The incidents I am describing here took place a few years ago, but they were important to both my wife and I. At the time, we had each just turned forty and were living in a townhouse development. At the time we moved in, our neighbor was a single man who kept to himself and barely said a word, even when we would greet him. After two years, the house changed hands and we were anxious to see if our new neighbors were a bit friendlier.
I was working the day the moving van pulled up, but Maria didn't have to go in to her job until the afternoon so she was able to see our new addition long before I did. When we sat down to dinner that night, we could hear the sounds of furniture being moved around next door and the muffled sounds of voices. The walls between our houses were thin enough that you could make out the sound of people talking, though you could not usually understand what was being said.
"So, did you see our new neighbors?" I asked.
"Yes, but I think it's only one person," Maria said. "I saw a guy, but I think he was by himself.."
"What is it about that house that just pulls in single people?" I asked. "I hope he's friendlier than Rick was. What's he like?"
"Looks like he's in his late twenties or maybe early thirties. Tall and looks like he might work out. He was wearing a T-shirt and he had pretty big arms."
"Are you sure he's alone? Sounds like a couple of people over there."
"Some of his friends came just as the van finished unloading his stuff. I was folding clothes in the bedroom and I heard him talking to them out on the deck before they started moving stuff around."
That was another thing we were going to have to get used to. Since the houses were so close together anytime somebody was on the deck next door, it sounded like they were standing right in the bedroom with you.
"I hope he isn't the party type or we'll never get any sleep. Did you catch his name or get a chance to talk to him?"
"His friends all called him A.J. but I didn't talk to him."
I ran into A.J. the next morning and we introduced ourselves to each other. Maria had described him pretty well, but for some reason had neglected to mention A.J. was black. He was an inch or so taller than me, about six four or so and carried himself like an athlete. I asked him if he'd like to stop over for a drink that night so Maria and I could get to know him better. He smiled and said he'd be there at six thirty.
When I got home that night, I told Maria to expect company and soon the bell rang. Maria answered and I could see A.J. giving her a quick once over as she opened the door. He must have liked what he saw because a big smile lit up his face as he introduced himself.
Maria is an attractive woman so I could understand his reaction. She was a foot shorter than A.J. and had to tilt her face up to look him in the eye to talk. It was quickly apparent that A.J. was flirting with her, though Maria missed most of the signals. That didn't surprise me since she is not the flirty type herself. We talked for an hour or so and got to know each other better. A.J. was especially interested in finding out that Maria was a chiropractor. He explained that he had hurt his back in college playing football and had been seeing a chiropractor before moving.
"Maybe you could fit me into your schedule," he suggested.
"Sure, just give my office a call," Maria said.
"No house calls? Not even for a neighbor?" A.J. asked with a smile.
"Well, I guess I could give you a treatment at home, but I won't have all the equipment I need to do everything. It will have to be pretty basic."
"Basic is fine," A.J. replied. "My treatment was usually mostly massage and heat anyway. You do massage?"
"If it's needed. I use it on my patients to get rid of stiffness sometimes," Maria said.
"Seems to me that would make it worse," A.J. joked.
"No, it makes it loosen up," Maria answered, completely missing the innuendo.
"I'm off work the rest of the week. Are you free tomorrow?"
"That's my day off."
A.J. smiled again and I thought I noticed a predatory look on his face but couldn't be sure. "Great. What about ten o'clock?"
"That will work. I've got a table I can set up."
"Good. I'll leave the door unlocked in case I'm putting stuff away. Just come on in."
That night in bed, I teased Maria that A.J. was just going to hit on her and she laughed as if I were crazy. We had had this conversation many times over the course of our marriage; about Maria being with another man. She had always insisted it was never going to happen, though she would at least let herself go with the fantasy when she was in the right mood. I rolled over and began to lightly rub my fingers up and down her stomach. When she didn't say anything, I knew she was in the mood to play.
She snuggled around so that her back was against my stomach, allowing me to wrap my arms around her and run my fingers over her body. It also allowed me to whisper into her ear. I knew better than to say anything until she had begun to respond to my caresses. When I felt her begin to push back against me, past experience told me she was getting ready. My fingers found her bush and wriggled inside. As I suspected, she was wet and hot and I knew she was ready for more.
"What did you think of A.J.?" I asked softly.
"Seems like a nice guy to me," she answered, parting her legs slightly to give me easier access.
"I wonder what he'll want you to do tomorrow?"
"What do you mean?"
"He's coming on to you," I told her. "Didn't you get that?"
"No way," Maria insisted. "Even if he was, he wouldn't do that in front of you."
