happening, Diego scooped Poppy up in his arms.
“You’re so cute!” The little traitor squirmed with glee. “You say her name’s Poppy?”
“Yeah. I just got her.” Okay, I’d admit I was more than a little jealous of my dog. I snapped the leash onto her harness and retrieved her from his arms.
Diego smiled. “Sorry I didn’t call earlier. We had a death threat come in yesterday. You know, the usual stuff.”
“Oh. No problem. I’ve been too busy to notice,” I lied. Badly.
“So you live around here?” Diego smiled. He saw right through my clothes ... I mean lies.
“Um, yes. Two blocks away, actually.”
Diego squinted into the distance. “I can walk you home.”
“No,” I may have said a little too quickly. “Poppy hasn’t, you know, done what we set out to do.” Nice save. I still wanted to get a little surveillance done, and I wasn’t ready for him to see my house. My bed, yes. My house, no. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure how to pull that off.
He looked down, then at me with a smile. “Seems she just took care of business.”
Damn. Poppy wagged her curly tail as best she could, next to a steaming pile of “business.”
So that’s how Diego ended up in my kitchen, with a diet pop and a smile. Under normal circumstances, I would have been thrilled. But somehow, it was too soon to have him in my house. Instead of lust, all I felt was weird. And not good weird either, but the walk in on your-father-naked kind of weird.
Diego looked at his watch. “I lost track of the time. Gotta run!” He stood, and I walked him to the door. Before I opened it, he kissed me lightly on the lips. Okay. The weird feeling was replaced with lust again. All circuits were back to normal.
“It was nice meeting you, Poppy.” He crouched to pet the wriggling, delighted pug. The whore. Diego stood. “How about I bring a pizza over one night and meet your daughter?”
“Um, okay.” I was still a little fogged up over the kiss.
“Tomorrow night all right?” Diego punctuated his question with a more passionate kiss.
“Yeah. Sure,” I think I responded.
Diego left and I slumped against the closed door, sliding down to the floor with my new competition for the Australian bodyguard’s affections. Poppy licked my hand, then curled up in my lap and promptly fell asleep.
I stroked her ears until she started snoring. “You know, I should pop a cap in your ass. After all, you blew every assignment I gave you today, and then you shamelessly threw yourself at my man.”
In her sleepy state, Poppy stretched and rolled over, exposing her fat belly to me, waiting for a scratch.
“I guess it’s a good thing I have a policy against killing animals.”
Poppy ignored me, clearly getting her beauty sleep so she could seduce my new boyfriend tomorrow night. For a two-month-old puppy, she seemed to have it all figured out.
CHAPTER NINE
“If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.”
—Martin Blank, Grosse Pointe Blank
After a much-needed cold shower and lunch, I plopped Poppy in her crate and headed out for a quick, two-block jog. I figured the neighbors might get suspicious if they saw me again with the puppy, so I altered my “disguise” a bit and left to make it look like a different woman in the throes of exercising.
Maybe I should mention that I hate jogging. I only ever did it once, at Ed’s request. He was a runner and wanted me to join him. After one minute, I nearly passed out. I just wasn’t cut out for it. I can sprint like an axe-toting maniac in a hockey mask, but I simply can’t jog.
Which is why I was completely out of breath when I got to Vic’s place (only two blocks away). After passing in front of it, I went around the block, looking for an alley or way to his backyard. No alley. And the foliage was too thick to see the back of the house from the yard behind. So I came around and crossed to the other side of the street, pausing across the
“You’re so cute!” The little traitor squirmed with glee. “You say her name’s Poppy?”
“Yeah. I just got her.” Okay, I’d admit I was more than a little jealous of my dog. I snapped the leash onto her harness and retrieved her from his arms.
Diego smiled. “Sorry I didn’t call earlier. We had a death threat come in yesterday. You know, the usual stuff.”
“Oh. No problem. I’ve been too busy to notice,” I lied. Badly.
“So you live around here?” Diego smiled. He saw right through my clothes ... I mean lies.
“Um, yes. Two blocks away, actually.”
Diego squinted into the distance. “I can walk you home.”
“No,” I may have said a little too quickly. “Poppy hasn’t, you know, done what we set out to do.” Nice save. I still wanted to get a little surveillance done, and I wasn’t ready for him to see my house. My bed, yes. My house, no. Of course, I wasn’t exactly sure how to pull that off.
He looked down, then at me with a smile. “Seems she just took care of business.”
Damn. Poppy wagged her curly tail as best she could, next to a steaming pile of “business.”
So that’s how Diego ended up in my kitchen, with a diet pop and a smile. Under normal circumstances, I would have been thrilled. But somehow, it was too soon to have him in my house. Instead of lust, all I felt was weird. And not good weird either, but the walk in on your-father-naked kind of weird.
Diego looked at his watch. “I lost track of the time. Gotta run!” He stood, and I walked him to the door. Before I opened it, he kissed me lightly on the lips. Okay. The weird feeling was replaced with lust again. All circuits were back to normal.
“It was nice meeting you, Poppy.” He crouched to pet the wriggling, delighted pug. The whore. Diego stood. “How about I bring a pizza over one night and meet your daughter?”
“Um, okay.” I was still a little fogged up over the kiss.
“Tomorrow night all right?” Diego punctuated his question with a more passionate kiss.
“Yeah. Sure,” I think I responded.
Diego left and I slumped against the closed door, sliding down to the floor with my new competition for the Australian bodyguard’s affections. Poppy licked my hand, then curled up in my lap and promptly fell asleep.
I stroked her ears until she started snoring. “You know, I should pop a cap in your ass. After all, you blew every assignment I gave you today, and then you shamelessly threw yourself at my man.”
In her sleepy state, Poppy stretched and rolled over, exposing her fat belly to me, waiting for a scratch.
“I guess it’s a good thing I have a policy against killing animals.”
Poppy ignored me, clearly getting her beauty sleep so she could seduce my new boyfriend tomorrow night. For a two-month-old puppy, she seemed to have it all figured out.
CHAPTER NINE
“If I show up at your door, chances are you did something to bring me there.”
—Martin Blank, Grosse Pointe Blank
After a much-needed cold shower and lunch, I plopped Poppy in her crate and headed out for a quick, two-block jog. I figured the neighbors might get suspicious if they saw me again with the puppy, so I altered my “disguise” a bit and left to make it look like a different woman in the throes of exercising.
Maybe I should mention that I hate jogging. I only ever did it once, at Ed’s request. He was a runner and wanted me to join him. After one minute, I nearly passed out. I just wasn’t cut out for it. I can sprint like an axe-toting maniac in a hockey mask, but I simply can’t jog.
Which is why I was completely out of breath when I got to Vic’s place (only two blocks away). After passing in front of it, I went around the block, looking for an alley or way to his backyard. No alley. And the foliage was too thick to see the back of the house from the yard behind. So I came around and crossed to the other side of the street, pausing across the
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