A/N: Hello. This is a fic I finished a little while ago. It was originally intended as a gift for a friend, but circumstances changed things slightly and we no longer talk. However, this is still written with this friend in mind and I know not whether he has read it. It's available on my forum on the Jellicle Realms site. It's something a little closer to what I like to write, and I did enjoy writing it immensely. It will be posted here in its entirety, although the rating will be bumped up after this chapter. There's a lesson in it, but it's up to you whether you spot the lesson. Enjoy, kiddos. Oh, and they're anthro-felines in this story... not magical kitties who transform into real cats the second a human spots them.

Hidden Desires

Chapter 1 – The Note

Hey gorgeous,
Remember what we talked about the other night? I'm still up for it if you are, babe. Come on over to my place, tonight. You'll have the time of your life, I promise you that. I'll be waiting for you, darling.

You Know Who
XX

Casandra smiled a little to herself, folding the note up carefully and tucking it away in the top drawer of her bedside cabinet. She perched on the edge of the soft bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror and remembering the conversation that had spawned the letter. She thought it had been a mistake, going off with Alonzo after hearing of his reputation with queens. Bombalurina had already warned her several times, not to get herself in too deep with the black and white tom, unless she wanted to end up heartbroken. She was sure that the red queen was totally wrong now, after the night they'd spent together. They had walked, talked and done pretty much nothing else. He'd been the perfect gentleman, flirting a lot and suggesting things but nothing more. He hadn't even tried to kiss her until he'd walked her home. It took all Cassandra had not to invite him inside then and there.

He had just been so sweet, and so easy to talk to. They'd shared a couple of drinks, which had seemed to loosen her tongue considerably. Cassandra had told Alonzo a lot of things that night; she just knew he wouldn't judge her. He seemed to understand her, and she'd confessed to a lot of things. In truth, Cassandra was lonely and feeling unsatisfied. She'd talked about some interesting things with her queen friends, and found herself powerfully curious. This curiosity she'd confessed to Alonzo, and to her greatest surprise he understood exactly what she meant. He had offered to help her find out more, and Cassandra saw no reason to refuse. Hence the note he'd sent this morning.

She was quite surprised, although she didn't know much about Alonzo. She'd known him for years, but they'd not really spent much time together. Still, his knowledge was quite unexpected, although pleasantly so. She just felt he would take care of her. It was still a surprise that she could have found someone who both shared her curiosity and had enough experience to help her explore it. To some cats, her fantasy may seem tame, but it was hers. Apparently, it was also about to become a reality.

The dark queen sighed, standing up and posing, admiring her slim figure in the mirror. "Not bad, I suppose," she muttered to herself, brushing imaginary dust out of her fur. "Could be worse," she decided, obviously there was something Alonzo found attractive about her. There was nothing left to do. She was ready to go now. It had taken her a while, much longer than usual to get ready tonight. She hoped the extra effort would be worth it, when she arrived at Alonzo's place. It was late, but she didn't have far to walk.

Cassandra shivered a little as she stepped outside, noticing it was getting chilly at night. The only sound was a cool breeze rustling through the trees, and for a moment the darkness felt rather ominous. The moment passed quickly though, and Cassandra shook off those feelings, telling herself there was nothing at all to worry about. Everyone got a little nervous about walking so late at night, since the darkness could do strange things with the imagination. The dark queen walked on, growing in confidence with every step she took. A flutter of excitement made her pause at the door, just for a moment, to collect herself before she rang the bell.

The door opened a moment later and Cassandra gave a nervous smile to the tom standing there. Whatever else the other queens said about him, not one of them could deny that he was good-looking. Yes, he was definitely attractive, tall, handsome and with that easy going smile of his. The dark queen wondered why she hadn't really noticed him before now.

"Cassie, come on in," he said, smiling back in a most reassuring way. He even held out a paw to lead the queen up the front step. He pointed her towards the sitting room, locking the door securely before following on. At least then they wouldn't be disturbed by any unwanted visitors.

Cassandra looked around the room, it felt warm and inviting. The décor was simple, but it was effective. The light yellow of the walls warmed the lamplight nicely, complementing the mahogany furnishings perfectly.

"Take a seat," Alonzo told her, pointing towards the large sofa. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please," Cassandra answered politely, sitting down promptly. "A vodka and tonic if you have it."

Alonzo nodded, moving over to a sideboard, upon which a few bottles of spirits were lined up, with mixers to one side and an ice bucket in the center. He poured two vodka and tonics, adding a squeeze of lime to each before picking up both glasses and handing one to Cassandra.

"You have a beautiful home," she told Alonzo as he sat down beside her on the sofa.

"Thank you. It suits my needs. I must say I'm rather fond of the old place." The patched tom paused to sip his drink. "I'm… glad you could make it, I was worried you wouldn't come."

Cassandra smiled shyly. "Why's that?" It was obvious that he'd gone to a lot of trouble to prepare for her arrival. He had drinks ready and candles lit on the mantelpiece above a warm imitation log fire. The place was clean and comfortable.

"I wasn't sure if you were really interested."

"Well I am. I'm here, aren't I?" Cassandra replied, intending to sound reproving but coming across as shy instead.

Alonzo smiled. "Yeah, I guess. You're sure about this?"

"Yeah…"

"You don't sound too certain."

"No, I'm just nervous, I suppose."

"You're in safe paws, Cass. If it's too much, just say stop."

"I will." Cassandra assured him. "I have to admit that I never thought you were the type to be into… that sort of thing."

"I could say the same, sweetheart. Don't you worry, I know what I'm doing. We'll take things slow, yeah?"

"Okay."

"Come here," he told her, reaching out his free arm around her shoulders and letting her cuddle against him. They sat in silence for a moment, sipping away at their drinks comfortably. Cassandra found that she didn't feel awkward, even when they weren't talking. She found herself thinking ahead, smiling at another nervous flutter in her stomach. She nuzzled his neck, purring softly as the vodka filtered through her bloodstream, slowly relaxing her.

That was, of course, what it was meant to do. Taking that bold first step, Cassandra shifted to lay a soft kiss on his cheek. He put his glass down, taking hers as well. Both were now empty, dripping condensation onto the coffee table. Alonzo kissed her properly, chuckling softly when she jumped. His other paw must have been cold from the glass, but he kept it on her waist regardless and she soon forgot about the cold.

When the kiss ended, Cassandra smiled shyly, it had been a long time since anyone had kissed her quite so sweetly. Alonzo returned the smile with much more confidence, pulling a strip of silk from nowhere. At least, it seemed like he'd just plucked it out of the air, but he'd hidden it behind the cushions of the sofa well in advance of this moment. The patched tom turned to Cassandra, holding up the blindfold and meeting the queen's ice-blue eyes.

"Do you trust me?"