Here Kitty, Kitty! (12 page)

“Well, come on, Hillbilly.  I don’t have all goddamn night.”

Of course, she really had to stop calling him hillbilly.

***

Angie leaned against the bar.  Her eyes on her lemon martini, but her ears completely tuned to the older couple next to her.  In their mid-fifties, they’d been arguing since they came up to the bar.

She felt bad for the man.  The woman wasn’t giving him an inch.  In a way, she reminded her of Miki.  Blunt, brutal, and to the point.

“Go away.”

“Why?  You know we look wonderful together.”

“
We do not
…”  The woman took a breath.  She towered over the man, her black hair streaked with grey, white, and red swept up off her shoulders and held by a platinum hair clip.  “Stay away from me or I’ll make you regret that no one’s killed you yet.”

She turned to walk away and he slapped her on the ass.  The tigress—and really what else could you call this particular female?—stopped, growled, then stomped off.

“She hates when I do that.”

Angie didn’t answer him, since she really wasn’t supposed to be listening.

“I know you’re listening.”

Damn. 
She glanced at him.  “Sorry.”

He shook his head and moved closer to her.  “Not a problem.  We’re quite a fascinatin’ pair.”

Angie realized if she took off her shoes, they’d be the same height.  Compared to all the men in the room, he was damn-near tiny.

He motioned to the bartender for another scotch, “You ain’t from around here.”

“And what gave that away?”

“That accent of yours.”

She blinked.  Being the darkest one in the room, she simply assumed that would be his problem.

“Texas.”

“Good.  I’d hate to think anybody brought a Yankee to my party.”

Angie laughed and he returned her smile.  “Damn, girl.  That is the prettiest smile…next to hers.”

She glanced at the woman he seemed completely lost to.  “She doesn’t seem too interested.”

“She’s a stubborn woman.  Won’t just admit she loves me.  Always has.”

“I have a friend like that.”

“So what’s your name, darlin’?”

“Angelina.”

“That’s a gorgeous name.  I’m Boris.”

“Boris, huh?  That’s a very Russian name.”  They shook hands.  “Have you even been to Russia?”

“What for?  It gets really cold there.  Besides, I’m an American, darlin’.  Born and bred.  Just like my daddy and my granddaddy before him.  Everything I need is right here in the U-S-of-A.”

He stood right next to her now, but not close enough to have her backing away.  Good.  He understood personal space.  That seemed to be a problem the hillbilly hadn’t quite grasped yet.

“So, this is your party?”

“Yup.  It’s the only way I can get money out of these rich snots.”

“Money for what?”

“Poor families from where I used to live.  Up in the holler, not far from here.”

Dear God, I’m near a “holler.”

“You haven’t always had money?”

“Oh, heck no.  Lived up in the holler until I turned seventeen.  Then my daddy made me join the army.”

Based on his age now that meant only one thing.  “Vietnam?”

“Yup.  Worst nightmare of my life, too.  But it made me a man.  When I got back, I put myself through school and got into computers real early on.”

“And now you’re here.”

“Now I’m here.”

“I like that story.  That’s a good story.”

He took a sip of his scotch.  “So what exactly is a full-human doing here anyhow?”

“Got kidnapped by hillbillies.”

“Did ya now?”

“Yup.  It’s a long sordid tale that I’m not sure I’m in the mood to discuss right now.”

“You don’t need me to rescue you or nothing, do ya?”

Angie smiled and shook her head, “No.  I can handle them fine.”

“Which ones are they?”

Angie glanced over her shoulder and nodded in Nik’s direction.  He stood with his two brothers, a throng of gorgeous women surrounding them.  Not that she blamed the females.  All three men were gorgeous, but Nik outshone them all.  He must have personal contacts with all the great designers.  She didn’t know Armani, Gucci, and all the rest made clothes big enough to fit a man his size.  And fit them they did.  He didn’t wear a tux like some of the other men.  Instead he wore black shoes, black slacks, and a black silk Tee.  He threw a black leather mid-length jacket on over that and, if she were the drooling kind…

“Them.”

“Ah.  I see.”  His face suddenly went stern.  “They are bein’ nice to you?”

“They bring me elk and deer.”

His big grin returned.  He had to be the happiest man she’d ever met.  “The woo-in’!  They must like you.”

“So it would seem.”

“Not that I blame ‘em.  You’re a charmin’ girl.”

“As are you.”

“Yes, I
am
a charming girl.”

Angie snorted and went back to her martini.  She liked this hick.  He made her laugh.

“So, you interested in any of ‘em?”

“No.”

“Why not?  Is it cause you think they’re hillbillies?”

“They are hillbillies.  And I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Why are you women so difficult?”

“We’re not difficult.  We just don’t take shit anymore.”

Boris looked at the current object of his lust.  “She sure don’t.  That’s one of the things I love about her.  She’d rip your throat out as soon as look at ya.”

“That’s lovely, Boris.  You should have that printed on a greeting card.”

She felt Nik behind her even before she saw his big hands braced against the bar on either side of her body.  Why the hell did he insist on doing that?

“Back off, country.”

“Don’t worry.  I’m not touchin’ ya.”

“No.  But you’re invading my personal space.”

“Of course I am.  It’s as big as Montana, so I really don’t have room to go anywhere else.”

She glared at him over her shoulder, but he was staring at Boris.  The two men watched each other for several long seconds.

“What did you do,” Nik finally demanded.

Angie immediately jumped to Boris’ defense.  “Hey, hey, hey!  He didn’t do anything.”  She turned in the circle of his arms, careful not to touch him.  “He was being a perfect gentlemen.  So back the fuck off.”

“I’m not talkin’ about you.”  He raised an eyebrow at Boris.  “I mean what did you do to Momma?”

Boris shrugged, “Nothin’ I haven’t done a thousand times before.”

“You’re disgusting.”

Boris became deadly serious, “I’m also your father.  So watch how you talk to me, boy.”

Angie ducked under Nik’s arms and stepped between the two men.  She put her hand on Boris’ chest.  “Calm down.”

“Sometimes my boy forgets his place.”

“
My place
?”

Oh, man.  This was getting bad.  She never argued with her parents.  There had never been a point.  Of course, that also meant when they left again, she’d find someone to physically harm.  Usually at the playground or the local diner.

But she was having a wonderful time so far and didn’t want it ruined by Nik’s bullshit.

With one hand on Boris’ chest and one on Nik’s, she stood between the two men.  “Gentleman.  The last thing you want to do is piss me the fuck off.  So why doesn’t everybody settle the fuck down.  And try and enjoy this goddamn evening.”

Father and son looked at Angelina, then back at each other.

“Now, how can we turn down an offer like that,” Boris laughed.  He took her hand from off his chest and kissed the back of it.  “You know, Miss Angie, I would love for you to sit with me at dinner tonight.”

She grinned, “I’d love to.”

Her hand still on Nik’s chest, she felt that growl long before she heard it.  She stepped away, not even bothering to look at him.  The dinner announcement rang out over the room and everyone slowly made their way into the main ballroom where all the tables had been set up.

Angie took Boris’ offered arm.  “You know, Boris, it’s such a pleasure to finally be around a gentleman.”

“Why, thank ya kindly ma’am.”

She didn’t even have to look back to know Nik still stood where she left him…glaring.

***

“Is that the girl your brothers stole?”

Nik nodded.  He couldn’t believe his father had made him jealous.  He knew there was no reason to be jealous.  The man still loved Nik’s mother.  Always had to hear him tell it.

“Yes’m.”

“She’s a pretty little thing.”  His mother, still so beautiful and reeking of class and old money, stepped in front of her son and straightened the collar of his jacket.  “And probably not good enough for one of my sons.”

“It doesn’t matter one way or another if she is, Momma.”

“Oh?  Are you trying to tell me you’re not interested?”

“I’m not interested.”

She sighed as she took her son’s offered arm.  “I’ll never understand, son, why you insist on taking after me.”

“Well, mostly because you try
not
to embarrass the family.”

***

Boris pulled out a chair for Angie.  “Sit, darlin’.”

“Thank you.”  Boris sat down next to her and the pair smiled at each other.  “You know, you should have told me he was your son.”

“Now where would the fun be in that?”  He leaned into her, but she still didn’t feel remotely threatened by his presence.  “Now tell me true, darlin’.  You ain’t got no man waitin’ for you back in Texas, do ya?  Some cowboy with your name tattooed across his chest?”

Angie chuckled, “No.  I don’t.”

“Good.”

“Now, I thought Nik’s mom was your lady-love.”

“Oh, she is, darlin’.  But I ain’t thinkin’ about me.”

Nik walked up to the table, pulling out chairs for his mother and sister.  He looked up to find Angie and Boris staring at him.  “What?”

Angie couldn’t help it.  She began giggling, Boris joining her.

***

The dinner was another Boris Vorislav success and one of the few events that one could find an enormous group of tigers at together.  Nik spent the majority of the evening chatting with his mother and aunts, ducking the advances of some of the females, and avoiding some of the more aggressive males since he’d rather not kill someone at one of his father’s parties.  Especially an important fundraiser like this.

He also spent a good portion of his evening making sure none of the males got too frisky with either his sister or his cousin.  Their sudden transformation seemed to have gotten them a lot of male interest.  He didn’t worry about Reena.  She could handle anything and already had two cubs from two different males.  But Kisa…well, he did worry about her.  Of the entire family, she remained as the best hunter among them.  But only when tiger.  As human, though, her shyness became painful to watch.  And he’d be damned if he’d let some overbearing prick push his baby sister around.  But when he wasn’t worrying about that, he spent the rest of his time keeping his eyes on Angelina.  To his great annoyance, the woman got along with his father like they were old friends.  She also had the attention of almost every male in the room.  Every time she got up to go to the bathroom or stretch her legs, every male eye focused on her.

He didn’t like it.  Not one bit.  And it bothered him that he didn’t like it.

His father finally walked away from her, leaving her at the huge table, and made his way over to his son.

“Boy,” he barked in way of greeting.

“Daddy.”

“This turned out well, don’t ya think?”

Nik shrugged.  “Sure.  But it won’t change a damn thing.  They still don’t think we’re good enough.”  And Nik blamed his father’s wolf-like-mating tendencies more than his past poverty.

Fierce gold eyes locked with his own.  “They’re right.  We’re not.  We’re better.  And don’t you forget it.”

Nik nodded, “Yes, sir.”  He wasn’t about to start another fight with the old man.  He did still respect him.  His father was the toughest man he’d ever known.  A door gunner in the war, those men had the shortest life expectancy.  But still, his daddy survived to tell the tale.  Put himself through school, made his own business, and was one of the wealthiest tigers on the East Coast.  But he never forgot where he came from.  And he refused to be ashamed.  God forbid his children ever showed any.

The man’s only weakness…Nik’s mother, Natalia.  They’d been playing their game for at least thirty-five years and never seemed to tire of it.  Personally, he didn’t like games.  A person said what they felt and meant it.  As soon as he thought a woman was trying to bullshit or manipulate him, he bailed.

“Now, listen up.  All three of ya.”  His brothers moved to stand beside him.  “I want you to keep that little lady safe.”