No.
Fuck, I need a moment.
“I’ll get it taken care of and get my lawyers to try to get it taken down. Can you head to the store while I deal with this?”
“Sure. Take your time.” She walks into the bathroom and shuts the door.
I don’t understand her reaction to this situation at all.
Something’s off to me. Maybe I’ve read her wrong. My mind is so twisted that I can’t think straight.
I look at my phone and see a text from Hugh.
Hugh: Meet me at the store.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Yessi
I arrive at the store and Avril greets me with a hug.
“Damn, girl. You are a freak. I’m so proud. Jealous, but proud. Did you leak the video?”
I roll my eyes. “No, I didn’t leak the video. We think Hugh did it.”
“Hugh? Really? What an asshole.”
Eden encroaches on our conversation. “For real. If he did it, he should go to jail. You’re a victim of a sex crime, Yessi.”
I laugh. “Yeah, maybe technically. But I don’t care. Like at all. For some reason, this doesn’t really bother me.”
Avril nods. “It wouldn’t bother me, either.”
Eden shakes her head. “Well, it would bother me a ton. Aside from the fact it’s an invasion of your privacy, it’s also illegal. Fuck Hugh, seriously. How are you not upset by this? Millions of people have now seen you naked and having sex. You should be outraged.”
“I know. I mean, in theory, I should be. But I don’t feel that way. I love Preston. In fact, we both finally said I love you. And he said it first. He’s everything to me. All I care about is that we’re happy, and we’re saving animals.”
Eden’s face tells me she doesn’t like my answer. “Well, Hugh needs to be arrested. Your flippant attitude is shocking to me.”
I don’t want to argue with Eden. “Yeah, I get it. The more I think about it, it’s wrong. I guess just in the overall scheme of my life, it’s not the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” I close my eyes and remember my childhood. The abuse at the hands of my foster father. My pattern of latching on to older men when I was a teen. I quickly open my eyes again and try to shake off the memories.
Eden hugs me. “I love you, Yessi. You know that. But you should really talk to someone. You may be fine now, but this is not okay.”
I hear a knock at the back door. Avril opens it, and a drop-dead gorgeous man with wisps of dark hair poking out under a wide-brimmed hat smiles at us. He’s wearing a white dress shirt strapped down with black suspenders and black pants. A purebred black pug is squirming in his grip.
“Guder daag. Mei naame iss Jedidiah Lapp from Amish Puppies Direct. I have your new shipment of der hunde.”
Der hunde? Dogs? What the fuck? I look around for a horse-drawn carriage but instead I see a van. The Amish don’t drive. Am I being punked? Maybe Preston set this up to fuck with me.
Avril pushes me out of the way. “Well, hello Jedidiah. I like your hat. I’m Avril Peet. But we didn’t order any puppies. We’re a rescue-only store. There must be a mistake.”
“There’s no mistake, mei fraa. I have an order here. Signed last week by a Mr. Preston Evans.” He points to his clipboard.
I pull the clipboard out of his hands, and there I see it. It’s a scanned document dated seven days ago—with Preston’s signature.
Has Preston been lying to me all along? Did he just use me to get the rescue to back the store, so I would call off the rescue protesters, and he would get good press?
His father’s words ring in my head.
“Is she your girlfriend or just another one of the girls you use and discard?”
Oh my god. I’m such a fool. Maybe he did leak the sex tape.
Doubt crashes around me. Preston doesn’t love me. He’s using me. I’m so so stupid. I walked into this trap the day I met him.
I have to get out of here. I can’t hear another word.
I run out of the store, climb into my car, and just drive aimlessly.
My phone begins to blow up. Avril. Preston. Eden. But I don’t want to listen to anyone. Not Preston’s lies. Or Avril’s snark. Or Eden’s sympathy.
I just want to be alone. Not only at this moment. But always.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Preston
I pull up to the store and see a large van parked in the back with the words Amish Puppies Direct on it.
What the fuck? I didn’t order any more puppies.
Avril and Eden are animatedly talking to some tall Amish dude, but Yessi is nowhere to be found.
“What’s going on here? I’m Preston Evans, the owner of the store. Who are you?”
He shakes my hand. “Wie bischt? Mei naame iss Jedidiah Lapp from Amish Puppies Direct. I have them de hunde you ordered.”
My head hurts from confusion, but I recognize the word hunde from the Marine Corps—teufel hunden was a term that Germans called the Marines during World War I. “I didn’t order any puppies.”
“Sir, I have an order from you here.”
He shows me a wrinkled order form with an order for twenty puppies of various breeds and my signature at the bottom. This doesn’t make any sense.
“That’s my signature, but I didn’t sign it.”
“I spoke with you two weeks ago. We picked out the puppies, and then you finalized the order last week.”
I frown. “I’ve never spoken to you.” But clearly, he spoke to someone else. Someone else posing as me.
And that person could only be Hugh.
Just then, Hugh walks into the store with a huge smirk on his face. Speak of the devil.
He saunters over to me and pats me on the back condescendingly. “You can thank me later, Evans. I just saved your store from this rescue bullshit.”
Oh hell no. I run up to him and slam him against the wall.
“What did you do, you motherfucker? Did you leak that sex tape of Yessi and me? Of Kira and me? Did you dump Gidget in the night drop? Did you order these puppies? Answer me, dammit.”
“Yeah, I fucking did. I made you, asshole. Before the sex tape with Kira, you were nothing. You keep falling in love with these hot chicks, and once you get high on their pussies, you can’t think straight. Have you seen Doggy Style’s online reviews? We’ve already been slammed by so many customers. People want purebreds, not mangy mutts like that stupid dog Gidget. She bit me, so I dumped her. Now tell these two bitches to leave the store, and we can get back to business.”
I clench my fist and sock him in the jaw. “I’m calling the cops on you. I’ve been making excuses for your ass for years. I’m done.”
“Whatever, dude. You’ll get over it. Your business will be destroyed without me. I doubt these rescue chicks can bail you out.”
Fuck. I do need to increase revenue. But I’d rather have no business than work with this guy one second longer. “You’re dead to me.”
“Whatever, Evans. You’ll come crawling back. I’ll check in with you later, once Yessi leaves your sorry ass. I’ll be in touch.” He walks out of the store. I’m tempted to run after him and give him a proper beatdown but decide it’ll be best to let the authorities handle it.
I need to find Yessi. Avril and Eden are staring at me, both seemingly shocked.
“Where’s Yessi?”
“She left,” Avril says. “You’re a good man, Evans. I believe you about the puppies. But what are we going to do now? We can’t send them back. They’ll be resold.”
“I agree. We can fix them like we did the others and then adopt them out. At least they won’t be bred.”
Eden is playing with the black pug puppy. “Yeah. We have to keep them—especially this one. But from now on, no more puppies.”
“Well, I don’t think there’ll be any dogs from now on. I need to make more money, or I’ll have to close. I can’t operate at a loss.” Both Eden and Avril look glum.
Jedidiah clears his throat. “So, you want the puppies
or not?”
I give up. “We’ll keep them. Hey, why are you driving a van? I thought it was against your religion.”
“It is. But I’m on Rumspringa. I haven’t been baptized by the church yet. I’m just helping out my pop.”
Avril’s eyes grow wide. “Rumspringa? So, you can fuck?”
Jedidiah smiles. “Most definitely. Let’s go now.”
Eden just shakes her head. “Jesus, Avril. He’s a fucking puppy breeder.”
“Yeah, but he’s hot. Hey, I mean, Yessi fucked Preston. He was opening a puppy store. If she converted him, I could convert Jedidiah.”
I laugh. “Man, you’re all nuts. Jedidiah, how much do I owe you?”
He tells me, and I pay him.
“Ladies, can you handle the store and the puppies? I need to find Yessi.”
Avril is still fawning over Jedidiah. “Of course. Maybe Jedidiah can hang around for a few nights and help me out with all these de hunde.”
He tips his hat. “I’d like that.”
Eden throws her hands up in defeat. “Am I the only sane person left here?”
“Yup,” I say. “I’m going to go find Yessi.”
I get in my truck and call Yessi. It goes straight to voicemail. I keep calling and calling, but she won’t answer. Where is she?
I check her Instagram next, praying for a sign. Nothing.
I think. Where could she be? And then it comes to me.
I race down the freeway and exit at the animal shelter.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Yessi
I walk around the shelter, looking at all the helpless dogs about to die. Here I thought I was making a difference and saving dogs. But instead, the man I love just ordered more puppies.
I’m weak. I fell for Preston Evans. He used me to promote his puppy store. I was so desperate for love that I believed what he said.
And now, I have nothing to show for it. I quit my job at the tattoo parlor, I moved out of my place. Hell, even my dogs are with Avril. I’m so pathetic.
I reach my hand in a kennel and pet an old dog whose best days are long behind him. He has a black lab head and a corgi body. I think he’s adorable, but I doubt the public will. He has no shot of surviving.
I break into sobs.
Then, I hear footsteps behind me. I’m afraid to turn around. Is it the kennel tech with a red leash, about to lead this old dog to his death?
“Yessi.”
Preston? I slowly turn around and just leap into his arms, despite myself.
“Yessi, babe. I’m here.”
I pull back and stare at him. “Did you leak the tape? Did you order those puppies? Don’t you lie to me.”
“No. I didn’t. I swear to you. I would never lie to you.”
I want to believe him so badly. “Then who did?”
“Hugh. He showed up at the store just now. He admitted to everything. I’m going to press charges about the tapes.”
As pathetic as it sounds, I believe Preston. Since we’ve been together, he’s been totally open and honest with me. Sure, I doubted him, but I can’t believe he would order puppies after all we’ve been through.
“What about the puppies? Did you send them back? Dude will probably resell them.”
“Well, Avril, Eden, and I agreed we should just fix them and adopt them out, so they aren’t bred. Last puppies ever though, I promise. You can be in charge of picking dogs. But I have to find a way to keep the store open. I need to make a profit.”
“So it’s hopeless?” Despair threatens to consume me.
He shakes his head and smiles. “Nah. I’m sure the two of us can find a way to get sponsors if the store is only for rescue dogs. Don’t give up on me, Yessi. I need you.”
It feels so good to be needed. “I need you, too.”
“Meanwhile, Avril has the hots for the Amish guy. She thinks she can convert him like you converted me.”
Ha. Can’t say that I blame her. He was gorgeous. “She’s insane.”
“Can we get out of here? This place gives me the creeps.”
I nod. “Yeah, but I’m taking this dog with us.”
He wraps his arms around me, and we kiss. “Of course, you are. That’s why I love you.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
“Pres, your parents are here.”
I kiss Yessi. “Thanks, babe.”
I walk out of my office and see my father talking to Yessi, while my mother browses the store.
“Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, son.”
We embrace and briefly catch up. It’s hard to believe that a year ago we were barely on speaking terms. So much has changed since then.
After Hugh was arrested, my father finally apologized to me. But it took me a while to come around because I still had a lot of resentment toward him for not believing me. But Yessi kept pushing us to work out our differences. After a few therapy sessions, my father and I hashed it out. And now he’s the co-owner of the Pugs N Roses rescue boutique. We changed the name from Doggy Style after cutting all ties with Hugh, who’s currently in prison.
Dad still lives in Hawai’i but is spending some time here. And he adopted Cuffs. Those two are thick as thieves.
I also apologized to Kira for blaming her about leaking the tape, and thankfully she forgave me. Not that she can be bothered with commoners like me—she’s dating a prince. Like, actual royalty.
Avril took off with Jedidiah back to Amish country. I don’t even know what’s up with her because she doesn’t call. Can’t really blame her—the Amish don’t even have phones.
Eden is still happily single and helping out in the store when she can. Yessi jokes that she will end up falling in love with a shelter director.
As for Yessi and I, we’re incredibly happy together. She’s truly my soulmate. I adopted Gidget and sold my condo. Yessi and I moved to a farmhouse where we could have all her pets, Nemo, the min pin foster she had. At least Lucy and Pirate were adopted. We live on two acres of land and even had to get a kennel license to keep all of our pets. But I love our home. I’m even eating vegan more often since Yessi spoils me and handles all the cooking at home. But I still enjoy a good steak. And Yessi doesn’t even nag me when I eat one.
And the store has been thriving. In one year, we’ve managed to adopt out over one thousand shelter pets. We are even making money by hosting singles events, dog meetups, and dog fitness activities.
I grab Yessi’s hand and take her over by the front door, where we first met.
“Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. A year ago today, this gorgeous woman handcuffed herself to this door to get me to stop selling puppies. Honestly, I thought she was crazy. And hot, but mostly crazy. But now I think she wasn’t the crazy one, I was. She’s opened my eyes up to so many things, made me a better man, repaired my relationship with my family, and changed my life. Now I want to make her my wife.”
I pull the engagement ring I picked out last week with my father’s help out of my pocket and drop to my knees.
Yessi gasps.
“Will you marry me?”
“Oh my god, Pres. Yes!”
I place the ring on her finger and kiss her as the store erupts in applause.
I whisper in her ear, “I have one more surprise.”
I grab the handcuffs she used a year ago on the door and handcuff her to me.
She laughs. “I’ve been wondering where those were.”
I kiss my fiancée. “I told you I’d save them for later.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Doggy Style.
If you liked it, would you please consider leaving a review? Doggy Style
Read about Preston’s friend, Grady in my hit book Beast.
Please stay tuned for the next two books in the Rescue Me series, Downward Dog and Tail Chaser.
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Afterword
Though this book is a work of fiction, it is based on my time running my dog rescue, Pugs N Roses.
We have saved close to 400 dogs from high kill shelters in Southern California.
Please adopt a dog from a rescue or a shelter. Never breed or buy. We have amazing dogs, including purebreeds and puppies.
Also, please consider giving a donation to Pugs N Roses. We are a 501 3 c non profit and 100% of the donations go to the veterinary care of the animals in our care.
Acknowledgments
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK my husband, Roger, for all your incredible support and love.
To my boys, Connor and Caleb. I love you both so much. You are the reason for my every smile.
To Nicole Blanchard. For motivating me to write everyday when I didn’t want to.
To Kelli Collins for helping me save Yessi
To Chris for fleshing this book out
To Joanne Machin for saving me by editing as I go. You are priceless.
To Sara Eirew: For taking this wonderful picture.
To Aria Tan: for the cover.
To Shannon Criss from EverAfter for your endless patience on this book.
About Alana
ALANA ALBERTSON IS the former President of RWA’s Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, and Chick Lit chapters. She holds a M.Ed. from Harvard and a BA in English from Stanford. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, two sons, and six rescue dogs. When she’s not saving dogs from high kill shelters through her rescue Pugs N Roses, she can be found watching episodes of Cobra Kai, Younger, or Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.
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