When he took a woman out, he liked showing her off, knowing that every man took one look at the woman on his arm and envied him. If he ever took a woman like Zoe out they'd wonder what the hell was wrong with him and he wouldn't be able to blame them because there was nothing perfect about Zoe and he couldn't accept anything less. He would never be looked down on with pity ever again or have anyone think that he couldn't do better.

"Go away!" Zoe said.

"Hurry the hell up!" he snapped. "I have plans tonight."

"So do I!" she shot back, making him wonder what plans she had. As far as he knew she never went out at night unless she was running an errand or hitting the pool at the gym. She was a bit of a homebody, but he didn't think she was going to the gym tonight since she didn't usually shower beforehand.

"Where the hell are you going?" he demanded, giving up his pacing to lean back against the sink counter.

"Out."

He snorted. "Out where?"

"Just out," she answered hesitantly a moment later.

"Are we still on for the book tonight?" he asked even though he knew there was a good chance, god willing, that he wouldn't be around for that tonight. Then again if it was a quick lay he might be able to get back here in time.

"I, uh," he could just make out the sound of her clearing her throat, "might not be alone tonight," she said, stunning the shit out of him.

"You have a date?" he asked in a disbelieving tone that probably sounded a bit insulting.

"I could have a date!" she argued.

"But do you?" he asked, noting that she hadn't really answered.

"The shower's all yours," she said brightly, obviously trying to change the subject, which at the moment was fine with him. She could go out with whomever she wanted. He didn't care. They weren't really friends. She was his employee and tenant and nothing more.

Okay, so she also read to him at night and put a smile on his face first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, but she could still do that if she was seeing someone else. It would probably also help get his head straight if he knew she was off limits since he didn't poach. Well, he did, but he wouldn't try to steal her since she really wasn't his type and sooner or later his body would remember that.

Of course if she started to date he would really have to look into having the walls reinsulated. There was no way he wanted to hear her fucking some other guy. Again, not that he cared, but that didn't mean he wanted to wake up in the middle of the night to hear her scream some other guy's name. He wasn't a masochist after all.

This could work, he thought as he tugged off his tee shirt and tossed it into the hamper Zoe picked up and demanded that he use. That woman could be so damn pushy sometimes. He still didn't understand why he had to dish out twenty bucks for a hamper when the bathroom floor did the same job for free. She was just making more work for herself by having to pull all his clothes out of the hamper instead of just picking it up off the floor and when he explained that to her she just rolled her eyes and told him to use the damn hamper.

Thinking on it now he really couldn't understand why he wanted her. She was so damn bos-

A high pitched scream broke off his thoughts.

"Trevor!" Zoe screamed.

His name was barely out of her mouth before he found himself running out of his room and taking the stairs two at time. He flew out of his apartment and into hers, glad that they didn't lock the doors, but worried that someone had managed to break into the front door and go straight into her apartment. He didn't stop to check the front door, but ran up the stairs, following the high pitched screams and dog's furious barks and growls that wouldn't stop, to her room.

He only paused in her room long enough to see that she wasn't in it and headed for the open bathroom door and nearly tripped over Toby in the process. As he stumbled over the dog and tried to right himself he felt the breath in his lungs freeze and his mouth drop open.

There could have been an ax murderer in the room for all he knew and he wouldn't have been able to look away from the sight of Zoe standing in the corner of the bathtub with her back to him as her baby pink towel threatened to drop even further, revealing more of that generous bottom that had him licking his lips and groaning. Thankfully her high pitched screaming covered the betraying sound.

Somehow he managed to tear his eyes away from the beautiful sight before him to look around for the serial killer that had to be waiting to attack them, judging by her screams. When he didn't find anything but Toby, he really hoped his new owners would take pity on the damn dog and change his name, looking in the open cabinet beneath the sink, growling and barking he couldn't help but feel confused and a headache coming on from all the noise.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he demanded loudly enough to thankfully cut through Zoe's screams and get her to shut the hell up along with the dog.

Without looking back she reached behind her and pointed frantically in the direction of the growling dog. "It's in there!" she screeched as if that said it all.

Sadly enough it really didn't. Although he did appreciate the fact that her towel had managed to drop another two inches, revealing the top halves of two perfectly rounded cheeks. It was the least she could do for scaring the shit out of him, he decided as he crouched down and gently pushed the growling dog aside so he could take a look.

He carefully pushed aside extra rolls of toilet paper, a first aid kit, a can of shaving gel, pre-treater and an unopened box of a twelve pack of condoms that earned a frown, but didn't find anything even remotely scream worthy.

"What exactly am I looking for?" he asked, shooting a glance over his shoulder at his shivering tenant who was still hiding in the corner, which was probably a good thing since she'd probably rip him a new one for staring at her ass.

"A spider," she said, sounding so horrified that he couldn't help but laugh.

"That's why you were screaming bloody murder? Over a spider?" he asked, knowing for any other woman and he would be yelling at her for scaring the hell out of him, but for his little tough as nails tenant he couldn't help but laugh. She was always so strong, always spoke her mind and loved to piss him off for fun. So to see Zoe freaking out over something as ridiculous as a spider was too much to believe. Other than keeping her mouth shut when she thought he was just the landlord's asshole nephew and from what he knew about her last job he couldn't imagine Zoe being intimidated or afraid of anything.

"It's huge!" she clarified, not moving one iota away from the corner of the tub.

"Uh huh," he said, not bothering to hide his disbelief. No doubt it was some tiny little thing that she saw out of the corner of her eye and had overreacted.

"Well, I'm not seeing it now," he murmured, taking another look for this "huge" spider and chuckling.

He felt more than heard Zoe rush past him and wasn't all too surprised to find her standing in the middle of her bed with the towel now snuggly wrapped around her body much to his disappointment a few seconds later.

"I tell you what, Ms. Scaredy Pants," he said, grinning hugely when she shot him a venomous look, "after I get ready to go out I'll come back and take another look for the killer spider. Maybe by then it will feel comfortable enough to come out."

She licked her lips nervously as her eyes darted back to the bathroom where Toby, how he hated that name, now obviously bored since Zoe stopped screaming, now lay across the bathroom floor dozing off.