Part 4 (1/2)

aWhatas this?a Nick stared at the puppy squirming in Caitlinas hands. After a day spent plowing through computer files, he wasnat in the mood for any more of her jokes.

aYour way in.a He raised his eyebrows waiting for her to explain.

aSame concept as the vibrator but youall be able to move around. Change into the puppy, Iall deliver you. Youall have free reign of the house.a He stared at the dog, currently licking his sisteras fingers, his little tail wagging with perky ecstasy. aI hate turning into little animals. Too yappy. Itas hard to keep control of their minds.a Everything had its own energya”even that stupid vibratora”but when dealing with a living creature, there was the added complication of psychic energy. In an animal, this energy revealed itself as instinct. If he took on the puppyas form, he would actually become a puppy with a human mind inside it. The human had to control the animal, fighting the natural instincts and innate responses. Some animals were easier than others. Baby animals tended to have very short attention spans.

aYouad rather turn into an inanimate object?a No, but at least I had a chance of getting near Tallyas p.u.s.s.y. And that had worked so well.

aFine.a He took the dog from his sister and concentrated, absorbing the animalas essence. It slipped into his system like a streak of electricity. The puppy stretched up and licked him across the chin. Nick smiled, no more able to resist the adorable puppy than hopefully Tally would be. He could easily imagine Tally on the ground, rolling around with the puppya”her eyes alight with laughter. The picture made his chest ache.

Steeling his spine, he pushed the dog back in to Caitlinas hands.

aWeall do it tonight. Late. So she doesnat have a chance to get rid of the dog before bed.a Tally stared at the papers spread out across her kitchen table. No matter how she looked at the numbers on the Georgia plant, they didnat add up. Profits were being tallied but she couldnat find the source. Shead checked and rechecked the math but still it looked like money was appearing out of nowhere. She grabbed the expense lists for the factory. Maybe there was some savings realized that she hadnata”

The doorbell broke her chain of thoughts. She peered up at the clock. Nine forty-five? Who would be coming by at this hour? Richard? A warm s.h.i.+ver skipped down her spine at the thought. A repeat of the other night might have been part of her unconscious fantasies throughout the day. But as quickly as the thought came to her, it died. Richard had called and said he was safely in Chicago. Head even called her aBaby Dolla. Ugh. She much preferred the hungry, growling ababya when he was buried deep inside.

She dropped her pencil on the table and went to the door, smoothing her clothes. The bell rang again. She peeked out the window. A woman in a crisp blue suit waited. Her lips were moving as if she was talking to someone.

Still cautious, Tally opened the front door, keeping one foot behind it to block it from opening further.

aYes?a aTally Hayward?a aYes.a aI have a delivery for you.a She stretched her arms forward, pus.h.i.+ng a brown bundle through the small opening of the door. Tally had little choice but to accept it. The door swung wide but that was no longer her biggest concern. It was the puppy twitching in her hands. The fluffy mound of fur was squirming and wiggling, as if trying to get closer to her. She pulled it against her chest and he began to lick her neck, up to her earlobe.

aHe likes you. Imagine that?a The puppy turned his head and released a little growl. The sound was low but hardly dangerous. The other woman chuckled and looked as if she was holding back a full belly laugh.

She set a bag at Tallyas feet. aHereas everything he needs for the next few days and a list of instructions on puppy care.a She started to turn away.

aNo, wait. What is this? You canat leave him here. I didnat order a puppy.a aHeas a gift.a She looked at a slip of paper. aFrom Nick Conner.a aNick sent me a puppy? But I canat keep a puppy.a She pushed out her hands, holding the dog away. He started to cry as soon as their bodies separateda”the mournful, heart-wrenching cries of a puppy. The sound was so pitiful, Tally cuddled him back against her chest. He settled down and his little tail flipped back and forth in joy.

aHe doesnat seem to want to leave you.a Again the woman looked on the verge of laughter. aBut donat worry. Heas housetrained.a She reached out and petted his head. aThe best in his cla.s.s at puppy school.a Another growl in her direction.

aBut why would Nick send me a dog? Can you keep him until I figure this out?a It was a sweet gift but shead didnat have pets. With the hours she worked, it didnat make sense. Pets took time and energy. The puppy licked her chin. And love. She looked down into his deep blue eyes. They seemed to be pleading her with herakeep me, keep me. aHeas adorablea”a Just like the man who sent him. aButaa She pled silently with the woman.

aIam sorry. Itas against policy. Once an animal has been delivered, itas your responsibility.a She smiled and tilted her head. It was a friendly welcoming smile that seemed out of place with the casual relations.h.i.+p of a delivery person and her client. aIt was nice to meet you, Tally.a She tapped the puppy on the head. aBe good.a There was a stern warning in her voice that the dog ignored. He rested his head against Tallyas chest and closed his eyes. aYouare going to have a time with that one. Good night.a The woman walked away. Tally could have sworn she heard her laughing as she went down the porch and back to her truck.

Tally stood for a moment, thinking it had to be a joke. Nick couldnat have sent her a dog. Why? Did he think she was in need of companions.h.i.+p? If so he should have come himself.

With a sigh, she stared down at the puppy, now sleeping contentedly in her arms, his chin resting on her breast. He looked happy and pleased with himself. Almost as if his little mouth was smiling.

There was nothing she could do tonight. Shead have to keep him tonight and return him to Nick tomorrow. She grabbed the bag of supplies and dragged it into her living room. Carrying the puppy carefully, she set him on the couch. She was two steps away when the cries started. Head woken up and was standing at the edge of the cus.h.i.+onsa”alternately looking at her and the ground so far away.

aYou want to come with me? Okay, but no tinkling in my house, okay?a She doubted the puppy actually agreed but she picked him up and put him on the floor. With those sweet little puppy eyes staring at her, there was little chance she was going to get any more work done. It was time to admit defeat. The numbers were wrong and that meant someone was stealing. Shead have to talk to Edward Branch or Martin Jessup in the morning and tell them what shead found. She gathered up her papers and tossed them into her briefcase. The puppy whimpered at her feet.

aAre you hungry?a She looked through the bag that had come with him and pulled out a water bowl and puppy food. The dog sniffed the food and growled. aNo good, huh?a She stood and stared at the cute little guy. He sat on the ground looking up at her with quiet adulation, melting any resistance she had to him. aWell, Iam ready for bed. How about you?a The puppyas tail wagged furiously until she thought it would knock his little body over. aNeed to go outside first?a She let him out into her backyard to do his business. He ran behind the one tree in her yard like he was shy then returned moments later looking as cute and adorable as ever. He ran back to her side and wagged his tail as if thrilled to see her again. Oh, he would be hard to give back. She crouched down and collected him in her arms, carrying him upstairs with her.

aYou really are too cute but I donat think I can keep you.a The puppy whimpered as if he understood her. aWell, weall see.a The light immediately returned to the dogas eyes. He sighed and snuggled against her, resting his head contentedly on her chest.

Nick stared at the closed bathroom door and wondered if it was safe to risk changing into his human form. This puppy mind was driving him nuts. The puppy had no control over his reactions. Every emotion Nick felt the dog immediately amplified and showed. He briefly wondered if Tally thought it strange that the dog was reacting to her words.

The thought pa.s.sed quickly. Nothing stayed long in this puppyas mind.

The indignity of it all. First head had to pee in her backyard. Nick had been able to control the puppy enough to run behind a tree. Not that he was overly shy in his human form but he didnat want Tallyas memories of him to be him lifting his leg.

And then shead locked him in the bathroom for the night.

He heard a rustle of skin on sheets. d.a.m.n, I want to be with her. The puppy mind immediately reacted and the dog released a pitiful cry. And kept crying.

aOh, puppy, please be quiet,a Tally called from the other side of the door. But he could hear the guilt in her voice. He was getting to her. He kept crying and added a little scratching to the bottom of the door. She was silent for what seemed like a long timea”though it was difficult to track the pa.s.sage of time with the puppyas short attention span. Finally he heard her move. Seconds later the door popped open and he skidded back.

She was huge to him in this body but still adorable. Her scent was especially tempting. The puppy instincts took control and Nick felt his body twitch and shake with joy.

aOkay, sweetie, you can come sleep with me.a Oh yeah. The tail whipped up into a frenzy.

She held him against her chest all the way back to the bed. She lay down and placed him beside her. He crawled over her, cuddling between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as she lay on her side. The warmth and her spicy scent enveloped him. The puppyas mind responded to Nickas pleasure at being beside her and instantly relaxed. Everyone had gotten what they wanted. Nick felt his eyes shutting and couldnat keep them open. The puppy was exhausted and content. There was no way he could fight sleep.

aYou really are just way too cute,a Tally whispered. It was the last thing he heard before his mind faded to black.

He woke with a starta”the frantic puppy dream still racing through his head. Head been bounding through a field of tall gra.s.s chasing b.u.t.terflies.

Nick recaptured the zipping little mind and lifted his head. He was snuggled up against Tally, practically sleeping between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

The dog mind tugged at his attention but Nick managed to keep control. He had to get moving. Regretting the loss of her warmth, he slipped out of Tallyas embrace and padded to the edge of the bed. He peeked over the side. It was a long way down. He braced himself and jumped. The dogas instincts took over and he landed gently on all four feet.

Crouched on the ground, he willed his human form to return. The slow stretching of his muscles was a silent, painful process. The thin layer of baby fur faded from his skin and his human hair returned. It didnat take long to make the switch but it took a moment for him to recover.

He lifted his head and looked across the mattress. Tally was deep in sleep, her mouth slightly open, almost begging for his kiss. Her leg was curled up to the side and Nick knew if he lifted the bottom of her nightgown head see the deep pink of her c.u.n.t. d.a.m.n, head become obsessed with her p.u.s.s.y in the past three days.

With a sigh, he stepped away from the bed. He wasnat here to make love to her. Again. He hurried downstairs and found Tallyas open briefcase on the kitchen table. Papers were casually stacked inside. He glanced through the financial reports she seemed to be reviewing.

He kept part of his mind focused on noises from upstairs and with the rest he reviewed the pages and the calculations. She didnat seem to be hiding informationa”she seemed to be searching for it. The disk lay in the bottom of her briefcase.

He grabbed the disk and went to her office. It took only a few minutes to bring up her computer. A quick scan of the diskas files revealed that this was her high priority disk. It appeared that anything of importance was on this disk. There were lists of subordinatesa salaries and employee reviews. She was smart and protective.

He looked through the files and there was nothing to indicate that shead been stealing. More notes about the Georgia plant sale. He dialed into the network and sent some of the files to Jameson for review.

Nick glanced at the clock. It was getting late and he needed to get back into puppy form. He meticulously returned everything to its place and went upstairs. He listened at the door for the slow steady pace of Tallyas breathing.

Instead there was a soft gasp. Nick recognized the sound. Shead made it the night before when head licked her c.l.i.t. He pushed open the door, inching it wider so he could see her on the bed. The cool moonlight that drifted through the window was enough to illuminate her pale body. Her nightgown was raised, baring her sleek legs and that hot p.u.s.s.y. He licked his lips at the memory, hoping to find some remaining trace of her flavor. He took a step back and leaned against the wall as the memory of her sighs and groans flowed into this crotch and hardened his c.o.c.k.

Another breathy sigh from Tally didnat help the affliction. Unable to resist, he looked back through the opening. Her hand lay between her legs, pumping and pus.h.i.+ng. Her knees pulled back as she thrust her fingers into her c.u.n.t. His hand pushed the door open even as his minda”the distant portion of his brain that was functioninga”commanded that he draw back.

But the exotic vision of Tally spread before him, her own fingers plunging into her p.u.s.s.y, was too much for his desperate body to resist. He stepped to the side of the bed and stared down. Her eyes were shut, her lips open as she gasped for air.

Get out, change, move. Do something. He knew he had to follow the strident commands of his mind but there was something so compelling about the slow pump of her hand between her thighs and scent that arose from her s.e.x.

Her eyes fluttered open. Nick tensed. The haze of sleep was gone from her gaze and he could see the fear building in her body. He had to do something.

aItas just a dream,a he whispered.