{"id":65,"date":"2010-03-16T23:16:30","date_gmt":"2010-03-17T02:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/?p=65"},"modified":"2012-02-04T08:51:06","modified_gmt":"2012-02-04T12:51:06","slug":"9-reconciliation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/stripes\/9-reconciliation\/","title":{"rendered":"Stripes &#8211; 9: Reconciliation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Stripes - Chapter 8: Lost and Found\" href=\"http:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/stripes\/8-lost-and-found\">&lt;&lt; Back to Chapter 8: Lost and Found<\/a> | <a title=\"Stripes - Chapter 10: Period of Adjustment\" href=\"http:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/stripes\/10-period-of-adjustment\">On to Chapter 10: Period of Adjustment &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I was still trying to figure out what  the hell to say when a distraction presented itself.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Well, I wasn&#8217;t really looking for a  distraction. In fact, I tried to ignore it. Sam was the first one who  said, &#8220;Hey, do you two smell mushrooms?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Probably  something going past the stairs downstairs,&#8221; I said, and kept thinking.  How could I forgive someone &#8211; two someones &#8211; when I was the one who  thought I&#8217;d screwed up?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But who  had screwed up, really?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Even if  it was okay in the end, I should&#8217;ve asked. But then&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;No, someone&#8217;s coming up the stairs,&#8221;  Sarah said. &#8220;And I definitely smell mushrooms now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><!--more-->Further denial was rendered pointless  when one of the staff &#8211; a wolf girl, about my height, broad enough at  the waist and hips to please most guys without being overdone &#8211; bounced  in with a tray. &#8220;Hi, folks!&#8221; she chirped. &#8220;I&#8217;m Liz. Got a special order  here for you &#8211; all taken care of, you don&#8217;t need to worry yourselves  about it. Just starting with a little something to nibble on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Uh&#8230; right. Thanks.&#8221; Sam had  apparently been caught off guard; he just leaned back out of the way and  let Liz put the tray on the table. Stuffed mushroom caps, and a big  order of them at that, along with three glasses of iced tea.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once she&#8217;d left, the skunks exchanged  glances. &#8220;Who would have&#8230;?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Had to  be Ric,&#8221; I said. That was a no-brainer. &#8220;He set all of this up.&#8221; I  gestured, not at the food, but at the otherwise-vacant room around us.  That was the easy part. The question was not who, but why? What was he  saying by this?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Was he&#8230;  giving us his blessing? That didn&#8217;t sound quite right, I thought,  snagging one of the mushroom caps. No, that wouldn&#8217;t be his style.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But it might have been his way of saying  he wouldn&#8217;t get in the way. Not because he&#8217;d think I needed his  approval, but to show he didn&#8217;t disapprove, wouldn&#8217;t make a fuss.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Either way&#8230; God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A heavy hand rested on my shoulder. &#8220;You  okay, Tim?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I took a  deep breath. I would not choke up, not here&#8230; I swallowed. &#8220;What&#8217;s it  take,&#8221; I asked, hearing my voice come out hoarse but not able to do much  about it, &#8220;to have someone you&#8217;re fond of in your arms, and&#8230; hand  them over to someone else to do whatever?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sam  gave me a searching look, squeezing my shoulder. &#8220;I think I&#8217;d call that  love, Tim,&#8221; he said, soft but grave. &#8220;The love of the best kind of  friend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That&#8230; didn&#8217;t make it any easier  to bear. I looked down, and that brought my gaze to the food. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got  to pay him back,&#8221; I said to myself.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Of  course, I had said it aloud, anyway.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Neither  of them mocked me &#8211; well, that&#8217;s too strong a word; I had no reason to  believe they would. Neither of them teased me about it, though. Sarah  rested her hand on my knee, saying, &#8220;If someone wants you to be happy,  Tim, if they&#8217;re giving their all so you can be&#8230; figure out what&#8217;d make  you happy. And grab it with both hands.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I  looked up again, and thought I saw some of that same fondness on her  face.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Well.&#8221; I swallowed. &#8220;I guess we  shouldn&#8217;t insult the guy by spurning the food he provides, huh?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A pair of soft smiles greeted my words.  &#8220;That&#8217;s the spirit,&#8221; rumbled Sam, with one last squeeze and pat to my  shoulder.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As Liz had hinted at, the mushrooms  were just the start. Talk turned to lighter, inconsequential things as  we worked through them, and that was fine; lower pressure felt right, at  the moment. Things were just starting to dry up on that front when the  main course arrived; seafood linguine for me, a hefty cut of roast beef  for Sam, and a delicious beef stew for Sarah &#8211; I know that for certain  because we sampled each other&#8217;s entr\u00e9es, and while all of it was to  Casey&#8217;s usual high standard, I was almost tempted to ask to switch with  her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Almost. They do really good seafood  there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The arrival of the main course had  made me realise just how hungry I was; I hadn&#8217;t had a proper meal since  lunch the day before. I&#8217;d had the largest share of the mushrooms; now,  not only did I polish off that entire hefty serving, the other two  pushed portions of their own meals onto me as well. And I still wasn&#8217;t  feeling stuffed by the time I was done &#8211; full, yes, but not overly so.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">While they were picking at the remains  of their meals, I excused myself and slipped downstairs. I wasn&#8217;t at all  sure what the future was going to bring, but I still needed to talk to  him, at least, if he was still around.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So  he was &#8211; talking with Erin at the bar; he was hanging onto his bike  helmets, but his jacket wasn&#8217;t done up and he was sitting down. He  didn&#8217;t seem to be about to leave &#8211; which fit, when I thought about it;  he did say he&#8217;d be waiting.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He looked  up and smiled as I got close to him. It was a weird sort of smile;  wistful, hopeful, uncertain&#8230; It stung, in a way. Not because of what  he&#8217;d done, not because of what that smile seemed to say&#8230; well, not  exactly. What stung was being stuck with this sort of choice.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Give us a few, Erin,&#8221; the chinchilla  murmured, and the wolf slipped off with a nod. Ric reached over to clap  his hand on my shoulder &#8211; it was a very socially acceptable sort of  gesture, but there was a warmth to his grasp that on equal parts  reassured, and reinforced the awkwardness I already felt. The guy  obviously cared&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Don&#8217;t  worry about it,&#8221; he said, before I&#8217;d even managed to get a word out. &#8220;I  know that look. Do what&#8217;s right for yourself, Tim. And if you&#8217;ve still  got room for it, I&#8217;ll be glad to have you over even if you&#8217;re officially  with someone else &#8211; so long as they&#8217;re okay with it.&#8221; A smile. &#8220;So no  more doom and gloom, huh? You don&#8217;t have to chart out your whole life  right away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I still  didn&#8217;t feel quite right. I&#8217;d been in the guy&#8217;s bed not two hours ago,  after all, and not in any innocent way. And it didn&#8217;t exactly put those  thoughts to rest when he leaned in and whispered that he&#8217;d have plenty  of images to keep him company. But then he straightened, patted my  shoulder again, and said, &#8220;So get things squared away, do what you need  to do &#8211; and enjoy yourself as much as you can, okay? I&#8217;ll be rooting for  you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Guilty conscience or not, he was  right. &#8220;I&#8217;ll try, Ric,&#8221; I sighed. &#8220;Thanks. For the food, and&#8230;  everything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;I  thought you&#8217;d like that,&#8221; he said with a grin, zipping up his jacket.  &#8220;Consider it belatedly playing host; I only remembered after going  downstairs that I hadn&#8217;t seen you get a proper meal. And it&#8217;s not like I  didn&#8217;t treat myself, so,&#8221; he poked my shoulder, &#8220;don&#8217;t you dare feel  guilty about that, got it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I  couldn&#8217;t help but laugh. &#8220;Yes, sir!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The  skunks made an appearance at that point, with their coats on, Sam  carrying the one I&#8217;d left at their place&#8230; had it only been that  morning? It felt like longer than that. They spotted us and hustled  over, and Sam passed the coat to Sarah on the way.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Huh. Both heading this way, but Sam not  keeping my coat&#8230; &#8220;I think someone wants to talk to you,&#8221; I noted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Looks that way,&#8221; Ric agreed, chuckling.  &#8220;If I didn&#8217;t know he was a nice guy, I might be worried.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">An impulse grabbed me. A moment&#8217;s  thought led to the conclusion of &#8216;For God&#8217;s sake, do it&#8217;, so&#8230; I  reached up, took hold of the chinchilla&#8217;s shoulder, and gave it a  squeeze. &#8220;I&#8217;ll see you around, okay? Call me sometime &#8211; I don&#8217;t have  your number.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;They  do,&#8221; he laughed, stroking over my fingers and making me shiver a little,  then drawing gently away. &#8220;Take care of yourself, Tim. I&#8217;ll be in  touch.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">God. I wondered &#8211; not for the first  time &#8211; what the hell I&#8217;d got myself into here. Not that it was bad  stuff going on &#8211; in fact, it was <em>so<\/em> good that it had me downright  confused.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sam, true enough, wound up  corralling Ric to &#8220;talk for a bit before we go our separate ways&#8221;,  leaving Sarah to hold up my coat in silent invitation; I slid into it  with mumbled thanks. She gave the impression she&#8217;d have been willing to  do it up, too, but as soon as I started doing so myself she gave me some  space.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Pleasant a notion though it  might&#8217;ve been to have her reaching around me, it was one that&#8217;d take  some getting used to, and I really didn&#8217;t want to be about it right  there in public.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Should I  ask what&#8217;s on the agenda there?&#8221; I murmured, nodding toward the other  two guys.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Setting the record straight,&#8221; she  replied, giving a pat to my shoulder that nudged me in the general  direction of the door. &#8220;Tim, we&#8217;re not&#8230; not stepping on anyone&#8217;s toes  here, are we? We want to invite you back to our place to at least get  things straightened out, but&#8230; well, is there a reason we shouldn&#8217;t be  more forward than that?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I thought  about it. Thought about how Ric had made me feel, in his bed and  otherwise. Thought about what he&#8217;d said before and since. &#8220;I&#8230; don&#8217;t  know,&#8221; I sighed. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think so. But this isn&#8217;t how I&#8217;m used to  things working.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Take  your time, Tim,&#8221; she urged. &#8220;We don&#8217;t want to make another mistake, Sam  and I. And even if he&#8217;s the one who did something first, it could just  as easily have been me &#8211; both of us have really pushed harder than we  should&#8217;ve without clearing things up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s  okay,&#8221; I hurried to say. God, I didn&#8217;t want to make so many people  worry&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Nice of you to say, Tim, but it&#8217;s  not fair to you. But we can clear that up somewhere more comfortable;  looks like they&#8217;re done there.&#8217; Sure enough, Sam was heading toward us  and the door; Ric was having a few last words with the bartender by the  look of it, but did look over and toss a wave at me, which I didn&#8217;t mind  returning.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So what  if people talked? Whether they thought I was Sarah&#8217;s boyfriend, Ric&#8217;s,  or Sam&#8217;s, hell, it&#8217;d be a nice catch &#8211; and if they thought I was  cheating on one of them with another, well, that wouldn&#8217;t be as nice,  but I could get it straightened out with the people who mattered.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I hoped.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;That  guy is something else,&#8221; Sam murmured once we&#8217;d filed outside and  started down the road. &#8220;Never seen a guy before who&#8217;d send off with  someone else, someone he, uh&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Slept  with?&#8221; I suggested. What point was there in hiding it, any more?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The big skunk sighed. &#8220;Yeah. And didn&#8217;t  cock it up, at that, I imagine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I  grimaced. What could I say to that? I&#8217;d be lying if I said it hadn&#8217;t  been awkward, but he&#8217;d&#8230;. ah. &#8220;You acted in good faith, and it&#8217;s not  like it felt bad at the time&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;You&#8217;re  reaching,&#8221; Sarah murmured, squeezing my shoulder through the thick coat.  &#8220;We&#8217;ll get over it, Tim, but we can&#8217;t just ignore it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Oh.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Are  you all right to stop over for a while?&#8221; Sam asked. &#8220;Talk things  through, get that done? Could just see you home, if you need&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Need what?&#8221; I shrugged. &#8220;The good side  of unemployment is I&#8217;ve got all the time I need.&#8221; I tried to say it with  a wry grin. It was true, after all.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Apparently  I didn&#8217;t succeed; Sam winced. &#8220;Ah.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;So,  uh&#8230;&#8221; Sarah took a breath. &#8220;Are you and Ric an item? I know what you  said, I just want to get straight exactly how things stand.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;No&#8230; not yet, anyway.&#8221; I shrugged.  &#8220;He&#8217;s kind of said he didn&#8217;t mind the notion, but not&#8230; not now, with  everything being a mess.&#8221; I grimaced; a kind of ugly thought had just  occurred to me. &#8220;I think he might be a little worried about what he&#8217;s  done as it is, and I was the one to ask for it. He might think pushing  for an actual relationship right now wouldn&#8217;t be far off from date  rape.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;You obviously don&#8217;t think anything  so dire,&#8221; said she. &#8220;But where do you see yourself going?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I shrugged, and gestured toward the  intersection ahead. &#8220;Too early to tell, yet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Ric was&#8230; pretty graphic about some  stuff, actually,&#8221; mused Sam. &#8220;Not about what you two may or may not have  got up to, mind. He did say, though&#8230;&#8221; He managed to crowd one of his  hands on my otherwise unoccupied shoulder. &#8220;He said that if we want to  pin you to the bed and shag you to exhaustion, you&#8217;d better have a smile  on your face afterwards, but so long as that&#8217;s true he&#8217;s not going to  complain. Almost a direct quote.&#8221; He shook his head. &#8220;I almost offered  him a chance to come along and make sure, but figured it&#8217;d be unfair to  you without your input. What a guy, though.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;He&#8217;s a good sort, that&#8217;s for sure,&#8221;  Sarah replied over my blushing ears. &#8220;I get the feeling I&#8217;m not his  type, though. Wrong equipment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Could  be. Maybe he wouldn&#8217;t mind you watching, at least, if it was just us  guys&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The image shoved its way into my  head of Ric on one side of me and Sam on the other.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Naked.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Hard.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oh, God.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sarah  leaned over, cuffing the bigger skunk on the shoulder. &#8220;Stop breaking  the tiger,&#8221; she said, though her stern voice was rather spoiled by  trying to stifle a laugh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That  wasn&#8217;t quite enough to chase the images away, though. Especially not  when they were joined by images of Sam and Ric alone. I wasn&#8217;t quite  sure what guys did together, but&#8230; well, it was a good thing we weren&#8217;t  far from their place, even so.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;So&#8230;  explanations?&#8221; Sam suggested, hanging up coats.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I took a breath, and almost asked to get  those done somewhere comfortable, like, say, bed. Fortunately I caught  myself. I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;d have been offended by the notion &#8211; I knew  better, and it was starting to sink in &#8211; but the explanations did need  to happen. &#8220;Uh&#8230; right. I just need to visit the washroom for a  moment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I got my treacherous little friend  arranged a bit more comfortably, washed my hands, and joined them in the  living room. I wound up on an easy chair, with the two of them on the  couch; and maybe I should&#8217;ve expected things to be serious, but I hadn&#8217;t  thought they&#8217;d get as dark as they did.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">It  was as I was just getting into the offered seat that Sam shook his head,  sighed, and said, &#8220;This is all my fault.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;You  thought I understood,&#8221; I protested. &#8220;We can get over that &#8211; &#8220;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Before that,&#8221; the skunk corrected.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">All right, I was lost. I sat back and  listened. But the matter wasn&#8217;t made any more clear when Sarah chipped  in, &#8220;It wasn&#8217;t <em>your<\/em> fault. People aren&#8217;t doing what they were  told.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;It was my idea, though.&#8221; Sam  leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes. Before I could work up  the courage to ask what the heck was going on, he said, &#8220;One of the  clients I advise, Tim, is AEC. Angel Entertainment Company.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Angel Entertainment&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oh.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;They  approached me some weeks back, asking about a particular project that  had been brought to their attention. A company was looking for a  publisher, and my contact at AEC wanted my thoughts on how successful  the investment might be, and if it&#8217;d be a good idea to try for a larger  investment and share than was initially asked. Then&#8230; you showed up  last week.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;It took me a little while for it  to sink in that you&#8217;d actually brought right to us an actual, live copy  of the thing AEC was looking at. And I was determined to stay objective  about it &#8211; and I liked it a lot. So I told my contact that it was a good  piece of material, that they had good people working on it, and that  I&#8217;d personally buy and recommend the product based on what I&#8217;d seen so  far, so it&#8217;d be a crying shame if it got scrapped for lack of interest. I  could even pull a few strings and get some partner investors in the  industry.&#8221; He shook his head. &#8220;You know the rest better than I do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Oh. Damn. No wonder the guy felt guilty.  It wasn&#8217;t just about seducing me &#8211; he thought he&#8217;d cost me my actual  job.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">But wait a moment&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sarah confirmed my thought in a moment:  &#8220;Be fair, Sam. You told him it was the people who made the project, and  he said he agreed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Not sure  what the hell went wrong after that,&#8221; the bigger skunk muttered,  glowering. &#8220;I left him a mostly-polite query today. He&#8217;d better get back  to me soon, or they&#8217;ll have to shoulder the purchase cost alone &#8211; and  they&#8217;re not <em>that<\/em> big a company.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I  blinked. He&#8217;d mentioned what field he was in, of course, but I hadn&#8217;t  quite grasped how much influence it gave him.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Tim&#8230;&#8221; Sarah leaned toward me. &#8220;We  don&#8217;t think it&#8217;d be <em>that<\/em> much trouble to find a job; you sell  yourself short on that score. But if something doesn&#8217;t turn up fast&#8230;  trust us, okay? We can get you something &#8211; and we owe you that much; if  it wasn&#8217;t for our enthusiastic recommendation, you&#8217;d probably be at work  right now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Well&#8230;  maybe it won&#8217;t turn out all bad?&#8221; I hazarded. If nothing else, I&#8217;d got  laid&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;It better not,&#8221; Sam breathed,  looking up. I lurched back in spite of myself. There was a very intent  look in his eyes, suddenly. A look that sized me up, and&#8230; wonder of  wonders, liked what it found. A look that wanted.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Easy there,&#8221; Sarah chuckles, leaning a  little closer. I hadn&#8217;t realised the two seats were that close together,  but her fingers managed to find my jaw all the same. &#8220;Tim, I think it  goes without saying, at this point &#8211; but I&#8217;m going to say it anyway &#8211;  that we&#8217;d quite like an opportunity to give you a&#8230; proper reception.  Both of us &#8211; and if you&#8217;re up to it, I&#8217;d rather get it done before work  than after.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I wasn&#8217;t  aware of standing. I just&#8230; kind of nodded against her palm, and next  thing I knew her touch had coaxed me onto my feet.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sam got up as well, giving Sarah a touch  on the shoulder. &#8220;Gently, hon. And I know there&#8217;s irony in me saying  this, but learn from my experience, huh?&#8221; He leaned in a little closer,  brushing his fingers over my cheek. &#8220;We&#8217;re into you, Tim. We&#8217;re not  going to ask anything permanent of you here &#8211; we just want some time to  get close to you, just for a few hours. Anything longer-term than that,  we can decide in the future. For now, it&#8217;s just some fun and pleasure,  no strings. That okay with you?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I let out  a breath. It was so easy to get caught up in the moment; they&#8217;d have  probably been able to get me to agree to being tied to their bed for a  week, though I&#8217;m sure I&#8217;d have regretted it later. But as it was&#8230;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;That sounds pretty good, yeah,&#8221; I  breathed, and managed a grin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Once  again I found myself in their bedroom, and this time I co-operated,  rather than just not resisting, as Sam slipped my shirt off; this time,  the presence of his big hands on my shoulders was comforting,  reassuring. It might have been because I had a notion of how things were  going, and I didn&#8217;t think it was himself he was getting me ready for.  Though he figured out right away that nibbling on my ear was damn hot  and he stripped me down with the barely-restrained eagerness of a kid  unwrapping a Christmas present, some part of me remained quite aware of  the motion behind me, of articles of clothing drifting over to the  hamper by the foot of the bed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I&#8217;d been  hard by the time we got to the top of the stairs; I certainly wasn&#8217;t  less so when Sam finished getting my boxers down to my ankles so I could  kick them aside, or when his hands cupped under my rear and his snout  nudged under my chin.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;You&#8217;re  amazing, Tim,&#8221; he breathed, and I shivered as the words caressed my  throat. &#8220;So beautiful, so&#8230; so alive.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;He  is that,&#8221; Sarah replied, right against my ear. She also knew just how  to treat &#8211; suckling on the edge of it, the sides of her teeth rubbing  against it, then gracing very, very delicately with their sharp  points&#8230; God. It was a wonder I didn&#8217;t come then and there.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If that wasn&#8217;t a wonder, though, what  came next was almost a miracle.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">She  reached over my shoulder, and Sam lifted a hand to meet hers; she&#8217;d  taken the liberty of opening the small package, so it was left to him to  fish out the contents, to curl his thumb and two fingers around my  cock&#8230; I managed to turn my head down, watching &#8211; and squirming &#8211; as  quick, light strokes with his other hand sort of&#8230; un-peeled the rubber  onto my erection.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Nothing  against you, Tim,&#8221; he murmured. &#8220;There&#8217;s just some things we&#8217;d rather  not take chances with.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;And it&#8217;s  nothing to do with your background,&#8221; Sarah purred over my neck, giving a  bite to the side of it that made me shiver all over again. &#8220;I don&#8217;t  think you could knock me up even at the right time of month, even if I  weren&#8217;t on the pill &#8211; but why take chances, hmm?&#8221; She squeezed my  shoulders, and whispered, &#8220;Now turn around and get over here, sexy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Well, damn, who in my place could&#8217;ve  turned down a command like that?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I had  every intention to take my time, to get her warmed up and ready. Thus, I  was caught off guard when she pulled me right down atop her, one hand  behind my head, the other cupping over my butt. &#8220;C&#8217;mon, tiger,&#8221; she  hissed over my ears, pulling me closer still. &#8220;Come on in.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There really wasn&#8217;t much I could do to  prevent it; with just a tiny fidget to get in the right place, her hand &#8211;  and Sam&#8217;s, God, helping on the small of my back &#8211; drove me in from tip  to hilt all in one stroke. God &#8211; even through the rubber, she was warm,  soft, wet and inviting.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I  shivered, hands finding purchase on the sheets by her shoulders. Not  that being pressed down against her breasts was a bad thing &#8211; far from  it &#8211; but it made it hard to say much. &#8220;That was abrupt,&#8221; I panted once  I&#8217;d pushed my shoulders up a bit, and grinned. &#8220;Damn nice, but sudden.&#8221; I  didn&#8217;t need to be told to start moving &#8211; if she wanted me in that fast,  odds were good she wanted it hard, and it was the least I could do to  work up toward that.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">She  laughed. Even as she slid her hands along my thigh and my spine, even as  she squeezed around me, she let out a deceptively normal laugh and  nuzzled at my ears, tousling my hair with a few nibbles. Oh, she was  moving under me, too, and those fine legs of hers were at least as  strong as my own &#8211; she pressed up against me, eased back, then rose to  meet me again before she said anything in words. &#8220;You&#8217;ve seen Sam naked  before,&#8221; she hissed into my ears &#8211; in fact I was peripherally aware of  him stripping down behind me, but that was beside the point. &#8220;You know  how he&#8217;s built. I&#8217;ve spent the last four years with a man who <em>needs<\/em> to spend a lot of time warming me up, getting me wet, and even then has  to go in slow.&#8221; Her arms tightened around me, holding me in place for a  few moments. &#8220;Do you have any idea,&#8221; she husked, &#8220;how nice it is to be  able to just pull a guy on me and bring him home?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I shivered, and not just from the  sensations she was putting me through. I hadn&#8217;t really thought of what  the big skunk&#8217;s imposing length would mean in their relationship. &#8220;I  think,&#8221; I said, churning against her as best I could in her grip, &#8220;I can  see what you mean.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">She let  me go at that point, and I braced against the mattress and started  really getting to work. Not that I was quite so dumb as to let thrusting  do all the work; I kissed her jaw, I tried a nibble along her neck and  was rewarded with a shiver and a deep moan, I nuzzled at the warm swell  of her breast. Her hands urged me on &#8211; it had been years since I&#8217;ve had a  woman make me feel so&#8230; so good about what I was doing; not just with  her touch, but with soft whimpers, groans, and squeezes around me now  and then. The rubber was a godsend; I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;d have lasted more  than a few seconds without it, and I doubted I&#8217;d go too long as it was.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When Sam slid onto the bed by our heads,  I faltered again. Yes, I&#8217;d seen him naked; I&#8217;d even caught a glimpse of  him hard, the night before, though it hadn&#8217;t been a good glimpse and I  hadn&#8217;t been in the mood to pay attention anyway. All that couldn&#8217;t have  prepared me for the hefty pole that was suddenly resting on Sarah&#8217;s  snout, her laugh wafting around it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Don&#8217;t be  shy, Tim,&#8221; she murmured. &#8220;Plenty for us to share.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">That and then some. The guy had double  my dimensions&#8230; well, no; he might&#8217;ve been that thick, but he was, oh,  eight inches long, tops. Which was bad enough, but lifting my head and  staring down the black length of it made it pretty intimidating.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Don&#8217;t rush the man into it,&#8221; Sam  murmured, reaching down to stroke my ears. It was a strangely tender  touch, compared to what I and Sarah were doing &#8211; had been; I&#8217;d paused in  my uncertainty, and only then remembered to at least keep shifting  against her.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sam was  pointing out that it wasn&#8217;t like I had a lot of experience with guys  when I took my first lick, right over his tip. That made him pause; when  I continued up from there, over the rim of his plump glans, he groaned,  and his fingers tensed against my skull. Sarah chuckled again, and  started kissing and licking along the underside of that length while I  progressed along the top.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Points  for eagerness, though,&#8221; the big skunk panted, unclenching his hand to  stroke over my ears.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;Oh, he  is that,&#8221; breathed Sarah, claws gliding along my spine. &#8220;Aren&#8217;t you,  Tim?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;God,&#8221; I groaned. &#8220;How I&#8217;ve lasted this  long I&#8217;ll never know.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;I won&#8217;t  ask much more of you,&#8221; said she, the words short, quiet, and distinct;  she shuddered at the end of them, and pressed up against me, groaning.  &#8220;Oh, God, you know how to move, tiger.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Did  I? I hadn&#8217;t thought I was doing anything special. I didn&#8217;t think I was  giving her much stimulation aside from simple thrusts and the occasional  grind against her &#8211; but apparently that grinding was enough; the next  time I paused to do it, she shivered again, whimpering over Sam&#8217;s balls,  squeezing hard around me. A few more strokes, a few more licks and  kisses &#8211; I could get to like the taste of Sam too quick by half, I found  time to think &#8211; and she surged against me again, a bit more urgently; a  few more, one more long push, and she bucked up against me hard, claws  digging in against my ass and my ribs as she panted and whimpered over  Sam&#8217;s length.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Not for  the first time, I thought for sure I was going to pop. But somehow I  didn&#8217;t &#8211; somehow, I kept pushing against her, working her through what  seemed to be a fairly intense climax. I propped myself up on one elbow,  freeing the other hand to stroking along Sam&#8217;s cock, trying to wrap  around it &#8211; I could just barely do it with my thumb and little finger,  and didn&#8217;t have much room to spare with the others. I stroked him, I  lapped at his tip, I let his rising moans mingle with Sarah&#8217;s and wash  over my ears.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I wasn&#8217;t  ready when, even as Sarah was winding down and I was starting to ease up  against her, Sam suddenly cried out and gripped my shoulder hard. The  first spurt of his spunk caught me by surprise &#8211; the man was pretty  copious, and having that much of it coursing over my tongue made me  swallow and pull my head up before I even knew what was going on. Not  that either of them minded &#8211; he pulled back a little, panting hard, and  Sarah started licking that much harder at him. I followed her cue,  slurping at the top, our tongues meeting now and then as he got both of  our necks and chests messy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When he  was spent and started to sit back, I looked up, and I saw his eyes  closed, jaws parted, chest heaving in a look of bliss &#8211; and something  just&#8230; snapped. I heard myself cry out, felt myself lurch against  Sarah, felt both of them stroking me, heard their hoarse encouragements  and endearments as I finally shot into the tight rubber.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">And I&#8217;d thought my balls had felt  drained before&#8230; that was nothing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I did  have the presence of mind to pull out, flipping onto my back and letting  out a groan. A few seconds to catch my breath, and I sat up, then,  gingerly, stood, making it a little easier to pull the condom off  without making a mess. &#8220;By the door, dear,&#8221; Sarah murmured, and sure  enough, I saw a little trash can there, and managed not to totter as I  took the few steps toward it, tossed the wadded-up rubber into it, and  went back.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I&#8217;d intended to slide up alongside  Sarah, but Sam took my hand, and guided me to lie face-up on top of  him, his chest rising and falling against my shoulders, while she  reclined against his right side, in the crook of his arm, one of her  hands running along my side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s a  nice feeling, isn&#8217;t it?&#8221; she murmured into my ear. &#8220;I remember the first  time I lay atop him like that. Felt like everything was right with the  world and nothing bad could happen.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I closed  my eyes and just let myself feel the warmth under me, the strength in  his fingers as they roamed about my chest, even the heat of his  still-somewhat-firm shaft against my balls and thigh&#8230; &#8220;Yeah, that  sounds about right,&#8221; I sighed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So did  she, but hers was a more irritated sound, accompanied by a glance over.  &#8220;Damn the time. I need to scramble here, guys &#8211; only have time for a  quick wash before I need to head in. Thank God it&#8217;s a short shift, but  it won&#8217;t be short enough.&#8221; She leaned in, then, brushing her lips  against mine. &#8220;You two have fun, yeah? And Tim, don&#8217;t worry a bit about  what I would or wouldn&#8217;t want you to do. Trust Sam on that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I nodded, grinning up at her. &#8220;It&#8217;s a  bit of a weird feeling, that,&#8221; I admitted. &#8220;But I think I can get used  to it. With practise.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">He  laughed, patting my stomach, and Sarah gave him a kiss, too, before  slipping out of the bedroom in a whirl of stripes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Stripes - Chapter 8: Lost and Found\" href=\"..\/stripes\/8-lost-and-found\">&lt;&lt; Back to Chapter 8: Lost and Found<\/a> | <a title=\"Stripes - Chapter 10: Period of Adjustment\" href=\"..\/stripes\/10-period-of-adjustment\">On to Chapter 10: Period of Adjustment &gt;&gt;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sam and Sarah give Tim a long-overdue clarification on how matters stand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[12,24,16,13],"class_list":["post-65","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stripes","tag-adult","tag-group-sex","tag-mf","tag-mm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65\/revisions\/78"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/furry-tales.net\/shurhaian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}