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made the agreement
that you will buy dog food and clean up her presents."
    "That can't cost more
than one hundred a month!"
    "You haven't seen this
girl eat. Feeding a mastiff is like feeding a felid. She likes good food, and I
keep her on a raw diet." Alex chuckled. Misha again started to stare him
down, her gold-brown eyes smoldering with annoyance."Fine. What were you paying the slumlord?" he grumbled.
    "Just five hundred
dollars a month. It was ridiculously low, and now I see why. I can't afford
much more than that and still save for my own place. You know how much I make.
And no giving me a raise to
compensate for the difference, you hear me?"
    "Why are you so
difficult? Fine, Miss Miller, we will play it your way. You paid five hundred
dollars for a whole house, property and no roommates," he calculated.
"Now you are being forced to live in a single room and share community
space. How about two hundred dollars?"
    "Don't be absurd.
That's too low." She looked at him suspiciously.
    Alex shook his head."I think it's reasonable. You're
taking the smallest bedroom and bath in this house, have to share community
property and utilities, and will be aiding me greatly in the care and feeding
of my beasties. I think it's more than fair. In fact, I bet you will be begging
me to reduce your rent after you see how much that dog eats."
    "You're lucky that you
aren't the only one exhausted here. Okay, I surrender. You win this round.
Shake?"
    "Are you sure you don't
want to draw up a contract?" he teased, shaking her tiny hand. "I
don't want you to think that I am taking advantage of you."
    "I've had more than
enough of contracts written by slumlords, thank you very much," she
commented, surprising him with her grip. "A verbal agreement is
fine."
    "It's a deal. I also
think some house rules are necessary. I'm sure I don't have to tell you to
clean up after yourself. I'm kind of a neat nick. Please knock before you enter
a room and, if you are ever going to be late, call."
    "I am not a child, Mr.
Hodges…"
    "Make up your mind.
It's either Alex or Mr. Hodges. I prefer Alex. Those same rules apply to me. I
don't want to be worried if you don't come home on time, and I would hope you'd
be concerned if I was late as well. Call it what you want, but we have both
become surrogate parents today, not just roommates. We need to be able to rely
on each other to keep an eye out for Rodin. He's not going to stay small for
long."
    "Fine. One more
thing," Misha added, staring up at him, "once I leave work, you are
no longer my boss. As you said, we are roommates and co-parents to this litter,
nothing more. You are not to use my job to manipulate me in any way."
    "Yes ma'am." Alex
grinned mischievously, enjoying the suspicious look Misha sent in his
direction. He knew exactly what she was thinking... this was much too easy.
    ***
    "You're kidding
me!" Jack exclaimed, as Alex updated him on the events of the weekend. He
plopped down in a chair in front of Alex's desk. "Please don't tell me
you've adopted Misha's habit of lying."
    "Not at all. Everything
went as smooth as glass. I'm glad, too. That idiot landlord was getting way too
comfortable breaking into her home. He had the audacity to bust in and nose
around right in front of me!"
    "I hope you went all Green
Beret on his ass."
    "I didn't have the
chance. Miss Kena stepped in with a great big smile. He wet his pants as he ran
off."
    "No shit?" Jack
laughed, slapping his thigh. "That takes the cake. So, Misha has agreed to
live with you? How did you manage to get her to do that? She isn't the kind of
gal to accept special favors."
    "Get your mind out of
the gutter, Jack-ass. She is renting a room on the other side of the house.
Stubborn little wench demanded the maid's quarters behind the kitchen!"
    "That's my girl; close
to the food." Jack chuckled. "And the cub?"
    "That little pig gained
nearly two pounds this weekend. He's growing as fast as the puppies. You can
see the changes in him daily. The