The Tenants

Anne was not the kind of woman that had ever been ignored. She hadn't dated a lot in high school but after turning 25 she had changed. Her views on men and sex became less rigid and the men around her seemed to know it. Her husband had pursued her with a determination that he learned from his working class father, along with an inability to keep her happy either sexually or romantically. After 10 years the marriage was over. Anne took her small son and bought a two-family flat in a part of the city known for gays and artists.

The months went by and she became immersed in neighborhood block parties and weekends trading the little boy back and forth with his father. Her latest set of renters was two boys from the local college. They didn't seem inclined to party and she knew that while one of them was pre-med the other remained a mystery. They were both tall good-looking young men with broad shoulders and chiseled chins. Anne's sister had raised her eyebrows the first time she saw them shirtless, washing Anne's car in the driveway.

"Wow, is this you're lucky day or what?" She murmured as they walked onto the porch, coffee cups in hand.

"Oh yea, those two are always doing that. I think my car embarrasses them. Can't complain, now can I?" Her eyes sparkled and she laughed.

"So where are the 18 year old bimbos that should be hanging all over these two?" She questioned.

"I give up, you tell me. David, the one with the dark hair, told me he doesn't have time for 'little girls'. Sounds like some prom queen burned him recently. Scott, the redhead said that the college queens weren't 'quite what he had in mind'." Anne laughed but her face turned slightly pink. She'd remembered the conversation well. Those comments had been followed by her nervous chuckle and the intent looks of both the boys at her. She'd tried not to notice that Scott had a tendency to watch her every move and David regularly gave her piercing looks.

Karen turned around and handed her cup to Anne. "I see. Well my darling, I'd say you know how to pick 'em. Because that's two sets of raging hormones or I'm not a walkin' talkin' female." She wiggled her eyebrows and waved as she headed toward her car. "Let me know how it goes!"

Anne resisted the urge to throw a wet sponge at her sisters retreating back. "Very funny smart ass." She called. "And THAT's not MY cup of tea either and you know it." She could hear laugher as she drove away.

"Annie, you need to put some wax on this car some day you know." David tossed a sponge back in the bucket as he approached her. "But it's too hot to try it today. Maybe later tonight when the sun has gone down some we could wax it." David was a tall; broad shouldered 22 year old. Annie squinted in the sun and looked up at him, aware that she hadn't bothered to put on a bra and was wearing a knit exercise shirt that left little to the imagination. She crossed her arms over her chest automatically blocking his view of her hardening nipples. David was not hard to look at, black hair covered his chest and tapered down to shorts that were wet with sweat and soapy water. Anne thought vaguely that it wasn't possible that boys--no men--his age could look so perfect. It didn't seem like they had when she was 22.

"I know David. It's another thing I'll get around to. Right after I mow the backyard and clean the gutters. All of the joys of landlording over you two hardworking student----Hey!" She spluttered as a spray of water hit her in the chest. She could hear Scott's laughter on the other side of the car as he soaked she and David both with the hose. David grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out of range of the spray.

"Scott you moron! Turn that thing off!" David laughed and reached around Anne for the bucket, tossing soap and contents at Scott's head. Another spray of water reached them both and Anne found herself dripping wet, spluttering, trying to wriggle out of David's arms while he held on, basically forcing her backside into the spray.

"Alright, alright, both of you, knock if off…Children PLEASE" Anne turned from David to run full force into Scott. Scott was built like wall of bricks, as tall as David he spent so much time in the gym that Anne often thought him muscle bound. It wasn't unattractive on him but she'd never seen a man up close with that sort of physique. "Ommphhh. Jesus. Scott, I think I'm hurt." She laughed shakily as she pulled back only to find David right behind her, handing the bucket over her shoulder to Scott. He was close, very close. She could feel the heat coming off his skin. It felt nearly like they had her sandwiched between them. A tingle shot up her spine like a warning shot. Confusion muddled her along with her own raised body temperature.

"Children?" Scott's brown eyes looked down at her. "Gosh Annie, I haven't been called a child since I was 19. That would be about four years ago. Right Dave?" He didn't look at David but kept her pinned with his stare and accepted the bucket from David without moving his arm to allow her around him and away from the two of them.

"Me either Scott. I'd say our Annie's been spending too much time at soccer games with 12 year olds and with 50-year old school teachers. Maybe she needs a night out with 'men'" He emphasized the word and bumped his arm against hers, dragging his skin past her breast as he continued the hand off to Scott.

"Annie, my love. We are buying you dinner tonight. Don't argue." Scott bent his head down so they were nearly nose to nose, "One of the only bad habits you have…" David finished the sentence, his breath in her left ear.

"Is that you never shut up." Anne blinked and tilted her head up slightly, then back away from Scott, effective pushing David's mouth closer to her ear. She stood stunned as both men smiled. She could see Scott's eyes getting darker. He was looking at her, but not in her eyes, instead at her mouth. Without thinking she wet her lips and took a breath to speak. David's lips pushed against her ear "No arguments Annie. You need to get out. You gave us a break on the rent last month. Let us do this for you." His voice was a deep blanket, coating her thoughts.

"I—" Scott touched a finger against her lips and her eyes widened. This was getting out of hand.

"No arguments, Annie!" He said firmly. Anne's eyes narrowed and she slid from between the two tall men and headed for the house. Aware of her shorts sticking to her and the fact that she hadn't bothered to put on underwear this morning after crawling out of bed. She walked stiffly to the door, calling over her shoulder, "I'm busy tonight, boys. Got a date." David and Scott were both watching her walk away. They reminded her of two giant cats ready to pounce. The door slammed behind her and she turned the key in the lock. Usually she left the door open so they could find her if they needed her but right now she wanted time to think. She didn't know why she'd said she had a date; it wasn't like her to lie. But the overwhelming presence of the two young men outside the door had made her skittish. What on earth were they thinking? Not only was she their landlord but she was nearly old enough to be their mother. Somehow, those two very masculine bodies that admittedly were nothing like boys; she didn't feel very maternal.

Annie hid the rest of the day, puttering nervously around the house and finally escaping to the mall when both David and Scott disappeared in the afternoon. She found herself buying stockings and a dress as if she did have a date. Maybe it would be better to let them think she was going out. They had to get this idea that she was some kind of wallflower that needed them to show her a good time out of their heads, once and for all.

After indulging herself in a long hot bath and washing her hair, she started giving herself a pedicure, picking outrageous lingerie out to go under her dress and laughing at the fact that no one would see her bright red toes or her scarlet bra and panties. After 30 minutes applying make up she normally didn't wear she scrubbed her face and started over with a cleaner look. Sighing she looked in the mirror "Face it Anne, you just aren't the glamorous type."

"Talking to yourself?" Anne let out a shriek at the sound of David's voice from the doorway. She was standing with a silk kimono open over her lingerie.

"What in the HELL are you doing here, David?" Her voice went from squeal to amazement as she looked at David. He was dressed in a double-breasted suit, with a rose in his hand.

"You gave me the key Annie. Remember?" His gaze roamed over her, taking in the glimpse of breast peeking out over the top of the demi bra.

"David! Put your eyes BACK where they belong please." She grabbed the robe and closed it around her. "Now, look," Anne walked across the bathroom and pushed David out of the doorway talking rapid fire. "I don't know what you two are up to but this will not work. I've got a social life and I don't need to be den mother to two college studen—" Her voice trailed off as she got to the living room. Scott was leaning against the couch, a rose in his hand as well, dressed to the nines. "My, my. I don't know what to say." She looked from one to the other. "You both look just good enough to eat. BUT, I have somewhere to go. If you'll excuse me." As she turned Scott glanced at his watch.

"Yea Annie, you do. And you've got 15 minutes before David and I come in that bedroom and haul your cute buns out to go to dinner. So move." Anne stood in the bedroom doorway her mouth open, staring at Scott and then at David. Both of them waited with arms over their chests, glaring at her.

"Cmon Annie. We want to do this. Have pity on us. We've been planning this for a month." David ground the words out like he expected her to argue and was ready to do battle. Anne looked closely at both of them and tried to think. What harm could it do. She hadn't been out on a Saturday night in months it seemed. And the two good looking men in her living room were both charming. They had never been anything but gentlemen with her until now. Sure there had been looks but no groping. Nothing she could consider a hassle.

"Annie?" Scott still looked ready to grab her and throw her over his shoulder.

"Alright, for pity's sake. But I get dessert with this dinner right?" She tried to lighten the mood and treat it like they were all friends going out. That was the way it would be of course.

"Oh I think I can guarantee dessert." David laughed a deep-throated chuckle. Annie felt a hot wave go across her belly. "You can even have seconds if you want…" She turned and walked into the bedroom feeling slightly wary. She wondered if that sexual innuendo were imagined or real. Kicking the door half closed, she moved to the closet and pulled out her dress, wondering again if it were too tight, too much of a little black nothing. She slipped it over her head and tugged it down over the black spandex half slip and thigh high stockings. Hoping it didn't show the outline of her panties.

"Need help with that zipper?" Anne kept pulling the dress down and frowned at Scott from the doorway.

"You know, you two keep turning up in unusual places like my bedroom. And no, the dress doesn't' have a zipper. Behave yourself."" She decided to treat this like she would if one of her ex husbands' friends got out of line. Not make a big deal out of it and try not to overreact.

"Well yea, it does have a zipper you know." Scott moved into the room and slowly lifted her right arm up, his head bent down above her breast. "See, one of those inside jobs. Right here." His long fingers slid inside the black dress and slowly tugged the hidden zipper up. Anne watched him, holding her breath. His fingers brushed her nipple carefully as he pulled his hand away. "There you go. All set." His voice was on a low purr by the time he finished. Ann felt like she'd been burned through the fabric.

"Well thanks." Her own voice sounded low and husky to her ears. Ann looked at him carefully. "So tell me Scott, how did you manage to find a suit that would fit you through the shoulders? I'm a little surprised." She tried to make casual conversation but was watching Scott's bulk move under the black suit that was fitted to his form.

"Bought it for a wedding this summer. Do you think it fits?" He tugged self consciously at the jacket. Anne moved behind him and couldn't resist the urge to smooth the linen over his shoulders.

"It's perfect Scott. Fits like a glove." Her fingers trailed across his back pressing into him. She jerked her hand back. This was getting a little intense. Scott moved to put his arm around her waist.

"Cmon David, let's get her out of here before she changes her mind." The next thing she knew she was sitting in a restaurant, in a dark corner, wedged carefully between David and Scott, both of them sitting so close their shoulders brushed hers. The conversation flowed as fast as the wine and Anne soon relaxed and forgot that she was with two men nearly half her age.

Scott and David asked question after question about her marriage, where she grew up, what her favorite color was. And then got into a minor dispute over who knew the most about her.

"No, Dave it's strawberry. She only eats that chocolate stuff if she has nuts with it. Right? Scott turned to Ann.

"You are arguing about what my favorite flavor of ice cream is Scott. I think we need to quit with the wine."

"No we aren't arguing. You eat chocolate with nuts when you've been for a run and you think you can get away with the calories. Which means IT is your favorite." David said decisively as he poured more wine into her glass. Ann started laughing at his analysis.

"Going to be a shrink David? Because you are really to close on that one."

"Yea but she eats dark chocolate when she bails out on a date and doesn't get laid. Personally, I usually drink scotch when that happens. Go figure." Anne's mouth fell open. Scott was right on the money with his assessment and he knew it. But rather than passing judgment he seemed to know how she felt.

"Well gentlemen, lately when I don't get 'laid' as you put it, it's because I choose NOT to. The choices aren't very good you know." Anne shrugged and let the warmth of the wine and the buzz in her ears and relax her guard. What difference did it make if they knew the truth? They were both over 21.

"We know Annie. We saw you toss the guy out a couple of weeks ago with his dick hanging out of his pants. That was pretty damned funny. What a scumbag." Scott laughed.

"Yea and before that there was that short swarthy looking guy. He's the one who laughed at your paint job in the entry hall. What a wise ass." David shook his head.

"Then there was that big dumb jock from the soccer club. I saw him chest gazing you at the game. What was his IQ? About 25?" Scott continued shaking his head.

"You don't lack for dates Annie, you just lack for gentleman!" David added.

Anne leaned back and crossed her legs, swinging one shoe off under the table she looked from David to Scott. "Yea well when you two clowns find a gentlemen in this great desert of divorced and unattractive men you let me know. Besides, all those guys are looking for wife material. And I'm not wife material. Ask my ex husband. He can tell you. I have a house and a job. I don't need a husband or a keeper." She laughed and took another drink. "Good sex would be nice. But I've survived this long without a vibrator."

"Why?" David and Scott asked in unison.

"What do you mean why? Why have bad sex. No sex is better than bad sex. Although being men you probably wouldn't agree. After all you guys ALWAYS get lucky. It's not like that for women." Anne added aware that she would regret this conversation tomorrow and was giving out too much information.

"No Annie. What's wrong with using a toy? Why not?" David's eyebrows creased and he looked puzzled. Anne laughed and reached up and rubbed the line out of his forehead with her finger

"Don't think so hard. There's nothing wrong with toys David. Toys are more fun with a skilled, caring lover. It just works better that way."

"Oh you mean it feels better if someone else does it than if you do it yourself?" Scott asked the same puzzled look on his face.

"Of course it does. Just ask yourself Scott, does it feel better if you touch yourself or if a woman touches you? Ann threw her head back and laughed. She couldn't believe she was so well versed in sex education.

"Well Annie," Scott's voice dropped an octave "Now that you mention it, I think it would feel better if a woman stroked me. But I have a particular woman in mind."

"You know Annie, when you make up your mind you want one thing. Then only that one thing will do."" David leaned closer and looked intently at her. "The thing is, both Scott and I want the same thing. And we've decided we know how to share. What do you think?"

Anne blinked and tried to clear her head of the fog from the wine, surely she wasn't hearing this. "Welllll," She paused, sure she had misunderstood. Then she felt David's hand, or was it Scott's…trailing under her arm moving around to cup her breast. "Let me ask you something, why would two healthy 23 year old men want a woman that's 18 years older than they are? When they could have any perky little nymphet they so desired?" She raised an eyebrow trying to ignore the nipple tweaking going on under her arm. She pushed back only to feel another hand slide between her crossed legs, a warm palm grazing her thigh.

"Annie, do you ever look in the mirror anymore? You don't have any idea what you look like. No 19-year-old girl is going to know what she wants. No 19-year-old girl would have tossed that big good-looking dumb jock out of her front door. Not only do you have a great rear view" Scott's voice dropped lower to a whisper "you are sexy as hell and you know what you want. And 'we' want you. Both of us. At the same time. Do I have to draw you a picture?"

The hand on her thigh pushed slightly, raising her dress and easing between her legs "Besides Annie, Scott and I are good friends. We like to share everything." David looked down at her "And we think between the two of us we could satisfy you. And ourselves. As a matter of fact we know it."

Scott motioned to the waiter and Annie allowed herself to be escorted slightly dazed back to David's truck. She hadn't thought about why they insisted on David driving until she realized it put her between the two of them again. Wedged against two strong thighs, she was silent, thinking on the way home.

"You get the door man, I'll make the coffee. I think Annie needs some time. Kick your shoes off Annie, get comfortable." Anne sank down on the couch in Scott and David's flat, and automatically kicked her heels to the side, curling her legs under her. She watched David flip on the CD player and move to light a few candles.

"So how long has this, uhm, idea been in your heads?" She accepted the hot cup of coffee Scott handed her black and sweet, the way she normally drank it. "You guys don't miss a thing do you?" She sipped carefully.

"Since maybe two weeks after we moved in. I bet Scott five bucks you'd throw the jock out. That's what started it." David admitted, reaching under her and pulling her legs out to prop them on his lap in the floor. Anne watched him feeling slightly removed from her own body as if she were someone else.

"I knew he'd win. But it took you longer than I thought it would to get rid of him. He was inside at least 10 minutes longer than I expected." Scott sat on the couch next to her and pulled her around to lean against his chest. David promptly moved up beside him putting Anne's legs over his own. David started and intense foot rub, ignoring him, Scott pulled Anne nearly into his lap.

"You guys, hang on. I only stretch so far!" Anne wriggled back against Scott pushing David a little further away to stretch out. For some reason it felt normal to be that close to the two of them.