Around the World in 80 Men Series: Boxed Set 21-30 (20 page)

“What
time did you say it was?”

“Time
for this,” Morgan leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.
That night, Clay was late for work, but who was going to judge?

*****

Morgan
had been asked to go to work with him, but she declined the offer.
Clay understood, she wasn't used to staying up all night, and she
needed a little normal night time rest if she didn't want her
internal clock to get turned around.

It
was nine o'clock at night, and she was walking through the house,
looking for something to do. “I'm not tired.” Normally,
she wouldn't have been tired so early in the night, but she felt as
if she could stay awake for hours, and that wasn't like her. It
would have been a great time to call Angel, but he had been avoiding
her since her announcement, and that was actually what she and Clay
had wanted. Still, she missed her friend, but the lesson that he
needed to learn would be worth it.

Abby
joined her in the game of pacing in the living room, and Morgan
dropped to the floor to look at the beautiful doberman, eye to eye.
“Well, what do you think... ya want to take a little walk?”
That word, Abby knew, and she ran from Morgan, and stopped at the
front door, right under her leash. “I take it that's a yes?
Yes? Oh, you do?” She got the dog to actually spin in
circles, waiting for her promised outside time, and Morgan laughed as
she hooked the leash to Abby's wide collar.

Morgan
and Abby set off through the front door, and stopped at the end of
the driveway. “Which way, girl?” She looked down and
gave control to her new friend, and Abby was happy to start walking
to the left, away from the house, and the rest of the mansions along
the five mile long community. “Oh, the fields. Good choice!”
She giggled as Abby pulled her to the edge of Clay's property line,
and then they slowed as Abby began taking in the scent of each rock
and plant that they came to. It was alright with Morgan, just
getting out of the house for a little while was worth it, and she
patiently let the girl take her time with each new piece of earth
that needed a once over with her long snout.

Abby
guided them to the center of a two acre field, and finally stopped to
do a little business while Morgan looked away. She'd forgotten to
grab a little white bag before leaving, so she made a mental note of
where they were so that she could return and clean up after her. As
Morgan was looking around, she saw something dark, and very large,
move in the distance. “What the hell is that?” She
whispered as she strained her eyes to see in the dark, anything that
would tell her what had just passed from one part of the fence to
another in the distance. “Push it out, Abby! We need to go!”
The dark mass moved again, and seemed to come closer, although
Morgan still couldn't see exactly what it was.

Abby
still wasn't done, and Morgan was unfortunately forced to pull her,
and make her walk during nature's call. “Sorry, girl.”
She kept pulling, and Abby kept trying to stop and finish. It was no
use, Morgan couldn't keep forcing the dog to walk, and she stopped.
She slowly turned around, and looked in the same direction as she had
been when the mass moved, and that's when Morgan's nightmare began.

“Shit!”
The mass was a man, a very large man, who had been attempting a
break in along the stretch of fine homes behind her. Most likely,
Clay's house, since it was the closest to the open field where the
fence could be breached. He had already been seen, and there was no
way he'd let her out of his sight at that point, because he was
correct in his assumption that Morgan would call the police as soon
as she was safely in the house. “No! Shit!” She backed
up slowly, watching him walk at the same pace as she, then looked
down at Abby who was still trying to work out a stubborn
Mother
Nature
, and was oblivious to everything around her. “Shit
and run, Abby!”

Morgan
pulled her leash hard, and the Doberman kept pace with her back legs
far apart, still attempting to work out her problem as they ran down
through the field. With a quick look back, Morgan saw that he had
also started running, and was close enough that she could make out
his long dirty blonde bangs that flew back against his black hooded
jacket, even in the dark. “Fuck!” She pulled harder,
forcing the dog to run faster, and Morgan felt a quick sense of
relief as her feet hit the sidewalk. Only thirty more yards, and she
would be home free. Abby still wouldn't run enough to keep pace with
Morgan, but the girl hoped that it would be enough to get them there
in time. She was just about to turn around again when she heard fast
hitting footsteps on the sidewalk behind her. “Abby....
please!”

Two
things happened at once; Abby's problem torpedo had finally been
launched, and the relieved girl finally realized that they were being
chased, and not going for an awkward run in the middle of her nightly
business. Morgan's body jerked back as Abby turned around and
stopped running.

There
are several things in Morgan's life that she'll never forget. The
sound of her Gran's voice, her first kiss, Finlay's laughter,
Tanner's wink, and a new one on that night..... the sound that came
from the sleek red and tan Doberman at her side. It was as if a
demon from hell had been awakened, and the sweet little lunch meat
stealer was replaced with something else, something beyond sinister,
something... that saved Morgan's life. Abby's teeth had been bared
to likes that Morgan had ever seen, and the deep growl held more than
a warning, it held a promise. Abby kept that promise when she lunged
for the man, and he was on the ground with Abby's deadly incisors
gripped around his shoulder in seconds. “Shit... I... shit..”
Morgan couldn't call her off the man, because then he may hurt her,
but she couldn't let her kill him either. Her phone wasn't in the
back pocket of her shorts, as her hand that quickly smacked her own
bottom had discovered, so she made the last minute decision to run to
the house and call for help. “If you hurt her, I'll fucking
kill you!” She had no idea how she'd carry through with that
threat, but she had to help Abby as quickly as possible.

Morgan
only got as far as Clay's driveway when an older man, in incredibly
great shape, approached her from across the street. Morgan
hysterically told the man what was going on, and he ran with her back
to the scene. “Abby! Come!” The dobie's eyes shifted
to see who was giving the command, and then went back to look into
the man's eyes on the ground. “Abby!” She finally let
go, but stood over him and growled, the same horrific sound as
earlier, and waited for the man to try and move. “If I were
you,” he said to the bleeding thief, “I wouldn't move
until the police get here.” The older man removed his phone
from his pocket, and made the call. He let Abby stand guard for the
silent six minutes that it took for two squad cars to appear on the
street beside them.

Morgan
and the neighbor gave their report, and the police officer that had
taken it from them had mentioned that he was the primary suspect in a
string of armed robberies, and in one of the cases, he'd shot a man
to death while in his home. They were told that Morgan was lucky to
have had Abby, but she didn't need to be told that when she saw the
gun being removed from the would-be assailant's waist. In fact, she
didn't need to be told that at all. The dog was a hero, and she
would always have a most special place in Morgan's heart.

The
police had already taken the man away, and the neighbor was asking if
Morgan wanted to stay the night with him and his wife instead of
staying alone that night, when Clay's car came to a screeching halt
in the middle of the road where Morgan and the neighbor were still
standing.

“Morgan!
I heard what happened! Are you alright?!” He pulled her
close to him, and she could feel him shaking under the thick
expensive suit.

“Abby...she
saved me...” Morgan buried her head into his chest and a single
tear ran down her cheek, then fell from her chin. Clay held her even
tighter and let her silently sob for a few moments, then the two made
their way inside with the brave dog following close behind.

Eventually,
Clay returned to work with Morgan insisting that she was alright.
The man had been caught, and Morgan was safe. Reluctantly, he left,
but he was sure to set the alarm on the house before leaving.

Morgan
heard the front door shut on the first floor, and looked around the
dark room. “Abby?” The sound of her toenails clicking
against the stairs brought a sense of relief to the shaken girl.
Abby stopped in the doorway, being a good girl as to not run in and
do what she wanted to. “It's alright. Come on.” The
large dog ran across the room with her mouth wide open, and jumped
onto the bed. “Thank you.” She hugged Abby close to
her, and the dog stretched out beside her and was happy to share the
bed with her new friend. “Abby... I'll never forget you, I
promise.” She kept her arms around the dog the entire night,
and both girls had a perfect night's sleep.

Chapter
Eight

“
Shouldn't
you be sleeping or something?” The next morning, Morgan awoke
to the strong scent of bacon and coffee.

“I
know ya don't really eat anything but the bacon anyway... so... I
made you bacon,” Clay set the plate of breakfast down on the
table beside Morgan, then sat on the edge of the bed and gently
pushed her hair away from her eyes. “I'm not going in tonight.”

“So
what you're saying is, I have you to myself today?” Morgan sat
up and stretched her arms before reaching for a piece of crispy
bacon. It wasn't true that it was all she ate, but it smelled to
enticing to ignore.

“Yes,
ma'am. I'd like to take you out. I know you've been itching to play a
few games and I still owe you more ravioli.” Clay grabbed one
of the strips of meat and stood up again. “I've got to let Abby
out, think about it,” he spoke through chewing, then
disappeared through the bedroom door.

“Oh,
I do. I definitely do.” She smiled as she climbed out of bed
and nearly skipped over to her largest pink bag. “I get to see
more of Vegas!” Clay wasn't in the room, at that point he
probably wasn't even in the house, so she didn't feel too silly
talking to herself. If she were on honest speaking terms with Angel,
she probably would have sent the man a text, just to share her
excitement. Instead though, she laughed and picked out her outfit for
the day, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. Angel would be
coming into town the next day and everything could be put behind
them. She'd already forgiven both of the handsome men and she had a
feeling Angel would get a laugh when he found out she'd taken revenge
on him.
At least I hope he finds it funny...

Either
way, she wasn't going to worry about it. She was in Las Vegas,
Nevada, and there were things that needed seen and stuff that needed
done. She wasn't sure what those things were yet, but she looked
forward to finding out.
If I win, I'm giving it to Angel. He'll
have to forgive me.
Morgan giggled again as she turned the clear
knob above the tub. Hot water spilled quickly from the faucet, then,
with the lift of another lever, the water poured from the shower head
above. She stripped down and dipped her hand into the stream of
water, “perfect.”

Twenty
minutes later, after a very enjoyable and very hot shower, Morgan
emerged from a steam filled bathroom. “Well, I didn't expect
such an audience,” she giggled and instinctively pulled the
towel tighter around her body as she walked back to her bag. Abby and
Clay had their eyes on her for every move she made. The real reason
she was back in the bedroom was because she'd forgotten a pair of
panties, but the way he was staring at her, she wondered if she'd
even need them.

“Abby...go
on,” Clay spoke in a low voice and slowly stepped backward
toward the door while watching Morgan move across the room. When he
reached the back wall, his hand moved to the doorknob and he made the
dobie go out into the hallway. “Better?”

“Hmm...
it would be better if.. I don't know.. you were naked?” Clay
smiled and took a few steps forward. Her smile in return was like a
magnet to the powerful man, and his clothes fell to the floor as he
stripped them from his body, never losing one step while moving
across the room.

“This
has to go.” He pulled on one side of Morgan's towel, and
ripped it from her wet body. She ran her hands through his hair as
their lips met, and the need for him once again flowed through her
body like the waves of an angry sea. It was his kiss that set her
ablaze and she was helpless to stop its demanding pull on her deepest
desires. He continued the tortuous kiss as he walked backwards,
bringing her willing body with him.