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Part 2

Feels So Right

XV

Train Ride to Jaguarville

Michael hadn't been home 15 minutes Thursday evening when his telephone started ringing. "Hello?" He said, after picking up the receiver.

Michael heard Dr. Leo's voice saying, "Good. I caught you at home."

"Dr. Leo, what did you find out?"

"Michael, I've got some bad news for you and Amanda. There is no known substance that will safely suppress a female's desires when she is in heat. I'm sorry. It's believed that to suppress the desires during a female's heat is detrimental to the female."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to hope she can control herself. Maybe it won't hit her until after we get to our rooms.

"I wouldn't bet on it, Michael. If Amanda is anything like Tigresa, she'll go into heat about lunch time. It's one of the strange things about a woman's heat cycle. She'll start feeling and acting giddy. In fact, you'll probably confuse her actions with being drunk. She'll start giggling for no apparent reason. Next, she'll start getting more and more affectionate toward you. She'll probably even start marking you with her scent as a way of showing her claim on you. Finally, she'll lose all of her sexual inhibitions, meaning she won't be embarrassed if you see her naked and she'll probably try anything she can think of to get you into bed with her."

"God, you just described the way Amanda acted toward me the last time she was in heat. Thanks for the heads up, Dr. Leo. I'll keep an eye out for those warning signs.

"Oh! Since you and Dr. Tigresa are medical researchers, maybe that's something y'all could research. It may take many years but the rewards might be worth it."

"Hmm. That's a good suggestion, Michael. I think I'll talk it over with Tigresa and we can make that suggestion to Dr. Tilacino."

"By the way, what will happen to Amanda, if, for some reason, she can't fulfill her needs?"

"Likely, she'll start raising a ruckus and try to get you to give in to her desires. If you refuse, eventually, she'll start acting pathetically. By that, I mean that she'll become extremely emotional, crying, begging, anything to get you to give in to her desires. She could also start acting aggressively toward other females and becoming possessive of you. If you really aren't interested in her sexually, you'll need to be very careful when dealing with her in either of those states. She could be playing on your sympathies."

"I'll do my best, Dr. Leo. Thanks again. I'll see everyone after I return from Jaguarville."

"You're welcome, Michael. We look forward to seeing you again. You've become such a stranger. Ha-ha-ha."

Michael shook his head as he hung up the telephone after talking with Dr. Leo. He paused still holding the receiver as he thought how he could make this next telephone call. After composing himself and his conversation, he called Amanda and told her what Dr. Leo had said. She was, to say the least, more than a little upset.

"What am I going to do, Michael? I don't want to embarrass you while we're in Jaguarville."

"You mean, what are we going to do? Amanda, I'm going to be the object of your attention while you're in heat. So, in a manner of speaking, we're going to be partners."

Seductively, she said, "Partners?"

"Not like that."

"Spoilsport." She said, laughing.

"You're an imp sometimes. You know that?"

She laughed all the harder. After a few moments, she asked, "Are you packed for the trip?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm a guy, remember? We males are practical in the extreme. Three suits of clothes, three sets of underwear, three pairs of socks and two pairs of shoes and we're set to go."

Michael heard her laugh as she said, "Liar."

He laughed and said, "All right, five suits of clothing."

She laughed again and said, "That sounds like you."

She got serious and said, "Michael, this is the first time I can remember ever leaving Catlanna. I don't know what to take to wear."

"Well, if you're asking for my advice, may I suggest five suits of business casual, two suits of casual and one suit you could wear to dinner just in case we're invited to dinner with one of the salespeople. I would also suggest no more than three pairs of shoes."

"That sounds like good advice. Now, tell me the truth, how many suits of clothes are you taking?"

"Five, including my casual clothing. What? Did you think I was pulling your leg?"

Michael heard a soft sigh before she said, "I should have known."

"Oops. I forgot. I will be taking the business suit that Dr. Leo bought for me. He said I might need it and I might. It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it."

"Have you showered yet?"

"What?" Michael said, laughing. "That came out of left field. Why?"

"Well, I thought that, since we live so close to each other, we could ride together to the office. It would save a little fuel."

"I don't understand what that has to do with whether or not I've showered this evening."

"I just wanted to know so I could decide when to leave to get to your apartment."

Something didn't sound quite right in her explanation. But, Michael didn't have any reason to believe she might deceive him. "I guess that makes sense. No, I haven't showered yet. I'm going to get up at 2400 and take a shower. I should be through and ready to go by 0100, so any time after 0100 should be okay. We'll leave after you get here and stop somewhere for breakfast."

"All right. I'll see you in the morning."

*****

The next morning, Michael woke up a little early and decided to go ahead and take a shower. Because Amanda's curiosity had aroused a bit of suspicion on his part, he collected all of his clothes and took them with him into the bathroom. He had just stepped into the shower when he heard an unusual noise outside the bathroom door. He listened intently for several seconds but, he didn't hear the sound again. He had just started washing himself, when he heard the sound repeated.

A little nervous and curious at the same time, he said, "Who's there?"

He heard a familiar feminine voice say, "Damn."

"Amanda!? What are you doing in my apartment?"

There was a slight pause as if she was trying to think of an appropriate response. Finally, she said, "I thought that there might be an emergency and I decided to let myself in to be of assistance. Do you want my assistance with anything?"

"No! I'm just taking my shower. I knew you had an ulterior motive when you asked me about my shower last night."

"I thought I would help you. After all, you helped me when I needed it in the bathroom three months ago. Are you sure you don't want my help?"

"No, Amanda. I'm a grown man; I don't need your help taking a shower. Thanks for offering, though."

Mischievously, she said, "I didn't ask if you needed my help. I asked if you wanted my help. Don't you want me to wash your back for you?"

"I know what you said and my back's fine. Why don't you go into the living room and wait for me?"

"No. I'm going to wait her and talk to you. You talked to me while I was in the tub three months ago."

"You just want to see me when I walk out of here. Don't you?"

"Well you've seen me naked." She laughed.

"That's because: a) you answered your door naked, b) you made me sit in the bathroom while you soaked, c) you walked naked into the living room wanting me to brush your back, and, most importantly, d) you were in heat."

"Are you saying that you didn't enjoy seeing me naked?"

"Amanda, there is no way I can answer that question that won't allow you to misconstrue my answer; so, I'm not going to say anything."

She laughed gaily and said, "Spoilsport."

"Don't forget, my dear, today is when you're supposed to go into heat again. I'm going to have a hard-enough time dealing with you when that starts; please don't make it any more difficult than it will soon be."

Michael believed she knew how nervous she was making him and was enjoying every second of his discomfiture. But, he had a surprise for her because, as they talked, he was steadily washing himself. In fact, the only time he didn't talk was when he was rinsing his hair. He wanted to completely surprise her so, after he finished showering, he continued to let the shower run while he dried off and dressed. When he completed these tasks, he shut the shower off, waited about thirty seconds and opened the door. As he had suspected, Amanda had moved away from the door. He guessed she wanted to make sure she could get a good look. He opened the bathroom door and stood there fully clothed. The look on her face was pricelessly comical. It was a mixture of disappointment and surprise.

Michael looked at her and said, "What? You expected me to walk out of there naked?" Then, he laughed. She just looked at him through half-closed eyes and with her lips as pursed as she could make them.

"Come on." Michael said. "We need to put your bags into the car so we can make it to breakfast and the office in time."

Still giving him the evil eye, she asked, "Where are your bags?"

Michael was smiling as he said, "I put them in the car last night. I don't waste time if I can help it."

"Obviously. The fact that you dressed in the bathroom is proof of that."

*****

After transferring Amanda's bags, four of them, to the trunk of his car, Michael held her door for her, got in and fired off the engine. He backed out of his parking space and headed toward a fast food restaurant. Amanda and he went inside, ordered breakfast and ate as they talked about the upcoming trip. She had never traveled by train before and had only heard her father describe South Gargia. He told her that she could sit by the window and enjoy the view as they rode. Since he had grown up in the area, it wasn't necessary for him to watch the train travel through the swamps.

After eating, they headed toward the office. They arrived right at 0200, the time Michael had planned on arriving. They entered the building and walked over to the receptionist's desk. Mrs. Lagomorph had their train tickets and the company credit card waiting on them.

As she handed the items to them, Mrs. Lagomorph said, "Mr. Thomson, Mrs. Gatopardos will be here shortly. She'll be driving you and Miss Fuchs to the train station."

"Thank you, Mrs. Lagomorph. I thought a driver would take us. Was I incorrect in this assumption?"

"In a way. Mrs. Gatopardos volunteered to accompany you. She said that she wished to meet the human that has made such an impression on the President and Executive Vice-President of SoGa Industries, not to mention the first person to be hired off the street to be a manager of the company."

"But, she's spoken with me several times over the last few months."

"Yes, sir. But, with her traveling as much as she normally does, she's never actually met you face-to-face. She wants to put a face to the voice she's heard so often."

"Yes, ma'am."

Amanda and Michael exchanged a nervous glance and sat in a chair in the lobby. A couple of minutes later an elegantly dressed lynx strode into the lobby. When Amanda saw her, she stood up. He figured Amanda would know what to do, so he stood as well.

The lady lynx saw them, smiled and walked over to them. "Good morning, Amanda." She turned to Michael, extended her hand and said, "You must be Michael Thomson. I've heard so much about you. I'm glad to actually meet you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Gatopardos. Unfortunately, I can't say the same. Except for the few times I've spoken with you on the telephone, I know next to nothing about you. I didn't even know you were an Iberian lynx until just now. Mr. Schimpanse said I should talk to you if I have any questions concerning the need of any computer items I find."

"Yes. Come along. We'll talk as we walk.

"I'm Vice-President of Telecommunications which is over the CIT Department. We're a little short on time. We need to load the car so we can get to the station on time."

As they walked toward a standard limousine, Michael noticed a leopard in a chauffeur's uniform loading their luggage into the trunk. As they approached, he commented to Mrs. Gatopardos that, even though the uniform looked good on him, he had a hard time imagining a leopard as a chauffeur. When he heard Michael's comment, the leopard looked at him and smiled. He saw Michael looking at him and crooked his finger at him. Michael walked over to him and felt himself slightly intimidated because the leopard was nearly 6'4" tall.

When Michael reached him, the chauffeur leaned over and whispered, "I'm not just a chauffeur."

He pulled his coat open enough for Michael to see an 11mm caliber semi-automatic pistol with a clip that held at least 15 rounds. Michael was more than a little impressed.

"Is that necessary? I mean, are we in danger?"

"Not really, Mr. Thomson." He said. "Crime is extremely low but it is by no means non-existent. Plus, Mrs. Gatopardos is a high-ranking official of a large corporation and sometimes the temptation to kidnap such a person is too great for some humanimals."

"Well, Mr. . ." Michael looked at him questioningly.

He said, "Ingwe, sir. Justin Ingwe."

"I may want to talk to you when I return from Jaguarville."

"Why, sir?"

"When I was growing up, I was a firearms aficionado. I would love to learn about your piece."

He smiled and said, "I would be honored, sir."

They got into the limousine and Mr. Ingwe drove to the train station. As they rode along, Mrs. Gatopardos talked with Amanda and Michael; but, most of her statements and questions were directed at Michael. She was interested in his history, education and life since his reawakening. He answered all of her questions as honestly as he could and she seemed both impressed and shocked at life 20,000 years ago, especially the high crime rate and the government's attempts to take away the citizens' right to defend themselves.

After a 15-minute drive, they arrived at the train station and Mr. Ingwe got a cart to carry their luggage to the counter where they presented their tickets for the trip to Jaguarville. Michael shook Mrs. Gatopardos' hand and broke with tradition by reaching out, shaking Mr. Ingwe's hand and thanking him for getting Amanda and him to the station safely.

As Michael shook his hand, Mr. Ingwe said, "Thank you, sir. I'll see you when you return a week from Sunday."

*****

Amanda and Michael boarded the train and found their assigned seats. Michael's seat was next to the window and Amanda's was on the aisle next to his. Since she had never been out of Catlanna in her memory, Michael offered to let her sit by the window since he was going to be reading technical manuals on the trip. She readily agreed to the switch because she wanted to see how the terrain changed on the trip. When Michael mentioned rivers and swamps, she got really excited. Her excitement was, admittedly, contagious and he found himself smiling at her.

Amanda sat at the window and Michael sat beside her. After about two minutes of waiting, he felt the engine start pulling the cars and the slow inertial increase in speed. He looked at Amanda and saw the look of pure joy on her face. He almost expected to see her open her mouth and start panting. He chuckled at the picture that formed in his mind as he thought about that.

Amanda turned her head toward Michael and said, "What's so funny?"

"Believe me, Amanda, you don't want to know." He started chuckling again.

"Yes, I do." She pleaded.

"All right. Just don't get upset."

"You had a look of pure joy and excitement as you were looking out the window just now. It was such a look that I envisioned you with your mouth open and panting."

Amanda gave Michael a look of comical aggravation when she heard this. "I'll have you know that humanimals don't pant in excitement; we only pant when we're overheated."

Michael just smiled causing her to become slightly agitated. "Now, what's so funny?" She asked imperiously as she smiled, too.

"Nothing. I just like to see people ecstatically excited and I believe the look on your face proved that you were definitely in that category."

"Humph!"

She turned back toward the window. After a minute or so, the look of pure joy was back on her face. Michael watched her for a few seconds before returning to his reading, still smiling.

*****

At 0530, the conductor stopped at their seats and said that lunch was being served in the dining car, if they wished to eat. Michael asked Amanda and she admitted to being hungry because she had eaten lightly for breakfast. He stood and offered Amanda his hand to assist getting up. When she took his hand, he was shocked into a short gasp at the softness of that black furred hand. He saw her glance at him when he gasped and saw a small smile form on her lips; but, she said nothing.

They arrived at the dining car and were seated next to a window at Michael's request. He didn't want Amanda to miss anything on the ride. Almost as soon as they sat, a waiter came to the table, gave them a menu, took their drink orders, and left them to decide what they wanted to eat. Michael looked around and couldn't see a kitchen of any kind; so, he was a bit surprised that they were able to order off a menu. When the waiter returned, Michael asked him about this and he informed Michael that the next car toward the locomotive was the kitchen. They gave the waiter their orders and Michael watched Amanda as she tried to see everything that they passed. She caught him smiling again and, once again, she said, "Humph!" This only caused him to snicker which caused her to glare at him.

Michael turned and saw a couple talking and holding hands across the table. A mischievous thought crossed his mind and he surreptitiously pointed and said, "I bet you'd like to do that."

Amanda looked and, after a couple of seconds of thought, said, "Yes, but I don't think his lady friend would like it if I walked over there and held his hand." She gave Michael a look of triumph.

"Ouch! Touché!"

She gave Michael a funny look and he said, "Touché is an old fencing term. It basically means you touched me with your sword. In other words, you bested me at my game, so, touché."

She got quiet for a short while as she looked at the tablecloth. "Michael," she said in a quiet, barely audible voice, "what would you do, if I said yes?"

Michael looked at that shy look on her face, reached out, took her hand, and held it as he smiled at her. When he took her hand, he saw nervousness replace the shyness; but, she didn't pull her hand from his.

She said, "Aren't you afraid of what others might say? After all, they're both the same species; we aren't."

"Amanda, I'm still trying to come to grips with a world 20,000 years different from mine. Inter-species relationships, while frowned on by over 99% of humans when I was growing up, is acceptable. Besides, just because I'm holding your hand doesn't mean that we are sharing a bed; it doesn't even mean we will share a bed. It just means that we're close friends and I enjoy seeing that shy schoolgirl smile on your face. Neither one of us knows what the future holds for us but, of all the humanimals I've met, if I could allow myself to fall in love with one, it would be you." She smiled. "However, I doubt very seriously that your mother would approve of me as she so eloquently put it three months ago."

Amanda laughed and, in a somewhat exasperated voice, said, "My mother. What is she going to do when she finds out that I went to Jaguarville with you, even if it is on company business?"

"Probably take the first train to Jaguarville and make you go with her back to Catlanna and then have me arrested or fired, whichever one she believes would cause me the most trouble." They both laughed.

Just then, the waiter brought their meals and looked at them curiously as he served them, but he said nothing. Michael let go of Amanda's hand when the waiter arrived and Michael gave her a smile and a wink. As they ate, every two or three minutes the waiter would return and ask us if they needed anything. When their drink glasses were almost empty, he returned almost immediately to refresh them. Michael didn't know whether the waiter knew it or not but Michael was watching him while he talked with Amanda.

When they finished their meal, the waiter returned and asked if they would like some dessert. Amanda looked at Michael and he said, "May I see the menu again to decide?"

"Yes, sir." He left and returned with two menus. "I'll give you a couple of minutes to decide if you're interested."

Amanda and Michael looked at the dessert section. He called the waiter over and asked a couple of questions about the different desserts. Finally, he chose something similar to Key Lime Pie and Amanda selected Lemon Pie. After the waiter left, Michael told her that he was surprised that she could eat anything made with citrus fruit. She said that her human genes allowed her to eat vegetables and fruit and ingest Vitamin C without a problem. After a minute or so, the waiter returned with their desserts. Amanda said she had never tried Key Lime Pie before and asked if she could try a bite of his. Michael knew the real reason she asked; but, using his fork, he cut off a piece of pie and offered it to her. She took the pie and ate it. A look of sheer ecstasy crossed her face as she ate. She offered me a piece of her Lemon Pie and, even though he knew what it would taste like, he accepted the bite and was surprised at how good it tasted. Amanda smiled impishly as she watched him eat. Michael guessed she thought he would refuse to accept her offer, little did he know the real meaning that sharing food meant to humanimals.

When they finished eating, Michael asked the waiter for the check. The waiter said that the meal was included in the cost of the train tickets. He turned and left. Michael sat there for a second before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a 20 Yenar coin and placed it on the table. (1)

Just before Amanda and Michael reached the door, the waiter caught them and said, "Sir, I told you that the cost of your meal is included in your ticket price."

Michael held up his hand and said, "I've been out of touch for a while. So, please tell me. Is it no longer acceptable to tip for good service?"

"But, Sir, the cost of the meal was less than 25 Yenars. Your tip is over 80% of the cost. The normal tip is only 20%."

Michael replied, "Sir, I tip according to the kind of service I receive. The better the service, the higher the tip. I received outstanding service from you. You're worth it."

Slightly embarrassed, the waiter said, "Thank you, sir."

*****

Amanda and Michael returned to their seats. As he sat down, a thought occurred to him. "Why did they offer us a meal? We're going to be stopping in Macaque shortly. We could have gotten off there and bought something."

Michael must have been speaking out loud because the conductor, who was passing at the time, said, "We're only going to be stopping in Macaque for about 15 minutes. That wouldn't be nearly enough time for you to leave and purchase anything to eat."

"Oh, thank you." Michael answered.

Michael turned to Amanda and said, "I'm going to take a short nap. Enjoy the scenery. We should be riding through river swamps south of Macaque. You may find the view there more impressive than what you've already seen."

The space between seats on a humanimal rail car is amazing. There is at least 36" of leg room and likely closer to 42". This allows the seat occupant to recline his seat and stretch his legs without disturbing the occupant in front of or behind him. Michael reclined his seat slightly and, using a pillow that was in the overhead compartment, started to drift off to sleep.

As he started to fall asleep, Michael heard Amanda start giggling followed by a soft moan through closed lips. At first, he didn't think anything of it. He thought Amanda was either enjoying the view or had remembered some silly little joke she had heard.

Michael had his arm on the armrest as he closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand gently caress his arm. This action brought him to complete wakefulness as he remembered what Dr. Leo had told him last night. Michael turned his head toward Amanda and saw her staring at him with a faraway look in her eyes. He knew that she was looking at him, though. He also noticed a somewhat silly smile on her lips as she looked at him. The best way to describe her look is to compare her to someone who had been drinking and is feeling amorous.

As she stared at Michael, Amanda continued to caress his arm causing him to have an emotional reaction. Surreptitiously, he look a deep breath. "Oh, my, God! The perfume I smelled at Bruno's three months ago I can smell here. Amanda has started her heat cycle. We have only been on the train three hours; I'm going to have to deal with her being in heat and every male that recognizes the smell of a female in heat at the same time."

As these concerns were crossing Michael's mind, the conductor returned. As he approached, Michael noticed a change occur in his face. When he came abreast of Amanda and Michael, he looked at Michael and saw the way Amanda was looking at him. The conductor leaned over and whispered, "Sir, is your female companion in heat?"

"Yes." Michael said. "She just started her heat cycle. Is there anything I can get from you to calm her down?"

"We have sleep aids but they would be of little use."

"Why?"

"Even though she would be asleep, she would still be in heat and her body would still be emitting her mating pheromones. Right now, the best thing for you is to allow her to remain awake. As long as she is awake and giving you all of her attention, the other males will respect your relationship and keep their distance. If she was asleep, they might believe she is fair game and challenge you for her. We don't like that to occur on this rail line so we created heat compartments."

"Heat . . . compartments?"

"Yes, Sir. These are compartments in special cars where a female who is in heat can go to stop unwanted attention from strange males. Once the door to the compartment is closed, no pheromones can be sensed by anyone who walks past. The compartments also afford privacy in case you and your female wish to mate."

"That isn't our desire, although that may be hard to believe by watching her. However, the heat compartment might be a good idea."

"Very good, Sir. Collect your mate and follow me."

"She's not my mate. She's a co-worker that happens to be in heat right now."

The conductor leaned closer to Michael's ear and said, "Trust me, Sir. It's best that all the males around you believe she's your mate."

Michael thought for a second as he noticed the lions, wolves, hyenas, and other species stronger than him and nodded.

"Come on, Amanda--Sweetheart. We're moving to a special compartment." Michael said as he stood up.

"Really? Okay!"

She stood up and jumped onto Michael's back, saying, "Carry me." She wrapped her legs around his waist and he put his hands under her buttocks to support her. As they walked, she kept kissing and nuzzling his neck. To try to further convince any unattached males that Amanda and he were mates, he reached up and gently stroked her tiger's muzzle and the side of her face eliciting a soft moan of pleasure from her throat.

The conductor kept looking at them. Finally, he said, "Sir, are you pulling my tail about you and the young lady not being mated?"

"No, Sir. I'm being serious. Why?"

"Well, Sir, a female in heat never reacts that way with a male unless she considers him to be her mate. Half of them may look for a male for mating purposes but it's just a biological function for them, plus it relieves pent up stress that being in heat causes. You must have done something to make her believe that you desired a relationship with her."

Michael thought about this before he said, "The only thing I can think of is, she was drinking the last time she was in heat and I let her kiss me. I didn't know about humanimal heat cycles then. Could that be it?"

"Possibly. Normally, it's something more intimate. Did she happen to allow you to see her in any state of undress at that time?"

Michael stopped as he remembered the morning of Amanda's first hangover. "Oh my God! That has to be it!" He thought.

Slowly, Michael said, "The morning after she kissed me, she asked me to come to her home to help her with her first hangover. When she answered my knock on the door, she was completely naked."

"That's it, then. Now, she believes that you two are going to be mated and she's exuding a special mating pheromone that only you should be able to smell. To all other males, while it smells good to them, it doesn't attract them. They know that the female giving off the pheromone has a mate and they are less inclined to interfere. However, that doesn't mean some males won't attempt to win the female away from her mate."

"Oh, great." Michael replied semi-sarcastically.

The conductor led them to a door, opened it and crossed a small enclosure to another door. "Here we are, Sir. You and your lady may choose any compartment that has an open door. When you close the door, the compartment seals and prevents any pheromones, scents . . . or sounds from escaping. Unless you are willing to fight off any males that may be interested in proving to her that they are a better mate than you are, I would keep that door closed for the remainder of the trip. Inside each compartment is a speaker. I will announce the next stop we will be making approximately 15 minutes before the stop. That way you may make yourselves presentable before leaving the compartment.

"Oh, by the way, are you still interested in the sleep aid?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Very well, Sir. When I return, I will inform you through the intercom." After Michael selected a room, the conductor stuck his head inside and said, "If you and the young lady desire anything, merely press this button and make your request. One of the conductors will let you know when the item requested is here."

"Thank you again."

"You are quite welcome, Sir. I should return in less than five minutes."

*****

Amanda and Michael's compartment was on the left side of the car. He wanted her to enjoy the view as they traversed the river swamps that he knew they would be passing through in South Gargia. He had her sit next to the window but she seemed more interested in lovingly looking at him. She had what could only be described as a beatific smile on her face as she looked at him. After a few seconds of staring at him, she started to gently caress his arm. He didn't mind it until he started to feel a physical reaction to her ministrations. She seemed to instinctively know where she had to touch him and how much pressure to use to obtain the reaction she was getting out of him. The whole time she was giggling lightly.

As promised, the conductor returned with the mild sleep aid and a drink for both of them. Michael had Amanda take the sleep aid and, after several minutes, he noticed that she was giggling less and her eyes were starting to close.

She looked at Michael sleepily and said, "What was that pill you gave me?"

Michael adjusted a blanket he had retrieved from an overhead compartment around her as he said "It was a sleep aid. It should help you deal with your heat."

She was taking the deep breaths one usually takes just before falling asleep and was watching him adjust the blanket. She looked at him and smiled lovingly and as she said, "Thank you, Michael. You know that by doing this for me, you're saying you want to . . . to . . ." She fell asleep before she could finish, although he suspected what she never got a chance to say.

After about a minute, Michael felt her head on his shoulder. Another minute passed and her head started moving. He looked toward her and saw her looking at his chest. A few seconds later, she adjusted the blanket to cover him as well. She patted the blanket after she covered him and turned her face to look at him. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled, kissed his neck, put an arm across his chest, and fell asleep once again.

Michael thought, "God, I've got to ignore these feelings. For crying out loud, she's not human! What am I going to do!?"

With Amanda's arm across his chest, her head on his shoulder and the blanket across both of them, Michael found it easy to sleep on the train, something he normally couldn't do. He would awaken occasionally and read a bit but the comfortableness of the situation caused him to doze on a regular basis during the trip. Whenever he would awaken, he would look at Amanda and notice that she hadn't moved; her head was still on his shoulder and her arm was across his chest. On one of the occasions when he had awakened, he noticed how uncomfortable Amanda had to be with the armrest between them. The conductor had implied that sex was possible in these heat compartments; therefore, this armrest had to be movable. Straightening slightly, he tested the armrest and, to his relief, it moved up. He eased the armrest up, gently slid Amanda next to him and put his arm around her shoulders. When he did this, Amanda sat upright, looked around in a somewhat dazed state, looked at him, smiled, snuggled against him, and put her arms around him. He didn't know what possessed him to do it but, he returned his arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. When he kissed her head, he heard the familiar mischievous giggle he had heard when her heat had started earlier. He feared that she was going to wake up and commence her attempts at seduction. Fortunately, or unfortunately, all she did was crawl into his lap, place her head onto his chest, curl up like a baby, and continue to sleep. She slept like that the rest of the way to Jaguarville. Despite the uncomfortableness of the situation, Michael found it quite enjoyable.

1-20 Yenars is worth about $16.00.