Before we manage to get Fluffy on the table, Katie, my front desk assistant, comes into the back looking harassed, and I grit my teeth again.
“She’s throwing a fit about the cost?” I guess.
“Throwing a fit is an understatement. She wants to see you again.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I mutter to myself. “Seb, go ahead and get a radiograph for me so we can confirm how many puppies we’re waiting on. I’ll be back.”
“Good luck,” he says sympathetically.
“Mrs. Rundle, I understand there’s a problem with the treatment plan.”
“What you want to charge me is insane. I called the breeder I got Fluffy from, and she has a spray filled with all kinds of essential oils that she says induce labor. I think I’m going to take her home and try that first before we try this dangerous, invasive option.”
“Mrs. Rundle—”
“I know you have your Master’s degree in veterinary-whatever, but my breeder has gone through hundreds of births, I think she knows a little bit more about this.”
I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste blood to keep from telling Mrs. Rundle what I think about her breeder’s advice. Then I steel my heart against the fact that these puppies won’t make it.
“This is against my medical advice, but of course, it’s your decision. I’ll need you to sign a waiver before I let you take Fluffy home, stating that you understand the risks and that I’m advising against this.” The A.M.A.s had been Jonah’s idea when I’d complained about clients coming back and threatening to sue after declining treatment and having their pets pass away. The clinic owner loved the idea, and this is exactly the kind of situation I’m glad to have it for. Although, I have no doubt Mrs. Rundle will be calling tomorrow to blame me for the dead puppies.
Since it’s clear nothing I say is going to convince her that I’m right and her breeder is wrong, I return to the back and tell Katie to have her sign the A.M.A. and get Seb to take Fluffy back to her. One look at the radiograph breaks my heart for the two puppies in there that won’t live.
“Well, that sucked,” Seb comments once Mrs. Rundle is gone with Fluffy.
“Majorly,” I agree. “Thank fuck we only have two hours left of this god-awful day. I just want to go home and see Jonah. He always makes this bullshit better.”
Chapter 19
Jonah
By chance, Lars and I get home at exactly the same time, and it only takes one look at him, getting out of his car with his shoulders hunched and his face pinched, to know his day went about as well as mine did.
I wait by my car for him to reach me, and then I grab his hand for the short walk the rest of the way to the front door. As soon as we’re inside, I tug him into a hug, bending my head to drag in a lungful of his scent and relaxing at the familiar weight of him leaning into me.
“Bad day?” he guesses, and I nod against the top of his head.
“The worst.”
“Me too,” he grumbles into my neck.
“I just want to turn off my brain and pretend this day didn’t happen.”
“We can do that,” he agrees easily. “Let’s order something for dinner and then have puppy time. I think we could both use it.”
“Really?” My heart leaps at the both part of the statement. I’m sure losing myself in my Lucky persona for a while will be heaven, but is it possible it helps Lars just as much?
“Really,” he repeats. “I like it, JJ. I’m not just saying that.”
That alone is almost enough to erase this nightmare day from my mind. “I love you.”
“Love you too.” He tilts his head up so I can kiss him. “Now, go get out of your scrubs while I order dinner, and after we eat, we can play.”
I do as he says, heading to the bedroom to get changed out of my work clothes. Since we’re going to be playing after dinner, I decide to put on one of my new jockstraps. This one is black and has the word woof across the front. Even though we’ve only done this a handful of times, my brain is already associating the jockstrap with puppy time, and I find myself slipping into a calmer state of being, more relaxed with a sliver of anticipation humming in my bones.
Reaching for a pair of pants, I hesitate with a wicked smile forming. Lars told me to get out of my scrubs, not to put on fresh clothes. Closing the dresser without grabbing anything else out of it, I head out of the bedroom.
It sounds like Lars is on the phone with our favorite Chinese place when I reach the kitchen. He looks up, and his eyes go wide and then simmer into a smoldering heat as he stares hungrily at my mostly naked body.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” he says to the person on the phone. “Yes, pork egg rolls are fine.”
Being a distraction is a bit of a heady feeling, and I decide to embrace the naughty, playful feeling snaking through me by reaching into the front of my jock and playing with my slowly hardening dick.
Lars’ eyes widen again, and I can see the answering bulge forming in the front of his pants.
“Great, thank you,” he says and then hangs up the phone. “You are a very naughty pup, aren’t you?” he accuses, stalking toward me.
“I’m a horny pup,” I counter, pulling my hand out of my underwear so he can see just how hard I’ve made myself.
“Horny or not, what did I tell you about touching yourself?”
I groan as he backs me up against the wall and wraps his hand around my cock through my underwear.
“I’m not supposed to,” I answer breathlessly, squirming into his touch as he tightens his grasp a fraction, not enough to hurt but definitely harder than he would normally grab me.
“That’s right. This is mine, naughty pup.”
“Yes, Master,” I pant, letting my head fall back against the wall. Lars takes the opportunity to nibble at my exposed throat, his hand unmoving on my erection, making me crazy.
Lars has clearly taken to this aspect of being dominant. His brief mention of using a cock cage when we were at the training session is sounding better and better. Our anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I think I know the perfect gift to get him now.
“Are you going to behave for your Master now, pup?”
“Yes,” I agree, forcing myself to hold still and stop grinding into his touch. The surrender feels almost as good as his hand on me and from the heat in his eyes, I’m sure he feels the same way.
“Good. I need a shower, so you be good and go sit down to wait for me. I’ll be out before the food gets here, and don’t you dare touch yourself while I’m gone or there will be consequences.”
I almost ask what kinds of consequences he has in mind, but something tells me Lars is winging it at the moment and has no idea how he would punish me for disobeying. That’s not to say he wouldn’t be able to come up with something, but there’s something endearing about knowing we’re feeling our way through this together.
“Yes, Master,” I reply obediently and another flare of lust flashes in his eyes.
With one more hard kiss, Lars releases me, yanking me away from the wall and turning me in the direction of the living room. A pat on the ass is all the reminder I get to behave before he disappears down the hall to the bathroom.
Lars
My cock is painfully hard, swinging in front of me as I hurry to wash up before dinner is delivered. If it weren’t for that, I’d be tempted to take my time in here, drag out this torturously sexy feeling of knowing Jonah is sitting in the living room, as hard as I am, not allowed to touch himself. I moan quietly at the thought of him fighting the need to shove his hand back down his pants and jerk himself to orgasm. Fighting the urge because I told him to.
Wrapping my hand around the base of my own cock, I give in to the urge to stroke just once, which of course only makes it worse…but also somehow better. How is this not something we’ve explored before now?
I’ve always taken the lead in our relationship, even before we were a couple. But having control over his orgasms in this way is a who
le new level, and it’s the hottest thing I could possibly imagine.
Forcing myself to let go of my erection, I finish rinsing off and shut off the water. Toweling off quickly, I go to the bedroom and dress in a pair of pajama pants and one of Jonah’s t-shirts, which is about three sizes too big on me and absolutely perfect.
At the end of the hallway, I peek my head into the living room to find Jonah on the couch, his big cock still tenting the front of his jock strap, his hands balled into fists in his lap. A pulse of lust and heat runs from my balls to the tip of my cock, making it jerk and precum leak from my slit. I’m torn between dragging out this game and forcing him to his hands and knees right now to fuck him hard and deep until we’re both sweaty and spent.
The sound of the doorbell makes the decision for me. Jonah’s head jerks in the direction of the door, and he catches sight of me out of the corner of his eye.
“Were you standing there watching me like some sort of creep?” he teases.
“Yes,” I answer with a playful smile.
Tugging the overly large shirt to make sure it’s hiding my erection, I go to answer the door.
We eat dinner on the couch, swapping containers and laughing at something stupid on TV. Even without the puppy time coming up, being together like this is already melting away the stress of the day. But I wasn’t lying when I told Jonah I needed this as much as he does. Getting to be his master for an hour or so is the escape from reality I’m craving, just like he’s craving being a pup.
Once we’re finished eating, we head into the bedroom without needing to discuss it, already getting used to how this goes. Even though the anxiety of our first couple of times seems to be gone, I still take my time dressing Jonah in his puppy stuff. It occurs to me that the process of dressing him is an important part of the process. I can see him relax as he starts to slip into puppy space little by little with each item added. By the time his collar is fastened, he’s not Jonah at all, he’s Lucky.
“What do you think, Lucky, do you want to practice your commands?” I ask, and he yips, wiggling happily. I laugh, feeling the remainder of my stress vanish. “Okay, let’s go find your treats then.
He follows behind me, nudging the backs of my knees with his snout whenever I slow down. The baggie of mini marshmallows is on the counter where I left it after our last playtime and as soon as I pick it up, Lucky barks and starts bouncing around.
“Sit,” I command, and this time he quickly plops his butt down, the tail shifting and making his eyes go wide. I offer him the treat, and he snatches it with his teeth and then licks my fingers for good measure, making me laugh.
We do a few more commands, and he obeys the first few, but then it’s obvious he starts to get bored with the process because instead of doing as he’s told, he chases his tail for a minute before latching his teeth onto the hem of my pants and tugging on them. I reach for the waistband of my pants to keep them from being pulled right off. I’m nearly too late, and Lucky huffs out the puppy version of a laugh as I try for a stern expression.
“Bad, pup,” I scold. This doesn’t seem to bother him at all as he releases my pants and noses at my crotch, bumping his muzzle against my balls with a playful gleam in his eyes. “It’s obvious you need to burn off some energy, so why don’t we try playing fetch. Come on pup, I have a ball for you in the living room.”
He yips and scrambles out of the kitchen. He’s getting much better at moving around on all fours with his pads on, and I allow myself a second to appreciate the view of his ass wiggling back and forth, his tail peeking out from between the muscular globes of his ass.
Following him, I grab the ball I got for him off the table beside the couch and then take a seat. He stares at the ball impatiently, practically vibrating with anticipation.
“You want this?” I tease, waving it around. He whines, and I draw my arm back and then fake a throw, keeping the ball in my hand, earning me a look that clearly says Seriously? “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” I chuckle, tossing the ball for real this time and watching as he trots after it.
When Jonah reaches the ball, he looks at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out how he’s supposed to pick it up, before settling on his only option and stooping to use his mouth. It takes him a few tries to figure out how to tilt his head so his snout doesn’t get in the way of his efforts, and finally he gets it. He bounces excitedly back over to me, obviously pleased with himself.
We repeat the game a few times; each time, he gets more comfortable with picking it up and seems to slip deeper into puppy space. His cock remains hard, swinging between his legs as he bounds around, as does mine. But neither of us seem to be in any hurry to do anything about it.
By the fifth time he brings the ball back to me, I can see he’s starting to get tired. “Up, Lucky. Time for a cuddle,” I command, patting my lap.
Most of Jonah’s face is obscured by the hood, but based on the look he’s giving me, I’d put money on his right eyebrow being raised.
Rather than jumping up on the couch beside me to curl up like he did before, he eases up, part way into my lap, his hot, hard erection pressing against my thigh.
“What are you up to, naughty pup?” He rocks his hips, dragging his cock against my leg, and growls low in his throat. When I don’t scold him, he does it again. “I bet your tail hits just the right spot when you do that.”
Jonah huffs out an agreement, humping himself against me again. I run my hands along his broad back, feeling the muscles flex under my touch as he continues to pant and rut, growing more frantic by the minute, every sound he makes causing my own cock to throb and my balls to feel heavy.
I drag my hands down to his ass, flexing with each thrust. He whimpers, pressing his hooded face to the side of my neck. I can feel each hot puff of his breath hit my skin, my fingers digging into his muscles. His whines and moans quicken, and I can tell he’s getting close, but I’m not quite ready to let the game end.
“Be still, pup,” I command in a deep, authoritative voice.
Jonah lets out a frustrated keen, his whole body shuddering as he forces himself to stop moving, stop chasing the orgasm so close to the surface.
I ease my grip from his ass and trail my finger through his crack, stopping to pull the plug out enough to tease my wandering finger around his rim, stretched by his tail.
The sound he makes is nearly a howl, his legs shaking with the effort to stay still as I trace his most sensitive nerve endings. A whimper leaves his mouth on every panting breath, and the pleading in his eyes makes my cock leak.
“Such a pretty pup,” I praise, my voice husky even to my own ears.
I push the tail all the way back in, pressing it downward so it hits his prostate when I do, and watching the front of his jock grow wetter with precum.
“Let me see your cock,” I demand. With some difficulty thanks to his mitts, he pushes the front of his jock down so I can see him, red and swollen, the tip shiny and slick.
I pull the plug out and thrust it in again, this time grabbing his ass again with my free hand and encouraging him to thrust. I’ve essentially edged him for over an hour now, and I’m desperate to see this explosion.
It only takes a few thrusts against my leg before Jonah is throwing his head back and crying out, his cum spurting over my pants in thick ropes, seeming to go on and on until he collapses from exhaustion in my arms.
I kiss his neck and then ease him onto his back on the floor, looming over him as I yank my pants down and jerk my cock roughly until I paint his spent cock with my release and collapse beside him.
Once I catch my breath, I pull him close for the promised cuddle time, petting his back slowly as his heart rate slows to a more normal speed and his breathing evens out.
“I think playtime is over, pup; we need a shower and some sleep.”
He whines but gets back on his hands and knees, crawling to the bedroom with me right behind.
As always, I take care undressing him, again taking note of
this as an important part of the play. The chance for him to transition out of pup space and become Jonah again.
After putting all of his things away in their special place in our closet, I take Jonah’s hand and lead him to the shower. He’s quiet as I wash him, but it’s a happy, content kind of quiet that gives me peace in my soul, so I don’t try to break it with unnecessary words.
We tumble into bed naked after our shower and wrap ourselves around each other before sharing a slow kiss that speaks volumes between us, things that don’t need words because we’ve known them in our bones since our very first kiss.
"Hey, JJ?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm sorry I ever said puppy play was weird. I was wrong. I love seeing you so free and relaxed, and I love feeling the trust you put in me when I'm your master."
"Me too," he agrees, happiness dripping from his voice as he cuddles closer. "I love you."
Chapter 20
Jonah
“Are you sure I won’t look stupid?” I check, tugging at the shirt that I loved an hour ago but am rethinking now.
“JJ, you’re going to look adorable,” Lars assures me, pressing a kiss to my chin. “I’ve packed your hood and your hand and knee pads. I also detached the plug from the tail so you can wear it with that belt thingy it came with.”
“Thank you,” I breathe a little easier knowing he’s taking care of everything. Maybe it’s too soon for us to go to our first puppy event, but when Vale sent the email saying he thought we’d really enjoy it, I was so excited. Now, I think I might puke from nerves. This feels like my first day of med school all over again, standing in my bedroom, convinced I’d made a huge mistake, that I couldn’t possibly be smart enough or good enough to be a freaking doctor.
It had been a few years before Lars and I got together, but we were renting an apartment together. I’d barely heard him knock at my door over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. As soon as he’d come in, I felt calmer. He’d sat me down and told me they wouldn’t have accepted me if I couldn’t hack it and that one day I was going to save lives, even if it was only one species.
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