Feline Desperation, Part Two

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Fan-Fiction (Batman)
Rating: R

LINK TO PART ONE

~

“I have no proof,” I told Alfred. “It’s just a hunch.”

He was frowning thoughtfully as we both stared out the glass window, watching Selina swim laps in my pool. Her strokes were sleek, streamlined and purposeful. They were the strokes of an athlete, not the strokes of a dilettante.

I wondered, briefly, if I should have kept my suspicion to myself. Alfred already disapproved of Selina, after all--and the fact that she might be a cat burglar was unlikely to improve his opinion of her.

But Alfred was too fair minded to convict her without evidence. “You’ll have to investigate her, Master Bruce,” he told me as he tidied up the breakfast table. “You can’t rely on your hunch; she may be innocent.”

I sighed and set down my orange juice. “I know—and I hope that’s the case. But what do I do if she’s not?”

“Forgive me, sir, but aren’t you borrowing trouble?”

“Yes. What if she’s not innocent?” I repeated.

He took his time about answering that. “I’ve noticed that you generally pursue dangerous criminals and their henchmen,” he said at length.

That was true. I had created the role of the dark knight for myself in order to hunt down the crime lords and hit men who plagued Gotham City. The Catwoman, as far as I knew, didn’t harm anyone. She merely pocketed their jewels.

“But even if I—if Batman—doesn’t go after her, Alfred, the police may catch her on their own,” I pointed out.

“Quite true,” he agreed. “And they might charge her with grand larceny. What will you do in that case?”

I sighed again. “Hire a damn good lawyer for her. But it’d be better to put an end to her hobby before it got that far, wouldn’t it?”

“And, ah, how do you plan to do that, sir?”

“Well, if I find proof…” I paused and flashed him a crooked grin. “Don’t you think my charm and winning smile will convince her to give up a life of crime?”

Alfred pretended to consider that. “You may wish to come up with a contingency plan, sir.”

~

I took off my robe as I stepped outside and tossed it onto one of the patio chairs. That left me only in a loose pair of pajama pants as I crouched down at the side of the pool and waited for Selina to swim over to me.

She flashed me a smile as she came and then tugged at my hand. “Come on in,” she invited.

I smiled back at her as she continued tugging. Well, why not? I let her drag me in, landing with a splash that got us both laughing. Then I pulled her to me and kissed her, releasing her only so that I could lead her back toward the shallow end.

She gave my pants a mischievous glance as I sat on one of the pool steps. “They don’t leave much to the imagination when they’re wet, do they?” she asked.

“Neither does your bikini,” I countered as I stared blatantly at her nipples—which, at the moment, looked hard enough to puncture her bikini top.

She laughed and took a seat beside me. “Let’s come back out here tonight—au natural—when it’s dark and we don’t have to worry about shocking the servants.”

I took her hand and kissed her palm. “Not tonight,” I said. “I’ve got work to do for Wayne Enterprises today—I doubt I’ll be in the mood for human company later. I’ll have my driver bring you back to your flat.”

She narrowed her eyes at me, causing me to sigh and release her hand. “Selina,” I said, “You know how I get. It’s nothing personal. I’m just a moody bastard at times.”

She shrugged, feigning indifference. “I don’t care, Bruce. As long as you keep paying my bills, you can call the shots.”

I rolled my eyes. That was her way of taking revenge whenever I sent her home. She would point out that our whole relationship was merely a matter of business—at least to her. I’d like to think that I meant more to her than a source of income, but sometimes I wasn’t so sure.

I leaned back on the steps and furrowed my brow. There was no harm in letting her stay tonight—I didn’t intend to don the Batsuit and go prowling through Gotham. But I needed time alone regardless.

“We’ve only been going out for three weeks,” I reminded her. “Are you angling to move in here?”

It was her turn to roll her eyes. “No, Bruce,” she answered, shaking her head for emphasis. “I wouldn’t move in if we’d been going out for a year. I like having my own place—but I don’t like being sent away.”

I took her hand again. “If you stay here tonight, you’ll hardly see me,” I warned her. “I meant what I said—I probably won’t want human company.”

She had been staring straight ahead, but now she turned her head and smiled at me. “I don’t mind,” she said. “I need space too. Besides, I can amuse myself. And if you still don’t want company tomorrow, I’ll go home like a good girl.”

I grinned at her mock-obedient expression. “All right,” I said. “Stay for now.”

She hugged me then—but not before I noticed a triumphant gleam in her eye. As I wrapped my arms around her I couldn’t help but furrow my brow again. And my expression didn’t change, even as I kissed the top of her head.

What did Selina have up her sleeve? And why was she so eager to be left to her own devices inside Wayne Manor?

LINK TO PART THREE