Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
“I ’m so sorry.” Rayna hurried into Brandt Vet Clinic, giving Fatima an apologetic smile. “I meant to be here this morning but got caught up in helping another stray dog.”
“It’s fine.” One of the clinic’s receptionists, Fatima, gave her a bright smile. “I heard you had quite the night last night.”
“It was a bit insane.” Rayna leaned against the counter, hoping she didn’t look as exhausted as she felt.
“You look exhausted,” Fatima said sympathetically, inadvertently crushing Rayna’s hope.
Rayna made a face. “As soon as I’m finished here, I’m going home and straight to my bed.”
The phone rang, and Fatima reached for it. “Head to the treatment area. Dr. Nathan is expecting you.”
“Thanks, Fatima.” Rayna pushed through the swinging doors, stopping short when a giant St. Bernard barked loudly.
“He’s friendly.” Hal, one of the vet techs and the epitome of a silver-haired fox, was holding the dog while another tech clipped its nails. “He just has a lot to say.”
Rayna laughed. “How are you, Hal?”
“Can’t complain. Savina picked up the lab mix half an hour ago. She named her Maeve and texted Reba with her name and suspected age, and we emailed the medical records.”
“She did?” Rayna gave Hal a grateful look. “You two are peaches for taking her on such short notice.”
“Eh, what my girl wants, my girl gets,” Hal said with a grin. “And as soon as you texted a picture of her face to Savina, I knew she’d say yes. She can’t resist labs.”
“That’s why I did it,” Rayna said. “I’m evil like that.”
Hal’s grin widened. “That’s the rumour. I’m just glad the leg didn’t have a fracture. I wasn’t looking forward to carrying Maeve in and out of the house while it healed.”
Rayna grimaced. “So, we’re not entirely certain she doesn’t have a fracture, so it’s probably best if she’s on crate rest and has limited yard time.”
“Nails are done. I’ll take him up front,” the tech said.
“Thanks, Allie.” Hal released the St. Bernard and stood, joining Rayna by the lab counter. “Maeve doesn’t have a fracture. Radiographs this morning confirmed it.“
“What? I didn’t authorize x-rays for Maeve,” Rayna said as panic flooded her. The rescue absolutely did not have money in the budget to do x-rays on both Maeve and Mr. Magoo. “You did x-rays?”
“We did,” Hal confirmed.
“I need to speak to Nathan,” Rayna said. Shit, she’d have to apologize and explain there was a mix-up and hope like hell that he was good with adding the cost to the balance already owed by the rescue.
“I know he’s just finishing up a meeting with Warren,” Hal said. “Maybe talk to Laila? She was the one who told us to do the x-rays.”
As if he’d summoned her, Laila came in from the side yard, her cheeks rosy from the cold and holding Mr. Magoo. The curvy blonde was the clinic’s office manager, and she gave Rayna a cheerful smile. “Hey, Rayna. How are you?”
“Good,” Rayna said. “Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Sure.” Still carrying Mr. Magoo, Laila led her to the far end of the treatment area. She’d turned an unused storage space into a tiny office, and Rayna squeezed in past the bookshelf and sat in the folding chair in front of Laila’s minuscule desk.
Laila plopped down in her chair and stroked Mr. Magoo’s fuzzy head. The dog lounged contentedly against her chest, its left hind leg in a cast. The cast was wrapped in lime green bandaging, and someone had cut out hearts from pink bandaging and stuck them all over the cast.
Laila kissed Mr. Magoo’s head. “I just took him out for a pee, and considering how ancient he is, he’s doing really well. Of course, we have him on all the good pain meds.”
Rayna smiled. “He’s a good boy.”
“He’s the best boy,” Laila declared before kissing his head again. “Nathan said you weren’t sending him back to his original foster home. Is that right?”
“Yes.” Rayna could hear the discouragement in her voice. “I don’t have another foster home for him currently, which means he’ll be coming back to my house for now. Nicole is a good person, and she means well, but she’s too busy with her kids to give Mr. Magoo the proper care he needs. He shouldn’t be allowed to do stairs.”
“What if I took him?” Laila said. “I know it’s been a while since I fostered for Little Whiskers, but life isn’t as busy now, and I have more time for a dog. Plus, I can bring Mr. Magoo to work with me, so he’ll never be alone.”
“Are you serious?” A little of Rayna’s discouragement lifted. “You’d foster him?”
“Yes,” Laila said. “I love this little dude.”
“Oh my God, that would be amazing. I can bring you some supplies later tonight if that works.”
“You have enough on your plate, and I know you were up all night,” Laila said. “Is Myrna still a supply location for fosters?”
“Yes,” Rayna said.
“Perfect. I’ll text her and arrange to swing by after work and pick up the supplies I need for Mr. Magoo,” Laila said.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Rayna said. “Thank you, Laila.”
“My pleasure. What was it you wanted to chat to me about?”
“That stray lab mix I brought in last night with the injured leg.”
“Maeve,” Laila said. “I think Savina Ras picked her up a while ago.”
“She did,” Rayna said. “But Hal said you told them to do x-rays on her, and last night, I specifically told Nathan not to do them. As you know, the rescue’s bill with the clinic is high, and we didn’t have it in the budget to x-ray her and Mr. Magoo.”
“Oh, it was paid for by a private donation,” Laila said.
“What? Who?” Rayna asked.
“Isaac Stark.”
Rayna’s mouth dropped open, and she stared silently at Laila. Laila raised an eyebrow. “Why do you look like that?”
“I’m sorry, did you say Isaac Stark paid for it?”
“Yes.” Laila smooched Mr. Magoo again, who licked her face happily.
“Isaac Stark, the millionaire?”
“Well, I heard he’s a multimillionaire, but yes. He called around eleven this morning and asked to speak to the office manager. He has the deepest voice, doesn’t he?” Laila’s gaze went distant. “I’ve only seen him once at Grind My Beans, but I was not prepared for how handsome he is. Those eyes of his are something else. Anyway, he said he’d helped you last night with the dog, and he wanted to pay for her to have x-rays.”
Rayna continued to stare at her. “I can’t believe it.”
“It’s true,” Laila said. “He also paid Mr. Magoo’s bill in its entirety and paid to have the stray cat you brought in neutered and vaccinated.”
Rayna hadn’t thought her shock could go any deeper, but holy fucking shit, she was wrong.
“He paid for everything last night?” she asked.
“Yes.” Laila studied her. “Was it wrong to accept the donation?”
“No, no.” Rayna slumped against her chair, shock and lack of sleep making her feel slow and stupid. “I don’t know why he did it. He hates me.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you,” Laila said. “Nathan said he stayed and helped you all night. Why would he do that if he hated you?”
“I… I don’t know,” Rayna said. She was too tired to think straight, and her shock over Stark paying for the treatment was draining what little battery she had left.
She sat up straight and smiled at Laila. “Okay, well, thank you. I appreciate you letting me know, and I’ll get one of our volunteers to send him a thank you card.”
“You bet.” Laila stood, and she and Rayna squeezed out of her office. As they headed toward the main treatment area, Rayna said, “So, you’re still good for the fundraiser on Friday?”
“Sure am,” Laila said. “Although I’m a little nervous that no one is going to bid on me.”
“Just do what I’m doing.” Dr. Warren Brandt, the original owner of the clinic before he sold it to Nathan and one of the nicest people Rayna had ever met, had left Nathan’s office to examine a poodle that Hal held on one of the exam tables.
“What’s that?” Laila asked.
“Make someone promise to bid on you if the room goes awkwardly silent when you’re standing on stage,” Warren said.
Hal laughed as Laila said, “Who did you ask?”
“Wanda Taber,” Warren said. “I made her swear she would bid on me if no one else did.”
“That’s kind of brilliant,” Laila said.
“Not bad for an old man, am I right?” Warren grinned at them both. “But honestly, Laila, it isn’t something you’ll need to worry about.”
“Thanks, Warren.” Laila squeezed his shoulder before heading toward reception with Mr. Magoo. “See you Friday night, Rayna.”
Nathan stuck his head out of his office. “Rayna, hey. You have a few minutes to talk about treatment plans for Maeve and Mr. Magoo?”
“I do,” Rayna said. With a wave to Warren and Hal, she followed Nathan into his office.
* * *
Stark dipped his head under the shower spray and rinsed away the shampoo. He adjusted the temperature, grumbling about the lack of hot water under his breath. His penthouse had a never-ending supply of hot water and a walk-in shower with multiple shower heads that wasn’t the size of a damn linen closet.
He soaped his body and rinsed clean. If it weren’t for Rayna Abrams and her refusal to sell her property, he would be well on his way to having a perfect shower built in his new house.
“Do you mind if I join you?”
He jerked wildly, nearly slipping and falling on the slick shower floor before he whipped around and stared wide-eyed at Rayna through the foggy glass door. “What the fuck?”
“Hey. I don’t have any hot water at my place. Can I use your shower?” She grinned at him. She wore a long t-shirt, and he studied her bare legs and how her nipples pressed against the thin fabric.
“How did you get in my house?” he asked.
“Does it matter? Can I join you or not?”
He stared at her for long seconds, the hot water drumming against his ribcage before he opened the shower door. Her smile widened, and he sucked in a harsh breath when she whipped off her t-shirt and dropped it on the floor.
She was naked under the shirt, and he studied her tight body, his gaze lingering on her breasts before dropping to her pussy. His cock hardened, and he resisted the urge to fist it as Rayna stepped into the shower with him and closed the door.
Her body pressed against his, and he made a low moan as she said, “Tight fit in here, huh?”
“Yeah,” he said hoarsely.
“Turn around, please,” she said.
He turned to face her, his cock brushing against her flat abdomen. She reached out and gripped him in her hand. He groaned, his hips jutting forward as she stroked him with a long, slow motion of her hand. “Do you like that?”
“Yes,” he muttered, slapping one hand against the tile wall as he rocked his hips into her.
“It’s so nice of you to let me use your shower,” she murmured as she leaned forward and brushed her nipples against his chest. “A thank you isn’t really enough, is it?”
“What did you have in mind?” he gritted out before cupping one firm breast and toying with her nipple. Her back arched, and her soft moan made him want to come all over her damn hand.
“I don’t know,” she said, giving him a bold smile. “What do you want?”
“Your mouth,” he said without hesitating.
She sank to her knees immediately, and he wound his hand into her hair. She stared up at him, and he used his free hand to rub his thumb over her lips. “Open for me, Rayna.”
She opened, and he slid his cock deep into her mouth, gasping when she sucked hard, and he was immediately on the verge of coming. “Oh fuck, baby, wait. Just wait… or I’ll come in your … fuuuuck!”
Stark leaned against the shower wall, one hand stroking his cock hard and furious, his body shaking as he came hard. His entire body shuddering, he stared at his cum swirling down the drain before straightening. He glanced behind him, a fucked up part of him half expecting to see Rayna standing behind him in the shower.
“Fuck,” he said, staring at his softening cock. Having a sex fantasy in the shower about his goddamn enemy was not how he’d planned to start his Tuesday morning. His body still shaking, he quickly rinsed off in the now cool water and turned off the shower.
What the hell was wrong with him? Wanting to fuck the woman who was making his life hell and thwarting his plans was bullshit. He wasn’t some adolescent school boy for fuck’s sake.
He dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and stepped into the bedroom. He needed to get his thoughts and his fucking dick under control before…
He stopped, staring blankly at Molly’s food dish. He’d given her wet food before getting into the shower, just like he did every morning, but she hadn’t eaten it. She usually had licked the damn bowl clean by the time he got out of the shower. He turned around to stare at the bed, unease rippling through him. After eating breakfast, Molly would always lounge on the bed waiting for him.
Over the past five days, he and the cat had fallen into a routine. Molly spent most of her time with the kittens, but after every meal, she’d seek him out to demand petting. His initial refusal had proved futile since Molly just followed him around and bumped into him or climbed into his lap or wound around his legs, meowing and purring until he gave in and petted her. And while he would never admit this, he was starting to enjoy the little cat’s soft chirps and purrs and even the feel of her scratchy tongue when she licked his hand affectionately.
“Cat?” he said in the direction of the closet. “Why are you being weird?”
There was no answering meow, and now the unease turned to worry. Molly always chirped, purred, or meowed when she heard his voice. Always. Christ, had she gotten outside somehow?
His stomach a tight knot, he hurried over to the closet and opened the door wide. Relief swept through him when he saw Molly lying in the box with her babies. “Jesus Christ, cat, you scared the shit out of me. I thought you’d gotten out and… cat?”
He frowned when Molly continued to lie quietly, and he crouched in front of the box. “Molly?”
He touched her soft fur, and she opened her eyes to stare at him before closing them. She didn’t purr, and she didn’t open her eyes again when he scratched her cheek. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
She abruptly stood and jumped out of the box, but his relief was short lived when she made a hwucking sound and threw up on the floor. She gave him a look of pure misery before jumping onto his bed and lying down. He petted her a few times, and when she rolled to her side, he stared at her belly. One of her nipples looked bright red, and he touched the skin around it lightly with his finger. It was hot and hard to the touch, and he could have sworn pain crossed Molly’s face.
“It’s okay, Molly,” he said, his worry deepening. “Hold on, I’ll get you some help. It’s okay, sweetie.”
He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and scrolled to Rayna’s number before hitting the call button.