Total pages in book: 180
Estimated words: 179189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 896(@200wpm)___ 717(@250wpm)___ 597(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 179189 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 896(@200wpm)___ 717(@250wpm)___ 597(@300wpm)
I guess I’d better get used to his intimate gaze.
Chapter 6
TJ
She keeps looking down at the dog like Pepper’s suddenly going to snap at her. I don’t know why she’s so afraid of that little squirt. Pepper couldn’t hurt anyone, ever. It’s not in her nature. I would keep her myself if I could, but I already have my own dog, and we’ve got to leave some for the employees.
Besides, I think this is a perfect way to initiate Lesley into the company. Start with a bang, right?
Except I can tell she’s definitely struggling. The dog keeps yanking her from place to place as Pepper’s trying to greet every one of the employees we come across, and Lesley’s not prepared for the way the leash tugs her along. She needs to find her bearings. I thought a smaller dog would be easier, but I guess no dog is easy for her.
“Whoa, not so fast!” she yells as Pepper sprints toward the water bowl.
I smile and bite my lip, shaking my head.
“I saw that.”
I glance over my shoulder and see Beau standing there, snooping again.
“You saw nothing,” I say.
“Uh-huh …” He rolls his eyes.
I ignore his obvious taunt and follow Lesley as she fights for control of the leash.
“Oh, my god,” she mutters as I approach. “Couldn’t you give me an easier dog?”
“This one was the only one available right now. Sorry.” I shrug.
“Sorry, my ass,” she growls, trying to rope in the dog who’s jumping on another employee’s leg.
“Stop it!” Lesley says to Pepper. “You’re embarrassing me.”
“That’s not the dog’s fault,” I reply.
“You’re not helping either,” she says.
“You never asked.” I smirk when she gives me a raging look.
I don’t know why I like it, but I do. She’s got these expressive eyes that feel magical … and I just can’t help but tick her off to see more of them.
“Whatever,” she says, sighing. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, winking.
“Ma’am?” she scoffs, walking downstairs clumsily as if she’s afraid the dog will pull and make her fall. “I’m not a mom.”
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. I only call girls that when they’re feisty.”
“You like it, don’t you?” she says, raising a brow.
I shrug. “Maybe I do; maybe I don’t.” I point at the dog and say, “Watch out!”
She shrieks and jumps away from the dog, throwing the leash down like it’s a damn time bomb. I laugh out loud, and after she’s calmed and her breathing returns to normal, she slaps me on the arm. “Not funny!”
“Yes, it was,” I say, still chuckling.
She picks up the leash and spins on her heels. “C’mon, Pepper.”
I pull open the door for her. “Ladies first.”
“If you weren’t such an ass, I might’ve liked the chivalry.”
“An ass? Me?” I place a hand on my chest. “I’m shocked you’d say that,” I jest.
“I’m sure it’s not the first time you’ve heard it,” she hisses, her nose scrunching as a cute little rabbit would.
Fuck. Why do I like it so much?
“You’re right. It’s not,” I retort. “You wanna know what happened to the last girl who called me that?” I muse.
“What?”
“She got fired.”
Staring at me, she takes a deep breath like she’s biting her tongue and then exits the building.
It’s grown awfully quiet as we walk down the street, and I know it’s my damn fault for bringing up the fact I fired someone. It wasn’t because she called me an ass, though, and I would never fire anyone for that reason. That’s not me.
It just got a little too close for comfort.
I like her a little too much, which is dangerous, considering what I’ve done.
Buying your employee’s panties isn’t exactly kosher stuff, and I’d rather not end up with a lawsuit stuck to my ass. Let alone the media frenzy that would come with it. No thanks.
I break the ice by clearing my throat and saying, “So getting used to her yet?”
“Giving me a dog is dangerous, TJ,” she says. “What if I lose her?”
“You won’t; you’ll find she’s quite loyal. Look.” I take the leash from her hand, making Lesley squeal when I just drop it on the ground.
However, Pepper’s not moving more than a few feet away from us, constantly checking whether we’re still here as she waves her cute tail like she’s happy to see us every time she looks.
“See? Nothing happened.”
“That’s just because you’re here,” Lesley says as we cross a road.
“She’ll listen to you too if you give it some time.”
“I don’t know. What do you want me to say? I don’t get how this is going to help me do work for you.”
“You’ll see. You’ll get ideas for new toys. Just play with her. Take her home. Love her. It’ll come to you.”
She turns her face to me. “So you want me to design toys?”
“Yes. And maybe think up a way to market them too. You know, the whole package.” We turn the corner and walk into a huge park with lots of trees and animals. A good place to get Lesley accommodated with an overexcited dog.