“And what brought you to the world of dog walking?”
She grinned sheepishly and pushed an errant curly strand behind her ear. “Tula,” she said. “Tula started her dog walking company and she put me on under her insurance. I love dogs. I’ve loved animals my whole life, and when I started real estate school, I couldn’t work the long hours of landscaping. So, Tula let me take some of her charges. But when the position to walk Cola opened up, she said you were her most important client and she trusted me fully to take over.”
She beamed with pride. On one hand, I loved the fact that Chelsea had dreams and goals and was studying to be a real estate agent. On the other hand, it meant that she, too, would be eventually moving on from dog walking. Moving on from me. The thought already left my stomach roiling and I’d only known her five minutes. “How far away are you from getting your real estate license?”
“I have about eight months left,” she said. “But don’t worry. It can take a while to build a network, and I will continue working here as well in the beginning. I promise to give you and Tula plenty of notice before I move on.”
I nodded and ignored the irrational twist in my gut at the idea of her moving on. Damn. I’d hoped that by learning a little about her, it would ease the growing attraction I had for her. But it was just the opposite. Instead of fading, my desire grew. She was smart, down-to-earth, and driven. She wasn’t just some pampered LA girl getting by on her father’s credit card.
Pulling the mug to her mouth, she took a long sip, looking up at me. I got a small thrill knowing that her lips had touched the edges of most of my coffee mugs. “Is there anything I should know about Cola before I take her for the morning?” she asked, blinking those eyes at me.
I smiled, maybe for the first time all morning, and looked down at my dog—the love of my life—looking up at me with begging eyes, as though my coffee were a treat to be had. “She’s a great dog. The best. But just know, she will always try to convince you that she hasn’t eaten yet… and she’s a big, greedy liar.” I laughed, nudging my toe against her chest. “No matter how hard she begs, no people food, either.”
“Got it,” Chelsea said with a nod. “She was really good on the test walk I did with your assistant. She doesn’t pull on her leash or anything.”
“Not usually,” I chuckled. “Unless there’s a squirrel. Squirrels are the enemy and must die… isn’t that right, Cola?”
She barked, hopping onto her hind legs and dancing for me.
Chelsea grinned, flipping the part of her curly dark hair. “Awwww, Cola! You and I are going to have so much fun while Daddy works!”
My heart raced at the word Daddy. It thrummed even faster as she bent over, the side of her ass brushing my thigh.
“I’m due on set.” I jumped back and grabbed my bag, pausing to give Cola a kiss. “Have a good walk, ol’ girl.”
“You calling me old?” Chelsea said, her hand on her hip, and that Ked-covered toe of hers rapidly tapping against the floor.
“What? Uh, no… I…” Oh, Jesus. That’s all I needed. Five minutes on the job and she was already after me… but an ageist accusation from a 22-year old?! “I was talking to the dog. You are clearly not old, Chelsea—”
A song of giggles erupted as she threw her head back. “I’m kidding, Mr. Murphy. How did you not realize that?”
Shit. I couldn’t exactly say because I’m so distracted by wanting to spread those pretty little thighs of yours, I missed the sarcasm. Instead, I answered, “I’m gullible.”
Her dark brows twitched, and the corners of her mouth curved. “Aren’t you the star of a prank tv show? … Where it’s your job not to be gullible?”
Shit, shit, shit. “Yeah. That’s what makes good TV. Look, I’ve got to go. Remember, no people food. And she can be pretty stubborn if she wants the walk to go longer.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Murphy… ” Mr. Murphy. Motherfucker. My name in any form coming from her mouth was more arousing than any naked Polaroids. My cock stiffened, and I thanked whatever God would have me that it was one of our chillier LA mornings. It will give me the chance to cool off on the walk to the shoot. “…I’ll have her eating out of the palm of my hand in no time.”
She waved as I shut the door behind me. I paused, still hearing her on the other side of that closed door, chatting with Cola as though the dog could understand every word and possibly respond. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes and sighed.
Cola wasn’t the only one who’d be eating out of the palm of her hand. Chelsea Griffin had me wrapped around her little finger in fifteen minutes flat.
I was fucked.
Chapter 2
Chelsea
Two Weeks Later…
At seven forty-five in the morning, I made it to Josh’s trailer. I wasn’t exactly a morning person, but my mornings with Josh and Cola were my absolute favorite. I hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder, balancing the two cups of coffee and the bag of ground coffee I had bought to replace the copious amounts I had been drinking from Josh’s—I mean, Mr. Murphy’s stash.
He seemed to like it when I addressed him formally. Even though literally none of his other employees did. Everyone called him Josh. Except for me. Except in my thoughts… the one place I could pretend we were on a first name basis and Josh saw me as more than the girl who walked his dog.
My hand hovered at the doorknob, and I was ready to walk in when a sound from inside made me pause. Then… words that I couldn’t quite make out. Was he having a meeting this morning? I had already seen Ava outside of Sam’s trailer, so I knew she wasn’t here. And Josh was really particular about his space, not allowing too many people inside.
Another sound, this one was clearer—and it was most certainly a groan. A primal sounding, male groan.
I started to quietly back away from the trailer door. If Josh was in there with another woman, I definitely did not want to see that. I wasn’t sure my heart could handle it. For two weeks, I’d been falling for him. Two weeks of trying to maintain my professionalism while he made me smile and laugh harder than I had in years.
“Chelsea,” he grunted my name and I froze, my spine going rigid. Was that… was he in there with another woman named Chelsea? “Fuck yeah, Chelsea,” he moaned again.
My inner voyeur overtook my common sense, and I stretched to peek through the window beside the door, balancing my body and the tray of our coffees precariously. The railing from the staircase pressed firmly against my abdomen, pinching, and I had to teeter on my tiptoes to see. Although the curtains were drawn, there was a slice of area where they didn’t quite touch. A sliver to see through. And truly, a sliver was all I needed.
Josh stood at his dressing table, his large palm pressed against the mirror with is back facing me. Luckily, the reflection gave me the full 360-degree view of … well, everything. His ass clenched as he pumped his hips into his fisted hand, gripping his cock, red and swollen, and a glisten of cum dripped out the top.
And speaking of his cock… good lord, it was huge. Arousal slammed into my body, a heated coil unfurling low in my belly. I parted my lips and sighed, drinking in the view. God, he was spectacular. All hard lines and muscle and sexy chiseled angles.