Drifter McLeod & Desiree

CHAPTER 1

Two unhappy years post-graduation spent working for his father in a small-town store dealing in rent-to-own furniture, appliances and electronics had convinced McLeod Jones he was becoming brain dead. His father refused to introduce innovations or allow McLeod to modernize the premises and at least half the customers resented dealing with Jones junior because of his young age, thinking he knew nothing.

McLeod quit.

His father shut himself in his office with a loaded shotgun, staring at the formal notice of resignation and McLeod's young step-mom tried unsuccessfully to farewell McLeod carnally which was rather innovative of her. All that pressure accomplished was to confirm to McLeod he'd made the right decision to move on.

McLeod went by bus to Charlottesville where he booked a seat and waited to board the Amtrak train to Cincinnati. He went into the lower deck of a car and found it unoccupied and that unnerved him a little but he thought it was preferable to a car filled with screaming kids and nagging women and bitching fathers.

As a stranger to the city he poked around Cincinnati and early on the third morning took a bus and got off when it appeared they were leaving the city. It must have been a ring route because he could find no return bus stop. He cursed for being so stupid not asking the driver for details. The area had a small shopping area. He was walking along the street when a young woman stepped out of a convenience store in front of him staggering under the weight of two cartons.

"Ma'am, may I help you?"

"It's miss."

"Leaving aside the semantics may I carry that load for you?"

"God you sound educated. You can't be around from here?"

That's the trouble with women, McLeod thought. They feel compelled to talk about a problem or an action before committing. He took the two cartons.

"I didn't say..."

"Lead me to your vehicle."

The black SUV was only ten feet away.

"This is so unnecessary of you," the woman fluffed, opening the rear door.

"How would you have opened that door weighed down by his load?"

"Easy. I would have... oh. Mother always says I'm too impetuous. Oh I guess I would have had to put the cartons down on the wet ground, opened the door and lift them in one by one and the wet one may have dirtied my dress. Thank you kind sir."

"Impetuous women are far more interesting that self-controlled, measured women."

"You mean in bed?"

The young blonde, now with a flaming face, now looked as if she could sink through the ground.

"No I didn't," he grinned, "but you raise a valid point. Perhaps we could debate that some time? I've just arrived off a bus feeling like a decent breakfast. Could you recommend a suitable establishment?"

"A 24/7 diner is now open and two cafés open within the next hour but if you want a decent breakfast you'd better come with me."

"Thank you ma'am but I really can't impose like..."

"It's impolite to turn down an invitation like that and will you stop calling me ma'am. I'm Desiree King, Miss King to most people but I'll make an exception for you. Usually men with whom I come in close contact wish to undress me rather than assist me with my shopping or other chores."

"Perhaps we could debate that interesting dilemma for men at a later date?"

"God can you turn anything into a debate?" she giggled. "My first thought was you looked sexually threatening but already I'm becoming glued to the idea you might be rather charming without having to make the effort."

"Glued to the idea?"

She smiled and said her late paternal grandfather tended to use that expression when making an emphatic point.

"I'm rather glued to the idea of placing myself into your lovely trustworthy hands Desiree and being taken to a great breakfast."

"God talk like that and my mother will warn me off you."

They laughed and she told McLeod to get in.

"Um first allow me to introduce myself Desiree. I've just resigned my job and am wandering, so I guess my status right now is vagrant. My name is McLeod Jones."

"Oooh, strong name and no crap with the declaration you are a vagrant. Does that mean you are a beggar?"

"No I have money. My personal status at present remains undefined because I left home for good yesterday just before 9:00 am. I'm seeking my future. As for my name, my mom before my birth decided with a surname like Jones it needed a strong handle. Her mother was born a McLeod."

"Oooh, you phrase words well. Are you a romantic?" Desiree asked as she started the vehicle.

"My pragmatic experiences so far don't indicate that I can generate such a quality."

"Local and college sluts eh?"

McLeod considered his reply and said, "Something like that."

"You have the appearance and speak like a college graduate and your easy manner with me suggests you are used to be surrounded by heaps of intelligent women. Town boys are not like that."

"Very perceptive. What do you do?"

"A little like you, college graduate with a MS in Management and waiting for my future to arrive."

"Unless you have something lined up you'd be best taking off and looking for your future, increasing your chances of finding a good one."

"You've arrived."

They traveled almost a mile in thoughtful silence until McLeod said, "All I'm saying you are in your mid-twenties and you owe it to yourself to consider all options."

"Yeah right. I am aware working six hours a day as assistant cashier in my family's lumber yard means I'm only marking time and the contrary argument to your premise is if I stay put I'll be found."

"I can buy that. Who can predict with absolute accuracy the throw of the dice? Do you have a steady guy?"

"God you don't hold back. If you must know there is no regular guy escorting me out at the moment. Here we are."

McLeod looked at the imposing three-level rough-sawn wood house.

"Granddad began building it, helped by his father, when he was twenty-five. Dad helped by granddad increased it in size another 40%."

"It looks impressive. So am I likely to get lucky with you?"

"If you stay around your chances would be good. But if you decide to get flirty watch out for my two brothers."

McLeod carried in the two cartons into the kitchen for Desiree where they found the family waiting for breakfast, mom, dad and two guys in their early twenties.

"I can see what took you so long," said the mother. Taking a carton from McLeod she said, "Hi I'm Michelle King."

"Desiree's sister."

She smiled. "Please stay for breakfast young man."

"Thanks. I'm McLeod Jones from a little ways east of here. I got off the bus when looking around the city and saw Desiree with the cartons and I offered to lug the weight. She politely offered me breakfast. I think I'd made a good impression."

"I bet you did. This is my husband Jake."

Jake remained seated when shaking hands.

"And my youngest son Harry."

"Hi. You delayed our breakfast."

"And my eldest son John."

"Hi McLeod," said the broad-shouldered guy of about twenty-eight. "How's the grip?"

He grinned and gave McLeod plenty of time to avoid his fingers being mangled and then applied pressure.

"Stop it John, behave," his mom sighed.

"He can stop this anytime he says submit."

Desiree said, "Oh grow up John."

"I'll try not to hurt your son Mrs King."

"Stop it both of you."

"He won't let me go Mrs King. I submit."

John grinned and pulled his hand away. "Gotcha."

Desiree said angrily, "Now let's run a quiz to test which of you two has the best knowledge and probably the greater intelligence."

"McLeod's a clear winner," John grinned. "He's a college grad isn't he sis? You don't team with dummies."

"I probably can run faster, swim faster and climb faster that you John but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a better person," McLeod said thoughtfully. "Could you just try to like me for how you find me without physicality or brain-power being involved?"

"I guess so."

"Ohmigod, is that my John being reasonable," Michelle laughed, hauling out steaks from one of the cartons while Desiree, smiling cutely at McLeod, lifted tomatoes and frozen fries off the top of the kitchen provisions in the other carton.

The two women worked quickly and had breakfast on the table in good time, allowing Jake and his two sons to head off for work only a little late.

McLeod stayed for two days before his investigations showed there were no suitable work for him in this locality, in fact no work at all although Jake did say he could work at the yard for fifteen bucks an hour, twenty hours a week.

Desiree allowed him to work her up a bit but as soon as he attempted to free a breast or go below her waist he had his hand pulled away and was told to behave himself. Not good but Desiree said her loose ways were behind her, that she was saving herself for Mr Right. She must have said something to the family about that because they all appeared to lose their warmth toward him.

McLeod took the hint. He left behind a goodbye and thanks note addressed to everyone when he left at 11:00 on that third night and caught the 11:45 out of town and was pleased to find it had a café service. Later that evening he transferred to a train to St Louis where he looked around for a couple of days, booking a coach seat on the Texas Eagle before beginning his short stay.

The forgettable journey on the Texas Eagle of 939 miles and taking a little over twenty-three hours should have been broken with a stopover, preferably two he thought but too late. He should have gone by airplane. They also have screaming infants, noisy children and coughing old men but they also greatly condense the journey by their superior speed.

Aunt Rhonda, his father's youngest sister, met him at the station and kissing him in delight saying he was much better looking that her brother had been at McLeod's age of twenty-four. She asked, "And how was your great train journey?"

"Oh fine apart from appalling dumps of rubbish alongside wide of the railroad and a few other things I'm eager to forget."

"Oh. Well come home and shower and I'll feed you and you can go to bed."

"A shower and food would be okay but no sleep until late tonight. I slept quite a bit on the train, in a great number of broken intervals."

"You should have taken a roomette."

"I wanted to conserve money."

Rhonda smiled. "Oh yes, my conservative brother said you walked out in a huff. God I remember him being a self-righteous guy when I was a small kid. I guess you found him too conservative to work for?"

"That's exactly it."

"Well I'm delighted you are putting down anchor for a while. Ted said if you know anything about computer servicing he could get you work at the university. They have a backlog of maintenance."

"I'm handy with computers. I took computer science as part of my university studies."

As they reached the SUV Rhonda's phone went. McLeod only heard her side of the conversation.

"What this evening?"

"I'm not reluctant. It's just my nephew has just arrived..."

"Twenty-four."

"Well his father, my brother, is eleven years my senior."

"Chris that's disgusting."

"All right I'll ask."

Rhonda said a friend was calling with a late invitation to go to her home for dinner. McLeod would probably like Chris who was very hospitable and vivacious. She explained both husbands were at a university dinner.

McLeod said yes that would be fine.

"Yes Chris. We'll be with you within the hour. McLeod has been a night and a day on a train from St Louis so needs to shower and shave."

As Rhonda slid her phone shut, McLeod asked innocently, "What did Chris say that made you brand it as disgusting?"

"She said you and I ought to... Ohmigod, what am I saying?"

"You mean having it off?"

"Yes. Perhaps when describing her earlier I should have said she's rude and vivacious and over-sexed."

"It doesn't embarrass me."

"Thank god for that. Since you appear ready to call her Chris you best drop auntie when referring to me."

"Okay Rhonda. Anything else?"

"Yes, forgot what that disgusting Chris suggested about you and me."

"Why?"

"Because... because I said so that's why."

"Well sure as hell I won't be mentioning it to Uncle Ted if that's what you're worried about."

"I... um... appreciate that assurance. Oh god, I'm flushing."

"That's only a mild precursor to sexual stimulation. Nothing to worry about."

"McLeod!" Rhonda shrieked, dropping her phone. McLeod shot out his foot to cushion the impact and the phone slid off his sneaker to land on the concrete gently.

"Oh fine save, thank you."

"A thank you kiss?"

Rhonda flushed and kissed him chastely, like an aunt.

McLeod sniffed rudely as said, "You smell swell."

"Oh god," Rhonda muttered, opening the back door of the SUV with her remote. McLeod tossed in his backpack and carry bag.

As they started off she said, "Ted and I were thrilled that you called a few days ago to ask if you could stay with us. With the two kids at boarding school we feel rather lonely at times in such a large house."

"As his second wife do you feel they're your children."

"Yes I do."

"I'm glad about that. I recall mom saying you could have children because of a malfunction."

"She makes me sound like a car over due for repair."

"So the problem is surgically reversible?"

"Yes but it is difficult, not always successful and complications can result. I'd already decided not to have the surgery before I met Ted after my divorce and he agreed that was the smart decision to make."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-three but the children were quick to point out I'm not the youngest stepmother of children at their school by a long shot."

"How old is Chris?"

"Thirty-four and McLeod, let me warn you: she is very promiscuous."

"Okay, I hear you. So what do I say if she suggests we three indulged in a threesome?"

"McLeod! God you are provocative."

"Have I touched a sensitive nerve?"

Rhonda now looked truly embarrassed and the vehicle lurched as she over steered and then over corrected.

"Do you and Chris sometimes have sex?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Okay neither Chris nor anyone else needs to know I know. So you're quite a hottie?"

Rhonda squirmed in the driver's seat and tugged pointlessly at her hem that was probably down as far as it would go. McLeod being an adult male had already noticed her figure when first sighting her half an hour earlier. In comparison his mom was built like a breakfast cereal box; Rhonda's figure was like one of those sexy French perfume bottles.

* * *

McLeod was bored mindless at lunch. Only a handful of times the conversation had included him. He was thinking sex whereas the woman talked about the rising price of meat, their mutual friends, movies, books, soaps on TV and for fuck's sake the weather!

When Chris went off to make coffee, the table already cleared, Rhonda said, "Chris is eyeing you. I'll go soon and she can bring you home later."

Eyeing him? McLeod hadn't noticed. Well he had a choice, a quarter horse that was a sure thing or the thoroughbred who just might come across. He said casually, "Nah, you are my preference; I'll come home with you."

They sat, staring at the ceiling. She was sitting on his left and Chris had been sitting on his right. He placed a hand gently on Rhonda's thigh and she jumped a foot. However the hand was not pushed away. Nor was he scolded.

"Rhonda..."

"Shut up McLeod. Not a word."

When they finished coffee and Chris had her hand on McLeod's thigh and was asking how would he fill in his nights while in Austin, McLeod began yawning. Rhonda stood and said, "You poor boy. You need sleep. Chris we must go."

"Christ I almost had to drag you from her, "Rhona thundered as they drove off. But her rage subsided instantly and she opened her legs as McLeod's hand went in search of pussy.

She was screaming for it as they got inside the house and she pulled him to the floor of the passage as soon as McLeod had closed the connecting door to the garages.

"How long have we got?" he grunted.

"Possibly only twenty minutes and for us to be in our respective beds when your uncle comes home."

"Right, straight into it," McLeod said, his slight shyness with his aunt evaporated. He ripped her panties off and she squealed in delight and said, "Ohmigod, I've cum already. Feed it into me handsome young man. Ohmigod, do I need this."

They banged as McLeod had never been banged in his life. She matched him stroke for stroke and rolled him, bit his tongue, pulled his hair and had him practically deplete his tank.

Wow.

"God that was good," she said panting, pulling off her skirt to use to stem the flow of liquids. "You fuck brilliantly."

"Inspired by you ma'am," he grinned.

"Jesus here's Ted."

They began to panic but she said, "No it's the neighbors next door arriving home."

Rhona settled McLeod in and kissed him goodnight.

"We can't do this every day," she said tentatively.

"Would you settle for twice a day?"

She left the room giggling.

McLeod showered and half an hour later heard Ted arrive home. He dragged on his pants and went out to meet him. They greeted one another warmly and sat over coffee and yarned for almost an hour until McLeod yawned.

"Oh pal, sorry. I'd forgotten you'd been on a train for almost twenty-four hours. You'll be deadbeat. Off to bed. We breakfast at 8:00."

McLeod stayed three weeks with Ted and Rhonda. Ted found him work upgrading computers and the two guys got on so well that McLeod backed away from Rhonda and she appeared happy about that, saying she'd been scared they'd be discovered.

At the end of an action-packed stay, because his host were big into socializing, McLeod boarded the Texas Eagle to begin the 1500-mile journey to Los Angles, waving to the smiling Rhonda. They'd had a great time together the previous day. Being more experienced about train travel, he'd decided to break the trip midway and Rhonda had arranged for him to spend two nights with her maternal grandparents who were conveniently located midway at El Paso. McLeod finally arrived at LA knowing he'd have to find work because paying for a room would eat into his savings. Standing outside Union Station just before 10:00 watching early-morning bustle McLeod wondered what now? He had no idea where he was heading.

"McLeod Jones, drifter you idiot," he muttered.

A woman pushing a baby in a stroller stopped and asked, "Are you okay or just lost?"

"I've just arrived from Austin, Texas, without a clue of what I do next."

"How stupid."

"Thank you."

"No I apologize. I didn't mean to say what I was thinking. Do you have money?"

"Yes."

"Well go to an Internet café and do a web search in Los Angeles for a site called Craiglist, all one word, plus backslash and the words 'rooms and shares'."

"Right thanks. I'll try that."

"Be careful about the caliber of co-tenants unless you wish to end up with a gay male or bi-sexual couple who prey on tenants."

"Oh I will. Any idea of fair-price monthly rental?"

"Expect to pay $800 to $900 for a reasonable location, a quality room and quality shared amenities. You could get condo accommodation at that level. You can of course pay $300 and live amid squalor."

"Thank you ma'am you have been most helpful. I never thought anyone in a city the size of LA would stop to ask if I were okay."

"Well you are lucky mister. You appeared wholesome and I'm a former country gal from Utah."

"Thanks, you have been awfully kind."

"Well aren't you polite. Look here's my card. Call me when you are settled. My husband Al and I and baby Karen would like to have you over for lunch one Sunday. You appear very interesting."

"Nah, I'm not interesting and..."

"Here, please take the card. And you call me, do you hear?"