The Pet Shop Read online

  THE PET SHOP

  K D GRACE

  Published by Xcite Books Ltd – 2011

  ISBN 9781908006806

  Copyright © K D Grace 2011

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Xcite Books, Suite 11769, 2nd Floor, 145-157 St John Street, London EC1V 4PY

  This is awork of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imaginations and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The Pet Shop is dedicated to the animal in all of us and the exquisitely beautiful world of which we’re a part. May we love it more and live in it more consciously.

  Thank you with all my heart!

  Renee and Jo and all the lovely Ladiez at Sh! who never cease to inspire and encourage me. Lovelies, as always, you’re a fountain of information, fun and friendship! You’re the best.

  The multi-talented Miranda Forbes, to the tireless Hazel Cushion, and to all of the fabulous people at Xcite for making The Pet Shop a reality.

  Lucy Felthouse for keeping me on the PR straight and narrow, and for cracking the whip when necessary. You rock!

  The indomitable Kay Jaybee for friendship and encouragement and commiseration as needed, and it was very much needed.

  To Raymond, for easing the journey and believing in me and being proud of me. Volim te mnogo!

  Prologue

  ‘YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS,’ O’Kelly said, nearly dropping the phone. ‘You can’t really mean to give Stella James Tino for the whole weekend. Wouldn’t a nice gift voucher from Selfridges be more appropriate?’

  The Boss offered her a tolerant chuckle on the other end of the phone. ‘Didn’t she tell you she thought an occasional shag wasn’t too much to ask for doing such a demanding job?’

  ‘Yes, but she was joking. I’m sure she never expected–’

  ‘Well, she’s right. It isn’t too much to ask, is it? She’s a very dedicated employee, and we’ve always done our best to reward dedicated employees, especially one with such promise, one that we have such plans for.’

  ‘Yes but–’

  ‘Hasn’t she met and surpassed our expectations since she’s joined Strigida, and didn’t we both agree she’s exactly what we’re looking for?’

  ‘Yes, but–’

  ‘She’s not in a relationship, right?’

  She rolled her eyes and glanced down at her watch. He was on a roll. Nothing for it now but to hear him out.

  ‘No relationship, no family. Stella can afford to live in London because she has no life outside of work, all factors we took into account when we hired her. There’s no arguing she doesn’t have time for sex.’ He paused long enough for a quick breath. ‘Sorry to say that’s the way of the world these days. All work and no play. Very sad. Very sad indeed.’

  ‘Yes, sir. It is sad, but, sir, Tino?’

  ‘Yes. Tino.’

  ‘OK, maybe for a couple of hours, maybe. But surely not for the whole weekend.’

  ‘Yes, for the whole weekend, O’Kelly, from Friday night till Sunday evening. Every last second of it.’

  O’Kelly rubbed her forehead impatiently then rolled her shoulders to loosen the knots, which she could always count on the Boss to tighten. ‘It’s not that the woman doesn’t deserve a weekend of blow-your-brains-out sex. God knows she does, but ...’

  ‘But what, O’Kelly? Get to the point.’

  O’Kelly squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She found the whole thing a bit embarrassing, actually. ‘Well, sir, she’s just so ...’

  ‘So what?’

  ‘She’s just so tight laced, so prim and proper. I don’t know – all business. I can’t help but wonder if we’ve made a mistake, and even if we haven’t, a weekend with Tino is just so hardcore at this stage, don’t you think?’ She straightened in her chair and brushed her skirt free of the few remaining crumbs from the sandwich she had wolfed for lunch. ‘I can’t picture her being the kind who could appreciate or even be able to handle a weekend with Tino.’

  ‘Prim and proper? Really? You just told me she was joking about the company providing sex as a fringe benefit for its overworked employees. Doesn’t sound very prim and proper to me. In fact she sounds like exactly the woman we’ve been looking for.’

  ‘Yes, sir, I know we both agreed about that before we approached her, but Tino? You know how–’

  ‘How out of control and undisciplined he can be? Of course I know. And I think you underestimate our Stella. I think she’s exactly the one to handle Tino. Just make sure she has a copy of the Pet minder’s manual, and I’m certain she’ll do just fine. Besides, Tino can behave himself when he has to.’ His voice drifted off as though he were lost in thought, then he returned his attention to O’Kelly. ‘My mind is made up on this. You have Tino’s schedule, and you know our dedicated Stella never has weekend plans. Work it out. And make sure she gets Tino for the whole weekend.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And O’Kelly. Don’t allow her to back out.’ She could almost hear the smile in his voice. ‘It’ll be good for her. Good for both of them. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a flight to catch.’

  For a long moment, O’Kelly listened to the buzz of the dial tone in her ear, then she hung up and sat in front of her laptop contemplating her conversation with the Boss. There would be hell to pay. It was obvious. It was too soon to test Stella out on such a grand scale. How could he not see that?

  She gritted her teeth and pulled up the Pet Shop website. She entered her password, then scrolled down till she found the list of Pet profiles and clicked on to Tino’s.

  It wasn’t easy to book a weekend with Tino, and O’Kelly was half hoping that his schedule would be as maddeningly full as it usually was. She was surprised to find there was one opening. Next weekend. She grumbled under her breath. No doubt this was the Boss’s doing. She couldn’t see any good coming out of this on any level, but he was right. Stella had practically set herself up for it. Though any fool could see the woman was just joking.

  She wished now she had kept her mouth shut. She never imagined the Boss would send in the big guns this early in their search. If this little ploy backfired they could lose her, then they’d be back to square one. But if hot sex with Tino was to be a part of the test then she’d do her best to make sure that’s exactly what would happen. She was in on this little charade to the bitter end, and she had way too much at stake not to make every effort to see that it all worked out.

  Chapter One

  ‘THIS IS TINO.’ ANNE placed a hand under the man’s chin and lifted his head so Stella could see his lovely stubbled face, blushing as though she had just caught him masturbating behind the sofa.

  He offered half a shy smile then quickly lowered his head again, dark eyes disappearing behind a fringe of unruly auburn hair.

  ‘Tino’s uncomfortable around new people.’ Anne dropped the blue rucksack she’d been carrying by the door, and the two followed Stella into the lounge. ‘Don’t worry. He’ll get used to you.’

  The way-too-freely offered stories of Anne O’Kelly’s love life had provided Stella with endless entertainment since the two had met when Stella started working for Strigida. In spite of their total lack of anything in common, the two had become fast friends. It was times like this when Stella wondered why that was. No doubt this Tino character was one of Anne’s nutters, ready to provide kinky sex for the weekend in Bath. Even Stella had to admit, a whole lot of neurotic could be overlooked in exchange for a hot weekend with someone that tall, and that hot.

  Stella knew Anne had
planned to drop in this evening on her way to Bath, but she hadn’t expected her quite so late, nor had she expected her to bring a friend. She said she had a surprise for her, a little token from Strigida for a job well done. Stella figured it was probably a gift voucher or maybe theatre tickets, which she would never find time to use. She’d given away mountains of them in her previous job to less deserving fellow employees simply because there was never time. A few extra quid in her paycheque would have been a lot more appreciated, though she never had time to spend that either.

  In the lounge, Anne made herself comfy in the leather recliner then turned her attention to Tino. ‘Sit,’ she commanded.

  The man dropped onto the floor next to her, and she ran her hand absently over his dark hair, caressing the back of his neck.

  Still wondering what was going on, Stella sat down across from the two. She couldn’t help noticing, as Tino shifted to rest his head on Anne’s knee, that he was sporting an impressive erection beneath thin summer trousers.

  She quickly averted her eyes, but not before her pussy got the message and warmed to the thought. These days Stella didn’t see too many hard cocks.

  Anne chuckled softly and rearranged herself in the chair so Tino could nestle against her leg. ‘He’s always got a hard-on, and he loves to show it off.’ Then she added nonchalantly, ‘How about a G&T? I’m gasping.’

  Stella clamoured to her feet, trying to keep her eyes on Tino’s face. ‘And what about you? What would you like?’

  The man only buried his head against Anne’s leg like a shy child.

  ‘Tino doesn’t drink, and he’s already been fed.’

  ‘Already been fed?’

  Anne disengaged Tino’s arms from around her leg and stood. ‘Stay here, Tino, mistresses need to talk.’

  ‘Mistresses? What the fuck’s going on?’

  ‘Shshsh!’ Anne grabbed Stella’s arm and hustled her off to the kitchen. ‘He’s very sensitive to other people’s emotions. He’s nervous enough just being in a strange place.’ She helped herself to a glass and found the gin. ‘Remember I told you my therapist said that with my relationship issues, before I got involved with a man, I should start with a plant?’

  Stella nodded, ‘And if you didn’t kill the plant, work your way up to a goldfish then maybe a cat or dog. Yeah, I remember. So?’

  Anne plopped an ice cube in her glass. ‘What if I don’t like goldfish? And maybe I’m allergic to cats and I’m afraid of dogs. Well ...’ She nodded toward the lounge where Tino was.

  ‘What? Is the RSPCA adopting out men these days?’

  ‘Even better.’ Anne moved closer to Stella and spoke softly around a wicked smile. ‘There’s a site called the Pet Shop. They set people up with Pets, and I’m not talking cats and dogs here, Stel. It’s temporary, only for a night, a weekend at the most.’

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’

  ‘Hon, I wouldn’t joke about something as yummy as Tino.’ She offered a naughty giggle. ‘Anyway, if I had to venture a guess, I’d say having a Pet occasionally would probably suit people like us much better than having a relationship. Our conversation the other day made me think a Pet might be exactly what you need. You certainly seem to be responding well to Tino.’ She gave Stella’s tits a passing stroke with her free hand. ‘I’d say your nips approve.’

  Stella slapped her away. She had lamented to Anne that with the demands of her job, she had no time for a relationship, but someone working as hard as she did surely deserve a good shag once in a while. They had been walking along the Serpentine at the time. Anne had laughed around the mango ice lolly she had practically been fellating. Stella had assumed that meant she realised it was a joke.

  She grabbed the gin bottle and poured herself a double.

  ‘Tino’s very low maintenance, well behaved – at least most of the time anyway, clean, quiet.’

  ‘Jesus, Annie, this is a bloke you’re talking about, not a stray cat.’

  ‘Come on,’ Anne grabbed Stella’s hand and led her back toward the lounge. ‘If he’s left alone too long, he gets bored and sometimes gets in trouble.’

  ‘What the hell’s he going to do, piss on the carpet?’

  ‘Don’t be daft. He’s house broken, but unlike most blokes, he always remembers to put the toilet seat back down.’

  ‘I don’t believe we’re having this conversation. How did–’ Stella stopped in her tracks sending a cascade of gin over the rim of her glass onto the carpet.

  There on the floor, exactly where they left him, was Tino, head thrown back, eyes closed, enthusiastically thrusting the thick cock he’d extricated from his trousers in and out of his fisted hand.

  ‘Tino! Bad boy! You know better than to play with your thing without permission.’ Anne shoved past Stella and slapped his hands away from his penis.

  Stella watched in fascination as the pouting Pet let Anne push his trousers down far enough to bare his exquisite bum. There were no underpants. Then, on hands and knees, he presented his arse to Anne, who gave him a resounding thwack on each cheek. Stella’s pussy practically gushed as Anne spanked him again, and his muscular buttocks clenched and relaxed, beautifully displaying the dark pucker of his anus. Stella wondered how the hell one connected up with a place like the Pet Shop and someone like Tino.

  ‘I hate to punish you, darling, but you must behave. What will Mistress Stella think of you being so ill-mannered? Here, let’s get you out of those clothes. I know you’re uncomfortable. You don’t mind, do you, Stel? Pets only wear clothes in public. They’re much more comfortable naked.’ She didn’t wait for Stella’s response.

  Tino sat back on the floor and lifted his arse while Anne stripped him. The spanking had done nothing to diminish his huge erection. His heavy balls bounced against his thighs with Anne’s efforts.

  From the dark blue rucksack by the door, Anne produced a black leather collar studded with heavy silver riveting and a D-ring. ‘There’s a leash in the bag too if he needs it,’ she said, as she buckled the collar around Tino’s throat. ‘Pet Shop Pets are all very well trained, but a collar and a leash make people feel good, you know, like they really do own the Pet. It’s kink in disguise, really.’ She spoke over her shoulder to Stella. ‘You can still have leather and PVC if you want, but most of the Pet Shop’s clientele take pleasure in the subtlety of no one else knowing what they’re up to. But the collar does give you a bit more control if he should get out of hand, or if you just want to play a little rough.’ Once Anne had him completely naked, except for the collar, she stuffed his clothes into the rucksack and turned her attention to Stella. ‘Sit there in the chair. Let him get used to you.’

  Stella couldn’t believe she was participating in this circus, but with her heart pounding in her chest and her pussy twitching in rhythm, she did as she was told. She was painfully aware of the weighty fullness of her breasts, feeling like they were mostly nipple and areola at the moment. She felt as naked as Tino, who watched her with wide-eyed curiosity.

  Anne was saying something about the twat in IT, who didn’t know his arse from his iPhone, but Stella wasn’t listening. How could she when Tino had crawled across the floor, erection still bouncing at full attention, and now he sat only inches from her, looking up at her with those deep dark eyes.

  Anne smiled her approval. ‘You can touch him. He won’t bite, not unless you tell him to.’

  Stella reached out her hand, and he slid closer until her fingers rested in his hair just above his left ear. At her touch, his erection surged, and he moved forward to lower his head onto her thigh.

  ‘There. You see, he likes you.’ Anne knocked back her drink and tinkled the ice around the glass. ‘I need another one of these.’ She padded off to the kitchen, leaving Stella alone with the Pet.

  As she stroked his hair and the nape of his neck around the collar, Tino rubbed his face against her thigh in much the same way her grandmother’s cat had when she was a little girl. Marking territory, her gran had informed her.
Was this man marking her as his territory?

  He scooted still closer, making a sound at the back of his throat that wasn’t completely unlike a cat’s purr. He continued to nuzzle and rub his face and nose against her thigh, moving in feline stretches, insinuating his way into the space on the floor between her legs. Once there, he rose on his haunches and nestled and stroked until his face rested on her upper thigh. Then with another throaty moan, he nuzzled in, nose first, against her crotch.

  She gave a little yelp and grabbed the arms of the chair, a move that he took for an invitation, and snuggled in until she could feel his hot breath through her trousers. ‘Oh God! Tino, I ... Ah!’ She bit off the words in a gasp, as Tino began to lick her crotch with long wet strokes of his tongue. His warm saliva made the fabric cling to the contours of her vulva, now moist inside and out. Curling her fingers in his hair, she opened her legs and shifted her hips. It was as though her mind had completely disengaged from anything other than the pleasure of his exquisite tongue. He pulled her closer to his face, sniffing, inhaling, sampling her scent. She thrust her pussy against his nose with a rush of heat forgetting that this sort of behaviour wasn’t normally tolerated in polite company.

  By that delicious smell of cunt, mammals recognise when a female is ready to be mounted. And males do whatever it takes to stimulate them to readiness. Humans were no different. She knew her own smell, when her vulva was slick with her juices and aching to be fucked. And Tino was sniffing her, testing her, familiarising himself with that intimate scent. Male dogs in the wild were always horny. They lived to copulate, and here was Tino with a hard-on almost from the moment he met her. He really was like an animal!

  ‘Tino! Bad boy! Get back.’ Anne stormed into the room and grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him away from Stella’s cunt.

  ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ Stella gasped, using every ounce of her control to keep from dragging him back to her.