Gentrified Read online

  Gentrified

  A Wife Seduced

  Kirsten McCurran

  GENTRIFIED: A WIFE SEDUCED

  © 2017 Aphrodite Omnimedia. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced for distribution by any means physical, mechanical or electronic without the explicit written permission of the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters and locations are fictitious or used fictitiously.

  Cover designed by Kenny Wright. Cover image licensed from iStock.

  First Smashwords edition published digitally March 2017.

  preface

  This novel is one of those stories that sat with me for a long time. I wrote it in fits and starts over two years. I started writing from a simple idea: a suburban couple moves into a gentrifying neighborhood, where their neighbor sets his sights on the pretty wife and that he must have her. Simple stuff, but not so simple to write, it turns out. I thought this would be a short, simple story. The characters had other ideas. The story went off in a very different direction than how I conceived it. There is a romance that I never anticipated, and it turned out to be more of a story about the suburban couple, Jessica and Kyle, than I’d thought it would be. I’m more than pleased with how this turned out, and I hope you all have as much fun reading Gentrified as I had writing it.

  As always, heavy thanks go to Gary for editing this book, and to Kenny Wright, who is always a sounding board. And my very patient husband and kids, who are my life.

  one

  Jess was running late and really didn’t want to hear it from her mother. The worst part was that her mother wasn’t saying anything she hadn’t heard before. This was the standard lecture she got every time Kyle was away for work. Jess snatched at her smooth leather briefcase and put it by the door with the other bags.

  “Mom, I don’t have time for this. You know I’m okay now. I really need to get out the door,” she complained. She called after Maddy again, but the toddler was enthralled by the television.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help but worry when you’re living down there and you’re home alone. Who knows what could happen?”

  “Bad things happen in the suburbs, too. I’m going now. Goodbye, Mom.”

  Jess ended the conversation and slipped her phone into her bag, then called after her daughter, “Maddy, we have to go now!”

  “It’s not over yet,” the child complained.

  “You have to go to school, and mommy has to get to work. Let’s go!”

  If she was honest, Jess missed the days when her mother arrived in the morning and watched Maddy all day while she was at work, but when they moved into the city her mother made it clear she was not going to be travelling down there to watch her granddaughter—or for any other reason. Her mother said it was a matter of convenience—it was only a ten-minute drive to their old condo, their new house was about forty-five minutes away—but that wasn’t the only reason—or the real reason. There were too many of the wrong sort of people in their new neighborhood.

  Kyle and Jess felt like they were going to age prematurely and grow boring if they stayed in the suburbs. Kyle had been renting a place downtown when they met and Jess had a condo out in the suburbs. It made sense to move into her place when they got married. But when Maddy was born it was clear they didn’t have enough room. When it came time to look for something else, Kyle pressed hard to move into the city. A lot of his friends were buying places in the up and coming neighborhoods and if you were willing to get a fixer-upper there were great deals to be had. Sure, there were trade-offs, but Kyle argued it was worth it. He reminded her they couldn’t afford much house out there in the suburbs.

  Jess saw it as an adventure. She was born and raised in the suburbs and had gone away to Penn State for college, but she and her friends had always gone into the city with their fake IDs when they were younger. Going into the city was what you did when you were looking for fun. She knew there were bad parts, but she’d managed to avoid them for most of her life. After college, she’d taken a job in the city with a nonprofit, which exposed her to some of the city’s seedy side, but it was still really at arm’s length. Jess agreed to look in the city, but they would have to find something they were both comfortable with.

  Maddy was corralled and wrestled into her jacket. It was mid-spring, and the mornings were still crisp and cool. Jess shrugged into the black jacket of her simple suit and piled on the bags until she felt like a pack mule. They were out the door only a few minutes late—a minor triumph.

  The morning ritual wouldn’t be so bad if she could take things out to the car and then run back into the house and grab Maddy, but in the six months or so they’d been living in the neighborhood Jess had never been able to find a parking spot closer than half a block away. This morning she was looking at an almost two block walk carrying their things and trying to hold Maddy’s hand.

  Jess still wasn’t used to stepping out the front door right onto the sidewalk. Their house was on a narrowish one-way street that was always parked up. Big, pretty trees lined the sidewalks, which limited where you could park if you wanted to open both car doors. The trees also raised segments of the sidewalk, making the footing tricky—even in the low heels Jess wore for work. Maddy pulled at her hand, eager to get to school, and Jess struggled to keep up.

  “Slow down, honey. This isn’t a race.”

  “A race! A race!” Maddy called, pulling harder.

  They were almost to the car when Jess’s heel caught on the uneven sidewalk and she lost her balance. She tried in vain to stay upright, but with Maddy pulling it was impossible. Jess cursed as she dropped half their things and went down hard on one knee. A lightning strike of pain shot up her leg and she bit her lip to stifle a cry.

  “Mommy!” Maddy cried out.

  “Hold on, Maddy,” she snapped. “You just pulled mommy over.”

  The little girl looked like she was going to cry and Jess felt utterly defeated when a deep voice spoke from above.

  “Here, ma’am, let me help.”

  Jess looked back over her shoulder to see a huge, broad black man. It was like he’d materialized out of nowhere. She had a fleeting moment of panic, of which she was not proud. Had he been following her? She pushed those thoughts right out of her head. Very much the suburban liberal do-gooder, Jess didn’t want to think she had a racist bone in her body. The whole reason she went to work for the non-profit was because she knew people of color did not get a fair shake from society. She looked away, hoping he did not see her initial response to his presence in her eyes, and only looked back when she was sure it was gone.

  “I think I have everything under control,” she said.

  “It don’t look like it. Here, I’ll get that.”

  He took her briefcase and tote bag, both of which had slipped from her shoulder when she went down. Her purse was on her other arm and hung in the crook of her elbow. He also offered his hand, so large it dwarfed hers, and she took it. Jess felt no strain at all when he helped her to her feet.

  “Thanks. I don’t know why they won’t fix the sidewalks around here. We’ve been complaining for months.”

  He chuckled. It was a deep, warm, friendly sound. “You’re going to find that the city don’t hop to when people in this neighborhood ask for things. You all coming down here ain’t changed that yet.”

  Even though the stranger was smiling, she felt that sting of resentment that she’d encountered from other neighborhood long-timers. She understood that gentrification could have its negative side effects, but she did not understand why people wouldn’t want the neighborhood to improve. She smiled, flashing perfect white teeth with the hint of a cute overbite, and said, “I’m Jess.”

  “I’m Winston.”

  “Hello
, Winston,” Maddy said, looking up at the man like he was a superhero.

  “Hello little girl. I think you and your momma need some help.”

  Maddy nodded.

  “I think I have it now,” Jess said, wincing when she flexed her knee. She looked down to find her pantyhose were ruined—she’d have to shed those in the office—and her knee was bloodied.

  “That don’t look good. You should clean it up,” Winston said.

  Jess laughed. “I feel like a little girl with a skinned knee.”

  “Got to be good to those knees. You need them,” he said.

  Jess thought she caught a sexual innuendo there, but that couldn’t be true. Winston seemed nice so far. He wouldn’t do something like that in front of her daughter. She said, “I’d run back in and clean it up, but I really am running late.”

  “I’ll help you to your car anyway.” It didn’t sound like a suggestion, but really, she was happy for the help.

  Winston carried the bags and held her arm and it was nice to feel protected. It was something she didn’t always feel from her husband. Of course, being beside Winston was like being next to a wall of granite—a feeling Kyle did not project. Kyle was about five-foot-nine and averagely built. Winston was well over six feet and broad. They reached the car, a late model Volvo, and he took the keys and opened the rear hatch to place the bags. Then he held the door for her while she leaned in and got Maddy strapped in to the car seat. He stayed very close and instead of being concerning, his presence remained reassuring. It made Jess realize just how much she missed Kyle when he was away. She also realized that her skirt had ridden up a little too far in that position, and she hoped she was not flashing her new friend. Once Maddy was strapped in, Winston held the door for her and Jess slid into the driver’s seat.

  “Make sure you take care of that knee,” he said.

  “I will. I promise.”

  He leaned down to look into the backseat. “You be good little girl. Listen to your momma.”

  “Okay, Winston,” Maddy said.

  “If you need anything, I’m just down the street,” he said, pointing back up the block. Jess realized he was almost across the street from their house—just a few doors up.

  “We’re on the same block. We just moved in a few months ago. I’m Jessica. My husband is Kyle.”

  “Then I’ll be seeing you around, Jessie. Be good.”

  Jess couldn’t help but smile and let the Jessie go. No one had called her that since she was a little girl. There was something almost paternalistic about Winston, even though they were about the same age—around thirty—she guessed. “I will.” He closed the door and she let the clutch out and drove off. They had made friends with some of the other newer residents, but she was happy to have finally met someone truly from the neighborhood who seemed nice.

  ~~~

  Winston watched the car pull away, then started whistling as he turned back to walk home. That blonde girl was quite a piece of ass. She was even prettier up close than he’d thought when he first noticed her. The reason he’d been outside was because he wanted a better look, so when he saw her leaving he thought it was a good time to walk up to the bodega on the corner and get a newspaper. It was fate that brought them together.

  Jessica was tall—she had to be around five-seven—but she was a trim little thing. He bet he could almost get his big hands all the way around that little waist of hers. He liked a woman with a tight body who still had curves. That ass looked sweet when she was bent over at the car. And when she was on her knees, his head filled with all sorts of ideas. If the little girl wasn’t there he just might have knotted his fingers in Jessica’s pretty blonde hair and fed her his cock. He wondered how much she could take. Winston bet she could learn to take all of it. Now that he’d been introduced, he made it his plan to find out.

  Over the next couple months, Winston kept an eye on Jessica. Not in a stalker kind of way—he never followed her—he just kept generally aware of her comings and goings and tried to learn her routine so he could find excuses to run into her. He would have loved to get her alone to work his magic, but she always had the kid with her. Winston liked the kid—she seemed cute and bright, but it would be hard to seduce the mommy with a toddler always in tow.

  It did not take long for Winston to realize that Jessica’s husband was away for at least a few days every month. The husband seemed to be away for about a week toward the end of the month. Winston loved that. Even when the husband was home he worked long hours. He left about an hour before Jessica and was usually home at least an hour after her. It would give him the opening he needed. A woman like Jessica, left alone in the big, bad city, would feel vulnerable and be looking for a shoulder to cry on. Winston would be that shoulder.

  He didn’t wish her harm. Winston just wanted to be Jessica’s lover. If she could keep it from her husband no one would get hurt. Hell, maybe he was one of those husbands who was into watching other men fuck his wife. Winston didn’t get that at all, but he’d take advantage of it if that was the case. Or maybe the guy had a mistress he saw on those work trips and he just wouldn’t mind his wife screwing someone else too. Winston couldn’t imagine that either. If he had a piece of ass like Jessica waiting in his bed he would want to keep her to himself—no matter what else, he might be doing on the side.

  Watching Jessica was fun. He loved the way she dressed for work. Winston knew she left around 8:00, so he always made sure he was by the window then. As the weather was turning warmer, she no longer wore coats over her work suits. He liked that. Jessica’s suits were mostly the same—a jacket and skirt, some type of blouse or sweater. The skirts mostly fell an inch or so above the knee and flattered her ass when she moved. They were just short enough that they weren’t frumpy, but also were not inappropriate. Jess usually wore her straight, silky blonde hair down, but sometimes it was up in a cute ponytail. And sometimes she wore these dark, tortoiseshell -framed glasses that made her look much more serious.

  The real fun was when she went to work out. At first, Winston didn’t even realize she was going out a few evenings a week. She only did it when her husband was home. Jessica left late, dressed in yoga pants and tight Spandex tank top. If it was chilly she wore a light jacket, but he could still see what an incredible body she had. She carried a yoga mat and a gym bag and was always gone at least a couple hours. It made sense that she went to the gym, because her ass was flawless.

  Winston gave it about a month, and then put his plan into motion. To do this right, he’d have to play the long game, but he was a patient man. At first, he would just be sitting on his stoop drinking his morning coffee when Jessica came out with the kid in the morning. He would wave and the girls would wave back—Maddy enthusiastically. That helped. He knew that the girl liking him would put the mom at ease. He thought that made the difference when the girls began crossing the street on the way to the car. Maddy would stop to say hi to him, even though Jessica insisted they were running late—every morning. Winston made sure to focus on the girl, almost saying hi to Jessica as an afterthought—though he always stole a look at her legs. Jessica began to talk more, too, asking how his day was. It was all perfectly innocent. Baby steps, he reminded himself. Baby steps.

  ~~~

  Jess smiled when she saw Winston. He had become a staple of their morning routine. Maddy just had to stop and say hi to him, but he hadn’t been out there for a couple days. Maddy had been concerned, but Jess explained that they didn’t know him well enough to just go knock on his door and see if he was okay. Besides, she didn’t know how she would explain that to Kyle. It was all innocent of course, but it would be strange for her to go knock on their single neighbor’s door to see how he was. Jess assumed Winston was single. She’d never seen any women coming or going from his place—not that she kept tabs on him.

  “Winston, where were you?” Maddy asked, stopping in front of him.

  “It’s all good, little girl. Just got a little busy with work and school,” h
e said, smiling broadly. Jess thought he had the warmest, nicest smile. It always set her at ease, and she realized that maybe she’d missed their neighbor too.

  “School? You’re too big for school!” Maddy insisted.

  “You're never too big for school. Always got to keep learning,” he replied.

  “That’s right honey. Lots of grownups go to school,” Jess said. “You know, I don’t think you’ve ever said what you do.” She hoped he didn’t take it the wrong way and think she was implying he didn’t work.

  “I get a stipend for school—I go online. I was in the Marines, so I get money for school. And sometimes I bounce for a friend who has a club.”

  “That must be interesting. You probably see all sorts of things,” she replied.

  “Sometimes. It’s mostly breaking up fights and dragging drunk people outside.”

  “Be careful,” Jess said, laying a hand on his shoulder. He felt impossibly solid. She had to admit, she liked it. It had been some time since Kyle was in that kind of shape. Hours behind a desk had transformed her husband. She still thought Kyle was a sexy man, but he was not built like Winston.

  “I know how to take care of myself, Jessie,” Winston assured her.

  “If you get hurt me and mommy will come over and take care of you,” Maddy said.

  “That’s very sweet, honey,” Jess said.

  “If I need to, I’ll be sure to call you guys.”

  “We really need to get moving,” Jess informed her daughter. “Mommy cannot be late again.”

  Maddy pulled a face, but Winston reassured her, “Don’t worry, little girl. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

  It was the oddest thing, but Jess had the sense that Winston was watching them as they walked away—or more specifically her. She knew she was being silly. Winston had never been anything but friendly. Jess was not conceited, but she was pretty enough that she knew what it felt like when a man showed real interest, and she’d never gotten that vibe from their neighbor. Besides, skinny white girls like her were probably not his type.