Page 41 of The Apprentice
He snapped his fingers at the dogs, breaking me from my thoughts. “Heel.”
I gaped in surprise. The ink of the Dobermans made sense now. Of course they were his dogs. I had no idea that he had these majestic beasts until now, another sign that I didn’t know him as well as I wanted to.
The dogs turned their stare away from me and ran over to Daire, sitting on their butts in front of him. They were at attention, like soldiers ready and waiting for orders, and I couldn’t help but stare. I slid out of bed and followed them, ready to heel for him exactly as he’d ordered the dogs to. Instead of following through with the embarrassing thought, I stopped behind the dogs.
My head spun. I didn’t know where tostartwith all these new revelations. “You have dogs.”
Daire finally looked at me, mouth curled in a soft smile. “I do. Sinead and Oona.”
“Where were they when we came in?” I asked, noticing the dogs didn’t react to my voice. Their sole focus was Daire, their boss. One of them, the black dog with patches of brown, had her tail wagging, and I smiled at the adorable sight.
“They sleep in the laundry room. They usually know it’s me when I arrive because of my smell.” He scratched both of their heads and grinned. There was a softness in his gaze that made my heart give a hard tug.
“They’re Dobermans, right? I thought Dobermans have pointed ears and a stumpy tail?”
He frowned at me. “Those dogs have had their tails and ears cut. In extreme cases, it’s done to resolve medical issues, but otherwise it’s for appearance value.”
My mouth fell open. “Cut? What do you mean?”
“You don’t know about ear cropping or tail docking?” He straightened again and waved his hand toward the left. “Bed. Go.”
The dogs ran to the side of the room that Daire had gestured at, and it took me a moment to realize there were dog-size cushions in the corner that they immediately curled up on.
I shuffled backward and returned to my side of the mattress, sliding beneath the blankets and resting my shoulders against the headboard. “I didn’t know.” I scrunched up my nose. Even though I loved dogs and had begged Sloan for a puppy, I’d never had one.
He tugged at the knot of his towel uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “It’s a cruel practice that has no health benefits for the animals. It’s people who do cosmetic surgery on their dogs to make them look better.” The last two words held enough venomto kill and he grunted. “I should cut off the tips of their ears and a leg and see how they like it.”
Finally.This was something Daire was obviously passionate about. I was seeing a different side of him, one that wasn’t controlled and managed like the good and loyal Company man he was. No, this was the real Daire, angry at the cruelty of humans.
“I didn’t know that,” I whispered honestly. “I thought they were bred that way.”
He snorted, and the way he unintentionally tugged at the towel gave me a view of the start of his trimmed pubic hair, something I shouldn’t be looking at because I’djustmade a deal with myself to move on from this ridiculous crush. But it was hard not to stare at the tattoos that curved with the natural shape of his body. I had never realized how much Daire’s skin was meant for ink until I’d seen it for the first time.
“Some breeds can be, specifically an Australian cattle dog, but not Dobermans.” His gaze strayed to his girls and the smile returned.
I licked my lips as I studied the magnificent canvas of his chest and arms, the desire to stride back over to him and drop to my knees growing like weeds inside me. Nothing good came from invasive thoughts, but he’d always been my addiction.
I didn’t have to worry, though. Instead, Daire simply nodded and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door with a firmclick.
I sighed.
So close, yet so far.
I listened to the soft snores that came from the dogs with a small smile. Sliding down the bed, I snuggled deeply into the mattress. My heart thumped steadily, a beating reminder of how desperate for Daire I was. I could join him in the bathroom and beg him to fuck me, but I also needed to expel him from mysystem. If he couldn’t love me the way I deserved, then I’d find someone who would.
A few minutes later, he opened the door again, dressed in a pair of gray shorts and a shirt. He headed to the opposite side of the bed and slunk into it, keeping as far away from me as possible.
“I don’t bite,” I whispered with a small smirk.
He grunted but didn’t say anything.
With another big sigh, I reached over to switch off the lamp. The silence hung in the air again, with the dogs’ snoring the only sound to break the tension. They were clearly comfortable in their living situation.
Tomorrow was another day. With the resolution of moving on from the stupid crush, I was ready to start anew. Not only would I learn the nitty-gritty of the Company, but I would keep my eyes open for potential new lovers.
If only it were that easy, right?
9
