Indiscriminate Attraction

“That’s ample time. There’s not that much to do.”

“Let me know when you’re finished.” She turned to go back inside, only to turn back around. “By the way, there’s plenty of bottled water and lots of other cold drinks in the fridge inside the garage. Help yourself to whatever you want.”

Overwhelmed again by Laylah’s generosity, he nodded his understanding. Other than his deceased grandparents and a few folks from their generation, he hadn’t run into too many people as kindhearted as her. In the dog-eat-dog world he had lived in, mostly everyone had looked out for number one, hardly ever caring about the needs of others.

Laylah felt hot all over by the time she finally opened the side door. What was it about this guy that had her acting so out of character, so insanely weird? She wasn’t the kind of person who lied to herself—and she wasn’t about to start now. She was hot for Chancellor, homeless or otherwise. The man made her pulse race and she couldn’t even put a name to what else occurred to her physically. She just knew she felt flushed all over whenever he was around. No one but no one had ever made her feel this out of control.

Laylah’s parents, semiretired television news correspondents Jack and Selma Versailles, would think their youngest child had totally lost her mind. Brandon, her television entertainment correspondent brother, would rib her unmercifully if he ever found out about the man she secretly admired. And her uppity, well-to-do sixty-seven-and sixty-nine-year-old aunts, Cora and Gertrude, might be stunned to learn that their niece was hopelessly infatuated with a homeless man.

“Tell Cora and Ask Gertrude” was the name of the newspaper column her two spinster aunts wrote, which just happened to be a write-in column to seek advice for the lovelorn. She was already entertaining the idea of anonymously writing in with her dilemma just to see what sagacious advice they’d offer her.

How would someone go about presenting a weird situation like this one to their very own family members? What would she say when questions were asked about Chancellor, like what profession was he in and where did he reside—and what were his future aspirations? Laylah knew this was much too serious a situation for her to continue making light of it. She was too smitten.

“Whoa!” Laylah suddenly began to realize she had gotten way ahead of herself…and way ahead of Chancellor, too. Sure she was wildly attracted to him, but was he even remotely interested in her on a romantic level? If so, she hadn’t seen an inkling of such. The man had been nothing but polite and friendly toward her, yet she had been going on and on in her mind about him since the first moment she’d laid eyes on him.

There was nothing at all in Chancellor’s demeanor to suggest he was hot for her, so she really needed to cool off. The only way she could find out for sure if he was interested in her romantically was to ask him, which was something she wouldn’t dream of doing. She was outspoken, frank and to the point, all right, but she wasn’t nearly as bold in speech and in deed as she’d like to be with men. She had already pushed the envelope by inviting him to her home under the guise of him working for her. She had gotten him there easy enough, but how was she to keep him coming back?

Laylah wailed inwardly as she anxiously peered out at Chancellor through the half-open slats in the plantation shutters covering the half window on the back door.

Slick with sweat, Chancellor’s muscled arms bulged as he easily pushed the mower around the small yard. His jacket had been discarded and thrown over the back of a lounge chair. Laylah couldn’t help wondering what the rest of his anatomy looked like naked. More than that, she had to wonder if she’d ever see him in the buff. No doubt it would be a mind-blowing experience.

Continuing to watch Chancellor’s every move, Laylah’s mind began to take her places she shouldn’t dare let it wander. A moonlight stroll in the nearby park seemed like an ending to a perfect night out on the town; what might occur after the stroll had her libido reacting wildly. Although she could only imagine those strong arms holding her close, she was sure he would treat her to an unforgettably seductive encounter.

The moment Chancellor turned off the lawn mower, Laylah knew she had to get moving. Although she was already dressed for work, she hadn’t done anything but watch and lust after him. The coffeepot needed cleaning and the table had to be wiped off. She didn’t want him to come inside and see that everything was just as it was before he’d gone outdoors. That would be embarrassing.

Laylah rushed around the room as she did her best to put it back in order before Chancellor knocked to say he was finished in the yard. After dumping the coffee grounds, she lifted the removable basket, carried it over to the sink and gave it a good washing. Sponging off the table with an antibacterial spray cleaner was done quickly.

Hoping Chancellor wouldn’t knock before she made it back to the kitchen, Laylah rushed down the hallway and sped into her bedroom, where she rustled through her purse to come up with enough money to pay for his services. She wasn’t sure if she should offer him twenty or thirty dollars for the lawn, but she was sure he could use whatever she paid him. She settled on thirty dollars in the next instant, hoping she wasn’t over-or underdoing it. The man had to eat, and he’d need another night in the motel.

Just as Laylah skidded into the kitchen Chancellor firmly knocked on the back door. Her heart fluttered wildly as she reached for the knob. Calm down. You need to stop making a fool of yourself in front of him. She hated talking to herself, but she had no one else she could trust with her deep secret. At least no one that wouldn’t think she was absolutely stark raving mad. Her best friend, Kelly, would think she had gone daft.

As though she hadn’t already observed his every movement, Laylah stepped outside the house. “You did a great job. I’m very pleased.”

“Thank you. As I said before, there wasn’t much to do. I’m pleased that you’re pleased.” He pointed at a row of hedges. “Those plants seem to have some sort of infestation. Probably mealy bugs. You might want to treat them. You can pick up something at Home Depot to take care of the problem. If you’d like, I could get it for you. I can then treat the plants whenever it’s convenient for you to have me come back.”

Without knowing it, Chancellor had just solved Laylah’s dilemma of finding a way to keep him coming back to her place. She really did want to get to know him better, almost sure that his personal story was a fascinating one. No matter how crazy it seemed, she was simply attracted to him…and she still didn’t know his last name.

Laylah quickly decided that she wasn’t going to try to fight her attraction to him. Nothing may come of it, but she wouldn’t know one way or the other if she didn’t explore the possibilities. “That would be great. Maybe we can go to Home Depot together since I’ll have to pay the bill with a credit card.”

Chancellor shrugged. “Whatever works best for you. I’m at your disposal.”

Thinking Chancellor should be mindful of his loose tongue, Laylah blushed at the very idea of having him at her beck and call. It certainly worked for her. “Thanks for taking care of things. If you’re looking for a job, you can keep this one until you get something permanent. You can do it weekly if you’re interested.” Though she’d been nervous about how to present him with the money, she went ahead and pressed it into his hand.

Chancellor frowned. “I can’t take this from you. You already paid for the motel last night. I did the lawn to try to show you my gratitude for your kindness.”

Laylah wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t expecting repayment for the motel. That was a gift. This money is for the work you did. I won’t have it any other way.”

Suspecting that it would be hard to win an argument with Laylah, Chancellor rapidly decided not to go against the grain. Since she had also sounded pretty adamant about her decision, he’d let it go for now, but he had no intention of sponging off her. She’d definitely get it all back. “Thanks again. You’re too kind.”

“If I were down on my luck, I’d hope that someone would treat me with kindness. Some people in this world just aren’t caring enough. Glad I could help you out.”

“Glad you offered.” He stroked his chin. “Hope you’ll take what I’m about to say in the spirit in which I intend it. Never let a stranger into your home. I’m not a killer or rapist, but I could’ve been both. Promise me you’ll never do that again.”

“Not if it means I can’t let you in when you come back,” she boldly flirted.

Chancellor grinned. “You can make me the exception. You’re safe with me.”

Drats! She wanted to feel anything but safe with him—and in a delicious way. On the other hand, she’d love to find herself snuggled safely into his strong arms. Chancellor looked strong, as if he could make her feel protected in so many wonderful ways.

“I actually believe I’m safe with you. When can we go to Home Depot?”

Chancellor folded his arms against his chest. “When do you want to go?”

“I get off work around three. Is three-fifteen okay with you?”

“Fine.”

“I can pick you up at the shelter. Can you meet me there?”

“Three-fifteen. I’ll be there.”

“How’d you get here today?”

“Bus. By the way, I gained entry through a walking gate, by your neighbor.”

Interesting, she thought. “On my way to work, can I give you a ride somewhere?”

“You can just drop me off wherever you’re going. I can find my way from there.”

“Let me grab my purse. We can go out through the garage.” She bit down on her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I didn’t give you a chance to wash up. Would you like to do so?”

“I’m fine. I washed my hands off with the garden hose. I’ll clean up later on.”

“I’ll be right back.” Deciding she should tread lightly, she made direct eye contact with him. “By the way, what’s your last name?”

“Kingston,” he responded, smiling, hoping his name didn’t ring a bell for her.

“Chancellor Kingston.” The prestigious name sounded slightly familiar, Laylah thought as she rushed off to the back of the house, where the master bedroom was located. She quickly grabbed her purse off the bed and shot back up to the front.

“Ready?” she asked him, giving him a hundred-watt smile.

“Ready.”

Despite how busy Laylah had been, the day still dragged. She had accomplished quite a lot of work, but she had a lot more to do. The phone calls put through to her desk had been incessant, but she had handled each one with her usual aplomb. The woman was patient beyond belief and was known to have nerves of steel, more so in the face of adversity.

A quick glance at the clock let Laylah know it was time for her to wrap things up if she was to meet Chancellor on time. They’d have to hurry through their shopping at Home Depot so she could get him back to the shelter before the lines began to form. Because she had thought of that scenario before she’d dropped him off earlier, they had changed their meeting time to two o’clock. She had plenty of comp time on the books.

Just as Laylah pushed back her swivel chair from the desk, she caught a glimpse of a figure entering her office door. A slight turn in her seat brought her face-to-face with the formidable-looking March. What now? She had to wonder. As sure as she breathed air, he was there to mess up the end of her day. “You need something?”