“You’re not helping either,” she says.
“You never asked.” I smirk when she gives me a raging look.
I don’t know why I like it, but I do. She’s got these expressive eyes that feel magical … and I just can’t help but tick her off to see more of them.
“Whatever,” she says, sighing. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, winking.
“Ma’am?” she scoffs, walking downstairs clumsily as if she’s afraid the dog will pull and make her fall. “I’m not a mom.”
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. I only call girls that when they’re feisty.”
“You like it, don’t you?” she says, raising a brow.
I shrug. “Maybe I do; maybe I don’t.” I point at the dog and say, “Watch out!”
She shrieks and jumps away from the dog, throwing the leash down like it’s a damn time bomb. I laugh out loud, and after she’s calmed and her breathing returns to normal, she slaps me on the arm. “Not funny!”
“Yes, it was,” I say, still chuckling.
She picks up the leash and spins on her heels. “C’mon, Pepper.”
I pull open the door for her. “Ladies first.”
“If you weren’t such an ass, I might’ve liked the chivalry.”
“An ass? Me?” I place a hand on my chest. “I’m shocked you’d say that,” I jest.
“I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve heard it,” she hisses, her nose scrunching as a cute little rabbit would.
Fuck. Why do I like it so much?
“You’re right. It’s not,” I retort. “You wanna know what happened to the last girl who called me that?” I muse.
“What?”
“She got fired.”
Staring at me, she takes a deep breath like she’s biting her tongue and then exits the building.
It’s grown awfully quiet as we walk down the street, and I know it’s my damn fault for bringing up the fact I fired someone. It wasn’t because she called me an ass, though, and I would never fire anyone for that reason. That’s not me.
It just got a little too close for comfort.
I like her a little too much, which is dangerous, considering what I’ve done.
Buying your employee’s panties isn’t exactly kosher stuff, and I’d rather not end up with a lawsuit stuck to my ass. Let alone the media frenzy that would come with it. No thanks.
I break the ice by clearing my throat and saying, “So getting used to her yet?”
“Giving me a dog is dangerous, TJ,” she says. “What if I lose her?”
“You won’t; you’ll find she’s quite loyal. Look.” I take the leash from her hand, making Lesley squeal when I just drop it on the ground.
However, Pepper’s not moving more than a few feet away from us, constantly checking whether we’re still here as she waves her cute tail like she’s happy to see us every time she looks.
“See? Nothing happened.”
“That’s just because you’re here,” Lesley says as we cross a road.
“She’ll listen to you too if you give it some time.”
“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I don’t get how this is going to help me do work for you.”
“You’ll see. You’ll get ideas for new toys. Just play with her. Take her home. Love her. It’ll come to you.”
She turns her face to me. “So you want me to design toys?”
“Yes. And maybe think up a way to market them too. You know, the whole package.” We turn the corner and walk into a huge park with lots of trees and animals. A good place to get Lesley accommodated with an overexcited dog.
“You know I’m a marketing person, right?” She makes a face like I’m pranking her or something. “Not a designer. Or a dog walker.”
“Yeah, but you gotta be versatile if you wanna work here. Besides, I think it’s good to see what your potential is. And you can’t learn to market something to a dog unless you understand a dog,” I reply with a wink, and for a moment, I think I spot a hint of a smirk on her face.
However, Pepper suddenly starts barking profusely at some other dog near the edge of the lake, who’s digging his feet into the sand to show dominance.
I try to snatch Pepper’s leash from Lesley’s hands, but then the owner of the dog throws a ball into the air … and it lands in the water.
And Pepper shoots right after it.
With Lesley still holding on.
She squeals. “Stop! Wait!”
But Pepper just keeps running, not giving a care in the world about the human she’s dragging with her. It’s like a super dog, running with the speed of wind like it’s chasing lightning, and Lesley’s struggling to hold on.
“Let go of the leash!” I call out to her, but she’s not listening.
I run after her, trying to catch up, but Pepper’s too fast.
And then it happens.
In a split second, Pepper dives into the water … and pulls Lesley in after her.
A big splash follows, and I rush over to the water side. I take off my jacket, throw off my shoes, and jump in after her. She’s tumbling around, screaming and raging at the same time, clothes everywhere, and I’m right there with her.
“What are you doing?” Lesley sputters, trying to keep her head above water as her soaked clothes weigh down on her.
“I’m trying to help you,” I say. I grab her arms and pick her up, lifting her into my arms.
“What? No,” she protests, trying to scramble away from me, but I keep her tightly locked in my arms.
And good god … feeling her wet body so close to mine sure does something to my excitement down below. Like, literally, I have to force myself not to get a raging boner in public because that’d be a sight to behold.
Next thing you know, all those grannies sitting in the grass and enjoying their sandwiches for lunch would have a heart attack just by looking at me. I don’t want to be responsible for killing someone’s grandma. Nope.
“I don’t need help.” Lesley tries to jerk loose, but her wet clothes stick to my body like glue. “I can swim.”
“You never told me, so I thought you might drown.”
“Really? Like that’s something you say on a job interview,” she scoffs, folding her arms.
“No thank you? Okay. You’re welcome anyway.” I smile as I wade toward the surface.
“For what? You gave that dog to me, and now I’m in the water. One plus one equals two,” she says, frowning.
Pepper has already found the ball and made her way back to the grass, and when Lesley notices, she snaps, “Seriously? All this for a goddamn ball?” Pepper shakes her body, getting the water off. She then breaks out into a happy bark, showing the ball like it’s some kind of victory.
Tapping my chest, Lesley adds, “This is all your fault.”
“Well, if that’s how you feel, then suit yourself.”
I drop her straight back into the water.
She sputters and bubbles come from her mouth, and when she comes up again, she gasps and screams, “What the hell, dude?!”
“You said you could swim,” I say, shrugging and grinning as I walk back on land. “Good luck.”
She smashes the water with her fists and growls but doesn’t respond. I guess she knows everything she says can and will be used against her.
Chapter 7
TJ
After I gave the ball back to the lady and apologized for having Pepper steal it, I follow Lesley, who’s stampeding across the park with a red-hot head. She doesn’t stop once, not even to pull off her heels and pour out the water or while wringing out her hair.
“Where are you going?” I ask, but she won’t answer me. I only just manage to grab my shoes and jacket before running after her.
I have a hard time keeping up while trying to hold on to Pepper’s leash. We’re walking across the road, and I’m just following her, not knowing shit about what she’s thinking. I can definitely tell how she’s feeling, though. The fire i
s practically blazing off her, and I can feel it burn on my skin. Not literally, of course. That would make her Supergirl, and I hate to say it, but I don’t hire people with those kind of special skills.
I snigger to myself from my own stupid thoughts.
“What’s so funny?” she sneers.
“My imagination,” I reply. “I’m not laughing at you if that’s what you’re thinking.”
She gives me a look but then doesn’t say another word.
“Hey, I’m soaked too,” I say.
“You jumped in on your own,” she says.
“To save you.”
“I don’t need saving,” she hisses. “I can save myself.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re such a capable young woman.”
“Are you making fun of me?” She stops and looks me directly in the eye.
“No,” I say, holding up my hands.
“Yes, you were …” She narrows her eyes. “You think it’s funny that she dragged me into the water. That I’m not good with dogs.”
“I think you’re great with dogs. You just don’t know it yet.”
She looks up at me with curious eyes. Mad … but curious.
“Great with dogs? Yeah, right.”
“Yeah … She loves you. Look.” I point at Pepper who keeps looking up at Lesley with a smiling face and a tongue hanging out. The sight makes Lesley’s face relax, and for a second, there’s a brief smile.
“You’ll get the hang of it. You’ll see. Before you know it, you and Pepper will be making the perfect dog toy and creating the perfect marketing plan.”
“We’ll see. Right now, anyway, we’re soaked. We need to change clothes before we go back to work.”
“I’m fine. It’ll dry.”
“No …” She places a flat hand on my chest. “You are not going to work looking like this.”
I frown, cocking my head. “I’m not going back home. That’ll take way too long, and I’ve got other things to do today.”
“My place is right around the corner. You can change there.”
Whoa. She wants to take me to her home? That’s quick.
“Into what? I don’t have any spare clothes on me.”
“I do,” she says, grasping the leash from my hand and walking away. “C’mon.”
Confused, I follow her across the street and around the corner into an apartment building. We walk up three flights of stairs while I hold Pepper close to my body, so she doesn’t have to jump up the stairs with that wiener body of hers.
When we finally get to her apartment, Lesley shakes off the excess water, pulls a key out of her pocket and uses it to open the door. The room in front of me is small but cozy and filled with colorful furniture and miniature coffee cups and coffee figurines, which make me snicker. Guess I’m not the only one with a weird collection habit.
The walls are chipped, but nothing major. It looks just like I would imagine a starter apartment to look like. “Please don’t look at the mess. I didn’t have any time to clean up,” she says.
“I won’t,” I say, shutting my eyes and shaking my head, which makes her laugh.
“You don’t have to close your eyes,” she says. “But just ignore it, okay?”
“I’m much more interested in your coffee collection,” I say, pointing at the little porcelain man on the table holding a cup of coffee.
“Oh, that? Yeah … I just love coffee,” she says with a flush on her face, and she immediately picks up some of the figures and stuffs them in a cabinet like she’s trying to hide them.
“I like them,” I say. “They look cute.”
She smiles. “Thanks.”
It’s not just a regular smile.
It’s a thankful smile. A smile a girl only gives to those who make her happy.
It’s one that hits me hard. One that can take my breath away.
And it’s at this moment that I realize this girl is really going to mean trouble.
Lesley
I stare at him for a moment, taken aback by his easy acceptance of my weird collection. I mean, normally I tuck it all away before anyone visits because I don’t wanna be laughed at, and I know this is weird. I mean, c’mon, who has like twenty coffee figurines in their home? Me, that’s who. I just like cute shit. Plus, I’m a sucker for coffee. So basically, I just started collecting them after I found one of those cute figurines on vacation. It’s sort of my thing.
I just don’t like people’s reaction to them. Except his. That’s why I’m so flabbergasted. He just accepted it like it was no big deal. Him, out of all people.
I never expected him to be this understanding. I pegged him for a complete and utter ass, but maybe I’m wrong. Maybe there is more underneath the slick, sexy surface.
“Uh …” he mutters.
I clear my throat because, fuck, that got awkward fast. “The shower’s over there.” I point at my bathroom. “In case you wanna take a shower. Or something.” Oh god, why did I have to make it sound so pervy?
“I’m fine,” he says. “I just wanna get dry and get back to work.”
Damn.
For a moment there, I’m actually disappointed. Now I won’t get to see his sexy abs and imagine running my fingers all over them. I wonder what he looks like.
Seriously, Lesley? Stooping so low for some action?
I should definitely have more sex, just to prevent myself from craving him. I mean, I do like casual sex, but I’ve been so busy running my panty-scheme and trying to find a job that I just don’t have the time for sex. Let alone a boyfriend. Nope. I definitely need to find some random hookup. That, or pull my trusty vibrator from the closet.
Especially when he just takes off his shirt … right here in my living room.
I gulp.
The shoulder and back muscles that appear beneath capture my attention, and not just a little bit. My eyes are practically bulging out of my head as he marches toward the bathroom and throws his shirt down with little to no care.
That sexy body dragged me out of the water. He lifted me up and held me close to him as he tried to bring me to the shore. I came so close … and then I screwed it for myself. Why did I do that again? Oh right, because I want to be my own boss. Stupid. I should’ve just let him touch me.
Oh, yes. I’m practically drooling over my shoes at the thought. Fuck.
Roll in that damn tongue, girl.
He throws his jacket on the counter and puts his shoes on the floor. Then he pulls off his soaked socks and pants, revealing his mighty calves. He must go to the gym often to look like this, but my question is … Who’s he doing all the work for? Another girl? Not that it should matter. I mean, I don’t have a shot. I shouldn’t even take a shot; he’s my damn boss.
Annoyed with myself and my own dirty thoughts, I furrow my brows, but still, I can’t take my eyes off him.
He turns around and stares right back at me.
And I’m left horrified and stunned.
“Are you looking at me?” A smug grin spreads across his face.
“N-no, I wasn’t,” I stammer, barely able to keep my eyes from his abs, which are now clearly visible as he’s turned my way.
He’s so damn sexy, and to think that I was in the water with … that. I’m impressed. I never thought he’d be this good looking. I wasn’t looking hard enough. Then again, he’s still kind of an ass.
He snorts. “Yeah, you were.”
Case in point.
Before my face turns red, I spin on my heels and run to the bedroom. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!
What the fuck are you doing, Lesley?
Get a hold of yourself.
I slap myself in the cheeks and open the drawer, determined not to get distracted again. Rummaging through the old clothes, I find one of my ex’s shirts and a pair of pants that he left when he ran. I hope they’re the right size.
When I bring them back to him, I notice he’s stripped down to his underwear, and the sight makes me swallow a whole load of air.
“Yo
u can wear these,” I say, trying my best to keep my voice steady as I place them on the bathroom counter. “Leave your clothes here; I’ll dry them and get them back to you tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” he says, grabbing the pants. His abs flex with pure muscle as he slides them over his legs, and I can’t help but stare. Goddamn this man.
He points at the fresh clothes and says, “I’ll bring these back to you steam cleaned tomorrow.”
“Oh, no, don’t bother,” I say, leaning against the doorpost. “Keep them.”
“You sure?”
“Oh yeah, I’m glad to be rid of them.”
He frowns, and for a second there, I’m worried he might start asking questions, but luckily, he keeps his lips sealed.
“I’ll go get changed too,” I say before things get uncomfortable, and I hop back into the bedroom. I really need the breather. Staring at that body too long gets my heart racing, and that can’t be good.
With the door closed, I pull off all my clothes and dab myself with a towel before putting on a new floral dress and some cute slippers. The weather is nice enough, and we still have to walk back to the office, so I might as well enjoy it.
I quickly pull out my phone to text my mom again because she asked me to keep her in the loop. She’s always worried about me, even when she shouldn’t be.
Me: Did you know Morrows sells dog toys?
Mom: Yes, and a bunch of other stuff.
Me: I didn’t. But anyway, they actually gave me a dog to take care of.
Mom: A dog? Pics!
Me: All right.
Pepper’s lying on the floor, and she tilts her head up the moment I look at her. Perfect for a snapshot, which I send to my mom.
Mom: Adorable!
Me: I guess.
Mom: I know you don’t like dogs, but you should give it a chance. This one looks too cute.
Me: I know, I know. I’ll do my best.
Mom: Good. You work hard, honey.
Me: Thanks, Mom.
Mom: xx
Smiling, I put the phone down and open the door. Right then, Pepper steals my wet panties, snagging them from the floor, and dashes off.
Unprofessional Bad Boys - Boxed Set (Contemporary Romance) Page 26