by Harlow Layne
Kingston groaned and even though I was dead tired, it sent tingles through my entire body. How could he sound so sexy this early in the morning?
“From the day I brought Orvy home, he’s always been a crier at night. I thought it was just me and he’d be fine.” I rolled my eyes. Of course, he thought the dog only cried for him. Kingston was that self-centered. “After half a night of him crying, I gave in and let him sleep with me. Just let him sleep in bed with you and he’ll be fine.”
I had to have heard him wrong. There was no way he said to let that horse of a dog in my bed. It may have been a king-size, but he’d take up more of it than me. When I slept, I was all over the bed and I didn’t want to battle for space with Orvy. Haider hated it. He complained frequently that I’d smack him in the face or elbow him multiple times a night if he didn’t snuggle with me, and he hated snuggling.
Sucked to be Haider.
“There’s nothing else I can do? Maybe he’ll be happy to just sleep in your bed.” It could be the bed he wanted and not the man. The bed in the guest room was the most comfortable bed I’d ever slept on and if that was the bed Kingston put in the guest bedroom then I couldn’t imagine what he’d put in his own bedroom.
“You can try, but I don’t think it will do you any good. He loves being around people day and night. Now, why don’t you try that, so I get another hour of sleep.” I still wasn’t sure if he was telling me the truth or not. He could say anything to get off the phone with me, but he had to know that I would call him back no matter the time if Orville continued crying.
“Fine. You better be right,” I snapped. “If not, I’m calling you back so you don’t get any sleep either.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, but you’ll see, Orvy just wants to cuddle with you. Good night, Pria.” He hung up without me replying.
I eyed Orville and his large body. This was going to be interesting. Maybe he wouldn’t like sleeping with me and he’d leave. Anything was possible.
“Come on, Orvy. Let’s go to bed.” His big ears perked up, and I knew then he’d be in my bed all night and for the rest of the week. I felt bad about leaving Jimmy out in the living room, but he seemed content in his plush little bed. I hadn’t seen Sarah after we came back from her solo walk and that was fine by me. She was probably back in Kingston’s room guarding his wine.
I guess it could be worse. I could have a hangover from the bottle I drank earlier. A hangover along with a stiff and aching body would be hell, so I was thankful, or I would be after I got some sleep.
Orvy and I padded down the hall to my bedroom and it was like he knew exactly what was going on. The second we stepped foot into the room, he went straight to the bed, jumped up, and started to make himself comfortable in the middle. I was slower getting into bed, thanks to his sister. I moved like an old lady trying to get comfortable. I faced out because even though I like the big mutt; I didn’t want to have his dog breath in my face as I tried to sleep.
Shit. I forgot to brush their teeth. Oh well, one night wouldn’t kill them. On a scale of one to ten, I was at a negative two on following the rules. And I still wasn’t sure if all of them were real or not. How did you brush a dog’s teeth without them biting you? Tomorrow, I was going to be watching all the YouTube videos I could find on taking care of dogs.
Closing my eyes, I snuggled deep into ultra-soft sheets until I felt Orvy stand. Looking over my shoulder my eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room to find him standing in the middle of the bed looking at me. Okay, creeper. I couldn’t sleep knowing he was staring down at me.
“What is it, Orvy?” I groaned. “It’s time to sleep. Please.” Turning over until I was on my back, I patted the bed by my hip. Of course, he took that as an invitation to lay with his body molded to mine. I guess Orville really was a cuddler. His warm body against mine soothed some of the ache out of my muscles making it easy to fall asleep with him next to me.
Who knew dogs could be sleep aids?
11
Kingston
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I didn’t care who it was if I could take a break from the meeting from hell. We couldn’t agree on anything. I’d listened to why it was a good idea for me to buy out their company and how they would change things so I didn’t lose all the money from buying them out. It didn’t seem possible. I’d need to speak to Whitmore when I got back and see why he thought we could make this our London office. Although I wanted to expand my company, I wasn’t sure I was ready to take it internationally. I didn’t want to travel out of the country all the time, so if—and that was a big if—I bought out Harper Capital, I’d need to find someone else to run it. Which meant more work for me.
“Excuse me.” I stood holding my phone so they could see I needed to take this phone call. I hit the green icon and answered. “Give me a minute.” I hadn’t even looked to see who it was I was so happy for the interruption. Now that I was heading down the hallway, I looked down to see it was Pria. “I thought you weren’t going to call—”
“Oh my God, Kingston. I think I’ve poisoned Jimmy and my calls to the vet aren’t going through.”
“What the fuck, Pria? You’re not supposed to kill my dogs while I’m gone.” Everyone on the floor was looking at me, but I didn’t care. Pria was going to be the end of me and my dogs. “What happened?” I growled out, my teeth grinding together.
“I don’t know. I swear I’m not trying to kill your dogs. I love Jimmy and Orvy.” Her voice cracked and I swear my heart stopped beating for a second. “Everything was going great. I took the dogs out this morning. Sarah by herself and she seems to enjoy it only being her and then the boys. After we came back, we all ate our breakfasts, and I started to work. I set my laptop on the dining room table. I—”
“I don’t give a fuck where you set up shop. I want to know what’s happening with my dog and why you think you poisoned him. Are you sure you didn’t get the vet’s number wrong in your frazzled state?”
I was going to murder her if Jimmy died while I was away. He was the first dog my sister had rescued and given to me. He was the best dog and I couldn’t lose him. Not now or ever.
“It’s possible. I’m so worried about poor Jimmy. He was lying in his bed and made this sad sound. I went to check him and his stomach is all distended. I don’t know what to do or know of another vet. I thought you might know what to do.” Her voice shook, but I didn’t give a shit if Pria was upset. She was trying to kill Jimmy.
“No, I don’t know of another vet off the top of my head; that’s why I left you the sheet with all the important numbers on it. Let me see if I can get ahold of the vet. Stay on the line.” Before she could answer, I switched lines, pulled the vet’s number and called them. They answered on the third ring and I sighed in relief and annoyance. How could she have gotten the phone number wrong? Who knew Pria was so incompetent at dog care? Since I didn’t know what was going on I brought Pria on the line to answer their questions.
“I’ve got one of the vet techs on the line now. They have some questions for you.” I tried not to sound as pissed off as I was, but there was no hiding it. I stepped into an unoccupied conference room to have a little privacy and sat down at the table. Closing my eyes, I kept the phone to my ear as I listened.
“What seems to be the problem? Mr. Avery said Jimmy’s belly is distended. Are there any other symptoms?”
“Um… I’m not really well versed in dogs. It’s only my third day with them. I took him for his morning walk and bathroom break and when we came back, I fed them the leftover stew from last night. It was a small portion and he still seemed hungry so after I ate all my cereal, I let him have the rest of the milk that was in the bowl.”
She what? That was not a part of Jimmy nor the others’ dietary guidelines.
“And how long afterward did you notice his belly?”
“I’m not sure since I was working. I heard a little noise come from him and I thought I smelled something unpleasant so I went over to chec
k on him. His stomach was easy to see and when I put my hand on it, it felt hard. Was it the leftovers?”
“No, sweetie it wasn’t the leftovers. It sounds like Jimmy is lactose intolerant and isn’t handling the milk you gave him very well.”
“Intolerant?” Pria mumbled. “That doesn’t seem right. Don’t dogs drink milk from their mothers.”
“Yes, they do, but after they’re weaned they no longer drink milk, and it’s easy for them to become intolerant to something they no longer need in their diet.”
“But don’t people always set out milk for dogs to drink. Jimmy loved it.”
“I’m sure he did, dear. He probably liked the sugariness of it, but he’s not loving it now. From now on let’s make sure not to give him any more milk. The milk people leave out for pets or strays isn’t for dogs, but for kittens.”
“That’s stupid. Dogs should be able to have milk too. Why are people only leaving stuff out for cats?” Her argument and irritation caused my lips to twitch, but I’d never let her know it.
“I’m not sure why, but if Jimmy doesn’t get better in a few hours or gets worse please, bring him into the clinic and we’ll look him over.”
“I can’t bring him in now and you’ll make him feel better?” She sounded like she was about to cry. It was obvious that Pria had become attached to Jimmy.
“I wish there was something we could do, but there’s no fix to lactose intolerance except to wait it out. Do you have any more questions or concerns before we get off the line?”
I let out a sigh of relief to know that Jimmy was okay, and it was likely just built up gas that was causing his stomach to distend. I wanted to rail on Pria for not following the rules, but I didn’t want to upset her more and cause her to leave. Since I no longer trusted the people the agency sent, I wasn’t sure who I could get to watch the dogs from now on when I traveled or had to work late. I had already put in some calls but hadn’t heard anything back yet.
Murphy would have watched them. She loved them and spending time with them. My chest hurt thinking of my sister and how I’d never see her again.
“Not right now,” Pria answered sounding unsure. “Can I call you with any questions?”
“Yes, dear. We also have an overnight call center that can answer any of your questions. If that’s all, I suggest you try to make Jimmy as comfortable as possible until this passes.”
“I will. Thank you and thank you for being so nice.”
Nice? Did she want me to be nice when she called me saying she’d poisoned my dog and that he might be dying? No one was going to handle that news lightly.
“You’re welcome, dear.”
There was a pause of silence. Neither Pria nor I said a word. Maybe she thought I’d hung up after the vet tech got on the line. If she thought I would hang up without knowing what was wrong with my dog, she was in for a rude surprise.
“Are you still there?” She broke the silence.
“I’m still here.” I didn’t bother hiding my irritation at her incompetence.
“I didn’t know, Kingston. I’m really sorry I bothered you and probably took you away from an important meeting. I’m failing at something that should be so simple.” She sniffed, and I’d never been happier to be across the pond. I knew I’d forgive her in an instant if I saw her with tears in her eyes.
I knew taking care of my trio of dogs wasn’t easy, and if I were a nice guy, I wouldn’t take out my frustrations on her, but I couldn’t help it. “Just try not to fuck up again,” I growled and disconnected the call.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed from the conference table and headed out of the room. I was done for the day. I didn’t care what else Ms. Sinclair had planned; I was leaving with or without her blessing. Not that I cared what she thought of me. They’d be lucky if I bought them out.
Hitting the down button on the elevator, I tapped my foot as I waited. I was going to head back to my hotel room, open the minibar and start drinking. I didn’t plan to stop until after dinner and every bottle was empty.
“Mr. Avery, where are you going?” I heard the clack of Ms. Sinclair’s heels before I saw her. As the doors opened, her eyes widened and her feet picked up speed.
“I’ve got all the information I need to make an informed decision. I’ll have Whitmore let you know what we decide.” I hit the button for the ground floor and pulled out my phone. I’d need for my new secretary, whatever her name was, to change my flight.
“But we weren’t done.”
“We’re done.” I needed to head home first thing in the morning.
The “O” shape of her mouth turned into a thin line as the doors slowly closed. I wasn’t sure if she was disappointed my trip was coming to an end early because of the likelihood she wouldn’t get a chance to sleep with me or if it was because she knew the chance of Avery Capital Holdings taking over was slim to none.
Either way, I didn’t care. I was finished with London.
12
Pria
I was attempting the unthinkable. I was walking all three dogs at one time and taking them to the dog park. It was a beautiful fall day, and I wanted to spend it outside enjoying the sunshine. I could have left Sarah back at the apartment, but I didn’t think that would be fair. Luckily, no squirrel had crossed our path.
I’d spent a good part of the morning researching dog parks in the area. They all seemed to be good, so I went with the one closest to Kingston’s apartment. It was still far enough away to cause me anxiety with all the dogs. Sarah was constantly pulling ahead and tugging me along while Orvy and Jimmy stayed by my side. It was like that in the apartment too. The only time I saw Sarah was when I was feeding them. She didn’t come out when it was time to brush their teeth and I was thankful for that. I had a feeling she would have bitten me if I tried to push the issue. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all that hard, but I had a feeling it was because they were used to it. It helped that I watched a few videos on how to do it. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t. Even the sweet Jimmy might have bitten me if I had pried his mouth open and started brushing his teeth the way I’d imagined doing it.
After thirty minutes of me biting my bottom lip to the point it bled because of nerves, we made it to the dog park. They each sat patiently as I unclipped their leashes before they ran off one by one. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get them back on them now that they were out in the wild, but I’d tackle that problem once I was ready to leave.
I found a bench and pulled out a book I’d been wanting to read but never had time until now. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d read a book, which was sad. I loved to read, but Haider had always complained about me needing the light on at night so I could read when he wanted to go to sleep. He really was a douche. Why had I let him change so much about me? Why had I settled for substandard sex? Especially with a man who had tried to stifle me almost from the get-go.
I made a promise to myself in that moment that I’d never let another man hold me back. Nor would I continue to have sex with any man who sucked in bed. Whenever I finally had sex again, since I didn’t see it in my near future.
At the beginning of every chapter, I would peak up and find each dog. Sarah and Orvy weren’t hard to find since they were so large, but Jimmy was another matter. After finishing the fifth chapter, I quickly found Sarah laying down on the grass, her head held high and a few dogs sniffing around her. She looked regal and like a true diva. Orvy was running with another dog, his tongue sticking out. If he could, he’d be smiling. Coming to the park had been a great decision.
I scanned the park in search of Jimmy but didn’t see him. I had to do a double take when I swore I saw a goat standing amongst the dogs. I couldn’t remember ever seeing or mistaking a dog for a goat or vice versa so I put my book away and headed in the direction of what couldn’t possibly be a dog because it was an honest to goodness goat.
In all my research about the dog parks, I didn’t see anything about being able to bring other
animals. The goat wasn’t bothering anyone or the dogs, but it was still strange. As I walked up to said goat, Jimmy came out of nowhere and started to hump one of its legs. After he’d been attached to my leg all morning as I looked up information, I couldn’t imagine he’d have the energy or the need to hump anything else for some time, but I was wrong. Jimmy obviously wasn’t picky about who he tried to get it on with. His theme song should be “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.
The goat fainted as Jimmy tried to procreate and make little doat babies. My feet moved faster than they’d ever moved before as I sprinted toward the now dead goat. I was going to feel this later, but I didn’t care. I dropped down to my knees and cradled the head of the goat in my hands.
“Please wake up. Please. Oh my God, I’m the worst dog sitter on the planet. Can one day go by without something horrible happening? Come on, goat. Please don’t be dead,” I cried. Jimmy came to stand on the side of my leg and looked down at the goat he tried to make babies with and instead gave it a heart attack. “Jimmy, why do you have to hump everything? I thought we had something special. If I would have known you were going to sex up the park, I would have left you at home.”
A soft feminine laugh came from beside me. “She’s not dead. Trust me.”
“Are you the goat whisperer or something? Did you see her drop from Jimmy humping her?”
“I did see, that’s why I was on my way over here. Then I saw you making a beeline for them and stayed out of the way. You were on a mission and I didn’t want to get in the way. I thought you might plow right over me.” She laughed, giving me levity to the situation. I hoped she knew what she was talking about.
