Animal Café Ch. 31

Author's note: Please read this before beginning. The Animal café series will end at chapter 33. When I wrote this chapter 31, I didn't know for sure it would be the end, but the more I put my heart into it, and the more mysteries I revealed, the more I knew it had to end.

What you will read here, if you have the guts to read 21000 words, is Lucy's story and how the café came to see the light. It is also Vix's story because her story is tied directly to Lucy. I would recommend you read a few early chapters of the series before you tackle this one, just to give yourself the best chance possible to understand what this chapter is about.

If you are a huge fan of animal café, I have no doubt that this chapter will fill up your heart with love, but also with some shredding pain.

It is not really erotic, so if that's the only thing you are after, you'll be disappointed. For everybody else, enjoy the experience, and keep in mind that after this, there is only two small chapters to conclude the series.

Thanks so much for your support over the years.

"Why did Lucy want all of us to come to the café today? Usually, she is like, "No, Trixie! I don't want to see your rat face at the café when you are not working," and then she refuses to give me a piece of cake, and I have to steal one."

"I don't know, Trixie. Maybe she is going to scold us because we sneaked out of the pethouse while wearing the rabbit costume the other day."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that, Clara. Yes, you shouldn't have done that!"

"..."

"Trixie! Leave Clara alone! You know it was your idea!"

"No! It was yours, Misti!"

"Oh? So, a second ago, it was Clara's idea, and now it was mine? They should have put that cast around your head instead of your arm."

"Keep quiet, shrimp. Lucy didn't sound like her normal self. I hope everything is alright."

Meeka was always the mature one, and once more, she was right. The last time we did something with all the pets together was during the Christmas event. It was highly unusual for Lucy to ask all her employees to show up at the café for a meeting. And even if I wasn't a pet, my presence was also required. The theory that we would all get scolded for what we did a while ago was not void of sense, but at the same time, it didn't perfectly match the situation. So, for now, it was just that, a theory.

On our way to the café, Trixie bought a giant freshly baked pretzel using Meeka's money. That rabbit girl would never learn how to control herself when it came to food, or at the very least, how not to deplete the content of her wallet. Since she had not paid for it, there was no reason for us not to steam a piece of the pretzel just to make sure it was as good as she claimed it to be.

But then, we quickly arrived at the Cakes & Pets, where we became a little apprehensive. Meeka, who wasn't as stressed as the rest of us because she had never done anything wrong, opened the door and entered the shop first.

"Hi, Lucy!"

"Ah! You are finally here. Good. Everybody is waiting for you in the lounge."

"Waiting for us?"

"Yes... It's a special day today. I'm not opening the café, and we are going to spend some time together."

"Sounds good to me. I'll go cuddle the crap out of Savannah!"

"No, Meeka... She isn't here today. She finished her shift this morning and doesn't need to be here. She is too new."

"Aww... Okay. But you sound mysterious."

"Just get into the lounge, and I'll explain everything."

"Oookay! If you say sooo."

The rest of our little group also said hi to Lucy on our way to the lounge, but she was just casually finishing some paperwork at the reception desk as if it was business as usual. That said, she looked suspiciously happy today for some reason. Whatever was the reason for our presence here, it didn't feel like we would get into as much trouble as we had anticipated. We were definitely okay with that.

Meeka unlocked the lounge door and let us in. As soon as I stepped into my favorite room in the entire world, I quickly hid behind Trixie.

I retracted my previous statement. Now we were totally screwed.

Lucy's mysterious husband, Shane, was there, sitting at a table next to Vix. All the petgirls were in costume; Oreo, Vix, Accalia, and Asha.

I whispered in Trixie's ear.

"Trixie... Shane is here."

"I see that. That's a first. HEY SHANE!"

Nooo! Why did Trixie have to attract his attention by calling his name so loudly? She also hopped in his direction and landed on his lap without even asking permission first.

Oh, Shane didn't like that much.

"Aaah! Trixie! Get off me! I told you a thousand times. I'm not into petgirls!"

"I'm not a petgirl! I don't wear a costume today."

"You act like one."

"Ha! No. Don't push me. I'm staying! What are you doing here anyway?"

"Lucy and I need to talk to you."

"Oh? About what I think it is?"

"... Maybe. Get off me now."

"No. I'm staying. Grab my thin waist and hug me! I'm a cuddly bunny!"

"Arrr! I told you, I'm not into petgirls!"

Not only Trixie had no intention to get off of him, but she even wrapped her arms around his neck as if they were best buddies. She indeed acted like a petgirl. Shane didn't look like he approved the move, yet he didn't seem determined to push her away. Definitely, those two knew each other more than just a little bit. They probably had a history that I didn't know about.

Not wanting to get involved with any of this, I rushed to Oreo, my girlfriend, and used her as my new feline shield by sitting behind her and wrapping my arms around her torso. She didn't seem to mind too much. The small black and white cat seemed as confused as I was because she shrugged when I asked her what was going on and then pushed her back against my chest as if she sought the same reassurance.

What was going on here? Only Vix and Trixie seemed to be as decontracted as uncooked bacon. Something was definitely not normal today. But perhaps we would soon learn more about this impromptu event because Lucy entered the lounge with a serving tray full of mini-cakes, a coffee pot, and a few water bottles for the costumed pets. She placed it on the floor for all of us to access. How casual.

"Alright, everyone. Today is a special day. As you noticed, Shane is here, which is a bit unusual. We wanted to talk to you about something. Right, Shane?"

"Yes. A way overdue discussion."

"I agree. And that is all because of Trixie, the rule breaker."

Aww, crap!

So Lucy knew about what we had done the other day, sneaking out of the pethouse in costume. What now? Would this be a public punishment? On the day of the crime, I was the one who wore the bunny suit, but I had not decided anything. So would I be punished as well? I crushed Oreo with my arms just a bit more.

Lucy continued.

"So, first of all, I want to apologize. Shane and I should have been open about this a long time ago, but life is not always simple. We had a very good discussion about this the other day, and for the first time in years, we managed to get on the same page. Only then we realized how much we had hurt some of you with our mysteries and secrets. Sometimes we think we are doing the right thing, but then we realize we do the opposite. There were no ill intentions, but today we decided to put an end to this vicious cycle and share something very personal with you."

While we were all trying to understand what Lucy talked about, Vix stood up on the bench and began pointing at herself repeatedly, making Lucy smile.

"Hehe. Yes, Vix. It's all about you, of course."

Uh? The mystery deepened. I knew Vix was one of the original pets, but I had no clue how she was linked to Lucy's life. With this small interaction, we all understood that there might have been more between them than we had first thought. I really wondered what kind of special connection they had.

Somehow, the mood was light and peaceful. Lucy didn't seem angry, so it seemed likely at this point that our infraction wasn't the root cause of this unusual gathering. Perhaps it would be best just to sit quietly with Oreo and abandon all my expectations during her storytelling. Usually, people didn't give cakes and coffee to the people that were about to get punished.

Fixating Lucy with uneasiness, I dared extend my arm and grab one of the cakes from the tray. The triple chocolate one.

"Aaah! Clara! That's the one I wanted!"

"Oh? Here, Misti. You can have it."

"Nah! That's okay, keep it. I'll just get the caramel one."

As if Lucy wanted to put us at ease, she simply paused her dialogue while we came up with a cake agreement. There was no rush to proceed with her story, which made everybody calm down a bit more.

But after we planted our fork in the high-calorie food, Lucy initiated what would be a lengthier tale than any of us could have expected.

"Alright. So, let's start from the beginning. Bear with us because this is all going to sound strange to many of you."

***

Many years ago...

"AAAAH! Stupid car!"

Furious, a young woman violently kicked her car tire. Unsurprisingly, the vehicle didn't react to the aggression and stayed immobile on the side of the road, refusing to cooperate. It died a few minutes ago at the worst possible time. Even if the girl looked pretty and gracious, her aura emanated strength and determination with a darker shade of evilness. If this violent kick didn't fix her mechanical issue, the next one surely would.

"No! No! No! Not today! Not today, you piece of junk!"

And her second kick did confirm that the car didn't care about her feelings one bit. Her short heel efficiently printed her shoe's brand in the back panel of the vehicle. Maybe she shouldn't have done that, but at least she got some relief out of her irrational action.

A display of mental strength, however, wasn't a substitute for her lack of knowledge. Troubleshooting a car problem wasn't something she had ever done or had an interest in. Unfortunately, such knowledge would have come in handy today. With nothing else to turn to, her rage resumed.

"Uuuurgh! I'm never going to make it! Raaah!"

Indeed, it was terrible timing. The pretty woman wearing a very classy business suit let herself fall on her back on the top of the burning hood that her now-dead engine had heated up. Even the metal scorching her back wasn't enough to make her disappointment evaporate.

She closed her eyes, and her perfectly feminine lips let out a profound message destined to the Gods.

"Fuck my life! I wanna die!"

One should never underestimate the power of coincidence, though. As her last sentence got lost between the clouds above her depressed face, an answer to her hateful prayer came not from the sky but a few inches away from her right ear.

"Dying wouldn't be fun."

"AAAAH! FUCK ME!"

"Too early. Can we go on a date first?"

The young woman tumbled down the car hood and ended up on her knees, powerfully startled by the unexpected male voice which pulled her from her abandonment using misplaced sarcasm. As the cars were flying on the road beside her, accompanied by the deafening tire noise eating the asphalt, she stared at a well-dressed young man who was seemingly proud of his bad joke. That said, his hands stuffed deep inside his pockets signaled that he wasn't a threat to her.

"Who... Who are you?"

"My name is Shane. I just stopped to check if you need assistance."

"Oh... Well... No. I have to call a towing and... Ah, whatever... I'm fucked anyway."

"You swear a lot. Do you need to go somewhere?"

"Yes. An interview for a job I really wanted. But I won't make it now."

"Where is it?"

"... Downtown... but..."

"I'll get you there. Follow me..."

"Hey! Wait! I... I don't know you..."

"I don't know you either. So please, don't murder me."

"..."

"Hurry! I'll get you there."

"..."

He wasn't funny. So why did she rise to her feet and followed him to his car? It wasn't safe for a twenty-three years old woman to do this. Why would she trust this guy who didn't seem any older than she was? She grabbed a few things from her dead car and trotted to the passenger side of his vehicle after unconsciously having accepted his ludicrous offer. Every aspect of this emergency plan was terrible. Not only was it not recommended for a defenseless woman to climb aboard a stranger's car, but on top of that, she was already very late. The long minutes spent battering her iron corpse had caused her appointment to be improbably achievable.

So, why?

She sat in the vehicle, just to feel even worse about the whole thing. Why was his car so much better than hers? There was no dust, and everything was made of leather. Why was it not full of scratches and smelling funny? It was as unfair as intimidating.

"Shane... are you rich or..."

"Seatbelt, please?"

"Oh... yes.. Sorry. But hey... don't drive too fast, right... it's... it's okay if I miss my appointment."

"You said it was important to you?"

"Yes but... YAAARG!"

She had never experienced something as terrifying as this. Shane got back on the road and obliterated his accelerator. At that moment, the small woman sank in her seat and felt her internal organs turning into mashed potatoes. No cars should be allowed to go this fast.

At that point, two thoughts crossed her mind.

She wouldn't be late for her appointment.

She would murder this guy.

The first had to occur before the second for her own benefit, so Shane would be allowed to live until later that night.

Breaking all the road rules and risking a hefty traffic ticket, the silver luxury car floated on the highway and zigzagged effortlessly between the other vehicles as if they had no other purpose than enhancing this action scene. How was it possible that such reckless behavior, something so scary, felt safe?

What was this about?

Keeping his eyes on the road for a good reason, he didn't look at her, yet she stared at him. Her soul wanted to scream. Slow down! You are going to kill us! Yet, her heart entrusted him. This made no sense. Why?

Why do I trust you? You imbecile!

"What's the address?"

"..."

"Where are we going? We are getting close from downtown now."

"... 275 Slater..."

"Ah, yes. Gotcha. You work in finance?"

"... How... how do you know?"

"You just told me, and I also see how you are dressed."

"..."

The last stretch of the trip was as disturbing as the first. Why would this man risk a ticket so that she could attend an interview that was meaningless to him? Why would he help her? What was the goal?

As they performed the last turn before arriving at their destination, she stared at him once more, trying to get some answer using her own eyes, but he wasn't communicating anything. His goal was to save her, and that was it. His focus prevented him from having any secondary intentions. It was a genuine act of bravery to help a damsel in distress. One of those acts... The ones that counted the most in life.

Screeech!

"That's it. We are here. Go now!"

"... Shane..."

"Just go! Hurry! Good luck with your interview."

"..."

No thanks were necessary. He didn't want any. He didn't need any. With his mission fulfilled, he would return to his regular business, whatever it was. She opened the door and stepped outside of the warm vehicle before slamming it closed and turning around to enter the building.

But just as she was about to do that, one last thought crossed her mind.

"Fuck me!"

She returned to the car and knocked hard on the window. Before it broke, Shane lowered it and leaned over to look at her. Yes, she had an important message for him.

"My name is Lucy, and if you are not at this exact same spot at 4 pm, I swear, I will hunt you down and slash your tires."

"... Uh? Why?"

"Because I want you to fuck me so badly."

"Oh, I will be here, then."

"No condom!"

"Noted."

Lucy turned around, young and empowered. She had decided on the way to repay him, it was her prerogative, and she needed to do it. Her upcoming interview seemed quite unimportant at this point.

***

3 months later...

"Are we really doing this?"

"Absolutely!"

"Okay, then put some more energy into it."

"Shhh... Lucy. Try to be romantic for once."

Inside a luxurious penthouse at the top of a big insurance building, Lucy rested on her back on the big bed. On top of her, naked, was Shane, fucking her with passion while trying to ignore her usual sarcasm and strong woman attitude. For once, Lucy could tone it down, just to make things easier. This fuck was nothing like their normal lovemaking.

Their new premature goal as a couple was to create a new human, a very small and fragile one.

Months ago, on the day she met him, her interview fell flat. As important as this job had seemed to be on the very day she tried to convince these people to hire her, as disappointed she had been after meeting with them. She had landed into a macho nest, and they had looked down on her because she was a woman, which had drastically clashed with her core personality. Lucy was way too strong-willed to accept this kind of caveman attitude. She had put an end to the interview, not even halfway through it, switching the table on them. They had tried to convince her to stay, but once her mind was set on something, there was no coming back. Lucy never had that kind of patience with the people she disliked.

As she had promised, at 4 pm, she returned to this same location with the objective of rewarding her knight in shining armor, Shane, this odd guy who had selflessly allowed her to enjoy this rare opportunity.

He had come back. He was there, waiting for her. She had unhesitantly climbed back in his car, and he drove her to a nearby hotel where they had hot sex all night. This tale sounded oversimplified, but it was an accurate one.

Of course, Lucy and her lack of shyness and reservation had extracted all there was to know about this guy while having a blast enjoying the wild human chemistry coursing through young adult veins. It turned out that Shane was a gifted entrepreneur who had started a very successful and growing insurance company. He was so proud of his accomplishment that he had taken residence on the top floor of the big building he leased at the time.

Instead of being in awe while facing his great success, Lucy expressed her strong desire to join the adventure and change things for the better, which was extremely appealing to Shane. He had never met such a gutsy woman and finding someone so motivated to improve his business while sharing a personal relationship was an opportunity of a lifetime.

They didn't have to ask each other; a long-term relationship needed to take place. The intense love flowing both ways was undeniable and couldn't be questioned. On that night, they had made their choice.

And tonight, on this big bed located in the penthouse at the top of the big insurance building, as an ultimate symbol of love, Shane unloaded all his love inside Lucy's womb, hoping to enter the next chapter of their life.

"Mmm... That's all?"

"Hey... Lucy... Stop it."

"Okay... It was still a good load."

"Lucy..."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"Hehe. I love you too."

"I know."

***

Ten months later...

"She is so cute and small."

"Haha. Yes. She looks like you, Shane."

"Nah... She looks like you."

"Like us?"

"Yes."

A tiny human unable to control her limbs rested in Lucy's arm, looking more like a burrito than a baby because of the way she had wrapped her to keep her warm. Resting on the hospital bed next to them was Shane, with a smile tattooed to his face.

This was everything.

Money was irrelevant.

The penthouse was irrelevant.

His career was irrelevant.

Lucy and his baby were everything.

"What are we going to call her?"