Chapter 3: A Lustful Encounter
The time was 8: 43 P.M. as Selina Kyle waiting outside her uptown apartment for any sign of the silver Lamborghini. Her hair was tightly wrapped in a bun and she only had on a hint of dark grey around her deep brown eyes to gave her an alluring look .
Finally the silver Italian sports car pulled up to the curb. Bruce opened the drivers door and stepped outside wearing a new Giorgio Armani suit and tie with his thick dark hair parted in a the style of a business man's hair cut. He walked over to her and gazed at her stunning dress.
"So that I'm late ," He said . "You look amazing."
Selina smirked.
"I can say the same about you."
Bruce opened the passengers door and she slid her body onto the leather seats.
"I hope you know that we're late."
"Selina , I am never late everyone else just arrives earlier."
He closed the door.
Selina looked out the window at the tall towers of the financial district. "Do you remember when Bane took over Gotham and destroyed most of the buildings?"
Bruce looked out the window.
"Yes."
"I thought we would never be able to come out alive Bruce. But some how we did?" She lowered her head . " I've made plenty mistakes Bruce so that I will not be rewarded for but I promise I will never abandon you when your in need of a partner to take on the fight with you."
She placed her hand on his leg. He narrowed his eyes downward and then looked at her firm expression and then her big crimson stained lips.
"Selina," He said in a stern voice. " We've been through a lot in these past two years. But I have feeling there is another storm coming something that we have never faced before ."
Selina arched an eyebrow.
"What do you think ?"
"I don;t know." Bruce said making a right turn. "But whatever it is Selina we have to be ready before it hits."
"Wait a minute are you using some of my lines that I used on you when we dance at the ball?"
"Maybe."
"I thought so and hear I thought you were an intelligent guy." She laughed. " And let me guess Alfred is the one that give you those quick comebacks to use when your trapped into answering a straight forward question?"
"No that's all me."
"I thought so," She gave a playful smirk.
"What's that suppose to mean?" Bruce asked .
"Nothing just shut up and drive."
The coward gazed at the sharp featured dark chocolate haired billionaire with the alluring Selina Kyle holding his hand firmly stepped out of the lift doors
"Nervous ?" He asked her in a whisper knowing that Selina was not fun for the public social elite. Most to the fancy dressed upper class were victims of misfortune when she entered Gotham two years ago and robbed them blindly of their treasures.
Bruce turned his steady gaze at the crowd.
"Well we're not getting married in front of all these suck ups . So no."
"You always have to be the one with the quirky comebacks."
"What can I say handsome," Selina replied. "It's apart of my charm. As I recall you always come up with a way to make most people in crowds laugh at her arrogant comments."
"Didn't we just discuss this in the car?"
"Yes . We did."
He shifted his eyes and spotted someone in the crowd. "I'm sure you can handle things from here."
"You don't have to worry about me . I'm a tough girl."
Bruce gave her a soft smile and then walked through the crowds passing women calling out the name that made him cringe each time he heard .
"Brucie,"
He rolled his eyes and then gave the three women dressed in fancy gowns a playful smirk. "Ladies."
"Oh Brucie , where have you been hiding?" One of the blonde's asked grasping his arm.
"Around." He answered trying to look for a route of escape . His back was tensed as his dark eyes saw Selina leaning against a wall sipping glass of wine . She gave him a small wave with a grin.
He raised his eyebrows and he her a scowling look with one of his intense glares.
There was a tap on his shoulder.
"What you can't even so hello to an old friend?"
Bruce turned around and saw a red haired gentlemen standing behind him with a glass of white wine in his hand.
"Tommy," He replied shaking the man's head. "Where have you been?"
"Pittsburgh most of the time and Africa."
"Africa?"
Thomas Elliot nodded.
"I've been doing research on a new form of medicine that might be the prime compound a cure of cancer."
"Wow. I'm impressed." Bruce said looking a tall red haired African woman standing by Thomas wearing a black dress. "And who might this lovely woman be ?"
Thomas smirked.
"Bruce Wayne this is Jezebel Jet ."
Bruce gave Jet a charming smile showing his sharp pointed canine teeth that went with his slight overbite .
"The famous Bruce Wayne," Jet said looking at the handsome sharp featured man that had razor sharp cheekbones. "Thomas as told me everything I need to know about the billionaire prince of Gotham."
"Really well I can you tell a few things about Tommy. Mostly about his childhood."
Thomas was getting annoyed "So where is your attractive date for the evening. You usually have supermodels at your side. Has the famous playboy billionaire lost his touch?"
"No." Bruce answered as he turned and looked for Selina. "She's around."
He looked at the crowds and saw no sigh of her .
"I think that Bruce has lost his touch Jezebel." Thomas laughed.
"She stood me up." Bruce cursed under his breath. "Of all the ungrateful things she could do to me ."
"Bruce?"
"I had a date Tommy but I guess she had to leave before the midnight hour."
"What happens at the midnight hour?" Jet asked.
"Ever read fairytale books Miss Jet ?"
"I can't say that I have ."
"In Cinderella the supposed date of the prince takes off before her ride becomes a pumpkin." He looked at Jet who looked at him with confusion . "It's a joke Miss Jet. My date probably had something important that had to be addressed."
"And who was your date?"
"The alluring Selina Kyle."
Thomas was trying not to laugh. "The Selina Kyle the one that stole from you. You finally have her on a leash?"
Bruce was stricken by the comment.
"No Tommy," He said in a stern voice. "But I can see that Miss Jet has you on her. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
A few minutes later Bruce left the main ballroom and strutted through the French glass doors of the terrace. He moved to the cement railing and poured out his glass of wine for the side hoping that the liquid would not land on an person walking on the sidewalks below.
"Mister Wayne?"
Bruce grinned with his thin m shaped lips and turned to find an attractive sharp featured woman coming up next to him.
"Yes." He nodded, looking at the dark haired woman putting on his playboy charm. "Do I know you?"
"Forgive me for this introduction but I have been looking forward to meeting Gothams' devonaire billionaire."
"Join the crowd." Bruce replied as his expressions soften. "I've got a long list of women who would care to spend a night with me Miss..."
"Countess. Vedette Countess."
"Having a good time Miss Countess?"
Bruce shifted his steady deep set eyes to the shaft of light illuminating in the clouds above. It was projecting the symbol that he endured for almost twelve years. The symbol of his creation that he bought to life so many years ago after he returned from his travels of observing and training across the world. The sign of the bat.
He looked at his stunning newly acquaintance that he just made an introduction moments ago.
"Excuse me , Miss Countess," He said in a pleasant suddle manor with his rich voice tone. " Sorry to make this encounter so short but I have another party to attend."
Vedette gave him a seductive smirk as his dark intense hazel green eyes focused in on the golden cat head pedant around her thin graceful neck. He looked at the Ruby in-crested eyes on the cat head it was making him feel like his mind was trapped in a trance.
"Mr. Wayne," Vedette said. " I thought you said you were leaving?"
Bruce blinked his eyes and found himself escaping the trance.
"Hmmm..." He paused with his words feeling tip tongued. "Leaving?"
"I thought that was what you said, Mr. Wayne?"
"Please , call me Bruce."
"Alright Bruce ." Vedette sneered as he moved in closer and placed his hand on her shoulder. "What do you want to do know?"
Bruce was under her power . Her looked at her lips.
"Anything you want Miss Countess." He slurred his words.
"I love it when men say that line."
She placed her hand on his chest and started to undue the buttons of his shirt.
"Kiss me Bruce."
"As you wish."
The billionaire leaned his head in forward resting his hand on the hand of her hair touching the straight thick black hair . His m shaped lips pressed against hers as she was showing a look of satisfied lust in her piercing ice green eyes.
Bruce pulled away .
"Miss Countess. I don;t know what came over me. Please forgive me."
"Nothing to forgive Bruce." She said. "I'm the one that kissed you."
He lifted up an eyebrow.
"You know I've never been in a manor before?"
"Really?" Bruce asked . "Then how about you and I have dinner at my place tomorrow night ."
"Sounds delightful."
Bruce nodded and then walked away .
Vedette watched him entered through the glass doors .
"Enjoy your life while you still can Bruce Wayne because when I'm done with you all your friends will act like they don't even know you prince of Gotham."
Catwoman dressed in her skin tight leather suit opened the window and stepped onto a small bookshelf. She removed her goggles and jumped down into the floor.
"Let's see what you're really hiding Miss Countess."
She pulled opened the drawer hoping to find information concerning the location of Blackstone. Instead she found something very disturbing in cased in a vial. She lifted up the glass tube and looked at the crimson liquid. Her deep brown eyes went wide as they peered at the name on the white label.
"Blackstone."
Selina removed a small camera from her belt and snapped a quick grainy photo of the vial and then placed the glass tube back into the drawer only to see that something else was hidden in folder.
Being a woman of curiosity, Selina placed the folder on the desk and scanned through the documents that were lists of names on the first born sons of the wealthy of Gotham including Bruce Wayne. Under the small photo of the billionaire as a word marked in red ink.
Selina's expression became crossed as she read the word out loud. "Death" She removed a mobile phone from her belt and dialed for Wayne Manor.
"Good evening," Alfred said in this pleasant English voice on the other line. "Wayne Manor."
"Alfred, it's Selina." She said in a worried voice.
"Miss Kyle? Is something wrong?"
"You might say so." She replied looking at the list of names. "Has Bruce returned from the party yet?"
"I'm afraid not. He should have been in on the Batpod by now."
Selina's heart was racing.
"Miss Kyle you sounded worried?"
"Alfred this is just between and you and I . I'm in at the Gotham Natural History Museum looking over a few inquires on a certain woman I met today and I have found something very disturbing."
"What?"
" A vial of blood of one of my good friends who work here and a list of names of the sons of Gothams' elite with Bruces' name. It states that death is coming to all the son's the wealthy and Bruce is the prime target."
She paused for a moment as her brown eyes glared at the cat statue on the corner of the desk. "Wait a minute."
"Miss Kyle?'
"Alfred . I will call you back in a few minutes. Something as gotten my attention."
"Understood and if Master Wayne arrives I will tell him to give you a call."
"No. Tell Bruce to meet me at our usual place."
She hung up.
Bruce arrived back at Wayne Manor with a looked on his face that Alfred only seen once in the young man's life time.
"Master Wayne, you were gone a long time."
"Yes I was." Bruce responded smirking with a glimmer in his dark intense eyes . Alfred could see that he was missing his tie and the dress suit had three buttons undone.
"I can see that you enjoyed the fundraiser a little too much."
Bruce smacked his m shaped lips together, he could still taste the sweetness of Vedettes lips. "It was delightful."
"Delightful?" Alfred asking cocking up an eyebrow. "Since when do you use that word?"
"Since I had the purr-fect night and shared the purr-fect moment with a compete stranger."
Alfred was listening to the different tone of his master's rich, usually is a whispering tone with despair but this tone was lively and not to mention mimicked the sound of cat.
"Yes but you've known Miss Kyle for a long time." Alfred explained. "She is no stranger to you ."
Bruce gave his butler an dumbfounded look.
"No this was a no woman I met Alfred." He said . " She is the cat's meow."
"Speaking of cats," Alfred said. "Miss Kyle called and told me to tell you that she wants you to her part at the usual place."
"Why?"
"She has important information to gave to you."
Bruce nodded and walked to the library towards the grandfather clock and turned the hands at the time of his parents murder.
"What kind of information Alfred?" He asked and turned in onto his butler who was entering the room.
"Deadly."
A few minutes later Bruce pressed the button at the computer desk. A glass in case cabinet arose from the cave's floor near the waterfall, water was dripping from it as Bruce typed in his password and unlocked the cabinet. He pulled out the sharp high tech sharp angled Kevlar armor and began to pull of his white dress shirt and dress pants showing his black briefs.
Alfred was standing by the computer desk.
"So who was this stranger that you meant at the party ?"
Bruce pulled on the suit's leggings and then the combat boots.
"Her name is Vedette Countess."
"That's quite a name."
The billionaire nodded. He pulled on the chest piece through his arms .
"I invited to dinner tomorrow night."
"What about Miss Kyle?"
"Like I said before Alfred," Bruce said. " Selina and I are just good friends."
"As I recall those were the exact words you said about Rachel but then you kissed her at any chance you two had even through you know she didn't love you."
Bruce formed his lips into a scowl.
"Rachel played me for a fool Alfred. She wanted to have both Dent and I danging on a chain that she forged." He paused. "You don't know how that messed up my life Alfred."
"I bloody well do sir." Alfred replied in a direct tone. "Do you remember who stood by you in those eight longs years of your utter despair when you made yourself a total recluse?"
He gave Alfred a anger showing his smoldering anger inside. Finally he pulled on the graphite cowl and became Batman. "I don't have time for this ." He growled in a deep voice .
"Master Wayne,"
Batman turned and faced the old white haired butler. "What?"
"You better tell Miss Kyle the truth. Women don't like to be kept in the dark."
Batman reminded silent as he strolled to the parked Batpod and slid his slender body on the saddle. He switched on the gears and sped off through the passageway under the rushing waterfall.
Meanwhile Selina was still in Vedettes office looking few the texts that the strange woman marked with red ink. Most of the text was about the two twin cat statues. On one of the documents and stated the statues were set to be cursed by being dipped into the blood of the high priestess of the cult in the city called the House of Bastet . Selina read onward knowing to no more about the curses and if they ad any effect on human biology.
Just then she heard footsteps echoing through the halls. She quickly pulled on her cowl and jumped to the window ledge and slid her slender sleek body out through the frame of the window.
After jumping down from the roof top ledge and landing on the balls of her feet with perfect balance Catwoman reached for her mobile phone and dialed for Alfred.
"Wayne Manor," Alfred answered.
"Alfred it's Selina." She said. " I found out more information on the cat statue that Bruce broke. It states in a the document I read just moments ago that the statue was set to be cursed by the blood of ancient cults leader whom was a witch. The text also states that the curse effects human biology as well making the person who get infect become different in their personality and their body functions become unstable ."
"Unstable?"
"Meaning that their bodily nutrients literally gets suck out of them into tell look frail and sickly. Now did Bruce arrive at the manor yet?"
"Indeed. Master Wayne in on his way to meet you."
"Thank you Alfred . Oh Alfred this is just between us. I don't want Bruce to know."
"Understood."
Inside a basement of an apartment Narrows a Blackstone was strapped in a chair with an IV in his veins as blood was draining into a long tube and filling up a clear plastic bag. His body was growing weaker with his eyes sunken in and pale skin.
The sound of a woman's high heel shoes echoed in the shadows all around him.
"I hope your comfortable Mr. Blackstone."
He spat on the floor. "How could you do this to me? I trusted you."
The woman laughed.
"Then you a poor sense of judging character Mr. Blackstone. I'm not the kind person that you should get to know. I've many things that you would never believe a human being could do."
Blackstone gulped down.
"What do you want with me?"
"As you can see I'm draining your blood at the moment for it will be used a purpose for my plan. But with the rest of you I just every master must put down their dog once they are no longer useful."
She removed a dagger from a case and walked over.
"Do not worry Mr. Blackstone I promise you won't feel a thing."
"Burn in Hell!"
"You first."
The woman suck the blade into his chest and watched his eyes roll back and then pulled out the dagger. "There that was quick." She looked at the blood dripping on the floor. "But not painless."
On the ledge of the Phoenix building Batman was perched with his head pointing head and lips firm. He listened to the sound of high heel boots moving in closer on his position.
"This better be important Selina." He growled as he turned and focused his intense glare at Catwoman.
"Oh it is handsome."
He stood up as she moved in closer to his chest.
"Spill it!"
"Why are you acting like this Bruce?"
"I don't know what you're talking about?"
"Your acting so out of character towards me and Alfred."
He could feel the anger rising inside his body.
"So you and Alfred are friends now?"
"No we are both concerned about you?"
"You have nothing to be worried about I'm fine. Besides you should be the one letting a lecture Selina. I thought you'd changed your ways but I can see that you lied to me . And now I can't trust you anymore ."
"What are you talking about?"
"You know pretty damn well what Selina?" He growled. "I'm talking about you little breaking and entering at the Gotham Museum tonight. You stood me about at the fundraiser just so you could collect another statue. Do you want to get thrown into jail again?"
Catwoman kept her mouth shut. She was speechless.
"How can I have you as a partner if I can't even trust you?"
Anger was arising inside her slender body. She tensed her back ready to give him a piece of mind .
"After all we've been through together Bruce. Don't you forget I was the one that helped you and Gordon reclaim the city from Bane and the League of Shadows. I almost got myself killed but I still did because you made me realize that there are good people in this city and that I can do change my ways."
She moved in closer.
"I don't want your approval Bruce . I just want you to know that I have changed."
"Then prove it." Batman asked. "Prove to me that you are reformed."
Catwoman pulled off her cowl and threw it onto the ground. Batman looked down at the cat shaped mask. "Why did you do that for?"
"Your the detective you figure it out!" She snapped looking at his lips noticing that there was smear of lipstick at the corner of his bottom lip and it wasn't her shade of crimson. "I can see that I'm not the only one that changed."
Selina kicked the cat mask to the other side of the roof out of her anger.
"Selina?"
" You talk about trust Bruce but I have never loved another man other than you but I can see that you a man that was maybe tastes when it comes to women. I wanted to tell you something very important that concerns your welfare but now you've changed my mind you arrogant pig."
She did a round house kick in his mid section and pushed him down.
Batman landed hard on his back as she pinned her body against his and whispered in his ear. "Consider this out last time of roof romance Dark Knight."
"Selina get off of me!"
Selina leaned her head closer to his lips and gave him a kiss. She pulled away quickly and moved to the ledge. Batman looked at her with confusion.
"Enjoy your new lover Bruce Wayne . She will never give you what I could."
He watched her jumped down from the roof as his hand reached for the cat cowl.
"Selina." Batman said in a whisper feeling remorse for the words he spat at her. He knew that he was wrong to say those cold words. He did love her but it was a different kind of love. After all they been through together risking their lives saving Gotham from Bane and his army, running from cops chasing them on the narrow streets during the late hours of the night. He never did say thank you to her for saving him from the prison Bane placed him in making live in the darkness with guilt while Gotham turned to rubble . If it wasn't for Selina coming down from the well of the pit he would of died behind the rusted bars and Gotham would have been wiped off the earth.
Selina was the one the brought him back to his senses . Making him realize that Batman had to rise from the ashes and face the truth that he was the hero Gotham City deserved.
Now Bruce was feeling like he was trapped in trance . For some reason he felt weaker in his body and it wasn't because he was getting older . He knew that it had to to with the broken cat statue.
"What's wrong with me?"