Page 38 of Seductive Scoundrel

I completed the orientation and training with flying colors, so Bianca let – make that encouraged – me to take Wally for our first walk. Everything worked out perfectly, aside from the fact that the pooch is already growing on me.

I wish there was a way I could keep him.

Chapter Eleven

Dean

There’sno way Mia has a dog.

I need to decide whether to let it go – not my strong suit – or push harder about why she left the party with a lame, clearly made-up excuse. I have her now, though, in any way that I want her, so maybe it doesn’t matter.

But I hate loose ends.

Regardless, today is the day that I set the rules, which at this point are for both of our benefits. I can’t give her any more space in my head, and she needs to understand her pre-determined place in my life and not make things difficult for me.

“Dean? Are you still there?”

Fuck.

I scrub my hands over my face and try to refocus on the voice blaring through my home office speakers. Was I listening? No. But I’m a master at bullshit.

“I get it, man,” I tell Dex. “It’s just an added layer of complication.”

Usually, audits are formalities and we send along some basic paperwork to be rubber-stamped. I assume that’s what he’s still talking about. But apparently, TBA has decided that the current recession requires them to send an auditor to each of our office locations to pour over everything.

“The deal is fine. Everything is solid. And Florida is just to meet with my old man and the executive team. We’ll plan a few meetings each day, and then the rest will be free time, which you can spend working on whatever else you need to get done. You can even bring the girl who has you so distracted lately and spend some time on the beach with her.”

“Fuck off. I’m not distracted,” I snap. Whether I am or I’m not, I can’t afford to be. Now is most definitely not the time.

Rules. Yes. There need to be rules. Today.

Dex laughs. “Easy, tiger. I was only kidding.”

I can’t afford to fuck this deal up, and need to get our conversation back on a business track. With so many balls in the air, now isn’t the time to fixate on a woman.

“I have a fundraiser this weekend, but I can fly out Sunday afternoon and stay until Friday.” I have no idea if this is true, and Jacqueline is probably going to kill me for making her change my schedule around yet again, but oh well. That’s why I’m paying her.

“Done,” Dex replies. “Thanks for making the time.”

“You got it. We’ll get this done.”

I spend the rest of the day working on the new app, and then start the process of deciding on my next venture. I’m debating between investing in three different companies just for something fun and distracting to do. It’s like Dean’s version of Shark Tank, and I play every quarter.

The options are an all-natural line of organic dog food and seasonings, curlers comfortable enough to sleep in, and an online-only insurance company that promises to disrupt the industry with their service model. Jeffrey might have lost his goddamn mind shortlisting these three candidates, but he has an uncanny spidey sense about millennial spending habits.

By the time I need to leave and meet Mia, my head is full of valuations and partnership structures, though I’m no closer to a final decision. But it can wait.

It’s time to solve the goddamn dog mystery.

* * *

Mia isa showstopper in fancy dresses, but she’s equally sexy in tight jeans and a black V-neck that’s giving me an eyeful of cleavage. As an afterthought, I notice that she has a greyhound who is staring up at her with complete and utter adoration.

I know the feeling, buddy.

“You have a dog,” I note.

She frowns, but I don’t miss the flash of uncertainty in her eyes. “Of course I have a dog. Meet Wally.”

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