Returning home at last, Callie was immediately slammed with tons of work, complaints from Manx, and, the more pleasant update from her lover.
With Manx she must have said 'uh..huh' a half dozen times until the chubby tom finally ran out of steam. With a 'I'll take care of it' carelessly thrown over her shoulder, she left him fuming and surprised he couldn't get her to take him seriously.
Callie could care less what Manx had to say. She knew better than he what needed to be done and she was hardily tired of pretending she respected him enough to give him even the time of day any longer. Let him fume and fuss...he wasn't the one running the city in the first place.
Manx, stared after her departing form dumbfounded. His deputy usually did as he asked without a qualm but this time she literally paid him no attention, her mind already on her desk and work waiting for her. He might as well not be here at all.
He was forced to realize that everyone, not just Callie, was ignoring him and it all started when those dratted aliens stuck their noses in his business. It had to be them who got Callie to even realize archival reports weren't being done.
He had a cozy thing going all these years and now it looked to be coming down on his head. That archivist's digging and prying into his affairs, though, in truth, it was the city's affairs, could very well bring to light his less than honest use of city funds for all those building projects he was using to try and bring new revenue into the city and, coincidentally his own pockets.
However, he couldn't squash what was going on nor order them to cease and desist as it was in the city's charter that all activities that went on running the city or protecting it, must be reported and recorded into the city's archives. So, if he objected too strenuously about it, someone might begin to wonder if the lack of reports to the archive hadn't been deliberate rather than accidental.
Many of the city council members seemed restless and uneasy during meetings which gave him the distinct impression they were trying to distant themselves from him as if they sensed a nasty storm was brewing about their Mayor.
That feeling of something closing in on him was increased by Feral's behavior of late. He spotted the Chief Enforcer eyeing him with a small smirk whenever they had dealings with each other and he had no idea what the huge tom found so amusing. No, things were not going his way as more and more people turned to his deputy for guidance, advice, and resolution of the many problems that had plagued the city for years.
Some of those problems he'd thought had been neatly buried but, unfortunately, not deep enough. The archivist had delved thoroughly into the records Feral and Callie had kept in their personal files and that was uncovering just how many of those problems hadn't been truly taken care of properly at all. Though he'd made sure he was clean in any wrong doing, too many seemed to be looking at him as the culprit for the records being overlooked for so long.
It appeared to him, his life and career were in serious jeopardy. He had only two choices. Take what he could and leave this city or plead his case and hope he could still retain his position as Mayor. Fool that he was, he thought he could bluff his way through this troubled period as he had in the past and remain the city's leader. He was in for a rude surprise.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
As Callie spent the morning making inroads on her workload, someone else was eager to see her after her long absence. The person called around lunchtime.
"Ms. Briggs, Commander Feral on line four," her secretary informed her.
"Yes, Commander?" Callie asked into the phone, as she was reading yet another report.
"Callie, could you please make time to come to my office this evening...say around six?"
Callie blinked in surprise. "I do have a ton of work to catch up on, Ulysses. Can't you come to me?"
"No, this is far too sensitive and you don't want all those spies at city hall to see what it is I have for you," he said mysteriously.
Now what could be that serious at this point in the project, she wondered. "Alright, six o'clock."
"Thank you," he said, cutting the connection.
Frowning, she returned to her work, setting the puzzle of what Feral wanted aside. She stared at the report Abi had left her.
It was about making a decision to stop therapy for the Metallikats. According to both Lt. Kam and Lt. Donar, the two robots were completely incorrigible and uncooperative with their therapist's efforts to rehabilitate them. They strongly suggested the 'mental leashes' previously discussed about, should now be considered.
Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. Professor Hackle would be soo upset but she could clearly read between the lines on the therapist's notes that the Metallikats were not cooperating. Despite the therapists certainty that she could get through to them eventually given time, but that was the one thing she didn't have...time!
At any moment, the Metallikats could find a way to escape like they always do and that couldn't be allowed to happen. Since Mac and Molly Mange felt they didn't have to listen to anyone, she would decide their future for them. She signed the request and added her own decree that would hold up in court, that Mac and Molly Mange would be fitted with mental restraints, installed by Professor Hackle with the assistance of the Arcanian, Lt. Donar, effective immediately. The reason given for the order were the robot pair's lack of cooperation toward their own rehabilitation and for the safety of the city.
Personally, she would much rather destroy them but knew she would make an enemy of Hackle, something she didn't want happen. So, even though the professor would be unhappy, he would also be grateful that the pair hadn't been condemned to death.
Sighing, she stretched then stood up to ease her backside from sitting for hours then carried her executive order out to her secretary.
"I want this typed up immediately, Chrissy and give it appropriate top secret handling as well."
"Yes, ma'am."
Returning to her office, she stared at her paper strewn desk. Frowning, she wondered if her new talents might speed things up a bit and save her some time. Concentrating on exactly what she wanted done, she gestured toward her desk and watched as her work sorted itself magically then settled into three neat piles.
Grinning in delight, she went to look at the piles. Just as she had requested, her work was now sorted by priority of importance.
'Wonderful! My first normal use for magic besides using it for protecting the city. I think I could get to like it very much,' she thought, pleased, as she sat down and began to work on the high priority stack which wasn't as great as she'd feared it would be. The other two piles were the normal affairs of running the city.
Not having read the newest update of the archivist report, she pulled that out of the stack and relaxed back in her seat to read the long document. Two cups of coffee, her secretary's return with the requested typed document, and an hour later, she finally finished the report.
She yawned and checked the time, it was going on three o'clock. 'Wow! How the day has flown,' she thought, working the kinks out of her shoulders.
Staring out the window a moment, she ruminated on all the progress made in solving their many open problems. However, as she went through the file, she spotted a pattern of fiscal abuse by someone in power. No names were given but the culprit or culprits were glaringly obvious. One person she knew of was already being dealt with by Feral but the other...now that was very serious and would require a talk with Feral and the city's legal team.
She paused a moment. 'I wonder if that is what Feral wants to see me about? Won't know until later but if it is, this city is in for a rude awakening and I'm not certain I like where it's going for me.' She shook her head and set that aside.
If she focused on it now she would be too angry to finish what she wanted to get done today. She'd been particularly unhappy about the waste of equipment that had been meant for the Enforcers use and were never repaired or salvaged. An incredible loss of investment and money to the city and further loss of income for frivolous projects was far greater than she had first thought and made her very angry. The treasury was literally hemorrhaging money at an alarming rate.
Oh yes, if this wasn't what Feral was going to talk about, she would be bringing it to his attention immediately. This needed fixing.
Switching to the day to day work of running the city, Callie worked through that stack the rest of the day until her appointment with the Chief Enforcer later that evening. By the time she set down her pen for the last time, she was stiff and tired but at least one of the two other stacks was gone.
She had signed the order on the disposition of the Metallikats and had copies made. That document was in a folder which she slipped into her briefcase. The other sensitive files on her desk, she locked in a file cabinet and the general stuff left in her in basket for tomorrow. She pulled out her purse, locked her desk, then picked up her briefcase. Stepping out of her office, she left the door unlocked and the lights on for the janitor service, before heading down the hall.
Everyone else had gone home already so it was quiet as she made for the elevator and down to the parking garage where Abi had thoughtfully left her green sedan. It was a short drive to Enforcer Headquarters and the swing shift was already on-duty so she didn't have any real traffic to contend with.
Parking in her reserved spot before the huge doors, she got out and went up the stairs. She never paused as she walked across the lobby for the elevators, not concerned about being stopped as everyone there knew who she was. In minutes, she was being deposited on the top floor of the building where Feral had his offices.
This floor was just as quiet as her own at city hall as all the admin had gone home. She pushed open the huge door to Feral's office and saw the big tom sitting behind his pedestal desk with only a small pool of light from a lamp on it to dispel the darkness that had fallen with the coming night.
Her shoes tapped loudly across his tiled floor causing him to lift his head. He gave her a small smile and stood up before she could reach his desk, grabbed a file, and came down to meet her.
"Let's go over to my couch there and discuss this more comfortably," he said, lightly, leading her to his conversational corner and flicking on a nearby lamp.
Moments later, they were seated side by side and he was opening the file he held. "Have you had time to go over the archivist's updated report yet?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. Is this conversation about that?"
"Yes."
"Good, because I noticed something really disturbing and wondered if you had as well."
He gave her a fanged grin of satisfaction. "Oh yes, I most definitely have. This file holds all the concrete evidence we need to impeach one Mayor Manx. I already have charges we can levy against him that could lead to a lengthy prison sentence."
Callie straightened up and gave him an intense look. "If you have that much evidence then why have you sat on it this long? According to my own research, that tom has raped the city coffers to the tune of over a billion dollars over his long tenure."
Feral grimaced unhappily and said, defensively, "because to do so would have thrown the city into turmoil when the omegas were their most active. We would have lost the city to one or more of them while we were infighting."
Her shoulders relaxed and she sighed, "yes, that is very true...but now?"
"As you've seen for yourself, things are finally going our way. The city is basically safer than its ever been in more than two decades. With our visitor's help we can now hope for peace in the coming years, so we no longer need to hold back getting rid of a cancer that was, in many ways, much worse than all the deaths and damages caused by the omegas," he said passionately.
Her eyes narrowed and a not so nice grin crossed her lovely face. "You are so right and I'm glad we're on the same page here." Then she sighed and shook her head. "Of course, that means I would have to be mayor. What a pain!"
Feral smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, sucks to be you but you know Callie, there's no one I would want to lead the city into its golden era than you."
She smiled warmly at him. "Why thank you for that wonderful endorsement, Ulysses. I only hope I can meet you and the city's expectations."
"Don't worry, you will. Oh, and congratulations on finding someone who will help you through all this crap that's going to happen. She will make things so much easier for you to bear," he said warmly.
Callie blushed. "Why thank you, Ulysses. I didn't know you even noticed what with all that's been going on. And you're right, I'm certain I would be overloaded very quickly without someone to lean on."
"So how do we play this?" She asked, getting back to business. They talked for more than an hour, laying out a plan of action. "Okay, this sounds great and I'll meet with the legal eagles tomorrow about getting the ball rolling. By tomorrow night, the Mayor will most likely be in jail without bail," she said, grinning ferociously.
"Perfect. I can't wait to put the cuffs on that fat fool." Feral looked equally pleased. "Oh, one last thing, have you had a chance to make a decision on the Metallikats?"
"Yes, and I agree the mental leashes are the only way to go and have written an order to have that taken care of immediately and here it is," she said, handing over the folder. "I've got a copy, there's the order itself, one for your records, and one for the archivist record. I thought you should hand this to Kam to give to Donar since he will be doing this with Professor Hackle."
Feral blinked then grinned. He took the folder from her, opened it and read the document. Still smiling, he closed it and sighed in relief. "This is wonderful. I was worried those two would manage to slip away and cause trouble before we could do anything about it. However, I won't relax yet until those leashes are firmly in place."
"Neither will I. Well, it's been a very productive day and I'm pooped. Time to go home to our loved ones," Callie sighed, getting to her feet and taking the damning folder on Manx with her. She paused to lock the precious file into her briefcase before saying farewell to Feral.
"I'll walk out with you. Time for me to go as well." He walked to the door with her and she waited as he pulled his coat on then they walked out to the hall.
They walked quietly to the elevator, each lost in their own thoughts, parting at the lobby with tired smiles.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Before she started her car, she called her lover. "Abi? Where are you?"
"I'm at my office just closing up. I take it my timing is good?"
"Yes, I'm just finished and heading home. Want me to pick up some take out?"
"Let me this time. I have something particular in mind for your first night back," Abi purred.
"Really? I can't wait. See you soon, love."
"You too, my love."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Feral was doing the same identical thing...touching base with his mate.
"I'm afraid I'm tied up still, my love. Won't be too much longer though. Why don't you pick up something you'd like and I'll see you soon," Kam said, regretfully.
Feral sighed mentally but aloud he said, "sure, no problem. See you at home, love." He disconnected the call and drove out of the parking garage. There was a favorite Chinese place he enjoyed so he would stop there for something.
He arrived home to an empty and dark apartment. Sighing, he flipped the lights on as he set their dinner on an end table then stripped off his coat, weapon, and harness, putting them away in the nearby closet. He carried the food to the kitchen and placed it in the microwave to keep it warm before heading to the bedroom.
Tired, he yawned as he stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the nearby laundry basket. A shower would feel good about now. His spirits were high as all his hopes for cleaning up his city were coming together at last. Stepping into the hot shower, he got his fur soaked then began to soap down.
A dark form slipped into the bedroom at that moment and quietly stripped their clothes off. The noise of the shower hid the person's approach and entry into the roomy stall.
Huge paws reached around the tom's waist and pulled the body close as the head came close to nip and lick the thick neck.
Feral groaned hotly and dropped his bath sponge as his mate's hot body and even hotter pole pressed against his back.
"Hmm, welcome home love. Ohhh...you feel so good."
Kam chuckled giving his mate another nip. "Someone sounds in a good mood?"
"Yes, it's been a very productive day," Feral answered then moaned as Kam pressed his cock between his mate's legs and began a slow thrusting motion.
"So glad to hear it. That means we can play without worries disturbing us. Open for me love," Kam growled demandingly.
"Oooohhhh yes," Feral groaned then gasped as that large mushroom head pierced his female sheath in one smooth move. That felt soo good and lit his body on fire. The wolf was the best thing that had ever happened in his life.
Though Kam normally waited until his mate climaxed first, a short, simple procedure performed by Dr. Tennar recently, had opened Ulysses' channel more to allow him safer, less painful access. This now allowed them the freedom to enjoy sex anytime, anywhere without as much preparation as before nor requiring the medical wand afterward. It was pure bliss.
Kam brought them to a quick, intense, climax, leaving them barely able to stand as they recovered while the water continued to cascade over them.
"Wonderful before dinner activity love, but don't you think we should finish and eat? I'm starving!" Feral sighed, his stomach punctuating that plaintive complaint."
Kam laughed and smacked his mate on the butt, playfully. "Of course, love. Let's do that and then we can do some more of this."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
After an incredibly hot, spicy meal from her favorite barbeque place, Callie was pleasantly stuffed and very horny which she suspected was her lover's plan.
They cleaned up then cuddled on the couch to catch some of the Litterbin show while necking furiously. That became far too heated for the couch so they made their giggling way to the bedroom.
Knowing exactly what her lover needed, Abi made Callie lay on her stomach and began a deep, intense massage of the she-kat's tight shoulder muscles down to her feet until she was limp and purring.
Abi made the first move toward intimacy by laying butterfly kisses all over her lover's back then front spending time on the hard, raised nipples. Taking command from her dominant partner always helped Callie relax, allowing her to give up control for just a little while. A hot climax was followed by an even more aggressive bout of love making by Callie. It felt so good getting rid of all that stress that was riding her all the time.
Tired and sweaty, they lay recovering and drifting toward sleep, with Callie spooning Abi. She kissed her lover gently on the cheek. "I love you so much," she murmured, softly. "You make my life so much easier to bear." She paused and thought a moment. "Abi?"
"Hmm?"
"Look at me."
Puzzled, Abi rolled over so she could stare into her lover's green eyes.
"I want you in my life, now and forever. No matter if I am made Mayor or not, I need you by my side to help me through the tough times ahead and, if we're lucky, the possible peace we hope to enjoy. I promise to care for and love you always. You have my heart and soul for now and forever. Do I have yours?" She asked solemnly.
Abi's heart nearly stopped. They hadn't been together that long but here was Callie saying the things she'd hoped to hear. Swallowing hard, she almost couldn't speak. Taking a deep breath and letting it out she finally said, "I love you with all my heart. I know times will be hard and extremely busy for us both but I intend to be by your side through it all until our deaths part us. I promise to care for and love you always. You have my heart and soul for now and forever."
Tears of joy were falling from their eyes as they sealed their heartfelt commitment with a kiss. Whether they chose to formalize their partnership with a ceremony or just on a legal document, right now this moment was all theirs.