Dog Biscuits

by Geonn Cannon

  Dog Biscuits

  Underdogs #6

  Geonn Cannon

  Supposed Crimes LLC

  Matthews, North Carolina

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2017 Geonn Cannon

  Published in the United States

  ISBN: 978-1-944591-30-4

  Chapter One

  Sunny days in Seattle weren’t as rare as people liked to claim, but they were still something to be treasured. The light broke through the trees overhead to make a mottled pattern on the sidewalk under her sneakers as Ariadne Willow ran. The streets looked different when she ran on two legs, not to mention in the daytime, with her earbuds blasting the Fratellis on her iPod. Usually she was on all fours, in the dead of night, and her mind was fuzzy with wolf thoughts: smell that, chase that, be aware of everything. Recently Dale had been concerned that the only exercise Ari got was when she was the wolf and, even though she explained that it was all the same musculature being worked, she agreed to start jogging.

  She did have one condition, however: she wasn’t going to run alone.

  She looked back and smiled when she saw Dale keeping up with her. She gave her girlfriend a thumbs-up. Dale gave her a middle finger in return. Ari laughed and faced forward again. Dale had said several times that they looked like total opposites when they ran. Ari was tall and slender in Lycra shorts and a tank top, the straps of her sports bra visible underneath. Dale, meanwhile, claimed she looked like a Cathy comic brought to life. Ari loved how she looked in her pale green T-shirt and shorts. She may have been slightly shorter and a bit curvier than Ari, but there was absolutely nothing about her Ari would change.

  At the bottom of Cherry Hill, not quite the halfway point of their run, Ari stopped on the corner to give Dale the chance to take a breather. Ari had the speed and stamina of a wolf even when she wasn’t in canidae form, and it wasn’t fair of her to expect Dale to keep up with her the entire route. She smiled and held up her hand to signal a break but Dale didn’t even slow down. She blew Ari a kiss as she turned north on Twelfth Street.

  “Getting tired, puppy?”

  Ari’s grin widened and she took off in pursuit. She had spoken loud enough to be heard over Ari’s earbuds. Dale preferred to run without music but Ari liked using the songs to time herself. Ari purposefully let Dale keep the lead so she could watch the hypnotic bounce of her pigtails as she turned down Pine. They would take the next right and run next to the park because it was a better view than the apartment buildings they would have otherwise been passing.

  Dale looked over her shoulder. “If you’re not the lead dog, the view is always the same.”

  “Yeah, but when it’s a view like this…”

  Dale’s laugh was breathless and a little wheezy. She was still getting used to their daily jogs. The route was just over two-point-three miles, from their apartment to the office. There was another circuitous route they used when they needed to have the car at work. Neither of them wore step trackers or any of those little gadgets that would keep a record of how far they’d gone. They didn’t need to compete with themselves or anyone else.

  The run took about twenty minutes, depending on if they took any rest breaks, and that day they approached the office just before eight. Ari saw the work trucks parked along the curb but assumed whoever it was had been hired by someone else in the building.

  She wiped the sweat from her face and held the door open for Dale. “Before long, you’ll even be able to keep up with the wolf.”

  “I’m not quite that quick yet,” Dale said, “but I look forward to a footrace.”

  Ari reached out and stopped Dale from going further. She smelled them as soon as she entered the building but now she could see silhouettes against the fogged glass of their office door. Dale saw them as well and glanced at Ari to see what she should do. Ari held up two fingers and moved closer to the door. She twisted the knob and shoved it open, stepping over the threshold with the same movement, braced to attack or defend based on what happened next.

  “What the hell are you doing in my office?”

  All three of the men in the office turned to look at her. They were dressed identically in red polo shirts and khakis. One of the men, a blonde with a thin mustache and leathery skin, stepped forward and extended a bear-paw hand.

  “You must be Ariadne Willow. Nate, Nate Fogerson of Fogerson Security. How are you doing this morning?”

  “I’m waiting for an answer to my question.” Ari tried to forget how she was dressed and crossed her arms over her chest. She tried for imposing but doubted she had pulled it off. She was sweaty, sore, and breathless from her run and knew she must look like a crazy woman. “No one hired you.”

  Fogerson said, “Actually, ma’am, someone did.” He produced a tablet computer and poked the screen. He turned it around so she could see the order. “Cecily Parrish arranged for the entire office to get upgraded with our best security.”

  Dale peeked over Ari’s shoulder. “I didn’t know anything about this.”

  Ari didn’t need that confirmed; she knew Dale would have brought it up if she’d been aware. She looked over the work order and then looked past Fogerson at the two workmen.

  “How much of the work have you already done?”

  “I’d say we’re a good two-thirds through. Miss Parrish said she wanted it done ASAP and I… well, I really wanted to make her happy, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling,” Ari said. “Okay. Might as well finish. Can you go over everything with Dale?”

  Fogerson nodded. “Sure, sure.”

  Dale said, “I assume you’re going to have a word with Miss Parrish about all this.”

  “Oh, I’m going to have a word. I’m going to have many, many words.” She kissed Dale’s cheek and left, wishing they had taken the car that morning. “Keep an eye on them for me.”

  “Like a hawk.”

  Ari looked at the damage done to her office - her safe space, the two rooms where she and Dale went from strangers to lovers - and forced down her urge to bite Fogerson’s head off. The man was just doing his job. It wasn’t his fault Cecily had acted without permission. There was a much worthier target for her anger, and Ari kept the fires stoked so she would still be breathing smoke when she got to their offices.

  #

  The elevator opened on the hushed waiting room of Gilles Girard and Moreau. Everything looked magazine-perfect, polished to a high sheen. The window beside the elevators reflected sunlight off their neighbors to make it seem as if the offices were glowing. Even though she’d taken an Uber home to change into something a bit more presentable than her workout clothes, she still felt uncomfortable in the offices. She was very aware that even the clients, people who were able to afford Cecily Parrish’s services, were a good deal wealthier than she would ever be.

  She supposed she had been wealthy, for a time. She’d been born into wealth, inheriting a fortune instead of the ability to transform into a wolf. When she discovered her mother had put her through an experimental and insanely dangerous procedure to make her a canidae, a decision that caused Ari intense pain for most of her adult life, she’d run away from home. She found her way in the world, opened her own agency and built a life with Dale, all without her mother’s help. She knew the safety net was there but she preferred succeeding on her own. She and Dale were doing just fine.

  At least, that’s how she felt most days. Days when she wasn’t looking at a trio of receptionists who probably made three times her salary just answering phones. Ari could
probably afford a part of the outfits they were wearing - a blazer, a blouse, one earring - but only if she got very lucky with sales and skipped eating.

  The edge of the elevated front desk came up to the center of Ari’s chest, or it would have if she approached it. Instead she moved straight for the floor-to-ceiling glass doors that led into the main offices. The receptionist in the center stood and moved to intercept her.

  “Please have a seat, Miss Willow, and I’ll tell Miss Parrish you’re coming.”

  “Shannon, right?” The woman glanced at her two associates, neither of whom offered any support. She nodded. Ari started to step around her. “I think I’ll just go on back.”

  “Please…” Shannon held her arms out. “This is childish.”

  Ari said, “I agree. Let me pass.”

  “If you would just have a seat and I can call Miss Parrish.”

  “So she can summon me at her leisure? No, she has enough puppets in this office. Don’t you think it would be nice if she was caught off-guard once in a while?”

  Shannon pressed her lips together.

  “Come on, Shannon.” Ari whispered, “It would be nice to know there’s one person here who isn’t a robot.”

  “If she asks, I was in the bathroom when you showed up.”

  Ari winked. “Never saw you.”

  Shannon moved out of the way and Ari went through the doors. The inner offices were all antiseptic and bland prison cells that looked out over various Seattle scenes. The harbor was visible through the office windows to her right. Directly ahead, she saw the Space Needle. She was well-acquainted with the layout of the offices due to the countless staff meetings she’d attended over the past few months. Cecily wanted to establish Ari as a presence in the company so, while attorneys and paralegals prattled on about their progress in various cases, Ari spent her time looking through the conference room’s glass walls at the offices.

  The door to Cecily’s corner office was open. Ari could see her behind the desk as she approached, but her chair was turned to face the window. Ari entered without knocking and took a seat. She folded her arms and waited silently. The room felt normal to her, not that she was sure what it would feel like if anything was wrong. Ari had revealed her true nature as a canidae in exchange for Cecily’s secret: she was a succubus. Wolves apparently weren’t vulnerable to a succubus’ charms, but they did suffer something like a contact high. Ari only had to spend a few minutes in Cecily’s presence and women would be throwing themselves at her at an alarming rate.

  In the time they’d been working together, Ari hadn’t noticed anything peculiar about the other woman since, indicating she had some control over her power. It was either that or Ari had become immune to her pheromones. Whatever the reason, she was glad she didn’t have to worry about fending off any amorous Seattle lesbians whenever she left the GG&M offices.

  Cecily was speaking to someone. “There’s absolutely no reason to worry.” Ari glanced at the desk and saw the light indicating an open line on the speakerphone. “I’ll keep pestering his attorneys. They don’t want to take this to court and the deal I’ve offered is extremely generous. He’s just trying to keep his pride intact by not agreeing immediately.”

  The man on the phone said, “You do sound confident, Miss Parrish.”

  “I’m positive.” She turned to reach for something on the desk. The only acknowledgement to Ari’s presence was a quick flinch of her fingers and her eyes narrowing. “The worst-case scenario is that we do end up in a courtroom. In that event, I have little doubt we’ll emerge victorious. I have nothing to fear from their counsel in that situation. No matter what happens, you are the victor. We’re only debating how large your payday will be.”

  The man sighed. “You’re right, Miss Parrish.”

  She smiled. “Of course I am. If you’ll excuse me, Andy, I have another issue which requires my attention. Have a good day.” She disconnected the call and tried to subdue her smirk. “I presume this means Mr. Fogerson arrived as scheduled.”

  “No. You don’t get to break into my office and act like it was a prank.”

  “It was merely a business decision, Ariadne. You have been handling issues pertaining to my clients for the past six months and, so long as you’re working for this agency, you will be exposed to privileged information. GG&M clients expect the utmost care to be taken with their privacy. My gesture was simply to ensure that they received that same level of security whether their information was here at our offices or across town at yours.”

  Ari said, “You still could have brought it up.”

  Cecily shrugged. “I didn’t really see the point. You had no responsibility, no debt. The entire thing is being paid for by GG&M. You get nothing but increased protection for your own clients. I apologize for the minor inconvenience of having the installers at your office unannounced.”

  “Minor,” Ari said.

  “In the grand scheme of things, yes.”

  Ari rolled her eyes and pushed herself up out of the chair. “The agency and everything associated with it is mine. From now on, you want to do anything with, for, or to Bitches Investigations, it gets okayed by me first. Understood?”

  Cecily met Ari’s gaze for the first time since hanging up the phone. “Understood, Miss Willow.”

  “Fantastic. I went to this expense because your probationary period is nearly over. The Michael Irwin case proved you were valuable enough to make a few concessions in order to procure your services, but time marches on. The partners are very pleased with your work to date, and they would like to discuss a more permanent arrangement.”

  Ari said, “I’m sticking with my demands. I keep the office, I keep Dale. Anything else is a non-starter.”

  “We’ll negotiate when the time comes.”

  “I think you’ll be shocked at how stubborn I can be.”

  Cecily grinned and looked at Ari through her lashes. “I think you’ll be surprised at how seductive I can be, wolf.”

  Ari grimaced and left the office. She suppressed a shudder until she was out of sight, moving toward the back of the building rather than to the exit. She passed the break room where a few assistants and first-year associates were hovering over lukewarm coffee and day-old doughnuts. At the very back corner of the GG&M space, next to the emergency exits, there was a nook set aside for the partners. Ari had smelled it every time she came in, the aroma of fresh baked goods and cappuccino. She took a mug off the shelf and, after figuring out the complicated machinery, poured a cup. She added a dash of milk and just a touch of sugar, then fled before she could get busted.

  She was nearly to the elevators when someone called out her name. “Willow! Miss Willow. Uh, Ariadne?” The shout came from a man who looked like a primetime drama version of a lawyer. Catalogue handsome, with a perfect jawline, perfectly coiffed black hair, and large doe eyes that made him seem unthreatening. He was coming out of an office, hurrying around his desk with his arm out like he was hailing a cab. “Sorry. Do you have a minute?”

  “Um.” She looked down at the coffee.

  “I’ll be quick. Are you here taking an assignment from Ms. Parrish?”

  “No, I was—”

  “Good! Great. She mentioned that you were available for anyone to use, but I wasn’t sure if she got first dibs or… or whatever.” He furrowed his brow and reached into his pocket for a card. “Eric Wiseman. We’ve met a few times.”

  Ari took the card. “Sure. I remember.” He seemed vaguely familiar from the boardroom, but he also looked generic enough that she might be confusing him with anyone else.

  “Really?” he said. “You do?”

  “No. Sorry.”

  “Oh. Well, I have a client who may be interested in your services. Background checks and digging around for skeletons in the closet. You do that, right?”

  Ari nodded. “I do.”

  “Excellent. I’ll be in touch with more details.” He extended his hand before realizing she was holding a coffee cup. “Oh. I
t’s nice to, uh, officially meet you.”

  “Sure,” she said. “Talk to you soon.”

  She left him and went out to the main lobby. Shannon glanced up and raised an eyebrow when Ari put the coffee cup down in front of her.

  “For making your life a little tougher. I imagine the bosses around here drink stuff a little better than what they provide for you.”

  Shannon picked up the coffee and sniffed. “A little milk and a little sugar. How’d you know?”

  “I have a sixth sense for that sort of thing.” It was actually one of her main senses, the sense of smell enhanced by her canidae side. She knew what brands of deodorant and perfume each of the receptionists wore, along with other more personal information, just from inhaling near them. She usually tried to blind herself to those things, but every now and then it came in handy.

  “I’ll try to be less rude next time,” Ari said.

  Shannon sipped the coffee. Her eyes widened. “Wow. Bring me more of these and you can be rude whenever you want.”

  Ari chuckled and went to the elevators. She supposed having top-level security for the office wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It would benefit all of her clients, not just those she got through GG&M. Her real complaint was with the violation of her personal space. If Cecily Parrish hadn’t gotten the message that some things were out-of-bounds, Ari would just have to make sure the lawyer’s next lesson was harder to ignore.

  Chapter Two

  Ari and Dale often showered together due to necessity; they lived in the basement of a college student named Neka Teller, and between her and her boyfriend, the hot water never lasted very long. Doubling up was the best way to ensure neither of them had to suffer a cold shower. Then again, just because it was practical didn’t mean Ari was strictly professional about it. Sex in the shower stall was unworkable but she could still appreciate her girlfriend’s body as she massaged the shampoo into her scalp.

  Dale closed her eyes and leaned back against Ari. “I’m thinking of cutting my hair.”

  “Yeah? How short?”

  Dale reached up and drew a line along the base of her skull. “Around there. Maybe keep it a little longer on the side to cover up the scar.”