To be honest, Rex wasn't looking forward to immersing himself in water for the shower suggested by his master's very close friend. The explosive sex the two had enjoyed demonstrated just how close a friend Xander had become.
Rex had warred with some lingering canine instincts toward proper subservience, but Xander's intense efforts had overcome whatever minimal resistance had existed in the mind of the former Rottweiler turned man.
As it turned out, his concerns about getting wet had been unfounded. The feel of the hot water on bare skin was nothing like the uncomfortable soggy sensation Rex remembered of time when he would get caught in a rain enclosed in his former furry coat. The face Xander's hands, as well as mouth, explored every inch of Rex's new muscular human body also made his first shower an incredible experience.
"That was fun," he managed to gasp as Xander turned off the water, opened the door of frosted glass, stepped out and grabbed two towels. He handed one to Rex, who watched as the younger human dried off his warm, caramel-colored skin. Looking at Xander standing naked, using the fluffy towel to dry off the clinging droplets of water, made Rex feel strange, too.
He had a lot of questions for his former master, if he could ever divert Xander's attention long enough to step outside the duplex and check on Frank.
"You finish getting dressed," Xander said. "I am going to check on my chicken stew. You hungry?"
Rex sniffed the air. He smelled the pleasant aroma of the simmering stew, but the odors were pale in comparison to his former olfactory abilities with a proper canine snout and nostrils. "Definitely hungry," he said.
Rex approached his master's bedroom. Xander had told him to dress, and his master's memories gave a hint that that involved taking different garments and layering them over his bare skin. In some ways, having fur would have been better. He managed to find underwear, a shirt and some denim jeans. He sat on the bed as he pulled on a pair of boots. He had been uncertain again, but as soon as he grabbed the right boot, the memory of how to push his foot into the tight-fitting leather and rubber footwear returned to him.
He heard Xander dishing something into bowls, but he ducked out the sliding glass door, eager to have a quick discussion with his master.
His master who wasn't in the yard. He sniffed the air. He detected a faint trace of dog on the breeze, but saw no sign of the Rottweiler his master had become.
He yelped from surprise when Xander's arm touched his shoulder. Xander laughed and apologized for startling him. "Dinner's served," the young man announced.
"Mas...er...the dog... Rex.... he is gone," Rex said, stumbling through the revelation.
"Don't worry about it," Xander said. "He's a smart dog. He knows his way home."
Rex wasn't so sure. Why would his master have left the yard? He sniffed the air again, but his human nose missed altogether the powerful chemical signals that broadcast a message of a receptive female dog.
"If he hasn't returned, we will take a walk and look for him after dinner," Xander said.
Rex nodded. He considered looking immediately, but he smelled the stew. "Wow, this does smell terrific," he said, performing perfectly well as Frank the human if he just let his mind operate on automatic.
"I hope master's having it easy, too," he thought to himself before he joined Xander at the table for a bowl of incredible chicken stew.