The Bad Boy Next Door

One thought kept rolling through Frank's head: "What the fuck was that?" He hadn't been able to do much of anything since Jo had run out of his house. He wanted to talk to her, to find out what on earth had driven her to do that, but he knew her husband was home now, and the "why exactly did we have sex?" conversation was not one he wanted to have with the other man present.

Frank felt himself drifting back and forth from guilt and self-loathing to telling himself he couldn't exactly be to blame for her throwing herself at him. He hadn't actively tried to seduce her. Sure, he may have gotten closer to her than he should have, but he hadn't pushed for anything. No, Jo had just come in and taken that.

But then again, he should've tried to stop it. He'd known she was married, but he'd let it happen all the same. He'd done nothing to change Jo's mind, and now he was no better than the men Jamia had spent years making a fool of him with.

He wondered if they'd ever felt like this. If those men had sat alone and thought about him, felt guilt for invading his marriage, for sharing something with his wife than only he was supposed to. Somehow, from what he'd seen of Jamia's other men, he doubted it. But did that make him any better? Was he somehow immune from the fact that this was wrong because he felt guilty?

Frank didn't think so. The fact still remained, he'd had sex with another man's wife, something he'd vowed he'd never do. And to make it worse, he knew he'd do it again if given the chance.

"You're a stupid fuck, Frankie," he mumbled to himself before taking a drink straight from the bottle.

*** *** ***

"Jordan, honey, are you okay?"

Jo glanced up from the toast she'd been staring out for the past few minutes. "I'm fine. Do you need more coffee?" She stood up. "I think I'm going to get more coffee."

Pete reached out and grabbed her arm as she started to get up from the table. "I don't think you need any more coffee. You're jumpy enough as it is."

"You're right. No more coffee. Orange juice? I could go squeeze some…"

Pete folded his newspaper closed. "Jordan, talk to me. Is everything all right with us? You've been weird since I got home last night. You…you believe me about Leanne, don't you?"

"Of course I do, it's just…" I fucked that gorgeous man who lives next door, and now I can't look you in the face… "I'm fine, Pete. Really." She smiled. "See, this is happy, content Jordan, all big on the marital bliss."

Pete frowned. "Okay, I'll let it go. But you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would." Jo reached over and took Pete's hand, immediately regretting the action. Touching Pete made her remember touching Frank, and that brought the guilt back, washing over her again in waves.

Pete brought Jo's hand to his lips, kissing it. "I'm such a lucky guy to have you for my wife, Jordan," he said. "You're perfect."

"I'm not sure if I'd go as far as perfect…"

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I would."

Jo glanced out the window to the house next door...