Monday morning was hectic. As soon as the kids had left for the first day at their new school, Deidre rushed around the house straightening up. She exercised and showered and by 8:45 she was out the door.
Today was a first day for her, too. It was the first day of her new life. New apartment, new city. New life. Her divorce papers had been signed for two months now, and as soon as she had gotten word the divorce was final she took out a map, closed her eyes, and dropped a finger down, vowing to move wherever her finger landed.
Gresham, Washington. What the Hell was in Gresham, Washington? Where was it near? Was it a residential town? Was she out in the boondocks? Were there stores? A mall? Work wasn’t an issue, being a freelance writer. Thanks to e-mail and overnight delivery, she could live anywhere in the world and keep in daily contact with her agent and publisher. She just wanted to be as far away from her old life as possible.
And Washington was about as far away from Pennsylvania as you could get without leaving the continent.
So Gresham it was.
A search through on line realtors found her a three bedroom apartment within days. It was clean, in a nice area, and not too expensive. The realtor said the school district was good- a main concern for Joey and Leah, as they were just getting into junior and high school. It was bad enough losing a dad and losing their roots. A bad school environment would not be something they could deal with at this point in time.
Her musings caused her to drive past two of the places on her errand list, so she had to double back and drive through a bunch of side streets to get to the bank and post office. One more quick stop at the grocer for dinner and then she was headed home. It was just past 10:30- that would give her enough time to get home and get the groceries away before her new landlord showed up to introduce himself and check out the problems she had called about the night before.
She pulled up in front of her new home to find a man, late-20's she guessed, sitting on the front steps, pad and pen in his hand. She eyed him as she parked the car, got out, went around to the trunk and pulled out four bags of groceries, two in each grasp. As she struggled to close the trunk she could feel his eyes on her and glanced up. He was heading her way.
For a moment her heart skipped a beat. He was big. Did he live around here? Was he a serial rapist? She had left herself little or no room for defense or escape, struggling to close the trunk door with her hands more than full.
“Need help?” His voice was smooth, and to her surprise, sensual, causing the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck, as if he'd kissed her there.
“Well.” She found herself a bit breathless as she attempted a response in a calm voice. “I think I can manage. Thanks anyway. See ya.”
Ignoring her dismissal, the man laid a hand on the trunk door, closing it firmly as he took two packages from her hands.
“I’m Mark, your new landlord. That is, if you're Deidre?”
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Deidre smiled warmly into Mark’s brown eyes. He had a sultry, laid back air about him, and after studying him a moment she felt safe enough to believe him and extended a free hand for a handshake.
“Ahhh. Nice to meet you, Mark. I expected you to be a bit older.” As their hands touched she felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body when his warm, strong hand wrapped around her own.
He felt it too, and paused before he began speaking once more. “That was my dad who answered the phone. He gave me your list.” He waved the pad at Deidre and nodded his head towards the apartment. Reluctantly he let go of her hand, cleared his throat and spoke again. “Let’s get to it.”
Mark followed her up the stairs as Deidre tried to determine the feeling she was feeling. It wasn’t apprehension. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable. But there was definitely an edge for some reason.
Unlocking the door, Deidre stepped inside with Mark following close behind.
“I hope it wasn’t rude to give you a list so soon. But I didn’t want to be responsible for any of the damages left by prior tenan ts if this doesn’t work out.”
“Why wouldn’t it work out?”
“I’m just saying-”
“It will work out fine. You’re not going anywhere.” He smiled at her as she caught his eyes. Something stirred inside.
He was too magnetic. Too sure of himself. Too.. too... too cute. Deidre put the bags of groceries on the table and started in mayhem pulling things out and setting the items on the counter top. She thought she heard him chuckle as he walked towards the living room.
She continued on in silence, wondering how old he was. He seemed so young, but then again he didn’t. He was built nicely. Not skinny, not fat, not overly developed. But taller than her. And big. His hands were nearly twice the size of hers, she had noticed as he put the two bags he carried on the table next to hers, before venturing into the rest of the apartment, still spotted with unpacked boxes here and there.
“When you're done come in the living room and show me where the rug is damaged. I can’t find it.”
“Ohhhh. I put a table over the spot, hold on.” She called from the kitchen as she put away a 12 pack of Corona’s. “Did you eat yet? You want me to fix you some lunch or something?” It was a bit early for drinking, but it was a scorcher of a day, and she needed something to cool her nerves. She pulled a beer out for herself, then pulled out two.
“No, thanks.”
“How about a beer?”
“Sure.”
Two bottles in hand she joined him in the living room. He took one and they clinked, she offering a toast, “Here’s to my new landlord.”
He studied her as he lifted the bottle and took a swig and as she turned away from him to point out the damaged area, he noticed the curve of her ass and grinned.
She caught the direction of his glance as she turned and felt her body flush as she bent down to move the end table. She could feel his eyes on her, and in her mind her clothes peeled away, leaving her naked and vulnerable.
“See?” she asked straightening up.
“I sure do.” His eyes were not focused on the carpet, but rather, on the two little buttons her hardened nipples formed through her tank top. She glanced down at her breasts, then up at Mark. “Um, excuse me?”
He grinned again and mumbled a half-hearted apology before making a note on his pad about the damaged carpet.
As Deidre bent down again to push the table back she came eye to eye with his waist as he stepped closer to help her. She nearly fainted as she saw a large bulge below his zipper.
There was something between them. And she didn’t know how to explain it. But he felt it too, she could tell. It was a bit obvious.
“Want to show me the way to your bedroom?”
“My bedroom! Mark, I.. I...” Wasn’t this a bit bold of him? How dare he...
“Window pane cracked in master bedroom. Sill needs replacement.” That damn insolent grin never left his face and as he read the note taken by his father the night before. As he walked passed her his arm caressed her breasts.
A deliberate act or accident? she could only guess.
A detour occured as he walked down the hall. “Let’s check out the bathroom first. You have a leak here?”
“Under the sink. I meant to clean out under there before you got here. You were a bit early.”
“No, actually you were late. My dad told me ten.”
“It was 11. Ten at first, then I changed it.”
“Well he told me 10 a.m.”
Mark knelt down in front of the sink, bent under the cabinet and started pulling items out. He withdrew, and still kneeling, looked up at Deidre, his eyes never moving further than her breasts that now swelled and pulled at her cotton shirt.
She imagined how his lips would feel on her nipples.
“Can I?”
“Can you what??” her voice was breathless. Her breathing shallow as she felt her legs grow weak and her insides mush together. She felt a tingling in her pussy that she’d not felt for a long time. Years... she thought now, trying to figure out when was the last time she and Rick had had sex.
“Um, flashlight. You got one? Can I have it?”
“Oh. Uh... somewhere. Lemme see.”
“Nah, don’t worry. I’ll check it out after the bedroom. You got the master or do one of your kids have it?”
“Me.” Oh, no. She wasn’t sure if she should follow him into her bedroom. Her body was already betraying her, coming alive just by being near this man. His eyes, his arms, his scent. He was too masculine for her not to notice. Her body, it seemed, had a mind of its own, doing its own noticing of her new landlord.
“You have a list of things you need in the bedroom.”
“Uh. Yes. I do.”
He laughed out loud and muttered something about being able to help her with anything she needed done in the bedroom or out.
Was that a double meaning? “Why don’t I stay out here and make us some lunch.”
“Nah. Come with me.” He looked at her in a way that made her legs nearly give out beneath her. “Follow me,” he directed.
She followed.
He stood at the threshold of her bedroom, taking in the furniture and decor with a quick glance. “Closet door also needs tightening?”
“It’s off the tracks. When I go in and out it nearly crushes me.”
