Page 154 of Morally Corrupt

"Because you've been a moping mess recently. I didn't know what else to do to get you out of bed. And here you are, stealing food while I'm not home." I pout and pretend to be upset. He looks embarrassed at my words, and I see a trace of red staining his cheeks.

"I'm good now," he says, but he's not even glancing at me. He's looking at Mally.

There's a moment of panic when I see Mally raise her head and give me a satisfiedHe's minelook.

Lord, did I make a mistake?

"Take me on a date!" I tell him, needing to show Mally who's in charge. But mostly needing my promised date.

"Now?"

"Well…" I start and get closer to sniff him. "After you take a shower."

He looks at me as if he doesn't know what I'm talking about, but when he catches a whiff of his own scent, he doesn't waste any time dumping Mally in my lap, dashing for the bathroom.

"Now. Some house rules." I get Mally's attention, feeling like we need to set some boundaries. "He's mine. You can borrow him." I use my finger to tilt her head up. "But he ismine." After what feels like a battle of wills through our stares, Mally is the first to back down, and I give her a nice petting as a reward.

When Adrian is freshly showered and dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a polo shirt, I give him my approval.

We set up Mally with food and water and let her become acquainted with the house while we go away for a little while.

"I'm sorry," Adrian adds once we're in the elevator.

"It's okay. You can be sad. But don't ignore me next time." His hand seeks mine, and he lifts it to his lips for a quick peck.

"You need constant attention, don't you?"

"Maybe…" I frown, realizing that I do need attention… specificallyhisattention.

He chuckles and puts his hand around my waist, tugging me at his side.

"I think I needed some time to come to terms with everything. I just can't believe I spent years under that man, basically being his faithful dog."

"I still don't understand why he would do that…. maybe he hoped you'd lose a fight and die?"

"That's the thing, I don't think he did. He was always the one to push me to train harder, to be better."

"That's odd."

"Yeah. I'll make sure to find out why when I catch him. But now… you have my undivided attention."

"Do I?" I flutter my eyelashes at him.

"I promised to let you choose our date. So, go ahead. I shall be your servant."

As the elevator doors open, he bends at the waist in a faux bow, and I can't help but giggle.

"Let's go to that Italian pizza place we both love," I suggest, leaving my dream date idea for next time. I don't think Adrian will be in the mood to go to a shooting range right now.

See, I can be considerate.

"Sure. Cab or driving?"

"Cab. You can have a glass of wine. Just one, though." I wink at him, and he groans.

"I swear my descent into the whiskey bottle has been a very limited three-day trip. Won't happen again."

We take a cab and head downtown to the restaurant. I suggest this one because we rarely need to book in advance, and it's rather casual.

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