by Erica M Kim
A quick peek at the schedule tells me there are seven more dogs to go. It’s going to be a busy day.
Before very long, a sea of soap suds cover my clothes, and I’ve lost track of time. Dog number four has been washed and groomed already—a Saint Bernard named Bernard. It must be past lunchtime. After a moment’s rest, I make my way to the front desk to notify the owners of the first four dogs for pick up. As I turn the corner to the front, another customer is entering the front door. My mouth opens to tell them that I can’t take any more customers today when I recognize the hair. It’s Lio. I freeze in my tracks. I definitely did not expect to see him so soon. Ah! I can’t deal with these unannounced visits! I quickly run my hands through my drenched hair. I probably look crazy.
“Hi,” he says with a smile that could melt the polar ice cap. With that, I don’t even care about anything else. The only thing that matters is that he wants to see me as much as I want to see him.
“Hi there.” My lips form into a shy smile.
“I know you aren’t crazy about my spontaneous visits, but every time I’m away from you, I feel like I need to be near you.” Lio’s eyes are sincere and serious.
“Me too,” I admit. Today, Lio’s wearing a long sleeve flannel shirt, faded blue jeans, and black converse. He didn’t shave this morning, and his face has a brown shadow that tempts my fingers to cop a feel.
I’m suddenly self-conscious about my disheveled hair, dirty clothes, and dog smell. I’m not even wearing any makeup today. Heat creeps up my face as I look away.
“It looks like you’re down a man today?” he asked as he tries to peer his head around the back. “It sounds too quiet.”
“You’re right,” I confess. “Ramon couldn’t come in today.”
“Can I help you finish up? I would love to make Chase jealous by covering myself in other dog scents, and yours, of course.” My eyebrows shoot up. That’s the last thing I expected to hear from him.
“I have an extra T-shirt you can borrow,” I say with a smile. “Come on.” I lead him to the back toward my office.
“Here’s a fresh shirt.” I hand him a black T-shirt with a Hair of the Dog logo on it. “And here’s an apron.” I turn around to find Lio with his shirt off, wrestling to put on the uniform. Oh gods.
His body is something you would see out of a movie. He has well-defined pecs that just are begging to be touched. And his abs. Holy mother of the gods. They literally could wash clothes. I can’t even imagine how many hours at the gym he’s spent to form them. I catch Lio’s eyes studying me as I gape at him. Oh shit! How embarrassing! I quickly divert my lecherous eyes and feel heat blossoming across my face. I sneak a glance at Lio’s face, and he’s smirking at me. I feel like a child who got caught with a hand in the cookie jar.
“Are you ready? This way,” I say rather bossily in an attempt to regain some composure and control.
“Anything you say, boss.” I hear amusement in his voice.
Lio gets going with washing dog number five, a Labrador retriever named Nelson, while I take on grooming a poodle on the table across the room. By the time I finish with the poodle, I turn around to see Lio soaked completely head to toe, and Nelson is shaking more water off. Despite the situation, Lio has a wide grin plastered across his face. My heart melts just a little bit.
“Hey, Nelson,” I say to the chocolate Lab as I walk over. “Are you getting Lio soaked? No more shaking,” I command with a serious look on my face. Nelson immediately sits down and allows Lio to finish rinsing the soap suds.
“How do you do that?” Lio looks amazed.
“Dogs listen to me. What can I say?”
“Maybe you can come over and give Chase a lesson or two.”
“Chase is the sweetest, most obedient dog ever!”
“I know. I just wanted an excuse to invite you over,” Lio says with a sly smile. His hair is tousled in a perfect way, and his wet shirt in sticking against those pecs that begged to be touched. His muscular arms are covered in dog shampoo. I twirl around and return to the poodle before I try anything stupid.
With Lio’s help, we finish in just two more hours. With no time for a lunch break, I’m absolutely starving. Dizzy and exhausted, I lean onto the grooming counter for some additional support.
“Can I treat you out for some dinner for your help?” I offer.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I know, but I want to. Lio, just let me buy you dinner,” I say with pleading eyes.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll give you this world,” Lio says quietly. His voice is soft and seductive, and I want to believe him more than anything else I’ve ever heard. It takes me a moment to recover.
“I’ll have to remember to keep that one in my chest of weapons,” I say with a smile. “Come on. I’ll show you where the shower is.”
18
As much as I would love to say that I got to shower with Lio, it doesn’t happen. In fact, after my own shower, I am keeping as much distance as physically possible as he showers. I might rip my clothes off and go mad.
Once we close up the shop, Lio and I head to my favorite sushi joint, Sugarfish. It serves deliciously fresh sushi on warm rice. My mouth starts watering in anticipation.
Once we are seated, I immediately order two bottles of hot sake before even glancing at the menu. The sake is served to us with small glasses. The first sip I take is a saving grace against the tiredness that’s sunk deep into my core. I take a deep breath in and drain the rest of the glass.
“You’ve got quite the thirst, don’t you?” Lio looks at me sternly.
“Rough day with a new coworker, you know,” I say with a smile before I pour myself another generous glass of sake. After clinking glasses with Lio, I throw the next one back again, emptying it before I slam it down on the table. This time, Lio doesn’t say anything but just eyes me. I don’t know why I’m drinking like this, but I’m exhausted from the long day’s work, and moreover, seeing Lio shirtless has left me wanting for more. Time to take my game up a notch.
Once the waiter returns, we both order the Nozawa, named after the masterful sushi chef of the restaurant. Within minutes, plate after plate of tasty tuna sashimi, melt-in-your-mouth albacore sushi, and buttery salmon sushi arrive at our table. Warm sake cleanses my palate after the sushi. We’ve already finished the third bottle. Well, more like I’ve finished it.
“So good, huh?” I say through a bite of the toro hand roll.
“Yes, delicious. Have you been to Matsuhisa?” I shake my head. “I’m taking you there next time. It’s incredible.”
With a stomach full of food and sake, I slowly come back to life from the dead. I look at Lio, and he seems content, I think. His crystal blue eyes are relaxed, and he has an easy smile on his face. He is so handsome.
“So, tell me, Lio. What do you do in your free time? If you weren’t with me right now, what would you be doing?” It must be the sake talking. I down another shot to bolster my courage.
“I’d be working. It’s been hard to do that since I met you,” he says teasingly.
“What?! You’re the one that keeps dropping in on me!” My eyes bug out in exasperation.
“I know, I can’t seem to stay away from you, doll,” he says with a seductive smile. My body responds with a throbbing desire.
“How many women have you charmed and seduced, Lio?” Wow. Did that just come out of my mouth? Lio looks momentarily stunned too, as his eyebrows shoot up.
“I see it’s my turn to be tried in the Spanish Inquisition.”
“It is indeed. And I’ll see to it that you pay for your previous transgressions,” I say with a low voice.
Lio’s eyes flash with lust. “Well, I would say that I’m not much of a charmer or seducer honestly.”
“I don’t believe you.” Come on, does he take me for an idiot?
“I’m being honest, Lunis. Sure, I’ve had relationships, but my primary focus is the success of my business, not my romant
ic life. In fact, the last relationship I had was over three years ago, and that lasted three months. Most women get sick of my constant absence due to the business.” He pauses as he considers this statement as if for the first time ever. “Or perhaps I just haven’t found anyone worth being around,” he says, gazing deeply into my eyes. Whoa. That is a bold statement, and despite the liquid courage, I find myself at a loss for words. I look down to hide my ridiculously giddy smile.
Is it possible that he’s just as crazy about me as I am about him?
“I still don’t know if I believe you.”
“Lunis, I told the team at M.M.S. that I’m on vacation this week so I can spend time with you. The last time I took a vacation was five years ago.” Shit. Now I’m shocked. No wonder it seems like he’s doing nothing. He literally is doing nothing but seeing me!
“So how much more time do you have left on this so-called vacation?”
“Until Wednesday. I need to leave for Greece on Thursday for a few days.”
“Oh,” I say without much enthusiasm.
“See, doll. Don’t get too used to my availability.” He gives a wink. “I’ll be back by Sunday, though.”
“I see.” I’m shocked to find myself really saddened by this news. I realize that I have been looking forward to spending the rest of this week with Lio. He’s already become a staple of my routine, and I barely know the man. I try to wash away the disappointment with another sip of sake. Okay, I’ve officially lost track of how many I’ve had.
“I’ll be right back.” I excuse myself to take a quick break to the restroom. What is going on with me? I head toward the restroom. Never before have I felt this way about someone, and I have only known Lio for a few days, even though it oddly feels like I’ve known him for longer. The way I feel around him—safe, comfortable, like I don’t have to worry about who I am, or what I do . . . it’s incredible.
I’m scared to death to hurt him and what it could do to me. But it just feels so right. As I approach the table after the bathroom break, Lio greets me with a smile that starts to disintegrate my resolve. His blue eyes are gentle and show genuine care, as they survey me carefully. His hair is perfectly messy without any hair product, begging for my fingers to run through them. And his lips. I want them on my mouth . . . and then the rest of my body.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m good. Should we get a beer?”
“Are you sure you can handle that?”
“Yes. Excuse me.” I flag down a nearby server. “A round of Sapporo, please.”
“I really don’t think you should be drinking anymore, Lunis. You nearly drank all three bottles of sake by yourself.” Lio then flags down the waiter and tells him to cancel the beer. What the hell?!? Who does he think he is?
“I told you I’m good, Lio. Why did you cancel the beer?”
I finish the last bite of the blue crab hand roll and stay rather silent. Lio’s eyebrows stich together, likely perplexed by my sudden change of mood. He better get used to that if he wants to be around me.
“You okay?” he asks after a few minutes of silence.
“Yeah.” I definitely don’t sound okay.
“I told you, I’ll be back by Sunday. You don’t have to drink away your sorrows,” Lio says with a teasing smile. He reaches across the table and brushes the fly-away hairs from my face. His fingers then sweetly brush my cheeks, and I forgive him for canceling the beer.
“Open your mouth,” Lio suddenly says to me. He’s holding the grand finale, a delightful bite of uni—sea urchin—between his chopsticks. He’s seriously going to feed me?
“Open your mouth, doll,” he repeats more sternly. I acquiesce despite my embarrassment. The uni is sweet and creamy, and beyond delicious. Whoa, I am officially full . . . and drunk. My face feels flushed, and I am utterly elated and woozy from the alcohol. The world seems to whirl around me.
“Check, please!” I demand out of a nearby waiter. As I say that, I suddenly realize that I’m in no condition to drive. I don’t even know if I can calculate a tip.
“I already paid for the bill.” Wait, what?
“What the fuck, Lio! I told you I wanted to take you out to dinner.” I am officially pissed. What a patronizing thing to do! My irritation is likely augmented by the unreasonable amount of ethanol in my bloodstream.
“You shouldn’t have gone to the restroom,” he says victoriously. What an irritating thing to say!
“You would rather that I take a piss in my seat?”
“No, I would rather pay,” Lio says curtly as if that were the end of that discussion. Oh no, he didn’t.
I can’t quite figure out what to say next; my head feels rather cloudy, so I just get up from our booth and march my drunk ass out of the restaurant. Outside, the air is cool and salty, but it does little to sober me up. I’m such a fool for pounding down those drinks! I start marching in a direction generally toward my shop, where I can at least hang out until I sober up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Lio’s hand grabs my arm, and I try to pull away, but he’s too strong. He forces me to spin around and meet his gaze. The world heaves around too and doesn’t stop spinning, even though I’ve stopped moving. I suddenly feel nauseous, and I fight it. No. No way.
“I’m going back to my shop.”
“And then?”
“I’m going to sober up, then go home.”
“Are you upset that I paid for dinner?” Lio’s eyes are piercing as they stare straight into mine. I freeze.
“Yes,” I admit quietly. “I told you I wanted to buy you dinner, and you couldn’t just let me do that.”
“Okay, Lunis. I didn’t realize how important it was to you. I’m sorry. Next time, I promise I will let you buy me dinner.” My head continues to spin, and the world is going in the opposite direction. I stare back at Lio, and his face blurs. I think I’m going to puke.
I take a quick turn into an alley and hunch over into a dreadful squat. The squat of shame. Oh, gods. As I’m hunched over, Lio’s hand is on my back, rubbing it gently in a circle, as my mother used to do when I was ill. It seems to be helping because I start to feel better and the nausea abates. All I can feel is his warm hand making a large circle between my shoulder blades.
“You okay? You shouldn’t have drunk so fast,” Lio gently chides me. He continues to rub my back in a soothing rhythm, and I feel myself relax.
After a few moments, I’ve regained composure. Shameful puking successfully avoided . . . for now. “I think I’m going to be okay. I know. I’m an idiot,” I finally admit. Any resolve I had has completely dissipated now, and all I want to do is be held and soothed. I hate feeling sick.
“Come on, let’s go to my car. I’m parked just one more street down. You ready?” At my nod, Lio pulls me up by my elbows, and I then cling onto his arm as if it’s a lifeline. After a few stumbles along the walk, Lio wraps his arm around me and guides me to the car as I lean against his warm body entirely. Oh no. He brought the R8. I need to make sure my stomach is in check now. I cannot get sick in the car. Cannot. Before I get in the car, I take a deep breath of the fresh ocean air. I think I’m okay. I know I’m okay.
After Lio straps the seatbelt over my limp body—I refuse to move in order to focus on not getting sick—we are on our way. I have no idea where we are going. But I don’t care anymore, I slowly close my eyes, and I realize how tired I am. I’m really, really tired.
19
I must have fallen asleep as soon as I got into Lio’s car because I don’t even remember getting out of the neighborhood. When I wake up, it feels like a jackhammer is drilling my head, and my mouth feels like a desert sandstorm blew through it. And then I realize that I’m laying down. In a soft bed. In a dark room that does not smell like my own. Where am I? Oh shit.
Cringing, I recall my childish behavior at the restaurant. Not only did I overdrink, but I got pissed about the bill, then nearly threw up the very meal that I wanted to pay for. Facepalm. A shudder
escapes me under the sheets, and I try to scrape together whatever vestige of pride I have left to face Lio. Rolling off of the enormous king-sized bed, I nearly fall over out of dizziness. The search for the light switch is unsuccessful, so I bump my knees as I look for the exit. Damn it.
The bedroom door opens to a large hallway. The wall of the hallway is floor to ceiling windows that open into what I can guess is an expansive view of the ocean. I could see the moon’s reflection glittering on the water. At the end of the hallway, there are three doors that are closed. The stairway is made entirely of glass, and each step is a separate column of glass that goes down to the floor. Every glass step has real seashells melded inside them. It looks like I’m walking on a wave of water. The effect is dazzling, and I marvel at each step as I head down them. Once I reach the bottom, I head toward the light that I see on. It leads me to a large kitchen that is made entirely of slate and stainless steel. It has every imaginable state of the art cooking tool that any chef would drool over. I have to say it’s impressive.
The kitchen opens into an enormous great room that also is lined with floor to ceiling glass windows. At the center of the room is a flat-screen so massive that it could rival a movie theater screen. Who needs to watch a TV that huge anyway?
Within the kitchen, there is an island with barstools, and on the last barstool, Lio is perched, hunched over his laptop. I stare at him for a second. Even like this, he is gorgeous. His hands quickly move as they type, and his eyes show a steely glint of focus. I shift my feet, and Lio looks up, and so does Chase, who looks like he was also just napping. His tail starts to wag mercilessly as he gets up to greet me.
“So the pretty lady decides to wake up. How are you feeling?”
“Pretty miserable. And deservedly so.” I pet Chase’s soft fur as he licks my hand in return.
