Free Persuading Him by Michelle Dare

became fast friends.  We had lunch on occasion, went to the movies, just did girl stuff.  That was around the same time my dad decided to bother me to do something with my life rather than sit around the house.  He should have known better.  I happened to like sitting around the house.
    Anyway, I finally figured out he was right and I was being a loaf.  Aubrey had mentioned her dream of owning a doggie oasis, if you will.  She wanted a place where she could rehab dogs so they could be adopted out as well as do fun stuff like doggie daycare, grooming, and classes.  Cue the lightbulb.
    I decided to help make her dream come true.  I put up the money and we got started.  K&A K-9 was one of the top dog centers around.  Currently five dogs were in the rehab process, we had a slew of full-time dogs that came to daycare during the week, and so many classes it made my head spin.
    If you hadn’t already guessed it, I was more of a silent partner.  No major decision was made without me and every time Aubrey came up with a new idea I knew I’d be writing a check.  Which was fine, because what she was doing was amazing.  She was like a dog genius.  People flocked to her, including the crew of trainers and groomers she’d hired.  I didn’t mind not being involved in the daily work, I preferred it actually.
    Today, since I wasn’t with my pilot, I decided to go into town and see how business was going.  I took the Jeep on the off chance that she needed me to run errands or pick up a stray dog or something.  Before leaving I made sure I didn’t look like a slob since it was daylight and the photogs would be outside.
    Kara texted that morning to tell me how she was being flooded with people interested in my personal life.  Why she bothered to tell me I didn’t know.  I simply texted her back with a ‘Keep up the good work!’ and attached an emoji of some sort.  Didn’t care, didn’t want to deal, just wanted to be left alone.  Same ole story, different fucking day.
    Reaching the end of my driveway, I decided to cup my hand and wave like a queen to the paparazzi that had decided to show.  Smile and wave, smile and wave.  All done while muttering various curse words to them between my clenched teeth.  I hated that they were blocking my exit so they could yell their questions at me and take pictures.
    What got me was that I’d be far more open to sitting down and doing a personal interview than being hounded, feeling like a prisoner in my own home.  Shit, I couldn’t even leave to get milk without a big deal being made.  I was just a regular person.  Who gave a shit that I had more money?  I donated a lot of it and did charity work.  I was a good person.
    Ten minutes later I parked behind our oasis and found Aubrey playing in the huge fenced yard with a bunch of the big guys.  You know, big dogs, ones that would trample the smaller dogs if they all played together.  We kept their play time separate.
    She ran to the gate to let me in, beaming at me.  I loved how she was always smiling.  She was the perfect face for our business.  Dogs flocked to me when I stepped inside, some jumping while others were content to sniff me and leave.
    “Kasi,” Aubrey exclaimed, hugging me.  “How have you been?  You should’ve called.  I would have broken away for lunch or something.”
    “Oh you know, keeping busy.  I figured I’d come down and say hi.”
    Laughing she said, “So I’ve seen in every newspaper out there.”
    We chatted for a bit while the dogs ran around having a good time.  My eyes scanned the yard and I saw a beautiful black and tan German Shepherd.  “He’s gorgeous.  Who does he belong to?”
    “No one.  He was at the shelter, but they were having difficulty getting near him.  They called and I picked him up.  He does really well out here with the other dogs and even with us, but once you put him in a kennel run he tends to shy away.”
    “Okay.”  Something must have