Chapter 10: That Other Woman

Jake meets with a dear friend and has to break the news to her.

She knew that something had changed in their relationship as soon as they entered the cheap motel room. The highland wildcat was beautiful, with brownish-grey fur that had black tabby stripes. She had begun to remove her tight green dress that clung to her curvy body when the raccoon told her to stop. She turned and saw that he was still partially clothed in his brown suit, only having removed his jacket and tie before he sat down on the rickety bed.

"Take a seat, Meredith," Jake softly said. "We need to talk."

"Ach, so this is when you tell me that you've found another girl," the prostitute said with a forced smile on her muzzle. Her green eyes were searching the face of the bonnie raccoon that she had made love to so many times before.

"Look…it's just…you know?" the raccoon nervously began to reply while he avoided her eyes and instead stared at the stained peeling wallpaper that decorated the room.

"Why Mister Runnel, I've known you for all these years and this has to be the first, no the second time you've been tongue-tied around me," she giggled before she sat down on the bed by him. "So tell me her name, boyo."

"Her name is Marie Millbrooks," he replied as he pulled out his cell phone and showed her a photo. "It's just that I really like her."

"She's a bonnie lass," the wildcat observed while she held the phone in her paws. "A real looker too, she is at that. Have you two made love yet?"

"No! It's not that I haven't wanted to, the Great Lamb knows I do…"

"But she's special." Meredith finished his sentence as she placed her paw on top of his.

"Yes and I want the time to be right, if you know what I mean?" he replied, moving his paw from her touch.

"You're asking a hooker when the time is right?" she giggled.

"You know that you're more to me than just an escort," the raccoon responded to her laugh. She knew he hated the word hooker and preferred a more formal term for her profession. "You are my friend."

"Aye, I know that, Jakie," Merideth said after she suddenly grabbed his arm and put her head against his shoulder, this time he didn't pull away. "Like a sister, except for the sex."

"Except for the sex. We have shared some of that over the years."

"You were one of my best."

"I should have been, you just about taught me everything I know. You were my first."

"Aye and a shy one you were at that! I remember the evening we first met. You approached me on the corner. You were a wee skinny runt back then, half-starved and desperate."

"I wanted to know what it was like to be a prostitute. Since I couldn't find a good steady job, I was ready to sell my body."

"You would have made a terrible hooker," the cat chuckled. "You should have seen your face when I told you that the male prostitutes around here were hired out to other males and you were too skinny in the ass to handle that."

"I thought all my clients would be females," the raccoon replied before he pushed himself further onto the bed and propped his head upon the pillows. "You know, I've always wondered why there are not many male prostitutes on this section of the street?"

She crawled up to him and put her head on his chest before answering, "They work down in Red's territory because Jerry says he doesn't like that kind of business." Jerry was the local pimp, a muscular snow leopard, who like Meredith, had befriended Jake.

"I've never taken Jerry for being a homophobe? I thought the big guy was bisexual?"

"It's the clientele. Some tend to be more violent with the guys, sadistic even. Society hasn't fully embraced their lifestyle and this leads to a greater chance of physical or mental abuse."

"I never thought about that?" he replied as his paws began to stroke her ears.

"Now Jakie, when the time comes for you two to do it please be gentle," the cat purred. "Unless she likes it rough, laddie."

"I've been well trained."

"Aye, I've taught you all I know, and trust me when I say you've become the master."

"Now Jakie that tongue is made for more than just talking!" he tried to mimic her accent.

"That's the bloody gratitude I get from you, laddie! she giggled. "I even washed myself really good down there before I taught you where to lick, so I didn't taste like someone's rubber.

"Ha, you've always spoiled me. Remember our first time?"

"Aye, you didn't even make it through putting on the condom. That's when I realized you were still a virgin."

"I wasn't for much longer."

"I am honored that I was your first," she sighed before she snuggled closer into his embrace. She fought the urge to touch him, he was tenting his pants but neither made a move in that direction.

They just sat there together for a few minutes, neither one moving.

"Have you told her about me?" the cat finally asked.

"Not yet."

"Don't ever! She might not understand."

"Look, when the time is right I am going to tell her everything, including all about you," he replied with a determined voice. "You have been and still are my friend. She will have to understand that you will continue being my friend in the future."

"Are you sure?"

"How many times have you told me that secrets are the quickest way to destroy a relationship? She will need to know everything about me."

"A bonnie thought, boyo," Meredith said as she sat up and looked into the raccoon's eyes again. "But I don't want to destroy any chance of you finding happiness."

"I will never find happiness without you in my life," he said while he touched her cheek.

She was tempted to kiss him, but she restrained herself. Instead, she jumped off the bed and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from the desk. She wrote down her phone number and address, then turning she handed it to him.

"I didn't think you let anyone know your address?"

"You're no longer a client, but you're my friend."

"Huh, so does this mean I don't have to pay for tonight?" he snickered.

"Aye, you can discuss that with Jerry," she laughed. "Let me know how that turns out!"

Settling back onto his chest, she sighed contently. "So Jakie, tell me about this other woman," she purred when his paw found her ear again.

An hour later, she returned to the corner and her pimp Jerry looked down at her. "You look glum," the snow leopard said. "Is Jake okay?"

"Aye, our raccoon has grown up," she sighed. "The laddie has gone off and found himself another woman."

"You should have married him," the pimp shrugged and then he glanced back down at her and frowned. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I'll survive," she mumbled before she walked off into the darkness. There were tears in her eyes as she pulled out her cell phone and made a phone call.

"Hello, Meredith?" a male voice answered. "I thought you were working tonight?"

"I am," she sighed. "I'm just a little lonely, Jake's found himself love."

"Good for him! That boy deserves it. Are you sure you're okay, do you want me to come and get you?"

"No…no…YES! I can't keep doing this tonight, I need a break."

"I'm on my way, darling," he said before he hung up.

She glanced over and saw Jerry walking towards her. She tried to smile, but he cupped her chin and looked down into her eyes. "You need to go home," he said. "You're in no condition to keep working tonight, it's slow anyway. Take tomorrow night off too, it's going to rain."

She didn't answer but wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug before she began to cry and his muscular arms returned her embrace. After he left her and returned to the street corner, she pulled her phone out again and looked at the photo of the guy she just called. He was older than her and handsome, with just a little light grey in his muzzle and in his still mostly black bandit's mask. "Oh, Johnnie!" she sighed as she touched the photo of the raccoon. "Maybe it's time I took you up on your offer, boyo?"

You can find out more about Meredith's mystery coon and his connection to Jake in Zootopia: A Raccoon's Redemption, Chapter 40: The Perfect Gift