Talking Dog II: Never Send a Dog To Do a Woman's Job

by Shelley Munro

  NEVER SEND A DOG TO DO A WOMAN’S JOB

  An Ellora’s Cave Publication, January 2005

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

  1337 Commerce Drive, #13

  Stow, OH 44224

  ISBN MS Reader (LIT) ISBN # 1-4199-0117-6

  Other available formats (no ISBNs are assigned):

  Adobe (PDF), Rocketbook (RB), Mobipocket (PRC) & HTML

  NEVER SEND A DOG TO DO A WOMAN’S JOB © 2005 SHELLEY MUNRO

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. They are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Edited by Mary Moran.

  Cover art by Melissa Waitley.

  Warning:

  The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Never Send a Dog To Do a Woman’s Job has been rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).

  S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.

  E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers find objectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as “fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.

  X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.

  Never Send a Dog To Do a Woman’s Job

  Shelley Munro

  Chapter One

  Lily noticed the man straight away. Tall and golden, he prowled down the main street of Papakura like a jungle cat. Proud. Determined. Aware of his surroundings.

  Every other female in the vicinity noticed him, too, but he didn’t hesitate or seem to take any notice of the admiration. An elderly woman preened, patted her silver hair and promptly dropped her walking stick. The man stooped to pick it up, and she rewarded him with a coy smile. Lily would have bet the old girl’s heart pounded. Hers certainly did. A trio of teenage girls put their heads together to whisper then burst into giggles each time they checked him out. Mrs. Pappadopoulos, the proprietress of the kebab shop across the road, rushed out with her straw broom and pretended to sweep her doorstep. Her eyes never left the golden cat. She might have fooled the man but Lily saw through her ploy. A dangerous stud seated at the window booth would boost sales during the slow back-at-work Monday.

  Lily shifted on her wooden chair as she stared out the huge, plate glass window that fronted her travel agency. A frown formed between her brows. She could do with some customers to browse through her brochures and bring business. Her bank account was so far in the red it glowed like Rudolph’s nose at Christmas time. The bank statements arrived on a daily basis, a not so subtle reminder by the bank manager that her overdraft was at the upper limits of acceptance. Maybe she should hire the golden man to step into her shop? Her gaze swept over broad shoulders and a truly tempting masculine butt. A sigh of appreciation whistled through her lips. Nice view—but not for her.

  Lily picked up her pen and aimed her gaze at the flickering computer screen. A scant two seconds later, her eyes were right back on the golden man. He turned. Lily sucked in a loud, startled breath that echoed and filled the travel agency making her aware, more than ever, of the lack of customers. Probably for the best, she thought. No one to witness the overweight divorcée making cow eyes at an impossible dream.

  Golden man.

  An apt description. His curly blond hair grazed his shoulders and shone in the early morning light, the gentle sun picking out highlights that Lily would kill for. Even features were arranged in a tanned face. His dazzling smile was definitely worth a second look. Lily just wished she could see what color his eyes were. Curiosity propelled her need to know. Maybe brown, she decided. Her gaze drifted downward. His faded blue jeans were skin-tight, highlighting muscles and bulges with loving care, and one knee peeked out through a rip with each prowling step. A white cotton shirt accentuated his tan. White, Lily noted, bearing not a hint of what he ate for breakfast. She glanced down at her hip-length, cover-all-sins top. Two ugly brown splotches marred the light green fabric. Yep, definitely coffee splashes, Lily thought with resignation as she looked up again to follow the man’s progress.

  The man stopped outside the kebab shop. Mrs. Pappadopoulos beamed and hurried forward to greet her cash fall. She made a sweeping gesture with her right hand toward her best table. The golden man smiled.

  Lily’s heart skipped a beat. “Holy heck,” she breathed in awe. There was a whole street and two footpaths between them yet she reacted to him physically! A tight sensation in her chest reminded her to breathe again.

  The teenagers waltzed into the kebab shop, hips swaying, small pert breasts stuck out proudly. Lily didn’t blame them. She realized she’d sucked everything in while glued to the unfolding drama. Not that things moved into place as promptly as she would have liked. And her breasts had never, ever looked pert. Lily blinked rapidly to clear the sudden onslaught of tears. Past history. She was never going there again.

  Lily sniffed and concentrated on the scene in the kebab shop. The elderly lady had found a friend, and they both stepped through the door Mrs. Pappadopoulos held open. Once they were over the threshold and safely inside, she shut it so they couldn’t leave in a hurry. Lily supposed the oldies could always break out using their walking sticks if they got desperate.

  Mrs. Pappadopoulos returned to the golden man. He flashed his smile again, and Lily felt warm all over from just watching the sex appeal ooze from him. The underwire bra she wore nipped at her delicate flesh, and she wriggled uncomfortably. Damn, she was gonna have to break the piggy bank to buy the next size up. Not good.

  The golden man said something. Lily saw Mrs. Pappadopoulos’s shoulders slump as she spoke in return. The bell on the kebab shop door tinkled merrily as the golden man sauntered out. Lily stared as he crossed the street without checking for traffic. With her luck she would have been run over and squashed flat as roadkill on a Sloan country road. He emerged with nothing more serious than disheveled hair. And dammit, that only made him look sexier.

  Okay. Show time over. Things to do. Bills to pay.

  But Lily couldn’t drag her gaze off him. The view was even better since he was much closer. Chest pains forced her to suck in a breath. Lily stared, mesmerized. An urgent need to touch filtered through her brain. No. No. No! Why was her body not cooperating? The slow prickle of awareness that tightened her full breasts pissed her off. Her mouth firmed and her grip tightened on her favorite, lucky pen. Not again! Never again, she thought vehemently. But still she looked, unable to tear her gaze away from the wide shoulders, trim hips, and…uh…muscular legs. Lily shivered and tried to recall exactly what underwear she’d donned this morning. Just in case she outdid her usual clumsiness and sprawled at his feet. The memory wasn’t comforting. A white bra—well, okay, off white with a pink tinge and black granny bloomers. Not—Holy shit! It didn’t matter what she wore. Even if the golden cat was interested, she wouldn’t let him touch her. No way, noh
ow was she letting a man close enough to rip her heart out again.

  Lily tore her gaze off the male’s muscular thighs and barely resisted the urge to check out other bodily bits. The golden man paused outside her travel agency. He saw her through the window and smiled, his brown eyes glowing with an inner fire. Lily’s jaw dropped. Her hand started to shake and her silver pen somersaulted through nerveless fingers to do a perfect backward half pike before it landed somewhere under her desk. The golden man reached for the door.

  Shit.

  Shit!

  He was coming in.

  What the hell was she gonna do with him? That was assuming she could remember how to speak.

  * * * * *

  If you hurt my sister, I’ll break every bone in your body.

  The second Alex caught sight of the Earth woman in the travel agency, Luke Morgan’s threat echoed through his mind. The warning had been closely followed by the accompanying threats from Janaya, from Hinekiri and her mate. Alex wasn’t forgetting the snarls and yaps from Killer, the dog beast with more attitude than spots. And the opinionated creature had plenty of spots. Alex’s amusement dimmed as he recalled the casual dinner with new friends that had turned into a threat-fest and orders to make sure his travel inoculations were up to date. The warning from Janaya, Luke’s mate, had been particularly scary since she was an ex-Imperial Guard and knew lots of ways to make a male suffer. As an undergrown male, he’d once sneaked into the Imperial Guard’s training hall. The screams he’d heard had featured in his nightmares for weeks after his adventure.

  In truth, he had no intention of causing any harm, and they must have seen he was genuine since they’d agreed to send a letter of introduction with him. He peered through the window, catching the Earth woman’s attention. That must be Lily Morgan. The woman fit the description he’d been given. She looked pleasant enough with an oval face and a wide, rosy mouth perfect for kissing, but he wanted her brain, her knowledge, her expertise and not a warm place to massage his cock.

  He, Alexandre Bellangere, second in line to the King of Dalcon, was sick of being a pampered Prince. Tired of having his chest and ego stroked by palace groupies. Alex refused to go with the flow like his oldest brother and end up a notch on some bimbo’s bedpost. Nope. No longer did he intend to be a sex toy paraded around the palace like a trophy. And he absolutely refused to bestow his Royal House of Dalcon mark on any female. He intended to go into trade and become a productive citizen, one with purpose to his existence. His father’s decision to match him up with a neighboring female of suitable aristocratic blood had set the seal on his decision to leave.

  Alex pushed the door open and stepped inside. Bright posters covered the wall showing enticing views of places on Earth he intended to visit. Places he’d only read about—pyramids, rainforests, mountains. Historical Earth cities. Excitement pulsed inside him. At last, his dream was on the way to reality. Bellangere Grand Tours was about to be born.

  “Hello. Can I help you?”

  The low, musical voice strummed across Alex’s senses. He tore his attention off the shelves filled with brochures, turned to the woman and smiled. The black nameplate on the desk bore the name, Lily Morgan, in gold lettering. This woman was prettier than he’d imagined. The Earth magazine he’d picked up to ease the boredom of space flight had been full of pouting, skinny creatures with jutting bones that looked sharp enough to cut and draw blood. He’d thought the females ugly and definitely uncomfortable for playtime, but this one didn’t look like a beanpole. Lily Morgan wore her brown hair tied back from her face with some Earth contraption, and loose tendrils softened her face. She had cute little brown spots sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. He couldn’t see how tall the Earth woman was, but she had a pleasing amount of flesh on her bones, good-sized breasts that would fill, nay, overflow his cupped hands—not that he was looking!

  Wary blue eyes studied him closely as if he might bite. Alex bit back a wolfish smirk. If he weren’t here on such an important matter, he’d be tempted to sink his teeth… Hell, where was his head? Janaya Morgan hadn’t looked as if she was joking and quite frankly, he didn’t want to test the theory. It was strictly hands off, business only with this woman. Besides, he had goals he intended to conquer.

  Alex thrust out his hand in the Earth manner ready to seal introductions, and get down to business. He was excited that his long two-moon cycle of Earth research and careful, painstaking schemes were working without discovery. Not one Earthling had pointed at him or screamed “Alien!” Pride bubbled through his mind. He fitted in, and it would remain that way since the only Earth person who needed to know he came from Dalcon was Lily Morgan.

  “Alex Bell,” he said. “I met your brother on Dalcon, and he suggested you might help me with a business proposition.” When she failed to reciprocate, Alex reached inside his shirt pocket and pulled out the crumpled letter of introduction he carried.

  Her mouth rounded to an O. Her hand fluttered to rest on one plump breast. “You…you…”

  “Yes?” he asked.

  “You’re an alien!” she blurted.

  Alex tilted his head and surveyed her closely. “Does that make any difference? I assure you I’m willing to pay.”

  She opened her mouth even further. Her brow scrunched up and the cute little dots on her nose stood out more than ever. Hell, he hoped she didn’t scream.

  Alex imagined Lily’s family rushing to the rescue, his demise at the hands of Janaya, and hurried into speech. “I have access to New Zealand dollars. Please, read the letter of introduction.” He’d never considered failing at the first hurdle. Not once. “I’ll read your advertising material while you read the communications from your family, then we can talk.”

  Alex grabbed up a glossy travel magazine before she decided on a reaction. Perhaps if he acted in a non-threatening manner, she’d relax instead of taxing his ears with a screech.

  Lily couldn’t help but stare. The man was an alien.

  An alien.

  They sure had a good design team up on Dalcon if Janaya and the golden man were typical samples. Lily realized her jaw sagged open and snapped it shut lest she trap any kamikaze flies. For a moment there, she’d forgotten she was off men. She thought of her ex-husband Ambrose and his boyfriend Garrett and just like that, she was back to normal. Or, as normal as she could be, with an honest-to-goodness alien prowling around her travel agency.

  “How did you get here?” she blurted. “Did you come alone? Do you have a ship?” She peered out the front window of her travel agency. Everything looked normal.

  “I came aboard a space freighter. The captain dropped me on the outskirts of Papakura and left again. I walked to find your travel merchant shop.” He frowned slightly then the lines on his brow cleared. “Travel agency.”

  Lily nodded. Okay. They stared at each other before she cleared her throat. “The letter?” she murmured.

  “Sorry. I got distracted.” His smile was dazzling as he handed her a crumpled white envelope. Their hands brushed during the transfer. Lily held her breath, her gaze trapped in his. Time stood still while they stared at each other.

  The thump of the door when the mailman entered broke the spell.

  Lily tugged the envelope from the alien’s hand. He stepped away and reached for a brochure on Australia to add to the one on the Cook Islands he already held. Lily drew a cautious breath. She smelled his scent. Something green and mysterious as a jungle cat. And just as hypnotic.

  “Mail, Lily,” Jason, the mailman, said in a loud voice.

  Lily shook herself back to the present. Jason handed her several envelopes and parked his butt on the corner of her desk. A grin stretched his mouth. “There’s a concert in the park on Saturday night. I’ll pack a picnic. What do ya say?”

  “I—”

  “She’s busy on Saturday,” Alex said.

  Jason stood abruptly, his hands curling around his red postbag. “I was talking to Lily.”

  The tension in her of
fice ratcheted up sharply. Testosterone poured off the two males in crashing waves. Jason stepped toward Alex, his jaw flexing in a belligerent manner.

  Lily’s heart pounded in sudden fear. They couldn’t fight! She had to do something straight away. She eyed the golden man in trepidation. Janaya, her new sister-in-law, could fly. She could toss her husband through a window on a mere whim. No telling what powers this alien had.

  Lily rushed between the two men and placed one placating hand on Jason’s forearm. A soft growl sounded behind her. Alarm made her hand flex on Jason’s arm. “I… Thank you for asking me, Jason, but I have four presentations to finish for Monday. I need to work during the weekend.” Please take the hint. Please.

  “Perhaps another day?”

  She nodded and tried to ignore the warmth emanating from the male behind. His spicy green scent filled her lungs. “Sounds…good, Jason.”

  The golden man’s second growl made ignoring him impossible. Lily used her elbow as a weapon without a second thought. The oomph of expelled air brought home the stupidity of her actions. He was bigger than she for a start. And he was an alien. She couldn’t forget that part. Silently, she willed Jason to leave, to step away from the danger that warmed her back and prickled her skin.

  “Well. Okay then. See you tomorrow.” Jason yanked open the door, glared at Alex and stomped out, leaving them alone.

  Lily turned slowly and retreated. The intent, determined look on the alien’s face made her swallow. She stepped behind her desk, very aware of the large male. Not that it would do her much good if he decided to ravish her or chose to experiment. Aliens were tricky with their powers. Luke had said so although he’d been a bit vague about details. Her father had said so, too. Lily realized she’d made a big mistake by not asking for more information about flying and superhuman strength and anything else alien related. In this case, too much information sounded like a good thing.