Diamond's innocent eyes reprimanded him. Losing yourself in your feelings, Ian, her eyes whined, get a hold of yourself. If you really want Amy to admire you, go about it effectively. Or forget about it.
"But how?" Ian burst at the little dog, who let out a yelp and pounced on one of his shoes. He picked up the squirming poodle and sat slowly on Dan's bed. "I - cannot - stop - thinking - about - her." Diamond purred deep in her throat. "No! Not Ruby - that girl. Amy. How, Diamond? What is the key to Amy's heart?"
He held Diamond out in front of him. "How, dog? Tell me."
Diamond narrowed her eyes and, barely opening her mouth, let out a sound that sounded quite like an angry cat.
"Don't you go quoting Saladin," Ian grumbled, roughly placing her on the floor. She shook herself, curly white fur flying, and went scampering off to a corner of the room. Then Ian sat up, his amber eyes widening, the edges of his mouth curling up.
"I know what to do, Diamond, old friend," he said softly with a pearly smile. "Who loves Saladin more than Amy? Nobody. I find the cat, I win her heart."
Diamond sauntered closer to Ian again, rumpling a freshly folded blazer that was stacked with other clothes on the floor. She tilted her head up at Ian, and seemed just about to bark something when the door flew open.
"I want to go shopping," Natalie Kabra drawled, standing in the entrance to the room. Daniel peered over her shoulder, a smirk playing at his lips.
"Talking to your poodle, again, Cobra?" Dan laughed.
Ian stood up and brushed Diamond's fur crisply off of the flawless black of his suit jacket. "Let's not mention the way you fondle your 'ninja swords', Daniel. To the car, children." Ian, Diamond at his heels, brushed past an open-mouthed Dan and a giggling Natalie. While irritating Dan gave him some satisfaction, it wasn't the only reason he got up to leave the room. He wanted to judge Amy's reaction to their interaction from mere minutes before. But as he passed the open door to her room, the kitchen, the entry hall, she was nowhere to be found. His heart sank just a big when he slid into the limo before the bickering Dan and Natalie, and as they drove to Sak's Fifth Avenue, Ian could only stare out the window and wish.