Hey all just a disclaimer here. If you're looking for something to stroke to, this chapter might not be it. It's more setting the stage for sex-filled pages to come. That being said, check out some of my shorter other stories like Detestable Liasions which I designed to be quick strokes.
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POP
BANG
POP
The loud gunshot-like sounds shattered the tranquility of the early morning. Adam wiped the sleep out of his eyes and sprang out of bed. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he searched for the source of danger.
Clara sat up and held the thin bed sheets to her naked body, "What the fuck was that?'
"I don't know," Adam stood there wearing just his boxers. His mind registered how alluring his wife looked, covered in just a sheet.
BANG
Adam and Clara winced at the sound, fearing someone was firing at their house. Being from San Francisco, they weren't unfamiliar with gunshots, but this was still far from normal and far too close. The sound echoed through the room before Adam hunched over and went to the window.
He stuck part of his head out to look through the window, trying to do so quickly so he wouldn't make himself a target. The tense muscles across his body relaxed.
Across the lawn and past the yard littered with garbage was Burt's driveway. His old beat-up pickup truck was pulling out into the street, and a wall of black exhaust trailed behind it. Burt revved the engine, and the truck peeled out onto the street. The cul-de-sac filled with the dirty, black smoke from the truck's tailpipe as Burt accelerated quickly down the street before disappearing from view.
"Adam!" Clara's voice was still tense, cracking with fear, "What's happening? What is it? Is someone shooting?"
"No," Adam turned around, shaking his head, "It's just our neighbor. I can't remember his name. Just being a redneck with that ugly truck of his. It's spewing like diesel exhaust or something all over the road. Just disgusting."
"God, what an asshole. It's barely 7 am," Clara had been clutching her phone, apparently ready to call the police. She set it back down on the floor next to her. Adam looked around the room at the unpacked boxes. Hopefully they would make more of a dent at unpacking today. "There's no way I can fall back asleep now. My heart's still pounding. Christ, I don't want to breathe that toxic stuff in."
"Yeah, I know. Me too." Adam bent over to grab a pair of shorts from the floor before finding a shirt to put on. He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his wife watching him, clearly happy with what she was looking at.
"I'm gonna go make a coffee," Adam gestured toward their bedroom door, "Want one?"
"Yes, please," Clara swung her legs out of the bed. The sheets fell to the side, giving Adam a great view of her shapely bared back. "I need a little help waking up this morning after last night."
She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder and winked. Then she stood up, the rest of the sheets falling away as her naked body walked towards their ensuite bathroom. Adam didn't move a muscle. His eyes trained on Clara's sexy ass as it swayed away from him.
Clara caught him looking at her and smiled mischievously before shutting the bathroom door behind her. It took Adam a second to come to his senses and remember what he was about to do. Clearing his throat and shaking his head, Adam left the bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
They spent the next couple of hours enjoying each other's company, sipping coffee and slowly unpacking in their jeans and tees. Neither seemed thrilled with the arduous process of figuring out where to put all their belongings.
"It's so beautiful out," Clara said, looking out the large bay window of their living room. Adam slid up beside her and peered out. He hadn't noticed before, but the sky was a brilliant blue, and he couldn't see a cloud in it.
"You're right, it really is. I wonder what the temperature is," Adam said, pulling out his phone to open his weather app.
"Why don't we take a break from unpacking and go explore the neighborhood a little? I want to check out that path we saw," Clara said.
"Drive around, or are we walking?" Adam asked.
"Walk. I want to see what the running paths are like here. My body needs some exercise after sitting in the car the past few days." Clara said.
"And here I thought you got enough exercise last night," Adam smiled. Alright, I'm going to change into something better, and we can go."
A few minutes later, the couple set off down the sidewalk in front of their house, past the fire-damaged home and the one that was only foundation, until it changed into more of a multi-use asphalt-paved trail. The trail ran next to their long, secluded street, with the tall trees of the forest flanking one side.
"This area is beautiful," Clara said looking up at the trees, "Minus the burned-down building and redneck neighbors of course."
"We had those in San Francisco, too but yeah it's crazy having this forest all around our house. We'd have to go over the Golden Gate Bridge to get trees this big." Adam wasn't looking at the trees but was casting a sidelong glance at his wife's attire. Even though they were just casually walking, Clara was wearing one of her running outfits. A loose-fitting white t-shirt over her black sports bra and neon pink low-rise shorts that stopped on her upper thigh. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail so she wouldn't overheat.
Even though her shirt was loose-fitting, her breasts pushed out against the fabric, propped up by her sports bra. He couldn't believe his luck at landing a smart and sophisticated woman who had a killer body, too. He slowed his pace for half a second to get a better view admiring Clara's tight bubble butt.
"I don't know about that," Clara said. Adam matched his pace and caught up to her. There was a sly smile on her face, but otherwise, she didn't mention him eyeing her up, "The Golden Gate Park has plenty of big trees, but I guess it's not really a forest like this."
The trail turned away from the road and went into the forest. The couple continued walking until the trail split, with one path going left and the other going right.
"You pick," Adam said.
"Let's go left and see where it takes us," Clara said, turning down the trail, and Adam followed. So far, they hadn't encountered anyone else on the path, but it was early on a weekday. The activity probably picked up after work and on the weekends. The path narrowed but continued weaving and wending its way through the forest.
After fifteen minutes, Adam could see the back of houses through the treeline about three hundred feet away.
"Suzie said there was a subdivision close by with some shops," He gestured to the houses.
"Hopefully, this path leads into there. I'd love to know what shops they have," Clara said.
A few minutes later, the path forked again. This time, a marker showing a rudimentary map was in the ground. It indicated that one path went deeper into the forest and the other towards the sub-division.
"Let's go check out that plaza and see what they have," Adam led them down the path toward the subdivision. The forest slowly receded as the path changed from asphalt to a concrete sidewalk. Fences and siding replaced their view of nature as they walked by the neighborhood's first houses. The sidewalk turned a corner and opened onto a large plaza and parking lot running adjacent to the main road that people would turn off of to enter the community.
"Adam, there's a Starbucks over there," Clara said as they crossed a road and entered the plaza. Adam smiled. He was surprised there were so many amenities close to their home. The plaza seemed to have been set up to give the subdivision local options for most needs without having to drive into Grand Rapids. There was a credit union, a discount grocery store, and a hardware store. There were even a few restaurants, a sports bar, a liquor store, and a cannabis shop. The plaza also had newer-looking McDonalds and Burger King franchises.
"Come on," Adam looped his arm around Clara's, "Let's go grab something from Starbucks. I could use a coffee."
The couple spent the next half hour drinking their coffee and strolling around the plaza, taking in all the shops and restaurants while making potential weekend plans. Before long, they were headed back in the direction they had come: back into the forest.
When they reached the fork in the path, they headed left to explore the rest of the trail. The trail continued to wind through the forest, with the asphalt path changing to gravel as more weeds and trees began to overtake it. After fifteen minutes, the forest opened up again, with the gravel path turning and running alongside a dirt road.
Across the dirt road, a series of mobile homes were set up in rows. Many of the mobile homes were well maintained and decorated with little picket fences, but an equal number reminded Adam of their neighbor's house: grungy-looking, behind on repairs, overgrown lawns, cars parked askew, and other garbage lying about.
Several pairs of eyes watched the couple from their porches or yards as they walked along the gravel pathway. Clara briefly acknowledged the park but continued talking about everything she needed to get done when she got her startup's office up and running at the University. Adam listened but kept one eye on the rows of trailers they passed.
He felt uneasy about some of the hard stares they were receiving, knowing most of them were directed at his wife.
After a few minutes, the path curved again away from the trailer park and back into the forest. A small placard with a map was off to the side of the path, illustrating that they were heading in the direction of where they'd originally entered.
