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XXII

Michael Almost Gives In

Michael entered the lobby of the hotel with Amanda on his back. They passed the front desk and the desk clerk did a double-take. He looked at her and smiled. He didn't know what she did after he passed her but, he knew he would have just shaken his head if he was in her position. They reached the elevators and he told Amanda to press the call button. As they waited, Amanda started nuzzling and marking him again. Even though it was getting a bit old and tiresome, he was loathe to stop her; something that Elizabeth had said earlier crossed his mind. "You'll do anything to make her happy because you won't like to see her unhappy." Well, he definitely didn't like to see Amanda unhappy.

The elevator opened and Michael saw the field mouse from earlier in the evening. When he saw Amanda and Michael, he looked a bit shocked. "Aren't you the human that Elizabeth was supposed to have dinner with?" He asked.

"Yes, I am."

He looked around and, as he closed the doors, said, "I don't see Elizabeth. Where is she?"

"She's with her mate." Michael paused, studying him, before adding, "Why are you surprised that she isn't with me?" Michael didn't like what he might possibly be implying.

"Well, uh, she is married to a human and, uh, I thought that, uh, since you're human . . ."

"You thought that she was going to cheat on her mate with me?"

"Well, uh, she shows an inclination for humans."

"That may well be but, after we spent the evening with Elizabeth and her mate and observing the way she fawned all over him, I refuse to believe she would even consider doing what you implied."

"Then, why did you invite her to have dinner with you?"

"Because she said that if I can overcome a mental block I have about having a relationship with a Humanimal, Amanda," Michael nodded to her with his head, "would be a very happy vixen. I wanted her to explain her reasons for saying that; which she and Jeffrey, her mate, did."

"I'm sorry for assuming the worst."

"You should be. Has Elizabeth ever done anything that would imply that she was interested in cheating on her mate?"

"No, Sir. Now that you mention it, Elizabeth has always said how happy she was to be going home to Jeffrey whenever I would relieve her. I guess I thought the worst since. . ."

"Since she married outside her species and I'm a human like her husband is."

"Yes, Sir."

"You're a speciesist, aren't you?"

"Yes, Sir. Aren't you?"

"No. Personally, I don't care who you marry or mate with. My 'problem' is a personal one. At this time, I can't see myself marrying a Humanimal. But," Michael looked at Amanda and continued, "That could change."

"I see. Here's your floor, Sir."

"Thank you. You should reconsider your speciesist stance. It might free you from negative feelings that you may not know you have."

"Thank you, Sir. I'll consider what you suggested. But, I'm married to a field mouse and I'm very happy with her."

"What I mean, Mr. Maus is that, by having negative feelings about who someone loves, it reflects badly on you. While I can't see me marrying, or even mating with, a Humanimal, I don't care if any other human does. Because of that attitude, I don't judge anyone else as being wrong about their choice in mates."

"I see, sir. Thank you for the lesson."

*****

Michael carried Amanda to the door of his suite, unlocked the door and they went inside. He said, "Okay, Amanda, you can get off my back now."

"No."

"What do you mean, 'No'?"

"Just what it sounds like. I don't want to get off you back. I like it here." She started rubbing her muzzle against his neck.

Laughing, Michael said, "Stop. That tickles." She continued. "If you don't stop, I'm going to flop down on the bed."

She stopped, looked at him, and said, "You wouldn't dare." He started walking toward the bed. Giggling, she said, "Don't. I'll stop." He stopped and she said, "Would you have done it?"

"Just as sure as I'm standing here with you on my back."

She started rubbing Michael's neck again and he started toward the bed. "Okay, okay, okay. I'll stop." She said, laughing. "You can put me down now."

Michael let her drop off his back.

"Okay. Let's get ready for bed." She said as she started undressing.

"No. No! NO! You change clothes in your room, then you can come back."

"I'm not going to change clothes. I'm going to sleep naked."

"Wrong answer. You're not going to sleep naked with me. You're going to put on that nightgown you wore last night."

"No! It's too hot!"

"Then, put on some shorts and a light blouse."

"No! They're too hot!"

"Then, sleep in your bed--alone."

"No! You promised."

"I promised that, as long as you're completely dressed, you can sleep in here with me. If you aren't going to sleep completely dressed, you're breaking our agreement, not me."

She glared at him. Michael said, "Don't look at me in that tone of voice. I mean it."

"You don't love me!"

"Yes, I do. That's why you have to be dressed if you're going to sleep with me."

She brightened and said, "You do love me?"

"Go change clothes," Michael said, trying to divert her attention.

She smiled seductively and went to her room. Michael shook his head as he thought, "What am I going to do with her? And why did I say I love her so quickly? If I don't start considering the consequences, I'm going to let my Titanic mouth overload my rowboat behind one of these days."

Knowing, as he did, how badly Amanda's heat was making her want to sleep with him, in the sexual sense, Michael gathered his clothes, went into the bathroom, locked the door, and started changing clothes. As he changed, he could hear the connecting door open. He imagined Amanda sticking her head through and then he heard a soft, "Damn." Michael smiled as he imagined the look of consternation on her face. He thought, "She ought to be trying the bathroom door right--about" He pointed to the door handle and said, "now." The door handle rattled and he heard her say, "Da-yum!"

"You didn't really think I wouldn't guess you would do that. Did you?"

"Michael, you--are--no--fun!"

Michael laughed as he zipped his shorts. Despite all his preparations, he wasn't expecting what happened when he opened the door. Amanda must have been crouched waiting for him to open the door; because, just as he opened it, he saw a tiger-striped, red fox furred blur launching itself at him. All he had time to do was open his arms and wrap them around her as she struck him. He stumbled backward and landed on the toilet seat with Amanda in his lap facing him. Before he could take a breath, Amanda's lips were on his and she gave him a kiss that made the one she gave him earlier in the evening seem sisterly by comparison.

How long the kiss lasted, Michael couldn't say. All he knew was that, while she was kissing him, he felt his resolve draining away. His resolve was draining so much and so fast that he felt his hands reach for the hem of her nightgown and start pulling it up. Fortunately, just as he got it to her waist, his brain took over and he let go of her nightgown and, gently, pushed her away from him. They were both breathing very hard.

"Why did you stop, Michael?"

"You know why, Amanda. Please tell me that what you just did was the result of another hormone surge."

"Partly. I also wanted to surprise you. Now, you know what to expect when we get married." She said, mischievously.

"You realize that it was incredibly dangerous, don't you? One of us could have gotten hurt and, if it had been you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

She hung her head and said, "Now you're angry with me."

Michael pulled her to him and hugged her. "I'm not angry with you, Amanda. Believe me; if I ever get angry, you won't have to guess because I have a hard time holding my anger in. Now, let's go to bed and get some sleep."

She looked at Michael and smiled. He could see her eyes were wet with unshed tears; that's how much she was afraid that she had upset him. But, she said, "Okay. Carry me?"

Michael smiled and said, "Of course. I've got no problems carrying someone who's unable to walk."

She lightly punched his shoulder and said, "Smart aleck."

As Michael carried her to the bed, she nuzzled his neck and said, "You almost gave in that time. Why didn't you?"

"Because, Amanda, I love you; but, more importantly, I respect you. My brain took over and stopped my emotions from controlling me. Unlike the other times, my brain wasn't interfering because you're a Humanimal; it took over for a different kind of moral situation."

"What kind of situation?" Michael had reached her side of the bed by this time and let her down.

"When I was growing up 20,000 years ago, less than 10% of the people who got married were virgins. Today, less than 10% aren't and over 90% of those are in their second or subsequent marriage. Unlike humans when I was growing up, Humanimals cherish purity and virginity on the wedding night. That may be one of the biggest reasons you're mother had a hard time dealing with your tiger stripes."

Michael had walked around to his side of the bed by this time. Amanda asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your father told me that their friends made snide comments after you were born that implied that your mother wasn't a virgin on her wedding night. They even implied that she was pregnant with you, by a tiger, when she married your father."

"So, that's why you keep turning me down?"

"Partly. No, mostly. I want you to be able to prove to your future husband, whoever he may be, that he's the father of your kits."

Michael had gotten into the bed and Amanda snuggled up to him as she said, "So, you really do love me. I hope the love you feel for me can grow into a love strong enough to want me to be your mate, Michael.

"We'll see. Now, hush and go to sleep."

"Yes, Daddy." She said as she kissed Michael's neck. "Michael, there's one more thing I want to say about Humanimals and virginity and then, I'll go to sleep."

"Go ahead."

"Virginity isn't as important to Humanimals as you may think it is. Sleeping around, however, is frowned upon. I believe that's one reason my mother dislikes Wanda and Bertha. Wanda is notorious for having a different guy in her bed almost every night; well, she was until Robert confessed his feelings for her. As I understand it, Bertha wasn't much better before she found out she was pregnant with her youngest cub, Kaunis. Then, she and Wanda got involved with each other, which is another reason my mother doesn't like them, until Jonathan convinced her that his feelings for her are real.

"However, most Humanimal women who aren't virgins when they marry have only slept with one guy, or at the very most two guys, and one of those guys is the guy she's marrying. That's what happened with Bertha when she got married. Of course, she was pregnant at the time she married her ex-husband."

"I understand what you're saying, Amanda, believe me. However, I was taught that virginity is a gift that's best given to the person you love on your wedding night. I'm not going to take that gift from you for that reason. Please understand."

Amanda sleepily said, "I understand, Michael; but, it isn't going to stop me from trying."

"All right. It'll be a battle of wills, then."

After a few minutes, Michael heard her steady breathing after she fell asleep. He thought, "So, Mrs. Fuchs doesn't like same-sex couples. I guess I'm in interesting company." After thinking these thoughts, he looked at the clock and saw it read 1519. Several minutes later, he was asleep as well.

*****

The next thing he knew, Michael was being slowly awakened by feeling a furry weight on his chest and two soft hands caressing his chest and arms. He could also feel two soft lips kissing his neck. After several seconds of kissing his neck, Michael felt Amanda adjust her body and start kissing his chest, somehow Amanda had managed to get his T-shirt up to expose his chest to her kisses. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, once again his body was starting to respond to her ministrations. He had to do something and quickly.

Michael shook his head to clear the cobwebs and stop his brain's accepting what was happening and then he put my hands on Amanda's shoulders and rolled her off him. Unfortunately, she had slipped her arms around his neck and he rolled with her. Fortunately, for him, he only rolled onto her chest.

"Ooh." She purred. "Does this mean you've changed your mind?"

Michael glared at her in the dark and said, "No. It does not. It means that you grabbed me unexpectedly when I rolled you off me. Amanda, I love you; I respect you. Please don't ruin this wonderful relationship we have by pushing the boundary before we both are ready and I don't believe you're any more ready than I am."

Michael could hear the tears in her voice as she said, "Do you want me to go to my room?"

Now, he was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. He thought, "How do I answer that question and not sound like I'm trying to either push her away or take advantage of her weakened state?"

Finally, he decided to try logic. "Amanda, I told you that you could sleep here until Tuesday morning. I meant it when I said it and I mean it now; however, there was the stipulation that we both remain fully dressed. Remember?" He could feel her head nod. "Good. I do enjoy having you here with me and I know I will enjoy it every night you stay here; but, please remember how much I respect you and whomever you eventually marry. If you, and I, give in to your instincts, that would show a complete lack of that respect. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

She pulled him down to her and hugged him tightly. "Yes, Michael. I understand. You want my future husband to be my first sex partner despite what my body tells me. That's the proof of your love and respect for me."

"Exactly. I'll help you in any way I can, Amanda; but, I won't give in to instinct."

"So, you're not going to make me go to my room and sleep alone?"

"No. As a matter of fact, roll onto your left side."

"Why?"

"You'll see."

She rolled onto her left side; he cuddled up to her back and put his arms around her in an embrace. He heard her sigh happily as she took his right hand and pulled it up between her breasts. She moved back until her back was pressed tightly against his chest. Once again, he heard her sigh happily and then start breathing regularly. She had fallen back asleep. It wasn't easy in this position but, he managed to roll back far enough to look at the clock. It read 2347. He turned his head back to face the back of Amanda's head. He felt an urge to kiss her and, after doing so, fell back asleep.

*****

The next time Michael woke up, Amanda had rolled onto her right side and was facing him. She was still asleep and had her arms folded in front of her. Somehow, when she shifted positions, his arms had gone around her and he was holding her in a hug. His chin was resting on top of her head between her ears. As he breathed, he could smell the orchid scent of her pheromone emission. As usual, this scent was having an intoxicating effect on him; it was almost as strong as a narcotic.

He turned his head and looked at the clock. It read 0137. He thought about breakfast but he didn't want to disturb Amanda who was sleeping so peacefully. Suddenly, his stomach growled and Amanda started giggling.

"How long have you been awake?" Michael asked, somewhat indignantly.

"For a little while, ever since I rolled over to face you. You smell so good that I just wanted to enjoy your scent. When your stomach growled, I couldn't keep from laughing. Are you hungry?"

"Yes. I was just thinking about breakfast when my stomach heard my thoughts." They both laughed.

She snuggled closer as she said, "Maybe we should get up and go eat."

"All right." Michael released her from the hug but she didn't move. "All right, Amanda. I thought you were hungry."

"No. You're the one that's hungry; I'm comfortable." Michael swatted her backside and said, "Well, move. I very well can't eat with you pinning me to the bed."

She jumped and yelped when he swatted her. She glared at him and said, "You'll regret that."

He smiled and replied, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard that song and dance before."

Before he had time to react, she rolled him onto his back and, using all her weight, held him down by his shoulders. She was glaring at him the whole time. He could see in her eyes that she was planning something. Suddenly, she leaned over and kissed him, passionately. For some inexplicable reason, he wrapped his arms around her and held her there as they kissed. Finally, she broke the kiss and laid her head on his chest.

Michael smiled and said, "Yep. I regret swatting you like that. I'll never do that again."

"Oh, shut up." She said, laughing. "You weren't supposed to kiss me back. You were supposed to try and stop me."

Michael's stomach growled again and hers growled in sympathy. "I see I'm not the only one that's hungry. Come on, let's get dressed and go eat."

She rolled off him and he moved to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. All of a sudden, he felt 115 pounds of red fox land on his back. Amanda had landed in just the right location that prevented him from pulling her off of him and her weight kept him from standing. Just as suddenly as her pounce, he felt several sharp teeth nipping on first one ear and then the other.

Laughing, he said, "Amanda, don't! Amanda, I'm really going to spank you this time! Amanda!"

Just as suddenly as she had jumped onto his back, she managed to launch herself over his head and, laughing, ran toward the connecting door. At the door, she stopped, smiled mischievously, and blew him a kiss before she ran into her room.

*****

Michael sat on the bed, smiling, and shaking his head. "What am I going to do about her?" He said out loud.

Suddenly, a voice entered his head. "Look at you." It said. "You're falling in love with an animal."

"She's not an animal. She's more than an animal; she's a Humanimal. She's half-human." He replied in his thoughts.

"Humph. Semantics. You've been making that same argument since you were living at the Panthera home and Victoria kept flirting with you. Call her what you will; she's still an animal. How many humans have you seen with striped fur all over their bodies? How many humans have their ears on top of their heads? How many humans have a muzzle like a tiger? I can't believe you actually considered having sexual relations with her last night. You should be ashamed of yourself. What would your parents think?'

"I don't care! My parents are dead; my siblings are dead. I'm all alone in this world and Amanda makes me happy." Michael gathered his clothes and headed for the bathroom as he spoke. "Just leave me the Hell alone!"

He changed clothes and reentered the living area. He looked and saw Amanda sitting at the writing desk with her head down. Her shoulders were slumped and she was sitting in such a way as to imply she was upset about something. Michael walked over to her, knelt on one knee so he was eye level with her, took her hands in his, and looked at her. After several seconds, he said, "Amanda, what's wrong?"

She raised her head and looked at him with eyes that were glistening with tears. She answered, "Michael, am I bothering you?"

"No! Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I heard you after I left your room. You said, 'Leave me the Hell alone!' I didn't know my playing with you bothered you."

"Oh, God!" He thought. "I said that out loud and louder than I thought I did."

Michael said, "Amanda, I didn't say that to or about you. You remember how I've said I have a mental block about having a relationship with you, don't you?" She nodded. "Well, I was arguing with that mental block after you left my room. It was chastising me for letting you sleep in my bed with me. It called you an animal and I was disagreeing vehemently. Finally, I told the voice I heard to leave me alone and let me enjoy my life. I swear I wasn't saying that to or about you."

In a tiny child-like voice, she said, "Really?"

Michael stood, pulled her up with him, and hugged her. "Really. Amanda, you're the best friend I've got. I like you even better than Leo, Tigresa, Richard, and Victoria Panthera and you know the Panthera family is the closest thing I have to a real family in the world today. However, I must admit that I like Anne Panthera better than you, but you are a very close second to her."

She looked at Michael curiously, "Anne Panthera? Who is she?"

"Oh, she's Dr. Leo's two-year-old daughter. She swears she and I are going to get married when she's old enough. She's like a baby sister to me."

Smiling through her tears, Amanda said, "Oh. Well, I guess I can place second to her."

Michael felt her arms slip around him as she rubbed her eyes on his chest. He couldn't resist. Accusatorially, he asked her, "Are you scent marking me again?"

She balled her fist up and hit his chest lightly. "No. And so what if I am; you're mine and I want all the females to know it."

Michael whispered into her ear, "I can't think of any female I would rather belong to than you."

She pulled his face to hers, kissed him lightly, and said, "Thank you. Now, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

Michael took her hand and she interlaced their fingers. This kind of intimacy still bothered him a little even though he really did enjoy it. They left Michael's room and walked to the elevators. He pressed the call button and, about fifteen seconds later, the doors opened. This led him to believe that the operators determined how fast the elevators ran. As they walked into the elevator, Mr. Teendua, the snow leopard, welcomed them onto the elevator.

"Good morning," he said. "I haven't seen you since Friday. Have you enjoyed your stay so far?"

Amanda said, "Oh, yes. Except for an unexpected visit yesterday morning, I've enjoyed every second of it."

In a surprised voice, he said, "Unexpected visit?"

She said, "Yes, my mother showed up at 2300 last night." She giggled mischievously before adding, "She almost caught Michael and me in bed together." Michael closed his eyes and hung his head.

Mr. Teendua looked at Michael and said, "Didn't you tell me that you two weren't mates?"

Michael said, "Yes, I did and we aren't. Amanda's just rattling your--uh--cage."

"So, you two weren't in bed together?"

"Well, yes, we were. She's just implying that we were doing more than sleeping; but, that's all we did. I like her, a lot; but, I would never do anything like that with her unless we're married."

"Oh, I see. So, what does that have to do with her mother?"

"Her mother hates me simply because I'm human and she hates all humans because of things we did that stopped about 20,000 years ago."

"Ah. You're talking about hunting us predators almost to extinction because we were competition for the meat humans wanted."

"Yes. I used to hunt but I never hunted predators. As a matter of fact, I actively opposed it. I always said, 'If you don't intend to eat what you kill, or if it isn't a threat to you somehow, don't kill it.'"

"That is an enlightened way of thinking for someone who grew up so recently."

Michael smiled and said, "Sorry. It was extremely enlightened 20,000 years ago."

"20,000 years ago?"

"Yes, that's when I grew up."

"Oh. Okay." He paused and said, "Ground floor. Watch your step."

*****

Michael thanked Mr. Teendua. Amanda and he stepped out of the elevator, turned left, and walked to the restaurant. The hostess seated them and asked if they wanted a menu. Michael looked at Amanda and she said they would order from the menu today. The hostess gave each of them a menu and left. They started looking at the menu and Michael saw something that he had never seen before. As he was looking at the menu, he sensed the waiter walk up to their booth. He turned and noticed that the waiter was a white rabbit with a black right ear and left hand.

"Are you ready to order, Sir?" He asked.

"Yes. But, I have a question." He looked at Michael waiting for the question. "What is this? I've never heard of chicken bacon."

"Ah. That's a new item. This restaurant is one of about fifteen in the entire province that was chosen as a test market. Therefore, we have a promotion. If you substitute chicken bacon for regular bacon, we won't charge you for it. All we ask is that you fill out an opinion card and turn it in to the cashier. When you turn in the card, the cashier will deduct the cost from your meal."

"How is it made? I mean, bacon is made from pork bellies and a chicken's belly is pretty small."

"I read about it just before we started our participation. The meat processors grind the meat of the thighs and drumsticks in a meat grinder like they do to make hamburger meat. The meat is then mixed with about 10% fat by weight and is forced through a rectangular tube to make the initial form. The mixture is then cooled to 5 degrees Shellcius overnight. The next morning, the now hardened meat is sliced into 3/16" thick slices and packaged. The mixture of the meat and fat makes it fry and not stick to the pan nor fall apart."

Michael looked at Amanda and said, "I'm game. How about you?"

She smiled mischievously and said, "Well, you know us foxes. We love chicken. I'll try it too."

"Good. What would you like to go with your chicken bacon?"

They gave him their orders and he left. Unexpectedly and for reasons he can't explain, Michael got up and moved to the other side of the booth. He sat beside Amanda and leaned over until their shoulders touched. To say that Amanda was surprised would be a severe understatement. She turned to look at Michael, a small smile playing on her muzzle. As she looked at him, he bumped her shoulder with his, smiling at her as he did. He could see uncertainty in her eyes as she wondered what he was up to. Finally, after a few seconds, he reached over, took her hand and put it on his arm, smiling at her as he did. She smiled broadly and wrapped her arms around his arm and lay her head on it.

After letting her enjoy herself for a few seconds, Michael said, "What would you like to do today?"

He could feel the smile forming as she said, "Go back to bed?"

He made a buzzer sound and said, "Wrong answer. Guess again."

"No-oo. I want to spend the day in bed, with you."

"Amanda, sweetheart." She giggled when Michael said, "sweetheart". "We can't do that. It would be boring and all I'd want to do is sleep. Besides, this is the first time you've ever been away from Catlanna. You should visit new places, see new things, take photos of them so you can show them to everyone at work and gloat. After all, starting tomorrow, we're going to be busy all day every day for the next five days."

She whispered, "Michael, have you forgotten that I'm in heat? I can't guarantee that I won't become possessive of you again."

He whispered back, "I believe that we both learned a lesson yesterday. Besides, if you would like, I'll be more than happy to hold your hand or put my arm around your shoulder to show you that you have nothing to worry about where I'm concerned."

"Really? You'd do that? Just to make me happy?"

"Of course. If you're happy, I'm happy.

"Oh, by the way, did you bring a swimsuit?"

"No. Why?"

"Then, we need to go buy you one."

"Why?" She insisted.

The waiter returned with their breakfast, temporarily at least, diverting Amanda's attention away from her question. An idea had formed in Michael's head as he remembered how much she had enjoyed their day at the beach yesterday. He wanted to surprise her so he kept diverting her attention when she would ask questions as they ate.

After they finished eating, the waiter brought their receipt and two opinion cards for them to fill out. On the card, there were five questions. "Did you order chicken bacon with your breakfast? Did the taste meet with your approval? Did the texture meet with your approval? If chicken bacon was available at your local restaurant would you order it with your breakfast? If chicken bacon was available in your local grocery store would you purchase it for home consumption?" On the other side of the care, there were four lines for the name and address of the person filling out the questionnaire.

Michael teased Amanda by acting like he didn't want her to see his answers. True to her nature, his secretiveness caused her curiosity to grow. She kept trying to see his answers and he kept hiding his card from her. Finally, she did what he expected her to do; she bit his shoulder. Even though he was expecting it, he was still a little shocked when it happened. He flinched and she grabbed his card. After she picked it up, she realized he had played her and she gave him a withering look and another threat to bite him causing him to laugh.

"I can't believe you made me do that. Everyone can see what your answers are, even me." She slapped his arm and then nipped his ear. "I'll get you back; somewhere, somehow, one of these days, I'll get you back." Michael just laughed.

They got up and Michael paid for breakfast. He asked the hostess about stores that sold swimsuits that might be open at 0200 on a Sunday morning. She told them about a store within walking distance that had a wide variety of swimsuits. He thanked her and, as they walked to the store, Amanda, her curiosity piqued, again started asking why she needed a swimsuit.

"In case you hadn't noticed, my dear, the hotel has a swimming pool. You might like to go for a midnight swim."

"I know you, Michael. That is not the reason. Now, tell me." She begged.

Once again, he avoided answering her question when they arrived at the store. They went inside and her eyes grew large as she saw all the different varieties of swimsuits. Michael suggested that she try a few on and he'd give her his opinions. He already knew what style he hoped she would pick because he believed it would be flattering to her slim body.

As they walked around the store, Michael was looking for the style and color he thought would look good on her. Finally, he found what he was looking for.

"Here, Amanda." He held up a tiger-striped bikini. "What about this one?"

"Very funny." She said, "Don't I have enough stripes without wearing even more?"

Michael laughed. She gave him a dirty look and stuck out her tongue. "What about the style? Do you like the bikini?" He asked.

"It's--revealing." She turned her back to him.

"Of course, it is. It reveals those beautiful stripes."

She looked over her shoulder at him smiled appreciatively. "You really think my stripes are beautiful?"

"Of course. I told you that I would never knowingly lie to you."

"Well. I'll try it on. Maybe it looks better on me than on that hanger."

Michael handed her several different colors and patterns. She took them and went into a dressing room to try them on. He could hear her rustling around as she changed into the swimsuits. She must have been trying to look at herself in the mirrors in there.

As Amanda tried on the swimsuits, Michael asked the clerk about sandals. The clerk pointed him in the direction of the sandals and, just before he went to look at them, he said, "Amanda, what size shoe do you wear?" She told him and he went to find two pairs of sandals, one for her and one for him.

Michael returned a couple of minutes later and he heard her say, "The panties would make people look there."

"Well, yes. But, that's what they're supposed to do. They're supposed to hide what you want hidden but reveal enough to make people interested. Besides, there's really nothing you can do to prevent that from happening."

"What do you mean?"

"Your chest and stomach fur are white. If you wear white panties, it'll look like you're not wearing anything. If you wear the tiger stripe panties, everyone will look because their eyes will be drawn down there to see the stripes and the same thing will happen no matter what color panties you wear."

"It's embarrassing. Maybe I'll go with a one-piece."

"You can but it won't be nearly as flattering. Besides, as I said, I think your stripes are very attractive and I like seeing them."

After a short pause, she asked, "What color do you think would look best on me?"

"I like the tiger stripes."

"I am not going to select the tiger-striped one. Pick another one."

"Well, then, I think the yellow, red, and white ones would look good on you as well."

She stepped out of the dressing room wearing one of the swimsuits. She walked to one of the mirrors and looked into it. As she stood there, Michael gave a low whistle and said, "Absolutely beautiful." She had on the yellow bikini.

When he made his comment, she struck a pose that reminded him of the one the mid-twentieth century actress, Betty Grable was best known for. It was still a favorite photo 150 years after it was taken. She had her hands on her hips, looking at him over her right shoulder and smiling appreciatively. As she looked at him, she said, "Okay. I'll take this yellow one."

"Good. Yellow is a complementary color for you."

"Complementary?"

"Yes. The base color of your fur is reddish-orange, which is a relatively bright color. Bright colors compliment each other just as dark colors complement each other. Do you know what the color wheel is?"

"Yes. We were taught about it in school. But, I don't understand what that has to do with which color swimsuit I should wear."

"Okay. On the color wheel, there are six colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. There are three primary colors, red, yellow, and blue and there are three secondary colors, orange, green, and violet. The secondary colors are made by mixing equal parts of the colors on either side of them, orange is made from red and yellow, green from yellow and blue, and violet from red and blue. All colors are created from these six. Now, complementary colors are the colors on either side of the color in question; for example, yellow's complementary colors are orange and green because orange and green are created using yellow; violet's complementary colors are red and blue because red and blue make violet. Do you understand?" She nodded. "Now, white and black complement any color because white is the combination of all colors and black is the absence of any color."

She just stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "I'll take this yellow one. Give me a few minutes to change out of it."

"Aw. Don't you want to wear it back to your room?"

"No." She said quickly. "I'd be too embarrassed."

Michael smiled and said, "Well, even though I think it looks good on you, I can't say as I blame you. This is downtown Jaguarville and not the beach. There aren't too many people walking around wearing swimsuits in downtown Jaguarville. Hurry up and we'll go back to the hotel."

*****

Amanda changed back into the outfit she had worn into the store. Michael paid for the swimsuit and their sandals and they walked back to their rooms. After they arrived at the rooms, Michael said "Now, go to your room and put the swimsuit on." She looked at him in shock; but, he continued, "And then, put something on over it."

"What should I put on over it?"

"Something easy to remove, a skirt and blouse, shorts and top, something like that and don't forget to put on the sandals I bought for you."

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see. Now, scoot and change. I'm going to put on my swimsuit and I'll meet you in here. Okay?"

"All right, Michael."

She left and Michael got his suit, went into the bathroom and changed. He put on a pair of shorts, a T-shirt and his sandals. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, Amanda was already back in his room and sitting at the writing desk. She stood up, walked over to him, and took his hand in hers. Considering she was in the middle of her heat cycle, this action caught him off-guard as being a bit subdued.

She smiled at him and asked,"Why do I need to wear this swimsuit?"

Michael leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Because we're going to the beach."

Smiling, she said, "We're going back to St. Simian Island?"

"No. We're going south. We're going to Dogtona Beach. Hopefully, the water where we're going is as clear as I remember it from my college days. When I visited there 20,000 years ago, the water was crystal clear and as blue as the sky."

She squealed with delight and started dragging him toward the door. A few minutes later, they were on the highway heading toward Dogtona Beach.