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With no more sound than the ghost of a breeze, Knorr Wheldon stepped out of the hedge through a gap no larger than he and emerged onto a brightly-lit sidewalk. Brushing down his fur with his fingers, the border collie adjusted what little clothing he wore and looked across the lightly-trafficked drive.

An imposing gate of wrought iron loomed in the glare from the streetlamps. It towered over fifteen feet high, topped with spikes and bordered on both sides by brambles of barbed wire. In the center of the gate were the letters "SP." Stanley Pedrescu: tiger, kingpin, technological tour de force--and the owner of some very important information Knorr had been charged with retrieving this evening.

It was a good thing he'd been invited, instead of having to break in. Intel from the Ministry had deemed the complex impregnable, and after studying surveillance footage and satellite imagery the dog had been inclined to agree. He'd have a much easier time fetching what his employers required without the trouble of keeping hidden. Fetching things was what he did best, after all, and the Ministry knew that fact and exploited it for the greater good. One could say the Ministry had the interests of the people at heart, and it wouldn't be a lie. It wouldn't be a complete truth either.

Knorr lifted his right ear, tapping the custom-molded receiver/transmitter there to make sure it was secure. With the physicalities this particular job entailed, a blown cover could be as little as an emphatic nod. Satisfied with the placement, the border collie did the same to the auxiliary microphone disguised as a filling in his lower jaw. That one was cemented in, and wouldn't move unless yanked or punched. Knorr hoped this evening would result in neither.

A whiff of scent passed by his nose just before he heard a click from behind. A swift kick in the back stopped him before he could whirl about into a defensive posture.

"Don't fucking move. Paws up, now." The voice was soft but gravelly, even-toned and nothing less than purposeful. A sharp pressure jabbed into his back as the mystery figure stepped from the shadows and slunk up to him. Fingers slithered around the border collie's side and gripped his stomach, claws raking down to his skin.

Raising his paws, Knorr said, "I don't know who you are, friend, and I can assure you I don't know what this is about." He added a little delicacy to his voice, if not a nearly-undetectable lisp. An exploratory sniff yielded nothing, which unnerved him. If this guy was one of Pedrescu's goons, he could play off the suspicious behavior as mere curiosity, apologize and head on into his appointment. If this was a random mugging, Knorr carried nothing of value besides the sound equipment in his head.

The paw rubbed over the dog's tight stomach, the fingers snaking between the mesh loops and making for a not-unpleasant sensation. "You know exactly what this is about,Whelp_don." The voice had changed, now smoother with just a hint of an accent. By the time the paw slid down and squeezed between his legs--Knorr was already more than a little hard--he realized he'd been had. This time he _did whip about with a roundhouse kick, which the unsurprised hare behind him deftly avoided with a mere jerk of his head. Then a powerful foot sent him face-first into the ground.

"You should be grateful this is a truce mission, Knorr." The dog opened his eyes to the hare's extended white paw, grabbed it and hoisted himself to his feet, refusing help in dusting off. "If we were in actual combat, I would have snapped your neck by now. Especially since I just held you up with my finger."

Chuckling despite his runaway heartbeat, the dog replied, "Reilosz, you would no more kill me than you would come back to the Ministry."

"You have a point. Fortunately for you, we're on the same side."

"Tonight. Then you can get the hell out of my life again."

"I love you, Knorr."

"Fuck you."

"You may have to, before we're done with this guy," Reilosz quipped before breaking into a maniacal grin. Then he threw his arms around the dog. "I don't care what you think. It's good to see you." The embrace brought back memories, not all of them bad, and Knorr accepted the hug for what it was. He even reciprocated, as lightly as he dared, realizing with some dismay that Rei had also gotten a bit hard. When they parted, the hare looked the dog over.

"What did they do to you? I knew I never should have left the Ministry," he said.

Knorr clicked his tongue. "First off, Rei, you were kicked out for treason."

"Well, yeah, there's that."

"Second... " The dog paused to look at himself. The mesh tank top and leather shorts he wore could have been described as either high fashion or a costume. Rei's duds weren't much better: purple vest, tight black leather pants, and wraps to protect his padless feet. The gay-bar border collie and the casino-tramp hare. "They made me bleach it."

Rei's eyes fell. "All your beautiful merle fur?"

"Stanley prefers blondes, they said. They also said a pure-white border like me would score points for originality." Knorr shrugged. "Did the Ministry say the same thing about you?"

"I've already molted," Rei said, smiling and obviously pleased with himself. "I'm a natural blond until springtime."

"What about your scent? I actually couldn't tell it was you until you spoke."

Rei shrugged. "They gave me some pill that counteracts my biochemistry. Guess they wanted to check all the boxes. I don't pry unless I need to."

The dog resisted the urge to make a snarky comment, both because he was in this together with Rei and because somewhere, deep down inside, it was good to see the hare again. Being partners for eight years in the Ministry, three of which they spent as lovers, some of that water would never flow under the bridge. The pain of Rei's deception and treason still stung, but now that he was here again...

Knorr checked the time. Still early. "Uh, anything new at the Order?" While "Ministry" stood for the Ministry of the Common Good (McGee internally), the "Order" was merely that: an organization allied against the public interest and focused on its own goals, both politically and financially. Some called it a cult, others a movement. Rei had called it his "awakening," and that had been it for his tenure at the Ministry, and his relationship with the border collie.

"No, just your average plotting, scheming and general ne'er-do-welling," replied the hare with not a scrap of sarcasm. "Things are going well, in spite of your attempts to spoil the fun."

Knorr's whiskers twitched. "You guys do keep us busy. I suppose I should thank you for helping to maintain my employment."

"Welcome!" Rei beamed. "I do try my darnedest." While the Ministry tried to stay within the law for the vast majority of its operations, the Order had no such scruples. That was the difference between the two organizations, along with their members: what the Ministry saw as righteousness, the Order saw as haughty weakness.

Turning to look at the gate, Knorr sighed. "I have to say, though, I'm glad we haven't met up since you left. I think that's why the Ministry hasn't sent me on missions where that would be a possibility."

"Why?" the hare prodded, his face suddenly sultry. "They don't want you fucking your adversaries on the job?"

Knorr's ears perked before he knew what he was doing. "No," he said, and it was true. Until just now, he hadn't honestly entertained that idea. "Probably because, if the situation required it, they couldn't count on my professional detachment. My...being able to kill you."

"Oh." Rei's ears splayed like broken antennae. The mood didn't last long though. "Well, you shouldn't have to kill me tonight. I hope. Nobody would say shit to me about why we're here."

Knorr's jaw dropped. "You weren't briefed?"

"All I know was, my guys and your guys agreed to a truce for as long as it took to get some files out of this Stan guy's house, and it was me and you. And that was from the Order. The Ministry didn't tell me anything because they probably didn't trust me." The hare shrugged. "Don't blame 'em."

"And you like working with people who don't inform you?"

"I have a big house and a big car," Rei replied. "It works for me." Suddenly Knorr wasn't quite as sorry things had ended up like they did.

"Righ,t then. We're undercover as... escorts."

"No shit. So, Stan maintains this playboy image, but he secretly prefers males.. That's gotta be worth something by itself."

The border collie rolled his eyes. "What you do with that information is none of my business. What matters is that you're able to get inside his safe and grab the memory stick in there."

" Oh. Oh, hoho!" Rey guffawed. "I get it. The Ministry is that desperate? Wait, where's your own safecracker?"

Knorr tried to maintain a straight face.

The hare deadpanned. "You couldn't find one as good as me. All your training and all your resources, and you still couldn't replace me."

"What can I say? No one's got ears for tumblers like you do."

Rei wiggled the slim radar dishes atop his head. "Truer words, truer words. Did you know that the top safe-crackers in the Order are all either lagomorphs, fennecs, or bats? Oh, and that one tawny owl, but he's just creepy."

"My superiors are confident you can do it," Knorr continued. "My job is to be a distraction while you get the files."

"That's because I'm the best," said Rei. "What's in it for me? I mean, what's in it for the Order?"

"Diamonds," said the dog. "Stanley doesn't trust banks, so there are some loose diamonds in with the drive."

"How'd you guys get to know all this stuff?"

Knorr sighed. "We had an insider, but he got...caught before he could finish the job. That's why we're here. He's dead."

"No pressure, eh?"

"Same as always." Knorr tried to calm the anxious twitching of his tail. "In any case, they're blood diamonds, so it's on your conscience to use them for personal gain."

"Wouldn't want all that illegal labor to go to waste," said the hare. Knorr wondered how he had signed on with the Ministry in the first place. "So, how're you going to distract this guy?"

Knorr looked at the hare and his getup. Was Rei really asking that question? "Look what you're wearing."

"Y-you mean we have to sex him up?" Genuine incredulity flashed across Rei's features. Knorr had rarely seen him like this, even when they were in love.

"Didn't you hear the part I said about us being escorts? It's not like sex has ever been difficult for you."

"Are you calling me a slut?" The hare looked genuinely offended.

Shrugging, the dog murmured, "If the condom fits... "

Rei stamped a foot. "I don't have to put up with this shit."

"You might want to check your facts on that one," Knorr spat back with a pointed finger. "Talk to my guys first. Then talk to your guys. You're a free agent as of now. If you don't follow through, we turn you in and the Order forgets you ever existed."

Thankfully the hare paused to process before responding. Knorr had been hoping it wouldn't come to having to reveal the until-now secret agreement. The Order may have had the upper hand in Rei's unequaled hearing, but they wouldn't hesitate to sell him out in the same breath.

"I can't say I'm surprised. Incentive, right?" Try as he might, Rei couldn't disguise his sudden worry. "Well, I guess we should get to the sex, shouldn't we?"

"You know, you could always come back." This was a bald-faced lie, and a weak one at that.

Rei shook his head, smiling sadly. "I like my things too much. We're just a better fit, even if they try to screw me wherever I turn." Knorr didn't believe that for a second, but he said nothing. "When do we go in?"

Knorr checked his wrist again. "Anytime. We're still early in terms of our appointment, but I don't think he'll mind if his playthings arrive slightly ahead of schedule." Without waiting for the hare to assent, the dog grasped Rei's paw and pulled him across the street. Knorr glanced up to see severa, cameras mounted atop the wall following them, and he wondered how long they had been trained on the action near the hedge.

Before the border collie could press the call button on an expensive-looking security pad to the left of the gate, the doors began to swing open.

"They're automatic? On a house like this?" Rei asked.

"They're watching us," Knorr replied. "They've been watching us." He felt the hare squeeze his paw as they both noticed a shadow moving against the building's façade.

"How much do we gay it up?" Rei asked from the corner of his mouth.

"Up to you. Just don't overdo it, and if someone asks questions, let me speak. You can be the cute dumb one."

"Just like old times. Except I wasn't the dumb one," whispered the hare, adopting a more fey posture than Knorr had ever seen. And so it began.

When the shadow passed under a sconce, it became a slim, but tall, polar bear in a slick black suit. He approached the gate, eying the two with slightly more amusement than derision. Whether it was their perceived sexuality or their purpose wasn't clear, but if the bear was on Pedrescu's payroll he shouldn't care either way.

Knorr leaned one shoulder against the stone wall and crossed his arms. Rei, in character, draped himself limply around the dog's shoulders. His breath smelled of wheatgrass toothpaste. It brought back more memories.

"Good evening," said the polar bear in a voice whose pitch matched his build.

"Hey, sweetie." The border collie kept his tongue just close enough to the back of his teeth to feminize his speech. It seemed to convince the bear, whose muzzle scrunched into a sneer.

"It's a long way to Tipperary," mumbled the polar bear. Knorr could hear absolute disgust in the code phrase, and he reveled in the schadenfreude.

"But a fox in the head is worth two in the mess." The clumsy mismatched innuendos lacked grace, but it was unsuspected enough to be trustworthy. Rolling his eyes and nodding, the polar bear pressed a button and the gate on that side began to swing back into place. Knorr pulled Rei inside before it had traveled halfway.

" Come on." The ursine turned on his toes and walked toward the house, not even bothering to look back to make sure the two followed. Security was not what the border collie had expected, at least not out here, but what he saw outside was no indication of how the tiger's private documents would be protected. Cameras, maybe, but they wouldn't be on as long as Stanley occupied the room. Not with two men of the night keeping him company.

The courtyard behind the gate reeked of modern simplicity: steel, glass and concrete dominated the compound's architecture. Rei held Knorr's paw and allowed himself to be led through a large entryway and into the main foyer. Spartan and desaturated but very expensive, the living space had an open floor plan that allowed for an uninterrupted view from the front door to the back patio.

"So this is what being a murderous asshole gets you," murmured Rei. If the polar bear had heard, he made no indication of it, mounting the suspended concrete staircase with continued professional disinterest. "I like it." A fresh wave of contempt settled into Knorr's gut, and he jerked his paw away. He felt the hare's eyes but ignored him.

At the top of the stairs, an equally-Spartan hallway curved off to the right toward the rear of the house. Rooms branched off to both sides, all closed, but they passed these as they approached a pair of ornate carved doors at the end of the corridor. A bit closer and Knorr realized they were made of solid jade. Suddenly he wanted to know who made the hinges supporting that door.

The polar bear pressed a nearly-invisible button. After a few seconds' pause, the doors parted and slid into recesses on either side of the frame, rendering moot Knorr's curiosity.

"You may... enter," the bear sneered. Rei gave him a withering look. Just before stepping over the threshold, Knorr thrust his paw against the bear's crotch, meeting the surprised look with daggers. Only a second later, he felt the sheath throb against his fingers.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Knorr before taking his paw away and slinking into Stanley Pedrescu's bedroom and office. "Sorry, this is a private show." With that, he turned and walked away, tail high and inviting. He didn't care what kind of reaction he got; if that ursine wanted to keep his job, he would keep quiet.

" Are you molesting my employees?" boomed a voice from around the corner, presumably the bathroom. The tiger's master bedroom spread out in front of Knorr and Rei like a high-roller suite with impeccable taste. To the left sprawled the bed, closet and side tables, while a large writing desk and computer area occupied the opposite side. Directly ahead sat a bar with stools, and across from the foot of the bed sat a mahogany chest with carvings of rampant tigers on the doors. Bingo. If the Ministry's information was correct, the safe would be behind the right drawer, and after that it was up to Rei and his ears.

"Only the ones who deserve it," Knorr singsonged.

Rei poked the border collie in the arm. "Where is it?"

"Opposite the bed. Chest. Right side, combo lock. No biometrics, easy stuff."

"Ah ah ah," said the tiger, coming around the corner looking freshened up. "We share our secrets around here."

Says who? wondered the border collie. You killed our last operative when he found some of your secrets, remember?

Stanley Pedrescu cut an intimidating figure in a navy double-breasted suit with a matching vest over a brilliant white shirt. He wore a orange tie that struck a stark contrast with his neck, but complemented the rest of his body. Knorr could tell the tiger wasn't a fitness nut by the lay of the material, but he was by no means a slacker.

Hips canted to the side, the border collie threw an arm around Rei's shoulders. "How's it supposed to be a surprise then, hmm?"

" Look at this guy," the hare said with an appreciative stare. So fake, but to a tiger with an itch to scratch, testosterone painted a prettier picture. "Rich and handsome."

"Two out of three so far," Knorr said sultrily. "If he's hung as well, it's a perfect score."

"Then I deserve a gold star." Smiling, the tiger crossed the room, his tail curling and uncurling itself as if barely holding back a prey-pounce. "You shall be quite impressed, and pleased."

Rei intercepted the businessman a few steps from Knorr and made a show of throwing himself at the tiger. "We lucked out. Usually we get the fat ugly rich guys who either can't get it up or get it in." He squeezed the already bulging fly. "Oooh, Mr. Tiger's packin'!"

"Stan's fine, really." Stan was more than fine, he was practically drooling. Knorr moved to the other side and added his paw to the hare's. The hardness within felt average at best. When the dog looked at Rei, the hare rolled his eyes. "What do I call you fine boys?" Arms descended , one on each agent's shoulder.

"I'm just a bunny," said Rei. "He's just a puppy. We're used to it, and it's simpler that way."

" Names are so... " Knorr was about to say bourgeois, but even as a joke it might put the tiger off, being a rich bastard and all. "So... personal. I like being a puppy anyway. I wanna be a good boy." Eschewing intelligent speech was starting to hurt his head, which the tiger scritched. God dammit if that didn't feel good.

Stan purred, "You're both being good boys so far. I see the agency went above and beyond to assure I received towheads."

"I'm a natural blonde," Rei said.

"Five months out of the year," Knorr replied.

"Don't be a bitch just because they had to bleach your splotches out." Even though the hare was playing it up for Stan, the comment stung more than the border collie would have liked it to. His merle coat was a source of pride, and it would take months of brushing and washing and growing before anything resembling his pattern would begin to show again. But the job had to be done, and he was the one to do it.

"No fighting, boys, please," ordered the tiger. "We're all here to have a good time, and you're here to make money while doing it. What could be easier than that?"

Giving us the combination to your safe, Knorr thought. Instead, he said, "I make a better blonde anyway," and stuck his tongue out. He got claws on his scruff for his trouble. Rei was subject to the same treatment. Should their cover be exposed, the tiger could easily throw them across the room... or out a window, open or closed. Or reach for a convenient gun...

"Alright, both of you. I think it's time you kissed and made up." Rei's surprise mirrored the dog's own. Stan let them both go and stepped back, paws on hips. "Go on," he said. "You do this all the time anyway, don't you?"

Knorr fought to remain in character. The pain he'd been trying to hide was now as fresh as it had been when Rei had left the Ministry. Trying to tell himself it was just a job would have worked better with any agent besides Rei, but the Ministry didn't care about their past. It cared about the little USB drive, and if getting perilously close to the hare again--even as a ruse--meant a successful mission, then it had to be done. So he stepped up to Rei and embraced him.

The hare had no qualms about pressing his muzzle up against the dog's, or about sliding his tongue halfway to Knorr's throat. Rei's paws found their way around to the back, where they immediately began working the flimsy flap above the border collie's tail. A familiar spark of passion bloomed almost immediately, maddening after so much time spent apart, knowing how Rei had betrayed him and the Ministry, but damn if those paws didn't feel good sliding the already-loose shorts off his hips. Knorr heard Stan growl-purr as his rump met the air.

Heat crawled its way up and down Knorr's spine, settling below his stomach and filling his sheath. It would have been a convincing show for the tiger, had it been a show at all. Ashamed of his own traitorous heart but dutiful above all else, he allowed his tongue to play around inside Rei's mouth while he undid the hare's pants and shoved them down. Rei pulled closer, and suddenly it was as if they had never broken up at all.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Stan rumbled. "I could sit here and watch you two all night."

Rei pushed away, looking horrified, though it was clear he had enjoyed the kiss just as much as Knorr had. "You can't mean that!" he exclaimed dramatically. "You're paying good money for a couple pieces of tail."

"Very good pieces of tail," Knorr chimed in. Making out in front of Stan wouldn't get the safe open. "Here we are, half-naked, and you're still all dolled up in that suit. Don't you think he needs to lose the duds so we can get the treat we've earned?"

"Absolutely." Rei doffed his vest and stepped out of his pants, cutting the same athletic figure that had attracted Knorr years before. "And that's what you're gonna get. Naked time." With that, the hare padded over to the tiger and went straight to work on the belt. Stan looked over at Knorr with the grin of a john who thinks he's getting more than he's paid for, and the dog responded by skinning his sheath back over several inches of hardening flesh. He tried to believe it wasn't Rei's round rump that was keeping him hard.

With Stan's help, the tiger became bottomless in a matter of seconds, already erect and dripping. Knorr licked his lips and went to join Rei in removing the jacket, shirt, and tie. His guess about the businessman's body type was spot-on; Stan's belly was there but not substantial enough to encroach upon his sheath. If the tiger were anyone else--other than a rich, cruel egomaniac--he would have been attractive.

Rei took Stan's cock in his paw and stroked over its length. "Looky here, we got someone wound up pretty tight. Don't we, puppy?" He seemed to be enjoying himself a bit too much. Now that they were in the thick of things, Knorr had no way to overtly communicate. Ear signals wouldn't work with his being folded down, and Rei didn't have enough out back for the tail code. Lip reading and head-tilting it was.

The safe! Knorr mouthed.

I know what I'm doing, Rei replied. Follow my lead. Fury boiled up from the dog's gut, but practicality tamped it back down. The hare was crucial to the mission, and if he had to take charge to get that safe open then that was how it was going to be. Once they had the files (and Rei the diamonds) it was a matter of wrapping up and making an exit. But how was the hare going to communicate with the tiger's dick in his muzzle?

Stan grunted, holding onto Rei's shoulder and watching the action unfold between his legs. "Whoof... you boys are talented!" Mixed praise indeed, since Rei's oral action had always left Knorr a bit unsatisfied. But if it worked, who cared?

Slurping off the tiger's member, Rei said, "You know sir, this puppy just loves to kiss. Don't you, puppy?" The look was pure evil, the wink even more so. Knorr had to work hard to mask his revulsion, both at the idea and at the hare. In fact, he had a hangup when it came to kissing, and varied person to person. He was being played and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

"Oh, I just adore it."You fucking bastard.

Rei swirled a down-facing finger: Turn him around. Yes, it would be an effective method for distracting Stan, but it certainly wasn't the only way. The hare had remembered Knorr's phobia of kissing foreign muzzles and decided to exploit it. The Order had done well in training sadism into Rei, if he'd needed training in the first place. He could have been like this all along, lying during his entire Ministry tenure.

Stan looked nonplussed. "You would do that? No one else has... yet." A measure of small relief, then. Whether or not it was the truth, Knorr could believe it if that made the act easier.

"Isn't that why you're paying us, big guy?" asked the border collie before planting a peck on the tiger's lips. Rei took that as his cue to slide around behind them, as Knorr turned Stan to face the opposite side of the room. But when the tiger's ears pricked backwards, Knorr had no choice but to jump into his arms and distract the rest of him. Stan caught him easily, with a big dumb grin.

"Hey there," Stan said, spreading the dog's cheeks while extending his claws slightly, making Knorr yelp and nip at the tiger's cheek ruffs. Knorr licked a line forward until he could clamp his lips around the black rubbery ones. Stan melted, kneading the canine's rump with vigor.

"You don't... get out much... do you?" Knorr asked between licks, amazed that his gag reflex hadn't decided to kick in like it usually did. That Stan had evidently brushed his teeth just prior to their arrival helped a great deal.

"A man in... my position... can't afford to take chances."

"My lips are sealed, sir."

"You bet they are." Warm fur enveloped the border collie's length, his body's natural response at least making the ruse credible. It was nothing he hadn't done before, at least. Thankfully Stan was too involved playing tongue-tag to care about where Rei had gone. From his high vantage point, Knorr watched the hare, with one ear plastered to the safe, listening intently to the tumblers within.

His initial revulsion now past, the dog went along for the ride, making sure to groan and grunt here and there to give the impression his lust was growing.

Stan pulled back with a long, rough-tongued lick to Knorr's snout. "I wanna do so much to you." Definitely more growl than purr.

"Why don't you show me?" Knorr practically lilted. "Whoa!" And the tiger did, by hoisting the border collie over his shoulder. As they both swung around, Knorr watched Rei go from shocked to suave in a split second, closing the right side of the safe's chest and opening the left just as Stan caught him.

"What are you doing?" asked the tiger. Knorr's brain went into calculation mode: excuses to make, martial-arts attacks to stun him, routes of escape or at least hiding spots within the compound. But Rei looked as cool as ever. In fact, he was smiling.

Twirling a finger around his whiskers, looking none the wiser, the hare asked coyly, "Where do wealthy men keep their rubbers, huh? I was expecting some jewel-encrusted dish next to the bed."

For a moment the tiger studied Rei with glowing yellow eyes. Then he grinned, beamed, and guffawed, bouncing Knorr like a plush toy on his shoulder. "There's no dish, but they are next to the bed."

" Ah, silly me!" Sitting on the floor, naked and cross-legged, the hare's attempt at looking naïve could fool even the border collie. He was good, but unfortunately he was good at being bad. Then again, "bad" was relative. "You two get on the bed, and I'll handle things down at the end."

"I was hoping you'd want to join us again," said the tiger, flopping onto his back and taking Knorr with him into an instant cowboy position.

Rei sauntered over to the side table and pulled open the top drawer. "Oooh, this looks expensive!" He pulled out a condom and a small vial. "What kind of lube is this?"

"It's tailored to my body chemistry," Stan said huskily while Knorr busied himself licking each of the tiger's nipples in turn. "It's about two hundred a bottle."

"I sure hope it works better than Astroglide," said Rei.

"Why don't you find out, boy?"

Putting the items on the bed within easy reach, the hare replied, "I told you I'd take care of you. Don't you trust me?" He lowered his ears but couldn't quite pull off the lop rabbit look. Before the tiger could answer, he was behind them and out of sight, back to work. They wouldn't get another chance.

The border collie licked across Stan's teeth, but resisted the tiger's attempt at a second kiss. That was enough of that and besides, he had another task with which Rei had so aptly "saddled" him.

Knorr wasn't a bottom. Even so, he slid down Stan's belly until he felt the barbed tip prodding between his cheeks. Not substantial, but it had been God knew how long since he'd sat on a cock. It didn't feel bad, necessarily, but it _was_intimidating.

"Let's get you ready," said the canine, reaching for the vial and the foil packet. The material inside felt like nothing he'd come across, or in, before. "What is this made of?"

"Comes from the same company as my lube. It's actually designed to feel like skin. Or nothing at all."

"Feels good, but I know it'll feel better once it's inside me." Knorr lolled his tongue to the side, leaning back just enough to see Rei. Still working the combination. Good. He turned back, grabbed the vial and slicked up Stan's shaft with quick rotary strokes, happy to keep the tiger distracted and moaning. The condom rolled on easily, and after slickening that up, and his hole, the border collie raised his tail and bore down.

White-hot pain erupted almost immediately, Knorr's whimpered gasp wasout of his mouth before he could help it.

Stan stopped immediately. "What's the matter?" He started to sit up, but Knorr pushed him back down. His mind spun, but only one thought entered.

"I'm a virgin." Which was a complete lie. He could just imagine Rei's face; it was a miracle the hare could keep from busting out laughing. "Never had anything up there. I specialize in oral."

"Your company hired you as a virgin?" the tiger asked, genuinely shocked.

"They said I was gonna lose it anyway, so why not?" Knorr shrugged, his feigned blush turning real. The lust in Stan's eyes burned brighter. He almost looked like he was contemplating backing away.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen." Another complete lie. Rei probably had his paw over his mouth as hard as he could clamp it.

"I'll be gentle."

"Thank you," Knorr said truthfully. He reached behind and placed the tiger's tip back under his tail and pushed. The pain returned, but when Stan saw the struggle he began to stroke the dog's sides, easing him down as he soothed. It would have been romantic, save for the espionage. After the tapered head and the barbs, which stimulated rather than scratched, the rest was only a matter of girth.

"You weren't kidding." Stan hunched up to meet Knorr's hips. This time the pain was a memory, supplanted by a pleasant fullness he hadn't felt in too long. He didn't know how much he'd missed it. The last time he'd been fucked was... well... it had been Rei, actually, in a rare toppy mood.

"Can't really lie with a hole that tight," Knorr lied.

"Beautiful. Rock those hips, if you wouldn't mind." Not that Knorr would mind too much, as long as it kept the tiger distracted. He situated his body across Stan's waist and began to ride. Not too long after, he did start to enjoy the pleasure radiating from under his tail. But every time he wanted to close his eyes and just feel, he had to remind himself his job was as decoy, not as boy-toy. It was, however, turning out to be one of his most fun missions to date...if any of them could be called fun.

Knorr had just begun to stroke himself when he felt the tiger jerk and cry out.

"What, did I hurt something?" the dog feigned concern.

"Oh, no, quite the opposite," said Stan. "Your bunny friend has his thumb somewhere very sensitive."

Knorr twisted around and smiled. There was Rei with his thumb rubbing over the tiger's hole and making him squirm. On the floor in front of the chest were a small jump drive and a pile of loose diamonds, glittering against the carpet. With his free paw, the hare gestured to the pile of booty before making a throat-slash signal: We're done here. He stood, maintaining his thumb massage.

"I thought you would like that," said Rei to Stan without actually being in the tiger's line of sight. "You think you would like that replaced by something more substantial?"

"Oh, shit! Nobody's done that before! I've... always wanted, but... oh fuck me, I want it!"

"I didn't see any other condoms, though, sir. But, to tell the truth, I don't mind if you don't." The hare winked at Knorr, pointed to the member still thrusting into him, and thumbed over his shoulder. This kind of communication had become second nature toward the end of their relationship, but the border collie had in no way forgotten its subtleties.

"Oh, fuck... " moaned Stan.

"In fact," said Knorr, "I... I think I'm thinking the same way." In a deft series of movements, the dog rose off the tiger, peeled the condom off, gave it to Rei and settled back onto the newly-bare flesh. "If it's gonna be my first, I'd prefer you make a proper dog of me and breed me."

"Oh, fuck!" It had worked perfectly. Stan was now busy enjoying unimpeded sensation while he worked to hump into Knorr, while Rei stuffed his diamonds into the rubber and stored it where the sun didn't shine. He'd been smart to shy away from giving up his tail for that very reason. That only left the question of where to store the drive, and when to hide it.

Whatever plan the hare had in mind, he didn't have to worry about making noise. Knorr couldn't have watched Rei if he'd wanted to, occupied as he was trying to keep from falling off the bouncing, thrusting tiger. Without the condom in the way, those barbs were doing a number on his prostate, along with the stimulation from Stan's white--and soon to be sticky--belly fur. The tiger strained while holding Knorr's thighs down, obviously given over to pleasure and not caring a whit about anything else.

Straddled as he was, Knorr sensed something had changed behind him when Stan stiffened. No warmth splattered deep up inside him, so when he looked back he saw Rei lubing himself with runoff from their coupling. Then--rather roughly, thought Knorr--he pushed the tiger's legs apart and slid in.

Stan roared. He roared but never moved away. A big man like him could take Rei's relatively slender member, especially as worked up as he was. The hare merely stood still and let the tiger do the work for all three of them, fucking himself on the hare while rutting the dog above. When Knorr sent a bemused glance backward, Rei merely shrugged and mouthed, Let him do it, I guess. So they did.

The rest was a matter of watching a grown man work out his rent-boy fantasies in a heated fashion that completely belied his professional status. Seeing the wealthy techno-giant writhe about underneath him gave Knorr the sweet satisfaction of knowing Stan's empire would likely come crashing down in the coming weeks. Once news of his offshore banking, labor violations and insider trading came to light, Stanley Pedrescu would cease to be relevant in the world of business. One small victory.

Smiling a devious smile, Knorr bent over to lick at the tiger's heaving chest. "Breed me good and hard. I wanna feel it splash." Stan snarled and picked up the pace, the border collie finally finding the wherewithal to clench on the upthrusts, until he finally dug his claws in and held them both still. And Knorr did, in fact, feel it splashing inside him. He missed that, too, more than he cared to admit.

Rei wasn't too far behind. The dog and tiger held each other while the hare sped up to his usual breakneck pace, Stan whispering, "I can't believe how good this feels," into Knorr's flopped-over ear. Then Rei grunted and pounded through his usual power climax. Shortly thereafter, the tiger's afterglow began to wear off.

Clearing his throat, Stan said, "Well... that was fun. That was very fun."

"You're not gonna finish the poor worked-up puppy?" asked Rei, stroking the base of Stan's cock as it softened and slid slowly from Knorr's backside. As soon as it left, the hare shoved something much smaller in to replace it. He knew exactly what it was, and it wasn't a finger. Knorr clenched to hold it in, but after what he'd just done, it would be a task to keep it that way. He faked a disappointed face to mask anything revealing.

"It's okay," Knorr said. "Mr. Stan is the client, and he makes the decisions." Before the tiger could even think about reciprocation the border collie dismounted and padded toward his clothes. Rei made a show of approaching the side of the bed, and went so far as to plant a smooch on the big cat.

"Didja have fun, at least? Learned a few new things about yourself?"

"I did," replied Stan, though he didn't quite look as if he liked everything he'd done. As near as Knorr could tell, he might even be regretting it already. He wondered if that was something that happened every time he bedded a male. Either way it wasn't his problem. His and Rei's work was done.

Once Knorr stood up, the object in his rear slid further inside, far enough to quell any fears about it slipping out. He cast a quick glance at the chest to find both doors closed, to his relief.

All three dressed quietly, awkward not only because the tiger was definitely down from his oxytocin high but also because Knorr wanted to make sure he and Rei got off-property before anyone was the wiser regarding the safe. But once they were dressed, Stan did them a huge favor by being a gentleman and walking them all the way to the front door. Even if he went directly back to the safe, Knorr and Rei would be long gone.

"Thanks for the fun," the hare said when the tiger opened the door.

Stan cleared his throat again. He wouldn't even look at them now. "Welcome."

Knorr took a chance. "Can we look forward to a repeat performance sometime in the future?"

"I... don't really do those." The tiger's face was now completely unreadable.

"I suppose I can understand. Any specific reason?"

"You have a safe trip back to, uh, work."

Knorr nodded, looked at Rei and led the way. "Let's go, bunny." The gate was even open, anticipating their departure. Once outside they struggled to maintain a leisurely pace to the hedge. Once clear, they ran until they couldn't breathe. Knorr kept pace with the hare's longer strides and springier steps.

"You're still pretty fast," Rei panted. "I thought you'd gone soft."

"Nope. The Ministry's agent regimen keeps us all in shape." Knorr caught his breath for a few more seconds. "Do I even have to ask you what you stuck in my ass?"

"Your precious little jump drive, what do you think?"

"You put a delicate electronic device in my cum-filled tailhole."

Rei palmed his face. "No! You idiot, why do you think I needed that rubber?"

"Oh," Knorr said, running his fingers through damp head fur. "Last time I looked, it was full of diamonds."

The hare shrugged. Grinned. Made a vague drinking gesture.

"You just... swallowed them instead."

"Didn't have a choice. Gems survive in a body, electronics don't like being in a butt. Besides, they'll come out eventually," said Rei. "My superiors're just gonna have to wait a few days to get 'em all. There's probably a couple mil in my gut about now."

"You're crazy."

"We do what we do to get ahead."

"Like I said, crazy. Good luck with your internal bleeding."

"We both got what we wanted. You should be happy. And you should be thanking me, Knorr Wheldon. I came to the rescue. I was your golden boy. Plus, it's not every day you get to have a threesome with your ex and a rich tiger." Rei paused, looking the border collie over. "You never did get off, did you?"

Knorr replied, "I didn't think it prudent to deal with that right then."

"Want to deal with it now?" Instead of waiting for an answer, the hare cupped Knorr's sac and rubbed. His erection returned within seconds. Traitor.

He could have said no, flat out. What came out of his muzzle was, "Don't you have a car to catch?"

"They're waiting for me to show up at an address near here. You?"

"They're tracking me as we speak. There's a car parked somewhere waiting for the go-ahead."

Rei grinned and went to his knees before the dog. Two seconds later Knorr was naked again from the waist down. "Sounds like nobody's watching, at least. I don't think anyone will ask questions," the hare murmured, sliding the bleach-white sheath beyond Knorr's knot and closing his lips around the shaft.

The darkness and trees and cool, humid night all disappeared. Knorr was back in the downtown apartment they had shared not as long ago as he'd thought. They were fresh off a dangerous mission, taking out the sexual thrill of escaping death on one another. And he was just as powerless to stop it as he'd always been.

And as Rei held his balls with his soft padless fingers, Knorr gave himself up to that fantasy, as impractical as it seemed. Those days were gone and he could never get them back. The hare had changed too much to take back what he'd done. But for those moments, there in that place, he allowed himself to feel again. He clung to it when he felt his climax rise and then spill out of him, confirmed in Rei's hums of appreciation.

When the hare came to his feet, he was licking his lips. "You haven't changed. At least in flavor." Rei put his paws on the dog's shoulders. His face carried a soft, sad smile. "You know, you could always join us," he said with more than an inkling of hope.

"I could never." It was so easy to say it, too. It proved his conviction to the Ministry over all. But was that really a good thing?

Nodding, the hare said, "I would've been surprised if you'd said anything else. You're good people, Knorr. I wouldn't want you to change for me." He stroked along the border collie's cheek, his nightshine darting this way and that within his eyes.

"Same here. Though sometimes I wish you would." This time Knorr did the holding, with both paws. A part of him felt like crying. Over the old Rei, maybe. Over what he used to have. Not anymore.

"You know it's too late for that. Hey, maybe I'll do something really bad and you'll have to come get me. Then we can have this little jeu de pions again. Pointless, but fun." Rei kissed Knorr lightly, the ghost of his body heat lingering on the dog's lips. "I still love you, you know."

"Yeah. Me too." But he said it to the back of Rei's head because the hare was already trotting away through the trees, back to the Order. He doubted he'd never see him again. That was the way those things worked. Rei was the type to keep in one's fur. Even if it was bleached.

Knorr tapped the tiny transmitter in his tooth. Ten seconds or so later, he heard three beeps in his ear. The Ministry had heard him, and the car was on its way.

His only hope was that his knot would deflate before the car swung by to collect him.

*

November 1, 2011