Audiodog
By Lorie

	Lorie started to open the back door of the club when 
she heard a whimpering sound from behind the dumpster. She 
carefully made her way around the pile of cardboard boxes 
to see a little black dog curled up against the building. 
"Hey there, little pup. What's the matter?" she cooed, 
trying not to scare it. The dog sniffed her offered hand 
and nuzzled her palm with its head. After a few moments of 
gaining the dog's trust, she scooped it up and cradled it 
in her arms. "You must be lost, little one. Are you hungry? 
Would you like some food?" A pair of big brown eyes looked 
into her blue ones as if to say yes please. She laughed, 
"Okay, I'm sure I can talk Scooter into rustling up 
something for you." Holding the dog close, she walked back 
around the dumpster and into the club.
	She walked into the dressing room and called out to 
the girls, "Look what I found in the alley." The women all 
stopped what they were doing and gathered around. "Oh, what 
a cutie." "Hello, little puppy." And various baby talk came 
from the group. Shannon scratched it behind the ears and 
looked at the tag on the collar, "It says his name is Joe 
and there is a number here. He's probably lost." Lorie 
looked at the tag too. "More than likely. I'll call the 
owner after I find him something to eat. He's a hungry 
puppy. Aren't you?" Joe was so happy with the attention, 
his tail was wagging enthusiastically. "You can bring him 
back here after he's fed. We can all watch him in between." 
Holly called out and Lorie turned to leave for the kitchen. 
"I'll do that. I have a profit and loss statement to 
finish. We'll be back."
	Fifteen minutes later, Joe was licking his plate clean 
of the hamburger patties that Scooter had made for him. 
"Now if everyone would appreciate my cooking that much." 
The cook said as he set out to make his special buffalo 
wings. Lorie was tempted to say something to the effect 
that only starving dogs could eat his stuff but thought 
better of it. Instead she thanked him, collected Joe and 
his makeshift water dish, and went to her office.
	With Joe on her lap, she held the ID tag in one hand 
and dialed the phone with the other. After several rings an 
answering machine picked up the call and a generic massage 
asked her to leave a message. "Hello. My name is Lorie and 
I found you dog, Joe. Give me a call at Strutter's and 
we'll make arrangements to get him back to you. Talk to you 
later. Bye." She hung up the phone and looked at Joe, 
"Well, now we just have to wait until your owner calls. 
Until then, it's back downstairs with you so I can finish 
my bookwork." Joe cuddled against her and yawned. By the 
time she reached the dressing room, he was sound asleep in 
her arms. Dynasty laid a blanket on the old couch for him 
and promised to watch him for her. "What if his owner 
doesn't call?" she asked. Lorie shrugged her shoulders; "I 
guess I'll take him home with me until I hear something. 
It's been lonely since…" her voice trailed off. Dynasty 
gave her a quick hug, "You're better off without that 
loser. Besides," pointing at Joe, "He's cuter." Lorie 
laughed and went back upstairs to her little office.
	Later, while she was immersed in her numbers, she felt 
two paws on her leg. She looked down and saw Joe looking up 
at her. "How did you find your way up here?" she asked as 
she scooped him up onto her lap. Her phone buzzed and she 
picked it up. "Hi, it's Shannon. We can't find the puppy. 
Have you seen him?" "He's right here. I'll keep him here 
until I leave. If his owner doesn't call, he'll be my 
houseguest." Lorie explained as Joe looked up at her and 
wagged his tail.
	By the end on the night, Joe's owner had not called 
and Lorie brought Joe home to her little apartment. The dog 
walked around the rooms, exploring and sniffing everything 
he could. When he came to an old chair, he stood back and 
growled. "Oh you smell Matt, don't you? I feel the same 
way." She said as she looked at the recliner. When her ex-
boyfriend moved out, he left the monstrosity behind saying 
it wouldn't work in his new girlfriend's apartment. "Chew 
it up if you want. I want to get rid of it but no one wants 
it." She sighed and she looked for a blanket for Joe to 
sleep on. 
	After the lights were out, Lorie settled into bed and 
drifted off to sleep. It wasn't long before she had a 
little four-legged bed partner snuggling up next to her. 
"Joe, you are one spoiled dog. You're lucky I'm too tired 
to argue." She wrapped her arm around him and together they 
drifted off to sleep.

	A few days later, Bruce walked into his apartment, 
still a little upset. He had asked his friend to watched 
his dog while he was in New York. Then Jake let Joe out one 
morning and forgot to let him back in before he went to 
work. Now Joe was missing and he didn't know what to do. 
Fortunately, Joe did have his collar on so if the dog 
warden picked him up, he'll be okay. But still Bruce wanted 
his dog home. Ever since his divorce, Joe has been his 
little buddy, someone to come home to. 
	Bruce noticed the light on his answering machine 
blinking. Maybe someone found Joe, he thought as he rewound 
the tape. After a call from Bob, two telemarketers, and a 
wrong number, a nice female voice came out from the 
speaker,  "Hello. My name is Lorie and I found you dog, 
Joe. Give me a ca…" Suddenly the machine stopped and 
powered off. After he switched the machine on and off a few 
times, he decided to take the tape out and play it on his 
recorder. Unfortunately, when he opened the lid, the tape 
unwound and snarled into a knot. "NO!" he shouted in 
disgust. He didn't know what to do now. Someone found Joe, 
called him, and he had no idea who except her name was 
Lorie. 
	A knock at the door startled him. He opened it to find 
Gene standing there with a grin on his face. "Hi, Gene. 
What do you want?" Bruce said in an annoyed tone. The smile 
left Gene's face and a look of surprise took its place. 
"Hello to you too. I knew you were back in town and have a 
business idea you might be interested in." In his mood, 
Bruce was tempted to shut the door in Gene's face but he 
knew better than do that. After inviting Gene in, he 
explained his dilemma as best he could. Gene listened and 
offered a possible solution, "You have caller ID, right?" 
Bruce sighed, "Of course I do. You insisted I get it when 
it became available. I…" He stopped and smacked his 
forehead. Walking over to the box, he called out thanks to 
Gene and started to scroll through the numbers. 
	He erased the numbers he knew and was left with 5 
unknowns. Gene looked over Bruce's shoulder and recognized 
one of them. "Why would a strip club be calling you?" he 
asked with amusement. Bruce looked at him questionably, 
"Strip club?" Gene pointed to the number on the display, 
"That's the number for Strutters. It's a strip club that is 
kinda KISS exclusive. The owner is a fan. I went to their 
opening back in '96 in full costume." Then a leer crept 
over his face, "Very nice scenery and charming young 
ladies." Bruce couldn't help but laugh, "Your kinda place." 
He picked up the phone and decided to try.
	On the third ring a gruff sounding man said Strutters. 
"Yes I'm looking for a Lorie?" Bruce asked. "Business or 
personal?" the voice asked. Bruce cleared his throat , "I 
guess personal. She left a message on my answering machine 
and…" The voice suddenly turned pleasant, "Oh, you must be 
Joe's owner. She has been waiting for your call. Cute dog 
you got there. I'll get her for you." As he waited he gave 
the thumbs up to Gene. "Hi this is Lorie," a silky voice 
said over the phone. "Uh…hi. I believe you have my dog." 
Bruce said hopefully. "Yes, I do. He's right now raiding 
the kitchen for supper. I'm so glad you called." Relieved 
Joe was okay he sighed, "I'll be over to get him. Thank you 
for finding him and taking care of him." She giggled, "No 
problem. He's made himself at home here. Do you need 
directions?" He looked over at Gene, "No. I have a friend 
who knows where you're at. I'll be there in about an hour." 
"I'll tell them at the door you're on your way. Just ask 
for Booie." She finished and said good-bye.
	After he hung up the phone, Bruce looked at Gene, "How 
do I get there?" Gene smiled and grabbed his keys, "I'll 
drive. It's easier." Bruce grabbed his jacket and followed 
Gene out the door. Gene laughed, "You know you have one 
smart dog." Bruce nodded, "Yeah, of all the places to get 
lost and for me to find him in." Secretly, Bruce was also 
interested in finding the owner of the sexy voice on the 
phone.
`````````````````````````````````````
	When Bruce and Gene entered the front door of the 
club, they were greeted by the bouncer, Booie. "Mr. 
Simmons, good to see you again, It's been a while. Would 
you like your usual table?" Gene smiled, "No, Booie. I'm 
here on business. It seems one of your girls found Bruce's 
dog and we came to get him." Bruce nodded, "Yes, her name 
is Lorie. Is she here?" Booie laughed, "She's here and so 
is her shadow. She's our bookkeeper. I'll seat you at your 
table and go get her." 
	After they were seated at a table off to the side of 
the stage, Gene looked up and was entranced by the stripper 
that was performing. She was a redhead doing a routine to 
Domino. To get her attention, he pulled out a twenty-dollar 
bill, folded it, and held it in his teeth for her. She did 
a backbend to retrieve it with her teeth. When she righted 
herself, she stopped and did a double take. Gene smiled and 
tapped the table, signaling her to stop by after her 
routine. Slightly shell-shocked, she nodded and continued 
her dance.
	Bruce looked around the club and noticed all the KISS 
memorabilia on the walls. Why didn't I know about this 
place before now, he wondered to himself. His thoughts were 
interrupted by the sight of a woman in a short skirt and 
cropped jacket walking down the steps on the other side of 
the stage. She looked like the next dancer due on stage but 
instead walked straight over to his table.
	"Hi. So you're Joe's owner?" Lorie asked before her 
courage ran out. She didn't believe Booie when he said that 
Bruce Kulick was there to collect his dog. It wasn't until 
after she hung up the phone earlier that she realized she 
forgot to get his name. Sure enough, here he was, in the 
flesh. Now she just had to keep cool and not act like an 
idiot in front of him. But when he smiled up at her, she 
could feel the confidant bookkeeper disappear and a 
giggling KISS fan take her place. 
	"Yes, I am. Is he here?" he asked as he realized this 
vision was Joe's guardian angel. 
	She nodded and smiled, "He's in the back in the 
dressing room. Come on back." He stood up and followed her 
around the stage to a dark hallway. He was admiring her 
rear view when they reached the dressing room door. She 
knocked and announced that she had Joe's owner with her and 
was coming in. Lorie turned and smiled, "Come on in. You 
can see the king in his kingdom." 
	Once inside, Bruce couldn't help but laugh. There was 
Joe, surrounded by half a dozen beautiful strippers, being 
treated like royalty. "What a dog," he muttered as he 
walked over to him. Joe looked up at his master and slowly 
wagged his tail. "Alright, Joe. Come on, it's time to go 
home." Bruce said and then waited for the dog to run over 
to him. Instead, Joe yawned, stretched, hopped off the lap 
he was sitting on, stretched again, scratched behind his 
ear, and slowly walked over to him. "Don't hurry now." 
Bruce said sarcastically as he watched his dog's reaction 
to his arrival. 
	Lorie laughed, "He's made himself right at home here. 
It's been fun having him around, too." She was telling the 
truth. She liked Joe. Bruce turned to walk out of the 
dressing room and Joe didn't budge. He looked back down at 
the dog, "I suppose you want to stay awhile longer, huh?" 
Joe turned around and with a flying leap returned to the 
lap he just left. 
	Embarrassed, Lorie cleared her throat, "Uh…he could 
stay here until you're ready to leave." 
	Bruce turned to the group around Joe, "Okay…as long as 
it's alright with everyone." The ladies in the room all 
nodded in agreement. He turned to Lorie, "Would you like a 
drink? I would like to hear what happened." 
	She smiled a nervous smile, "Sure. Let's go to my 
office where it's quiet." He returned the smile, "Lead the 
way."

	"So he's made himself at home and hasn't been any 
trouble at all." Lorie finished the story of how she found 
Joe and how well he had behaved. She still couldn't believe 
she was sitting on the same couch as Bruce Kulick. She had 
seen him in concert many times and had posters of him on 
her wall when she lived at home. Now, here she was carrying 
on a conversation with him as if she had known him for 
years. He was so easy to talk to. 
	Bruce told her the story how he got Joe and that he 
normally had Bob watch the dog when he couldn't take him 
along. "But this time Bob was out of town too. So when Jake 
offered, I accepted. Never again, though." 
	"Well, if you ever need someone to watch him again, 
I'd be happy to." Lorie offered hesitantly. 
	Bruce thanked her and accepted. "I know he's in good 
hands here," he said as he glanced at her hands and 
wondered how those hands would feel on him. He quickly 
looked up, embarrassed by his thoughts.
	They talked for a couple of hours longer about 
different things: KISS, Union, the music business in 
general, the club, her job, her family, his family and so 
on. It wasn't until Gene knocked on the door did they 
realize the time. 
	"So here you are. Where's the pooch?" he asked giving 
Lorie an approving leer. 
	"He's probably downstairs in the dressing room with 
the girls." Lorie stated as she blushed under his gaze. 
	Gene nodded, "Hmmm…lucky dog. I'll go get him for you 
Bruce," and turned to find the dressing room. 
	Bruce turned to Lorie. He wanted to ask her out on a 
date but just couldn't find the words. She was so nice and 
nice to look at that it seemed too good to be true. He 
finally broke his silence, "Thank you again for all you've 
done for Joe." 
	She smiled, "It wasn't any trouble. I'm just glad 
there is a happy ending." 
	His courage disappeared with that last word. "Well, I 
better get down there or we'll never get home," he said as 
he walked out the door.
	Damn, she thought, why don't I ask him out? He 
probably has some model girlfriend and wants nothing to do 
with a bookworm like me, that's why. "Okay, it's down this 
way." She said as she followed him out the door. 
	Later, she sat at her desk, holding the glass he used 
when he was there. She could still see the lip imprint on 
it if she held it in the light just right. She felt so 
pathetic looking at it and wondering how it would feel to 
have his lips on hers. She had said good-bye when they left 
the club. She doubted she would ever see him again. She 
already missed Joe. A knock on her office door startled her 
from her thoughts, "Yes?" 
	Shannon popped her head in, "You ready to go? Booie 
wants to lock up." 
	Lorie sat the glass down, "I'm ready. I'm just…" 
	"Just wish you jumped his bones when he was up here 
alone with you." Shannon stated with a smile on her face. 
	"No, it's not that. I'm not that forward. I…I don't 
know. Let's go." Lorie said as she grabbed her purse. 
	Hoping to change the subject, Lorie asked "So I hear 
you had the private room for awhile with Gene Simmons. Did 
he 'tip' you well?" 
	Shannon smiled so wide it almost wrapped around her 
head, "Wait until I tell you." And went into enough detail 
to make a sailor blush.
	The next afternoon when she arrived for work, she 
noticed a familiar black bundle of fur by the backdoor of 
the club. When she walked up to him, Joe lifted his head 
and wagged his tail. "How did you get all the way back over 
here?" She asked. Joe nonchalantly scratched behind his ear 
and looked at her. She scooped the dog up and went inside. 
	Once she was inside her office, she hugged Joe close. 
"I missed you, little guy. Did you miss me?" Joe turned and 
licked her face. She was glad he didn't forget her. She sat 
down and reached for the phone, "I better let Bruce know 
where you're at." 
	Bruce hung up the phone and reached for his keys. At 
least he knew where that mutt was this time. When he came 
home, he was in a slight panic because Joe was gone again. 
He knew he would have to watch Joe for the next few days 
and figure out how he was getting out. 
	Bruce was puzzled by Joe's behavior. When they got 
home last night, he moped around the place, not touching 
his food, and wanted to crawl in to bed with him. It was 
like he missed Strutters. More like, he missed Lorie. Even 
when they left the club last night, Joe acted upset about 
leaving her. 
	When he got to Strutters, he was escorted upstairs to 
Lorie's office. There was Joe parked on Lorie's lap getting 
his ears scratched. For a moment, Bruce was jealous of his 
dog because the attention he was getting from Lorie.  
	Lorie looked up to see Bruce leaning against the door 
jam. He looked so good that she wished she had the courage 
to ask him out. "Uh…hi. He came back." She said 
apologetically. 
	Bruce laughed, "I don't know how he got out. I just 
got home before you called to find him gone." That smile 
just melted her. If only…. if only. 
	Bruce walked in and walked toward the desk to pick Joe 
up and take him home again. Just then Joe bolted out of her 
lap and ran toward the door. Throwing his little body 
against it, he slammed the door shut. He turned around and 
stood in an attack position in front of the door, daring 
either one of them to leave. 
	Bruce and Lorie looked at Joe, then at each other. 
"What's he doing?" she asked. Bruce smiled, "I don't think 
he wants to leave." 
	Blushing red, she stammered, "I'm so sorry, Bruce. I 
didn't mean to spoil him. I just got out of a bad 
relationship and he seemed so cute. I…" 
	"It's okay. He is cute and I just got a divorce 
myself. It's easy to spoil him." Bruce responded. In his 
mind, the realization that she was unattached registered. 
Oh what the hell! "Would you like to go out sometime and we 
could spoil him together?" 
	Lorie blinked, not believing what she heard. "Um…yeah… 
I'd like to." Her heart soared when he asked when she was 
free. Hoping she didn't sound too eager she said, "Actually 
today was supposed to be my day off. I just came in because 
I had nothing else to do." Sure, she thought to herself, 
broadcast to him that you have no life. 
	He smiled, "Perfect timing. I had nothing planned for 
tonight either except the Mel Brooks movie marathon on TV 
tonight. How about Chinese take out and movie night at my 
place?" 
	She couldn't believe her luck, "I love Mel Brooks and 
Chinese food. Sounds great, but what about him?" pointing 
to Joe. 
	Bruce looked at his dog, "He likes beef stir fry." 
	Lorie laughed at his joke, "Alright. Give me a minute 
to shut down my computer and I'll be ready." 
	As Lorie worked on settling her office, Bruce bent 
down in front of Joe. "Are you happy? She's coming home 
with us," he whispered to his dog. Joe jumped up, put his 
front paws on Bruce's knee and licked his master's face. 
"I'll take that as a yes." He scooped Joe up and turned 
around. 
	She was ready to go and walked towards the door. "I 
know a great place down the road that has great pot 
stickers, okay?" 
	"Lead the way." And together they walked out. 
	About an hour later, Bruce and Lorie were sitting on 
his couch, eating Sesame Chicken, drinking plum wine, and 
laughing at Blazing Saddles. Joe was off to the side, 
inhaling his beef stir fry and watching the pair on the 
couch. Once and a while Bruce and Lorie would exchange 
looks like a couple of nervous teenagers. It was obvious 
that it had been a while since either one had been on a 
date. Despite that, both were having a great time. 
	After Blazing Saddles, they watched Robin Hood: Men in 
Tights. "The only thing I hate about watching movies on TV 
is that they are edited to death. I can imagine what they 
would do to History of the World Part One." Lorie stated as 
she polished off her second glass of wine. 
	Bruce reached over and refilled her glass and 
refreshed his, "I agree. That's why I bought my own copy." 
	In mock disgust, she gasped, "You've been holding out 
on me. After this, can we watch it, please." She clasped 
her hands in front of her and fluttered her lashes. 
	He laughed at her antics, "Oh I guess. Let me find 
it." When he stood up he realized he had drank a little too 
much wine. Well, at least he was relaxed now. He found the 
tape and set it up in the VCR before he returned to the 
couch. 
	When he sat down again, he sat close enough to her 
that their thighs were touching. He cautiously slid his arm 
around her shoulders and pulled her against him. 
	She couldn't tell if it was the wine and the fact he 
was so close to her that she felt very turned on. As they 
sat there, he stroked his fingers up and down her arm and 
shoulder with light strokes. She suddenly felt bold and 
laid her hand on his knee and mimicked the stroking motion 
there. Bit by bit, the touching became bolder. Suddenly 
they looked at each other and their lips met, tenderly at 
first, then demanding. Lorie could feel the kiss throughout 
her entire body. 
	When they parted, he looked deep into her eyes, "I've 
wanted to do that since I first saw you." 
	She giggled a little, "Me, too." 
	He smiled, "We have some lost time to make up for 
then." He wrapped her in his arms and claimed another kiss. 
She draped her leg over his and slid over until she was 
sitting straddled on his lap. 
	"I hope you don't think I'm being too forward," she 
said softly as he pressed kisses down her throat. He didn't 
answer but continued his trek down the opening of her 
blouse. She gasped. It was such sweet torture! She ran 
her fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers 
for a hungry kiss. 
	"You want it, baby?" he asked in a heavy whisper. 
	She could barely get the words out, "Make love to me, 
Bruce." His long nimble fingers went to work unbuttoning 
her blouse. As skin was exposed, kisses and caresses were 
placed on eager flesh. She reached down and opened the 
buttons on his shirt with shaky hands. She pushed his shirt 
off his shoulders and ran her fingers through his chest 
hair. 
	He shivered at her gentle touch. It had been so long. 
Suddenly he opened his eyes, "I can't take it anymore. I need 
you now." 
	After they left the room, Joe hopped up on the chair 
by the window. With his nose he pushed aside the drape and 
nudged the window open with his paws. He leaned out and 
barked twice. He jumped out of the way so a little 
Yorkshire Terrier with a pink bow holding the fur out of 
her eyes could come in through the window. She licked Joe 
on the nose and hopped up on the couch. Joe quickly ran 
over to the bedroom door and peeked inside. Satisfied his 
master would be busy for a while, Joe joined Cookie and 
together they polished off the last of the take-out.
	The next morning, Bruce woke up first and watched 
Lorie as she slept. He gently caressed her face, wondering 
how lucky he was. He looked at the clock and got up to take 
Joe for his morning walk. After he got dressed, he walked 
into the living room to find the TV still on and the food 
cartons all over the place. "Aww, Joe! What a mess!" he 
sighed as he pick up the cartons. A slight movement caught 
his eye and he looked up to see the drape blowing in the 
breeze of the open window. He walked over and saw the nose 
print on the window and scratch marks on the sill. So 
that's how you got out, Bruce thought as he closed and 
latched the window.
	He went into the kitchen and threw away the remnants 
of last nights dinner. When he turned towards Joe's bed, he 
was surprised to find his neighbor's dog, Cookie, curled up 
next to a sleeping Joe. Bruce walked over just as Joe 
opened his eyes. Without raising his head, Joe looked at 
his master and slowly wagged his tail. "Do you know how 
much trouble you got me into, stud dog?" Bruce said as he 
looked at his dog. Joe sat up and scratched behind his ear. 
	Lorie appeared in the doorway, dressed in Bruce's 
robe, "Good Morning." Bruce spun around and smiled, "Good 
morning." She walked up to him and gave him a kiss. Then 
she looked down at Joe and the terrier, who was just waking 
up. "Where'd this little dog come from?" she asked as she 
knelt down to scratch her head. 
	Bruce explained, "That's AKC registered Champion Mrs. 
North's Cookie, or just Cookie for short. She's my 
neighbor's dog. I found out how Joe got out and how Cookie 
got in. It seems after we went into the bedroom, they had a 
little rendezvous." 
	Lorie laughed, "So he followed his master's lead, so 
what?" 
	Bruce leaned against the counter, "She's a breeding 
dog now and Joe isn't fixed." 
	Slowly, Lorie stood up and looked at Bruce, "Oh, boy. 
Well, maybe this time they got lucky without getting 
lucky." 
	Bruce laughed, "I hope. Hey, after I return Juliet 
home and walk Romeo, would you like to go to breakfast?" 
	She nodded, "Love to. Meet me in the shower when you 
get back." With that she turned, slid the robe off her 
shoulders and walked in to the bathroom. 
	Bruce quickly grabbed the leash, "Make it fast, you 
two love pups. You both owe me big." And he dashed out the 
door with Joe running behind on the leash and Cookie tucked 
in his arms. 

A few months later…

	Lorie opened the door to see Gene there with his 
daughter Sophie. "Hi, you two. Sophie are you ready for 
your surprise?" Lorie said as she let them in. Sophie said 
a hesitant yes and followed her into the kitchen. They 
walked over to a gated off area in the corner and Sophie 
looked in. "PUPPIES! Can I hold one, please?" she begged 
looking at Lorie. 
	Bruce walked up behind her and lifted her in to the 
make shift cage, "Better yet, play with them all." Gene 
watched as his daughter tried to cuddle all three of the 
puppies at once, "And pick one out to take home with you."
	Sophie's eye grew big as saucers, "Really?" Gene 
smiled and nodded his head.
	With Sophie contently playing with the puppies under 
Lorie's watchful eye, Gene and Bruce walked into the living 
room. Joe was sound asleep on the couch. Gene walked over 
and scratched the dog behind the ears, "Fatherhood wearing 
you out, Joe." Joe woke up, looked at Gene, closed his 
eyes, and fell back to sleep. Gene laughed and sat down on 
the other end of the couch, "I still can't believe I let 
you talk me into taking one of those puppies." 
	Bruce sat in his chair; "I gotta find all three homes 
before I go on the road with Grand Funk Railroad. At least 
I let you have first pick." 
	Gene smiled, "Thanks. So how's everything going?" 
Bruce settled back and rattled off the whole list, "I'm now 
officially the guitarist for GFR, the tour starts in 
December and is going until 2002. Lorie is all moved in 
and, once her replacement is trained, will be able to join 
me on the road. You know about our engagement and we still 
haven't set a date. And Cookie is now Lorie's and my dog. 
Her former owner wanted nothing to do with her after Joe 
got her pregnant and gave her to me." 
	Gene smiled at the sleeping, "Joe, you wild dog you." 
	Bruce laughed, "Not anymore. I got him fixed right 
after Cookie moved in. I'm not going through this again 
with puppies." 
	Gene shook his head, "How could you be so mean. After 
all, he's the one who brought you and Lorie together." 
	Bruce looked over at his canine cupid, "And he got his 
reward in the form of a Yorkshire Terrier named Cookie."
	After an hour, Gene and Sophie left with the mostly 
black male puppy that she christened Pepper. Scooter had 
said he would take other male and Holly said she would take 
the female if Sophie didn't want her. 
	"I'll take the other pups into work with me tomorrow. 
Then we can get back to normal, "Lorie said with an 
exhausted sigh. 
	Bruce began rubbing her shoulders, "Normal? I kinda 
like the craziness." 
	She leaned into him, "I just wish we had sometime 
alone." He moved her hair away and began softly nibbling on 
her neck. 
	"How about now," he whispered in her ear; "They're all 
asleep for the moment. No yipping for a while."  
	She turned and kissed him long and hard. He scooped 
her up and carried her into the bedroom.