Ch 6: It's The Little Things
It's the Little Surprises
copyright 2010 comidacomida
The 2008 voting season was a very active time for me professionally. Every few years a ballot comes up for vote in one or two states that catches a lot of attention. The Walter Media Group (my employer) was tracking several such ballot measures that year. Gay marriage was one of the biggest but, right alongside that one was Human-Dog marriage. To say it was a touchy subject would be a grand understatement; several states were holding votes to declare such unions unrecognized within their borders before they were even deemed legally acknowledged in other states.
Most of the big news stations were working on their 'unbiased coverage' angle-- if you've ever been in a media job you'd realize that 'unbiased' is just a way for them to say that they'll be subtle about telling you what to think... but that's a discussion for another day. Despite the common nature of 'unbiased reporting' W.M.G. has never made claims about being unbiased; the shows, programming, and news present life from a left-of-center political point of view.
I have no problem working for a liberally-minded network considering my lifestyle, but I have had occasional run-ins with what more conservative individuals might call a 'left wing nut'. As for myself, I think that any extreme is the wrong idea and, despite what some folks might say, I do my best to keep out of the political arena. Oh... I might tackle political controversy from time to time, but I don't take political stances-- I take moral ones. I'm not for 'either side' so to speak because it seems politics these days is about taking away rights, freedoms, happiness, and livelihood rather than granting and protecting them.
But, enough about politics. I know I'm talking about events that happened during the voting season of '08 but I promise this isn't going to turn into one of those political comedy anecdotes that seem to make their way into becoming a Hollywood box office flop. In short, I will reiterate: the events that follow took place during the time of 'great social upheaval' so to speak, but are not political in nature save to say that they happened during a campaign event I was asked to attend and cover in Idaho.
The flight went well for the most part. JD was with me, and we had two separate flights with a layover of 2 hours between them... New York to Chicago to Boise. It doesn't take too much imagination to assume that my poor Guard Dog was nearing the end of his tolerance for sitting still and being polite; he can only handle it for so long and the security at the airports did not much improve his mood. We landed at the Boise airport mid afternoon, but the time change made it feel more like mid evening; JD is not a big fan of waiting to eat and his already sour mood only made things worse.
A minor altercation between my Guard Dog and a German Shepherd cab driver delayed us for another hour. For the sake of what I'm told is 'national security', I'm not able to comment on the specifics but I'll summarize by saying that JD is not a fan of being called a 'prick'. It wasn't quite five in the evening when we finally got out of the airport in a rented car. I'm not much for car rentals but there are times when they do come in handy; a just-over-the-speed-limit-trip-to-Mc-Donalds is a great time for one if you're looking to keep your Bull Terrier out of any further trouble.
For anyone who doesn't make a point of going out for fast food with a Dog, let me tell you without any hesitation or doubt: Mc Donalds is where you should go. I'm not paid to advertise them or anything, and god knows that there are a lot of better places to eat, but out of all of the fast food restaurants out there they have done the most to accomodate dogs. Take for example, their soft drink cups. Back in the early 90s, Mc Donalds changed to disposable plastic cups-- you might have seen them.
The greatest benefit for those cups is that they have two kinds of lids: one for straws and the other for a 'nozzle'. I don't think that's the technical term, but if you ever see a Dog drinking out of one of them you'll know what I mean. If you've ever seen a Dog trying to drink out of a straw you know why this is important. The snap on plastic lid they have at Micky D's is made just for a Dog's muzzle allowing them to drink their soda without getting ice all over their face. I know it's a small thing in the scheme of life, but finding businesses that take humans AND Dogs into considerations is a past time of mine.
Without dwelling on fast food ideology any longer, I'll just summarize and say that I grabbed a combo meal and JD picked up 5 of their $1 burgers... I guess I've always been one of the it's-all-included kind of buyers while JD considers quantity over quality. We ate at the restaurant, leaving our luggage in the trunk of the rental car. As usual, he finished his five burgers before me, but his mood had apparently improved because he was kind enough to leave me some of my fries. We headed back out to the car and drove across down to the hotel where our room was reserved.
The check-in went smoothly and the concierge had a bellhop escort us up to our room... the bellhop showed up and brought a cart to carry our luggage for us. One thing about being a minor celebrity within a small subsection of society is never knowing just when someone will recognize you. While JD and I were walked to the elevators the bellhop looked at me, then to JD, then back to me and noted in a casual tone, "You're Jason Campbell, right?"
"That's what his reservation said." JD inputted without missing a beat, "Is there a problem?"
The bellhop waited for us to enter as the elevator doors opened, "No, sir." he replied, "I just wanted to say I'm a fan."
The matter-of-fact tone with which he spoke would normally seem a little out of place for an A-list celebrity (which I'm not, by any means), but I found the casual admission to be just as good, "Thank you." I replied, mustering up a pleasant smile-- JD always accused my smiles of being humble, but I like to think of them as casually thankful. Nothing was said for the entire duration of the elevator ride, but the bellhop did speak up once we were out into the hallway.
"Left, Mr Campbell." he noted, "Fourth room on the right... number 414."
"Thank you." I repeated my earlier statement, and headed down to the door. Once we'd reached it I pulled out my wallet and held out a few bills, "I appreciate the help." and added with barely a pause, "I hope you keep watching."
The man accepted the tip and nodded, "I will! Thanks!" and he went back toward the elevator with a spring in his step.
"There's no way he's a Leasher." JD pointed out.
"JD!" I noted, "Not everyone who watches my show is a Leasher you know."
"Probably some Bad Dog's bitch." my Guard Dog nodded. I sputtered at the comment, and JD continued, "Look at the way he walks..."
"Geez." I interrupted, rolling my eyes, "Still a little grumpy, huh?" JD responded by sticking his tongue out at me, but he wagged, which was a good sign. I pulled out the key card handed to me by the concierge. I slid it through the reader and the light turned green.
The moment I had the hotel room door unlocked JD had pushed past me, setting the luggage down on the floor beside the entryway. As usual, my Guard Dog made his way straight for the bathroom. It's always been a quirk of his to check out the bathroom whenever we were staying on the road, but not for the reason you might think. JD had a bladder of iron so he rarely had to rush to empty it but he always had it in his mind that he would one day stay at a hotel where he would have complete and unrestricted access to a hot tub. As usual, however, we had none.
The fact didn't seem to bother him at all-- it was more a personality quirk than anything else. He had been along on enough assignments with me to know that the station didn't pay for the upper end rooms. In all, I would rate my usual accomodations as the better side of standard; they certainly didn't skimp on a travel budget. I set my bags down next to JD's and went about my arrival ritual: I threw myself onto the bed face-down and took a deep breath of the hotel-issued blanket.
There are a lot of people out there who would tell you that doing something like inhaling a lungful of hotel-blanket is akin to snorting Anthrax but I would contest that point. During the years I've spent traveling around the country I can say for certain that far more cleaning crews do their job than not. I've even know a few Dogs who work in the hospitality industry so I'm pretty confident that the industrial strength washers and driers they use can make bedding safe enough to 'test'.
My thought is that testing the bedding beforehand means I can have a better idea of whether or not the cleaning crew is doing their job-- as I said, I believe that MOST cleaning crews do the job... there are any number of reasons why one might not, and I generally don't like the idea of bed bugs or dirty linens. As it had been expected, however, the bed was clean. I'm really quite practiced at this, so you'll have to take my word for it.
During my ritualistic 'checking of the bed', JD had already started the water in the shower. I heard the tell-tale clank of my Guard Dog's collar being set on a counter followed by the rustle of clothing as it hit the floor... toilet... cabinet... sink... or wherever JD casually tossed it. He knew it was one of my pet peeves at home but I would tolerate it while we were on the road-- my Guard Dog knows I have certain limits about some things and he doesn't mind questioning them, testing them, stretching them, and occasionally bending them... but when they are really important he is a good boy because he never breaks them.
Taking a not-so-subtle sniff at myself I realized that JD had a very good idea at that moment. I pulled my suitcase up onto the bed and unzipped it, picking out a suitable set of clothes for the next day, and then proceeded to strip down. I set my dirty clothes in a neat pile on one of the spare chairs in the room and grabbed my toothbrush out of my suitcase. Sliding my way into the bathroom I closed the door quietly behind myself and grabbed one of the towels from where it hung on the wall setting it on the counter beside the sink.
I know most people wait until they're ready to go to bed before brushing, but I've always been told that you should aim as close to an hour after eating as possible. While JD serenaded me to an a capella version of a hip hop song. I was facing the mirror and, even though it was fogged up, I could still barely manage to watched him move in time with the rhythm of what he was singing... and I can tell you from experience, my Guard Dog has excellent rhythm.
"Now that that don't kill me can only make me stronger. I need you to hurry up now 'cause I can't wait much longer." he continued singing as I brushed my teeth, "I know I got to be right now 'cause I can't get much wronger." the shower turned off but he continued singing, "Man I've been waitin' all night now..." he opened the sliding door to the shower, "that's how long I've been on ya." he reached for his towel, pausing so he could use the motion to lean out of the shower and look my way.
Even through the fog on the mirror I could tell he was staring, and, even though the reflection was muted by the condensation the vibrant splotch of foggy red between JD's legs was more than noticeable. I set down my toothbrush and folded the towel around my waist-- false modesty, of course. I reached up with my other hand and wiped a section of the mirror clear at eye level. JD's grin went even wider as he stepped out of the shower, "By the way... I have a surprise for ya." he announced.
"Well..." I couldn't help but smirk, "Isn't this a nice little surprise?" I asked him as he moved to grip both of my shoulders with his still-damp paws. I looked at his reflection in the mirror and his reflection locked gazes with mine.
"Pffft." he responded condescendingly, "We both know THAT 'surprise' isn't so little." and the grin turned predatory. His 'surprise' brushed up against the small of my back as his left paw reached down to grip my wrist; I let go of the towel at the unspoken command.
"I didn't finish my shower." he said to me, muzzle brushing the top of my head. He took in a deep breath and a shiver ran through him, "and you are VERY dirty..."
"Jack Daniels," I addressed him, "You are anything but subtle." the chastising comment was most likely ruined due to what must have been one huge grin on my face.
Both towels left on the counter, JD and I returned to the shower together. I moved to turn the stream on and I felt the weight of his body press against me from behind. moving to the side at the last minute I narrowly avoided having my abdomen jammed into the water control. My Guard Dog nuzzled the back of my neck, breathing deeply again as his claws brushed down my back from shoulders to hips.
I turned on the shower and JD sputtered as he got a facefull of water. "Surprise?" I offered, turning around with a smile. He had the look of a wet dog to him... not at all that out-of-place considering the fact that he was, indeed, a wet Dog.
The predatory smirk returned to him a moment later, "Wanting to do this the hard way, huh?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I lied. I'm a bad liar, "I just want to make sure we can both get clean."
"We will." he promised, "Right after we get dirty." his wet tail flung water this-way-and-that as he wagged and stepped closer. JD slid his paw around my throat and I felt his grip tighten. I'm sure the illusion of me being thrust up against the wall of the shower by my neck would have been very convincing for anyone watching, but remember that JD is my Guard Dog, and he'd never purposefully hurt me... regardless, it still got my heart going.
The tips of my toes were barely able to touch the ground, but I was in no danger of choking; D's grip was firm but he supported me with his other paw, which was hooked under my thigh, "Now..." he stated, muzzle an inch from my face as he stared me down, "Where were we?" He slid one of his knees up under my rump, setting me on it and freeing his paw.
"Something about getting dirty, I think." I offered the unneeded reminder.
"Right..." he stated, bringing his paw up to his muzzle. JD slid his middle digit into his maw before pulling it out with an audible 'pop', covered in saliva. He leaned forward, his muzzle brushing up underneath my chin just above his paw. My Guard Dog licked at my throat, slowly moving his paw out of the way as his other paw slid up beneath me. Bear in mind that Dogs have very broad fingers... not to mention claws. Fortunately for me, JD had lost his claw on that finger in a car accident a few years previous.
I went tense the moment he found my opening, but relaxed quickly as his digit slid into my body; it wasn't something he did often, but when he did I rarely found a reason to object. My terrier held me against the wall finger sliding deeper into me as I wriggled in his grasp, grunting as his thick digit spread me wider until, suddenly it drew back, and was gone.
JD didn't give me any time to question him however as I was rotated midair and my chest was pressed up against the wall... my toes were no longer scraping the ground, instead, all of my weight was supported by both of my Dog's paws, gripping my rump and forcing me up against the side of the shower. JD's attention had me squirming anew, partly because my hard flesh was trapped between my abdomen at the wall, but also because his thumbs were pulling outward along either side of my rump. A few moments later I figured out why.
I don't consider myself a very loud person when it comes to sex, but the acoustics of the shower made my gasp sound like a gunshot. JD's spread me even further than his thumbs had when I felt his squirming, broad tongue press up against my opening. My feet curled and I balled my hands into fists. JD is not the kind of Dog to do any kind of oral... it's just not him. For better than a half-dozen years we'd been together he'd never made any attempt to try anything like that, and, despite how well I knew him, that truly was a surprise.
I coughed, sputtering on water as his tongue entered into me and I felt my whole body shiver despite the dual warmth of the shower and my terrier's grasp. My toes popped with how tightly they were balled and I felt my body surrender to one of the most powerful lapse of control I'd ever experienced. By the time JD had pulled his muzzle away from me my stomach was completely covered by my own sticky embarrassment. When my Dog saw that, he just chuckled.
After a few moments of panting, and what was probably several color changes to a deeper shade of red, I finally managed to ask, "What was that?"
"Something I thought you would enjoy." JD answered simply, "You gonna tell me I was wrong?"
"God, no..." I admitted, still trying to catch my breath, "I just thought--" and he silenced me with a kiss.
JD hefted me up again, forcing my back against the wall once more. I wrapped my legs around his hips as I felt him guide his very-eager flesh to my saliva-slickened opening. Three thrusts later and he had worked his entire length into me, knot included. My already loosened opening accepted it in stride and I squirmed as my member started to thicken again. JD was, at that moment, more excited than I had ever known him to be. He growled as he worked himself deeper into me, the sound mixed with with a deep-chested moan-- I wasn't long in joining in harmony with one of my own.
JD cried out as he forced his entire weight against me. I managed to take a deep breath and brace myself to avoid getting crushed as my Dog quite literally howled out his release. I felt his flesh pulse inside me as growled out a wheezing rasp of ecstasy. My held breath was forced from me as the flowing, pulsating warmth inside my body pushed me over the edge for a second time. My Guard Dog took back his weight as both our abdomens were covered by my release.
JD slumped to the floor of the shower, laying on his back as the water rained down upon us both. Hips stuck firmly together, I sat atop him, reveling in the feel of the warm water from above and the warm body heat from my Guard Dog below and within me. JD reached around and gently stroke my back. I laid down atop him, resting my head against his chest, "After all these years, you still manage to surprise me... you know that?"
The terrier chuckled beneath me and I could practically hear the gears in his head turning, "Still one more to go for the night." he added.
"You're pregnant?" I asked.
JD laughed, the spasms causing his flesh within me to flex and twitch, making my toes tingle and my head spin, "No..." I heard him say as he calmed down and I regained the ability to focus. "You know about all these marriage vote things going on?"
"'Marriage vote things'." I repeated the awkward comment, "Yea... I'm familiar with them."
"Do you think they'll pass?" he asked, stroking my back with a paw.
"No idea." I admitted, softly brushing my fingers through the fur on one of his shoulders.
"Marry me." he said out of the blue.
I'm not sure how long it took the words to sink in, but, when I finally realized that something existed outside the tempest going on in my skull I looked down at the Bull Terrier beneath me. I could tell he was anxious; I could tell the silence was uncomfortable for him; I could tell he was not joking. His member slipped free of me, the strain of the situation deflating it quickly.
"Yes." It was the only possible answer; none other would have been possible-- or could have been possible.
A smile wider than any I'd ever seen on JD's muzzle looked like it could have swallowed his ears. He pulled me down for a powerful hug and said nothing else-- nothing else needed to be said.
We stood back up, going about the business of washing ourselves off again; anyone who says sex in a shower is cleaner than in a non-watery environment obviously never had the right kind. We were both quiet for quite some time, washing ourselves... one another... the wall... the floor... pretty much everything. When JD finally spoke up the question made me laugh, "So... um... are you going to become Jason Daniels then?"
"You could always become Jack Campbell... that way you can go by JC instead of JD." I offered.
"Wow... that'd be fucked up." the bull terrier grinned.
"Or you could just be JD Campbell." I explained, "Most of the laws being proposed to allow Human and Dog marriage assume the Dog will take the human's last name regardless of sex."
JD nodded thoughtfully, "Well... yea... marriage SHOULD be regardless of sex... supposedly once you're married you don't 'do it' as often... it's a rule or somethin'..."
"Oh?" I questioned, turning off the water. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my towel around my waist. "Are we going to try and bend that rule?" I glanced in the mirror at my Guard Dog; the predatory grin had returned to his muzzle and a finger of pink was peeking out of his sheath again.
"Bend it?" JD questioned, "We're gonna break that fucker off."
<THE END>