A Break from the Inn

Story by MiscellaneousWorker on SoFurry

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#5 of Commissioned Work

Shema and Shameen decide to take a night off from managing their lodging business that seems to have consumed their lives and marriage.

Thumbnail by https://www.furaffinity.net/user/oliviamurrr

This was a commission, and you can get one like this as well!


"I don't understand, Grieves," Shema said as she lifted up her purchased fruits onto her camel, "I always get a bargain from you while my husband seems to pay more, even though we buy the same amount of food from you every time... What's with that?"

"I've got two big reasons, ma'am," said Grieves, holding up his paw, "But I won't talk about it. Let's just say you're a better buyer out on these streets."

Shema smirked at him and dropped her coins onto the wooden counter, "Oh, whatever you say then, Grieves. You have a lovely day." She took the rope tied to her camel and led it along, waving the panther goodbye.

"It has been lovely since you came, Shema." He watched her leave for as long as he could until his neck couldn't bear to turn after her body any longer, but it was very much worth the sight.

Shema has always drawn attention when she visited the city's bazaar for her supply run- and she knew about all the eyes that stuck to her. How could she blame him? She's an icon of beauty in this city of sand and stone, so much that she's sometimes confused for being royalty just from her looks: she was a soft, reddish-brown feline, with cream fur drawn along her cheeks and chin, and coloring the fluff of fur inside her staunt ears. If it wasn't her curvaceous body that the men were entranced by, which she normally flaunted with a short, exquisitely patterned skirt and a jewel-lined top that sometimes only covered as little as her breasts, with much cleavage to spare, then it was the heartwarming look in her eyes, as green and mighty with youthful beauty as they'll ever be. Her cat nose was cute and little, and her lips were soft and shiny with lipstick, yet another reason strangers expected her to be of royalty, but in reality, she was nothing more than the wife and best friend of a simple innkeeper.

Ah, how she loved the desert city, from its sandstone adobes to the merciless sun which strikes all of the dwellers and visitors alike with sweat- such heat was perfect for attracting people to her establishment, where they could stay cool indoors with a nice bed and enjoy the service and food she and her husband had to offer. It was an almost perfect business- only almost though, because her husband had other ideas of what to do, but she didn't want to let that ruin her walk home down the bazaar, prolonging every deal the merchants made as they had to pause and take at least a short glance at the woman before returning their attention to their customer.

She walked down the main city road, where the marketplaces of the bazaar slowly faded out as outskirts of the city neared; it was the road that every traveler took, no matter if they came north, south, east, or west, and as such, no traveler could ever miss her husband Shameen's inn located in the outskirts, the Katta's Tail Inn. Shema has seen people of all sorts of species and origins have their stay at the inn, from fellow felines like her and Shameen, to dragonoids from the faraway northeast, as well as the simple human who comes once in a blue moon, though Shema wasn't the fondest of such folks. As long as they were behaved and paid what they owed though, Shema was happy to serve and talk with whoever came around.

Shema arrived at the three story inn and tied her camel off, collecting her supplies and walking through the front doors, announcing to her husband, wherever he was, "Shameen, dear, I'm back!"

He was at the front desk, talking with a guest as he gave them their room key. "Room seven- second floor, first door after the stairs. We have breakfast in the morning, hope to see you there- have a good stay." He walked past the desk and towards Shema, taking supplies out of her arms, "Welcome back, dear- did you get the papers and ink like I asked?"

Shameen was a brasher looking feline than Shema, naturally: he was brown furred and green eyed like her, though with a more masucline brow and no flavorful difference of color like Shema's cream fur. He was taller than Shema by a few inches, and definitely more burly too; he was no strongman, but he was easily Shema's strongest man, with as much of a passion for his business as he had for his wife, knowing that their lives together relied on the success of the inn and what else may come.

"Of course I got what you asked for," said Shema, "When have I ever forgotten something you needed?"

"Oh, I know you never forget-" He took his supplies to his desk.

"You're always asking anyway- why don't you do the supply runs if you're always so worried about it?"

"For one, honey, I'm never worried about it... Secondly, you obviously know how to barter with the merchants there since you always come back with change to spare, so of course I'm not going to oppose that."

"There's no bartering to it," she said, taking out a coin and flicking it in the air before putting it into Shameen's own pocket, "I just give them the coin and they give me the goods."

"I think you're the one with the goods, actually," Shameen laughed, and he hugged Shema as he slid his hand down her waist and to her rear, feeling her short, bushy tail wag against his hand, and smooched her on the lips with a positive "Mwah!" at the end of it.

"What did you want the scrolls for, anyway?" Shema asked.

"Well, I was talking with some people from a few cities over..."

"Right..."

"And they own this great building that we could definitely-"

"Oh, dear..."

Shameen looked at her, "Shema, please listen for once: it's so perfect for us!"

"It's perfect for you, Shameen- I don't want to talk about this." She flashed her tail past him and made her way through the dining room and into the kitchen with her supplies; the dining room had just been cleaned and set up with flowers at every table and beads and exquisite rugs covering the walls and floors. It was often used for more than just meals: parties, weddings, and sometimes the rare and vain attempt of a meeting trying to arrange a town council.

"I don't understand why you have to act like this whenever I bring up my dreams for us-"

"They're dreams for you as well."

"They're not just for me!" Shameen followed her into the kitchen and helped Shema restock, "We could be richer, have more time for ourselves!"

"I know it would never be like that- you'd always be busy with sorting everything, and you'd hire more staff to do everything at whatever inns you own so I don't get to have the roles I want."

"But, honey-"

"I enjoy what I do here, Shameen!.. Everyone looks at me like I'm royalty, but I don't want to live like that, exactly. I'm happy helping you here, but I don't want it to turn into a living hell either, of course."

"It'll never turn into a living hell," said Shameen, "I'm looking after you."

"I know it won't, but I don't want to be pampered to either. I'm not a princess."

Shameen frowned at the remark, following her out of the kitchen as he said, "I hear you, dear, but what's wrong with me treating you like a princess? You know how much I love you, and how much I want to show that."

"Then show it by doing less, dear," Shema said with a spin towards him, "Less is more, right?"

"But we have the opportunity!.. And I could find more of those opportunities! There is this business strategy called franchising, Shema, where I sell my methods of success to other entrepreneurs and I receive a portion of their profit-"

"And then you're always occupied with getting more and more," Shema argued, putting plates out at every table.

"Shema, you wouldn't want staff doing this work for you? I've hired folks to do the tedious tasks like you're doing now, but you always let them go, why?"

"Because, like I said, I enjoy it."

"But we could enjoy other things together besides work, couldn't we? Imagine if we were so rich that we could travel the world, and see the places the guests talk so fondly of... Wouldn't that be just wonderful?"

"And encounter humans, and one day get ambushed by a gang of bandits on the Silk Road? I've heard my fair share of tales too, Shameen."

"Well, there are other things besides work too!"

Shema laughed, "You're telling me? You're the one wanting to expand your business!"

"So that life would be easier for us- Shema, please, you know what I mean," Shameen groaned.

"What else do you want to do then? Hire more young felines for the staff for you to stare at while they work?"

"Oh, is that what this is?"

"It's one of the things, yes." She moved to return to the kitchen, but Shameen blocked her way.

"Just how do you think I see you, honey?" he asked.

"I'd hope you'd see me as your wife!"

"Which I do, of course! I chose you to spend the rest of my life with! I trust you with everything!"

"Oh, dear, I definitely notice that you trust me to do everything." She walked past him to continue onwards to the kitchen, leaving him with a distressed look.

"W-What is that supposed to mean?" he asked as he followed, "Do you like working here like you said, or not?"

"Shameen, I'm the one always purchasing the supplies, just like today, and I'm always preparing for parties, like right now, and greeting and checking guests in- heck, I even go in the kitchen a lot of the time with the rest of the staff."

"I was just getting a guest a room when you walked in!"

"But only because I was gone and so you had to!"

Shameen fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Are you saying I don't do anything around here?"

"No, but it just feels like you don't do all that much, dear."

"That's... that's ridiculous! Who do you think is handling all the finances? How do you think I know what has to be bought for the inn? I'm taking care of this business too, you know!"

"It just doesn't show all the time..."

"Well, just take my word for it then!" Shameen took Shema's hands and held them up with his, "You know I'm better than to put all my burdens on you. I want to make it so you have no worries at all! That's why I want to expand!"

"That's not the only reason why."

"No, it's not, but can't I be a bit selfish myself?"

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile to herself, "No, I suppose you can't."

"Just don't give me smack about me looking at other women! You're the only sun in my life, besides the blazing one above us- besides, I couldn't ever afford to lose you!"

"Because of the business?" Shema asked.

"Shema, you're more priceless than any business I'll ever have. I'll get on my knees and pull papyrus reeds for you if it'd make you happy."

"Oh... You don't have to do that to make me happy, Shameen." She sat up on the kitchen counter and wrapped her arms around Shameen, "I just sometimes worry about where your heart is... But in the end, I trust all the love that you give me. I don't mean to make you worry."

"You're good at it, though!" He pulled her in for a kiss then gave her rear a light slap, "Now go get ready for the party, you know you're always the star of it. The staff and I can prepare for the rest of it."

"Alright, honey." She kissed him before hopping down to the floor and scurrying off to the third floor, where their living space above the inn was located.

Such an argument was not uncommon between Sheema and Shameen; the subject of expanding the business beyond just a single inn had been brought up numerous times by Shameen, and just as many times disputed by Shema, and while it occasionally put them both in a spiteful mood over what they wanted of their future together, they always came around to each other eventually.

Even if Shema was upset about the exchange at all, she would never let it bring her down on a party night, her favorite time of the week. She loved to go all out and beautify herself so that she wouldn't ever go unnoticed, even in a crowd: she endorned her sharp eyes with a light touch of pink eyeliner, to entrap anyone who dared to look at her into a stare; she wore a pair of gold, shiny rings which fastened around her neck, wrists, and ankles as if she was born into such jewelry.

She went for a classic outfit she's always loved: an azure top which cupped her C-size breasts comfortably and spared plenty of cleavage, with a tight fit below around her waist and a diamond shaped view of her abdomen; golden bits lined her breasts and dress straps, reflecting streams of light as she moved. She wore a two piece skirt of the same color, parted around one of her legs to playfully tease any observers, and, as always, wore no footwear- shoes always tampered with her dancing, and nothing beats the feeling of a flat paw positioned firmly on the floor.

When she returned to the dining room hours later, there were already people from all over town gathered around, along with travelers who were curious enough to visit the inn: felines talked, canines drank, and everyone in between took at least a few glances at Shema throughout the party as she carried in and out plates of drinks and food. She was always such an attraction at any party, with her good looks and charming voice, but any man who was familiar with her knew where she drew the line- she was married, after all, and she was glad to show that she was happily so, with Shameen at her side and his arm around her waist.

Every party at the inn featured a band, even if it was a less competent one, because no party was complete without music- and music always led to dancing! Whenever Shema took a break from serving, she'd take herself to the dance crowd and join in on the fun, letting the music sway her like it was the wind blowing a feather wherever it pleased. She twirled and spun, stepped and kicked, and moved her hips with the beat, letting herself lose all of the energy she kept cooped up inside her.

It was moments like this that she lived for, among the simple life that she shared with Shameen, but such simplicity went far in making her happy. She always entered a lowly mood after the late hours arrived and the party attendees departed, and thus ensued the cleanup operation.

Shema was rolling up the rugs and sweeping up the mess when Shameen came and hugged her from behind, burying his face in her neck as he took a long, deep breath.

"You were beautiful tonight, as always," he said.

She put her hand around his face, caressing him, "It was a good party. Thanks for everything."

"I'm sorry about our little argument earlier," he apologized.

"Oh, no worries, dear. I'm not upset about it at all."

"I was thinking the both of us could use a change of scenery, though."

"... For the business?" Shema asked.

"No, I mean for us. I've been obsessing over the business for a while, I think... Maybe we should take a vacation, even if it's a short one."

"Ooh, really? Where did you want to go?"

"Well, I know you love being here at the inn, so I thought that we could spend a night at another inn here in this city, without having any of the worries or stress of work."

"Another inn?" Shema laughed, "Oh, honey, that's so silly but cute."

"Would you want to, though?"

Shema smiled and turned towards Shameen, "I don't see why not. I don't think we could afford to leave the inn closed for too long, so a local retreat like this would be nice."

"So you'd like to?"

"Yes, dear."

"Ahh, thank goodness, because I already reserved a room at an inn across town for when the current guests here leave."

"Oh, Shameen!" She hugs him, "I love you so much!"

"I love you too." They kiss as they hold each other tight, and he says, "We'll be there before you know it."

The next two days passed relatively slowly for the couple, given their anticipation for their much needed retreat they've only recently realized. Shameen watched the guests leave one after another, offering no further lodging to new visitors, given their nearing absence, and Shema swept around and cleaned as she daydreamed of how romantic their night together was going to be.

The night then finally came, and the two of them took a sparse amount of luggage with them and held hands as they walked across town, dressed modestly and in preparation like they were travelers themselves. The inn they arrived at was a two-floor building, with a short tower erected at one side of it. Date palms lined its perimeter, and succulents surrounded the path to its entrance.

Shameen led Shema to the front desk, greeting the jackal owner, "I believe we already have a room, for a 'Aviani'?"

The owner gave Shameen a weird look, scrunching his nose, "'Aviani', huh... Yes, just give me a moment, 'Mr. Aviani'."

Shema tugged on Shameen's hand and whispered, "'Aviani'? What's with that?"

"We're visitors from elsewhere, here to enjoy our stay," explained Shameen.

"Ooh, okay... Where are we from?"

"I didn't really think of that, so you can choose, if you want."

The owner returned with a key to the room, "Enjoy your stay here, Shameen. I don't know what you're doing here, of all places."

"Shameen?" Shema said, "This is my husband... Jameen! We've come from the far east, along the Silk Road! We're merchants looking to trade with the highest royalty of this land, and return home with our riches to expand our trading caravan! We will take over the trade sector of every kingdom, and everyone will know our names!"

"... Yeah. That sounds about right." Shameen took the room key, "Thank you, sir! You have a spectacular day!" As he walked away with Shema, she silently laughed to herself, almost snorting as she tried to keep her voice down until they reached their room after a brief plight of stairs.

"It seems to take a bit of steps to get up here," said Shema, "Is this their highest floor?"

"Absolutely," answered Shameen, "I reserved their best room- take a look." He opened the door and let Shema in first, who looked dazzled as she walked inside the room: the wooden framed bed was plump with blankets and pillows, all of which were lively with bright colors and fluff; she fell right into it and sunk, letting out a great sigh of relief. The soothing, light ocean blue walls covered over with pink sheer fabric curtains made the room feel so open and free, but Shema realized the true selling point of the room when she approached one of the curtains with an angelic light shining through and pulled it aside, taking in the private balcony view of a good portion of the city: the bazaar moved like ants in march in the distance, and in the far desert dunes she could make out travelers embarking on a journey from a city on their camels, leaving trails of toeless footsteps temporarily imprinted into the sand.

"Wowww!" She rested her arms over the balcony edge and embraced the view with shiny eyes, "It all looks so beautiful from up here..."

Shameen came up alongside her, putting his hands on her shoulders, "It's pretty, isn't it?.. Now imagine what else we could see if we traveled to places we've never been before?"

Shema took his hand into hers as she kept her eyes still, "I know, Shameen... But it's difficult to not be afraid of what's out there. I value what we have here very much- I would hate to lose it in pursuit of other ambitions."

"I wouldn't ever let anyone or anything hurt you... You'd always be safe with me."

"I know that." She turned towards him and hugged him, resting her head against his shoulder, "I know we'll do more one day, Shameen... I promise."

"That's all that I wanted to hear." He kisses her, then says, "In the meantime though, I think there's a lot of places we haven't been to here, for as long as we've lived here. Why don't we tour around the city- like the visitors we are?"

Shema smiled to herself, "I love this roleplay... Take me wherever you wish, o 'Jameen'."

"Jameen... goodness, you're silly."

As he suggested, Shameen and Shema strolled around the city like tourists who had never visited before, and in their search for fun, they realized there were things, places, and people they've never seen in the very place they lived, and for a few hours they truly did feel like travelers from elsewhere. Shameen stopped at a tailor and purchased a fine, blue sheer scarf for his love, twirling it around her neck to decorate her like a fine work of art, and they stopped at vendors who sold eye candies like sweets and jewelry- it was no wonder why their city was so successful and attractive to outsiders for trade.

The sun was near its final exit over the horizon of mudbrick and sandstone buildings straying far into the city; the feline couple strolled on their way back to their lodging, their arms locked together as they kept their eyes on the stars.

"Honey?"

"Hm?" Shameen turned his head towards Shema.

"We should do this more. Even just a walk around the city like this is pleasant."

"You're right, we should... The inn starts to close in on me after a while. I think that's why I get upset with you occasionally."

"Me too... I'm sorry about that."

"So am I. We'll get out more though, and relieve ourselves when we can- whatever you want, we'll do it."

She rested her head against his arm, "Whatever you want, too... We could do more with the inn, if you really think it'd be the best for both of us. I just don't want you to get sucked up in the business too much."

"I see... Let's not talk about that now, though. My time is here with you."

They arrived at the inn once again and made the plight of stairs- or Shameen did, rather, playfully picking Shema up and carrying her up the steps and into their room before he fell into the bed with her. They laid on their sides, staring at each other as their legs instinctively crossed over one another, then they pulled their faces in for a long, strong kiss, letting their hands take each other's fur and bodies carelessly.

With no words needlessly said, Shameen let Shema go as she stood up from the bed and unraveled the scarf he purchased for her earlier, letting it float to the floor from the ever so faint breeze finding its way into the room from the balcony outside. He watched her in admiration as she put on a show for him: her hands went down into her clothes and came back with them pulled, undressing herself piece by piece and showing more and more fur and skin, twitching her ears and flaring her little nose every time her eyes came across Shameen's, until all of her garments were scattered around her on the floor and she she stood fully nude: her hips were so deliciously curved, and her legs were built to withstand anything; her breasts were plump and thriving with youth, with pink nipples erect from the breeze that walked in once again, brushing past her body which glew from the dank moonlight outside and the warm candlelight on the nightstand.

She looked upon Shameen in desire for his warmth, and sat on her knees at the base of the bed, where he let his legs hang to the floor as he rested on his back. She gave him the same treatment as she gave herself: her fingers went into his lower garments, and down they slid to his feet until his lower half was bare- that is, bare except for his member which was hard and throbbing with hunger.

"I swear," she said as she rested her arms on his legs, "The longer I'm with you, the more easily excited you seem to get every time we do this."

"You just make me that happy," he said, sitting up straight so he could caress Shema's fur along her ears.

"I'm glad it shows." She relaxed her fingers around his erection one by one with both hands and stroked him, resting her face close enough to it so that he could feel her hot breath on him. It teased him for a moment as he waited eagerly, until finally she raised her head and opened her mouth wide, sliding the head along her wet tongue first, and then the shaft as it all went into her mouth, invoking a moan of relief out of Shameen as he fell back into the bed- she loved to hear him moan like that. She lowered and raised her head repeatedly, licking any dry spots that she missed with the tongue she mastered in the bedroom; it reached beneath the head and its folds, and played with the tip with its own tip, driving Shameen crazy. Shema loved anything that did this to him, and she kept it up as she shifted her head up and down faster and faster, flicking the tip off with her tongue with more saliva every time. Shameen began to move his own hips into her, forcing her to take more of the shaft than she had already licked, and with a final, shaky thrust he unloaded himself into her mouth, mixing Shema's saliva with his own substance.

Shema held onto him with her mouth, breathing through her nose as he filled her through the throat, licking him clean and teasing him further while he was still sensitive, until she raised her head and let it out of her mouth.

She took a deep breath as she stroked him fast with her hand, "You're really excited. I think you want more, dear... I know I do."

He nodded as he breathed heavily, the pleasure blurring his mind too much for him to speak, and he pulled off the rest of his garments and tossed them aside before moving over on the bed. Shema came up with him and kissed him for a moment, and he took his lips to her neck and down her breasts and stomach. When he reached her crotch, he picked her up by the legs and pulled her upside down towards his face, and with a joyful laugh and moan to follow he buried his tongue into her, repaying her for the pleasure she gifted him with; he flicked at her clitoris with his own lip as he impatiently lashed his tongue inside her, and he reached out and squeezed at one of her breasts as her belly expanded and contracted with uneven breaths.

He let her legs fall flat on the bed, and she looked at him and saw how hard he was, saying, "Oh, I love it when you grab at me like that, Shameen... I want you to do the moving tonight, and show me how bad you want me." She turned over onto her knees and pointed her tight rear up towards him, wagging her tail in anticipation.

"Come on," she said, "Give it to me."

Shameen moved himself over and put a firm grip on her cheeks, swaying her left and right in rhythm of her tailwags, and with no hands he massaged her vaginal folds with his shaft, from his head tip to the base of his shaft. He moved a hand to her tail, grabbing it like the end of a rope and pulling it up to stretch her rear so he could take in the sight better, and while she was distracted by the sudden movement, he moved himself into her in a single heavy thrust, pushing out a little scream that she buried in the bedsheets.

He pushed himself against her buttocks with every thrust he made, moving himself slightly upward then downward so reach into the spots he knew Shema loved. His grasp on her tail was strong with lust, as if he might lose such relief for pleasure if he let go. With his freehand, he gave her rear a slap, drawing a sharper moan between her normal ones that bellowed from her with every one of his movements. She turned her head towards him, unmuffling her moans as she stared at him with shaking eyes. Her arms trembled as she tried to keep herself up, but she could only let herself fall onto her face and breasts, finding herself too weak to support herself with Shameen delving so deep and rough into her.

He picked up the pace and charged into her harder, throwing his hips against her more suddenly and with more force. He reached out and pulled her up by her arms, so that they were both standing up on their knees and their faces blew hot breaths together side by side. They turned towards each other as he continued to thrust into her, and the look on Shema's face made him want to move more and more. He held her with one hand clamped over a breast and the other stretched out over her pelvis, with two fingers reaching down towards her clitoris and rubbing her almost violently.

"Oh, Shameen!" she cried out, and he silenced her with a mouthful kiss, feeling her moans and breath enter his own mouth as thrusted the fastest he could, until finally he reached his peak and fell onto his back with Shema, and they both climaxed together as he kept rubbing her, still kissing her to take in all the noise she was making for their love- he filled her, only slightly moving himself in and out of her as he breathed in relief through his nose. He let her out of the kiss finally, and they stared at each other intensely as their breathes hit each other's faces, and soon they were completely still, basking in the blessings of pleasure they granted each other. The moonlight shone against them, soothing them into a blissful sleep together as they remained as one; the night breeze invaded them as they fell into their slumber, and with no thought to it Shameen pulled the blanket over him and Shema as they held each other tightly with eternal fondness.

It was a long, overdue rest for the both of them.

The feline couple returned to their inn the next morning to resume business, the two of them fully satisfied with their quality time spent together. Shameen's brief time of posing as a visitor gave him a new perspective to follow when servicing his guests, now realizing what they more often than not came to the city for and how to make their stay more enjoyable, while also understanding why Shema would want to stay simple and keep their lives here in the city if they were already happy. Shema now supports Shameen's desire to expand their lodging business and one day venture elsewhere with his love, and together they've been sorting arrangements to travel east and explore the great kingdoms they hear so much of- but for now, their business at the inn is fun for the both of them, and with a new seed planted in their marriage that should grow for a long time to come, they are in no rush to seek change, but not to deny it either, as long as it keeps them together.

The End