Uncaged

Chapter 1

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A/N - I hate having to do this, but since NovelHD has already started to pirate some of my books, here we go. These works are mine. My poor little brain came up with the plots and characters, and I'd really prefer you to not steal them. If you're reading this on a site that is NOT Wattpad then it is most certainly stolen.

Thanks!

Loiosh

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The sun beat down upon my skin as I pushed the lawnmower around the back yard of the Garrison estate. The Garrison's were my biggest lawnmowing client, though my weekly trips here had lately become my most confusing jobs of the week. They were incredibly wealthy, so much so that they had bought the lots on either side of their houses for a premium, just to ensure that their house had no direct neighbors. That also meant a lot more grass to mow, for which they paid extra. There had also been a lawnmower accident with their previous landscaping company, so they no longer wanted ride on mowers on their property. So, every Saturday morning, I used a push mower for several hours to keep their lawn looking pristine.

And every time, while doing the back yard, Jasmine stares out the window at me. Auburn hair hanging in waves past her shoulders, stunning hazel eyes, she was a vision to anyone that looked at her. I certainly couldn't take my eyes off her.

It wasn't always like that. It started happening right after her 17th birthday party a few weeks after school let out for the summer. I remember her father calling me, frantic because they were having a party on Saturday, my normal mowing day, and so he begged me to come on Friday instead. I obliged and got the lawn ready for what I'm sure was an amazing pool party with half of the school. Not me of course, I wasn't in the right social circles to hang out with Jasmine Garrison. But I could mow her lawn.

Wait, that wasn't a euphemism there.

But the next week, back on my Saturday schedule, she watched me from her window the entire time I mowed the back yard. I'd noticed her in school of course, she was gorgeous, and unobtainable. People lined up to be her boyfriend, though they never seemed to last long. But the lucky ones were always dating her at Christmas or Valentine's Day, just for the presents that she would give out. I don't think half the boys that dated her even cared about being dumped if they got one of her extravagant gifts. The same thing went for Adam, her kid brother. The girls all wanted to be his girlfriend for the same reason. They actually had a small Christmas party every year on the 23rd, where they would hand out the gifts in front of the party guests. It was weirdly addictive to watch the drama play out. I'd been to the last two, only because Mr. Garrison hired my dad to cook for the party, and it was like the strangest reality TV show ever.

But she never looked at any of the boys at school like she looked at me.

Seriously, their yard is immense. The front isn't so bad, since it has a large circular driveway and several large flower gardens. I get paid extra for weeding those a few times a year, and I still have to do the edging, but the mowing there isn't bad. But the back yard was crazy. There was a giant pool enclosed within a two-story screen, so that ate into the yard size, but the house backed onto a wetlands area, so it was nice and private back there. Unfortunately, it was also damp, so the grass grew like crazy, and when it was raining a lot, the ground would be soft and harder to push the mower. But the worst thing was the bugs. They loved those wetlands. I went through almost as much bug spray as I did sunscreen doing their yard. I may have darker skin, thanks to my dad, but the Florida sun is no joke, and I went through a ton of that sunscreen.