beverly whose husband seemed to be retired and comfortable staying home, none of the husbands in this group spent much time with their spouses. Frank felt a little worried about that as they were currently looking at him like cats watching a mouse.

"Beverly tells us you're retired! You seem so young to be able to retire! How did you manage that? What did you do before?" Holly exclaimed leaning towards him with a bright smile on her face.

Frank was a little unnerved by her but nodded. "Yes, I'm retired now. I worked at a company I set up over twenty years ago. We specialized in making deals happen between larger companies. We were facilitators, identifying obstacles and finding ways to work around them or eliminate them. Sometimes that meant finding and bringing the right people together. Sometimes it meant buying or backing companies to help them grow quickly and efficiently to be able to partner with larger companies. I brought in partners about eight years in and we grew very rapidly ourselves. I ended up handling most of the acquisitions which meant lots of traveling, sometimes nice places but most often not so nice places. Some aspects of the work were unpleasant and I was forced into dangerous situations more than once. Luckily none of them proved fatal. I'm glad it's over. When I retired I sold my majority shares to the other partners."

Frank noticed that all eyes were on him including Elyse's. He realized this was the first time she'd heard what he'd done as well. He smiled at her and she returned it with a twinkle in her eye.

"Now I'm just going to try my hand at writing. Elyse is an editor for a publishing house in LA so I've asked her to let me know if I have anything worth publishing." Frank grinned at her.

"Stories of your travels to these dark and dangerous places?" Heather asked, her eyes just a little intense.

"I- I don't think anyone would be interested in reading about that and I'm not sure I'd want to revisit those memories myself. I'm certainly never going back to those places," Frank said quietly as he struggled not to let his mind dredge up the past. He forced a smile on his face. "No, I'm alive, safe, and healthy so I'm going to enjoy my retirement!"

Frank took another drink of his Sangria and popped the rest of the wrap he was eating into his mouth. It really was very good. "I'd love to get the recipe for these wraps!" he said looking closely at the wrap on his plate. They added something to the chicken he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Oh, do you cook?" Holly asked.

"Frank is an excellent chef! He made an exquisite chicken and chorizo paella for us last night! It was so good! Even his grilled cheese sandwiches are delicious!" Elyse gushed and Frank smiled and tipped his head.

"I do like to cook. I find it very relaxing," he admitted.

"I look forward to our next potluck dinner party! It's become an annual tradition to throw a party for the neighborhood. Everyone brings their specialty. Daryl fires up the barbeque and broils a bunch of steaks. Heather mixes up gallons of her amazing sangria, everyone gets involved and there is a lot of food! You could make your paella?" Holly asked with a small smile on her lips.

"I've never cooked for more than two people." Frank said. "Always smaller dishes for intimate dinners." When he heard his words a blush crept up his cheeks. He glanced at Elyse but she was innocently sipping her sangria. "I- I'll have to see what I can make for a bigger group."

"I'm sure anything you make will be lovely," Holly smiled.

"Are you a fan of sports? Football? Baseball?" Heather glanced over at Kelly with a smirk. "Golf?"

Frank was wondering why he was the only one being asked questions. Elyse seemed content to sit quietly but he felt like he was running a gauntlet.

"No, I've never really had time to dedicate to sports. I was always working and when I wasn't I was trying to escape from the bustle by hiking in whatever woods were nearby or cycling," he answered.

"Yes, Janice mentioned they bumped into you at the drugstore this morning while you were out cycling. Is riding a hobby of yours?" Holly asked with a coy smile.

"Yes, I really enjoy it. It gets the heart pumping and builds endurance," he said enthusiastically.

Janice and Kelly began giggling while Holly and Heather wore identical looks of delighted amusement.

Frank looked at them in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"I'm sorry, we just heard what you were shopping for at the drug store and we got a little carried away in our imaginations. It was rude of us and we apologize." Heads nodded but they were still looking at him like he was a delectable chocolate bonbon. "We obviously have a little too much time on our hands and seeing a new, and handsome, face in the neighborhood has lightened our spirits. I hope you can forgive us," the ringleader said with a pouty smile.

Frank's face flushed red as his mind connected the dots between the condoms and 'riding' double entendre. "I see I'm going to have to choose my words very carefully around you ladies."

"Where would the fun be in that?" Holly grinned.

"I hate to disappoint but I'm just not that exciting." Frank admitted and the women looked to Elyse. Their smiles grew and Frank looked quickly to Elyse but she was just looking back at him with an innocent smile. "Et tu, Brutus?"

Elyse laughed and patted his arm. "I said nothing Frank but I can't agree with your statement."

Frank wasn't sure how to react to that. He was aghast that she was even hinting at their personal business but he was also secretly delighted at her opinion of him. His conflict must have come through his expression as the ladies chuckled.

"Frank you are already proving to be a delightful addition to our neighborhood!" Heather said and the rest nodded.

"Aside from teasing the neighbors what do people do for fun around here?" Frank asked.

"Yoga, going to the gym, visiting spas, book clubs, walking clubs, movie nights and we do volunteer work on several charities." Holly explained.

"Sounds like a busy schedule," Frank suggested.

"Actually it's not busy at all." Heather lamented. "We get so bored!"

"Have you ever done any cycling or hiking? Exercising while getting a change of scenery does wonders for the soul."

It looked like they were actually contemplating the idea though a few of them got mischievous smiles on their faces as they let their imaginations wander.

Frank glanced at Elyse. "Lunch was lovely but I think we'd better get back to it. Elyse is working and I have to finish up that painting."

Elyse nodded. "Lunch was delicious! Thank you so much!"

"I look forward to our next get together. Once I get the house all fixed up and have some actual furniture I'll invite everyone over for dinner," Frank offered and received wide smiles for that.

Holly walked them out to the front door. She gave Elyse a double cheek kiss and Frank received the same with the addition of having her breasts firmly pressed against his chest. Flustered, Frank said his goodbyes and caught her satisfied smile as the door closed.

They walked back to his place in silence. Once they were inside Elyse started to laugh and Frank looked at her in surprise.

"Oh Frank! You are in so much trouble!" she giggled.

"What? What did I do?" he asked.

"It's not what you did, it's who you are! A virile male lamb amongst the man-hungry she-wolves of Carmel!" she said theatrically with wide eyes.

"Oh come on! I have no intention of 'entertaining' a bunch of bored housewives!"

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "Good! Because I don't intend on sharing you."

He smiled happily. "Good, because I'm a one woman man."

She kissed him and he felt his body floating away. When she pulled back he wobbled a little on his feet.

They heard a warbling coming from the kitchen. "Damn, that's my two o'clock conference call." She pulled away and he gave her butt a fond little spank. She looked over her shoulder at him with lust in her eyes then she was out of sight.

Frank dragged his mind back to his painting task and powered through the rest of the job.

Hours later Frank was dressing after taking a quick shower. He'd finished the painting, removed the tape and drop cloths, and cleaned his tools. Then he'd taken a shower to get the paint off of him. He pulled on a pair of dark grey slacks, a dark blue dress shirt, socks and he felt presentable once more.

He walked out into the kitchen to see Elyse busy typing away on her laptop. She looked at him and smiled widely.

"Mmm! You look delicious! Are we going someplace?" she asked.

"Yes, I thought I'd take you to a nice restaurant in town for dinner. I made a reservation earlier. Then I thought we could take a little walk, window shop, get familiar with the town. Outside of cycling through town I haven't really spent much time looking at the place. We could use that time to talk, get to know each other."

She smiled at him and nodded. "I'll need to get changed. When is our reservation?"

"In an hour."

Elyse looked at the clock and nodded as it was 5:45PM. She saved her work, disconnected from her office, and shut down her laptop. She stood up and followed him to the front door. She complimented him on how impressed she was with how professional his painting job was. She promised to be back in thirty minutes.

Frank kissed her amazing lips then drank in her beautiful smile as she turned and left. He was still amazed this beauty wanted to spend time with him.

He went back inside to tidy up.

Chapter 14

Elyse quickly got freshened up. As it was getting cool outside she put on a black yoga top, black leggings, then her cream color oversize turtleneck sweater which reached mid-thigh and dark brown, low heeled knee high boots as they'd be comfortable for their walk. She looked in the mirror and smiled. Getting dressed up felt so much better when you knew someone else was going to appreciate the effort too.

She locked up and crossed the road as Frank pulled his Jeep out of the garage. He got out to close the garage as she walked up. He slowed to a stop as he took in how beautiful she looked in the cream sweater. She saw he was a little dazzled and that felt so good! She saw him get his mind back and pull the garage door closed. As he was locking it she saw it was the same door that she had.

"Are you going to get an automatic opener for your garage door?" she asked as he made his way back to the Jeep.

He looked back at the door and shrugged. "I hadn't really thought of it."

"I want to get one for mine," she commented.

"That's probably pretty easy to install. Would you like me to install one for you?" he asked as they got into the vehicle. Elyse flashed back to her fantasy of Frank installing one wearing only some tight shorts. She grinned and nodded as he looked at her curiously. He got them on their way.

It only took a few minutes to drive to the restaurant and find a spot to park. She held his arm as they made their way to the front door. "The restaurant got excellent reviews. I hope you like Mediterranean or Middle Eastern cuisine," Frank said with a hopeful smile. She nodded to him and he seemed relieved.

They were seated at a lovely table and handed menus. Frank suggested the hummus and pita appetizer and she agreed.

She decided to stick with something light for her entre as she was already getting butterflies in her stomach thinking about what the night promised.

They ordered and once they were alone they smiled at each other across the table.

Elyse took a sip of her water. "You mentioned we should get to know each other. While it's only been a few days, it feels like I've known you for much longer. I don't know why I feel like this. I'm not impetuous. Especially about... being intimate. It usually takes me much longer to let down my guard."

Frank nodded and sipped at his water as well.

She continued. "I've told you about the men I've allowed into my life and what happened. You are so different from them. Maybe that's it."

"I'm old... older." Frank said, suddenly appearing uncomfortable about their age difference for once.

She dipped her eyes then looked at him with a smile. "You're not old. It's true you're a little older than me but the men I married were younger than me both physically and mentally. They were boys in men's bodies. I see that now, Frank. You, you're a man. What a man should be."

He snorted and smiled.

"I mean it! You're masculine without being offensively macho. I can't believe I was taken in by Derrick and Michael's showy bravado. I thought that was what it meant to be a man."

Frank was beginning to look uncomfortable. "Elyse, please don't paint me as some ideal. I'm far from perfect. If that was the case... if that was the case we never would have met."

Elyse blinked at him and thought of that.

"I'm flattered but I screw up as much as the next man. Perhaps more." He wore a frown as he said this.

Elyse reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "I didn't mean to imply you were perfect. No one is. We're just human and we make mistakes. I was just letting you know that in comparison to my ex-husbands you are a far better example of what a man should be. You've opened my eyes to what I should have been looking for. While I would never wish for you to go through what you did, for purely selfish reasons I'm glad you're not perfect and life brought you to me."

Frank looked a little overwhelmed by her confession and was only able to smile and nod to her.

The waiter arrived and took their orders.

Elyse noticed that Frank was watching her nervously when he thought she wasn't looking. She caught him doing it and he blushed. "What are you doing?" she asked.

He fidgeted then looked into her eyes. "I- I'm having this... surreal feeling that all of this is a hallucination brought on by the trauma. The idea that I'm sitting across from an amazing and stunning woman who actually wants to spend time with me, who wants me in her life, it- it doesn't feel real! I keep waiting for the bubble to burst. To find myself back in the law office wiping her spit from my cheek again."

Elyse gasped. That bitch spat on him!?! She hated that Stephanie had hurt Frank so badly. She reached across the table once more, grabbed his hand and held it tight. "Frank, this is real!"

She saw his eyes focus on her and a shudder went through his body. He clung to her hand and took some deep breaths. When he finally opened them again he looked embarrassed once more.

"Here you are saying I'm such a shining example of what a man should be yet I'm just broken," he said apologetically.

"Frank, you're not broken. You're hurt. There's a huge difference. You'll heal. Give yourself time. I believe you are worth it," she gave him a smile and he lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. When his soft lips caressed her fingers a spark shot from them through her body. She bit her lip as a warm buzz spread through her sensitive bits.

The waiter returned with their appetizer and they released each other's hand. Elyse felt her face glowing and they hadn't even ordered a drink. "Did you want to order some wine?" she asked.

"Not for me but if you'd like some-" he began but she shook her head. She was already feeling a little dizzy from the anticipation.

They enjoyed the hummus very much and talked about travel. She discovered that Frank had been to some very exotic sounding places. Some had been beautiful and some had been downright frightening.

"I haven't traveled anywhere really except to a few other states with Michael which weren't much fun. You mentioned at our little lunch with the wolves..." she grinned at his frown, "that you faced some danger. I don't mean to make you revisit those bad times but can you tell me what kind of danger you faced?"

Frank nodded and looked at the table surface as he brought the memories up from where he buried them. "I was held for ransom once when I was in Columbia. I was there working with a company looking to set up a hydro-electric power plant out in a rural area when I was grabbed by a military group. Rebels. Spent two months hidden in the jungle. Moved a few times. Took some beatings. Not the happiest memory I have. On several occasions I thought I was about to be killed. The insurance company finally agreed to pay the ransom and I was released. I didn't travel for a while after that and my company sent me on some courses to give me some survival skills should it happen again," Frank said quietly.

Elyse stared in open mouthed shock at Frank. He was sitting so quietly after disclosing a horrific time in his life. He looked at her and there was a sadness in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked," she mumbled.

"No, please. It feels good to talk to you about this. Like a... release of some kind. Stephanie never wanted to talk to me about it. It... helps," he said with a little smile.

"OK, is there anything else you'd like to express tonight?" Elyse said, once more thinking about clawing Stephanie's eyes out.

"No, except that I'm seriously becoming enchanted by you."

She smiled widely and saw his eyes widen in delight.

Their meals arrived and they both enjoyed the food very much. They decided not to get dessert and once Frank paid they went out for their little walk. Most of the shops were closed but they weren't really in the mood for shopping. They talked about their childhood memories and Elyse learned that Frank was unaware of any family beyond his parents and they'd passed away years ago, before he got married. She told him about her extended family of cousins and second cousins. He looked a little envious.

It was dark when they returned to the Jeep for the drive home. As they stood next to the passenger door Frank slid his arm around Elyse's back and pulled her against him. He kissed her gently and she felt so good to be in his arms. She held his hard body against her softer one and trembled. He pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, are you cold?" he asked.

"No, this just feels so good!" she sighed.

He smiled. "Let me get you home."

He let her inside then crossed to his side and got them on their way. Elyse couldn't stop smiling.

As they pulled onto their street they spotted Beverly standing on the sidewalk in front of her house looking down the hill towards his place. They could see Holly and Heather standing on their lawns looking towards his house as well. Frank slowed to a stop and rolled his window down to ask what was up.

"ELYSE!" a hoarse voice was bellowing from outside. A shock of fear rushed through her body. That was Michael's voice. Frank looked over at her and saw her terror. His eyes went cold.

"It's Michael, isn't it."

She could only nod.

"Stay here with Beverly. Call the police." Frank shut off the Jeep and got out. Elyse scrambled out of her side and rushed around the front to grab Frank's arm as he strode down the sidewalk.

"Stop!" she hissed quietly, afraid to catch Michael's attention. They heard the sound of him kicking the door and more bellowing. Frank took Elyse's arms in his hands and gently guided her over to Beverly who looked terrified.

"Call the police," he said calmly then walked down the street.

Elyse quickly dialed the emergency operator. She gave her name, the address and told them her ex-husband was drunk, in a rage and trying to get to her. She asked for as many police as they could send. The operator told her to stay on the line.

Then she heard a roar and dropped her phone. She pulled away from Beverly and rushed down the hill!

"FRANK!"

Chapter 15

It didn't take Frank long to reach the front of his house where he finally got to see Michael. Shit, he was big! He was also destroying his front door. The front of the house was lit up with recessed accent lights in the soffits, a couple of small spots and a lamp post near the drive so both men had a clear view of each other.

"Hey, Michael! Leave my fucking door alone!"

The big man spun to look back at him. Frank saw he was carrying a half empty 40oz bottle of something in his left hand.

"Who the FUCK are you and how do you know my name?" the mountain cursed at him as he began to move closer.

"Elyse told me all about your cowardly attack on her, you pathetic piece of shit." Frank growled.

Michael reeled back like the words had physically struck him. "You... you talked with Elyse? Did you fuck the slut! Did you?" he yelled.

"She divorced you, you moron. Did you get hit in the head too many times to know what that means? You're out of her life. Just more garbage on the side of the road to forget," Frank taunted.

Michael's eyes flared and he bellowed his fury as he rushed at Frank like a 240 pound runaway train of steroid induced, homicidal rage.

Frank's fist struck dead center of Michael's face and snapped the man's head back as Frank spun to the side to avoid the charge.

Michael staggered and went down on one knee. Frank moved forward to put the man down.

"FRANK!" Elyse yelled as she spun around the end of the driveway. He stopped in surprise looking in her direction and missed seeing Michael swinging the bottle until it exploded against the side of his head. He slammed into the side of Michael's Jeep parked in his driveway and Michael surged to his feet to hit him a few more times.

"STOP! MICHAEL! STOP!" Elyse screamed, pulling at the huge man's arm.

Michael tossed Frank to the ground and spun to backhand Elyse. She fell back onto the lawn. Michael looked back at Frank whose face was a bloody mess then snorted and turned back to Elyse.

"So you're fucking old guys now! Well I just came back for one more fuck of my own as you owe me that for the money I gave you. I deserve a piece of WHORE ASS for my FUCKING MONEY!" He unbuckled his belt.

Elyse was looking up at him in terror.

Frank heard Michael's words and rage leant him the strength to surge to his feet. His survival training kicked in. Fight dirty to win. He hammered a fist into the big man's left kidney with a loud thump. Michael squealed and tried to spin but Frank immediately slammed his heel against the inside of Michael's right knee, destroying the joint with a wet snap and pop. As the big man began to topple, still unable to scream, Frank drove a second punch into the side of his jaw and the sharp crack of the bone shattering could be heard across the street.

Michael fell onto his back and Frank followed him down landing two more solid hits against his ribs which cracked under the blows. The moment Elyse grabbed Frank he allowed her to pull him up to his feet but he remained over Michael who was making a frightened warbling sound. Frank got in one more solid kick against Michael's balls and the squealing rose in pitch.

Frank stood over Michael breathing in deep gasps as he glared down at the destroyed man.

"You... are... NEVER... going near... Elyse... again." He paused to take a breath then he leaned in close. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!" Frank roared in his face and Michael shrunk back and nodded quickly.

Elyse pulled him back and looked at Frank's bloody face. Blue and red light flashed over it suddenly as a police cruiser screeched to a halt on the road in front of his house. Two officers jumped out of the cruiser and rushed over to them. Frank sighed and allowed himself to relax. Then the pain began. He winced.

"Frank?" Elyse asked nervously as the officers stared at him in surprise as they recognized his assailant.

"I think I'd like to sit down now," he said.

Chapter 16

Elyse had been stunned to see Michael down on one knee and Frank standing over him as she rushed around the end of the driveway. She'd watched in horror as Michael swung the bottle into his head and leapt up to beat on him as he fell back against Michael's car.

Seeing Frank's blood spray across the car's hood finally got her moving but Michael's strength was too much for her and he'd knocked her to the ground. When he'd undone his belt she'd realized she was about to be raped and cold terror shot through her body.

Then Frank rose to his feet and destroyed the bigger man.

He'd been so fast and brutal! Michael was reduced to a squealing mess on the ground as Frank roared at him. A primal thrill shot through her body as she recalled the moment.

Frank's body was trembling with rage and unspent adrenalin. He was breathing hard in deep gasps so Elyse knew his ribs weren't broken from the hits Michael gave him. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Elyse pulled him back and examined the nasty cut he got on his cheekbone from the smashed bottle. The police finally arrived and she felt Frank sigh and relax once the officers were standing next to Michael. She felt him begin to sag and he asked to sit.

An ambulance arrived so Elyse led Frank towards it. The paramedics took one look at his bloody face and took over guiding him to the back of the ambulance. Elyse helped him up onto the back step where he sat and the paramedic began working on him while his partner rushed over to where the police were standing.

Heather and Holly walked up to the back of the ambulance and Beverly rushed to join them. The first two were looking at Frank hungrily while Beverly was just wide eyed with shock. Elyse smiled at them and they gave her thrilled grins in response.

One of the officers came over to begin taking statements and Elyse went first. He spoke with Frank next while his partner took statements from Holly then Heather as both had had an unobstructed view of the entire event from before Frank's arrival. The officers conferred and were satisfied that Frank had only been defending himself and Elyse so no charges would be laid against him.

After looking to Elyse for permission, and getting it, Holly and Heather both gave Frank a kiss on his non-injured cheek for 'defending the neighborhood'. Somehow Holly managed to brush her tits against him while she gave her kiss. Beverly just touched his hand but the petite brunette had to be gently pulled away by Holly.

Elyse kept her eye on Frank the entire time the women were fawning over him but he only showed embarrassment from their attentions. She felt a little bad for testing him but she sighed with a deep sense of relief that he had passed so well.

She wrapped her arm around him as they watched the ambulance drive away with Michael strapped down in the back. The police had a tow truck take Michael's Jeep away, impounded as evidence as Frank's blood was on the hood. Taking his keys from him Elyse moved Frank's Jeep back into his driveway.

Once the police left Elyse brought Frank to his front door where they both looked in dismay at the destroyed surface. While the door had done its job of preventing Michael from entering, it would have to be replaced.

"He's paying for the new door." Frank growled deep in his chest.

Elyse smiled as a thrill ran through her. She wasn't one to be impressed with brute force, her boredom at watching Michael's football games had proved that. It was the confidence in Frank's voice that made her tingle from head to toe.

Frank unlocked the door and let them inside. He flipped the lock closed once more.

They slipped off their boots and shoes and she walked him down to his bedroom. Elyse slowly and carefully helped him take his clothes off and once he was down to his boxers she stood back and took in the bruises Michael had left on his body. Nothing was broken luckily but he was in obvious pain.

"I think we'd better postpone our 'play time' until you heal from these," she sighed.

Frank nodded then he looked her in the eye. "That doesn't mean you can't share my bed though."

Elyse gave him a dazzling smile. Of course it didn't.

Chapter 17

Frank sat on his deck soaking in the warm afternoon sun. Carmel never got very hot due to its proximity to the cold ocean currents but a sweater, a lounge chair, and direct sunlight made for a very pleasant way to spend a few hours.

This was day two for his recovery. The bruises were already beginning to fade. Well, he thought they were. He still had a whopper of a black eye though and the cut on his cheekbone felt tight. All in all, he felt pretty good. If Elyse hadn't insisted on him taking it easy he would have begun some of the renovation work already, like replacing his front door or installing a garage door opener for Elyse. Wearing only his cut off shorts apparently.

His opponent in the fight hadn't fared as well. Elyse discovered through a contact at the hospital that Michael wouldn't be playing football anymore. The steroids he'd been consuming had done some nasty things to his body. He'd lost the kidney Frank had punched but not just because of the hit. When the doctor's investigated why he was pissing blood they'd discovered it was riddled with cancer. Even if he recuperated from the removal of his kidney his knee was too badly damaged to salvage his career.

Frank tried to feel bad about that but couldn't. The asshole was going to rape Elyse. He got fucked instead. Karmic justice at work.

Speaking of Elyse, one of her co-workers confessed to having mentioned Frank's address as the house Elyse had been after to Michael when he took her out on a date and seduced her. The woman felt awful for betraying Elyse and apologized for letting herself be used by Michael like that. Her self-esteem had taken a bad hit. Elyse forgave her as she knew the woman's own conscience was going to punish her enough.

Elyse also insisted on remaining close during his recovery so she continued to work from his kitchen even though her internet had finally been installed.

He didn't mind. On the contrary, he loved the company. If he was being truthful, he was beginning to suspect he loved her. He knew it was way too early to start throwing the 'L' word around but more and more he was thinking about how important she was for his happiness.

They still hadn't had their play time but the cuddle time was fantastic!

He walked into the kitchen and was treated to a beautiful smile as Elyse listened in on a conference call over her internet connection. He heard her make a comment now and then as she was asked a question or had something to say. He didn't listen to her words as that would be rude but the sound of her voice was soothing to him.

He began preparing dinner. He was making lasagna tonight. He made himself busy preparing the sauce from scratch from a recipe he'd picked up on a business trip to Italy. The sauce needed to simmer for a couple of hours so he had to start now. He found this work very relaxing and loved cooking for others. He was making enough sauce to use in the lasagna and another pasta dish later in the week. He was thinking spaghetti with a rich meat sauce maybe. He smiled to himself as he moved the pot onto the burner on low heat and stirred it once more.

He felt arms wrapping around him as soft breasts pressed against his back. A shiver went through him as she nibbled on his ear. Hot breath tickled him and he squirmed in her grip. Her hands were slowly sliding down his chest, over his stomach, and descending lower. He gasped as they rubbed over his awakening cock and her own gasp blew across his ear. He tried to turn but she was pressed up against him tightly and she was holding him in place.

"No no no, I've got you where I want you!" she sighed as she pressed her lips to his neck. Tingles rushed down his spine to supercharge a specific area of his body which was pressing hard against the inside of his pants.

Elyse undid his belt, popped the top button on his pants and slowly undid his zipper. She moaned sensually as she felt him pressing back through a thin layer of fabric against her fingers as she slipped them inside his pants.

"Ohhh Frank! That feels so good!" she purred.

He stirred the sauce once more assuring himself it wasn't burning then put the lid on the pot to keep the heat in. He could leave it now for a while.

Elyse lifted the waistband of his boxers and slipped a hand inside to slide her fingertips along his hot skin.

"Oh my god Elyse!" he groaned. Her fingers felt so good on him!

He finally managed to turn around but only because she wanted to kiss him. Her mouth found his and her tongue slid into his mouth boldly. He sucked on it and her fingers wrapped around his heat and gently squeezed it.

His hands slid down her back until he was holding her ass. He squeezed and kneaded the flesh there and she moaned into his mouth. She pulled back to look hotly into his eyes and slowly knelt down before him, pulling his pants and boxers down as she did. His heavy cock swung free and she smiled in anticipation.

Elyse once more wrapped her lovely fingers around his cock down by its base so she could guide it to her mouth. She stuck her tongue out to stroke it along the underside. Frank jolted in her grip from the incredible sensations.

"You're still getting used to this aren't you," she said with a sexy smile.

Frank looked at her in shock. "You can get used to this?" he exclaimed.

Elyse giggled at his expression of awe as she pressed her lips to his shaft. "Mmmm, you have a wonderful cock, Frank!"

"Uh, thanks?"

More giggles as she kissed her way around his shaft and began to kiss the head.

"Ooohh Elyse!" Frank gasped and gripped the edge of the countertop as his knees got wobbly.

Beautiful pale green eyes looked up at him as she smiled wickedly. She was obviously enjoying her control over him.

When she sucked him into her mouth Frank gasped loudly and clung to the countertop as his legs threatened to give out on him.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! This is- it's- Oh my- Elyse! ELYSE!" Frank was going crazy! Her mouth was so incredible and the thing she was doing with her tongue and how she was caressing his balls as she plunged him into her mouth! It was too much!

Elyse suddenly pulled back and gasped for air.

"Oh my god Frank! Your cock is so thick! I can barely get my mouth around it! But it's so good!" she purred.

"I think it's time for a change of location," he gasped. He bent down and lifted Elyse into his arms and she squealed in surprise. He kicked his pants and boxers free then carried Elyse down the hallway to his bedroom. She was watching him with wide, excited eyes and grinning widely as he laid her down gently on his bed.

Before she had a chance to move he slid down the bed and pulled her yoga pants and panties off.

"Cheeky fellow!" she chirped at him with a fake scowl which rapidly turned into a jaw dropping gasp as he dipped his face down and licked her wet pussy boldly. He remembered what she liked from last time and did that until her fingers were tangled in his hair and she was pulling his face tight against her gushing pussy. She held him there for a bit then she began frantically pushing.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! I want- I want you inside me!" she cried out and pushed his face away.

Frank reached over to the end table and pulled a condom packet out of the drawer. He was looking at it when Elyse pushed him over onto his back on the bed and plucked the package from his hand.

She tore it open and grabbed the base of his cock, pointed it upright, and placed the condom on the head, pinching the tip. Using her other hand she rolled the condom down his shaft and he noticed how tight it felt. Not the best sensation he decided but to protect Elyse he could accept it.

Elyse looked at the condom critically and leaned across him to snag a couple of packets of lube from the end table. She tore them open and squeezed them out over the latex encased head of his cock. She ran her hands down the length of him, smearing the lube generously over the surface. Then she climbed on top of Frank's body and looked down at him with a hot smile.

"I've been waiting for this since I took you to dinner out at that restaurant on the highway," she growled sexily.

She reached down and positioned him against her pussy which was still very wet. She settled back against it and the head forced its way inside her. She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Oh fuck you're big!" she moaned.

"We don't have t- OOOHHH..."

Frank dropped his head back to the mattress as Elyse drove herself down on his cock taking him deep. He couldn't get over how tightly she was gripping him. The intensity of it was blanking his mind.

He finally managed to lift his head up to look at Elyse and she had her eyes closed tightly and she was trembling. She hadn't moved since she forced him inside.

"Elyse... are you ok?"

"Mmmhmm."

He looked closer and saw she was holding her breath. "Elyse! Breathe! You have to relax. Deep breaths!"

She let out a tight gasp then sucked in air between her teeth. "I- I didn't think that one through," she hissed.

"Nice and slow would have probably been the way to go," Frank agreed. "Maybe you should ease yourself off-"

"No! I mean, I have you where I want you. I can get used to it," Elyse insisted.

She lifted herself up a little, maybe an inch and a half, and dropped herself back down.

"Geezuz!" Frank moaned. She felt incredible but he was worried about her. He looked at her face again and there was just the hint of a smile on her lips.

Elyse went still then lifted herself up two inches and dropped herself down again. "Oh god, yes!" she sighed. "Frank, you fill me up better than I've ever felt before!"

He tried to speak but she lifted herself up again, higher this time, and drove him in deep. All he could do was gasp. He looked up and saw her large firm breasts swaying as she drove herself down on him. She was biting her lip so sexily. He reached up and undid the buttons on her blouse and pushed it back over her shoulders. Her satin bra underneath was very soft and pretty but he wanted to see her breasts. She reached back and undid the clasp letting the bra fall forward.

Frank sucked in a breath as he looked at the most perfect tits he'd ever seen. He reverently reached up and placed his hands on her heavy tits, feeling the stiff nipples press into his palms.

Elyse gasped when he touched her sensitive nipples and moaned when he gently squeezed and tugged on them. She began to move faster on his cock and he lost his ability to concentrate for a bit.

"Frank... Frank... yes, yes, so... good!" Elyse moaned as she began to bounce on his hips.

"Elyse! Oh my god!" was all he managed to gasp as she increased her speed and force once more.

He held her heavy but soft tits in his hands and kneaded the flesh as she began to grind herself against him at the bottom of each stroke.

Her mouth was open and her eyes had a faraway look in them as she drove herself harder and faster on his swelling cock. Unaware of anything beyond his hands on her tits and his cock filling her a drop of saliva dripped from her lower lip onto his chest. He was getting close and hoped Elyse was there as well. Her eyelids began to flutter.

Suddenly her movements became almost violent in their intensity. "FRANK! I can't stop it! It's begun! CUMMING! I'M CUMMMMMIIINNNNGGG!" she wailed.

Her roughness and her body's squeezing his cock so tightly was too much for him and he felt himself surging hard into the condom. It went on and on.

Elyse's strength faded and she rested her body atop his, panting and gasping as her heart raced in her chest.

Ever so slowly Frank pulled Elyse up his body to slip his shrinking cock free from her. She sighed and relaxed completely when he was free. He slid her back down so he could look directly into her eyes.

He took her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her amazing mouth. She moaned and kissed him back.

When he pulled back from the kiss Elyse was smiling blissfully at him and his mind took a little vacation as it did with her.

"You are so incredibly lovely! How did a schmo like me ever end up with someone amazing like you?" he said incredulously.

"Just lucky I guess!" she teased and he grinned at her then he saw her wince slightly as she adjusted her position.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked in concern.

"You did nothing to hurt me. My impatience is the guilty party here. It was wonderful but I should have eased into taking something so large inside of me." She shivered. "Oh god that was so sexy! But I'm aching now," she lamented.

"Well we can wait a few minutes before we try again," he said reasonably.

Her eyes widened in worry and he began to chuckle. "I'm kidding!"

She scowled playfully and swatted his shoulder. "So mean!" That just made him laugh harder as she looked so cute.

She slid off of his body and tucked herself in against his side. Frank sighed with happiness.

Elyse was smiling too. "Mmm, I could so get used to this."

Frank's mind was racing a million miles per minute and his mouth began moving before his brain had a chance to put on the brakes.

"You know, there are a few things I want to do with this place that will make it temporarily unlivable such as redoing the kitchen and bathrooms."

"You can stay with me at my place while that's happening!" she offered.

"I'm going to need your help a great deal with this project. I have no idea how to decorate a house. I hope you can help me make it a great home."

"Oh Frank I would LOVE to help you with that! I was dreaming of how I'd do it when I planned on buying it."

He kissed her forehead as she sounded so excited. "When we're done the house will be as much a reflection of you as me. Wouldn't it make sense for you to live in it too? We could renovate yours and put it on the market so you wouldn't have to carry the mortgage anymore." Frank was holding his breath as his brain finally caught up to his reckless mouth.

Elyse pushed herself up on her elbow to look him in the eye in surprise. He tried not to appear too desperate but he was sure his love for her was written all over his face and he couldn't hide it.

"Oh my god Frank... are you asking me... to move in with you?" she gasped.

He winced. "I'm sorry! I pushed too hard. It's too soon isn't it! I'm sorry, I'm so out of practice with loving someone." He immediately froze when he let that slip.

Elyse's eyes widened even more. "You... love me?"

Frank clamped his traitorous mouth closed but he couldn't stop himself from nodding. He was lost in her beautiful green eyes.

"I- I love you too," she said quietly and dipped her face down to kiss him. Her lips were so gentle and sweet against his, Frank's breath caught in his throat. He caressed her mouth with his and she gasped as she nibbled her way across his lips.

When the kiss ended Frank was having some trouble seeing her through his tears. The joy of finding love again, so soon after his divorce, overwhelmed him. That she was tearing up as well made his happiness so much more profound.

Elyse rested her cheek against Frank's chest and he heard her sigh with happiness. He echoed her.

Frank couldn't believe his luck. After suffering through the worst year of his life, to find such amazing love on the other side was almost too good to be true. But there she was resting against his chest, lovelier than any mortal was ever meant to be. She had to be a gift from the gods and he wondered what made him deserving of this.

He'd just have to work at proving himself worthy of her, for as long as they were together.

Chapter 18

Elyse was on cloud nine! He loved her! She knew in her heart what she felt for him was love and he felt the same way about her!

When she'd pulled back from their kiss she'd seen tears of joy in Frank's eyes. Her heart swelled with her love for him and she'd realized her own eyes were tearing as well.

She wondered if this was finally her reward for getting it right. Two failed marriages to men who were physically attractive and strong on the surface but ultimately had no inner strength. Frank was strength right to his core. He was good to the center of his being and she wanted to be with him more than anything. That he wanted to be with her as well made her feel... drunk with hope and love.

Elyse imagined them working together on their new home and a wonderful feeling of completeness rushed through her. Well, almost complete.

She wondered if he still had the receipt for all those condoms. There was something else she wanted to build with him.

And they would.