Early Morning

Chapter 2

“Daddy, I promise Jake will stop waking you up soon!” Hailie assured him as she heard him come into the kitchen.

“I hope so.  I’m tired as hell,” he replied.  At least there’s Isabella to look forward to, he thought.

//

“Think that dog will ever learn to hold his bladder?” Isabella asked as she came to a stop next to Marshall.

“One can only hope.”

“Now, don’t be such a cynic, darling,” she advised.

“If only the world painted a prettier picture for me.  Or if this dog would let me sleep for more than two hours.”

She caught the last words, and let out an audible gasp.  “Two hours?  You must be exaggerating.”

“I wish.”

“How can you even run on two hours?”

“Lots and lots of caffeine.”

“You’re crazy!”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You might try walking him right before you go to bed.  Maybe he’ll hold longer that way.”

“I don’t have the energy to do anything except collapse by the time I get home,” he said grudgingly.

“And some say I’m a workaholic!”

“Well, Miss Priss, how many hours does this princess get?”

“Four,” she said reluctantly.

“Two more than me.  That doesn’t make you a hell of a lot better.”

“Who’s getting two and who’s getting four?” she reminded him.  “And you,” she said harshly, “don’t really need to work!”

“Oh, so you know who I am?”

“Do I look blind, deaf, and dumb?” she said, giving him a challenging look.

“It’s production time, so that means late nights.  Normally, I try not to work so much.”

“Ah, the luxury of wealth,” she said dryly.

“You don’t live in this neighborhood if you’re not bathing in your own cash,” he said stiffly.

“But the difference, you see, between you and me, is that the number of zeros in your account is far more than the number of zeros in mine.  You can afford to work less, I can barely afford to work more.”

“Then downsize,” he suggested.

“Maybe,” she shrugged.  “But I deserve the best, and I intend to get it,” she said sharply.

Marshall returned her shrug with one of his own.  He was impressed with her tenacity and determinedness, but he was also wary of what appeared to be greediness.

//

“I thought you’d have him trained by now.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” he said tiredly.

“Lack of sleep catching up with you?”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t take your dog’s bladder problems out on me!” she warned and put her hands up in innocence.

“Sorry.”

“You’re not,” she grinned, “but I’ll forgive you anyway.”  

“Why thank you for your kindness.”

“I’ll do you one better,” she offered.  “Bring your dog over to my house sometime tonight, and I’ll walk him when his bladder wakes me up.”

“But how will you get him back?”

“Here,” she supplied, “I’ll give you my extra set of keys.  Stop over when you want him back.  Just make it before he pees all over my carpet.”

“You sure?” he asked, eyeing her carefully.

“Anything for a neighbor,” she gave him a shy smile.  “But I fully expect you to return the favor sometime.”

“Count on it,” he grinned.  “Thanks, Isabella.”

“Bella,” she tossed back at him as she left him alone with a stubborn dog.

//

“Daddy, are you sure we can trust this lady?  I don’t want her to hurt Jake.”

“Anyone who gets up at 4am for fun can’t possibly hurt him,” Marshall assured her.

//

Marshall rang the doorbell once, and spared a glance at his watch, which told him it was already past ten.  As he turned to leave, the door creaked open.

“Evening, darling,” she said with a smile.  “Would you like to come in?”

“Only for a moment.  My daughter’s at home, and I don’t like her being alone at night.”

“Understandable,” she replied with a nod.

“Damn,” he murmured.  “You do live it up, don’t you?”

“What else is money good for if not for spending?” she teased.  “Now, this dog does have a name, right?  It’s not ‘that thing’ or ‘that dog,’ is it?”

“His name’s Jake,” he replied.  He looked down at Jake and shook his head.  “Damn dog.”

“Be nicer,” she reprimanded.  “He’ll be a better dog if you’re nicer.”

“My daughter makes up for my meanness.”

“I’m sure she does, but you’re bigger, and therefore someone he respects more.  Besides, I imagine your daughter’s a complete pushover when it comes to ol’ Jake here.

“Damn straight.”

“Jake,” she murmured as she crouched down, balancing on her heels, “I’m Isabella.  You’re gonna sleep here tonight, all right?”

He sniffed her face before lapping at her cheek with his tongue.

“Thanks a lot,” she said dryly and stood up.

“Hey, now I’m jealous,” Marshall teased.

“What, I take care of your dog and you want to be kissed?”

“It doesn’t seem fair that the problem gets to kiss the solution.”

“That was quite witty.  You are sharper when the sun’s down,” she observed.

“Want to reward me?”

“Hmm,” she murmured as she pretended to think it over, “No.”

“You’re a cruel woman, Isabella,” Marshall said as he stepped closer to her.

“Did you misunderstand ‘no,’ Marshall?”

“No, I just didn’t hear it,” he replied with a grin and moved to kiss her, only to surprise her by brushing his lips against her cheek.  “Thanks, Isabella,” he said and handed her the leash.

She breathed before she uttered any words.  “Better be careful, Marshall.  I might think you’re attracted to me if you keep that kind of behavior up.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t be?” he teased and moved into the entry hall.

Chapter 3

Author: zines@aol.com

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These stories are for entertainment purposes only.  They are completely fictitious, and the authors mean no harm to EMINEM, his family, friends, or anyone else that may have been depicted as a 'real life' character.  No money was made on the fiction here, either directly or indirectly, i.e. paid advertising. In other words - it's just a bunch of shit we wrote for fun. Please don't take it seriously.