Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Keats
As soon as Jamie slams the door, I turn to the woman holding Dudley in her arms.
Maren, the dog rescuer, is beautiful.
Her curly red hair reaches halfway down her back. That paired with her ocean blue eyes and long legs makes me feel things.
I’d say I’m getting weak in the knees, but the reaction my body is having to her hits higher than that.
“I apologize that you had to witness that.” I shove a hand in the front pocket of my navy blue pants. “I should have spoken to Jamie in private.”
“No harm, no foul.” Maren shrugs. “I do need to go.”
She approaches me. For every step forward she takes, I retreat by a larger step.
“I’m trying to give you the dog.”
I stare at her. “I can’t take the dog.”
The toe of her black-heeled sandal taps against the floor. This woman might not have dressed to impress anyone today, but fuck me, she’s hot in her boyfriend jeans and white button-down shirt that’s tied in a knot at her waist.
The sound of a phone buzzing lures her gaze to the black bag slung over her shoulder.
She adjusts Dudley in her arms before she fishes in the bag and yanks out a phone.
I watch her lips move as she reads the message on the screen.
Can you come in for an interview today?
The spy camp my folks sent my brother and me to during summer breaks when we were kids has paid off. The instructors taught us how to crack codes and dust for fingerprints. It was my roommate at the camp who showed me how to pick a lock. He also schooled me in the art of reading lips.
That’s a skill that comes in handy when you negotiate for a living.
Maren looks up from her phone. “I have an appointment, so you’re going to have to take Dudley whether you like it or not.”
“I’m allergic,” I say honestly. “That dog and I are not compatible.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s not my problem.”
I can’t argue with that, so I take another approach. “My sister dropped him on my doorstep when she went on vacation. She told me that Yorkies are hypoallergenic and I’d be fine, but Dudley didn’t get that memo.”
“There must be someone here I can give him to.” She glances over her shoulder. Two people pass by the open door of my office.
I’ve already tried to convince every single one of my employees to adopt Dudley temporarily. No one was willing to sign up even with the promise of a vacation in the tropics or a bonus added to their paycheck.
Jamie was my last resort.
Dudley licks Maren’s hand, so I make my first offer. “I’ll pay you to take care of him for me.”
Her blue eyes widen beneath long lashes. “You’ll what?”
“I need someone to watch him for the next six weeks,” I say.
That’s a give or take because my sister, Sinclair, is somewhere in Europe. She’s been gone for three months, and before that, she took off for two months to Australia. Eventually, she’ll land back in New York and take possession of her dog. I hope.
“I can’t take care of him.” She brushes the idea away with a terse chuckle. “I have to be somewhere, so just take him from me.”
“Why can’t you take care of him?”
I know it’s a ludicrous question. This woman doesn’t know me. She sure as hell doesn’t look all that comfortable getting licked by Big Dud, but I need her help, and I don’t want her to leave. I like her.
I don’t know why the fuck I like her, but I do.
“I have a job interview, Mr. Morgan.” My name comes out like a dirty word from her lips. “I have to go home and get ready for that.”
“I’m offering you a job,” I point out. “I’ll pay well.”
“I work in public relations.” She shifts Dudley to her other arm. “I’m not taking on a job as a dog sitter.”
I get it. She thinks it’s beneath her. I’ve been there. I bagged groceries during my teenage years. I hated every fucking second of it. The truth is that job taught me that if you work hard, you’ll be rewarded. I missed it when I quit after high school.
“Are you open to taking on a job as my assistant?” I scrub my hand over my forehead. “I need a new one.”
“Since you just fired yours,” she says in a whisper.
“You’ll start at seventy five a year and perks.”
That lures her eyebrows up. “Seventy five thousand dollars?”
Nodding, I rest my hip against my desk. “You’ll have a car and driver at your disposal, and you’ll receive a monthly expense account for incidentals. Jamie used hers for manis and pedis, and whatever the fuck an astrologer does.”
Maren’s eyes narrow. “How many assistants have you had in the past year?”
Well, shit. We’re going there?
“Several.” If I keep it general, maybe she won’t press.
“How many?”
Jesus.
“Not counting Jamie, that would be three,” I say as casually as I can.
Her gaze drops to her phone when it chimes again.
This time she doesn’t move her lips when she reads whatever popped up on the screen.
“My interview is in two hours.” Her voice rises. “I need to go now.”
“Whatever they are offering you, I’ll double it.”
Why the fuck did I just say that?
Dudley whines as she slides him from one arm to the other again.
Maren bites the corner of her bottom lip, and my cock thanks her for that by coming to life.
I shift so she doesn’t get a glimpse of the tent I’m popping in my pants.
“You’re going to double what I’m being offered by the company I have an interview with?” She shakes her head. “You’re serious? You don’t even know if I’m qualified for Jamie’s position.”
“Can you answer phones, write emails, and arrange for Dud to get to doggy daycare every day?”
“He goes to doggy daycare?” She plants a kiss on his head, and I’m jealous of the little shit.
“Five days a week.” I push a hand through my hair. “I had a nanny for him the rest of the time, but she quit. And then the guy I hired after her…”
“Quit?” she interrupts.
“They didn’t like living with me.” I shrug. “They had an entire floor to themselves. I have no idea what the problem was.”
She rakes me from head-to-toe as if she’s silently surveying the problem.
“A lot of people quit when they work for you.” She glances at Dudley. “What’s going to happen to him when he’s not at doggy daycare?”
“I’ll give you an extra five thousand if you take him home with you every night and if you watch him on the weekends.”
Her chin lifts. “Make it ten. Add that to my yearly salary of double your original offer, and you have yourself a deal, Mr. Morgan.”
I hold in a smile. “It’s Keats.”
“Jamie called you Mr. Morgan.”
“You’re not her,” I point out.
“When do I start?” She glances back at the people walking past my office. “Do I need to sign anything?”
“You’ll start taking care of Dudley immediately.” I round my desk. “I’ll call Human Resources to put together an employment contract for you. Give me your full name, number, and address so we can take care of that today.”
“I’m Maren Weber,” she starts before she rattles off a number with a 917 area code and an address in Tribeca.
Maren Weber is already living large if she calls that building home.
“I’ll be in touch,” I say, meaning that I want to touch her, but small steps win the race.
“Can I get Dudley’s things?” She asks with a slight smile.
“He must have favorite toys and a bed. Does he eat a certain brand of food? Last night, my neighbor gave me some of the food she buys for her dog, but I’m sure Dudley would prefer whatever he eats regularly.
I want him to feel at home at my place.”
Dudley thanks her for asking by licking her cheek.
“I’ll have it sent to your apartment.”
She nods. “I’ll take off for now. Thanks for the job, Keats.”
The surge of desire that races through me stops my heart from beating for a half-second. “You’re welcome, Maren. Welcome to Morgan Sports Management. I think you’ll like it here.”
Her non-response tells me she’s not convinced of that, but I’ll make sure she has the time of her life while she works for me.