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1
Marco
Prince has been whining all day and has worn me down to my last nerve. He has already eaten one of my black leather Hugo Boss work shoes, which he stole from my closet while I was in the shower this morning, and I am missing a handful of socks that mysteriously disappeared from my laundry. I see some scraps of material near the sofa in my living room, no doubt remnants of what are left of my socks—his new favorite chew toy.
I drop the Mont Blanc pen I am using to review the contract for our latest investment property onto my solid oak timber desk. Sitting back in my black leather desk chair, I take a minute to observe the furry troublemaker. I cross my arms over my chest and shake my head because he knows as well as I do that he’s got me by the balls. His tail wags in wait, and I turn in my chair to get a closer look, positive I see a slight smile on his face as his tongue hangs animatedly from his mouth.
“I know, boy, I know,'' I say to him with a sigh, scratching him behind his ear, fluffing his soft golden fur. I don’t know a lot about dogs, but Prince seems to understand what I am saying. Occasionally, I get a bark in return, other times, he just tilts his head to the side a little. Today, he is jumpy and full of energy, wanting to command all of my attention and wanting to do it now.
It’s not unusual for me to work on a Sunday. My position in the family Merger and Acquisition business at Marshall & Co has me working long hours, and I rarely have a full day to myself anymore. My older brother, Shaun, is the CEO, but the day-to-day operations fall to me, and I never have enough time during the week to do it all.
I also help Stephen, who is not my brother by blood but still my brother all the same, with his nightclub Nitro from time to time, especially now that he has Molly, Shirley, and Jasmine to look after. That man does everything for his girls, and they would do the same for him. He has found a nice little family with all those women.
Shaun usually works just as hard and as long as I do, but ever since he and his wife, Scarlett, had their baby boy, Baxter, a few months ago, he has been working less so he can spend more time with them. Shaun is just as smitten with Baxter now as he is with Scarlett and their cute little family bubble is sacred to him.
Since I am still living the single life, I have taken on more and more work these past few months, and while I don’t mind, it is starting to get exhausting. I am pleased to at least have our Head of Security and all-round best friend, Jake, to help out here and there, although I know he is just as overworked as I am. Every six months, he usually takes off and spends a few weeks at his cabin by the lake, needing the solitude and peacefulness that it offers him so he can disconnect. His cabin is his sanctuary. When he is here in Boston with us, he works seven days a week and those days are long. The cabin is his place to sleep and re-energize himself before he comes back to the city for another six months of merciless work.
Perhaps I need a cabin. Somewhere that I can just check out for a few weeks for some legitimate R&R. I make a mental note to see what the real estate is like around there and to ask Jake about how he came to find his little getaway.
I don’t mind taking on more to support my brothers, which right now, includes looking after Prince. Prince is Shaun’s dog, and he is much too excitable to be at home with the new baby at the moment, so he is living with me in my loft apartment as they adjust to being parents. Given my experience with him from the last few weeks, I am one hundred percent certain that due to his abundance of enthusiasm around people, he would accidently jump on Baxter or something, so it was a smart move for Shaun to bring him over to my place.
Except now, my apartment is full of dog hair, and I am missing my favorite pair of shoes and will need to purchase more socks. I’m not sure where they got him from, but this Labrador is constantly full of energy. If I don’t run him first thing in the morning, then he whines at me all day until I take him out for some fun, which is what he is reminding me of right now.
I push back and away from the desk and stand, the movement sending Prince into a frenzy as he starts dancing in circles around my feet. He is celebrating because he knows he has won this battle. Moving from my desk, I walk to the front door and grab his lead, careful not to trip over him as he bounds closely behind me with every step.
We step outside, and I feel the sun on my face for the first time today. It feels good. Refreshing. Something about today gives me an extra pep in my step, and we make our way to the Boston Public Gardens. It is usually a short walk from my place in Chestnut Street, but Prince stops and smells everything, from the sign poles, to doorways, even attempting to chase a bird that is flying low; so, it takes a little longer to get to our destination.
Once we are at the gardens, I take a big breath in, trying to relax my tense shoulders. Tilting my head from side to side like a boxer, my sore neck cracks and groans. Although I am only twenty-nine, sitting for so long in concentration has my body feeling like an eighty-year-old’s. I need to up my gym sessions.
I see people walking and running, kids playing, and other dogs barking. Prince is strongly pulling on the lead, probably trying to chase a squirrel, and with every tug, I try to regain my hold. The lead falls from my grip and before I can catch it, he bolts away from me, his lead dragging on the ground behind him.
“Prince!” I yell at him, knowing that I now need to run to chase after him before he gets us both into trouble. He won’t hurt anyone; he is a gentle giant, but he is a big, boisterous dog and jumping on people for a pat is one of his favorite things to do. No matter how many obedience classes he has been taken to, he doesn’t change. His other favorite pastime is eating ice cream. Last weekend, I had to pull him away from a young girl who had an ice cream cone because Prince was eager for a taste. Her mother wasn’t impressed with his manners.
“Prince!” I yell at him again as I start to increase my pace, hoping that he stops soon so I can grab him before he wreaks havoc at the park—especially as I spy a few ducks splashing on the water's edge that I’m praying he doesn’t notice.
He stops and I am grateful that it appears he is actually being obedient for once, but then suddenly, he takes off running in the opposite direction. I watch mesmerized as he jumps up into the arms of a woman who is oblivious to him, and together they both start falling to the ground as she lets out a startled cry before landing on her back.
“Shit,” I mutter as I run over to find Prince, now laying on top of her, excitedly wriggling and licking her face. I see the ice cream she was eating, now in Prince's mouth and it disappears in exactly two seconds. Ben and Jerry’s Netflix and Chill’d again, I presume. It seems to be his favorite flavor, so I need to see if I can get something similar in a dog-friendly option.
I frantically look over the two of them, concerned that she might be injured because Prince is a large dog, and well, from what I can see, she is tiny. I immediately grab the lead and pull Prince off her. “No, Prince, bad boy,” I scold him before looking down at the woman.
Lying on the grass, her dark and vibrant red hair is splayed around her head like a disheveled halo. Her chest is rising and falling quickly under her tight, white t-shirt showcasing her curves. She’s wearing cute little denim cut-off shorts showing me her long, lean legs. My gaze drifts back up to peruse her ample breasts that look like they would fit nicely in the palms of my hands. I quickly flick my eyes back to hers, and they are piercing amber looking right at me.
I swallow hard, because 1. She is fucking gorgeous, and 2. She is fucking gorgeous.
“Are you just going to stand there looking at my breasts all day or are you going to help me up?” she asks matter-of-factly with a stern look on her face. The fact that she just called me out on my blatant perving does something to my body, and there is an immediate buzz that has made its way to my pants.
“Of course, sorry. Here, take my hand.” I shake my head to collect my thoughts because suddenly I have a vision of her underneath me in my bed, and I need to get a grip. I reach out to grab her hand and I engulf it in mine. Pulling her to her feet, she stands and is now right next to me, our bodies grazing, and I can feel her perfect breasts now pushing against my torso.
I grit my teeth together as electricity starts to pulsate through my body. It is also taking all my concentration not to reach out and touch her again, and I try to think of anything other than the way her body feels leaning against mine before the bulge in my pants gives me away. We stare at each other for a split second, both of us suddenly transfixed by the other before Prince breaks the tension by jumping up on us both.
“Shit, Prince, calm down, boy,” I say, which gives her enough time to step away from our unspoken connection. “He is a friendly guy,” she says, looking at Prince and patting him. He is lapping it up, pushing his head into her hands in a silent request for more. I have never been jealous of a dog before, but I guess there is a first time for everything.
“You could say that. He always finds mischief, though, that’s for sure.” She looks up to me and gives a small smile before her face clouds over just as quickly. “I have to go, have a nice day,” she says and starts to walk away, as I stand there open-mouthed, gaping at her.
I am not sure what has me in such a spin; I am usually great with people. My conversation skills and networking abilities are better than any one of my business counterparts. I am requested to speak at conferences and business summits regularly. But today, here in this park with her, I’m shy and stumble over my words that are struggling to escape me. I watch her walk away, and I know I can’t just let her leave.
“What’s your name?” I blurt out to her and internally cringe. What’s your name? That’s the best I can do? No wonder I am still a bachelor, my game is way off. Although, I did receive lots of attention at the club last night, so maybe it is just this woman that has me losing it. I am cursing myself internally for my sudden outburst, and I watch as she stops walking and turns back to me.
