Hot Stuff

Chapter TWELVE

Kellen was hands on hips in an oversized gray T-shirt and navy boxers. The boxers looked new and had little green-and-yellow palm trees on them. “What the heck are you wearing?” he asked Cate. “You look like you’re ready for Alaska.”

They were standing beside Cate’s bed, and Cate was wearing socks and sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt. The twenty-first-century equivalent to a chastity belt.

“This is what I wear to bed,” Cate said. In January. And when I’m sleeping with a man I’m not ready to sleep with.

Kellen grinned. “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Kellen slipped under the covers. “It means you can avoid a relationship with me for a while but eventually I’m going to win.”

Kellen didn’t want to alarm Cate, but after an evening of breaking and entering, dinner with her family, and a morning picnic where he watched her feed her giant dog breakfast sandwiches, Kellen was having thoughts of happily ever after. Yes, sir, Kellen thought, he wasn’t just going for the sheet time. He wanted the whole enchilada. Kellen was thinking marriage. How weird was that?

The air-conditioning was on, but Cate was starting to sweat. And it wasn’t sweat from passion. Cate was sweating from fleece.

“Tell me again why you have to sleep in my bed.”

“I tried sleeping on the leather couch but it was too slippery. I kept sliding off. And we agreed that I shouldn’t sleep in Marty’s room again because if he figured it out he wouldn’t think we were a couple. And the truth is, that’s all a lot of bullshit. I’m in your bed because I want to be in your bed.”

“Whatever,” Cate said, “but you’re on my side. Could you at least move over?”

“I can’t move over. Your dog is sleeping there.”

Beast was stretched out with his head on the pillow, sound asleep. Cate tried to roll him to the edge, and he opened an eye and growled.

“He didn’t mean that in a threatening way,” Cate said.

“Uh-huh.”

“Beast,” Cate said in his ear. “Wake up. You have to move over.”

Beast half opened his eyes.

“Poor baby is sleepy,” Cate said.

“I’m sleepy too,” Kellen said. “I wish you would get into bed.”

“Okay, fine, perfect!” Cate said. And she climbed over Kellen and wedged herself in between him and Beast.

“Comfy?” Kellen asked.

“Yes. And you?”

“Yep.” And he turned the light off.

Truth was, Cate wasn’t comfy. Cate was roasting. Sweat was rolling down the side of her face. She tried to move to find some cool sheet but there was no open space.

“Now what?” Kellen said.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re thrashing around like a fish out of water.”

“I’m trapped in here. I can’t breathe.”

Kellen turned the light on and looked at her. “You can’t breathe because you’re in this stupid sweat suit. What have you got under it?”

“Tank top and underwear.” Actually the underwear was a pink lace thong, but she thought it best not to share that information with Kellen.

“This is ridiculous. You look like you’re going to have heat stroke,” Kellen said. He grabbed the sweatshirt by the bottom ribbing and in two seconds it was over Cate’s head and lying on the floor. “Better?” he asked.

“Yes, but…”

“Now get rid of the socks and the sweatpants.”

“No way!”

“Do I have to wrestle you out of them?”

“Good grief,” Cate said, shucking the sweatpants and socks. “How did I get myself into this dilemma?”

“For starters, you chose the wrong roommate.”

“He seemed like such a nice guy.”

“Just because he steals jewelry doesn’t mean he isn’t a nice guy.”

Cate settled in between Kellen and Beast, Kellen turned the light off for the second time, and everyone lay motionless and rigid for two minutes. Finally Kellen blew out a sigh.

“This bed is too small,” he said. “Now you’ve got everything pressed against me.”

“And?”

“And you’re all smooth and silky and warm and soft. And I’m really uncomfortable.”

“It wasn’t my idea to sleep in the same bed. And it wasn’t my idea to remove the sweat suit.”

“Okay, how about this. How about if we get engaged.”

“Engaged? Are you insane? I hardly know you.”

“Honey, in a couple minutes you’re going to know me pretty well.”

“Have you ever been married?” Cate asked.

“No.”

“Do you have any children?”

“No.”

“Diseases?”

“No. And I’ve got all my teeth. I don’t have a criminal record. And my cholesterol is perfect.”

“All good things to know,” Cate said. “How do you stand on the flat tax?”

“Oh hell,” Kellen said, turning to Cate, draping his leg over hers, and wrapping her in his arms.

“And what about birth control?” she asked him.

“I’ve got it covered,” Kellen said.

Cate slid her hand down Kellen’s flat stomach, her thumb dipping into the waistband of his boxers, and a nervous giggle escaped from her lips. It seemed like a lot to cover.

Kellen moved against her, and his hands found their way under her T-shirt, skimming over places that were soft and sensitive, his mouth following close behind his fingertips. He slid his hand under the little pink satin thong, sliding it down Cate’s legs, over her perfect feet, and onto the floor at the end of the bed.

Beast’s head shot up and within half a second he was on the floor, pink thong in mouth.

All romantic activity stopped dead, and Cate sat up and gaped at Beast, frozen in horror. There was a little strap of elastic band hanging out from his lips like dental floss.

Kellen pointed at Beast. “Drop it!”

Gulp. Gone.

“He ate my underwear! My favorite thong. What do we do now? He might choke. Do you know the Heimlich maneuver? Should we take him to a vet? Does the Angell Memorial Hospital send ambulances?”

“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I sympathize with the favorite thong part, but that scrap of fabric you call underwear was hardly enough to choke a hundred-twenty-pound dog. It was barely a snack.”

Cate thought about the path her panties would be taking, and that it was probably best to let them go.

“At least Beast is out of the bed now.” Kellen’s Big Bad Wolf smile had returned. “I needed more room to do my best work.”

His fingers magically found the most sensitive of Cate’s sensitive spots, and all of her worries were temporarily washed away. Clearly this was a man whose skills and knowledge went beyond those of breaking and entering and training dogs.

Cate stood in the shower and let the water beat on her. It was morning, and she was tired and a little sore in strange places, having used muscles last night that she hadn’t used in a while. Well heck, if she was going to be completely honest, she’d probably used muscles she’d never used.

She shampooed her hair and wondered if she was engaged. She was almost positive Kellen hadn’t been serious. And she was afraid to ask. She didn’t know what she’d say to a real proposal. She was half afraid she’d say yes.

“Hey,” Kellen called from the other side of the bathroom door. “I’m running late. Do you mind if I come in?”

Before Cate could answer, she had a big naked guy in the shower with her.

“I don’t know if you’re going to fit in here,” she said.

“Yeah, you said that last night, but we made it work, right?”

Cate clapped a hand over her mouth to squelch a giggle.

“I forgot about a staff meeting,” Kellen said, soaping up and rinsing off. He gave Cate a kiss and grabbed a towel. “I hope I didn’t promise breakfast.”

“I have a box of Pop-Tarts in the kitchen.”

“That’ll do,” Kellen said. And he was out of the bathroom.

Cate wrapped herself in her terry robe and followed him out. “I have a huge favor to ask.”

“Anything.”

“I’m worried about Beast. I’m afraid Marty will come back and take Beast.”

“Cate, I know you love Beast, but technically he’s Marty’s dog.”

Not that it mattered to Kellen. If Cate wanted to keep Beast she was going to keep Beast, and Kellen knew he would do whatever was necessary to make it happen.

“He doesn’t know Marty,” Cate said. “And he’s just a baby. And Marty is a thief. And maybe even a murderer. Suppose he pushed his agent down the stairs.” Cate squeezed out a tear. “That’s not the sort of man who should have a dog like Beast.”

Kellen grinned. “You had to work hard to squeeze that tear out. You’re manipulating me.”

“Is it working?”

“Yep.” He pulled on socks and laced up his sneakers. “Get a doggy bag together for me. Remember, I’m the guy with the great house and no food or dishes. I’ve got a full morning, and I think I have an early afternoon meeting, and then I’m free. Do you want me to keep Beast at my house, or do you want me to bring him back here tonight?”

“I want you to keep him at your house until things are settled.”

Kellen wasn’t an expert on fairy tales, but he was pretty sure the knight in shining armor wasn’t supposed to be guarding the distressed damsel’s dragon.

Cate had Julie’s pages everywhere… on the floor, on the dining room table, on the kitchen counters. She’d been working all morning at numbering them and putting them in order. While she’d been organizing she’d been reading. Julie was telling the story of a small-town girl struggling to find herself in a big city. She talked about her mama and her cousins and the pain and the excitement of leaving them. She talked about the people who passed under her window. She talked about being lonely and poor and feeling rich and being in love with life. She talked about her friends and her job on the trolley, and in some mysterious way it all was bound together into a story with a beginning and a middle and an end.

Cate thought it was amazing. Julie had written a book. And it was good. It had some rough edges but that was part of the charm. Just like it was part of Julie’s charm. Scratch the surface of the down-home girl and you found a complex person with a surprising understanding of human nature. Easy to underestimate someone like Julie, Cate thought as she collected the pages. Julie walked and talked country, and Cate realized Julie sometimes used that image to her advantage. She even had a term for it. Country sneaky.

“Just ‘cause you don’t use big words, don’t mean you’re stupid,” Cate said to the empty condo, adding the last couple of pages to her stack and securing it all with a giant rubber band.

The manuscript needed to go from Julie’s scrawl to neatly typed pages, and probably there was a standard format writers used, Cate thought. And probably she could get the information online.

She made herself a peanut butter sandwich and leaned against the counter while she ate. She looked down at the floor. No Beast water bowl. She’d given it to Kellen, along with Beast’s food and toys and vitamins and toothbrush and treats. The condo felt sterile without Beast. No snuffling, slobbering noises. No warm dog body pressing against her leg. Hard to believe Beast was delivered just three days ago. It felt like he’d always been part of her life. And what about Kellen? That relationship was four days old, and already Kellen had moved into her bed and her heart. How had that happened?

The doorbell rang and Cate had a moment of panic. On the one hand she wanted it to be Marty so she could get some answers. On the other hand she was dreading the charade.

She had both hands’ fingers crossed on the way to the door. “Don’t let it be Marty,” she chanted. “Don’t let it be Marty!”

She looked out the peephole and grimaced. There was good news and bad news. The good news was that Marty wasn’t standing in the hall. The bad news was that Kitty Bergman was out there, backed up by two large men in dark suits.

Cate opened the door a crack. “Yes?” she said to Kitty.

“What’s with the fancy lock?” Kitty wanted to know. “Do you think you have something to protect? Something to hide?”

Without waiting for an answer, Kitty pushed past Cate into the condo with the two men on her heels.

“If you’re looking for Marty,” Cate said, “he isn’t here.”

“I know he isn’t here,” Kitty said. “I just talked to him and he asked me to come get his dog.”

Cate’s heart gave a painful contraction. “Beast isn’t here.”

“Well, where is he?”

“He’s visiting with a friend.”

“Yeah, I almost believe that,” Kitty said. She flicked her eyes to the two men. “Search for the dog. And bring his food and dog bowls.”

“Why didn’t Marty come to get his dog?” Cate asked.

“Marty’s busy.”

The two men returned to the living room.

“The dog isn’t here,” the one guy said. “And we couldn’t find any dog things. No food or bowls or anything.”

“Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look,” Kitty said to Cate.

“I didn’t know I looked dumb,” Cate said.

“Where’s the dog?”

“I told you he’s at a friend’s house.”

Kitty looked like she might lunge forward at any moment and grab Cate by the neck and start squeezing. “Does your friend have a name?”

“Yes,” Cate said.

“Would you like to tell me your friend’s name?”

“No,” Cate said. “I don’t feel comfortable with this. If Marty wants his dog he’s going to have to show up in person.”

“Are you suggesting you don’t trust me with Marty’s dog?” Kitty Bergman asked, eyes narrowed.

“I just don’t understand why Marty isn’t here. If he’s in town, why didn’t he come home?”

“I told you. He’s busy. Now be a good girl and get the dog. I’m sure he’s somewhere in the building. With the realtor? With Miss Party Trolley?”

“He’s not with either of them.”

“I’m losing patience,” Kitty said. “I’m going to count to five. If I’m not satisfied with the information I’ve received from you by the time I get to five, I’m going to walk out of this condo and leave you with my two friends. They can be very persuasive.”

“I don’t get it,” Cate said. “Why is Beast so important? Marty’s never even seen him.”

“Yes,” Kitty said. “But Marty’s already emotionally attached. And as his friend I feel obligated to get him his dog.”

One of the men wrapped his hand around Cate’s arm. “Wait in the hall,” he said to Kitty. “We’ll take care of this.”

Kitty Bergman opened the condo front door to go into the hall, and Julie and Patrick Pugg tumbled in.

“Thank you,” Julie said. “We was out there wonderin’ how we were gonna get through the lock. Cate told me how to do it, but I forgot.”

Pugg looked to Julie. “Pugg is in hero mode now. Pugg needs to be Pugg. Pugg would like a temporary amnesty on nuts rearrangement.”

“Amnesty granted,” Julie said.

“Unhand her,” Pugg said to the guy holding Cate’s arm.

The guy smiled. “Who’s gonna make me?”

“Pugg will make you. Pugg is no one to be trifled with,” Pugg said.

“Haw!” the guy said. “That’s a good one.”

“This is silly,” Cate said. “Let’s not get all carried away.”

“Oh for God’s sake,” Kitty said. “Can we please get on with this?” She pointed to goon number two. “You! Get rid of the fat bumpkin and the bridge troll.”

“Excuse me,” Julie said. “Are you referrin’ to me? Because I am not fat. I’m ample. And I’m not goin’ anywhere. You’re the one who needs to be goin’. I think you’ve worn out your welcome here.”

Kitty had taken a wide stance in her Louboutin slingbacks, and had a white-knuckle grip on her classic Chanel shoulder purse. “I told you to get rid of them,” she snapped to goon number two. “Are you deaf? Are you an idiot? What are you waiting for?”

Goon number two reached for Julie, and Pugg jumped up and punched him in the nose. Since Pugg was a foot shorter than goon number two it wasn’t much of a punch.

Goon number two looked down at Pugg. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?”

“Pugg is protecting his women,” Pugg said.

“I don’t think so,” the goon said. “I think you and bumpkin’s gonna get removed, so we can have it nice and peaceful while we slap the redhead around.”

“Pugg will be forced to punch you in the nose again unless you leave the premises this instant,” Pugg said.

The goon blew out a sigh, like Pugg was being a trial. “Ms. Bergman,” goon number two said, “would you please open the door for me?”

Kitty opened the door, and goon number two grabbed Pugg by the seat of his pants and threw him out the door, into the hall.

“Ow,” Pugg said. “Pugg got a wedgie.”

“I hope you aren’t plannin’ on doing that to me,” Julie said to goon number two, “because that would be real rude.”

“Guess I’m just a rude kind of guy,” goon number two said, moving toward Julie.

Julie pulled a semiautomatic 9mm out of her shoulder bag and aimed it at goon number two’s privates.

“Holy cow,” Cate said. “Where’d you get a gun?”

“Where I come from everybody’s got a gun.” Julie looked at Cate. “Honey, don’t you have a gun?”

“No.”

“Well darn, that’s part of your problem here. What do you think you got a peephole for? It’s to see whether you need to answer the door with your gun in your hand.”

“You won’t use that gun,” goon number two said.

“I can pick off a river rat at fifty paces,” Julie said. “I wouldn’t have any problem shootin’ you in the wiener, however small and insignificant it might be. And you should be happy it’s not my Aunt Tess standing here. Loogie Bayard got drunk and broke into Aunt Tess’s house one night, and tried to have his way with her, and Aunt Tess took the meat mallet to him. He was a terrible mess. She even cracked his glass eye. Not that it was worth much. Loogie got it at the VA hospital, and it was always wanderin’ around lookin’ in the wrong direction.”

Everyone stood for a moment digesting that information.

“You haven’t heard the end of this,” Kitty said to Cate. “I want that dog.” And Kitty turned on her heel and swished out of the condo with the two men close behind. Pugg, who was standing outside, edged his way back in.

Cate closed and locked the door after them and gave a small hysterical giggle. “Yikes.”

“And double yikes,” Julie said. “What was that about?”

“The dog,” Cate said. “Kitty said Marty asked her to get the dog.”

“That’s a lot of baloney,” Julie said. “That woman never did a favor for nobody. She wouldn’t come fetchin’ a dog for Marty. You told me they weren’t even getting’ along.” Julie looked around. “Where is the big guy? Where’s Beast?”

“I sent him home with Kellen.”

“Lucky thing I was lookin’ out the window when Kitty and the goon squad trooped into the building,” Julie said. “I thought they looked like they were up to no good, so I sent Pugg to see where they were goin’. When he found out they were in with you, we came right away.”

Pugg adjusted his underwear. “Pugg hopes you don’t mind,” Pugg said to Cate, “but Pugg has transferred his affections to Julie. Julie came across.”

“He’d be a keeper in my hometown,” Julie said by way of explanation.

“Yes, but this is Boston!” Cate said.

“He has some good points,” Julie said. “He’s a real hard worker, if you know what I mean. And it’s hard to tell for sure what’s under all that fur, but I bet he’d clean up okay if you gave him a whole-body wax.”

The doorbell rang again and everyone went raised eyebrows. The lock clicked, and Kellen pushed the door open.

“I needed a break, so I thought I’d stop in and say hello,” Kellen said.

“Pugg needs to get back to work now that his job as hero is done,” Pugg said.

“I’ll walk you out,” Julie said. “And don’t you worry I’m gonna make sure nobody gives you a wedgie but me from now on.”

“I have a feeling I missed something,” Kellen said when Julie and Pugg had left.

“Kitty Bergman was here with two henchmen. She wanted Beast. She said Marty sent her.”

“Kitty Bergman doing errands for Marty?”

“Yeah, that’s what Julie said. Doesn’t compute. Anyway, things were starting to get ugly until Julie arrived and threatened to shoot off everyone’s privates.”

Kellen grinned. “Julie had a gun?”

“She said she could nail a river rat at fifty paces.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Kellen said. “I ran a check on the house on Commonwealth. It’s owned by a holding company. And I was able to trace the holding company back to Ronald Bergman.”

“Big surprise.”

“Ronald is at the present time raping a forest in Central America and probably doesn’t even know he owns the house.”

“So you think Kitty and Marty use the house as a stopover for stolen stuff?”

“It’s possible.”

Kellen didn’t like where this was going. Bad enough that Kitty was probably crooked, but now she seemed to be targeting Cate.

“And what about Beast? Hard to believe they want him for his guard dog skills.”

“I already looked into Beast. The kennel owner seems to know Marty. He said Marty was in a couple weeks ago looking for a dog. He took a couple out for a walk and chose Beast. The kennel owner said he gave Marty a break on the price because Beast wasn’t show quality and didn’t totally have a guard dog personality. I’ve looked at Beast’s collar. It’s standard issue from the kennel. No secret pouch filled with stolen diamonds.”

“What about his water bowl?”

“I assumed you bought it in some doggie boutique.”

“Nope. Marty sent it from Puerto Rico.”

“I’ll take a look at it when I get home. Did you tell Kitty I have Beast staying with me?”

“No.”

“One less thing to worry about,” Kellen said, looking at his watch. “I have to get back to the house. How do you feel about all this? Would you feel safer if you moved in with me? Or do you want to stay here?”

“I’ll stay here. I’m doing a project for Julie, and I have to leave for work in a couple hours. This is my night to do setup.”

Kellen pulled her to him. She was warm in his arms and smelled like cake. He kissed her gently, lingering just long enough to make it painful to pull away. “Wish I had more time,” he said. “Call me if you change your mind or need help.”

“Give Beast a hug for me.”