Page 57 of Beautiful Harmony

“Have a seat, Mr. Stark.”

She plopped down on the couch next to Bea, watching in amusement as Stark sat gingerly on the armchair's edge. The pit bull girls immediately crowded him, nudging at his hands and jumping up to rest their front paws on his knees. Normally with guests, she would call the dogs back, make them sit nicely and wait for an invitation from her guest to be petted. But she took a perverse pleasure in watching the multi-millionaire’s expensive slacks get covered in dog hair and slobber.

Unfortunately, unlike the cat, Stark didn’t seem to mind the dogs. He petted both their heads and scratched under their chins. She hid her surprise when he made the hand motion for sit, and both dogs sat obediently at his feet.

“Good girls,” he said quietly before brushing at the dog hair on his slacks.

Bea woke with a snort. She sat up with a groan and a loud fart before staring blearily around the room. Always happy to see visitors, her tail wagged when she saw Stark, and she jumped off the couch with another fart that echoed in the room.

Trying not to giggle, Rayna watched as Bea trotted over to Stark and nudged his leg with her nose. He reached down and petted the old beagle, scratching gently around her ears with his long fingers. Bea wheezed a happy bark before sitting on his feet and resting her head against his leg. Stark continued to rub her head and neck, staring silently at Rayna as he did so.

Oh Jesus, she did not find the sight of Isaac ‘I’m a stuck-up rich asshole’ Stark, gently petting her deaf smelly beagle, attractive.

Nope, she absolutely did not.

The pregnant calico wandered into the room. She rubbed up against the two pit bulls, who both gave the cat a friendly lick before she jumped into Stark’s lap.

There. There was that discomfort Rayna was looking for from him.

The cat rubbed against his coat, and when he went to pick her up to dump her off his lap, some small and deliciously evil part of her said, “Oh, she’s pregnant. You can’t pick her up like that.”

Complete bullshit, but it wasn’t her problem Richie Rich didn’t know that.

He froze with his hands around the cat’s sides before slowly pulling them away. He tapped her gently just above her tail. “Go on, cat. Jump down.”

The cat purred louder and head-butted his jacket before curling into a ball on his lap. Rayna tamped down the giggles as Stark said, “Can you please move the cat?”

“No, sorry,” she said and tucked her feet under her.

He glared at her, and she smiled sweetly as Betty, the larger of the pit bulls, jumped on the couch beside her and settled in. She petted Betty’s head as the smaller pit bull, Wilma, joined Bea sitting on Stark’s feet.

A second cat sauntered into the living room. This one was black and white with long fur and a scar across its pink nose. It studied Stark with interest before jumping up on the arm of the chair and sniffing at Stark’s arm.

“I suppose this one is pregnant as well?” Stark said.

“No, but he does like to bite, so touch him at your own risk,” Rayna said.

He sighed and said, “Ms. Abrams. As you’re aware, I’m interested in purchasing your home. My understanding from my realtor is that you’d prefer not to sell at the price I’ve offered.”

“I’m not selling, period,” she said.

His nostrils flared with irritation. “I’m prepared to make you an incredibly generous offer.”

“I’m not interested.”

“You haven’t even heard the offer,” he said.

“Don’t need to.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. “I’m not interested.”

Annoyance covered his face, and he immediately stood when the pregnant cat jumped off his lap. “Ms. Abrams, you could give me the courtesy of listening to my offer.”

She stood as well, drawing herself to her full height, an unfortunate 5’6” and not nearly as intimidating as she needed it to be. “What bothers you more? The fact that I won’t sell my house to you or that I’m the first problem you can’t make go away with money?”

A vein throbbed to life in the middle of his forehead. “The daily barking of dogs from your property is incredibly annoying, Ms. Abrams.”

“Perhaps you should move onto Sean’s property then,” she said. “I hear his double wide is quite lovely.”

“I’ve refrained from making a noise complaint, but that could change,” he said. “I would hate for your rescue to be shut down because of noise violations.”

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