The Tenant - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jeff sat gingerly down, rubbing his tired eyes before staring blankly at the steaming cup of coffee he had just placed on the kitchen table’s polished surface.

“Didn’t sleep well, huh?” Emiline commented from the kitchen, snapping the lid onto her travel coffee mug as she gazed intently at him.

“Not really,” Jeff admitted, taking his first sip of the dark, bitter liquid. Normally, he could instantly notice the effect of the caffeine. Today, however, his body seemed to ignore its stimulating effect completely, as if scoffing at his pathetic attempts to coax it out of its sleep-deprived lethargy.

In truth, he hadn’t slept a wink the previous night, the mental image of Sasha’s unforgettable silhouette destroying any opportunity he may have had for rest. The glistening, moonlit profile of her perfect breasts had him tossing and turning in tortured for the remainder of the night as it sent fierce shudders of unwanted desire into the tumultuous flow of his hazy thoughts the entire duration.

Emiline circled the table to give his shoulder a comforting squeeze, leaning down to place a soft kiss at the crown of his head. “Well, hang in there, Jeff. Maybe you can find time for a quick nap during the day?”

“Yeah,” replied Jeff halfheartedly as he attempted a smile that failed to reach his eyes. He placed a hand over hers. “Maybe.”

Emiline gave him a sympathetic look before withdrawing her hand and hefting the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. “I might be home a little late today. Client meeting after work. Don’t wait up. Maybe you can go to bed early tonight.”

Jeff waved as she left. The moment he was left to himself, however, his thoughts turned, once again, to his young tenant.

“Fuck,” came a raspy voice from behind him. “How do you people get out of bed so damn early?”

Jeff whirled, his red, tired eyes widening in surprise as he turned to see Sasha in a black, oversized t-shirt, her long, luscious legs almost completely bare. Walking past him, she ran slim fingers through shimmering tresses, the upward motion of her arms lifting the hem of her shirt scandalously high on her succulent thighs as she wandered toward the fridge.

Jeff shivered, feeling his body responding once again to the girl as his eyes roamed the elegantly rounded swell of her sleek calves. They looked like silk covered steel, the etched lines of her athletic lower body making her look as strong as she was sexy.

She opened the refrigerator door.

“Sounded like you had some fun last night?” Jeff ventured, no other words coming to his tired mind as he tried hard not to stare at her stunning legs.

“You were listening?” Sasha shot him a curious glance, seeming amused.

Jeff felt his cheeks begin to burn. “It was hard not to…”

Sasha’s large, expressive eyes glimmered, the corners of her lips twitching upward. Was her face even more breathtaking than it had been before? It sure seemed like it. But maybe he simply hadn’t appreciated how utterly thought-consumingly gorgeous the girl truly was. It was easy, after all, to be distracted by the sensual curves of her succulent body.

“Jeff,” she began, closing the door to the refrigerator. The light footfalls of her bare feet treading a winding path to the table as her eyes remained locked on his. She leaned over the kitchen table, opposite a spellbound Jeff.

Every part of her seemed even more lushly feminine than it had the day before. Even the chest that had so haunted his listless thoughts since last night seemed so have improved. The full swells of the girl’s breasts pulled the t-shirt taut against their rounded slopes, her nipples tenting the cotton fabric as they loomed large before his seated gaze.

“So be honest with me, Jeffrey,” the girl said with a sultry wink. “Were you wishing it was you in that room with me?”

Jeff swallowed, his eyes rising hesitantly to meet hers. Seeing the steady confidence within them, however, he couldn’t hold her gaze, his eyes flitting nervously back to the table. God, did he ever wish it were him…

But he shouldn’t. He couldn’t. He was in love with Emiline!

“I’m engaged,” Jeff blurted in a ragged voice, his eyes meeting hers for the briefest of seconds before quickly falling away.

“So?” she replied, her eyes flashing darkly as if his statement had been the issuing of some sort of challenge. Jeff thought he saw the red glow of her stomach tattoo through the dark fabric of her nightshirt. “She would never have to know. Unless you want her to...”

Sasha pushed herself upright, the slim muscles of her arms popping into relief as she did so. She sauntered around the table toward Jeff. “I can tell you want me,” she said casually, flipping her hand outward. “It’s obvious.”

Jeff nearly choked. Was it that obvious? It probably was. But something about the way she took his attraction for granted turned him on even more. Her absolute confidence was intoxicating. Combined with her unbelievable body, it was  irresistible.

“I can always tell,” she continued as if his reaction were a foregone conclusion.

Sasha moved with the languid grace of a predator, gliding around the table until she reached him, looking down on him even as he looked up at her. Her lips forming a soft pout of concentration, reached around him to curl her long fingers over the back of his chair, pulling it away from the table seemingly without effort—even with a stunned Jeff still sitting in it.

Sasha lifted a long, sleek leg, placing on the other side of the chair. She straddled him, her hips rolling backward until her staggeringly perfect ass touched Jeff’s nervously bouncing thighs. She lowered a hand to the raging erection that Jeff had been too consumed by Sasha’s display of sensual dominance to notice until her strong, slender fingers rubbed it through the fabric of his pants.

She pressed her hand harder into his quivering member sending a shockwave of lust through Jeff’s rapidly beating heart. Everything was moving so quickly. Jeff could never seem to keep up with the speed and forcefulness of her advances. Her touch bold and assured, her mouth moving closer to his before he could properly appreciate what was happening.

“What about the guy in your room?” Jeff asked, his heart now pounding so hard that he could hear the rush of blood in his ears. Frantically, he searched his mind for something that would delay the seemingly inevitable. He knew that he shouldn’t, but he didn’t trust himself to resist. The desperate desires of his body would soon overrule any say his mind would have in the matter.

“Him? Don’t worry about it. He won’t be conscious for a good while. Not after an entire night with me,” whispered Sasha, her voice soft, lips still closing the distance to Jeff’s.

“Why me?” Jeff asked breathlessly, the seductive brunette’s lips now so close that they were nearly touching his.

This question seemed to give her pause, the heat emanating from her glowing belly abruptly abating. Sasha stiffened, her eyes going wide in surprise. Her hand flew back from his engorged member as if she had received an electric shock. She scrambled hastily off his lap, her eyes finding the engagement photo of Jeff and Emiline on the wall as her arms crossed tightly over her voluptuous chest, her expression looking almost pained..

Her eyes distressed, unable to meet his, Sasha mumbled a soft apology before running up the stairs to her room. The door closed swiftly behind her.

Jeff gaped at the stairs, his body still as excited as it had ever been, his mind utterly baffled by the girl’s sudden exit. She had seemed so determined to have him. To do whatever she wanted with him. Right up until her behavior had changed completely.

He had never seen her like that. Just before she had run away, the smug, cocky vixen had looked almost… afraid.

What was that all about?

Jeff pondered the question for long minutes, absently sipping his coffee as his stimulated body slowly began to relax. Why had “why me?” elicited such a strong and unexpected reaction? Searching his mind for ideas, he could come up with none.

Still turning the girl’s startling reaction over in his brain, he climbed the stairs, passing her door with a slight pause on his way to his home office further down the hallway.

He slumped into the chair, his exhausted eyes having trouble focusing on the words on the screen as his eyes flowed uncomprehendingly over the contents of his email. As he attempted to work, a news alert flashed in the corner of his screen.

“Astro Ace and Fantasti-Femme caught kissing on camera by local paparazzi. Footage sends social media into a feeding frenzy!”

Jeff smiled wryly. He had always assumed the inseparable superheroes were a couple anyway. But people were always clamoring for celebrity news, and confirmation of a relationship between the city’s two costumed vigilantes was too juicy for any news outlet to ignore—especially now that their arch-nemesis Sorceressa was out of the picture.

Jeff briefly wondered whether the news were even true. It wouldn’t be out of the question for a less reputable news organization to fill the gap in superhero-related news with a misleading photo of the supercouple. They did it to Hollywood stars incessantly.

In spite of himself, Jeff found himself clicking on the fading pop-up, a full-screen image of the article expanding over his entire screen. He scrolled down to the alleged evidence of the liplock and looked it over. The photo had been taken from directly behind Fantasti-Femme, and it certainly looked like a kiss. Still, from the angle, it was impossible to be absolutely sure. It was remotely possible that Astro Ace was simply examining something on her face from a very close-up angle. With his eyes closed.

Okay, so not very likely, thought Jeff with a soft chuckle. His eyes lingering on the photo of the kiss, however, Jeff found his thoughts turning to the image of Sasha’s rose-colored lips as they had closed in on his own.

Feeling his body grow taut with rising desire, he attempted to shake away the thought. But the mental image that replaced it—the moonlight edges of Sasha’s nude form—was even more alluring.

Jeff shot to his feet, shifting his hips uncomfortably. Damn it!

This unhealthy obsession with his tenant was becoming an incredible distraction. It wasn’t good for him. It wasn’t good for her, and it really wasn’t good for his relationship with Emiline! He needed to end things definitively with Sasha before they began. He needed to simply tell her that they would never happen, that the two of them couldn’t get involved. And that would be that.

The last thing he needed was for a photo like that of Astro Ace and Fantasti-Femme to make it to his longtime fiancé, just when their long dormant wedding plans were actually kicking into gear. He didn’t want to imagine the hurt in Emiline’s eyes that could cause.

Summoning ephemeral courage, Jeff rose from his chair and strode out the door, his resolve hardening as he went. Finally, his course of action was clear to him. It was simple. Direct. Exactly what he should have done when he first met the girl.

Arriving at Sasha’s door, he rapped his knuckles on the door. It swung open with a quiet creak, apparently not having been latched. As the door opened, Jeff inhaled sharply in surprise. Everything inside the room was in perfect order, all evidence of the previous night’s destruction completely erased. It was as if it had never been. How was that possible?! The bed frame had been cracked in half! The place had been completely demolished!

Jeff’s astonished eyes raked the room, not finding Sasha or her conquest either. It almost looked as if she’d never been there last night at all!

He entered the room, walking slowly about, finding absolutely no signs of damage and nothing out of place. Scratching his head, he returned to his office, beyond confused at this latest development.

Had last night simply been a dream? Had he imagined the whole thing?