- 1 -
Erica jumped, then screamed. Or perhaps screamed, then jumped, she couldn't remember. All she knew was that there was a strange man in her apartment, she was naked and had nothing resembling a weapon to defend herself with. Without thought, she reached forward and grabbed a shampoo bottle, hefting it like a club as she spun around in the voice.
"Who the fuck are you and how the fuck did you get in here!?" she demanded, sounding far braver than her rapidly beating heart told her she was.
Raising his hands, the man took a step back, "Whoa... whoa... easy. I'm Karl, though you know me by a different name, ja? Alfred."
Erica brandished her improvised weapon threateningly, and Karl took another step back. For a moment, she just stared at him, looking over his facial expressions, looking for a tell that told her he was lying. But as impossible as it sounded, her gut told her it was the truth. It was something in his eyes. They were the same intelligent eyes she recalled from that evening at the shelter.
"Well... Alfred, or Karl, or whoever the hell you are... turn around! I'm naked!"
Karl grinned, but did as he was told. "You know, this isn't the first time I've seen you without clothing," he commented.
"Shut up," she snapped back, pulling a towel off the rack and wrapping herself. "I'm thinking."
While that was partially true, she also found her eyes wandering down the man's body, taking note of the muscular dimples in his ass. She blinked and shook her head, securing the towel.
"Would you put something on!?" she demanded next.
"I have nothing, you know this?" he answered.
Erica grumbled to her self. "Put that on!" she said, shooting her arm passed him, a finger outstretched at her fluffy pink robe.
"Not my color, I think..." Karl started to object before Erica interrupted him.
"Just do it!"
With a sigh, Karl removed the robe from the hook and wrapped himself in it. He turned and presented himself to Erica. "Better?"
Answering him with a curt nod, Erica directed him to the bedroom with a wave of her hand. He obediently started forward, her directly behind, her shampoo bottle left on the counter in the bathroom.
"Sit," she ordered, pointing at a chair in the corner of the room.
"Would you like me to rollover next? " Karl asked, humor playing at his lips and eyes.
"Cute," she replied sarcastically, a small squint in her eye. "Now... I can't believe I'm saying this... tell me something only Alfred would know. Convince me, Asshole."
His face returning to a placid state, Karl answered calmly, "You don't abide dumb men. And you didn't believe me dumb."
A lump formed in Erica's throat and she froze. There was no one else in the kennels with her when she said that to Alfred, she was sure of it. And who the heck says 'abide' in 2024 anyway? Only her, that she knew of.
"Okay..." she started, exhaling a long breath. "Let's say I believe you - that you're my... dog. How... why...?"
Erica stammered for a moment, then shrugged and gestured at Karl, implying he should fill in the gaps.
"I'm a therianthrope," he answered matter-of-factly, his eyes never blinking, his calm expression not shifting.
"A theoryo-wha?"
"Therianthrope. I'm part man, part animal. In my case, what you call a Great Dane."
"So, like a werewolf!?" Erica asked, a bit of shock evident in her voice, her back stiffening.
Karl shrugged. "Something like that. I've been called that before, but I think that is for a specific kind of therian."
"So, you, like, howl at the moon and are allergic to silver?"
That made Karl chuckle. Shaking his head, he said, "No, no. I'm not impervious to being hurt, though I age slowly. And I certainly don't howl at the moon."
Erica frowned. "Is it a full moon tonight or something? Why did you become a person suddenly?"
His face turning serious, almost sullen, Karl answered, "As silly as it might sound, I can only manifest as my human self when someone believes I'm real. When no one is around to believe I'm human, I shift back into the Dane, your Alfred. It had been a long time since anyone had treated me like a real person, and I had no way to turn back. It's how I ended up in the shelter, and how I ended up here."
"Well, I certainly didn't know you were a therianthrope or whatever. Why did you become..." Erica waved a hand up and down Karl's pink-robed form, "Karl."
With a soft smile, Karl answered, "Because you treated me like a person. Your respect and dignity for Alfred allowed me to become Me again."
Letting out another long breath, Erica stood and paced for a moment, thinking, Karl just watching her pace, much like Alfred had.
"OK, well, if you're a person, don't you have a family? A job?"
Sadness returned to Karl's face, and he shook his head. "Not anymore." He didn't elaborate.
Nodding, Erica replied, "OK. First things first - you need clothes. I'll stop by a second hand store and get some for you. You can use the guest room as your own for now. You can't be sleeping in my room anymore. From there... well, we'll figure out something."
Karl stood, the feminine covering barely reaching his mid thigh. "Thank you, Erica. For everything."
She nodded slowly, confused by the gratitude, but only replied, "Alright, get out so I can get dressed."
Karl bowed his head slightly, then left the room.
Erica dressed quickly then left to get Karl some clothes, a wallet and other necessities like toiletries. Shopping and running errands usually cleared her mind, but this trip she was full of questions, disbelief and other tangled emotions she was having trouble processing.
When she returned, Karl was fumbling with the television in Erica's living room. The clothes she bought had fit him well, and the two made up the guest room. They barely spoke to one another, Erica only giving him small answers when asked questions or giving him direction when he needed it. She ordered take out for dinner, then went to bed early, letting Karl sleep in the guest room.
- 2 -
That week had been the strangest Erica had ever lived. She would quickly get ready each morning and rush out of the house for the office, work until very late choosing to eat dinner at her computer at the firm, coming home to simply return to bed and repeat the cycle. Karl had made comments to her, about her not keeping her normal schedule and habits, but she dismissed his concerns each time. He knew it, and she knew it - Erica was avoiding him.
Erica's eyes burned as she stared at her computer display in the dimly lit office building. It was 9 PM, Friday night, and she was absolutely fried. She had been dreading going home, mainly due to the idea that she'd have to spend the weekend there, with HIM. It's not that he was unpleasant to be around, nor was he unpleasant on the eyes, but she wasn't sure how to act around Karl.
Erica tried typing a few more words into her Motion document, but gave up, exhausted. She packed her things and went home.
When she entered her home, Karl wasn't in any of the common areas, though when she passed his room in the hall, she saw his light on. Going to her own room, she changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, then returned to the couch, plopping down with her remote to put on a movie. Finding a romantic comedy on one of the many streaming services she subscribed to, she tucked in on the couch to relax.
Warm hands gripping her shoulders gently from behind pulled her from the distraction of the film. Slowly, they began to apply pressure into the stiff muscles there, loosening them. Despite herself, Erica let out a soft moan and closed her eyes.
"Rough week?" Karl's voice came from behind her, low and quiet.
Erica nodded, but said nothing. Part of her wanted to bolt, head for her room and lock the door. The part of her that won out was the one that couldn't walk away from an amazing massage.
Karl's hands worked her shoulders, then moved to the back of her neck, alternating between pinching the muscles along the sides and putting force along her upper spine. His hands then worked back to her shoulders and down the sides of her arms, massaging her biceps and forearms.
As his hands worked lower, she felt his warm breath against her neck, replaced shortly after with the soft touch of his lips. Erica's breath caught in her throat, and the urge to bolt again rose up, but again, another part of her kept her sitting tight.
Karl's fingers wrapped themselves into the digits of Erica's left hand, gripping her tenderly. His right hand moved to her belly before inching higher, beneath her breast. She hadn't realized how large his hands were until that moment when he cupped her breast, reaching his thumb and forefinger up to tease at her nipple. Erica's left hand returned his grip with a squeeze as Karl's massage became far more intimate.
Releasing her hand, Karl reached forward and under the waistband of Erica's sweats, quickly finding her pantiless mound waiting for him. His long fingers probed at her folds, lightly teasing the sensitive bud beneath them. Erica gasped at the touch, her hips squirming into his hand.
"Would you like more?" Karl's voice rumbled in her ear. Erica nodded quickly, her eyes closed, her mind focused intently on his touch.
His hands retracted from Erica's body, eliciting a quiet whimper from her pursed, pink lips. She hadn't opened her eyes, but she could hear Karl stepping around the couch to come in front of her. She heard him sink to his knees, then felt his powerful hands stroke from her knees back to her hips. Gripping her sweats, he pulled, taking them off in one motion.
Her legs formed goosebumps from the chill of no longer being covered, though she was quickly warmed by small nips of Karl's teeth and swipes of his tongue as he worked his way up her inner thigh. As his lips formed a seal around her pussy, she inhaled deeply, releasing the breath in a moan as his tongue shot into her waiting clit. His fingers dipped inside her, and with long strokes he continued his massage, this time along the inner walls of her now aching sex.
Erica's hands reached forward, gripping Karl's hair, scratching at his scalp as he took his time pleasing her. His free hand slipped under her t-shirt, tweaking a nipple as he eagerly went down on her.
Letting herself relax and release her trust to him, she found herself quickly achieve climax. Time stopped having meaning for her, losing track of it as she put all of her focus into the bliss he was performing for her. Erica felt herself teetering on the precipice of a second orgasm, but she held herself back, despite Karl's skilled touch.
"I want you inside of me, Karl. I want to cum with you..." Erica's voice sounded raspy to her own ears, her mouth dry from heavy breathing and moaning.
