by Avery Ford
“If someone comes along, that’s not going to happen,” Dmitri promised. “Besides, you’re not all on your own. What about Linda?”
Martin grinned. “I didn’t necessarily mean me. I meant, old like me, but far worse off because you’re alone.”
Dmitri mulled it over, but before he had time to say anything, their dinner arrived. The waitress interrupted the flow of conversation, and when it resumed again, it was on something much safer—dogs.
Only now when Dmitri thought about the shelter, he wasn’t only thinking of dogs.
Sapphire eyes haunted him.
With any luck, he’d shake them soon enough.
7
Arthur
Dr. H is handing back the psets. Omg, I think I bombed.
Arthur looked up from his text message and over to Quip. They routinely sat on opposite ends of the class to keep from talking too much. Quip was looking his way, and he gestured with a nod of his head toward the front of the room. The lecture was just about to end, and as it did, Dr. Halifax worked a stack of papers out from a thick folder.
The psets were impossible. Arthur texted back. I probably did worse than you. You went to one of the study sessions, right?
The message took a second to send. Before it could be marked as delivered, Dr. Halifax ended the lecture and turned to other matters.
“I’ll be returning your psets to you before dismissal. Please remained seated while I distribute the graded papers. As always, please keep in mind the classroom policy — you may approach me about your grade after twenty-four hours have passed, and only if you come to see me in my office. No other allowances will be given.”
Yeah, there’s no way I’m talking myself into a higher grade. Quip shot back in reply.
Maybe he has extra credit work to offer.
He’d better, or I’m sunk this semester.
Dr. Halifax made the rounds. It seemed as though he’d sorted the papers to correspond with the usual seating arrangements in the room. Most people took regular spots and didn’t move around. To Arthur, it was a lot more convenient that way.
Soon enough, Dr. Halifax came to Arthur’s spot. He placed the graded pset face down on the table in front of Arthur and smiled. He said nothing, but there was kindness in his eyes that made Arthur think that maybe he hadn’t done so poorly after all.
Quip’s side of the room was the last to receive their psets back, and as Dr. Halifax continued to distribute papers, Quip sent Arthur text after text.
What did you get?
Don’t leave me hanging.
Arthur, you’re the biggest tease in the world, you know that?
Arthur sent back a singular text. We’ll look together. When you get your pset, look at me. When I nod, we’ll flip them over at the same time.
Roger that.
Arthur watched as Dr. Halifax delivered the last of the papers. He placed Quip’s down and moved on, and once he was out of the way, Arthur met Quip’s eye. Quip was ready.
Arthur nodded.
He flipped the pset over. His eye was drawn immediately to the grade inscribed on the top right corner. From across the room, he heard Quip groan, but Arthur had nothing to complain about. He’d scored a staggering 97%.
68%. Quip wrote. Gonna die.
I got 97%, I’m kind of freaking out.
And you said you were going to bomb. As if.
Arthur grinned down at the message, then let his attention return to the pset. There were comments written beneath the grade in Dr. Halifax’s elegant script. Arthur read them carefully, wanting to make sure he wasn’t imagining the grade, or that he’d been given it by accident.
Very impressive work, Mr. Jessup. Your understanding of the subject matter is clear and precise, and it is apparent that you’ve taken the time to devote yourself to the readings — both mandatory and supplementary. I’d love to have a quick word with you after class if possible. Great work!
The feedback was needed. After quitting his job and securing a loan, Arthur’s world was turned upside down.
Meeting Dmitri hadn’t helped.
So far he’d remained silent about the man who’d stared through him with his dark, scrutinizing gaze. Quip would tease him, he was sure, and Arthur didn’t have very many other friends. Dr. Halifax and his wife were close to the only other people in Arthur’s life at this point, and he didn’t think it was a good idea to chat about men with his genetics professor.
Mrs. Halifax, maybe, but Arthur didn’t see her half as often.
“When we come back for the next lecture, we’ll be finishing off content for the year and starting to move into review for the final exam,” Dr. Halifax said. The class started to rise from their seats and pack away their belongings. “Remember that your final will continue toward fifty percent of your grade. It is possible to turn a poor grade into a strong one should you do well enough on the exam.”
Arthur didn’t have much to worry about. With his newest pset back, he felt unconquerable. His grades for the rest of the semester had been solid, and unless he failed the final badly, he was going to pass.
The question was if he’d pass well enough so that Blackburn’s graduate classes didn’t overlook him.
Arthur took his time as the rest of the students packed and left. Dr. Halifax lingered by the podium, watching his students leave.
You coming? Quip asked through a text.
Staying behind. I’ll catch up in a second, okay?
Okay.
When there were only a few stragglers left behind, Arthur left his seat and descended the stairs to join Dr. Halifax at the lectern. Dr. Halifax smiled as he approached. His glasses sat low on his nose, and he pushed them up as an afterthought.
“I was hoping you’d come to see me, Arthur,” Dr. Halifax said. “I was quite impressed with your work on the pset.”
“Thank you.” Arthur stopped a respectful distance from the doctor. “I was convinced I hadn’t done well. I tried my best, but I thought for sure it wasn’t going to be enough.”
“Work like that is very impressive. You shouldn’t doubt yourself so much.” Dr. Halifax gathered his briefcase. “Would you join me? I’m heading up to my office briefly to pack some things before going home.”
“Sure.” Arthur fell into line beside Dr. Halifax. “Is Mrs. Halifax waiting for you?”
“Nope. She’s at work.” Dr. Halifax walked with purpose, and Arthur tried to imitate that confidence as best he could. Now that he’d quit his job, he felt much better about the time he had to devote to his studies — and to life in general. It was good to get up and want to do something with the day. Whether that something was volunteering at Locust Hill Animal Shelter or lazing around on the couch, halfheartedly reading a textbook while watching trashy TV, Arthur hadn’t felt this good for a long time. “I think I’m going to go home and surprise her with dinner when she gets in.”
“She’ll love that.” Arthur beamed. “Any plans on what you’ll make?”
“Something easy, but classy. Maybe chicken. I’m not sure.” Dr. Halifax took to the stairs leading to the fifth floor. The officers were located on that level as well as several private rooms for graduate and PhD students. “I’ll figure it out on the way home.”
There was silence as they climbed the stairs. On the upper landing, Arthur noticed Dr. Halifax turn his head. Arthur looked in his direction to find the doctor was considering him.
“You know,” Dr. Halifax said. “There’s something different about you these days. I’m not quite sure what it is. Have you met someone?”
Excitement and fear twisted in Arthur’s chest right behind his ribs, and he fiddled with the strap of his backpack nervously as he shook his head. “No. I recently quit my job and took out a loan instead, so I’ve been sleeping more.”
“Aha, sleep — the opposite of being in a relationship.” Dr. Halifax grinned. He led Arthur down the hall to his office. “Although I’ll admit, I’ve been worried about you since the… incident.”
Arthur lowered his head and watched his feet. They came to a stop in front of Dr. Halifax’s office door. Dr. Halifax unlocked it.
“I’m okay,” Arthur promised.
“Okay is not synonymous with good.” The lock clicked. Dr. Halifax pushed the door open. “I think I’m within my right to be worried. I’ll have you know that I’ve been in touch with your father regularly, since he’s part of the scientific community I’m in. Every time I talk to him, I make sure to weigh in about what’s happened between you. One day I promise he will come around, Arthur. I’m trying.”
“Thank you,” Arthur said politely. “That’s… nice of you.”
“I know you must feel like it’s all your problem, but let me assure you, wars are not meant to be waged alone.” Dr. Halifax moved to his desk and set his briefcase on his chair. He didn’t sit. Instead, he started collecting papers from random stacks. For a man so brilliant, his desk was a disaster. “Rachel and I are with you every step of the way.”
“I’ve been doing the best I can. If there’s ever anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.” Arthur managed a smile even though it felt like his heart was tearing in two. He still remembered the backlash and the harsh words. The violence. The anger. Until that point, he’d been following in his father’s footsteps and doing his best to impress him. They’d had a stern, but decent relationship.
But it turned out that liking men instead of women was enough to drive them apart, maybe forever. Arthur knew that there was a chance it could happen, but he wished it hadn’t. His father was such a brilliant geneticist, but when it came to being progressive, he was remedial.
“I’m almost wondering if I shouldn’t network a little and see if I can’t find you someone to keep you company.” Dr. Halifax shot Arthur a look that made Arthur blush. “You’re a very intelligent young man, Arthur. I’m sure that there are those who’d love to keep you company.”
“I, um.” Arthur bit down on the inside of his lip. Dr. Halifax was like an uncle to him, and that meant he was subjected to the same kind of teasing he’d get from family. “I’m not so sure, really…”
Dmitri was in his head, those hard, dark eyes seductive and enticing. Arthur bit down a little harder on his lip, wanting nothing more for intrusive thoughts like those to go away. He didn’t want anything to do with Dmitri. Dmitri wasn’t a good man.
He was just sexy as hell.
“You’re just like my mother,” Arthur finally said, managing to laugh off Dr. Halifax’s offer. “When I would come home in the summer, she’d always be trying to set me up with girls. I appreciate the offer, but I think there are some wars you do have to fight on your own.”
“Well, keep it in mind.” Dr. Halifax winked. He finished collecting his things and gestured toward the door. “It was nice talking with you again, Arthur. You should find time to stop by for dinner. Rachel is always on me about when will be the next time you’ll visit.”
“Sure.” Now that he didn’t have a job anymore, it was going to be easier to go out and have some fun. Arthur smiled. “I think I’d like that a lot.”
A lot better than a blind date, especially when all he could think about was someone tall, dark, and terrible.
8
Dmitri
Solider needed more time. Dmitri knew it but he didn’t like to acknowledge it. Some dogs were slower to adjust than others, and it seemed like Soldier’s issues ran deeper than Dmitri knew.
He’d get through to him, he knew it. The problem was getting clearance to continue to foster Soldier until that came to be.
Dmitri wasn’t due at the shelter, but he showed up anyway. There were more cars parked outside the building than usual, and it made him think that something was wrong. If the extra traffic was due to visitors, great. But a feeling in Dmitri’s heart told him that something else was going on.
The second he came in through the front door, he knew he was right.
Celeste, her bright red hair clearly visible through the office window, was seated and silent. Red flag number one. Red flag number two was the woman who sat across from her. Her hair was cut into a short bob, and it was a rich, dark gray that suited her angular face. Dmitri saw her in profile, but he recognized her right away. Lisa Akes.
The owner.
It wasn’t often she came in.
“If we eliminate just an eighth of the usual serving size per dog per day, and we increase the adoption fee, we might be able to string something together,” Lisa said. “In addition, I propose altering the shots we give out for free to the kittens and puppies taken in. Young animals move so much more smoothly than older ones. Not only will we be able to charge more during the adoption fee, but we can cut back on the massive expenses of our vet bills.”
Dmitri made his way over. It wasn’t exactly eavesdropping — both women could see him if they turned their heads. Besides, he needed to fill out a secondary set of paperwork to prolong Soldier’s stay in his care.
“We really can’t do that,” Celeste said. “Not about the food, anyway. I already feel so bad having to ration what we give out. The food donations we get let us feed our animals a little bit more without any additional spending.”
“Except that the food donations per month are never enough to cover all of our expenses,” Lisa said. “I’ve provided you with figures, Celeste. Please, look them over. I know it’s not easy on you — it’s not easy on anyone — but you’ve got to let it go. If we don’t make changes, we’re not going to be able to take care of any animals.”
Dmitri crossed his arms on the broad window ledge and looked in on them. “Hey.”
Celeste jumped and laid a hand on her heart. She looked over at Dmitri. “You scared me!”
“Sorry.”
“Hello, Dmitri,” Lisa said. “I didn’t realize you were scheduled to come in today.”
“I wasn’t,” Dmitri said. “I came in to fill in some additional paperwork about a dog. Looks like it’s a good thing that I did.”
Celeste scrubbed at her temples and shook her head. She didn’t look pleased at all. “We were just having a talk about budget cuts. Maybe it’d be a good thing if you sat down with us and listened in on this conversation. I’m not sure how much of this we can actually do without hurting the animals in our care.”
Dmitri looked between the two of them. Celeste, the volunteer who put in the most hours out of any of them, looked frazzled and frustrated. Lisa was stern and guarded, but Dmitri could tell that behind her impersonal mask was sorrow.
“I think maybe a better place to start would be, why are there budget cuts coming down the pipeline?” Dmitri rested his weight on his arms, looking in at them curiously. “What’s going on?”
“The donations just aren’t adding up anymore,” Lisa explained. “This is a non-profit organization that depends on the kindness of others to run. My mother invested a small fortune buying this land and setting up the kennels, but between vet bills, and food expenses, utilities, and all the little things this place needs, we’re hemorrhaging money. I’m looking for ways to start cutting back so we can keep on track, but none of them are ideal. We’re not exactly frivolous with money here. There simply isn’t much to cut back on.”
Dmitri frowned. “How badly are we bleeding?”
“Badly enough that if we don’t do something soon, we’re going to have to close the doors and sell the buildings.”
It shouldn’t have come as a shock that the shelter was doing poorly. Dmitri knew that running an animal shelter was very seldom a lucrative business. People who ran places like this did so from the depths of their hearts — and their wallets.
But to hear that this shelter was on the verge of collapse moved him. When he was young, volunteering here had inspired in him a love of animals. Ultimately, it had led his mother to start breeding Belgian Malinois, and from there, Dmitri had stepped up to help her even as her health was failing.
This place had brought him closer together with the only parent he’d ever known. Losin
g it would be like losing a part of his soul.
“Let me look over the books,” Dmitri prompted. “With a fresh set of eyes, maybe we can figure out where we can recoup some costs. I don’t think it needs to come to this.”
“I’m not so sure,” Lisa said.
Celeste looked like she wanted to speak, but she held her silence. She was caught in as awkward a place as Dmitri was. Dmitri was sure of it.
“I—”
The lobby door opened. The conversation stopped immediately, and all heads turned to watch Arthur stroll in through the front door. The sight of him alone, dressed simply in a graphic t-shirt and jeans, made Dmitri’s cock twitch. The depth of his attraction disturbed him and turned his stomach.
Arthur looked just about as happy to see Dmitri as Dmitri looked to see Arthur.
“Looks like I walked in on something,” Arthur said. He looked between Dmitri and Celeste, and Dmitri watched in distaste as Arthur’s gaze landed on Lisa. “Hello! We haven’t met before. Are you a volunteer at the shelter?”
“This is Lisa Akes,” Celeste said. “She’s the current owner.”
Arthur’s face fell, and while part of Dmitri was glad his enthusiasm had worn off, the other half wanted to see Arthur smile again.
“Hello, ma’am,” Arthur said. “I’m here as a volunteer. You have a wonderful establishment.”
“Thank you for your time,” Lisa said cordially.
“I’ve got to let him in through the locked door,” Celeste murmured. “Pardon me.”
She went to stand up, but Dmitri stopped her with a shake of his head and an outstretched hand. “I can take care of it. I’m already on the right side of the office door.”
“So is it some kind of volunteer meeting that’s going on today?” Arthur asked. The obliviousness of his statements irked Dmitri to no end. “Should I be made aware of anything?”