For the past five years, Kelly had owned and operated her own cleaning service. She had started working for a service in high school and kept with it through college. But when the small mom-and-pop operation packed up and moved to Wisconsin, Kelly decided it was time to venture out on her own. Armed with a business degree and several years experience managing a cleaning service, Kelly, with the blessing and help of her former employers set off on her own.
She loved being able to set her own hours and prices. She had done a lot of research at the beginning and discovered she could lower her costs by scheduling her regular customers just a little differently and keep only certain times for new or occasional clients.
Her regulars were her favorites. She knew what they were looking for and was able to get her job done as efficiently as possible. She'd built a relationship with most of them over the years. Well, most of them. The majority of her clients were pleasant, some of the older ones would even sit and visit with her while she was dusting or sweeping. There was one though, Mr. Thompson, who was very unsociable.
Kelly had first cleaned his house two years ago, right after his wife left him. Although she didn't know the details, Kelly had her own suspicions as to why the former Mrs. Thompson had just left. While Mr. Thompson was an attractive man, he was very controlling and cold. He would watch Kelly working from another room, saying nothing, but not trying to hide that he was there. When she'd finish, he would ask what he owed, hand her an already written check he'd pull from his pocket, then thank her and walk away, leaving her to show herself out. In two years, Kelly had never seen him smile, had never had a conversation with him or even exchanged small talk.
Kelly cleaned Mr. Thompson's house the third Tuesday of every month. She dreaded having to spend the time there. His house was not difficult to clean. Quite the contrary, being a bachelor who spent a large portion of his time either at the office, the gym or on the golf course, Mr. Thompson's house was often in need of only a light cleaning to keep things fresh. It was the way she felt in his presence that caused the knot of dread to form when Kelly woke up that Tuesday.
Thankfully, she would be cleaning Mrs. Klea's home just before his that Tuesday. Mrs. Klea had called in a panic the night before because her son had called to tell her he would be coming to visit with his wife and children in a few days. Mrs. Klea had both of her knees replaced earlier in the year and could do little more than run the dishwasher. She had always prided herself on her clean home, so her family coming to anything other than a spotless home was a terrifying thought.
Although she was extra thorough, Kelly quickly finished Mrs. Klea's home. As she was packing her supplies, Kelly's mind wandered to Mr. Thompson. He was an incredibly attractive man. In his late thirties, he was a few years older than Kelly. It was apparent that he took good care of himself. He had broad shoulders and thick biceps that strained against his shirts. When he wore short sleeves, Kelly could see his well defined forearms. Once she even thought she saw part of a tattoo on his left arm, but then she realized there was no way a man as starched and polished as Mr. Thompson would have a tattoo.
He had a nice butt too. Most men suffered from what Kelly called "flat-ass-syndrome," but Mr. Thompson had a hard, tight ass that looked great in a pair of Dockers. Actually, there wasn't much he didn't look good in. He was a good dresser, even when he was just lazing around his house. Kelly had never seen him in sweatpants or old, stained tee shirts. He was usually in a suit when she arrived and would disappear only briefly to change. Then he'd be back to hover.
Kelly hated the air of disapproval that he carried with him as he followed her through his house. If she didn't know any better she'd swear he followed behind her and finished all the spots he imagined she missed. When she'd gotten a new client on his recommendation Kelly was shocked. She couldn't imagine this man had ever said a positive thing about her. But the new client turned out to be a very nice couple who had Kelly come once a month just to get into the deep, dark corners no one liked to clean.
Kelly parked her car and dragged her supplies up Mr. Thompson's driveway. He opened the door and invited her in, following their normal routine. Then Kelly watched him run up the stairs to change while she got started.
She was on her toes dusting the top of the entertainment center when she felt him staring at her from the other room. As usually, she immediately felt self-conscious. She wished he would just go into the den and read, or back to his room, but he never did.
Kelly finished the living room and moved into the kitchen, the room Mr. Thompson had been watching her from. As she walked into the kitchen, he walked around the corner from the dining room and they collided.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought you were in the other room." Kelly could feel herself blushing.
"It's ok. I thought you were in the living room still." As he said this, Mr. Thompson placed a hand on Kelly's arm and she felt like she'd been struck by a bolt of lightening. With his ice blue eyes staring down at her from his six foot frame, Kelly was completely frozen.
