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As per usual every week, I had taken my break near the end of their performance. The quartet always offered a show and ambiance to be remembered. Joyous abandon seemed to fill every patron as instruments created a glamorous harmony. Some cheers flared up as their last piece came to an explosive close. I smiled, turning from my glass to gaze upon her figure clad in an eye-catching red pantsuit dress. Unbelievably attractive as always. As she shifted from her piano bench to join her bandmates, her eyes hovered over the room before meeting mine. She stayed her gaze a second before turning without pomp or fuss to the onlookers and listeners.
I returned to my drink, nothing too fancy, a simple rum on the rocks.
“Are you giving up then?”
My ears flicked at the familiar voice. I placed down my glass on the high-grade varnished-wood counter and looked over to Misha, a myriad of spirits, wines, beers, liqueurs, bitters and other essentials stored behind her. She had just finished picking up after some early departures.
“Nothing like that, just… a change in strategy.”
“Not going to harass her backstage sounds like a good strategy.”
“Aw, c’mon, Misha, don’t call it that. I’m persistent, that’s all.”
“The line between persistence and annoyance is a fine ravine.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you should leave the word play to Yu.”
Taking it in stride, Misha shrugged. “I’ve warned you before and I’ll do it again.”
“Thanks, Misha.”
She cared. It was always nice to be reminded. But I loved her, and she had yet to give me a proper answer. There was no reason for me to stop now.
I brought my lips to my glass again. I had, what, ten minutes left? I knew there were no clocks here for obvious reasons, but it really wasn’t handy for us. I ought to finish this glass and get back to work. I didn’t want Misaki on my case again, or worse, Rod trying to court me again.
I took another gulp in irritation. The ice hit my upper lip as the last of the mellow liquid trickled down my throat. Why couldn’t he understand that I was only interested in women anyway? Leaving the glass on the counter, I was about to stand up when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.
I jolted out of my seat, scared out of my wits. Who—
“Oh, I’m sorry, Rae.”
She wasn’t. She spoke kindly, but she was barely holding in her snickers.
Yet, my wide eyes and narrowed pupils calmed at the sight.
I sat back down, tucking my tail back around my waist.
“Miss Claire, how did I not hear you?”
“Change of shoes,” she replied simply, prompting me to glance down. Her vivid red heels had become comfortable-looking black loafers. Now that I took a good look, she had completely changed from her stage outfit. Even her gorgeous blonde hair had been let loose instead of tied back.
“And what are you doing here?” I asked curiously.
Her lips curled upward the slightest bit, something dancing in the sea of her eyes, and she turned to Misha, who, apparently, had just been standing there.
Normally as impassive as ever, even she showed a bit of a twitch in her step. Now, was it because Claire had shown up here beside me or because I had a moment of fright, the world would never know.
“Misha, a hurricane please.”
“Of course. Right away.”
“Miss Claire?”
“Do I need a reason to procure myself a drink?”
“You need a reason to scare me like that,” I shot back.
“Do I? I remember someone scaring me a few times back.”
I plead guilty, your honor.
I grinned in spite of myself. “Fair enough.”
I went to stand back up again only to have her reach out and push me down by the shoulder.
“Stay.”
“I have a shift to get back to.”
“Don’t mind it. I’ll handle that.”
How?
I didn’t voice that question and instead decided to go along with her odd change of attitude. It would be a shame to lose my job here. It was my only connection to her after all… But I did my job well. I could probably survive a one-time strike. Misaki would undoubtedly show up to chew me out anyway. And most of all, I couldn’t possibly refuse Claire.
“Alright.”
She smiled and nodded. “Good girl.”
A shiver ran down my spine. I had to consciously keep my tail from springing up again.
What the heck?
“A hurricane for Claire François.”
We both turned to our bartender.
“Thank you, Misha.”
“Get me one of the same, Misha.”
If there was a hurricane out here tonight, it was in my heart.
“Shouldn’t you be working?”
“I’m taking her for the rest of the night,” Claire said haughtily, stunning the two of us.
Huh? What?
“I see.” Misha glanced at me. “I hope you enjoy your time.”
That’s all you have to say to that, Misha?!
“Oh, I will.”
“I’ll get you that hurricane, Rae.”
“Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean the rest of the night? I have to get back to my job eventually.”
“I told you I would handle it, didn’t I?”
“How? I love you, but I—”
Misha, who hadn’t left yet, spoke up, “Rae, do you not know who owns this casino?”
“Well, that’s the Manuel siblings.”
Misha shook her head. “That’s a front.”
“My father owns it.”
I turned to Claire at the words, stunned—
—and promptly turned back to Misha.
“How did I not know that?!”
“That’s a mystery worth solving, isn’t it? Here’s my guess: she’s sitting right next to you. Now, I’ll get you your hurricane if you’ll pardon me.”
Okay, what was with everyone’s attitude tonight? Since when was Misha this snarky? And Claire was making advances at me, too? Just last week, she was still pushing me away!
“Am I dreaming?” I wondered in a daze, pinching my cheek. “Nope.”
“Do you want to know ‘what I am doing here’ as you so eloquently put it?”
“Please.”
“I was wondering how long it would take for you to give up.”
I blinked. I started here around two years ago. I also started calling out to Claire backstage that very first week.
“Since the beginning?”
Swallowing the sip she had drunk, she chuckled. “No, maybe a year ago. It’s not really important, is it?”
It was my turn to chuckle. “You made me dance around you for a year?”
“You did that on your own.”
“You’re more devilish than I thought.”
“Was Devil’s Steps not enough of an alarm bell?”
That was the name of one of their pieces, where, incidentally, the piano was the driving force of a carnival of spirited notes, stringing everyone along in its spellbinding sway.
“Hmm…” I glanced away.
“Oh, stop it. If I know anything about you, it’s that you like that about me.”
“Well now, I certainly can’t deny that, but I’m sorry to spoil your fun; I didn’t give up.”
“Oh, I know. I’m also stubborn, and I like seeing that in others. As I said, I wanted to see how far it went.”
“So you came to meet me because…”
I didn’t finish the sentence. Was this actually happening?
“Why don’t we try this out?”
Misha chose this opportune moment to bring me my drink.
“Here’s your hurricane, Rae.”
“Ah, thanks, Misha.”
Claire stood up. “We’ll take it up, Misha.”
Misha nodded. “Of course. Have a good night.”
She glanced at me. Her gaze and faint smile held a certain pride in them. “Looks like you got her,” seemed to be the silent message.
I nodded numbly and stood up, taking my glass and following after Claire.
I was just starting to wrap my head around everything and now we were going to the suite?!
I brought my drink to my lips, swallowing one, two mouthfuls.
Okay, Rae. Get it together.
“Miss Claire,” I started, catching up to her side.
“Claire.”
“That feels wrong somehow.”
“Well, it shouldn’t. We’re together, aren’t we?”
“Are you sure?”
“Are you doubting me?”
“Well, no, but… I’m sorry. I guess I am.”
“I understand it’s hard to believe.”
“No kidding.”
As we arrived at the suite, Claire invited me in first. I slipped past her, looking around the room while she closed the door behind us. A queen-size bed, multiple sofas, a large bathroom, even a dining area and a kitchen. Was there even anything to cook in it?
I went to sit on one of the sofas where Claire joined me.
“So… where do you want to start?” I asked, taking another gulp of my drink. Surely that would help recover my usual confidence.
“I really surprised you, didn’t I?”
“I mean, yeah. I never expected this.”
“I thought your confidence was as unconquerable as your love for me.”
I shrugged. “Nobody’s perfect.” I smirked at the thought. “Except you, that is.”
“Hm, that’s more like it.”
“So Claire, what do you like about me?”
“Haven’t I given you a few reasons already?”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Liar.”
“So you like that I’m a liar? Go on.”
“That’s not—” she exclaimed before cutting herself off. Ah, I was back in my groove. I did love to see her fluster. “And you say I’m the devil. Fine, I like your persistence, your dedication, your aggravating comments, your caring nature… I must say your shocked face earlier was cute, too. I would take a liking to that.”
“What about the fact that I’m part cat?”
She gave me a stare. She knew exactly what I was doing.
“If you didn’t have them, I would still have hit you up tonight.”
“That’s a boring answer. Do you like them?”
She eyed me a second before pushing out a groan. “Of course, I like them.”
I giggled, taking a moment to take a drink from my successfully calming hurricane.
Claire joined me in the endeavor, taking a sip before picking up the cherry stuck to the edge of the glass and playing with it. She looked deep in thought. It was cute, needless to say.
Her cuteness being worth all of my attention, I naturally stared at her all the while. She only seemed to notice when she looked up from her glass. She met my gaze as our silence carried on, but I saw where hers strayed. I was going to wait.
“Rae, may I touch them, your ears?”
And there it was. It was a frequent question, as frustrating as it was.
But this was Claire. I was actually ecstatic at the idea. I also knew that she was aware of the intimacy that question implied.
“Claire, you needn’t ask,” I said, putting my drink aside.
“As we are now dating, I think it’s only polite to do so.”
“Claire, I love you. It’s because it’s you that I say that. You can touch me anywhere.”
“Now you’re just being improper. There is an order to these things.”
“I’ve never cared for order.”
“And yet you work in security.”
“Well, you’re not entertaining me right now.”
Claire frowned and brought her hand up to my head in response, her fingers grazing past my furry ears. Her quick bout of annoyance gave way to hesitation.
“Just touch them, Claire. It’s fine.”
“I have simply never touched cat folks’ ears before.”
“Aren’t Pepi and Loretta cat folks?”
“Well, evidently. But isn’t it considered poor etiquette to ask about such an intimate gesture?”
“You’re friends, right? They would have let you if you asked.”
“Perhaps…”
She paused. I quietly waited for her to make up her mind, and I was rewarded by her hand finally coming to rest on my head, her fingers gently enveloping one of my ears. I tensed a little in response to the initial touch. Our ears were sensitive, but mine were especially so.
“So soft…”
“Yeah…”
I soon relaxed, Claire’s fingers traveling every part of my ear as if a slow caress, so careful it was. I felt the need to close the distance between us. Not an uncommon feeling.
Claire’s hand followed as I did just that, laying my head on her shoulder as well.
I perfectly heard her warm giggle so close I was; I let myself melt against her. I had dreamed of this countless times.
Seemingly gaining some confidence, her thumb slipped into the fuzzy fur of the inner part of my ear. She rubbed it up and down, and I couldn’t stop myself.
A soft purr left my lips.
I wrapped my arms around her waist.
“Oh my.”
Claire sounded both surprised and pleased.
I couldn’t really answer. Purrs were freely leaving my mouth.
“How about two?”
She brought her other arm around me, reaching up to my other ear. I grew stiff. My purring stopped.
I had forgotten in the heat of things, but…
A finger edged the small cut in my ear carefully, tenderly. Claire didn’t say a word. Maybe she had noticed it during our two years of dance.
Calming down, I felt another purr flutter out.
Eventually, unable to stay sitting, I fell into her lap, eyes lightly closed, just purring away. Claire took to stroking my hair as well. And some unknown length of time later, she brought her petting to a stop.
“Thank you for this, Rae.”
I blinked a few times, shifting to stare up at her. “Thank you as well. This was… complete bliss.”
“I didn’t realize the act was this intimate despite knowing the fundamentals. You just fell right into my grasp.”
I nodded slowly. “It’s part voluntary, part involuntary. I love you, and I knew I was safe in your hands, so I let go quite a bit.”
“I see.”
She laid a hand on my head again, stroking back from behind my ears to her lap, carefully avoiding touching them. She really didn’t have to, but I did appreciate the gesture.
“May I ask… about that wound?”
I chuckled. In spite of what Claire sometimes said, she was as curious as we were made out to be.
“One woman I dated was a bit jealous.”
Claire’s brows furrowed and her hand stopped.
“She permanently scarred you over a bit of jealousy?”
I pulled my hand up, sliding my fingers against the scarred skin. It wasn’t that deep, maybe a third of my ear. It remained a bittersweet memory. I really had thought we had something. Even moments like these used to happen.
“Apparently, she thought I was flirting with other women at work. Ah, not this job, mind you.”
“That’s idiotic. When you’re on the floor, you’re the most composed person I’ve ever seen.”
I shrugged, returning my hand to where it had been resting.
“Further, you’re excessively direct about showing your love for someone. I should know.”
“Yeah… It’s fine, though, I broke up with her, and two years ago, I found you.” A small smile appeared on my lips. “Thanks for being angry on my account.”
Her gaze was incredibly serious as she spoke next, “I promise I will never hurt you.”
My smile deepened. “I always knew you were a romantic.”
“Classics never die.”
“Yup, still as effective.” I sighed, enjoying how her hand resumed its stroking.
After a bit, I decided it was her turn. “Tell me something about you?”
“Don’t you know a lot from all your pestering?”
“No way, I only know about your work life.”
“Hm, okay. What do you want to know?”
She wasn’t going to pick? Well then.
“First love?”
She rolled her eyes. “My best friend.”
“Ohh, juicy.”
“She’s still the most handsome girl I’ve ever seen.”
“You like handsome?”
“You’re always dapper in your work uniform.”
“It is a well-tailored suit,” I agreed.
She continued, “I like handsome, but you’ve made me realize I like some level of femininity.”
“Did that friend not have that?”
“Not in the same way as you.”
“I see. And guys?”
She shrugged. “I actually haven’t dated many people in general. There was this one guy, prim and proper, but we didn’t mesh well. And others that have tried weren’t really after me.”
“Well, I love you.”
“I know.”
I returned her smile. Despite how forward she had been so far, she did hold herself up to her words. She was trying this out. She wasn’t ready for the commitment. And maybe I should be careful, but I loved her too much to do so.
I sat up. I was starting to feel the jitters of lying down for too long. Seeing my drink half-finished, I decided to attack it once again.
“Shall we take a shower?”
Surprised, I turned, swallowing hard.
“That sounds like an amazing idea, but I thought you preferred to follow the proper order.”
“We will.” She paused, taking my shoulders. “This is just the accelerated track.”
“Oh—”
She kissed me softly, separating after only a moment.
“I like that,” I whispered.
“I like you,” she answered with a dusting of a blush.
Accelerated track it is.