Getting Shy

Patrick was lying in his bed, alone again, but this time a lot happier. True, 'Shy had to leave soon after their lovemaking, but it felt good to know she had missed him as well. The kind mare had even gone to fetch a towel for him before she left so he didn't have to get out of bed. Then she took a very quick shower, came back to his room to share a kiss, and left. There was one unwelcome thought: her entire visit felt very... 'sex-worker-ish'. He pushed it away and didn't let it spoil the afterglow. He didn't think of 'Shy that way and he was sure she didn't consider herself like that either.

Eventually he fell asleep.

Friday began a little better than most of the days that week. Some of it was simply because it was Friday and Patrick didn't work that weekend, but most of it was a kind of lingering afterglow. He kept thinking back on how 'Shy had squirmed, moaned and gasped as he played his tongue on her nipples. It took some effort, but in the end she came from that alone. Her muscles had locked up for a second, then she let out a deep, urgent groan and slumped down. Her hooves had gone to Pat's head, patting and stroking, saying a silent thank you.

For his part, Pat had simply rested his head on her belly and enjoyed the sound of her thundering heartbeat and rapid, shallow breathing. She calmed down quickly enough, but then she wanted more. Much more. It had been after midnight when she finally left, promising she would try and visit on the weekend. Patrick hoped that Mason wouldn't keep on working the whole time, or if he did, that he wouldn't demand Fluttershy's constant attendance.

"hello? Patrick?"

The sound of his name brought him back from the pleasant memories where his mind had wandered to. "Huh? Oh, what do you want Paul?"

His older coworker had a slightly worried expression as he watched him across the shoulder-high partition between their desks. "You okay?" he asked when he was certain he had Pat's full attention. "You kinda looked out of it just now, Pat."

"Oh, sorry. Just thinking."

"About this girl of yours?"

"What?! How did you- no!" Pat began, but quickly realized it was useless to deny it. "How did you know?"

Paul gave him a knowing grin. "Just that look. Everyone goes through it. The new-relationship euphoria."

There wasn't much he could say to that, so Pat just shrugged and glanced at his screen to see if he'd missed any calls.

"Yeah," Paul went on, reminiscing, "it's the best feeling in the world. And then it goes away and you find out whether you really love her."

"I do!" The sudden reply came out of nowhere and even Pat himself didn't know why he'd blurted it out. It was the simple truth, wasn't it? He loved 'Shy and their desire for each other hadn't faded in all these months.

Paul made his way around their two desks and pulled a chair from Pat's other neighbor who had gone home early. After sitting himself comfortably, Paul grinned. "You really got it hard for this chick, don't you?" He didn't wait for Pat's reply and his eyes unfocused. "I remember when I first started going out with Laura. I was exactly like you." Patrick didn't believe it and it must have showed on his face because Paul laughed at his expression. "Tell you what, join me and Alex for a pint after work. You hardly ever mention this lady of yours. What was her name again?"

He had to scramble to remember, but luckily he managed to keep his face neutral. Paul didn't comment on it, so he must have thought Pat was undecided about going out for drinks with them rather than struggling with the name. "Felicity."

"Yeah, the crazy vegan one. How's it going?"

"She's not-"

"Relax, relax," Paul raised a hand in apology. "Just messing with ya. So, beer after work?"

He wasn't expecting 'Shy that day, especially with her worries about Mason's unpredictable routine. If he went home, he'd just sit on the couch and stare at the TV for a few hours. "Okay, fine."

Paul gave him a grin and a thumbs up, then stood up and returned the chair to where he'd found it. "Okay, two more hours to go."

Before Pat could respond in any way his screen flashed and his ear piece gave a low ding, telling him there was a call coming it. He forcibly pushed 'Shy out of his thoughts so he could focus on his job. He'd need the income if he ever got Mason to sell her.

The bar his coworkers dragged Patrick to had a very British thing going on. It was even called 'Someone's Pub'. He'd forgotten the actual name about five seconds after coming in. He glanced down at the drinks menu and read it again, although he wasn't expecting to retain it for very long: Windsor's Pub. Definitely British or, trying very hard to seem like it. There was the Union Jack on one wall and a bunch of photos of soccer players on the other. Most of the bar was some heavy-looking dark wood and the lights on the walls were shaped like old-fashioned gas lamps, though they had electric bulbs in them. The beer came in big, thick glass mugs and it tasted pretty good, as much as Pat knew about such things. It wasn't too bitter and it was getting him pleasantly dizzy, so it must have been good beer, he reasoned.

That said, he only had the one pint, cognizant of the fact that he had to drive home. Paul and Alex were on their second, obviously used to doing this after work.

"So, pink hair you said?" Alex chuckled. "Vegan and dyed hair. I'd tell you to stay away from that, but seems you made up your mind."

"God, it's not like that, Alex! Pink hair kinda suits her." An image of Fluttershy's meek little smile with her mane covering most of her face crept into Pat's mind. "Besides, she's vegetarian."

Both of his friends laughed some more at that. "Same difference. Lemme guess, she really loves animals?"

It made her sound like some kind of PETA-crazy chick and Pat's face darkened. He didn't like the guys disparaging 'Shy and he sought for something to make them understand just how great she was. Without letting slip she was a pony, of course. "Well, yeah, but you should see her with animals. It's like she can understand them. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it."

"So, how many pets does she have?" Paul asked.

"None, actually!" Patrick was quite pleased about that one. 'Shy wanted pets and she had had a ton of them back in Equestria, but for once Mason's strict house rules were doing him a favor! "We went to a zoo in the summer and... it was amazing, actually. I'm telling you, S-Felicity has a talent."

"What's she do for a job then?"

It was pure luck that Pat had just lifted his mug when Paul asked, so he could use that swig to think about his answer. "Maid for hire. Like, people hire her to come clean their houses and stuff." He was half expecting another round of laughter, but then he remembered all three of them worked in a call center. The only thing worse than that would be retail. "It's just a temporary thing, though," Pat went on, trying to make 'Shy look better. "Once she has enough money saved up- I dunno. Something else."

The two nodded, having had a similar idea once upon a time. A dead end job just to earn some cash and get settled, then on to bigger and better things. Pat and Alex still had a chance for that, but Paul needed a steady paycheck to pay the mortgage on his house. His best chance to get out of customer support was by promotion, if he ever took it.

The three sat in silence for a bit, then Paul spoke up in a more serious tone. "Well, she sounds like a nice girl." Alex gave him an odd look, but the older man just went on: "I know we give you a hard time, but it's nice to see you happy for a change, Pat."

After a moment his other coworker murmured something affirmative and Pat felt a bit closer to them both.

"So," Paul said after another swig of beer. "When are you gonna bring this girl around so we can see her?"

This put the grin back on Alex's face and he piped up: "Yeah. Do you at least have a photo?"

Patrick swore a little to himself for not having thought of this question. He had to improvise, and fast! "I dunno. I don't have any photos on me. I'm not really into that whole thing and neither is she."

This news made Paul frown a little. "Well, you better get into it, Pat. Five, ten years from now, if you're still together, you'll want some memories of how it all started." He sighed and looked down into his mug. "Trust me. The one regret me and the missus have is that we didn't take more photos."

His words rang true and Pat resolved to snap more shots with his phone. He wanted to remember 'Shy, even if somehow it didn't work out. Especially if it didn't. He began to wonder if he could talk her into taking some sexy shots as well. "Yeah, that's a good point. I'll think about it," he said, not wanting to promise pictures. If it came to that, he'd try and find a picture of a random girl on Instagram. One with pink hair. It shouldn't be too hard. Hopefully the guys wouldn't notice Pat wasn't in the photo.

Even better, the two seemed to have forgotten their request to meet 'Shy personally. In a way it would have been nice to introduce his coworkers to the mare, but it would also be completely awkward. By now Alex and Paul knew he was sleeping with her. Not that it had been difficult to guess. A night with 'Shy always left Pat in good spirits, which spilled over into his work. He was a lot nicer with the idiot customers on those days. Even old Mr. Harris had remarked upon it. In either case, Pat didn't want to risk any more difficult questions or requests, so he drained the last dregs of his beer, then took his wallet out of his back pocket.

Alex waved him down. "Nah, man. Today's on us. You can get the next one."

He wasn't sure if there would be a next one, but Pat still nodded. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you guys Monday." They nodded at him and made their goodbyes, wishing him a good weekend. Pat did the same and left them to their beer.

The next piece of good news came on Sunday morning. Patrick was just resigning himself to a long, boring day when he heard the unmistakable clop of hooves in his hallway. He sat upright and looked over the couch's backrest in very welcome surprise.

'Shy was standing there, in the door to his living room with her signature demure smile. "Um, you said I can just come in," she said in reply to the question she perceived in his eyes. "Sorry I didn't call earlier, but I didn't really know if I would be able to come and then I just- well, here I am."

"Yeah! Yeah, of course!" Pat replied. "It's just that I wasn't expecting you."

Her ears wilted and Fluttershy rubbed at an imagined speck of dust on the floor with a hoof. "Oh. Is it a bad time?"

Patrick practically leapt over the backrest and slid to his knees so he could give her a proper hug. "You kidding?! It's always a good time for you." He pressed his face against hers and drank in the sensations. The mellow, herbal scent of her shampoo, the lush, soft feel of her coat, even the tiny sounds as her breath hitched and resumed. There was one overriding desire making itself known by a growing pressure in Pat's pants and he withdrew his face so he could plant a needful, breathless kiss right on Fluttershy's lips. "Wanna go to the bedroom?"

She pulled away and held him at hoof's length with her foreleg. Her ears lowered even further and she averted her eyes as she let her mane cover most of her expression. "I- Um, Pat," she began, not sure how to say it. "I, uh, I'm- It's just..."

He knew what she was trying to say and while he was disappointed, her embarrassed stutter was just too adorable for Pat to feel even slightly upset. "Relax, you can say no. I won't be mad."

"Then - no," 'Shy finished. "I mean, I'd like to, j-just not right now. M-Maybe later?"

He wondered why she wasn't in the mood. She'd always been in the mood after a few days apart, but he decided not to dwell on it. 'Shy wasn't in the mood and that was that. Instead, he ran his fingers through the soft fuzz on her cheek, tickled where her sideburns would be if she were human, and found her ear to scratch. She always loved that and today was no exception. "It's okay. Don't ever worry about telling me no, Buttershy."

Perhaps she heard him and maybe she even understood, but it was doubtful because she had closed her eyes at the touch and was now leaning heavily against Pat's hand. He scratched for a few more moments, then removed his hand, nearly making 'Shy fall over in her effort to follow his movement. She opened her eyes and colored a little more when she realized what had almost happened. "So, you're not mad?"

That answered his question whether she heard him, Patrick thought to himself. He made sure to smile and wipe any trace of disappointment from his face. "Of course not. I'm just happy to spend time with you. Come sit on the couch and I'll pla- massage your ears some more." He almost used the wrong word there. 'Playing with' or 'scratching' Fluttershy's ears reminded her that she was little more than a pet, however much Pat assured her that it wasn't the case. It was best just to avoid those terms.

'Shy had a faraway look as she contemplated the offer and a slight grin appeared on her muzzle in anticipation. "That sounds lovely. Uh, mind if I make us some breakfast first? Did you eat yet? I came as soon as I could."

It was quite late in the morning and it was uncharacteristic for 'Shy not to eat anything by now. "You okay? Why did you skip breakfast at- at home?"

Her ears folded down and her face fell. "Mr. Mason wanted me to make him eggs with bacon," 'Shy explained and shuddered a little at the memory. "It kinda shot my appetite. I feel better now, though. It was just the smell." A bit of her smile came back. "Actually, that's how I convinced him to let me come! I said I was nauseated from the smell and needed to go out anyway."

"Are you? Do you wanna lie down? Let me bring you a glass of water!" Pat was already standing, but 'Shy stopped him from rushing off by means of a hoof placed against his thigh. "It's okay," she assured him, "the fresh air really helped. Now I'm hungry again."

"How long do you have?"

"I promised Mr. Mason I'd be back before lunch." She walked past Pat, giving his legs a flick of her tail, and made her way to the kitchen. Her muzzle scrunched up when she saw all the dishes piled up in the sink and she gave him a slightly chilly look. "You promised you'd wash up after each meal, Pat."

All he could do was spread his hand in a gesture of defeat. "Sorry. Got kinda lazy. I really wasn't expecting you, otherwise I'd clean up first.

'Shy shook her head sadly as she started pushing a chair from the table over to the sink. "I didn't ask you to clean up because of me, Pat. I asked you because of yourself." She sounded sad and a bit defeated. Pat hurried over and stopped the chair with a hand.

"You're right, and I'm sorry. I'll take care of it. Shoo. Make yourself a sandwich or something, you know the fridge." Ever since Fluttershy's visits had become commonplace, Pat had organized his fridge so that all the meat products were in one of the drawers, where she didn't have to see them. He also made sure everything was closed properly so she didn't have to smell them either. The cold helped with that.

'Shy gave the fridge a look, then put her hooves on the chair again. "How about we do it together? I'll wash and you can dry. That way we'll be done in no time."

"Deal. You're too sweet to me, Buttershy, you know that?" She pretended to grumble and be annoyed, but he caught a smile before she could hide it behind her mane. He waited for her to stand down from the chair and moved it to the sink himself. He took the station next to it while 'Shy climbed on and sat comfortably on her haunches. "So, how've you been? I'm sorry you had to leave so quickly on Thursday."

"Okay," she replied as she opened the faucet and waited for warm water. "How about you? I hope you weren't too tired for work."

"Nah, it was fine." Pat remembered the discussion with his coworkers the next day in the pub. "Actually, I had an idea."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking we should take more pictures with my phone. You know, of us. So we have something to look back on."

'Shy just stared, her expression completely unreadable. Pat was starting to worry that he'd said something wrong, but then she gave a single nod. "Sure, if you like."

"You don't like the idea?"

She thought it over, using the distraction of washing a plate to give herself some more time. "No, it's a good idea. It's just-" she sighed and handed him the rinsed plate. "It'll just be a reminder for me that I'm a slave. Even if I'm not anymore then. You understand?"

"Actually, I don't. Why would pictures of us together be a reminder of- of what you are?"

She stopped and gave him a sideways look, before reaching up and tapping her hoof against her collar.

Pat understood. Her collar would be on all those photos. "Yeah. But if no one is looking we can take it off for a minute, no? You know you're not a slave when you're with me, 'Shy." He got a sudden bit of inspiration and his grin turned predatory. "Except to passion."

The effect was instantaneous and 'Shy looked away, ears splaying in embarrassment. She didn't get away unscathed, Patrick noticed. Her tail swished around at the memories she undoubtedly got from his little joke.

"Ahem," she cleared her throat after a few seconds. "Okay, I haven't thought of it that way. Sure, you can take photos of me, but only if you let me take photos of you as well."

It was a no-brainer and Pat slid his hand around the mare to squeeze her against his side for a moment. "Deal. Might be tricky to use my phone with your hooves but we'll figure it out." He put his phone on the counter and fiddled with her collar strap to unbuckle it. Luckily it wasn't one of those models which would raise an alarm if it was removed. Apparently Mason thought her being unable to take it off herself was sufficient.

"C'mere," Pat murmured as he picked the phone back up and started the camera. He nudged 'Shy and she obligingly turned around on the chair, careful not to smear foam from her forehooves on the fabric, or on him. "Pat, my hooves are all foamy!"

"It's fine. Shows we're doing a good job," he countered. His hand went around her withers and 'Shy leaned her head against his chest, then Pat took a selfie. He checked it out and then showed it to 'Shy.

She smiled at the picture, almost perfectly mirroring her expression in it. "You're right, it is kinda cute." The mare on the picture was holding her forelegs stiffly away from Pat, trying not to get foam on his clothes.

"Okay, now we should really get to it."

She gave a nod of agreement and turned back to the dishes. Patrick wanted to ask her about the other sort of pictures - the 'naughty' ones - but thought better of it. He had to get her a lot more used to being photographed first. She went back to the dishes and he replaced her collar. With the two of them the work progressed quickly and they were done in barely any time at all. Pretty soon all the dishes were wiped dry and stacked back into their respective cupboards.

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Pat hadn't eaten yet either. He hadn't been hungry when he woke up and he had thought he would just roll breakfast and lunch into one, like for most of his off days.

'Shy leaned her head to one side. She didn't get down from the chair yet and she was at perfect height for him to give her a quick kiss on her nose as she thought. She flashed him a quick smile in return, then brightened up as an idea occurred. "Ooh! I wanna make muffins! I haven't baked muffins in forever!"

It sounded fun, but Pat wasn't sure if it was feasible. "Do we have everything for that?"

It didn't take 'Shy more than a few seconds to look around the kitchen and nod. "Yes, I think so. Um, get me flour from the cupboard above the fridge. I'll move the chair to the counter and get sugar. Oh, and grab some milk."

He went about his assigned tasks, already looking forward to tasting more of Fluttershy's cooking. She insisted she was nowhere as good as her friend Pinkie Pie, whom 'Shy made out to be this incredible, almost magical, baker. Despite her modesty, Pat couldn't praise her cooking skills enough. They were miles above his own and the things she produced in the kitchen were quite incredible.

"Can you get the bag of frozen berries from the freezer? There's some left from... from that week in the summer."

To his surprise Pat found she was right. It seemed like 'Shy knew his kitchen and the contents of his fridge better than he himself. It just went to prove how skilled she was with these things. Soon he had a small pile of ingredients on the counter while 'Shy was mixing something in a big, plastic bowl. She held the wooden spoon deftly with her ankle and kept the bowl pressed against her chest with her other leg. She was also starting to hum a little to herself, a sound Pat quite liked to hear.

"What's that song?" he asked.

"Um, I was trying to find the melody for Princess Celestia's song again. I don't know why but I just can't put it out of my mind."

It took Pat a few moments to remember. "Oh, that's the one when Twilight got her wings, right? She told you the words, but she couldn't even hum the melody?"

'Shy put the bowl down and grabbed the sugar bag. "Well, she tried to hum it, but she was so bad at it that it didn't make any sense. I'm not even sure if I remember it right."

"Wanna try and sing it for me?"

The request made her physically shrink back, but at least her cute blush was back. "I couldn't!" she said, voice barely a breathless whisper. "It's not ready!"

He reached out and patted her head, hoping it'd give her some comfort. "It's okay, you don't have to if you're not ready. I just want you to know you have a lovely singing voice." Patrick had only heard it incidentally, most often when 'Shy was happy about something and her mind was otherwise occupied. The mare sang to herself without realizing it.

"Thanks." She dropped more ingredients into her mix and pointed a hoof. "Can you grab the muffin tray?"

He obeyed, taking it out of the indicated drawer and turning it around in his hands a few times. "Huh. I didn't even know I had this."

"You didn't," 'Shy said. She stopped what she was doing and was looking at him with a bit of a scrunch in her muzzle. "We bought it in the supermarket, remember? I said I might want to make muffins sometime and you said I should get what I need."

It sounded like something he'd say, but the two of them had been in several stores over the months and after a while they'd kind of blended together. "Yeah, I guess. Good thing you can think ahead." He handed her the tray and watched as she deftly picked up the mixing bowl with both hooves and began to pour the batter.

"Turn the oven on to three hundred fifty."

"Okay, got it."

Her pouring was done and Shy reached for some tablecloth to wipe her hooves clean. She slid down from the chair and stretched, popping a few joints in the process. She smiled up at Pat. "Now we just have to wait for the oven to preheat. Um, I forgot to do it before. I always forget to preheat."

"Don't worry about it. Just gives us more time to talk. Uh, you have a bit of batter..." Pat pointed to his own face and lightly touched the side of his nose. Hopefully she'd guess where it was. He took the cloth from the counter top so 'Shy wouldn't have to climb the chair again.

She didn't take it, just crossed her eyes as she tried to see, then stretched her tongue out and licked her muzzle clean. It reminded him of a puppy.

"Cute."

The remark got him a confused look, but Pat didn't explain. He walked over to the couch and patted the cushion next to him. After a moment she followed and jumped up. Just as he wanted, 'Shy nuzzled up against his side and he draped his arm around her small frame. "So, how's it going? Mason still working like crazy?"

'Shy grunted, half in annoyance and half in reply. "Ugh. It's like that's all he does these days. Sometimes I think it's nice, because he mostly leaves me alone, but he shouts for tea, or coffee, or lunch, so I have to keep paying attention!"

"Yeah, it's like you're on call, 24/7."

"Mhm. Oh, he had me putting some papers in binders and I managed to get a look at them!"

This was better news and Pat's breath caught in excitement. He shifted in his seat so he was looking at 'Shy. "Yes?"

She shrugged. "It was like, I think they're called departments. How much money each would get next year, or something. It said 'budget planning' and Mr. Mason underlined some and wrote some notes, like 'reduce 20%', or 'check spendings last year'."

"Sounds boring." He was a little disappointed 'Shy didn't see anything obviously illicit. That photocopy job was probably once-in-a-lifetime. "So, he keeps all these papers at home?"

"Mhm! He says he wants to have copies of everything at his house, just in case someone tries to do something stupid in the office."

It wasn't a lost cause, then, Patrick decided. The fact that Mason had 'Shy copy those documents she mentioned the last time, and now this news, meant that incriminating evidence was probably in his house. "So, he just keeps a ton of paper in a closet?"

This time the mare shook her head. "No, it's a big metal safe. Except it doesn't have a turn-thingy, just a numbers-thingy."

"Turn thingy?"

'Shy shrugged a little. "You know how the bank safes have this knob you have to turn a certain number each way? Well, this one has buttons with numbers instead."

It sounded like something from a cartoon, or an old movie, but Pat realized what she was talking about. "Oh, you mean it has a keypad instead of that knob?" he asked.

"Yeah! I- um, I saw the number he put in. I guess he isn't worried if I know it," Fluttershy explained. She looked a bit guilty about what she probably felt was spying. "Or maybe he didn't notice I was watching. I'm sure he knows I can read and write."

"Cool! You think you can get in there and find those Cayman Island papers?"

Fluttershy's face darkened immediately and she pulled away from Pat's hug. "I could, but I won't," she said, voice filled with certainty. "I'm not that kind of pony, Pat!"

"Even if he's keeping you as a slave?" She opened her mouth, but didn't have a good response. "I don't want to talk about it, Pat!"

"Sorry, sorry. I know it's wrong, but you're miserable with Mason! If you were mine, you'd be much better off." For some reason those words just made 'Shy lower her ears and Pat thought he saw her eyes filling up with tears as she watched him. "What?"

She shook her head. "You said 'when I'm yours', Pat. I don't want to be your slave."

It was that old story again and Pat heaved a sigh. "Chrissake, 'Shy, we've been over this. I'm sorry I said it like that, but I didn't mean you'd be my slave. It'd be just like now, okay?"

"Except on paper," she pointed out. "I'd be your pet, legally."

"Well, yeah, but just because the law hasn't caught up yet. I don't think of you as a pet."

"Except when you pet me, and scratch my ears, and ruffle my mane." She wasn't angry anymore, just sad, and he decided to try and turn it into a joke. He didn't want 'Shy in that mood for the few hours she was with him.

"If you don't like that stuff just say so and I'll stop, remember?" he said, doing his best to hide his grin.

Fluttershy's cheeks turned pink and she lowered her gaze down to her hooves. "I didn't say I don't like it." It came out as a mutter.

He watched her face and waited until she looked up, whereupon they both burst out giggling. "Look, all I'm asking is that you think about it, right? What Mason is doing to you is not right. You know I don't see you as a slave. It'd be better." He thought of something else. "Besides, what he's doing is illegal. I don't think anyone would blame you if you stole some documents to prove it."

Her mouth tightened and Patrick quickly put a hand on her withers.

"Just think it over, okay? I won't make you do something you're not comfortable with."

She leaned her head in to nuzzle his arm. "Thanks. I'll think about it, I promise." A moment later she slipped out of his grasp again and dropped to the floor. "I'll put the muffins in the oven. Can you set a timer for twenty-five minutes?"

"Sure thing," Pat said and grabbed his phone to do just that.

She hadn't said yes, but it felt like she might if he kept at it. All he really needed was a photo of one of those documents, just enough to make Mason sell 'Shy. He didn't actually care if Mason's company was dodging taxes. Every corporation did it. He just needed some leverage on the man.

Unable to sit still, Pat stood and went to the fridge to get a beer. "Want one?"

Fluttershy glanced over and nodded. "Um, can I get a half? I don't want to be drunk when Mr. Mason sees me, or he'll never let me come over again."

"Sure thing. We can share this one and I'll get another for myself later. Need any help with the muffins?"

She turned around and used a hind hoof to push the oven closed. "I'm done. We just have to wait for them to bake. Can we put on a cartoon?"

"Of course, Buttershy. I'll even let you pick."

They both hurried back to the couch for some quality cuddling. Patrick took a swig of his beer on the way and offered the bottle to 'Shy as soon as they were sitting. Sunday had turned out a lot better than he'd expected. He had his cuddle buddy, even if only for a few hours. He'd get some delicious muffins for breakfast, and if all went well, 'Shy would be in the mood for some bedroom fun when that half beer took hold.