Lawn Boy Read online

  I stood up, irritated beyond reason, and shook my head. This was so not okay.

  I looked out and tried to wave down the offensive driver to shoo him away. We had too much grounds for him to work not to have this little bit to myself for an hour. This was unacceptable.

  When I was not able to catch his eye, it dawned on me that he was wearing noise cancelling headphones. Likely he was listening to some soothing damn music that would be his meditative process at the expense of mine.

  I had to do something. I could not take this any longer.

  I headed to the barn in the hopes of finding Alan there, or someone that might help right this wrong. As soon as I walked in Alan rounded the corner toward me.

  Without his shirt.

  I was stunned into silence. He was half naked. No longer wearing his jeans either, but instead wearing shorts which were pulled up as high as possible. The heat was obviously taking a toll on him as well.

  I felt winded. I could not breathe.

  He walked up to me, smiling deliciously, quite obviously aware of the effect that he had on women when he was in this state. That thought made me even madder. But I was at war with my body. Watching the tension across his abs, and the deep cuts of the muscles at his chest and upper pecs, had me ready to swoon.

  The strength of his muscular arms was intense. I knew they could crush me in a vice grip without any effort. All I wanted was him to come closer, which he was quickly taking care of as he crossed the distance. Fortunately, or unfortunately, he stepped a little too close. Right up in my space.

  He was so tall, with dark stormy-sea blue eyes, and a grin that said he knew exactly what he was doing.

  I shook my head to try and clear it.

  This was so not okay. I have to do something. I can't stand here drooling.

  “I came to see if you would like some lemonade. I have also got cold water if you prefer it.”

  “Hey, yeah, that would be great.” He grinned even wider.

  I nodded and replied as I turned and walked away.

  “Follow me.”

  Chapter 6

  As I walked toward the house, I could feel his eyes on my ass and it made me blush. Thankfully, I was enough ahead of him that he could not see.

  I did not know how to resolve the feelings I was having, so I scolded myself and tried to ignore them.

  He is just a healthy male; you have been watched by men before – this is no different.

  Behind me I heard him whistle toward the man on the riding mower and I looked over as the other worker stopped the engine, removed the key, and dismounted it fluidly as if it were a horse. Watching his strong supple body, tight thighs, and even bigger arms than Alan's, it occurred to me I was having a visceral reaction to him, too.

  I saw he had short, sandy-colored curls after he took off his hat and headphones, but I nearly tripped when he ripped off his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat from his brow.

  I am definitely going to faint.

  Another muscular body that was earned through hard work and discipline.

  I shook my head feeling unreasonably tortured.

  I took the steps up to the terrace and the two of them followed me. I pointed to the outdoor seating area and indicated that they could wait there. I did not need their sweaty bodies in the house or any closer to me than they already were. That would just be too much. I could not afford to have their masculine scent that close to me. It would be too intense.

  A few moments later I returned and Jules followed me with a tray bearing two pitchers of lemonade and several glasses. I saw that the other fellows had joined them in the seating area and now all of them had their shirts off too.

  If I had been any younger, I might have inadvertently given away my reaction immediately. I wanted to roll my eyes and bite my knuckle at the intensity I felt in seeing them all shirtless and give away how much my body reacted to the feelings racing through it. Fortunately, I was able to force myself into restraint.

  I motioned Jules to the side table to set the tray on.

  “Would you like me to pour, Madame?” Her voice was warm and helpful, not giving any indication that she could feel the testosterone overload or the effect it was all having on my nether regions.

  Alan stood up. “No, we've got that. Come on boys, let's help ourselves,” he cut his eyes to me and grinned slyly, “and take care of Mrs. Chesterfield.”

  As Jules departed, I was instantly surrounded by the five of them.

  I found myself swimming in a sea of physiological responses that were firing faster than I could keep up with or process. I could not form thoughts. All I could see were these sweaty gorgeous men standing so near my body that had been neglected for so long.

  I swallowed hard, not able to breathe, and glanced up only to realize that Alan had discovered my reaction.

  He moved closer.

  “I would like to pour you some lemonade. Will you let me do that for you?” His voice was husky; suggestive.

  The other boys turned toward me as they caught on to my reaction too and moved forward until they were standing around me in a semicircle. All of them smiling. Each of them with a unique scent that coiled outward from their deliciously sweaty bodies.

  I coughed and swallowed hard, as I tried to get my bearings and force my enormous response back down into a manageable size. It occurred to me that I was wetter than I had ever been.

  “N-no-no thank you, I can get it.”

  Alan grinned. He knew how close I was to revealing too much information. The boys followed his lead and nudged each other as they grinned too.

  I was overwhelmed. And I was so turned on I could not see straight.

  “Excuse me,” I started to back away, as my face reddened. “I think I forgot something.”

  Chapter 7

  The next day, wearing my bikini and sarong and carrying a towel and my book, I came downstairs after I decided to spend the day swimming and sunbathing to manage the stress of the heat. Yesterday was much too hot and today was supposed to be much worse.

  In the kitchen I grabbed a cold bottle of water and then headed out to the pool. I sat down on one of the chaise lounges and prepared to read, feeling grateful that there was a slight breeze picking up the cooler temp hovering above the water’s surface. It was still morning so there was more shade from the trees at this hour, which also helped.

  After an hour or so Jules delivered a glass of fresh squeezed juice and some fruit, which made for a nice break. When I sat up, I noticed the workers had shown up again to do the landscaping.

  Not long after they got started one of them turned on the stereo pretty loud while he was tending to a nearby flower garden. I tried to ignore the music and read my book but I only got more and more irritated. I realized I would have to go find Alan again.

  This is got to stop. There were entirely too many disruptions to my day made by their noises.

  I headed to the barn and sure enough there was Alan unloading some of their tree trimming equipment.

  “Alan, can I talk to you for just a minute?” My irritation was reflected in my curt tone.

  “Sure. What's up?”

  He came toward me, again not wearing a shirt, and I had to force my eyes to stay up on his. But that turned out to be an equally bad mistake because of the way he looked at me. I could tell that he was widening his field of vision to take in my swimsuit. It was the technique that guys have sometimes of looking you straight in the eye when you know that they were keeping their periphery glued to your chest. I did not mind so much, since he hid it pretty well, but it dawned on me I might have liked it even better if he had been more direct.

  I was still annoyed because the music continued to blare and it was preventing me from relaxing. There were just too many distractions.

  “Is there anything you can do about all the distractions? I am having a hard time concentrating.”

  “Oh? Is there anything I can do to help
you focus?”

  I blushed and laughed, shaking my head.

  “I-I don't know. I just know that I can't read. I can't do yoga. I can't relax.”

  “So, you need us to help you relax.” He said it as a statement, not a question, which immediately caused a roar of heat to flush downward and anchor between my legs.

  Just that second one of the other guys on the crew came up and Alan introduced me.

  “This is John. Short for Johnson. He was in the military, so everybody calls him by his last name.”

  Johnson stepped forward and touched my arm instead of shaking my hand because his were covered in dirt. I did not know why he thought to do that and was surprised to discover I really liked it. But now there were the two of them, without shirts, and the delicious, recently showered scent of their masculinity permeated the space around me.

  I could not process that information while at the same time try and make coherent sentences. I closed my eyes and shook my head, trying to come back to my senses.

  “Alan said we're supposed to take really good care of you.” Johnson’s voice was the deepest of all of them so far. He was also the largest.

  A real lumberjack of a man; beefy and powerful, covered in Viking tatts. A man that could easily have thrown me over his shoulder with one arm and taken me into the woods to rut me; sullied forever and bound to him for life.

  My eyes flew open when it dawned on me that he was using double entendres as well.

  I blushed and looked away, feeling caught in the train of thoughts my brain was rapidly traveling down. The two of them chuckled, which only made me wetter. I swallowed hard as my hand reached up for pearls that weren't there.

  I did not know what was happening, or why all of this energy was coming at me, but I noticed that they were also being respectful about not being too close or too touchy. Which made me feel safe. They pushed a little at the edges but they did not cross them.

  “I just came down to see if we could reduce the distractions.”

  Both of them stepped forward just a little closer, and my heart began to race faster. My breathing shifted and changed and I knew they could see it. They were watching me, quietly, and I liked this feeling of being flustered and watched, I also liked that they could see it, but I did not know how to think my way out of this.

  Then again, I did not know if I wanted to.

  Chapter 8

  That night in the bathtub I gave myself a couple of hours to relax and think through the day. Alan seemed to know the effect he had on me, and at least Johnson seemed to have joined him in that.

  What was I thinking? How was it that I got so easily bothered around them? Was it simply because I felt neglected? Was it because it had been so long since I’d had sex?

  I placed my hands under the milky water and ran them slowly down the length of me, from my chest, over my hips, down to my thighs, and then back up the inside of my legs. I wanted to stop there but I continued back up and circled my breasts, cupping them, then gently using thumbs and forefingers to pinch at each of the tips.

  I imagined their hands on me; imagined their mouths on each nipple. My hands took a dip lower again under the water as my head lolled back and my eyes closed. When I reached the apex between my thighs one hand pulled my lips up and open, and the other moved down further to stroke myself upward from my opening to my clit.

  I felt the silky texture; a wetness that was different than the moisture of the water. I let one finger travel down and in and wondered how many fingers I could take. Has it been so long that I can't take more than one or two? What would it feel like to have one of them pressed in here and the other one flicking their tongue across my nub? Was that something I could do?

  It was definitely something I wanted.

  Chapter 9

  I spent the next day with Ann having lunch and hoping we could get some shopping done. Ann had been my friend for more than 10 years and we had seen each other through so many different things and phases of our lives. As we ate, we discussed our food choices, and we talked about how bored we were, how wealth has changed the quality of our life for the worst, and what we were each doing to alleviate the monotony in our daily existence.

  Eventually we got around to the topic I was hoping to chat with her about. I shared with her the skinny on the new lawn boy, and the brawny crew he worked with. I also chatted with her how much better and different the quality of their work was versus the crews that we’d had before.

  We talked about my marriage, and how in a constant state of loneliness I felt. She had told me so many times that Donnie and I needed to make a change with our marriage, possibly opening it up, so that I could get my needs met. Ann was certain that Donnie was getting his needs met wherever he was at. I knew that he was too, and some part of that had stopped bothering me a long time ago. I knew without asking him that it was true, and I honestly did not mind. I wanted him to be happy, especially if I was not there with him to be the one to make him happy. I hoped that he was finding ways to make that happen for himself.

  “Ann, I can't tell you how intense it is to be around these guys at times.”

  “What do you mean? Are you thinking about…?” Her eyebrows shot up and a grin played on the edge of her mouth.

  “No, I am not really thinking about it. I am…well…private time thoughts are different than real, take-action sort of thoughts, right?” My throat felt tight and I could feel pink dusting my cheeks.

  “If you are thinking about it, and they are in the house every day, then the likelihood of you doing something is much greater. Wouldn't you agree?”

  “Maybe. But I have never done anything like that before. And besides, my thoughts are not just about one of them…” I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “I don't know what has come over me. I do not know why I am suddenly interested in all of them. Is that wrong? Does that, I don't know, does it make me…bad in some way?”

  “No, what is bad is you being wasted. You are being benched and sitting on the sidelines never getting in the game. THAT’S what is bad. If I thought for one hot second you would do it, I would encourage you. But I know you. You don’t take those kinds of risks. You don’t step outside of your little box. You let your husband get his needs met wherever he is, but you don’t worry about getting your needs met, even at basic levels.”

  I thought about what she said. I looked out at the tables around us. The couples having lunch. The single women who were just as lonely as I was. Women who had traded freedom and happiness for wealth and security. I loved my life. Did I love my life? That was an odd thing to question. What would it look like if I made a choice that was just for me? What could I risk without losing it all? They were just landscapers, right?

  “So, you think if I really wanted to go there with Alan or one of the others…?”

  “No. I don't think that there is anything wrong with it. I think you are in an unusual set of circumstances. I think that you have more freedom to choose than you realize. But if I were you? I would not limit myself to one. Liz, this is the 2020s. This is NOT the 1980s, or the 1960s, for that matter. This is modern day. There are all sorts of relationship styles and sexualities that have come to light. If you are attracted to all of them, have all of them. It does not make you bad or wrong. Trust your instincts.”

  I thought about what she said, and I was not yet certain I agreed with her, but she made sense. I was certain Donnie had multiple mistresses, and that was what kept him away so long. We had an unspoken agreement not to talk about it though.

  Would it be so bad if I did the same?

  Chapter 10

  The next day I decided to give my entire staff the day off. I needed some time to sort through my thoughts and wanted to watch the men unguarded. I needed to sneak looks when they didn’t see, so I could better understand what I was feeling and not worry that a member of my household team would see my responses or know what I was thinking.

  I walked through my clos
et after I showered, trailing my fingers down the fabrics of the garments that were hanging. I let my satin bathrobe trail behind me, open, as the cool air conditioning caressed my body and hardened my nipples.

  Once I reached the drawer of swimsuits, I opened it and pondered which one I should wear.

  I decided on a chocolate brown one that circled around my neck and behind my back and tied between my breasts. I imagined Alan pulling the string and opening it as he mauled my chest against the refrigerator. The bottoms were tied at each hip and the fabric barely covered my mons.

  Yes, this one would definitely do.

  After sliding out of my robe and slipping on the bikini, I opted to forgo the sarong this time. If they could parade around half naked, so could I.

  All's fair in love and war.

  Feeling my heart race, I padded down the stairs in my too tiny bikini and made my way to the kitchen for some cold water. The heat had gotten an early start today and I wanted something refreshing but not heavy.

  No sooner had I opened the door to the fridge and reached in for a bottle of flavored water, than I heard the back door open behind me.

  Startled, I turned around and saw that it was Alan. His dark blue eyes connected to mine and held me suspended there as he smiled and walked steadily forward, toward me, in an almost predatory manner.

  I gulped and stayed perfectly still; our eyes locked. A deer caught in headlights, as if he was a car barreling towards me, threatening me with certain death. It was one of the most delicious feelings I'd ever had. Instantly I was wet.

  As he reached me, still standing in the opening of the fridge, my bottle of water forgotten in my hand, he came right up to me. Inches away, and still holding my eyes, he lowered his voice.

  “You look delicious. And I'm hungry.”

  I gulped again and swallowed hard, unable to catch my breath.