Yours Seductively

Chapter 6.1

   Jane was sitting by her pool again on Tuesday afternoon, feigning interest in a paperback and trying to look as if she was enjoying herself. Okay, she thought, so maybe summer vacation wasn't so great. So maybe she was bored out of her mind.

   The problem was that she simply wasn't accustomed to having time to herself. She'd worked steadily in New York—in one job or another. Even in high school, she worked every summer, both for money and to avoid spending time at home. Now that she had several weeks ahead of her with nothing in particular to do—well, she didn't know how to entertain herself.

   Maybe she should take a vacation or something. It would certainly best sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring—something else she wasn't used to doing. She started when someone suddenly laid a hand on her arm. Looking quickly around, she relaxed with a smile. "Why, hello, Tom."

   He gave her a shy smile from beneath his fringe of blond bangs. "Hi, Jane."

   "How have you been?"

   "Okay. What are you reading?"

   She glanced at the paperback. "It's a mystery story."

   "Is it good?"

   "I've read better."

   "You can read my Berenstein Bears books. They're all good."

   "Thank you, Tom. I'm sure I'd like that much better."

   They're at my house. You'd have to come there to borrow them."

   It was the second time he invited her to his house. She wondered again how Tyler would react if he knew. She looked around, seeing no one who seemed particularly interested in Tom's whereabouts. "Are you here with your nanny?"

   Looking suddenly guilty, Tom shook his head. "No. Mrs. Barns' home with Amy. Amy's taking a nap."

   "Then who brought you to the pool?"

   "I did," he answered simply.

   Jane swing her legs to the side of the lounge chair and pushed herself upright. "You mean you came here alone? Surely you didn't have permission for that."

   The boy looked down at his sneakers. "I'm s'posed to be taking a nap, too. But I didn't want to take a nap. I wanted to come see you."

   "How did you know I would be here?"

   "I hoped you would."

   "Tom, I have to take you home," Jane said, standing and reaching for the black mesh cover-up that matched her black bikini. "Your nanny is probably frantic by now."

   Just the thought of little Tom walking the five blocks or so from his house alone, crossing streets and risking getting hit by a car, or lost, or who-knew-what, made Jane's blood run cold.

   "I don't want to go home. Can't I stay here with you? I'll be good."

   It wasn't easy to resist his damp eyes and quivering lip, but Jane held firm. "I have to take you home, Tom. Maybe we can get there before Mrs. Barns realizes you're gone."

   "I don't like her. She talks to me like I'm a little kid."

   Jane knee better than to remind him that he was, in fact, a little kid. His hand seemed so tiny when he slipped it into hers. "I'm sure she means well, Tommy. Maybe she just hasn't spent much time lately with big five-year-old boys like you."

   "Have you spent time with boys like me?"

   "Well...no," she admitted. "Not much."

   "I like it when you talk to me."

   "Thank you. Well have a nice long talk soon, okay? But first let's get you home so Mrs. Barbs won't be worried about you."

   He signed heavily. "Okay."

   Sliding her feet into black, cork-soled flip-flops, she led him toward the pool exit.

   "Don't forget your book," he reminded her, looking back over his shoulder.

   "I'll leave it for someone who might like it better than I did."