Loneliness Bites, Pt. 02

- 1 -

Erica jumped, then screamed. Or perhaps screamed, then jumped, she couldn't remember. All she knew was that there was a strange man in her apartment, she was naked and had nothing resembling a weapon to defend herself with. Without thought, she reached forward and grabbed a shampoo bottle, hefting it like a club as she spun around in the voice.

"Who the fuck are you and how the fuck did you get in here!?" she demanded, sounding far braver than her rapidly beating heart told her she was.

Raising his hands, the man took a step back, "Whoa... whoa... easy. I'm Karl, though you know me by a different name, ja? Alfred."

Erica brandished her improvised weapon threateningly, and Karl took another step back. For a moment, she just stared at him, looking over his facial expressions, looking for a tell that told her he was lying. But as impossible as it sounded, her gut told her it was the truth. It was something in his eyes. They were the same intelligent eyes she recalled from that evening at the shelter.

"Well... Alfred, or Karl, or whoever the hell you are... turn around! I'm naked!"

Karl grinned, but did as he was told. "You know, this isn't the first time I've seen you without clothing," he commented.

"Shut up," she snapped back, pulling a towel off the rack and wrapping herself. "I'm thinking."

While that was partially true, she also found her eyes wandering down the man's body, taking note of the muscular dimples in his ass. She blinked and shook her head, securing the towel.

"Would you put something on!?" she demanded next.

"I have nothing, you know this?" he answered.

Erica grumbled to her self. "Put that on!" she said, shooting her arm passed him, a finger outstretched at her fluffy pink robe.

"Not my color, I think..." Karl started to object before Erica interrupted him.

"Just do it!"

With a sigh, Karl removed the robe from the hook and wrapped himself in it. He turned and presented himself to Erica. "Better?"

Answering him with a curt nod, Erica directed him to the bedroom with a wave of her hand. He obediently started forward, her directly behind, her shampoo bottle left on the counter in the bathroom.

"Sit," she ordered, pointing at a chair in the corner of the room.

"Would you like me to rollover next? " Karl asked, humor playing at his lips and eyes.

"Cute," she replied sarcastically, a small squint in her eye. "Now... I can't believe I'm saying this... tell me something only Alfred would know. Convince me, Asshole."

His face returning to a placid state, Karl answered calmly, "You don't abide dumb men. And you didn't believe me dumb."

A lump formed in Erica's throat and she froze. There was no one else in the kennels with her when she said that to Alfred, she was sure of it. And who the heck says 'abide' in 2024 anyway? Only her, that she knew of.

"Okay..." she started, exhaling a long breath. "Let's say I believe you - that you're my... dog. How... why...?"

Erica stammered for a moment, then shrugged and gestured at Karl, implying he should fill in the gaps.

"I'm a therianthrope," he answered matter-of-factly, his eyes never blinking, his calm expression not shifting.

"A theoryo-wha?"

"Therianthrope. I'm part man, part animal. In my case, what you call a Great Dane."

"So, like a werewolf!?" Erica asked, a bit of shock evident in her voice, her back stiffening.

Karl shrugged. "Something like that. I've been called that before, but I think that is for a specific kind of therian."

"So, you, like, howl at the moon and are allergic to silver?"

That made Karl chuckle. Shaking his head, he said, "No, no. I'm not impervious to being hurt, though I age slowly. And I certainly don't howl at the moon."

Erica frowned. "Is it a full moon tonight or something? Why did you become a person suddenly?"

His face turning serious, almost sullen, Karl answered, "As silly as it might sound, I can only manifest as my human self when someone believes I'm real. When no one is around to believe I'm human, I shift back into the Dane, your Alfred. It had been a long time since anyone had treated me like a real person, and I had no way to turn back. It's how I ended up in the shelter, and how I ended up here."

"Well, I certainly didn't know you were a therianthrope or whatever. Why did you become..." Erica waved a hand up and down Karl's pink-robed form, "Karl."

With a soft smile, Karl answered, "Because you treated me like a person. Your respect and dignity for Alfred allowed me to become Me again."

Letting out another long breath, Erica stood and paced for a moment, thinking, Karl just watching her pace, much like Alfred had.

"OK, well, if you're a person, don't you have a family? A job?"

Sadness returned to Karl's face, and he shook his head. "Not anymore." He didn't elaborate.

Nodding, Erica replied, "OK. First things first - you need clothes. I'll stop by a second hand store and get some for you. You can use the guest room as your own for now. You can't be sleeping in my room anymore. From there... well, we'll figure out something."

Karl stood, the feminine covering barely reaching his mid thigh. "Thank you, Erica. For everything."

She nodded slowly, confused by the gratitude, but only replied, "Alright, get out so I can get dressed."

Karl bowed his head slightly, then left the room.

Erica dressed quickly then left to get Karl some clothes, a wallet and other necessities like toiletries. Shopping and running errands usually cleared her mind, but this trip she was full of questions, disbelief and other tangled emotions she was having trouble processing.

When she returned, Karl was fumbling with the television in Erica's living room. The clothes she bought had fit him well, and the two made up the guest room. They barely spoke to one another, Erica only giving him small answers when asked questions or giving him direction when he needed it. She ordered take out for dinner, then went to bed early, letting Karl sleep in the guest room.

- 2 -

That week had been the strangest Erica had ever lived. She would quickly get ready each morning and rush out of the house for the office, work until very late choosing to eat dinner at her computer at the firm, coming home to simply return to bed and repeat the cycle. Karl had made comments to her, about her not keeping her normal schedule and habits, but she dismissed his concerns each time. He knew it, and she knew it - Erica was avoiding him.

Erica's eyes burned as she stared at her computer display in the dimly lit office building. It was 9 PM, Friday night, and she was absolutely fried. She had been dreading going home, mainly due to the idea that she'd have to spend the weekend there, with HIM. It's not that he was unpleasant to be around, nor was he unpleasant on the eyes, but she wasn't sure how to act around Karl.

Erica tried typing a few more words into her Motion document, but gave up, exhausted. She packed her things and went home.

When she entered her home, Karl wasn't in any of the common areas, though when she passed his room in the hall, she saw his light on. Going to her own room, she changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, then returned to the couch, plopping down with her remote to put on a movie. Finding a romantic comedy on one of the many streaming services she subscribed to, she tucked in on the couch to relax.

Warm hands gripping her shoulders gently from behind pulled her from the distraction of the film. Slowly, they began to apply pressure into the stiff muscles there, loosening them. Despite herself, Erica let out a soft moan and closed her eyes.

"Rough week?" Karl's voice came from behind her, low and quiet.

Erica nodded, but said nothing. Part of her wanted to bolt, head for her room and lock the door. The part of her that won out was the one that couldn't walk away from an amazing massage.

Karl's hands worked her shoulders, then moved to the back of her neck, alternating between pinching the muscles along the sides and putting force along her upper spine. His hands then worked back to her shoulders and down the sides of her arms, massaging her biceps and forearms.

As his hands worked lower, she felt his warm breath against her neck, replaced shortly after with the soft touch of his lips. Erica's breath caught in her throat, and the urge to bolt again rose up, but again, another part of her kept her sitting tight.

Karl's fingers wrapped themselves into the digits of Erica's left hand, gripping her tenderly. His right hand moved to her belly before inching higher, beneath her breast. She hadn't realized how large his hands were until that moment when he cupped her breast, reaching his thumb and forefinger up to tease at her nipple. Erica's left hand returned his grip with a squeeze as Karl's massage became far more intimate.

Releasing her hand, Karl reached forward and under the waistband of Erica's sweats, quickly finding her pantiless mound waiting for him. His long fingers probed at her folds, lightly teasing the sensitive bud beneath them. Erica gasped at the touch, her hips squirming into his hand.

"Would you like more?" Karl's voice rumbled in her ear. Erica nodded quickly, her eyes closed, her mind focused intently on his touch.

His hands retracted from Erica's body, eliciting a quiet whimper from her pursed, pink lips. She hadn't opened her eyes, but she could hear Karl stepping around the couch to come in front of her. She heard him sink to his knees, then felt his powerful hands stroke from her knees back to her hips. Gripping her sweats, he pulled, taking them off in one motion.

Her legs formed goosebumps from the chill of no longer being covered, though she was quickly warmed by small nips of Karl's teeth and swipes of his tongue as he worked his way up her inner thigh. As his lips formed a seal around her pussy, she inhaled deeply, releasing the breath in a moan as his tongue shot into her waiting clit. His fingers dipped inside her, and with long strokes he continued his massage, this time along the inner walls of her now aching sex.

Erica's hands reached forward, gripping Karl's hair, scratching at his scalp as he took his time pleasing her. His free hand slipped under her t-shirt, tweaking a nipple as he eagerly went down on her.

Letting herself relax and release her trust to him, she found herself quickly achieve climax. Time stopped having meaning for her, losing track of it as she put all of her focus into the bliss he was performing for her. Erica felt herself teetering on the precipice of a second orgasm, but she held herself back, despite Karl's skilled touch.

"I want you inside of me, Karl. I want to cum with you..." Erica's voice sounded raspy to her own ears, her mouth dry from heavy breathing and moaning.

She temporarily regretted her words as Karl released his grips on her, bringing himself to stand before her. Her eyes closed still, she let her own hand return to her sex, keeping herself on the edge of release. She heard him disrobing before her, and soon she felt the heat of his body on hers, his weight against her.

"Open your eyes," he asked, and she complied. His firm cheekbones and heavenly blue eyes greeted her, and she couldn't help but smile.

"That's better," he said, returning her smile before sinking his cock deeply within her. A sharp release of air escaped Erica's lips as he took her.

Reflexively, her legs wrapped themselves around his ass, securing her to him, as he began to pump his hips forward into her.

One arm wrapped around his neck for stability, the other explored his firm chest, idly playing with the delicate blonde curls of chest hair there. Her mind returned fully to her nethers, enjoying the sensation of his member filling her, then pulling away only to fill her again.

Her orgasm quickly built again, and her breathing became rapid, her moans insistent, just like his thrusting form.

"Fuck me, Karl, yes...!" she exclaimed, losing herself in his lust.

"Ah... Ah! Faaahhh...!" she screamed into the room as stars filled her vision and her mind swam. Losing herself in the explosive warmth of her orgasm, she only peripherally felt his pace increase. Numb in her own bliss, his grunts and finally roar of passion seemed distant, though the warmth that flooded her told her he too had enjoyed himself, finding his own bliss in that moment.

Quiet fell over Erica's living room save for their panting breaths. After a few moments, Karl wordlessly lifted Erica into his arms, cradling her, and brought her into her master bathroom, setting her down in a stand against the counter. Her exhausted mind and body registered the sound of rushing water, and after a few minutes he pulled off her shirt and swept her up again, laying her down in the tub, warm, sudsy water enveloping her like a liquid hug.

"You are as sweet as my dear Alfred, aren't you?" she asked, weariness and sleep heavy in her voice. She felt her loofah tenderly scrubbing her body, the relaxing sound of water moving around her easing the remaining bits of tension from her muscles.

"Even as a Dane, I'm still me," Karl replied matter-of-factly.

"I've been meaning to ask," Erica started, "Why a Great Dane? You sound German. Shouldn't you be a Shepherd or something?"

Karl's deep laugh filled the room and Erica's heart. It was a sound filled with humor, love even.

"Great Danes are German. They used to be called German Hounds or German Boar Hounds until World War One. Anti-German sentiment in England and other European counties led them to rename the breed. They have nothing to with Denmark or Scandinavia."

"Oh," Erica answered drowsily. "Okay."

The next thing Erica knew, she was dry and swaddled part in her own sheets and partially by Karl's warmth against her back. She tensed a moment, then relaxed.

"Is this alright?" he asked, concern in his voice.

"Absolutely," she answered, her mind quickly losing grip on consciousness as she fell into a deep sleep.

- 3 -

"You're glowing," Katrina said, pointing at Erica with her latte, several weeks later.

"Fuck you," Erica said with a sly smile between swallows of her own coffee. Katrina's eyes lit up.

"Oh! No, fuck *you*! You got laid, didn't you!?"

Erica tried to stifle a laugh, succeeding only in barely keeping the coffee from erupting from her mouth.

"Spill, Nerd!" Katrina prodded.

Wiping her lips, Erica put her cup down and sighed, the smile still plainly evident on her face.

"So, I met a guy..." she began, trailing off.

"Uh huh. Details!" Katrina basically screeched across the table. "I need details!"

"Well," Erica began, "He's German. Very sweet. An animal lover," she added, not quite lying.

"And hot, yeah?" Katrina led.

Erica nodded slowly, then giggled, causing her cheeks to flush with embarrassment at the noise she had made. "Yeah, and hot. Sharp jaw line well toned. Huge... muscles."

The two women paused, held each others gaze, then broke into laughter like a pair of schoolgirls.

"I'm so happy for you, Erica. You deserve this!"

"I do, you're right," Erica agreed, nodding her head once and clanking her coffee cup against Katrina's.

"This deserves a celebration. I've gotta get back to the store, but after, I'm buying you a drink, Nerd!"

Erica smiled and started to protest.

"Nope, we're doing this! Clear your calendar tonight or whatever, Hot Shot. I'm taking you out!"

Putting up no further fight, Erica smiled back at her friend and nodded quickly. The two made plans to meet after work at a local wine bar, and Katrina typed out a quick text informing her husband he was on kid-duty tonight.

- 4 -

There was a fumbling at the front door, and Karl dropped his book and shot out of his chair to go open it. The view that greeted him was Erica in the same clothes she had gone to work in that morning, though they were slightly more disheveled now. Her hair was slightly tussled, and the smell of sweat mixed with smoke and wine layered on top of her normal scent.

"Where have you been? Are you OK? I was worried," Karl asked, his accent not thick enough to cover the worry on in his voice.

"Oh, I'm fine. Katrina decided to take me out to celebrate. We had a blast dancing and having a few glasses of wine. I took an Uber home."

Erica stepped past Karl's larger frame, patting him on the shoulder as she passed. He'd seen her drunk before, and to his relief, she seemed to still have control of her own faculties.

"Erica, tomorrow I need a phone of my own. I had no way to contact you, and I was worried you had been hurt. What if something had happened?"

"Oh Karl," Erica said with a hint of a smile on her lips, "while I appreciate having a big, strong man around, I don't need you to save me. I was fine but thank you for the concern. Now, snacks!"

Karl followed behind Erica as she made her way to the kitchen, ready to raid the cabinets for whatever crackers or chips she could find.

"No, I don't mean like that, Erica. I mean I care about you. I don't want you out there getting hurt with no way to find you," Karl insisted.

Erica snickered, and teased, "Aren't you supposed to be *my* puppy? Hmm?"

Karl's face tightened at the quip, but he said nothing.

"Oh! Did I hit a nerve? I don't need my pup to tell me what to do. Now, go back to your book," she continued playfully.

Slowly, Karl stalked up behind Erica and took the box of wheat crackers she had found out of her hand, placing them in the counter in front of her. With one hand, Karl gripped the side of Erica's arm and with the other he slipped his fingers into her hair.

"I'm not *your* pup," he said, his voice dark.

"Oh yeah?" Erica said, baiting him, her lips contorted in a wry smile. "That collar I bought you a few months ago tells a different story."

Tightening his grip, Karl pushed Erica forward, her pelvis pressed against the front of the counter, and his own groin driven into her back.

His lips moved to Erica's ear, and in a quiet baritone, he said, "I read that people don't believe in dominance training anymore, that 'purely positive' is the way to go. I think sometimes the old ways work best."

Karl's left hand slithered out of Erica's hair and around to her throat, his long fingers easily wrapping themselves around her thin neck. He gripped, firm enough to make a point but not enough to choke or harm his beautiful mistress. With his right hand, he reached in front of her and pawed at her blouse, taking a handful of fabric and yanking forcefully, causing buttons to strain and release.

Karl's hand reached into the cup of Erica's black lace bra and took firm hold of her nipple between his fingers. He pulled at them firmly, grinding his crotch into her as he did.

Erica grunted softly, and a hiss of pain mixed with pleasure escaped her lips. Her hand took hold of the edge of the counter, steadying herself against his bulk.

Karl's voice in her ear was now barely more than a growl as he withdrew his hand, letting it creep down her side. "I'm going to dominate you, Erica. You're my 'pup' tonight."

He paused a moment, then moved his head to the other side of her, and whispered quietly in her other ear, "Just say my other name, and I'll stop, OK?"

Erica nodded in acknowledgement, and Karl returned his lips to her other ear. His hot breath warmed the side of her neck, and she felt his hand slip under her skirt, taking a hold of the side of her panties. With a firm yank, she heard the snap of the silky fabric and felt the sharp pain of her underwear initially digging in to her skin before giving away completely. Erica gasped and shuddered, but said nothing.

He released Erica's ruined undergarment, then reached between them, undoing his fly hurriedly. Pulling himself free, he lifted Erica's skirt and took a step back, pulling her with him.

Kneeling slightly and retuning his hand to his own flesh, Karl dragged his glans along Erica's exposed slit. "Still think I'm your fucking pup?" he growled into her ear.

Erica began to answer, a snide but playful comment on the tip of her tongue, but as soon as she went to speak, Karl rocked forward, his cock diving deeply into her pussy, and the only noise she made was a whimper that grew into a moan.

Wasting no time, Karl began pumping his hips, driving himself into Erica from behind, his grip never loosening around her throat. The hand he used to guide himself into her, now free, yanked down on her bra cups, freeing her breasts from their confines. The top of the bra cup had very little structure, but Erica winced a little in discomfort, though any sensation the bra caused was drowned out immediately by his firm grip, pulling at her sensitive nipple as he fucked her from behind.

Unable to help herself, not that she cared to keep her tough girl façade anymore, Erica moaned loudly into her kitchen, her voice slightly strained by his grip around her throat. Karl continued to pound her mercilessly, rapidly increasing the speed of his thrusts.

Despite the lack of foreplay, the depraved way Karl was using her coupled by the way he touched her, filled her, drove her quickly to the brink of orgasm. She never considered how sexy it could be to be taken like this, though she realized she had never trusted a man quite like she had learned to trust Karl. The trust was what had made it sexy, she later realized, not the act itself.

Karl's grunts were those of a beast in her ear, and she could tell he was getting close. His thrusts were growing more erratic, and his breathing was heavy. Firming up her grip on the counter with one hand, Erica used her other to reach between her legs, darting to the apex of her slit. She began to massage her own clit vigorously, determined to cum with her lover.

As Erica's legs began to quiver and the walls of her pussy began to tighten, Karl thrust firmly, roughly into her two more times and with one final full stroke, he roared past her ear. As he came, his grip tightened around her throat and breasts, causing Erica's own orgasm to spike in intensity, her moan turning into a strained scream through tightened vocal cords.

The two stood there for a moment, letting the waves of bliss crash over them and recede until silence fell over the kitchen once more. Karl's grip loosened, his arms wrapping around her firmly, but lovingly. Erica reached up and squeezed his forearm, letting out a long, contented sigh.

Finally breaking the silence, Erica joked, "You know, I think all you managed to train into me is that I should call you a pup more often."

- 5 -

The woman looking back at her in the hand mirror her partner had handed her wasn't familiar at all. Where had all those wrinkles come from? Where had all the time gone?

Erica set the mirror down and was greeted with the sight of the love of her life, Karl. There was a little more grey at his temples, and his beard had more white than blonde in it now, but his face still held the tightness of youth.

She reached a hand up to touch his cheek, but he caught it quickly, guiding it the rest of the way. In his eyes she saw sadness, perhaps for the first time in so many years.

"It's not fair, you know," Erica observed.

Karl nodded but said nothing.

"I'm so sorry that you have to be here for this, it's not..."

Erica's words were cut off by Karl's lips, a gentle press of his to hers. They spoke a silent conversation, his way of saying, 'It's OK, it's not your fault. I love you.'

Clara was exhausted. She was working her third double nursing shift in a row at the care facility, and her eyes squinted in protest as she passed the open window of a patient's room, the sunrise scorching her retinas. Making a note in her chart, she walked out, almost zombie like, into the hall. Her mind registered something at her knee, as if something had brushed passed her. Eyes bursting open, she turned to see a dog, a Great Dane perhaps, loping down the hallway towards the stairway exit. Shaking her head and blinking, she tried to re-register what she saw. The animal turned to look at her, panted once, and disappeared around the corner.

"I need a vacation..." Clara lamented out loud, then checked the next chart on her digital pad. The next room was Ms. Erica, and a smile crept across her face. Clara adored seeing Erica. The octogenarian woman was sweet as pie, and her partner even more so. The glances Erica and... Karl, was it? The glances they shared made Clara's heart melt, leaving in her the hope that one day she too would find love like that.

When she entered her favorite patient's room, something was off. There was a stillness in the room that Clara, working often in the palliative wing of the care center, knew far too well. Approaching the bed slowly, Clara felt a pang build in her chest. Looking down at Erica, she saw a peaceful, yet completely still, face, with eyes closed, presented to her. Erica's hands were crossed over her heart, and the pain in Clara's gut shifted when she realized how serene Erica looked.

With a sigh, Clara went to work checking vitals and updating her chart. Karl would be devastated when he came in later, and despite how tired she was, Clara made it a point to be here when he arrived.