Operation Sex Kitten

by Tess Summers

  Looking at the clock, she realized she had almost thirty minutes before she needed to go home and start getting ready for her date with General Thompson. Forty-five minutes if she showered fast and didn’t shave her legs again.

  After ten minutes of driving up and down the street, Ava realized how pointless that endeavor was and parked at her parents’ so she could be out on foot looking for him. Finally, she saw him across the street from where she was looking. He was sniffing around a neighbor’s yard when she called for him. He lifted his head upon hearing his name and looked around. She knew the second he had recognized her by the wiggle of his butt.

  He started to race toward her when she let out a horrified scream as the car zoomed past. Ava felt like the next three seconds were in slow motion—the squeal of the brakes, the yelp of Fred, and her realization of what had happened.

  She rushed frantically to the whimpering dog. It appeared he had been hit by the bumper, but not actually run over by the tire. But a bumper could still inflict a lot of damage on such a small dog. Knowing he was in pain and likely to bite anyone who picked him up, she urgently asked the young driver if he had a blanket or towel. Clearly distraught at having hit a dog, the kid silently shook his head no.

  Ava stayed calm. She knew she didn’t have time to go grab something to wrap Fred in before rushing him to the vet so, out of alternatives, she whipped her shirt over her head and gently placed it around Fred before gingerly picking him up. Running as carefully to her car as she could with him whimpering in her arms, she pleaded, “Hang on, little guy,” the whole time until she reached her car.

  She tried dialing Travis’ number on her way to the nearest emergency vet but was shaking so bad from the adrenaline wearing off that it took her three attempts to hit the right button for him in her phone directory. Hoping she at least made sense and didn’t sound like a lunatic, she tried to explain that Fred had been hit by a car, and she was on her way with him to the emergency animal hospital not far from his house.

  Travis said he was on the outskirts of the neighborhood, so he could easily make it out the guard gate and into traffic. The red-light gods must have been on his side, because he pulled into the hospital just as Ava was getting Fred out of her car still wrapped in her shirt.

  While she was wearing nothing above her waist but a bra.

  They both rushed him in, and Ava began the frantic process of trying to explain what had happened before the staff whisked the dog away to be evaluated. The adrenaline had surged again when she was reliving the events while explaining what had happened, so it hadn’t hit her yet that she was shirtless in the waiting room until Travis started unbuttoning his shirt.

  What the hell is he doing?

  He pulled it off his body and held it open for her to put her arms in. She wasn’t processing why he had taken off his shirt until he gestured she was in nothing but her underwear. Feeling her face burn when she realized she had been in that state of undress the whole time talking to the veterinarian staff, she hoped when they unwrapped Fred they’d at least understand the reason.

  With an embarrassed smile, she slid it on. It was still warm and smelled like him. Instantly getting goosebumps, it was all she could do to keep from taking a deep breath of the fabric in. She was still intoxicated by his scent.

  And now he was shirtless again. Goddamn it, this isn’t fair.

  Thankfully she realized she needed to call Ron and cancel their date, so she was able to temporarily escape by excusing herself to step outside and call him in private.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t take as much time as Ava had hoped, and she was back within a few minutes. Now the uneasiness set in. She sat in the uncomfortable waiting room chair with her feet not quite reaching the ground, painfully aware of how close her former lover with the naked, amazing chest was to her. As she recognized the pine cleaner and wet dog smell that comes with a vet clinic, she concentrated on the delicious aroma coming from the shirt she had on and began to absent-mindedly kick her feet back and forth under the chair, stopping when she realized what she was doing.

  No, that’s not a red flag or anything that I’m uncomfortable.

  Rocking her body a little, she decided to at least attempt civil small talk. This should be interesting. Trying to think of a safe topic other than the weather, she came up with, “So, work still busy for you?”

  Travis nodded. “More than ever. You?”

  “Yes, I’m told it usually starts to slow down after school starts and fall is right around the corner, but I’ve never been busier.”

  He politely acknowledged what she said. “That’s good.” After an awkward hesitation, he asked, “Are you liking your new office?”

  She didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want him knowing she’d turned the Ridgeport offer down, especially in light of recent developments in his procreation area. Thankfully the doctor came out to discuss Fred’s condition before she had to answer. The dog was still in the touch-and-go state and was going to need surgery if there was any chance of saving him. Travis listened carefully, and when the tech brought him an estimate of the possible charges, he barely looked at it before signing.

  The reality of possibly losing Fred was starting to sink in and she was scared. She didn’t know how she would live with herself if he died.

  Tears welled up in Ava’s eyes, and she softly said, “I should have never called to him before I crossed the street. If he hadn’t been racing toward me, he would have never run out in the road and…” She looked over at him, tears now streaming down her face and whispered with a sob, “I am so sorry, Travis.”

  He gently took her in his arms, holding her tight as she cried.

  “Oh Ava. Baby, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t know.” He stroked her hair while kissing the top of her head. “This was just a terrible accident. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for leaving the gate open.”

  For a second, Ava allowed herself the luxury of being in his arms and pretending he meant to call her baby. She hadn’t felt that secure since the last time he had held her, and now he was being so kind. The reality of their situation crept into her conscious, and she started to cry for another reason: she missed him. She felt guilty for not pulling away. She no longer belonged in his arms—someone else did—but allowed herself to be nestled there just a little while longer.

  With a deep sigh, she moved away and gave him a smile. “Thanks.”

  He had the most tender look on his face and for a second, she thought he was going to kiss her when Major General Ron Thompson came through the automatic doors. Ava watched Ron as he did a quick assessment of the situation. Travis shirtless, Ava in an obvious men’s shirt, her face tear-stained, and their body language screaming attraction.

  She got up and greeted him, grabbing him by both hands. “You didn’t have to come here! I am so sorry to cancel on you last minute!”

  Ron smiled at the warm welcome. “Of course I was going to come. You sounded upset, I wanted to be here.” He hugged her and added, “Don’t give dinner another thought, we’ll do it some other time. How’s the dog?” Arms around Ava, he glanced at Travis out of the corner of his eye.

  She knew he was wondering what was going on with the shirt situation. “I used my shirt to wrap Fred in. Travis was very kind and offered me his when he got here.” As an after-thought, she realized she also needed to explain why Travis was there. “Fred is Travis’ dog. He’s in surgery now.”

  “Do you know how long he’s going to be in surgery? We could quickly go get something to eat next door.” With the corners of his mouth turned up, he looked toward Travis and added, “Hopefully they don’t have a no shirt policy.”

  The look on Travis’ face indicated he would rather give his left nut than go with the two of them to dinner. “You guys go ahead. I’m going to wait here. I’ll call you if anything changes.”

  Ava frowned. “Are you sure? Do you want me to stop and get y
ou a shirt?”

  “Yeah, actually I would appreciate that. Do you remember the security code?”

  Did she remember the security code? Of course she remembered the code!

  “I think so,” was her response. “If I don’t, I’ll call you.”

  They decided to take care of getting Travis dressed before they grabbed a bite. Ron waited in his four-wheel drive in the loop in front of Travis’ house while she ran inside. While locating one of his favorite Stanford shirts, she couldn’t help but notice there were no feminine toiletries or clothing anywhere in his bedroom, bathroom, or closet. In fact, it looked exactly like the last time she’d been in it. She was pretty sure that was even her toothbrush still in the cup.

  She thought it was odd but was in too big a hurry to dwell on it as she rushed back to the truck.

  Ron went into the Chinese restaurant next door while she dashed in to give him his shirt. When she handed it to him and said, “I know it’s your favorite,” with a smile, he hugged her and kissed her hair, taking his time letting her go. “Thanks.”

  “Any word?” she asked when he finally released her.

  He shook his head, “Not yet.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised as she retreated toward the door. “Call me if he gets out of surgery.”

  It was a good thing that she was constantly moving because if she would have taken thirty seconds to think about what was happening with her, Ron, and Travis, her head might have started spinning.

  “Any news on Fred?” Ron graciously asked as she slid into the booth across from where he had already been seated.

  “Not yet.” She shook her head and fought back tears again thinking about her little furry friend fighting for his life.

  Ron reached across the table and grabbed the top of her hand. “It’s going to be all right,” he stated authoritatively. The way he said it, she knew he was used to his orders being carried out. Except these weren’t orders he was able to give. Still, she appreciated the sentiment and smiled.

  “There’s one thing I can’t figure out though,” he said with a cocked head.

  Ava looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

  “What were you doing with your ex-boyfriend’s dog in the first place?”

  His confusion was understandable, and she knew she owed him an explanation and proceeded to tell him the story of Travis living around the corner from her parents, her finding Ginger, learning Fred was missing, and offering to help find him, only to have him hit in front of her. Tears streamed down her face as she recalled picking the dog up and carrying him to her car.

  Ron moved round the table and slid into the booth next to her. Putting his arms around her, he held her tight.

  “Don’t cry,” he murmured against her hair. “He’s going to pull through this. Just watch, he’ll be good as new in no time.”

  Ava looked at him and tried to laugh while she was crying, wiping her wet face with her napkin. She liked how his arms felt around her, and that only served to confuse her, given how she was still feeling about Travis earlier. Although it also pleased her in that it gave her hope there could be life after Mr. Sterling.

  Thinking about her conversations with Anne and her best friend’s insistence she was going to need a rebound fling to get over Travis made her sad. She knew she could care for Ron if their timing had been different. He was so much better than a rebound fling. Why couldn’t the ball have been two months ago, before she ever even met that gorgeous lawyer and daddy-to-be?

  One more thing to add to the not fair column.

  Their dinner was as comfortable as their phone conversations had been throughout the week. He shared he was going overseas again at the end of the month and wouldn’t be back until December, but asked if they could Skype while he was away. She frequently talked to her brother Steven over video chat so was comfortable with the idea and easily agreed.

  Then she thought about the things she knew Anne did over video chat with men and backtracked.

  “You mean actually talking, right?”

  He almost seemed insulted at the question, as though she was questioning his honor. “Yes, of course. What else did you think I meant?”

  She grinned when she shook her head and replied, “Nothing else. I just wanted to be sure.”

  *

  When the waitress came to collect their plates, Ava ordered a dinner to-go for Travis. Ron was still uncertain what to think about her and Travis’ relationship, and while he loved she was thoughtful by getting Travis food, it didn’t do much in convincing him the two really were ‘ancient history’ as Ava had said they were at the ball.

  The general knew there was still a spark between Ava and Travis. Travis had a pulse; Ron couldn’t fault the man. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility of being Ava’s consolation prize though.

  They came back to the animal hospital to learn Fred was almost through with surgery. When Ava handed Travis the takeout, he looked at her affectionately and Ron knew he would have hugged her, had the general not been standing right there watching.

  “Oh my gosh, I forgot silverware! I’ll be right back!” Ava proclaimed and was out the door before Travis could protest he didn’t need it.

  The two men sat down in uncomfortable quiet until Ron finally broke the silence.

  “I’m headed overseas again for a few months,” he offered.

  Travis nodded his head. Maybe a little too enthusiastically. “Thank you for your service to our country.”

  “Thank you for all you have done for our returning soldiers who need help. We need more people like you.”

  Travis shrugged and explained he knew how important it was to take care of our serving men and women, even after they’ve taken off the uniform.

  Ron sat quietly contemplating, then stood up and shook Travis’ hand.

  “I return in December. If you haven’t done something by then, you should know, I’m going to do everything in my power to make her mine.” With that, the major general turned on his heel and walked out, meeting Ava at the door to say his goodbye.

  Travis watched the man kiss Ava and murmured out loud, “I wish it was that easy.”

  As Ava was walking back into the veterinarian’s clinic, Ron walked out the sliding doors.

  “I’m going to be going now,” he said with a soft smile.

  The look of disappointment on her face made him reconsider what he had told Travis. He might not be able to wait until December after all to woo her.

  “Thanks for being so understanding.” She paused sheepishly. “About everything. I know canceling dinner to be with the shirtless ex-boyfriend might be asking a little too much of someone on a first date. I can’t blame you if you don’t want to see me again.”

  He merely shook his head and gave a smile that said what he was thinking. You’re right, that was a lot to take in, but you haven’t scared me off yet.

  She gave an apologetic grin and continued, “I really am sorry about dinner. I was looking forward to it. Can I make it up to you?”

  Ron liked her, he had no doubt about that, but after seeing Travis and her together tonight, he knew there was unfinished business between the two, and he wanted her to get that figured out before he started pursuing her. When she was with him, he wanted her with him, not thinking about someone else. Then there was the matter of being gone for over two months.

  The general looked thoughtfully at her for a second before responding. “Tell you what, if you’re available in December when I get back, I’ll let you make it up to me then.”

  When she apologized yet again, he couldn’t tell if the look on her face was disappointment or guilt. Touching her cheek with the back of his hand, he leaned over and kissed her gently on the mouth.

  “I really do understand,” he murmured with his face inches from hers.

  She didn’t break his stare when she thanked him again. “I really am disappointed we didn’t go out o
n a proper date,” she replied softly.

  Damn it, woman, don’t tempt me.

  Just then, the automatic door opened to reveal Travis standing in the doorway, and he called, “He’s out of surgery,” before turning around and causing the doors to close shut again.

  Ava hesitated before going inside.

  “Will you at least call me before you leave?” she asked hopefully.

  He gave her a smile before answering. “Count on it.”

  Chapter 19

  THE vet assured them Fred was going to make a full recovery, and Ava felt an immediate sense of relief, instinctively wrapping both arms around Travis’ bicep and squeezing while she leaned her head briefly against his shoulder.

  “Thank goodness,” she exclaimed.

  He leaned over and kissed her head while asking the doctor, “Can we see him?”

  “Just for a minute. He’s still pretty groggy, and I don’t want him to get too excited. Let’s see how he does tonight, and maybe he can go home the day after tomorrow.”

  After seeing Fred and being reassured he was going to be okay, Ava started making her way slowly toward the exit while walking backwards and gesturing to Travis’ shirt she still had on.

  “Thanks again for this. I’ll get it back to you as soon as I can.”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “No rush. Thank you for getting me dinner. That was so thoughtful of you.”

  Ava smiled. She didn’t know what else to say to him. Now that Fred was in the clear, her mind started to work again. She realized how incredibly hurt she still was by his baby news, and the extremely shitty way he had sprung it on her.

  She turned to leave when he blurted out, “Do you want to go grab a drink?”

  Is he fucking for real?

  She looked at him with a bit of disdain now. He was off the market and not by a flavor of the month, by the mother of his child. He shouldn’t be asking her to have a drink with him. Frankly, she was surprised and a little disappointed. That seemed very out of character for the Travis she thought she knew.

  *

  He immediately realized that was the wrong thing to ask merely by her facial expression. He had allowed himself a glimmer of hope based on how she had touched him and let him hold her earlier. The coldness of her simple one word answer no reduced him to feeling like a dirtbag.