“I like him,” Katelyn declares. She finishes off her drink, turning her attention back to Shane. Nick pulls me off the stool and looks to the other side of the room. He makes some type of hand gesture, and then a man in a business suit nods.
“It was nice meeting you all, and ladies, those two are up for grabs,” he says gesturing to Shane and Matt, “but Jase is off limits,” he says. I eye him and then Jase. What the hell is that about, I wonder? He isn’t wearing a ring.
“Thanks, bro, because I needed that,” Jase says sarcastically.
“Let’s go. There’s somewhere I want to take you,” he says, guiding me in the direction of the elevator.
Once we are in the car, he pulls out of the parking lot heading west on Ocean Ave. I figure he is heading to The Cove, but he doesn’t make his turn south. Instead, he continues until he reaches PCH. Taking the exit, he heads north for about ten minutes. Before I know it, he’s exiting off the highway and driving through a neighborhood. Soon, he’s pulling into a driveway outside someone’s house. My curiosity is at its peak. Where has he taken me?
In front of us is a medium-sized house. It’s brick with a small porch on the front and a rattan-hanging chair on the end. “Let’s go inside,” he says as he turns off the ignition, opens the car door and steps out. I follow, stepping out of the car into the warm night air. Walking up behind him to the front door, I’m wondering why we are here, and even though I don’t know whose house this is, I think I like it. It’s not too big, and it smells like the ocean. I don’t think we’re that far from the beach.
He unlocks the door with a key from his key ring. Why does this look odd to me? He lets me walk in first and the lights automatically come on. The door closes behind me and I hear a dog barking, perhaps more than one. Maybe this house belongs to a friend of his, and he’s here to feed and water their pet or pets. It doesn’t seem like anyone’s home.
“Whose house is this?” I ask, following him through the foyer, past the stairs and into the kitchen.
“Mine,” he replies as he places his keys on the granite kitchen island.
“I thought you lived at The Cove?” I ask, confused. Why has he been staying at The Cove if he has a house not far from the place or even work?
“No, I was just staying there while my house was having some renovation work done,” he says and walks to the back door. Upon opening it, two dogs barrel in and start jumping on Nick, begging for attention.
I smile because I love dogs, and his are beautiful. They are both German Shepherds. The big one is black and tan, while the small one, who looks to be a young puppy, is solid white. The puppy jumps off Nick running up to me. The puppy slides into my legs as it tries to stop, but can’t because of the slick hardwood floor.
Bending down, I scoop the little furry ball up into my arms. “I hope you like dogs,” Nick says as he closes the door leading out to the backyard and moves to a large plastic container holding their dog food. He scoops food into two bowls, placing them underneath the granite island. I place the puppy down on the floor; she takes her place next to the bigger dog.
“I love dogs,” I say enthusiastically. “I’ve never gotten a dog because I can’t stand the thought of one cramped in a small place. I volunteer occasionally at an animal shelter so I can play with them,” I say, walking to stand next to Nick in the kitchen.
“The big guy is Niko and she’s Charmin,” he states and I raise an eyebrow. Surely not.
“What’s that look for?”
“Um, her name,” I say as I gesture to his puppy. “It’s not after the toilet paper is it?” No way would someone name their pet after that.
“Yeah,” Nick laughs. “She’s white, soft and definitely fluffy.” He has an amused look on his face.
“And Niko? Where did he get his name from?” I ask.
“A character from a video game,” he responds and I almost burst out laughing.
“You play video games,” I state. He does not look like a man who plays video games.
“Not often, but they can be entertaining, and hell, I’m guy, so yeah,” he laughs out as he picks me up and sits me on the island. I smile. “So do you like my house?” he asks as he positions himself between my thighs. My dress rides up to accommodate him. I could get used to him constantly between my thighs.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I say, “I don’t know yet. I haven’t had a tour.” I only say that so he will show me the rest. I can already tell I like his house.
With that, he scoops me into his arms and turns. “This is the kitchen, over there is the living room,” he says while gesturing off the side of the kitchen. The kitchen and living room are open to each other, both on the backside of the house. There is a large couch in the center of the room facing the biggest flat screen TV I’ve ever seen.