All Loved Up (Purely Pleasure Book 3)

by Skylar Hill

  “I’m gonna need to debride this wound,” Rhett said. “I’ll have to put him under and do it in a sterile surgical environment because it’s a really nasty infection and I want to make sure I can flush all the bad stuff out and load him up on antibiotics so it doesn’t reoccur.”

  She bit her lip, flushing a little in what he realized was embarrassment as she said, “Is that… expensive? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. But I’ve got custody of two grandkids and I make minimum wage. I want to do everything I can for him, but my apartment doesn’t take dogs.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Rhett reassured her. “My services for rescues are entirely free. I appreciate people like you going all the effort to rescue animals like this, the least I can do is provide them with medical care.”

  “And you’ll be able to find him a good home?” she asked. “I’d love to keep him, really, I would, but again, the apartment…”

  “I can find him a great home, if that’s what you want,” Rhett said.

  Betty’s eyes filled with tears of relief as she reached out and petted the little pit’s head. “He’s such a sweetie. It broke my heart, seeing him so skinny, cringing under the dumpster.”

  “I’m really glad you brought him in here,” Rhett said. “The sooner I get all this infection out, the better. You did the right thing, Betty. Thank you.”

  A tear trickled down her face, and Rhett felt a flash of sympathy for her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Thank you so much… it’s just that… things usually don’t work out like this. People don’t just… help like this.”

  “But you did,” Rhett said, making more tears fall down her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I just..” More tears. He didn’t quite know what to do. “My manager made fun of me for spending my lunch break trying to get the dog, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to cut my hours because I kind of snapped at him about it.”

  “Well, he sounds like a jerk,” Rhett said, and it made her laugh. “Look, if anything happens, give this woman a call,” he said, grabbing one of Jess’s business cards out of the cabinet. “She my general manager. We’re always looking for hard, dependable workers.”

  “Really?” Betty looked up through her tears, a tentative smile on her face. “Mabel said you were a good egg,” “Working here, with animals? I’ll get in touch with her right away! Well, I’d best get going. My neighbor can only watch my grandkids until ten o’clock.”

  “Of course,” Rhett said. “Leave your number with me, and I’ll give you updates, okay?”

  After Betty left, he called Molly in and they spent the better part of three hours clearing all the infected tissue and pus out of the wound.

  “What do you think happened?” Molly asked. “It doesn’t look like a bite.”

  “Maybe a burn that festered?” Rhett asked.

  Molly shook her head in disgust as they cleaned the wound for the final time and began to pack it. “Some people, I swear.”

  “The world can be a sick place,” Rhett agreed. “But…” he looked down at the pit bull, stroking the little guy’s gray head. “The woman who brought him in risked her job to catch him, even though she was clearly dead broke. So sometimes the world can be a pretty damn amazing place.”

  They moved the dog to one of the recovery rooms and Rhett shooed Molly off, telling her to go home. “I’ll sit with him,” he said. “And come in late tomorrow, okay? I’ve been running you ragged with all my attention on Carter and Maddy’s wedding. Sleep in or go take a Krav Maga class or whatever you do for fun.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Rhett,” Molly said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He nodded, watching her leave, managing to keep the tension from his face until she was gone. But once she was, he slumped down on the ground next to the kennel the pit was sleeping off the surgery in. His ribs—God, he could see all of them—rose and fell and Rhett kept his eyes on the dog for a long time, trying to think of some way out of this hell he’d found himself in.

  He thought about Betty, spending a whole week trying to lure a terrified dog out from under a dumpster and probably getting herself fired for it. About the hundred and fifty people he employed, the eighty more part-time contractors he had on call for big events. He thought about the possums he’d pulled out of Mabel’s yard and the house calls he sometimes made, because out here, rural meant rural and not everyone could bring their animals to him.

  The community couldn’t lose River Run, even for a few weeks. If he lost his licensing, it would take appeals and probably months to get back in good graces with the boards.

  The pit began to stir.

  “Hey,” he said, getting up off the floor and opening the door to the kennel, stepping inside. The dog whimpered a little, his paws twitching. “You’re gonna be kind of drugged up,” he told the dog. “Trust me, you want those drugs. That was a bad infection you had. But we made it all better.” He stroked a finger down the dog’s head, hating that the bones were so prominent. “As soon as you wake up more and you’re not queasy, we’re gonna try to get you to eat,” he said. “But I guess you need a name, don’t you?”

  The pit blinked sleepily at him, and then settled his chin on Rhett’s knee, his eyes drifting shut again.

  “Zeke,” Rhett declared. The dog snored gently in answer.

  Rhett didn’t want to move and disturb him, so he stayed where he was, his back against the kennel wall. He pulled out his phone and brought up Nat’s name. For a long time, he just stared at the text box, trying to get up the nerve, trying to think of any other way.

  But there wasn’t one. She had offered him the one thing that would fix this disaster and make everything right again. A thing that would cause unimaginable stress and trouble.

  And he was going to be weak and take it.

  Friends, he thought as he tapped out the question to her. We are friends. We’ll stay friends. Friends helping out friends. That’s all it’s ever going to be. That’s all she’s ever going to be. Get it in your head. Keep it in your fucking head. It’s the only thing you should be thinking about her now. How she’s your friend. Nothing else. Never anything else.

  He pressed Send, his heart thumping so hard he felt it in every part of his body. He was half afraid that it would wake Zeke up, but he stayed fast asleep against his knee. What if she was just offering to be nice? What if she hadn’t really meant it?

  But then his phone buzzed and he looked down.

  Yes.

  Thirteen

  Nat

  Nat looked around the bar, trying to find her friends at the Secret Society Lounge, a vintage speakeasy and dance hall with truly amazing cocktails.

  “There you are! I ordered you a whiskey.” Renee got up, kissing her on the cheek. The doctor was impeccably dressed in a vintage suit that looked like it came straight out of the thirties. The blue tweed was to die for. Her long blonde hair was in a French twist, and she looked so chic, as always.

  “I see someone did some shopping while they were in Europe,” Nat said.

  “I got it in Paris,” Renee said as Nat reached over and hugged Liberty.

  “Nat, I am so sorry I wasn’t able to close on the Kingston property before I left,” Liberty said. “That guy… I swear,” she gave an angry little huff, and Renee let out a knowing laugh.

  Nat arched an eyebrow. “Okay, what’s the joke I’m missing?’ she asked, sitting down, picking up her whiskey on ice and taking a sip. Mm, perfection.

  “Nothing,” Liberty said quickly, as Renee continued to laugh.

  “Mr. Kingston was clearly very taken with Liberty,” Renee said.

  “What?” Nat leaned forward eagerly. “And he still wouldn’t give us the building?”

  “Clearly my feminine charms aren’t that strong,” Liberty said dryly.

  “He sent her tea,” Renee said with a smug nod.

  “Not flowers?”

  “It was a joke,” Liberty muttered.

  “Inside jokes with the cute Brit
already?” Nat asked. “I mean, if you get a romance out of this, it won’t be a total bust.”

  “Oh my God,” Liberty moaned, burying her face in her hands. “There is no romance! The guy is like, an earl or something. Or related to an earl, I don’t know. And he spent the entire week dragging his heels about selling the property and then finally is like,” she adopted a terrible British accent. “’I’m so sorry, Liberty, I just can’t sell it. It’s my history.’ I mean, who talks like that?”

  “Really hot British guys who may or may not be earls?” Renee suggested. “He was really hot,” she told Natalie conspiratorially.

  Liberty moaned some more. “It was a total bust,” she said. “On the business and romantic front.”

  “We’ll find another location,” Nat said soothingly. “You did everything you could, I know that. And I’m so grateful you were able to go in my place.”

  “Please tell me you have wedding pictures,” Renee said. “I felt awful about missing Carter and Maddy’s wedding, but I had my last lecture the day before. If only we could time travel!.”

  “I do have a few Maddy sent!’ Nat said, taking her phone out of her purse and pulling up the half-dozen sneak peeks Maddy had forwarded from the photographer.

  “Oh my God, she looks so beautiful,” Renee gasped. “And Carter! He cleaned up well, didn’t he? I’m so happy for them.”

  “Aww,” Liberty pressed her hand against her heart, her nose scrunching up. “They’re the best couple. I totally shipped them before they got together.”

  Renee snorted. “What does that even mean?”

  “Like ship, as in relationship,” Liberty explained. “It’s a fandom thing.”

  “Once a comic book girl, always a comic book girl,” Nat said.

  “Damn right,” Liberty said with a grin. “And proud of it!”

  “I’d never knock it—it’s where you got your amazing management skills,” Nat said.

  “Thanks, Nat. I do feel like working in comic book stores prepare me for the occasional grossness of the assholes who think sex toys are all about porn or violation or, like, gargantuan dildos,” Liberty said, making her friends snicker.

  “Surviving as a woman in comics… I can’t even imagine,” Renee said, shaking her head. “Lots of sexism there.”

  “There’s lots of sexism everywhere,” Nat pointed out.

  “True,” Renee agreed. “But in certain male-dominated environments like comics or tech, things can get really toxic. I’ve been reading some studies on it.”

  “And we’ve all experienced it IRL!” Liberty blurted out. Seeing Renee’s raised eyebrow, she added, “That means In Real Life, Renee,” and they all laughed.

  “Well,” Liberty went on, “I’m glad I’m working for Purely Pleasure now. Less chance of getting my ass grabbed. And way less chance of me getting in trouble for breaking a guy’s hand for said ass-grab.”

  “More like I’d give you a raise,” Nat said.

  “That’s definitely trophy material,” Renee agreed.

  “I am so glad you’re both back,” Nat said. “I have missed the heck out of you, Renee. And you were only gone for three weeks, Liberty, but I’m pretty sure Ana is going to have a panic attack if you don’t take the reins back at the store soon.”

  “Bless Ana,” Liberty said, shaking her head. “She is so capable, but so insecure.”

  “She’ll find her footing,” Nat assured her. “She did such a great job while you were gone. I could tell she was a little stressed when I stopped in the store before the wedding. The displays looked fantastic, though. And the class that was letting out was packed.”

  “We’re at full enrollment for all our newest classes,” Liberty said. “The YouTube channel has been a huge draw to get customers in the store.”

  “Glad to have helped,” Renee smiled. “It was the least I could do to record videos while I was on sabbatical.”

  “Are you feeling refreshed?” Nat asked.

  “And inspired,” Renee answered with a nod. “I got some really interesting research and teaching done… it spurred a lot of new ideas I’m excited to discuss with you and Carter. There are some G-spot stimulation studies coming of France that are très bien!”

  Nat laughed. “That sounds great,” she said.

  “Now what about you?’ Renee asked. “We’ve updated you about us. What have you been up to since I was gone?”

  “Just the same old, same old,” Nat said. “Work. Home. Work again. I might be out of the office for the next few days, though.”

  Renee frowned. “For what?”

  “I’m doing a favor for Rhett,” Nat said.

  “Oh, Rhett,” Liberty sighed dreamily.

  Nat laughed. “I’ll tell him you did that,” she said.

  “Don’t you dare!” Liberty straightened with a jolt, catching Nat’s smile and relaxing. “It’s not my fault!” she said. “He’s so handsome. He’s like looking at a cigarette ad from back when companies were still trying to trick us into thinking cigarettes were sexy.”

  “Yes, because lung cancer is so sexy,” Renee said, ever the doctor.

  “I said trick!” Liberty said.

  Nat shook her head, loving her friends’ banter. They were the best. “No, I know what you mean, Liberty. The Marlboro Man and all that.”

  “Exactly!” Liberty said. “He’s all rugged and kind of mysterious and looks like he could like, light a fire with a flint and his own breath. Anyway, what favor are you doing for him?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “I hope it’s a sexy favor.”

  “Liberty…” Renee scolded, and then promptly turned to Nat and said, “Well, is it?”

  “You two are incorrigible,” Nat said. “And no, it is not a sexy favor. It’s a legal one.”

  Her friends shot each other puzzled looks.

  “You’re not a lawyer,” Renee said.

  “No,” Nat said, and she could feel her cheeks getting hot. She knew if Maddy was at this table, she would stop her from making this decision. She would pull her aside and say, What are you thinking, Nat? This will just lead to disaster.

  But Maddy was on her honeymoon, and by the time she got back, she and Rhett would be married, and her best friend would just have to accept that it was the only way to save River Run.

  “There’s a issue with the water rights on River Run,” Nat explained. “It’s complicated, but I’m going to help Rhett solve it.”

  They both were still looking confused. “I don’t get why you’re doing that,” Liberty said.

  “It’s funny, really,” Nat said, and she could already feel her cheeks starting to burn. What if they thought she was crazy? “There is this really old law that’s still applicable I guess. And the law says that an unmarried man can’t hold the water rights in the county River Run’s in. Once it gets to court, a judge will throw it out, but that’s going to take awhile. So…” she shrugged. “I’m helping him out.”

  “Wait, what?” Liberty squawked. She whirled to look at Renee, eyes wide. “Did I just hear her right? Please tell me I just heard her right.”

  “I think you did,” Renee said, her blonde brows drawing together.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Nat said.

  “Like what?” Renee asked.

  “You have your therapist/sexologist/doctor mask on,” Nat said. “You’re trying to be neutral.”

  “I’m honestly not sure how to react to this news,” Renee confessed.

  “Um, wahoo?” Liberty suggested and Nat burst into surprised laughter, ever grateful for Liberty’s uncanny ability to always break the ice. Even Renee was smiling, but she could see concern in her friend’s eyes.

  Renee and Nat had met back in New York when she was just building her career. And Renee had been around during the time when she’d met Rhett, too. She’d seen the effect he’d had on her back then, and now, and God, always. Was it going to be always? Could she ever shake him? Did she want to?

  Considering you’re marrying him in two days, y
ou’re probably not going to get the space you need to do that, lady.

  “It’s just a friend helping out another friend,” Nat said. “The only reason I’m telling you is because it will be public record, and you know how the gossip rags are. They still like writing about people associated with Carter, and I’m the visible head of the company now, so there might be gossip.”

  “We understand,” Liberty said, looking pointedly at Renee.

  “Of course,” Renee said.

  Liberty’s phone rang and she glanced down at it, her eyes widening. “UK country code,” she said. “I’m gonna take this outside. Maybe Kingston changed his mind and pigs can fly. Nat, I’m happy for you. You’re a good friend to help Rhett out.”

  She grabbed the phone and hurried out of the bar, searching for some quiet.

  Nat picked up her whiskey and knocked it back in two gulps, setting it back on the table with a clunk. “Okay,” she said, steeling herself. “Be honest with me, Renee.”

  “Nat,” her friend sighed.

  “Really, go ahead,” she said. “I know you want to say something.”

  Renee took a deep breath, leaning forward in the dim light of the speakeasy. “First of all, I love you and I just want you to be happy. Secondly, you are an absolute idiot if you think you’re going to not end up in that man’s bed if you marry him.”

  “Renee!” she protested.

  “Please,” the sexologist drawled. “You and Rhett have been circling around each other for years, unable to act on what is obviously a very deep sexual attraction. And, in part because you haven’t been able to act on that, you’ve put all that energy into deepening your emotional bond because you’re both in denial about the attraction. Marriage is about bringing the emotional, physical, spiritual, and metaphysical together. If you add that to the energy and bond that you’ve already formed with Rhett? It would be like dropping a giant firecracker into a tinder-dry forest. I understand your motivations for doing it, but honey, this has all sorts of heartbreak written all over it.”