“Ow!” He touched his ear and winced at the sight of the bright red blood on his fingers. “You, like, fucked up my ear.”
What an ass. “You’re five minutes behind, Will.” She waved him off. “And you’re bullshitting me.” She played with a lock of her hair. “Tell me the truth or I’ll go for your balls next. You’re too high to stop me.”
“Saki, sweetheart, no bullshit, baby,” he drawled, gazing at her through half-lidded eyes. “If he loves you, he’ll sense your essence, man, I’m telling you.”
Sakaria sighed. “So I’ll just tell him.”
William shook his head, eyes nearly closed now. He was going to be useless in a second. “Doesn’t work like that. You can’t tell him or …..” he trailed off.
“Or what?”
He looked down and mumbled something.
Sakaria leaned forward. Inarticulate bastard. She wanted to tear him up, she thought, fingers flexing in unconscious response. “Speak up!”
He spoke quickly, or at least as quickly as he could manage with the drugs in his system. He raised a hand in emphasis. “Tell him the deal, you’re like a cat forever, Saki. And if it doesn’t happen before Halloween midnight, like this year? Same thing’ll happen.”
“Midnight? Eastern Standard Time?”
“Whatever time zone you’re in, baby.” His glassy hazel eyes roamed lazily over her body. She could just imagine what he was thinking, but she was too focused on the information that he was delivering to even care.
“What kind of crappy spell is this?” She threw her hands up in exasperation, her hair drifting around her face in a dark brown cloud. Will was talking in circles and that draggy surfer tone was getting on her nerves. Why couldn’t this be a decent, straightforward spell?
“So if I meet a man, get him to fall in love with me, and call me by my real name while I’m in cat form, then the spell will be broken?”
“Not exactly.” He rubbed a forearm across his bleary eyes. “There’s a little more.”
She curled her nails on the chair’s arms, scratching at the dark blue microfiber. “You’d better tell me quick!”
He explained. The gist of it was that it had to happen in the month of October in the three days before Halloween or she was cursed to be a cat forever.
Forever.
* * * *
Back in the car, as she dressed, she gave Julie the rundown on what she had learned. After she settled herself in the front seat, Sakaria picked at the granola bar that Julie gave her. Usually when she shifted back she was starving, but the conversation with William had dampened her appetite. She drank from the bottle of water she’d left and stared out of the window.
Julie started the car and pulled away from the curb. Sakaria could tell she was deep in thought. Her lips were pressed tightly together and she tapped her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.
“We can totally do this,” Julie said finally. “It’s like the Princess and the Frog, only the princess is a cat.”
Sakaria laughed in spite of herself. Ever since she had known Julie, from freshman year in college when they were thrown together as roommates, she had been able to put a positive spin on any situation. Comparing her dilemma to a fairy tale, or tail, she thought, was just too funny.
“I don’t know, Julie,” Sakaria moaned. “Get someone to fall in love with me and then, get him to notice that I’m that cat who’s hanging around? I’ve got to meet someone first.”
“All we have to do, well, all you have to do is leave a trail of clues. They have to be huge clues because guys can be kind of, uh, oblivious. Or pick someone with an eye for detail.”
Sakaria bit into the granola bar. “What if he rejects me because I’m a cat?”
Julie shook her head. “Sakaria, believe me when I say this. If a guy is into you enough, it won’t matter. Plus, if he’s aware enough to call a cat by your name because he thinks it’s you? He’s totally into you.”
Sakaria gazed out of the window. “That’s actually crazy enough to make sense,” she said, thinking about the guy from the café. He’d been coming in for a few weeks, on and off, but she didn’t know his name. Nor had he asked for hers. “But if it doesn’t work, you’ll have yourself a new cat. Just don’t spay me, okay?”
Julie laughed. “Never! It won’t even go that far. I promise.”
Chapter Seven
Des hated running in the heat. The sweat poured off him as he and Ryan ran around the track in the midsummer heat. He could smell the cut grass and barbeque pits and hear the cicadas buzzing in the trees; the smells and sounds of summer.
There was no one out there with them this late at night. All the after dinner walkers had done their laps and retired to their television sets. Ryan ran next to him silently, both of them probably saving their breath to finish the last few laps. He hadn’t run in a couple of days and even in that short span of time, his breathing was off.
To take his mind off of his burning lungs and aching legs, he thought about Sakaria. He didn’t realize that he was smiling to himself until Ryan spoke.
“Something funny?” Ryan gasped out. “Having a good time? Because we can always run another couple of laps.”
Des shook his head. “Tell you in a minute.”
When they were done they sat down on the first row of benches, no bleacher runs tonight.
“So what’s so funny? I could use a laugh.” Ryan mopped his forehead with a towel and sat back.
“There’s this woman.” Desmond said, retying his shoelace. “From that coffee shop I’ve been going to.”
“Really? That Café Dolce place you told me about?” Ryan laughed. “There’s a cutie in there who does the baking. Always dressed in white like a sugar dusted gingerbread angel.” He shrugged. “Won’t give me the time of day though.”
It didn’t surprise Des that Julie wouldn’t give Ryan the time of day; she obviously sniffed out his pussy hound ways. He was surprised, however, that Ryan had also been to the café. “I’ve never seen you there.”
“A bunch of us go, usually right before lunch. So, what, you met her over tea and scones?”
“She works there.”
“Wait a second.” Ryan sat up. “You mean you’ve been going there since what, March? And you’re just now going to ask her out?”
“I’ve been busy. What am I going to do, ask her out and have her warm my sofa while I work?”
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have waited three months to ask the woman out.”
“Eight weeks, actually.”
“Pardon me, eight weeks. It’s still too long. You should have been hitting the sheets with her by now. Which one is she? The one with the Afro puffs? I hope it’s not my gingerbread angel.”
“She has long hair, braided.”
Ryan frowned. “I think I may have seen her once. Kinda mousy, don’t you think? Nice rack though.”
Des continued to be amazed at his cousin’s ability to reduce a woman to body parts. “She’s cute.”
“So ask her out. It’s about time you jumped back out there. And you’ve certainly polished your pitch in the eight weeks it took you to work up the nerve.”
“The time got away from me, is all.”
“Keep dragging your feet and she will too.”
* * * *
“He’s back,” Julie peeked into the office where Sakaria was nearly asleep on her desk. She was supposed to be working over the week’s figures and balancing the books, but after a night running the streets and nearly getting into a fight with three huge alley cats, she was exhausted. But this news piqued her interest and she sat up.
“He’s always back,” Sakaria said. Indeed, the guy with the keys had been in on and off for the past two months, according to Julie. Apparently, he only came in the morning, so if Sakaria arrived late, which she was doing more and more often, she missed him. This was one of the mornings where she made an effort to come in early and actually regretted it. Trying to strike a balance bet
ween her day and night life was getting tougher and it appeared the night life was winning.
“You should go out and talk to him. He could break the curse!” Julie stage-whispered this last, making her eyes wide.
Sakaria shrugged. “If he’s that great, he needs to find someone with less problems than me.”
“Come on,” Julie prodded her shoulder. “You’re successful, single, own your own home, own a business. What’s not to like?”
“You think he’s going to buy me a personalized food dish?” Sakaria laughed sarcastically. “While I may be a shining example of the perfect woman, I’ve got just one flaw. I turn into a cat. And as much as I try to not to, I will eventually. That’s a bit of a problem.”
“He can solve that for you.” Julie remarked as she sat in her own office chair and spun around. “He’s cute, he has a job, he pays us to feed him his breakfast. I mean he’s been here almost every day for the past couple months. Again, what’s not to like?”
Sakaria stuck her foot out and stopped her friend’s manic spinning. “Two months?”
“Maybe longer. Sometimes I’m not here when he comes in. Mandy keeps me posted.” She narrowed her eyes. “Ah ha!”
“Ah ha, what?”
“You’re interested.”
“Julie, please, I waited on him once, maybe had a conversation or two after that.” She yawned. “It’s no great romance. I probably can’t even pick him out of a crowd.”
But that was a lie. She had been a little taken aback when he’d appeared in the café the first time. Never in a thousand years would she have thought she would have run into him again. The months ago morning under the bleachers had just been a fluke.
She stared off into space, remembering what he looked like. Just the right amount of muscle. Not a body builder’s body, no thanks, but solid. The little fake Mohawk he sported was cute too and she had spent quite a bit of time in Target sniffing out the exact scent of body wash he used. Just like him, it was just enough not to be overbearing.
“You remember exactly what he looks like,” Julie told her, “judging by your dreamy eyes. Go out and say hello.”
“I don’t want to involve him in my mess of a life, Julie.” She turned back to the computer and began tapping on the keys. “He is kind of cute, though.” Her body warmed at the thought of his hands on her skin, brushing the back of her neck.
“You could go out there and sniff the catnip, maybe rub up against it a bit, lick some condensation off a glass or two, you like that, right?”
“That’ll attract him like a magnet.” Sakaria tapped a few keys in a show of studiously ignoring her friend. She couldn’t ignore, however, the blossoming heat between her thighs at the thought of him. She frowned at her body’s betrayal and concentrated harder on the spreadsheet before her. Like she told Julie, she didn’t want to complicate anyone else’s life any further with her issues.
Julie snapped her fingers. “I got it. It’s not busy. Go out there like a cat and jump in his lap. See if he even likes cats.”
That was it. Sakaria turned and fully faced Julie. “Are you insane?”
Julie shrugged, her face a mask of innocence that Sakaria knew was fake. “I’m just saying. It could work.”
“You want the board of health in here? A stray cat running around the restaurant, jumping on patrons? We’d be shut down in half a second.”
“You don’t have to jump on everyone, just on him.” Julie’s reasonable tone belied the absurdity of her suggestion.
“No and no.” Sakaria was firm. Yes, her deadline was drawing near, yes, she had the potential to be turned into a cat forever, but who knew if what William said was even accurate? He couldn’t even spell “days” right.
“Then I’ll tell him to never come back here because you’re not interested.” Julie got up out of her chair. “And, I’ll tell him you think he’s just the most hideous thing you’ve ever seen.”
“No!” Sakaria jumped up. “Don’t do that.”
“What do you care?” Julie’s jaw was set in a stubborn line; the same look she’d given her when she’d said she needed to go see William. Sakaria had no doubt that Julie would say something to the guy.
“All right, enough with your strong arm tactics.” Sakaria gave in. “I’ll go say hello.”
“Better hurry, I have Charlotte stalling him at the cashier.”
Sakaria snatched up the lint roller she kept to take off stray cat hairs, ran the sticky tape over her skirt, then gave herself a quick once-over in the compact she kept in her desk. She shook her head at Julie’s obvious pleasure.
“I don’t approve of your methods, Julie. You’re twisting my arm.”
“Yeah. Whatever.” She paused. “By the way, Sakaria?” Julie said her name with a teasing glint in her eye.
“What?”
“Act casual.”
* * * *
“Sakaria!” Charlotte had a look of mock panic on her face. “There’s something wrong with the register. I can’t get this to total up.”
So they were all in on it. She plastered a professional smile on her face and made her way over to the cashier’s stand. Trying to get poor, poor Sakaria a date. She sighed to herself. Maybe life would be much better for her as a cat. At least she knew what that tomcat wanted.
“Here, let me take a look,” she said, playing along as she took the receipt from Charlotte, who immediately left the area.
Sakaria’s hand shook slightly as she punched a few buttons on the cash register. The total popped up on the screen. She looked up at Desmond who had an amused look on his face.
“Hi, I’m Sakaria. I—”
“Hi, Sakaria, I’m Desmond.”
She paused a second before she continued. That was the last thing she expected. Well, he wasn’t an idiot, that’s for sure.
“Hi, um, Desmond. It’s ten dollars and twenty-seven cents. I’m sorry for…” She met his eyes and trailed off. A frission of electricity zig zagged its way through her stomach and she nearly dropped the receipt from her fingers. Too good looking to be real, she thought. Dark hair in that ridiculous faux hawk, which somehow suited him, broad shoulders in a button down oxford shirt.
“Sorry for the wait.”
“Not a problem. I’m not in that much of a hurry.”
“Oh.” She was pretty sure she had more words in her vocabulary besides “oh” but that was the one that came out. What a great smile he had.
“I… uh, here.” She thrust the receipt in his hand, her cold fingers brushing against his warm ones. She imagined what it would feel like to have his hands smoothing over her naked skin as he pressed his lips against hers.
“Just make it ten dollars even,” she stammered, blushing a little at her own thoughts. “I mean, you come here so often.” Damnit, don’t let him know that you know. “Or so I’m told,” she added lamely, which merely served to compound the error.
One corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smile and he handed her a twenty dollar bill. “Who tells you I come here a lot?”
Sakaria flushed so much her face felt like it was on fire. “I… Julie does. She tells me… stuff. I’m not in the front, a lot.”
“Maybe you should be.” He gave her another easy smile, causing her stomach to flutter. “It would make my day brighter.”
Sakaria dropped her eyes to the cash register keyboard and blindly poked a few keys. The register door sprung open, unexpectedly, nearly hitting her in the stomach. She jammed the twenty dollar bill under the spring clip, which pinched her finger and struggled to pull out a ten dollar bill. Thank goodness she didn’t have to bother with coins, she’d have the entire cash drawer all over the floor. It didn’t help that Desmond was staring out of the window, ostensibly trying not to make her any more nervous or that she could feel the eyes of the entire staff burning into the back of her head as they pretended not to watch.
The cash register gods must have smiled upon her as she managed to tug out one ten dollar bill without the rest of
the money flying all over the place and slammed the drawer shut. She stretched out her arm, intending to drop the bill in his hand but he was faster than she, capturing her hand along with the ten dollar bill.
“Thanks,” he said, sliding his fingers slowly over hers. The contact sent shivers up Sakaria’s backbone. Her knees grew shaky and she felt her mouth go dry. He leaned forward over the counter. “Sakaria.”
“Yes?” She could barely catch her breath as her heart fluttered and jumped in her chest. She had to fight the urge to pant. Now that would be embarrassing.
“Come out with me Friday?” He had lowered his voice so that the busybodies barely beyond her elbow couldn’t hear him. The murmured voices of the few diners as well as the outside traffic sounds had receded to nothing. It was as if he had created a world for just her and him.
“Okay.” She gripped the edge of the stainless steel counter with her free hand. She didn’t even know where he was going to take her.
“There’s a street fair. In Brookdale.”
“Okay.” Nice eyes.
“Is seven a good time?” He smiled, obviously trying to put her at ease.
“Seven? Yes. Seven’s fine.” She was able to breathe once he let go of her hand. Still, she missed the contact.
“I, uh, need your address… maybe a phone number?” He slid his card across the counter to her as she scribbled on the back of a Café Dolce business card. He picked up her card and slid it into his shirt pocket without looking at it. “I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
Face still burning, she retreated quickly to her office.
Chapter Eight
“It’s all fun and games, now Julie, but what happens when I just disappear off the face of the earth?” Sakaria pulled a skirt on, then balanced the telephone between her ear and her shoulder to pull on her sneakers. Street fairs called for cute but comfortable shoes that wouldn’t mess up her feet. She would always laugh at the cute girls in the miniskirts and fashionable shoes. They were either benched, sitting on the sidelines while their feet took a breather, or tottering around with the most pained expression on their faces. How could anyone have a good time when their feet hurt?
Kitty Wishes Page 4
