THE DARE (G!P Freenbecky)

Chapter 30

Freen was sitting at an outside table at the little Italian café on Samento Street when Becky came walking around the corner, this time dressed in worn jeans, black boots, and a chunky fisherman-style sweater in cream-colored yarn. It looked hand-knit and expensive.

She had a small crocheted purse that looked like a sack made of turquoise cotton yarn slung over her shoulder.

"Hey, Freen," Becky smiled and Freen was smitten. But she tried not to show it.

"Hey, yourself," Freen stood up and pulled out a chair for her at the small, round, black iron table she'd been sitting at. As Freen stood, she tucked the white puppy more firmly against her side. She had been absolutely adorable so far, hadn't had an accident in the hotel room once, but Freen hadn't felt right about leaving her at the hotel.

Baco and Pepe had gotten along famously with the pet-sitter she'd left them with; they'd all started to share another room service fruit plate. And Lafitte was enjoying his perch by the screened window and the glorious view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay that it afforded her. But as Freen had left, Freen had sensed the little white puppy had been afraid, so she'd decided to take her with her.

"You brought the puppy!" Becky said. She lifted her arms up. "Mine. Mine. Have to hold her."

Freen laughed, then handed Becky her little dog.

"And her name is?" Becky said as she settled the frantically wagging puppy into her lap. A woman sitting near their table lowered her newspaper and smiled as she saw the little dog.

"White Dog. Cream Puff. The six thousand dollar dog. I don't know, I haven't really had a moment until now to even think about it. But I figure that, like most dogs, she'll tell me her name when it's time."

Freen couldn't look at Becky enough. Her MO for today was to let her take the lead. She'd said she needed some basic ground rules in order to commit to a purely sexual affair, and Freen was curious to know what they were.

'One step at a time'. As Danielle had said, patiently be the irresistible force. But not too much force, or Freen might frighten her off.

Freen had to be like water on a rock, slowly wearing away Becky's resistance to a permanent relationship.

First the sex, then they would see about anything more permanent. But Freen couldn't afford to frighten her off at this stage of the relationship, so if it was sex she wanted—

"What are you having?" Becky said, glancing at her coffee.

Freen came back to the present with a start, her mind veering abruptly off its one-track groove. "Double espressos. And I've already had a blueberry muffin."

"Hmmm. I'm going to go inside and look at the menu."

Becky got up and handed her the puppy. "Just for a minute, and then I want this baby back."

Freen liked this café. It was an unpretentious place, with a menu that changed daily printed in colored chalk on a medium-sized blackboard up by the front register.

But most of its business was in coffee and pastries. Just like a Starbucks, but with atmosphere.

Freen sighed and leaned back in her chair, absently stroking Little White Dog's soft, curly fur. She'd come with a dainty collar and leash, in pink leather studded with rhinestones. Not what Freen would have picked, but it suited her.

"Cream Puff?"

No response, just total devotion and love shining out of those dark, puppy eyes.

"The Six Thousand Dollar Pup?"