He whined again and slowly rolled over, keeping his head bowed, and he backed up.
Backed up!
Damned if it wasn’t like he was trying to reassure her.
His tail wagged nonstop until his furry, dense rump butted against the counter. Genna slowly walked to the elevator bank and repeatedly punched the button until a door slid open. She stepped backward into the car, anxiously punching the “close door” button until it did. With a relieved sigh she hit the button for the fourth floor and managed to make it to her desk before her legs gave out.
Ivan, the hunky two-legged one, walked into the office twenty minutes later. Fortunately by then, she’d had time to compose herself.
“Is Jeremy in?”
His grey eyes didn’t melt her the way Bruin’s did, but something about him…
Genna shook her head. “No, sorry. Would you like to leave a note?”
He smiled, only this time it looked warm and friendly, kind, inviting. “Mind if I sit out here and wait?”
“Sure, no problem. But I don’t know what time he’ll be in.”
He shrugged. Damn, maybe he was related to Bruin. They were both built in a similar rock-hard fashion.
“I have time. I won’t be bothering you, will I?”
“Not at all.”
He made small talk with her then finally asked a question she suspected he’d been curious about. “How did you come to work here?”
Well, that wouldn’t be divulging company secrets. “Honestly?”
“Of course.”
Genna studied her hands. “Mr. Bruin noticed me at my ex-boyfriend’s trial. He was convicted of murder and sent to prison.”
Ivan didn’t seem surprised, but said, “Wow.”
“Yeah. I made a sucky choice there, that’s for sure.” She looked up and felt comfortable opening up to someone, anyone. Especially him, even though she didn’t know why. “I was scared of him,” she admitted. “My ex. He…I didn’t know who or what he was until I’d been with him a couple of years. Then I was too scared to leave. I mean…” She swallowed, hard. “He would have killed me, I think,” she whispered.
There. It was finally out.
Ivan leaned forward. “Was that the Corcoran trial?”
She nodded. “Supposedly some of his ‘associates’ were going to take care of me. He made it sound like they’d support me, but honestly, I don’t know.”
Ivan clasped his hands and looked grim. “Do you fear for your safety now?”
That was something she didn’t want to think about. “I hope I’m safe. I have a feeling if I did run they would find me if they really wanted to hurt me. If they were going to kill me, they probably would have done it before now.”
Bruin appeared then, startled to see Ivan sitting there. “Good morning.” Dark glasses and Starbucks were his morning de rigueur, apparently. “I didn’t know we had a meeting scheduled, Ivan.”
Ivan stood, his face suddenly a hard mask. “We do now. I need to talk to you.” They disappeared into Bruin’s office, and from the release of tension in the air, Genna suspected that, for some reason, Ivan had words for Bruin.
* * * *
Dream Bruin returned that night. He climbed into bed with her. He grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
“Genna,” he murmured, “do you enjoy these dreams?”
She nodded, something subtly shifting inside her. This was different. He wasn’t acting aloof the way he had in the other dreams. “I told you, I love you.”
His eyes studied her face. “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you enjoy these dreams so much? Why do you love me?”
“They’re just dreams.” She licked her lips. “It’s not like I could ever have someone as great as you in real life, so I shouldn’t complain, right? I’ve always had really vivid dreams.” She reached up and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes and pressed his face against her hand, nuzzling her palm. “This can’t ever be a reality, so why not enjoy what little good I get?” She choked back a sob. “At least if I’m in love with a dream lover, it’ll keep me out of trouble in real life. I won’t fall for another asshole. I’d rather spend my life with your dream-self than risk that again.”
“Did you love Lester?”
Okay, Dream Bruin wanted to talk instead of fuck tonight? Boring. But she’d take what she could get. “Not really. I thought I did. Then I was too scared to leave once I realized what he was.” She shuddered, closing her eyes. “I’m not glad anyone died, but I’m glad he fucked up and went to jail so I could escape.”
When she opened her eyes, Dream Bruin studied her, a serious look on his face. “You had no idea what he was?”
She shook her head. “Not for the first two years. I mean, I suspected he was into something illegal after a few months, but I had no idea about the rest of it. I didn’t know he killed people.”
“You really were innocent.” His voice drifted, and he looked deep in thought.
This kind of dream she could do without, but she didn’t interrupt him, afraid she might wake up.
He looked at her, his face different somehow, warmer. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her, deeply, with far more tenderness and emotion than any of their other dream encounters.
He spent hours making love to her, not the vigorous fuck-and-fly encounters of previous evenings. Not that she was complaining about the other dreams, because, da-yum. This time, however, it was more than just sex.
It was love.
He left her breathless and exhausted, wanting more, wishing she could open her eyes and find herself truly awake in his arms. Before he left he kissed her one last time.
“I’m so sorry, Genna.”
“Why?” Maybe tomorrow night she’d get old Dream Bruin back. New Dream Bruin was a buzzkill, even if he left her heart fulfilled in a way he hadn’t before.
His eyes traveled her face. “I’ll protect you. I promise.”
She sat up. “What are you talking about?”
He got out of bed, looking sad. “I didn’t know…I thought…” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I swear I’ll protect you.” He leaned over and kissed her one last time, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek. “I love you, Genna. I didn’t expect to, but I do. I love you.”
Desperate to lighten the mood, Genna smiled. “Hey, you made me yours. You’ve got to come back again, right? Dream hunk or not, don’t leave me hanging.”
He nodded, but didn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah. I did. And I will. I promise. But I have things to do.” He leaned in one last time and kissed her. “I will keep you safe.” With that he changed into the dog. It happened so fast she nearly missed it in the dark room, and he left.
* * * *
Genna awoke the next morning feeling disquieted, unsettled. Where normally a Bruin dream would leave her with a happy morning glow, that one was just plain…creepy. Not the sex part, because that was great. That he seemed worried, that worried her.
Bruin didn’t appear in the office. At lunch she walked downstairs to eat outside in the shade of one of the trees. It was a beautiful day, not too hot. In the shade it would feel comfortable.
A man leaned against her car. Stiff with fear, she walked toward him before recognizing Lester’s attorney. Heart in her throat, she greeted him. “Hello.”
“I came to let you know we got Lester an emergency appeal. He’ll be out on bond by late tonight.”
She froze. “How did you find me?”
“He made me hire a PI to keep track of you.”
“He knows where I live?”
He snorted. “Of course he does. And where you work. And all about your little extracurricular activities. I came to warn you that you have to leave. Now. Pack and get the hell somewhere away from here. I’d say Outer Mongolia might be a nice choice. He said he’s going to take care of you personally. He wants the satisfaction of getting rid of you himself after what you did.”
“But…I didn’t
testify against him. I didn’t know anything!”
“The PI showed him everything. The pictures, the surveillance video, and he bugged your apartment.” He shook his head. “Bruin sure didn’t waste any time.”
She felt an icy chill despite the heat. “What? What video? What pictures? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Those little sexcapades between you and your new ‘boss.’ I haven’t seen any of the stuff, but from what Lester screamed at me over the phone, it was interesting.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” But deep in her gut a knife twisted, burning.
“Oh, come on, you can drop the act. It’s not fooling me anymore. How long have you known Bruin, anyway?”
“He approached me the day the verdict came in. Out in the parking lot. He offered me a job.” Even her tongue felt numb, unreliably forming mixtures of consonants and vowels that somehow produced coherent words.
The attorney snorted. “Yeah, right. You’re fucking screwing the goddamned guy. You expect me to believe the cousin and best friend of the guy your boyfriend murdered would offer you a job, just like that? I was born at night, sweetheart, but not last night.”
* * * *
Genna couldn’t go home yet. Her body felt too numb to drive. Her appetite gone, she drifted through the lobby to the elevators in shock, trying to process everything. Lindsey wasn’t there, but Ivan stuck his furry head out from around the corner of the desk and looked at her.
When she stepped into the elevator he streaked inside with her before the door could close. He stared at her and whined.
Genna backed into the corner and watched as he pawed at the button for the fourth floor before turning to stare at her again, whimpering.
Her tears fell. This was too much. She was losing her mind.
“Please don’t eat me, Ivan.”
His hoarse bark could have been a laugh. He shook his head. When the doors slid open, Genna stood frozen, unable to move with the large dog in her way.
He slowly approached, nuzzling her hand, licking it. She closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of teeth crushing bone. He gently mouthed her hand, using barely any pressure against her skin.
He tugged, whining.
With full acknowledgement that her sanity was rapidly slipping through her fingers, she let the large dog slowly lead her through the empty halls to her office. She had to force herself to breathe several times, scared at any moment he would sink his vicious canines into her. She didn’t see anyone else to ask to help her, and she was afraid to scream for help for fear of scaring him into attacking her.
Once she was in the office, he released her hand and got behind her, head butting her in the ass, nudging her toward Bruin’s office.
Too scared to resist, she let the large dog push her into the office. When she stood before one of the chairs, he backed off and gently woofed. Still clutching her uneaten lunch, she sat.
He wheeled around and loped to the door, jumping up on his hind feet and pushing it shut. Then he turned and disappeared into Bruin’s private bathroom, his low, guttural snarl terrifying her.
Maybe she could lock him in and escape?
Then the guttural snarl transformed into distinct, legible words in a familiar voice.
“Goddamn him, I fucking told him so. I fucking told him so! Where the hell does he—oh, there’s one.”
Ivan—the two-legged hunky version—appeared in the bathroom doorway, wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else.
Genna stared, her jaw lax in disbelief. Dreaming. I must be dreaming. Where the hell did he come from?
He crossed the room in three long strides, kneeling in front of her, his huge hands engulfing hers.
They felt hot—or was she cold? Her teeth chattered. Was this shock?
“Genna,” he said, “listen to me. What’s going on? What happened? Who was that guy talking to you in the parking lot?”
What the hell, I’ve lost my mind anyway. “He’s Lester’s attorney…said appeals…bail…free tonight.”
“Shit.” Ivan closed his eyes. “What else did he say?”
She shook her head. “Something about a surveillance video and pictures. About Jeremy Bruin and I sleeping together…but those were just dreams…” Fear congealed in her gut, and she looked at Ivan.
His grey eyes.
His nearly naked state of dress after Dogzilla Ivan went into the bathroom.
And didn’t return.
“Oh…My…God,” she breathed.
The room swam. Her vision went black.
* * * *
Genna awoke to low, growling male voices.
“I didn’t know—”
“I swear, Jer, if you weren’t my fucking Alpha, I’d wring your goddamned neck for putting her at risk like this!”
Then a familiar woman’s voice interrupted them. “Boys? I don’t mean to interrupt your little discussion, but she’s awake.”
Genna carefully opened her eyes and realized she was lying prone on the couch in Bruin’s office. Lindsey stood over her, looking down with a concerned expression. Ivan and Bruin suddenly flanked her. Bruin dropped to his knees and grabbed her hand.
“Genna, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know—”
She snatched her hand away, shrinking from him. Please let this be a dream! Please let this be a dream!
“What is going on?” she whispered. No reason for that except she could barely breathe, much less talk.
Lindsey and Ivan glared at Bruin, who flushed bright red. “We’ve got a lot to talk about.”
The world flared, her vision suddenly bright, her senses aware, desperate fear kicking in. She sat up, pushed past them, and raced to the door. “He said Lester would be out by tonight. I have to go. I have to move, now!”
She blinked and nearly ran into Bruin. How the hell did he beat me to the door?
“Genna, we have to talk first.”
She shoved him. He caught her hands, holding her close. Despite his unbreakable grasp, it felt like he barely touched her. “You can’t leave. We will protect you. I will protect you, I swear.” It was too tempting to melt into his arms, but this wasn’t her Dream Bruin. This was her boss.
She twisted, trying to pull free. “Let me go you son of a bitch! I don’t know what you did to me! He said there was a video, that they bugged my apartment. That we’re sleeping together! I thought those were just dreams!” Someone in the room sobbed, and she realized it was her.
Anguish painted his face. “I’m sorry, Genna. I was wrong not to be more careful. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know I was going to fall in love with you, and I didn’t realize you were innocent.”
Love? The word stopped her struggles as she stared at him. “What the fuck kind of sick man are you? What, did you drug me? Hypnotize me? Lester’s attorney told me you’re related to the victim. That’s how you knew who I was, isn’t it?”
He nodded as she renewed her frantic struggles. This time he let her go, and she bolted, barely pausing to grab her purse and keys before racing for the elevator.
Despite her tremors, Genna managed to drive home without wrecking. She struggled with her tears as she stared at the apartment. She’d have to take only what she could carry in the car.
Her legs failed, and she sat in her living room and cried, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking. She thought she had a handle on her emotions when she glanced at the clock and realized it was after eight o’clock and she’d lost several hours of time.
Startled, she clambered to her feet and raced to the bedroom, yanking her suitcase from under her bed and throwing it open on top. She grabbed armfuls of clothes from her dresser and dumped them in. She had garbage bags in the kitchen. She could fill them and take as much as she could jam in the car—
The back door thumped, glass breaking. She reached over and flicked the light switch off and crouched beside the doorway, silent tears coursing down her face.
“Oh, Geennnnaa. Where are you, darling?” Lester’s sarcas
tic tone told her more than anything that she was going to die. “I enjoyed the video. Bet you never thought you’d see me again, huh? Fucking whore, you couldn’t even wait until I was in jail a week to start screwing around, could you? Did you fucking set me up or what?”
It sounded like he was moving toward the kitchen. If he did, she might be able to make it out the back door.
She held her breath and listened. He was in the kitchen. She heard his steps on the linoleum.
Praying, she launched herself through the doorway, angled for the back door. She’d made it five feet from freedom when a foot caught her in the kidney. She fell to her knees, crying out from the pain.
“No you don’t, you fucking cunt.” Lester kicked her again, in the stomach, and she gasped, trying to curl up into a ball and protect herself. He punched her in the head and kicked her several times before he stopped to catch his breath.
He stood over her, shaking his head, a gun in his right hand. “Treated you right. You would have had a good life, even with me inside. You didn’t flip, a little loyalty was all I asked for—”
“Leave her alone.” Through pain-teared eyes, Genna looked at the door and saw Bruin standing there, his fists clenched.
Lester raised the gun. “Good. Now I can take care of both of you. Saves me time and trouble.”
Behind Lester, the front door exploded in a snarling, swirling mass of black fur. Lester turned, swearing.
“Jesus Christ!”
“You wish,” Bruin growled, suddenly shifting into the brown dog, his clothes falling away.
Genna shrank away from him as he leapt over her toward Lester. The man turned, screaming as Bruin struck, his jaws on the man’s throat. Lester’s startled shout immediately changed to a strangled, pained cry.
Ivan grabbed Lester’s wrist, the one holding his gun. She heard bones crunch as Ivan bit down, the gun falling to the carpet.
A red haze clouded her vision as she watched the two massive dogs hold Lester down. His heels beat against the carpet, a staccato tempo she thought would drive her totally over the brink of insanity until it eventually stopped with one last, gurgled gasp.
Doggy Tales Vol. 1 Page 7