The Setup

by Rachel Van Dyken

  I sighed, putting my stuff down in the opposite chair and sitting. “And the real reason?”

  “That’s the real reason.”

  “I bet you have a penthouse.”

  “I do.” He moved to a sitting position.

  “Bet it’s big and lonely.”

  He sighed and then finally answered, “it is” before standing and adjusting his tie and grabbing his notes and placing them between us.

  I took his, handed him mine, and began to read.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Finn

  Pretty sure I looked like hell, but I didn’t care. The idea of going back to my empty apartment sounded horrible, and I was pissed at myself for losing it in front of Jillian and pissed that she somehow brought out the best and the worst in me.

  Her notes were detailed.

  Impressive.

  And I tried not to laugh when she explained how John took fifteen minutes to go over the perfect dog that would fit into his life.

  “He was a real winner,” I finally said.

  “So was Sarah,” she shot back. “At least this time they didn’t leave with each other. So, we can kind of call it a win?”

  “He was a douche,” I admitted. “And she was in love with herself. Saw her checking out her reflection at least a dozen times in selfie mode.”

  Jillian laughed.

  God, she was so pretty my chest ached.

  She was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve gray sweater that fell off her shoulder in a way that was too tempting for someone like me, or any red-blooded male.

  “Well, we still have two more attempts,” she pointed out.

  “True.” I was lost in thought, so I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late.

  She’d stood and was massaging my shoulders.

  I let out a groan as she kneaded the muscles, moving from my shoulders into my neck. “Keep going.”

  “You shouldn’t sleep on the couch. You’re too tall for it.”

  I yawned behind my hand. “While you’re back there, please don’t snap my neck.”

  “Only crossed my mind once,” she said innocently.

  “Or twice?”

  “Maybe.”

  I laughed, even though it wasn’t funny. How had things gone so horribly wrong? I thought we had something, felt something, but it wasn’t enough? Was that it? Or I just wasn’t important?

  I’d never really dealt with rejection, so I wasn’t sure how to handle it, where to store it in my brain, especially with the pain stabbing me in the heart.

  “I have student loans,” she said quietly.

  Where was she going with this? “Most people do.”

  “Do you?”

  I opened my mouth, shut it, opened it again. “No.”

  “Because of scholarships?”

  I sighed. “Because I have a trust fund, and because a Titus generally doesn’t have to pay for anything.”

  “I see.”

  “Do you?” I didn’t turn around.

  “Yeah, I can understand growing up that way, not realizing that debt can be debilitating. I had to pay for all my school myself, this was the best paying job I could find even with my masters.”

  “Jillian—”

  “I just wanted you to understand that not everything is about you, sometimes we can’t make choices we want to make, not because we don’t want to but because our hands are tied,” she finished.

  I instantly felt like an ass. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

  “I know.”

  “I’m sorry for being an ass.”

  “I’m used to jackasses. This company apparently likes to hire them,” she teased.

  I hung my head, then stood and turned, towering over her. She swallowed slowly, her eyes meeting mine.

  “Is that all?” I asked.

  “All?”

  “Is that why your job trumps everything else?” I clarified.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Well, that’s the biggest reason other than maybe possibly being a tiny bit scared of…” She waved a hand in front of me. “This.”

  “My six-pack?”

  She scowled. “There’s eight, and you know it!”

  “Counted, did you?”

  “I like numbers.” She scrunched up her nose, and I swear I almost kissed her right then and there. “Besides, what else was I supposed to do with you standing in front of me in nothing but a towel?”

  “Um, pull it off?” I teased. “Amateur.”

  “Right, because nothing screams hospitality like taking someone’s towel and letting them stand naked in the middle of the living room.”

  “Missed that part of etiquette class, didn’t you?”

  She laughed. “Totally.”

  “Mmmm,” I leaned in and held out my pinky. “Fresh start?”

  She sighed and wrapped her pinky around mine. “Fresh start.”

  She went home minutes after that.

  And I sent another text to Aunt Nadine.

  Me: I like a girl.

  Aunt Nadine: IS SHE PREGNANT?

  Me: FOR THE LOVE! NO, SHE’S NOT PREGNANT!

  Aunt Nadine: I HAVE SOME CONDOMS I CAN SEND.

  Me: You poke holes in them. I’m not stupid, I’ve heard the stories from our cousins, poor Jake. Point is, I like her, but it’s kind of a forbidden office romance thing…

  Aunt Nadine: TELL ME EVERYTHING.

  So, I did.

  And when I was done texting her the sad story of my life, with obvious parts censored for my own personal discomfort, she said she’d be dropping something off at my apartment and to be ready.

  I’d never been so nervous to go to my own home.

  An hour later, I was back and wondering if I should have my mace out. I shoved my key in the lock and made it into my room at about the same time a small tan short-haired rat ran at me full blast.

  Dear God.

  She’d dropped off a demon!

  The little chihuahua shrieked out a bark and repeatedly jumped at my legs. I had no choice but to pick it up.

  It had a diamond collar around its neck and a little name tag that read “Princess.”

  I almost choked.

  And then I did the only thing I could do.

  I called Jillian.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jillian

  His apartment building was gorgeous. He had a doorman, and I had to have a special card to wave over the elevator pad in order to make it to the penthouse.

  Because, duh, he was a Titus.

  I didn’t even want to know how much his trust fund contained.

  On top of that, I knew he owned stock in the company.

  And they were considered the Kennedy’s of the Northwest so… I wasn’t stupid. I knew I would be walking into a dream apartment.

  I was still surprised he called, and then he said dog, and I laughed for a solid two minutes.

  I kind of loved that aunt of his.

  All he said was that she was trying to help him, and her version of that was letting loose an untrained chihuahua in his house.

  I knocked on the nice white door.

  He jerked it open with a panic-stricken look on his handsome face. “I can’t find it!”

  “What?” I yelled. “The dog?”

  “It was in the living room. I went to get a food bowl, and now it’s gone!”

  I shoved past him. “How do you lose a dog in your own apartment?”

  “It’s eerily quiet when it wants to be. I’m telling you the dog knows things!” He looked ready to lock me in the apartment and make a run for it.

  “Finn.” I tried to sound rational. “It’s just a dog!”

  “Demon dog,” he muttered, just as a bark echoed through the apartment. He gave me a look.

  And I finally took in the perfection that was his apartment. Except it was cold, so ridiculously cold, white walls, slate floors, no pictures, a huge TV, and a gorgeous fireplace in the middle of the living room. A clean kitchen with designer everyth
ing.

  But it didn’t even seem like he lived there.

  I put my hands on my hips and went back to the problem at hand. “Where did you leave her?”

  “Right there.” He pointed to where I was standing. “For maybe five seconds.”

  I did a small circle, trying to figure out which direction the bark had come from. “Okay, so she probably went down the hall, she’s obviously not in the living room.”

  “I looked everywhere.”

  “Let’s look again.” I nodded as we pored over two guest rooms and finally went into the master.

  If the living room was cold.

  The master bedroom was searing hot.

  He had a faux fur rug near the foot of his bed, a masculine blue paint coating the wall, pictures of friends, family, a roaring fire next to a beautiful sitting room that had leather chairs, and a wet bar.

  I gasped.

  “Did you find it?” He nearly ran into me.

  “No, um your room, it’s… nice.”

  He looked a bit uncomfortable. “Thanks.”

  “Come on.” I walked farther in, not even looking for the dog anymore but wanting to snoop around this perfect room that seemed to reflect his exact personality the way the rest of the apartment failed to do.

  I walked into the biggest bathroom I’d ever seen and nearly died.

  A huge tub sat in the middle, a glass shower dominated the east wall, and a door to a balcony beckoned from the other end. “What’s that for?”

  “Outdoor shower.” He shrugged. “Sometimes it’s nice in the summer.”

  “It would be nice every day.” I’d always loved the idea of an outdoor shower, it just seemed so… freeing.

  “You look like you’re ready to steal my shower and lock me out of my own apartment.”

  “The thought crossed my mind at least a dozen times.”

  He laughed. “Help me find demon dog, and you can shower as many times as you want, deal?”

  I scoffed. “I’m not using your shower!”

  He shrugged. “Why not? You want to. And I want the dog to not die on my watch.”

  I heard a whimper then and held a finger to my lips as I quietly made my way into the closet.

  One of his UGG boots had toppled over, and the dog ambled toward me with the excitement and energy of a puppy.

  “UGG boots, really?” I said, scooping up the dog.

  “They were a gift!” he fired back. “And they’re comfortable during the winter, don’t say a word to Leo.”

  “What about Slater?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Owns them in every color, also sworn to secrecy. It’s bro code.”

  “Ah.” I loved on the edges of the puppy’s ears and pulled at the hot pink and diamond tag. “Princess, huh?”

  “I didn’t name her.”

  “And yet here she is. Yours.” I laughed. “She’s adorable.”

  Finn made a face and then cursed. “Okay, here’s the truth. I’ve never had a pet. I had a goldfish once, and it died after two years when I was in middle school. My parents didn’t do pets, so that was the best I had. I have no clue how to take care of this.” He pointed at the puppy like it was diseased.

  “Puppies are a bit hard to take care of, but come on, look how cute she is.” I held the puppy up. “She’s so tiny! She probably just needs lots of love. Did your crazy aunt leave food?”

  “Did she leave food?” He rolled his eyes. “It’s best to show you.”

  We walked across the apartment toward another room. He opened the door revealing a laundry room.

  And inside it, there was a pink dog bed, two pink bowls, and a dozen toys along with a pee pad for the dog.

  “Wow.” I held the puppy tight. “She thought of everything.”

  Finn froze and then turned toward me, a funny look on his face. “Huh, I think she did.”

  “What’s that look?” I held the puppy between us like a shield.

  “What look?”

  “That one on your face, as if you’re plotting something.”

  His grin grew. “This look is a look of thankfulness that you saved Princess.”

  “Now, I know you’re lying. You’ve been referring to her as ‘it’ this entire time.”

  “Change of heart.”

  “You’re going to kill your pet.”

  He gasped in outrage. “Not on purpose!”

  “Oh, God.” I let out a sigh. “This means nothing, by the way. I’m going to stay, I’m going to use your ridiculously cool shower, you’re going to let me, I’m going to help you for a few days, and you won’t say a word to anyone. Got it?”

  The look was back. “Yup.”

  I handed him the dog. “I’ll be back in forty minutes depending on traffic, try not to kill her while I’m gone.”

  “I was going to take her for a walk.”

  I groaned into my hands. “If you lost her in your own apartment, imagine how much better you’ll do outside?”

  He nodded. “Solid point.”

  “No decisions without me.” I jabbed a finger at him. “And when she poos, you’re cleaning it up.”

  “Gross.” He held the puppy out Princess immediately started squirming.

  “Hold her close.” I pressed the puppy against his chest and put his large hand over her. “Firm, otherwise she’ll get anxious, but not too tight you hurt her.”

  His voice was low. “Sorry.”

  I was still touching his hand.

  Our eyes locked.

  I jerked away. “Um, I’ll be back.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Finn

  Me: You did that on purpose.

  Aunt Nadine: WHAT?

  Me: THE DOG!

  Aunt Nadine: HOW DARE YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE.?

  Oh, dear God.

  Me: YOU left a puppy at my apartment!

  Aunt Nadine: THAT’S WHERE PRINCESS WENT! I WAS WORRIED SICK!

  Me: Weird, since you left her with enough dog food for a month, all her toys, with tags mind you, a dog bed, and her bowls.

  AUNT NADINE: YOU HAVE NO PROOF.

  I shook my head at my phone.

  Me: I literally just named my proof.

  Aunt Nadine: IS SHE OKAY? DID YOU KILL HER YET?

  Me: No, I just forced someone to help me.

  Aunt Nadine: OH? WHO?

  Me: Jillian.

  Aunt Nadine: I KNEW SHE WAS PREGNANT.

  Me: Are you trying to be obtuse, or is this just the way you are? I just wanted to say thank you, I’m not sure how you managed to do it, but thank you.

  Aunt Nadine: THAT DOG DIES, I’M CUTTING YOU OUT OF MY WILL.

  Me: No pressure.

  Aunt Nadine: THE RUSSIAN MOB IS LOCATED DOWN BY THE PIER, ONE OF THE PETROVS WAS ONCE A LOVER. DON’T DISAPPOINT ME.

  I didn’t even ask if it was true, I’d heard stories, and I’d seen pictures of this so-called tatted-up dude from Nixon.

  Besides, it was Aunt Nadine.

  She helped us win the cold war.

  So, I tucked away the terrifying name and picked up the tiny dog, having not a clue in hell what I was supposed to do.

  Thankfully, I wasn’t stuck with the dog long.

  Traffic must have been good because about a half-hour later, after another knock on my door, Jillian was sweeping inside my apartment with her purse, a garment bag, and a small duffel.

  “Are you moving in?” I grinned. “Or just high maintenance?”

  She jabbed a finger at me. “Ask yourself, are you in the position to mock me, or should you be on your hands and knees in gratefulness?”

  My dick twitched. “Hands and knees, always hands and knees when it comes to you.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and then she cleared her throat. “Which guest room?”

  “Pick one.” I grinned. “But might I suggest the one across from the master? That way, you have easy access to the shower you’ve got a hard-on over.”

  “At least someone in here can get hard.” With a wink, she was off. />
  And I was most definitely not soft.

  She came back within minutes. She’d changed into Adidas leggings and a large gray sweatshirt. “Come here, honey.” She held out her hands.

  “Are you talking to the dog or me?” I wondered out loud.

  “Which looks more like a honey to you?” Her eyebrow arched.

  “Me?” I hoped.

  She laughed and took the dog right out of my grasp, and that little bitch cuddled into her like Jillian was its long-lost mom, whereas I had scratches and bite marks on my hands.

  “See? She’s not so bad, are you, are you Princess.” The dog soaked it up like the whore it was and just cuddled her more and grunted, showing her its giant belly full of canned dog food—a can that I’d nearly puked into once I opened it and smelled the offensive food.

  “You hungry?” I asked once I couldn’t take the cuddling.

  “Actually…” Jillian gave me a guilty look. “I’m starving.”

  “I’ll order in, I’m not going to pretend I actually cook in here.” I went with honesty.

  “If you have some staples, I can probably whip something up,” she offered.

  I went over to my fridge and opened it. I had ketchup, beer, soda, mayo, and bread. And in my freezer? Vodka.

  “Well, at least you have your priorities straight.” She nodded to the vodka.

  “Always.”

  I pulled out my cell and the list of takeout and grabbed Chinese again since I knew she liked it, and since it reminded me of our night together. Then I opened a bottle of red and handed her a glass.

  “Wow, I may not ever leave if I get wine poured for me,” she teased, a soft smile curving her lips.

  My heart thumped wildly.

  Because I could see her there.

  With me.

  In my living room.

  Drinking wine.

  Holding our dog.

  Oh shit, now it was our dog.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Temporary, it was temporary.

  “You okay?” Her eyes narrowed, “You look pale?”

  “Me?” I shrieked and then cleared my throat. “No, I’m great. Sorry, just thinking about the app and how we haven’t solved anything yet, at least not really. It’s like we’re both plugging in the wrong algorithm, but I know when I did my last one, I said short, not tall, into nature, sports. I basically begged the app to give me a tomboy, and I got Sarah.”