“Gaming with some friends.” He responds, going back to whatever he was working on to pass the time. “How about you?” He asks back, being polite. He’s a nice guy.
“Same.” I nod. My job with HQ and the cats probably being the most exciting thing going on in my life. I wasn’t exactly what one would call a social butterfly. Not that new kittens weren’t exciting. Charming was enough to keep anyone on their toes.
“You have a magic list in the email, in case you didn’t know,” Joe informs me; a sigh of relief passes through my lungs. Finally, something to work on other than the endless task of monitoring prices on TCG and trying to discover more cards to list.
It’s a concise list, though. And two of the three cards I know offhand that we don’t have without checking. Simple, fast, easy to finish work.
The head that roams through the entrance makes me do a double turn. The very same girl I ran into at the grocery store the other day. When she sees me, a smile lights up her face, presenting me with her lovely smile. “I didn’t expect to run into you here.” Though she sounds glad to have spotted me.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were stalking me.” I raise a puzzled eyebrow at her, a tint of teasing in my tone.
“Well, you were in your work uniform there.” She lightly elbows me in the side. Joe moves back to what he was doing, seeing as we knew each other. “In all seriousness, though, I’m new to town, so I had to find a new place to game.” Her eyes dazzled at the collection the store has. It wasn’t the biggest gaming store around, but we packed as much stuff as possible in the space we had.
“Oh?” That catches my interest. Running away from the past? A new fresh start in life? Something I seriously contemplated doing myself at one point because of my history. Instead, I changed my name. Went from Catherine to Cat. It may seem silly, but it was better than I separated myself from that past person. Instead, I only ask. “What’s your choice of poison?”
“Magic.” Hot and a magic player. Just made seeming with my answer seem like even further of a mistake. “And you?”
“Same. With a little D&D on the side.” I shrug.
“What do you play?” Her eyes are distracted by the cat shelf we have. Cat lovers are a thing, as many cat board games existed. Exploding Kittens, Cat Lady, and Calico to identify a few.
“Tabaxi.” She snickers. “What?”
“It’s just not surprising; we met in the cat aisle in the grocery store.” She points out. “Shit, I never asked you for pictures of your cats.” I excitedly get out my phone, loving every excuse I can use to show off pictures of my beauties. I even managed to get a few of Charming yesterday. The cat tree almost ended up not put together as Charming wanted to offer his help—well, tried to force his aid on me. God... I had to stop the bugger from running off with the smaller bits.
“She’s so chonky.” Her face lights up, seeing Maori humor in her cat-like green eyes. “And he’s so little.” She squeals at the picture of little Charming. It was tempting to bring him in today with how demanding he was being. But he’s a kitten. This is a store that sells magic singles… Somehow I don’t see the two of those getting on well together. Maybe if I put him in one of those cat backpacks? I’m sure people would love his cuteness. And his slightly destructive nature would assuredly bring down card prices, as they wouldn’t be near mint condition anymore.
“You said you get Maori out of a trash can, right?” It’s nice to hear my words being verified from last night. That someone listened. God, she should stop before I actually ended up liking her.
“Indeed. I was walking home from work one night, I picked up the meowing and went to investigate. The cry was coming from this trash bin outside of someone’s house. It was locked, though, but that wouldn’t keep me out.” Her eyes go wide, and I feel a sense of some type of pride run through me. “So I take a safety box cutter.”
“A safety box cutter cut through that plastic?” She asked me not to believe it, as it sounded doubtful.
“Yes. A safety box cutter. It took several struggles to run it through at first, but I made it work. Almost having the kitten out of the bin before the house lights came on. And this white guy walks towards me. Demanding not to mess with his trash. Nearly grabbing onto me.” She squeals at that part. “But kicked him, then ran away fast enough. Took her to the store. Got lectured by an employee for bringing her in the store, then bitched him out about how I found her.”
“Wow, so you’re some type of hero then.” A mischievous glimmer in her eyes.
I look away bashfully. Hopefully, my cheeks don’t look as red as they feel at the comment. “I wouldn’t say that. It was just the decent thing to do." She's quiet at that comment for a moment, before speaking again.
“I’m glad I ran into you here, though. Sorry for my behavior last night. I basically asked you out when you didn’t even know my name. Way to make myself seem desperate. Sorry.” She’s never the type of girl who would be misinterpreted as desperate. If anything, she’s the type of girl that so many others would pin for. With that lovely set of curves, perfect smile, she may as well be your cover girl.
“I don’t get why you would choose to settle for someone as lowly as me,” I mutter under my breath, but she seems to hear the words as a frown takes place on those enchanting lips.
“You’re beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” I sadly smile as they remind me of words Susan told me long ago. And that turned out so well…
“I’m Cat.” I introduce myself, “And you would be?”
“Raven.” A beautiful name, as well. What secrets could she be hiding that were less then? I chide myself for my nature of always expecting the worst. Old habits are hard to kill off.
“If it’s not too late to take you up on your offer, I would love to go on a date with you.” The smile lights up her face, as she is eager to say yes. Heaven knows why.
“Would you be available tonight?” That’s terribly sudden. She over-reads my look of concern. “Is that too soon?” Should I leave Charming alone in the apartment that soon, he was basically a kid?
I shake my head; I should take the chance that’s presented to me. “Tonight can work. How about you meet up with me at my place at seven?” I jot down the address. Knowing I get off at four would allow me to get ready and spend time with the cats before I took off.
She runs up to me, kissing my cheek, as I feel my knees weaken. If I wasn’t on shift, I would have kissed her back. I feel my lower abdomen heat of excitement at all the distinct possibilities. Things I shouldn’t act on tonight as that was far too soon.
The rest of the workday goes in a dull blur. I nearly burn myself with coffee as I’m distracted by thoughts of those crazy Aqua curls. Those emerald eyes burned right through me. Clawed nails that I bet would feel wonderful on my body. Having been so long since I’ve been with another. My head in a blissful state of excitement to a long warranted date.
Chapter 12
Cat
"About fucking time." Maori give me the vote of confidence she plainly sees in me. "How come it only happens after the runt gets here?" She grumbles under her breath, giving me the side-eye. Yet I'm pretty certain she wished me to hear that. Wanted me to hear it and feel bad. Wanted me to feel bad about her getting stuck with babysitting duty.
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" I twist away from my reflection in the mirror. "I could call it off if I need to." Raven seemed like a nice, pretty girl, and I didn't want to call it off. But I could... Pets first. I give her a scratch behind the ears as she purrs in acceptance.
"No, you need this." Maori nods, throwing me the okay from her spot on the bed as she delicately licks her paw.
"Don't leave me all night!" Charming has other plans since he's the baby in tow. He seeks to hop up my fishnet tights. I was going braless with a light green, violet, and blue light top that clung to my tits. And had a cut up the back. If I leaned down far enough, my tits would be in sight for anybody to see. Jeans sho
rts. And combat kick-ass boots. My makeup is done, so I have cat eyes and hair in playful pigtails for the night. Finishing the look with some blue lipstick that would go wonderfully with my hair. "Mommy!" He utters, not craving to be left, clinging onto the fishnets for dear life.
I picked him up and provided him comfort. "I won't be gone all night." He rubs his face against mine, accepting the affection.
"I love you so much, though." Whines ringing through. "Don't go." He pleads.
"For christ's sake," Maori mutters under her breath at Charming's behavior, but he seems oblivious to it. She would never throw herself like that, never seem so overly needy. Yet to my pleasure, she greets me at the door when I get home. Her voice was always heard from the apartment when I arrived home from whatever excursion I had at the moment.
As if on cue, there's a knock on the door. I open it to look at Raven, looking stunning in a short, low cut yellow sundress. Seeming to get the memo as she wore fishnets with hers as well. Finishing off the look with some fucking sexy as hell heeled boots. "Are these the cats?" She picks up Charming as he advances towards her. Maori biting back the urge to say a sarcastic filled comment. Fuck, if I ever was robbed, I would be screwed if Charming answered the door. He would plunge into their arms instead of alarming me they were there. Or if I was gone, he may just decide to take leave with them.
Great...
"You look beautiful," I tell her, the yellow dress clinging to her curves perfectly. Her nipples ever so slightly stick out; as I tear my eyes away from the detail to not be noticed gawking. Didn't want to come across as some sort of creep.
She grabs hold of my waist, causing me an intake of breath at the contact—her hand setting fire through my veins. "You look ravishing. If we weren't set to go out, I would take you right here." The words send chills down my spine, revving my motor all the way up. And I was worried about being too direct...
"Let's go." She clutches my hand, ready to go, but I pull back.
"Just a minute." I give Charming kisses on his head. Telling Maori to not be so mean to him. "Don't kill him while I'm gone." I tap her nose as she looks at me indignantly. Like, who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?
"Don't bring her home too early," Maori notes to Raven. "She needs this more than you can know." She gives me a look of pity—way to make it seem like I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel Maori. Thanks.
I shot Maori a glare. She didn't need to make comments about my personal life to some complete newcomer.
"I'm surprised someone didn't snatch her up sooner." Raven's eyes go extra wide at the realization, as she wonders if she's just lost a few screws, or my cat actually said human words to her. As we were the only two humans around. Giving up on roommates a while back, as I appreciated my workspace; I lived alone. "Did you? -"She holds her finger to Maori's face, who stares at it in disdain.
She bats the finger away. "Don't do that, human." No mercy in her voice. Eyes turned to daggers. She sniffs at her hand, her face not giving away what she thinks of it. "Let the cat approach you first before getting all grabby with them." Oh god, Maori… "I don't know where your hands have been." She adds when I think it couldn't get worse.
"She's an extraordinary cat," I explain, the look of amazement still on her face. "So yes, she can talk; you're not crazy. Sorry for her rudeness." I apologize for my cat's unfiltered tongue, giving Maori a look that she blatantly ignores.
"That is something." She comments, not really sure what to say about the incredibleness of that. "Interesting." She tries to eye Maori like some specimen, but she runs off, not appreciating such treatment. Can't blame her.
"Sorry, she does that." I shrug. She was eager to greet me but couldn't say the same about others. Back when Susan and I lived together, the two would sing in the bathroom when Susan would shower. Maori knew how to keep a pitch, from what I heard.
"You can check me out." Charming jumps right up in her face, not really giving her an option. Clearly, his human words are not registering to her ears as she snuggles him.
"Aren't you a little cutie?" She coddles him as he relishes in it. He was a good little lap kitty.
"Why can't you guys just stick around here?" Charming whines at me. "Or I could go with you?" He suggests. "Or Maori and I could go with so I can be around all the ones I love!" He seems quite proud of his idea, but it doesn't seem ideal wherever we go.
"You'll get to hang out with Maori while I'm gone, silly butt. Try not to drive her too crazy." An impossible task, considering their conflicting personalities. I kiss Charming on his head. Him rubbing against my face in response.
"We should get going soon." Raven glances at the time in my microwave. For once in my life, the microwave's time is right on target. Usually, it was wrong, or just not set in general. Unless you considered 0:00 to be the time it was all day.
"What's the plan?" I ask her, interest piqued. What did this pretty minx have in mind? I study her face, trying to figure her out, but she doesn't give much away.
"I was thinking of a drive-in." The place for an outdoor fuck, if you could discover the perfect parking. Fucking where you could get caught was always a little more fun. I didn't realize they even did those anymore.
"Movie?" Not that it mattered as much, but curiosity.
She shrugs. "Some action-packed adventure." As if that's not what's on her mind for it. As she grabs my ass, she makes a point of that. She already seemed so damned near perfect.
Chapter 13
Maori
Knock. Knock. Knock. Normal human-sounding knocks. Who the fuck would visit Cat, though? The number of visitors I got made me seem more of a social butterfly than she would ever be. And that was just with Hector…
Knock. Knock. Knock. Their louder this time. More like a police officer knock from getting phoned in.
“Who is it?” Charming runs up to the door, dismayed that he can’t reach the knob to let the fucker in.
Fucking idiot.
“Looks like the woman is gone.” A man says to his companion. “Let’s go in.” He had a gruff, offsetting voice. I didn’t trust it one bit.
“Charming hide!” I yell towards him as they intend to bash the door down. I run away, clutching him by the neck to bring him out of harm’s way.
“That hurts!” He whimpers, mewing as I yank him to the closet in the living room. There were blankets to shelter under there. If needed, we could jump up the hatch to the attic.
A dark figure comes into the apartment.
Two burly men. With eyes one couldn’t trust as they started tearing through things in the apartment—pillows, books, everything of meaning thrown, going through the place like a goddamn bulldozer.
I keep my clutch on Charming’s neck, as he’s dying to run and greet them. Dying to join in on the ‘fun’ that they are having. Wanting more humans to fawn all over him, not seeming to think they would treat him with a bit of harm.
“Mao-,” I thrust a paw in his mouth so he can’t utter another word. He tries to bite, taste it like it’s a piece of food. Damn kittens...
The dominant figure walks to the closet before shifting away, seeming to stride towards the bedroom. “The tuxedo has to be around here somewhere.” Words send chills down my spine. Tuxedo... I’ve heard Cat use that term enough to suspect he’s talking about me.
“Maori, he wants to see you.” Charming struggles against my grasp. The stupid boy looked a bit jealous of the fact. “Let’s say hi.” They wanted to take me to Susan, to become Tiger 2.0.
“I think I heard them this way.” The footsteps get closer, at the same time Charming struggling out of my restraint.
“Hi, I love you!” He runs up to them. The guy roughly seized him by the neck. Fuck!
“I don’t think this is the one she asked for.” He holds Charming like he’s eyeing some specimen. “Seems too young, and there’s not really anything special about him.”
“What do you mean I’m not special?” He waves his paws uselessly in the air. “Mommy t
hinks I am.” He lays his paw on the man’s face, who swipes it away to Charming’s despair.
“The tuxedo was warned to be craftier.” His companion notes. “Hence the syringe.” He pulls out a vial that has me looking up towards the attic and planning my route up there. Could I just leave the defenseless kitten on his own? If Susan didn’t want him, maybe she’d set him free… No, that was a fool’s dream.
“Stop! You’re hurting me!” Charming flings his paws around. This encounter did not go the way he was expecting it to.
“Should we just take this bugger instead? A cat is a cat.” The bugger holding Charming grunts, seeing us as the same. God, that was insulting as could be…I was nothing like that runt.
“Maori, please help me!” God damn. Do I just stay protected in the dark, keeping myself safe, or play knight in shining armor? “Maori, I’m scared!” That secures the deal for me, though I couldn’t completely explain why I felt such protection over him.
If Susan got ahold of Charming, she’d probably send him back dead as a warning.
“Get the fuck off of him!” I swipe the ankles of the guy holding him, causing him to come toppling down at my razor-sharp claws. “Hide, kid!” I yell at his confusion, yet it doesn’t appear to click.
“Why this is fun?” Damn fool!
“She’s definitely the one we’re looking for.” The guy in charge comments., not surprised at the words coming out of my mouth. Susan must have told him that fine detail. Talking cats are hard to come by for most people.
“Fatter than I thought she’d be.” Asshole. “Will she even be of any use? Maybe we’d be better off taking the kitten.”
“There’s nothing wrong with my figure!” A set of lines appears on the guy’s ankle, deeper than a normal cat. He’s by far lucky it was only that, I would do more damage for lesser words. “At least I don’t have to cover up all my mirrors in fear of my own reflection!” A bald man, with the face of a square.
“She’s snarky too.” The lackey comments pissed about the comment.
Dr. Susan's Reign: Cat Johnson series (Cat Johnson Chronicles Book 1) Page 6