Like a Bird (22 page)

Kitty shook her head and their server arrived on cue. Kitty ordered an iced special of the bartender’s creation. The server made a mental note and silently disappeared. Kitty felt warm and fanned herself with the drink menu while she uncrossed her legs for slightly more air flow. Her purse still sat in her lap, her hand gripping the handle tight.

Angelo looked at her with concern. “Are you all right?” he asked and placed her purse beside her to take her cold hand in his.

“Things have been very busy, overwhelming at times. I think I just need a drink,” she said.

“You are in good hands now. You can relax,” Angelo said in a hypnotic voice as he stared into her blue eyes.

“Am I?” she retorted with a slight tilt of her head.

“Of course you are.”

“Well, gee . . . The last time we met, I woke up sore, naked, and infected with an STD. Why on earth would I not feel safe with you?” Kitty’s voice was shaking.

Angelo pulled his hand and his gaze away from her. “All right, first of all, I’m sorry about the STD. I didn’t know about that. Second, I should have been clear about what you could expect from me,” he said, looking back at Kitty.

The server arrived with Kitty’s drink, a red and pink concoction with a sugared rim. Kitty ordered a creamy pasta dish, despite Angelo’s recommendation of seafood. The server left with their menus, and when he was out of earshot Kitty leaned forward and locked on to Angelo’s brown eyes.

“Expect from you? Here’s what I expect from you: I’ll be lots of fun and we can play together but there’s one caveat: no pain, no drugs.”

“That’s two caveats,” Angelo corrected, holding up two fingers.

“Anything else goes,” she continued, ignoring his interruption. “If you don’t like those rules, you don’t get to play with me. It’s that simple.”

“And if I don’t comply?”

“I might have to have a little chat with your father,” Kitty replied.

A flash of surprise gave Angelo away, but he swiftly regained his cocky composure. “You don’t know my father,” he said, trying to call her bluff.

“No,” Kitty paused for a sip of her drink, “not personally. But, I have a good friend who does. They’ve done business together. He said your father was very . . . conservative and generous. I don’t think he’d feel so generous if he knew what kind of games his youngest son plays.” Kitty swirled her drink with her straw as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes still fixed on him.

Angelo glared at her for a moment before his lip curled up in a crooked grin. He leaned across the table and lowered his voice. “You are going to be a very successful business woman, someday.”

“Someday?” Kitty shot back.

Angelo chuckled. “Don’t push your luck.” He wagged his finger at her then picked up his nearly empty glass of wine and finished it off.

Kitty crossed her legs and lifted her chest. She put the straw between her lips and sucked back the icy, sweet drink to cool her down.

Chapter 17

The pulsing helicopter sounds grew louder and then slowed to a stop, but Sky remained curled up in her cage, her lunch and a book untouched beside her.

She could hear the sound of a woman’s voice in the house but couldn’t make out who it was. It was too deep to be his sister’s voice and too bold to be Rose, yet it seemed familiar. Considering there weren’t many people to choose from this should have been an easier game, she thought. Sky closed her eyes and curled up on her other side.

Several minutes passed and the door of her room opened, though she remained where she was with her eyes shut.

“Are you awake?” Gareth asked quietly. “I have something for you.”

Sky opened her eyes but didn’t move. Gareth bent over until he was at her eye level and smiled a little when he saw hers were open. He held up a small red crate with one hand and from deep inside, two yellow eyes stared back at her. She sat up slowly and leaned in to get a better look.

“For me?” she asked.

Gareth nodded. He slid the crate in through the opening and Sky crawled toward it.

“Apparently, if you blink really slowly, it calms them,” Gareth offered.

Sky looked at him, bewildered.

“I read that somewhere,” he added, shrugging.

Sky peered into the crate, past the metal bars, and blinked slowly. A black kitten inched forward to inspect Sky, its whiskers twitching.

“I’ll uh, let you two bond. I need to get some work done,” Gareth said and headed for the door.

“Does it have a name?” Sky asked.

“No. And it’s a boy. I think. It’s a rescue. Denise picked it out for you.”

Sky smiled and turned back to her new pet. The black kitten had moved to the front of the carrier, watching Sky closely. As she moved toward him he pulled back and tilted his fuzzy head.

“Hello there, little one. You don’t need to be afraid,” Sky cooed. She opened the door slowly. The kitten hesitated so Sky sat very still and waited for him to make a move. Without warning he bolted out of the crate, kicking it so hard it slid backward on the blanket as he shot forward. Sky sprung back in surprise as the fuzzy critter stood on the other side of the cage with his back arched and his tail puffed.

Rose came in carrying a load of cat supplies. The kitten startled, slipped between the bars, and jumped onto the floor. He looked at Rose, who continued to approach, unable to see him over her load. He spied an opening in the closet door and slipped into the darkness, tail and all.

“I have a litter box here, for your room,” Rose said. “I’ll put it in the bathroom and fill it up. I have no idea how to make the cat use it though. That will be up to you.” She smiled at Sky.

“It’s OK,” Sky said. “I’ve had a cat before. I’ll figure it out.”

Sky climbed out of the cage and went to the pile of supplies to set up his food and water dish. She placed them both in the corner near the closet and filled the dish with food. There was no sound from inside the closet. Sky peeked in but could see nothing. She thanked Rose as she left, and then collected her book, put on her arm, and sat down on a pillow to read with her back against the wall.

At the end of every page she looked up to see if he had ventured from his hiding place.

- -

During dinner there was little to be heard but the gentle clang of cutlery and glassware. When he had finished his meal, Gareth finally spoke.

“How’s the cat?” he asked.

Sky swallowed a mouthful of water. “Good, I guess. He’s very shy.”

“Hmm, sounds like a good fit. Did you give him a name?”

“When I was a kid my sister and I found a stray cat and named him Banjo. So I think I’m going to call him that.”

“Banjo?” Gareth raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Sky returned to her meal.

Gareth wiped his face and pushed back from the table.

“I’ll be in my office,” he said softly and walked out of the dining room.

Sky took one final bite and washed it down with the rest of her water. She went up to her room where she had shut the door to contain Banjo. There was no cat to be seen, so she slid in and shut the door quietly. The food bowl was half empty and droplets sat on the rim of the water dish. Sky tiptoed to the bathroom and found a lump of cat litter in the box. The small mat had gray litter crumbs on it, but the rest of the floor was clean, as though Banjo had wiped his wee paws when he was finished.

Sky checked the closet, but there was no pair of glowing yellow eyes. She turned to her cage. Curled up in the blanket that had been piled to one side a small black kitten slept soundly.

- -

For three weeks and two days Kitty hung out at the mailbox and harassed every courier who showed up, desperate to hold her first bathing suit sample in her manicured hands.

On the day it arrived Kitty skipped about the apartment with a padded envelope clutched to her chest.

“What are you so happy about?” Daniella asked as she dried a cup with a dish towel.

“My first sample arrived! This is better than Christmas!”

“What if it looks like shit?”

Kitty rolled her eyes at her roommate. “It’s not going to look like shit. The worst thing that could happen is it doesn’t fit. But that’s not a big deal, I’ll simply adjust it,” and she skipped off to her room with her package.

Seated on her bed, Kitty ceremoniously peeled open the envelope to reveal the signature product of Karnivore by Kitty: a white, one-piece suit with a little gathering near the waist and a plunging neckline. Kitty held it up to admire it, her mouth gaping in awe. She felt the luxurious fabric between her fingers and tested the stretch of the material. Kitty hopped on one foot as she slipped the other into her new suit, pulled it on, and fastened the clip behind her neck. In front of her full-length mirror she twisted and turned, trying to catch herself from every angle. The fabric was soft and flattering, thick enough not to show through, and highlighted her hourglass figure. Kitty turned to see the back, a deep V-shape that ended in a point just above the small of her back. She flicked and fussed with her hair, holding it up and then letting it down to see which looked better.

Sunglasses. She needed sunglasses. She grabbed a large white pair from the top of her dresser and returned to the mirror, now admiring herself through tinted shades. “Why yes, Mr. Investor, I’d love to join you for a cruise on your new yacht,” Kitty said, her hand on one hip and the other holding up her hair.

Kitty snapped a few selfies and sent them to Creep, who responded right away with a phone call. “Kit, it’s spectacular. I’m so excited. What’s the quality like?”

“It’s beautiful, thick and stretchy, but not too loose. It’s really comfortable.”

“So, it fits like it was made for you.”

“It was,” Kitty smiled as she sauntered back to her bed where she lay on her back. “Do you think Gareth will like it?”

“Kit, who wouldn’t want to see a hot girl in a bathing suit?”

“So you think I should send him the pics?”

“No. I think you should show him in person.”

“There’s no way he’d go for that, he hasn’t even talked to me since the dinner disaster,” Kitty said, distraught.

“Find a way to go and visit him.”

Kitty paused. “I don’t even know where he lives. And I’m pretty sure he won’t tell me.”

“Hmm,” Creep said.

“Hello?” Kitty said.

“I’m thinking . . . What if you got in touch with his partner Louis. Maybe he can take you there, or at least tell you where Gareth lives.”

Kitty sat up. “That’s a great idea! I don’t think I have a number for him though.”

“Find an e-mail address. That should be easy enough.”

“OK, I’ll try that.”

“Good luck, babe. I’ll talk to you soon. Let me know how it goes.”

“Bye, Creep.” Kitty went straight to her computer.

- -

The sun was strong, a final blast of summer, and the garden had begun to fade for it hadn’t rained in weeks. In the shade of a tree, Gareth sat with a glass of lemonade, reading the morning news on his laptop. He was engrossed in the daily stock reviews when a sharp scream came from Sky’s open window. He put his computer aside to run into the house.

Sky sat on the floor of her room holding a tissue to her cheek when Gareth found her.

“What happened?” he asked, breathless.

“Banjo scratched me.”

“That’s it?”

“It hurt, he scared me. It was completely unprovoked.”

“Well, that’s a cat for you,” Gareth said. “Let’s see.” He motioned to Sky’s face.

She took the tissue away and turned her cheek to him. Right below her scar were three red stripes, deep enough that blood continued to flow when Sky removed the tissue.

“Those are deep,” Gareth said, mildly surprised. “I’ll get the kit and clean you up. Where’s the cat now?”

“Hiding in the closet.”

When Gareth left, a little black head with pointed ears peeked out at her. Sky glared at Banjo and he jerked his head out of sight.

“Cute little shit,” she mumbled, checking the blood-soaked tissue. She went to the bathroom for a clean one.

Gareth returned with a bag of first aid supplies. He placed it on the bathroom counter and used a little iodine on a cotton pad to clean the wound. Sky winced as he gently dabbed at her cheek and then patted it dry with gauze. He smoothed on ointment and cut a few short pieces of tape to hold a fresh piece of gauze over the scratches. “This won’t look pretty but it’ll keep things clean.”

“That’s OK,” Sky replied. “There are no mirrors here anyway.”

Gareth looked away and tidied up the bathroom.

“I’m going to leave Banjo here alone tonight. To teach him a lesson.” Sky said.

Without a word, Gareth picked up the first aid kit. “You should come outside and get some sun,” he suggested.

“What about the cougar?” Sky said.

Gareth shook his head. “Wisdom took a few good pieces of him. I don’t think you need to worry.”

Gareth held out his hand and Sky offered her prosthetic arm for him to hold. A small smile crept onto his face and led her out of the room.

He returned to his shady spot outside while Sky stopped at the library to choose a new book, an Agatha Christie classic. She paused to look out the hallway window at the garden bathed in a safe, bright light. She scanned the wilderness as far as possible before she ventured outside to join Gareth in the garden. Making her way along the cobblestones in her bare feet, she kept her head down, while Gareth watched her. She looked up suddenly and caught his gaze for a moment before she looked away and sat in the shaded empty chair next to him.

- -

Though Banjo seemed to enjoy curling up with Sky while she read during the day, he tended to be unpredictable at dawn and dusk, leaving no one in the house free from his random attacks. Rose had bandages on an arm and a leg, while Takao got off easy with just a puncture wound in his hand after trying to feed Banjo a fresh piece of fish for breakfast.

Sky began to let him out in the garden early in the morning, mostly to protect the household from his wrath, but also as an experiment to see if a little wild air would cure his urges. “It could make things worse,” Sky said to Gareth as she stood watching Banjo from the bedroom window. “But, I’m trying to treat like with like. It’s a homeopathic technique I read about in a magazine.”

“I hope it works, for his sake,” Gareth said as he pulled a shirt over his head, “or he’ll end up in a grave next to Wisdom.”

Sky turned toward Gareth, her face concerned. “You think something is going to happen to him out there?”

Gareth chuckled. “No, but I’ll make sure something happens to him if he doesn’t settle down.”

Sky turned back toward the window and glared at Gareth’s reflection. He went downstairs for breakfast. She decided to shower and wait until he was finished before she ate.

When Sky was sure Gareth was at work in his office, she went for her own breakfast. She opened the front door on her way, deciding to check if Banjo was around. She could see the green and gray woods, but there was no little black cat with two white paws in sight. As she was about to close the door she glanced down and saw a neat row of four dead birds laid out on the step as an offering. One oriole, two sparrows, and one robin. Sky smiled, looked back out across the field, and closed the door.

Later in the morning, when Sky was curled up with a book in the sitting room, Rose poked her head in the doorway.

“Sky, I heard meowing on the balcony, outside the master bedroom,” Rose said. “I let the cat in and he followed me here.”

With pristine timing, Banjo walked in and jumped up to make himself comfortable in Sky’s lap as she gave him an affectionate scratch. She smiled at Rose, who shrugged and left the room.

“Thank you for the little presents this morning,” Sky whispered in the kitten’s ear. “I’m starting to think we should change your name.”