Chapter Two
Iused to own my own business, and now I’m working part time for someone else. How the mighty have fallen, right? All because of a fucking man.
“It’s almost five thirty, V, you want to head off?”
I checked the computer, and shrugged.
“No more bookings. Don’t you have dinner plans with Mike?”
Carly, the clinic manager nodded, and I could see she was harassed and running late.
“Why don’t you head off, and I’ll close at five thirty and follow you.
It’s only a few minutes. What can happen in those few minutes?
” A lot actually, but she took the bait, and nodded, handing me the keys, and running through the closing process, even though I’d had this masterclass already.
It’d been a month or more now, so I think I was pretty clear on what I was doing.
She left at last, and I focused on sweeping up the waiting room, and tidying up the shelves of animal products, and information leaflets.
The door crashed open with a minute to go. One fucking minute, and I turned to see who was about to face my wrath. If they had an animal with them, I’d let it go, but if not… wait, the guy was familiar, but I couldn’t remember why.
He was wearing a leather waistcoat with a patch on it that I recognised though. A Phoenix. Damn.
The guy obviously recognised me, because he sighed with relief.
“Thank fuck. You’re V, right? I’m Rocket. Remember me? We met at Harley’s place before Christmas, and-”
“Breathe, will you? I’m afraid I’m just closing up, so if you can-”
“No. It has to be now. Please! I found the poor thing in an alley, being dumped by some cunt, and-”
“Watch your language,” I snapped, as I stepped around him, flipped the sign, and locked the door.
“Uh… you’re locking me in? Is this a citizen’s arrest? You’re that offended by the C word?”
His leather jacket wiggled a little and a soft whimper filled the air, catching the fucker’s attention instantly.
“Please. I don’t know what he did to the little thing, but…” he reached into his clothes, chuckling at a soft growl, and then winced as he pulled his thumb out and checked it.
“Keeps biting me, but I don’t care. Is it hurt?”
He finally retrieved the little thing. A dachshund puppy, if I’m not mistaken, but small and nervous, and trying to fend us off with the cutest and tiniest of growls.
“Oh my god. You said someone dumped this little sweetheart?”
I reached and took the puppy from his large hands, dodging little needle teeth as I did.
“Pretty nervy, but if they were dumped, that’s no wonder.”
“I heard a yelp. I think he hurt… honestly, I shoulda punched him some more.”
I led him to the treatment room I was assigned to, and set the little baby on the table.
“Can you hold her while I open up a record for her?”
“Her?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, I know what a female looks like.”
“Me too.” Rocket frowned and rolled his eyes at himself.
“Sorry, I’m used to the banter with the guys.
Is she okay?” He’d cupped his big hands around the pup, who’d started wriggling closer to him as he did.
He looked like a big bear of a guy, but he had the sappiest smile on his face as he gazed down at what he probably didn’t realise was his new furbaby for life.
For a big biker guy, he seemed to be melting over a tiny puppy, but before he could get his snuggles on, we had to make sure she was okay.
She was small, shivering a little without his warm hands around her, and her eyes kept finding him, like she was afraid he’d leave her with me. Yeah, that little sweetheart is attached already.
“Okay, she’s a little small and thin, but I can’t find any injuries, or wounds, and she’s bright eyed, alert, and showing no signs of illness.
I’d say for the moment we need to be safe, so take her home tonight, I’ll show you what food she needs, and talk you through a schedule for her.
Bring her back in a day or so, and we’ll see how she’s doing.
There’s no way of knowing her age for sure, but she seems to be beyond the point of needing her mama’s milk, or close to it.
Our only option is to combo both to see what’s working for her. ”
“Wait, what? How the fuck do I do that?”
“I said I’ll show you. You’re going to have to get better at listening, Rocket. I don’t have all day. We’re already closed.”
He briefly looked like a spanked puppy, then put his focus back on the little one.
“I can really take her home? I mean, it’s the clubhouse, but it’s enclosed and she’ll be in my room.”
“She’s going to need a lot of care, Rocket. Have you even had a dog before?”
He shrugged, cupping his new best friend in his hands and practically melting all over the exam table.
“When I was a kid, but she’s so much tinier. She’s small enough to fit in my helmet.”
I rolled my eyes, updating the record I’d created for her, and grabbing some leaflets for him.
“Look, we’ll have to assume she’s had no vaccinations because she was being dumped, so let’s get her settled the next few days, then we can start on those.
Knowing how she eats will give me a better idea of her age, because if she rejects solids, and only wants milk, then we’ll know she’s not yet fully weaned. ”
“The fuck does that mean?”
Dear lord. It probably wasn’t even safe to leave her in his care. He seemed completely clueless.
“Are you just going to be a typical useless man, and fuck this up? Because I’m not sending her home with you if you can’t follow basic instructions!”
Rocket practically recoiled, a bemused look on his face.
“Jesus. Sorry I haven’t heard the fucking term ‘weaned’ before. It doesn’t mean I’m an idiot, and I know some guy fucked you over, but I’m not him, yeah? Wind it in, will you?”
Huh. His outburst silenced me, because I realised I was being less than friendly right now, and it had everything to do with the fact that he was a man, it was hometime, and I was tired. Still, the little ball of fur now residing comfortably against his chest was our priority.
“Sorry. Okay, so I’m going to sort out what food and things you’ll need. You’d need other stuff too, a bed, dishes, etc, but honestly, you’ll get those cheaper elsewhere. This stuff is pretty overpriced in my opinion.”
Rocket grimaced, and followed my gesture to head back out into the waiting room.
“Are you supposed to be down-selling your shit to me? Like, isn’t it your job to make me believe I need all this overpriced stuff?”
Again, he wasn’t wrong, but I shook my head.
“Honestly, I didn’t do things this way at my practice, but this isn’t mine, so… ugh,” I took a deep breath, “let’s just get you the essentials, and I can suggest some places for the rest. For tonight, she’ll probably sleep best in your bed with you. Just don’t let her fall off it.”
He snorted. “Well, at least I won’t be alone in bed for once. That’ll be nice, won’t it, little one? I should name her. What the fuck do you call little girl dogs?”
I found myself smiling at his lack of comfort with something so simple for so many, but if he’d never had female dogs, or pets, maybe it was that weird for him.
“That costs extra,” I said lightly, grabbing some of the puppy mix and milk substitute, and a set of puppy dishes.
“Great. I’ll just google that later. Okay, is that everything?”
“It’ll keep you going overnight, yeah. How are you getting her home?”
Confusion returned to his eyes. “On my ride, of course, how else?”
I slammed his purchases into a bag and shoved it at him.
“Are you serious? What if she falls out of your damn jacket?”
“I’ll do it up, and for your FYI, I was very careful.
Besides, this happened just down the street.
Maybe I need like a carrier thing for her.
” He turned to cast his eyes around the pet supplies, while I pondered the words ‘for your FYI’.
Finally I shook it off, and showed him some of the pet carriers.
They’d all swamp the little mite, but I still didn’t like the idea of him using one on a motorcycle.
“Maybe I should take her for the night?”
“Fuck no. What, now I’m not good enough to keep a fucking puppy alive?
I know I’m just a man, but I’m not an idiot.
” He grabbed a soft pet carrier and added it to the counter, and while I totalled up his order, and his consultation fees, he set the pup in the carrier, and shrugged off the leather jacket and waistcoat, removing his shirt next.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
I wasn’t looking. The t-shirt he’d had on under the other layers was not clinging to his body like a second skin, nor did it highlight muscles that weren’t evident under the baggy button up shirt, and leather clothes.
Nope. I didn’t see a thing. I watched though, as Rocket carefully tucked his shirt around the puppy, making her a snug, warm nest, and probably not even realising the most important part. The shirt would smell like him, which would comfort the puppy too.
“I don’t like this,” I said worriedly, picturing him trying to take the carrier on his motorbike.
“Don’t have to like it. I’m not exactly offering it to you.”
What? “I don’t… what?”
“I’m not hitting on ya, lady. I’m just keeping my baby warm. Now can you charge me and let me go? You wrote down the feeding schedule, right?”
Mortification is great at stuffing your ears with cotton wool, because I barely caught a word he said after the hitting on me part. I knew I’d blushed as he said it too, because who wouldn’t? I hadn’t meant that at all, but there was no way to convince him otherwise, was there?
“I could follow you to your clubhouse with-”
“Jesus, lady, take no for an answer, please.” He gathered up the carrier, and the bag of supplies, and headed for the door, raising his eyebrows at me as I lingered behind the counter.
“Uh… I’d like to leave, unless you’re planning on kidnapping me, and my little dog too.”
Ugh. Suddenly all I wanted was to get rid of him, so I nudged him aside, and unlocked the door.
He stepped outside, and hugged the puppy carrier close as the wind whipped up and probably froze his now shirtless self.
His nipples were probably… nope, forget it.
He doesn’t even have them. Nope. No body. No nipples. No firm muscles. Just nope.
“Don’t forget to come back in two days for-”
“Whoa, you just can’t get enough of me, can you?
” He winked at me as he headed for the large shiny motorcycle, which had blue and silver flames painted up the minimal amount of actual bodywork.
I wondered briefly what it was like to get on one of those, especially wrapped around a man who… nope. No men. Not now, not ever.
I watched as he butchered the carrier bag into an over the shoulder kind of monstrosity, and carefully wrapped himself around the pet carrier, leaning close to murmur to the pup before he eased his helmet on. Nope. Definitely not hot. Not at all.