Frank & Elyse – Chapter 9

xxx stories: Frank & Elyse – Chapter 9

by Burnt Redstone

Waking early was built into Frank’s brain. He couldn’t sleep in if he tried. He’d gotten used to it and used the extra time to work out.

He looked out the window and the morning was looking bright and clear. An excellent day to go for a ride. He ducked his head out the patio door to test the temperature and there was a bite to the air. He went back to the bedroom and pulled out his full length cycling tights, a long sleeve jersey and his windbreaker. The outfit made him look like he was dressing up as a superhero but it was damn comfortable.

He also brought along his panniers in case he found a place to buy some fresh vegetables. He went outside, locked up, and got his bike out of the garage. He put his helmet and gloves on, mounted the bags to the rear rack and set off downhill.

The roads were pretty quiet this early in the morning and he enjoyed the peaceful ride. It didn’t take him long to reach the beach and he stopped for a while just to feel the ocean breeze. The bite was stronger here so he was glad he chose to cover up.

Once he’d had his fill he made his way up the hill away from the beach towards the shopping district. He kept his riding level pretty tame as this was just a shakedown ride for his new bike. So far it was living up to expectations and he was deeply impressed with the quality of the ride. Traffic picked up the closer he got to the main drag and he learned that the disc brakes worked very well when a senior citizen obliviously pulled out of a parking lot in front of him. The old man glared at him as he left the parking lot at a snail’s pace.

Frank decided he would do a little more exploring so he headed inland and came upon a dirt trail through the trees. That was fun so he rode as many of the trails as he could find.

When he exited the path at a roadway he recognized where he was and knew there was a grocery store not far away. He rode along the road until he spotted the shopping complex. He parked and locked his bike and went inside with his panniers. He left his helmet on as this was the simplest way to carry it but he popped open the chinstrap. He got a few stares as he was wearing his cycling clothes but he just ignored the gawkers… after he confirmed nothing important was showing.

He loaded up on fresh fruit and vegetables then cashed out. Everything went into his two panniers and he realised he might want to pick up the front panniers for larger loads or pick up a trunk bag for the top of the rear rack. He was thrilled that this experiment was working so far but he still needed to get the loaded bags on the bike and all the way home. He had no idea how the bike would handle with the heavy bags in place. Only if the groceries, and he, survived the trip home could he truly call it a success.

Frank was on his way out of the store when he spotted Beverly walking towards him with a concerned look on her face. Damn.

“Good morning Frank.”

“Good morning Beverly,” he replied.

“I’m so sorry dinner didn’t work out last night. I never expected it to end like that,” Beverly lamented, clinging to his arm.

They were blocking the entrance so he guided them over to where he’d parked his bike and he set down his bags.

“I’m sorry it turned out that way as well. We can reschedule for another night- not tonight,” he asserted when it looked like Beverly was going to make the suggestion. “Let’s give it a few days. Did you have a nice dinner with Elyse after I left?”

“Elyse was so apologetic after you went home. She was terribly upset so she left shortly after you did,” Beverly pouted. “I put your wine in the fridge to chill so we can have it at our next get together.”

Frank wondered just how much of that apology was for him and how much was just to let Elyse escape the dinner. He put that thought aside.

“OK, I’d better get these groceries home. Later in the week we can give dinner another try, ok?” Frank said and she nodded with a smile.

“Don’t you have a car?” Beverly asked looking at his bicycle.

He smiled at her puzzled expression. “Yes, but this is healthier. I get exercise as I run my errands.”

“You look good in those tight pants!” Beverly said with a grin and he smiled awkwardly at her. How was he supposed to respond to that?

He connected the bags to the rack and unlocked the bike. Once the bike was clear of the rack he swung his leg over and closed the straps on his helmet.

“You have a good day Beverly. I’ll see you later!” he said to the woman who just nodded and continued to watch him with that silly grin on her face. No, she was leering now. He sighed.

He rode back towards the main intersection out of the parking lot and paid close attention to the bike’s handling but he didn’t really notice any significant changes. Soon he was riding back towards his place and he was no longer conscious of the load he was bringing along. He rolled down the hill and his braking showed no differences either. He pulled into his driveway and got off of the bike. He tugged the panniers off then moved the bike into the garage and up onto its hooks. The helmet went onto its own hook and he ran his fingers through his hair so it wasn’t flattened to his skull.

As he stepped out of the garage he came to a halt as Elyse was standing by his bags. He saw she was wearing yoga pants and a tight stretchy top under a loose hoodie left unzipped. The outfit accentuated her curves which he found more than a little distracting. Lovely green eyes were looking at him cautiously.

“Good morning,” he said quietly. He locked the garage and turned back to look at her. Damn, she made him nervous!

“Good morning. I want to apologize for how I behaved last night. I’d had a very frustrating day and I lost my temper at you for no good reason. I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me.” She was tipping her face down and looking at him from under her bangs. He felt a tremble go through his body. She was so damn beautiful!

Frank felt himself beginning to tingle in a place that was not so well covered at the moment. He hadn’t felt anything there in… a very long time. He struggled to understand why his body was betraying him at such an inappropriate time.

“Yes, of course. We all have bad days,” he said, trying to hide his reaction to her. He pointed to the bags at her feet to indicate he needed to pick them up.

“Oh!” She looked down and bent to lift the bags giving Frank an unexpected view of her cleavage. His face warmed up.

“Wow! These are heavy! What’s in them?” she asked lifting the full panniers.

Frank accepted the bags from her hands and held them in front of his bike shorts as he was just beginning to show his reaction to her body. “Groceries. I should get them into the fridge.” When she made no move to leave he continued. “Would- would you like to come in for a moment?”

She smiled and he was momentarily stunned by it. He turned and walked to his front door and let them into his house.

“It’s empty!” she exclaimed.

He smiled and glanced at her look of surprise. “Yes, as Beverly mentioned last night I brought almost nothing with me from New York.”

She stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. “It’s such a lovely house,” she sighed as he moved past towards the kitchen. She followed.

Frank set the panniers down on the countertop and began pulling the contents out. She was watching and her eyes showed how surprised she was at how much he’d carried in them.

“Do you always ride your bicycle to get your groceries?” she asked in wonder.

“Actually this was my first attempt and I believe it was a complete success! Nothing got crushed or damaged in any way.” He opened the old fridge and loaded the crisper tray with the veggies and the fruit went on the shelf above that.

When he looked back he caught her staring at his ass but she quickly turned away and walked over to the breakfast nook where he’d set up a cheap card table and four folding chairs. He swore her cheeks were showing a blush of her own.

“You know, I put a bid in on this house as well,” she said quietly.

“We were bidding against each other?” he asked in surprise.

She nodded as she looked out the windows to the deck.

“Sorry?” he said carefully.

She shook her head and looked back at him with a smile. “No, it’s fine. You won fair and square. I admit I was upset at the time as I was eyeing this property for some time. Since I filed for divorce… a month ago.

Frank couldn’t suppress the snort of surprise that escaped. A month? He saw she was looking at him curiously.

“Sorry. My divorce process took over a year. It was… a very bad time.” He looked down to avoid seeing her resemblance to his ex.

“May I ask you something?” she asked quietly.

He glanced nervously at her. “Sure.”

“You… seem to have trouble looking at me. Why is that?” she asked gently.

Frank’s face burned and his hands felt clammy. “I’m sorry. It’s just- you look a little like Stephanie. My ex. She… put me through hell in the past year.” He really wanted to be someplace else at the moment.

“Oh my god! You moved across the country to avoid her and ended up across the street from someone who…” Elyse’s voice failed. “I’ll go.”

Frank turned to look directly into her eyes. He forced steel into his spine to hold himself in place. “No! I mean, it’s not your fault. It’s an issue I have to deal with. I know you aren’t her. The resemblance is superficial. Her blond hair was longer and wavy. Her eyes were blue, not a lovely shade of green and her lips were over inflated and… always sneering or frowning… unlike yours…” Her shy smile once more filled his vision and he lost track of himself momentarily. He forced himself to turn away to get his control back. “I really should get cleaned up.”

“Of course. Before I go could I borrow your phone book? I have to look up Internet service providers to see if I can’t get someone to do the installation today. It’s critical I get a connection by tomorrow. My office expects me to work remotely.”

“I never received a phone book. I don’t think they print them anymore. It’s all done online these days. If you want, you can connect to my network to do your research.”