Dino by Jaime Lewis

Chapter NINE

Arianna felt groggy as her alarm clock blared with the most annoying sound. Laying on her stomach, she reached for the table next to the bed and blindly felt around until she found the clock and hit the off button. She stretched her legs out and felt the slight ache in her muscles, coupled with a dull headache.  She tried to lick her dry lips, but her tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of her mouth.  Jesus, talk about a major case of cottonmouth. Good grief. How much had she drank last night?

She opened her eyes which felt gooey and crusty from sleep. She turned her head toward the table next to the bed, and the first thing she saw was a bottle of water and a bottle of Tylenol sitting there. That was odd because she didn’t remember putting those there. She didn’t even remember how she got back to her place, let alone in bed and dressed. Rolling to her back, she groaned again at the ache she felt in her inner thigh muscles, wondering if she had pulled one of them.

As she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the vivid images of last night's happenings became clearer. She bolted up and grabbed her head as the pain intensified. Cradling her head in her hands she asked herself, “Did I really have sex with a complete total stranger?” If that wasn’t bad enough, she remembered the stranger was her next-door neighbor.

What had she done?  How embarrassing. How was she supposed to act if she saw him?  She could always avoid him. That would be awkward since they’d eventually run into each other sometime or another.

She groaned as she ran her hands down her face. “Way to go, Arianna, what a way to make a first impression.” At least she remembered she hadn’t told him her real name. She wasn’t sure why she decided to introduce herself as Anna. But seeing how things turned out last night, maybe it was for the best. As long as they stayed just neighbors, he didn’t need to know her on a personal level. Considering he stuck his penis in you, how much more personal could you get? The little devil in her subconscious told her. She wanted to swat that little she-devil right off her shoulder. But she did have a point.

She glanced at the clock and shook her head.  She couldn’t dwell on something she couldn’t erase. Right now, she needed to get her butt out of bed and dressed.  She had a lot of running around she needed to do, starting with Christmas shopping for her dad. He was going to be so surprised when she showed up at his house tomorrow for Christmas Eve. He wasn’t expecting her until New Year’s Eve. Later in the afternoon, she had an appointment to get her stitches removed at a medical clinic where she was lucky enough to snag a last-minute appointment. Thank the lord for that because she was ready to pluck the suckers out herself.

After she pulled herself out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed, she made herself some toast to put something in her stomach. The Tylenol had helped with her headache. She poured some coffee into her to-go cup and grabbed her purse and keys. As she made her way to her car, she glanced over at the house next door. Jesus, she couldn’t believe she had actually not only snuck onto her neighbor’s dock and got busted, but then had gone ahead to screw the guy. She couldn’t stop the slow Cheshire Cat smile that spread across her face. She couldn’t lie; it had been some crazy and fantastic sex. Considering it had been over three years since she’d been with a guy, she didn’t have much to compare to. He was carved like a Greek statue. She did remember him saying he was in the Navy. Maybe his ship would be coming up on tour, and she wouldn’t have to see him. She saw his car wasn’t in the driveway, and she blew out a sigh of relief.

◆◆◆

“You did what?” Diego asked, looking at Dino as if he’d lost his mind. And maybe he had. He still couldn’t believe it this morning when he woke up. Judging from Diego’s unreadable reaction, perhaps it had been a bad decision.

Dino grabbed the piece of plywood from the pile and positioned it against the two-by-fours. He felt a twinge of anxiety. He’d had one-night stands before, but this particular one topped the charts. One he wouldn’t mind a repeat of, but he needed to tread the water carefully. When he was inside her there at the end with his face buried in her neck and her arms were wrapped around him, an odd sensation had hit him. It was like a jolt of energy had struck his body. It was powerful, and something he hadn’t experienced before. She touched parts of him deep inside—parts he thought he had closed off forever.

Thoughts of Marianna popped into Dino’s head. No! He shook his head, trying to erase the images of his first love from his brain. He wasn’t going down that path again. There was a reason he vowed never to love again, and he was sticking with that.

“You make it sound like I made a bad decision.”

Diego chuckled. “I’m not saying that. Hell, we’ve all had our fair share of hookups. From how you described her, I might have been tempted. Have you seen her yet?”

Dino shook his head. “No, after I got her back to her place and in bed, I went back to my place, showered, and then got in the car and came over here.”

“Dude, you can’t avoid her. You are bound to see each other, considering you do live next door to each other.”

Dino sighed. “I know.”

“Who knows, maybe she could be the one. Maybe you’re destined to be the next bachelor to succumb to matrimony,” Diego teased, but Dino didn’t find the same amusement that Diego had.

“Not me. Plus, she isn’t interested in a boyfriend. She told me so. So, there’s that.”

“Man, whoever hardened that heart of yours all those years ago really did a number on you. But you need to remember that not all people are like whoever it was. Hell, look at the guys on the team. Whoever thought Potter would’ve found what he was looking for in Tenley? Then take Irish as another example; he was just a horny motherfucker who never dreamed of settling down, but then Bailey came along and knocked him for a loop. What I’m trying to say is that there is somebody out there for everyone. And sometimes you find it instantly, but then sometimes you have to search for it.”

Dino dropped his head. Diego was right; not all women were liars and disloyal as Marianna had been. He never spoke about his past with guys on the team, especially the situation with Marianna. There was so much more to the story than her being just a girlfriend who broke his heart.

“What did you say she did before moving here?” Diego asked.

Dino shrugged his shoulders before hoisting another piece of plywood and holding it while Diego shot the nails in with the air gun.

“She said something about fashion. Whatever that means. She seemed like she was seasoned at deflecting questions posed to her.  She gave concise answers and would then turn the questioning back to me. She was very smooth in the way she went about it.”

“Huh. That doesn’t really say much about her. Any family around?”

“Not sure. We didn’t get that far into the questioning.”

Diego grinned. “I still can’t believe you slept with someone who trespassed on your property. Wait until the guys hear about this.”

“Oh, come on. You’re not going to tell them, are you?”

Diego chuckled. “If you don’t, I will. This is classic. Since Irish is married now, there hasn’t been anybody to pick on.”

Dino shook his head. He was screwed and knew there was no way out of it. He was concerned, though, with how he and Anna would interact, being that they were neighbors. And like Diego said, they were going to have to face each other eventually.

He chuckled to himself. She had definitely been a welcome home surprise.

◆◆◆

Arianna knew she was in trouble the moment she exited the medical clinic and saw the sign on the yellow and green building across the street—Virginia Beach Rescue Shelter.

She was a sucker for all dogs and had always wanted to adopt a rescue dog, but she wasn't able to with her job in the city. But now that it looked like she’d be staying in town, maybe a little companion by her side was what she needed.

With her other errands completed, she decided to go see the dogs. She crossed the road and entered the building. As soon as she stepped inside, she was greeted by a cute blonde girl at the counter.

“Hi! Welcome to Virginia Beach Rescue Shelter.”

Arianna smiled at the young, bubbly woman. “Thank you.”

“Can I help you?”

Arianna walked up to the counter. “I’m interested in adopting a dog. Can you tell me what the process entails and the costs associated with it?”

“Absolutely. By the way, my name is Grace.” She reached her hand out, and Arianna shook it.

“It’s nice to meet you, Grace. My name is Arianna.”

“That is a gorgeous name.”

“Thank you.”

“So, what kind of dog are you looking for? Big, small, certain color, particular breed, age?” Grace fired off questions that Arianna hadn’t really thought about.

“I don’t know. To start, maybe one that isn’t very temperamental?”

“That’s a start. How about your living conditions? There are a lot of factors that alone can determine the type of dog that would be right for you.”

Grace was really good at her job. Arianna hadn’t even considered that. Her lease did allow for her to have a pet. She had a nice sized yard that was fenced, so plenty of secured room for an animal to get plenty of exercise. She had always gravitated toward a larger breed of dog.  She repeated to Grace everything she had just thought of, and Grace smiled.

“Perfect! We have several dogs that I think you’d be compatible with. Why don’t we go in the back to the kennels, and you can have a look and see if any stand out?”

As they made their way toward the back kennels, Grace explained more about the adoption process and a small administrative fee that didn’t bother Arianna. Being that the shelter was a no-kill shelter, Arianna knew they ran off of donations and grants.

Arianna could hear some of the dogs barking as they got closer, and it made her smile. It was as if they knew she was coming, and they were vying for her attention.

She walked down the row of kennels, but none had called to her though they were all cute. When she thought she was out of luck, she spotted a rather large grey dog with a small white patch on his chest in the second to the last kennel on the left. He just sat there watching her. As she walked closer, their eyes met, and instantly, she knew this was the dog she wanted. She turned toward Grace who was fixing a gate that one of the other dogs had tried to push open and had bent the latch.

“What’s the story with this big guy?” She asked as she held her hand up to the fence. She smiled when the dog lifted his paw and gave her a high five.

Grace grinned. “This mammoth here is Nigel. He is a total sweetheart. He may be huge, but he’s a big softy. A tad bit clumsy, with a little bit of a mischievous streak in him.”

“What do you mean by mischievous?”

“He is inquisitive about things and tends to wander.” Arianna didn’t see anything wrong with that. Most dogs were curious. Grace looked at Arianna and continued as she pointed to a hole in the ceiling. “See that?” Arianna nodded. “About two weeks ago, we had to repair the kennel he was in, so I let him out since we were closed.  One of the technicians from the vet clinic next door had left the door to the attic stairs open, and Nigel decided to go exploring upstairs. Part of the space doesn’t have finished flooring.”

Arianna covered her mouth, knowing what was coming. “He fell through the ceiling?”

“Yep. It scared the living daylight out of me. I was standing right over there when he came crashing through the ceiling. Luckily he wasn’t hurt.” She snickered. “Well, maybe his ego.”

Arianna couldn’t help but chuckle. That must’ve been a sight to see. All she could picture in her head was an episode from Scooby-Doo when Scooby found himself in an awkward position, and he’d say, “Ruh-roh.”

“Do you want to meet him? Nobody else is here, so you can spend some time with him outside,” Grace asked her.

Arianna smiled and looked at the dog. “What do you say, Nigel?  Want to get to know each other?”

When the dog let out a loud bark, both Arianna and Grace laughed. “I guess that means he’s up for it,” Arianna said.

“Let me grab a leash, and I’ll be right back,” Grace told her.

While Grace went back to the front of the kennels to get a leash, Arianna knelt next to where the dog still sat, looking at her. She smiled at the pooch. “So, Nigel, huh?” She asked the animal, and he pressed his face up against the fence.  Arianna stuck her fingers through the metal and scratched behind his ears. He had shiny, short hair.

“Here we are,” Grace said, returning with a long lead.

Once they got him on the leash, Arianna led him out into the yard. She played with him a little with the ball. He loved to play fetch.

“What type of breed is he?” Arianna asked as the dog trotted over and sat down right next to her.

“Dr. Chambers, the clinic and shelter owner next door, believes he is a Great Dane and Lab mix. He’s estimated to be about a year and a half old. I won’t lie; he has a big appetite.”

“I bet he does.” That didn’t bother Arianna. The gray and white pup was a total sweetheart, and she was already in love.  He jumped up onto his hindlegs surprising Arianna. In that position, he was about as tall as her. Another lick to her face had her giggling.

“Nigel seems to be smitten with you,” Grace told her.

“How long does the adoption process take? Are there home visits involved?”

“Nope. We can get everything processed today, and Nigel is free to go with you if you’re interested.”

Arianna bent down and scratched Nigel behind the ears. “You want to come home with me?” She asked him, knowing she probably looked stupid talking to a dog. But she couldn’t stop laughing when Nigel started making an odd noise like he was moaning, but it almost sounded like he was trying to talk to her by the different tones. It was hilarious.

She looked up at Grace and smiled. “He is definitely coming home with me.”

Grace beamed and clapped her hands together. “Excellent! Give me about fifteen to twenty minutes to get his paperwork all printed out. You guys can stay out here if you’d like.”

It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes, and Grace returned with a pocket folder and a medium-sized tote bag.

“Here are all of his papers—shot records, check-ups, and adoption papers. He is also microchipped, so if this little rascal gets lost, he’ll be registered back here. In the bag are some doggie treats, his heartworm pills, and few other goodies for him.”

Arianna thanked Grace, and she and Nigel headed to the car. She opened the back door, and he jumped in.  She laughed when he climbed through the opening in the center, took the front passenger seat, and sat down. “Okay, boy, you ready to start this adventure?”

When his tail wagged, and he gave her another lick and made that moaning noise again. She knew this had been a great idea.