he screamed, effectively ensnaring the man’s legs in leash.
I choked out a laugh. I had to admit. The dog I was holding might be ruining a perfectly good cashmere coat, but it was worth it seeing Linus lose his mind.
Ally smiled up at me, and I forgot about the coat and Linus and the cold and the dog tongue.
Scarf Guy hurried over and plucked the sixty pounds of dog out of my arms. “I’ll just take this before…” he trailed off and scurried away.
Before what?
Did I look like the kind of person who would drop-kick a homeless dog? Christ.
“Here. Hold this one,” Ally said, shoving a tiny, scruffy, shivering thing into my hands. At least she didn’t seem to think I was going to devour it.
“What the fuck is this, a hamster?”
She pressed her lips together. “The shelter told me it’s a dog. But I’m not buying it. He might just be something one of the bigger ones coughed up. His name is Mr. Frisky, and he’s bonded to the one-eyed pit bull over there making time with your models.”
The very large brindle dog was making moony eyes—correction, eye—at the women.
“Aren’t you just the most handsomest boy in the whole world?” the Croatian, Kata, crooned to the beast.
“His name is Pirate,” Ally whispered to me.
“We can’t shoot with these mutants. Someone bring me a Xanax and a deep-dish pizza,” Linus wailed.
“It’s your turn for his pep talk,” I said, nudging Ally forward. She grinned at me, and damned if I didn’t feel my own mouth responding.
“You said solutions,” Ally said, taking the man by the shoulders. “Here’s your solution. Now show us how to make this work. Make it work, Linus, or a homeless dog just vomited in Label’s Escalade for no reason. Give us a reason.”
The little blond ball shivered again, so I tucked it into my coat against my chest. “Your buddy is right there,” I told Mr. Frisky, pointing toward Pirate the pit bull who was curled up on one of the blankets belonging to a delighted model and showing the woman his belly. The hairball’s rat-like tail tapped out a happy beat.
Linus pinched his eyebrows with his fingers. “This is impossible. This won’t work. We’ll be laughed out of the industry.”
I waited for it.
“Unless,” Linus said, lifting his head.
“Unless?” Ally repeated.
“I’m going to need sweaters, people. With flowers. And belts. Long, gold ones. Don’t just stand there!”
19
Ally
“Give it to me straight. Am I fired?” I asked Linus, collapsing against the leather seat.
He was slumped next to me as a car that hadn’t escorted five dogs all over the city headed toward the office. “I don’t have the energy to fire you,” he sighed.
“I think it went well,” I said. “I checked with the online content team and they got video of Dominic getting French kissed by the lab.”
That got the teensiest smile out of him.
“It wasn’t the worst disaster in the history of my career,” he said magnanimously.
“You managed to combine fashion, art, and good karma in one shoot. Face it, Linus. You’re a genius.”
The rescue director had personally arrived to escort the dogs back to the shelter, and I’d noticed the Croatian model cornering her and demanding a business card. I had a feeling Pirate and Mr. Frisky were about to find the most amazing home.
“Genius? Ha. I’m just lucky.” He produced the flask from his jacket and took a long pull before handing it to me.
“Thanks. I can’t. I have a dance class to teach.”
He wiggled the flask. “It’s not alcohol. It’s a super greens formula. It’s the reason I look like I’m forty-five when I’m actually 107.”
Curious, I sipped and winced.
“Beauty is pain,” he quipped.
“And bitterness apparently,” I said, handing the flask back.
“Speaking of bitter. You and Dominic seem to have a rapport.”
“Do we?” I asked innocently, pretending not to notice his fishing expedition.
“Oh, come on, Admin Ally. The man smiled. His mouth lifted at the corners, and the clouds parted and angels sang as a sunbeam held him in a spotlight.”
I laughed. “Are you sure there’s no alcohol in that?”
“I’m saying the man has been a miserable bastard since joining Label. But when he looks at you…”
I wasn’t biting. “He looks like he wants to commit murder. We don’t get along. We don’t like each other. However, I do like annoying him.”
“Well, keep annoying him. It’s nice to see him have a little fun for once.”
“He is very serious,” I said, annoyed with myself for wanting to fish for information.
“He was brought