“Yeah, Dad, I’m fine. Just take your time. I’m just sitting here with Kong watching Men In Black for the millionth time.”

“I’ll be home before long. I just have to give my speech after the fundraiser dinner. I wish you had come with me,” he says, and I instantly feel guilty. My hand tightens on my phone in reflex. I should have, I know. I’m just not extremely comfortable in those settings, plus I didn’t want to leave Kong alone. He seems sad.

Who could blame him?

Black hasn’t returned my text and I’m sad. This is his damn dog and he can’t be bothered to check on him. How can anyone not care about such a cute little animal? I still can’t believe he has a Chihuahua. I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with that I guess. I just figured he’d have a German Shepherd, Great Dane… something.

“Are you there, Addie?”

“Sorry, Daddy, I was just thinking,

“About that Lucas boy,” he grumbles.

“Dad—”

“Don’t, daddy me, Addie-girl. I don’t like that he put the moves on my baby.”

“It’s not like he knew you were my dad. If anything, I get the feeling that’s something else to make me not appealing to him.”

“Then he’s a fool,” Dad grumbles.

I look down at the dog and sigh, sadly.

“I can’t really argue with that. Quit worrying about me. Get back to your dinner. I’m fine.”

“Okay, you call me if you need me. Bye sweetheart.”

“Bye, Daddy.”

I hang up the phone, shaking my head. I have to snap myself out of it. I’m worrying him—and that’s the last thing I want. We’re just now learning each other again. That’s what I should be focused on.

Not Black Lucas.

I jerk, causing Kong to complain, when I hear the doorbell. I put him down against the arm of the sofa and walk to the door. My heart pounds erratically when I look through the side glass panel of my door and see Black.

An angry looking Black.

I step back, close my eyes and prepare myself for another round with the man. I know I was an idiot and deserve a little of his wrath, but I was hoping he’d be rational. Anyone could have made the mistake I did.

“Hello,” I answer, unsure of what exactly to say.

“You stole my dog,” he says. That’s it. There’s anger on his face, but his voice is just stoic—no emotion whatsoever.

“I didn’t steal him,” I deny. As if on cue Kong jumps down off the couch and I hear his little feet running on the tiled floor. As he gets to me he’s growling like he’s going to tear Black up.

For such a little dog he sure can sound vicious.

“Then what do you call that?” Black asks, his face steeped with annoyance.

“The dog your mother gave me.”

“I don’t see how she could give you my dog. It’s mine. I’m the only one that can do that.”

“Whatever. Come inside and I’ll get his things and you can have him back.”

I walk away from the door, so frustrated I could scream. He’s being such an asshole. He’s not even giving me the chance to apologize and now I really don’t want to. If this is the real him, I’m better getting him out of my life now.

Kong is keeping beside me, growling at Black with every breath. I feel sorry for the poor thing—he obviously hates Black too.

“This is more like it,” Black says. I turn around to see him looking over the main room of Dad’s house.

“What is?”

“Living in wealth. It suits you much more than being a gardener,” he shrugs.

“Landscaper,” I correct. “And this is my father’s house—not mine.”

“Whatever, I hear you’ve been living overseas. You’ve obviously been living off of Daddy’s money.”

“Wow. I can see you have a high opinion of me.”

“If the diamond tiara fits…” he shrugs.

“I know what I’d like to fit up your ass.”

I mutter the words under my breath as I turn around. There’s no point in engaging the asshole. That’s probably exactly what he wants.

“What did you say?” he demands, but I ignore him.

Instead, I finish getting the new dog bowl and puppy bed I bought for Kong. Then I walk into the kitchen and get the dog food I bought. I wanted to get him the healthier food that’s made from real ingredients. It seemed wrong not to. I begin sacking it all up and I hear Kong whimpering. I look down and he’s sitting down looking up at me with the most pitiful look I’ve ever seen in my life. My heart almost breaks. I bend down to scoop the little guy up, pulling him to my chest. He burrows into my neck whimpering.

“Poor little baby,” I coo, helpless to know what will make this situation better.

“What’s all this stuff?” Black asks, looking at the food on the counter.

I cringe. I went a little overboard. There’s enough food on my counter to feed probably three dogs for a good month.

“Well—”

“There’s no way my mom went out and bought all of this,” Black says picking up some of the cans and reading them.

“Well, no. But, I didn’t know what his tastes were. I wanted to get him some healthy food. So, I bought a variety until I figured out what he liked best,” I try to explain. Really, it’s hard to explain why I spent a hundred bucks on dog food for a dog that technically isn’t even mine.

“This isn’t a variety, it’s…. Did you buy out the whole damn pet store?”

“What? Of course not!” I deny, ignoring the fact that I did buy all of one particular brand—or at least all that was on the shelf. I’m sure they had more in the back.

“It sure as hell looks like it.”

“Whatever,” I mumble—which might become my favorite word around Black…not that I’ll be around him after he gets his dog. “You don’t have to worry about it, it’s not like you have to buy it.”

“I will if he runs out, you’ve obviously got him used to this fancy crap.”

“I have not!”

Maybe I have a little—but I’m not admitting that to Black at all.

“And he won’t stop growling at me!” Black mumbles. “You’ve obviously done something to him.”

Okay, so it’s true that he’s growled at Black the entire time. He’s even growling at him now. Of course Kong’s head is on my shoulder and his body is mostly hidden by my hair—but he’s still growling.

“I think the problem is he just doesn’t like you.”

“He’s my dog, why wouldn’t he like me?” Black asks, still looking at all of the food on the counter.

“Maybe because you gripe and complain every time you’re around him.”

“Maybe you think that because I’m always yelling at you when I’m with the dog—mostly because you drive me insane.”

I frown, because he probably has a point.

“I don’t know why. I’ve done nothing to you.”

“Except bitch me out and slap me for no reason—in front of the entire department, I might add.”

“You just did,” I mutter.

“Just did what?”

“Add it.”

“Add what?” Black asks.

“Add that I slapped you in front of the whole department. You don’t say you might add, when you clearly already added the words in the first place.”

He stares at me blankly for a minute and then shakes his head.

“You’re clearly unbalanced. I have a knack for picking out women like you.”

“Women… Listen here! You didn’t pick me out. I don’t have a thing to do with you,” I yell, causing Kong to get scared and put his little body in reverse. He tries to jump down my back, his sharp little claws digging into my skin. “Ow!” I cry, because damn it, it hurts. I curl trying to get Kong, but I can’t reach him and I can’t help but whimper every time he grinds his nails into my skin.

“Shit,” I hear Black growl. “Why do I always attract the clearly deranged women? Why can’t my dick find a nice normal woman it goes crazy over?”

If I wasn’t trying to bend in half to get Kong off of me, I’d probably try and kill Black at this point. Instead, I’m almost thankful when he lifts Kong off of me. I turn back around in time to see him bending down to let the dog go. Kong plants his teeth into Black’s hand almost immediately.

“Fucking hell!”

Black screams the words, loud enough that dad’s neighbors next door probably hear him.

“Hush!” I reprimand. “You’re scaring him.”

Black ignores me, dropping the dog immediately—luckily it was just a couple feet to the ground. The minute Kong’s little feet hit the floor he takes off out of the room. I watch as he runs straight under the couch.

“Damn thing broke skin. We’ll have to have him tested for rabies!”

“Oh we will not. Here, let me see,” I respond, reaching for Black’s hand.

“How do you know?”

“For one, he has a rabies tag on his little collar, but you should know that. He is supposed to be your dog.”

“A woman shouldn’t mess with a man’s dog. That’s sacred,” Black grumbles and his voice sounds different. He’s hurt—clearly upset and I feel bad. I didn’t realize he’d think I was keeping his dog away from him.

“I’m sorry. I’ll help you get him and you can take him home—”

“I don’t want that damn mutt,” Black growls and I stand up, my back going straight.

“But he’s your dog—”

“He’s nothing to me. I hate him. You keep him,” he mutters and he turns away from me, heading towards the door.

“But, you came all the way over here to get him. You can—”

“I said I don’t want the damn dog. You and him just stay out of my way. I don’t need your kind of crazy back in my life.”

I blink. I have no idea what to say to that. So I just let him go.

Minutes after the door slams, I’m still staring at the door. Kong finally comes out from under the sofa and I bend down to get him and hold him close to me, soothing his little body which is still kind of shaking.

“Your daddy is a very strange man,” I whisper. I half expect Black to walk back through the door screaming, I’m not daddy to a damn dog.

I refuse to admit I’m disappointed when he doesn’t.