Status: Complete
The Bad Boy Next Door
Distract away.
"You know, you really should lock your door. Who knows what kind of bad things could creep in here and take you by surprise."
Frank jumped, turning in his chair to see Jo in the doorway of his study. "Bloody hell, woman, you scared me half to death!" Frank cocked his head when he noticed what she was wearing-or more what she wasn't wearing. "Nice, um, little trench coat you have there, pet."
Jo gave him a wicked smile. "I didn't think I needed to bother with clothes. Never seem to keep them on around you anyway."
"I thought you weren't coming back by until Thursday," Frank said, surprised he could talk with how dry his mouth had suddenly become.
Jo walked slowly to him, kneeling down before his chair. "Pete went to play golf. He won't be back for hours. I was bored." Jo reached out to unzip him, but Frank stopped her.
"Is that all I am to you? Something to alleviate your boredom?"
"No! How could you ask me that?"
Frank ran his hand through his hair. "Jo, I just…I just don't know what this means to you."
Jo jumped up. "So what, you assume that it means nothing?"
"No! It's just that, dammit…" What Mikey had suggested the day before kept replaying in Frank's mind. "You're a married woman, Jo. For all I know I'm just a diversion."
"Is that what you think?" Jo asked angrily. "That I'm just bored with my marriage and trying to get my kicks elsewhere? Maybe you figure I'm going to start fucking the whole block, move right down the street from house to house. Mr. Reynolds, the eighty-six year old widower, lives next to you, doesn't he? Tell me, does he have a history of heart trouble?"
"That isn't what I meant! I just… I know I'm more of a diversion to you, Jo," Frank said, not sure if he believed himself.
"You are," Jo said, walking back over to him. "You make me feel, Frank."
"You do the same for me, pet."
Jo sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying against his shoulder. "It's been so long since I've just done what I wanted to do," Jo said softly as Frank's arms went around her. Ever since I lost my mom, I've had to do everything for someone else-for Stacey, for Pete. I had to give up going to school, give up any dreams of my own. Anything I wanted I had to put on hold, had to give up to make someone else's dreams come true. And being with you, well, maybe it's selfish, but it's something I'm doing for me." Jo let out a deep breath. "It's what I want, what makes me happy. Sometimes I hate myself for it, but I need to be selfish just this once. I was wasting away, Frank. I felt nothing. Every day, it was like living in a fog, like I wasn't even here. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't even really living my life. Like I was going through the motions, but nothing meant anything. Nothing was real. But you, you changed that. This thing we have, it's raw and heavy, and I can feel everything. The pleasure, the pain, I feel it."
Frank was silent for a moment, taking in what she'd said. Whether she meant to or not, Frank knew now Jo was still using him. It may not be only for a bit of fun when her husband was away, but it was still for something. But he didn't care. He could give her this. In such a short time, she'd come to mean so much to him, and he'd give her this even if it hurt him in the end. He pressed his lips against her temple, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I feel it too, pet," he said softly.
Jo looked up at him. Their eyes met, and Jo felt an almost physical jolt. "If eyes are the window to the soul, then Frank's is beautiful," she thought suddenly. Jo shook the thought from her mind. She couldn't do this, couldn't let herself fall for this man. She was Pete's wife-till death do us part. Pete could give her the stability she needed to survive. But this eccentric writer, with his penchant for peroxide, punk music, and black leather coats, could give her what she needed to live. She kissed Frank, reveling in the flavor of tobacco and liquor that she would never taste on Pete's lips. She pulled away, giving Frank a tempting smile. "Am I distracting you from your work?" she asked, nodding towards the computer screen. "Because I could go…" She started to get up.
Frank grabbed her hips, pushing her against him. "It's a welcome distraction," he said hotly.
"So I should continue then?"
"Distract away."
Frank jumped, turning in his chair to see Jo in the doorway of his study. "Bloody hell, woman, you scared me half to death!" Frank cocked his head when he noticed what she was wearing-or more what she wasn't wearing. "Nice, um, little trench coat you have there, pet."
Jo gave him a wicked smile. "I didn't think I needed to bother with clothes. Never seem to keep them on around you anyway."
"I thought you weren't coming back by until Thursday," Frank said, surprised he could talk with how dry his mouth had suddenly become.
Jo walked slowly to him, kneeling down before his chair. "Pete went to play golf. He won't be back for hours. I was bored." Jo reached out to unzip him, but Frank stopped her.
"Is that all I am to you? Something to alleviate your boredom?"
"No! How could you ask me that?"
Frank ran his hand through his hair. "Jo, I just…I just don't know what this means to you."
Jo jumped up. "So what, you assume that it means nothing?"
"No! It's just that, dammit…" What Mikey had suggested the day before kept replaying in Frank's mind. "You're a married woman, Jo. For all I know I'm just a diversion."
"Is that what you think?" Jo asked angrily. "That I'm just bored with my marriage and trying to get my kicks elsewhere? Maybe you figure I'm going to start fucking the whole block, move right down the street from house to house. Mr. Reynolds, the eighty-six year old widower, lives next to you, doesn't he? Tell me, does he have a history of heart trouble?"
"That isn't what I meant! I just… I know I'm more of a diversion to you, Jo," Frank said, not sure if he believed himself.
"You are," Jo said, walking back over to him. "You make me feel, Frank."
"You do the same for me, pet."
Jo sat in his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying against his shoulder. "It's been so long since I've just done what I wanted to do," Jo said softly as Frank's arms went around her. Ever since I lost my mom, I've had to do everything for someone else-for Stacey, for Pete. I had to give up going to school, give up any dreams of my own. Anything I wanted I had to put on hold, had to give up to make someone else's dreams come true. And being with you, well, maybe it's selfish, but it's something I'm doing for me." Jo let out a deep breath. "It's what I want, what makes me happy. Sometimes I hate myself for it, but I need to be selfish just this once. I was wasting away, Frank. I felt nothing. Every day, it was like living in a fog, like I wasn't even here. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't even really living my life. Like I was going through the motions, but nothing meant anything. Nothing was real. But you, you changed that. This thing we have, it's raw and heavy, and I can feel everything. The pleasure, the pain, I feel it."
Frank was silent for a moment, taking in what she'd said. Whether she meant to or not, Frank knew now Jo was still using him. It may not be only for a bit of fun when her husband was away, but it was still for something. But he didn't care. He could give her this. In such a short time, she'd come to mean so much to him, and he'd give her this even if it hurt him in the end. He pressed his lips against her temple, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I feel it too, pet," he said softly.
Jo looked up at him. Their eyes met, and Jo felt an almost physical jolt. "If eyes are the window to the soul, then Frank's is beautiful," she thought suddenly. Jo shook the thought from her mind. She couldn't do this, couldn't let herself fall for this man. She was Pete's wife-till death do us part. Pete could give her the stability she needed to survive. But this eccentric writer, with his penchant for peroxide, punk music, and black leather coats, could give her what she needed to live. She kissed Frank, reveling in the flavor of tobacco and liquor that she would never taste on Pete's lips. She pulled away, giving Frank a tempting smile. "Am I distracting you from your work?" she asked, nodding towards the computer screen. "Because I could go…" She started to get up.
Frank grabbed her hips, pushing her against him. "It's a welcome distraction," he said hotly.
"So I should continue then?"
"Distract away."
♠ ♠ ♠
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