{"sf1_id":244444,"sf2_id":"Rm0YZgWn","title":"The Den: Chapter 2: The job interview","author":"Ether Simmons","words":3384,"posted_at":"2011-04-28T07:16:00.000Z","tags":["Bad Language","Bear","Husky","M/M","Muscles","No-Yiff","Plot Development","stripping"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/244444-the-den-chapter-2-the-job-interview","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/Rm0YZgWn","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=244444\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#2 of The Den","content":"Lexter Alley stood outside of the nightclub known as 'The Den' dressed in a thrift store bought dress shirt, tie and pants, as he examined the entrance to the establishment. It wasn't that far from where he lived, so getting to work wouldn't be that bad since he didn't have a car. 'The Den' was a former warehouse converted into a nightclub, with ample parking and a large sign over the door saying 'The Den', with the words written inside a picture of a cave.  \n  \nHis roommate Barry set up the appointment for noon, and Lexter arrived fifteen minutes early. It was a warm day, and he wanted to get inside before the shirt he wore heated up too much. He approached the door and entered the nightclub. Fortunately for Lexter, the inside was air conditioned.  \n  \nLexter looked around inside the nightclub. It was a rather large area, with lots of tables and chairs, a well-equipped large central dance floor with good sized speakers and lights (A favorite item that appealed to the dancer in him), an indented sub section that featured pool tables, darts and video games, and of course a well-stocked bar. As Lexter looked about, he imagined it filled with a lot of furs bent on having a good time. He smiled at the party atmosphere. I may like it here, he thought to himself. If I get hired, that is.\n\n\u0026nbsp; Behind the bar stood a very tall polar bear. He was well over 210 cm tall, and dressed in a black mesh shirt and jeans. He nodded at Lexter and waved for him to approach the bar. \"Hello. You must be Lexter.\" he said as Lexter approached. He held out his paw to shake, which Lexter shook. \"I'm Lenny, the head bartender.\"  \n  \nLexter stood up straight and said nervously \"Yes... I... I'm Lexter... Alley! And, I'm here about job... the job... to see Kevin!\" Great, just great, Lexter thought to himself. Now I sound like an idiot. Way to make a good first impression.  \n  \nLenny said to Lexter \"Wait here, I'll get Cowboy.\" He went to a back door near the bar.  \n  \nLexter puzzled over the name. Cowboy? Is that his nickname? His real name? Is he a real cowboy? Barry never told me about a 'Cowboy'.  \n  \nAfter half a minute, the polar bear returned, followed by a 40 something black Kodiak bear dressed in tight jeans and a cowboy hat with no shirt on. He was a few cm taller than Lexter, but a lot heavier. He had a hearty layer of muscle, but a substantive gut that spilled over his pants line. The bear approached Lexter and stuck out his paw. \"You must be Lexter, there boy.\" He said in a strong western drawl.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter grabbed the bear's paw and heartedly shook it. \"Yes... Yes, I'm Lexter... and I'm here... about the job... I'm here about the job...\" he nervously said to the bear. C'mon, pull it together, he told himself. He straightened his posture the best he could.  \n  \nThe bear shook Lexter's paw as he looked Lexter in the eye. \"A straight fur, huh?\"  \n  \nLexter was struck by what the bear said. It seemed a bit direct. The two released paws.  \n  \nThe bear turned toward the door he came from. \"C'mom then, follow me.\"  \n  \nLexter followed the bear to the door, to the back office. The two entered a small office with a desk and a computer. The office had a filing cabinet, and two server computers. On the walls were charts and posters from bar supply companies. It was very well organized. \"Here, take a seat.\" He took a seat at his desk. \"Let me just finish up here.\" He worked on his computer.  \n  \nLexter sat at the seat opposite from the bear. He sat up straight and tried to make himself seem respectable and mature.  \n  \nThe bear sat at his desk and said \"Jus' let me git this thing done here.\" He typed on a program for ordering supplies and hit send. \"There, that's it!\" He stretched his arms straight up and stretched. \"Aaaarrrhhh...\" he said as he rotated his torso back and forth. A few pops and cracks emanated from his back. He faced Lexter and said \"That hits the spot, huh?\" He waited for an answer.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter simply nodded, but didn't say a word.  \n  \nThe bear picked up a pencil. \"So, Barry says yer Lexter Alley, huh?\"  \n  \nLexter stiffly nodded again as he sat straight. \"Yes sir.\" He said.  \n  \nThe bear's expression turned into a glare, and said in a darker voice \"Now look here, son! My name ain't 'Sir', and it ain't 'Kevin'! It's 'Cowboy'! And anyone who don't call me that gets hog tied and whipped!\"  \n  \nLexter froze as he wondered how to get out of this situation.  \n  \nAfter a slight pause, Cowboy let out a hearty laugh, breaking the tension and said to Lexter \"Sorry about that son, I'm jes' joshin' ya. I got a bad sense of humor. But I do require all to call me 'Cowboy'. And before you ask, yes, I'm a real cowboy. Did that when I was younger.\"  \n  \nLexter relaxed a bit as he tried to get ahold of himself. \"Sorry... sorry sir...\" Cowboy started to glare again when Lexter caught himself. \"...I mean, Cowboy. Sorry Cowboy.\"  \n  \nCowboy relaxed his gaze and put one arm on the table while he scratched his belly with his other paw. \"Good, now you got it, Lex. Now I won't haf'ta tie ya up. Everyone calls me Cowboy. Even my wife.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; That bit of news caught Lexter off guard. He blurted out \"Your wife? I mean... yes, your wife... of course.\" He hoped for the best with his slip up.  \n  \nCowboy roared back. \"Yeah! My wife! Can't a furry fag like me have a wife?\" He turned a picture on his desk to Lexter, showing a female black bear. \"We've been married five years. We even fuck once in a while!\" He turned the picture back to where it was. \"But, well, I prefer guys, and so does she. So I got a boyfriend or two on the side, and so does she. But it works for us.\"  \n  \nLexter continued to sit up straight and silently nod.  \n  \nCowboy pulled out paper and notes, and began to scan the sheet, checking off things with his pencil. \"So, yer a college student, right?\" Lexter nodded. Cowby continued to speak and read from the paper. \"And, yer a dancer and a computer nerd, raight?\"  \n  \nLexter nodded again. \"Yes si...\" Cowboy jerked his head up and glared. Lexter halted his speaking again, and tried to restart his sentence. \"...um... yes... Cowboy. I'm a dance major and a computer graphics artist. I specialize in ballet dancing.\" He hoped that the slip up wouldn't cost him.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy gave him a brief smile before he returned to the paper and checked that off. \"Ballet dancer... dancer... damn, that sounds hard.\" He looked up and said \"Eh?\" He waited for an answer.  \n  \nLexter nodded again. \"Very hard, Cowboy.\"  \n  \nCowboy returned to his sheet and read. \"And, yer nineteen years old.\" He jerked his head up and said with shock. \"Damn, yer jus' a pup!\"  \n  \nLexter nodded. \"Yes Cowboy, but I'll be twenty next month.\" He sat up straighter, and tried to look older and more mature.  \n  \nCowboy looked back down at the paper and continued to read. \"Well, that won't matter. Yer old enough. And I called yer place you work. The... 'Coffee Chop'. They said this: 'Lexter is an excellent worker. He's always prompt and punctual, and you ken rely on him. We will be sorry to see him go, but moving on will be good for him. Pay him whatever he asks for.\"  \n  \nLexter would rather not have anyone calling his place of work without consulting him first. Apparently, Barry provided Cowboy with his work contact information. But he knew his boss at 'The Coffee Chop' would give a good reference, so he didn't mind. He nodded and smiled.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy looked up from the paper at Lexter. \"Good stuff here, but... that last part I'm probably not gonna do. Kay?\" Lexter nodded again and kept silent. Cowboy grinned with an evil smile and said in a sinister voice \"Gooooood...\" With that he laughed all eviley and rubbed his paws together.  \n  \nLexter wished that Cowboy took the interview a bit more seriously. I mean, he's not even wearing a shirt, he thought to himself.  \n  \nCowboy continued to read off the paper. \"Kay den, and ya worked at other places, doin' food stuff mostly...\" he tapped the pencil on the table. \"So, why the fur would you want to work at a shit hole like this place?\" He looked at Lexter.  \n  \nLexter thought about trying to come up with a good 'wordy' and appropriate 'job interview' answer, when the words of his mother came back to him. 'Just be honest'. \"Well, I need a good computer for work, and Barry said that I can make good money from tips working here.\" He thought it sounded sincere. \"And it's close to where I live near the University.\"  \n  \nCowboy nodded. \"All right then, an honest answer. I like that.\" He leaned back in his chair and said \"But come on, this is a one of a kind gay bar. I mean, we ain't a stylish place.\" He chucked a thumb at his chest. \"Ye noticed how I dressed? Raight?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter glanced at Cowboy's torso and nodded.  \n  \nCowboy continued. \"I started this bar cause there ain't any place like this. I mean, all the other joints in the city are stylish and suave. But here, you can dress down. Right now, I'd be one of the better dressed furs in the bar. We let all types of furs in, and have no dress code.\" He leaned back in his chair. \"This place, we draw in the chubby fur chasers, and, ya ken be as ugly as you want. I mean, we ain't that friendly. Got lots of crotch grabbin' and tail strokin' here, ya getting' my drift pup?\"  \n  \nLexter nodded. \"I do, I do Cowboy.\" He wished this part would end and get onto the part where he was hired.  \n  \nCowboy thudded a fist down on the desk out of frustration. \"I don't think ya do!\" he yelled. \"It's a shit hole, this place is! Not many furs can handle it here!\"  \n  \nLexter leaned back out of mild fear. What the fuck, he thought to himself. I thought this was a job interview. He said in a determined voice \"I can handle it, Cowboy.\"  \n  \nCowboy leaned toward him and said \"Yeah? Are ya sure, son?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter had enough of this. He had seen enough of this attitude when he was a kid, and when other kids teased him about his ballet dancing. He dealt with it by pushing back. Lexter promptly stood up and said in a more determined voice \"I can handle it, Cowboy! Stop treating me like a pup!\"  \n  \nCowboy stood up and looked down at him. \"Sit... down!\" He said with meaning.  \n  \nLexter sat down, but let Cowboy know by his gaze he had no intention of backing down.  \n  \nCowboy smiled at him. \"OK, Kay, you can handle it.\" He sat down in his chair and relaxed. \"I jus' wanted to see when you'd stand up fer yerself.\" He nodded his head at Lexter.  \n  \nOh fur, Lexter thought to himself. He's just trying to push my buttons to test me. \"Look Cowboy, I had a rough time growing up. I know how to fight and be tough.\" Cowboy's eyes widened at this knowledge, but continued to smile. \"I grew up in a tough neighborhood, and early on learned how to fight back. You think it's easy to dance ballet as a kid? Be passionate about dance, when bullies see a target on your chest?\" Cowboy shook his head. Lexter continued. \"Well, I stood up to them, and I can stand up to anyone!\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy nodded and said. \"All right then. Yer tough. Good. You'll need it here. Remember those words.\"  \n  \nLexter continued on. \"You bet I am. Right now, I need a good job, and Barry said it's a good place to work to get cash.\"  \n  \nCowboy shrugged his shoulders. \"I wouldn't say it's that good of a place ta work, but if ya ken handle it, then OK, I believe ya.\"  \n  \nLexter smiled as he felt he won the battle.  \n  \nCowboy continued to speak as he pulled out a flyer. \"Well, if yer thinkin' of getting' extra cash, I've got a male review here.\" He handed the flyer to Lexter. \"You know, doin' the 'Full Furry Showoff'. Interested?\"  \n  \nLexter took the flyer and glanced at it. It featured the title of 'The Furs of The Den', showing several muscled and good looking furs on it. He frowned and shook his head. \"Uh-uh. No way.\" He handed the flyer back to Cowboy.  \n  \nCowboy took the flyer and put it away. He continued to speak. \"I'm serious. Gay furs are the best tippers. And with your dancing, good looks and body, you'd do well. One of my waiters does it. He's incredible. Drives the audience wild.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter shook his head again. \"No way. Out of the question. My mom did it, and it was bad.\"  \n  \nCowboy put his notes into a desk drawer. \"Kay, kay, no problem.\" He pulled out a binder and opened it. \"I'll tell you what, I'm gonna hire ya, so I'll get the paper work started.\" He wrote down a few things on an office form. \"I do need another waiter.\"  \n  \nLexter smiled. I got the job, he exclaimed to himself. \"You won't regret it, Cowboy!\"  \n  \nCowboy glanced at a calendar on the wall. \"So, I assume full time during the summer, and part-time during school days?\"  \n  \nLexter nodded again. \"Yes. Thank you si...\" Cowboy jerked his head toward Lexter with a sinister look. \"...I mean Cowboy. Thanks Cowboy.\"  \n  \nCowboy laughed at the situation, and Lexter joined in. Lexter began to relax down.  \n  \nCowboy opened a lower desk drawer and said \"Now, I'll want ya to wear this on your first night, along with a black mesh shirt.\" He tossed a pair of stretchy black shorts to Lexter. The shorts landed on Lexter's muzzle. \"And, I want you to try em on right now. Let's see how ya look in em. Jus' the shorts.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter took the stretchy black shorts and held them up to view. Being a ballet dancer, he was used to tights and tight clothes. But the shorts he held left very little to the imagination. They wouldn't cover much of his pelvis that well. His eyes went a bit wide as he envisioned his physique basically 'showing through the shorts', so to speak. He swallowed nervously as he glanced at Cowboy to see if he was kidding. He could tell that the bear wasn't kidding. \"Um... OK... um... I... I will... once I get home...\"  \n  \nCowboy shook his head and sported a sinister grin. \"Uh-uh. Right here, right now! Put em on! Now!\" His gaze never wavered.  \n  \nLexter looked at the shorts and then at Cowboy and gulped. \"OK... uh... could... could you step out... so I can change?\"  \n  \nCowboy didn't move and just continued to stare at him.  \n  \nLexter figured that Cowboy was joking with him. \"All right, Cowboy, leave!\" he said to Cowboy with a bit of bluster. \"I'll change into them, but not in front of you. Besides, you aren't that good looking.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy laughed and stood up. \"All right, son, that's the spirit! Yeah yeah, I'm jus' yankin' yer chain there.\" He opened the office door to step out. \"Go ahead and change, and I'll be outside. And I'll even turn off the video recorder.\" He stepped outside.  \n  \nLexter chuckled as he shut the door on Cowboy, getting used to his humor. \"Hey, I don't do furry showoffs unless you're an innie.\" He began to untie his tie.  \n  \nCowboy roared with laughter outside of the office. \"All right! Now, that's the kind of tongue you need to work here, Lexter!\"  \n  \nAs Lexter unbuttoned his shirt, Cowboy continued to speak through the door. \"Now, I'll show you what you need to learn. According to what Barry said, you never waited tables, raight?\"  \n  \nLexter undid his dress shirt and pulled it out of his pants. \"Right.\" He said to the door. He had a sudden thought and continued to speak as he undid his pants. \"Hey Cowboy, you knew I was straight when we first met. I mean, how did you know?\" He pushed his pants to the ground and put his shirt and pants onto the chair. He stood in the office in his bikini briefs.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy spoke through the door. \"Now, yer jus' joshin' me kid, yer jus' joshin' me. I mean, there's no way you can be gay. Where I grew up, it ain't too friendly to my kind, so I developed a sense of being able to tell. I jus' know.\"  \n  \nLexter pulled the shorts up. They squeezed around his legs, being a size too small. \"But, I dance ballet. And my roommate is gay. Didn't you think I was?\"  \n  \nCowboy responded. \"Now, yer jus' makin' stuff up. Dancing doesn't make ya gay. I mean, I can't dance worth a crap, and I'm gay. And if you're gay then yer the best damn actor I've ever seen.\"  \n  \nLexter strung his tail through the tail hole, and repositioned his shorts the best he could. But every bump and bulge on the body parts covered by the shorts showed through very well. He shrugged. Oh well, he said to himself. It's not the first time I've been on display.\u0026nbsp; \"OK Cowboy, I'm ready.\" He opened the door.  \n  \nCowboy's eyes lit up as he took in the husky in the shorts. \"There! Now you look like a waiter who's gonna make a shitload on tips!\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Lexter smiled and stepped out. \"As long as it works.\" He flexed his muscles.  \n  \nCowboy's eyes lit up even more as he saw the muscles bulge. \"Hey hey now, don't wanna do that too much. I mean, I want my customers to have enough money to buy alcohol.\" He walked toward the bar, waving his paw for Lexter to follow. \"I gotta say in business, son.\"  \n  \nLexter chuckled as he followed Cowboy out to the bar. He knew what kind of bar it was, and imagined that he was on display as a sexy waiter, to pull in customers. I'll do fine, he said to himself. If I can handle growing up in a tough neighborhood then I can do this.  \n  \nCowboy walked out to the bar area followed by Lexter, to where Lenny worked on restocking the bar. \"Lenny? This here is our newest recruit. Go ahead and train him on how to work the order machine and I'll be out in an hour to train him on other stuff.\"  \n  \nLenny nodded as he put away bottles to the refrigerator under the bar. When he glanced up and saw Lexter dressed in only the stretchy shorts his eyes widened a bit. \"OK Cowboy, but why is he dressed like this?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Cowboy shrugged as he coyly smiled. \"Hey, why not? It is a gay bar.\" He immediately retreated back to his office.  \n  \nLexter realized he had a joke played on him. \"All right, all right, I get it, I'll change back...\" Seeing Cowboy shut the door to his office he continued to speak. \"...when I can... later on.\"  \n  \nLenny laughed. \"Don't worry about it. He jokes around with all of us. He only does it to those he likes. Welcome to 'The Den'.\" He stuck out his paw with a smile.  \n  \nLexter smiled and shook Lenny's paw. \"That's good to know. And, being a ballet dancer, I've dressed in tight clothes before.\" He glanced down at his shorts and winced. \"Although they usually covered a bit more.\"  \n  \nLenny laughed. \"A dancer? Good to know.\" He pointed to the ordering machine at the bar. \"Now I'll show you how to enter drinks.\"  \n  \nLexter watched and learned how to enter drinks from Lenny, dressed in only stretchy shorts.  \n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"The Den","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/243902-the-den-chapter-1-the-damn-computer-dies.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/244937-the-den-chapter-3-lexter-s-first-night.json"}}