The Boy Next Door

by Staci Parker

  Mitch felt as if he was completely alone in the world and there was no one out there that could understand. That was why he decided that he was going to order a bride and when he had seen Nairobi’s picture he knew that she was the one.

  He knew that she was much younger than him. She had just turned eighteen and he was close to fifty but that did not matter to him. She had not been ruined by other men. When Mitch had been dating he found that most of the women had in fact been ruined by other men. They hated all men for the way that they had been treated in the past and they were determined to make someone pay. Mitch knew that Nairobi was not going to be that way. She was still young and innocent, all she would know of men was what he would show her.

  He had decided early on that he was going to pamper her and spoil her if for no other reason than to thank her for her company. She was, after all, giving up everything she had ever known so that she could come to live with him and be his wife. For that he was grateful.

  Mitch had planned to take a few weeks off of work so that he could get to know Nairobi. He didn’t need to be at work most of the time. He let all of his employees run the business and he only went into his office to have something to do. He had built the business from the bottom up. His father had been a successful businessman as well and had taught Mitch everything he knew.

  When Mitch graduated college his father bought him his first hotel and that was the beginning of the rest of his life. Many people thought that Mitch was wealthy because he came from money, but what they did not know was that besides the first hotel he had earned everything he had ever had. When his father passed, he left all of his money to charities.

  He had raised Mitch to understand how important it was for him to make his own way in life as a part of his self-made cowboy mentality. He had taught Mitch that although it was great to help people get started that they should not be carried and they had to learn how to live with their own mistakes. Mitch had made plenty of mistakes along the way when he was building up his businesses, but his father had refused to bail him out of them.

  At the time Mitch did not understand why his father would not help him. He wondered what he had done wrong to make his father turn his back on him, but in the long run he understood that his father was teaching him a lesson. It was important for Mitch to learn how to be responsible for his own decisions and his father knew that. Mitch’s father did not want his son to grow up as an entitled brat that had no responsibilities in life.

  Mitch only wished that he had the chance to teach his own child the same lessons his father had taught him, but he knew that he was not likely to ever have children. The years for having kids had come and gone while Mitch was trying to make his wife happy.

  His ex never wanted children and had made it very clear to him. She did not want to wreck her body and spend all of her time raising his children as she put it. As Mitch drove to the airport, he hoped that he was not setting himself up for more heartache.

  He had decided before he ever paid his fee for Nairobi that he was not going to fall in love with her. He was going to make her an offer, as long as she was kind to him, listened to him talk and spent her time with him he was willing to give her anything that she wanted. He did not want to die alone and that was what it came down to.

  It did not matter how many friends he had or how much extended family he had, he knew that if he were to die he would be alone. No one would sit next to his hospital bed and mourn for him, no one would miss him when he was gone. Life would go on as if he had never existed and that thought hurt him more than anything his ex-wife had ever done to him.

  Mitch pulled up to the airport and parked his car. He had made a small sign with Nairobi’s name on it. He had wanted to buy balloons and flowers, but he was afraid that he would scare her. He made his way to the terminal and waited for her plane to arrive.

  He wondered what was going through her mind and how she would handle the next few days. He wanted to make sure that she felt comfortable with him, but he was not really sure how to do it. Mitch was an extremely smart and handsome man. What he was not was a social genius. He was beyond socially awkward and he knew it. He would often say the wrong thing and upset people. He had employees that ran meetings for him so that he did not upset investors.

  The majority of the time Mitch was quiet and just observed what was going on around him. He had not always been that way. Before he had gotten married, he was very socially outgoing. More than once, he’d even been called the life of the party. He had no problem joking around with people, but his ex-wife had changed all of that. She had caused him to question everything that came out of his mouth and draw back from social interactions.

  Alice, Mitch’s ex-wife, was not all bad. She was a demanding woman who knew exactly what she wanted out of life. She had married Mitch because she knew that he was going to be successful and that he could give her the life that she wanted. She was a dominating woman who did not like to be told what to do or where to be. Mitch wondered what it would be like to have a wife who actually listened to what he said. One who built him up, instead of tearing him down.

  He smiled as he stood in the airport waiting for his African beauty to arrive. He felt like he could make a new life with this woman, a life where the two of them could be happy and benefit from each other. He wondered if he could actually get back to the man that he was before they were married.

  Nairobi’s plane landed and as she walked through the terminal in the airport she saw a man leaning against a post with a sign that had her name on it. He was a very attractive White man. She did not know how old he was but to her he looked very young. He had blond hair and beautiful blue eyes that held some sadness in them, expectantly looking out from under the brim of his cowboy hat. He did not smile, but she was sure that if he did, it would be beautiful.

  Nairobi looked at the man holding the sign and wondered why he had chosen her. He was well dressed and clean cut. Nairobi looked down at herself. The dust from Africa was still on her feet, her dress was old and worn. She was sure that she was not what he was expecting.

  Nairobi walked over to the man. “This is me,” she said, pointing to the sign. Mitch looked at Nairobi and she looked down at the floor. Mitch could tell that she was not only shy but intimidated. She was self-conscious about the way she looked.

  “I’m Mitch,” Mitch said, not sure if he should shake her hand or hug her. He folded the sign in half and took her hand in his, tucking it inside of his arm. “How about we get you home?” he said, looking down at her.

  “Home,” Nairobi said, not sure what to think. Her home was thousands of miles away. She knew the place that this man was taking her was not her home.

  “Yes,” Mitch said, leading her out of the airport. “Your new home. I am sure that you are going to like it.”

  He watched Nairobi as she took in all of the sights. She looked at the tall buildings with awe and watched the people running around the airport. She pulled tight against Mitch as she started to get overwhelmed by what was going on around her.

  Mitch patted her hand. “It’s okay,” he said as he led her to his car. “You’ll get used to it.”

  Nairobi let out a small laugh. “I think I will never get used to this,” she said, wide eyed.

  Mitch smiled at her. In a way he hoped that she never would. He liked the way she pulled against him when she was afraid. She was already beginning to trust him and that made him feel better than he had in years. He helped Nairobi into his car and walked back to the driver’s side. When he was inside of the car he looked at Nairobi noticing that she had no bags.

  “You brought nothing with you?” he asked her gently.

  Nairobi looked down at her dress and wrung her hands. She had nothing to bring with her and knew that he would not understand the life that she had come from. This man seemed as if he owned the world. He had everything and she had nothing.

  “That’s okay,” he said, brushing his hand across her cheek, causing her to look up at
him. “We will get you everything that you need.”

  Nairobi smiled, unsure what he meant, but she could sense that he was a good man. For the first time Nairobi felt as if she were safe. She knew that no one was coming to take her away, she knew that this man meant her no harm. She leaned back in her seat and for the first time in her life she completely relaxed. Nairobi fell asleep quickly only waking up to Mitch placing his hand on her head.

  She looked up at him as he was standing outside of her door. “We are home,” he said softly. “Let’s get you inside. We will get you cleaned up and then you can rest.”

  Nairobi blinked her eyes, trying to get them to focus. She had forgotten for a minute that she was with this man in a new country and starting her new life. She stepped out of the car, taking Mitch’s hand, looking around in amazement. She wondered if she was lost in a dream.

  In front of them stood a huge house that was three stories tall. She had never seen a house that large and wondered what one man needed with all of that space. She saw a fountain sitting in the middle of a circle drive, and bushes that were in the shapes of all different types of animals. Flowers bloomed. Birds sang. Such riches!

  There were flowers growing everywhere. The grass was perfectly trimmed. On the porch was a beautiful swing that looked as if it would fit two people just fine. Mitch gave her a gentle tug and led her toward the front door of his house. As she walked up the stairs, she felt like a child. She had never felt so small. Mitch opened the front door and led her inside.

  What stood before her took her breath away. There were two staircases in the center of a huge room. Above the staircases hung a large chandelier. On both sides of the staircases there were doors leading deeper into the house. Mitch looked at Nairobi. “Would you like to look around or save that for later?” he asked her.

  Nairobi was already overwhelmed. She wished that her mother could see this house. It was large enough for everyone in her entire village to live in. “Later, I think,” Nairobi replied.

  Mitch led Nairobi up one of the staircases then down a hallway. He opened a door and showed Nairobi into it. In the center of the room sat a large round bathtub. There were white towels, a white bathrobe and all types of soaps sitting on the edge of the tub. Everything in the room was perfectly clean and looked as if dirt had never touched it.

  Again Nairobi looked down at her feet that were filthy and she felt as if she was not good enough to be in the house. Mitch released Nairobi’s hand and walked over to the bathtub. He turned on the water and squirted something into it that Nairobi had never seen before. It was a strange green liquid that smelled very sweet.

  “Take off your clothes and get into the tub,” Mitch said. “I’ll be back as soon as you are in the water.”

  Nairobi looked at Mitch. She had never taken her clothes off in front of anyone except for her mother and she was afraid of what a man might do to her if he saw her without her clothes. She stood, staring at Mitch as he walked out of the room. When he closed the door behind him she signed with relief. She quickly removed her dress and let it fall to the floor. She had no underwear. She owned none. Slipping off her sandals she stepped into the hot water.

  She had never used a tub before, but she understood what Mitch wanted of her. It was the first time in her life that she had ever felt hot water and the strange white foam that was on top of the water tickled at her skin. She slid down into the tub and let the foam cover her body. Only a few seconds later Mitch walked back through the bathroom door and over to the tub. He had changed out of his suit and was wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He looked so much younger than he had when he was wearing a suit. Something warmed in Nairobi toward him.

  Mitch turned off the water and picked up a white washcloth with a bar of soap. He dipped both into the bath water and began rubbing them together. Nairobi watched as the bar and washcloth made bubbles. Mitch reached toward Nairobi with the washcloth in his hand.

  She pulled back away from him.

  The way she looked up at him from the tub reminded him of a scared animal that had been abused. He reached again and placed the washcloth on her back then began washing her, slowly, gently. Nairobi let her head fall forward, enjoying the way it felt to have Mitch washing her back. He washed her arms and neck, making sure that every part of her that he scrubbed was nice and clean. When he finished he handed her the washcloth.

  Nairobi looked at Mitch, unsure what he wanted her to do. “Wash the rest of your body,” he said softly. “I think it would be best if we waited a while before I did anything more. I am going to go get you one of my T-shirts to wear tonight. I ordered you an outfit that will be delivered in the morning. Then tomorrow we can go shopping.”

  Nairobi nodded, not really understanding what he was saying. She understood shopping, though, and that made her smile. She had heard from her mother how American women loved shopping and she had always wanted to understand why. She washed her body as Mitch left the bathroom. She washed her hair, carefully reading all of the bottles on the side of the tub looking for words her mother had taught her. She didn’t know many, and she was sure she did some of it wrong. It was just such a joy to be warm, and clean.

  As she raised up out of the bathtub her hair fell down her back and bubbles lay on her hair and body. Mitch walked into the door and looked at her smiling. She was smiling as well, enjoying the feel of the water and soaps on her skin. Mitch picked up a towel and opened it for Nairobi and without hesitation she stepped out of the tub.

  Bubbles slid down her body as she walked across the bathroom to him. He could just see her brown nipples under the bubbles on her breasts. He felt his cock begin to come to life. It had been a very long time since he had seen a naked woman’s body and he was enjoying every second of it.

  He wrapped Nairobi in the towel and grabbed another one to dry her hair with. He was gentle with her as he dried her hair, making sure that he did not pull at it. He made a mental note to take her to the salon the next day. When her hair was dry he dropped the towel to the floor and took the towel from around her body.

  Slowly he began drying her, starting at her neck and working his way down. Nairobi stretched her neck, inviting Mitch to be thorough. He noticed that she was no longer the shy girl that he had met in the airport and wondered what had changed.

  Nairobi felt as if her past life had completely washed away in the bath that she had taken. She had a new life ahead of her with a man who so far had treated her far better than she could have ever wished for. She was going to do everything she could to return the favor. Mitch began drying her shoulders, then her arms, then down her back to her rear.

  When he walked around to the front of her again she looked up at him, he could tell that she was getting cold, but he wanted to take his time and take in all of her body that he could. He slid the towel down her chest and over her breasts. As he rubbed against her nipples he heard her take a sharp breath. Mitch looked up at her, but only found approval on her face.

  He slid the towel lower as he bent down onto his knees. He began drying her legs one at a time and then stood back up. Gently he placed the towel between her legs and a small moan escaped her lips.

  “Have you ever been with a man,” Mitch whispered in her ear.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head.

  Mitch wrapped his arms around Nairobi, warming her with is body. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest with each breath that she took. Nairobi slid her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. There was something about him that made her feel safe, something that made her feel as if she would always be cared for. She could not explain what she felt for him, but she was glad that she had not been bought by any evil, hideous man. She knew how lucky she was to have this man.

  Mitch moved his hands down to the small of her back and pulled her close to him. She could feel his heart pounding and he could feel her shaking under his grip. Nairobi looked up at Mitch for just a second before he placed his lips on hers. She had nev
er been kissed before. She had never imagined that a woman could be treated so wonderfully or that a man would be happy to be with her.

  Her mother had told her stories of how the men in America treated women, how they saw women as their equals and did not do harm to them. Her mother had told her that, of course, there were evil men everywhere, but for the most part the men in America were protective of the women. Nairobi always thought that her mother was making up stories to make her want to go to America. Now she knew that her mother was telling the truth.

  As Mitch kissed Nairobi gently she felt his tongue flicking at her lips, pressing into them, begging for entrance. Nairobi opened her mouth slightly, allowing him entrance. She felt his tongue as he began to explore her mouth. It caused her stomach to flip and feel as if butterflies were fluttering around inside of it. She had never felt that way before.

  In South Africa men were not gentle with women. They took what they wanted and often times killed the women in the process. Many women ended up with diseases because the men saw them as nothing more than animals. They had many children as a result of the men forcing them to have sex with them and often times they were not able to feed them.

  Nairobi knew how lucky she was that her mother had hid her away and that her mother had learned how to hide from the men as well. Her mother had suffered from complications when Nairobi was born, leaving her unable to have more children, but that did not stop her from contracting a disease, or from those men killing her.

  Nairobi had never really realized just how lucky she was until she found herself in the arms of her future husband. She felt his hands slide down to her bottom and he began to squeeze it as he kissed her. Nairobi pulled back and looked up at him.

  “When do we marry?” she asked. She knew that she was not as smart as he was but she was no fool. She knew that if she gave him what he wanted without being married, he could send her back to Africa and she never wanted to go back. Not after the little bit of her new life that she had experienced.