by Multiple
His eyes locked on my chest, riveted as it rose and fell with my stretch. For a brief second, I became aware of the hot electrical current between us, but then he looked away and the connection fizzled. There was a pause, a moment where we were both silent, then his gaze settled on me once more as he asked, “Do you have a boyfriend? Anyone you see regularly?”
The questions threw me off. “Excuse me?”
“Do you have a boyfriend,” he repeated somewhat impatiently.
“I..uh..no. How is that any of your business?” Hot embarrassment flushed my cheeks. I was sure Daniels didn’t lack for offers while I struggled to make it past the first date. My love life had been rather pathetic the last year, what with finishing school and trying to find a way to support myself.
He held up a hand as he pulled out his phone and started paging through screens. “What size dress do you wear?”
“What? Why?” I asked, taken aback. Daniels’ questions kept getting weirder and weirder. What was he getting at?
He frowned at me. “Between tonight’s meeting and the vet appointment tomorrow, my schedule is way off course. I’m going to need some help from you, Miss Kingston, to make everything work, but I don’t want to make things worse either. So please help me by answering my questions.”
I blinked at him. “Oh.”
“Your dress size?” he prompted, fingers hovering over his phone.
I gave him my size and he started writing a text on his phone. I wondered who he was texting and if they routinely received women’s clothing sizes from Jacob Daniels.
“Shoes?”
“Nine.” He looked at my feet with a small frown, fingers pausing over his phone and I shrugged. “What can I say? I have big feet.”
He resumed texting and then pushed send with a satisfied smile. “All set. Let me show you to your room.”
I trailed after him, Lucy on my heels as he led the way out of the living room and up the stair case. I hesitated, hand on the banister, foot on the first step. “Mr. Daniels, why do I need a dress and shoes?”
Daniels looked back at me. “You’ll see tomorrow. Now, it’s late. Let’s get some sleep.” He beckoned for me to follow and I climbed the steps after him.
He ushered me into a guest room decorated in a mix of gold and cream. Once I’d crossed the threshold, he made to leave, but before he disappeared, I asked, “Do you have a girlfriend? Anyone to get jealous?” There, let’s see how he liked autocratic questions.
He stopped short at my question, and a playful smile dancing on his lips as my attempt at sarcasm fell flat. “No. I do not. Good night, Miss Kingston.”
Whistling to capture Lucy’s attention, he left, the puppy scrambling after him. Irritation flared through me about his high-handedness, but it couldn’t burn off the fatigue I felt. It was late. I was tired. There would be time to be upset tomorrow.
I tucked myself into the bed, which was large and full of soft pillows. Sleep eluded me though. I tossed and turned, remembering the feel of his touch, the heat of his gaze and wondering why it was I found such a horrible dog owner so attractive.
***
The next morning, we took a sleek limo to the vet. Lucy and I were both unnerved by the experience. I’d never been in a limo before, not even for my senior prom, and Lucy didn’t feel safe no matter where she laid down. Every twist and turn of the car made her anxious. I finally just brought her onto my lap like a baby and she rewarded me with a thorough tongue washing of my face and arms.
Daniels was silent for most of the ride, focused on his phone and sending out rapid fire texts judging by the speed of his thumbs. As the limo swung into a parking space at the vet’s office, he looked up and said, “How well do you know this vet?”
“We went to school together.” I gathered up Lucy’s leash, preparing for our exit from the limo.
He raised an eyebrow and interest shined in his eyes. “A friend of yours then?”
“Who happens to be the best vet in the area,” I said, a little defensively. “I wouldn’t bring you here otherwise.”
Daniels had already stopped listening, distracted by an incoming message on his phone. I resisted the urge to snatch it from his hands and throw it out the window.
The driver opened our door and Lucy leaped out of the car, yanking me after her. Once Daniels stepped out of the limo’s plush interior, I handed the leash over to him.
“It’s your dog, you walk her.”
He saluted me and finally put his phone away. “Yes, ma’am”
Rosa was behind the front desk and welcomed me with a warm smile. She’d been part of Laurie’s clinic since it opened, quickly becoming the glue that held everything together. “Good to see you, Jessica.”
“You too, Rosa. I have Lucy here with Mr. Daniels.” I gestured to Daniels who was trying and failing to keep Lucy from playing tug-of-war with the leash. The new environment had made her more hyper than usual.
“You can go right back. Room one is open.” She waved us through the door separating the waiting room from the clinic.
The appointment itself was uneventful, although I hoped Daniels was paying attention. Laurie gave Lucy a thorough exam and agreed that she needed medication for her ear infection. She was just in the middle of explaining to Daniels how to care for Lucy’s ears when the puppy started sniffing the floor.
“That means she has to go potty,” I said. I scooped her up into my arms before she could pee and left the room, tossing a quick, “I’ll take her,” over my shoulder. I didn’t want Daniels to miss any instructions from Laurie.
Outside, Lucy took her sweet time finding a spot. She was too distracted by the new environment and the tantalizing scent of its previous patrons. When I finally returned to the exam room, I found Laurie and Daniels deep in conversation. They jumped, startled by our arrival. Daniels regarded me with a thoughtful expression while Laurie greeted me with an almost gleeful smile.
I paused in the doorway even as Lucy shot into the room, skidding on the linoleum floor as she turned the corner. “Did I miss something?”
“No,” said Laurie brightly. “I was just telling Jacob about our college days.”
I groaned. “You told him about the giraffe?”
“And the elephant,” Daniels said.
I covered my eyes with my hand as embarrassment flooded me. Okay, so I was the dork who managed to get peed on by a giraffe and was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a sick elephant had explosive diarrhea. Working in a zoo is full of hazards like that. I had hoped to leave those stories in my past, but Laurie thought they were hilarious and now she was using them to humiliate me in front of Daniels.
“They were both sick,” I said by way of explanation. “I was helping the vet and sometimes...”
“Shit happens?” Daniels volunteered with an amused smile. I was always making the man laugh for all the wrong reasons.
I nodded. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“Jessica is an excellent trainer. Animals will do anything for her,” Laurie said. “She won’t settle for anything but the best for them.”
“I’ve noticed,” he said dryly. I flushed as his gaze held mine. An undercurrent of tension flared to life between us and a tingle went up my arm when our fingers touched as I handed over Lucy’s leash.
***
After the vet appointment, Daniels had the limo drop him off at work and then take Lucy and I to his house. Upon our arrival, the guard manning the gate handed me a box and a black garment bag. “These arrived for you, Miss.”
I took them and Lucy into the house. To keep Lucy busy, I filled a chew toy with treats. With her fully occupied, I took everything up to my room, setting it all on the bed. Inside the garment bag was a beautiful halter dress in blush pink with a black lace overlay, the cut reminiscent of the dress Marilyn Monroe wore over the heating grate. A small bag hung over the hanger and contained some lacy underwear. I checked the tags, blushing when I found the size to be accurate. The box held a pair of mat
ching shoes, spiked heels that would keep me on my toes.
I tried everything on, pleased when it all fit perfectly. There was a full length mirror in the guest bedroom and I spent several minutes twirling with delight. The clothes were so fancy, I couldn’t help but wonder where we were going and what we would be doing. I felt like I was going to the prom or a ball. What would Daniels make of my transformation from dork to prom date? Would he look twice at me? Would I become more than a convenient way to make his schedule work? Glancing at the clock, I saw I had seven hours before I would find out.
Lucy started sniffing the floor then, a sure sign it was time for a potty break. With some reluctance, I took off my new finery and put my regular clothes back on.
After Lucy did her business outside, I spent some time teaching her to sit. When she lost interest in that, we played fetch. Time seemed determined to inch by rather than fly. I tried not to think about it.
Laurie called me then, her voice breathless with excitement, and foiled my plan to not think about Daniels. “Oh my God, Jessica,” she squealed in my ear.
“Calm down, Laur. What is it?” I fished the ball out of Lucy’s mouth and tossed it, smiling at the way she bounded after it. There’s nothing cuter than a happy puppy.
“He likes you.”
“Who?” Lucy had found the ball, but had become distracted by something else in the grass. I watched her closely, not wanting her to eat a dead bird or roll in some other animal’s scent.
“That hunk of love you brought in to the clinic today. Jacob Daniels.” She sighed, practically swooning.
I snapped my fingers to get Lucy’s attention and when she looked at me, I pointed to the ball. “What makes you say that?”
“He asked me if you were single. He wanted to know everything about you.”
Lucy finally brought me the ball and I threw it again, careful to avoid the spot she had found so fascinating. “So you told him the giraffe and elephant story. Gee thanks.”
She laughed. “Well, better he know your penchant for trouble upfront, don’t you think? And anyway I think that made him like you more.”
“Yeah, sure it did.” I tossed the ball and it fell short. Lucy returned within seconds, the expression on her face seeming to ask ‘is that all you got?’ The next throw, I hurled it as far as I could and she streaked across the lawn with an excited bark.
“I’m serious, Jess. He’s got the hots for you. You can’t feel it?”
I shrugged. “Not really.” Yes, I had felt attracted to him, but what would a billionaire businessman want with an animal behaviorist like me? Nothing, that’s what.
Except, said a little voice inside me, he did just give you a gorgeous dress, complete with fancy underwear and shoes to match. That didn’t exactly imply a total lack of interest. Then again, my inner cynic grumped, he’d said I’d messed up his schedule. It was just part of the gig.
“Jess?”
“Yeah, I’m here.” I watched as Lucy ditched the ball in favor of chasing a squirrel up a tree.
“I’m telling you, he digs you. I’d bet on it.”
“Okay,” I said agreeably. From experience, I knew better than to argue with my friend; she made stubborn mules look like pushovers.
“And don’t dork this up, Jess. He’s the real deal,” she said, her tone stern.
“I’ll do my best.” I grimaced as I spoke, not at all confident that I could be the girl that got the guy. I understood the hearts of animals, not men.
***
At precisely eight o’clock, I paced the foyer to Daniels’ house, the skirt of my dress swirling around me as I did so. I’d taken a quick shower and managed an up-do, having the luck to find the necessary bobby pins at the bottom of my purse.
The limo pulled up to the front of the house a moment later and Daniels emerged looking James Bond chic in his tux. He breezed through the front door and then stopped, taking in my appearance.
He circled his finger in the air. “Turn, please.”
I obliged, my skin hot from his scrutiny. While the neckline was modest, the dress had a plunging back that showed the dimples above my tailbone. Even though I couldn’t see his face, it felt to me like his gaze lingered there.
“Very nice, Miss Kingston,” he said.
“Thank you. The dress is lovely.”
He scanned the room, his forehead furrowing. “Where’s Lucy?”
“With your security.” I had hated to do it, but an indifferent guard was better than being cooped up in the library all night.
He nodded in approval and held out an arm. “Shall we?”
I slipped my arm through his. “Where are we going exactly?”
“A charity benefit for the children’s hospital.”
“What am I going to do there?”
He pulled me close, against the length of his body. “Be my date.”
***
The hospital had rented a ballroom at a swanky hotel in downtown Boston. We entered the room and were immediately rushed by people who seemed to know Daniels very well. Mostly they ignored me, focusing all their attention on Daniels. There were photographers, too, and light bulbs flashed in our faces. I gripped his arm tightly and he smiled at me as he covered my hand with his. “It’ll be over in a minute. Just smile and look pretty.”
So I smiled and posed, acting like I belonged in this glitzy world where everyone knew your name and wanted to be sure you knew theirs. By the time we finished the press gauntlet, my vision had become impaired from all the bright flashes. Blinking, I clutched Daniels’ arm, following him blindly through the ballroom.
“Ah, there you are Jacob. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” sang out a feminine voice. I blinked some more and eventually made out a tall blonde wearing a floor length sheath dress in blush pink. While more my mom’s age, she had perfect skin and a great figure.
“It’s been a busy day, Diana.” It may have been my imagination, but his tone sounded less than thrilled, which made me curious since she appeared to be exactly the kind of women I thought he would like.
She noticed my presence and frowned. “And who’s this with you? I don’t think we’ve met.”
“I’m his trainer,” I said trying to hide my irritation at the way she looked me up and down. So I wasn’t a size zero supermodel like she was. So what?
Diana laughed, a brittle trill. “Training him in what?”
I flushed, realizing I’d flubbed. Someday I would learn not to say the first thing that came to mind. Just not today, apparently, because the next thing I said was even worse. “Dogs and anything else he requires.” The words he’d added to the contract had just slipped out of my mouth, unbidden. Probably since I was there only because he’d invoked that clause.
She covered her mouth with a perfectly manicured hand giggling. I wanted to sink into the floor.
Mr. Daniels leaned in close, his warm hand pressing into the small of my back, lips practically pressed against my ear. “You say the most interesting things at the most interesting times, Miss Kingston.”
I flashed him a dazzling smile, acting like I knew what I was doing and had complete control of my mouth.”I hope that’s not a problem.”
“On the contrary, I like the honesty.” He smiled at Diana and said, “This is Jessica Kingston. She’s helping me train my puppy. I find her invaluable.”
“You have a puppy?” The corners of Diana’s mouth twitched. “You’re going soft or daft, one of the two.”
“Neither,” Jacob said, his voice short.
Diana reached out to adjust his suit lapel, hand lingering on the fabric. “I know my way around puppies. Trained quite a few in my time.” She gave him an arch look. “Don’t hesitate to call me if you find you need some extra help, Jacob.”
“You’re always at the top of the list, Diana.”
She pouted. “Really? And you haven’t called me yet?”
His posture stiffened slightly. “I’m a busy man.”
She snorted. �
��Ah yes, I forgot, you’re married to your work. Tell me, Jacob, do all those contracts and all that money keep you warm at night?”
His expression became wry. “I’m told that’s what the dog is for.”
She didn’t know how to respond to that and was blank for a moment. Finally she laughed and melted back into the crowd with a little wave, dismissing us as she hurried after a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“Diana’s an old friend.”
I watched her flit around the room, going from man to man, but never staying with one long. She seemed to know everyone. “Well it looks like she’s here by herself. Why couldn’t she have come with you to this thing?”
“Because I asked you,” he said in a terse voice. He obviously didn’t like my questions.
Well, boo-hoo. The big bad billionaire is going to have to deal. “That’s not an answer,” I huffed.
He grabbed me by the elbow, abruptly escorting me out of the ballroom and into a small, deserted hallway before I could protest. Gripping the back of my head with one strong hand he crashed his mouth into mine. I froze for a second and then responded in kind, my lips pushing against his, tangling with his tongue and tasting him for the first time.
He released me and stepped back, watching as I tried to remember how to breathe. I put a finger to my kiss-stung lips and looked at him with wide eyes. His flavor, a heady mix of champagne and testosterone, still filled my mouth. He’s delicious, I thought. Utterly delicious and I want him to kiss me again.
“How’s that for an answer?” Not waiting for a response, he turned on his heel and left me standing there, unsure as to what had just happened and why.
He avoided me the rest of the party, whether on purpose or because everyone wanted a word with him, I couldn’t tell. I finally gave up trying to compete, bored out of my mind by all the investment talk. Hedge fund this. Interest rate that. Boring!
I retreated to the periphery of the party and sipped champagne, watching him. He worked the room with smooth confidence, saying all the right things, laughing long and loud. People watched him with rapt attention and hung on his every word, jockeying for the chance to capture his attention. Every so often he would catch my eye and give a slight nod, which I returned in kind. If he wanted to play it cool after our torrid kiss, so could I...even if my version of cool entailed being a wallflower at a swanky party.