Page 24 of Race With The Devil

“I guess. But men suck.”

“Just think if you didn’t have the love you have for some of your dog clients. How powerful is that?”

“Makes my heart wrench, literally,” I admitted. “But dogs are much better than men.”

“Wow. I wonder what this guy did to you. Here. I’m going to rinse once, then soap you up again. Lift your head.”

When I raised my head off the ceramic bowl, Tanner slithered his fingers around my nape. It was close to the danger zone, but it felt so sensuous my brain was able to override the danger signals. It was almost as though he tickled me lightly, playfully, and my inner pussy clenched, the sort of mini-orgasm that almost makes you gasp. Just because I’d rarely had consensual penetrative sex didn’t mean I knew nothing about orgasms. One doesn’t cancel out the other. I gripped the arms of the chair like I was on a spiraling plane. I hoped to fuck Tanner didn’t notice anything weird. I always wore muscle shirts that showed a lot of bra and side boob, but my nipples weren’t always erect.

My eyes popped open for a split second when a drip of water trickled down my forehead. I motioned to wipe it from the corner of my eye. That’s when I first noticed I was looking directly into a mirror on the other wall. And yes, my nipples stood out like red hots. And yes, Tanner’s penis had ballooned like a giant slug filling the crotch of his jeans, snaking its way down his thigh.

“Oh!” I cried, as though I’d never seen a juicy cock before. I went to photoshoots! With male models! Most of them younger than Tanner! I quickly squeezed my eyes shut and practically jammed my head back onto the hard bowl.

“Easy, easy.” Tanner’s fingers flickered against my occipital to cushion it from the ceramic edge.

I wanted to open up to Tanner, but I didn’t know how. I was inexperienced in showing interest in a man. Evan had come on to me, as most men did. I didn’t have to lift a finger. I had a feeling it would require much more to show Tanner what I wanted. He’d probably be so shocked he’d forget to grumble. How much longer could he soap up my hair before I reached over and took a handful of his cock? His reaction would be the end of me. After so much abuse I couldn’t live with rejection. I had to be a hundred percent certain Tanner wanted me, too.

As if reading my mind, Tanner asked casually, “How long was Gary molesting you before you moved out?”

I sighed deeply. “About five years, since I was thirteen. I stuck around to give him a target, to keep him from moving onto Lyric. I had nowhere else to go, anyway. Beverly would take Gary’s side. I think she sort of hated me for being her substitute, in a way. I’d kick and punch him, I’d arm myself, but ultimately, if he didn’t get his way, he would’ve just moved on to Lyric. So Beverly hated me, and constantly kicked me out, locked me out of the house. I’d sleep in random people’s cars. I had friends, like Maddy and June, but their situations were just as bad. We’d all sleep up in the canyons during the summer. Winters were hell.”

I paused because I’d already said much more than I normally did.

“You’ve seen a lot. Much beyond your understanding.” Tanner scritched me behind the ears, like a favored dog. A spray of tingles shot to my nipples, my uterus, my clit. If this is what this man could do just scratching me like a dog . . .

“It wasn’t the best way to start out in life. Eventually I’d climb back in a window to keep an eye on Lyric.”

“Eventually you left.”

“Yes. I had to. I tried calling the cops, but they just arrested me for some weed they found on my bureau. Lyric made me go. She didn’t want me wasting my life. I had a good job opportunity at Doggie Style Grooming, and with Knoxie’s art spreading out on my body, lots of chances to become a ganjapreneur, a spokesmodel for weed. Lytton has paid me to represent his shop and brand at conventions, and I’ve gotten bigger clients, like makers of vape pens and grinders.”

Tanner was just massaging the soap from my scalp when the door jingled. Oh shit, an early client. But a big dog came bounding over and licked my earlobe, probably regretting his mouth full of shampoo.

“What in the name of Minnie Pearl is going on around here?” bawled Wolf Glaser.

“Don’t get up,” said Tanner, gently pressing my shoulder down. “Let me finish rinsing.”

“I go by the Bum Steer to find you because no one told me where Sideshow Barbara lived—“

“Barbara Stanford,” I said. “No one said she was Sideshow Barbara.”

“—and Wild Man tells me he saw you duck into this beauty parlor.”

“Salon,” corrected Tanner.

“Man,” said Wolf. “If I’d of known you were such a great hairstylist I would’ve had you do Beetle.”

“That’s Unity’s job,” said Tanner. “I’m just here to teach her a basic tenet about our relationship with animals.”

“Oh, I’ll bet.” Wolf leered. “I taught Tracy about animals when I bought her a rhinestone-studded collar.”

“Not that sort of relationship,” Tanner said, amused. “Listen, Barbara wasn’t home. We’re just killing time ‘til we go over there again. You find out anything?”

Tanner turbaned me in a dry towel and urged me to sit up straight. He stood beside me with that body heat slamming me, my pussy soaked and itching, my boobs full as though with milk. It was really hard to concentrate on Wolf Glaser, so I scrunched my fingers into Beetle’s ruff.

“I’m here to vindicate myself!” Wolf proclaimed. “Remember that FedEx Office store Tobiah said was closed by a shooter threat? Well! There was no bloody shooter threat! How could that nerd boy get it so wrong?”

“What was it?” I asked, to hurry the story along.