Secret Attraction

“Tucked away in my office. Last-minute stuff. I thought I heard a car pull up.”

“Yeah, I brought over the Mustang, which I’d been working on. Came to see if Dom wanted to go for a ride.”

“Hmm.” She glanced at her sandals for a moment. “Well, you guys enjoy yourself. I’m going to get back to work. Good to see you.”

She started to close the door.

“How did you like the show last night? I didn’t get to see you afterward.”

She was half in the door. “It was great. I had a wonderful time and, of course, the dinner was superb.” She smiled. “I dreamed about you—it all night.” Her face burned. Why did she say that?

“So did I … I mean, I have these crazy dreams sometimes before a big … event.”

She leaned against the door frame. “You don’t strike me as someone who gets … lets things get you all worked up … sleepless.” Oh, God, she was babbling.

Spence gripped the railing behind him to keep from walking right up to her and taking her in his arms the way he’d been dreaming about when he finally did fall asleep. “You’d be surprised.”

“I’m sure I would.”

“You should come more often.”

The air stuck in her chest. She knew good and well what he meant but her libido had taken charge. “Come?”

“To the club.”

She ran her tongue lightly across her lips. “I don’t get out as much as I should.”

“All work?”

“Something like that.” She ran her hand absently along the door frame. “Especially with the elections coming up and all of the local referendums.” She finally felt the floor beneath her feet again, having moved the topic to something that she could manage.

“Yeah, the whole rezoning thing,” he said, nodding his head as he spoke. “I’ve been following you—it, in the papers.”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly in pleasant surprise. “A very hot topic for the community. The rezoning will bring business but at the expense of much needed housing.”

“There has to be a middle ground,” he said, his expression tightening in thought. “I know from experience the good, the bad and the ugly about gentrification.”

“Experience?”

He nodded. “Back in Memphis, where I grew up, the same thing happened. City claimed eminent domain and ran a highway through the neighborhood, pushed people out and built a mall.” He expelled a mirthless laugh.

“I’m sorry, that must have been horrible. How old were you?”

“Hmm, ‘bout fifteen. Old enough to be angry, but not old enough to do much about it.”

“What did your family wind up doing?”

“They gave my mother some money for our place.” He glanced off, back to that unsettling time in his life. “We moved into a walk-up apartment in a three-family house.”

In all the years that she’d known Spence this was all a revelation. She knew he wasn’t born in Louisiana but had no idea that Memphis was home or that he was raised by a single mom. Desiree watched the montage of emotions crease his brow, tighten his casual body language and put a hard edge in his voice. That experience, she sensed, changed him somehow. Forced him to see the injustices of life, perhaps too soon.

Spence blew out a breath and returned from that place he’d put behind him and smiled at Desiree. He opened his mouth to speak just as Dominique appeared behind her sister. Desiree stepped out of the way.

“Good seeing you, Spence. Enjoy the ride!” She gave a short wave and walked away.

Dominique slid her sunglasses on her nose. “Ready?”

“Sure.”

He walked alongside Dominique as they rounded the house from the back to reach his car on the driveway.

“She sure is a beauty.” Dominique ran her hand along the high-glossed side.

Spence glanced at the house and could have sworn he saw someone drop the curtain in the window. “Yeah, she is.”

Desiree turned away from the window, mortified at the thought that she might have been caught staring. She felt as if he’d looked right at her—or through her. Why did she even care? He hadn’t come to see her. He’d come to see her sister. He never even asked if she wanted to come along. Why should he? She would have just been a third wheel.

She pushed out a long breath. Yes, Patrice and Dominique were right. It was time she got a life and put a man in it. She reentered her office and shut the door behind her.

“Where are we headed?” Dominique asked, leaning back against the cool leather as the warm Louisiana wind blew around them. She rested her elbow against the frame of the open window.

He should have asked Desiree to come along. Although he was pretty sure she would have said no. She’d never seemed interested in whatever he and Dominique might be doing together, whether it was a day at the shore, going out for drinks with friends … parties. She always had “other plans,” which was why he was so surprised to see her last night. And seeing her had only stirred up all the desires he’d kept under a lid. She was the real reason he’d come to the Lawson home in the first place.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Huh?” He snatched a glance in Dominique’s direction.

She pursed her lips in feigned annoyance. “I asked you where we were going. If you don’t have any place special in mind, I want to pop by and see Rafe for a minute. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, sure. Not a problem.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Why?”

“You seem distracted or out of it.”

He chuckled. “Naw. I’m good.” He turned to her and winked.

She cut him a look from the corner of her eye, studying his stiff profile, which was so out of character. Spence was usually so laid-back and relaxed, always an easy smile on his face. But today his entire body was tight and inflexible. He barely looked at her, and when he did, it was as if he didn’t really see her. And that was something she certainly wasn’t used to. She ran her fingers through her short, spiky hairdo and wondered what was really on Spence’s mind.

“How’s the new program going at the agency?”

Dominique shot him a look. “Oh, you’re talking to me now?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I might as well not even be here for all the attention you’ve paid to me since I got in the car.”

“Now you’re being silly.”

Her neck jerked back. “Silly?”

“Yes, silly.”

She folded her arms tightly beneath her breasts and pouted.

Spence inhaled deeply. He and Dominique had been close for years. He’d grown accustomed to her moods and her often irrational feelings of being ignored. It had taken him a long time to understand that it wasn’t him or anything that he was or wasn’t doing; it was pure insecurity on her part. At times it could be endearing, and he’d want to comfort her and make it all go away; other times it was totally frustrating. He knew it was why she was always flamboyant, the party girl, the one who needed to be noticed. And when she wasn’t, she pouted, like now.

“So are you going to tell me how the program is going, or are you going to keep those luscious lips poked out until we get to Rafe’s house? My mama always said, ‘If you do your mouth like that, your lips are gonna stay that way,’” he said in a bad falsetto with a heavy Southern twang.

Dominique turned to look at him and rolled her eyes and tried not to laugh.

“It’s going fine. Thank you very much for asking.”

Dominique was the executive director of First Impressions, a nonprofit agency that provided clothing and training to disadvantaged women and single mothers. She’d recently been approved for a grant to fund a GED program.

“How many students so far?”

“Can you believe we already have a waiting list?” She shook her head in wonder.

“Yeah, actually I can. Lotta people are struggling out there, Dom. All they need is a chance.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I don’t think I ever realized how much until I started the agency.”

“You do good work.” He turned to her. “I’m proud of you.”

She reached across the gears and squeezed his hand as the car drew to a stoplight. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you.” Her eyes held his for a moment.

He turned his attention back to the road. “Rafe’s town house is on the next street, right?”

“Yep. Third one from the corner, on the left.”

“Does he know you’re coming?”

“No.”

“Dom, suppose he’s … busy.”

She chuckled. “What else would be new?”

“I’ve been trying to get him to come down to the club and play. He’s always busy,” Spence said, pulling into Rafe’s driveway.

Dominique got out of the car and shut the door. “You should’ve told me. I would have spoken to him for you. Rafe can never tell me no.”

They stood in front of the door. Spence turned to her. “Who can?”

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