Page 4 of The House Guest
What now?
CHAPTER 3
The following afternoon, I’d cleared all of my paintings from the living room and packed most of my belongings into boxes. It had taken the entire day.
Thankfully, I hadn’t run into Dorian. I would’ve been completely fine never seeing him again. I hadn’t checked with Benjamin to see if a hotel had been booked for me. But either way, this absolutely sucked.
I had no idea how long Remington’s son would be willing to foot that bill just to keep me away from this place. Finding an apartment as soon as possible would be prudent so I could cut all ties with him. I’d love to be able to refuse his offer to pay for the hotel, but I needed to save all I could if I was going to have to start paying rent. My waitressing job mainly covered my tuition, so it wasn’t clear how I was going to afford rent now. There was a very real chance I’d need to drop out of school.
From my room, I heard dogs barking in the distance.
Patsy had taken them home overnight last night to groom them. She had an extra-large tub that made it easierto bathe them both in one shot.Ah. That’s why they hadn’t made a ruckus when Dorian came in. They would’ve been all over him otherwise and would’ve provided me some warning that he’d arrived.
I headed downstairs to see what was going on. The sight of the two Dobermans pinning Dorian against the wall gave me immeasurable pleasure. He was literally trapped. The best part? They were going straight for his balls. I couldn’t have orchestrated it better myself.
Serves him right.
“Ladies!” I called out, snapping my fingers. “It’s okay. Come here.”
Tallulah and Tess backed off immediately and ran toward me, wagging their stumpy tails. When I knelt, they began licking my face.
Dorian ran a hand through his now-tousled dark hair. “What the hell is wrong with those dogs?” he griped. “I thought they were gonna bite my balls off.”
“They most likely wouldn’t have done that. But they’re crotch sniffers.”
“Crotch sniffers?”
“Yes. When they meet someone, they go straight between the legs. It’s like an initiation.”
“That’s disturbing.”
“Everyone has their thing.” I narrowed my eyes. “I’m surprised they don’t recognize you.”
“I never met them. I haven’t been home in two years.”
I nodded. That made sense. Remington had said he’d acquired the two Dobermans about a year ago, not long before I moved in.
“Well, they’re doing what they’re meant to.”
“Sniff my crotch?”
“No.” I chuckled. “Protect the house from someone they assume is a stranger.”
He rolled his eyes. “I suppose.”
“They’ll calm down once they get to know you.” I petted them. “These dogs meant everything to your father. They were always by his side whenever he was home. And clearly, they thought you were an intruder. Just like you thought I was last night. The irony, right?”
Dorian cleared his throat. “Well, thank you for saving me from unwanted attention below the waist.”
Something told me this guy was likely used to females trying to get a piece of him below the waist. I hated to admit it, but Dorian Vanderbilt was smoking hot.
“No problem.” I flashed my teeth.
As I continued to pet the now pacified animals, silence filled the room.
Dorian finally spoke. “Actually…I’m glad you’re here, Primrose. I was going to come find you.”
“Oh?” I stood.
