Page 6 of The Naughty List
She has to be the only dog walker in Boston making forty grand a year. Probably in all of the New England states combined. Not that she hasn’t earned it. She’s always gone above and beyond for my guys, but still.
She sighs heavily, her dark hair falling forward. I prop my backside against my desk as she comes closer to where I’m standing.
Fuck, she smells good. Like cookies. Vanilla and cinnamon—something dangerously sweet and addicting.
She hands me the bag with my lunch from our favorite deli. Veggie spinach wrap with balsamic dressing. “I deserve a shot at the personal assistant job, Jonah. You know I can handle it. You can hire anyone to walk Zeus and Achilles.”
Maybe she could handle it. I’m just not sureIcould.
I place the wrap on my desk. Clearly this meeting isn’t about eating. “They won’t love them as much as they love you. Who found Z’s favorite chew toy when he lost it at the doggie splash pad this summer?”
She rolls her eyes. “I did.”
“And who realized Achilles was sick and needed to go to the vet when he had Parvo after I adopted him from the shelter?”
“Me,” she answers glumly.
“And who—”
She puts her hand up, effectively cutting me off. “I love those guys. I do. But it’s time, Jonah. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a dog walker. I’m twenty-four and my parents are driving me crazy about getting a real job.”
I’m mildly wounded by this. “You have a real job. I pay you.”
She arches a brow. “Yeah, and you wanna know what my ma said about a man paying me so much to walk his dogs?”
I frown. “No. What did she say?”
Hollis opens her mouth, then a blush creeps across her cheeks.
“Forget it. It doesn’t matter.” She rushes on before I can argue. “The point is, I’ve done a great job filling in since Eli left and you know it. So if you’re not going to give me his job, at least tell me why. Tell me who you’re giving it to and what they have that I don’t.”
A dick,I think but don’t say. That would likely get me slapped. Hollis is the perfect combination of sweet and sassy. A good girl with a wild, passionate streak.
She places a hand on the curve of her hip and I almost lose focus.
She’s mad at me and I don’t want her to be. I try hard not to piss her off on a daily basis.
“Honestly? You’ve only been doing about half of what Eli did.”
Her frown deepens. “Why is that?”
I scrub my hand over my jaw, reminding me that I need to shave. “Because the other parts aren’t appropriate for you to handle. Eli has bought things for me at theadulttoy store, Hollis. Have you ever beeninthe adult toy store? He’s bought my companions lingerie. He’s—”
“You think I can’t handle those parts?”
I sigh heavily, doing my best not to think about her handling my parts. “I think a lawsuit would suck. It’d be wrong to ask your sweet and innocent self to do the dirty deeds Eli did.”
“I’d never sue you. You know that. I want this, Jonah. I need it. I can do it. Let me show you.”
Fuuuck.
There are so many things I’d like to let her show me.
I give a quick shake of my head as if that will erase the x-rated thoughts in my mind.
“Look how you reacted the last time you saw a woman at my door? Don’t think Jeanine didn’t tell me about my fake illness. I thought it was weird she kept sending messages saying she hoped I felt better soon after being a no-show for our date.” I lift my chin, challenging her. “Deny it, Hollis. Tell me she’s lying and you’d never do such a thing.”
She’s closer now. When did that happen? Which one of us moved?
