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Jen lay in bed awake that night. Sam was curled up in her usual position with her head resting against Jen's shoulder and her left arm across Jen's body, on top of the fleece blanket. Her hand still bore the ring and a smile remained on her face as she slept. The ring had meant more to her then Jen had ever imagined. She listened to Sam's slow, gentle, breathing and tenderly brushed a stray hair from the vixen's face. She kissed the gray fur on Sam's forehead before laying back and falling asleep.

***

Ryan sat in the wide leather expanse which was his seat in the first class section as he flew home. He silently read a copy of Dwell while sipping his complementary beverage. The conference in Chicago had been more time consuming than he had originally planned, but he felt that, at the least, his presentation on budgeted renovations had been accepted well and had received some positive attention from a few big names. Dwell was even considering doing a small piece on his firm for their next issue. Nothing set in stone, but a definite prospect.

A cool female voice popped onto the intercom, interrupting his recent thoughts.

"We are beginning our decent into Denver and will be on the ground in ten minutes."

Once off the plane, Ryan quickly navigated the terminals, tram, and baggage claim at DIA and, sooner than a casual traveler would believe possible, was throwing his black suitcase and burnished metal presentation case into the bed of his Lincoln four by four and pulling out of the parking garage.

The air was cold and clear as he merged onto the interstate for the two hour drive home. This time of night, the roads were empty and soon he was passing Loveland and entering Eisenhower Tunnel. The tunnel drilled straight through the mountain and the time that it took to navigate could be measured in minutes. The distance was such that the weather often differed on opposite sides, as was the case tonight and light snow drifted down as he exited the enclosure.

Ryan grinned, watching the flakes fly through his headlights. It had already been a record setting year for snowfall and the season hadn't even started. Thoughts of skiing, rather than business, filled his head for the last leg of the journey home. He reached his condominium just before midnight, only stopping to drag his luggage in from the garage before falling into bed.

He relished in the warmth of his weightless waterbed as he slid deeper into the sheets, wrapping his tail around himself. One of the many elements of traveling which Ryan did not enjoy was the cold hotel beds. The only thing which could make his own better would be the warm body and fur of a female to share it with him. He fell asleep remembering the scent and feel of the long black hair which had belonged to the last individual to join him here.

A few days of steady but methodical business followed, but the weekend approached and Ryan looked forward to the break. He'd been working late nights and early mornings all week to meet a deadline and catch up on lost time from the conference. Soon though, the drawings would be complete and he could finally relax. He was removing the final page from the plotter when the phone rang.

Jim, who had answered, shouted across the office, "Ryan, it's for you."

Ryan set down the finished plans and strode to his desk.

"This is Ryan, what can I do for you today?"

A familiar female voice replied, "Since it's the weekend, you could meet Jen and me for a drink of at the Whale's Tale."

"You know I could never say no to either of you Sam. What time?"

"Around six I think. Does that work for you?"

"It most certainly does!"

He hung up the phone and leaned back against the wall. TGIF he thought to himself. He could finally unwind. His thoughts were traced with the mischievous undertones of Sam's voice though.

"Was that who I think it was?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. We're going to the Whale's Tale if you want to join us."

"Thanks, but I promised Mary I'd cook for her tonight."

Mary was an extremely attractive, extremely thin, and extremely long legged warm blood filly who happened to be an underwear model. She had begun dating Jim about two months ago. Ryan never understood what he saw in her, other than her jaw dropping appearance. That just wasn't enough to keep Ryan interested for two months, especially with a bimbo like her. The sex must be really good or he didn't think even Jim could keep going that long.

Eventually, Ryan extricated himself from the studio, cleaned up a bit and found himself at the bar sometime before the other two arrived. He edged his way through the crowd and to the far end of the space where there were a few empty seats and sat down.

"What'll it be tonight Ryan?"

Ryan looked up at the bartender. He was a tall, thin, and handsome Royal Cheetah who, Ryan knew, made a point to know the name of every local customer.

"Surprise me."

He headed down the bar and Ryan watched as he added ingredients to a shaker, mixed, and poured his drink. The bartender walked back, and placed the still swirling martini glass in front of him.

"This is a personal favorite. Dirty martini with Absolute Pepper and bleu cheese olives."

"Sounds like a winner."

Ryan barely had time to take one sip before two attractive girls took seats on either side of him. He looked left and right to see none other than Jennifer and Samantha. They wore identical grins which worried Ryan a little because it meant they were up to something. Sam wore a white sweater and plaid skirt over black leggings and boots. Jen was clad only in a black t-shirt and blue jeans. Ryan twitched his tail in annoyance at the latter's appearance. He had always been envious of how little Jen could wear and still be warm.

"What are you two smiling about?"

"I'm thirsty, how about you Sam?" asked Jen, completely ignoring his question.

Ryan rolled his eyes. Obviously these two were up to something, and they were only going to reveal what it was on their own time. He decided to play along for the time being. Jen and Sam ordered drinks and then proceeded to engage him in small talk about work and skiing. Whatever it was, they weren't exactly cutting to the chase.

During a pause in conversation, Ryan looked about for a new topic, hoping to stumble upon the mysterious subject of the girls' glee. Sam reached for her glass with her left hand and as she did, the strip lighting overhead shone brilliantly off of a sapphire and silver ring he had not seen before.

"That's a beautiful ring Sam. Is it new?"

"Yes it is as a matter of fact. Jen made it for me," Sam responded, excitement beginning to lace her voice.

"Really?" Ryan replied, turning towards the leopard, "what for?"

"Well," Sam continued, "there was something that Jen wanted to propose to me, and she thought I would be more willing to agree if she bribed me with jewelry."

"And...?"

"How could I possibly not say yes after being given a ring like this?"

"What was it she wanted you to do?" He inquired, curious as to what Jen would possibly need to bribe Sam into doing for her. Then His brain finally comprehended what Sam was saying. "Wait!"

Both of the girls began laughing, Jen's fur on end for holding back for so long. He waited impatiently for them to finish. They had obviously been planning this for some time. When they finally could control their giggles Ryan returned to his questions.

"Did you... are you two... is that an engagement ring?" He stammered disbelievingly.

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed while Jen was contented to grin smugly, still holding back mirth from Ryan's slow uptake.

"Well, congratulations. Any plans for the wedding yet?"

"Not really, we're going to keep it small, but that's all we've decided so far."

"Well, if there's room for me, I'd love to be there."

"I don't know Sam, what do you think?" Jen chimed in.

"I suppose he could be a bride's maid, or the flower girl."

"O ha, ha."

The three of them remained at the bar for a while, talking, enjoying their drinks as well as each other's company. Finally, the girls decided it was time to go home, and Ryan too returned to his condo. He was happy for his two friends. Happy that their relationship had worked out and they would soon be making the ultimate commitment to each other. Deep down in his mind though, he couldn't help but feel that it was another lost opportunity. This season, Ryan resolved, he was going to find himself a mate to spend his life with. It would finally be his turn to experience the happiness Jen and Sam had in their lives and to share it with someone special in his.