My Neighbor The Firefighter

CHAPTER 1

GABBY

Red lights from the fire truck downstairs are flashing through my window. My heart is racing a million miles an hour, almost pounding through my chest.

It’s becoming impossible to breathe.

Why hasn’t anyone rescued me yet?

I can’t die like this!

I’m standing in the corner of my master bathroom, drenched from the sprinkler system.

There is smoke coming from underneath the bathroom door, but for some reason, I can’t move.

Glancing over, I peer over at my jetted spa tub, filled with what seems to be my favorite lavender scented bubble bath but the smell of smoke that is accompanying it is very off-putting

Just as my eyelids become too heavy to hold open, the bathroom door bursts open and a giant shadowlike figure rushes in scooping me up like a sack of potatoes.

Opening my eyes I’m standing at the edge of my bed and glancing around the room, I’m immersed in flickering white candles and red rose petals.

My bedroom is completely transformed and slightly warmer than I remember. A gentle knock on the door startles me and turning around I find the sexiest most breathtaking man I have ever seen.

Standing there, in the doorway all ripped abs and sculpted biceps, wearing only a firemen’s hat, black boots, and boxers.

He watches me study him for a second, smiles then says.

“You ruined my surprise!”

His voice is so deep and raspy, yet soft and seductive all at the same time and for some unknown reason, every nerve ending in my body yearns to be touched.

Either the sound of his voice, that sexy seductive smirk he’s wearing or maybe it’s the fact that he’s half naked in my doorway but something about this man awakens everything in me and yet I have no idea who he is.

That smile seems familiar, and I can vaguely recall hearing that voice before but I’m pretty sure I don’t know this man, at least well enough for him to be standing here with me practically naked. So of course, this is a dream and I just pray I don’t wake up until I find out what other surprises he has for me.

He seems to be very, very familiar with me and after the way my body reacts to him, I don’t know whether to scream or play along.

Before I can respond, he walks over to me tilting my chin up so we’re looking into each other’s eyes and playing along suddenly seems like the only option.

“When I first saw you in here, I thought you might’ve wanted to start with dessert, but now I’m confused. What’s wrong?”

“Dessert?” I mutter softly unable to think clearly and hanging on to his every word

“Yeah, I said dinner wouldn’t be ready for a few minutes then you got up and came in here”

“I did?”

With a huge smirk on his face, he grabs my hand and leads me back out into the living room.

Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I’m mortified at the sight of myself in a black lace teddy bodysuit.

I look stunning. My relationship with the gym has definitely paid off but seriously what in the h*ll is going on? Why are we both practically naked and who is this guy?

When I pull back to admire my curves in the mirror, he glances back at me then comes to stand behind me in the mirror.

Gently tracing the lace fabric of the teddy from my shoulder to my breast, he whispers

“And you wonder why it’s so hard for me to keep my hands to myself!”

Leaning down, he kisses then gently, playfully bites my neck. After turning me to face him, our lips touch and the way he kisses me sends shockwaves through me, all the way down there. Yeah, there!

Unaware what exactly is going on, I finally allow myself to indulge in this fine specimen of a man standing before me, who from the bulge pressing firmly against me, is ready to have me for dessert.

The oven timer beeps, alerting us that dinner is finally ready.

Ignoring it, he scoops me up and carries me back into the bedroom. After placing me down on the bed, he says

“I’ll be right back. Don’t move!”

The timer finally stops beeping and in less than a minute, he’s back.

Watching me like a hawk, he goes over to the lounge chair in the corner and lays back. After adjusting his hat, he says

“Come here”

“Are you dancing for me tonight?” he asks as I stand up from the bed

Wait dancing? Am I supposed to be a stripper or a hooker?

Suddenly very confused, I whisper

“No”

Laughing he starts to scoot up from the chair then says

“So, you wanna role play?”

When he stands up, like an idiot, I place my hand on his chest. A bold fire is ignited deep inside of me the moment my fingertips touch his rock-hard abs and out of nowhere, I’m suddenly under his spell.

“Dance to what, there’s no music playing”

My words spark an intensity in his eyes and after giving me a quick peck on the lips, he says

“Alexa, play Gabby’s bedroom playlist!”

Cierra’s song ‘body party’ starts playing and this initial feeling of euphoria has got to be the craziest feeling I’ve ever experienced.

With every intention of pleasing this sexy, stranger before me, I lean in then giving him a quick kiss, I whisper

“Buckle up!”

I start slowly swaying to the beat and lip singing the words to the song. Dropping down low then coming up slow, I spin around and bend down in front of him.

Glancing back at him over my shoulder I see him watching me intently. I put on an explicit show and it’s like he’s controlling my body instead of me.

The way he’s captivated by my every move is electrifying. My intentions were to turn him on, but I’m literally melting from the inside out.

With the look in his eyes continuing to embolden me, I roll my back, bend down, whip my hair then allow my hands to trail the lace of my teddy.

Unable to stop myself, I go down on the floor and crawl up between his legs. Mimicking every move from Ciera’s video.

Damn, I feel sexy, the want in this man’s eyes is invigorating and I can’t lie, the moment I realize his eyes aren’t the only part of him yearning for more, my heart stops.

But the rest of me continues moving as TLC’s ‘red light special’ plays, and I slow down, smirk then start playing, lip syncing with the music.

I know that you want me, I can see it in your eyes…

…. the body never lies…

… I’m feeling quite sexy and I …

… all yours…

Once I stop and run my fingers through my hair singing like I’m frustrated, he motions for me to come here.

After glancing down at his now freed erection and unable to further deny him what he’s clearly been craving, I straddle him.

While we lie relishing in the after bliss of the most glorious sex imaginable, the aroma from the delicious dinner my mystery man has so masterfully crafted fills the air. Not only is he incredible in bed, but he cooks too!

The oven timer goes off again drawing us out of the calmness, even louder this time.

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

CRAP! I did it again!

Waking up drenched in sweat and desperately in need of a cold shower, I glance over at my lounge chair, then at my locked bedroom door.

Thankful that this was all just another deeply disturbing erotic dream, I close my eyes then exhale. Still unable to fathom how a dream could be so exhilarating. I hate this feeling, who in their right mind gets this aroused from a dream.

Every time I have one of these stupid dreams, I spend days trying my hardest to remember this guy’s face. And now, two months into this world wind romance, I still have no idea who this incredibly sexy man of my dreams is.

After a quick trip to the gym, I grab a long hot shower and gather myself for the day. Thankful that it’s Friday, I take my sweet time getting to work. Per my usual routine, I head to my best friend Regina’s bakery around the corner from the hospital.

I walk into Pastries & More, I’m kissed by the comforting smell of caffeine, calories and carbs. That overwhelmingly delicious smell that has brightened each day for the last three months.

My daily peppermint mocha and cinnamon raisin bagel are the reasons my morning workout is a must!

Even though I try incredibly hard to rid myself of this lonely wet dream stench, somehow Gina always knows when I’ve dreamt about this mystery guy.

Walking out of the back room she studies me for a brief second then breaks into that big annoying smirk that I now hate so much. Rolling my eyes, I go sit down at my usual table in the corner and wait to be interrogated.

“The sooner you start, the sooner I’ll…” she begins then is interrupted by someone calling her name from the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back!” she states finally sitting my bagel and coffee down on the table

The thought of leaving while she’s in back crosses my mind, but I’ve known Gina long enough to know that she’d be waiting for me in my office when I get there, if I did.

“Where was the fire this time?” she asks, coming to sit down across from me now with her own cup of coffee.

“My apartment. Yes, we had sex and no I can’t remember any more details about him! But he did cook this time” I state all too familiar with her follow up questions routine and so ready for this conversation to be over

“Not only am I trying to help you solve your lil freaky mystery, but you are the only one getting some. Even if it is just a dream!”

“And this is the thanks I get.”

“Your lil frustrated *ss really needs to get some!” Regina laughs taking another sip of her coffee

“I seriously regret telling you.”

“You won’t when I finally figure out who he is and get you two together.”

“Please just change the subject.”

“Ok. Fine, so are you coming with me to the party tonight? Maybe you can buy a toy or two, to help you through them night sweats.” Gina laughs

“Go back to work so I can finish my bagel in peace.”

Following a brief silence, she sucks her teeth and says

“I will but only because I wanna go back to flirting with this new delivery guy. Then maybe I’ll have a steamy story or two to share.”

“Think about the party and call me later, seriously!”

“Bye Gina!”

When I see Dr. Walsh walk into the bakery, I decide it’s time to head out and start my day. It’s a lot easier to hide from the hospital staff when I’m behind an assistant and a door I can lock. But here I have to smile and nod my way through the worst conversations and turning down arrogant doctors who think their god’s gift to humanity, even after two divorces, isn’t how I like starting my mornings.

“Good morning, Ms. Ross” he states walking over to me

“Good morning, Dr. Walsh. I thought you’d be in surgery, saving lives early this morning.”

I reply knowing how much he loves having his ego stroked.

With that annoyingly smug smile, he tells me that his first one isn’t for another hour.

Before he can offer to buy me a coffee or ask me to lunch, I come up with a quick lie

“I’m running late for a conference call so I gotta run. Have a good day”

“Ok, see you around”

Fully aware he’s about to watch my *ss as I leave, I stop and pull out my phone before leaving.

I am bombarded with calls all afternoon, once Miss Ruby leaves early for the day.

Being the kindhearted boss I am, I usually let her leave a few hours early on Fridays so she can have some time to herself.

A few weeks before I arrived her husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Even with help, I know it’s been tough on her.

By the time six o’clock rolls around, I am beyond done with the day.

Once I’ve completed my end of the week routine, I stand looking out of my office window over the city and begin unpacking all the thoughts of the week that I refuse to take home with me for the weekend. Doing my best to remember everything I need to get out of my head before I leave, I jot down three quick notes for Ruby and finally gather my things and head for the elevator.

“Ms. Ross!” I hear someone call out from behind me

“Dr. Ross.” I answer once I’ve turned to see who’s attempting to hinder my escape.

The elevator chimes announcing its arrival and as I step on he says

“I won’t hold you. You mind if I walk you out?”

Dr. Ross is a brilliant, charismatic young orthopedic surgeon who is dangerously handsome. And the worst thing about him is that he knows how goddammed sexy he is, and he knows that you know it too.

I’ve contemplated changing my last name a few times because we are in no way related, but because both our names are Ross, people often mistake us as husband and wife or brother and sister.

Holding the elevator door open I ask.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Well, you can start by letting the door close.”

After finally letting the elevator close, I stand waiting for him to continue.

“I’ll be in town for a few more days and thought you might want to have dinner with me.”

“Will Mrs. Ross be joining us?” I ask now fully aware he’s married.

Dr. Ross, one of the top orthopedic physicians in the country, asked me to dinner a few weeks back, literally a day or two after I started here.

Thankfully Mrs. Ruby overheard me accepting his invitation and later informed me that he was married but tends to entertain when he’s on the road. I had only been back in town for a few weeks or so when that happened and after that I swore off dating or accepting invitations out with random guys. I still think about how grateful I am to Mrs. Ruby for saving me from that mess. The last thing I need to be is another romantic escapade in some cheating bastards plot to destroy his marriage.

After standing him up that night, I thought I’d made it clear that I would only discuss hospital business with him during normal business hours.

“I have a few questions I wanted to run by you and I figured we…” he begins

“You can email me your questions and I will be sure to answer them to the best of my ability, as soon as possible.”

“How do you do that?” he whispers seemingly amused

I know he’s just saying stupid stuff so, I‘ll keep talking to him but I ask anyway, wishing this elevator would hurry up.

“Do what?”

“Actually. Don’t answer that, I don’t want you to say something that could be borderline harassment.”

“Ok, I get it. But if you happen to be at Kres tonight around Eight, they’ll be an empty seat at my table.”

He smirks as the elevator opens and disgusted by the nerve of him, I smile then say

“Have a good evening, Dr. Ross.”

Without giving him a second thought, I pull out my phone to call Regina, but before I can, my phone rings and it’s my little cousin Dominique.

“Hey Gabby, are you home?” she says as soon as I answer the phone

“No, I’m leaving the hospital. I just got off, what’s wrong?”

Something about her tone worries me.

“Nothing, can you come pick me up please? I couldn’t get Eve”

“Sure, text me the address, I’m on my way.”

The address she sends me is to the women’s clinic three blocks from the hospital. And between the sound in her voice and the location she’s asking to be picked up from I’m getting bad vibes.

But just like I promised her when I moved back, I go, pick her up, no questions asked.

“Thank you for coming Gabby.”

“Can you drop me at Eve’s please.” She asks not even looking in my direction

My heart aches and a million questions race through my mind. But I remember what it was like back in college and although I didn’t experience a lot, I witnessed a great deal of drama. Before I pull off, I take her hand and whisper.

“Hey”

After a beat she finally looks at me and I can tell she’s been crying

“I’m not going to ask but please know I’m here if you need me”

She doesn’t respond but gently squeezes my hand. When she turns and looks back out the window, I head for Eve’s house.

On my way home, I stop by the grocery store to grab a few things, including a few bottles of wine. As I’m walking to the car my phone rings and it’s Gina.

“Why am I at your place and you aren’t here? And you never called to confirm tonight.”

“I’m around the corner”

“Good cause we gotta go. The party is in Winter Garden and after were going to a singles mixer…”

“Gina, I’m not going.” I blurt out, in an attempt to get her to take a breath.

“Gab, don’t even try it.” She giggles

“I’m serious. I’m sorry, I’m not in the mood. Maybe we can do something tomorrow.”

After a long silence, the call ends and I head home

Regina looks in my direction as she’s walking out of the lobby but completely ignoring me, she turns and heads in the opposite direction.

Later that evening after two glasses of wine, I lie watching tv and drift off to sleep.

Suddenly I’m standing in front of a burning car in the rain. The moment I start hearing sirens I jerk awake.

“Sh*t!” I mutter

When I realize the siren sound is coming from the tv, I turn it off and play pandora, as my stomach aggressively reminds me that fruit and wine are not a suitable substitute for dinner.

Instead of ordering in, I take a quick shower and head back out to Score. Score is a quaint bar right across the street, with surprisingly delicious food.

But after surviving almost my entire adulthood on smoothies and junk, I’m not really the best judge of delectable cuisine. At least that’s what my mom always says. Being I’d always choose wings, burgers and fries over steak or lobster.

Remembering it’s Friday night, I slip into my skinny ripped blue jeans and burgundy low-cut but first wine t-shirt and because I can, and I know it’d drive Gina and Eve crazy I throw on my matching burgundy sneakers.

For the right guy this would be the perfect mix of cute, simple and sexy. Not even bothering to take a second look in the mirror, I grab my phone, wallet and keys and head to Score.

Grabbing my favorite seat at the end of the bar next to the wall, I wait for Roy the cutest old man I’ve ever seen to come down and take my order. I mean he’s only like maybe late fifties, but that’s old man status to me.

“I was starting to miss you, Gabby!” Roy smiles sliding me my usual

“If I don’t make you miss me, you’ll start taking me for granted Roy” I laugh winking at him over my glass as I take a quick sip of my sex on the beach

After my first week at the hospital, I was in desperate need of a drink and came into Score. Roy let me sample a few drinks to figure out which one I’d like and of course sex on the beach became my signature drink, considering it’d be the closest thing to sex I’d have for god knows how long.

He always jokes and says when I finally get some, I won’t need him anymore. But little does he know, this relationship is the healthiest I’ve ever had.

“What’ll it be tonight lady? Wings or a burger?” Roy asks

Watching the four pack of hunks that walk into the bar, I smirk

“Actually, let me try the meaty queso with chips tonight. It might just be my lucky night!”

“Coming right up!”

Distracted by a couple that have started arguing at the other end of the bar, I don’t notice when one of the four pack walks up to me.

With bourbon seeping from his pours, he says

“Hey pretty lady. I noticed you seem to be alone, do you mind if I buy you a drink?”

At that exact moment the door to the bar opens and a handsome, tall brown skinned guy walks into the bar. Glancing at his hand I don’t see a ring so, I quickly make up a lie.

“I just got here a little early. I’m meeting my boyfriend. But thanks for the compliment. I hope you have a good night.”

“Hey Lance, it’ll be just a few minutes!” I hear Roy call out as he greets the handsome stranger

Having no choice but follow through with my lie, and bourbon breath not having gotten the message, I call out to him

“Lance!”