Chapter 5
Things were going just as Shaw had planned. He’d come up with the idea of staying undercover for the first part of their meeting early that morning. She’d bolt if she saw him right off the bat. This way she’d have to get to know him without really knowing who he was.
After changing into a robe, Robin came back and took the seat next to him. “I’m back,” she said as she sat down.
“I can see that,” Shaw said. “Not literally as I still have this hot towel on my face, but you know what I mean.”
Another woman came in to work on Robin. “Hello, Miss Winters. I’m Lee May, and I’ll be giving you a pedicure and a facial. First the facial.”
Shaw smiled inside his towel, knowing Robin’s vision soon would be taken from her and then he’d be freed from the towel and could look her over all he wanted. Not that there would be much to see as the bulky robe would hide all her curves, but he was more than happy just to have her in the same room with him.
“So, how was the ride this morning, Robin?” he asked her.
“Fine. Trevor is a very safe driver,” she answered.
“Trevor, huh?” Shaw felt a twinge of jealousy. “You talk to him a lot on the drive over?”
“No. I just asked him what his name was when he let me out of the car. You know, just being polite. I don’t like it when someone knows my name, but I don’t know theirs.” She sighed as moisturizers were rubbed onto her face. “Oh, this feels amazing.”
“And you’ve only just begun,” Shaw said with a chuckle. “So, tell me about yourself, Robin Winters. Why dogs?”
“I have a love for all animals, but a passion for dogs. They’re just so smart. But to train a dog, you have to become the alpha. You have to exercise control over them, letting them know they will do what you expect them too.”
Shaw nodded in agreement, knowing a hell of a lot about being an alpha himself. But he was born an alpha; Robin had to groom herself to become one. She impressed him in so many ways. “And how did you come to understand all of this? Where you trained as well?”
“No, not formally. I guess being the youngest in my family had me trying to be the top of some hierarchy. I certainly wasn’t treated that way by my family. As the baby, I got the low end of the totem pole. But I found out I could be the top in a group of dogs. As silly as that might sound.”
Shaw understood it perfectly. “It’s not silly at all. What it is, is impressive. You could’ve taken the road where you whined and expected everyone to hand you everything. Instead, you knew you wanted to become a leader, and you found those you could lead. So what if it’s dogs instead of humans. Humans are overrated anyway.” He stopped himself then. He knew better than to speak about humans in a derogatory way. No human expects another to put down their species.
But Robin just laughed and agreed, “Aren’t they though?”
“I’m going to put the hot towel on your face now, Miss Winters. You can just lie your head back and relax while I give you a pedicure,” Lee May informed her.
“Thank you, Lee May,” Robin said, warmly. “This is such a treat for me. I’ve never had so much as a manicure.”
Shaw wondered if the girl grew up poor or something. Who the hell had never had a manicure? “You said you’re the baby of your family. Tell me about them, Robin.”
“I have three older sisters. Wren’s the oldest at thirty. She just got married after living with her high school boyfriend this whole time. They’re working on getting pregnant. Piper is twenty-seven and never stays with any guy long enough to form a lasting relationship. Then there’s Jay, she’s twenty-five and has been married since she was eighteen. She and Eric have three kids. A boy and two girls,” Robin told him.
“And you, Robin?” Shaw asked as his towel was taken off his face. He looked at her and had to hold in a sigh. He was just so glad to have her there with him. “Any men in your life?”
“Well, no. I’ve kind of been a weirdo all of my life. I’m not your typical girl.”
“You’re not a weirdo,” Shaw said quickly.
“You don’t know me yet. I’m sure you’ll think I’m one too. Boys have been attracted to me until I push them to the side for their dog or their neighbor’s dog.” She sighed. “I’m that girl who goes nuts over dogs and can take or leave people.”
Shaw’s dick began to throb as he thought she had to be a virgin. His wolf howled inside of him. He had to regroup. Robin would be a rare treat. Maybe he could just deflower her then set her free.
He shook the thought off. He couldn’t do that. She was a special female. Worth more than a quick slap and tickle then sent on her way. And Shaw knew his wolf would demand more anyway. No, best to keep her away from both his human and his wolf, sexually speaking.
“So never a boyfriend, then?” Shaw asked, his fingers crossing with hope.
“No. I never managed to find one who liked me for me, not just my body,” Robin moved a bit, seeming uncomfortable.
Shaw knew it was from their line of conversation, so he changed it. “So, have you ever trained dogs to do anything more than be obedient? You know, guard someone or something? Attack on command?”
“Attack, no.” Robin bit her lip. “Does that put me out of the running for what you want to do? Because I have to be honest with you, I’m not comfortable with teaching dogs to be mean. I can teach them to protect, but going on the attack merely from a command isn’t a thing I believe in. When a dog who’s guarding someone knows their charge is being threatened, their own sense of protection will automatically kick in, and that dog will do everything they can to keep their charge safe.”
Shaw couldn’t believe the female could impress him even more, but she had. “That doesn’t put you out of the running at all, Robin. As a matter of fact, it makes you perfect for what I want to do. But let’s leave business to the side for now and get to know one another better. Do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”
“I’d like to know why you keep your identity so protected online. Do you know that there’s not a single picture of you on the internet?” she asked him.
He shoved one hand through the dark waves of his hair and thought about what he should say to that. He couldn’t tell her the truth. Because the truth was he hadn’t aged in many years. When a person is born a wolf-shifter, they start out like any other person, growing up the same as everyone else. But when they reach thirty years of age, they stop aging. Immortality sets in and keeps them looking young. Hence, no shifters allow their pictures to be taken at all. That would leave a record for humans to find.
“I’m a private person,” Shaw managed to come up with. “The internet is a powerful tool. But it can be used for bad things too. One can never be too careful.”
“I know a lot of wealthy people, and they don’t keep their identity such a secret as you seem to,” she said.
Shaw wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he decided to change the subject. “Tell me what your favorite food is.”
“Easy, a greasy cheeseburger, all the way with avocado mayonnaise, a side of onion rings, and a big fat chocolate milkshake to wash it all down.” She licked her lips, and it made Shaw smile.
“Simple. I like that about you.” He sat up as it was just about time to move to the next room, the steam room.
“And how about you?” she asked. “What’s your favorite meal?”
“Steak,” came his quick reply. Shaw loved meat. He ate it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. And he ate it rare.
“Just steak?” she asked as Lee May dried her feet then went to pull the towel away from her face.
Shaw steeled himself for her reaction, hoping against hope she might not recognize him at all. They were getting along so well.
“Yes, just steak. I eat a hell of a lot of that. And little else. Surely you’ve heard of the low carb diet plan. It keeps my muscles in top shape.” Shaw was growing more and more anxious as the towel came away from Robin’s beautiful face.
He sat perfectly still as her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him as he sat next to her, looking at her. At first, she smiled. “Well, it’s nice to finally put a face to the voice.”
“Nice to see you too,” he said, thinking maybe she didn’t remember him at all. Relief flooded him.
But then she sat up and stared right into his eyes. Blinking a few times, she pulled her body as far back away from him as she could. “You!”
“You, who?” Shaw asked, but he knew.
She scrambled to her feet, pointing at him. “You know who. Are you stalking me?” Her face was red with more than just the heat of the towel. She was mad as hell, and every part of her showed that.
Shaw felt something crumbling inside. She hated him.