Page 37 of Riding Pine
Slappy steps forward, reaching out a paw, but then holds up a finger and spins around to show the kids his giant tail. I don’t know how, but he brings the tail down to give one kid a high five. All the kids want to do it now, and Slappy bounces around, high tail slapping everyone that’s in reach.
The smile forming on my face as I watch him interact hurts my face. If he’s this good at a meet and greet, what will he do when he’s performing?
“I was expecting one of those big, bulky suits for a mascot,” Soupy whispers next to me. “But correct me if I’m wrong here…is the beaver kind of sexy? That suit is snug in all the right places, and even under the fur, I can tell they’re fit.”
“Not wrong,” I croak.
I want to tell Soupy how right he is, but I keep my mouth shut because I can’t trust myself right now. I’d likely sound like a breathless teenager when they see their crush. Hell, I might even wax poetic about how amazing Ben is and completely blow this secret.
Instead, I focus on the people in line and try to ignore the commotion around Slappy.
Inevitably, Slappy finally reaches the tables and waves to the three of us. We all wave and laugh, and the little girl I met earlier steps in front of Slappy. He gives her a tail slap and points to my autograph on her jersey.
She jumps in excitement, and I can’t hear what they’re saying, but he leans down close and clasps his hands over his heart.
Slappy holds out a paw for a fist bump, and she bounces over to her adult again.
“Okay, can I get the three of you over here?” Christine motions for us to join Slappy in front of the table for photos.
“Nice to meet you, Slappy. Welcome to the team,” I say.
He points to his mouth, and I chuckle.
“Right, sorry. I forgot you can’t talk.”
Slappy gives me two thumbs up just before we have to say cheese, and as we crowd together, my arm naturally goes around his waist. With a quick squeeze to his hip, I release him once the photo isdone.
The rest of the event goes smoothly, and Ben entertains as Slappy the entire time. He’s more of a draw than the three of us, and instead of being miffed that the fans chose a beaver, I’m ridiculously proud of how well received he is.
“Holy shit. Look at that!”
Soupy elbows me, and I turn my head to watch Ben in a handstand, waving his tail around with every step. When he returns to his feet, he motions to the crowd to have them clap in a rhythm, and the three of us stand and join in.
Slappy motions for everyone to stand back, and Christine waves us over.
“You three do some crowd control. He wants space for a routine.” She’s giddy about it, and I can’t say I blame her. I’ve seen the things Ben can do close up, and it goes beyond whatever he’s about to throw down for the crowd.
The crowd continues to clap, the excitement of what’s about to happen growing, and I’m swept up in it all, too. Finally, Slappy removes his tail and hands it to a kid nearby and gestures for him to keep it safe. When he’s satisfied the kid knows not to run away with it, he resumes a position at the far end of the clearing we created.
He makes it look easy as he bounces on his toes, takes a step and does two tumbling somersaults, which is all the space he has. From there, he returns to a handstand and walks while he offers high fives with a foot. Instead of a controlled return of his feet to the floor, like he taught me that night in the park, he drops to his stomach on the floor before doing the worm and popping up on his feet with a flourish.
It’s only a small display of the skills he has, and it’s impressive in the small space at the mall. He runs back to get his tail from the kid and then stops in front of me. Ben gives me the tail and turns around, making a huge deal of sticking his ass out so I can get to the snaps.
“Uh, sure, Slappy, let me help you with that.”
My hands fumble with the snaps, and I smack his ass by accident as I try to catch the tail before it falls. Not a little love tap either. My hand connects with one of his snugly covered cheeks with a solid clap.
Ben squeaks, and the crowd laughs while my cheeks burn with embarrassment. A few adults wolf-whistle, and Slappy shakes his head, pointing to the kids and then covering his ears. Somehow, I turned a simple tail reattachment into foreplay, and it shouldn’t send such a thrill through me.
Accidentally getting a handful of my secret boyfriend’s ass in front of a crowd should be a lowlight, not a highlight of today’s activities.
Clearing my throat, I step back from him. “All done, Slappy.”
He turns around and holds his hands over his heart again as a thank you before he pretends to check his watch and panic. He waves goodbye and takes off down the hall running, his tail flopping behind him.
“He’s going to bring the house down. Don’t you think?” Christine stares into the void after Ben and I nod in agreement.
“That’s a very talented beaver.”
