Liars and Tigers (5 page)

"Are
you serious? Did you call the cops?"

"I
certainly did. Several times, in fact. But because he didn't touch me, and he's
the owner of the property, they referred me to HUB. I got the shaft there, too.
It's easier to just ignore him right now. But yes, it is time to get out of
there before anything really bad happens."

"I,
um, I have an idea." Alex said hesitantly.

"Rodin
said he'd eat him when he gets big enough," Misha smirked, watching the
cub squirm his way to Kena to nurse again. "Riggins would be one hell of a
meal. He could feed the entire pride."

"He
would also give them all a severe case of indigestion. In the meantime, it's
going to be a while before Rodin will be big enough to chew up a chicken bone,
let alone a giant ogre."

"True.
Do you think Rodin will be okay by himself during the day? He seems content
with Kena and I can't risk taking him from her right now. You could bring him
to work once his eyes open and I can try the bottle again. I will start looking
for a place in the meantime, and…" Misha's words spilled out nervously.

"Misha,
look at me." Alex placed his hands on her shoulders, speaking in a calm,
soothing voice. "You don't have to worry about any of this. You are
welcome to stay here for as long as you like. I have all this room and I'm
rarely home, and this way there won't be a problem with the cub. Or the cops
knocking on your door while your tiger is flossing his teeth with your
ex-landlord's dick."

"Ew,
that was one image that didn't need to be burned into my mind." Misha
shuddered.

"Misha, I'm serious. My
home is yours. You'd have plenty of privacy and I won't bother you. My major
rules include no parties without me present; allow me to be a gentleman and
open doors and carry bags for you, and be careful of your safety."

"I don't do parties. I
can open my own doors and carry my own bags, and you worry too much about
safety," Misha wrinkled her cute nose.

"We can talk about that
later."

Misha silently watched the
cub push one of the puppies out of the way to get to a full nipple. "We
don't exactly have a history of getting along, Alex. You don't play well with
others."

"Neither do you."
Alex smiled softly. "But the arrangement would allow you to stay with
Rodin. All the rooms are furnished and we can easily change things if you want
to. Plus, the residence comes fully equipped with a heated swimming pool and
spa, and a man who enjoys cooking…" Alex urged, waiting for her answer.

"Are you any
good?" Misha raised her eyebrow.

"I think so, but it's a
matter of taste."

She sighed, studying the
little ball of fluff buried under the two puppies. "This is about his
survival, not mine." Finally, she nodded. "I insist on paying rent
and helping out. No arguments."

"Okay, fine. How about
you buy dog food and clean up the remnants? That will more than suffice for
rent." Alex grinned.

"I'm used to that.
Remember? That is why I get the big bucks. Oh, and I don't cook. The most I can
make is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and even that falls apart."

"No problem, I'm not
too fond of PB and J's."

"Very well. Mr. Hodges,
you strike a hard bargain. I think you managed to blackmail me again, this time
using that scruffy looking little fuzzy thing," Misha chortled, pointing
to the wet cub, who yowled unhappily as Kena groomed him.

"Not blackmail, just
practicality given the situation," Alex shrugged, watching her closely. He
was fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss those lovely lips.
What is wrong with me?
he rebuked
himself.
This is a business arrangement,
nothing more!

"I also insist on being
supplied with spit rags. Does she ever stop drooling?" Seeing Alex shake
his head, Misha sighed. She suddenly smirked mischievously. "Do you think
it would be uncouth of me to take Miss Kena for a little car ride? I need to
pick up some more things from the house."

Alex's expression matched
hers. "I'll have to come along to make sure she doesn't get anxious. Will
the babies be okay?"

"We'll bring them with
us. She'll feel more protective that way." Misha giggled.

"Miss Miller! I saw a
man in here! I told you, no male visitors," Riggins shouted, as he banged
loudly on her door.

Alex elbowed her. "Does
the bastard watch your every move?" he whispered.

Misha nodded. "I think
he does. He is out there watching me as I leave for work every morning, and
rocking on his porch when I come home. What do you want, Mr. Riggins? I'm a
grown woman. I can have company."

"Not under your
agreement. Let me in. Surprise inspection!"

Alex crossed his arms, his
handsome face drawn into a deep frown as Riggins shoved Misha out of the way.
The heavy-set man stormed toward the bedroom, his stride frozen as he suddenly
stood facing a very large, very protective, and now, very angry set of teeth
attached to the large mastiff. Kena stalked toward him with her head low, her
withers raised, and a low growl rumbling deep in her throat.

"Mastiffs don't stand
silently by when an intruder threatens their family," Alex said casually.
"They were bred to take down bears and pull barges, and she sees you as a
puny fly that she will swat away with a simple stroke of her tail."

"Why don't you try to
bully
her
?" Misha taunted
sarcastically, as she linked her arm in Alex's bent elbow. "I've told you
to pick on somebody your own size, and now you have the chance. Come on, show
the dog what type of man you really are. She's a female, so why are you so
afraid?"

Riggins face reddened to an
angry flush as he raced out of the trailer, screaming an order for Misha to
leave the premises immediately. Together they watched the blustering man hasten
into his car and zoom out of the driveway.

"Did you see the little
wet spot left on the front of his pants?" Alex asked, wrapping his arm
gently around Misha's shoulders and giving her a tiny squeeze.

She didn't shrug him off.
"Little? I think he peed more when he saw the dog than an elephant does in
an entire day," Misha giggled.

Alex nodded, secretly
wishing that he had been the one sending the bully running away from Misha with
his tail tucked between his legs. He reluctantly admitted to himself that, when
compared to Kena, even a man of Alex's size and stature looked dwarfed.

It took them less than two
hours for Misha to load the full extent of her personal belongings into her
truck. Alex shook his head, remaining silent about how sparsely the woman
lived, and wondered if he was paying his employees enough to not only survive,
but to get ahead in life. Personally, he preferred the simpler way of living.
If not for Carla, he would never have bought the huge colonial and twenty-five
acres of adjacent property in Deer Springs. The twelve years he'd spent in the
elite forces had been good ones, and he missed camping, sleeping in a tent, and
living off the land. He knew how much Misha loved working in the field.
Would she like to take a camping trip
sometime?

Alex was amazed when Misha
requested that he drive the truck back to his house, and astonished that she
did not scold him for helping her into the seat and buckling her in. Several
times, he caught her trying to hide the fact that she had been studying his
hardened, chiseled features in the dimming light of early evening. He glanced
at her, feeling her eyes on him, and winked. Misha blushed brightly and whipped
around to pretend to watch the road, grunting as Alex chuckled.

"I have to confess,
that was kind of fun," he said, to break the silence. "Did you see
how he squeezed himself into that little car?"

"It's even funnier
watching him trying to get out," Misha snickered. "Thanks for coming
with me and for letting me borrow the puppy dog. She's such a good girl."
Misha kissed the dog's nose as Kena nuzzled her shoulder from behind the front
seat.

"If it's okay with you,
I'll make some calls tomorrow and see what we can do about making him return
all your money. It's the least he can do after breaking into your home and
harassing you."

"Do
you think I could get some of it back? He has two grand of my
deposit—"

"He
pissed me off, Mish. It is your call, but I would love to have my attorney sue
him for every penny you spent. My guy is the best and works on retainer, so it
won't cost you a cent. Well?"

"Ordinarily
I would refuse, but this jerk deserves to pay. Go for it, and thank you. I can
use it to go towards buying my own ranch."

After pulling into the
estate grounds and settling Kena in her room with her litter, Alex announced
that it was time for Misha to select which room she wanted. Lifting her chin,
she chose the tiny maid's room located farthest away from the master suites, and
closest to the kitchen. Alex protested loudly, insisting that she deserved a
real room, and demanded that she choose another.

Misha crossed her arms to
glare at him. "I will not be taking charity, Mr. Hodges. This room meets
my needs just fine. If you have changed your mind regarding my stay, say so
now."

"You are kind of stuck
here, you know. You were evicted, remember?" he answered her, solidly
meeting her glare. "Are you going to try to pick a fight with me every
time you get a chance? There is no need to be so obstinate. Whether you pick
the grand suite or the mud room, it will still cost you dog food and cleaning
up her mess."

She lifted her eyebrow and
crossed her arms. Without breaking eye contact, Misha impatiently began to tap
her right foot on the tile. The staring contest lasted three full minutes
before Alex finally threw his arms into the air.

"I'm too tired to fight
tonight. Very well, it's yours. If you change your mind, you're free to move
into another room. I just thought you would enjoy something larger, for when
Rodin gets bigger and will want to den with you."

"Thank you, but I'm
satisfied with this one. Be serious now. How much for rent?"

"We made the agreement
that you will buy dog food and clean up her presents."

"That can't cost more
than one hundred a month!"

"You haven't seen this
girl eat. Feeding a mastiff is like feeding a felid. She likes good food, and I
keep her on a raw diet." Alex chuckled. Misha again started to stare him
down, her gold-brown eyes smoldering with annoyance.
"Fine. What were you paying the slumlord?" he grumbled.

"Just five hundred
dollars a month. It was ridiculously low, and now I see why. I can't afford
much more than that and still save for my own place. You know how much I make.
And
no
giving me a raise to
compensate for the difference, you hear me?"

"Why are you so
difficult? Fine, Miss Miller, we will play it your way. You paid five hundred
dollars for a whole house, property and no roommates," he calculated.
"Now you are being forced to live in a single room and share community
space. How about two hundred dollars?"

"Don't be absurd.
That's too low." She looked at him suspiciously.

Alex shook his head.
"I think it's reasonable. You're
taking the smallest bedroom and bath in this house, have to share community
property and utilities, and will be aiding me greatly in the care and feeding
of my beasties. I think it's more than fair. In fact, I bet you will be begging
me to reduce your rent after you see how much that dog eats."

"You're lucky that you
aren't the only one exhausted here. Okay, I surrender. You win this round.
Shake?"

"Are you sure you don't
want to draw up a contract?" he teased, shaking her tiny hand. "I
don't want you to think that I am taking advantage of you."

"I've had more than
enough of contracts written by slumlords, thank you very much," she
commented, surprising him with her grip. "A verbal agreement is
fine."

"It's a deal. I also
think some house rules are necessary. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to
clean up after yourself. I'm kind of a neat nick. Please knock before you enter
a room and, if you are ever going to be late, call."

"I am not a child, Mr.
Hodges…"

"Make up your mind.
It's either Alex or Mr. Hodges. I prefer Alex. Those same rules apply to me. I
don't want to be worried if you don't come home on time, and I would hope you'd
be concerned if I was late as well. Call it what you want, but we have both
become surrogate parents today, not just roommates. We need to be able to rely
on each other to keep an eye out for Rodin. He's not going to stay small for
long."

"Fine. One more
thing," Misha added, staring up at him, "once I leave work, you are
no longer my boss. As you said, we are roommates and co-parents to this litter,
nothing more. You are not to use my job to manipulate me in any way."

"Yes ma'am." Alex
grinned mischievously, enjoying the suspicious look Misha sent in his
direction. He knew exactly what she was thinking... this was much too easy.