A long hot tongue and dog breath wake me from a sound sleep. Samson must have stayed the night with Raul and now he's back. The damned dog has everyone in his life wrapped around his paws. I push him back so I can untangle myself from the covers and get up. Sam gives a short whine when he looks at his mistress buried beneath the covers; I call him so he doesn't wake her. Raul is sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading my newspaper when I walk out in a bathrobe.

"Make ...