He was gonna be one of the show-offy ones. Word had got out, apparently. He’d agreed to double scale without even blinking, and there was a presence about him that said he fancied himself quite the lover.

There was also that peculiar self-absorption, the hunger and coldness that said- you are an instrument, to be played for the pleasing of my ego, and I rise to the challenge. I expect unusual satisfactions for my unusual skills.

He was already rising to the challenge, peeking scarlet out of his blonde-furred sheath. He had no words for her, but sly, knowing glances in abundance. And she had few words for him, but she brushed the back of a paw against fuzzy balls and that sheath, with a look that was partly haughty and partly a secret, shared amusement. Somehow, word had got out about the way she was, and they were drawn as if by magic pheromones, already knowing her secret.

Allie nestled against the blonde-furred guy with a lithe wriggle, as if she were one of the feline Nerre, allowing him to draw her nearer, wordlessly. Some of them talked. Sometimes she talked… up to a point. It was what happened after that point that seemed to draw more and more of them to her.

He was a handsome enough wolf, apart from that funny coldness- he apparently worked out, for his body was rather flashy. Flashier than his dick was- it didn’t look like it was going to be one of the fat boys, but Allie was a little worn out this late at night, and wasn’t honestly hoping for a sensory assault. She hoped she could get him off without ending up too sore.

Some of them had apparently heard that she’d been taken to the heights of ecstacy by a big Nerre, and this blonde fellow had such a ‘I know the secret to you’ attitude that he might well have been told this. It might prove a nice end to the workday if he had, because when the wolves tried to make love like Nerre, they didn’t often get it exactly right but they almost always made a point of not pounding her pussy like a Resten street urchin on his first bitch…

Allie experimented a bit- talking with touch and motion, and going wordless and soundless earlier than she might have done, to see if the fellow picked up on it. She nuzzled against him, rubbing her paw down his taut abdomen to tug his sheath downwards a bit more, drew apart from him in a sensuous twirl that showed off the striking two-tone patterning of her wolfish rump and tail, glanced back at him with her chin raised, mouth ostentatiously closed and a coy half-lidded appraising glance, and flowed back against him, her trim belly pressing his swelling erection against his own.

He didn’t speak, but he was smiling, with his mouth firmly shut as well. Yes- this one knew.

Allie delayed no longer. With a paw around by the fellow’s back, she coaxed them over to one of the room’s little amenities. In fact, it wasn’t a reassuring amenity- there were shackles on it, and spikes, and it was upholstered in shiny black vinyl with a few rips in it.

But it was also a sort of shelf or seat, and Allie knew it would place her at just the right height to proceed. She wouldn’t need the shackles and devices. What she had was on another level- for those who craved it.

She hopped up gracefully, perching on the little shelf. Sometimes they really seemed to like that, it was just unusual enough to make them feel like they were stealing illicit sweetness, perhaps imagining she was sitting on the edge of a kitchen counter- or a principal’s desk? Allie dismissed the thought- she really didn’t think she needed or wanted to know the details. It was enough to know that for some of the guys, it worked.

Sometimes they dropped to their knees, got into a big licking thing- which on the one hand was arousing, but on the other, she cringed a little at it. Not because it felt bad, but because so often the guy would be licking into her pussy for all he was worth, while looking up at her in naughty expectancy, and the idea that she was expected to react tended to ruin it for her. She didn’t like those ones, and couldn’t wait until they moved on to intercourse.

The funny thing was, it didn’t seem to matter a bit if she cringed. She could bite her lip, make unhappy faces, whatever, and they’d only get more erect, and eventually move on to the next stage. Once she’d said ‘come on!’ eventually, and that had worked. She was damned if they were going to get a peep out of her with that stuff.

This fellow didn’t seem to need to make her cringe- again, it was like they were comparing notes. He was smiling, and bent his knees a bit to do something more pleasing- took his fairly stiff wolfish erection in paw, and began wiping it against her vulva. Now that was foreplay worth coming to work for…

Allie wriggled, spreading her legs more, tilting her hips back a bit until the fellow had the best possible angle, and she shut her eyes, biting her lip very gently and breathing through her nose as she gave herself over to the sensation. Quicker arousal meant slipperier entry, more comfortable motion, a slickened path to her eventual peak- and they did so seem to love that peak, it was amazing how hungry they were for it. It puzzled Allie a little, but she wasn’t complaining, not one bit.

The solid, eager presence of the wolf’s cock tip kept stroking against her, as her vulva swelled in arousal and grew slicker, as the cock tip began parting her labia and tucking between her melting folds, and then the fellow’s breathing, so near, paused for a moment.

“Shall I?” he said.

Allie didn’t speak, but she grinned a wicked grin, and simply nodded.

He hesitated, but it seemed as much for his own anticipation as hers. Shifted, getting his paws braced, the end of his cock tucking into her… as he did, it prodded for a moment and drew back, a pleasingly solid feeling alerting her body to new developments, briefly delayed.

Allie glanced at him, in case something was wrong, but he was only looking her up and down- from her two-toned rump, up past where his cock wedged lovingly into the arch of her vulva, up her white-furred belly to where the two-tone pattern cut across her firm fluffy breasts- he seemed, one could only say, artistically inspired by it all.

Satisfied by all he surveyed, he let his eyes close, and his hips shifted firmly up and forward- and his decent medium-sized wolf cock thrust unhurriedly into Allie.

Allie didn’t cry out, because Allie never cried out if she could help it. This was the word that was getting around- or some variation of it- and perhaps it was curiosity, or perhaps something else, that drew these guys to see and feel for themselves, but the two-tone girl was as advertised- the only sound was the gentle wet noise of wolf cock penetrating her.

Then, an even fainter rustle- as Allie caressed, and gripped, the guy’s arm. And another wet noise- nobody had ever said the two-tone girl wasn’t enthusiastic. She’d wriggled her hips lewdly- and clutched at him- and some more soft rustles as she stroked his body, and languidly wrapped her legs around him.

There was still no sound but breathing, as the blonde-furred guy wrapped his powerful arms around her in turn. Possibly the faintest of wet or rushing sounds, as his penis responded to its eager surroundings by swelling harder- but mostly, that eerie silence, a silence which did not come only from Allie.

The wolf with her had laid his head over her shoulder, his ear right at her muzzle, and held her in that position- listening to her breathing raptly- as he began, as if in a trance, to move.

It wasn’t much- faint wet noises broke the silence as his hips shifted that solid wolfcock out, in, out, in, just a tiny amount, a cozy rocking motion. Allie’s paw stroked the blonde fur of his muscular back. If this was his version of Nerre lovemaking, she was good with it. On the one hand, the fellow was such a hunk, yet on the other, he was so comfortable to fuck, and the motions were dreamy.

The wet noises were joined by the hint of a gasp, by the blonde wolf’s ear.

He pretended not to notice, as Allie stubbornly fell silent again, and she rewarded this with more caresses all down his back, and some squirming and squeezing that had him erf between his teeth in pleasure- and the faint wet noises changed slightly, sounding tighter, showing that the blonde guy was becoming as hard as could be, and his knot was beginning to expand.

He drew back a little, but only because he needed to fondle Allie’s breasts… he took a minute to caress the insides of her thighs, and stroked her belly lovingly just over where he still worked his erect cock in her… and with that, he resumed, and now he was serious.

Muscular arms enfolded her again, lifting her against him, and now his pace was no different but he tugged powerfully against the tie of the knot, and thrust into her with a fluid force, grinding his belly against hers, all the while making no sound. The wet noises tightened still more as Allie allowed herself to tie more firmly, knowing he wasn’t too large to get away from, and she nuzzled drunkenly against the side of his head, giving in to the feeling.

His embrace was so powerful, and yet so un-rough. She wrapped her arms and legs around the blonde wolf’s muscular body and just clung to him, feeling his body working, feeling it shift that nice solid cock within her as she clung to that too…

By his ear, the wet sounds were joined by a faint squeak, as Allie’s breath started to come in urgent pants and gasps.

The blonde wolf seemed unaware of anything but the languid rhythm of his body’s motion, surging like ocean waves that flowed through Allie’s smaller, trimmer frame, both pressing her body fully against his, and tugging and thrusting that wolf-cock within her against the solid anchoring of his arms.

He felt the trembling start, and exulted, without revealing it- his eyes were shut, his full attention on touch and sound.

By his ear, the sounds of Allie’s wet pussy were joined by the hint of a whine, quickly suppressed.

The big wolf guy grinned to himself- perfect.

The rhythms of his body did not shift or alter, but somehow they became even more insistent. Allie was stroking him feverishly now, her legs clinging to him, her lupine hips squirming unabashedly, and her breathing was fierce as the nice solid wolf-cock worked slowly and ruthlessly within her. She was tying onto it tighter and tighter, making it hard to hold out any longer.

Perfect, thought the blonde wolf, and he gritted his teeth, his erection becoming achingly stiff, and continued his motion with grim determination, silently set on his prize.

Allie stood twenty seconds of this, and by the end of it she was writhing against his blonde fur, her body trembling, her ears laid back- and then, all at once, she jolted, and jolted again- the long slow build leading her to a climax that rocked her mercilessly.

And as Allie’s body shook and convulsed in the tight grip of the blonde wolf, something happened that kicked him into violent, hunching, spurting orgasm.

By his ear, the two-toned girl could not force herself to be completely silent- and for second after second, she gave voice to piteous whimpers, rocked and wavered by the force of her orgasms.

As he came in her and bucked against her, she mastered her voice again and simply clung to him, shuddering silently- and as his body settled, she gave vent to a burst of passion and clung madly at him, stroking frantically and writhing against him so fiercely that his subsiding orgasm gave a surge and fired up some more.

Silence returned.

The blonde wolf stared at nothing, as Allie gradually subsided herself, petted him more gently, embraced him in the afterglow.

Perfect. As if… well, best just to think of it as perfect.

Best of both worlds, even.

Allie thought she might just turn in for the evening. It was crazy how busy she’d been, for a first night, and she was still nervous and depending on Jennis’s advice. The other girls weren’t talking to her, but as far as Allie could tell, that was no loss…

She spoke to the blonde guy, trying to remember if she’d got his name and forgotten it. “You good? Hm? Hon?”

He yawned, exposing gleaming and well-kept teeth. “Oh yeah. Here, I’ll get out of your way. That was… special.”

“They keep… nh! saying that,” said Allie, as the blonde guy tugged his dwindling knot out of her with a polite squelch.

“Well, they’re right.” said the blonde wolf. “It’s… not easy to explain. Just don’t ever change, okay? I feel so lucky to have found you. Um, out of curiosity… you do… seem to like it, don’t you? It’s a bit… mixed messages.”

Allie thought about this. “Yeah- for the most part, yeah, I do. It could be not so good but somehow, guys like you, you’re able to let me kinda have it my way. I didn’t know it was going to be like that. I expected worse.”

“So that’s your way, is it?”

“Call it reserved.” said Allie. “I thought I’d have to ham it up. It’s like… this is a funny way to earn a living, isn’t it?”

The blonde wolf, half-dressed, padded over and lifted Allie’s chin with a gentle finger, gazing into her eyes. “It is your way. I’ll be damned.”

“What?” said Allie, pulling away.

He laughed. “Well, you know, plenty of people figure I’ll be damned anyhow, don’t be shocked. Maybe you’re a nice counterbalance. Allie, right? You’re Allie. Allie, the silent one.”

“Yeah, that’s me. Who are you? Is this your way of saying you’re coming back again?”

“I’m Wern. You wouldn’t have heard of me… not lately. Are you new to this part of Verss? Like, in the last ten years?”

“I’m new to Verss period.” said Allie. “…you figure I would have heard of you ten years ago?”

The blonde wolf winced a bit, and his gaze was suddenly a lot older and wearier. “Perhaps not. And yes- I would like to come back to you, as much as I possibly can. That OK? I didn’t leave you too sore?” He seemed to be artificially flippant, suddenly.

“Nah, you’re not too big.” said Allie, and gulped in horror as she realized what she’d said. “I mean- um, it was wonderful and the way you moved, delicious, and…”

Wern silenced her by leaning in and kissing her soundly, and his eyes were fascinatingly alive- dancing with amusement, and yet some dreadful sadness at the same time- but the grin was back, deliciously wicked.

“I’m glad I’m not too big.” he said. “I like it that way.”

Allie blinked. “You do?”

“In fact- you help me to like it that way.”

“Um, okay!” said Allie, now seriously confused. “That sounds good at least! I think I’m done for the night. Why not end on a really nice guy, right?”

Wern didn’t respond to this immediately. He was looking away, as Allie got up and headed towards the door with him. Then, unexpectedly, he hugged her, real tight.

“Yeah… right.” said Wern. “Thank you…”

Jennis was waiting outside the door. That was a bit odd, she wasn’t usually keeping quite as close an eye on Allie at this point- she took in Wern with a gaze that was unreadable, and pulled Allie aside.

“I thought I’d see how you were doing vocally.” said Jennis.

“Vocally?”

“Yeah, it’s a good idea to get some noise going. I had a feeling you were a little out of the ordinary there, and then when… certain guys took an interest I wanted to check what you were doing. I’m gonna suggest that you should make more noise.”

“Oh, no!” gasped Allie. Wern, moving off, perked an ear- and loitered.

“No, honey, you don’t understand. Unless you’re intentionally working a thing about that, you’ll get a better class of guy when you howl your pleasures like an enthusiastic lady, know what I mean? I’m not sure how far I want to go in explaining myself…”

“Oh, no, no…” said Allie, and Wern picked up on her distress and drifted back, as if pulled by some force he couldn’t resist.

“Hold on a moment.” he said.

Jennis’s eyes were slits. “You spoke?”

“Excuse me.” said Wern, to Jennis, and then to Allie. “Excuse me- I’ve got to try explaining to her why you should get to have it your way.”

He led Jennis off a bit, with Allie looking tragically after them.

“Listen.” he said. “You’ve got a long memory, lady, but this Allie girl is something special. Don’t ruin it for me. This isn’t wrong.”

“A lot you know about right and wrong.” said Jennis quietly.

“I know enough to know that she’s got some problem about making noise. Are you seriously going to try and force her to start? Did you see how she reacted?”

“Point.” said Jennis. “I’m not sure what to do. I don’t like you with her.”

“I’m not going to answer that. I’ve done my time, lady. I know there’s worse out there that could happen to her…”

“You would know.” said Jennis.

“Stop it. I’m back on the street. And you seem to care nothing for the fact that I’m here- understand? Of all the places I could be, look- I’m here, meeting your friend Allie. She’s good for me. Do not fuck with me over this.”

“Nice. Allie’s your hostage, so you don’t hurt others?”

“Allie’s a whore. I would think, being her boss, you’d have figured that out. Apparently one with a heart of gold… I’m not sure I can make you understand what that means to me.”

“We can have a restraining order on you in thirty minutes.”

“Allie’s not going to go along with that. She knows I wasn’t hurting her. She was having a great end of the night until you showed up.” said Wern. “And you’re wrong, she does make noise, the b… She does make noise.”

“What were you going to say?” demanded Jennis. “Say it!”

“Fine. The best noises ever. Only when she comes, and that should tip you off she’s having a good time…”

Jennis glared at Allie, suddenly angry, and beckoned her over.

“He says you came, you were having a good time. Is that true?”

Allie was alarmed at how all this had escalated, but annoyed at Jennis for apparently doing the escalating. “Actually, yes. He moves really nice, his dick isn’t too big…”

“Depends who you ask.” hissed Jennis. “You came for him, yeah? Real hard?”

“Yes.” said Allie defensively. “He got me off real hard. He’s coming back as often as he can. I’m looking forward to it, okay?”

Allie suddenly noticed, with further alarm, that a new figure was listening in on the argument. Pearls glinted in the subdued light. Mistress Elistary was out of her private rooms, and didn’t look pleased.

Jennis was unstoppable. “So, you came real hard, but you’re trying not to make noise for God knows what reason…”

“And you’re going to try and force her to, when she doesn’t want to?” said Wern.

Jennis turned on him like a prosecutor. “You said, best noises. She makes the best noises. I didn’t hear any. Describe these best noises, that she only makes when she’s coming so hard she can’t control it.”

Wern looked trapped, and he couldn’t meet Jennis’s eyes. He looked down, his shoulders sagging.

“…whimpers. Little… whimpers and whines.”

Jennis snapped her fingers sharply, causing him to glance up into her burning stare.

“Get the fuck out of here.” snarled Jennis.

“Wait.” said Mistress Elistary.

“Mistress, you need to trust me on this one.” said Jennis tightly.

Elistary didn’t speak directly to her. Instead, she drifted over, eyes half-lidded, toward Wern.

“You like my little Allie?”

Wern glanced between Elistary, Jennis, and Allie. “Maybe I’d better be going…”

Elistary’s arm reached up, around Wern’s neck, as she moved closer. Her other hand idly stroked his belly.

“Of course not. You’re coming back to her? Often?”

“What’s it to you?” said Wern.

“Somebody came,” crooned Elistary, “complaining about you.”

Wern began to say something, but Elistary talked straight across him.

“Complaining, that you were with the new girl and gave her double scale. Isn’t that a silly thing, dear?”

“Um…”

“I might almost complain,” crooned Elistary, “except that I get triple scale, dear. Do you know why?”

Wern looked more and more uncomfortable. Jennis was clearly furious, but didn’t dare say anything, and Allie seemed terrified.

“Answer me, boy.” snapped Elistary. “Do you know why?”

“Uh! No- no, I don’t know why.”

“For triple scale, I could show you.” breathed Elistary. “I have just one question for the likes of you…”

“Um, if it’s about how well hung I am, it’s nothing s…”

“Oh no. It is this. Have you been… a BAD boy?”

Wern stared at her. Glanced at Jennis. Looked sidelong at Allie.

“You’re god-damn right I have. I think boss-lady here doesn’t like me, and I need to be going…”

“What did you say?” snapped Elistary. “I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

“Your boss. This lady. I think I should be going…”

“Mistress,” said Jennis, “let him go. Trust me, it’s the best thing to do.”

Elistary’s eyes narrowed. “You dare to tell me?”

Jennis snapped. “Yeah, I fuckin’ dare! You,” she said, whirling on Wern, “you get the fuck out. And I’ve got some things to explain to you, Mistress, some things about what kind of people you want coming in…”

“Rannt!” barked Elistary, eyes flashing. One of the bigger enforcers came running over- they had been eyeing the altercation warily for some time.

“You don’t need him!” said Jennis. “I’ve got this guy c…”

“Rannt,” said Elistary, “she no longer works here. I want her out NOW.”

Elistary’s finger, shaking with rage, pointed directly at Jennis.

Jennis was rendered speechless for a moment, a moment while even the enforcer Rannt paused, startled.

“You… are… shittin’ me!” managed Jennis.

“Out, now!”

“You unprofessional, stinking, trustfund bitch!” yelped Jennis. She whirled on Rannt. “Don’t you touch me! You don’t have to touch me, I’m going! Why I ever agreed to try to run this shithole…”

She allowed herself to be herded out, while Allie watched in silent horror.

Elistary turned to Wern, all courtesy again. “There. I do apologize, it seems I’ve hired the occasional low quality help. But you will come back? I believe you find my Allie to be most satisfactory?”

Allie was anything but satisfactory right then. Mistress Elistary was flipping between charming and hellish as if by some hidden switch, the scarier working girls were drifting over, delighted that their straw-boss had been kicked out, and the only comforting presence was this blonde wolf who had apparently done something terrible- but who had been kind to her.

Allie, trembling and with her tail between her legs, slunk over beside Wern, and allowed his arm to shelter her.

Wern still looked trapped. Some of the girls glared at him with frightening hatred, yet he dared not insult Mistress Elistary. “Yeah… yeah, she is.”

“Who was really the boss lady around here?” demanded Elistary.

Wern blinked. “Uh- you were. Are.”

“Call her Mistress!” whispered Allie, panicked.

“You are. Mistress.”

“Good boy.” crooned Mistress Elistary.

“I think… you’ve upset Allie.” said Wern carefully. He declined to mention how badly she was shaking, and simply held her closer.

“Oh, honestly.” grumbled Elistary. “But obviously she is a favorite, isn’t she? Would you like me to do something nice for her?”

Wern didn’t say anything, because the situation had spiraled so far out of control he couldn’t imagine a safe response. The circle of whores watching seemed to lean forward- all except one, who looked a little more gaunt and a little sharper-eyed, and that one seemed to draw back, mouthing oh no, oh no no…

“She’s obviously special, to draw double scale on her first night. She shall have Jennis’s job! Save me the trouble of going out hiring again. There you are, how’s that? Now, unless you wish my special attention…”

The circle recoiled, with curses and angry glances at Allie. Elistary noticed this, though she was already walking off.

“Rannt!”

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Get rid of anyone that doesn’t respect my Allie.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

Miraculously, the curses vanished. So did the glances. In fact, nobody would even look at Allie.

Wern felt her still shaking against him. He could hardly blame her- though he was a big, husky guy, he was just about shaking himself from the emotional whiplash, the exposure and the rapid shocking events. He called out, “Mistress!”

Elistary turned. “What?”

Wern thought fast. Put it in her terms, he reasoned.

“Mistress, may I stay the night with your Allie?”

“Paid?”

“…yes.”

“Yes, you may. Don’t bother me again.” With that, Elistary swept off.

Allie didn’t remember returning to her room. She seemed to remember something Jennis had said, something about how johns weren’t allowed in your room- union regulation- but maybe it was different if you were in charge.

It was a bit late to object. Wern was already in there with her.

“Do you need to sit for a little while?” he said.

“I don’t know what I need.”

“Okay…”

“No, wait.” said Allie. “I need to ask you something.”

Wern didn’t respond in words, not right away. What he did was move away from Allie- move, and lower himself, and the next thing she knew, the blonde wolf was sitting on the floor, a little hunched over, not looking right at her.

“Please do.” he said.

“What’s that about? I’m not gonna… hit you, or whatever it is you think I’m going to do.” said Allie.

“Maybe I’m being a little manipulative. I see you’re having a tough night, and I guess I don’t want you to send me away. I’m not gonna say this while looming over you. I’m safe. Okay?”

“Say what? Can you please not act all weird, Wern? I need a hug, not more bullshit.” said Allie, shaking again.

“You needed to ask me something, and you should be able to. I just think I know what it is. Go ahead.”

“Okay, okay.” said Allie. “You seem… nice. Up to now, that is, now you’re fucking weird. Why does Jennis hate you so much? Some of the girls didn’t look too friendly either. M… Elistary doesn’t seem to mind you.”

“There’s no easy way to say this…”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Wern, spit it out! You’re making it worse.”

“Oh? Fine. I was in jail, Allie. I fucked a little girl.”

Allie blinked. “Uh. I guess that explains a lot.”

“Yeah. It was kind of a big step for me, getting with you. It wasn’t just duty- I really liked it. But it makes me wonder… what your own history is like, if you got to me so strong.”

Allie sat on her bed. She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then- “Good call, sitting over there like that.”

“Yeah. The shrinks told me what to expect. I didn’t figure I’d have to take their advice until now.”

“Shrinks told you to sit on the floor? And not look at me?”

“Mostly just one. She was great. I’m still seeing her once a month. Going to a whorehouse was her idea- she says, my body is different, my internal dialogue is different, now I have to give myself counter-fetishes.”

“You’re kidding. A shrink said that?” said Allie.

“You should meet her!” said Wern, perking up. “Hell yes she did. Her exact phrase was, I’d better give myself ‘fuckin’ counter-fetishes for all I’m worth’.”

“Did you?”

“I’m not sure. It’s hard to… well, basically you can’t undo what you did to yourself early on. But you’re not slave to your impulses, so you can add other stuff and use that instead, even if it’s not as direct…”

“You learn this stuff in jail?” said Allie.

“There was time.”

Allie looked at him. He seemed early thirties, though his eyes looked older. “Exactly how much time are we talking about?”

“I was in jail for fifteen years, Allie. And before you ask- I’m thirty-six, and I’ve been out for about two years now. You know, putting a life together.”

Allie was doing the math in her head. “You were nineteen? You were a kid! Then how…”

“She was nine.”

Allie winced. “What the fuck?”

“She said her Mom wouldn’t pay attention to her. If she did sex, Mom would have to pay more attention, and she knew I was watching her…”

“I don’t know if I want you to say any more.” said Allie. “I do know that’s not how it was with me.”

“Just as well. The story doesn’t get better, for anybody. So I was right- you’ve been hurt, but in a different way?”

“Yeah, Wern, you could say that. I didn’t ask for anything. I got taught things I didn’t understand, more and more things… and I kept having to do more and more…”

“Like make happy noises? Just guessing here.”

Allie glanced at him sharply. “Aren’t you observant? If you’re so smart, what were you doing with a nine… hang on. Were you watching her?”

“Yeah.”

“Can’t be much to see on a nine-year-old. What the hell were you doing? Just the idea of you doing that is creepy.”

“Okay, granted…”

“For fuck’s sake, dude, you were handling me like I was little, and I’m se… twenty.”

Wern didn’t react to the obvious gaffe, though Allie bristled in embarrassment. Instead, he said, “I weighed half what I do now, when I was nineteen. Nobody would so much as look at me, and I decided I had the body of a ten year old and would be jacking off alone until I died- the ol’ PNP, post-knot-pinch. Which is of course a misnomer, but kids don’t spell very well…”

“I guess you were wrong, huh?”

“That’s what I told myself.” said Wern, wearily.

“What happened to the girl?”

“She died.”

Allie gasped. Then blinked, realizing what he’d said.

“You’re NOT that big, buddy! I don’t believe it. Okay, speaking as someone who had to deal with that, from a man with a couple inches on you…”

“No, Allie. She told her Mom. Her Mom still wouldn’t pay attention to her, because intravenous drugs were more interesting, but she did mention it to her connection, and word spread. Meanwhile, the girl told her schoolmates, thinking she would impress them, and got shunned for her pains- and jumped in front of a bus. She’s dead.”

“Shit.” said Allie. “I thought I had it pretty bad.”

“Shrink keeps telling me to own only my part of it, which is enough. I’m not sure I believe her. She tells me I’d better choke down the part that’s mine, because if I try to eat it all, I won’t be able to, and I’ll eventually turn away from it and act again. Do you think that makes sense?”

“I don’t know.” said Allie. “I only meant… well, I knew better than to tell any schoolmates, and my Mom wasn’t doing that. She was busy being perfect. My folks look real good on the outside. If you don’t know about the back room, they look like good people. Well-off.”

Wern quirked an ear. “Back room. Don’t tell me- heavy carpeting, maybe a pool table, big stereo… soundproofing?”

“You’re good. How did you know that?”

“Maybe I understand what it’s like being too clever and not having normal desires.”

Allie glanced at him. “I don’t know about that. You were fucking me, and pretty damn well. You were scoping me out. You even fondled my tits, like you meant it. I didn’t get a sense that you wished I was a lot smaller.”

“Okay, so I can be flexible…”

“You DID wish I was?”

“Whoa, hang on- no, believe it or not, no, I didn’t. Allie, you are so amazing-looking I didn’t have to wish for anything. Didn’t I say you were good for me? Even if it was just that once.”

“You didn’t wish I was like that girl seventeen years ago?”

“Allie… I’ll probably be able to respond to that, until I die. I don’t have to make choices based on how I’m wired- and I can put in more wiring and ignore the old wiring, okay? Let me be clear, though- if you were you, the se-twenty year old adult wolf lady, and you were also the shape from seventeen years ago… that’d work for me.”

Allie considered this, uncomfortably. “That’s put very carefully. What if I were that shape and also like that kid?”

“Actions have consequences. Hell no. Not twice in a lifetime.”

“Another thing.” said Allie. “It kinda creeps me out real bad. You said I make the best noises. I try to avoid making any noise at all, and that’s what gets you. I guess I can understand the creepification factor of why you’d be turned on by that… but you’ve got to tell me. Is it the same as that girl?”

Wern didn’t have to think about it at all. “No. Absolutely not. In fact that was getting in my way the whole time. I was wanting this whole suppressed-passion thing, and it was totally not like that at all.”

“Really? What was she like, then? Tell me. For me it was always being told to sound a certain way.”

“Exactly like she was normally. And too dry. In my head I wanted her to get into it, maybe without understanding much…”

“Creepy factor, up lots. Just sayin’.” said Allie.

“But that’s the thing.” said Wern. “I had a fantasy that I’d made up. The shrink says it was about me feeling so powerless that she had to be totally passive, without an agenda of her own.”

“Yeah?” said Allie. “And she had one?”

“Oh my God yes. Telling me how it had to go. I’m glad she was quick to say if anything hurt- but you mentioned creepy factor, to me it was creepy the way she simply didn’t seem to get it. She’d decided to do this thing to make her Mom change, and it had all the erotic significance to her of scratching her ear, or wagging her tail.”

“Yeah. It starts out like that, yeah. For me, it only got unbearable when I started to respond like an adult. When it was just poking and being told to put on an act, it was just life sucking.”

“You’re… good at responding like an adult. Before you knew about me, that is. And when you can do it your way.” said Wern.

“Seems like you liked it.”

“I feel like an idiot now. I’m sure I’m not helping- but I told your boss I’d pay to stay with you all night, because you were upset. Screwed that all up, but that said…”

“Hey.” said Allie gently.

Wern glanced cautiously at her.

“Life’s full of creepy. You’re creepy- but you weren’t MY creepy, and I’m trying to do this job where you’re supposed to fuck me…”

“I’m hoping I didn’t ruin it for you too badly.”

“Hey!” said Allie. “Listen, you. Come here.”

Wern reluctantly did that, sitting next to Allie.

“I liked you better when you were weird but less miserable.” said Allie. “I realize you’re creepy, but you should realize that when Elistary sent Jennis away, you were the only friendly thing left in the room for me.”

“Yeah, I’m just a bitch for those little whimpers…”

“Stop it.” said Allie. “I don’t believe that. I’m not stupid. Is it so hard to believe that you might have decent feelings as well?”

“I guess…”

“If you were just trying to fuck me again, would you have gone and sat on the floor and told me all that stuff? Because you know, I’m not in the mood at all, after all that.”

“Of course not…”

“There, you see? You started out, ready to do whatever it took so I’d feel better. Um… what does an overnight stay even cost, by the way?”

“I’m not sure. Nobody ever does that. I think your boss is a little strange, actually…”

“I’ll help you with it, don’t tell anybody. But listen- you may be creepy, but it seems like you’re on my side. Aren’t you?”

“I’m yours. Yours.”

“Okay, creepy again, watch it… but it’s an improvement, for you… anyway, I’ve lost Jennis and I don’t know what’s going to happen now and don’t know how to do what Jennis did, but I know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

Allie glanced at the clock. “It’s two in the morning. I need to be up tomorrow, so I can start trying to do this new job. I need to drop by a certain cafe because I bet I can meet a certain somebody there… and I’m still shaky and my head’s too busy, but I have to sleep. So, hold me.”

“…what?”

“I mean it. Not fuck me- hold me. C’mere- we’re sleeping. I get inside spoon. Hold me. You did that awful well before, you can work on your sins by cuddling me to sleep. Hold me until I don’t shake anymore.”

He didn’t even undress- though she was almost totally undressed just in normal work attire. Perhaps his head was too busy with guilt and desire to even entertain the idea. Wern cuddled around Allie in a very good spoon-fit, and as asked, he held her wrapped in his strong, muscular arms.

Allie’d mostly stopped shaking, and she was thinking of their lovemaking strictly to distract her racing thoughts, when she realized he was shuddering. Feeling wetness against the edge of her ear, she realized Wern’s shaking was because he was weeping, so hard it rocked his body. He seemed to draw back, refusing to clutch her to him, possibly in fear he’d cling too tightly, and he just wept.

It was rather frightening, feeling the emotions shake him, but before too long, the big blonde wolf quieted, snorted back stray tears, and with great gentleness, embraced her to him, just as she had hoped. His arms were warm and comforting.

Allie slept.