Dust & Desire – The Summer Housekeeper

The sea wind howled as midnight swept over the coast, bringing with it the scent of salt, rain, and something else-something unfamiliar.

Theo Lawson stood barefoot in the doorway of his beach house, sipping red wine straight from the bottle. The creaking of the wooden floor beneath him was the only sound for miles—until a faint knock rapped at the front door.

Strange. He wasn’t expecting anyone. Not at this hour.

He opened it to find her.

A woman stood drenched on his porch. Tight jeans clung to her thighs, a thin white blouse transparent from the downpour. Her dark hair stuck to her collarbones, her skin glistening under the porch light.

“You’re… Theo?” Her voice was smooth, low-like bourbon.

“Yeah. And you must be… Selene?”

She nodded. “Sorry for the time. The bus was late. And the rain made it worse.”

Theo stared, trying not to. She was nothing like the older woman the agency had described. Younger. Curvier. Wilder somehow. A walking contradiction of domestic help and erotic temptation.

He stepped aside. “Come in. Dry off. I’ll get you a towel.”

She entered without hesitation. Her soaked shoes left faint prints on the wooden floor. Theo found himself watching her hips sway as she walked.

Focus, Theo. You hired her to clean, not to

“I didn’t think anyone lived way out here,” she said, glancing at the walls filled with books and typewriters. “It’s like a time capsule.”

He handed her the towel. “I’m a writer. Solitude helps.”

She smirked. “So does a clean house.”

She toweled off slowly, unbothered by how her blouse clung to her breasts, nipples clearly visible. Theo turned away—too late.

“I’ll show you the guest room,” he muttered.

As he led her down the hall, her voice followed him: “I hope you don’t mind… I sleep in the nude. Too hot otherwise.”

He paused at her door. “Do what you need. Just don’t… dust me while I sleep.”

She laughed softly, and it echoed in his chest like thunder before a storm.

Theo shut the door behind her, heart pounding. The house had been quiet for months.

Now, he wasn’t sure he’d survive the summer.