Chapter Twenty

It seemed Aubrey and Dick were quite the pair of philanthropists.

Sitting in my truck on Jefferson a few days later, I opened the local newspaper, and smack dab in the middle of the community section was Aubrey’s beautiful smile along with an article about a new animal shelter that had just opened up.

Local attorneys Aubrey Bloom and Richard Kline of Sherman, Kline and Lefave, LLP attend the grand opening of the Park Street Animal Shelter. Kline and Bloom, a member of the Park Street board of directors, helped raise over five-hundred-thousand dollars to support the shelter’s new facility.

At the end of the article, there was a phone number for the shelter. I immediately dialed it.

A girl answered, “Park Street Animal Shelter?”

“Hi, I was wondering if you’re looking for any volunteers?”

“Actually, yes, sir. We are in dire need of dog walkers. Is that something you might be interested in?”

“Absolutely. I could come by this afternoon.”

“We’ll have you fill out some paperwork we need to process, so you may not be able to start until later in the week.”

“That’s fine. I can’t wait to help.”

Take that, Princess Fucker.

Stalker, landscaper, goat sitter…add dog walker to the list of new occupations held by Chance Bateman during my stay in Temecula.

The daily routine now consisted of having virtual Starbucks breakfast with Aubrey, hitting the gym, landscaping (aka Pixy time), followed by late afternoon strolls with anywhere from three to five dogs at once. For someone without a real job, I was busier and in better shape than ever before in my life.

One Friday afternoon, I was at a park walking a Great Dane, a German Shepherd mix and a Greyhound when a text from Aubrey came in.

Aubrey: Received your new contract today. They need you to sign it this afternoon so they can meet a production deadline.

Trying to control all three barking dogs with one hand, I used my phone’s voice to text feature to respond.

Chance: I’m dog walking at Slater Park. I can come there right after.

Aubrey: Dog walking?

I knew that would pique her interest. As a matter of fact, I was banking on it. This was perfect timing to let her know about my newest venture.

Chance: I’ve been volunteering for your shelter. I saw the article. I know that place means a lot to you. Wanted to help.

Aubrey: Are you serious?

Chance: I’ll come by the office around 5:00 after I walk them back?

Aubrey: I have plans tonight, so I have to leave the office by then. Why don’t I just stop by the park now and have you sign it really quick?

Chance: Where should I meet you?

Aubrey: By the concession stand at the entrance around 4:15.

Chance: See u then.

Perfect.

If I were being honest, the dogs were really walking me. I let them lead me to wherever they wanted to go. I’d pick up their turds with pink plastic bags provided by the shelter and dump the crap into the public trash.

The things I do for you, Aubrey Bloom.

When it was time to meet Aubrey, reigning the dogs in became a necessity. “Hold your horses, guys. Let’s go this way.” The two bigger ones really were more like horses than dogs anyway.

I stopped when I spotted her. She didn’t see me at first. Aubrey was standing alone with a manila folder tucked under her arm, eating an ice cream cone. My mouth watered as my eyes followed the movement of her tongue sliding along the ice cream. The sunlight caught the natural red highlights in her hair. A light breeze blew her skirt up teasingly. I missed those legs.

Actually, I missed those legs wrapped around my back while I was buried deep inside of her.

My dick twitched at the thought. The dogs weren’t happy about having to abruptly stop so that I could gaze at her. They retaliated by suddenly charging toward where she was standing, dragging me behind them.

Aubrey erupted in laughter when she saw me struggling to contain the three barking beasts.

“You’ve got your hands full.” She smiled

All of this was worth it just to earn a genuine smile from her, which was rare lately. She had some ice cream on her bottom lip, and I yearned to suck it off. It seemed the dogs were just as enamored with Aubrey as I was. They started jumping all over her. The Dane snuck some of her ice cream cone. It was covered in slobber, so she let him have the rest. Aubrey seemed to be eating the attention up, though, letting the three of them practically trample her and lick her face. The Shepherd looked like he was about to hump her leg.

Dogs got away with murder.

I’d never wanted to be one so badly in my life.

Tightening my grip on the leashes, I said, “Guys, pipe down. Give poor Aubrey some space.”

“Interesting advice coming from you, Mr. Bastardo.”

“At least I haven’t tried to lick you.” I wiggled my brows. “I’ve thought about it. “

“You have, have you?”

“Yup. Just now, actually. But I can restrain myself when I want to. That’s a brownie point in my corner, eh?” I winked.

“Well, congratulations for not acting like an animal.”

“It’s not easy sometimes, because I know what I’m missing, seeing as though I’ve already sampled your kibbles n’ bits.”

Shaking her head, she said, “You’re crass.”

“You like it.”

“No, I don’t.” She rolled her eyes, but the expression on her face was one of amusement.

There was my dirty girl.

She opened the folder and grabbed a pen from her purse. “We should have you sign your contract. I reviewed it carefully. It includes everything we requested, no surprises, but feel free to look it over before signing.”

Scribbling my signature at the bottom as quickly as I could and handing her back the pen, I said, “No need. I trust you completely.” Looking straight into her eyes, I added, “I doubt you can say the same about me, but I’m working on that.”

She seemed to shut down. “You’re right. I can’t say the same.” She tucked the folder back under her arm. “I better get going. I have to be somewhere.”

“You have a date with the Dickster?”

“Stop calling him that. For the last time, his name is Richard.”

My tone turned serious. “Come on, Princess. I’m just kidding about all of it…your bits…Dick…everything. You know my sense of humor. You used to like it.”

“Really? I did? Funny, because I don’t remember much that happened before waking up sore between my legs and finding you gone.”

Fuck.

It felt like she punched me in the gut.

When will this ever get easier?

I took a step toward her. “We need to talk more about what happened. I—”

“I really do have to go,” Aubrey said, looking down at her watch and backing away.

The dogs were getting antsy and pulling me in the direction of a couple of small Yorkshire Terriers that were running around on the loose. I yelled at them, “Shit! Slow down.”

Some wingmen they were.

By the time I turned around again, my girl was gone.

After that fiasco, I went straight to the bar and unloaded the whole story onto Carla Babes.

Pouring me a second drink, she shook her head. “You wanna know what I think? She’s just as bad as you.”

“Clarify that statement.”

“You’re both playing games.”

I swirled my drink around in the glass. “Well, if it’s a game, the fun is starting to wear off.”

“She’s pretending she doesn’t want you here, yet she’s been caught stalking you herself. If she really wanted nothing to do with you, she would have never taken your case. She could have told her boyfriend the truth, and he would have kicked you to the curb so fast, client or not. She’s hiding you from him because she still has feelings for you and doesn’t want him to know. Are you blind, Aussie?”

My heart beat faster, filling with renewed hope. “I never thought of it that way.”

“You need to put a stop to this cat and mouse game. Find out what her intentions are. You’re a good guy, Chance. I know you hurt her pretty badly, but you’re hurt, too. She needs to know that. Stop pretending you’re okay with all of this.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Cut the patient hero act. How many bushes can you possibly plant, Mr. Green Thumb? It’s not helping anything. What you really need is to plant yourself in her bush! Stop wasting time, and tell her what you want.”

I cackled. “Forget about green thumb. I think I have a numb green cock at this point.”

“The Green Giant,” she quipped.

I chimed in, “Shrek.”

We were both cracking up. When the laughter subsided, I looked up at her—my sounding board. Her friendship really did mean a lot to me. “What would I do without you, Carla Babes?”

She seemed to blush at my comment. That was unlike her.

Clearing her throat, she leaned her hands against the counter. “Look, in all seriousness, you need to go to her tonight. Tell her how you feel without all of the bullshit. Make sure she knows you’re not going to be around forever. Time is precious. There are plenty of other women who would love the opportunity to make you happy if she doesn’t care to.”

For a split second, the look in her eyes made me wonder if she was referring to herself.

I took the remainder of that weekend off from stalking Aubrey. It was the first time an entire day had gone by where I hadn’t at least gotten one glimpse of her. But I really needed time alone to think without the deterrent of her beautiful face and succulent ass.

While the last talk with Carla had boosted my confidence, the more time I spent alone, the more doubt started to creep in.

That Sunday, I spent a good chunk of the day at the laundromat. Watching my clothes spin round and round in the dryer helped me meditate and reflect on everything.

As much as I’d always said that I’d stick around town as long as it took, I wasn’t willing to do that if Aubrey had already written me off. If her intention was to stay with Dick come hell or high water, then I really needed to know. It was one thing to get her to forgive me. It was another to get her to forgive me AND give me another chance, leaving a guy that supposedly made her happy and was there for her when I wasn’t.

I’d decided that tomorrow night after Aubrey got home from work, I’d try to get my answer once and for all.