“I’m Priscilla, and I’m not used to catching strange men in my kitchen. Well, partly in anyway.” She rocked back on her heels with the gold chain dangling from her fingers. “There you go.”
I hadn’t taken it off since my dad gave it to me when I was a kid. I pulled my head out of the dog door and stood by the back door.
The outdoor light switched on and her hand appeared through the dog door flap. “Here’s your chain.”
I bent to grab it from her. “Thanks. Any chance you’ll let me come in and get my dog? Then we can leave you in peace so you can get back to bed?”
The door opened a crack. “I don’t think that thing’s a dog.”
There wasn’t a lot of love between me and Dizzy Jizzy, but my hackles rose at the insult. “Hey, he’s a retired show dog. Won Best in Show a couple of times.”
She crossed her arms over her chest like she’d just realized her nightie left nothing to the imagination. The door opened a little wider. “Think you could speed it up a little?”
DJ’s bell tinkled from the bedroom. I kicked off my boots and headed down the hall. As I turned the corner to pass through the doorway, a giant beast of an animal lifted its head and stared at me through bloodshot eyes.
“Some watchdog she is, huh?” Priscilla hmmpfd behind me. “I probably ought to take her back to the rescue place in the morning.”
The huge dog groaned and rolled onto her side. There, snuggled between her paws, the traitorous canine who’d started this whole shitshow lifted his head and yawned.
“Get over here, DJ,” I hissed out between my clenched teeth. The dog didn’t move.
“Dizzy Jizzy, come.” Even with my voice raised, the damn dog still ignored me.
“Dizzy Jizzy?” Priscilla’s nose wrinkled as her brows arched. “Isn’t that slang for—”
“He belonged to my grandmother. She thought it was a cute name because it rhymed.” Biting down on my lip, I snapped my fingers and tried to will the dog to come to my side.
He lifted a leg and licked his balls.
“Fine. Stay here, you little bastard.” I’d had it. Yes, I’d promised my grandmother I’d take care of her dog, but that was before I’d gotten stuck in a dog door, been pelted by rolls of toilet paper, and almost beaten over the head with a stranger’s self-pleasure stick.
“Oh, no you don’t. You’re not leaving without that vile creature who attacked me in bed.” Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she grabbed hold of my arm.
I cursed under my breath as my cock responded to the contact. “Fine. I’ll get him.”
Before he had a chance to react, I snagged the little shit from between the big dog’s paws. She lifted her head and let out a low growl. I tucked Dizzy under my arm and hightailed it to the back door. The sooner I got back to my own place, the better off we’d all be.
“You might want to keep that dog door locked.” I shoved my feet into my boots and stepped onto the back porch.
“You might want to keep your dog on a leash,” she snapped.
“Oh yeah? Well, you might want to keep your opinions to yourself.” I didn’t know where the attitude came from, but this woman got me more riled up than a Longhorns’ fan during the Texas-Oklahoma game. The rain hadn’t let up while I’d been inside, so I tucked DJ under my arm and braced myself for the wet walk home.
She slammed the door behind me and turned off the light before I’d made it through the back gate. As my boots splashed through muddy puddles and rain rolled down my back, I promised myself I’d call my realtor in the morning and find out how to shorten her lease. If I ever saw her again, it would be way too soon.
4
PRIS
Ipulled the hem of my dress down as I got out of my car and eyed the open garage door. Taking a job as a bookkeeper at a motorcycle shop was a big step down from my last position, but I didn’t have the luxury of being picky. Thanks to a connection through one of my aunt’s friends, I could earn some cash while I tried to stay under the radar.
“You must be Priscilla.” A tall guy strolled out of the open garage door. “Mama Mae said you’d be coming by this morning. I’m Kane, and I’m the reason our books are such a mess.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Despite his gruff appearance, the kindness in his eyes immediately set me at ease. I held out my hand to shake his.
“You don’t want to shake my hand. I’ve already taken an engine apart this morning. Let me show you around and introduce you to the rest of the guys.” He gestured for me to follow him, so I adjusted the strap of my purse on my shoulder and entered the garage.
The smell of gas and grease hit my nose. I’d never spent much time in a commercial garage, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Huge fans battled the heat and despite the flurry of activity around us, everything seemed to have a purpose and place. We stopped by two guys working on a huge motorcycle between them.