Exciting Times to Come (Patreon)

The tigress sat across the kitchen table from her boyfriend. They were both having breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning. She just finished up her toast with another sip of coffee, then she wiped her lips and chuckled. “So… can you explain that to me again, Tashi?” She asked. “Your stepdad knows my boss, and he owns a bakery in town. And he needs someone to take it over?” She seemed a little confused about the message that the stallion had told her about some days ago. “Yes! He’s got quite some connections, even now that they moved away. But apparently, he wants to slowly get rid of his businesses and retire. Go on some world trips with my mother or what, enjoy his golden age, he said.” He replied and chuckled. “Apparently your boss let it slip that you are such a diligent worker and good with the customers. He obviously didn’t think that he might lose you to the old business buffalo!” The stallion rolled his shoulders and took another sip of coffee as he looked back at his girlfriend.

She nodded at him and asked. “And you are sure he only wants me for my work talents?” She grinned and winked at him. “Yes! I doubt we’ll ever see him around very often.” Tashi replied and then lowered his voice as he kept speaking. “After all, he’s got a hoof fetish not even your paws can overcome…” The tigress playfully bit her lower lip and looked at him. “Is that why your mom’s hooves are painted red?!” She finally burst out. Tashi nodded and chuckled. “Yes! She’s been doing that ever since they started dating. Not just red, once they were painted green! I still think it looks so weird and I’ll probably never get over it!” He shuddered when he thought about the things his stepdad and mom must have been getting up to all these years. Then he shook his head to quickly get those images out of his mind again. “Anyways! Yes. It’s the bakery just a few blocks away from here. The small one that doesn’t belong to any of the big chains. It’s a rarity but apparently people love it a lot because the employees have always been nice. And they’ve got the best cinnamon roll recipe in town!” He licked his lips in-between sentences. “I haven’t had one in months, but I still remember the last one. Such tasty glazing and all. So… I could reduce my work hours by a few to help with the bookkeeping and such. And he’d want you to become the manager! He said he’d like you to start out by just learning from the old one that wants to retire as well. You’d report to my stepdad, just a few e-mails and such. But he would give you full pay right away. I guess, eventually, he’d want to transfer the bakery over to you altogether!”

The stallion was smiling at his girlfriend as he emptied his cup of coffee. “You really must have left an impression on him. I’m not surprised, though. You make such good coffee! That along with the cinnamon rolls, people will be queuing up around the block!” Luckily, their kitchen table wasn’t that long. It allowed Tashi to reach over to grab the tigress’ hands. “And I believe in you as well.” Alex looked down at those white fingers intertwined with her own orange ones. “So, it’s a bakery and a café?” She asked, seeming somewhat skeptical about the whole prospect. “How many employees work there right now?” Tashi had to think for a moment before replying. “I think there are four or five. Excluding the manager. I’m not going to lie! It’s probably going to be more work, at least at first. But I’d be there to help you! And wouldn’t it be cool to have your own shop? You could still work on your music on the side. The bakery closes in the afternoon, so no more late nights at work.” He caressed the backs of her hands carefully, then he rubbed her cheeks and smiled at her.

“It’s a lot to think about…” The tigress replied hesitantly. Tashi nodded at her. “I know. He said you can take your time to reply. I doubt he’ll think any less of you if you say no. But he mentioned that he’s desperately searching for someone nice and reliable.” He smiled at her. “And I guess when he saw a pretty tigress that is so good at her job with hair that smells like coffee.” The stallion took a break to rub her ears and wink at her. “He must have thought he’d like to take a chance.” Alex looked out the window. “I guess it would be quite a short trip to work.” She mumbled and then asked. “So, I would create shift plans and manage stock, too?” The stallion nodded at her in response. “You’ve been such a good waitress! I bet this wouldn’t be so different. More selling pastries, less running around! And you could let your creativity run wild with the cakes.” He smirked. “I’ll try not to get too jealous when you draw paw prints into the coffee foam for others!” Her boyfriend winked at her and made her chuckle.

“Alright, alright. Tell him I’m considering it, okay? It’s not urgent, right?” She asked him and kissed his hand before he leaned back against the chair once more. “Yes. We have a few months to decide. It’s not something he desperately needs to get done right away.” The stallion smiled at her, then some bread crumps stuck in the long white feathering on his arms caught his attention. He carefully brushed them out of his fur and back onto the plate in front of him. “Can we go there this afternoon?” Alex asked him cheerfully. “Now that you mentioned them, I’d love to try those cinnamon rolls!” The stallion’s ears wiggled around, and he nodded at her. “Of course! He said we could go and have some stuff for free to see if we like it! But they won’t give us the recipe until you agree to take the position. Haha… I wonder if they use some special yeast to make them so fluffy! It feels like they just melt on your tongue.” Her boyfriend kept singing the praises for the pastries. “Stop it, Tashi.” She interrupted him and chuckled. “You’re making my mouth water even though we just had breakfast.” The stallion smiled at her in return. “Alright. I’ll shut up until you can taste them on your own tongue. Let’s go later, then you can look at the place and talk to the employees. Find out if you like them and could see yourself working there. I would have taken you there sooner, but it just never came up. Didn’t even know the place belonged to my stepdad, to be honest. He’s got some takeout restaurants and such, too. I lost track.” Tashi scratched his neck and looked at Alex. She nodded at him. “Don’t worry. We had so many other things to do and our jobs kept us busy enough.” She replied, got up, and picked up her plate. Her boyfriend followed suit. “We better only prepare a small lunch. You’ll want to leave some room for all the other nice things they have!” He teased her as he got ready to help her clean up.

***

A few hours and a short walk later, they were standing in front of the bakery they had talked about that morning. It didn’t stick out much next to some hairdressers, a butcher, dry cleaner, and flower store. A big clean shop window, an inviting glass door. It must have been modernized not too long ago. Flowers and some baked goods were arranged behind the windowpane, giving a nice welcoming display and stimulating the appetite of any passersby. Nice, curved letters gave away the name of the establishment: “Sweet Cheeks Bakery”. Tashi chuckled when he saw Alex read it. “Maybe they’ll have to rename it to sweetest cheeks when you start working there!” He teased her. The tigress wanted to reply, but a chubby cheetah just opened the door and walked out, carrying a big box of pastries. All she could do was playfully spank her boyfriend’s butt before they had to move to the side to let the customer pass. “Guess you just met one of your potential regulars.” The stallion whispered to her and playfully squeezed her hand. After the guy had walked out of earshot, the tigress replied. “Guess so! They must be good if they can even make a cheetah put on some weight! Now I absolutely have to see for myself.” Tashi chuckled and nodded at her. “Darn… I’ll have a hard time staying slim if we really do this!” He replied.

With the bright sunlight outside, it was hard to look further into the store. So, they just went ahead and opened the door. Before they could take one step inside, the amazing smell of freshly baked cakes and pastries hit them. A hint of yeast, chocolate, cinnamon, fruity scents of cherry and strawberries, it was enough to get anyone craving something sweet and delicious! The stallion’s hooves were clopping on the tiled floor whereas his girlfriend could silently follow him. Their presence was further announced by the doorbell ringing as they walked through the light barrier just past the door. Quickly, an employee came from the back of the store. She was a small grey mouse wearing a cute white hat. Her pointy nose wiggled around as she looked at the couple that just came in. Her white apron had some stains of glazing and what looked like strawberry jam. She must have just been finishing up some of the delicious goodies they were selling at this place.

She greeted them with a happy squeak. “Good afternoon! How can I help you?” Tashi smiled at the mouse while Alex still looked around the store for a moment. “Will you be having something to eat here?” The mouse asked, eagerly trying to help them. The whole display counter in front of them was filled with bread rolls, pastries, and cakes. It was tempting enough to ruin anyone’s diet plan. Right in the middle, the famous cinnamon rolls were on display. The stallion didn’t promise too much earlier at the breakfast table. They really looked as fluffy as a cloud, but the glazing was thick enough to firmly keep them on the ground. The tigress licked her lips before she turned her head to look around some more. There was a fridge for cool drinks and butter nearby, on the other side stood a shelf with some staples like jams and cookies that were boxed. The rest of the store was occupied by tables and chairs. There was even a rabbit still sitting in the corner of the room. He had an empty plate and a cup of coffee in front of him next to the laptop he was typing on. His ears were laid back and he seemed to be relaxed but focused on whatever he was writing. The whole place seemed very tidy. The unoccupied tables were spotless. It seemed like the stallion’s stepdad clearly just wanted to pass the place on into good hands.

“It’s really pretty!” The tigress finally whispered. “Oh, thank you!” The mouse squeaked happily. “So, what will it be?” She asked once more. Tashi cleared his throat. “Errm… Mr. Miller said he had called in advance. I’m his stepson, Tashi. This is my girlfriend, Alex!” He said and pointed at the tigress. The mouse jumped up excitedly and nodded. “Oh! I’m Deborah, but just call me Debbie! This is about the sample package, right? And new management? I’m so sad that Tina wants to leave us soon! But I’d be happy to work with you, Alex!” The cheerful rodent came out from behind the counter to excitedly shake Alex’s hand. “It’s so nice to see someone’s frown turn upside down when they have a bite of our goodies!” The tigress smiled at the mouse that was even a bit smaller than herself. She really had to lean her head back to even look up and talk to the stallion that was towering over them both. “Nice to meet you, Debbie. It’s not decided, yet. But I’m very excited to try some of those pastries myself. Tashi really made my mouth water when he talked about those famous cinnamon rolls.” Even before she could finish that sentence, the excited mouse jumped up again and ran behind the counter. “Oh, yes, yes, yes! I’ll pick out our absolute best ones for the two of you!” 

Next to holding hands, both guests and potential future owners of the bakery were now licking their lips. The cheerful mouse took out a big box and picked out cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, chocolate croissants, apple crumble and a small slice of the cakes they had on offer. She almost lost her tiny cute hat as she prepared the samples. “I’m telling you, the hardest part will be to stay slim!” The stallion said and snickered. Debbie smiled at him. “Don’t worry! It gets easier after you’ve had too many rolls for the third time.” Alex chuckled and playfully spanked her boyfriend. She replied. “We’ll take your word for it! If that’s not true, I’ll have to put an exercise bike in the back.” Tashi pouted at Alex. “You’d make me work out right next to the ovens in the back?” It was the mouse that looked at the tall stallion, grinned, and spoke up. “Oh… I wouldn’t mind seeing that!” Alex scratched her chin. “Are you sure we’d still get any work done with a sweaty stallion around?” She asked and both women looked at each other before chuckling. “Oh no… I can already smell a conspiracy coming.” Tashi complained and his girlfriend just playfully poked his side. “Don’t worry, horsey.” She teased him and curled her tail around his leg.

“There we go!” The mouse said and squeaked once more. She closed the lid on the box and put it up on the counter. The small shop employee had to get on the tips of her toes to reach it, but she didn’t seem to have any trouble with just that. Then she diligently tapped around on the cash register. “Don’t worry, it’s on Mr. Miller, just typing it up so things add up!” She mumbled. Tashi picked up the box and nodded at her. “Yep! I’m sure we will be back soon to let you know more.” He said and lifted the lid to take another peek. “You have so many things here. Do you prepare everything here at the bakery?” Alex asked curiously. “Most things! Some we get frozen and just heat them in the oven. But don’t worry about the details now. Tina will be happy to fill you in. It’s really nice working for her and Mr. Miller.” The little mouse replied eagerly.

The doorbell rang once more, and another customer stepped into the store. “Alright, then we’ll be on our way! See you again soon, Debbie.” Alex said and nudged her boyfriend to step aside and make room for the deer that was eager for some delicious pastries. Tashi nodded and took a few steps towards the door. “Let’s go home! Something in this box is still warm. If we wait any longer, I can’t guarantee that the box makes it home unharmed and I won’t turn into a sluggish stallion.” The stallion chuckled and looked over his shoulder. Deborah waved at the two of them before turning her attention to serving the next customer. The agile feline quickly caught up with him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh no, don’t worry! I will pay attention. Got to practice the supervisor part of my new manager job!” She laughed and let her hand slip off his shoulder, then she spanked his butt. “Giddy up, horsey!” She said. Tashi neighed and jumped into the air a bit. “Bad manager! You’ll promote workplace accidents. The deliciousness of amazing pastries is at risk!” He complained and then laughed while safely holding the box. The carton that was covered with the bakery’s logo in several places was quite big. Impossible to be eaten in one afternoon by just the two of them. But not big enough to hinder the tigress from holding onto Tashi’s arm as they walked home cheerfully.

***

Freshly brewed coffee steaming in their cups, they sat at the table and stared at the pastries they had transferred onto the biggest plate they had. Cupcakes, slices of cake, cinnamon buns, chocolate croissants, apple crumble, large round soft cookies. They realized they would have a tough time finishing everything before something went stale or their bellies would be swollen so much that they could barely move. “So, what will you have first?” The stallion asked and hid his grin behind the cup of coffee. “Cookie!” The tigress said and quickly her hand landed on the crispy-chewy confectionery. “Good choice.” Her boyfriend praised her and grabbed a cinnamon roll for himself. “I’ll have to start with the devil I know.” They both took a bite almost at the same time and the happy sighs afterwards spoke more than hundreds of words could.

“These are so good!” Alex called out excitedly. “Yeah… can’t beat some good handmade pastries with the mass-produced cheap stuff they sell in the big chains.” The stallion chimed in. He was about to take a sip of coffee, but then he had to go for another bite. Before he could swallow, he kept talking. “Sho… will you do it?” He quickly put his hand in front of his muzzle when a few crumbs flew onto the table. “Shorry ahh.” He apologized. Alex shook her head. “I will decide…” She took another bite, too. “After the sugar rush is over!” – “Fair enough.” The stallion replied and time just flew by as they tried and ate as much from their little buffet as they could. The only disappointment came from how little their bellies could hold.

Just like on the morning of that day, the couple was sitting across the table once more. “I hope I’d be able to keep the quality up! It was all so good!” Alex finally spoke up, rubbing her lightly bulging tummy. “Well, now we know that you’d have at least one eager mouse to help you! And to talk about silly flirty things while you are in the kitchen.” Her boyfriend tried to alleviate her worries. “Oof… I think we better skip dinner tonight. Good thing we wanted to order something anyways, right?” He asked, rubbing his own overstuffed belly. The tigress nodded. “I can’t eat one more bite. Or else my singing and managing career ends with one loud bang.” She replied and chuckled, her belly hurting a little just from laughter. “We can’t have that! Let’s save the remains. Movie night?” Tashi suggested and he got a happy smile back from his girlfriend. “Movie night!” She cheerfully responded. Two cupcakes, two cookies, and three slices of cake safely found their way back into the box and then the fridge. A lazy Saturday night began when a heavily sugar-laden couple’s lovely butts hit the sofa in their living room. The sugar rush turned into a sugar crash a few hours later and they went to bed. The taste of the delicious pastries, however, still remained on their tongues until it was time to brush their teeth.

***

As on every Sunday, setting an alarm wasn’t allowed. Even throughout the night, it had not cooled down that much, but enough to keep the bedroom window open and leave the air conditioner turned off. The sounds of the city around them slowly coming alive and the morning sun shining into the room gently woke the sleepy couple. They were lying on top of the blanket, snuggled up tightly against one another. Tashi did his best at being the big spoon and he let his girlfriend rest against his strong chest. Who needed a blanket to stay comfortable when you could share your lover’s warmth? The tigress’ tail was curled around her horse’s leg. The stallion’s hand had been resting on Alex’s belly throughout the night. As they woke up it had slipped down onto the mattress and they just kept cuddling as they came to their senses.

“Did you sleep well, my aspiring top manager?” Tashi asked softly and broke the silence. “I… Wait a second! I didn’t say yes, yet!” The tigress protested and reached down to hold his hand. “But yes, I did sleep well.” Her boyfriend moved his head back so he could kiss her cheek, her shoulder, and her neck. “Oh… I’m sure you will.” He whispered into her ear. “I had such nice dreams. Saw you looking gorgeous in that apron, being so successful. So popular.” He kept whispering. “Exciting dreams of exciting times to come.” He squeezed her hand. “So wholesome…” The tigress replied. “So unusual. Are you sure there wasn’t a naughty horsey kneeling behind me making use of that cover the apron provides?” She turned her head around to grin at him and kiss his chin. Tashi sighed playfully and pouted. “What have I done for my little tiger to hold such suspicions about me?” He nipped at her shoulder and then moved back up to whisper into her ear. “Maybe… he was there… maybe he was rewarding a good girl manager for doing such excellent work… but no customer saw. But maybe they guessed that those sweet cheeks… that they were your glowing red ones.”

Alex slightly moved around in her boyfriend’s embrace. Her ears were twitching as she listened to the honey he was pouring into them. Feeling her horse’s strength as he held her made her feel relaxed. A night spent arm in arm led to them both being sweaty, though, it was unavoidable. She could smell the stallion’s musky scent as he moved around behind her. “That… sounds more like you.” She whispered and turned until she was lying on her back and could look at him from the side. “I still need to decide… But maybe you could show me what such a reward would look like.” The flirty tigress teased him. Her sweet tooth had been satisfied the day before, now she was starting to crave something else. “You mean you want me to get the cupcakes from the fridge?” Tashi playfully replied and looked at her. “I might need a little hint…” He whispered and leaned over to caress her belly while he kissed her cheek again.

The tigress shivered lightly but she pouted when her boyfriend played the ignorant fool. She gave him a lewd grin and kept her eyes on his. She lifted her ass off the bed, and just a moment later, she put the pink panties she had been wearing onto the stallion’s nose. The positioning was perfect. He had to go cross eyed, but he could see the damp spot on the part that had been covering her crotch just as he inhaled. He moaned softly and the green shorts he was wearing got a little too tight for comfort. “Hey… I’m not a bloodhound. But this works.” He got on his knees next to her and kissed every inch of her body from her lips and chin down. Even her breasts got a playful nuzzle on the way. She had her legs spread when he arrived at her tattoo. “Before you get your demonstration… I have to disappoint you with some bad news.” The stallion chuckled and looked up at Alex who was already breathing excitedly. “Even under your management, they won’t be able to make cupcakes better than this…”

Before the sentence could sink in and Alex could give him a puzzled look at the silly words he was uttering, she went cross-eyed and moaned. Even after just waking up, her boyfriend was ready to eat her out like only he could with his flexible lips and agile tongue. “This... might just be worth it.” The tigress said after she had cooled down from the first touches and licks. “Shh… I can’t let you decide until after the horsey rush.” Tashi teased her before he really got started.

The demonstration of a reward worthy of a popstar or a manager of her own bakery chain or the best girlfriend in the whole world. 

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Art by Omesore 

Tashi by TashiGibson