Chapter Five
We got through thenight without too many disasters. She pissed on my bed once, and she did manage to use the pads on the floor for dumping on, thank fuck, but she woke me each time, crying to get off the bed. I had tried leaving her sleeping down there, but she also howled until I lifted her back up with me. And fuck, she was so tiny that I barely slept out of fear that I’d roll over onto her and crush her or something.
I woke up with her sleeping across my neck, which was lovely, warm and snuggly, until she started nibbling my earlobe. The little minx was obsessed with my ears.
“Okay, baby, that’s wake up time.” I caught her as I started to sit up, and came face to face with those wide blinking eyes of innocence. Because she was so tiny, they seemed oddly large in her sweet face.
“What am I going to do with you today? Let’s set you down so you can pee or whatever, and I think you’re due for more of that milk stuff. Oh fuck. I also have to get a prospect to come andcollect that bag of your mess from last night. Thank fuck I put it outside.”
I was halfway across the room before I realised what I was doing. Having a fucking conversation with a puppy. And while I was busy doing that, she was tripping over the puppy pad, and peeing discreetly right beside it. On the crappy carpet. Hell. At least she tried, right?
“Okay, baby, almost. You almost got it.” I picked her up when she’d finished, and used my bare foot to drag the puppy pad over onto the tiny patch of pee. Nobody said the rooms here were nice, but this was going to get old fast. And smelly.
“Guess I’m taking you to work with me, huh?”
That sounded good in practice, but firstly, rigging up her carrier with bungees and two of my sweaters to keep her warm, was a fiddly pain in the ass. I wasn’t about to risk her safety though, so it was a priority. That made me late to the shop, and even though Harley constantly assured me he wasn’t my boss, and I didn’t answer to him, he was still my VP, so as far as I was concerned, that blurred some fucking lines in terms of accountability.
“Sorry, sorry! Won’t happen again,” I grumbled as I stepped into the warm shop, and Harley nodded at me from behind the counter. Caroline was at her regular desk, working on whatever the hell project she was on for the club, or someone else. Something was definitely in the works, but I had no idea what. I figured I’d find out eventually whatever the hell they were up to.
“Still not your boss, Rocket,” Harley said, his eyes landing on the pet carrier in my arms.
Caroline’s head lifted, which was a job in itself, because when that lady was focused, it was with a capital FOCUS, and nothing distracted her. Today though, I think they’d been waiting for me. Just call it a hunch.
“Is this the infamous dog nobody knew you had?”
I set the carrier down, and reached in for Baby, grinning when she uttered a little growl in protest.
Caroline gasped, running over to me the instant she saw the little bundle of fur, although Harley shot up from his seat, and slowed her roll, so he reached me first.
“Who’s this then, and why is she in my shop?”
He reached out to stroke her ears, and she snapped at him. “Jesus, she’s about as pleasant as you are.”
Rude.
“Now it’syourshop? You just said you weren’t my boss,” I said as Caroline spoke softly to Baby, who tilted her head at her voice. There were no snarls aimed at Caroline, just Harley. In fact, just him and Micro. Did she not like them specifically? It couldn’t be all men, because she seemed to like me. I’d only been bitten twice. Those teeth were sharp as fuck, but they didn’t do more than scratch my skin.
“Wanna hold her?” I offered and Caroline nodded vehemently, holding her arms out for Baby. I carefully transferred the little bundle of warmth over to her, while doing my best not to touch Caroline. Not fucking easy.
She didn’t snap or growl, instead snuggling into Caroline’s fuzzy jumper she was wearing.
Harley nodded slowly, watching them together, as Caroline headed back to her chair to sit down with her new bestie.
“V said something about you rescuing her?”
Just the thought of that cunt had me gritting my teeth. If I saw him again, there was a good chance I’d break some bones for him.
“Pretty sure the fucker kicked her, and he was dumping her, man. In a fucking carrier bag. Said she was defective or something. I dunno. All I do know is he’ll be bruised today, and she’s not going back to him.”
Harley nodded, slapping my back as he agreed with me. “You made the right call, man. Now, let’s talk logistics, because it isn’t exactly puppy safe in here.”
“She’s tiny, man. It’d take her all day to cross the fucking room. I’ll barricade her into my section. I need to get out and get her some things though too. A bed and stuff. She’ll need stuff, I dunno. V was rattling off all kinds of things to me at the vets, but I wasn’t really listening. I have to feed her this stinky milk stuff too.”
Harley looked like his mind was already whirling over a million different possibilities, because the dude was like his woman in a lot of ways. They both had that brainiac analytical thing going on, and they both liked order. I was more fluid in things. Liking things my way, whether that’s tidy or not.
“Got any clients coming today?”
I shook my head. “Unless there’s a walk-in, no. I’m all caught up with projects. I should see about setting up so she can’t get out though. I’ll go do that while your old lady keeps her company.”
