Filed to story: Sinful Mates (Imogen) Book by Jessica Hall
“I got him some dog food,” I answer, Theo snorts from the couch. “What?” I demand, I don’t know why but my brow is wrinkled. Why is he laughing? Shrugging, I grab the bowl and set it on the ground. I crouch beside it and pat my legs. “Come here boy, I’ve got some din din.”
The stray walks over and spots the bowl. He stops and stares at it like it’s some vicious enemy. He growls, edging closer, nose working overtime.
I look between the dog and the food. “What’s going on here? It says beef. Dogs like beef, don’t they?”
Theo joins me in the kitchen and crouches by the dog. It looks at him and sniffs, “They love it,” he reassures me. He grabs the dog by its muscular shoulders and pushes forward. “Come on big boy, eat your dinner. Imogen worked so hard to provide that for you. Doesn’t it look wonderful?”
The dog snaps and snarls, baring his teeth and growling at Theo. I have to agree with him, the food is far from wonderful. The dog sits down, digging his claws into my floor and I wince. I hope he doesn’t leave gouges behind. How will I explain that away?
“I don’t think he wants it. I will see if I can make him something else.” I offer. The dog snaps at Theo’s hand as Theo picks the bowl up and puts it beneath his nose. Walking over, I smack him softly on the snout. “Bad dog, don’t bite,” I scold him. The dog stares at me like I’ve grown another head. He drops his head to his paws and whimpers like I beat him.
“Aww come here, big fella,” Theo tells him and rubs his face, pulling on his furry cheeks. The stray growls in his face.
I wince, prepared to break up a fight. “Maybe you should leave him alone. He looks like he is getting cranky,” I warn Theo. Theo’s teasing smile makes my insides warm. Maybe my friendship circle has grown by one, maybe.
“You know who he reminds me of? Tobias. Look, he even scowls like him. You should name him Tobias,” he turns to grin at me in expectation. I laugh at the twinkle in his eyes, “Their temperament is similar.”
“Somehow, I don’t think the boss will like it if I name a dog after him.” I chuckle. Besides, it will be weird having my pet named after someone I’ve fantasized about.
My nameless pet stares at Theo, and my boss gets to his feet, stretching. “It’s been a long day. I’m going to get back before Tobias returns. If I don’t have dinner prepared by the time he gets home he’ll get cranky. I’ll leave you two to enjoy your night.”
I wait until after he leaves before I retreat to the kitchen. I get a steak out of the freezer I found the night before and toss it in the microwave on defrost. It isn’t the best cooking method, but I’m pretty sure my companion will be happy with anything as long as it isn’t the slop from the can.
Once the microwave finishes I pull out a skillet and turn on the stove. I put the pan on it and let it heat up before I throw the steak in there and cook it to medium rare. After a few minutes it’s done. I cut it in half and place it on two plates.
I take the plates back to the living room and place one on the ground beside me. Maybe I should chop the steak up, what if it’s too big? I reach for it to fix my error when the dog grabs it and tears a chunk out of it. We finish our steaks in silence and I let the events of the day filter through me.
When we finish eating, I dump the plates in the sink and rinse them off. I grab my clothes and something out of my bedroom and return to the bathroom. The dog watches me as I come and go. His head tilts to the side, but he doesn’t bother following me. “Stay,” I order before wandering into the bathroom.
Jumping in the shower I am in there all of five minutes when I hear a low whining coming from outside the bathroom door. Reaching out the shower, I open the bathroom door before turning back to rinse the shampoo that is now burning my eyes. Opening my stinging eyes, the dog is watching me through the shower door.
“You know it is rude to stare,” I tell him. He cocks his big head to the side, not fazed by my comment. Feeling his eyes on me, I rush to get out. I don’t know why but sometimes his gaze makes me feel a little uneasy, it’s almost human-like. Wrapping the towel around me, I get out and dig through the drawers finding an old shirt and a pair of panties. Slipping them on, I walk back out and find the bottle of tequila I was drinking the night before.
I don’t have a problem, I need it to help me sleep lately, that’s all. The nightmares are terrible, reliving the night my mother passed over and over again. Alcohol helps make sleep easier. I reach for the bottle to pour it in a glass and pause. I only have a quarter left, why not just drink straight from the bottle? One less dish to worry about.
I tip the bottle to my lips, the stray walks over, his fur brushing against my side. He sits on my feet staring up at me. I take a swig from the bottle, coughing from the intense burn it leaves in my throat. The cough will go away after another mouthful. A few more and it will be like drinking water. Come to think of it, I need to find another way to sleep. If I keep doing this, I may just become an alcoholic like my mother. The dog whines when I take another big mouthful.
I enjoy the sting in my throat for a moment before pulling the bottle away and addressing him. “What? Don’t look at me with those judging eyes. You really do remind me of Tobias when you glare at me like that. You don’t know my life, you aren’t allowed to judge me.” Great, only a couple of swallows in and I’m arguing with the dog like he understands me.
The dog pulls the bottom of my shirt with his mouth, tugging me out of the kitchen. Grabbing the bottle and wrapping my arms around it, I follow and grab a blanket out of the linen cupboard. I open the doors leading outside in case the dog needs to pee during the night. Curling up on the couch, the dog jumps up beside me.
I don’t even remember what I choose to watch on TV, and it doesn’t matter. I just need my brain to die. I take another deep swig and smile, my eyelids are heavy. Sleep is blissfully close, but I can’t sleep in the bed, I’m used to my cramped car so I know I won’t be comfortable in such a huge bed.
Instead, I stay on the couch, cuddling with my furry hot water bottle. His head rests on my hip, and eventually I fall into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning, I wake up, and the dog is gone. I look in every room but can’t find him. He must have left to go outside. I hope he’ll show up while I’m getting ready for work, but I don’t see any sign of him. My head pounds, and my eyesight is blurry. A migraine builds up, the pressure against my cheeks makes me wince. If I don’t take something soon I’ll regret it later. I look for some Tylenol when Tobias walks in, followed by Theo. What is this? I don’t even get a knock anymore? Sure, come on in, make my morning even better.
“Good morning, Imogen. I hope you’re decent,” Theo’s voice rings out in a sing-song. I’m glad I’ve suffered to make sure I got dressed before searching for medicines. I’ll have to put my clothes out the night before to make sure they never catch me unprepared.
Digging through my oversized purse, I try to find a bottle of Tylenol, or anything else at this point, to get rid of this damn headache. After a few minutes, Tobias must have got tired of waiting because he burst through my bedroom door. I yelp and resist the urge to throw my bag at his head.
“How much longer?” He asks, tone cold. Another morning, another pissed off Tobias. Maybe he just isn’t a morning person?
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