In the Dog House

Joseph pulled into a two-car garage. It was attached to an average single-family home that was nestled in a subdivision. The surrounding houses were equally as average. Nothing about this man was extravagant. He was the definition of an Average Joe. Probably pretty boring too if Kayden had to guess.

“Here we are. Let’s hope Bridgette loves you as much as I do,” Joseph said, stepping out of the car. It was a safe assumption that Bridgette was the man’s wife.

Joseph opened the back door and Kayden leapt from the car. Attached to the leash that was held firmly in Joseph’s hand, he followed him into the house through the door connecting the garage.

Inside, he pretended to be a curious dog by sniffing the rug and various things that they walked by. He could smell something boiling in the kitchen and by scent alone, he could tell that Bridgette was in the living room. If his nose didn’t tell him that, his ears would have. He could hear the TV playing.

“Honey, I’m home. I have a surprise,” Joseph said, leading Kayden towards the living room. The house appeared to be neat and tidy. Everything was in its place. The floors looked clean. As he stepped into the living room, the carpet was soft beneath his padded paws. There wasn’t even a speck of dust on the coffee table. At least he wouldn’t be living with slobs.

A heavyset woman sat on the couch. Her light brown hair was short and styled with layers and highlights. She had a remote in her hand and she clicked a button to pause the TV. When her eyes fell on Kayden, her expression dropped. “What is that?”

“This is Kade,” Joseph said. He attempted a smile but there was nervousness hiding behind his eyes. “I told you I might stop by that dog place. Well… I did.”

“I thought we were gonna talk about this before you actually went and did it!”

“I know, I know. I didn’t plan to bring him home today. But honey, you gotta see how smart he is! This dog can do almost anything!”

It didn’t take enhanced senses to see that Bridgette was growing angry. The look on her face was one thing but the way she stood up from the couch in a huff was another. Shit. What if she didn’t let Joseph keep him? The job would be a complete bust.

“I don’t care what he can do! We’re supposed to discuss things like this. I don’t want some smelly dog stinking up the house and chewing on the furniture!”

“Honey… That’s not gonna happen. He’s trained. Here, let me show you,” Joseph said calmly. He looked down at Kayden. “Kade, sit.”

Kayden dropped his butt to the ground. A proud smile spread across Joseph’s face. He aimed that smile at his wife, hoping she would share in his pride, but her face was the complete opposite of happy. She wore a deep frown.

“Kade, stay,” he said and dropped the leash to walk several steps away.

Kayden didn’t flinch. He stayed perfectly still.

“See?”

“Just because he can sit and stay doesn’t mean he won’t stink up the house,” said Bridgette.

Jeez, she was a tough critic. Kayden had only just met her but he could already tell this woman was going to put a wrench in things. Seriously, what crawled up her ass?

“I’ll keep him clean,” Joseph said. “But look what else he can do. Kade, take it.”

He pointed to the remote that had been abandoned on the arm of the couch. Kayden left his spot and nudged the remote so that it was at a good angle for him to pick up with his mouth. He didn’t take the remote to Joseph. Instead, he approached Bridgette and sat down in front of her.

He mustered up the saddest, cutest puppy dog eyes and wagged his tail. She didn’t seem to be swaying for Joseph, but not many could resist the ‘look’.

The tension seemed to ease out of Bridgette’s posture. She hesitantly reached for the remote. That was a step in the right direction! But when she saw that there was slobber on the remote, she scowled.

“I really wish you woulda talked to me about this first.”

“I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t. But when I saw how smart he was, I just couldn’t pass him up. He’s exactly what I was looking for. And you know how much I loved Dodger.”

There was a look of pleading in Joseph’s eyes. He may as well get down on his knees and beg. This guy was whipped. Did he let Brigette tell him what kind of clothes to wear too? Probably.

Bridgette looked at her husband and then at the dog. There was a brief moment of silence before she sighed. “Well, he’s not staying in the house.”

“Honey, we don’t even have a dog house. And he’s already house trained.”

“I don’t care. If I’m letting you keep him then I want him outside.”

There was a sinking feeling in Kayden’s gut. He did not want to be an outside dog. He wasn’t going to be able to get any information on the bank from outside. And it was already degrading enough pretending to be a dog but it would be ten times worse if he had to live out in the dirt.

He wheezed out a whine and stepped forward. Still with the puppy dog look, he nudged his wet nose against Bridgette’s hand. He got her to falter once, maybe he could do it again.

Nope.

She pulled her hand away from him and turned to walk towards the kitchen. “Put him outside. You can get him a dog house later.”

Joseph let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly reached for his leash. He led him to the back door and pushed it open. Through the doorway was a spacious backyard. It was enclosed by a short chain-link fence. Joseph unclipped the leash from his collar.

“Sorry, boy, maybe she’ll come around,” he said, running his hand over the dog’s head. Kayden wagged his tail but on the inside, he was feeling irritated. She better fucking come around.

He watched the older man straighten up and then the door was shut directly in his face. He snorted. It was the equivalent of a groan of irritation. Why did he agree to do this again? What was he going to do now? What if she didn’t come around?

He turned away from the door and the urge to back out of this job was strong. His eyes scanned over the yard, and he realized if he wanted to change his mind, he could probably jump that fence. It didn’t look over five feet, if even that. It would take nothing for him to leap over it and take off.

The temptation was there but… he was never one to give up. He knew what he was getting into when he agreed to this. And while a regular dog would have no choice but to succumb to his fate, he was no regular dog. He had a couple of tricks up his sleeve, and one way or another, he would find his way into that house.

He walked around the yard, sniffing here and there, just trying to appear normal. When he reached the side of the house, he realized he wouldn’t even have to jump the fence. The side gate had been left open.

He nudged it the rest of the way open with his nose and strode through. On the side of the house was a window looking into the kitchen. With enhanced hearing, he could hear the couple inside still talking about him.

“Don’t you think you’ll feel better when we go on that trip in a few days? Brielle won’t have to stay here alone. We won’t have to worry about her.”

“I’ll still worry about her. Dog or not.”

“But he’s a protection dog. He’s been specifically trained to guard homes and protect his family. Here, look. This is a list of things he can do.”

Who was Brielle? They must have a kid. Ugh, the last thing he needed was some bratty teenager trying to get him to fetch a stick. Kids were the worst when it came to dogs.

But there was a silver lining. They were talking about a trip. A trip meant they were leaving. All he would have to worry about was the kid. And the kid probably went to school. Maybe he could pull this off after all.

He just needed to figure out some way to convince them to let him stay inside before that trip happened.

Continuing on his way, he stepped into the front yard. A car pulled into the driveway. He stood, watching, as the driver exited the vehicle. She wasn’t a bratty teenager like he assumed. She was a grown woman. She had natural honey-blonde hair, wavy and long. It trailed well past her shoulders. Her eyes were big and blue. And she had the most voluptuous lips. She was wearing a crop top with a pair of cut-off jean shorts, which showed off her summer tan.

She was gorgeous.

And her smell. Fuck… It was floral and sweet all rolled into one. Flowers and candy. Sugar and honeysuckles.

His tongue flopped out of his mouth without him even realizing it. He was panting like a cartoon character. He may as well have had hearts in his eyes.

With a slam of the car door, she turned to the house but came to a quick stop when her eyes landed on him. He could hear her pulse quicken and the expression on her face was instant fear. Shit, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her!

He lowered his head in an attempt to make himself look less intimidating. His tail wagged slowly. He took a few steps towards her, but her arm immediately went out. Palm facing towards him. “No, stop. Stay!”

He stopped.

“Dad!”