Michael was pretty proud of himself when he woke up.  He looked over at the blond head on the pillow next to him, and smiled.  She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen, and had come home with him without question.  She was no more than twenty-one, and still had a childlike quality that was endearing.  If he knew what her name was, he would have repeated it in reverent awe.  Instead he just sneaked a glance at her naked body and replayed last night in his mind.  A few minutes later, he was rubbing her warm back, trying to get in a second round.
     "Hey there," he whispered in her ear.  She made a snoring grunt and rolled over in a cloud of rum fumes.  So much for round two.  He decided to get a drink of water and see if Max needed to go for a walk.  He had denied his dog when he came home with what's-her-name, and he knew by now he had probably used the emergency newspaper by the back door.  Still, he owed him an apology and he loved the old guy.
     The kitchen tile was cold on his feet, but he didn't mind.  He saw a splotch on the newspaper just like expected.  There was no sign of Max, but he was probably holed up somewhere, afraid he was in trouble.  Michael made a mental note to point to the newspaper and praise him for using it.  It was his fault, after all.  Max was a good boy and he did the right thing.
     He poured a glass of water and drank it down, immediately feeling better.  He sat the glass in the sink and out of habit tested the door knob to make sure the back door was locked.  It was, and he walked back to the bedroom.  If there was not going to be a round two, he was totally fine with a few hours of sleep before breakfast.  On his way back through the living room, his eye caught a blur of motion through the main windows.  Someone was standing in his front yard.  His pulse quickened and then he recognized the old woman from across the street.  She was nice enough but not quite all the way there, and often took walks late at night.  He shrugged it off and padded back to bed.  He knew the front door was locked, so the house was secure.
     Several hours later, Michael was sound asleep next to what's-her-name when Max yelped once, and was silent.  He never heard a thing.