G'day everyone,
Posting 4 chapters from a new story. There will be more to come. As is my habit now relevant tags will proceed each chapter so any 'delicate flowers' don't see anything that offends their sensibilities.
Also this series will be following similiar themes to ones I have posted most recently. So if you are looking for romance, BTB or revenge it's probably not for you.
Cheers
CharlieB4
Tags. Exhibitionism. Voyeurism. Straight Sex.
Tree Change Pt 1.
"Eight hundred thousand, eight fifty thank you sir, eight fifty, eight fifty. Make no mistake it's on the market. We are playing for keeps. Eight fifty, can I get nine?"
The auctioneer continued his patter. Alena squeezed my hand tightly. We were very close to our limit. I couldn't go over one million. We were trying to make the jump from a small apartment in the inner western suburbs to a house with a backyard on the central coast. It would mean my commute time to work would double while Alena would have to find a new job. We just really wanted to live close to the beach. Doing that in Sydney would take more than double our budget.
"Nine hundred, new blood, so it's back to you sir, nine fifty?"
The agent hovering on the other side of me pulled on my sleeve.
"Don't worry you've still got some room to move."
"Can I just go nine twenty five?"
"Sure, sure." The lady whispered patting my arm.
She signalled to the auctioneer and called the offer. The new bidder came straight back.
"Nine fifty, back to you again sir. Don't let this one get away. They don't come up this close to the train station and the beach very often."
I let him blather on for a bit then held my finger up.
"One million."
"One million, great bid sir. You won't be sorry. Back to you ma'am..."
The next two minutes seemed to last an hour. Just knock it down you prick I thought. Then finally it ended.
"Sold! One million dollars. Congratulations sir, a great investment."
A few other people murmured their own best wishes. The agent that had stood beside us directed us to the front door so we could sign some paperwork. The vendor came out and brushed past us as he exited without saying anything.
"What's his problem?" Alena asked.
"Marriage breakdown. That's why they are selling. Finalising financial separation."
"Oh, okay." I replied.
"Not to worry, one man's pain is another's pleasure and I'm sure you are going to love this house." The agent said and my wife pulled me into an excited hug.
It was another two months before we finally got to move in. There was some issue with the dimensions of the block that had to be sorted out by a surveyor. Still it was a very happy Saturday afternoon when we walked into the house to see all our possessions still packed in their boxes stacked inside the rooms. The moving company had placed all the furniture where we had directed but the rest of the unpacking was up to us. We went late into the night that day and by lunchtime Sunday it was done.
"We deserve a beach break." Alena said.
I quickly agreed. We changed into our bathers. A bikini with a t shirt over the top for Alena. And some boardshorts for me. On the way out to the car a voice called out from the house next door. A woman in her mid thirties maybe forty. She was wearing a large straw hat and sunglasses as she waved then headed in our direction. As she got closer she took off the sunglasses. Her eyes were striking and combined with the high cheek bones made me think she had Scandinavian or Slavic heritage.
"Hi, I'm Johanna. Zac, my husband, is inside. We were wondering when our new neighbours were going to arrive."
We shook hands as I did our side of the introductions.
"I'm Lachlan and this is my wife Alena."
"Are you off to the beach?"
"Yes, we're a bit sick of unpacking." Alena said.
"Well, go to the southern end. That south east wind is a bit brisk so the headland shelters you there."
"Great advice, thanks." I said then started moving towards our car.
"Do you two drink champagne?" Johanna continued on.
"Sure do." Alena replied.
"We've got a few bottles left over from a party. When you get back come over. We can have a welcome to the neighbourhood drink."
"Sure, thanks again."
We got into the car and starting backing out with our neighbour still standing close by smiling.
"That was a bit full on wasn't it?" I asked once we were on the road.
"She was just being friendly. We're not in Sydney now Lachlan."
"Do you think she sounded foreign?"
"Maybe, she didn't say that much."
We forgot about it and had a great afternoon. As we got closer on the drive home the invitation popped back into my mind.
"Are we going to go next door?" I asked.
"Sure." Alena said amiably then she looked at me. "Why? Don't you want to?"
"I just thought she was to... you know, pushy."
"I think you are being silly."
From the smile on Alena face I could tell she was teasing me.
"Tell you what. If we get into the house without being reminded of it how about we accidentally 'forget' about it?"
"Okay, you antisocial bastard." Alena laughed and playfully punched my shoulder.
We pulled into the driveway without seeing any sign of Johanna. I thought we'd managed to get away with sneaking in when the straw hat popped up from behind a hedge on their boundary.
"I was almost going to send out a search party," Johanna said in good humour. "Aren't you coming over?"
"We thought we'd get changed first." I lied wondering if she had been waiting there specifically to catch us.
"No need for that. We will just be on the back deck near the pool."
"Sounds great," Alena said then poked her tongue out at me.
We backtracked to the front of our property and walked over the neighbours front lawn to their house. Johanna waited at the front door. She must have been gardening. The long pants she had on had dirt stains on the knees. Once we were inside she removed her hat and glasses revealing brunette hair tucked up in a bun and green eyes. Something about the way her face was put together made me more sure about the Scandinavian heritage. The rest of her was a mystery shrouded in loose fitting clothes.
"Come on," she smiled and motioned for us to follow her.
Their house was bigger and more modern than ours. Lots of expensive looking leather and timber. The kitchen was stainless steel and marble. From it we walked straight out onto the deck through an opening you could drive a family car through sideways. Three heavy looking stacked sliding glass doors sat waiting at either end to close the house off if needed.
The deck area was vast. The first piece was dominated by a long table with twelve chairs around it. To the left an outdoor kitchen with the same sleek design as the one inside. To the right a spa. At the edge a metre high glass wall protected a large swimming pool. There was no getting around it. This house reeked of ostentatious wealth.
Sitting at one end of the table was a man. He gave off the same aura as the house. Designer casual clothes, gold watch, stylish grey flecked hair. He could have just stepped out of an executive style magazine. Johanna led us over towards him and he looked up from his laptop.
"Zachariah, meet our new neighbours. Lachlan and Alena."
He stood up and I got a better look at him. He was maybe a couple of inches taller than me and I'd guess about twenty kilos heavier. Up close he looked older. Ten, maybe even fifteen years older than Johanna. His arms and body were thick. He had a large barrel chest which made it hard to tell if he was fat or just built big. Despite the clothes my first impression was builder or at least someone involved in manual labour. When we shook hands my opinion changed. His grip was firm but the skin of his hands were soft like a doctor or office worker.
He quickly moved on to Alena. Instead of offering his hand he moved in close, lent down and kissed her cheek. It was a move of extreme confidence. I felt my wife was a little uncomfortable with how close he got as he was doing it. Pulling back he ushered Alena to a chair on the other side of the table while pointing to another one for me. It meant we were sitting either side of him when he resumed his position at the end.
"Johanna, get us a drink." His request was abrupt, more like an order but his wife didn't seem phased by it. "And change into something more appropriate before you come back."
When Johanna had gone Zac, as he insisted on being called, dominated the conversation. He seemed particularly taken with Alena. He twisted his chair slightly so it meant he was looking directly at her while he had to twist around to talk to me. We were quizzed on our jobs, our families and where we lived previously. On a positive note he said he knew the owner of three childcare centres in surrounding suburbs. He offered to sound the guy out about a position for Alena.
