Chapter Text
The issue wasn’t that she was trying, that was almost expected if Dominic was being honest. Why not try her charms when she was fresh out of high school and living on her own away from home? It was nice a pretty young girl was around something that was almost dead like an arcade but it stopped being nice when Jillian acted how she did in public with him. Truth told Dominic would’ve found her cute but he was on the job and his employer wouldn’t take kindly to the sight he currently presented with Jillian in his lap. She was good and that was the issue as her soft gray tail wrapped around Dominic’s waist as she very intentionally rubbed her ass against him settling into a comfortable position.
“Twenty if I win this match? Deal?” She asked, sticking her tongue out.
“You win, I’ll pay you forty and even buy you lunch on top, my treat.” Dominic said seeing the spark of a potential free meal light Jillian up.
Things hadn’t started in a way that made Dominic suspicious outside most college kids weren’t nostalgic for the games the arcade he worked at had to offer. It was just a filler job until he found something better after some company restructuring. That was life so Dominic wasn’t upset about being let go and he certainly had the bank account to make parting ways not sting in the slightest. Middle aged, god he hoped 38 wasn’t considered old, the opening seemed fun. In a hardly crowded dying mall with the only real expectation of him being that he’d show up to open up shop and lock things down each day. Not exactly paradise but after working far more seriously meeting sales goals a little relaxing nostalgia trip was pretty nice in terms of employment.
There was the hassle of the morning but Dominic enjoyed the sound of each game and cabinet booting up. Nothing but pure nostalgia thinking of throwing away money as a kid or burning his entire allowance to not beat someone on an arcade cab. Even the little things were nice like the Tekken 3 cabinet booting up with a “Good Morning.” Sure it could be hell on the eardrums but that was how you got people to look at a game. The colors, the attract modes, and blaring sounds that you had to learn the origin of after losing part of your hearing. As nostalgia trips went he thought it fairly nice given the circumstances. Maybe more customers that could chat about the old days would’ve helped spice up the mundane pattern of most days but it was nice. He got paid, looked at his phone, didn’t answer to anyone and coasted along.
Maybe that was why his simple paradise had attracted Jillian as he noticed her at the arcade one day. Teens weren’t unheard of stopping by but they almost always just took a quick look then vanished just as fast. The arcade was definitely not equipped with anything even remotely new so the target demographic was limited. Some old nostalgic guys like him came by to chat every so often and Dominic even got a new drinking buddy. What finally made him notice Jillian was how perplexed she looked at the coin machine. The notion that such a thing wouldn’t have been in most kids' lives kind of skipped his mind. A more modern machine would’ve accepted a card or let you scan something to pay.
That was not a luxury the nearer to death each day mall had the pleasure of having. Anthro women weren’t new to him but it was an avenue Dominic had never been down. The human women he’d dated were more than enough without letting his interests venture. Still, he did smile a little going to help the girl as she seemed to type some query into her phone to confirm if she was missing something.
“It’s cash only,” he said helpfully, taking a dollar out of his wallet and placing it in the machine.
“Yeah I kind of got that,” she said, taking a tiny step back as she watched him fish the four quarters out of the coin slot.
By comparison Dominic had at least eight inches on the gray haired cat girl as her ears perked up blue eyes fixing on him.
“On the house,” he said, offering her the quarters as a questioning look spread across her face as he dropped the coins into her outstretched hand.
“I’m not gonna ask you to go to an ATM just to try one of the games,” Dominic explained honestly. He loved these games and there was no way he’d hit up an ATM or get cash back to play them some days. For a girl that just seemed to be passing the time he wasn’t going to ask more. Returning to his counter she started to explore the games in earnest once he was seemingly engrossed in his phone.
Dominic smiled to himself because she was certainly expecting him to say something to compliment her. There had been a little pause where she was expecting some pick up line or other. If she were his age then the girl would’ve been right she was pretty stunning. Those long legs were something else even with Dominic’s height under cutting the effect. Her fur was bright a lustrous gray, those eyes were the type you could get lost in and to be blunt her breasts were jaw dropping. They weren’t the biggest but very near to the largest he’d seen and Dominic had to admit he felt bad for the boys in her class. Having someone that good looking seated next to you or asking for help had to be one of the roughest experiences a teenage boy could have. Dominic was old(er) and he had honestly taken more glances at the young lady then he’d like to admit once he’d properly noticed her.
Their little money talk was the extent of their encounter as three other girls around the same age as Jillian showed up. One simple gesture in the right direction and they met up with their friend. Maybe Dominic’s day wasn’t so bad as the group of girls were pretty cute. He wasn’t lonely per say but work had always been his priority over any relationship. The lioness with them was beyond statuesque in her chiseled perfection. Muscles weren’t a no for him and she definitely cut a figure that spoke apex predator. The two other girls were beautiful in a cuter way. A way shorter mouse girl with white fur and notably crimson eyes. The way her fur was curly was adorable even to an old guy like him. What cemented the trio was a tall vixen that almost matched the lioness in her height. The cross pattern in her red and brown fur was distinct alongside her hourglass figure.
Dominic wanted to say he wasn’t that distracted by just some girls strolling by but it was the most exciting thing that had happened that day. He didn’t look too much in his opinion but it was impossible to deny he was side tracked.
“Yo Jill, sorry for the delay. We got pulled over for speeding.”
“Why am I not surprised,” Jillian said with a sigh as the vixen scratched the back of her head.
“The cop let us go after I smiled enough and we only got a warning.”
“We didn’t do shit, you don’t know how to drive.”
“I’ll pay for our meal then we’re all square right. Right?” All of the other girls seemed to give the fox the same dirty look as she reached into her purse pulling out a black credit card.
“Fine you scheming bitches I’ll pay for the drinks as well.”
“Love ya Scarlet!”
“Thank you!”
“All is forgiven!”
With their plans set the bundle of girls were leaving when the cat among them turned and quickly jogged over to Dominic. She placed the quarters on the counter with a wink smiling at him.
“I’ll play later so hold on to my coins for me. Thanks.”
“Sure kid,” Dominic said watching as “Jill” glared at him for a split second before running back to her friends. He was being a little mean taking a jab at a university age girl but she didn’t really have to come back in his opinion. Malls didn’t get the use out of hanging out they used to in the past and certainly no one needed to spend time in the arcade he watched.
“Whose the old guy? You get into trouble or something waiting for us?” the lioness asked as their little group began to walk away.
“No, I was just-” the conversation was quickly out of ear shot for Dominic as the sounds of the arcades drowned out what little bits of the conversation he was listening to.
That was cute but it didn’t really change the trajectory of his day as Dominic settled into his usual routine. Checking phone, sweeping the arcade, and checking that everything was in working order. If the arcade was ever busy that would have been a bit of a task but empty as it was it was a ritual that took no more than 15-30 minutes. Not that he was complaining when he was paid by the hour. After being set in a cubicle with a flood of calls and endless spreadsheets this kind of routine boredom was heavenly. A boring heaven but it really was a paradise if routine didn’t bother you too much.
The day went by and the hour to close up shop grew near as he was doing one final round. Aside from the group of girls there had been two other visits. One guy his age who was into some of the classic arcade racing games. A Daytona USA fan and Dominic agreed it was one of the great classics and a teenager waiting on his mom to finish shopping. Those two were all the traffic he got which was high all things considered. Just as he finished setting a cloth down there was a very distinct finger poking him in the back. Turning around there was the same cat girl from earlier with her hand open like she was waiting for something.
The awkward silence took a moment to settle in as honestly he’d forgotten she’d ever visited. Things tended to blur a little when nothing new happened most days.
“Jillian,” she said, trying to jog his memory and he scratched his head for a second. “You know. ‘It’s cash only.’ Ring a bell?”
“Ah damn, sorry kid,” Dominic apologized, grabbing the quarters from earlier and handing them to her. Jillian was a cute name though he didn’t think she really had to introduce herself. Seeing as she never gave her name earlier, maybe that was her trying to be more memorable.
“We close in half an hour. Not a lot of time but see if you find anything you like.”
“Thank you M I S T E R,” she spelled out with a smile entering the arcade and looking at the machines again. He was calling her a kid but he was pretty sure she was a college or university student. At least if they were drinking he’d have imagined so not that Dominic drinking with his friends when he was fourteen was setting a good example when he thought back a little. Whatever Jillian was she could only be in his hair for 30 minutes so he just returned to his counter as the time wound down. When it was about 5 minutes to closing a quarter was placed on his counter as Jillian leaned forward looking at him.
“If I leave this here I can come back right?” she asked.
“I’m not keeping tabs here kid,” he said honestly but smiled, setting the quarter near the register. “But,” he relented, “for a pretty young lady I’ll hold on to it for you.”
“Thank you,” she said sweetly blowing him a kiss adding a flick of her tail as she left. She really was expecting a compliment from him when she first visited. He wasn’t against any attractive woman showing up in his life but he wasn’t going to get raked over the coals by a young woman flirting with him. Maybe one of her classmates was a better target even if he was appreciating her bright fur and silver hair.
The teen sent on her way and the arcade empty, closing up shop didn’t take too long. Everything shut down he sent a text to his boss then he was heading out already planning on grabbing something to eat on the way home. There was always mall food but he never liked eating on the job most days. He wasn’t doing much most days so filling that time with eating just struck a bad chord. Even when he had a busier job he’d skip eating.
Outside the sun was starting to properly set and the parking lot was mostly empty. Yawning he reached for his keys when he saw a familiar girl sitting on a bench phone in hand. Running into Jillian again wasn’t exactly poor odds given the empty place but it was funny as he continued towards his car. He was just going to keep going when he heard an annoyed sigh behind his back. It wasn’t directed at him but it was still pretty loud. Looking back Jillian had set her phone down by her side while pouting. At least she wasn’t the kind of girl to put a lot into hiding what she was feeling.
Not busy in any sense of the word Dominic approached Jillian waving to get her attention. It took a little for his waving to register before her blue eyes looked up at him sitting up a little with a half smile.
“Done with all your ‘work’ for the day?” she asked, her tail perking up.
“I’ve already been through high school and college. I can choose to be lazy now,” he said with a little pride. That surely wasn’t the goal in his years of learning but the benefit was nice. He’d paid early and now he had the privilege of slacking off in his job search with it barely bothering him.
“I wish I had money like that.” Jillian said, putting her phone away.
“Get as old as-”
“I do not want to be as old as you first,” she cut in not wanting to hear that depressing thought from him. Which was fair he admitted to himself considering 40 was popping up in the near enough future.
“Did your friends leave already? Did you want a ride home?”
“I,” she paused, looking at him like she was considering what she was saying. “I needed to have my phone looked at so I stayed to have the guy at the shop work on it. It took longer than expected so I was gonna call for a ride. I don’t really have cash on hand but I can Ve-”
“I’m already going home, you don’t have to pay me,” Dominic explained seeing where she was going.
“What?” Jillian questioned leaning forward showing her sharp teeth. “No money, no nothing, and I get to ride home with you? Really?”
“Yes really,” he said, slightly regretting the offer. He was sure any teenage or college girl had every reason to doubt random guys saying they’d do a favor for them. “We’ll get some fast food so you don’t go hungry and I’ll drop you off. Simple.”
“You are old,” she said with a small laugh standing up. “Free food is nice though. Deal.”
“Could have figured that,” he said to himself, not at all unfamiliar at grifting a free meal or two when he was in school.
When they got to his car he opened the passenger door for Jillian making her smile again.
“How often do you get to drive pretty girls like me home?” she asked, taking his hand. Again she was very much new at the whole flirting thing but he shrugged.
“As pretty as you never,” he said straight faced ruining her fun as he shut the door getting in himself.
“You’re no fun,” she complained, texting on her phone before giving him a side eye as he started the car.
“Well I do have more experience around good looking women. I think you’ll have to try when you’re a little older to get my attention.”
Noticing how her tail moved and the glint in her eyes Dominic didn’t push the matter. That wasn’t a challenge, just a statement but he could see Jillian did not take it that way. He did think she was amazingly attractive but he had more sense than to start anything with some college girl he’d met at work. Anthro or not good sense came first how attractive the cat girl next to him was had to be 2nd.
Luckily Jillian seemed to calm down after they were on the road for a bit and she ended up calling her friends talking about how she was getting back home. Just the road, Jillian on her phone, and the sun setting, it was almost a normal day minus the extra passenger. True to his word they stopped by a burger place and left with more than he expected. She’d really taken that he would pay to heart. Triple stack, loaded fries, chocolate shake, brownie, back up chili dog, and tater tots. If anything he was impressed as Jillian was eating as she paused halfway through her burger.
“Sorry, do you let people eat in your car?”
“Yeah, no worries,” he said with a laugh, handing her a napkin. She wiped her mouth before continuing to talk as she did a little take of the inside of his car.
“Cadillac CT6, 2019 right?” she asked while grabbing a fry.
“Yeah, into cars?” he questioned in turn, a little surprised.
“Scarlet likes them,” Jillian explained, reaching for her phone. A couple taps later he was shown the fox that was in her friend group from earlier seated in an Audi Sport Quattro S1. Of course he noticed the race suit Scarlet was wearing first because damn did it hug the curves of her body but he was impressed.
“Your friend has good taste,” He complimented her as they took a turn nearing Jillian’s drop off.
“I’ll let Scarlet know you like her taste in cars and clothes.”
“It was a nice race suit,” he admitted honestly, not directly saying Scarlet herself brought the image up from a 9 to a 10. The way Jillian blinked he had to smile that her amateur teasing wasn’t going far with him. It was still cute though so Dominic just grinned as Jillian looked away at the passing street with a tiny huff of annoyance.
He was about to ask which house when he saw the tall lioness from earlier come outside. She’d been dressed for the day out earlier and now she was dressed for a work out. The sports bra hugged her chest while still not as big as Jillian's. The bra was definitely flattering her already ample chest. With it were shorts that Dominic did a double take at seeing how sheer and tight they were before he shook his head. Maybe he really did need to get out more if one group of anthro girls were flooding his mind like this. He was never not going to enjoy the sight but he knew better than to let any of his old teen cravings make decisions for him.
As they pulled up the lioness raised an eyebrow before Jillian leaned across over him lowering his window with a smile.
“I’m back,” Jillian called out with a laugh as her friend nodded. “Oh, sorry,” Jillian only remembered she was pressed into him after she’d gotten her greeting out the way. Sighing he waved the apology off getting out of the car. He gave a small wave to the lioness before getting Jillian’s door for her.
“Thanks,” She said, her hands full with the things he’d bought her at the fast food spot.
“Not a problem,” he shut her door before they walked around the car together.
Once they were on the other side Jillian faced him as her tail lightly tapped his chest as she smiled leaning forward. Her tail moved a little so he’d bend down and he realized a fraction too late that she was going to kiss him. Luckily it was still a cute kiss that Jillian placed on his cheek before she walked off exceedingly proud of herself. Dominic saw the lioness shake her head once Jillian was past her heading towards the door of her house and he got the sense maybe all of her friends had more experience in flirting than the proud cat that was walking off.
A detour to be sure but he wasn’t bothered by helping as he got back in his car driving home. It was distinctly quieter but that was nothing new as he turned on the radio. Maybe fur wasn’t a deal breaker for him, he wondered a little honestly. He let the thought come and go though once he actually got back home. All he felt like doing after he shut the door to his house was kicking off his shoes and grabbing a beer from the fridge to go with his fast food. There were a couple of texts and game invites but he never got around to answering any of them. Once the burger was gone and he polished off his bottle of beer Dominic was passed out on the couch in less than five minutes.
Yawning, waking up early the next day Dominic hit the shower before playing some games before heading to work. He tried to avoid playing in the morning because it just made the day longer when all he could think about was what he wanted to finish when he got back home. Tried to but it was such an easy way to burn the early morning hours he let it go once he checked his cellphone. Keys, wallet, double check both once he was out the door and he never looked back after that heading to work.
Opening up shop was the same as ever as Dominic settled into his normal routine. Machines powered on, hearing threatened, gate raised within the first hour of his arrival. Other than his efficient opening the day settled back into the usual routine. Phone being scrolled through while the hours passed by slowly. Perfectly mundane but near the final two hours of his shift a familiar cat stopped by leaning against his counter top. Bright eyed Jillian held out her hand waiting for Dominic to give her the quarter from yesterday.
Amused he placed it in her hand as she gave her thanks before she hopped up onto his counter top her back facing him. She held up the quarter he’d returned looking behind her with a smile as she crossed her legs. Jillian’s tail brushed against his arm as her eyes met his getting his undivided attention.
“Since I came back you wouldn’t mind showing me how to get my money’s worth here right?”
“Off the counter,” as possibly sexy as the teasing actually was for a change, this was still business hours.
“How is that your response?” Jillian asked with an annoyed glare.
“I’m at work?” he countered while walking around the counter so Jillian had to turn to face him. Clearly she had gotten it into her head that she could flirt with someone far older than her and actually get somewhere. While Dominic wasn’t going to say that was impossible she needed a touch more charm to get anything meaningful out of him. Placing his hands on Jillian’s waist and picking her up with a little yelp of surprise he set her down while she pouted before he laughed rubbing her head. The house pet treatment was definitely getting on her nerves but he appreciated that she was livening up his day.
“Alright,” he said after Jillian fixed her hair as he gestured for her to follow him. “I’ll give you one tour and then I’m back to the usual.”
“Fine,” unprompted Jillian took a hold of his arm so she was pressed into him as they started the tour.
“You really aren’t going to stop trying are you?”
“You already like me don’t lie,” Jillian declared proudly daring him to say otherwise.
“If it makes you happy to think that, sure.”
“You’re an adult you can tell me no,” Jillian added quickly making him grin this time.
Fair enough, he could give her that as they walked together even though he didn’t go so far as to tell the university girl that upfront. Jillian noticed as her smile grew far happier as her ears perked up. He could afford to be nice for today, anything more than Dominic wasn’t sure about though under the circumstances. That much younger though, he wondered to himself as they explored the arcade together.