Cats And Dogs

Chapter Two ?

At that moment Tom and his team were sat in their car, still a good hour from their destination. They were all grumpy after hours stuck in the confined space. As soon as they got there he was going to let them out for a run. He would have to deal with their Alpha, but they could have some fun.

Not that meeting Sam again would be unpleasant. Tom also remembered their meeting fondly, probably too fondly he thought with a grimace. Sam was tall and broad, with long dark hair and intense emerald green eyes. As far as humans went, he was pretty much exactly Tom's type.

Unfortunately, he wasn't entirely human, and the other side of him that Tom hadn't yet seen was definitely going to make any romantic entanglement highly unlikely. 'Why did he have to be a bloody dog?' he thought. He couldn't help thinking that it didn't matter though.

If Sam felt anything like the connection he had at their meeting then this assignment was going to be very interesting. If not, it was going to be frustrating as hell working with someone who made his pulse race and he could never have.

Tom let out a loud sigh, enough to draw the attention of his men, but thankfully they all assumed it was down to the journey and he didn't have to explain himself. He focussed on the road ahead and tried not to think about anything else for the rest of the trip.

Finally Sam heard the sound of their gates opening and a car coming up the gravel drive. 'Tilly' he called in his head, and heard her answer that she knew damn it, and was on her way. He laughed softly at the rebuke. She knew what to do and was annoyed at him calling despite him having said he would. He walked out to the front of the house and down the steps to greet the new arrivals, steeling himself at the same time to behave himself around Tom and be professional. He really hoped that his body would not betray him if he felt the same as last time.

All the car doors opened a split second after it stopped and four men jumped out, obviously glad to be out in the open air again. Tom walked straight over to him and Sam took a deep breath ready to play host. He tried not to think it, but noticed that Tom looked really good, despite being dishevelled from the journey. He had on jeans and a t-shirt but they both clung tight to a muscular body. He wasn't either as tall or broad as Sam, but not that far off either. His hair was also dark but cut short, and his eyes were bright blue and almost seemed to twinkle as he recognised Sam. Sam groaned inwardly, instantly aware of the other man in the way he didn't want.

'Would you mind if my guys headed straight out for a run? We've been stuck in there for hours and they need to stretch their legs.' he grinned. 'You didn't have to dress up to welcome us by the way,' he said, indicating Sam's suit. He was thinking how good Sam looked in it though, and mentally kicking himself as he did so.

'No problem,' replied Sam. 'If they head out they can start to familiarise themselves with the lay of the land.'

Before he had finished speaking the three other men were rapidly shedding clothing so they could change to cat form, and in a minute there were three black panthers standing in front of Tom waiting to be dismissed.

'This is their home remember, we are guests. I expect you to show respect to our hosts, so if you meet the others be good.'

Three purrs in response and the cats were soon disappearing into the trees nearby. Tom turned back to his host, wondering if the quick eye movement upwards meant Sam had been looking at his ass. He shook his head to clear it of the unlikely thought.

'I hope this is going to work,' he said. 'Seems like the Council haven't ever heard the phrase "fighting like cats and dogs".'

'Let's hope it doesn't come to that,' replied Sam. 'They obviously have something big in mind, and I think the plan is our skills and senses will complement each other so we can do it.'

Tom smiled. He liked the idea of complementing Sam, even more now he had seen him again. He just needed to try and keep a lid on things until he found out more about his host. Despite his mind wandering his inner cat was still on alert and he felt the hairs on his neck raise as he became aware of an unfamiliar presence. He heard himself hiss as he saw the panther walking towards them.

'That's not one of my team,' he managed to get out in his human voice.

Sam didn't seem at all concerned, and walked over to the cat, holding out a bright piece of material. 'I know, she's one of mine.'

As Tom watched, the cat started to slip inside the material as Sam held it, and once she changed he found himself looking at a woman in a sundress, knowing his jaw was practically on the floor with surprise. He didn't know there was a cat here, and for her to be one of the team was even more of a shock. Even worse, the way they were smiling at each other suggested not only a private joke at his expense, but also a closeness that Tom didn't like, and he was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy towards the woman. Seems Sam might not be anti-cat when it came to a mate after all, but she wasn't what Tom had in mind.

He became aware that Sam was speaking and managed to pay attention. 'Tilly here is my Second. I think she is the reason my team was chosen for this. We've already found that cat and dog can work well together in the field.'

Tom stood processing this information. A woman and cat on the team, and she was second-in-command. It seemed too bizarre amongst a pack of dogs that she had such status. The thought crossed his mind that they must be involved. In some ways perhaps that would make things easier as he wouldn't be hoping for more from Sam. He'd intended to find out if he stood a chance with him, irrespective of their different animal sides, but he'd also known it was unlikely Sam would be interested in men, let alone cats.

He finally recovered enough to speak. 'Sorry, I didn't expect there to be another cat here. Please forgive my lack of welcome.'

She laughed. 'It's not a problem. Sam told me I was going to be a surprise. It's nice to meet you. Are the others running wild?'

'Yes. It's been a long journey and they needed a bit of exercise. I'd be glad to join them to be honest. Do we need to start making plans now?' He turned back to Sam to ask.

'Unfortunately I have to see my lawyer in town, hence the suit,' Sam replied, indicating his clothes. 'I've asked Tilly to show you around until I get back, and my team will meet back here for lunch. I think that's early enough to start getting acquainted properly.'

Tom was relieved, both to be able to exercise and to be away from Sam while he considered what he had learned so far. 'Thanks, you have no idea how much I need a run!'

He started to strip and changed as soon as he was naked. In his haste he didn't notice Tilly moving to do the same, or that Sam had frozen to the spot, unable to look away for the brief moment he had been stood there totally nude, still in his human form. By the time he looked up again, Sam seemed slightly flushed, but spoke normally to tell the two cats he would see them soon.