The cat limped to the first bowl, lapped at the water, then turned her attention to the second, sniffed it, pushed it disdainfully with her paw.
“Not a fan of tuna.” He nodded to himself. “All right then, let’s see what else we have.” He opened the refrigerator.
Leftover steak that he planned to eat himself, but the cat looked so intently at it that he quickly cubed the steak and put the plate on the floor.
“Expensive tastes.” The cat finished it off in seconds flat then drank some more water. Desmond scooped up the plate, dumped it in the sink and went to take a shower. Eating was overrated anyway.
Later on that night, dressed in boxers and a tee shirt, he got into bed. He was exhausted and still disappointed that he hadn’t seen Sakaria today. She was busy, she’d told him. He wondered what busy actually meant and if it had anything to do with the reason why she would never spend the night. Things had been going so well between them that he didn’t want to spoil anything by bringing it up, but it was starting to bother him. What was she hiding?
He had just closed his eyes when the cat, sitting on the floor began to meow and yowl again. It was obvious that she wanted to sleep on the bed and because of her hurt hip couldn't jump that high.
If he didn’t pick her up now, she would complain all night. Never mind that there were chairs and sofas available; she had to sleep up here. Typical cat. He reached over and scooped the cat up, depositing her on the other side of the bed.
“Night, Cat.”
* * * *
Purring slightly, in counterpoint to his quiet snores, Sakaria snuggled against the cotton fabric of his t-shirt, used her paws to push up the fabric so that she was nestled against his bare skin. He smelled so lovely, especially after whatever shower gel that he used. The citrusy musky smell tickled her nose and she rubbed her face against his bare skin to rid herself of the feeling. Full, comfortable and warm, she purred herself to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Sakaria rushed through the streets, grateful for the light traffic in the early morning hour. Before she left Des, still snoring, she massaged his shoulders with her paws, thinking he was her only hope as far as the spell was concerned. She had taken to spending early evenings with Des as herself, then leaving, only to come back later in her cat form to sleep contentedly against his chest for the rest of the night.
Blocks away, she pushed through her own cat door, shifted and took a quick shower. Her purple terrycloth robe hung on the back of the bathroom door. She wrapped it loosely around her and checked her ear in the mirror. It had healed nicely, she saw, but there was a tiny nick at the top of her ear. Stupid tomcat. Luckily, Des hadn’t said anything… yet.
In the kitchen, the refrigerator was her first stop. She pulled out the plate of food that was supposed to have been for her dinner last night and put it in the microwave. While it heated, she made and ate a ham and cheese sandwich, chased it with milk straight from the carton.
The microwave dinged, signaling her food had been reheated. She took a last swig from the carton and retrieved the plate. She ate the food quickly and unselfconsciously licked the plate, then wiped her mouth with the heel of her hand. Her hunger satisfied, she dragged her suddenly heavy body to her bed where she shed her robe, crawled naked under the covers and fell immediately asleep.
Ten hours later, she woke and stretched luxuriously, then glanced at the calendar that she had tacked to the wall, the date slamming her back to reality. She had only weeks to break the curse or become a cat forever.
Did she even have that with Des? For only seeing him a couple months, she wasn’t sure of how his actual feelings. And even that might all change once he found out about the… feline problem. She sat up in bed and touched the little fat cardinal on a spring that he had purchased for her on their very first date. It bobbed back and forth gently, its little beady eyes staring blindly at her. Little bird didn’t have any answers for her, so she was going to have to find them herself.
No Des tonight, she thought, climbing out of bed and pulling on her robe. Some male bonding thing with his cousin. And she had a drinks date with Julie. But first, she thought, giving an enormous yawn, time to eat. Again. Though she seemed to eat like a trucker pulling up at a pit stop, she didn’t seem to be gaining much weight. Note to self, recommend cat-shifting and running from huge cats as weight control. She laughed and went to get ready.
* * * *
The bar area of the restaurant was quiet and not too crowded for a weeknight. A baseball game played soundlessly on one flat screen television while the other housed a maniacally grinning woman who seemed thrilled to expose all the secrets of the stars to her studio audience. Halloween decorations mocked her as she followed Julie to a green upholstered booth. The restaurant was one of her least favorites, but they served the strongest drinks.
Julie tossed her purse carelessly into the corner of the booth and prepared for the bar run.
“What are you having, Miss KitKat?”
“White Russian,” Sakaria said.
Julie grinned. “You’re going hard tonight.” She went to fetch the drinks before Sakaria could answer. On the screen with the baseball game, Sakaria watched a single, then a double, then the next batter hit it over the left field wall, driving in three runs. She yawned as she played with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. This whole cat thing was wearing her out. She wanted to go back to sleep, badly.
Julie plunked the heavy bottomed glass in front of her before she slid into the booth with her martini.
“So how are you and Des getting along?” Julie sipped her martini while she eyed Sakaria’s White Russian. “Doesn’t that upset kitty’s tummy? Aren’t cats lactose intolerant?”
Sakaria shrugged. “It upsets me a little, but it’s too good not to drink.” She took a big swallow, the vodka heating her stomach as it hit bottom. “Des is good.”
Julie grinned and tossed her head to the side, her perfect hair settling immediately back into place. “That means he’s really good. You must be bonding pretty well.” She took a small sip of her drink. “Saki-cat has been hanging with him ever since that tomcat incident right?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” Julie stirred her finger around in her drink, her expression far away.Sakaria knew that look. She’d seen it in college when Julie suggested that they flush all the toilets in the dorm’s bathroom at the same time, when Resident Queen Evil was in the shower. After that, Queen Evil had a choice, either she was never going to take a shower again, or she was going to stop stealing people’s food from the dorm refrigerator and lying about it.
“What is it, Julie?”
“I’m going to say this because I’m your friend, but you might think it was weird.” Julie studied her drink, twirling the glass around by the stem.
Sakaria took another swallow of her drink, knowing she was going to need it. “Can’t be any weirder than shape-shifting house cats, now can it?”
Julie played with her turquoise bracelet as she spoke, dragging out the words. “Since he’s already used to the cat coming around, did you ever think of maybe, um, getting in there as a cat and maybe while he’s sleeping…”
Sakaria felt her eyes stretch wide in shock, but she couldn’t ignore the flip-flops her stomach was doing. She’d thought about that plenty after she’d spent that first night curled against Des’s tummy. Thought about it a lot more than she should.
“I mean, you’ve already slept with him, it’s not like, ah, he would be doing something that he wasn’t already doing.”
Sakaria narrowed her eyes at her friend, who was blushing under her brown skin.
“That’s not quite playing fair, is it?”
Julie’s arched brows came together. “This is a matter of your human life and death, Sakaria. Face it, we’re out of options and you’re sticking your head in the sand. Yes, you’ve prepared the letters, to your parents and all the financial stuff, but damn, I don’t see how you can just sit there and
let Halloween roll up and you disappear forever.” Julie rummaged in her purse for a tissue and blotted at her eyes. “And if doing something a little… unfair might help you, why not do it?” She took a deep breath. “I don’t see how you couldn’t at least try, you know?”
Sakaria patted her friend’s hand. “Drink your drink, Julie, it’ll make you feel better.” She drained her own glass.
“You have to do it.” Julie took a huge swallow and made a face. “It’s the only way.” She gave a little sad smile. “And besides, it can’t be that bad, right?”
Sakaria looked into her glass, the milky ice cubes staring blankly back at her. “It’s not bad at all,” she said, grinning. “But it just seems so…” She hitched her shoulders quickly. “Dishonest.”
“Once you’re blowing him, he’s not going to care.” Julie turned her glass up to get the last drops. “I don’t want to lose you and at this point, Des is your only chance. He really likes you. All you have to do is use your cat powers to inextricably link Miss Cat to you in his head. Really.”
“Inextricably, huh?” Sakaria considered what her friend said. “Sounds like a plan.”
* * * *
Julie’s words echoed in her mind as she trolled tipsily through the quiet night streets, keeping her eyes and nose peeled for Mr. Tomcat. She hadn’t seen him recently; hopefully, that was an indication that he had found new places to haunt and new kitties to harass.
Des’s house was silent and dark when she pushed through the cat door, save for the light over the sink which he always left on. He was a sleepwalker, he joked, and he needed to be able to find his way around the house at night.
Her food and water dish were on the floor in front of the stove and tonight’s entrée smelled like grilled chicken. Though she was full from the dinner and drinks with Julie, she took a polite bite of the chicken, which she then washed down with a few laps of water. Done with her snack, she paced around the silent kitchen, pondering the current situation. Julie was right, she thought. Time was running out and really, what did she have to lose?
The decision made, she padded silently into the bedroom and leapt nimbly on the bed. Des slept on, oblivious to her presence. He lay on his side, one hand tucked under his head, the other bent against his chest, hair mussed against the pillow. She was close enough to smell his mouthwash. He was so regimented. How was he going to feel when he found out his girlfriend was a cat?
She moved a bit away from him, with the knowledge that a small twelve pound cat takes up less room than a human and she didn’t want to end up kneeing him in the gut—or worse—when she shifted. This time, the shift was swifter than usual, most likely because of her eagerness to get back to human form, and she gasped softly when the process was complete. Her heart raced and her face felt flushed.
Tiny spirals of hair bobbed around her face as she bent over Des’s sleeping form. Impatiently, she brushed the ringlets over her naked shoulders with both hands, leaned over and pressed her lips to his. Might as well kiss him beforehand, she thought, grinning. It’s the polite thing to do. The night was quiet; not even a car passed by on the street.
She drew back and let her fingers graze over his face; the sandpaper rasp of his stubble tickling her fingertips. He was perfect, she thought, too perfect for her. She sat back on her heels, absently stroking the side of her neck. Again, she leaned forward and slowly peeled back the bedclothes.
Thank god for pajamas, she thought, easing both hands in the elastic waistband and noting the cartoon dog that patterned the cotton pants. A dog. She warmed her hands on his skin. Some people have no respect. Just touching him so intimately aroused her, erotic heat curling lazily between her thighs, causing her clit to throb. She closed her eyes and squeezed his cock in her hands, teasing it to attention. Her breath sounded loud in the quiet room and she fought to control her urge to just snatch the pants off.
She leaned forward and slid him into her mouth, emitting a small hum of satisfaction as her lips closed around his shaft. She swirled her tongue around the tip, savoring his taste and breathing in his scent.
Des moaned and laced his fingers in her hair, tugging gently. Sakaria froze. Was he awake? Doesn’t matter, she thought, sucking him in deeper as she squeezed him with her hand. Might as well finish it.
After she straddled him, she rubbed the head of his cock on her aching clit, giving her some relief before she guided him in, wriggling her hips as she slid downward onto his erection.
“Oooooh,” she sighed, exhaling slowly and closing her eyes. Her muscles hugged him snugly, creating an exquisite friction that sent shivers over her body, tightening her nipples. She moved leisurely, as she pleased, rocking back and forth on him in her own rhythm. Her orgasm took her by surprise, sweeping over her in a rush, leaving her light-headed and breathless.
“Wow,” she gasped aloud, trying to recover herself enough to slip off and shift back to cat, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when Des’s warm hands encircled her waist, holding her in place.
“Sakaria,” he murmured, his eyes half-closed. “Hey.”
He didn’t look like he was awake, but she guessed it would be rude not to speak, given her current position. If he asked her what she was doing here, then he was most definitely awake.
“Hey, Des.”
“You’re here.”
“Yes,” she wiggled her hips slowly. “I’m here. Keep going.”
He nodded, seeming to be in that vague area between sleep and full consciousness. He held her tight against him as he thrust up into her, his movements reigniting her desire. One hand slid up her body to brush at her stiff nipples and she closed her eyes and moaned.
“That’s better, right?”
“Yes,” she breathed and came again.
He flipped her over, pulled off his pants the rest of the way and thrust into her in earnest. Sakaria slid her hands around his back as she angled her hips to meet his thrusts. Their bodies slid against each other. His kisses were hot and desperate on her lips and breasts, the rhythm of his strokes increasing until he finally groaned against her neck with his release.
Desmond kissed her neck and her sweaty temple as he released her. Sakaria was in a panic as the breeze from the slightly open window cooled the perspiration on her body. Please, don’t let him start talking. Then his soft snores began again and she relaxed, smiling to herself. He had been asleep or at least half asleep the whole time.
Sakaria gave him a swift kiss and licked his ear. Before she could fall totally asleep, she shifted. It wouldn’t do to have him wake up to a human Sakaria. How would she explain that? She meowed and stretched in satisfaction, curling her tail around her before falling into a deep sleep.
* * * *
Des snapped out of a sound sleep, heart pounding in his chest, feeling disoriented in the dark. It was the most vivid dream he’d ever had. It was like Sakaria had been here. That was impossible, he thought, pushing himself up on his elbow and seeing the cat sleeping contentedly on the pillow next to his head. She never spent the night. But why was he naked? There was no one here but the cat… who was curled up on his pajama pants. This has to be a dream. He shook his head, rolled over and went back to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
The red numbers of Des’s digital clock read eleven p.m. As quietly as she could, Sakaria slid out of bed and quickly dressed in the dark. This wasn’t the first time she made a middle of the night getaway. She hadn’t spent the entire night with Des since they began sleeping together. He hadn’t questioned her about it, but she could tell that the issue was growing heavy on his mind. That was a discussion that she didn’t want to have.
He stirred slightly, feeling for her body in the bed.
Damnit, Sakaria thought, trying to hurry. Please, Des, roll over and go back to sleep.
“Sakaria.” His voice was foggy as he pushed himself out of the bed. He walked over to where she was standing by the door. “Where are you going?”
“I have to go home.” And soon, s
he thought, or else you might get a little more than you bargained for.
“No,” he put his hand on her arm. “Wait.”
“I have to go.” She was beginning to get panicky. She hadn’t shifted in two days and she noticed that she was getting more and more antsy. The urge to spend her time as a cat increased as Halloween drew nearer. “Please, Des.”
“Why, Sakaria?”
“I have to go home.”
“I heard you the first two times, Sakaria.” His voice was edgy. “You have a boyfriend? Husband? Just tell me.”
Sakaria shook her head. “I’m not seeing anyone else,” her voice was soft. That would have been a much easier issue to resolve.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled her down across his lap. She couldn’t help but nuzzle her face in the crook of his neck.
“You don’t have to sneak out. I want you to stay.”
She took one long inhale, memorizing him. “I can’t. I wish I could but I can’t. I have a… problem.”
“Problems are fixable. Just tell me. ”
“I can’t tell you, Des.” She got up reluctantly. “I just can’t.”
“Then how am I supposed to help you?”
Sakaria sat back down, this time on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know.” She played with the folds of the bedspread, glad that it was dark so he couldn’t see her face. A feeling of shame crept over her and she swiped at the tears that trickled from her eyes. She was in an impossible position. Yes, she needed his help, but she couldn’t tell him that.
He gently placed a hand on the back of her neck and began to massage. The tenderness of the gesture caused the tears to flow faster.
“I’m sorry.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes with her forearm.
He slid his bare arm across her shoulders and pulled her close, pressed his lips to that special spot on her temple that he had claimed as his own. She exhaled shakily, knowing what she was going to do and hating to do it.
This wasn’t going to work. She was wasting her time, and more importantly, dragging Des into her complicated life which may or may not be ending in a matter of days.
Kitty Wishes Page 7
