The Love Affair(Good Wife Better Mistress)

Brownie, Nicole and Gabriela

The creamy, rich flavor of the quiche fills Alex's mouth. He's surprised to find that he truly enjoys Nicole's cooking. She tries to feed him another bite, but he pushes the fork away.

Nicole frowns, "I thought you wanted me to feed you."

"If you want to feed my appetites, you can do that later tonight," he whispers.

Disgusted by the innuendo, she gets up to look for a bottle of white wine to go with the dinner. Dr. Walters enters the dining room and looks to Alex for approval. he nods his permission to approach.

"It's about the drugs—" the doctor whispers.

Alex immediately raises his hand to signal for the doctor to stop speaking and casts a deep look at Nicole.

"In the study," he commands.

she doesn't hear Dr. Walters' words or see Alex's complicated expression. She assumes they've left in a hurry to attend to some other business.

"Perhaps Alex has forgotten his favorite lighter," she thinks, "He usually enjoys smoking after dinner."

"Where is the wine?" she asks a servant.

All of the cabinets in the room have been emptied of all alcohol.

One hurries to explain, "Mr. Romano says you have to avoid alcohol for a while due to the pregnancy."

"I'm not allowed to drink wine?" she asks, outraged.

"Among other things," the servant answers.

"What other things?"

"Soybeans, caffeine, raw eggs, undercooked meat, raw fish, unpasteurized cheeses, and so on."

she can't believe how thorough he is. He's determined to get her pregnant. She feels as vulnerable as a deer in the open—any minute Alex will shoot her. Suddenly she realizes she has completely lost her appetite.

She slams the antique liquor cabinet in irritation. The maids have retreated to the corner of the room and she can hear them talking.

"Do you think brownie will die?" one asks, almost hopefully.

"Hush. Aren't you worried that Mr. Romano will hear you?" scolds the other, "You know how he is with brownie—he loves that dog. I think it's just some sort of virus—he throws up everything he eats. He's normally so energetic, but now he seems kind of lifeless. Of course, he still won't allow anyone near him."

They look up from their conversation in time to see Nicole exiting the dining room. They hurry to chase her, calling her name. She stops and addresses them.

"How is brownie?" she asks.

"We think he has a virus," says one maid, "He doesn't have much spirit. The vet asked us to fetch something for him to eat, but I don't think he'll touch it."

"Then go ahead," Nicole says, "I'll come with you and take a look at him."

"Brownie is ill and unstable," the maid warns nervously, "I'm afraid he'll get violent with you."

Nicole ignores them and starts walking to the North wing, where brownie is kept. She enters the drawing-room that serves as his kennel. The black German Shepherd lies listlessly on the white, fox-fur carpet. Though he's bigger than most German Shepherds, he looks almost too weak to move. In spite of his appearance, he's still vigilant. Whenever someone steps too near him, he shows his sharp teeth and growls to scare them off.

Nicole's arrival surprises the servants who normally tend to Brownie. Alex normally doesn't allow anyone to visit his dog, but they don't want to contradict Nicole. They step aside and allow her to enter the room.

"Mrs. Romano, brownie doesn't like strangers," they warn, "Mr. Romano has insisted that no one is allowed to go near him except for us and the vet. You should leave. If anything happens, I don't know who Mr. Romano will blame."

"If anything happens, I'll take responsibility," she says, "It's only a dog. Do you have to make this such a big deal?"

The servants gape at her. She's never come to this room before, and according to rumor, she's scared of dogs.

Nicole stares at Brownie and the dog stares back. He growls low and reveals his teeth. The servants shudder.

"Where is the vet?" she asks.

"brownie bit him pretty badly and he's gone to the hospital. He'll come here after he gets stitches," a servant answers.

"brownie?" Nicole coos while slowly reaching her hands toward his nose, "Can I take a look at you?"

"Mrs. Romano, please be careful. He'll bite," the servants warn, terrified.

Though Nicole feels nervous, she's not afraid. She doesn't know why she feared dogs in the past, but she knows she never would have gotten this close to brownie. She wonders if the poison has erased her fear along with her memory.

brownie barks and sniffs her hand. He can smell fear and hostility, but his body shakes when he smells nicole's fingertips. His eyes brighten and he lifts his head. His tail thumps the floor.

"Brownie?" she asks.

brownie gets up and rubs his face against her hands. The servants are stunned. They've never seen the dog behave this way with someone who isn't Alex.

"Oh my God, I think he likes you," says one.

"It's unbelievable," says another, "He never lets anyone but Mr. Romano near him. Mr. Romano brought him here ten years ago when he was only a puppy. I've been feeding him since then, but he won't even let me touch him."

"Ten years ago?" nicole asks, "He's ten years old?"

"Yes. Mr. Romano brought him back from Levesque' country home and has been taking care of him ever since."

Nicole is patting brownie on the head, but she halts at the mention of the Levesque.

"No wonder Alex dotes on this dog: he transfers his affection for Stephanie to everything related to her family," she thinks with a roll of her eyes,

Nicole scratches brownie behind his ears as she thinks, "If I don't get pregnant, I can leave the Romanos' house in a few short months. Alex can divorce me and marry Gabriela. It's a win-win. I don't understand what he's thinking."

"There is one other odd thing," says a gossipy servant.

"What?"Nicole asks.

"Brownie came from the Levesque family, but he won't let Sebastian come near him. he's tried, but he always growls at him. he has to keep his distance from him."

Nicole listens attentively and suddenly feels something hot and wet on her palms. She looks down and sees that the dog is licking her hands. The next second it jumps up and licks her face. Though he's sick, he's still large and strong and she stumbles backward and falls over.

"Brownie," she says sternly.

She tries to push his head away from her face, but he continues licking her. Her palms feel slightly itchy from Brownie's furry head.

"I think it's because you might smell a bit like Mr. Romano." says one servant.

Nicole begins to chuckle. Alex has been hugging her and touching her all day to try to start rumors that their relationship is flourishing. He has a distinct smell that clings to everything he touches and owns, even when he's not around.

Suddenly Nicole sighs. She's beginning to get used to his smell, and his touch. She can't let herself become accustomed to those things. She's scared if she lets her guard down, she might fall for him again. A noise outside the door interrupts her thoughts and she jumps to her feet.

"Miss Montez," a servant says, "Please stop."

Gabriela pushes past the servant who tries to block her path.

"Nicole, you bitch!" she screams.