Dirty Neighbor (The Dirty Suburbs)

by Miller,Cassie-Ann L.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Okay. Good.”

  “Good.”

  Our eyes lock for a moment as silence sweeps over us.

  “Good night, Madison.”

  “Good night, Domenic.”

  And with that, he’s out the door.

  Chapter 13

  Tequila Tijuana.

  I stand on the sidewalk squinting up at the colorful yellow, green and red awning hanging above the entrance. Although the door is closed, I can hear the muffled sounds of meringue music spilling outside. I peek into the Tex-Mex restaurant and spy the red-haired hostess posted by the door wearing a massive straw sombrero as a sweaty waiter – also wearing a sombrero – weaves between the crowded tables, balancing a large tray of colorful cocktails in his hand.

  Jeez – this is what I get when I let Domenic choose the restaurant.

  It’s just after 8:30 when I step into the dimly-lit resto-bar teeming with rowdy college students. The hostess leads me to a table at the back of the restaurant where I find Domenic chatting and laughing gleefully with the attractive couple at the neighbouring table. He glances my way. He grabs a sombrero from the seat next to him and pulls it onto his head, laughing as he motions me over excitedly. He looks so silly in his business suit and straw hat and ear-to-ear grin.

  “Hi,” I say forcing my voice to rise above the sound of the loud music.

  “Hey Maddie!” He turns to the couple next to him. “Maddie – This is Carl and Julie. It’s Julie’s birthday.”

  They both grin up at me. I wave coyly at them. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” I ease into a wobbly wooden chair and Domenic busies himself telling Carl and Julie about our summer associate positions at the law firm. I take the time to scan the menu, zoning in and out of the conversation. When our grungy-looking, perspiring, college-aged waiter finally swings by, Domenic requests beef taquitos with a Corona beer. I order a chicken burrito with a strawberry-mango daiquiri and join the conversation.

  Just then, a mariachi band pops up out of nowhere and starts belting out Happy Birthday to a beaming Julie. Before I know it, Domenic is in the mix singing out of tune, a pair of maracas rattles in hand. I laugh hard, singing and clapping along, musing over how many clichés this place was able to stuff in to the short ten minutes that I’ve been here.

  Once the singing is over, Julie is presented with a huge slice of tres leches cake, which she and Carl affectionately feed to each other. When they’re done, they pay the bill and say their goodbyes before walking out of the restaurant hand in hand.

  Our drinks arrive and Domenic grins over at me. “Are you having a good time?” He reaches across the table and taps his fingers across the back of my hand. I feel a small burst of electricity race through me – nothing I can’t handle, but enough for me to notice that my body is still reacting to his.

  I shrug giving the place a onceover. “It’s fun, but not quite my style.”

  “I knew it wouldn’t be your style. That’s why I didn’t let you choose the restaurant this time. I knew that if you got to choose, we’d probably end up at the Saint-Regis or Jean Georges or some other culinary establishment where ‘refined’ individuals like yourself dine.” He speaks in a haughty tone, mocking me in a not-so-subtle way. “I wanted to go somewhere a little less…predictable.”

  “Are you calling me predictable, Domenic?”

  “No – I’m saying your taste in food is predictable.”

  “That’s pretty much the same thing.”

  “Well, they do say that you are what you eat.”

  I laugh and jab him playfully in the arm. “At least the restaurants I choose are clean – This place looks like the health inspector skipped a few visits.”

  Domenic takes a long gulp of his beer. “It’s part of the vibe – authentic cuisine. Not all pretentious like those prissy restaurants you and Frankie like to go to.”

  “Yes, very authentic,” I say sarcastically, eyeing the freckled red-headed hostess who doesn’t appear to have a drop of Latin blood running through her veins.

  Just then the waiter comes back with our food. It smells great but as I’m about to dig in, I drop my fork on the floor. The waiter rushes to pick it up. He takes the fork in his sweaty palms, wipes it on his filthy apron and hands it back to me before turning on his heel and heading back towards the kitchen. Dom sits there stunned with his mouth hanging open.

  “This is a gastrointestinal disaster waiting to happen,” I mutter scowling at my plate as I push it away from me.

  Domenic takes one final swig of beer and grabs me by the hand. “Okay, Maddie – Let’s go.”

  Chapter 14

  After paying our bill and getting the hell out of the filthy restaurant, we ended up dropping by the grocery store across the street from my apartment to pick up the ingredients for tacos. We also got some margarita mix for me and a couple cervezas for Domenic.

  Now, we’re in my kitchen fumbling around like the cooking-inept fools that we are.

  “You have to put in the meat before you toss the seasonings in the pan –” I yelp as Domenic empties the spicy contents of the small yellow packet into a pot sitting on the stove.

  “No – you have to put the seasonings first,” he argues as he skims over the instructions on the packet.

  “I’m pretty sure the meat goes in first.”

  “Madison – shut up before I drag you back to Tequila Tijuana.”

  He gets me to laugh. “Nothing will ever get me to set foot in that awful restaurant again.”

  Forty-five minutes later, we’re lounging around on my living room floor eating flavorless tacos and downing alcohol while watching late-night talk shows. Two hours after that, we’re both stuffed and a bit tipsy.

  I lie back on the rug and yawn.

  “Tired?” he asks staring at me with a hooded gaze.

  I look over at him and nod.

  “I should probably get going…” He eases to his feet. He grabs our plates and heads into the kitchen. I follow him, carrying the rest of the dishes. After we’ve loaded everything into the dishwasher and cleaned up the living room, I walk him to the door.

  “Tonight was fun, Dom.”

  “Yeah – I’m glad we were able to patch things up,” he says as he pulls me in for a hug.

  And just like that, the urges that I’ve managed to keep at bay all night are again clawing at me, begging for satisfaction. My skin prickles as he holds my body against his chest. Gosh. He smells so good. My nipples tingle and I ache to tear off the layers of clothing separating his skin from mine. I know he feels what I’m feeling because his breaths sharpen dramatically and I feel his bulge swelling quickly against my stomach.

  I push away from him slightly.

  We stand there, looking into each other’s eyes. Neither of us says a word. My body is hot with desire and I can literally feel the dampness slickening my panties.

  A million emotions course through me. Want. Resistance. Guilt. Shame. Confusion. But most pronouncedly? Desire.

  His lips lower slowly to mine. His eyes flutter shut. His breath tickles my nose.

  And then, I burst into giggles. Nervous, awkward, school-girl giggles – I mean, this is Domenic. My best friend’s brother. My ex-lover’s best friend. I’ve known him since we were kids. There are so many ways this could go wrong.

  His eyes spring open and they’re foggy with lust. Seeing the look on his face sobers me a tad and squelches the giggles. I swallow hard.

  I want to this – I want him to kiss me, but I know that if he does, things between us may never be the same again.

  It’s as if he’s reading my mind. He cups my cheeks in his palms. “Look at me, Madison.” I struggle to maintain eye contact with him. I can’t bear the thought of him knowing how much I want this. He presses his hands into my face. His voice is so low and husky. “Look at me,” he insists.

  I stare up into the charming face of my childhood friend, at the features that are so familiar to me. The softness in his blue
eyes. The gentle curls in his golden blond hair. The ripeness of his plush lips.

  That’s when I notice it.

  There’s something more in his eyes tonight. A glint that tells me that he wants me in his bed. A glint that promises that he’ll be fierce and passionate once he gets me there. There’s a beast hidden beneath the beauty. And he’s aching to take my body in a savage and primal way.

  I whimper at the thought of it.

  He strokes his finger down my cheek. “Just relax, Maddie…Have I ever hurt you? Ever?” I shake my head slowly. “Okay, so just trust me for a minute…one minute.”

  My body tenses as I suck in a deep breath. His eyes flicker shut again and instinctively, mine do too.

  His lips brush against mine.

  So soft.

  Ooh…his lips are so soft I could melt. His kiss is slow and lazy and sultry. The way his mouth grazes mine ever-so-gently. The way his tongue strokes softly into my mouth. The way he nibbles tenderly on my lips. He’s doing so little but making me feel so much.

  I grip the lapels of his suit jacket as he pulls my blouse free from my skirt to run his big, warm hands up and down my back. My sex spasms and my pebbled nipples throb for him as he runs his tongue slowly back and forth along my bottom lip.

  “Domenic,” I groan quietly into his mouth as my hands run down his solid chest.

  He eases away from me and runs his index finger down the side of my face. “Good night, Madison.”

  Flustered and tongue-tied, I wrap my arms tightly around my body feeling utterly electrified as he slips out the door.

  Chapter 15

  I’m already up to my neck in contract review by the time Domenic saunters into the conference room at 8:47 the next morning with two large cups of coffee in hand.

  The moment I glance up at him, one corner of his mouth lifts into a maddeningly sexy smile that makes my brain stutter. “Hey Maddie.” He slips one of the paper cups in front of me, his face beaming.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” I say trying to suppress my own smile.

  “Like what?” He’s feigning innocence as he moves towards his chair sipping on his coffee.

  “Like…like…” I blush as I lose my words. I pull a folder from the box and try to concentrate on reading it.

  He leans back in the chair and laughs a cocky laugh. “Like I kissed you senseless last night?...You loved it. You loved the way I kissed you.”

  My heart is fluttering but I try to play it cool. “It was okay.”

  “Please – your knees were buckling. You were basically melting in my arms.”

  He’s right. His kiss had sent shockwaves throughout my body and had momentarily short-circuited my brain. It had rocked my little world.

  He takes a gulp of his coffee and sets the cup down on the table before easing out of his chair. He walks around the table and gently pulls me to my feet. He buries his face in my neck as he backs me into the floor-length window overlooking Union Square. My brain knows I should stop him but every other part of my body is zinging with excited energy, craving his touch. “Well, I liked it,” he says. “I liked kissing you…A lot.”

  I sigh lustily into the air.

  “And I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I left your apartment.”

  I feel my knees give way as my body presses into the cool glass.

  “Did you think about me?”

  I nod slightly. My breaths are shallow and jagged.

  His voice drops to a titillating whisper. “Did you touch yourself when you were thinking about me?”

  A small, incomprehensible sound escapes my lips.

  “Did you, Madison?”

  “I did – I touched myself.” The confession rushes out involuntarily.

  Domenic’s lips press into mine and they’re just as plush and delicious as they were last night. He smells so potently virile. I pant softly against his mouth as my fingers slide into his soft hair. His tongue parts my lips and entangles around my own. My breasts tingle, urging me to strip them free of my lace bra. His hands glide down my back and up my sides and I feel like I’ve been struck by lightening. Each of my senses is heightened. A fiercely visceral yearning buzzes through my core.

  Oh wait – that’s Domenic’s phone vibrating in the front pocket of his grey pants.

  I feel his reluctance as he pulls away from me to check his caller ID. “Damn you, Nikki,” he mutters as he sends the call to voicemail and tosses his phone onto the table.

  He reaches for me again, but by now, I’ve snapped back to my senses. What the hell am I doing? This is a respectable New York City law firm. My father’s law firm. I can’t be humping around in here like a rabbit in heat. “We – we should get back to work.” I motion to the mountain of untouched boxes that are left to get through.

  Domenic’s facial expression betrays his frustration as he glances over at the paperwork to be reviewed. “You’re right,” he mutters. He loosens his grip on my waist and I sink back into my chair, trying to compose myself. He’s watching me. “We could have some real fun together, Madison. You have no idea.”

  I instinctively bite my bottom lip. I’m aching to find out.

  Chapter 16

  Domenic disappears just before lunch. I thank my lucky stars because I need a few minutes of solitude to compose myself.

  At about 12:15, I decide to go get a sandwich. I grab my phone to check my email before leaving. There’s a new email from Liz to Domenic and me informing us that our client, ToneWave, will be having a cocktail party mixer next Friday night and that she expects us to be there since she won’t be able to make it.

  Great – now, I’m working on Friday night.

  It’s not exactly like I had plans – I’d probably just end up following Frankie around the gay bars in Chelsea all night – still, it would be nice to not be tied up with business on Friday night.

  I sigh as I continue to scan my emails.

  The next message is from Michael. He says he’s in his office here at the New York branch of the firm. I squeal with excitement as I grab my purse and hurry off to see him.

  I rap on his door eagerly until he bellows for me to enter. “Michael!” I howl as I rush over the threshold, careful to close the door behind me.

  “Hey, Maddie – How’s it going?” He rounds his desk and gives me a bear hug, rocking me left to right.

  “Good. I missed you. You haven’t come to visit in months! What brings you to the Big Apple?”

  “I’m only in town till Monday,” he glances over at the door to ensure that it’s closed. “Dad asked me to come discuss client acquisition strategy.” He settles back into his chair as I take a seat opposite his desk. “Apparently you guys are bleeding clients over here. The Los Angeles office is doing good but we can’t keep financing the New York office anymore. It’s not sustainable.”

  This is all news to me. I never realized that the New York office is in financial trouble.

  “Anyway, since I’m already here, mom is holding me hostage until her 4th of July garden party.”

  I laugh heartily. Our mother is convinced that her annual 4th of July party is the event of the year. Really, it’s an opportunity for her to entertain the upper crust of New York high society and perpetuate the illusion that she leads a perfect life. As such, her husband and children are all required to play the part. “You know she’s gonna want you to cut your hair, right?” I say referring to the thick, dark waves falling just past his collar.

  Michael frowns at me. “Glad you think it’s funny, Maddie. But I don’t have time for any of this. I need to get back to L.A. a.s.a.p. We’re swamped at the office.”

  “Really? Any exciting cases?”

  “Well, yesterday, I met with a very well-known reality star who leaked her own solo sex tape to the press as a publicity stunt and now, she has copyright concerns. Next week, I’m having lunch with a very well-respected member of congress who’s being blackmailed by his mistress. And then, I’ve got a consultation with an author havin
g her erotic romance novel turned into a movie.” He sighs, “I’ve been so busy that I haven’t gotten laid in a month.”

  “Well, I’m sure Liz is ready and willing to take care of all your sexual needs while you’re in town.” Liz’s infatuation with Michael is one of my favorite points to tease him about.

  He stifles a groan as he rolls his brilliant blue eyes. He doesn’t push that topic any further. Instead, he changes the subject. “How’s your internship going by the way? I heard you were working with Liz.”