My Burning Temptation

by Melissa Devenport

  Unintentionally, I began to think about how I would change my current bedroom, not to mention the rest of Julie and Dave’s home. It was no surprise that Julie herself hadn’t offered (or been selected) to help with the interior design project, given the vast array of ugly knick-knacks that covered every surface of her house. Evidently, she had a thing for porcelain sheep, and I was trying very hard not to allude to that fact in any way during our conversations. Not that we had many. Adam kept making excuses for the cold, sarcastic woman, but it was clear she didn’t like me or want me here.

  Sighing, I pushed it out of my mind and wrote down a few notes in a scribbler. Ominous footsteps came towards my room, and suddenly Adam opened the door and poked his head in. I looked at him questioningly.

  “We’re getting the little house between the kebab shop and the fake KFC,” he told me. I smiled.

  “Alright! I know exactly what to do with it.”

  Chapter 6

  Stuck in Under Land

  After Adam and Dave’s purchase offer was accepted by the home seller, there was apparently a mountain of paperwork to push through. Fortunately, that gave me time to start sourcing some products and really putting together some solid ideas for each of the tiny house’s four rooms. I had visions of a sweet little cottage getaway in the middle of Sydney. A perfect AirBnb getaway!

  Of course, my first priority was my relationship with Adam. Though it would have been easy to get swept up in the task at hand, I made sure that he and I took time for ourselves whenever it was feasible. We would take walks around town, check out coffee shops and falafel stands, and really just talk. These outings were good for both of us; a short time away from discussing work and worrying about money, international visas or anything more complicated than crossing the street and holding hands.

  We got to know a little breakfast place pretty well, visiting once or twice a week for coffee and pancakes with a side of fresh fruit. A few weeks into my stay, I confronted Adam about our living arrangements.

  “Julie doesn’t need me cramping up her home,” I protested when Adam insisted we were very welcome to continue on in the same house together indefinitely. “Honestly, she’d much rather have her place to herself and her own family again. And I don’t blame her. I mean, we’re strangers!”

  “Aww, not anymore! And anyway, she and I knew each other before Dave even entered the picture! We go way back. Trust me, there’s no need to worry about it.”

  This was news to me. Adam and Julie went ‘way back?’ What?

  “Umm…what do you mean? I assumed you met because she was dating your brother?”

  Adam shot me a sidelong glance, clearly gauging how I might respond to his next words. “He and I came to Australia together, the first time. We met a lot of current friends at that time, together.”

  “Julie included.”

  “Right.”

  “Huh. Okay. Well, even so. I would be more comfortable in my own space.”

  He thought about that for a moment, quietly, while we watched rollerbladers zip up and down the bike path of the park. We’d stopped to sit on a hard bench under the shade of some mature fig trees, with no particular aim in mind other than to spend time together away from the house. The air was fresh and cool here; the constant sound of people and traffic muted by the large green space of Parramatta Park. Though this was a bustling area most days, hosting music, festivals and other events, this particular evening we found it quite secluded and calm.

  “I guess I can understand that,” he countered, “but where would you go? You can’t work here, and I know money isn’t a huge issue for you right now, but the work Dave and I have for you is basically in exchange for room and board. Finding something on your own would be a huge expense, don’t you think?”

  I sighed. He was right, I knew. Obviously, I was still struggling to accept that budgeting was a part of everyday life now that I had no wealthy husband to back up my expenses. Still, I was feeling so out of place at Julie’s. I felt her expressionless glare on me every time we were in the same room together.

  “Okay, yes, it would. It’s just – Julie doesn’t like me, Adam. I feel uncomfortable. I knew coming in that there were no set dates in terms of the real estate project, but I’m antsy and worried that we’re sort of stuck in limbo until…who knows when. Aren’t you?”

  He shrugged, but I could see anxiety on his handsome face. “I think the same things, Mel, but the fact is we are basically stuck, until we can get the house finished and sold off.”

  I nodded. “Okay. And then what happens?”

  He looked surprised at the question. “Well, I guess I don’t know! But didn’t you know that before you came?”

  Hmm. “I guess so.”

  He looked at me worriedly. “So, what do we do?”

  I took his hand and squeezed it. “We keep following your plan. I’m sorry to sound so…lost. I knew what the deal was, I think everything’s just catching up to me know and I’m sort of in a mini-panic. “

  We watched the people in the park for a few minutes in silence.

  “Have you heard from the guy? You know, since you got here?”

  Frank. I’d told Adam about him, in the spirit of full disclosure. And I had, actually. Heard from Frank. Following an awkward but not earth-shattering confession to my one-time lover that I had strong feelings for someone else, I casually mentioned leaving the country to visit said someone. About a week ago, he’d checked in – friendly, but a little odd nonetheless. So, I nodded, but held in any facial expressions that could be interpreted as positive or reminiscent.

  “I did, actually. Just checking in. Nothing weird. I told him everything was great, of course.”

  “Of course.” There was a hidden chuckle in his tone.

  I leaned into his side, pushing into that small layer of fat that had settled along his midsection. He felt good against me.

  “Is it me?” He asked, his normally light eyes darkening. “I mean, is this little location issue really that you’re scared to be so close to me?”

  I widened my eyes at the question, but considered it carefully. “No,” I concluded after a moment. “It’s definitely just about Julie. And her kids.” I laughed. “I’m just uncomfortable.”

  “Okay. Well I’m still sorry about that. But it’s gotta be done, right? For now, anyway.”

  “And just so you know, it has actually been really amazing being so close to you again. Though I have to admit I was pretty terrified we’d have trouble sharing our space…but we haven’t at all. I think that’s pretty special. How about you?”

  Adam squeezed my hand, leaning over suddenly to shield me from a skateboarder who careened just a bit too close to our bench. We both laughed.

  “You must know I feel the same, Mel. Right?”

  I nodded and smiled, secure although he hadn’t said the words himself.

  “I think so.”

  He pressed into me and we sank into a warm, dizzying kiss.

  “But seriously…Julie hates me…”

  “Oh hush.”

  Chapter 7

  The Previous Owners

  Bernie and Alex came into my life at just the right time. An odd, funny, married couple, they were the previous owners of the tiny house Adam and Dave had finally managed to buy. We’d needed to meet up several times to get the money and paperwork in order (an almost endless task) and though they were about 20 years older than me, we hit it off right away.

  Bernie was short and squat, with a bit of a squishy but animated face, while Alex was petite and shaped more like a rectangle. Both were always smiling. Once the sale of the house went through, I got in touch with Alex to see if she might be able to show me around some wholesale furniture and décor places. As it turned out, both she and her husband were excited to show me around and have some input on the look of their old home.

  “It’s such a cute little place,” Alex chatted with me while we strolled through a warehouse stuffed to the brim with overstock items. �
�Funny as it is, squashed between those ugly take-away restaurants. But I always thought it had such potential. Like a little gingerbread home in the middle of the urban buildup. You know?”

  I heartily agreed. “You’re so right. We all thought the same thing when we saw it – the guys are really hoping we can bring out that potential with just a few tweaks. It’s pretty important to Dave – this project is sort of a last-ditch effort to save his business.”

  “We’ll do whatever we can, Melissa! Just to see the old place functioning like a real home for someone would be a treat.” Bernie stroked his stubbly beard, considering an oversized gray sofa.

  “It’s too big, Bern.” He assented and we moved on.

  “I really appreciate this, you guys,” I said with sincerity. “I didn’t fully realize how much stress I was taking on with this redesign. Not to mention the fact that I don’t even know the area or what constitutes a good price. Thanks so much for your help.”

  Alex patted me on the shoulder. “We’re glad to have something to do, little miss! Early retirement wasn’t as exciting as we thought it would be.”

  Bernie laughed. “She’s right. Most of our friends are either still working, or they’ve up and left to Tasmania or the Gold Coast. We like to travel too, but we’ve never wanted to leave Sydney for good. So, we’re bored.”

  “Yes,” Alex added, pushing her purple cat’s-eye glasses up her nose, “we’ve developed a new hobby called bar hopping. It’s both expensive and a bit of a let-down.”

  “Aww, poor you,” I said with my metaphorical tongue in my cheek.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We’ve got a hard time of it; we know.”

  Laughing, we all stopped in front of a display living room set filled with undersized furniture. My companions stepped up to individual pieces for a closer look while I frowned at the overall feel of the space. My main problem with the little house was just that – it was little. There was no way I could bring in a full couch, loveseat and accent chair combination and expect the place to look inhabitable. On the other hand, I worried that downscaled furniture such as this might make it look like a house for elves.

  “What do you think, Melissa? It will all fit, that’s for sure.”

  I nodded, eyes still taking in the modern collection of sofa, coffee table, entertainment unit and overstuffed chair. I knew I wouldn’t find another like it anywhere; usually scaled-down furniture was relegated to classical wooden pieces. That wasn’t where I wanted to go with my interior design scheme. “I think it might be coming home with me,” I answered.

  “Good call,” Alex confirmed. “It’s just what the lounge needs to feel finished and comfortable.”

  We browsed for another hour or so, picking up accent pieces like lamps, curtains and rugs, then checked out. A staff member helped haul the large furniture pieces into the back of Dave’s ute (borrowed for the afternoon) and then the three of us went out for an early dinner.

  “I am exhausted!” Bernie proclaimed when we sat down and were served nice, cold drinks. “Nothing like shopping for your ex-prospective-home to work up an appetite.”

  Alex soothed her husband while I sipped on a cold cranberry juice mixed with club soda. “Ahh. That’s better.”

  We settled in a bit and started talking about things other than the house renovation, which is when I got a pleasant shock.

  “So,” Alex said cautiously, eyes cast on her straw. “How do you fancy sharing a house with that Julie character?”

  Chapter 8

  Getting to Know Julie

  “What! You are aware of that…human being? I had no idea!”

  Alex and Bernie shared knowing looks.

  “Oh my, do we ever.” Bernie waggled his grayed eyebrows at me.

  “How?! Oh my god I’ve needed to gossip about her for so long now!”

  It couldn’t be more true. Though I’d shared a couple of emails with new friends back home, including Frank, I had only scratched the surface of the nightmare that was Julie. And even though I could convince myself she was a perfectly fine person when left to her own devices, she was causing me an unbearable amount of stress. But how on Earth did these two people know of my silent nemesis?

  Alex filled me in. “Well, it took us awhile to realize that David’s Julie was the same Julie we dealt with last year. Eventually, of course, it all started to come together.”

  Bernie couldn’t wait for his wife’s slow retelling, so he butted in. “Our daughter runs a day care nearby, okay?” I nodded quickly. “One day, this Julie person comes in looking for a space for her two little thugs.” I giggled. “Gretchen – that’s our daughter – made room for them to come in a couple days a week. She’s really good with kids, even nasty ones.”

  “Well, the kids aren’t really that bad…” I interjected.

  “No, they aren’t, but hang on. One of the scheduled days, this Julie didn’t turn up to pick up the kids. Our Gretchen called and called, left messages, called the husband – no sign of anyone. Of course, she kept the kids with her own, after hours. Fed them dinner, played with them, you know.”

  “So where was she?”

  Alex took over when Bernie nudged her with an elbow and took a long drink from his icy cup.

  “The next day she finally turned up. Big sunglasses and face of stone…didn’t say a word except she was there for her kids. Gretchen said there were big scabs of blood along both ears – the horrid woman had gone away for a face lift and disappeared for more than a day! Can you believe it?!”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? Jesus she’s not even in her forties…I mean, not that that’s the point…”

  Bernie laughed. “She’s got a complex, I guess. Anyway that’s not even the most unbelievable part. A day after, she tried to bring the kids back to the day care like nothing happened. Of course, Gretchen told her to get lost, right? The woman raised a stink so loud all the neighbors popped out on the porches to see what was happening. Threatened to sue the day care for discrimination.”

  “Discrimination based on what?” Alex burst out as our dinners arrived at the table. “Negligent parents? Seriously.” She shook her head.

  “You guys, that’s just nuts. All of it. And you know what? I’m not actually surprised, now that’s it’s sunk in. Not really. You know, she didn’t even stand up, shake hands or take off her sunglasses when I first went to her house? Two flights, that trip took me. And nothing. Just this sarcastic little smile, like she’s some smarmy teenager. God! Can’t stand her.” I laughed and clapped a hand over my mouth. “Sorry, that just felt really good. What a horrible woman!”

  This time we all laughed. I couldn’t wait to bring this up the next time Adam insisted on defending Julie!

  Chapter 9

  Hardly Appropriate

  “Shh!” I giggled. “Adam, shh! If the kids hear us I’ll just die!”

  “Oh they need to learn sometime,” he mumbled, face lost between my breasts. “This’ll save Dave the trouble of that awkward conversation…”

  Trying not to laugh too loudly, I batted him on the back of the head. “Oh my god that’s terrible. Seriously I think we need to wait another hour or so…”

  Adam pulled his blonde head from my cleavage and gave me a pitiful look. “Another hour? Honey, I’ve been suffering from blue balls for days already. Those fucking kids are always around…I swear, they’re asleep! And as soon as we’re done, I’ll be asleep too! I think it’s now or never, baby…”

  “That’s incredibly hot, babe. I mean, how can I help myself?”

  He grinned, and even though the circumstances were a bit ridiculous, I couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in my stomach. He was naked except for a pair of boxer briefs which perfectly accentuated his gorgeous, round ass. Now that he and his brother were working at the house, ripping apart walls and hauling supplies around every day, he’d lost that little cushion around his waist and toned up more than ever. I couldn’t help running my hands over those sculpted chest muscles; he took my intere
st as an invitation to continue and rapidly rolled my chemise up over my breasts.

  “Oh, now really,” I said in a low voice, pretending to be annoyed. “This is hardly appropriate…”

  “It’s sooo appropriate, actually.

  Adam grabbed my waist with one arm and stuck his opposite hand under my butt, scooping me up suddenly from the bed and depositing me onto the carpeted floor. His eyes glimmered naughtily.

  “Now let’s hear you complain about the bed springs and loose headboard,” he fake-snarled.

  “Oh but the children,” I whined, using a false, high-pitched voice. “What will they think…”

  “I don’t care about the children! You’re ignoring your womanly duties, don’t you realize that?” I tried not to snicker at this adopted persona, but play along and get the most out of it.

  “Sir!” I answered in horror. “You know very well that we are not married and I have no obligations to please your…appetites!”

  Adam looked at me with a mix of evil and desire on his face, then grinned lewdly. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong, honey.” He swung a knee over my hips, pinning me down to the floor between his legs. “You’ve been living off me for weeks now. Eating my food, sleeping in my bed. Or didn’t you know those things weren’t free?” His hands traveled up my arms, up to my wrists, then held them down into the fibers of the carpet.

  “But, you never said otherwise…I thought you were just being kind!”

  “Don’t be stupid, you aren’t a girl anymore. You’re a grown woman and you know what I need from you. It’s time to pay up, sweetie.”

  I feigned a shocked gasp and struggled (just a little) under the pressure of his hips and hands. Then, I watched a malicious look come over his eyes as he licked his bottom lip, slowly. Quickly, he moved my wrists together above my head so he could hold me down with one hand, while the other fished around in a drawer of his night stand.