Work The Problem Ch. 02

Author's Note: There seems to be some interest in more of this story, so here you go. This chapter is mostly plot development, although there are some sexy-times scattered throughout.

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Holly woke and lay still for a moment. She felt her head rise and fall with the breathing of Ned's broad chest. She was warm and safe for the first time in a while, and she luxuriated in the sensation. Her eyes looked down at her host's broad chest, which had looked so weird and bare at first. He had a dusting of hair across his front and some wiry hair down below. But otherwise, Ned had bare skin as if he'd had some kind of disease that had made all of his fur fall off. She looked up at his face with its oddly small eyes and short black hair. He was still sleeping, and had a thin trail of drool from one corner of his mouth.

The sight of him should have been off-putting to her. But his skin was soft and felt wonderful to touch. And his brown eyes had been so kind. Not to mention he was also so damn strong. She'd felt his strength last night as he'd gently manhandled her during their lovemaking. She knew that he could force himself on her and she couldn't do a thing about it, but she also knew that she would never have to worry about that happening.

It was a little odd how reluctant he'd been to fuck her. From the way he looked at her, she'd known that he had wanted her. That knowledge had thrown her for a little bit, only to be matched by her own rising lust. But then he had been so reluctant about making physical contact with her. Maybe it was a hang-up for monkey-humans. Proper humans like her viewed sex as a natural and healthy way to blow off steam and get to know each other. Ned had seemed to think that he was taking advantage of her, which was adorable. She had practically forced herself onto him before he'd relented.

Holly ran her hand along his chest and then down his stomach. Her big eyes gleamed with lust as she saw that a part of Ned had woken up before the rest of him. They had only done it a couple of times last night, and she was hungry for more of his glorious pole. She glanced back up at his face and saw that he was still fast asleep. Well she knew one sure way to wake him up...and she was sure that he wouldn't mind it. Holly gently pushed herself up off of Ned, watching his face all the time to make sure he stayed asleep. Then she scooted down lower and faced away from him as she straddled his hips. She took another glance behind to ensure his continued sleeping, then reached between her legs to position him at her entrance. Holly was already leaking moisture from her rampant horniness. Not to mention that his hardness was already drooling as if anticipating her need. She rubbed his cock-head slightly along her slit to get him well and truly lubricated, then pressed him into her and eased herself downwards.

Her breath caught in her throat. The first time she'd seen him unclothed and fully erect had given her a moment's pause. She had not been sure that she could take him all into herself, but in the middle of her ardor she had ignored those misgivings. And he had indeed fit inside, thanks to both her wanton lust and his gentle strength. Now it was all up to her to get him in, and Holly was grateful that she was already stretched out and ready to receive him. Her praising of his girth and length last night had made Ned blush and stammer that he was pretty average as far as he knew.

Holly threw her head back as Ned's cock pressed itself up into her. She paused at the bottom to catch her breath, and heard a moan from Ned. Then she felt him stroke a hand down her back and fondle her tail.

"It wasn't a dream," he said in wonder. "You really are here."

She threw a sultry glance back over her shoulder and then began humping him with a will. Her ears flattened against her back with her effort. Ned groaned more loudly, and then she felt his hands grab hold of her hips. He began to buck up into her, overriding her own tempo. Holly felt a delicious tingle that spread from her spine and down her legs. Once again she realized just how strong he was compared to her. She leaned forward and gripped his thighs as she held on for dear life.

Her face burned with her rising passion. From Ned's moans, it sounded like he was also getting close to his climax. Holly bit her lip as her own release approached. With one paw, she reached down and stroked his ballsack. That was enough to set Ned off, and she heard him cry out as his hot seed flooded into her. Holly felt her interior muscles clench as she shook with her orgasm. Ned's hands stroked her back as she came down from the heights of her pleasure. After a little while, her ears went back up and she fell back onto his chest. Ned laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her.

"Good morning, monkey-boy," she said. "So do you have a shower in this place?"

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The shower had, of course, turned into another exploration of each other. Ned had really taken to stroking her ears after she'd admitted they were erogenous zones. For her part, she again fondled those strange and permanently external testicles of his, followed by lavishing her oral affection on the erection that then followed. Between her licking and her paws she managed to coax another load of spunk out of him. Then Ned had growled and picked her up like a feather. He pinned her against the tile of the bath and attacked her clit with his tongue until her thighs clamped around his head with her own climax.

Fortunately Ned had a hair dryer, although it was a little underpowered for her needs. But she'd managed to get reasonably dry and then trotted off to the kitchen while Ned got dressed. She used the same oversized shirt she'd worn last night. Her first priority was getting something to eat. Holly thought that some fruit would be nice for breakfast.

Holly found Ned's kitchen to be a strange mix of the familiar and the strange. Most of the appliances and furniture were familiar, although their size was larger than she was used to. But then there were some things that were completely new. One example was the 'po-tat-oes' that Ned had cooked last night. Another was what looked like some curved yellow fruit in a bowl on one of the kitchen counters. She figured she'd ask Ned about them before eating one, just in case they were just for decoration. They had a distinctly phallic shape that made her grin.

Opening Ned's refrigerator showed another mix of known and unknown food. There was one thing that caught Holly's eye. It was lump of red material mottled with white specs that was lying in a foam tray and wrapped in clear plastic. She picked it up and looked closer. There was a label on it, but she didn't recognize what it said.

"Ger-owned Beef," she said aloud, sounding out the words. "Hmm." She pressed a finger into it and felt it through the plastic film. Whatever this stuff was had a strange mushy texture, almost like it was the pulp from some melon or something. Holly leaned in close and sniffed. It had an odd, coppery smell as well. It almost smelled like...blood?

Holly suddenly knew exactly what it was.

She all but threw it back into the refrigerator and slammed the door shut. Her back pressed against it as if to hold in what she'd found. Holly's heart hammered in her chest as her flight instinct kicked into overdrive.

She felt a little whisper in the back of her mind. Predator. Run.

No, that was ridiculous. Ned was kind. He had nothing but her welfare at heart, he wasn't fattening her up to eat her. Was he?

Run.

Holly told her hind brain to shut up and let her think. One of her feet jittered against the floor as her eyes darted about.

"Holly?" called Ned from the bedroom. "What do you want for breakfast?"

She almost called out but then clapped a hand over her own mouth.

Quiet. Predator. Run.

Before she could do anything else, Ned strolled into the kitchen wearing shorts and a shirt. He stretched his arms over his head and smiled at her. "I was thinking pancakes, but I wanted to see if your people could eat flour first."

Holly couldn't respond; fear had closed her throat. Ned gave her wide, staring eyes a puzzled look, then he looked at the refrigerator behind her. She could see the wheels turn in his head as he put it together.

"Oh. That's right, I had some hamburger in there, didn't I?"

The whisper of Predator, run became too much to ignore, and Holly spun away from the refrigerator and dashed out into the living room. She cleared the sofa in one bound and huddled behind it. Every instinct was telling her to run out the door, but she knew that was not the right course of action.

"Holly?" Ned's voice came from behind her, from the other side of the sofa. "Are you okay?"

Finally she found her voice. "You eat meat?" The last word came almost as a squeak.

Ned sounded faintly embarrassed. "Um, yeah. Sometimes." His voice became concerned. "Holly, you don't think I was going to eat you, did you?"

"N-no, I just...can, can you give me a little space?"

She heard him move away. "No problem, I get it. You must have a pretty strong flight response. Please understand, we don't eat sentient beings. And for those we do eat, it's really humane. It's not like we run up and tear out their throats-"

"Not helping! Please, Ned, just be quiet."

Holly gripped her knees. She couldn't run, she knew that intellectually. Ned was her best hope for getting back home. She couldn't possibly find somebody more caring or kind. No, Holly knew she had to stay.

Finally her heart rate slowed down. "I'm coming out," she said. "Just don't approach me yet, okay?"

"Got it."

She stood and walked back around the couch. Ned stood in the doorway to the kitchen with his hands up, almost as if to show he wasn't holding a knife.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "Can I get you anything?"

Holly stared at him as her breathing slowed. "I'll be all right in a bit. Um, can you go sit at the kitchen table?"

He nodded, and she felt a little spike of pain at the hurt look in his eyes. Ned moved back into the kitchen. Holly took another deep breath and walked in.

"I'm better now," she said. "And I am sorry. It was just unexpected, you know? You ate vegetables last night."

"Us monkey-boys are omnivorous. Don't worry, I'll get rid of it. You won't see it again, okay?"

Holly nodded and sat across from him.

"Are we cool?" he asked.

"Cool? It's actually a little warm in here."

"No, I meant...are we okay with each other?"

She tilted her head as her fear subsided a bit more. "Weird. It looks like slang didn't transfer over when I came here. Although the language did. I wonder why..." Holly realized she hadn't answered his question. "Sorry, Ned. Yes, we're cool, as you put it."

He sat back in obvious relief. "Good. Now what would you like to eat?"

"You mentioned something called pan-cakes?"

"Oh, right. Well, let me make some up and you can see if you like them."

Ned went to work, bustling around the kitchen. Something was nagging at the back of her mind. It was more mundane than the horrible thing she had found in the refrigerator. Something to do with the sunlight...oh, right. It was morning, and Ned had mentioned he worked at some sort of aerospace company.

"Um, Ned?" she asked. "Did you have to go to work? I don't want to make you late."

"No work today," he replied with a smile. "You chose a good night to break into my garage. It's now Saturday."

Holly sounded out the unfamiliar word. "Sat-ur-dae. Hmm"

It turned out that 'pancakes' were round pieces of cooked bread that were then drizzled with syrup. After a first tentative bite, Holly wolfed down the rest. They chatted a bit as they both ate, and she felt her fear finally ebb away. At the end, she couldn't resist teasing him a little bit.

"Are those safe to eat?" she asked, pointing at the yellow fruits she'd noticed earlier.

"Bananas? Yes, they should be. You peel the sides of it like...yeah, like that."

The banana's rind peeled back in long strips, leaving a white-colored center part that looked even more suggestive. Holly gave Ned a smirk. "I should taste it, just to be sure." She licked the sides of it, never breaking eye contact with Ned as she did so. His breathing seemed to get more ragged as he watched.

"Yes," she finally said. "I think I'll try it." She tilted her head back and slid the banana into her mouth.

Ned laughed. "You are such a little tease. I bet you flashed your ass at me on purpose last night."

She pulled out the banana. "Maybe I did."

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Ned had some sort of large computerized display in his office. Holly was familiar the concept of electronic computers, and they were even starting to be used in banking on her world. But this was on a whole other level. Right now, the display showed an overhead view of Ned's house.

"So we're here," he said, tapping the center. He moved some sort of oblong control off to one side, and the map expanded out to show the neighborhood. "Do you remember which direction you came from?"

Holly leaned forward and tried to point, but she was too short. "Do you mind if I sit in your lap?"

"Not at all. And I promise no funny business."

She hopped up into his lap, and she took the opportunity to give a gratuitous grind of her hips as she got herself seated.

"Holly," he said in an almost moan. "We do have work to do."

"I know," she replied with a cheeky smirk. "Now. I came along this alley here..." she traced the route with her finger, and Ned moved the map around as she tried to remember the few horrible days that she'd gone through after getting thrown into this world.

After a while, they had it narrowed down to a group of five houses. The computer display could actually show photos of the houses as if Holly was standing in the street. The concept amazed her. "I think it was one of these dwellings. That hedge looks familiar. But I'm not entirely sure."

Ned absently stroked the top of her head. "That should be close enough. Now, let's see..." He went back into the overhead view and zoomed out. The only notable thing nearby was a large open area with a few buildings. "Dengar Research Labs," he said, tapping the display. "I've heard of them, but just a little."

They found what Ned called the 'web-site' for Dengar Labs. It was not helpful. Apparently they did research in a new type of energy source, and were funded mostly through government grants.

"Do you think this has anything to do with my getting pulled here?" asked Holly.

Ned shrugged. "Something was responsible. And there had to be a reason you wound up where you did instead of someplace random like deep space. It's at least a place to start."

There was some literature on the Dengar website, but a lot of the terminology went right over Holly's head. And judging by the frustrated look on Ned's face, much of it was going over his as well.

He sighed. "I think that we'll have to bring in somebody else for this."

"You mean...tell another person about me?"

"Yeah. I do know somebody I know who could be a big help."

She leaned against him. "But you don't sound happy about it."

"Well, he's brilliant but he's also a little...focused, would be the best way to put it."

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Ned stood nervously outside his front door as Arnold's car pulled up. Arnold was far and away the smartest man that he knew, and Ned worked with a lot of smart people. But Arnold was also kind of 'flighty'. He would get fixated on a particular area of research, learn all there was to know about it, sometimes come up with some revolutionary innovation, and then move on to the next thing to catch his fancy.

Arnold opened the car door and bounced out. He was a lanky, loose-limbed man with a shock of unkempt, frizzy black hair. He beamed at Ned, his white teeth contrasting with his dark skin. "Ned, buddy! What's up with your mysterious message?"

Ned made a quieting gesture with his hands. "Not so loud, Arnold!"

"Oh, right. Come on, Daisy."

To Ned's horror, Arnold's dog also jumped out of the car. Daisy was a pit bull, 65 pounds of muscle and unconditional love. Her tongue hung out of the side of her mouth as she ran up to Ned in search of affection. He grabbed her collar and began to panic. What the hell would the dog think of Holly?

"Dammit, Arnold!" he hissed. "I told you to come alone!"

Arnold was wearing a fleece jacket against the morning's chill, and he had his hands in its pockets as he sauntered up. "Oh, come on. Whatever this big secret is, Daisy isn't going to tell anyone. And I know you like her."

Daisy's cinder-block head tilted to look behind Ned, towards the open door. Her nostrils quivered.

"It's not that. I have a visitor, and I don't think she likes dogs."

"Ah, nonsense. Daisy loves everybody."

"No, it's-"

Daisy must have caught Holly's scent, because she suddenly lunged for the door. Ned's grasp slipped off of her collar as Daisy bolted into the house. Ned ran for the door as a high-pitched shriek came from inside.

"Get inside, and shut the door!" he yelled over his shoulder at Arnold. It sounded like the cry had come from the office, and he ran there with fear building in him.

Holly was standing on top of his desk. The lagomorph held Ned's keyboard like a club. Daisy was on the floor in front of the desk with her front paws splayed out and her hindquarters high in the air. Daisy's tail was a blur. The dog let out a little woof at Holly. Daisy was clearly confused as to why she wasn't getting any affection.

Ned let out a relieved breath. It looked like the dog thought of Holly as a potential playmate rather than dinner. "Shit, sorry about that. I didn't know he would bring Daisy."

She pointed a shaking finger at the beast on the floor. "What is that...that thing?" Her voice was tight with rage and fear.

"That is a dog. Her name is Daisy. Don't worry, that's a friendly stance. She wants you to play with her."

"Play? I am not getting myself anywhere near that mouth."

Arnold came strolling in behind Ned. "Alright, so what is this big news-" He stopped dead as he laid eyes on Holly. "Holy shit." Whatever things Arnold had been expecting, it was clear that a four-foot-tall anthropomorphic rabbit was not among them.

Ned rolled his eyes. This was not going how he'd planned it. "Okay, time for introductions. Arnold, this is Holly. Holly, Arnold. Now call Daisy off, please."

Arnold just stared for a long second. "Daisy, heel," he said absently. Daisy hauled herself out of her play-bow and trotted over by Arnold. The lanky man walked forward, never taking his eyes off of Holly.

"Um, hello," she said uncertainly. She set the keyboard back down on the desk at her feet.

Arnold reached out and poked her pink snub nose. "Wow. That's not some kind of weird suit like I thought." He reached up and grabbed at one of her ears, eliciting another yelp of surprise from Holly.

"Arnold!" snapped Ned. "Personal space. Remember?"

"Hmm? Oh, shit. Sorry." He stepped back a little and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Arnold Hunter."

She gave him a suspicious glance but also put out her paw and shook. "Holly Arnbock."

He gave her an embarrassed smile. "I didn't mean to get all grabby. It's just...I get kind of fixated on new things, and I sometimes forget social stuff."

"Right. Ah, is that animal dangerous?" Holly pointed at Daisy.

Arnold looked down at the dog panting beside him. "Maybe. I suppose you could trip over her and break your knee."

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