Chapter 3: It's the Skunk's Fault!

Marie talks with her roommate about the raccoon's disastrous evening at the bar last night and her last relationship.

"Girl, what is it about you that attracts losers?" her roommate Kathy called to her from their apartment's bathroom the next morning. "I mean, that coon was dashing, articulate, and charming on television. What happened?"

The female raccoon named Marie Millbrooks stared down at the mug of now cold coffee in her paws before she answered, "That was a mean trick y'all played by asking him for the time, knowing that he was so nervous. I felt sorry when he spilled his drink on his pants." With a sigh, she reached up with her left paw and scratched her neck. She was very pretty with a slim, but sexy curvy body which was currently covered by a pair of blue and white flannel pajamas with cute little owls printed on them. Her "bandit's mask" was not quite as dark as the male's who she had met the night before.

"He didn't come back, did he? What a twit! He probably was babbling about himself and getting that damn medal from the mayor."

"I kept asking about his role in stopping the feline distemper, but all he wanted to do is ask questions about me."

"Wait!" Kathy suddenly said before she came out of the bathroom hastily wrapped in a towel. Her black and white fur was still damp from the shower. "Are you saying he wasn't so full of himself? I heard him boasting about something to you, so I figured he was just another jerk trying to get up your skirt."

"He was talking about how one of his employees is working with the guy who wrote the script for your favorite television show Galaxy Star Rangers. As for the medal, he accidentally left it with me at the bar. He kept claiming he really didn't do much and didn't deserve the attention."

"Are you telling me that I ran off the city's most famous raccoon and he was a nice guy? I'm so sorry girl!"

"Well, I still have the medal and I reckon I need to return it to him. I hope someone is working at his company's office this weekend, I guess I can drop it off there?"

"You didn't go jogging this morning?" the skunk inquired after she returned to the bathroom. "What's up, you not feeling good?"

"Just didn't feel motivated I guess," Marie replied with a heavy sigh. "He sure was cute and those eyes!"

"Girl, you weren't looking at his eyes last night. How long has it been since you've been laid?"

"Three years ago, on the beach. It was with that black-furred wolf, Michael." Michael wasn't his real name, but she just couldn't remember his name. He was a Saharan wolf who oddly was almost pure black, unusual for his species, and he was smaller than average in all ways. He was at the hotel with his family and on the rebound after breaking up with his girlfriend. She was at the hotel because the raccoon was just trying to get away from the mid-winter cold downtown. To make things worse, she was already in heat and in a bad mood. She was drinking, he was drinking, and her conversation on the phone with Kathy that night was getting on her nerves.

"I remember you telling me about that guy! Girl, why did you do it with him? He was almost twice your size?"

"We were both three sheets to the wind and one thing led to another," Marie replied. "Next thing we're both wondering if he could fit and then he's screwing me on the sand." She remembered sitting at a table in the bar being almost mesmerized as she watched Michael's furry black tail swishing back and forth as he sat at the counter. Skewing up her courage and not thinking about much more than the aching between her knees, she approached the wolf and said of all things, "Y'all want to take a moonlit swim in the ocean?"

"I don't have my swimsuit," Michael had replied. It was quite obvious that he smelled that she was ripe for mating and he was interested in her scent.

"Neither do I," she giggled while she pulled on his paw. He let her lead him out of the bar and towards the beach. By the time they reached the water's edge, both had left a trail of discarded clothes behind them.

"Did it hurt?" the skunk asked, snapping her out of her musings.

"It sure enough did, it hurt some because he was very big and when he came, he knotted us together tight and that was a might uncomfortable," she answered, just thinking about it made her ache and she wasn't even in season. "He had to carry me to hide behind a small dune when the shore patrol drove by, I thought we were goners. When he finally popped out, I swear it was like Niagara Fall down there with his cum just gushing out. Then he left with his family the next day, but we had already decided there was no future for a relationship. Shit, it wasn't even a one-night stand, just a drunken rut on the beach and I haven't had sex since then."

"Geeze, you're turning back into a virgin!" the skunk scoffed.

"I just haven't dated a guy I'd sleep with," the raccoon shrugged before she walked into the kitchen and rinsed her mug out before putting it into the dishwasher. "Honey, I don't think I'll survive another mating season just using pills again."

"You were a bitch this year!" Kathy chuckled. Then she frowned and sighed before adding, "At least I had that prick, Sam!"

The raccoon just walked over and hugged her roommate.

"I thought he was the one," Kathy sniffled. "He said he loved me, that asshole! All he wanted was what is between my legs. After all those weeks, he just left me without even a note? I was used and I don't want that to happen to you!"

"Oh that's not going to happen to me again, I've been burned twice and that's enough for this lifetime!" Marie softly growled. "Ever since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I believed that I'd fall in love with some prince charming like in the storybooks. Honey, no more of that love at first sight crap for me, I'm sick and tired of all those damn male coons that think I'm either an easy lay or their meal ticket."

"That's right, didn't your date last weekend with Tony set a new speed record? Where did he take you for dinner again?"

"A glorified truck stop called Mells. They didn't even know how to make sweet tea, they gave me hot water, a teabag, and a packet of sugar. Chicken sausages on a bun are not my idea of a first date dinner either, I would like to be taken to someplace really nice for once."

"Nicer the dinner, more likely he'll want you to pay him back with your legs spread," Kathy warned her. "You know how men are, always thinking with their other tail."

"Well that night, I had to battle Tony's paws from going up my skirt. He was groping me while we were riding on the freaking city bus!"

"There just are not very many coons around that can afford to take you to a really nice place."

"I know…I know, I was hoping Jake would like me enough to call me," Marie groaned in frustration.

"I don't think you ever gave him your phone number?" Kathy replied. "At least I don't remember seeing you do so."

"Dadgummit!" the raccoon kind of cursed.

"If you don't find a guy by this winter's mating season, I'm hauling your tail down to The Mating Den and getting you a dildo and some more pills. I'm getting me a set too!"

It was about midday by the time she finished her weekend chores, groomed, and dressed in a short black skirt and a cherry red blouse. When she stepped out of her bedroom, the skunk looked her over. "I thought we were going shopping at Moose Mart, you're dressed as if for a date?"

"You did agree to go with me by his office first to drop off his medal," Marie reminded her roommate. "I just wanted to look nice, in case he was there."

"Okay, but now I'm going to change before we go," the skunk in the old worn jeans and oversize tee shirt complained. "You make me look like striped trash."

They finally made their way uptown to the building where the Runnel Security Company was headquartered, the building was locked up for the weekend, but she tried the outside intercom and a voice answered, "Yeah, watta want sweetheart, we're closed?" the voice squeaked.

"My name is Marie and I was looking for Mister Runnel," she answered.

"Wha'd he do now?" came the reply. "He didn't knock youz up or sumtin?"

"What?" she said as she looked over at the skunk, who was giggling. "Of course, he didn't knock me up!"

"Didn't think so, youz look too classy. He ain't that kinda guy no ways."

"Look is he in? I've got his medal, Jake left it with me last night at the bar."

"He ain't here, but I'm on my way down," the voice called back.

After a few minutes, there was a buzzing noise and a smaller door set inside the larger office front door opened. A brown rat in a black silk shirt and white denim jeans stepped outside and stood in front of them. He had several thick gold chains around his neck, but the strangest thing was that he had no tail. "The name is Tails and you must be that squeeze that the boss was pining over earlier this morning?" the rat introduced himself.

"Your name is Tails?" Kathy scoffed. "Really?"

"I live a dangerous life," the rat shrugged. "Well, I did till the boss hired me. During my last job, I had a little problem and I made it out, but my tail didn't."

"Of course," Marie said, trying not to chuckle.

"You are a real looker for a coon," the rat continued. "The boss is great wid what he doze, but I don't think so with the broads."

"You called us broads!" Kathy snapped after she stepped towards the rat, she looked down at him. "You take that back."

"What I say?" Tails replied while he gave her a look of bewilderment. "All I was meaning is you two are pretty and classy looking."

"Oh?" Kathy said.

"Look we're sorry to disturb you…ah Tails," Marie interjected while she reached into her purse and pulled out the medal. "Would you please give this back to Mister Runnel for me, he accidentally left it at the bar?"

"Nope!" Tails replied with a grin. "But I will tell you what! Gimme your name and phone number and I'll have him call youz."

Marie looked down at the rat, "Can I trust you with that information?"

"Youz ain't my type," he said with a grin. "Too tall, but your friend, the sweet-looking skunk might be? Youz ever dated a rat before, bootiful?"

"In your dreams, sailor," Kathy chuckled.

"Youz would like what I'd dream about youz babe," the rat replied with a grin. "So wad youz say?"

"Thanks but no, I don't date strange rats," the skunk giggled.

"Too bad," the rat sighed and then he perked up before he gave her a wink, "If Youz changes your mind, youz know where I work, doll."

Marie gave him her phone number and he thanked her before returning to work.

"What a strange guy," the raccoon said to her friend as they left. "Was that a Jersey accent?"

"He's not from around here," the skunk answered with a smile. "But he was a little cute."

Marie was in a rotten mood for the remainder of the day, while she nervously waited for the other raccoon to call her, but he didn't.