17
Being led around by a leash was standard practice. John wasn't sure if Valerie felt that she had to do this, or if she were finding great entertainment out of doing it.
"C'mon, boy," she said down to him as she led him down cement stairs to the basement of a modestly built home.
John followed her as commanded. He had slowly been loosing his will to fight back. Being chained on all fours making it impossible to stand up, wearing round stainless steel mitts over his hands to avoid being able to use his fingers for anything, left him in a very dependent state on whoever would look after him. Since Valerie was the one looking after him, he did as she wanted.
They were met at the door by a young woman, 19, perhaps 20 years old. Her long, strawberry blonde hair was braided into pigtails, each trailing over her shoulder. She looked down at John in shock.
"Never seen a dog like this before, have you?" Valerie joked. When Alicia said nothing, Valerie said, "This is Frisky. He needs to be cleaned up."
"Ummm..." Alicia said.
John smiled to himself. He hated to admit it, but this was becoming more and more fun. His fate had been removed from his hands and Valerie was re-shaping his life into that of a dog's life.
"That's not a real dog, Mrs. Hagan."
Valerie looked down at John. "I would argue with you, Alicia, but I understand your confusion." Valerie tugged on the leash bringing John into the basement pet grooming room. "You now how it is," Valerie said, "sometimes people are not what they look like?"
"Yea..."
"Well, Frisky here is really a dog inside. He is now living as a dog..."
"This is that kinky stuff. Isn't it?"
"I don't think it's kinky. This is Frisky's natural state." Valerie held the leash out to Alicia. "Just relax and think of him as a dog. It's simple. That's what I do."
Alicia reluctantly took the leash.
"Go ahead," Valerie said, "He won't hurt you." Valerie opened the door and pointed a finger straight up. "I'll be back in awhile. I'm going to go and visit with your mother."
She shut the door leaving Alicia and John alone. Alicia looked down at him.
"Well, Frisky, do you have a real name?"
John gave it some thought realizing that he didn't want his real name to be known so that when he got back to his real life, this would all be water under the bridge. "I'll stick with Frisky. And you really don't have to do this if you don't feel comfortable with it..."
Alicia answered with a tug on his leash. "I'm trying to build my business up, I need the work." She led him to a washtub already filled with water.
"You want me to climb in there?" he asked her.
"If you don't go voluntarily, I have my ways to get dogs in the tub," she said. "But any other dog wouldn't be able to tell their owner about it."
"Believe me," John said, "Valerie wouldn't care what you did to me. Her only regret would be that she wasn't here to see it."
"Good, I don't like people telling me how to do my job. Now get in the tub."
John climbed over the side of the washtub being careful about dragging the chains over the side. The chains rattled against the metal.
"Good boy," she said. She began to get him all wet. Then she scrubbed him with a brush. "Boy, you are a dirty thing, aren't you?"
When he was cleaned from top to bottom, she pulled on his collar to lead him out of the tub. She dried him with a towel. She ran her hands through his hair.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" John asked her.