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Chapter 8

The weekend had passed and it was a new work day. Spec sat his coffee mug down on a coaster on the check out counter. Cindy was stretching out her arms above her head as she walked to unlock the front door.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how do you handle dinner if you close here with me all the time Cindy?"

"I don't usually cook for myself. When I eat alone I tend to make frozen dinners or instant noodles."

He made a face as he looked up realizing he did the same thing.

"Well I was thinking if you wanted that is, we could make dinner here when the store isn't too busy. That way we can have a decent meal and you can take leftovers home or something."

"That sounds nice. I'll bring some containers from home tomorrow."

He nods as he takes another sip from his mug. He licks his lips as he starts his paper work.

"That sounds like a plan. I can go shopping for stuff tomorrow. As far as tonight though I think we have enough leftovers from the weekend."

She nods and checked the register making sure everything is ready for the day.

**********

No one came in for quite awhile. Cindy used the down time to secretly sniff books while stocking them. Spec knew what she was up to but left her alone. He had finished his paper work early and decided to work on some cross word puzzles. The sound of the door opening caused him to look up. He noticed a young red fox female enter the store only to turn immediately around upon seeing him. He watched as she quickly walked down the street. Cindy noticed her leaving as she walked over to the check out counter.

"What was that about?"

He shrugged and went back to his cross word

"Who knows? The way people are in this city, its best to let things go sometimes."

She agreed but it didn't mean she wasn't curious as to why the fox acted the way she did. She tapped her index finger against her chin wondering when a thought hit her.

"Is the basement unlocked? I want to see what you have down there. That way I can see what we can move around so we can throw that party."

He looked up and placed his pencil down. He braced himself up with both of his arms against the counter.

"You really want to have that party don't you?"

"Well you said if I could figure out how to get it to work you'd help me. "

"I did, and I meant it. It's unlocked, just take the stairs down. The light switch is at the door but you might want to use a flash light just incase."

She claps her hands together and says "thank you" before heading downstairs. The light switch was easy to find as she flicked it on. The lighting was much better then Spec suggested as the whole room was illuminated. There wasn't that much in the way of boxes. Looking around she took mental notes of what there.

"It's a little chilly. I'm sure we can fix that with some heaters or something."

She scratched under her chin as she looked around picturing possible ideas for the party.

"If we put a couple of couches down here, maybe some blankets and pillows. It could be really nice with some mood lighting. Just wonder how much it would cost."

She continued to moves move boxes wondering if she would find any hidden gems among the boxes.

**********

Upstairs, Spec yawned waiting for someone to show up. He looked down at his empty mug wishing he had more coffee but couldn't leave till Cindy came back up. He heard the door open and a familiar voice.

"Hey Spec, how's it going today?"

"Hi Jon, and it's been slow. No one has come in today so far."

"Don't worry about it; it's always slow on Mondays. Where is Cindy?"

"She's in the basement looking at things. Hey, do me a favor and watch the front for a sec. I'm going to get something to drink."

"No problem, get me something too."

He paused and looked at Jon as he took his usual seat behind the counter. He shook his head and continued upstairs to get some drinks. He returns a few minutes later with a few bottles of water and some sodas.

"You want water or Ax cola?"

"I'll take the water. You know I don't like that Ax stuff you drink."

He tossed Jon a bottle of water and placed the rest of the drinks behind the counter.

"So what are you doing here? Don't you have work today?"

"Nah, they changed my days off again. I'm starting to think I'll never have a set schedule."

"Now that you mention it, what do you do for a living?"

"Really Spec, We've been friends for how long and you don't know what I do? I'm a, oh hi Cindy."

"Hi Jon, how are you doing today?"

She waved as she walked up to the counter.

"You have a lot of space down there Spec. I've got some ideas but I need to see the storage rooms upstairs."

"Sure, we can talk about it later."

"Talk about what later?"

Jon asked as he leaned back looking up from his graphic novel.

"It's nothing Jon. Weren't you about to tell me what you did for a living?"

"That can wait, what are you two talking about?"

Spec moaned as his ferret friend some how dodged his question again.

"Cindy was asking about throwing a party for some of her friends. She was looking at the basement since it would have the most room since neither of our apartments would be big enough."

"That's nice, what kind of party are you going to have?"

Both pause as they think of how to respond. After a pause Cindy speaks quickly.

"A book party, kind of like a book club but really passionate. My friends are just crazy about books after all."

Jon squints at her but starts to nod.

"Sounds fun, hope it works out for you."

She exhales quietly as she walks away feeling like she dodged a bullet. Spec goes back to his seat behind the counter as Jon continues to read.

"So when did you two talk about a party?"

"Over the weekend when we had lunch, she brought up the idea."

"Oh, that's cool... So when did you sleep with her?"

Spec's ears go flat as he sharply looks up and turns to Jon. He speaks through his teeth now as he stood over the ferret.

"How the hell did you know I slept with her?"

"One, you never do anything on your days off without letting me know. Two, since you are a horrible liar I know you had lunch with her. But since you didn't tell me anything else I suspected you did more then have lunch. Three, I didn't know, you just confirmed it when you said how did I know."

He face palms him self realizing he did spill the beans. Jon chuckled at Spec's reaction. The wolf walked back to lean on the counter, softly banging his head. Jon stood up and patted Spec on the back to comfort him.

"Hey, don't be like that buddy. I mean you like her, and I'm guessing she likes you. Most importantly, you got laid. I'm guessing there is nothing awkward since she is still working here."

"Jon, I swear if you say a word to her I am going to beat you with the first thing I can grab."

"I'd like to see you try."

Cindy walks up with a stack of books asking "Try what?"

"Oh, Spec said if I mention the fact I found out the two of you had sex that he was going to beat me with the first thing he could get his hands on."

Spec started shaking as his ears shot straight up. He grabbed a thick soft cover book from the stack Cindy brought to the counter and started swinging at Jon. He held his arms up to block most of the blows laughing it off. Cindy stood there shocked watching this play out.

"You bastard ferret, I'm going to kill you!"

"Oh yeah, you and what army?"

"Stop it, both of you!"

Both males stopped and turned to Cindy who was fuming. She turned to Spec first.

"You told him we had sex?"

"I swear I didn't. He used clever wording and figured it out."

She turned her gaze to the ferret who stepped back a bit.

"He's telling the truth. He didn't tell me, I tricked him."

Cindy was breathing so hard both males could hear it over the counter. Spec stepped back as well. She reached over and grabbed both of them by their shirt collars.

"This does not get mentioned to anyone else, GOT IT!?"

Both nod quickly before she lets them go and storms off to the back room. Spec's heart was pound as he leaned against the counter for support. Jon sighed as he stood next to him.

"Well at the very least if she doesn't sleep with you again you got at least one night with a skunk."

Spec elbowed Jon in the stomach causing him to buckle forward. He laughed it off knowing he deserved it for that comment.

"Seriously though I'm happy for you buddy. Hope it works out."

Spec sighed and took his seat as well.

"Thanks Jon. I hope so too."

He looked towards the back room trying to see Cindy.

"I really like her."

**********

Cindy avoided Jon and Spec for most of the day. The only time she really talked to Spec was when she asked for the key to unlock the storage rooms. Jon had left and returned at one point. He headed home around three in the afternoon. The store saw a couple of people browsing but was empty again soon enough. Spec was staring at the door, his mind wandering when a voice caught his ear.

"How much does he know about us?"

He sat up to see Cindy holding an arm across her chest looking at him. He sighed and adjusted himself before speaking.

"He just knows we slept together. He doesn't know any details about your fetish or what we did. I swear I wouldn't go around telling people what we did. I'm not that kind of person. He just knows me really well."

"I know Spec. I, I just don't want people to look at me and think I'm the kind of girl that sleeps with her boss to get the things she wants. If this went around it could be damaging cause people talk, you know?"

He walked from behind the counter and hugged her tightly.

"I swear, I would never think that about you. Jon is... Well he's being Jon. You've seen how he is."

They both laughed as she rested her face against his chest. She sighed in relief before stepping back.

"Yeah, I've seen how he acts but he is a good guy."

"He is Cindy. I don't think we have to worry about him."

She clears her throat and joins him behind the check out counter.

"So I was looking over the space you have and I think we could pull it off. I mean we'd have to moves some books and set up some heaters downstairs but it would be possible to throw a party in the basement."

"But what would we need exactly? I mean sure heaters are pretty cheap to get but what else? What about food and drinks. Not to mention clean up. I dread the idea of the clean up."

He shutters as the thought crosses his mind.

"Well I was thinking about it and what if we used the cover charge to buy what we needed? I mean we can start small and expand as more people attend."

"Wait, more people? Cindy I thought you just knew like a dozen people that would be interested in this."

"Well you know how it is. You tell a friend who tells another and so on and so forth."

He shakes his head as he opens a bottle of water he set aside from before.

"You realize that would be like starting another business right? Not to mention one that might be illegal. It would basically be a basement bordello party. Say that three times fast."

"Basementbordellopartybasementbordellopartybasementbordelloparty."

Spec was surprised she actually did it as she catched her breath.

"I looked into that Spec. It actually isn't. Since you own this building all you are doing is throwing a private party. What people do at said party is no one's business except the attendants so long as everyone consents and we don't sell alcohol or food. We just ask for "donations" at the door and make sure everyone understands the rules. I can take care of the books if you want but I think it's better if we keep this under the table."

He finished his bottle of water, wiping his mouth with his hand. He thought as he tapped the bottle against his leg.

"You put a lot of thought into this haven't you?"

She nodded as she held her hands behind her back looking at him. The expression pulled at him as he sighed.

"Okay, I know a guy that will give me a good rate to rearrange the basement if we move the boxes but we have to really be careful. I don't want this to ruin either of our careers okay? We may also have to hire a couple of extra people to work weekends. We can't run a book store and these parties by ourselves without some kind of help."

She jumped up and hugged him around the neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Spec, I promise you will not regret it."

"Oh, it's not you that I'm worried about..."

His thoughts turned to the other people in his life that may play a factor in the events to come. Things were about to get interesting for him to say the least.

**********

Cindy went home that night after having some leftovers from the previous two dinners. Spec was tired from doing nothing all day and the incident with Jon and Cindy. He showered and decided to lay down right after drying off. Her scent was still on the side she slept on the past two nights. He missed her despite having just saw her a couple of hours ago. He closed his eyes and wondered what she was doing.

Cindy arrived at home and unpacked her bag after placing her plate of leftovers in the kitchen. She showered and slipped into her sleeping shirt before re-heating her dish of meat loaf with green beans and mashed potatoes. As she ate her food she smiled at the thought that Spec cooked for her. It was nice to have a home cooked meal instead of something frozen or instant. Thoughts of the party and work ran though her head after eating but one thought over shadowed them all.

"I wonder what he is doing right now."

There was something about the wolf that stood out to her but she couldn't place her finger on it. His blue eyes, silver fur, and the way he spoke. There was a special allure that had a hold of her. She didn't even know his last name but for some reason she couldn't get him out of her head. She reached for a book she kept on the night stand and opened it to a random page. Inhaling deeply gave her a euphoric sensation as she closed her eyes and laid back. She thought about masturbating but held back. She thought to herself.

"I want him to do it to me instead."

**********

The next day at work, Cindy headed out to buy produce for dinner. It seemed the idea of making meals in the apartment was going to work out. Spec stayed behind to watch the shop. It wasn't as slow as the previous day but still, not many were interested in looking for books. At one point he looks up to notice a familiar gray fox wearing a tank top and jeans walk in.

"Hello Angie, it's been awhile. You are usually here earlier in the week for your things."

"Hey Spec, I know but I've been busy. I just got a new roommate, a friend from before I moved. I actually sent her down her to get a magazine. She is a cute little red fox named Kit."

"Actually now that you mention it there was a red fox that showed up yesterday. The thing is she stepped into the store and literally turned around and walked out like she saw a ghost."

Angie pulls a magazine from the rack and walks back to counter making a face.

"I forgot that she had a couple of bad run in with wolves before. When she was younger one tried to rape her. I didn't even think about how she would act with you because you are so nice."

"I'm sorry to hear that, and thank you. I hope I didn't scare her too much."

He pulled Angie's order from behind the counter and rung it up with the copy of Fox Fitness that she added to the pile.

"That's for Kit, she loves that magazine. It's what she was going to pick up when she came here."

"Well next time I will try to have Cindy work the register so she can help her. Don't want to scare away any potential customers."

"I don't think she'll need to buy that magazine anymore. Let's just say, she is hooking up with someone right now. But me, well I'm still available."

He was unsure what she meant by the first part of her statement but was crystal clear about the second as he noticed her pressing her breast together with her arms as she leaned against the counter. He smiled politely as he bagged her purchase and handed it to her.

"Can I get you anything else Angie?"

"No, that will do it. Oh, how is the new girl, Cindy?"

"She is doing great. She has a lot of ideas we hope to try out in the store. But if we do we might need to hire some more people for the weekend and some weekday shifts."

"That's good to hear. Well I have to go. See you next time Spec."

She turns to leave while swaying her tail back and forth. Before exiting the door, she turns to wink and blow him a kiss. Angie was attractive but his attentions belong to the lovely skunk coming from the back with a stack of books.

"Who were you talking to?"

"A regular, named Angie. She likes to flirt with me for some reason."

"Do you ever flirt back?"

"Not really. It just seems weird to flirt with customers."

"But it is normal to sleep with your new hires after a week of working under you."

"You are special Cindy."

"Damn right I am."

She leaned over the counter to give him a kiss on the cheek before heading back towards the back to the stairs.

"I'm going to move some more boxes. The roast is in the crock pot."

"Sounds good, let me know if you need any help."

Spec took the stack of books she left on the counter but was quickly distracted by his cell phone going off. He checked the number to see it was Zenia calling.

"Hey Zenia, what is going on?"

He paused as she spoke.

"You are finished with it already? Guess it helps when you happen to have the material on hand. But yeah, you can drop it off tomorrow. Cindy will not be here to try it on but I can surprise her the day after... Yeah, we can settle the payment tomorrow night. Swing by after you get off and I'll let you stay in the shop... Okay I'll see you tomorrow."

Spec looked towards the back as he hung up. It seemed that Cindy did not hear any of his conversation. He thought long and hard about what was going to happen tomorrow when he had to pay Zenia. He sighed and braced himself against the counter.

"I have to tell her..."