by Emerson Rose
“Sorry, I almost forgot.” I ring up the treats, and he hands me a black Amex card.
“We don’t accept American Express. Would you happen to have another card or cash?” I ask sweetly.
“Of course.” He fishes out a less impressive Capitol One MasterCard, and I run the payment. I hand him a pen to sign for the purchase, and he purposely brushes his fingers against mine instead of simply accepting it.
Electricity zips up my arm, and I pull away and rub my hands together trying to make the sensation go away. God, what is wrong with me? I’ve never had the simultaneous urge to pounce on and run away from a man before. He has me all off balance, and I need him to leave, now.
He signs the receipt with a flourish and pushes it across the counter as if he senses I can’t tolerate any more physical contact. “I’ll see you tomorrow…” he pauses looking for a nametag. I’m not wearing one yet, so I stupidly give him my name.
“Olivia.”
A megawatt smile spreads across his face, and he winks at me. “Olivia. I’ll be counting the hours, have a wonderful day.” He slides the bag of gourmet dog treats across the counter and saunters out of the store gracefully.
When the bell is done ringing, and he is gone, I bend at the waist and rest my head on my arms on the counter. I feel like a bowl of noodles, weak and aroused by a man I only just met. And the worst part is I am looking forward to tomorrow at ten o’clock when I’ll see him again.
That’s when I decide that tequila causes brain damage. Never again.
2
Jacob is sprawled out on the sectional in a pair of sweatpants asleep with half a bowl of popcorn balanced precariously on his washboard abs. The television is on HGTV, and he is softly snoring. Must be nice to be able to nap and snack out in front of the TV all day.
Jacob doesn’t have a normal Monday through Friday job. He is lucky enough to be able to earn a six-figure income on his good looks. Jacob is a model, an awesome one. His chiseled face, lean muscles, and rugged good looks have turned him into a highly- sought-after lumber-sexual model. He works out of LA but lives here in Seattle with me.
When I decided to relocate to Seattle to start the Bark Avenue Bone Bakery three years ago, he insisted on coming with me claiming I wouldn’t be safe without him. I know he loves me, but I’m pretty sure he was trying to make a clean break from his longtime boyfriend, Victor. Moving away was the perfect excuse.
It was a great decision for both of us. He got his freedom from Vic, I got my new business, and we both have a built-in best friend when we need a shoulder to cry on or a plus one. A total win, win.
Occasionally, I do get jealous of him, especially at times like this. I work seven days a week keeping the bakery successful, and I earn what he does flashing his pearly smile and sexy abs two, maybe three times a month.
Ninety-five percent of the time that’s not a problem. I enjoy working hard. The dog bakery is my life’s dream, and I’m thrilled it has done so well. But, on the rare occasion that I would like to enjoy a day off sleeping off a hangover, I am envious of Jacob’s freedom.
“Hey, sweet cheeks, how was work?” he asks stretching his arms over his head disrupting the bowl of popcorn. I grab it when I walk past the couch and place it on the kitchen island.
“More productive than your day it looks like.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault you decided to go party with that flash from the past. I tried to tell you two nights in a row was a bad idea. Was the shop busy?”
“No, but there was this one customer who made my whole day.” I shrug out of my coat and kick off my snow boots. I drape my coat on the bar chair and shove my wet boots under it.
“Yeah? Did Trevon show up with another bottle of cheap tequila?”
I shiver at the thought of tequila and swallow back threatening vomit. “Stop, don’t say that word again unless you want to clean up puke.”
“Sorry, that bad, huh?”
I nod and stand next to the couch gesturing for him to move his legs so I can join him, which he does right away. “Yeah, I don’t remember most of it, but my stomach says it was awful.”
He makes a sympathetic sound, and I sit pulling my feet up under me next to him.
“So who was the guy who made your day then? Do I know him?”
“No, and neither do I. He was my first customer. He came in to buy dog treats for his Huskies and made an appointment to have them groomed tomorrow morning. Oh my God, Jacob, he was beautiful, like Greek-god beautiful except his eyes were this see-through kind of blue I’ve never seen before.”
Jacob sits up paying more attention now that we are talking hot guys. “And?”
“And he’s… he’s, I don’t know, magnetic, orgasmic, charismatic…”
“Automatic, systematic, funky fresh?” he says singing a verse from a Missy Elliott song.
“No, you don’t get it, Jacob. He’s filthy rich and hot, and the way he looked at me almost made me come.”
His eyebrows go up, and he lets out a long, slow whistle. “Rich? And you still thought he was hot? I’m shocked.”
I don’t like rich, pretentious people who act like they are better than anyone in a lower income bracket, and I never date men like that. I would make an exception for Mr. Wolfe. “Oh, and get this, his last name is Wolfe. Can you believe that? He’s the most animalistic, predatory man I’ve ever laid eyes on, and his name is Wolfe.”
“Nice. Olivia Renée Wolfe has a ring to it, don’t cha think?”
I lay my head back on the couch cushion and take a deep breath blowing it out. “You know I’m never getting married, right?”
“So you keep saying.”
I lift my head to look at him. “Then why do you keep trying to give me a new last name?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because I’ve never seen you so worked up over a man, especially a man you don’t know. Honey, if this man makes your heart pound and your panties wet, you might want to rethink your no rich guys and no wedding bells plan. That’s all I’m saying.”
“The only things I know about this man are his name and how many Siberian Huskies he owns. Oh, and that he’s a lawyer, and you’re already giving me his last name.”
“Somebody has got to plan out your emotional and sexual future since all you seem to focus on is your career. What’s the point of earning all that money if you don’t have anyone to share it with?”
“I have someone to share it with, you, stupid. I love you. We have a lot of fun together, and I don’t need anyone else.”
“Honey, unless you figure out how to grow a penis, I’m not the man who will make your emotional and sexual dreams come true. You need a partner, you’re not getting any younger, ya know.”
I open my mouth, and my eyes pop. I can’t believe he just said that to me. “Jacob, I’m twenty-seven-years old not fifty. I hardly think I’m in danger of becoming a spinster or a crazy cat lady. I’m fine being alone for now.”
“I think your honeypot would beg to differ.”
“Don’t you worry about my honeypot, it’s just fine.”
“So, Louie took care of you last night, did he?”
He would ask that. He knows I can’t remember shit about my night with my old friend. “You’re not nice.”
He scoots over to drape his arm across my shoulders. “I’m not trying to be mean, honey, just honest and realistic. I want you to be happy in all aspects of your life, not just one or two.”
I lay my head on his shoulder. “I know what you mean, but honestly, right now I’m good.”
He taps the end of my nose with his finger. “And when the big bad Wolfe takes you home to his den to eat you alive, you’ll be much better.”
I slap his rock-hard abs, and he yells in mock pain. “The truth may hurt, but it’s not supposed to hurt me!”
“No Wolfe is taking me home, and he certainly isn’t eating me alive. I’m sure he will pick up his dogs tomorrow, and that’ll be the last I see of him.”
“Until h
e takes them for a run through a mud puddle, so they have to come back for another bath next week, and the week after that.”
“Okay, enough out of you. I’m going to get a glass of wine and take a long bath before bed, and you can sit out here and watch HGTV all by yourself.”
I stand up to do just that, and he grabs my hand. “Please don’t leave me here alone with the Property Brothers. I need you,” he begs dropping to the floor on his knees.
I narrow my eyes. “Okay, I’ll get us both a glass of wine, and you can rub my feet until bedtime. And no more talking about relationships.”
“Agreed.”
“I love you,” I say, and I do, but I almost love his foot massages more.
“Love you too, babe.”
3
The next morning Alex Wolfe is the very first thought in my head when I open my eyes. That’s how I know I’m in trouble. The first thing on my mind should always be the bakery—marketing, inventory, networking, spreadsheets, employee paychecks, and on and on—not the hot man who has an appointment at ten o’clock to have his dogs groomed.
I try to shake him from my thoughts, but he won’t leave. I even consider masturbating while thinking about him in the shower, but instead, I slam the water spigot handle down hard and rip my towel off the bar right outside the door.
Stepping out, I dry my skin roughly and stare hard at my face in the mirror. “You will not act like a fool in front of that man today. You will not flirt or touch or make unnecessary eye contact with him,” I tell my reflection.
Even my reflection looks doubtful. I brush my teeth and towel my hair dry before making my way back to my bedroom. When my makeup is on, and my coarse hair is stick straight and smooth, I pull on a pair of leggings and a black hoodie with my company’s logo on the front. I stand in front of my full-length mirror and wonder if Mr. Alex Wolfe thinks I’m attractive.
I’m five-feet-eight with shoulder-length brown hair that has purple streaks in it. I have brown eyes, and if I had to describe my figure, I would say it’s willowy. I’ve always considered myself to be mildly attractive, sometimes average even, except for the streaks of purple in my hair.
Jacob says I’m model-knockout beautiful and wants me to join him at his modeling agency. I know he only thinks that because we are best friends who have known one another since birth. He’s biased, and I love him for it.
“Looking gorgeous, as usual,” he says walking past my open bedroom door. We don’t bother closing doors. He is like my brother and seeing me naked would do about as much for him as me seeing one of his fellow female models naked.
“Thanks, just the same old, same old.”
He leans his shoulder on the doorframe and looks at me with doubt. “No, you have makeup on, and you did your hair. You never do all that for a regular day at the bakery. I know you, you’re all painted up for the Wolfe.”
I’m starting to wish I’d never mentioned Alex to Jacob. He’s like a dog with a new bone, and he’s never going to give it up.
“I do my makeup and hair sometimes. I got a lot of sleep last night, and I had some extra time to kill this morning so…”
“So you thought you’d get pretty for the billionaire, I get it.”
“Billionaire? How do you know he’s a billionaire?”
“Google, darling. He’s one of Seattle’s most successful medical malpractice attorneys. He owns his practice, the other names on the door are his partners, but he’s the head honcho. If you have this guy’s eye, he could be a good friend to have. You never know when you might need a lawyer or a loan… or a lover.”
“Okay, you can stop with the lover stuff right now.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but he looks like the real deal to me. And Holy Mother of all things yummy, he is handsome. I imagine the photographs online don’t do him justice. Mind if I come to work with you this morning so that I can see him in the flesh? Maybe he’s not your type? Or maybe he’s both of our types? Oh my God, wouldn’t that be amazing? We could share him!”
He pushes off the doorframe and rushes toward me full of excitement, but I know he’s putting on a show to get me to claim the Wolfe for myself.
“I know what you’re up to, and it’s not working. If you want to come and meet him, that’s fine with me. He’s all yours.”
The ball is in his court now. He won’t do it if he believes I’m interested, he loves me too much for that.
“You’re no fun,” he says shoving my shoulder playfully.
“I don’t do rich guys, you know that. They’re all the same… arrogant, cocky, and conceited. I haven’t met one yet that didn’t fit that description.”
“I have money, granted I’m no billionaire, but you still love me.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“It just is.”
“Honey, just because the guy’s loaded, doesn’t mean he can’t be nice. At least give him a chance today. If he asks you out, take him up on it. Don’t shoot him down just because he’s successful. If he doesn’t seem interested, and I can’t imagine he isn’t, then don’t worry about it. Cést la vie.”
I sigh and stand to kiss him on the cheek. “All right, if he asks, I’ll accept, but he won’t ask.”
He turns his head to the side and narrows his eyes. “No sabotaging your chance by acting like a moron.”
I chew on my lip and look at the ceiling. “Define acting like a moron.” I smile and giggle.
“You know what I mean.”
I make an x over my heart with my finger. “I promise not to purposely ruin my chances with Mr. Wolfe.”
“Good girl. Now come on, let’s go have coffee and waffles.”
“I don’t have time for breakfast, but I’ll take some coffee.”
“I’m not making real waffles, silly, you know better than that.”
Jacob is a lot of things, but a good cook isn’t one of them. He’s making Eggos.
“Okay, I have time for an Eggo.”
“Perfect. Chocolate chip or strawberry?”
“Strawberry, of course.”
He slides his arm around my waist and pulls me down the hall toward the kitchen. “Strawberry, of course.”
4
I love my job, so it’s not unusual that I enjoy getting up every morning to go to work. It was my lifelong dream to own a business, and I’ve loved dogs ever since my mother gave me my first rescue puppy when I was five. Put those together, and you have the Bark Avenue Bone Bakery.
But going to work today is even better than usual because of a certain customer coming in at ten o’clock. I unlock the door and make my way through my daily routine of readying the shop for customers and baking fresh dog treats. I give a lot of attention to detail in everything I do. It’s what has made me so successful so far. My treats are all original recipes, and they’re all made from the best quality ingredients including love. I believe that’s why people keep coming back to me. People like good quality food and care for their pets, and I give it to them.
I’m removing pans of pup cakes from the oven when I hear my doorbell jingle out front. I’ve been concentrating so hard on my baking, I lost track of time, and it’s nine- thirty. Shelby is coming in this morning to help out with the After-the-Holidays sale I’m getting ready to have. She usually works on the weekends, but she’s on Christmas break from college and has extra time to help me.
“Back here, Shelby, I’ll be right out!” I shout sliding the last tray of pup cakes onto the cooling rack.
“Take your time,” a smooth masculine voice calls back. That’s not Shelby.
I freeze with the tray halfway on the rack feeling the same buzz of excitement in my belly that I felt yesterday. He’s here, and I’m excited to see him again although I wish I weren’t.
I wash my hands and smooth the wisps of hair that have come free from my ponytail away from my face before leaving the kitchen. “Good morning, so sorry to keep you waiting,” I say entering the shop and stopping short at the sig
ht of Alex Wolfe. He’s standing a few feet away dressed in dark jeans and a thick gray cable-knit sweater holding the leashes of three of the most beautiful Huskies I’ve ever seen.
They are all perfectly behaved sitting at the feet of their master eyeing me curiously. “Wow, aren’t you all just gorgeous? And so well behaved.” I approach and squat down to eye level with the dogs not meaning to, but ignoring their master. One of them is shivering, its excitement barely contained making me wonder if it’s a younger, newer addition to the pack.
The other two don’t move a muscle, and eventually, I look up at Alex. “May I pet them?”
“You may,” he says, and then he gives them the command. “Release.”
The dogs take two happy steps toward me with the more excited one panting. I scratch behind their ears and accept a stolen kiss or two before Alex reigns them back in. I stand and offer him my hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Wolfe. Can I take them for you?” He takes my hand, and it’s like I’m transferred into another galaxy where a fog surrounds us, and Alex is all I can see or think about until he lets go.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He squeezes my hand and brushes the top of it with his thumb making my pulse rocket into outer space. What is it about this guy that turns me into a ball of hormones ready to bone at a moment’s notice?
“Is the groomer here? I’d like to thank her for doing such a lovely job last month.”
“You were here having them groomed last month?” I don’t remember ever seeing him before, and he is definitely not a face I’d forget.
“I wasn’t personally, my housekeeper brought them in, but your groomer does a superb job.”
“Oh, wow, that’s good to hear. She isn’t here just yet, but she should be any minute. I can relay the message for you.”
“I would appreciate that. I have to be going, I have a meeting across town.”