Chapter Nine
Chris
I was back at work and loving it. The Love Beach branch had always been one of my favorites.
What made my transition easier was my reunion with Emily.
For once in my life, luck, or fate, if you will, seemed to be on my side.
I put in extra hours the first week. My days were filled with typical managerial work. All my extra hours went into setting up my office and reviewing my employees to ensure I knew who was who and what they did. I studied our top clients and worked on a list of potential new customers we might acquire.
Every night after work, I picked Luke up and took him to Emily’s. He was always almost as excited as I was. While the week followed a daily pattern, I didn’t mind. It was nice to come home to a beautiful woman night after night.
Because I’d put in extra time at work, we missed our group sessions. I still practiced, sit, stay, and shake , but when Saturday rolled around, and we met Emily at the park for a group class, Luke did not perform like he had the week before.
I was frustrated. Luke was unaffected. Everything was a game for him. He got to see his friends. He got to run around. Our work with fetch seemed to have gone by the wayside, which meant I had to put in extra time with him. I didn’t know when I’d be able to fit it in for the next week or so.
“Do you like the farmer’s market?” Emily asked as we strolled down an aisle Sunday morning.
“It’s bigger than I expected,” I said.
We stopped in front of a stand for pet products. Homemade dog treats, dog toys, and outfits covered one wall. Goods for cats and other animals were on the other.
“Get these for Luke,” Emily said, pushing a bag of all-natural peanut butter treats into my hand. “He’ll love them.”
“He better for how much they cost,” I said.
“They’re homemade with love. And it’s important to support local businesses.”
“Valid point.” I picked up two more bags and shook them. “Since they come highly recommended by a beautiful woman.”
Emily’s cheeks flushed as she smiled up at me. She tucked her arm through mine and picked up another bag herself.
By the time we left the farmer’s market, we were stock-piled with fresh fruits, veggies, bread, bagels, and homemade honey and jams that Emily swore I had to try.
On Monday morning, I was happy I took her advice. The strawberry jam was unlike anything I’d ever tasted. Hudson was going to love it too.
The workday went by quickly enough. For the first time, I clocked out right on schedule.
My happiness only lasted for the time it took me to drive home.
Luke greeted me by jumping all over me as soon as I walked through the door.
“You little shit!” I yelled. “How’d you get out?”
Wet, sloppy kisses, joyful barks, and a tail-whipping ensued.
“Off! Down!” I said, pushing him off of me. After three attempts, Luke finally sat. Large brown eyes looked at me expectantly as his tail swished back and forth over the floor.
“Good dog, Luke. Good sit.” I slapped my leg for him to follow. Throwing my briefcase on the counter, I repeated the sit, stay commands. When he obeyed, I dug into his treat container and offered it to him. “Let’s see what’s going on.”
His baby gate was still intact and closed. He hadn’t destroyed it. I knew I put him in this morning, but maybe I didn’t lock it all the way. I opened it, waited for him to enter, and shut the gate. I jiggled it, making sure it was secure, and made my way through the house.
Everything looked in order until I turned down the hallway. That’s when I saw it. A large pile of shit. I groaned and dragged my hands over my face. I cleaned it up, then went to my room, where, again, Luke had left me another present. Instead of poo, this time, I found my bed crumpled and slept in . I was suddenly reminded of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
“Who’s been sleeping in my bed, Luke?” I shouted.
Within seconds, I heard the telltale sounds of him running to me. I turned just in time to avoid being clobbered by my dog leaping into the air. He landed on the bed, turned in three circles, and laid down.
“Well, I’ll be,” I said, finally realizing he could catapult himself over it like a runner does a hurdle. “I guess you’ve outgrown your baby gate.”
Luke lifted his head, gave a huge yawn, and burrowed into the now unmade bed.
“I’m glad at least one of us is comfortable.”
At Emily’s, I relayed the story as we tossed balls to the dogs in the backyard.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess you’re going to have to come up with a better barricade.”
“I’m going to put some chairs in front of it tomorrow. See if that works. What I really should do is hire a dog walker.”
“I’d do it if I didn’t have my classes,” she said.
“Really?”
“Well, yeah,” she said. “He’s good company for these guys.”
“And they’re a good influence on him.” I tossed the ball again and sighed. “What I should do is make a permanent dog run on the side of the house. If I put a dog door on the door to the garage, he could hang out inside or outside.”
“That would be expensive,” Emily said.
“Not if I did it myself. I just need the bricks and cement. And a gate.”
“You can do that kind of stuff?”
“Yeah. My dad taught me. He’s very into home improvement projects. It might take me a weekend or two, but I could do it.” I took a deep breath and considered my options. “But, if I hired someone, it would save me the hassle and time. I’ll figure it out.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Her words hit the spot deep inside that I completely forgot existed. The place where you know you have someone in your life—outside of your family and friends—who has your back and will do whatever they can to make life easier. In the short span of a few weeks, Emily had moved into that piece of my heart that made me hope, feel, and love.
As I stole a look while she ruffled the dogs’ ears and heads, I realized I was falling in love.
It scared the crap out of me and filled me with intense happiness.
“What are you smiling about?” Emily asked, still wrapped up in dogs.
“You,” I said, closing the distance between us. “You make me very happy.” I tucked her in my arms and kissed her thoroughly.
When I pulled away, she pushed the hair away from my face and looked deeply into my eyes. “Being with you makes me happy too. I didn’t know I’d feel this way, but . . .”
“What?”
She shrugged. “For all my life, I’ve thought of myself as someone who needed to be the lone wolf.” When I chuckled, she smacked me playfully and asked, “What’s so funny?”
“You’re not a wolf, honey. A wolf is a boy. You’d be a she-wolf or a bitch.”
She smacked me again.
“I’m sorry. That’s what the literature says.”
“You know as well as I do that the word bitch is used with dog trainers, but don’t you?—”
I shut her up by kissing her. “You’re a she-wolf, not a bitch.”
“That’s better,” she said, our lips still touching. “Did you know she-wolves are known for their endurance and strength?”
Her husky, sexy tone had me swallowing my tongue. “Is that right?”
“Let me show you.” She sent me a come-hither look before she whistled. “Come on, boys, it’s time for dinner.”
We dutifully followed our alpha female into the house.
Together, we fed the dogs, washed our hands, and proceeded to the bedroom.
“If it gets to be too much for you, your safe word is heel .”
I found myself swallowing my tongue again. “Safe word?”
Her eyes alighted with mischief when she laughed. “Just follow my commands, and you’ll do just fine.”
She lifted my shirt over my head, then stripped every piece of clothing from her body.
“Emily,” I said, reaching for her. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
She pulled my belt from my pants and pushed them down my legs. Kissing me, she palmed me in her hand, rubbing up and down my cock. “Mm, this is going to be so fun,” she said, pushing me onto the bed. She crawled up my body, kissing and licking as she went. When I reached for her, she grabbed my hands and fastened them above me with my belt.
I must have made a funny face because she giggled. “Ever been tied up before?” she asked.
“No.” I was the hardest I’d ever been in my life.
“Hm,” she murmured with one last kiss.
I closed my eyes as she moved her mouth over my skin. Kisses across my chest, licks down my stomach, and nibbles against my hips. She puckered against my dick, still covered by my boxer briefs.
I reared up, wanting to feel her mouth on me.
In one swift move, she tore them free and swallowed me. Emily paralyzed me with her warm and wet mouth, and I was lost in the eroticism of only being able to feel, not touch. I wished I could reach out, but the intimacy of the moment dragged me to another dimension—one where Emily was my only link to reality.
She stroked, licked, and sucked, slurping up, over, and under every inch of my cock. Her expert skills—or maybe it was the submission part—had me gushing into her mouth in record time.
I opened my lazy eyes, watching her clean up every drop I spurted.
“Mmm,” she hummed, licking her lips.
“Christ,” I said. “I’ve never come like that in my life. That was amazing.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She wiggled up and hooked her leg over me as she propped herself up on her elbow.
Wiggling my wrists, I said. “I want to repay the favor.”
She arched a brow. “Oh, really?”
“Oh yeah.” As she released me, I asked, “Have you ever been tied up?”
“Nope,” she said, laying back and putting her hands overhead. “I hope I like it as much as you did.”
“Me too,” I answered honestly. “Where’d you learn how to do that anyway?”
“Porn,” she said with a giggle.
“Seriously?” I asked, securing her wrists as best I could.
“Yep.”
“Well, that’s a new one,” I said. “Maybe you can show me some of the other things you learned.”
“Maybe we can learn together.”
For the third time, I found myself swallowing my tongue.
I pressed my mouth to her perfect nipple, caressing the other with my fingers. Dragging my tongue down the center of her body, I stopped at her waist. I gripped her hips and nipped at her silky flesh. Hearing her suck in a breath, I smiled and nestled between her legs.