MAID FOR THEM

THE DOG WHO KNEW TOO MUCH

LIORA

“Your energy is everything,” a woman with long black hair said in the next video. “If you feel small, you will look small. If you feel dangerous, you will feel the same. It is all in the mind.”

My eyes had begun to feel heavy at video number…I lost count.

The soft, hypnotic voices of the women in the videos began to lure me into sleep. They all spoke of power and confidence, of ancient female archetypes.

Lilith. Cleopatra…

The laptop still played on my stomach as I lay back against my pillows.

“You are powerful," a voice in the dark whispered. “You are the ocean. You are the storm. You do not need him. He needs you.”

The words started to mix with my thoughts. I closed my eyes but the images of the videos stayed in my mind.

So did the feeling of control.

As I drifted off to sleep with the video still playing, the dream came. It was more real than any dream I had ever had.

I dreamed of wearing a dress that wrapped around my body like a second skin. Hundreds of people were lining the hallway and as I passed, they stared.

They were in awe.

It felt good. It felt empowering. I wasn’t the girl who was clumsy. It felt like I’d lived this life before and this was my true identity.

A memory unlocked in my mind like a real memory from my life. I remembered how to control a room with just a gesture.

I remembered how to make a man’s heart stop just by tilting my head. It felt like I had forgotten who I was and was getting it back now.

The feeling of total, absolute confidence washed over me like a wave as I looked at the crowd who stared at me.

Then, I woke up with a gasp.

Sunlight was streaming through my window. My laptop was dead now, but it was still on my stomach.

I laid still for a moment as I waited for the feeling to fade. Usually, dreams fade as soon as you wake up. The fear or happiness dissolves and leaves you in reality.

But this one didn’t leave.

As I sat up, I noticed how I didn’t scramble out of bed. Usually, I’d be dashing to make sure Jeronimo had been served breakfast.

I swear, I could feel the truth of that down to my fingertips. Something was different.

But what?

I went to the bathroom to look at the mirror. It was still the same face and deep green eyes. My hair didn’t change either. However, that anxiety within my chest was gone.

When I got dressed, I simply chose a black outfit; pants that fit perfectly and a silk shirt. Remembering the siren eyes tutorial, I followed it closely.

By the time I was done, I looked different indeed. Not a girl trying to look pretty. I saw a woman who looked dangerous.

I went to the garden where I knew Jeronimo would be. He always had his coffee there on Saturday mornings.

Stepping through the French doors that led to the patio, I found him sitting at the iron table, nose buried deep in his newspaper.

Titan, his large German shepherd, was asleep at his feet. The moment I stepped onto the patio, his head snapped up. He scrambled to his feet as the hair on his back stood up in a rigid line.

Jeronimo lowered his newspaper then. “Titan? What is it, boy?”

Now, Titan was a sweet dog who loved me. He usually wagged his tail when he saw me and allowed me to pat his large head, or rub his belly when he was in a really good mood or after a good meal.

Sometimes, he hung around me for treats.

This morning, it was different.

“Titan, it’s just me.”

I took another step forward and he let out a guttural growl. His ears pinned against his head before he released a sharp bark.

He wasn’t wagging his tail. He treated me like I was a stranger. It startled me.

Jeronimo looked horrified. He grabbed Titan’s collar. “Stop it! It is only Liora. What is wrong with you?”

Titan whined a sound of fear before barking again. He wouldn’t stop.

“Did I do something wrong? Why does he hate me?”

“He’s just confused. I don’t think he’s…” Jeronimo froze halfway as he looked at me. Really looked at me. “I don’t think he’s seen this…look b-before.”

I gave him a small smile filled with satisfaction. That’s when I realized why the dog was barking. Animals have pretty good instincts. He knew something had changed.

He didn’t see the one who used to feed him treats under the table. He knew there was a shift in the air.

I replied Jeronimo softly, “Yes, I also think he is confused.”

As he struggled to hold the big dog back, he looked at me again. For the second time in weeks, he really looked at me. He stared right into my eyes.

He snatched back his gaze, going breathless from handling Titan. “He has never done this before. I don’t understand.”

Oh, but I do.

I maintained that heavy eye contact I had practiced last night.

“Maybe,” I said, taking a slow step toward the table. “He just doesn’t recognize me today.”

***

In the days that followed, I truly believed I had somehow unlocked the skill to move like smoke as those women had said.

I found Jeronimo appearing in places he knew I would be in. When I opened the door, he chanced a small glance before looking away.

It wasn’t exactly the progress I’d hoped, but at least it was something.

But there was a new problem, and it was worse than Jeronimo’s aloofness. It was a big, hairy problem.

And it was that damn dog I’d come to detest.

He was always with him. Always. When Jeronimo was in the study, he was under the desk as a silent shadow. When Jeronimo was in the garden, Titan was at his heels.

Even in the hallway, the dog was never more than ten feet away.

And Titan hated me now.

He didn’t just ignore me. He hated the new me. Ever since that terrifyingly vivid dream, he now saw me as a monster.

Every single time he saw me, he barked like his life depended on it.

Today, I was ready to redeem myself.

I put on a dark green silk dress, leaving the top button just enough to be suggestive. Also applied the vanilla and sandalwood cologne Avaline suggested.

She said it was magnetic.

When I was done, I entered the library, Jeronimo was reading just as I expected. Brutus was sleeping near his feet as expected.

I took a deep breath. This was it.

I began to walk toward the desk. I planned to lean over the mahogany wood and whisper something flirtatious directly to him.

I wanted to get close enough that my perfume would fill his nose and my hand would brush his shoulder “accidentally”.

My heel made no sound on the thick rug as I took two steps.

Suddenly, Titan sprang to his feet and his heavy body tensed. He let out a mean growl that vibrated in my bones.

He wasn’t playing with me. He was going to leap if I took another step.

“Good boy, Titan,” I said, trying to make my voice sound sweet and soothing.

He was taller than my waist and his muscles were taut. Hopefully, he understood body language, else I was dog steak.

Rare.