Terry pulled his shirt off over his head and checking to make sure it was fully inside out, tossed into the little wicker hamper just outside the bathroom door. It landed inside with a ‘thump!’ and the rotating lid swung back and forth for a moment.

     ‘Sheesh, what a week. Another trip like that’s going to kill me...’ He stroked his blond hair in a futile attempt to make it lay back into it’s original style, but alas, the days stress, wind, and sweat had knocked lose the jell hold, and made it flop messily over his brow.

     He drug himself over to the sink and began to preform his nightly rituals preparing himself for bed. Looking into the mirror, he could see small red veins starting to form around his blue eyes.

     He had always felt that this striking head of light hair and light blue eyes, in such contrast to the rest of his dark grey fur coloring, was one of his most attractive features. ‘You don’t see to many grey wolves with blond hair and blue eyes these days.’ He thought, giving himself a roughish grin in the bedroom mirror, wondering if it had some impact upon the affections of his wife. ‘Probably. Not entirely, but just a little. ’

     Their bedroom was of modest size, a simple square room with three windows, a vanity, dresser, small stereo system, and queen bed in the corner. The far left wall held a small door that lead to the bathroom hall and the bathroom itself. There were several closets, two sinks, stall shower and a reasonably large tub, that was no where near as big as Minerva’s, yet just the right size for them.

     His ear twitched involuntarily, it catching the slight sounds of his little mink lover, splashing in the shower, humming a particular song that all three girls sang incessantly. “Da da da dum, doodle dee, da da da doodle dee....” He chuckled to himself and unbuttoned his pants. ‘Silly girl.’

     It felt like ages since he had last removed his pants and they had left a now red crease along the middle of his stomach. “It matches my eyes no?” Inching it gently, he smoothed out his fur there and tossed the jeans into the hamper with his shirt. Nine and a half hours crammed into a plane seat had a way of turning the waist of your pants into a body tunicate.

     The water in the shower came to a halt, dripping for a few seconds then falling silent. Dee Dee slowly opened the stall door and her dripping arm reached out for the towel she had sat on the rack. Finding it, she quickly pulled it back into the shower and closed the door.

     Terry, now only clad in his boxers, scooped up his toothbrush, and, squirting a little paste on it, went to work keeping his grin nice and white. With that done, he gargled some mouthwash and finished up with a good flossing. Dentistry had been his father’s profession and some habits die harder than others. ‘Come a long way from being the son of a dentist. Big timer now boy-o.’

     Dee Dee finally emerged from the shower, still dripping and wrapped in a pink towel. She bend way over forward, till her dripping locks were dangling down out of her face and proceed to wrap them in a matching pink towel too.

     Straightening up, she saw Terry, floss in hand in front of the sink with a big grin on his face. She smiled as well and stuck out her hip. “See anything you like?” He laughed and tossed the used floss in the garbage.

     “I like you.” He said, stepping up to her and wrapping his arms around her little waist. “And I missed you terribly.”

     Terry stood just a little over half a foot taller than his significant other, so he bowed his head a little and she balanced on tippy toe so they could share a small kiss. “I missed you too.” She sighed, cupping his face in her hands.

     He suddenly found himself fighting an intense wave of fatigue, and wishing desperately he could let his head fall into her hands to rest. She noticed this droop in his eyes and felt a little pang of sorrow in her breast. ‘My poor baby... He looks so beat.’

     They released each other after a moment and Dee Dee flipped on the fur dryer. She smiled again and waved him away with her hands. “Shoo shoo now, I need to dry off and get dressed.”

     “So?” He said, acting if he wasn’t going to budge. Terry gave her another confident grin and leaned on the sink counter. He knew that even after seven months of marriage, she was still a little uneasy about him seeing her in the buff. The product of being raised in a very modest family with high moral pillars no doubt. Still, he liked to jerk her chain about it.

     “So nothing!” she laughed, picking up a hand towel from the sink’s edge and forming it into a rat tail, then snapping it at him. “I said shoo you!”

     Terry let out a yelp as the tip of the wet cloth missed his calf by a mere hair. “I’m going! I’m going!” He stuck his tail between his legs and covered his rump with his hands to keep the choice targets out of her reach.

     Dee Dee burst into laughter, and before closing the bathroom door stuck her head out and blew a kiss to him. “Don’t go away now.”

     He went to settled himself down on their bed after shutting off most of the room’s lights, and turning the stereo on low. Letting his head fall back onto the soft pillow, he crossed his legs and waited, enjoying the simple feeling of being home.

     Usual ‘ready for bed’ noises floated out from the bathroom, the hum of the fur dryer, the familiar squeak of Dee Dee’s perfume bottle, the floor boards creaking as she moved about, and probably a dozen other noises Terry had gotten so use to hearing before he slept. That made resting in a hotel or anywhere for that matter without her, down right impossible.

     There were times when Terry loved his job and times he hated it, and this was a time he hated it. He hated the hours, he hated travel, and most of all, he hated being away from Dee Dee. His gut gave a bit of a lurch, knowing full well that time away from her was time he could never get back. Something he really hadn’t considered much until he started traveling every other week. ‘Thankfully, that’s all going to change now...’

     The door finally reopened and Dee Dee came out on tiny mink feet. Her fur and hair was dry and she sported a little white cotton spring nighty with pink ruffles around the edges. She also carried a small jar of body lotion Terry had gotten her at the Bath and Body Works.

     “Sorry I took so long.” She brushed a little piece of towel lint form her nighty and sat down on the bed. Terry adjusted himself to make room for her, letting the lithe female snuggle up against his chest. She leaned back into him and let a long sigh, feeling the sides of her mouth perk up into a smile as she did so.

     Instinctively, Terry removed the lid from the lotion jar and dabbing a bit on both hands, starting gently rubbing her arms and legs. The relaxing scent of Sandalwood and Roses filled the room, mixing with the low light and soft music. Dee Dee’s heart swelled for a moment, then deflated suddenly, remembering something. “So, when are they going to steal you away from me again?”

     Terry didn’t answer right away. Rather, her rubbed more of the sweet smelling lotion onto his wife’s leg and began to message it in with his large yet gentile hands. The gold ring she had placed on his hand in marriage sparkled in the light of small lamp on their night stand, and it made her think of just how much she really did love him, loved the sight of him, the touch of his hand, the sound of his voice....

     Dee Dee felt herself start to relax considerably. She realized that she had been clenching all her muscles waiting for his reply. Heck, who was she kidding? She had been clenching herself up since he left two weeks ago, and had gotten so use to feeling that way, it was a shock to her system to relax.

     Since their time together before bed was dubbed “Talk Time” it was natural for him to announce when the heartless co founders of his start up company would request he go off to some godforsaken rock for two weeks or more at a time. But his silence wasn’t normal and it peeked her curiosity. ‘What is he up to?’

     After Terry had made sure that the lotion was evenly applied, he rubbed a little on her temples, then her neck, and finishing with her shoulders. He slowly twisted the lid back onto the jar and placed it up on the night stand. Dee Dee allowed him to lay back onto the bed and pull her down next to him. “You never answered me.” She prodded again.

     He only smiled and placed his muzzle into her soft brown curls of hair till his lips brushed up against the back of her ear. “I wont be leaving again...” He whispered, kissing her ear softly.

     “WHAT?!” Dee Dee shrieked sitting up and staring at her husband in disbelief.

     “You heard me. I won’t be leaving again.” He just lay back, a big boyish grin on his face. He had delivered his surprise more or less how he intend with the desired effect.

     “But... bu.. but I... Terry?! How did..?” She stammered in disbelief, a smile on her lips so big Terry feared her face might split. This was completely baffling, and it made her head spin with joy.

     Still he only grinned and opened his arms to her. She flopped down in them, resting her head on his chest. “Spill it Wolfy.”

     Terry starting stroking her hair, not sure where to start. “Well, we got the contract.” He said simply. “In fact, we got all the contracts for the whole facility!”

     “All of them?!” Dee Dee’s eyes widened.

     “Yup, we got them all. Go figure huh?”

     “Wait, but I though you were only going to get two of the ten construction projects. What happened to the other six bidders?”

     Terry grinned wickedly. “They didn’t read the bid sheets fully. It stated that the Project Engineers only wanted the bid owners to show up, that way they would know who was serious about the project and who wasn’t.”

     “And they didn’t show?!” She was shocked by the news.

     “Nada, nope, no how.” He kissed her forehead gently. “Steign, Corixs, and Polnex, all sent their bid lackeys to the meeting. The Project Owners didn’t even sniff their bids. Besides, I wouldn’t have Ricker, Paulson, or Norbrooke build me a bird house, so we were the only bidder left. We got all ten projects.”

     “Wow! Good for you sweetie!”

     “And that’s not all.”

     “There’s more?” She said with a grin. “I don’t think my heart can take any more surprises.”

     “Steel yourself beautiful, there is more.” Terry hugged her around her shoulders and began to shower her face with kisses.

     “Hehehehe! Stop! What else do you have to tell me?”

     “Remember the bonus I got for each project I was able to procure?”

     “We were going to pay off the car with it. So?”

     “We still will.” He said. “But now, times it by ten rather than two.”

     Dee Dee’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “That’s... that’s... a LOT of money Terry!!”

     “Bingo. Enough to pay off the car, pay off the credit card, and stick the rest in the bank for retirement. But wait! There is still more!”

     She started feeling light headed. Terry’s trip to settle this deal was met with such grim prospects, but now it was blooming into a full blown miracle! “More?!”

     “Last but not least, Harvey and Bill were so impressed with how I handled the deal, I talk them into buying me out of the company, for about five times what we payed to start it. That means no more travel, no more jet lag, and no more being away from you.”

     She propped herself up on her hands and stared, open mouthed, into her husbands beautiful blue eyes. ‘Oh my gawd! He’s serious! He’s not making this up!’ She had become accustomed to the reality of him traveling for work, and steeled herself for the prospect, but now that he no longer had to, she was having some trouble gripping the news.

     Terry’s eyes watered a little as he looked back. He raised his hand and brushed her cheek with it. “Now I’ll be able to take you on a real honeymoon, just like you wanted. Lounge on the sand of some small island, and bake in the sun with your teeny bikini. Heh” A tear ran down his face and hung from angle of his jaw.

     The wedding had just about bankrupted them both. They had agreed that their parents financial participation in this event would be limited to small gifts of money and nothing else. Neither felt that starting their lives together, knowing that the other’s parents had footed large amounts of money for their wedding, was something they wanted to experience. Thus, they had dived into their savings and pooled together to have a very beautiful and intimate wedding.

     Sadly, the very next day he had been called away for contract sighing in New York, and had not returned home for two weeks. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know the very thought of leaving his bride so soon, had torn him to shreds inside.

     Needless to say, they had neither the money nor the time to have a proper honeymoon.

     However, Terry wasn’t going to give up so easily. Dee Dee had said she wanted to run away to some tropical white beach and soak up plenty of sun, and he was determined to deliver this in spirit, if not in any other way.

     While she was at work one night, he had emptied their guest room and, laying down some plastic sheeting, and filled the room with white sand. Then he added two potted palm trees, a wading pool, two folding chairs, a large sun lamp and stereo that would play the sounds of the ocean.

     Trudy and Minerva had also come over to help, boarding up the window and painting the walls of the room to resemble a beach side view. They finished with mere moments to spare, as Dee Dee had pulled into the drive just as other two girls bolted out the back of the house and down the path out of sight.

     Dee Dee had drug herself inside, and was greeted by a nervously smiling husband. After they exchanged chatter about their days, Terry had asked her if she wouldn’t mind slipping into her bikini for a moment. He had claimed that he wished to admire her alluring physique for a little bit.

     Naturally, she didn’t believe this for a second, but figured she would humor him anyway. Boys were known for their eccentric behavior, and Terry probably wasn’t immune to it.

     Nothing could describe her emotions as he lead her into the guest room and showed her the mock up beach. She had wept and held her husband so tight that she worried his ribs might crack. She could imagine no one else who would have went through so much trouble just to indulge her whim, and in the process touch her in a way that was far more intimate than even physical contact. Terry was truly her soul mate and best friend.

     These things swam around in her mind as she looked deeply into his strong face. “Awww sweetie. You already gave me the most amazing honeymoon any woman could ask for. I just want to spend more time with you.”

      Dee Dee bent down and kissed the tear away from his chin, and reaching out with her slender leg, she roped the lamp’s chin around her big toe and clicked it off. The room was suddenly bathed in darkness.


      Minerva paced back and forth across her room as she had been doing so since dinner. As she looked at the magazine add again for the three hundred and fifty millionth time, she wondered just how deep the rut in the carpet was getting.

     She felt as if infected with a fever, her body hot, brain running wildly, hands shaking, but this was not due to any virus. Minerva Mink, independent, strong willed, and intelligent, was inspired! The burning fever of inspiration ran through her veins like wild fire and she knew there was but one way to cool it.

     ‘I’m really going to do this!’ She thought excitedly. ‘I can do this!’ She closed the magazine and tossed it on her night stand. ‘I’ll check my savings in the morning and maybe see if Terry can give me a few pointers on what to do! Oh like wow!!! I am so totally psyched!!’

     She threw off her cloths and began her own set of nightly rituals to prepare for sleep. Picking a soft gossamer nightgown from her closet, she slipped it over her head and hopped into her comfortable bed.

     Pulling the covers to her chin, she couldn’t help but nab up the article ad read it again. ‘My own fashion studio....’ The idea sent sparks coursing through her, down to the tips of her fingers and toes.

     Suddenly, it was no longer about getting back at her old school rival as it had earlier that day. Rather, the feeling had evolved into something more prominent and important. This was her way of once again making her mark on the world. Her time to shine one more time.

     She forced herself to put the magazine down and turn off the light. Surprisingly she felt herself start to drift off to sleep, despite the adrenaline rush she had been experiencing. Yet, as her beautiful blue eyes, that had captured the hearts of many a man started to close, the idea didn’t stop drumming across her mind and chanting itself like a mantra.

     “My own studio. My own fashion studio. My own studio..... Mine... My own fashion.... studio....”