Nathan Wink couldn’t help but stare at the skunk who had moved in next door. He was standing by the window of the workout room on the second floor, above the garage. His arms were folded and his mind was flooded in thought. Is that him? he asked himself. It sure as hell looked like him. He had the right height and build, species, and face. Everything pointed to it being him. He could’ve just gone down and asked, but what if the answer was no? The embarrassment would’ve been too much.
            Nathan was a Shetland Sheepdog whose build was fit and trim thanks to the extensive workout equipment in the room with him. He had a magnificent blue merle coat, a mostly bluish-grey fur pattern luxuriously mottled with random spots of white, black, and tan. His mismatched eyes of ghostly blue and murky brown reflected the sharp intelligence he cited in helping him achieve a successful career. At 37, he was a talented investment banker and well respected agent at the firm where he worked. Even after all of the risky moves he’d taken the past few years in order to get that reputation, he still found it difficult to just go outside and ask the man next door a simple question. Are you Zeke? The Zeke?
	The skunk that may or may not have been Zeke was a big man. He was at the shortest 6’4” and had a muscle-swollen chest fit to burst through the blue bowling shirt he wore. He looked to be in his mid-forties, a little young for how old Nathan figured Zeke would be. He was busy moving things into his garage. The boxes he carried looked heavy, a testament to his strength. The hot August sun was coming down full tilt, and here this guy was hardly breaking a sweat. As Nathan watched him, his mind wandered over to his wife.
“Maya, honey,” Nathan called out.
“Yeah?” called a voice.
“Can you come here, please? I’m in the weight room.”
“Coming.” Maya walked in. She was a slender fox with popping-orange fur. Much in tune with her husband, she had a well-toned physique that she worked on as regularly as he did. Her snout was long and her eyes were fiercely yellow. Her long black hair was a bouncy cloud of silk shimmering even in the dimmest lights. Her long fox-tail, fuzzy to the highest order, swished along the floor as she walked. She was wiping her paws on her pants, having just done the dishes. "What's up?" she asked.
"Have you seen our new neighbor?"
"I saw the truck, but not them. Have you?"
Nathan nodded towards the window. "Take a look." She walked to the window and looked outside. There he was, pushing a grill onto his patio. "Oh! He's a skunk. Is he alone?" 
"Looks like it. Haven't seen anyone else. I've seen him pull in a mini-bar, a big TV, a pool table, real single guy stuff."
"OK. Wanna go outside and introduce ourselves?"
"Eventually. It's just…" He paused.
Maya tilted her head. "Just what?"
"I think I know who he is."
"Really? Did you go to high school with him or something?"
"No, no, no, not personally. I think I recognize him 'cause he's sort of famous."
"Oooh!" she cooed excitedly. "A celebrity next door. Lucky us."
Nathan laughed. "Don't get your hopes up. I'm not 100 percent sure if it's him or not."
"What's his name?"
Nathan chewed his lip. "Zeke."
"Zeke who?"
"No. Just Zeke."
"Oh. What does he do?"
He laughed awkwardly and rubbed his chin. "Well… He's a pornstar."
Maya blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah."
"And you know him from…"
"Yeah…" he said, crossing his arms ashamedly.
"Ah. I see." They stood there in silence for several palpable moments. "Are you going to ask him if it's him?" she asked finally.
"Well, that's what I've been debating for a while now," he said, looking back at the skunk outside. The things I've seen this man do to women. "I don't wanna be like, 'Hey, are you Zeke? You know, the pornstar?' and the answer be no. It'd be a hell of a bad first impression."
"Well, even if it isn't him, I'm sure he gets it a lot."
"Maybe, but that's not the only thing I've been thinking about." He looked at her blankly.
She leaned back a little, uncertain of his gaze. "What?"
"Do you remember that thing we said we'd do when we were young? When we were dating in college?"
She scowled, trying to remember. "No. Be more specific."
"Well, we were in bed one night. We had just had sex. I brought it up. You said it sounded fun. We made plans and everything but we just sort of forgot about it." He really didn't want to say it out loud.
She thought deeply, trying to remember. She was just beginning to shake her head and say 'no' when it hit her like a bus. She jolted upright. "Oh my God! Are you serious?" she half-hissed, half-squealed. 
Nathan nodded. "Completely."
Maya got flustered. She blushed a little. "Well… Oh my God, Nathan. We were so young when we said that. We didn't know that much back then, or even each other."
Nathan cringed. "So you don't want to?"
"I don't… I don't know. Do you?"
He thought about it. He leaned against the window frame and shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah," he admitted. "I do." 
Maya gulped. She went back to the window and looked back at the skunk. He was on one knee, fitting a propane tank to his grill. She took notice of his broad shoulders and burly arms. His back muscles flexed against his shirt when he moved. "Do you think he'd do it?" she asked, eyeballing his glutes.
"Well, he's a pornstar. I'm assuming he'd be into something like that. Hell, he’s probably done it. But first, we gotta figure out if it's him."
Maya stepped back from the window. Her paw was over her chest. This was all so sudden. She remembered that night with Nathan. They were in each other's embrace, nude, inhaling their shared warmth. They made a promise while still lost in the throes of lust. How clear had they been thinking? They hardly spoke about it again once they graduated college. They got married, had Malachai, and that was the end of it. That was until now. Now there was an alleged pornstar moving in next to her, bringing it all back. What was she going to do?
“Go and talk to him,” she said. “Introduce yourself.
“Ask him?”
“No. Not right now. Just talk to him.” 
Nathan said ‘Ok,’ then left to go outside. She looked back out the window. She saw his face. He was older, but had a wizened grizzle that was kind of sexy. She wondered what he looked like when he was younger. She left the window and then the exercise room, deciding that maybe it wasn’t a good idea to keep looking at him.
Nathan reached the backyard fence of his neighbor’s yard, a white picket that ran around back. He leaned against it, waiting for his neighbor to show up. Eventually he did, walking out of his garage and wiping the sweat off of his brow with his forearm. He saw Nathan and smiled.
“Howdy neighbor!” he greeted gaily.
Nathan waved back. “Howdy.”
The skunk walked up to him and they shook paws. His grip was mighty and firm. “What’s your name, friend?” he asked. His voice was a melodic baritone.
“Nathan Wink. Me and my family live next door. Your name?”
“Danny Wise. Nice to meet ya.” Danny Wise. Not Zeke. It didn’t rule things out entirely. Zeke had to have been a stage name.
“Nice to meet you too, Danny. Need any help with your stuff?”
Danny looked back at the intimidating pile of boxes that still needed unloading. “You know what? I’ll take a break for now. All this stuff’s been kicking my ass. Oop!” He put his paw over his mouth. “Sorry, do you mind?”
Nathan laughed. “Not at all. It’s a word I’ve heard before.” There's no way this guy's a pornstar, not if he's this polite.
"Thanks. You said you had a family?"
"Yup. My wife Maya and an 11 year old son, Malachai."
"That's nice. I live alone. What do you do for a living?"
"I'm an investment banker for Makin & Chelsea. Have been for thirteen years now."
"Nice! Does your wife do anything?" 
"She's a pediatrician."
Danny nodded, impressed. "You two must make a fine livin'. What'd you say your boy's name was?"
"Malachai. He starts middle school this year. He's really into sports. Football player."
Danny brightened up. "Great! Ya know, I was a linebacker for Tennessee. I'm assuming he's a Bears fan."
"The biggest," Nathan said, smiling. He was really beginning to like this guy. He had a youthful energy that exuded joy. "I'm not into sports myself."
"Well, you look healthy. A real fit guy, you are," Danny said, looking Nathan up and down. As fit as he was, he was nothing next to Danny's lumbering frame. He believed him when he said he was a linebacker. "Well. I'm a huge Bears fan myself. I've got a signed football by Dick Butkus plus a game jersey and a helmet. I can show him that anytime."
"He'd love that!" Nathan had no idea who the hell Dick Butkus was, but judging how Danny boasted about having his gear, he must have been a big deal. "What do you do now?" Nathan asked. He gripped the fence anxiously. Here it comes. 
"I'm retired," Danny said. "I was an actor."
In what? Nathan screamed in his head. IN WHAT? "Cool! Anything I would recognize?" Like Bad Sorority Girls Get Banged? Or maybe French Maid in Paradise?
"Nothing really. Just some commercials and stunt work."
Nathan released his clutch on the fence. "OK. My wife and Malachai would love to meet you."
"Send Malachai over anytime. I'll show him some stuff and tell him some stories."
"Can do. You sure you don't need help?"
"Nah, not right now. I'm gonna take a break for an hour or two. Next time if you see me moving stuff you can help, if you'd like."
"I would! Alright, neighbor" Nathan said, walking away and waving. "It was nice to meet you."
Danny waved back. "Nice to meet you too!" he said, then walked back into his garage. Nathan went to his front porch and found Maya waiting in the doorway.
"Well?" she asked.
"Well, I'm not 100% sure," he said. Maya's shoulders slumped. "But, I am 99.9% sure he is." She perked back up. "I just need to look something up," he said, walking into the house past her.
"What is it?"
"'Daniel Wise.' That's the name he gave me. I think that's Zeke's real name. Is Malachai still at Chad's?"
"Yeah. He should be."
"OK. Good. Go introduce yourself to Danny. He's a really nice guy. He has some football stuff he wants to show Malachai."
"I'll head over now," she said, and walked outside and closed the door. Nathan was left alone in the dim foyer. The only light in there was the sunshine beaming in from outside. It was totally silent, with nobody to make any noise other than himself. That was good.
He went to his office and sat at his computer. He opened Chrome. He took a deep breath and typed 'Daniel Wise' into the URL bar. He hit ‘Enter’. It was immediate. Right there, towards the right of the screen, was his neighbor’s face. The top search result was his Wikipedia article. It did not say Daniel Wise. It said “Zeke (Pornographic Film Actor)”
“Holy shit,” Nathan whispered. He cautiously brought the cursor over to the link and clicked it. Danny’s (No, Zeke’s) face was attached above a series of facts about him. Daniel “Zeke” Wise. Born May 8, 1962. Age 59. Good God, Nathan marveled. 59? Sex must keep you young. Springfield, Illinois. Nationality: American. Occupation: Adult Film Actor. Species: Hooded Skunk (Mephitis Macroura). 
Nathan read the article. Daniel “Zeke” Wise is a retired adult film actor and former college football player for the Tennessee Volunteers. So he was a football player. The article included a picture of him in full football gear, standing on the gridiron. He looked even burlier in this photo than he did now. 
Nathan continued reading. He was born and raised in Springfield and went to college on a four year scholarship to Tennessee. He starred in his first pornographic film in order to make some badly needed money. A producer discovered him, and had him star in a bunch of films after that.  Due to an achilles injury he suffered mid-season and an uncertain future in football because of it, he opted to become a career porn star. That stung Nathan a little. He got hurt and had to start doing porn? Did he even want to do this? 
Whether he did or not, he still managed to achieve a hell of a career. He had 17 Woody's and over 1200 (1200!!!) starring roles in adult films along with small cameos in movies and video games. His career spanned from 1983 all the way to 2010, an almost 30 year timeframe. The article noted that he was the first skunk to achieve any level of notable success in the porn industry. Nathan had to admit, skunks weren’t in the highest tiers of animals he considered sexy. 
He went back to the search results. Apparently PornHub and RedTube both had all of his films archived. Nathan chewed his claws. How many of those have I seen? There were YouTube clips of his cameos and Woody acceptance speeches. I’m living next to the Robert Duvall of porn. It was so much to wrap his head around. When he was younger he’d masturbated to some of them. How did Zeke go on in life knowing that thousands, maybe millions of men had came to him having sex? What would he think if he found out I did? He was a pornstar. This was most likely a fact he’d grown very used to. Still, Nathan had never thought he’d be in a predicament like this. And then there’s Maya. She’s outside talking to him right now. What’s she going to say? What will her decision be? He tapped his mouse thoughtfully. He heard the front door open. He hastily exited the browser. Danny’s face vanished, replaced by a happy photo of Nathan, Maya, and Malachai all holding each other and laughing at the park. He shut off the computer and left his office to find Maya standing in the foyer. She had a bit of a dazed look on her face.
“What’d you think of him?” Nathan asked.
“He’s sweet. Very polite. He said he’d teach Malachai some tricks at football.”
“That’s nice. I looked him up.” Maya braced with apprehension. “It’s him. He’s Zeke, the pornstar.”
Maya sighed like it was the news she’d been waiting for her entire life. “I see,” she said.
“So, do you want to…?”
“I still don’t know,” she confessed. “I have to think about it. I think I want to, but I’m not sure. Give me a while.”
“You take all the time you need, honey.” He walked up to her, hugged her, and pecked her forehead. “It’s up to you. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
She hugged him back and rested her face on his chest. “Thanks, Nathan. I love you.”
“I love you too.”

*	*	*

Malachai got back from his friend Chad’s house later that evening and went straight to his room to play videogames. He was a sheltie like his father, but bore the unmistakable vulpine snout of his mother. He was sitting at the $1200 computer his parents Santa had got him two years ago, the last year he believed. When he wasn’t playing football with his friends he was glued to the thing his mother referred to as the ‘brain fryer’. Fat headphones were clung to his ears, booming loud sound effects directly into his eardrums. Nathan was in the doorway not ten feet behind him, and Malachai hadn’t the slightest idea. We could be getting raped and murdered at this very moment and he wouldn’t be any the wiser. Nathan walked in and tapped his shoulder. Malachai whipped in his chair and looked up at him, somewhat annoyed. God, he looks like his mother, Nathan marveled.
“I’m playing, dad,” he said flatly, and returned to the game.
“I see that. Pause it. I’ve got some good news you’d like to hear.” He didn’t hear. He was already firmly focused back into the game. Nathan went to the side of the chair and leaned over him. Malachai shot him an irritated look. “Malachai,” Nathan said in his patented I’m-being-stern-with-you-but-I’m-still-your-friend voice. “I’m talking to you. Pause it.”
“Dad, this is online. I can’t pause it.”
“You can’t ask everyone to pause too?”
“Yeah, Dad. Sure,” he said in a voice a little more scathingly facetious than Nathan cared for. “Lemme ask everyone else to pause and wait for me.”
Nathan sighed theatrically. “Okaaaaaay.” He walked off. “I guess the new neighbor will have to show his Dick Bupkis jersey to someone else.”
That got his attention. “What’d you say?” He peeled off his headphones and spun in his chair. His eyes, a blinding yellow like Maya’s, were wide as saucers.
Nathan smirked. “Oh, nothing. It’s just that the new neighbor has a signed jersey by Dick Bupkis. But I guess-”
“Butkus.”
“-he’ll… What?”
“It’s Butkus. Not bupkis. Does he really have a signed jersey?”
Nathan nodded. “And a football and a helmet.”
Malachai rocketed from his seat. The game behind him was totally forgotten. “Can I see it?” Nathan stepped aside and made a right-this-way gesture to the door. Malachai was through it in a flash. Nathan chuckled. He owed Danny a solid for getting him away from that game. Malachai zoomed the whole way to Danny's house. Nathan had to tell him to slow down, the jersey wasn’t going anywhere. He hardly listened. Malachai was on the front porch ringing the doorbell by the time Nathan was walking up the steps. Malachai was spastically lifting up and down on his toes like he was buzzed on sugar. Nathan told him to calm down. He did somewhat, but couldn’t lose the ear-to-ear grin on his face.
Danny opened the door. “Oh, hey!” he said genially. “Welcome back.” He looked down and saw Malachai. “You must be that Malachai fellow I’ve heard so much about.”
“Yeah!” Malachai chirped.
“Yes sir.” Nathan corrected.
Malachai straightened himself out, suddenly respectful. “Yes sir,” he said crisply.
“Oh no no no. None of that nonsense. Just call me Danny. So, I hear you’re a Bears fan, huh?” Malachai nodded enthusiastically. “Then I bet your dad told you about my autographed Dick Butkus gear?” Malachai was leaning back on his heels. It was so much for his little body that it was physically pushing him back. Danny cocked an eyebrow. “Wanna see ‘em?”
Malachai gulped. “Yes, Danny… sir.”
Danny smiled. “Then let’s have a look-see.” He turned inside and Malachai bounded after him. Nathan followed. Boxes were strewn about the floors in stacks. There was a couch and an entertainment station that only lacked a TV. Danny told them to wait there and headed upstairs. Malachai resumed his giddy hopping.
“Do you think it’s real dad?” he asked.
“I’m pretty sure. Danny seems honest. He wouldn’t lie.”
“I know, it just… might not be real.” It was all so incredible to him that it was almost too good to be true. Danny came downstairs carrying a large frame covered in brown paper. He went back upstairs and returned with two display cases, one cradled in each arm. In one was a football, the other a helmet. Malachai’s eyes went round at the sight of them. He put the cases on a box and started tearing off the paper wrapped around the frame. With each shred of paper removed more of the black and orange jersey was revealed. Every loud rip made Malachai gasp with awe. When it was all gone, the jersey was unveiled in its full glory. It sat against a black background behind a glass pane. A giant white 51 was emblazoned on the jersey just beneath the name BUTKUS. At the bottom of the frame was a picture of Butkus in-game, mid-tackle. Succinctly written in black ink, down the length of the 1, was Butkus’s signature. Malachai was astonished. He stood there as if in the presence of the True Cross.
Danny smiled proudly. “What did I say? Cool, right? I was nine years old when I saw him play in this very jersey and in this helmet. The tackle he’s doing right here?” He tapped the photo of Butkus. “I saw him do this. From that day on, he was my hero.” Judging by Malachai’s face, Nathan had assumed he’d just found his, although it wasn’t Dick Butkus. Great, Nathan lamented, not without some humor. My son admires a porn star. 
Danny propped the jersey on the floor against the boxes. “Want to get a closer look?” Malachai nodded and stepped up to it. His shallow reflection appeared on the thin glass pane. He could make out every individual grass and dirt stain like stripes on a tiger. Nathan could see the fantasies of high-octane football action rumbling through his son’s eyes.
“What position was he?” Nathan asked out of curiosity.
“Linebacker,” both Malachai and Danny said in unison.
“Jinx!” said Malachai. “You owe me a soda.”
“Ha!” Danny said, giving Malachai a finger gun. “You got me! Wanna see the helmet?”
“Yes sir!” Malachai almost yelped.
“Whoa! Okay!” Danny didn’t just get the helmet. Before Malachai or Nathan could do or say anything, he slid the glass display box off of the pedestal carrying the helmet, picked the helmet up, and slid it on Malachai’s head. He may as well have been crowning him king. It was hilariously oversized for his head. His eyes barely came beneath the top rim of the visor. His whole face was shadowed except for the tip of his snout that peaked out just by a nose. He could only look ahead in dumb awe.
“What do you have to say, Malachai?” Nathan asked. 
“T-thankyou, Danny,” he said humbly.
“You’re very welcome, buddy. Does your dad have a phone?”
Nathan whipped his out from his pocket. Malachai scooted in next to the jersey and smiled from ear to ear. Nathan snapped a photo and sent it to Maya with the caption your son's new favorite player. 
Malachai asked if he could see the football. “Only in its case I’m afraid.” Danny said. “It’s real fragile. Pigskin doesn’t last that long.” He gave Malachai the case. Butkus’s signature was on a flat side of the football. “That’s not a ball from the same game I went to, but it is one of the balls recovered from a fumble he forced. I was gonna get a ball he intercepted, but I lost the auction.” Malachai clearly didn’t mind. He was too busy ogling over the ball he cradled in his paws. Dick Butkus’s name was on it. That was enough.
	“Wow,” Malachai whispered. “Thank you, Danny.”
“No problem, buddy. When I’m done unpacking things maybe I can help you with football. What position you wanna be?”
“Wide receiver, or tight end.”
“Alright! Those guys get all the girls.” Do they? Nathan wondered, trying not to crack a smile. “Not what I played, but I know a thing or two about dodging defenders because I was one. How’s that sound?”
“Awesome!” Malachai barked.
“Whoa! Okay!” Danny laughed.
“Say thanks again, Malachai.” Nathan said.
“Thank you, Mr. Danny, sir.”
“It’s just Danny. Mr. Danny sir was my father.” he said playfully, and winked. “And you’re welcome.”
	Malachai returned the helmet and ball and the two of them left. Malachai practically skipped the whole way back. For the rest of the day, he never once sat at his computer to play games. He was too busy yapping up a storm about Dick Butkus and Danny’s gear. Maya listened to every word, or at least she tried to. Her eyes would go wide with bewilderment and incomprehension as her son rambled on and on and wouldn’t shut up. Nathan could only stand aside and watch, chuckling to himself.
Later that day Nathan was sitting at his computer.
“Oh!” 
“Sweet Jesus!” 
“Holy shit!” 
“Ow!”
These were Nathan’s responses to the highlights of Dick Butkus which he had looked up on YouTube. Butkus was a hellacious man. He crushed his opponents with reckless abandon. With each devastating tackle, Nathan’s enthusiasm towards his son playing the sport waned critically.
He looked up to see if Danny had any highlights. There were a handful, but not to the same catastrophic severity of Butkus’s. The comments were predictably snarky: “i wouldnt mind being tackled by zeke”. “all he had to do was beat them with his penis. that wouldve done the job”. There were, of course, an unfortunate amount of racist ones. “Somebody get his dirty, smelly ass off of the field and out of porn.” Nathan found plenty of other videos of Danny, but none of them had to do with football. Well, some of them did, cheerleaders specifically.
Nathan thought back on Danny’s prolific career. 1200 movies. So many women. He exited the browser and was again greeted with the family photo at the park. He stared at Maya’s beaming face for a few moments, before he shut the computer off, leaving nothing left but his ill-defined reflection on the onyx screen.

*	*	*

The man knocks on the door. He’s dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase.
“Honey! I lost my keys!” he shouts. He takes a look at his watch and scoffs impatiently. He hammers his fist on the door and repeatedly fingers the doorbell. He waits some more. Nothing. Finally he hustles around the back of the house and tries the back door. It opens.
“Thank you!” he bellows, and walks inside. The house is deathly still. There’s not a soul around. “Honey?” There’s no response. He walks up the stairs, repeatedly calling out, his concern growing.
He comes to an abrupt stop. There is a noise. It’s ever so faint, but his ears twitch in its direction. He takes a few more cautious steps. The noise grows more distinct, and he recognizes it. It’s his wife’s voice. He can’t yet make out what she’s saying. He makes it to the top of the stairs. He recognizes the noise.
It’s moaning. His whole body tenses. His grip on his briefcase tightens and his fist begins to tremble. It’s coming from the master bedroom. It’s at the end of a long, long hallway. He walks down it slowly. He comes to the door and reaches for the knob. He hesitates. What will he find? He takes hold of it, twists it, and opens the door.
On the floor is the mattress. On top of it is his wife, a topless, huge breasted poodle with fantastically styled fur. She’s sitting back, propped on her arms with her legs spread wide open. With her is an equally dressed vixen, maybe 18 or 19 years old, laid out on her stomach as she drills two fingers deep into the poodle’s cunt. They jump violently at the man’s entry.
“Honey!” the poodle shrieks, slamming her legs together and wriggling away from her accomplice. “O-oh my God! Y-you’re home early!”
The man’s suitcase slides from his limped grasp and thuds onto the carpeted floor. His jaw is slack and twitching. “There was a... power... outage.” he stammers. “Everyone got out early.” He can see clearly beneath the vixen’s skirt and with it her womanhood. She tucks her skirt over it and snaps her thighs together, blushing furiously. “The neighbor’s daughter?” he asks in shock.
“Honey, I’m so sorry,” his wife pleads. She clasps her paws together and shakes them in a way that makes her massive tits jiggle wildly. “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want you to find out like this.
The man takes a deep breath. “Maybe this is for the better.”
His wife tilts her head, confused. “Honey?”
He calmly takes his jacket off, revealing a white button up shirt ready to explode around his monstrous muscles. He gives one quick flex, and the shirt shreds apart violently. Strips of wasted fabric slough off of his arm and drift to the floor.
“Oh!” goes the vixen, suddenly wooed by his manly manliness. He takes off his ruined shirt, fully displaying his awesome physique of shredded, venous muscle.
“This is for the better,” he declares. “‘Cause now I get to teach you two a lesson.”
And he does. For the next half hour Zeke goes to town on his “wife” and “the neighbor’s daughter”. It’s full of bombastic moans, sloppy oral sex, face sitting, faked orgasms, and one climactic jet of semen all over the two ladies’ faces and chests.
Nathan watched the whole thing on his phone, earbuds wisely plugged in. He was stiff as a board the entire time, luckily covered by the thick golden comforter of the bed he sat in. It was surreal watching a man he’d talked to not long ago fucking the ever-living bujeezus out of two women. He was much younger of course. The film was made in 1994. That would’ve made him 32. It was still Danny Wise, though, his next-door neighbor. The man who had put a famous football player’s helmet on Nathan’s son. The credits had him labeled as “Zeke”, of course. His co-stars were Minny Loza, who played the wife, and Cora Meade, the neighbor’s daughter. They’d all done a Woody worthy job in Nathan’s opinion, although the film made no nominations.
In spite of the absurdly sexualized appeal of the two actresses, it was Danny who held Nathan’s attention throughout the entire film. He was huge, built like a locomotive. His penis was something to marvel at. Nathan conservatively estimated it at 10 inches, with a girth more to match. The Cora scraped her claws at the mattress and snarled her teeth when Zeke first put it inside of her. Nathan didn’t think that was acting. He envisioned seeing it in person, wondering if it looked even bigger in the flesh. Did that make him gay? Nooooooo. I’ve got a wife for crying out loud, and a kid to boot. It’s not gay to admire something that impressive. He did, however, spend a little more time dwelling on Danny’s penis (And those balls. Dear God. They could crush cinder blocks) than he would have admitted to.
Maya came into the room from the bathroom, having finished brushing her teeth. She wore a silky pink nightgown. She slid under the covers next to Nathan. “You’ve been staring at that for a while now. Whatcha watchin’?”
“Some of… Danny’s work.”
“Nathan Wink!” she chastised playfully. “Watching porn! How rude.”
“You know I’ve watched porn before. Literally every man has.”
“Yeah, I know, and it’s disgusting. What’s more disgusting is watching it without me.”
“You wanna watch it? Really?”
She chuckled. “Sure. Let’s see what all the hubbub is about.” She took an earbud from Nathan and crammed it into her ear. They huddled together and started the video from the beginning. Maya couldn’t help but laugh every few seconds. A much younger Danny in a suit was a silly sight. The scene when Danny walked in on his wife came.
“Uh-oh!” Maya cooed, elbowing Nathan. “Here we go! Scandal.” Nathan snickered along with her commentary (“Goddamn. Look at the tits on Ms. Poodle!”).
Danny ripped off his shirt, and her commentary came  to an abrupt stop. Nathan sensed a flicker of energy zip through her. Danny’s pants came off. Out came his monstrous penis. Maya put a knuckle to her lips. “OhmyGod,” she whispered. 
The scene continued with the two women marvelling over Danny’s behemoth, stroking their paws along its length. Nathan saw out of the corner of his eye Maya’s golden retinas locked onto it as well. He stopped watching the film and started focusing on his wife. He saw the flare-ups of her eyes, heard every sharp inhale, and felt her thighs squeeze and rub together. He sensed overwhelming desire bubbling up inside of her, ready to bowl over and envelope him.
Maya didn’t last long before it did. She clutched his forearm. “Oh my God, Nathan. Fuck me.”
Nathan gave her an alarmed look. “What?”
“Fuck me.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yes,” she all but growled. “Now. Look at me.” She flew the comforter off of herself and lifted the hem of her nightgown. Nathan looked, and his eyes went round. There in her crotch were her white panties, darkened with a profound moisture that had absorbed into the fabric and glued it to her flesh. He could distinguish the pronounced crease of her cunt and its individual folds. He could almost see the dank spot growing before his eyes.
“Whoa,” he said blankly.
“Yeah. Whoa. Now come here.” She grabbed the waistband of his boxers and yoinked them down in several, hasty jerks. His erect penis flopped out, seemingly just as surprised as Nathan was to the whole ordeal. With one sweeping arc of her leg she was on top of him, impatiently pulling down her panties and showing off her gluttonous cunt. She grabbed the earbuds and ripped them from his ears painfully. The phone went tumbling to the carpet. She grabbed his penis with authority, lifted it straight up, and promptly descended her feminism onto it. 
A shuddering gasp roiled up Maya’s trunk and out her maw. Nathan’s eyes bulged and his cheeks blew out. She went wild. Nathan could do nothing but watch as his wife bounced and writhed in his lap, groaning rather immodestly. “Huhhh…. Huhhhh… Yes, Nathan…. Huhhhhhh! Ohhhhhh~.....”
“Maya!” Nathan hissed, fighting through his own retorts of pleasure. “Malachai!”
In a flash she bent forward and slammed her paws onto his shoulders, pinning him to the mattress with almost vindictive force. She glowered down at him, her face veiled in a gloom which seemed to glow under her fearsome eyes. “Shut up.” she growled. Nathan obeyed as genuine fright wrenched at his face. “He’s asleep. If not, he’s probably on that stupid game of his.”
Without even a chance to give him a proper rebuttal, she resumed. Her head whipped back, flinging her black hair in a frenzy. She grinded her hips powerfully. She swished her fluffy fox-tail about Nathan’s legs like an epileptic snake. Her trunk crunched with every hump, ill-timed with her rising and falling. Her moans were sheer chaos, plunging and ascending between guttural groans and desperate gasps.
Nathan was his own display of ecstasy, albeit much more subtly. He cringed and gasped beneath her. He was almost crushed beneath the overwhelming demand of her love. Her cunt was so wet, gripping his manhood with both a draconian vice and velveteen softness. He felt the inevitable climax approach, and heard the announcement of the same from Maya as even her entropic vocalisations grew in volume.
They came in tandem, a collision of ecstasies seizing at their muscles and devolving them into trembling messes. Maya’s maw fell open as she cried out, letting loose a morose moan and a torrent of gushing love over Nathan’s pillar. Nathan threw his head forward, his teeth bared in a powerful grit as his cock spat deep into Maya’s loving embrace. His knot burst with painful abruptness, ballooning just inside of Maya’s vulva and swelling it tightly.
The two of them were left panting and gasping pitifully, hardly aware of where they were anymore. Clutching tight at their loins was an oily pleasure mixed with sharp pain as Nathan’s bulbous knot throbbed inside of her. She slumped forward on top of him, wrapping arms around his neck and panting into his ear.
“Oh Nathan, baby. Ohhh…. That was so goooood. Mmf. Baby…”
Nathan could hardly respond. He was paralyzed. He could only blindly kiss her cheek and moan his agreement. They slowly recomposed themselves, and Maya sat up. She lovingly rolled her hips and swished her fox-tail.
“Oh Nathan. That was… ethereal.” She smoothed her paws around the swollen bulge in her vulva. Sharp tingles nipped at his loins.
“Yeah… It was…” He huffed. ‘What if… What if Malachai heard?”
She gave an exhausted wave of her paw. “Like I said. He’s probably asleep, or on that damn game of his.”
“I hope he is… When was the last time you attacked me like that?”
Maya giggled and bit her lip. Nathan always thought it was so sexy the way she did that. “Not since we were young. Mmmmm, I’m glad I did.”
	“Me too. I guess I have to thank Danny next time I see him.”
“Tell him I said thanks too. Ugh… We have to ask him now. That was too good not to.”
Nathan smiled. His tail wagged beneath her. “Really? You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Nathan sat up and hugged her. He looked deep into her eyes. “Good. So am I.”
She smiled and kissed him. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Mmmm. Now, how long until things die down and we can go again?”
“Again?” This woman is going to be the death of me. God I love her. “That one was pretty big. Might be a while ‘til the swelling goes down.”
She sighed impatiently and removed her blouse, unveiling her breasts and stark black nipples which stared back at him. “In that case, let’s make the most out of the time until then. ‘Cause I ain’t done with you.”
And she wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

*	*	*

Malachai didn’t ask any unusual questions the next morning. He sat at the table and munched on his cereal while watching TV. He didn’t give his parents any concerned or, even worse, disturbed looks.
That was good, because Nathan and Maya tore it up the night before. The whole night blended together as a frantic ritual of thrusting and orgasms. The two of them woke up in a haze, zombified by exhaustion and lingering pleasure. They were the ashes of a fire that had never burned so hot between them. All because of the skunk who lived next door.
That night had sealed the deal, as they both agreed. They had to pop the question ASAP. They just needed to go about it tactfully. Build a friendship, gain his trust. An opportunity to do so came when Danny asked Nathan if he could help him lift some stuff to his upstairs. They spent the time together chatting about football, a subject which Nathan admitted being totally ignorant about. Danny was happy to fill him in. He was erudite in both the mechanics and history of the game. He told stories of the greatest games, the best players, the biggest upsets, the biggest mistakes. Most of it went right over Nathan’s head, but he was happy to nod along and smile.
The heaviest object to carry upstairs was Danny’s safe. It was a small safe, but weighed at least 200 pounds. “One. Two. Three. Lift!” Danny chanted in cadence as the two of them worked the beast up the stairs step by step. Danny was at the bottom carrying most of the weight, being the stronger of the two. Nathan put in his best effort, awkwardly backstepping onto each step as he struggled with the immense weight. They made it to the top and took a breather.
Danny put a paw to his back and leaned back, groaning dramatically. “Damn! Take my advice, Nate. Don’t get old.”
“I’ll try. What do you keep in this? Gold bars?” Nathan asked, shaking his trembling arms.
“Well, believe it or not it’s empty right now. But no, not money or anything like that.”
“What’s it for then? If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. If you really wanna know, it’s where I keep my guns.”
Nathan blinked. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t ever show Malachai or any other kid. I hope that when they go back into the safe, they never come back out. They’re strictly for self-defense.”
“Well, that’s good. I don’t think you’ll ever need them anyway.”
Danny’s brow furrowed into a deep scowl. “Why? ‘Cause I’m a skunk?”
Nathan’s heart plummeted. “Oh no! No! I-”
“What? You think I spray everyone who I think threatens me?”
Nathan lifted his paws defensively. He was suddenly very aware how much bigger Danny was than him. “Danny, I swear to God. I didn’t-”
He was cut off by an eruption of laughter from Danny, who’s baritone voice bounced off the walls and reverberated in Nathan’s ears. It was so loud it made him jump and fold his ears back. Danny clapped a paw on Nathan’s shoulder to steady himself, he was laughing so hard.
“I’m just fucking with you, Nate!” he wheezed. He pulled Nathan into him shoulder-to-shoulder and squeezed him tight. “Relax, buddy!”
Nathan laughed nervously. “Hehe… You got me buddy…” He felt lightheaded, ready to faint.
“Oh shit. I love pulling that on non-musties. I had my glands removed when I was a baby, like just about every other skunk. Well, except maybe the real religious ones. There’s nothing to worry about. I ain’t gonna stink ya.”
“Oh. Haha.” Nathan thought that was a bit TMI, but he left it alone. “Well, what I was saying was that you shouldn’t need them because this is a pretty nice neighborhood.”
“And it is, but in the past I lived in a not-so-friendly place, Southside. Ya know what they call that part of Chicago?”
“Something unflattering?”
“Ch-iraq.”
“Yikes.”
“Yeah. Never got rid of em’ after I got ‘em. Might sell them someday. I don’t reckon you’re in the market for one.”
“Even if I was, Maya would have my ass.”
Danny chortled. “And she’d be right to. Now, let’s get this bad boy into my closet.” They hefted the safe and waddled it into Danny’s bedroom where they lodged it in the corner of his closet. “Whew! That was a lot easier since you were here. Thanks, Nate.”
Nathan smiled brightly. “No problem, Zeke.”
All expression left Danny’s face. He stared at Nathan with a maddeningly difficult-to-read look of blankness. Nathan, still smiling, cocked an eyebrow, uncertain what that look, or lack thereof, was for. He was just forming his lips to ask “What?” when a paralysing chill swept down his veins and settled like an anvil in his gut. His ears drooped, and his smile crumpled into a look of pure dread. He didn’t call him Danny.
Danny, mercifully, smile. “It’s OK Nate. You’re nowhere near the first person to recognize me or find out who I am. How long have you known?”
Nathan was ready to faint again. He licked his lips and swallowed. His mouth felt like sandpaper. “I kinda figured it out the first time I saw you,” he managed to say. “I wasn’t 100% sure so I looked you up.”
“Yeah, that’s how it usually happens. Does Maya know?”
Yes. She’s a big fan. “No, I don’t think so.” Nathan wasn’t sure what compelled him to lie.
“Good. I didn’t want to tell you right away once you said you had a kid. Some people get the heebie-jeebies about people like me being near their kids.” People like me. Nathan felt a pang of sadness at that. He remembered how Danny became a porn star after his injury, and how he might have never really wanted to be one. “Be honest. Do you mind?”
“No, not really. Besides, Malachai idolizes that Bupkiss-”
“Butkus.”
“Butkus… stuff you have. He felt like the luckiest kid in the world when you put that helmet on him. I’ve only seen his eyes light up like that a few times.”
Danny smiled. “That’s awesome. Like I said, when I’m all done putting stuff away, send him over and I’ll show him some stuff. His friends too.”
“Will you show them the Bupkiss-”
“Butkus.”
“Butkus… stuff too?”
“Sure. I love showing that stuff off.”
“Great. All the kids here are Bears fans, of course. They’ll love it.” Come on. Just ask him. Do it. Do it now!
No! Maya had to be with him. She’d never forgive him for asking without her.
“Thanks again, Nate.” Danny said.
“No problem,’ Nathan replied, smirking. “Zeke.”
Danny grinned and gave Nathan a finger gun. “That’s my boy.”

*	*	*

Two days passed and Danny finished setting up all of his stuff. True to his word, he invited Malachai over and gave him some tips. Nathan watched from his kitchen window as the lumbering skunk played defense against his miniscule son. Malachai would run the football at Danny who would stutter-step and lunge half-heartedly at him. Malachai would juke, his little torso bending like a straw to get out of the way. If Danny caught him, he would kneel down and get eye-level with him, explaining how to do better with visual examples of movements he should try. Malachai listened closely, hanging on every word and nodding sharply. He slowly improved, learning from his mistakes. 
Nathan felt a weltering rush of pride in his son. He’d come back everyday and talk about what Danny had taught him. It helped keep him off of his computer all day. He brought his friends over and they had a mini-football game. Danny was all-time quarterback.
School started, and Malachai would often go straight to Danny's house to play. He nearly started spending more time at Danny's then he did his friend Chad's. Danny was becoming a fast friend. It got to the point that his parents had to enforce a new rule: Malachai had to finish his homework before he could go to Danny's house. Danny helped by asking Malachai if he had any homework to do and refusing to play if he had some unfinished. to play if he had unfinished work. It worked. Malachai dutifully finished his homework everyday the moment he got back.
Less than routine was the sex between Nathan and Maya. Every night was a different porn flick starring Danny/Zeke. It put the two of them in frenzied moods just like the first time.  In one of them, Danny was dressed like Conan the Barbarian. He saved a damsel in distress from a hilariously fake looking monster. The rescued woman was more than happy to repay him in a myriad of ways. Nathan and Maya reenacted it like they had several others, no matter how corny and ham-fisted. In spite of the silliness of each acted scenario, it hardened their resolve, film by film. They were going to ask him. It was going to happen. Nathan found himself scripting the entire event in his head. The three of us, together. God it’s going to be so hot. He shared his scenarios with Maya, who giddily exchanged hers.
It was Maya who knocked on Danny’s door one Friday afternoon. She cordially invited him over for dinner Saturday night as thanks for being friends with Malachai. He graciously accepted. Thus it was set in motion. There was no turning back. Both Nathan and Maya asked off of work for that following Monday, in case he said yes. If he said no, it just would've been a regular day off. Both of them got the day off, and their excitement surged. Maya was forced to remind Nathan and herself that they still hadn’t gotten a ‘yes’ yet. By no means was anything set in stone. Still, their nerves were frayed and hard to control. Nathan convinced Malachai to have a sleepover at Chad’s house. They didn’t want him eavesdropping or walking in on a conversation that would create some trauma.
Saturday evening came. Nathan was dressed in a bright blue polo shirt and khakis. Maya was in a white t-shirt and skirt. They fussed over the formality of their clothes. Too much? Not enough? What was Danny going to wear?
“Fuck it,” Nathan finally hissed. “We’re wearing what we’re wearing. It’s a regular dinner, not some special event.”
“It will be when we pop the question,” Maya pointed out.
“I know, but he doesn’t know that. Let’s just relax and forget about it.”
Still, as the clock ticked by they fidgeted and paced the house, locked in the inner turmoil of their own doubts and anxieties.
The doorbell rang at 5:58. They both took deep breaths and held each others’ paws in front of them. “You ready?” Nathan asked.
Maya nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good. Let’s roll.”
They answered the door. Danny was wearing a plaid button up shirt and jeans. He was casually waiting with his paw on his hip, the other carrying a bottle of wine. “Hey there!” he said, beaming.
“Hi!” Nathan greeted. “Come on in. You look nice.”
“Thanks. You two look splendid.
“Why, thank you!” Maya said. Bashfully placing her paw over her chest. “How are you this evening?”
“Oh, I’m great! I brought wine.” Danny said, brandishing the bottle. “I hope red is OK.”
“That’ll do perfectly.” Maya told him.
They adjourned to the dining room where all of the Winks’ special plates and silverware had been set for the occasion. Danny’s seat was set at one end of the table with Nathan at the opposite end and Maya at his left. They shared banter over their meal. Danny complimented Maya’s cooking, to which she admitted that it was just a recipe she ripped from online. Nathan talked about work, not delving too deep into the subject, worried that it might be too boring. Maya talked about working with babies as a pediatrician.
Danny brought up Malachai. “Where is he?” he asked.
“Having a sleepover at a friend’s.” Nathan said.
“Oh. School’s going good for him?”
“Very good since he’s been off of his computer playing games,” Maya said. “That’s why we invited you here, as a thanks for being his friend and making him do his homework.”
“Ah, no problem.” Danny said, eyeing the fancy dinner plate before him. Nathan could see him pondering if all of this was really necessary for just that. Don’t worry, big guy. Nathan thought eagerly. There’s more to this than just that.
Danny took a deep sip of wine and exhaled audibly when he put it down. “He’s got some serious talent, your boy.”
“Thankyou.”
“You’re welcome. Keep him in football and he’ll go places. How old is he?”
“He turns twelve in February.” Maya told him.
“That’s the right age to start. He’ll make a good wide receiver as long as he doesn’t give up the sport and works hard.”
“Ya know,” Nathan started. “I watched some of those Bupkiss-”
“Butkus.” Danny and Maya said in unison.
“Butkus…” He shot Maya a look.  You too? “Highlights, and it kinda made me want him to stop playing.”
Danny chuckled. “Yeah, Butkus was a mean guy. Like I said, he’s the one that made me want to play.These days people take concussion protocol very seriously, which is great.”
“What can we do to prevent him from getting hurt?” Maya asked. Nathan could tell her concern ran deeper than his.
“Stretching helps. There’s nothing you can do about what happens on the field, but you can get him to eat healthy and learn to relax his body when he needs to. You won’t hear many players admit it, but yoga helps. He wants to be a wide receiver, so he needs to be flexible.”
“Did you do yoga?” Nathan asked.
“No, but I wish I had. I tore my achilles my junior year, ending my career.”
“Oh no!’ Maya gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
Danny waved it off. “That was a long time ago. I’m much better now.”
“So…” she began, as nonchalantly as she could. “You became an actor after that?”
Nathan felt his face flare up. Danny just smiled, seeing where this was going. “I did, as a matter of fact. How’d you find that out?” he asked, cutting Nathan a knowing look.
“I looked you up when Malachai told us you played football,” she lied. Nathan felt some relief that she didn't outright say that he told her. “And your… profession… came up.”
Danny nodded. He looked like he was ready to laugh. “Yeah, for a long time I was a pornstar.”
“Really,” Maya said, genuinely interested. “How did you start doing that? I’m curious.”
“Well,” Danny began. “It was my junior year, and I was unemployed.” He went on and told his whole story. Him and his roommate, a ferret named Dave, were hurting for rent when Dave suggested they make a porn flick. Danny was naturally reluctant at first, but being so strapped for cash, he finally bowed. They shot it with a female friend of Dave’s, a rat named Amelia. Danny was incredibly awkward throughout the whole ordeal, hardly knowing what to do or say to be sexy. At that point in his life he’d only had sex with two women. As alien as he felt, they printed a few copies and sold it to some porn shops around Knoxville. That helped them pay for rent for the next few months.
One day Danny got a call. A porn producer named Mitch Larson, (“God rest his soul,” Danny said with a quick point to the heavens), a lion, got a hold of their tape and wanted Danny to star in a few more films. Danny declined. He still wasn’t fully comfortable with the idea of having sex on camera. Besides, he had a family whom he definitely did not want knowing about it. 
“What my mother would've thought, I didn’t know,” he lamented. “I figured she would’ve died of a heart attack on the spot.” Larson understood and was patient. He told Danny to call him if he ever changed his mind. It wasn’t long after that conversation when Danny snapped his achilles, an injury infamous as a “career ender.” He spent the next several weeks recovering as he fell into a deep depression. The University of Tennessee wouldn’t drop his scholarship, but he never played again. His family and friends showered him in support, but it helped little with his financial situation. He ran out of money and his grades began slipping, which would’ve ended his scholarship. One day, “drunk off [his] ass,” he called Larson and took his offer. In the span of only a few weeks he starred in seven films. He made good money, and his achilles healed. Not surprisingly, he found having sex with lots of woman to be enjoyable. He got used to the presence of cameras. He met some big names in the porn industry. He’d found his calling, and decided that he’d drop out of school to pursue a career in porn.
That’s how his family found out. They were understandably furious at first. Though the idea of their son making smut wasn’t a happy one, his parents were more upset that he’d thrown away his education. His siblings were the only ones who talked to him for a while. His career, meanwhile, escalated. He won his first Woody. He bought a house. Eventually he reconnected with his parents, who had grown to accept their pornstar son. He got the nickname “Zeke” when someone on the set of a pornshoot mistakenly switched his name with a fellow named Ezekial on the cast and crew list. The director, unfamiliar with Danny, casually referred to him as “Zeke,” and the name stuck. Danny eventually retired in 2010 and lived in Sacramento for a while  before he moved to Chicago to be closer to his family.
“That’s sweet,” Maya said.
“Thanks. My mother turns 90 in a few months. I wanted to be here for it and however many she has left.”
“Wow.” Nathan said.
“Yup.” Danny took a final sip from his wine glass. “She’s still clear as a bell upstairs, too.”
Danny had finished his story. Their meals had been finished. At Least half an hour had passed since Danny sat at their table. They still hadn’t asked him the big question.
“Um, Danny?” Nathan said, his voice almost cracking. He cleared his throat. Butterflies laid siege to his stomach. By the way she was squirming in her seat, he could tell Maya felt the same.
“What’s up?” Danny asked politely.
“Maya and I… Whooo... “ He took a deep breath. Maya took his paw and squeezed it, reminding him that she was there. He tried to calm down. “Maya and I didn’t just want to thank you for hanging out with Malachai. We wanted to ask you something.’
“Sure. Anything. What is it?”
Nathan and Maya shared a look. They giggled stupidly. Danny could only grin awkwardly, uncertain of what was coming next. 
Maya nodded quizzically. Do you want to ask him?
Nathan lifted an eyebrow. Do you?
Maya contemplated. She shook her head. No. You do it. You’re the man.
“Hoo-kay,” Nathan sighed. He looked at Danny, who was being patient, if confused. Nathan’s heart pounded in his throat which tightened maddeningly. His palms began to sweat. “Danny, would you…?” God, just spit it out. Get it over with. Rip the band-aid. He took one final, deep inhale, and said it all in one breath. “Would you have sex with my wife?”
The air hung still. Nathan’s voice sounded like the last thing ever heard on earth. Danny didn’t even move. He was fixed with that patient smile on his face. They were all just frozen there, staring at each other. A car vroomed down the street.
“Um.” Danny finally eeked out. “Wow.” He straightened up in his chair. For one terrifying moment Nathan thought he would just get up and leave. He didn’t. He just sat there staring down at his empty plate. “You want me to have sex with… Maya?”
The couple nodded. “Yes,” Maya confirmed.
“And I want to watch.” Nathan added.
Danny pursed his lips and nodded. “I see. Can I ask why?”
The two of them looked at each other. That was a good question. “It’s just sort of…” Nathan started, struggling to find the right words. “...something we wanted to do for some time. Since before we got married. I don’t know exactly why. It’s just sort of sexy. We got married and forgot about it. Then you moved in and it all came back. I thought about it, told her about you, and-”
“Wait wait wait.” Danny interjected. “I thought she looked me up recently. You told me she didn’t know who I was.”
Nathan and Maya’s ears fell backwards guiltily.  “Sorry. I lied about that.” Nathan said sheepishly. “I didn’t want you to worry about her knowing who you were when we were carrying your safe.”
Danny leaned back into his chair and folded his arms in a way that displayed the striated muscle of his forearm “I see. Continue.”
“Um…” Nathan scratched the back of his head. He was getting itchy all over. “What was I saying?”
“We started talking about doing it with you.” Maya continued, coming to the rescue for him.  “We watched one of your films one night and… Oh Danny, we just lost it. We knew we had to do it. We knew we had to ask you.”
“Oh. Ok then.” He seemed flattered. “Ya know I’m familiar with the cuck-” There was that word. It was just one syllable, curt and abrupt, that made Nathan feel sick. He tried to avoid saying it, even thinking about it. “-genre, but throughout my career I’ve never touched it. It’s kind of a millennial thing, if you ask me. Not that I can throw any stones.” He scoffed. He began rubbing his chin and looking into the light fixture on the ceiling. The light shimmered in his blue eyes as he pondered. “I’d say yes, but you too seem like a sweet couple. You have a great kid and an easy life. I’ll feel like I’m intruding in on that somehow if I do this.”
He was greeted by a barrage of insistent “no’s” from the two of them. “We talked about it!” Nathan asserted. “It’s fine!”
“Yeah!” Maya concurred. “We want to do this. I want to do this.
Danny’s eyes narrowed. “You two are 100% sure?”
“Yes.” they both said in matrimonial unison.
Danny took a deep breath. He continued to rub his chin. The dining room once more went into complete silence. Danny’s eyes traced around randomly, puzzling and pondering. They fell on Maya. They traced up her torso, fell on her chest, and settled on her vixen face. Nathan felt a buzz of excitement as Danny eyed his wife. He smirked. “I’ll do it.” Danny said finally, shattering the silence with his deep, certain voice.
Nathan and Maya erupted in a celebratory “Yes!” and hugged each other. Their tails wagged like crazy. They broke and smiled at Danny like idiots. “Thank you sooooo much Danny.” Maya blurted. She sounded on the brink of tears. “You have no idea how much this means to us.”
“Whoa! Hehe,” Danny chuckled. “You’re welcome. So, when are we doing this?”
“Monday the two of us have off work. Malachai’s at school. Will that work?” Nathan asked.
“That’ll work great. I’m not a busy man.”
“Oh, wonderful.” Maya said, going into another set of giddy squeals and hugging her husband again. Nathan hugged back, hardly doing a better job of concealing his glee.
When the three of them got up to see Danny out, Nathan shook hands with him and Maya gave him a tight hug. They watched him walk to his house from the front door window. When he was out of sight, the couple shared one last look at each other. Maya saw herself in his mismatched irides. Nathan got lost in the handsome edges of her face. They hugged each other and kissed.
“I love you,” Nathan whispered.
“I love you too,” she whispered back.