Page 11 of The CEO

“That’s random.”

“What do chicks usually eat after a breakup?” Again he was looking down at me. Normally, I hated being so short at an even five feet with everyone looking down at me but not around Kingston. He had to look down at the majority of everyone he spoke to since he was so tall, and I didn’t think it bothered him to peer down at me.

“How tall are you?” Dear God, did I not have a filter tonight?

Another low rumble rolled out him as he hunched down some as if he was trying to appear smaller than he was. Placing my hand on his chest, I stepped toward him. “Don’t do that. I like how tall you are.”

He licked his lips as his eyes turned from an icy mint to jade. “Do you now, Ms. Wang?” I was starting to like the way he drew out theain my last name. And with that, I stepped back. I didn’t need to do something I’d regret in the morning; I couldn’t imagine having to work with my boss after kissing him.

I smiled and looked back down at the counter and the remaining menus. “Pizza and ice cream, it is. You’ll get brownie points if you like pineapple on your pizza.”

“Only if it’s Hawaiian.” One of the large dogs nudged Kingston’s hand and he immediately started to scratch behind its ears. “Now that we have that settled, what kind of ice cream do you want?”

“Do any of the pizza places have ice cream or gelato?” I couldn’t ask him to make two separate orders. He was already going well beyond anything I ever expected.

“Sure. Luigi’s has gelato. Their banana is to die for.” A moan slipped from his lips and I nearly fainted on the spot. Holy hell,I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through the night without jumping him, especially if he made those kinds of noises.

“Banana it is.” Maybe I was into torturing myself. “And who is this?” I pointed at the dog. I couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl and didn’t want to offend him. After all, I was here to watch his dogs.

“Right, what was I thinking? I need to introduce you. After that, we’ll eat and I’ll explain what you need to do while I’m gone.”

The dog followed in step beside me as we trailed behind Kingston. It seemed more the size of a horse than a dog. What had I gotten myself into with agreeing to watch them? We stopped in what I would call a living room, but it seemed more like a movie room with how large the TV was. It had to be the largest on the planet. It seemed my boss didn’t do anything small.

Turning toward me, he kneeled, and all the dogs went running toward him. Was that some sort of command or something, because if it was, I was never kneeling in front of them. “Pria, this little guy is Jimmy Chew. He humps just about anything.” As if on command, the tiny brown and black puppy started to hump one of the beds that were on the floor. Well, now I didn’t feel so special.

“This beauty is Sarah Jessica Barker.” I did a double take on the name.Sarah Jessica Barker. Had I heard that right? She was adorable. She was all gray even her eyes except for a spot of white on her chest. “Sarah, say hello to Pria.”

Sarah lifted her head in the air and walked away. Okay, maybe not so cute. Seemed she had a bit of an attitude.

“She’s a bit of a diva,” he said with pure affection in his tone as he watched her walk away. “And this big guy is Sarah’s brother, Orville Redenbarker, but I call him Orvy.” Orvy’s ears perked up. He too was adorable and didn’t seem to be a diva. Hehad an intelligent face and knowing eyes. His were also gray, but he was white with black spots.

I plopped down on a comfy leather chair and started to laugh. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Okay, I’ve got to ask. Where the hell did you come up with those names because seriously, Jimmy Chew, Sarah Jessica Barker, and Orville Redenbarker?” It took longer than it should to ask my question between my laughter. Those were the best dog names ever. Not that I’d tell him that. I needed to give him shit for it first.

In an instant, the happy-go-lucky guy was gone and in his places was the cold man who I was used to. More graceful than should be possible with his tall frame, Kingston stood. The ice was back in his eyes as he looked down on me. This time I didn’t have the warm tingles. No, he wanted to eviscerate me with one look alone. “My sister named them before she died.”

Silently I watched as he walked away with all his dogs following along behind him.

Maybe now wasn’t a good time to tell him I knew his sister and his family.

CHAPTER SEVEN

pria

Stretchingmy arms above my head, I opened my eyes to Kingston’s lavish guest room. It had been the best night of sleep in as long as I could remember despite the way things ended with Kingston and having found out that my fiancé had been cheating on me for the last six months. The bed conformed to every curve of my body. The sheets had to have been a thousand thread count. Hell, I had no idea how high of a thread count sheets could go, but whatever it was, Kingston seemed to have had them on his guest bed. Don’t get me started on the plush comforter that felt as if it was snuggling up next to me and put me into a deep sleep almost instantly. Slipping out of bed, I quickly used the restroom and tried to make my hair look presentable by running my fingers through it before I left my room. I wasn’t sure when my boss would be leaving for his trip and I didn’t want to look like something fromThe Night of the Living Deadif he was still here.

Padding down the hallway toward the kitchen, I was met with six eyes staring back at me. I think we were all in shock as we stood there, unsure of what to do. I was beginning to think it was a mistake to agree to watch his dogs when I had no ideawhat I was doing. Especially when two of the dogs were bigger than me. How was I supposed to walk those beasts? Maybe they walked themselves. I had a feeling I was in for a rude awakening.

Before I could take another step, the dogs were running in the other direction. Instead of chasing after them, I followed my nose to the smell of some of the best coffee I’d ever smelled. One look at the coffee machine, if you could even call it that, and I knew I’d never figure it out. It looked like something out of a sci-fi film instead of something capable of brewing the magical elixir I needed every morning. I guess I’d be hitting up the nearest Starbucks on the way to the office.

Sitting next to an almost empty coffee cup, I saw a folder marked rules on it. Flipping it open, I thought for sure I had to be dreaming because there was no way in hell Kingston Avery expected me to do everything that was entailed on page after page of what seemed like a mini novel. I still hadn’t figured out how I was going to take them out to go to the bathroom. Did I take them out one at a time or all at once? Maybe I could hire a dog walker to do that part. Why didn’t Kingston have a dog walker? Was he an asshole to everyone and they all quit?

Rules

Don’t let the dogs get up on any of the furniture. They each have their own beds in the living room and the master bedroom. Be firm with them and they will listen.

To do EVERY TIME before you leave the apartment:

•Food and water.

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