Truth About Men & Dogs

by Andrea Simonne

  Later, after he got creative with the hat wearing, we both fell asleep. Except I woke up. The room was dark and unfamiliar. I glanced over at Philip. He was sleeping soundly on his side, facing me.

  Quietly, I slipped my sweatpants and tank top back on. I left the bedroom, figuring I’d get a drink of water.

  He’d given me a tour of the house earlier and showed me his exercise room and his office. There were some guest bedrooms on the other side next to the movie theater. Apparently Eliza stayed over with friends occasionally. Mostly it was just empty though.

  I poured myself a cold glass from the fridge and decided to wander through his living room. The lights were off, but he’d taught me how to turn them on using voice commands, so I put them at a low setting.

  I scanned his books—mostly nonfiction titles about business and economic theory. Apparently Philip wasn’t big on reading fiction, though I did see a couple tech thrillers.

  I looked at the photos next. There were a few of him when he was younger. I picked up one for a closer inspection.

  It was a frame with a set of three pictures. The first one showed Philip as a little kid, smiling at a birthday party. In the second one, he was older with a little girl, obviously Eliza, in the woods near a lake, the two of them laughing. The last photo was of him as a teenager. He was standing with his mom and sister in someone’s backyard. Everyone was smiling at the camera except Philip, who wore an intense expression.

  “Claire?”

  I turned my head.

  “What are you doing out here, sweetheart?”

  He walked toward me, and I couldn’t help but admire the view. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt, and his sweatpants rode low on his hips. His body was solid and muscular. His chest had a smattering of dark hair, and there was a happy trail that ran down from his belly button.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  I placed the photos back on the bookshelf as he came up and stood behind me, slipping his arms around my shoulders. He yawned. “I figured I wore you out.”

  “It’s just being in a new place. Where were these photos taken?” I asked, pointing at the ones I’d put back.

  He rested his cheek against my hair. “Let’s see… the first one is my sixth birthday. The second one was camping in eastern Washington, and that last one was in our backyard right before my high school graduation.”

  I studied the photos some more. “The three of you have always been close, huh?”

  He nodded. “We have.”

  “You’re lucky to have them.”

  “I know.”

  I leaned back against him and closed my eyes. “I hate that I’ve become an orphan.” I hated that I sounded so pitiful too. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just having a weird moment.”

  “That’s not weird.” He turned me around and held me close. “Do you want to come to bed and try to sleep again?” he asked softly.

  “Okay.”

  I brought my glass of water with me and put it on the nightstand. We climbed back into the center of his huge bed, where I lay facing the windows while Philip spooned me.

  Instead of sleeping, I looked out at the night sky, though I noticed a change. “Are the windows darker than they were before?”

  “They are. It’s electrochromic glass.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Smart glass. I have them set on a timer, so they get darker close to sunrise. It’s a company we’ve invested in. They’re still working out the kinks, but they’re going to be very profitable once they do.”

  We both went quiet after that.

  I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I was still too restless. “I’m sorry if I’m keeping you awake.”

  “That’s all right,” he murmured. “Would you like me to stroke your back?”

  I looked over my shoulder at him. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “I don’t mind. I like doing it.”

  “Okay, that would be nice.”

  It was something I’d recently discovered relaxed me—or more accurately, Philip discovered it.

  He sat up partway, propped up on one elbow, while I pulled my tank top off. I lay on my stomach, facing him.

  My eyes fell shut as soon as his hand slid down my back. It felt so good. He stroked my shoulders and then slowly down my spine. It wasn’t a back rub, just a soft caress, and I loved it.

  I sighed with pleasure, purring like a cat. Philip was so tactile and sensual. It was a new experience being with someone like him.

  “Sweetheart, can I ask you something?”

  “Yes,” I murmured.

  “What happened to your mom?”

  My eyes drifted opened. “She left when I was a baby.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Apparently she couldn’t handle being a wife and mother.”

  His hand still caressed me. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s okay.” I took a deep breath. “I had my dad, and he was wonderful. I know it sounds hard to believe, but he made up for her not being around.”

  “I’m glad. Do you ever hear from her at all?”

  “No, though I used to get occasional birthday cards. And then when I was ten, I visited her.”

  “What was that like?”

  “Not great.” I closed my eyes and told him the story of how I went and saw her in Oregon, where she lived in a hippie commune. “The whole thing was weird. I only had one day with her, and even then she didn’t want to be around me. I spent the entire time playing with some kid named Mica.” I remembered something and laughed. “It was the first time I ever smoked pot.”

  “You smoked pot when you were ten?”

  “He offered it to me. I didn’t know what it was, but I figured it must be okay with her.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Later I realized she probably didn’t know anything about it.”

  “Did you hear from her after that?”

  “Not really. A couple birthday cards. She never invited me again—not that I would have gone.” I was quiet, thinking it over. “Some people just aren’t meant to be parents.”

  “True.”

  “When I was younger, I used to feel sorry for myself that I missed out on having a mom, but now I feel sorry for her.”

  We both fell silent.

  “I wonder if it has anything to do with your strong desire for kids,” he murmured.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You were so close with your dad, but you missed out on what it’s like to have a mother. Maybe you want to satisfy that desire by being one.”

  “I don’t know. A lot of people want kids.”

  “It might not be the whole reason.” He brushed my hair aside, his warm fingers caressing my neck.

  I considered his words. It was true that I was intense about my yearning for children. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve never thought of it like that. A part of me doesn’t want to miss out a second time, you know?”

  “That’s understandable.”

  My eyes fell shut again while his hand stroked my body. Finally I began to fall asleep, and while I might have only dreamed it, just before drifting off, I could have sworn I heard him whisper, “Someday, Claire, if you let me, I’m going to give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

  The next morning, as we waited in line at a coffee shop near his house, Philip informed me that we had theater tickets that night and then dinner reservations at one of Seattle’s finest restaurants.

  “We’re not hanging out in our sweats again?” I teased.

  “Sweetheart, I’d be happy to hang out in our sweats anytime.” He leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “Though I prefer to hang out with you when you’re wearing nothing at all.”

  I smiled up at him. Our eyes stayed on each other, and I knew we were both thinking of all the time we’d already spent wearing nothing at all.

  After leaving with our drinks, we strolled down the sidewalk. I asked Philip if I could see his office downtown. />
  “You want to go to my office?” He took a drink from his bottle of orange juice and seemed surprised. “Now?”

  “Is that weird? I just want to see where you work.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever dated a woman who wanted to see where I work.”

  “Really?”

  “No.” He was staring straight ahead and seemed deep in thought. Then he turned to me. “I’d love to show you our offices.”

  It turned out they were only a fifteen-minute drive from his house. For some reason, I’d expected them to be in a high-rise downtown, but he pulled up to a three-story building near Lake Union. It was modern and kind of funky, with glass and decorative metal beams across the front of the windows that ran from floor to ceiling. There were trees planted around the outside along with other foliage.

  “This is it?”

  He nodded. “It’s new. We just moved here a year ago.”

  Looking around, I had to admit I liked it. “This is cool.”

  “Thanks. We wanted someplace more relaxed. We’re not your typical venture firm, and it was time our offices reflected that.”

  After parking in the underground garage, he took me around the building. Although it was Saturday, there were still people around. He said hello to the ones we ran across, and no one seemed surprised to see him. I suspected he worked a lot on Saturdays.

  His office was big but not crazy big. A large window faced toward Lake Union. There was a wall of flat-screens on one side, and I could tell it was the same setup he had at home. His desk had two other large screen monitors on them. The room’s feel was modern. A rug with a multicolored geometric design dominated the space. There was a seating area to one side with a colorful glass sculpture that looked like a Chihuly in the corner.

  Then it dawned on me. It was a Chihuly.

  I stood gazing out the window. “So this is where you conquer the world?”

  “It is.”

  I glanced over at him. He was sitting on the edge of his desk watching me. “What?”

  “I like seeing you here.”

  “You do?”

  He nodded, then held his hand out to me. “Come closer.”

  “Uh-oh. I know that look.” I glanced at the door. It was closed, but there was an artsy glass wall next to it, and I wasn’t sure how well people could see in if they walked past.

  He chuckled. “I just want to kiss you, that’s all.”

  I took his hand, and he pulled me against him. “Are you sure that’s all?” I slipped my arms around his neck. He smelled like the fancy soap from his shower.

  “Maybe grope you a little too.” He slid his hands down over my bottom and squeezed.

  “Hmm… kissing and groping. You’re asking an awful lot.”

  “Am I?”

  We smiled at each other. Except I noticed the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He shook his head. “Everything’s fine.”

  He pulled me closer and hugged me tight. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I hugged him back. It reminded me of that night when he’d told me about his father.

  “We don’t have to go out later,” I said. “If you want to hang out in our sweatpants again and watch movies, it’s fine by me.”

  “No, I want to.” He drew back. “I want to take you out for a nice evening. You deserve it.”

  I stroked his neck. “I always have a nice time with you no matter what we do.”

  “I know, but I don’t get to spoil you enough,” he whispered. “Let me spoil you for a change.”

  It had never occurred to me that my resistance to Philip buying me things might be a real problem. “Is that what’s bothering you? That I don’t let you spoil me?”

  He gazed over my shoulder toward the window, his eyes reflecting the sky. Finally, he shrugged. “Even though I understand it, I guess it does bother me.”

  I took in his handsome features, thought about how kind he always was to me. I made an instant decision. “Okay, how about this: I’ll let you spoil me as much as you want for the rest of the day.” That got his attention. “Except we can’t leave the country, and you can’t buy me a sailboat.”

  He nodded. “I can work with that.”

  “And no crazy-expensive jewelry or houses or cars. Or anything that costs more than—”

  He kissed me, cutting me off, which was just as well because I’d probably have whittled it down to a bag of peanuts.

  “Did you bring anything dressy to wear?” he asked, his face still close to mine.

  That gave me pause. I’d packed a sundress, but it wasn’t exactly dressy. “Not really.”

  He grinned. “Then let me dress you for tonight.”

  “Dress me?”

  “Yes.” He was already reaching for his phone. “Would that be acceptable?”

  I didn’t have time to think it over, because he was already speaking to Sam about taking me shopping.

  “Tell him thank you for getting all that food at the house too,” I said, interrupting. “And for the Kit Kat bars and the great shampoo.”

  I watched as Philip relayed my message to Sam. His eyes flashed to mine. “He says you’re welcome.”

  I nodded and listened as they finished their conversation.

  “Does Sam ever get a day off?” I asked after he hung up.

  “Sure. He takes Saturday and Sunday off.”

  “But today’s Saturday.”

  “Well”—he shrugged—“unless I need something.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What did you say about being a demanding tyrant?”

  He smirked. “Trust me, I’m a generous boss. Sam is very well-compensated.”

  After we left his office, the afternoon became like something out of a movie. He took me to a ritzy clothing store downtown, where we apparently had an appointment. To be honest, walking in the shop, I was concerned. The clothes on the racks looked expensive and weird. I wasn’t exactly into high fashion.

  After being led into a private dressing room, we were offered coffee or champagne.

  Apparently rich people drink a lot of champagne.

  Luckily, Sasha, the saleswoman who helped me, knew what she was doing. After an hour of trying on clothes and shoes, we found a half dozen dresses that made my short, curvy body look more stunning than I ever thought possible. I picked out the dress I liked best, but to my surprise, Philip told her we’d take them all.

  “But I only need one for tonight,” I said.

  “What about next time?” he countered.

  He began asking Sasha about lingerie, telling her we needed bras and panties to go with everything. She nodded, taking notes on an iPad.

  I put my hand on his arm to stop him. “Listen, I just want the one dress. That’s it.”

  He turned to stare at me. I could feel Sasha staring too. For some reason, she seemed more interested in me than before.

  Philip nodded and changed his instructions, telling her we’d just take the one dress and the shoes.

  “Hmm, this one’s different,” I heard her murmur to herself as she changed the information on her iPad.

  That comment didn’t sit well. I wondered how many other women he’d brought to this store.

  I began to get that strange feeling again. Disoriented, like I didn’t belong here. Like I was only a tourist.

  It didn’t help that when we’d arrived, I saw a player from Seattle’s football team, and then when leaving the shop, there was a famous rapper and his entourage headed back toward one of the dressing rooms.

  “Have you shopped there before?” I asked once we were in Philip’s car with the boxes in back.

  He glanced at me. “Yes.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to push down any feelings of jealousy or insecurity.

  He reached over for my hand. “Thank you for letting me do that. It was a pleasure to spoil you a little.”

  “The dress is gorgeous. I’m the one who should thank you.”

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nbsp; He shook his head. “That’s not necessary.”

  “I guess you really are my sugar daddy now.” I meant it to come out light and teasing, but it came out with an edge.

  Philip heard it too. “It makes me happy to buy you nice things.” He lowered his voice. “Let me have this, Claire.”

  I studied him and realized it really did make him happy, that I was being peevish. “I’m sorry.” I squeezed his hand. “You may continue with this day of spoiling me.”

  That night when we went out to the theater, I was glad for the new dress, the new shoes, and the sparkly new earrings I let him buy me at another shop. The dress was pink and black lace, tight in the waist with a low neckline. I felt glamorous beside him in his light gray suit. He wore a white shirt below it with an open collar and was deliciously handsome.

  “Wow, you’re like a total fox.”

  He laughed, then put his mouth to my ear and whispered, “More like a wolf to you, little girl.”

  Everything was going great, and we were having a fantastic time—until we got to the restaurant.

  As we walked through the door, some other couple was already there, waiting for the maître d’ to seat them. All night long, people had been coming up to Philip, so I thought nothing of it at first when this pair seemed to know him. The guy was older, probably in his fifties, though the woman was around my age. Both of them were dressed for a night out like we were.

  Introductions were made, and it soon became obvious this woman, Madison, seemed to think she had some kind of claim on Philip.

  “I heard you were dragged off to some god-awful town in the middle of nowhere,” she said to him with a laugh. She was medium height with long blonde hair, a pretty face, and big boobs. Basically everything I already knew he liked.

  I tried to hear what his response was, but her date, a guy named Edward, started talking to me about the show we’d just seen. All I knew was my alarm bells were going off. She was standing too close to Philip, touching his arm, and when we left to be seated, I watched the way her eyes stayed on him in a predatory way.

  “Where do you know her from?” I asked after we sat down, trying to sound casual.

  He shrugged. “Just around.”

  “Around where?”

  He was looking at his menu. “She’s just someone I know. I met her at a dinner party a few months ago.”