The One-Night Friend

Tibas groaned as the dull pulse of pain in his head slowly but relentlessly beat him back into consciousness. "Ugh, f'rgodd'n gods, waddid I...?" He paused as he sat up in the bed, realizing a few things: sitting up hurt, talking wasn't much better, these sheets were way too nice to be his, and he wasn't alone in the bed. Forcing one eye open to take a look around, he discovered an elegantly curved Mare laid out beside him, belly-down and hugging the thick pillow under her head like she was afraid it might try to escape her.

She wasn't his girlfriend.

As if that thought were wielding a hammer, pain flashed through his whole skull, and the Cougar grit his teeth and clutched his head with a groan. The sound apparently disturbed his bed-mate, who likewise moaned quietly, not even opening her eyes as she reached out between the mostly-drawn curtains of the massive four-poster bed they were laying in. Daylight flashed through the gap she created, causing both of them to wince, but she determinedly pulled open the little drawer built into the nightstand, and from that drew out two small, elaborately sculpted bottles about the size of her thumb. Sitting up in the bed, uncaring of how her naked breasts bobbed before the Cougar's eyes, she plucked the stopper from one of the bottles and tossed the contents down her throat like a hard shot.

"Best not to let it touch your tongue," the Mare suggested after swallowing, offering the other bottle to Tibas without ever looking at him.

It was a testament to just how disoriented he was amidst this situation that he even took the bottle from her. The last thing he needed right now was alcohol...especially given he was fairly sure alcohol was what had landed him here somehow...but some desperate part of his groggy, throbbing brain was replaying a rumor that a fresh dose could clear a hangover, at least for a little while. So he followed her example, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain that swept through his head as he tipped it back.

It wasn't alcohol, but she was definitely right. Whatever that bottle held was bitter and earthy, like a broth of dirt and some sort of weed. If he hadn't already set himself to swallow as soon as it touched his throat, he might have ended up spitting it back out.

The pain subsided almost as soon as the concoction hit his stomach. Tibas blinked his eyes open, and stared at the little bottle in wonder. "Wow...thanks," he said quietly, handing the container back to its owner, "What is that stuff?"

"A hangover remedy," she stated the obvious, accepting the bottle and sliding to the edge of the bed, "Figured you could use it after a night like that. I know I needed it." Daylight blinded Tibas momentarily as she threw open the curtains walling them off from the rest of the room. By the time his eyes adjusted, she was already pulling a thin night-gown around her shoulders...thin enough to be better described as 'sheer'. It did absolutely nothing to disguise the fact that she was naked underneath, only adding a light lavender layer over her chocolate-brown fur and voluptuous ebony tail and mane. It seemed to turn completely transparent over her pronounced nipples, though her uncommonly thick pubic fur managed to hide her vulva from direct sight. Overall, the Arabian beauty looked like she'd stepped out of some Amunetian painting.

Tibas averted his eyes quickly, and yanked the pillow into his lap as it dawned on him that he was equally naked. "Uh, sorry," he muttered, glancing around for his own clothes. They were nowhere on the bed, nor on the nightstand on his side, when he scooted far enough over to pull open that part of the curtain.

"Don't worry about it," the Mare answered casually, not even bothering the tie the belt hanging from the gown, "Come on. I'll treat you to breakfast. That medicine will make you sick if you don't eat something," she warned, striding for the door.

He tried hard not to let the shock show on his face...but failed utterly. "I...but...don't you..."

"Don't worry about it," the Mare repeated, pulling the tall door to the room open, "It's my house. If I say we can go naked, then we can go naked," she declared, then stepped out.

Tibas hesitantly climbed out of the bed, and tried to carry himself with some dignity as he followed, despite the morning wood swinging in front of his hips that he simply couldn't help. He paused at the door, taking in the large room briefly. Besides the massive bed, there were two full dressers on either side of it standing as tall as he was, elaborately carved in decorative swirls and waves. There was a sitting area consisting of a couch and two high-backed chairs around a coffee table, all arranged in front of a fireplace he could have walked inside without ducking. There were marble statues standing guard on either side of the armoire, and two more framing the door. There was a fountain built into one corner of the room...or maybe that was an open shower?

"Come now," the Mare called from halfway down the hall, "You can admire the decor later." She snapped her fingers sharply, and Tibas practically ran to catch up, as if that one crisp sound had cast a spell on his legs.

The Cougar continued to blink in astonishment as they walked down the long, wide hall. The house was large enough to be home to a giant, though all the furnishings were of appropriate scale for ordinary people. All the decorations were as polished as if they'd been bought that morning, but the styles were antiquated and several of them from foreign lands. "Holy...you live here?" Tibas asked quietly, "It's like a museum."

"Thank you," the lady answered off-handedly, as if he'd just complimented the color of the curtains, "I try to take good care of my things."

Passing through the living-room (the most up-to-date room he'd seen so far, with a television the size of a theater screen mounted on one wall) and under one last archway, they finally came to what was obviously the dining-room. The long, mahogany table was surrounded by no less than a dozen high-backed chairs, and a small buffet of covered dishes had been set up on the other side. Rather than serve themselves, though, two formally-dressed attendants immediately began ladling out portions from under each tin onto a plate for each of them.

The unexpected company froze Tibas in his tracks at the archway. But the Mare casually took her seat at the head of the table and paid them no mind, despite being just as exposed as him for all practical purposes, so the Cougar forced himself to slide into the chair next to hers. As soon as the plates were set in front of them, the attendants bowed and left through the door at the back, presumably to the kitchen, letting Tibas breathe a sigh of relief.

"...Alright," he muttered, picking up the fork waiting beside the plate and poking idly at the neatly folded eggs, "I'm very sorry to have to ask this, but I've been trying to remember and there's just...nothing," he grimaced, "Who are you? And what happened to Lydia? Surely we didn't...?"

She gave him a thoughtful look while chewing a mouthful of fruit salad (her plate contained nothing approaching meat, only bread and fruit in yogurt). "Was that the lady-friend you were with last night?" she asked after a moment, "I'm sure she's fine. I called a car to take her home before we left, though I was a little surprised she declined to join us. She seemed quite open and eager for a threesome up until you suggested it was time to get to it."

Tibas dropped the fork halfway to his wide-open mouth. "She...I...what?!" he nearly knocked the chair over behind him, jumping to his feet and looking around for something that clearly wasn't in the room, "Where is my phone?!"

The Mare snapped her fingers sharply once more. A Zebra in a tuxedo appeared at the door as if he'd been waiting there for the signal, carrying Tibas' neatly folded clothes on a tray, with his phone and wallet sitting on top of them. The Cougar snatched the device up without even taking the time to be surprised by the servant's punctuality, quickly scrolling through a long string of short messages from his girlfriend.

At the end of the series, he dropped his tail limply into the chair still behind him, and his head onto the table. "...I'm single."

His hostess looked genuinely surprised. "But it was her idea to begin with, was it not?"

"I don't know!" the Cougar groaned, "I don't know what happened last night! I don't even know who you are!" Lifting his head, he rubbed his face briskly. "I gather we had drinks, but only from the hangover. Where did you come in? How did I end up here? Why am I naked?!"

Surprisingly, she made no attempt to interrupt his rant until he paused to take a good breath, all on his own. And when she began to answer his several questions, it was with a calm, patient tone that helped him a great deal to rein in his own emotions. "Your clothes were drenched in brandy after you ran into one of the serving girls on the way out. They have been cleaned," she informed him, indicating the tray the servant had left on the table, "Neither you nor Lydia was fit to drive by the time we left. Neither was I, in fact, but I have a driver, so I offered you both a lift. Lydia refused, as I've already explained. You both drank far too much far too quickly at the club where we met...to the point that Lydia began making out with me and suggested to you that the two of you could take me home for...a much more personal party. If she blames you for following through on her idea...well that's quite the double-standard she's exhibiting," his hostess finished with a shrug.

Tibas gnashed his teeth, rubbed his face again...and finally lifted his head. "It must have been one hell of a party," he sighed, "I barely remember agreeing to go to the club. Was I at least a good partner? Forgotten gods, as if I didn't have enough to regret, I don't even get to remember what I did with that gorgeous figure..."

If she was flattered or insulted either one, it didn't show on her face. The Mare just shrugged. "Who can say? I always sleep in the buff, so this doesn't really mean anything," she gestured casually over her barely-clad breasts, "I took a better measure of my cups, but I still had my fair share, and was already very tired by the time we got home. I don't remember anything clearly after telling the servants to wash your clothes. So you may imagine we had wild sex until we both collapsed from exhaustion, or that we both collapsed from exhaustion practically the instant we got through the door, whichever you prefer. Since you don't remember, it doesn't matter either way."

He rocked his head thoughtfully at that little remark. "Fair enough," the Cougar sighed at last, reaching for his clothes and pulling his shirt around his shoulders, "Thank you...I think. I'm sorry to have imposed on you, Ms...?" He quirked a brow at her as he got the first buttons done, realizing she still hadn't given him her name.

"Mare," she shrugged, finishing the last bite of her fruit.

Tibas dipped a dubious brow, but chuckled. "Seriously? Your parents named you Mare? 'Mare the Mare'?"

She rolled her eyes, but her lips turned up in a hint of a smile. "Obviously not, but it will do as well as anything for a one-night friend. Do you plan to come see me again?"

"Eh...no offense, but not especially," he admitted, "I'm mostly just embarrassed--?!" He cut himself off by clapping a hand over his mouth as his eyes shot wide and everything below his chest seemed to clench tight. Mare snapped her fingers sharply again, and one of the servants came running out of the kitchen with a tin bucket in hand. Tibas shoved his face in it just in time.

"I warned you to eat something," Mare reminded him, noting his plate of untouched food. Tibas was in no condition to acknowledge her, though, doubled over the bucket on his knees as his stomach tried in vain to heave something out of itself. But only dark bile was coming up, reeking of the potion he'd swallowed a little earlier. And the fresh taste of that only encouraged more retching.

Mare knelt down in the floor with him, rubbing his back soothingly. "You should stay for a little while," she observed softly, "You're exhausted, dehydrated, and now just slightly poisoned. It's nearly noon already, so unless you work night shifts you've already missed your work for the day. Your girl can't be any angrier at you for staying the day than she was for spending the night, even if you hope to make up with her. Stay here, rest, and go home after dinner," she suggested in a surprising gentle tone.

"Guh...th-thanks," he gasped, just before a fresh set of heaves twisted his gut, "S-sor--"

"Don't apologize," the Mare insisted, patting his bent back, "It's hardly an inconvenience. You may think of it as my apology for taking your girl at her word." When the nausea seemed to have passed, she pulled down one of the thick cloth napkins arranged on the table for him to wipe his face, and helped him up into his chair again. Then she poured him a tall glass of cold orange juice from a carafe at the end of the buffet and placed it in his hand. "Now eat," the Mare demanded, sliding his plate back in front of him, "You'll feel better with something in your stomach. Then it's a shower, plenty of water, and back to bed for both of us. I'll have pajamas brought for you if you want them."

He downed the entire glass of juice before answering, using it to rinse the vile taste from his mouth. His stomach, thankfully, seemed to settle as the cold liquid fell into it, rather than revolting again. "...That's very generous," the Cougar sighed, "Thank you." He began to earnestly dig into the eggs, toast, and fruit after that, feeling a little hungrier and a little less nauseous with each bite.

"Don't worry about it," Mare repeated with another shrug, returning to her seat and idly sipping her own juice while he ate. The Zebra returned, carrying a little stack of note-cards this time, and handed them silently to Mare, who flipped through them casually before handing them back without a word and waving him off.

Tibas quirked a brow at the brief exchange. "You are really comfortable in your bare body, huh?" he noted, frankly impressed. His first priority after getting this breakfast into his stomach was going to be putting on his pants, even if it was just long enough to walk to the bathroom.

"Yes," she answered easily, "It's my house, after all, and the servants here are paid well enough not to care. I wouldn't usually parade about like this with guests, of course, but seeing as we shared a bed last night I don't see any cause for further modesty. Feeling better?" she asked as he set down his fork on the empty plate.

"Much," he admitted with a nod...and resisted the urge to thank her again. It was starting to sound repetitive even to him, and he was fairly sure she understood by now that he was thoroughly grateful, even if there was nothing more he could do to show it. That, or she genuinely didn't care, as her insistence that he "not worry about it" suggested.

"Good. Come along, then. And leave those," she demanded as he started to reach for his pants, "The shirt, too. Showers are next, so there's no point putting them on just to take them right back off." Mare stood up from her chair and slid out of her gown all in the same motion, leaving it piled right there in the seat, and waited for him by the archway leading to the living-room.

Tibas swallowed something that was not food...and unbuttoned his shirt again, laying it on top of his pants on the table before getting up to follow her. "Eh, you'll have to pardon my...state," he grimaced a little as he stood up, showing another part of him still standing at attention as well.

"Naturally," his hostess just shrugged, waving for him to follow her, "It happens to a lot of men in the morning, from my understanding." Crossing the living-room, she led him down a short hallway and through another door. At first glance, it struck her guest as a locker-room, not unlike he was used to at the gym. But instead of lockers, two short benches were surrounded by closed armoirs. To their left, a pair of sinks flanked either side of a full-height mirror dominating that wall. Beyond the changing area, the shower was one large, open space surrounded by spouts, including two suspended from the ceiling directly overhead. A single shelf wrapped around that entire section of the room, topped by an assortment of shampoos, soaps, sponges and stones. "Toilet's there," Mare pointed casually over the top of a hip-high privacy wall just passed the sinks (if you could call that private), "If you're going to have trouble aiming, though...or if it just needs a different kind of relief...come straight on to the shower. It won't hurt a thing to send it down the drain there instead."

The Cougar's chin nearly fell down around his waist. "How can you be so casual about all that?" he asked sincerely, "Do you get guests like this a lot?" Giving a glance to the toilet behind the wall...he did opt for the shower, and not due to fear of his aim. The style seemed to be imported from Sheilar: a kind of basin set directly into the floor, and he wasn't entirely sure of which way he was even supposed to face to use it correctly.

Pulling the thin chain that activated all the shower heads at once, Mare stepped into the artificial rain-shower without a thought, already reaching for a bottle of shampoo. "I hardly ever have guests," she argued, "But...let's just say the life I've lived has left me with atypical priorities. I'm quite familiar with bodies, how they work and what comes out of them, and comfortable with pretty much all of it." She poured a generous handful of the oozy shampoo into her palm, then lifted her opposite arm to start with the underside there, turning to face him fully as if more concerned about showing him her pits than her breasts.

Tibas' cheeks burned. She was not making the situation between his legs any easier. "Well how crazy a life could it have been?" he chuckled, moving quickly over to the corner of the showers and turning his back to her, "I'm not the type who'd dare to ask a woman her real age, but there's no way you're more than thirty. Still kind of early to have gotten over the world, isn't it?"

Something about that seemed to amuse her, as evidenced by a small but genuine smile on her face. "Now you're the one being generous," she chuckled, switching to the other arm and politely turning her back, for the sake of his conscience, while he relieved himself in the corner.

He was trying to aim for the gutter running around the perimeter of the shower area, under the shelf, but his erection was so firm that it was uncomfortable to push any lower than perfectly horizontal...and even that much seemed to pinch off the flow rather a lot. Gnashing his teeth in fresh embarrassment, Tibas muttered, "Sorry about this," and took a few steps back toward the center of the showers, giving the stream room to arc into the gutter without splashing on the walls.

Her smile fell into a frown, unseen behind his back. "If you don't stop apologizing for doing something I've invited you to do, I am going to start responding rudely," she warned, "Understood?"

Tibas winced, and nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am. Sorry about--!!" The slap to his rump echoed like a gunshot in the tiled room, and Tibas did an involuntary dance with one hand rubbing his stung bottom while the other tried to keep him politely aimed.

"You were warned," Mare reminded him, reaching for another bottle, "Now, I would like help with my back and hair. Will that bother you?"

The Cougar shook his head, recovering from the sting and finally finished with his other business. "Wow, you're the serious type, huh?" he noted as he accepted the shampoo from her. Mare nodded curtly, as if he never should have expected anything else, and tipped her head back to offer him her hair, lifting her hands over her eyes to shield them from the overhead spray. Tibas took her thick, wavy hair in his hands and worked the shampoo through it thoroughly...and was very careful not to apologize for the way he handled it, even when he thought he might have accidentally pulled her a little. "So...what do you do that lets you afford all this?" he asked with a nod to the room in general, and the rest of the house besides, "The bathroom alone would take up most of my apartment."

She waited for him to finish lathering and then rinsing out her hair before answering, pulling the clean locks over her shoulder to expose the entirety of her back to him next. "I'm a private apothecary, fortunate enough to have built a reliable and wealthy clientele. You may not ask their names, or I will be forced to throw you out immediately," she warned...and by now he should know to take her warnings seriously, "You would recognize several of them, and they would not want it known. Leave it at that." Gesturing toward the bottles lining the shelf with one hand, she explained, "Everything in this house that might be considered 'chemical' was made from my own formulas, and more than half of it with my own hands. The servants help with things I need to make in bulk, but only for my own use. Anything I send to a client will not have been touched by anyone but myself, as a matter of accountability. Take care of the tail while you're back there, too, please," she requested as his hands moved onto her lower back, gently working the lather into all of her fur.

Tibas whistled appreciatively. "I don't know whether to be surprised or think it should have been obvious after getting that hangover medicine this morning," he chuckled, "That'd be worth a small fortune in itself to an alcoholic."

She nodded, and ignored the way his hands brushed her rump as he knelt behind her, gathered up her tail, and began working the lather through it, especially around the base. "I sell them for a gold quarter apiece," she offered as an example of where her finances came from.

The Cougar froze, blinking at her with his mouth hanging open. "That much?! I...don't..."

She frowned at him over her shoulder, swinging her hips to suggest he should get back to what he was doing. "Did I say I was charging you? The cost to make them is negligible. I can afford to hand them out when I please. It just seems to me that the price to side-step a consequence of indulging one's vices should not be trivial. It would encourage a proliferation of vice, and much worse consequences to follow...the kind that can't be cured with a bottle."

Her guest rocked his head thoughtfully at that. It wasn't a point he could argue, really, even if the price seemed a bit harsh to him. He was definitely glad she wasn't going to charge him retroactively for that dose he'd taken this morning...or maybe she figured throwing up in her dining room was price enough.

He finished combing his fingers through her tail and rinsing the suds back out. "Want me to do the rest while I'm down here?" he asked, and dared to tap her tush with the back of his fingers to indicate what he was offering.

Mare turned to face an empty space on the shelf and laid her arms on it, leaning forward on them and lifting her hips, before pulling her freshly cleaned tail around to drape over one thigh. "Only if you're comfortable with being thorough," she advised, "I don't appreciate anything half-done."

Tibas frankly wasn't sure if he should take that as a warning or an invitation. Working a fresh lather between his hands, he started all the way down at her dainty ankles, scrubbing up the sides and backs of one leg and then the other. It was, perhaps, a little more than he'd suggested, but he doubted she'd complain about not having to do it herself. Continuing up from the backs of her thighs, he reminded himself several times not to make even the slightest apology as his hands brazenly swept across the curve of her rump, squeezing and kneading the shampoo into the fur and the creases. The fact that Mare did not respond to this at all, neither to avoid his touch nor lean into it, helped somewhat.

Satisfied that the whole of the cheeks were clean, Tibas got a fresh dollop of the shampoo, silently giving her one last chance to declare any limits, then carefully spread the cleft between those cheeks open. He was a little surprised by just how...pronounced...her rim was when he exposed it. "...Is this...uh...sensitive?" he asked, hoping not to be inexcusably rude as he carefully ran one finger around the outside of the puffy rim.

"In exactly the same way yours is," Mare answered with a surprisingly approving smile over her shoulder, "Assuming you're not in need of some ointments."

Shaking his head (and more than a little relieved to find he'd interpreted her "warning" correctly), Tibas stood up for a better angle that wouldn't actually require him to hold her open. Starting from the spot where her tail transitioned into that cleft, he gently ran his hands down through it, spreading soap all the way down both sides. His cheeks burned as he caressed the "donut", rotating his fingers around it like he was turning a doorknob. He didn't dare to use more than one to trace carefully around the interior of the ring, sliding lightly over the tightly clenched muscles before very, very carefully pressing just the tip through. Mare once again failed to make any kind of adjustment, whether uncomfortable or encouraging, until he'd removed his hands entirely and turned to wash them for their own sake.

"You learn fast," she mused, still bent forward on the shelf and giving him an amused smile, "That's good. Now, before I return these little favors, does that need to be relieved?" She inclined her head with her eyes squarely pointed at the rock-hard erection still swinging between his thighs.

Tibas chuckled, and managed to resist the urge to turn his back and hide it from her. "Look, you seem like the kind of girl who can handle real talk, so I'll be honest: I'm not proud to say it, but there is no chance that is going away until after we've both been dressed for a while. Hell, you've got the kind of curves that might keep it up even then. Doing anything about it right now will only leave me wanting more later, but I can ignore it if you'll do the same."

Standing up and turning to lean her back against the shelf, the shapely Arabian flashed him a very approving smile. "That's very good. I like 'real talk'. I suspect that full honesty, though, would also admit you'd rather it not be ignored for the rest of your visit. So we'll take care of it in the bedroom. You'll rest better afterward anyway," she guessed (correctly). Mare patted the empty space of shelf behind her, indicating he should swap places with her. "Your turn."

Trying to feel more grateful than embarrassed, Tibas did move up to the shelf and bend himself a little forward, bracing his elbows on it...at which point Mare promptly pushed his hips forward and pulled his shoulders back to straighten him up again. "Hair first," she reminded him. She massaged the shampoo into his scalp and over the top of his head. Tibas' hair was naturally short, only requiring one trim a year if he wanted to keep it all even with the rest of his fur. "Your turn," she repeated as her hands moved on down to his back, "What do you do for a living?"

He'd been wrong about the tenacity of his erection. It became rather more comfortably soft as he rested his forehead against the wall at the question. She couldn't have known she was about to poke a sore spot, of course... "I was an assistant baker at Bread-Bunny's," he admitted with a sigh, "I was let go the day before yesterday. Nothing I did: the owner's retiring, and decided to close the business rather than worry about handing the brand off to anyone who might 'corrupt it'." He snorted at that thought, which wounded his pride a little, even if he had never really been considered for taking over in the first place. "That's...kind of why we were at the club last night. Lydia thought getting out of the house might cheer me up. Bars and dance floors aren't really our scene, but she insisted I needed to go somewhere with 'energy'..."

"Hmm," the Arabian behind him hummed thoughtfully, "So the threesome was her idea, and the club was her idea...that's good," she noted surprisingly, "You're going to call her when you get home, right?"

Tibas gave her a confused look over his shoulder, just as she was putting a fresh lather on her hands and getting down on her knees behind him. "I don't think she'll answer it...but yeah, I'll probably try, at least. You're making it kind of easy to ignore at the moment, but being alone in my apartment tonight is going to hit hard," he admitted. The Cougar couldn't exactly say why he was confessing that to her. Maybe her own manners were encouraging him to be more honest, even with pretty personal things. She certainly didn't seem to have any trouble stating her mind about anything.

Mare nodded as her hands ran up and down his legs. "You might be surprised," she suggested, "Not that I know either of you well enough to say this with confidence, but if she has any kind of sense after the alcohol wears off, she might walk back the breakup. The circumstances leading up to it were largely her own making -- though you shouldn't hold out hope of her admitting as much -- so there's a good chance she'll forgive you for laying in the bed she made, so to speak."

"...Unless she was setting up to break it off with a so-so boyfriend who doesn't even have a job anymore," he sighed. While trying to take her words to heart, the reminder of his new circumstances depressed him enough that he couldn't even appreciate what she was doing under his tail at the time. Now that he was clearly, soberly thinking about it, he realized that buying enough drinks to get him stone-cold plastered had probably also burned through most of his last paycheck, meaning he'd be dipping into his savings by the end of the week. That apartment of his wasn't going to last long...

Mare smacked his rump again, though not so hard as when he'd apologized. Tibas jumped at the shock, giving her his undivided attention again. "Finish up, then come to the tub," she instructed like she was giving directions for preparing dinner. Stepping out of the spray, the Mare pushed through a door he hadn't noticed before, just this side of the armoirs, which closed quickly behind her. Tibas quickly soaped up his chest and other readily accessible areas, then rinsed the soap out thoroughly.

He'd just laid his palm against the door when a sharp snap echoed inside. One of her servants appeared at the bathroom door like he'd already been waiting outside it for the signal. Four large ceramic bottles were nested in the ice filling a bucket in his hands, which he quickly brought to the door...and handed off to Tibas. The Cougar blinked at the departing servant.

"...So, do they read your mind somehow, or is there some secret code in the snaps that I don't know yet?" he asked after shouldering open the door and setting the bucket on the floor just inside. A short set of stairs descended from the door into the steaming water, which was essentially a hot-tub set directly in the floor of the room. A foot-wide gap around all four walls provided space to rest elbows and glasses on...or buckets like the one he'd just brought in.

Mare was reclining on the near side, soaking up the soothing heat and herbal smell of the water with her eyes closed. She peeked just one of them open to look at what he'd brought in. "I said we'd have water after the shower," she reminded him, "I pay them well, so they pay close attention. My daily routines are pretty consistent. They really only have to make adjustments for things outside the ordinary, and it's rare for me to have to give detailed instructions." Pulling one of the bottles out of the ice, she lifted the little clay lid out of the mouth and poured the contents down her throat.

Quirking a brow curiously, Tibas did the same with a second bottle, finding it contained simple, cold water, with just a hint of lemon. Mare lightly patted the surface of the water beside her, indicating he should join her for a soak. The Cougar eased himself down into the steamy water, and was about to settle in beside her shoulder when the Mare caught his hips and pulled him sideways, causing him to fall almost between her knees. Half-seated and half-floating, the back of his head came to rest on her soft breasts, and Mare rested her chin on top of his head to keep him there as if that's how she'd intended for him to end up.

"It's none of my business, and I shouldn't have pried," she apologized quietly...if not quite directly, "I'm just a stranger who won't even tell you her real name. I understand if you don't want to talk about it. With that said...I'm just a stranger whose name you don't even know. I've got nothing to hold against you, and no one I could share it with if I did. If you want to talk, just to let it out, I'm all ears. Your situation is at least partly my fault, after all."

Tibas took a deep breath, sighed a series of bubbles into the water, and just leaned back against her in acceptance of the reassurance she was trying to provide. "That's not true even in the slightest. You just happened to be the one Lydia picked out for an unwitting accomplice...or in a drunken attempt to excite me, if I give her the benefit of the doubt." He barely managed to avoid apologizing for imposing again. "I'll be fine. I'm not the only one who got fired, much less the first. Same's true of upsetting a girlfriend, or losing her. Roof over my head's the only real worry at the moment."

She nodded against his head, bobbing his chin in the water slightly as she did so, then downed her second jar of water to rehydrate. Half-floating as he was, she did him the service of bringing his second to his lips as well, pouring it carefully into his mouth and waiting patiently for him to swallow each sip until the jar was empty. "Do you have an idea of what to do about that?" she prompted gently, still offering him the chance to talk it out with someone who could be fairly objective in her outlook.

"Nothing concrete," he admitted, rocking his head thoughtfully (and enjoying the feel of her breasts rubbing the back of his head), "I've toyed with the idea of going independent before. I guess this is as good a time as any to start. I have a few numbers I can call, and I can get in touch with a couple of the other assistants. With a small loan and half a fair shot, we could get a bakery of our own off the ground, I think."

The Mare above him smiled. "That's good. Much better than I expected after the first two words. Let me make a proposal before we take our rest, then I don't want to hear or think about it again after we get out of this tub," she warned, "It's not restful talk, so we should try to forget about it once we lie down."

Mare ran both her hands down his chest to rest on his belly, clearing her throat before she continued, "When you get home, try to make up with Lydia. Call your coworkers and try to get that business started. If it works out, I'm still just a stranger whose name you don't know, and can be forgotten in a month. If it doesn't, though...if you and Lydia cannot reconcile, or if the business flounders, or if you find yourself without that roof over your head...come back here. If you do...if you do," she reiterated, suggesting it was not the outcome she hoped for, and neither should he, "I will tell you my name. We will stop being strangers. I will provide whatever sort of support you need. I don't often have friends, but I do take care of them when I do."

Tibas quirked a dubious brow at that. "This...would definitely be an interesting way to start a friendship," he admitted.

"Eh, I've known worse," the Mare shrugged, then patted his belly gently, "That's worst-case scenario, though. I will hope for your sake that it doesn't come to that, and we never see one another again. Now get up," she demanded, bucking her hips under his shoulders, "And do something that will make you embarrassed to come back even in the most desperate case, so you can only resort to it by swallowing your pride. It's alright to make a mess of the room; my staff can clean up pretty much anything."

"Excuse me," Tibas smirked, "Just what kind of degenerate crap do you imagine I'm into?"

"The kind you wouldn't dare to do with your girlfriend," she answered a little too sincerely, despite the shrug admitting her ignorance, "Because you want her to be happy to see you again. A stranger you only knew as a one-night friend could take it, though, if you're willing to endure her reciprocation."

With a chuckle, Tibas put his feet down on the floor of the tub and dragged his upper half out of the water, then turned to offer her a hand to her hooves. "Okay," he agreed, "I admit, there's something I'd love to do that I definitely wouldn't do with my girlfriend, even if she takes me back. Nothing taboo," he promised quickly, "But if that's what you're offering, I'll take you up on it, and take my licks in return as well. No complaints."

Mare tilted her head with a sly smirk, and accepted his hand. "It is, and I will not, and I think you'll do nicely for what I want afterward," she admitted encouragingly. Tibas helped her up, and she lead him back out to the changing area, where the pair spent a few minutes working each other over with towels and hand-dryers until Mare's mane was light and flowing again and all of Tibas' fur felt warm and silky to the touch. Then she lead him back down the hall toward the room they'd woken up in that morning, neither of them bothering to put on a stitch of clothing.

Tibas appreciated the view of her swaying rump openly this time, and the light, delicate click of her hooves on the polished tile floor. It was just a little bit amazing how quiet her walk was, actually. He wondered how many hours she'd had to practice that graceful stride to make it so smooth that even the tiles barely seemed to notice when they were struck.

"Here we are," Mare sighed as she sauntered into the room.

Tibas put an arm around her hips just as she turned toward the canopied bed, and steered her toward the sitting area instead. "The couch will work better for what I want than the bed," he explained, though she hadn't resisted his redirection at all. He directed her to kneel on the seat, facing the backrest.

"Filling the doughnut with cream, are we?" Mare asked with an amused smile as she bent forward over the smoothly curved wood, pushing her shapely posterior back toward the Cougar, "Rather tamer than I expec_TED_!!" The Arabian squealed at the loud pop and sharp sting on her rump. Tibas chuckled at the wide-eyed look she gave him over her shoulder. "...Oh," she quickly recomposed herself, reaching for one of the decorative pillows leaning on the armrest, "Oh dear. So you're that kind."

"I am not," her partner denied, gently rubbing the rump he'd just smacked while she tucked the pillow between her hips and the couch, "But you did say to do something I couldn't with Lydia, and there's no chance she'd take this in good stride. Besides, these cheeks are practically begging to jiggle a little. It's not like I'm going to get another chance to feel them up after this, right?" he chuckled, giving a somewhat softer pat to the other cheek...and tracing a little 'X' over the spot he planned to swat next.

"If all goes well, then no," Mare agreed understandingly. Taking a second pillow to hug against her breasts, she bent over the back of the couch again, spreading her knees to lower her posterior to a good height for spanking or humping, either one. "Go ahead, then," the Arabian encouraged, bucking her hips invitingly, "Enjoy yourself to the fullest that you can. I may cry, but this is well withing acceptable bounds."

He gave both cheeks of her rump a firm squeeze, appreciating the fit of their curves to his hands. "I'm not going to push for that," the Cougar promised, giving her a more sincere smile, "I'm just being a little mean. It won't turn into anything cruel. Ready for the next one?" Mare nodded quietly...and whinnied as his hand clapped her other rump. He spanked her three times on each cheek, when all was said and done, with plenty of caressing and squeezing and feeling up in between. Leaning against her back, Tibas rubbed the last of the sting out of her bottom as he snugged his hips up against it, tucking his now-excited cock up between her legs. "Too rough?"

"Not yet," the misty-eyed Mare shook her head. Though her lashes were wet with tears, none of them had yet made their way onto her cheeks. "Are you satisfied already?"

"Yeah," the Cougar chuckled, giving her one last pat, "Much more than that and I'll actually start to feel guilty. Thank you for your tolerance. I'll be glad to make it up to you now."

He was a little concerned when she flashed him an obviously disappointed look over her shoulder. "That wasn't nearly embarrassing enough," she sighed, bucking her shoulders to coax him into standing up, "But I'm too tired already to walk you through anything more exemplary. On the bed with you."

Quirking a brow, Tibas offered her a hand to help her back to her hooves, then followed her back over to the same four-poster bed they'd woken up in that morning. "I'm not exactly sure what you expected, but...?"

"For you to shove something up my ass," she stated bluntly, flopping onto the mattress and partly curling up with her back toward him, "Or maybe ask me to lick yours. But you've missed your chance now." She patted the space behind her tail...and hiked one leg high, offering him a direct view of both her tail-hole and love-tunnel. "I'll take a little cream in my cup, then a cozy cuddle to doze off in. No complaints, remember. I don't want to hear another word until we wake up again, fully rested this time."

The Cougar quickly clamped down on the question on his lips. If nothing else, he knew by now that she meant it when she made remarks like that. Crawling onto the bed, Tibas curled up at her back, matching the curve of her body with his, and slid his sword smoothly into her offered sheath without apology. Mare laid her leg back down, adding a pleasant pressure as he began to rock gently against her rump. Although she hadn't invited it, he pushed one arm underneath her body and reached over her with the other, wrapping her in a loose but warm hug...and pretty brazenly laid his hands over her bare breasts.

The shapely Arabian in his arms made no effort to escape the hold. "Mmm, now that's nice," she sighed to herself, sliding one hand down to press lightly on the hood above her pearl, "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Rather than playing with herself, she seemed to be subtly adjusting the angle at which he entered her. Her free hand slid back to pat his hip encouragingly as he rocked into her in long, slow thrusts. "Just keep that up," Mare coaxed, then laid her hand over his on top of one breast, "And you may hold these a little tighter, if you like." She cooed approvingly as he accepted the invitation.

It was unlike anything he had ever done with Lydia. It was less intense, less desperate, less of everything that made sex between them just a little bit stressful sometimes. Mare wasn't racing for her climax. It was more like she was strolling along, confident she'd find it somewhere along the way, and enjoying the scenery as she went. It gave Tibas the freedom to really appreciate the sensations running through his own body, instead of constantly trying to think of how to up the stimulation another level. He had liberty to appreciate the softness of her fur, the fit of her supple breasts in his hands, and the silk-smooth texture of her walls hugging his dick. They clenched just as he reached his full depth at the end of each stroke, like she was kissing him in gratitude from inside.

"Just a little more" the Arabian whispered, arching her back a little to adjust his angle more, until he was lightly stretching her entrance with his cock dragging along the rim just below her pearl, while his tip scraped along her inner walls. It was a little over-stimulating to him, sending tingles all the way through his rod to the base of his tail. "I'm close," she promised, as if sensing his mild discomfort. Pressing her fingers more firmly against the hood, she sandwiched her pearl between them and his thrust.

Her climax was the softest, quietest thing he'd ever heard. It was less like a gasp and more like three or four long breaths, taken firmly but still deep. When it was over, she relaxed from head to hoof, folding her back against his chest again and pillowing her head on her free hand. The other moved down from her hood to slide gently along his shaft, caressing him right at the point where he disappeared inside her. "Mmm...that was good," the Arabian praised him softly, still just a little short on breath, "Thank you. You may do as you please to satisfy yourself now." Giving him an approving smile over her shoulder, she added, "And of course you may speak. It was harsh of me to demand otherwise. You did well in abiding by it."

"You...are...amazing," he panted, already very near to his own climax, and being greatly helped by the feel of her fingers caressing his cock.

The Mare in his arms hummed in amusement. "Nonsense," she argued, stretching out two fingers to lightly scratch the skin of his sac each time it came within reach, "You've done all the work. I'm only lying here being grateful for it." She shifter her whole hand lower, to press her palm against his shaft instead, catching his balls gently and alternating between a delicate tug and a gentle fondle with each thrust. "...It's a bad habit to be in," she added quietly when she felt the tell-tale tremors begin to grow in his hips, "But don't worry about the condom you forgot. I can't get pregnant, so just pour it all inside. I'm looking forward to it."

His dick wasn't waiting for a second invitation. Mare reached low to gather him up and coax him as deep inside her as he could comfortably reach when the warm flow began, and cooed approval as his dam broke completely. "There you go," she sighed with a satisfied smile, reaching back to pat his clenched rump gently, "Empty it all out. Just pull the blanket up when you're done," the Mare requested as she closed her eyes, "Or hold me very close. I get cold sleeping in the open air."

It took him a couple of minute, and the gentle tease of her fingertips against his taint nearly coaxed him back to erection before he even had a chance to soften. But finally, spent and pleasantly tired, he withdrew from her with a sigh and pulled her back snug against his body, breathing the subtle scent of shampoo still lingering in her hair as their bodied traded warmth back and forth between them...

He couldn't be sure of how long it was, but the nap had been much more restful than the previous night's sleep. He would have enjoyed another hour or two of it if Mare's smooth, manicured nails weren't insistently scratching his chin to wake him. "Feeling better?" she asked when he finally opened his eyes with a yawn. She was facing him now, with her head propped up on one elbow, but still more-or-less in his arms.

"Much," Tibas answered with a grateful scratch down her back, "How long have we been out?"

"Most of the afternoon," the Arabian informed him, "The servants just rang the chime to announce dinner has been set out. Come and eat, then I'll have my driver take you home."

The Cougar shook his head in polite refusal. "Thank you, but you have been more than generous enough. I can get home on my own, even if I have to walk," he assured her before rolling onto his back to give his whole body a good stretch.

Something about that seemed to amuse Mare, but she just shrugged and patted his chest before turning to set her hooves on the floor. "Suit yourself. You may go ahead and start eating. I'll be there after I've washed the crust off," she gestured to the thick fur between her legs, now heavily matted with the aftermath of their little pre-nap pleasures.

Tibas sat up in the bed with a chuckle as she made her way over to the fountain in the far corner of the room. His initial suspicions were confirmed when she stepped into the shallow basin and let the stream of water sprouting from a stone lion's mouth pour over her body. "And miss a show like this? I might rather go hungry."

"I'm just cleaning out the creases," she remarked over one shoulder, "It's not much of a show. And you've already had all you're getting today, so don't waste your flattery."

The Cougar had to disagree on at least one of those points, as she cupped her hands between her thighs and slid them up and down through all the creases. For good measure, she turned her tail into the stream and did the same below the cheeks, then up under and between her breasts, just for her own comfort. With a dainty shake to get the water off of her hooves, she stepped back out of the basin, pausing just long enough to wring out her tail over the ceramic, then made for the door without even bothering to dry the rest of herself.

Tibas' eyes followed her every move with a steadily growing purr...

The sharp snap of her fingers from the hallway yanked him out of his trance and the bed both. "Mind the water," Mare warned as he jogged out to catch up with her, "These tiles get slick when they're wet." The light, delicate click of her hooves seemed to belie her own words, never once sliding from exactly the spot where she set them.

Dinner was rather more to his tastes than brunch had been. He wondered if the staff had specifically taken him into account when preparing it. A thick and juicy rib-eye steak dressed in a tangy sauce was laid in front of him almost as soon as he sat down, followed by a small array of sides and toppings on individual plates around it: mushrooms and baked potatoes, beans cooked in bacon, asparagus and broccoli, thick-cut and seasoned wedge-fries, and onion slices fried in batter. Mare's plate was once again exclusively vegetables and fruit, sliced and artfully arranged into a kind of flower, complete with a "stem" drawn in some pale green sauce Tibas didn't recognize. She pulled the first few slices of zucchini through it before bringing them to her lips.

"...Wow," the Cougar blinked after the first bite, "That is amazing...but this is all way too much for me," he winced, indicating the surrounding sides, of which he was pretty sure he could only manage any two of the seven options, "Sorry for the waste."

"Don't worry about it," Mare shrugged, "There's a pig-farm down the way that I donate my left-overs to, and he gives me a discount on any order for pork products I place with him, so you may rest assured someone gets the full value out of it."

He wondered a little at where in the city someone might have set up a pig-farm, but was generally relieved of his guilt, and took the opportunity to try a sample of everything he'd been given without worrying whether or not he could finish it. He was a very full and satisfied Cougar by the time he pushed the plate back. The little tray with his clothes on it was still sitting on a nearby seat, so Tibas finally began to get dressed while Mare finished her dinner.

"So I know we're both hoping it doesn't actually happen...sort of," the Cougar admitted reluctantly, "But how long do I have to 'see how it goes'? What's the cutoff on when I can come see you again?"

Mare shrugged. "However long it takes to make an honest effort," she suggested, "As little as a week, as long as a decade...whatever. I'm not moving anytime soon."

Tibas tilted his head disbelievingly. "That's...kind of broad, isn't it?" he asked as he tucked his shirt into his pants, "Like, I could actually pull it all together, become a success, and then get wrecked by something completely unrelated to this week, and still come back here..."

But she only nodded sagely as he laid out the possibility. "Yes. Yes you could."

Shaking his head, the Cougar didn't even try to to understand how she could make a promise that unconditional. Maybe she was just counting on him to be a reasonable man, and not make it awkward. He'd like to live up to that. Fully dressed at last, he followed her to the front door, tucking his phone and wallet into his pockets as they went. "Hey," Tibas said, "Seriously, weird as it feels to say...thanks for today. It was a real pleasure, and I don't just mean the bedroom."

The Mare nodded acceptance of his gratitude. "I hope it made up a little for the trouble. Take care of yourself, Tibas," she waved, never moving out of sight of the door despite still being entirely nude.

With a chuckle, he pulled it open briefly and stepped out with a determined stride before pulling it closed behind him. The Mare stood there for a moment, staring thoughtfully at the frosted panels set in the sturdy oak, as if sifting out her own feelings on his leaving. Just as she was about to turn her back on the door and head for the living-room, she was stopped by the sound of the knob jiggling, then a quick, sharp knock on the door. Mare pulled the door open, preparing to chide him about maybe taking a little longer than that to see how things turned out...

"Where even am I?!" Tibas exclaimed, a little louder than he meant to. He'd expected to find the city outside the door...or at least a suburb, with the familiar sky-scrapers somewhere in sight to orient him. Instead, there was a short row of small shops and houses lining the road which looped in front of her house like it was her own personal drive (in point of fact: it was). The way the wings of her villa seemed to encompass the first handful of buildings on either side suggested she owned those, too. There were no people on the street at all. Beyond the buildings was nothing but grass and gently rolling hills as far as his eyes could see. No city skyline between here and horizon.

Mare gave him an amused smirk. "Aspenglade, a little town about twenty minutes outside of Rhinton. My villa's about three miles off the main road, and not much closer to the interstate. Do you want that car now?"

Hanging his head in defeat, Tibas nodded humbly. "Please. And thank you for not rubbing it in."

She snapped her fingers sharply (Tibas had to wonder how she made the sound carry like that). For once, there was a slight delay in her servants' response, but only because the car was being backed out of the garage a couple of door down the road. It pulled to a stop at the sidewalk right in front of the pair as soon as it got around the curve.