CH26

Johanna was sitting in first class and had to have the flight attendant to touch her shoulder twice to snap her out of whatever she'd been thinking about so intensely. "I'm sorry what?" Johanna questioned.

"I'm going to have to ask you to put the dog back in the carrier and back under the seat," she told her. "I do that and she'll go back to crying and whining. She's just a puppy on her first flight. Do you really want all these first class passengers and all of the others within earshot mad at you? …NANCY!" Johanna said the name on her tag quite loudly. Johanna watched the looks on her face change every second it seemed. "Just keep the dog quiet," she relented and left Johanna alone. It allowed Johanna to keep stroking her puppy 'till it went to sleep as her mind drifted back and replayed the last 4 days.

She did have a problem getting to Oscar's office but was better once she was there. She picked up the old dog beds, water bowl, and food bowls and took them outside to the dumpster while Oscar was showing the new office mascot to everyone. Johanna missed most of the cooing along with the "He's so cute. Would you look at that face," remarks. As well as several "We're so sorry Oscar."

Johanna put the bed she had brought down along with the new water and food bowl. She also noticed that his office here looked a lot like the one at home. It was a mess! What she wanted to do was clean the place, but it wasn't hers and she didn't know what she could and couldn't throw out.

She got to see the billboard that they were planning. However as soon as they found out the name they scrapped one of them since it didn't fit the name. They needed a new theme for it. "Sorry." Johanna felt bad about that. "It's not a problem, we'll have a new one in no time," one of his staff told her. She also noticed that Oscar had no problem delegating what to do to others.

It was just after lunch as Johanna had eaten in his office while he was on the phone creating a list for her. It was locations in surrounding cities where she could have fresh produce trucked in every other day. Meat was also set up as every other day delivery. Coffee, tea, syrup bags, and carbonation for soda were once a week for now. Filters for the coffee, tea, ice machine, and steamers were scheduled for once a month. He also gave her a number to call to have her grease interceptor cleaned every 3 months as required by the local building authority.

"Is someone actually going to go down into this thing and clean it?" Johanna was shocked and thought whomever this guy was, he was nuts. She was perplexed as Oscar started laughing. "By cleaning I mean a guy in a truck with a big tank on the back is going to pull up next to it, pull the manhole covers off, drop a large hose down into it and suck our all the grease which will be floating on the top. Then he'll close it all back up, pack up his hose, and drive away. Your grease interceptor is now empty of grease, a product that the public works department hates having in their sewage treatment plants. They can actually fine you and order you to correct the problem if they find grease exiting your grease trap," he explained. "Oh, is the fix expensive?" Johanna questioned. "If we dig out the existing one and replace it, then yes, probably around $40 grand. But we have options that can cut that in half, but yes, it can be expensive," he admitted. "There really is a lot to owning and operating a restaurant." Johanna had to admit that she was a little anxious. "That's what you got me for. You have a problem, call me and I'll have it fixed," Oscar told her.

She spent the next 3 days in his apartment having dinner cooked for him when he got home. "I haven't had a home cooked meal waiting for me after I got home in years," he stated as he breathed in the smell. "I'm glad I could help." Oscar had done so much, she needed to do something. "You're spoiling me you know that," he pointed out. "I guess you'll just have to come back out to Newcastle again some time," Johanna offered, meaning come to her restaurant in her mind.

Three days later she had checked her bag and a large box that had all of her puppy paraphernalia inside it along with the name and address to a local veterinarian. She had Patch in her arms while saying goodbye to Oscar, thanking him for everything.

He decided to risk it. Johanna was going home and he didn't know when his next trip out there would be. Likely not until the contractor was done so he could make sure the contractor and his subs had done everything correctly and have him fix what he didn't.

"I know you'll do great and it's been amazing to have you here," he had told her then he kissed her. She had been shocked at first then she had kissed him back. What was worse was that she knew that if she didn't have Patch in her hands she would have wrapped her arms around him.

For the first time in a long while she didn't know what to say and had simply walked to the security area and went through that embarrassment. She had almost missed her flight until she heard the final boarding call. Even now she was zoned out as she replayed the kiss over and over again in her mind.

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Eric Vaughn had an excellent life as far as he was concerned. No wife or children to tie him down. He worked from home; he was rich and he was young. Well, considering his net worth, he was young. Mid 30s was still young as far as a lot of people were concerned.

Right now he was lounging in his pool that was out on his overly large patio located on the first of his three floor penthouse. A pergola covered it allowing a certain amount of shade, which was a good thing considering he lived in Miami Beach, Florida. In his case he lived in a penthouse that was 3 floors tall. Every column that held the pergola up had a speaker mounted to it along with a fan that was part of a misting system.

There were three bedrooms and three bathrooms with 4,661 square feet of space not including his huge patio and pool. All three floors had floor to ceiling windows. They all had curtains but he never closed them. There was no one around him that could see in, especially the windows that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. He had his own private foyer that was accessed via elevator that required a key and a code to reach. There were 2 emergency stairwells, one on each side. There was an internal elevator for his 3 floors as well as an expansive spiral staircase.

The patio had a casual seating area large enough for 8 people and an outdoor dining room table that could seat those same 8 people. The interior oval table also had room to seat eight.

He had a large library room filled wall to wall with books and seating for four with two small tables. His living room was the single largest room in the place. It had one wall of windows, wood floors laid down in a herringbone pattern. All of his furniture was considered modern with steel legs and steel arms with black cushions.

His kitchen wasn't huge by any standards, however, it did have excellent views of the ocean. The oven with large range top had an equally large overhead island hood. He could even grill indoors with it. Solid black solid surface countertops with white cabinetry that had a touch of beige. His large office space was off of the main dining room on the second floor and had seating for four guests. The theater room that seated six was right next to it on the same floor.

His master bedroom was large and had its own separate seating area that had a pass though fireplace. One entire wall was nothing but windows with drapes that had never been closed. The other two bedrooms were also on the third floor. His location also gave him a spectacular view of the beach of South Beach, especially when he used the telescope out on the patio that was powerful enough to determine the color of her eyes.

He was presently enjoying himself and was about to enjoy himself even more as his date for the day came out onto the patio naked to join him in the pool again. She was typical of the kind of women he liked. Early to late 20s, blonde, built perfectly, and extremely fit as well as beautiful. The best part about all his daily or weekly girlfriends was that Bullwinkle the Moose had more brains. He had hopes that this one would last the week at least since she didn't tire during sex and was a firecracker willing to do some seriously kinky things.

Carol wasted no time in slipping into the pool and started kissing him while trailing her fingers across his chest. When he started kissing her back enthusiastically enough she began stroking his penis to get him hard. It was then that the cell phone that was sitting on the side of the pool started to vibrate. He was forced to take her hand off of his now half erect penis. "I have to take this baby. Hold my place and don't move," Eric told her and reached for the phone as he got out of the pool.

"Yes." He walked away just as naked as she was. "Understood… What are the codes? …Yes I'll be here to sign for it. …Thank you, I won't let you down." He hung up the phone and went inside putting his cell phone down then walked into the kitchen and opened his wine cooler.

Krug Clos d'Ambonnay – $2,701 Made with Pinor Noir, Krug Clos d'Ambonnay

Eric grabbed two glasses and walked back to the pool and the lovely naked woman waiting for him. "We're going to celebrate!" He held up the bottle and the glasses showing what they would be celebrating with. "I just secured the most fabulous deal in the history of the planet," he informed her which had her smiling. In her mind that meant he was going to spend even more money on her which suited her fine.

POP! "You're going to remember this day for the rest of your life," he said gleefully. If he failed would likely mean she would die, too, but failure wasn't an option as far as he was concerned. Eric raised his glass. "To the demise of all shifters on the planet." He tapped her glass and drank. Carol had no idea what he was talking about. But for right now she was the only woman in his penthouse having sex with him in his pool with both of them naked, and after they finished this bottle she was going to fuck his brains out. Right now she smiled before drinking her glass.

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Rick was driving Kate to the airport in Rapid City to pick up her mother. "You're thinking awfully loud over there," he pointed out. He couldn't read her mind; they could only hear each other when one of them consciously talked to the other. "I'm just dying to hear what my mother says about her 5 days back in New York City. I know she fears the place now and if it wasn't for Oscar she would never have set foot in the city again," she remarked. "I doubt that Oscar would let her suffer. Except for the trip to the bank they may have never left his apartment," he said. "RICK!" She glared at him for what he said.

Rick was shocked by her response. What had he said? He replayed it in his head and the lightbulb lit up. "That's not what I meant, get your mind out of the gutter. Honestly!" He spared her a quick look since he was entering the airport area. 'Sorry,' Kate told him. "There," she pointed. Johanna was standing back from the curb just a little. Her suitcase was next to her and a large box was on the other side of her with a carry-on hanging on her shoulder. However it was the white fluff she was holding that had Kate's attention.

"What have you done Mom!?" she exclaimed as Rick pulled up next to her. Kate got out to give up her space up front. She picked up Johanna's suitcase and tossed it into the bed of the truck but decided to wait for Rick to lift the big box which turned out not to have the weight its size conveyed. "Mom?" she asked as they all secured their seatbelts. "This is Patch. Isn't she the most adorable, cutest thing you've ever seen?" Johanna gushed which had Kate's heart pounding. She hadn't heard her mother sound that excited in a long time.

"Oscar has a puppy just like her. We got both of them at a pet store. She's a Coton de Tulear." Johanna was having a little difficulty hanging onto her; Patch wanted to go see the big guy sitting next to her. "You got a puppy?" Kate said absolutely astounded. "I couldn't resist her Katie, just look at that face," Johanna stated and held up the puppy for Kate to see her face as Patch did her best to lick Johanna's face now that it was closer.

"Well, Alexis will be excited. Even Midas and Maggie might be happy to meet another puppy," Rick said. "Oh, we can't. The vet said not to have her interact with another dog until she's had all her shots. Something about parvo virus living forever. We have to wait another month before they can meet her." Johanna subconsciously held Patch close to her chest to protect her.

"Then Midas and Maggie will just have to wait," he stated. "Thank you for understanding Rick." Johanna put Patch back down in her lap. "Is that what the box is for?" Kate asked. "Yes, it has her bed, some food, toys, chew toys, pigs' ears, grooming tools, and other things. We went a little overboard at the pet store," Johanna said sheepishly.

"How was Oscar?" Rick asked concerned about his friend. "I think he'll be fine especially now that he has someone at home waiting for him," Johanna told him.

"How was New York?" Kate inquired anxious for her. "Busy, congested, loud, dirty, and uncomfortable. I'm glad to be gone," Johanna said in relief, which was sad in a way. She was born in New York City and it used to be her home. Now she couldn't wait to leave it.

"Did you go anywhere?" Kate questioned her. "Oscar talked me into taking the puppies with us into his office so the staff could see his new puppy. I told him the name I chose for the restaurant and he showed me the billboards they were planning. They scrapped one of them after I told them the name but they told me not to worry about it," Johanna explained. "Oh, the contractor should already be out here starting work, so can we please…" Rick interrupted her, "Drive by it so we can see? Of course." He wisely left off the DUH! comment.

He drove by the site slowly so all could see and then found a spot in the strip mall parking lot so they could get a little closer. They watched a bobcat come through where a wall had been removed and dump some debris into a dumpster. There was also a trailer in the parking lot that held all of the construction crew's tools along with a whole lot of other stuff. As they watched, a couple of guys were getting ready to close off one side of the street. "That must be for the increased water line since Oscar said the existing line was too small," Johanna remarked. They only stayed an hour to watch, however, just as they were leaving a flatbed truck showed up loaded with wood that looked like 2x6s. "They're probably to frame the new exterior walls," Johanna guessed.

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Eric rolled out of bed and picked up his cell phone. Now that he was in charge he needed some burner phones. He didn't want his face out there showing up on a security recording so he had someone else buy them for him. He just hadn't returned with them yet. "Yes," Eric answered. "I think we may have something. He's all alone except for his daughter who's only six," he was told. "Is she a shifter too?" Eric asked. "Unknown at this time. That he's one is also unknown, however our source has been in place for over a year. He has informed us that he has pictures of an SUV that has been heavily damaged. Part of that damage fits with it being ripped with bear claws," Eric was informed. "Anything on the owner of the damaged SUV?" Eric questioned. "Negative, it was owned by a dummy corporation that we have been unable to locate the owner of as yet. We're still working on it," Eric was told.

"Anything else from our source?" Eric questioned. "He has a new rookie that knows nothing. He's had her out in the north and south 40 doing nothing. He's going to have her enter the site he has questions about that's in his area. He plans on bringing her in for her 30 day review soon. He's betting that she's bored enough by now that her tongue will be lose. Plus she used to be a homicide detective. He has her in a piece of junk driving around doing nothing," Eric was told. "Meaning she'll be anxious to show off her skill set and sell out someone without even knowing it. Excellent, keep me informed. In the mean time I'll organize a small team to have the target monitored. I'll make sure they're set up with drones for surveillance. Keep me informed," Eric ordered.

He hung up his cell phone as he watched Carol, dressed in one of his dress shirts with just one button buttoned, give him a display. Eric walked over to her and used the shirt to pull her into him. He kissed her while he worked on the button. They'd already gone two rounds this morning, however, seeing her like this had him interested in round three.

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It had been two weeks since Johanna had returned from New York and Kate had noticed that she was still happy and cooing over Patch, who, Kate had to admit, really was a cute and happy puppy. Kate had also noticed that her mother was talking with Oscar every other day and while when she was close enough to hear her, it was about the restaurant and an update of how things were going.

However it was when Kate caught her unawares that the conversation was about other things. "I don't know Oscar, I'm sorry. It's just that I always thought that Jim was my one and done. I truly don't know how I feel about you kissing me," Johanna admitted which had Kate sucking in a breath and holding it so she could remain silent. "No, it meant a lot to me, I just don't know how to react to it," she informed him and listened for a minute. "No, I liked it, it was nice. Please Oscar, give me some time to think it through." Johanna listened for a few moments. "No, seeing you when you come out for a site visit would be nice. I'll have the spare bedroom ready for you." Johanna listened a little longer. She chuckled a bit. "Yes, I'll cook one of the items on the menu. Bye Oscar." She hung up the phone and Kate tippy toed backwards over to the stairs.

"Mom, I'm going over to Rick's today before I go back to work tomorrow," Kate called and headed for the door. "Have fun Katie. I have to take Patch into the vet for her next set of shots anyway. I'd join you but Patch isn't ready to see Midas and Maggie yet." Johanna felt bad about that. She hadn't seen either Rick or Alexis for 2 weeks because of Midas and Maggie and she was missing them.

Kate had been having withdrawals being away from Rick's arms. She was having trouble sleeping without him. "I'm in so much trouble." She hung her head. He had given her a key to his house yesterday after she got off work. She used it today to let herself in and found Rick and Alexis sitting at the coffee table playing a game. "Hi Midas, hi Maggie." She petted them at the door then closed and re-locked it. She headed for a smiling Alexis and a very happy Rick since he saw her carrying her overnight bag.

What Kate didn't see was the drone circling the house high above, nor the two man team that was guiding it.