by T. S. Ryder
She got hold of his leash and pulled him along. She had nothing to clean him off with. All she had were a few napkins, but they wouldn’t go far.
She did the only thing she could think of. With her hands, she wiped as much of the mud off him as possible. Then she wiped her hands in the grass. He was still dirty. Mud caked the hair on his back and arms. And of course, it was in his tail. He swiped little mud marks on the parking lot.
She sighed. She’d take him back and offer to wash him. That might not go well, but what else was there to do at this point? Hopefully Jesse wouldn’t be mad at her.
When they pulled up to the house, she gulped before knocking. Jesse opened the door and she gave him an apologetic smile.
“I’m really sorry. We ran into a little trouble,” she said.
Jesse looked at Murphy and his eyes widened. “What happened?”
“There was a squirrel…”
“And then?”
“He chased it. And when he was done, he laid down in the mud.”
Jesse looked at Murphy, who happily let his tongue hang out of his mouth. “You played in the mud, Murph, did you?”
“I’ll wash him. I’m so sorry.”
“Ah, it’s okay. I should have warned you that he tends to do that. I think he likes the coolness of the water.”
Right. And the spell she had cast on him didn’t have anything to do with it. “So it’s not just me?” She gave a nervous chuckle.
“No. Come in. I’ll show you to the bathroom.”
He led them to a door that went down to a basement. Luckily, the floors were all marble or hardwood, so the dirt Murphy left behind could be swept up easily. In the basement, which was fully finished like an extra story of the house, Jesse took her past his workout equipment and into a bathroom with a large tub.
“This is where I wash him,” Jesse said. He reached into a closet and took out a basket with dog shampoo and other grooming supplies.
“Thanks.” She started the water.
“I hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I have a few things to finish up. But I can come help in a bit?”
“Sure, don’t worry about it. I got this.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
He smiled before he left.
She got to work. First, there was getting Murphy into the tub. She had to half push, half pull him in, but he finally stood in the shallow water and let her pour cups of water over him. This part was much easier than she had expected. Maybe Murphy liked baths.
Getting him back out of the tub once he’d been washed and rinsed was more challenging. She again had to tug on him to get him to move. She was toweling him off when Jesse came back down.
“I see you managed okay,” he said. He leaned against the door frame, watching them with a smile on his face.
“We did. I’m so sorry, again.”
“It’s not a problem. Though I think you’ll need a bath yourself after this.”
She looked down at her dirty shirt and shorts. “Yeah.” She laughed. “I really get into my work.”
“So, can you come back tomorrow? I usually have him walked every day, around midday.”
“That’s perfect.” She wouldn’t mind seeing Jesse every day.
He kept smiling. That was a good sign. As they left the bathroom and she followed him back upstairs, she cast a light spell. The one she’d told Charlotte about—the one to heighten feelings—could be done at different levels, like all spells. The stronger they were cast—the louder and the more intensely felt—the stronger they would affect the target. Since they’d just met and she couldn’t be sure what Jesse was feeling, she cast it lightly. It should be enough to make him like her more. Maybe not romantically, but that would come. This was a start.
Chapter Four
The next day when Ella showed up to walk Murphy, she was disappointed to be greeted by Marla, the housekeeper. Jesse was at work all day. And he would be every day. How had Ella and Charlotte not considered that when they were making this plan? He’d never fall for her if he never saw her. The rest of that week, every time she knocked on his door, she was hopeful, then disappointed.
“What am I going to do?” she asked Charlotte. “If I never see him, I can’t cast spells or make him love me.”
“Hmm. Maybe you could call him and ask to talk about Murphy?”
“What about him?”
“It’s been a week. Ask him for a business meeting to recap. You could see if he has any suggestions, changes to the schedule, things he’d like to see going forward. Make a doggie plan or something. I don’t know. Treat it like a business. That’ll work on him.”
“Okay, sure. A doggie plan.”
Ella thought about it, then called Jesse.
“Is everything okay?” Jesse asked, after greeting her.
“Oh, sure. Well, I hope so. I like to meet with my clients after the first week or so to make sure everything is okay. I’d like to discuss any plans or changes you might have for scheduling, exercise or discipline. Is there anything you’d like me to be working on?”
“I think it’s been great. I’m happy and Murphy seems happy. Thanks.”
This wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. “Would you have a few minutes to look over the plan I have laid out for him?”
“Umm.” There was silence for a minute. “Sorry, I have someone in my office. Let’s do this. Can you meet for coffee near my office tomorrow?”
“I’d love to.”
Not only was she going to get to talk to him, but this was something that felt like a date. Ella hung up, excited. Then she realized she needed to actually have some sort of stupid plan for this dog. She spent the rest of the day on Google and came up with something that seemed feasible.
The real plan was what to wear and how to cast spells on him in order to make him fall for her. She tried several different outfits, finally deciding on skinny jeans and a top with flats. It was casual, but still very cute.
Normally, she would arrive a few minutes late to this sort of half date meeting. That way, she wouldn’t be sitting there alone, looking pathetic, and it would give him the chance to get them a table. But this time, she got there early. With his busy schedule, she didn’t want to inconvenience him. She sat with her notebook out, reading it as if she were concentrating.
She saw him coming in, of course, but she pretended not to. He approached the table.
“Hey there,” he said.
She looked up and acted surprised to see him. “Hi.”
“Can I get you a coffee?”
She smiled and shook her head. “This is my meeting and you’re my client. I’ll get you the coffee. You can take a look over this while I get it.”
He chuckled and sat down. “Okay.”
The real reason she wanted to do this, though, was so she could spike his coffee. She had made a potion that raised the drinker’s spirits. It was normally used when people were sad, to make them feel better, but she thought if used right, it could double as something of a love potion. If he felt good when he was with her, maybe he’d just come to associate good feelings with her. When she popped the lid off her own coffee to add sugar, she popped his off to add the potion.
She set his coffee down and sat across from him.
“Thank you,” he said, taking a sip. He gestured at the plan in her notebook. “This is… thorough.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. First of all, is there anything you’d like to change in how we’re doing things? Schedule or timing?”
“Nope, it’s all good.”
“Okay, great.” She made a note in her notebook. She had to look as professional as possible. “So, then, discipline? Anything you want to work on?”
“If you can get him to stop loving puddles, that’d be awesome. But otherwise, he’s very well behaved.”
“Right.” She made another note. At this rate, they’d be done in five minutes. She needed a way to get him talking. “What about h
is diet? I can make recommendations for him if you need them.”
“I think we’re good there. I buy whatever the vet tells me to. And I have an excellent vet.”
“Of course you do.” She smiled. What else could she ask him about the dog to get him talking? “Well, is there anything else you want to tell me about Murphy that you think I should know? Or anything you want to ask me?”
He sat back in his chair and gave her a half smile as he looked at her. “I do have one question.” He leaned forward and asked, “Do you really do this with all your clients, or was this just an excuse to see me?”
Her cheeks went hot. He’d figured it out. What was the best way to play this off? She looked down and picked at the lid of her coffee for several moments before answering. “I, umm, usually see my clients more regularly so I can discuss these things with them, but since you’re usually at work, I just thought…” She lifted her shoulders and gave him a sheepish look. “I’m sorry if I’m wasting your time. I just want to make sure that Murphy is getting the best care possible.”
“I appreciate that, I really do. He’s important to me. But, Ella, let’s do this the right way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have dinner with me.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?” Maybe playing the innocent, shy girl worked on him. It seemed to be doing so far.
“Really. Tomorrow at seven?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
He stood up and pushed his chair forward. “I do have to get going, though. Thanks for the coffee. See you tomorrow.”
“See you then!”
Ella watched him walk out and realized she was excited. She was looking forward to their date. This was not good. She couldn’t fall for him. That would ruin all their plans. She had to remember that this was payback for breaking Charlotte’s heart. There was a purpose for this. And the purpose wasn’t her own happiness. If she fell for him, that would only break Charlotte’s heart even more.
***
She talked to Charlotte later that day to tell her the news.
“You sound excited,” Charlotte accused.
“I am. I love food and it’ll be a fancy restaurant. I’m not going to eat all day so I can gorge myself on expensive food.”
“Okay, well just remember what an ass he is. He might even make you pay for your meal, he’s such a jerk.”
“Did he do that to you?”
“Well, no,” Charlotte said. “But I’m just saying. You never know with him. Be careful. And be prepared.”
Ella agonized over her outfit but ended up going with her staple little black dress. She couldn’t go wrong with it.
Jesse knocked on her door right on time, and when she opened the door to greet him, he handed her a bunch of brightly colored flowers.
She blushed and put them in water before sliding nervously into his car. She didn’t say much as they drove. What did a billionaire mega-businessman like to discuss, anyway? There was his dog, but beyond that, she had no idea what they might have in common or what there was to talk about. If she could tell him she knew he was a dragon shifter, they’d have plenty to discuss, but she couldn’t reveal she knew that, and he was likely not ready to tell his secret yet since this was their first date.
“You seem nervous,” he said, sitting across from her in the fanciest restaurant she’d ever been to. She’d never heard of this place, but when he had pulled up to it, it was obvious why she hadn’t. She could never afford a meal in a place like this.
“I don’t date a lot,” she said, averting her eyes from him.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“I guess spending all my time with dogs doesn’t give me much time to meet anyone.”
“Good thing you met a dog person then.” He smiled and her heart fluttered.
She excused herself to go to the bathroom after they had ordered. There, she drank a calming potion, and as she walked back to the table, she cast a spell on him from behind so he wouldn’t see, to increase his feelings.
They found that they had similar taste in TV shows and movies, mostly police investigation shows that they both tried to figure out before the end of the episode—and usually failed to. They liked superhero movies and they both read fantasy books on occasion. They had far more in common than she had ever expected, and when she asked about his work, she was pleasantly surprised that his explanation didn’t go way over her head. It made sense. He bought and sold companies, using the money from the profits to invest in new companies, then when they were successful, bought and sold more.
As they chatted and laughed their way through appetizers, mains, then dessert, it seemed the spell was working just as planned, though the calming potion wasn’t really working on her. She found herself intrigued and excited by him. She was anything but calm.
After a dinner that lasted four hours, he drove her home. He walked her to the door, and she didn’t want to say goodbye.
He stood in front of her, smiling a knowing smile, but saying nothing.
“What?” she asked.
“I want to ask you something, but I want you to know that it’s fine to say no.”
“Okay…” She bit her lip, hesitant.
“Can I kiss you?”
She let out a sigh and smiled. “Yes.”
Without even thinking, she closed her eyes and her heart swelled as his lips pressed against hers. Her hands went to his neck, playing with the hair at the back of his head. He pulled her closer, his hand on her back.
When it ended, she felt dizzy, intoxicated. But she’d had nothing more than a single glass of wine at dinner and that was hours ago. It was almost as if he’d cast a spell on her. Could that be? No, why would he do that? Dragon shifters did have some magic, but nothing like witches. For them, it was more like they were so attuned to nature that it responded to them without effort. And now that she thought about it, that explained Murphy perfectly. Jesse probably only had to think of a command and he did it. Duh. How stupid could she be to suggest further discipline training for him?
He looked down at her with a thin smile on his lips. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” she said, grinning.
“I’d like to see you again. Is that okay?”
“I’d love that.”
As he walked away, she cast the spell again for his feelings to heighten. It seemed to be working wonderfully. Almost too wonderfully.
Chapter Five
By the time their third date rolled around, Charlotte assured Ella it was time. Tonight they would have sex. The next phase of the plan would be put into action. They’d have sex and she’d get pregnant. Supposedly.
“He’ll probably use a condom, even if you tell him you’re on birth control,” Charlotte warned when they spoke on the phone about it. “He likes to play it safe. Maybe tell him you’re not on birth control. That way, only the condom has to have supposedly failed. If both have to fail, it becomes less believable, you know?”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
“Well, I considered getting pregnant myself. But I was holding out to see if he’d propose. I was on birth control the whole time. Once, the condom came off and he said, ‘Well, good thing you’re on birth control as a backup.’ He pays attention to that sort of thing.”
“Sure,” Ella said. “I’m sure he doesn’t want someone, oh, you know, getting pregnant to trap him.”
Charlotte huffed. “Who would do such a thing?” she asked, in a dramatic voice. “The nerve of some people.”
“Right,” Ella said.
She wasn’t feeling good about this anymore. She didn’t want to trick him. Her only relief was in knowing she wasn’t really going to be pregnant. And she wasn’t trying to trap him, just present the illusion of it, which really wasn’t much better in the end. At least she wasn’t involving a real child.
“He deserves it,” Charlotte said. “You’ll have to take a photo of his face when you tell him so I can see it.”
“I’ll try.”
“I hope he chokes on his food. Maybe you should tell him over dinner so he does. What a selfish bastard. I bet his whole fortune will flash before his eyes when you tell him.”
“Probably.”
“What’s wrong? You sound distracted.”
“I am, I guess.” Ella didn’t want to tell her friend that she was uncomfortable bashing Jesse. A little ping went off in her chest every time Charlotte said something bad about him. And since the night they had broken up, there had been plenty. It seemed every conversation was full of the reasons why Jesse was so horrible. The problem was, Ella hadn’t seen evidence of any of them.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’re starting to have feelings for him.”
“No, it’s just… Okay, I get that you’re hurt and everything. I do. And I’m sorry about it, but do you have to trash the guy constantly? He did take you out a lot and buy you nice things.”
“Maybe you’ve been spending too much time with him. You’re starting to sound just like a spoiled rich brat yourself.”
“No, I’m just pointing out the facts. He doesn’t owe you anything, just because he happens to be rich and you’re not.”
“Oh right. I didn’t just give him six months of my life or anything.”
“Didn’t he give you the same?”
“Whose side are you on, Ella?”
“Yours. Of course, yours. I’m just saying—”
“What are you saying? Let’s hear it. Please. I’m dying.”
Ella let out a sigh. “He doesn’t seem like that much of an asshole to me, honestly.”
“I knew it! You do have feelings for him! What the hell? You’re supposed to be doing this for me, not to snag him for yourself.”
“That’s not what I’m doing. I’ve dropped everything and become a dog walker. I’ve gone out on dates and lied and pretended to be someone I’m not. I’ve hidden my real appearance to be more attractive, and now I’m about to have sex with a guy I don’t love so that I can lie more and tell him I’m pregnant. And I’m doing this all for you. All of it. I think you could be a little more grateful.”
