Chapter and Verse Read Online Free PDF Page B

knocked once before he turned the knob.  The door opened into a smaller office and a young man, looked up.  He was a perfect combination of Deacon and Anton.  He had Deacon’s coal black hair and Anton’s blue eyes.  He smiled at Anton, and then his eyes shifted to me.
    Never in my life had I seen such an expressive face.  As closed off as Deacon was, the man in front of me was an open book.  He looked timid, but curious.  Anton took the lead.
    “ Pierce Sloan, this is Dorothy Lincoln.  She’s Deacon’s biographer.  She’ll be talking to both of us in length at some point, but while the place was quiet, I thought I’d introduce you.”
    I took a step closer and held out my hand.  Pierce looked at it, cleared his throat and then shook it.
    “ Hi.”
    “ Hi Mr. Sloan...”
    “ Pierce.  Nobody calls me Mr. Sloan but the doorman.  Deacon is Mr. Sloan.  I’m just Pierce.”
    I blushed and he smiled and I swear, he relaxed.  This made me relax in turn.
    “ Pierce, I’m Dorothy or you can call me Dor’.  Please don’t call me Dottie or I spasm.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
    Pierce grinned and motioned to a chair in front of his desk and I sat down.  That’s when I noticed that Anton was still standing and saying nothing.  I looked up and he appeared stunned.  I quickly went back over everything said to that point and found nothing amiss.  Pierce seemed to understand though and addressed the situation.
    “ Sit down Anton, take a load off.”
    Anton sat down heavily and stared at his brother as if he’d sprouted wings.  Pierce returned his smile to me.
    “ Dor’, it’s nice to meet you.  I read your book about that dog guy and I loved it.  I’m a dog lover too so I could identify.  I can’t help but wonder what you’ll find about Deacon that will make him identifiable to others.”
    “ Oh I don’t know Pierce.  There are asshats the world over.  Your brother’s nothin’ special in the scheme of things.”
    Pierce’s eyes grew huge and Anton started choking.  I slapped him on the back and continued speaking.
    “ I’m not sure I’m taking the assignment anyway.  His first edict was to inform me that I was not allowed to fall in love with him.  If he takes THAT off the table, where’s the fun?  I mean come on.  Women fall at his feet.  If I’m not allowed to climb the mountain of female bodies he’s pillaged and discarded, where’s the adventure?”
    Anton’s choking turned to laughter and I dared to peek at him.  There were actual tears in his eyes.  Score one for me.  When I looked at Pierce, he was blushing and looked uncomfortable.  That made me feel bad.
    “ Pierce, I’m sorry.  I realize he’s your brother and I meant no disrespect.  Actually, that’s not true and I apologize for the little white lie.  I meant as much disrespect as he paid me, but no more.  If I made you uncomfortable, again, I apologize.  I forget my manners sometimes and tend to say what I think.”
    I stood and once again turned toward a door, this time hoping to escape the building before any more Sloans could kidnap or insult me.
    “ Bye Dor’.  It was nice meeting you and I’m sorry about Deacon.  He’s a great guy if you’d give him a chance.  He deserves a biographer like you.  You wouldn’t take any crap off of him.  He needs that.”
    I turned to look at Pierce and found that Anton was looking at him as well.
    “ Pierce, why is Anton looking at you as if you’re glowing?”
    Pierce tugged at his collar and looked at his desktop uncomfortably.
    “ I usually don’t say much.  This is the most he’s heard me speak to a stranger in probably, forever.”
    I couldn’t help but smile.  More than that, I found an affinity for the quiet gentleman in front of me.  I did something completely out of character for me.  I walked around his desk, his eyes growing larger at my approach.  I leaned down and kissed him softly on the cheek.
    “ Thank-you Pierce.