Under His Protection - Love Under Lockdown

Suddenly, a strange calm took hold. It was like I was back at work. There wasn’t a sexual encounter with Mr. Lamb, there wasn’t a Shawn to return home to: it was just me. I was looking forward to something, but it was nameless, formless, only to be experienced in the moment.

Julius would come to me when he was ready, and not before. That was the great part of him being in charge; he had to make the decisions, and all I had to do was wait for him to decide. It felt, in that moment, like a great burden had been lifted from me.

I didn’t have to think, didn’t have to plan, didn’t have to decide. Like a good pet, I would wait patiently for my master to pay attention, and when that happened, I would be excited for every ounce of his focus. Just like me, he would be more intense and focused on me with his attention.

“How are we doing, Dixie?” he asked, looking up from his computer.

“We’re doing great, Mr. Lamb,” I said. “I’ll have those tracking numbers on the Facebook clients in the next few minutes.”

“That’s great.” He smiled. “Feel free to make yourself a cup of coffee or take a break.”

“I’m good for now,” I said. “Thanks.”

Chapter Twelve

Julius

For the next two days, we continued to throw ourselves into the work. Lamb Associates was losing our client base quickly; only the essential business even considered staying on, and these were a tough sell.

With everyone forced into lockdown, and with only limited stores and businesses to shop at, the businesses that were closed didn’t need to advertise, and the ones that were open were bursting at the seams with customers already.

I honestly didn’t know what to say to Dixie. She didn’t know this, but I had already broken my own rules about pets. Normally, the process of trust takes longer to develop, and I had skipped several steps because… Well, I just did.

Who knows? Maybe I was a foolish old man who was smitten by a younger woman.

And, of course, we both had our secrets. Normally, I’d have to break down the pets mentally so I could fully trust them, and they could trust me, but I hadn’t done that. Dixie was different. She was strong-willed, yet compliant. Such contradictions.

She came back from a walk. It was important to keep getting exercise, even in the midst of the lockdown. It was hot, so she was sweaty after the walk. As she entered, I heard the tail end of a phone conversation.

“There’s no need for that! Just take a hint! Leave me alone!” she said in frustration before hanging up.

“Everything okay?” I asked, rushing into the room.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, fine. It’s all good,” she said, forcing a smile.

“You know, Dixie, if you’re having an issue with—”

“It’s really hot outside,” she said, almost simultaneously. “I think I need a shower after that walk. I’m sorry.”

“All right,” I said. “We can continue this conversation later.”

She stopped in the hall when I said that, then turned back and looked at me.

“Thanks again for letting me stay here, Mr. Lamb.”

“Of course,” I said. “You sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said.

I went back to the kitchen and my computer. Sam was still on the teleconference call.

“Hey buddy,” he greeted. “Did I hear someone else at the house? You alone?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I said. “We’re in lockdown, right? How are we looking for the next quarter?”

“Not great.” He sighed. “But I suppose it could be worse.”

“Hey, at this point, I would be happy with a break-even scenario.” I chuckled. “As long as we can keep our employees.”

“I don’t know, Jules,” he said, unsure. “I don’t see how that’s possible. How are we going to get new clients in this environment? I can’t even meet with them.”

“We’ll think of something.”

In the distance, I thought I heard something odd echoing down the hall. I decided to cut the call short.

“I’ll let you go,” I said. “Check in with you tomorrow.”

“Yep, bye.”

I rushed upstairs. I could hear the noise getting louder. It sounded like Dixie was crying. I knocked on the door, and it abruptly stopped.

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“Ahem, yes, of course,” she said. “This is a lovely bathroom, by the way.”

“Thank you.”

I heard the doorknob start to turn, and the door opened. She was standing there, completely naked. It was clear she had been crying.

“No, thank you, sir,” she said. “I don’t know where I’d be without you right now.”

I realized that it was time to take matters into my own hands.

“Dixie, I’ll be the one to shower you today,” I said.

“That would be great, sir.”

“Come on, now. Get in the tub.”

She did as she was commanded, and I began to adjust the flow of the water. I placed her hand underneath it to check the temperature; I didn’t want to hurt that beautiful skin of hers.