The Invite

"If you'll excuse me, gentlefurs," Kiba stood up tall, his height nothing compared to that of the dragons. "I must adjourn to escort this fine lady and gentlefur to the... I am their escort. Please excuse us." He narrowed his eyes, patience wearing thin even as the dragons laughed mockingly.

"Oooh," the black dragon held up his paws, the green snickering. "That's told us then! Where are you going, foxy?"

"Excuse me, gentlefurs," Kiba's tone turned frosty and his russet ears lay flat against his skull. "That is their destination and not yours. If you will excuse us."

To Razak's surprise, they moved without further word, though the green dragon thrust his hips forward as the trio paced by, something between a snort and a grunt huffing from his lips. Amethyst rolled her eyes once and, with the back of her neck prickling, whipped her head around, eyes dark. Of course Damien's eyes were cast obscenely down, but even he had the sense to take a step back when faced with a certain mare's death glare. She snorted dismissively, stalking onward as the dragons turned, doubtlessly to slink back to one of their play rooms and less aggressive subjects for their verbal debauchery.

"And formal dress is to be worn at all times outside the play rooms!" Kiba snapped at their retreating tails.

The wolf and horse exchanged curious glances, not chancing to voice their opinions while the dragons were still in earshot: there was a time and a place to pick every battle, if a battle need even be fought. For all they knew, the dragons were simply an obnoxious duo giving Kiba no end of grief as the head staff member of the night. The dragons' footsteps faded away and Razak swept his eyes down the long corridor, ears catching music and chatter from some way ahead, warmth and alcohol palatable on the tongue.

"What was all that about?" Amethyst asked, taking a couple of quick steps to catch right up with Kiba, Razak at her side. The fox scowled, brushing a paw between his ears and mussing up the neatly groomed fur.

"Roxan told me that I am not permitted to refuse a direct order from any guest here tonight," he said bluntly. "That may be expected, however, there are some that take advantage of the fact. I'll have to report those two for breaching the dress code." He winced. "We were not planning to be obscenely strict over that matter, but those two were taking the piss."

"Mhm, I was wondering why I was wearing a suit when they could walk around in towels and less," Razak chuckled lightly, breaking the tension. "And you have some explaining to do, Ammy, you didn't say that it was this kind of party."

"Hm...oh? id I forget to mention that? And don't play innocent with me, you were looking at more than the towels, wolf," Amethyst noted slyly, her eyes all but angelic.

"I was not!" Razak blustered, the red in his cheeks and ears telling a different story. "I mean, come on, that wouldn't be... I mean..." Amethyst giggled.

"Relax, I'm winding you up, hun," she shook her head, teeth shining white as they advanced towards a larger room, the corridor at last coming to an end. "Nothing wrong with a look...or two...or more."

Huffing, Razak splayed his ears, affecting an offended air that was swiftly shattered when the mare took hold of his paw, rubbing over the back of his fingers and paw. As predicted, the corridor ended up in the bar, which was the same as any other, if that could be said of a bar in such a grand location. Besides the bar stools, plush seating was set around tables of varying sizes and heights and, perhaps in testament to the heaviness of some furs' pockets, there were more than a few card games going on around the room while some casual canines played pool, simply shooting the breeze. Amethyst self-consciously adjusted her dress for the umpteenth time, absently thinking of the more comfortable jeans and shirts, even if they did not quite attract the same stares from a particular wolf. Tail wagging as if in relief, the fox nodded to both of them with a smile and made good his exit. As Kiba pivoted to leave - presumably to avoid as much trouble as possible - Amethyst clapped a paw over her muzzle, stifling a giggle that threatened to burst forth unchecked.

"What's so funny?" Razak pounced, tail flicking as Ammy shook her head, guiding him to a pair of stools at a quiet portion of the bar, thankful that the noise levels were respectable enough for conversation, yet still relaxed.

"Nothing's funny, I swear," she answered at last, hopping on to the nearest of the stools and propping her elbow up on the shiny bar top. "Would I lie to you?" Chuckling in turn, Razak took his seat and then leaned in, resting one paw on her knee as if playing the part of a partner in crime.

"Come on, what are you smiling at?" He persisted, muzzle inching closer.

"Nothing," she said sweetly, shooting a not so innocent look from the corner of her eye. "Do I need a reason to smile?"

"Mm, no, don't make me persuade you, mare," he whispered, brushing his lips over her cheek and planting soft kisses down to her neck.

Groaning quietly, conscious of the other guests, Amethyst brought her paw up to Razak's cheek, stroking through the fur and down the sharp front of his suit, half wishing that it was open or preferably on the floor. She could not hold out for long when she wanted to confide an amusing occurrence, though the wolf's attentions were a large factor in her weakness. Gently, she laid her fingers on his arm, collecting his attention.

"Ah...see, Kiba?" She said lowly, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

"The fox?" He lifted his head.

"Yes, the 'fox'," Amethyst put a finger on the side of his muzzle, turning his head to face the direction in which the fox had left. "There's something not quite right about the seat of his dress trousers."

Straining his neck, though he tried to appear nonchalant, Razak cast his eyes about for the fox, finding a streak of his red shirt on the opposite side of the bar, behind a cluster of low-slung armchairs that were occupied with ferrets engaged in a card game. He squinted, trying to discern what Amethyst had noted already, and then sat back with a grin, meeting her eyes.

"That looks like..." He couldn't put it into words. "Like...there's a panel under his tail that could be removed?"

"No prizes for guessing what use that serves," Amethyst winked, teeth digging lightly into her lower lip. "But that was not quite why I was laughing earlier."

"Then why?"

"The panel was undone and I got a good look at his flank," she chuckled throatily as Razak's eyebrows shot up. "Don't look so surprised. He was coming out of one of Roxan's play rooms and there was cum on his ass. Looked like they'd really been hammering under his tail in there, doubt he'll be walking straight for weeks after this party."

Razak swallowed, tail curling through the legs of the bar stool, struggling to find words fit to respond to her crudeness. Angling her legs so they rested against his, the mare tucked one hoof over the other, resting her chin upon her paw in a thoughtful pose.

"Too bad he's gay, I'd take him for a romp," she added as an afterthought, sneaking a glance to catch the wolf's reaction.

"Maybe I'd have more luck than you then," Razak winked, dropping a quick kiss on her lips before she could react. "Though I've used up a fair deal of my luck."

Blushing, Amethyst slid her gaze away. It was not often she found someone who could stump her for words and this wolf seemed to do it with ease, giving her a run for her money when it came to teasing. It was all a challenge. She decided that she did not need words for the present moment, isolated as she was with her wolf in the midst of the moderately busy bar, the hum of voices and music comforting background noise to their liaison. Tipping nearer, Amethyst stroked her paws over the wolf's waist, unsurprised to find his lips meeting hers in a lusty kiss that may have been better suited to a venue with greater privacy. Unaware of the glances they drew, both furs were panting heavily when they broke, nerves fizzing pleasantly.

Considering the reason they had come to the bar and spotting the nearest opportunity, Amethyst took a second to compose herself and called a waiter in a white jacket over with a smile. The Black Panther was tall with a distinctly feline elegance as he walked, long tail curling behind his legs; he stopped at their seats and lifted his silver tray, a row of clear glasses balanced on the flat surface.

"Would you care to sample the champagne?" He smiled politely, offering the tray of bubbling champagne flutes with one, skilful paw. "It was hand-picked by our host of the evening."

"It would be a good way to start the evening, thank you," Amethyst selected two glasses, handing one to Razak. "Hope you're not too run off your paws tonight."

"If it wasn't busy, it wouldn't be a party!" He grinned sharply, the flash of white teeth startling through his jet black fur, and he padded off to the next guest who required his attentions, tail flicking to a tune that only he could hear.

"Friendly cat," Razak commented, resting the glass on the bar top. "Though I thought this was going to be an open bar?"

"It is," Amethyst chuckled. "Don't worry. Sometimes you've got to celebrate a bit, you know?"

The wolf leaned back, studying the mare as she brushed her mane back, suddenly overly conscious of her appearance. Was her forelock out of place? She really should have straightened it.

"What are we celebrating?" He asked at last, the pause seeming to have stretched on forever.

"Toast to better times?" She suggested, muzzle dipping, thinking herself a fool for suggesting it.

To her surprise, the wolf smiled, lifting his glass and gesturing for her to do the same. Through an inexplicable air of apprehension - since when had things ever gone so smoothly? - she raised her flute delicately to his, swearing that she caught the lion bartender winking as he poured a drink further down the bar. Taking her other paw in his, Razak's clinked their glasses together.

"To better times."

They fell silent, observing their surroundings. The music throbbed up a level, pulsing around the gathered furs so that ears twitched in protest, some of the more disgruntled canines pinning their ears back. A mixed group of femfurs whooped at the change of music, conveniently branding themselves as likely the culprits for the particular song request, which boasted some kind of club remix. They leapt to their hooves, paws and claws and dashed to the one space in the bar that could be construed as an impromptu dance floor, purely because it was the one area devoid of devoted seating. Rolling her eyes, Amethyst shook her head slowly, drawing the motion out until the wolf's lips twitched in a barely suppressed grin.

"Hey," he nudged her shoulder. "How many glasses will it take for you to start dancing?"

"What?" She yelped, replacing the glass on the counter, lest she spill it in sincere indignation. "I am so not a dancer, hun, you should know that." Razak grinned mischievously.

"With the champagne in the limo and this now," he tilted his head towards her narrow, half-emptied glass, "you may find yourself tipsy before long."

"I'm not that easy to get drunk!" She protested, a light flush creeping up the arch of her neck. Razak leaned back, looking her up and down with a crafty quirk to his lips.

"Hm... I didn't say 'drunk', did I?" He teased. "Though I want to see what happens when you are drunk."

Amethyst winced, shaking her head with exaggerated brevity. Glancing back at a standing tiger who had not been educated in the concept of personal space, she fought down a scowl as she was rudely jostled, tail swishing, and returned to conversation with a small murmur of discomfort.

"Something like that would be akin to feeding Pinkie Pie copious amounts of caffeinated chocolate," she replied at last, scraping the stool obnoxiously away from the tiger's restless tail, though space was reluctant to be claimed as the motion had the unfortunate effect of pressing Amethyst's thigh to Razak's knee. He stiffened and pretended not to notice, tail tip twitching.

"Why not give her coffee?" He suggested after a moment's thought. Amethyst flashed a quick, white smile and held up a single finger to stall further talk at his end.

"Because Pinkie loves her sweets!" She stated. "It's the most efficient method of conducting the caffeine experiment!" Pausing, she had the good grace to appear mildly sheepish. "Though I'm not one to trifle with caffeine either."

Laughing lightly, the wolf's mirth was drowned in a medley of bar noise, the energetic ladies who had taken to the 'dance floor' protesting the change of music and subsequent lowering of volume. It was a relief to be able to talk without straining one's ears, however; Ammy had a tendency to be too quiet at times, softly spoken. Taking a sip of champagne, the pleasant warmth bubbled through his nerves, and he silently promised to learn the truth behind her quiet, whether she was shy or...something more. Did furs not say that it was the quiet ones that you had to watch? Meeting the mare's warm, brown eyes, he smiled without thinking and took her paw in his own, brushing his thumb over the back of her fingers.

"You are such a geek."

"Look who's talking," she whispered, glancing down at their loosely held paws.

Squeezing Razak's paw, she waylaid further conversation by slipping her fingers between his. Unexpectedly tongue tied, the wolf inhaled deeply, Amethyst's perfume tickling his nose, complimenting the rich champagne on his tongue. The senses seemed enhanced in the quiet and his ears twitched to pick up every small sound in the cheery vicinity: the clink of glasses, the mare's gentle exhalation, the flutter of cards on a round table and the tinkle of feminine laughter. Razak cleared his throat, ears shyly splayed, seeking words that refused to step forward.

"Are you meeting up with Roxan?" He eventually fumbled, half-turning as if expecting the host to appear from the woodwork. Amethyst tilted her muzzle curiously, fingers stroking through his.

"Oh, if we bump into one another, we'll be sure to have a chat," she assured him, curling the fingers of her free paw around the champagne flute, beads of condensation cool on the exterior of the glass. "I expect he's busy with his guests or something or the other," she added, innocent vagueness unconvincing.

Shifting closer, Amethyst pulled Razak's paw into her lap so that the back of his paw pressed warmly against her bare thigh. The dress had ridden up, predictably, high enough to be considered inappropriate for such a venue, if others had cared or even dared to look. With the glass of champagne empty, the mare's breath caught in her throat, heartbeat fluttering just beneath the skin. Her dark eyelashes dropped over a deceptively sultry smile, paw controlling the wolf's and edging it up her thigh. Startled, he jerked it away reflexively, heat firing along his veins, ensuring that it was rapidly too warm to be sitting so close in a formal suit and thick coat of fur.

"It's too warm in here for suits," he said obviously as he loosened his tie, claws catching in the fabric. "Half wish I could take it off, you know?" He laughed awkwardly, looking down at the paw he had pulled away without thinking.

"Why not?" Amethyst smirked, stroking one fingertip across her lower lip. "I'm sure it's difficult for you, or anyone who knows you, to imagine, but you look even sexier in a state of undress."

Widening his eyes, Razak leaned back, elbows propped upon the bar top, and cast his eyes down the equine's lithe body, fetlocks demurely crossed. She was not fooling anyone.

"Is that an invitation?" He shot back, lips twitching. "What about a mare? Is she going to stay all prettied up in a dress that is too short not to notice?"

"I'd say that a dress so daring was made to be hiked up around one's hips," she chuckled throatily. "I didn't wear it only so you could stare at my flanks all night."

There was only so much a wolf could take when faced with the most devious of mares. Sliding off his stool with a modest thump, which was lost in the bar crowd, Razak wrapped his arms around his mare and bit his tongue, forcing back the premature growls, desire making his skin tingle pleasantly. She raised her eyebrows in the very picture of innocence, parting her legs slowly so that the dress rode up even more, baring her rich, chestnut coat right up to the top of her thigh. Breath catching in his throat, the wolf could not help but sweep his gaze over her body, taking in the small curves and teasing, crimson edge of her underwear, visible at the lace hem of the dress. Pushing his knee between her thighs, he moaned lightly as she ground lewdly against the limb, the twinkle in her eye promising far more unladylike delights than what she had displayed so far. Tracing his claws up her thighs, Razak caught the edge of the dress, raising it up to her hips and flushing suddenly, aware of their audience. The tiger at Amethyst's back cocked his muzzle, striped tail flicking in what Razak supposed was eagerness. Meeting the wolf's eyes, the unknown tiger raised his glass in toast, winking as if he thought himself a partner in crime, though he only served as a pawn in the audience. Groaning, Razak tucked his muzzle under the mare's chin, tail curling about one leg.

"Ammy..." His ears flicked twice, catching the rustle of comments like shifting cloth, some raunchy enough to raise a blush even to his cheeks: it seemed some of the furs knew Amethyst in one manner or another. "Are you sure this is okay? Not... I mean... Doing this...here?" He waved his paw vaguely and Amethyst giggled.

"Didn't you see the sign on the way in?" Amethyst traced her paws down to the small of his back, drawing his hips in close, the growing bulge in his dress trousers grinding into her lace underwear, barely covering anything of note. "This is a 'special' area of the venue... Anything goes here."

"My eyes were fixed elsewhere, mare," Razak murmured against her throat, nuzzling up to nibble her ear.

Struggling not to squirm on the stool, Amethyst huffed out a breath, sliding her rump over the smooth imitation leather until her crotch rested on the very edge. Razak ground forward with a low growl, the heady scent of the mare's arousal evident to his sensitive canine nose. He inhaled deeply, bringing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that Amethyst eagerly responded to, flicking her tongue across his lips and between them, into his muzzle, in playful lust. Bodies near crushed together, the mare clutched at his suit, snaking a paw around to the back of his neck, ensuring that he could not pull away from the deep kiss: she would not allow him to escape so soon. Breathing heavily through flared nostrils, Amethyst bucked against the wolf like a filly in her first season, a large damp patch on her panties making the sheer fabric cling to her pussy lips. She groaned into the kiss and Razak responded in kind, the textured lace dress under his paws and the taste of mare and champagne in his muzzle, narrowing his world to the here and the now, regardless of their audience.

Amethyst broke the kiss with a gasp, panting lightly, fresh but champagne scented breath sweeping over the wolf's muzzle. Her warm, brown gaze met Razak's eyes like molten amber, and she smiled faintly, a gleam that he was all too familiar with twinkling in the corner of her eye. Nuzzling down her neck, he breathed in the scent of her fruity, yet sophisticated perfume, the natural scent of her chestnut coat barely discernible whilst under the influence. The wolf's tail wagged, a visible reminder of his own excitement, and he did not care who saw or who commented on him humping the seated mare as if he was simply an eager pup needing to cum. Nearby, a fur that he did not recognise passed comment that he wanted to be in the 'blue wolf's' position and he barely stopped himself from growling, despite the rush of giddy pleasure those words brought. Nothing was clear and nothing was certain with an equine teasing his bulge, forcing it to strain through his underwear. In a burst of cockiness, Razak nipped Amethyst's neck sharply, startling forth a low moan, and smirked involuntarily, though the smirk was swiftly lost when he looked up and froze, gaze locked.