Chapter 14
Kitty swept out the door, and flashed an adoring smile when she spotted Ling Chu astride his big Yamaha motorcycle. She nearly skipped her way over to him, watching---as she always did---intently as he removed his helmet and gazed over at her with those warm olive green eyes. Kitty could think of nothing that gave her a bigger thrill than to be the recipient of that gaze!
"Good morning, Kitty," Ling greeted her, his mellow soft voice sending a shiver up Kitty's spine.
She slowed her pace, and almost sauntered her way up to where he sat on his bright green motorcycle. "Hey there, handsome," Kitty replied cleverly, reaching out to rub his leather-covered shoulder. "So…did you miss me?" She grinned.
"Of course," Ling replied truthfully. He always missed his Kitty. It was odd, he often thought to himself, how when she wasn't around how he felt as if something---something very important---was missing. But, that didn't matter now…she was here now, and he drank her features in gladly. He glanced about to ensure that he and Kitty were alone, and then leaned over to gently kiss her lips. He enjoyed the feeling of warmth that pervaded him as he felt Kitty accept then respond briefly to his kiss.
"Well," Kitty ventured a moment later, her lips still tingling. "I guess you really did miss me then, didn't you?" she teased.
"More than just a little, dear. Now, come, Kitty," Ling replied with a smile, handing Kitty her helmet. "Let me take you home…"
An exhilirating fifteen minute motorcycle ride later found Kitty contentedly holding her arms around Ling's trim waist. She saw her home pull up on their right, and she leaned back as Ling brought the powerful Yamaha to a stop by the curb. "We're here," Ling announced, allowing Kitty to step off before he removed his safety helmet.
"Mademoiselle Petro?" a somewhat familiar feminine voice spoke a few feet away from Kitty, who was in the process of removing her helmet.
"Eek!" Kitty squeaked, getting her helmet stuck on her head temporarily. "All right, whoever you are…gimme a minute here…" She twisted her headgear slightly and removed it. She then turned toward the voice, and frowned. It was the tall, pretty cheetah from C'est Sing, Naomi Rousseau. "Naomi? What brings you here?" she demanded.
"Pardonnez moi," Naomi responded apologizing, eyeing the wary-eyed Ling Chu, who now stood just behind Kitty protectively. "I am here to present you with this…with Madame Sing's compliments as well," she added, handing over the light tan envelope.
"Yuri, huh?" Kitty said, thinking already, her helmet now tucked under her arm, looking down curiously at the letter in her free hand. "Okay. See ya 'round, Naomi…" Kitty dismissed her, turning toward her front door.
"Ahem," Naomi interrupted. "I am sorry…but I have been instructed to wait for you to read Madame's letter, and your reply before I may be on my way." She looked oddly uncomfortable, gazing often at the watch on her slender wrist.
Kitty rolled her eyes, but complied, using her thumbnail to open the letter. She briefly scanned the small note. It read:
My dearest Mademoiselle Petro,
My greetings, cheri! I have penned this small note to you to ask you to do me the honor of meeting with you at my home. As we spoke of earlier today, I find myself in need of your remarkable skills and advice on…shall we say, matters of the heart? Please inform my Naomi of your willingness to accede to my request, and what time might be the most amenable to your needs.
Warmest Regards,
Mdm. Yuri Sing
"Why can't she just talk like everyone else?" Kitty grumbled softly, having to re-read Yuri's note several times to piece together what she had wanted. On the third read, she thought she finally understood.
"What does Madame Sing wish of you, Kitty?" Ling asked, politely as was his wont.
"Here," Kitty said, thrusting the letter into his hands absently. "You read it." She then turned to the waiting Naomi.
"You can tell Yuri, 'yes'," Kitty replied. "We'll be over her way, say…seven o'clock tonight. Understood?"
"Oui," Naomi said with a smile. "Merci, Mademoiselle." She bowed her proud head to Kitty, wisps of her bright blond hair whipping across her face before she swept it back over her shoulders.
Ling arched an eyebrow at Kitty's 'we'. "We, Kitty?" he asked, clearly surprised.
"If I'm goin'…then, you're goin' too, mister," Kitty informed him. She then nodded one last time to Naomi. "Well? Go on…get!" she growled with a big smile, waving her hand dismissively at the tall, beautiful girl.
Naomi chuckled, shook her head, then dashed off…surprising Kitty with just how fleet the girl really was.
"Now, you were saying?" Ling prompted her as they walked together to the front door.
"Ling, Ling, Ling," Kitty grinned, shaking her head. "I want you to come with me for any number of reasons, okay?"
Ling nodded. "Such as?" he asked, grinning.
Kitty laughed. "Such as I enjoy your company…very much, fella," she replied.
Ling grinned happily…but knew there was more to it than that. "And?"
Kitty grinned again. "Such as I'm trying to get this Madame Sing and my buddy Bentley together, okay?" she added.
Ling nodded his head, filing that away. He knew of Kitty's continuing assistance with the reportedly nefarious Cooper Gang…but, much like his lady love, he found their work to be commendable instead of reviled. "And?"
Kitty now frowned, getting the feeling that Ling was beginning to understand her a bit too well, maybe. "Such as Madame Sing---Yuri---seems to be having a problem with mixed species relationships. And, I sort of wanted to point out to her that such matches can and do work out." She then looped an arm around Ling's waist, and hugged him with one arm to herself. "Like you and me, Ling."
Ling nodded again, looking slightly down into Kitty's mesmerizing blue eyes. "Ah, I think I understand now," he told her. "Just what species is this Madame Sing of yours, my love?"
Kitty felt a swoop of dizziness at Ling calling her 'his love', one that made her give him a dazzling smile. "Um," she replied, then stopped to wipe that goofy grin off of her face. "That's the second part of my plan, buddy. You see, both you and Yuri are the same species…snow leopards."
"Ah," Ling replied simply, nodding his head.
Kitty then grinned. "And…both of you are positively gorgeous," she added.
Ling blushed briefly, but leaned over to kiss Kitty's brow in thanks. He then shook his head at the grining vixen beside him, waiting as she opened the front door. "Perhaps, Kitty. But, I am nothing to look unless I am beside you, my beautiful one."
Kitty was charmed, and found herself laughing a soft, nervous laugh. "Now, you I like," she teased, then quickly bussed him on the cheek. "Now, c'mon…we've got to get some dinner, and then get dressed. We've got a busy evening ahead of us…"
"Bentley…and Yuri Sing?" Ling said as he followed Kitty. "How remarkable. That will be quite a unique match, my love…a reptile and a feline."
"Nothin' to it, sweetie," Kitty assured him. She then snapped her fingers sharply. "Just like that, pal…piece of cake."
"As you say, Kitty," Ling chuckled. "As you say." Ling knew that if it were possible to make this happen, none had a better chance than did Kitty Petro. She never took 'no' for an answer. Ling shrugged his shoulders at this…but, then again, it was one of the things he most loved about the remarkable woman that had won his heart…
Five minutes to seven o'clock, the bright green Yamaha motorcycle idled softly up to the curb before the address Madame Sing had supplied with her note. "Here we are…Four Twenty-One Rue la Mer," Kitty proclaimed. "And, may I be the first to say…'Wow!'," Kitty said, removing her helmet and handing it over to Ling.
"I quite agree," Ling stated as he placed both his own helmet and then Kitty's into the motorcycles saddle bags. "This is very lovely home."
"You sure have a way of understating things, Ling," Kitty teased. "This place is gorgeous! Wow…I'm not sure if I should call it a chateau…or a villa." She smoothed her clothes down from their ride over, then looked Ling over as well. Convinced that they were both presentable, they headed toward the stately front door of the place.
Kitty rang the bell, and they waited. Though, they did not have to wait long before it swung open and they saw the graceful Yuri there to greet them both.
"Ah, welcome to my home, Kitty," Yuri said, smiling a pleased smile. She then glanced a the tall, trim Ling standing beside Kitty. Ling smiled, and bowed politely to her. "Ah, I see you've brought a guest. May I ask who you are, my good sir?"
Kitty answered before Ling could even open his mouth. "Sure! Yuri, this is my boyfriend, Ling Chu," she told Yuri. She then grabbed Ling by the elbow and brought him forward. "Ling, this is Madame Yuri Sing, probably Paris' most famous clothes designer."
Ling smiled again, then performed his customary bow. "Madame Sing, it is an honor to meet you," he said, straightening up. "Thank you for your invitation to your lovely home."
Yuri smiled warmly. "I am impressed, cheri," she directed to Kitty with a smile. "He is a well-spoken and polite gentleman." Yuri grinned cleverly as she saw Kitty blush softly in the semi-darkness. "Well, enough of this. We may continue to compliment one another within the warmth of my home. Now, shall we go inside then?"
"Absolutely," Kitty managed, looping her hand on to Ling's forearm, allowing him to escort her in. They moved through the stately foyer, and then down a lushly carpeted hallway to where Kitty suspected a parlor or the living room of the home might be. "You have a beautiful home, Yuri," Kitty told her.
"Yes, it has been in my family for hundreds of years, Kitty," Yuri informed her. "This was the Sing Parisian summer home, way back when…before the Revolution, you understand." She ushered them to a pair of dark oak doors and opened them. "Now, I simply call it home."
"Naomi!" Kitty proclaimed, seeing the svelte, long-legged cheetah girl seated on the loveseat, sipping a cup of steaming tea.
"Mademoiselle Petro," Naomi replied with a nod of her head, and a smile.
"Ling, I want a quick word with Yuri here," Kitty told him. "Go and say hello to Naomi there, okay?"
Ling gulped, eyeing the stunningly beautiful cheetah woman, but gamely nodded. "Very well, Kitty," he replied, moving over to make his introduction.
"You have him very well trained, cheri," Yuri observed to Kitty.
"Do not," Kitty countered with a grin. "He's always been like that. It's one of the things I love about him…"
"I see. So…is it mere coincidence that you show up at my home with another snow leopard, Kitty?" Yuri offered, eyeing Kitty warily.
"Nah," Kitty replied. "I planned it that way, Yuri. However, just so you know, I've been dating him for months now. He's a great guy, but you might notice that he doesn't like speaking much in public really."
"That is really not such a bad thing, cheri," Yuri opined, turning and guiding Kitty along with her by her elbow. "I have a feeling that much more goes on in that young man's head than he speaks of, I think."
"Yeah, me too," Kitty replied, "but, he cares for me…and I for him. He's looked out for me ever since the first time I've met him. Ling and I have a lot in common really…so it doesn't really come as much a surprise that we both love one another."
Yuri nodded. "I see, Kitty. Now, very well then…shall we head into the living room with the others, yes?"
"You betcha, Yuri!" Kitty agreed, grinning at Yuri, who only chuckled and shook her lovely head in amusement.
Kitty and Yuri found Naomi and Ling seated beside one another, talking softly with one another. Then both of them looked up from their conversation, noticing the others. Ling get to his feet, followed a moment later by Naomi.
Kitty smiled, first at her Ling, then over to the tall, lovely Naomi. "You know…I probably should be thanking you, Naomi," she observed.
"Oh?" Naomi replied, arching one slender dark eyebrow in curiosity.
"Yeah. Ling here needs to practice being social a bit more often, you understand," Kitty informed her, grinning as she moved over to sit beside Ling on the love seat. Naomi moved over to sit in an armchair to their left. Ling gave Kitty a look, then grinnd, kissing her cheek affectionately.
"I see," Ling observed, then added, "and here I was under the impression that you love me just the way I am."
"Well, I don´t know about that, sport," Kitty replied loftily, yet grinned.
Ling could only smile, then leaned over and kissed her softly on the mouth. The kiss began as a quick one…but Ling continued to kiss her up to the point that the vixen finally leaned away and sighed in pleasure. "I take it back," Kitty said, just a bit dreamy-eyed, reaching a hand up to caress Ling's face. "You're perfect just the way you are, fella."
Yuri smiled. "Ah, young love," she said whismically, shaking her bright blond head. "Now, if you are both quite through…shall we get to the matter I've brought you here to speak of then?"
"But, of course, Yuri," Kitty returned just a bit cheekily…but, after all, this was Kitty now, wasn't it?
Yuri shook her head, grinning. "As I recall, cheri…you were instructing me in the gentle art of---now, how did you put that again, precisely?---ah, yes…'listening to my heart'," Yuri reminded her.
Kitty smiled, nodding her agreement. She then flicked her glance over to Naomi, who seemed to be hanging on her every word…even though the girl probably thought I won't notice, Kitty deemed. Hmm, she then thought to herself cleverly, if I am very careful to chose my words just so, I may be able to kill two birds with one throw tonight. "Right you are, Yuri. That's exactly where we left off," Kitty replied. "Oh, excuse me, Yuri…a moment."
Kitty then turned toward a startled Naomi, who looked back at Kitty with big doe-like amber eyes, full of hope and not a little fear as well. "Oh, before I forget, Naomi dear…I am supposed to tell you that Murray sends his regards. His warmest regards," she added, grinning in satisfaction as the pretty Naomi's fair cheeks went a very fetching pink.