Around the World in 80 Men Series: Books 11-20 (92 page)

Finlay
wasn't going to bring up Angel again, that part of the argument was
definitely over. He knew Morgan hadn't asked the man to call him and
after she'd given him the example about Sean, it had really put that
part into perspective too. Since Sean and Finlay knew about each
others time with Morgan, even the two men had shared quite a few
talks about the woman. It was true what she'd said, he'd faulted her
for doing the same thing he'd been doing. Except Sean would never
call Morgan to yell at her.

“I
need tae see ye, lass. We have some serious talking to do.”

“But,
I really enjoy talking bad about Erika,” she laughed and so did
he.

“Aye,
we can talk all aboot her. When can I see ye?” He liked to
spring the question on her unexpectedly, hoping she would just say
yes. Morgan went quiet, then smiled into the phone.
I'll book the
next client near Scotland, then I can drop in for a little visit
afterward.

“Well,
I'm booked for the next couple of weeks,” she told him. One
week with Angel, one week with her client, that's a couple of weeks.
“But I'll try to work something out after that.” He told
her that he hoped she could, then he said he had to go but was glad
she called. When they hung up, she felt so much better. “I'll
see you soon, Fin.”

*****

“So,
wait, you just pick any man you want?” Evita was hovering over
Morgan's laptop, watching her scroll through Argentina.

“Yep!
See, there's Diego!” Morgan pointed at the picture of the
handsome man that had initially caught her attention.

“Wow...”
Evita sat down next to Morgan to get a better look. “Where are
you going next?”

“I'm
not sure yet...somewhere in Europe.” She clicked on the map to
narrow down her options. “Oh! Romania! Doesn't that sound
exciting?!” Morgan didn't bother asking Evita because she was
too distracted by the men on the screen. Instead, she grabbed Sofia
on the sides of her head and gave her a large helping of ear
scratches. “Yes, you like Romania, don't you?” Morgan
looked back to Evita, “I went to Russia not long ago, if this
next guy is as sweet as,” she paused and grabbed the music note
around her wrist. “Well. If he's that sweet, it'll be a good
week. He was my sexy Russian vampire spy!”

“You
just click them and then you go there?” Evita narrowed her eyes
at the screen, hoping to understand.

Morgan
laughed at her intensity as the woman eyed the men on the screen.
“Yeah, that's all there is to it. Sometimes they have a little
bio under their pictures, but it's rare. It's not like it's a dating
ser...Evita!” Morgan looked back at her computer to see the
normal screen one gets after choosing a client with the message
confirming a selection had been made. The woman had just chosen a
client for her. “I...I don't even know who you...” She
gave Evita a fake dirty look, then went back so she could see the
list of men. “Which one?” Morgan pointed at the screen,
at least hoping Evita would remember. She pointed right to him.

“Kiss
a dog's titty! Holy shit! What does he eat? Small children?”
Morgan opened up his profile to get a better look. After a few more
'holy shit's' were issued, she congratulated Evita for a choice well
made. He was a mammoth man, all muscle. “They're....those....oh
my god! There's muscles on top of....muscles!” He was enormous.
“I like men of all sizes, but...you know... sexually, it's a
total turn on to have a man that big.” Bald head, but not in a
receding hairline, cut it all off way...in a very sexy, masculine
way. “Evita, I never would have thought...” She raised an
eyebrow at the woman, never guessing she would have had such good
taste. Evita was about to reply when they heard Diego pulling into
the driveway.

“Sofia!
Get the dog!” Evita jumped up from her chair, nearly knocking
it down behind her. Morgan paused for a moment, then got another
idea.

“Take
the dog into the library and unlock the window...I've got an idea!”
The library was just off the main hallway and there was no door to
keep her inside. Evita didn't have time to question Morgan though,
she nodded quickly, then grabbed Sofia's collar and ran down the
hallway with her. Morgan's spur of the moment idea took her out the
back door and into the yard. “Okay, Diego, I'm going to show
you what this dog will do for you...” She peeked into the
living room and waited until she saw the man. “Sofia, work with
me.” Morgan walked along the edge of the house until she was
outside of the library's window.

Evita
had opened it, so Morgan stood up and poked her head in. “If
this works, you're keeping her. Just play along.” Evita nodded
then Morgan crouched down behind the window. She waited nearly a
minute, making sure the dog would forget she was hiding on the other
side of the window, then reached up slowly and grabbed the outside
knob.
Please bark.

She
rattled the window as fast as she could, making as much noise as
possible, and with her deepest voice possible, she spoke. “Banana,
house, ointment, Christmas tree!” She was hoping her manly
voice would alarm the dog of an intruder. It worked. Sofia jumped up
on the window and Morgan actually fell backwards onto her ass at the
scare the dog gave her.

The
sounds escaping the Shepherd were terrifying and the sight of her
teeth, even more so. Morgan got back to her feet, then crouched back
over to the window. When Sofia backed off, Morgan hit the glass
quickly, getting her attention again. Once more, Sofia went berserk,
protecting the home.

“Go,”
Evita shouted from within the room, then got closer to the window.
Over the snapping and snarling of Sofia, Morgan heard her say, “he's
coming!” Morgan smiled as she realized Evita was speaking to
her and also because she knew the woman inside had realized what was
going on. The young woman took off to the other side of the house,
all the way to the right side, and found the window to the downstairs
bathroom. She knew it was open already, since she'd only opened it
that morning after her shower.

“In
we go,” Morgan told herself as she lifted her body into the
window. “Ow.” After a few moments of awkward maneuvering,
she was inside the bathroom. She was happy to hear Sofia was still
barking. After a deep breath, Morgan opened the door and ran down the
hallway, then directly into the library where Diego and Tomas were
trying to figure out what had happened. Evita was there too, but she
was only playing along.

“What's
going on? I heard Sofia going nuts!” Morgan put on her shocked
face as she met with the others.

“I...I...someone
was trying to get in. She...” Diego pointed at the dog, “she
scared him away.” His voice was shaky, which made Morgan feel
almost
guilty for tricking him.

They
talked for a few minutes about the possible scenarios of who it might
have been or why they were there, but after the smoke cleared and
they got Sofia to calm down, the four of them went into the living
room. Tomas said he'd heard the commotion all the way from his
cottage and just wanted to check, but he had to get back to his
dinner. Evita made up an excuse to leave as well, but Morgan knew it
was only to give her time with Diego.

“No,
she's staying,” Diego stood and met Evita at the door. He
hadn't meant Evita was staying though. He got to his knees, then
wrapped his arms around the large dog. As he silently thanked Sofia
for saving the home, Morgan and her friend had an exchange of their
own.

Evita
mouthed thank you to Morgan, followed by a wink. Morgan returned a
smile and a nod, then Evita left. “I...I've never seen anything
like that.” Diego was still trying to make sense of what he'd
seen.

“She'd
do anything for you.” Morgan gave the dog a kiss on the top of
her head after Sofia had met her on the couch. Diego shook his head
back and forth, then let out a long breath of air. Morgan was more
than happy with herself. She hadn't fully expected it to work, but at
least for the time being, it appeared as if it had. It was also clear
that the man was going through something else that had nothing to do
with the dog.

“I
used to...I used to watch cop shows and...and see these
dogs...do..that,” he spoke softly. Morgan brought her knee up
to her chest so she could hide her smile.
I know.

“They're
good dogs,” Morgan told him.

“I
always wanted one...”

She
already knew why he never got one, but he was reaching out, needing
someone to talk to, so she asked. “Why didn't you get
one...or...keep her?”

“My...”
he started, but shook his head again.
He's not ready.
She
understood and decided she wouldn't press him for answers again.

“When
I was a kid, I always wanted a dog too. But, I wanted a Chihuahua. I
thought they were just the cutest things in the world! My mom would
never allow me to have a dog though. I thought I'd get one after she
left, I've just never had the time. Maybe one day though.”

“My
father never allowed dogs in the home either. After he...after he
died, I just...I couldn't go against what he'd spent his whole life
believing.” Morgan could see he was struggling with his words
so she moved closer, then took his hand in hers.

“I'm
sorry to hear about your dad,” she told him, rubbing his hand
softly between hers. She knew it would be a good time to talk to him,
but she didn't know how to bring it up. Instead of thinking about it
until the chance passed, she took a deep breath and went for it.
“Diego, you're not going against your father if...if you want a
dog. This is your life...not...your dad's.” She knew she might
be out of line with her statement and braced for his comeback. There
wasn't one.

He
met her eyes, then placed his hand atop hers. “It's more than
just the dog. I've been...well...I don't think I've been myself. I
mean, look at Evita and Tomas! I've been so wrapped up
in...everything...that I didn't even notice!”

“Well,
you're busy, you can't beat yourself up for that.” She didn't
want him going into pity-party mode, it needed to be a time of
discovery, not depression.

“I
make myself busy, Morgan. I...most of the time...I don't even like
being here. I just...I don't feel...” He looked down at their
intertwined hands.

“Diego,
look at me,” she spoke softly and he listened. “You're
just fine.” She realized something about the man that she
hadn't figured out all week. There was absolutely nothing wrong with
him.
Time. That's all you need. Just...time.
“If...if
what you're feeling has something to do with your father...it's okay.
Everyone takes time to grieve, and everyone does it in a different
way. Just...” she thought of Tomas' words, “just don't
ever lose touch of who you really are. The most important thing to
know is that you still have a family.... Evita and Tomas, and they
depend on you. This is your chance now, Diego, your chance at the
life you want.”

He
wrapped his fingers tighter around hers, then leaned in and kissed
her softly on her cheek. “You're a special woman, Morgan.”
She wanted to argue and say she wasn't special at all. If it hadn't
been for Tomas, she never would have even known anything about her
client. Instead though, she smiled. Diego's eyes went to Sofia, then
he cracked a smile of his own. “You can stay here, but you're
still not allowed on the couch!” They both laughed as Sofia
defied him and jumped up on the cushion beside him. “Alright,
just this once.”

*****

Friday
morning, Morgan was exhausted. She and Diego had not figuratively
stayed up all night, but literally. They'd pulled an all-nighter,
just as two teens at a slumber party. Their last night together was
the best night Morgan had the pleasure of sharing with the man. Most
of the time, they'd simply talked. Morgan got to hear stories of his
childhood and he'd even talked more about his dad. At one point,
Diego even admitted to stepping into his father's shoes. It was a
breaking point for him, in which he'd even broken down and cried, but
the few shots of tequila may have helped with that.

He
had excused Evita for the night, leaving her the evening to do
with...or who...she pleased, and the two of them had enjoyed a nice
dinner together by candlelight. He'd known that Morgan had eaten
dinner with his two employees on more than one occasion, so he'd made
it a point to mention they were to continue eating dinner at the
table, but with him. Morgan thought it was sweet and what made her
more happy, she'd helped the man without even really helping him. All
he needed to do was open his eyes and he was able to figure it out on
his own.