Page 60 of Security and Submission
“What is your dog doing?”
Zeus looked over to see Tiger getting ready to poop—which for him meant backing his butt up into a bush. He was used to it enough by now that he’d forgotten how weird it might look to someone who didn’t regularly walk Tiger.
“He likes to hide his poop,” he explained with a sigh. “It’s usually not a problem, except when he does it in a rose bush. The thorns can be a pain in the ass.”
Yas stared at Tiger, who was finishing up his business.
“That is so weird.”
“I’m kind of used to it now,” Zeus said, sighing again as he pulled the poop bag from the little pocket on Tiger’s harness and crouched down. The dog had chosen a very large bush, and he was good at backing himself up, so Zeus had to crouch down low and stretch to reach it for cleanup. “He was a rescue, so sometimes I wonder if his previous owner trained him to do this, to try to hide the poops so he wouldn’t have to clean it up, or if it’s just something Tiger does on his own.”
Yas giggled as she watched him tend to the duty.
“So, you have to do this every time he poops?”
“Mostly. Sometimes, he can’t find a handy bush, but it’s definitely his preference. Weirdo dog.” The weirdo dog in question came up to lean against Zeus’ thigh, panting happily, as Zeus tied the bag off. “Yes, you weirdo.” He gave Tiger a quick pat. “Let’s go.”
“How long have you had him?” Yas asked.
The conversation for the rest of the walk veered away from The Outlands and kink and sex, which Zeus was fine with. He wondered if Yas realized that it bordered on going against her rules about keeping things non-relationship-y.
For someone who didn’t want to cross that boundary, she did seem to want to get to know him. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to point it out to her if she didn’t notice.
Yasmine
As Yasmine pulled in front of her house, she could feel her tension rising again, even knowing that Zeus was in the car right behind her. She was glad he was there because she did feel safer than if she’d come home by herself. Especially when he got out of the car, and his gaze focused on her little house, every line in his body on alert.
“Let me go in first,” he said, glancing at her.
She blinked.
“You think he could be inside?”
“No, but at the same time I’m here, so I might as well check it out just in case since you weren’t home last night.”
Well, that made sense. And she had to admit it did things to her girl parts to have him be all take-charge and protective. Yasmine didn’t like to consider herself a damsel in distress, but she also knew when she was out of her depth. Right now, she was very much so. If Zeus hadn’t been here, she probably would have called Claudia, so it wasn’t like she was completely helpless…
But it was still hot to have him here, being all bossy and keeping her safe.
“Lead the way,” she said, handing him her key.
She’d left Hope at Sarah’s for now, since Hope had seemed tired out after the walk and had already flopped down on her doggy bed in the living room while Yas had grabbed her bag. Hope had wagged her tail when Yasmine went over to her but hadn’t seemed interested in getting up. The fact that meant Yasmine had to go back to Sarah’s later and that it would probably make sense to just stay there had nothing to do with it.
It wasn’t like she and Zeus even had plans for tonight. He might already have something else to do. So, she wasn’t returning for him; she was returning for Hope.
As she went to pick up her bag, Zeus beat her to the punch and hefted her bag in his hand. Yasmine almost tried to stop him and take her bag back, but on the other hand, he might just be being mannerly. He didn’t even seem to notice that he’d done it, as if it had been automatic for him. She shouldn’t stop him from being chivalrous just because that was the kind of thing she expected her boyfriends to do. Anyone could be polite or generous. In fact, she was pretty sure Zeus was the type who would have taken her bag even if he’d had no sexual interest in her at all, just because it was the right thing to do.
As soon as they got through the front door, he set the bag down.
“Stay here.”
Bemused, she stood in place as he prowled through the one-level home. It had a big main room, which included the kitchen and eating area, then a hallway to the two bedrooms and a powder room. The bedroom on the left was hers, and the one on the right was her home office, though she did have a pullout in there for when she had guests.
She watched as Zeus made quick work of giving himself a little tour, noting that he only looked into the bedrooms, rather than going into them.
“No need to search my closet or bathroom?” she teased as he made his way back to her.
“I can if it will make you feel better, but no, I don’t think there’s a need to,” he replied seriously.
