Love & Lattes - Group Therapy Ep. 05

"Heh, well thanks!" Joseph barked out cheerfully and wagged his tail at the words.

Bianca perked her drooped ears and sauntered over to Isaac, the wolf the only one in the room at her height level. "Look at you... Lupo, you smell so strongly of my newest protege, you must be the little coniglia's husband."

Isaac gave a nod, blinking a few times at how close Bianca drew to him. "Uh... yes, I'm Karen's husband. Thanks for training her and-"

"You are gorgeous! A mane of red and such an air of confidence, no wonder! I knew it would take something impressive, she is a strong-willed coniglia!"

"Thanks? What's up with all the Italian terms by the way?" Isaac gave an awkward laugh as he rubbed the back of his head.

Ivory snorted out a laugh as Joeseph immediately responded for Bianca, "We're in the business, Isaac. We have to put on airs, be stand out!"

"Oh ho! You have learned, Joseph... sly like a volpe should be, quick to adapt to the industry. My gatta, you are lucky to have him!" She grinned over at Ivory as her wiry tail flicked about.

"I know, right?" Ivory purred and moved over to kiss her fox on the jaw.

"Speaking of..." Bianca turned and made several paces away before looking over her shoulder. "We have much to cover, unless you two cane plan to get on stage, leave us girls to do our work, yes?"

"Ha... I'm fine hiding behind the curtains, thanks. Bianca, I'm retaining your services for the entire day, and I'll be scheduling the girls a week out in advance, put them through the ringer, you've got ten hours per day, but..." He grinned over at his wife who was already looking furious with him before looking back to Bianca. "Karen can decide when they stop."

"Joseph, what the fuck!" Ivory snarled out as Bianca gave an approving nod at the plans.

"Have a good session, baby, ciao!" Joseph gave a grin then quickly grabbed Iassac's paw as he retreated from the room.

"Get back here you damn fox!" Ivory stomped after him before Bianca cut her off with surprising speed. The bovine female gently slid a paw along the cats shoulder, corralling her back towards the rabbit.

"Now now, your husband, he does what is best. Do not be too upset with him, reserve your anger for me, I will make you hate me, but you will thank me for the results when we are done!" Bianca called the words out, her other paw lifted high as if singing.

"Gods... shoot me..." Ivory hissed out as her ears drooped.

"It's okay, love. I'll be here with you, we'll work hard and I'll cut us off if you just can't handle anymore, wouldn't be the first time I've beat you in a test of endurance." Karen cooed out teasingly as she linked her arm with Ivory's.

"Excuse me, sweetie?" Ivory cocked a furred brow and grinned at Karen.

"Ho ho! You two are fiery today and full of love. Let us get right to it then while the passion is ablaze!" Bianca called out excitedly.

—♥—

The phone rang exactly two and half times, connecting on the third ring as it always did. "Joseph, it's been a minute. Your cellphone location is in the proximity of a certain wolf I know. What's up?"

"Good to hear your voice again too, Keys." Joseph folded his arms with a grin, having connected the call to his earpiece. Isaac just barked a laugh while driving.

There was typing on the other end, then a sigh, "How is Ivory?"

"She's good, thanks for asking."

A little more typing filled the silence before keys cleared their throat. "So... you and Isaac went hunting, Karen and Ivory are off doing lessons. I see all four of your cellphones have been in close proximity, a lot..."

"Are you asking me to make a half-baked excuse, Keys? The implications are what they appear," Joseph hummed out in a surprisingly smug tone as he looked over at his wolf who just quirked a brow, obviously not getting the other half of the conversation.

"Joseph, you're not on speaker are you? Isaac can't hear us?"

"No, I've got an earpiece in."

More typing, then silence, as if Keys brought their hands away from the keyboard they were working on, their voice taking on the slightest inflection of emotion. "Do not hurt them."

"Awww, Keys, I didn't know you cared!" Joseph barked out playfully.

The informant's voice sounded heated as they spoke out again, "I'm serious, Joseph. I don't care about the details, you hurt Isaac, you will answer to me, are we clear?"

Joseph felt a shiver roll up his spine as he gave a small nod. "Crystal."

"Good dog." Typing filled the line once more before they spoke out, "What do you need? I somehow doubt this is related to your current job."

"Yeah, about that..." Joseph proceeded to give a quick rundown of what was going on with Crystal.

"I'm not a staffing service, Joseph..." There was a sigh of resignation before Keys grumbled out, "Then again I wasn't a talent agent either... you damn dogs..."

"Sorry, Keys..." Joseph called out in a sympathetic tone while grinning.

"Wipe the grin off your damn face, doggy, I know it's there!" They hissed out then sighed as they started typing again, no doubt pulling up Crystal's details now.

"Crystal Spring... huh, her parents knew what they were doing when they named her, eh?" Keys spoke out conversationally then grew quiet before speaking out once more, "Joseph, have you heard of the idols Electric Blue and Ruby Thunder?"

"Well... yeah, of course I have. They're kind of the 'it' thing right now in the music scene. Bodyguard turned idol, in a relationship together. What about them?"

"Their stage names are stupid," Keys muttered out as Joseph gave a laugh.

"I thought they were okay, I mean Ivory's is just-"

"Mocha."

"Uh, what?" Joseph tilted his head curiously.

"Make Karen's idol name, Mocha. Cream and Mocha. It sounds good." Keys spat out the words sounding like they were more an order than a suggestion.

"Huh... It really does..." Joseph rubbed his chin as he looked to Isaac. "Keys thinks Karen's stage name should be Mocha."

"I mean it fits her fur color, Cream and Mocha sounds great. Makes me want some coffee." Isaac shrugged and grinned.

"Great idea, Keys, I'll go with that!" Joseph barked out cheerfully.

"I'll send you a bill... now about this Crystal."

"Yeah, what about her?" Joseph shifted back to his business tone of voice.

"She's spent nearly a decade in school working on a master's in business. I could probably find her a spot at a major company, get her six figures, possibly set the stage for her to even climb towards positions like CEO or VP."

"Woah! That'd be amazing for her!" Joseph called out excitedly.

"Would it? She's not even trying, Joseph. She has no resumes on the web."

Joseph barked out at that. "But... she hates her job, she says it all the time, why wouldn't she-"

"Joseph, sometimes people pursue a goal, then when they achieve it, they realize it's not something they even want anymore."

"Sure but... uh..."

"Do you know why I brought up that other set of idols?"

"No, why?"

"They recently brought on an assistant manager to help, the tour's former makeup girl. Apparently, she's still doing their makeup, but also acts to assist their original manager Maximillian."

"Wow, that's pretty cool!" Joseph perked his ears as he rubbed his jaw. "Wait- are you implying I should ask if the label would let me bring Crystal along as a co-manager?"

"Wouldn't hurt to ask her if she'd be interested. I of course could put the squeeze on if the label refused. Why not go to her work and just talk to her, see what she wants to do. Maybe she deep down wants to just be a barista, throw some money at a storefront and open her a damn coffee shop of her own if that was the case or perhaps she'd love to tour as a manager with you."

"With me... feels so odd to think of the two of us working like that and me being her boss instead." Joseph huffed the words as his tail wagged.

"I pulled up her pictures, she's pretty easy on the eyes, what's one more to the collection, Casanova?" Keys mused out playfully, then before Joseph could respond, spoke out, "Keep me in the loop, happy hunting."

"Son of a bitch..." Joseph growled as the line went dead, feeling his cheeks burning.

"Things sounded like they got pretty intense for a bit there," Isaac called out as he drove. "Usually Keys is scolding or threatening when you have to say 'Crystal' like that."

"Yeah, but in this case, I was saying 'Crystal' a few times, since we were talking about her." Joseph barked a laugh, trying to ease from the topic. He was sure Keys didn't want Isaac to know they were worried about him.

Isaac flicked an ear, as if not convinced but let the topic slip away before nodding as he watched the road. "Where to?"

"Well... the coffee shop I guess. I need to talk to her about some things Keys brought up."

The wolf cut his eyes over to Joseph. "Thinking of bringing her on board?"

"I mean, have you see that ass?" Joseph barked out playfully.

Isaac huffed out a laugh and perked his ears. "Well, that's not the implication I was making, I barely know her, Joe, give me a break, isn't three enough for you?"

"I was kidding, sweetie." The fox showed him a challenging grin.

"Sweetie? That what you going with, dear?" Isaac showed his own grin in response.

"Dear? Hmm... guess we need to work on it." He huffed out and folded his arms.

"It's no rush man, nothing says we even have to have pet names, Joe. Pet names don't equate to how much you care for someone, you know?" Isaac showed him a grin as he shifted the gears of the sports car to pass.

"Yeah, I suppose that's fair. We'll just see how it goes. Anyhoo, yes... I want to talk to her about it. She's got plenty of business knowledge and she knows how to run a team obviously. If I could do it, she could do it even better." Joseph gave a nod.

"Careful you don't sign up a replacement, Joe." Isaac barked out a laugh.

"Heh... The star wouldn't go on stage without me, I'll be fine." Joseph growled the words as he moved a paw to dial the radio to pick up his phone, ska starting to play out of the car speakers as the wolf rolled his eyes while smiling.

—♥—

"You've got a lot of explaining to do, young fox..." Crystal folded her arms over her chest, giving Joseph a fussy look while sitting at the table with him, her apron still on with the little badge that read, 'Team Leader'.

"Come on, boss... don't be like that. You're probably one of the main reasons me and Ivory made it. You supported us through the whole thing, even let us work together. Of course, I had to give you something as a thank you!" Joseph offered the persian a grin as his tail wagged.

"I mean... I've got a mountain of student loan debt, so I'm not saying no to the money..." Crystal frowned and looked down at the table, then shifted her gaze to the wolf before back to the fox. "So just you two? What's going on, Joe?"

Joseph pushed his padded fingers together and showed her a business-like grin across his muzzle. "Crystal, Karen is going to be joining me and Ivory on tour, I'm pretty sure she'd even be able to fill the role as a fellow idol. We've already chosen her stage name and her husband Isaac here is coming on as my head of security."

"Wait- I'm what?" Isaac quirked a brow, his red ears perking at that.

Joseph nodded. "It stands to reason, I've already got some classes lined up for you, just basic stuff you'll breeze through, I know you've already got the head for it. Keys agreed and helped me set it up."

"And you didn't bother to ask me, Joe?" Isaac smirked.

"I already knew you'd be alright with it," The young fox huffed the words in a matter-of-fact tone, showing his composed manager side in spades.

"You really have settled into your role, Joe. I'm impressed... Did you need to pull me off my shift to just let me see you in action? Don't worry, doggy, I approve as your former boss if that's the case," Crystal purred the words with her own grin, giving a concerned look back at the counter, seeing the customers starting to line up a little more, the two teenagers on staff struggling to keep up.

She gave a surprised mew as she felt a paw on her chin, feeling Joseph grip her jaw and gently guide her gaze back to him, the first time he'd touched her in such a way. It shocked her and brought her fully to focus on him, both in irritation at being touched without asking as well as impressed he even did it. "Joe, what the fuck?" She hissed.

"Look at me, boss... Crystal." His chestnut eyes met her amber ones, they looked sharp and intelligent in that moment, not a young impressionable dog like when she first hired him.

They stayed locked in that staring match for a long moment before Joseph moved his paw away and clicked his tongue. "I'm not going to bullshit around things, Crystal. Managing two idols is going to be very hard work for me, I'd like some help. I'd like you to help me."

Crystal shook her head a few times as if having trouble getting the words to settle in her brain, then fixed him with a curious look, tilting her muzzle up. "Joseph... I don't know shit about managing-"

"Neither did I, but here I am. I worked hard, I made it work, and you're a much harder worker and a better manager than I'll ever be. Crystal, I don't want anyone but you helping me, I'll either have you, or I'll tough it out and just do what I can alone, that's my option here."

The persian-cat tilted her head once more, her blue-gray ears lifting. "This is all very sudden, Joe. Do you even think I could-"

"I'd not be wasting my time here if I thought otherwise. Are you happy slinging coffee for a living, Crystal? Even if you had your own shop?" He struck right to the matter, testing the waters to see if what Keys suggested might be true.

The cat pursed her lips, a loud thoughtful purr filling her throat as she looked to the counter again, hearing some of the customers snarling and complaining at the wait time for their drinks.

"Let me get this sorted, Joe, then I'll give you an answer." Crystal rose up from the table.

"Got an extra apron? I'll give you guys a hand for old times sake." Joseph showed her a grin as he stood with her.

"You know that's so breaking company policy, Joe..." She smirked and jerked her head in a nod. "Stay put big guy, I'll get you a London fog in a few minutes." She huffed out to Isaac as she trotted back.

"Sorry man, I'll try to be quick." Joseph gave his boyfriend an apologetic smile, the wolf just shaking his head.

"It's cool, go do what you gotta do, I'm in no hurry." Isaac waved him off as he took his cellphone out.

The other staff members looked shocked when the fox they'd never seen just waltzed over, shoved on an apron, and got to work without missing a beat. It had been over a year, but the old habits quickly settled, and within a few minutes, he was seamlessly pushing out orders faster than both of the teens put together.

It only took about half an hour to get the rush dealt with as Joseph casually took the apron off and tossed it back on a peg before sauntering back around the counter. "Ah, just like old times, boy did I not miss that!" He gave a laugh of a bark.

"You two didn't see any of this happen, you understand?" Crystal snarled at the two teens who quickly nodded in response before setting back to various tasks.

"Didn't miss it huh?" Crystal purred as she followed Joseph back to the table where Isaac had calmly waited, half of his tea gone.

"Fuck no... service work is soul-sucking." He growled and settled back down.

Crystal frowned and ran her padded-fingers through her slightly messy bangs. "Yeah... yeah, it is..." She purred to herself, a claw teasing one of the blue-gray curls of her hair. "I think... Yeah, I think I need a change. I don't know if that's the life for me Joe, but-"

"If it's not, I'll get you sorted any way I can, Crystal. Give me one tour... a year. You want to cut and run after that, I'll do whatever I can to get you on a good path, a path where you'll never have to be in a coffee shop again other than as a customer."

She clenched her muzzle and hissed out before giving a nod and pushing a paw out, the fox clasping it in a shake. "Alright, Casanova... you've won me over. Let me put in my two weeks, then I'm all yours."

They shook for a moment before she offered him a toothy grin, showing her sharp teeth as she squeezed his paw. "But, you go grabbing my muzzle like that again without asking, I might punch you in the face, Joe."

"That's fair, I just needed to show you I was serious, don't think I'd make a habit of something like that, boss." Joseph gave her a wink as he released her paw.

"Welcome aboard, Crystal. Guess I won't be the only one flying by the seat of my pants with this new job, eh?" Isaac gave her a welcoming grin.

Joseph nodded as he sipped his now cold coffee then grimaced at the temperature. "Anyway... the girls are in the studio training, we'll be recording in a few weeks, it should line up nicely with your resignation."

"This is very intimidating... What about my apartment?" Crystal frowned as she started thinking of all the logistics to come.

"Your ass will be spending most of the next few seasons on a tour bus like the rest of us, Crystal. I'll have you get with the girls to talk about do's and don'ts of packing for that. As to your apartment..." Joseph gave a shrug as he withdrew his cellphone. "I'm dragging you into this life, least I can do is pay your apartment up, right?"

"That really seems excessive, Joe. Especially after the check you guys cut me." She frowned and folded her ears.

"It really will be fine, Crystal. You're our friend." He showed the persian a small grin as she perked her ears.

"Gosh... you've gotten so confident. Alright, Joe, so what's the plan then?" She offered him an amused grin, flicking her own fluffy tail about behind her.

"Make some time in the next few days to come sit in on their training. As their manager, you'll need to meet Bianca their instructor, and it'll give you a feel for the world you're about to step into."

"I'm starting to feel like a third wheel here," Isaac grumbled as he sipped his tea.

"I mean you're a pretty handsome third wheel, I don't mind having you around just for the eye candy." Crystal purred the words as she shot the wolf a playful grin.

"Hah... Isaac, you'll be busy too. I've got you meeting with my old muay thai instructor tomorrow."

"Joe, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it would take me a few seasons to become competent enough to use that in a live engagement." Isaac cocked a brow at the smaller dog.

"I already know that. Likewise, I already know you and Karen are versed in martial arts. Consider this simply warming you back up, injecting some new moves into your arsenal."

"Guess it's worth a shot, and what about these classes?" He finished off his tea after asking the question.

Joseph smiled and shook his head. "I'll give you all the details later, we don't want to keep Crystal from work too long."

"Yes, the gods forbid you keep me from such joy in my life!" She chuckled and stood from the table, pushing the chair in. "Joe, you've got my number, get in touch with me when you want to plan the meet-up with the girls."

"Roger that, boss." He showed his sharp teeth in a grin as he gave her a two-fingered salute.

—♥—

"W-When I said I'd give you the details later... this isn't how I expected to d-do it..." Joseph panted out, his tongue showing as he sat in the wolf's lap, the bigger dog with a paw grasping his fully slid free length, giving it purposeful strokes.

"Hgn... seeing you so in your zone and confident, just made me rock hard in my jeans the whole time, my fox..." Isaac snarled before dragging his tongue along Joseph's throat, tasting the musk and sweat the fox had built up.