Free InstructionbySeduction by Jessica Shin Page A

and a lime and a bag of baby carrots in the fridge.
    “This is ridiculous,” she said to herself. “Where do I work?
A convenience store?”
    Leah sighed and helped herself to the carrots, then added
one of the import beers she’d supposedly bought for Hale. An hour later she
walked back to the kitchen table and stared.
    For years all the things she saw in front of her had brought
comfort to her. Problems of the day? Lost in a warm bowl of macaroni and
cheese. Rude comments? Frustrations? There was a bag of chips that would take
care of that.
    Leah picked up a bag of cookies and looked at it. She became
painfully aware of her aching body from the workouts. She reconsidered the
cookies. Finally she swallowed hard and said to it, “I don’t like the way you
make me feel.”
    Before she could change her mind, Leah dumped all the junk
from the table into a garbage bag and hauled it outside to the dumpster. She
went back into her apartment, walked to the kitchen and said, “Well. Now I have
no food.”
    You didn’t have any food before , she thought wistfully.
    Leah was too embarrassed to show up at work on her day off
buying health food. So she dressed inconspicuously and biked over to the next
closest grocery store, Mayfaire’s. She stood in the produce section and tried
to figure out what people who cared about themselves put into their bodies.
    As she was perusing the fifty different kinds of lettuce
mixes for a salad, suddenly she sensed that odd familiarity again. Not here,
she thought, turning red. I’d die. Die! Leah turned her head slightly in
either direction, looking for Hale. To her satisfaction he was nowhere in
sight.
    Leah breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her salad
selection. She felt someone walk behind her and then say, “Jim, can you please
restock aisle four on those crackers that are on sale? We’re just about out.”
    The manager . Leah turned around to observe someone
who had her job-to-be in action. Maybe learn a thing or two. As soon as she
laid eyes on him learning about management was the last thing on her mind.
    He was possibly the most perfect thing she’d ever seen in
her life. Tall but not too tall. Blond but not pale, his hair short and just a
little messy. Not too heavy, not too thin. When he turned and smiled at Leah
she felt her blood pressure drop and feared she was going to faint.
    “Hi,” he said. “What can I help you with today?”
    An inappropriate image flashed through Leah’s mind. All she
wanted to do was take him home. He looked like everything she’d ever imagined
when she pictured who she would bring home for Thanksgiving dinner. He looked
like he could have fun and be responsible at the same time. He looked like he
could lay down the law and kiss in a way that would make a girl melt in her
shoes. His soft voice was chocolate pudding. His smile was boyish and friendly,
yet Leah could see a different version of that smile teasing her between the
sheets.
    “I’m fine, thanks,” Leah said. Hadn’t he asked her how she
was? Or did he ask her if she was free that weekend?
    “Good. Let us know if we can help you find anything.”
    “I will,” Leah said, knowing it came out more breathily than
she’d intended. She lowered her eyes to his name tag. Scott . The name
sang through Leah’s mind like a jazz festival.
    Scott smiled again—Lord, it was a beautiful thing—and
nodded. As he turned away Leah swore she saw a bit of a blush. You’re
imagining things. What is it called…selective perception? Or delusions of
grandeur? Certainly this angel has a wife and three kids.
    Leah turned back to the lettuce with a little smirk. Reasons
for everything, right? Maybe he’s why I decided to throw out all my food. She threw some romaine into her basket, followed by a few salad fixings, and
headed for the checkout counter. She wanted to swing by the bakery section and
see how it was set up compared to FoodSmart but she was afraid of the cinnamon
rolls. Too much of a