and he halts mid-turn. “I said I never had one. I work long hours, but my sister works at the shelter and loves animals.”
He hikes a brow again and this time there’s condemnation laced through his tone. “So you’re going to guilt your sister into taking care of a dog you don’t have time for?”
If I were sitting in my office in my favorite chair where I’m most comfortable, I’d be able to handle this … handle him. Instead of deflecting whatever frustration or anger he’s not trying to hide, I say nothing. For the first time in a long time, I’m at a loss for words.
He shakes his head. “Got it. I’ll keep roaming the damn room until he finds a home and this shit show is over.”
With nothing on my mind but my damn list—its top item blinking like a neon sign in my brain reminding me why I’m here—I swallow my nerves and steady my voice before he has a chance to turn away from me for good. “Maybe I need a pet.”
His dark eyes narrow, questioning every word I utter. I don’t blame him, I’m questioning my judgments, motives, and words, as well.
“I just … see, all I do is work. My sister doesn’t need me as much as she used to. Being needed will give me balance. At least that’s what I tell people. Might as well live by my own advice, right?”
“Don’t make commitments you can’t keep.”
They might be simple words, but, from him, they feel like a slap and a warning. Little does he know, I made a vow long ago I’d never allow anyone to control me by delivering power plays like that. I’ve learned how to draw the line.
I deliver my words with a bite. “I’ve never made a commitment I haven’t kept. Ever.”
By his expression, I must’ve caught him off guard, but I don’t wait for a response. I look back to the excited pup at my feet, pulling this way and that, not knowing what to focus on with all the activity. I bend at the knees again and he comes straight to me, flopping on his back for a belly rub.
“He likes you—” the hero starts, but we’re interrupted.
“Oh-Em-Gee, look at this one!”
I’m forced to stand when we’re surrounded by a group of women flashier than a disco ball. From platinum locks to fake bronze to high-pitched squeals, I’ve lost the attention of the dog as he has a slew of new women to dote on him.
The one in red slithers between me and the firefighter. “What station are you with?”
I take a sip and expel a relieved sigh when I realize his disdain isn’t only directed at me. “Sorry, not into sharing where I work.”
“But isn’t that why you’re here? To be auctioned off?” Long, highlighted hair sways in front of me and her crimson painted index finger taps him on the pec. “There might just be a bidding war over you.”
“That’d be a waste of your money,” he mutters and turns to leave with the dog.
I watch him walk away, every lat moving in symphony with one another, as he stalks through the room without stopping to speak to another soul until we lose sight of him altogether.
“Wow, what’s with him?” one woman complains. “Every other man we’ve talked to is chasing ass as much as we are.”
The rest chime in and start to gnaw on him like vultures would roadkill. Since I listen to people for a living, I have no desire to hear them talk about the man’s less-than-winning personality. I decide it’s time to find Kate before I do something rash, like bid on a dog I have no time for and end up on a date with an intimidating man who wants no part of this.
I head to the bar for one more glass of wine because Kate is right, there’s no point in wasting an Uber. Everyone in this room is vying for the attention of the opposite sex—it will be easy to blend into the background.
With a fresh drink, I spot Kate across the room sidling up to the blond with the Dachshund. She might be fawning over the dog, but she definitely has puppy eyes for the man standing at least eight inches taller than her. Unlike the only man who’s given me any attention tonight, hers might as well be oozing sex from his perfectly-smooth skin. He leans in to say something but stops when the emcee booms