Doggie Style

By Julia Talbot

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Ray stared

down at the hairy behemoth his adopted sister had just
brought in on a catch leash.

"Dress it up." Allie grinned at him, holding out the

nylon rope. "He's got twenty-four hours before they
euthanize him. We're trying to get him a stay of
execution by doing a news piece on him.

The dog was enormous. Maybe an Irish wolfhound

mix. Maybe part wolf hybrid. He was an indeterminate

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brownish-gray color, with lots of ear and huge feet.
Amazing.

"I do small dog clothes." Ray murmured, his wolf

senses trying to come to life. As civilized as he thought
he was, they rose up every so often.

"You do charity events."
"Yeah." This was not his usual thing at all, though.

"Maybe something for St. Patrick's Day."

The dog's ears swiveled, then laid back flat, one big

tooth baring itself in the dog's mouth.

Allie chuckled. "I think that's a no."
"I guess so. I'll figure it out, huh? Why don't you just

leave him with me and let me sketch."

"Sure. I'm going to get a coffee." She winked at him,

and he finally took the leash. "In fact, can you keep him
overnight? We never have gotten to evaluate him in a
home instead of the shelter."

Ray eyed the wolf, who eyed him right back. Not in

that stare-down kind of way, which was good, because
he wasn't going to lose a staring contest with a dog. So
not. Still, it was clearly an evaluation.

"I guess I could do that."
"Awesome. Ciao." Allie flounced out the door,

leaving him holding the nylon catch leash and sighing.
God save him from sisters who went to Italy for months
at a time to learn to cook for their Cuban husbands who
didn't even like Italian food.

Ray glanced at the dog again. "Looks like it's you and

me, buddy."

The dog very deliberately bent and licked its -- intact

-- balls.

"Dude. You are one lucky bastard. I guess they

figured if you weren't adoptable they didn't need to cut
you."

That got him another little snarl, almost like the beast

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knew what he was saying. Lord, look at him, talking to a
dog like it was a pack mate. Maybe it was because the
dog looked like a wolf-hybrid. It was making him
fanciful.

Ray figured he was the last werewolf on Earth; it had

been so long since he'd met another. That was why he
worked so hard to live as a regular man. He had to stay
hidden, to seem normal.

He tied the catch-leash to a hook on the wall, then

grabbed a sketch book.

"Maybe a harness. I could do a manly yet restrained

tricked out harness for you."

That was a great idea. Macho dog like that didn't

need clothes, really, and he sure wouldn't fit in a bag. A
raincoat would be silly with a thick double coat like that,
so a harness it was.

"How do you feel about a nice dark green?"
"Why not plaid?"
Ray whirled around and almost fell back on his butt.

His sketchbook skidded away, the pencil snapping in his
fingers. There was a man where the big dog had been,
naked but for a nylon rope around his neck.

"What did you do with the dog?"
One dark brown eyebrow rose, which made the gray

hair on the guy's head seem weird, like it was premature.
It was really attractive on the guy, but that didn't stop
Ray from gaping like an idiot.

"Dude, you're like me. I can smell it. How can you

ask what I did with the dog?"

Ray blinked. Then he blinked again. "Like you? I--"

His breath was just… wow. Caught in his chest and
threatening to make him pass out.

"Yeah. Like, I know I'm not local pack or anything,

but you can shift, right? You're a wolf?'

Ray groped for his desk chair, trying to make sense

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of all of this. Theoretically there had to be more
creatures like him, but he'd never met one. Not ever.
"There is no local pack."

"No pack?" Those eyebrows gyrated. "No shit. Man,

you must be ready to explode."

"I'm not… I don't." Shit. Maybe he was just losing

his mind. "If I can find you a pair of sweatpants, would
you wear them?"

"Sure," The guy grinned hugely. "I'm Doc, by the

way."

"Nice to meet you, Doc."
Ray climbed to his feet, going to the back room to

find some clothes for the dog who wasn't a dog. He
guessed he didn't need to make that tricked out harness
anymore, either.

He just wondered how the hell he was going to

explain this mess to Allie.

***

Doc looked around the little shop while he waited for

Ray to come back. It was obviously one of those places
that was attached to a house, or was an outbuilding on
private property. He hadn't seen much on the drive over
due to the crate he'd been stuffed into.

Man, was he glad he'd gotten out of the shelter before

they decided to take his balls.

How fucking embarrassing was it that he'd been

caught and put in doggie jail, anyway? That was what he
got for falling for a city dweller. Well, falling for his
tight, tiny ass, anyway. Jared had moved on and left Doc
behind, though, and he'd gotten drunk and decided to
sleep it off under a park bench.

"Not my brightest move," he murmured.
"What?" The hot little muscle man came back in,

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holding a pair of soft, gray sweatpants.

"Oh, just mumbling about my own stupidity. A

shelter, of all things. I had to work hard not to be
adoptable, too. Thank God for your sister."

The guy, Ray, just stared at him, standing stock still

and holding the pants.

Doc tilted his head. "How does that even work,

anyway? She's not one of us."

"I was adopted." Ray thrust the pants at him, arm

muscles bulging. "Here."

"Thanks."
"Uh, where are you from?"
"Wyoming." That was quite a ways from

Albuquerque, he knew, but he'd been chasing Jared's
tail. That was pretty much over now.

"Are there a lot of, uh, us? Up there?"
"Pretty much, yeah." He grinned. "So, where are you

from, then?"

"My paperwork says Denver." Ray shrugged. "My

folks didn't seem surprised, so there had to be some kind
of knowledge passed on."

"Weird." Doc looked around the shop. "So, you make

clothes for dogs?"

"I do." Ray crossed his arms over his chest.
"I don't judge." The man's instincts had to have

pulled him into a job where he got to be near canines, if
not lupine animals.

"Thanks. So, do I want to ask what happened?"
"I let my dick lead me."
Ray barked out a laugh, dark green eyes twinkling.

"Was she worth it?"

"He. And I sure thought so at the time."
"You're queer?" Now Ray took a step back, his

defensive posture falling away into pure shock.

"I am." Doc pulled the pants on, covering up just in

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case. "Is that an issue?"

"No! No. I mean, it's none of my business."
"I guess not."
"Is he out of the picture?" There was something there

in the question, something that made him stop and
listen, his nose quivering.

"Jared? Yeah. Moved on to Dallas. I don't really get a

city wolf life. How do you stand it, man?"

"I don't know anything else." Ray shrugged again,

those amazing muscles shifting under his soft shirt. It
was pretty to watch, and Doc got distracted a little.
Wow.

He jerked his eyes back up when Ray cleared his

throat. "You've never gone looking for more of us?"

"No." Ray's eyes flickered away from his gaze. "Are

you-- are you hungry?"

Doc's stomach growled. "Starving."
"Well, come on. I'll get you some food." Ray

gestured for him to follow, and they headed out a side
door. It led to a garage, and then into a long, low adobe
house. Nice.

The place was all red tile floors and whitewashed

walls, cool and calming. There were niches with little
carvings and stuff, and on the walls there were pictures
of dogs. Hundreds of them.

"You live alone?"
Ray nodded, rummaging in the fridge in the kitchen.

The rest of the house might say civilized human, but the
icebox said, 'meat-eater'.

"I do. I hate having to hide from people, you know?"
"What do you do on the moon?"
"My sister locks me up." Ray pulled out a package of

something that smelled like elk.

Doc's mouth watered, even as he registered how

much that sucked. "You mean you've never run on the

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moon?"

"No. What if I hurt someone? What if I got shot? I

can't chance it."

Oh, man, that was horrible. Never running on the

moon in his whole life? That just wasn't fair. The moon
was coming in a few days, so Doc did the only thing he
could. "You could come with me. We'll go up in the
mountains. I can keep you in line."

He was just alpha enough that he could do it,

especially with someone who'd never run before, who
likely didn't change much.

To his everlasting surprise, Ray looked up, meeting

his eyes, and nodded. "Okay."

***

Ray couldn't believe the word that had just come out

of his mouth. He didn't know this guy from Adam, didn't
know what would happen if he gave in to the wolf inside
him.

He'd always been so carefully contained.
Now he was doing crazy shit after five minutes of

meeting this Doc guy. What was he thinking?

"Cool!" Doc grinned, coming over and standing

close, sharing air with him. He swore the man sniffed
him.

Without thinking too hard about it, Ray leaned close

and sniffed Doc back. Beneath the antiseptic scent of the
shelter he could smell pine and musk. It was stunningly
attractive.

One of Doc's hands landed on the back of his neck,

warm, the fingers callused. "Are you into guys, too,
Ray?"

"I am." He admitted that about as rarely as he did

being a werewolf. It was just too dangerous; one truth

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tended to lead to another.

"That's awesome. I'll have to thank your sister

sometime." Doc bent and kissed him, and Ray gasped,
his body coming alive at the touch. This was crazy. He
was just a guy who owned a business called Doggie
Style. He was not the kind of man who met someone
and made out with them and agreed to go out on the full
moon.

He just wasn't.
The phone rang, making him jump three feet back,

putting distance between him and Doc. He reached for
it, disgusted to note his hand was shaking.

"Hello?"
"Hey, bro." Allie sounded like she was chewing

something. "I forgot to mention that the big guy hasn't
been fed today. Can you give him some kibble?"

He fought the urge to laugh hysterically. "Sure."
"Thanks."
"Anything else?"
"Nope. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Uh-huh. Bye."
He hung up, then stood there, staring at Doc. Again.

He tried really hard not to notice the hard on pressing
against the front of Doc's -- his -- sweatpants.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," Doc said.
"S'okay. Let's eat, huh?"
Doc nodded easily. "You bet. You're not going to

back out on me are you?"

"Huh?"
"On the moon."
"Oh!" His ears heated. "No. No, I'll go with you.

We'll have to leave in the morning, though, before Allie
comes for you."

It was like he was possessed, saying all this weird

shit. It was completely unlike him. There was something

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about Doc, though, that made him restless.

"Cool. You want some help?"
"Why not?" He handed the package of meat to Doc.

"Chop."

"You got it."
He watched Doc move around his kitchen like the

fool owned it for a few seconds before he snapped out of
it and went to get the bread. This was certainly the most
interesting day he'd had in ages. He almost couldn't wait
to see what happened next.

***

The TV sounded a little tinny when you turned the

sound almost off. Still, it was a big screen, and The
Brotherhood of the Wolf was a hilarious movie. It was
damned near four a.m., and he and Ray had eaten
themselves into a coma, and then slept.

He'd woken curled up around Ray's butt, which had

been inspiring, but he hadn't want to overstep his bounds
again, so he eased away, ready to take Ray up into the
mountains and run. He hadn't expected to stay, let alone
exchange life stories and shit, but they'd really hit it off.

A knock on the door stopped him in his tracks on the

way to the kitchen. Shit. What should he do?

"Coming!" He heard Ray slide off the bed and shuffle

to the door. Whew.

Doc slipped into the kitchen, staying out of sight.
"Do you have coffee?"
"No. Allie, it's the middle of the night."
The sister, then. Shit. He hoped the shelter hadn't

called her and asked her to bring him back.

"I know. I-- there's something about that dog, Ray. I

can't just take him back. I'm going to take him to a
sanctuary outside of Santa Fe."

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Aw. That was so sweet. Maybe Ray's not-wolf family

had some latent were' in them after all.

"No worries, sis. I've decided to foster him."
"What? You only like small dogs."
"Well, you're right. There's something about this

one." The footsteps that had been advancing to the
kitchen turned back toward the front door. "Go home
and get some sleep. I'll keep him here a few days and
then we'll do paperwork, huh?"

"Okay." Doc heard Allie sniffle. "You're a good guy,

Ray."

"I am. Go on, honey."
The door closed, but Doc waited for the sound of her

car pulling out before he came back into the front room.

"So, you're keeping me?"
Ray turned to stare at him, mouth kicking up on one

side. "Well, it worked for the time being."

"It did. Pack a bag, man. I want to head out now."
That got him another long look. "Yeah? You really

want me to come with you? What if I can't change? Or if
I attack you."

"You won't." This was going to be so awesome. He

could feel it. Hell, he'd bet he could coax Ray to change
before the moon actually came.

"Let me--you get some food?"
"I can do that." At least he didn't have to pack a bag.

He'd left Wyoming with nothing, and he'd go back the
same way.

"Cool." Ray disappeared, and Doc packed enough

food to last until they could hunt.

When Ray slipped back into the kitchen, trying to

pass him by, Doc caught the man by the arm.

Ray turned, brows going up, but Doc just couldn't

stop himself. He pulled Ray close and took a kiss from
that open mouth. When Ray's gasp opened those soft

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lips even more, Doc took the kiss deep, his whole body
feeling the bond between him and Ray opening up and
growing.

Oh, God. Hot as the sex had been, he'd never felt a

tingle of this kind of bond with Jared. Not even a tiny
bit. This was something special.

Groaning, Ray pushed up against him, slamming him

back so his butt hit the kitchen counter. He held tight to
Ray's shoulders, humping against the ridged belly. Ray's
body was a polar opposite of Doc's naturally lean one,
made to run. Ray's was sculpted, beaten into submission
by weight machines. Doc loved it.

When he could think again, he shoved his hand down

the back of Ray's workout shorts, fingers tracing Ray's
crack. "Want you."

Ray froze, barely breathing against him. "I don't

bottom, man."

"You don't or you haven't?" Doc thought that was an

important distinction.

"I haven't, and I'm not at all sure I want to."
He met Ray's bright eyes, staring a moment. Then he

nodded. "Hey, no big. No reason we can't still get off,
huh?"

Doc took one more kiss before he slid to his knees

and yanked Ray's shorts down. Ray's cock was thick,
uncut, and hard as a rock. Perfect for sucking. Doc took
the tip in his mouth, licking at it, pushing his tongue
against the foreskin.

Ray shouted, pushing into his mouth hard enough

that he had to fight to breathe. Oh, yeah. Someone
needed to come, and come hard. He reached up, palm
under Ray's balls, rolling them. He could so help with
that.

Licking, sucking all the way down, Doc gave Ray the

royal treatment, starting to bob up and down. Ray

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growled, the sound more wolf than human, primal, and
Doc nodded as much as he could. Yeah. Yeah, that was
it.

"Close," Ray warned him, and he hummed, pushing

Ray's balls up against the base of that amazing cock.

Ray grunted, hips moving fast, then stilling when

Ray came for him, thick seed sliding down Doc's throat.

Slipping free, Ray sank down, knees hitting the floor

with a thud. Those pretty eyes were unfocused, but Ray
reached for him, hand digging into his sweats. He
jumped when Ray found his cock, pushing up with his
hips. Oh, God, that felt good. Ray had hot, hard hands,
and a firm grip. He didn't have to fumble around; it was
like he knew just how Doc liked it.

He rode Ray's touch, just hot as hell, his balls trying

to pull up into his body, it seemed like. It didn't take
long. Ray tapped his slit with one thumbnail and boom.
Doc came like a ton of bricks.

Panting, he leaned against Ray's shoulder.
"This is crazy." Ray's chuckle was breathless as hell.

"I barely know you."

"Uh-huh. This is why you live in a city and make dog

clothes. You've repressed too many fucking urges over
the years."

"Well, be good and I'll stop." Ray climbed to his feet,

pulling up his shorts. "Come on. We have a moon to get
to."

"We do." And he wasn't about to miss it.

***

The moon came and Ray couldn't even begin to

explain what happened.

He ran.
They drove up to where the high desert met the

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Sandia mountains, and they ran. He'd thought it would
be hard to change, but as soon as the moon touched him,
his body shifted, becoming smaller, fuzzier, and he'd
howled out his pleasure to the night.

They woke up next to his truck, the sun shining down

on their naked bodies, Doc curled up against his belly.

"Hey, man." Doc pushed up, kissing him. "How are

you?"

"Freaked out." He ached all over, and when he

looked down he thought maybe he had leprosy,
hundreds of bruises and scrapes covering his skin. He'd
never been happier as he'd been under the moon, though.
Never.

That was the most frightening thing of all.
"Well, you did great, Ray." Doc looked so earnest.

"You should totally come with me."

"With you." He sat up as well, shaking dirt out of his

hair. "Where?"

"Back to Wyoming. To the pack."
"I live here." He had a life. His business. Allie.
"You're a wolf." Doc's mouth flattened into a hard

line. "I think you're my mate. You should come with
me."

"Mates!" Ray snorted, even if it hurt deep in his belly

just trying to deny it. "We just met. I don't believe in
that whole fated mate shit."

Doc rolled to his feet, unbending easily. "Well, if you

change your mind, come on up. I'm up by Cody, up in
Teton National forest."

"Right. Because I'll just be able to look you up."
Doc shrugged. "Your loss, man. I'm through chasing

ass and being miserable for a dude." The man
shimmered, the wolf standing before him. Doc was just
as odd in his coloring in wolf form as he was as a
human, but somehow it worked for him.

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When Doc turned tail and trotted away, Ray could

hardly believe it. He didn't know what he'd expected, but
it wasn't Doc just leaving.

He just-- maybe he'd dreamed the last few days.
If that was how it worked out, maybe Doc was right.

He really did need to get out more.

***

"I'm on my way over, Ray." Allie sounded like she

was chewing something. He would swear every time
he'd talked to her lately she was eating. She was either
pregnant or she had a tapeworm.

"I'm not in the mood, honey. I have a lot of work to

catch up on." He'd moped around for a week or two after
Doc had left, which was ridiculous. You couldn't love
someone you didn't even know, right? So he'd finally
started taking orders again. Today he had to pound out a
leather carry bag for a Chihuahua and a ballerina outfit
for a pom.

"Well, I'm coming anyway. I got you a muffin. And I

have something of yours."

"Whatever, hon." He hung up, knowing she'd chew

his ass when she got there, but unable to care. He'd gone
back to that spot in the foothills three times in the last
two weeks trying to catch Doc's scent, trying to follow
it.

Too bad he wasn't in touch with his instincts enough

to catch it.

Allie pulled up in the yard a while later, and Ray

went to meet her. He really ought to apologize for being
a prick.

She hopped out of her SUV, grinning and holding out

a bag. "Your muffin. Peanut butter banana."

"Thanks, hon." He kissed her cheek.

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"That's not all. I know you've been so depressed since

that foster dog ran off. So, I brought you something."

Oh, no. The last thing he needed was a stray dog.

Still, Allie went right back to the back of her car,
opening the wire crate it held.

Ray almost fell over when a shaggy wolf-hybrid-

looking gray dog hopped out, wagging its tail.

"Doc?"
Allie nodded happily. "He showed up at the shelter!

Can you believe it? I think he got lost chasing a coyote
out here or something and couldn't find his way back."

"Did you get him fixed this time?" Ray asked,

watching Doc's ears flatten.

"No. I thought I'd just bring him right out." Allie

frowned. "I could handle that for you, though. It would
keep him from wandering."

Ray burst out laughing at the look of lupine outrage

on Doc's face. "Nah. I can take it from here."

"Okay. Are you happy?"
She looked so unsure that he hugged her tight,

swinging her in a circle. "I am. Thanks, Sis."

Allie smacked a kiss on his cheek. "I love you. I have

to go. I have to pee in a cup and get blood drawn."

"You are pregnant."
She hooted. "I sure hope so. Otherwise I have an

alien in there trying to get out. Later, Ray."

He watched her leave, holding Doc's leash in his

hand. Then he turned and headed into the house, not
knowing what else to do.

Doc followed sedately until they were inside, but that

was where the leash went taut, the human appearing
where the wolf had been.

"Thought you were leaving," Ray finally said after

the stand-off got too hard to bear.

"You said you were keeping me. I decided to hold

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you to it."

"I live in a city."
"On the edge. You have a big place." Doc shrugged.

"It's worth it. It hurts too much without you."

Ray felt like smiling for the first time since Doc had

left, so he let it out, walking over to slip the catch leash
off Doc's neck.

"You know what?"
"What?" Doc murmured, coming close enough to

kiss.

"I've decided I believe in that fated mate crap."
Doc laughed, hands landing on Ray's hips. "Doggie

Style?"

Ray snorted. No. Dogs were too domestic. This

whole thing with Doc was about wild instinct. "Fuck
that. These days I think wolf style."

End

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Doggie Style

Copyright © 2012 by Julia Talbot

All rights reserved. No part of this eBook may be used
or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission except in case of brief quotations embodied
in critical articles or reviews. For information address
Torquere Press, Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX
78680

Printed in the United States of America.

Torquere Press, Inc.: Sips electronic edition / March
2012

Torquere Press eBooks are published by Torquere Press,
Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock, TX 78680

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