Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
She wags her tail happily like she already agrees. Damn—I knew it. He’s already got her hooked. “Let me get changed, and don’t you go messing up anything in my room or your daddy is going to pay.” I point at her and scowl. She huffs and jumps on my bed, making herself comfortable, ducking her head into my pillow like she owns the place. She’s just like Miles.
I don’t take too long because I don’t trust my new companion, but she’s a good girl and is exactly where I left her, completely snuggled up on my bed like she’s unwilling to move and it’s her spot.
“Come on, girl. It’s time to go and move in with your daddy.”
She perks up and hops to her feet, wagging her tail. I snag her off the bed because I don’t want her to jump and hurt herself.
When I get downstairs, my mother is ready to go, so we take the puppy outside to do her business before hopping into the SUV. I’d hate for her to do her business in the back of my mom’s ride. Miles would get an earful when she saw him next along with a hefty cleaning bill.
“She’s so precious, Elsa.” My mother has fallen under her spell too. Honestly, so have I, and I wonder if that was Miles’s plan all along. I wonder why he’d want me to look after his dog. He obviously doesn’t have romantic feelings for me, so I bet my dad has something to do with it.
We arrive at Miles’s property, which is only twenty minutes from ours, and the guards let us in. “Mrs. Martín, Miss Elsa, good evening,” Carl says as we’re welcomed into the front door of his estate. I love Miles’s home, but it reminds me that one day he’ll have a wife and family living here. A pang shoots through my chest at that image.
“Thank you. It’s good to see you,” my mother says with her perfect civility, but I just smile through the pain. They know I’m probably here under duress as usual. I’ve had to come here to drop off some documents that my father wanted to deliver, and once when my mom made a special treat for Miles. It was like I was their delivery service even though we had twenty other people they could have sent.
“Is this the new addition to the household?” Carl asks, staring down curiously at the cutie in my arms.
“Yes, meet Miles’s Mistress.”
“Elsa,” my mother scolds.
“What? That’s her name,” I remind her.
“Her name is Mistress?” he asks.
“Yes, that’s what we named her.” He chuckles behind his hand.
“Very well. Everything is set up in the room off the stairs for her. Please come and see.” He shows me, and Miles has gone all out for the little puppy.
“Wow. He took this new father thing to a whole new level.”
“He’s just practicing for the future,” my mother says.
“What does that mean?” I ask her.
“Oh nothing. Just that a man like him will one day need a family to take over his empire.”
“Oh, I suppose you are right about that.” Again, there goes that pain in my chest. We look through all the puppy toys and on the shelf is the adoption paperwork. She’s a chocolate labrador and her owners are Miles Ivanov and Elsa Martín. I shake my head and laugh.
“He really did make me part owner,” I scoff, handing my mom the paper. She laughs.
“She’s adorable though.”
“She is.” She jumps on my leg with her tail wagging, and I can’t fight the smile she brings to my face. Miles might be a jerk, but I’m so happy to have her.
We get carried away playing with the puppy when Miles walks in. I see red on his collar, and I assume that he’s a liar like most men. “She must have been worth dropping an important meeting for,” I mutter under my breath.
“Sweetie, that’s not lipstick,” my mother says through clenched teeth. Then she smiles at Miles and gives him a motherly pat on his arm. “Miles, she’s adorable. I think we should let you shower and change.”
“Um, yes,” he mumbles, and gives us a light wave before walking away. That was when I noticed his bandaged knuckles. That was blood on his collar.
“Oh my God, Mom. That was blood on his shirt. What do you think he went and did?” I stare after him as he disappears up the stairs.
My mother tugs me away and continues to scold me in a hushed tone, “I don’t know, but it’s none of your business, sweetheart.”
“None of my business—what if he went and hurt somebody?” I let out a gasping whisper.
“Again, just none of our business, honey. More than likely that person deserves what they got. Miles is a good man. You know that, despite your anger toward him all the time.” She’s right; even when I’m cranky with him, I know the truth. I’m really never ever upset with him to the point that I don’t think he’s a good man, just an ass. I know what he’s involved in. Maybe that is wrong; no, I know it’s bad, but my father has been in the same situation.