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I heard a motorcycle in front of the house. “I invited a few of my favorite potential renters to stop by this afternoon,” I told Zoey. “Excuse me a moment. I’d like to take them on the tour of the lower floor.”
“No problem, Sally.” Zoey smiled patiently and pulled out her phone.
Outside there was a slick black motorcycle parked in the circular drive. A big, broad-shouldered man swung his leg over the top. Parked next to him was a new BMW X3 with a slender blonde woman stepping out of the driver’s side.
The man took off his helmet and slicked back his thick black hair. Everything on his face was big—wide flat nose, large dark eyes, thick brow, and a wide thick mouth. Attractive in an unusual brawny kind of way.
They walked toward me, where I waited for them at the door. The woman was Nordic, tall and broad-shouldered herself, with pale hair cut into a bob shorter than mine and almost invisible eyebrows. She wasn’t a makeup person and wore utilitarian outdoorsy clothing. They were an unusual and striking pair.
“Hey y’all,” I called to them. “I’m Sally. Are you Kate and Antonio?”
The man reached out and took my hand, covering it with both of his. “Yes. A pleasure to meet you, Sally. Thank you for inviting us. This is the kind of home we are very interested in being a part of.”
The blonde rolled her eyes. “Hi. Tonio, give her the hand back. He’s a flamboyant diva but useful to have around the house. Did I tell you he’s a chef?”
“No,” I said, my eyebrows going up. “Good to know. I don’t do much in the kitchen besides breakfast.”
Antonio put his hand over his heart. “It would be my honor to cook for you. We can talk details later.”
“I’m starting medical school,” said Kate. “And sick of being stuck in a hotel with him. Apartments around here aren’t great either. We really like the look of this. If things go well, we could move in today, if you don’t mind. He’s a good guard man and I’m at school ten hours a day.”
“I will care for all of the beautiful flowers,” Antonio said with a smarmy smile.
“We’re swingers,” said Kate. “Low-key about it.”
“Ah,” I said, pushing up my fake glasses. Swingers explained Antonio’s blatant flirting in front of his partner. Living with swingers wasn’t exactly a healthy choice for me. I needed time to think it over. “I have a contract for you to look at. It includes an NDA. I don’t want anyone saying anything about me or my whereabouts—for personal reasons.”
“No problem,” said Kate.
Antonio leaned toward me, crossing his arms and appearing concerned, his big eyebrows bunched together.
“Also, perhaps it’s best to be extremely upfront. I think it’s a good policy not to sleep with housemates. There’s a single young woman interested, and I’ll be upfront with her about you two. I’d appreciate it if we kept the drama away from the people we live with. It’s so much nicer when emotional people can walk out the door.”
Kate smiled. “I think I’m going to like you. Of course, Antonio already does. All very sensible and I’m on board. Tonio?”
He sighed dramatically. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“All right,” I said, and grinned at them. “Let’s go inside.”
Zoey and I waited while Antonio inspected the kitchen, grunting happily when he found the butler’s pantry. Kate walked briskly around the space. The pair stared at each other and she nodded briskly. “Let’s go see the bedrooms downstairs,” she said.
The big daylight basement was filled with windows around the large entertainment room. A small kitchenette provided the basics in a corner.
“I will not use that,” said Antonio derisively.
“Well,” I said, “it would be nice if the other renters did.”
“This is true,” he said and smiled wolfishly at me.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to live with such a blatantly sexual man. However, I wouldn’t have a problem not sleeping with him and he’d hear the sharp side of my tongue if he got too frisky. Putting up with the drama would be a chore.
“What does he cook?” I asked Kate as Antonio inspected the kitchenette despite his derision.
“Everything. Fresh bread, big haunches of meat braised in wine sauce. Latin and European fare mostly, depending on the season. It’s all very creative.”
That sounded amazing. I chewed on my lip.
“Come on, Tonio, let’s go see which bedroom we like.”
