Chapter 37

When they left J.J. Murphy's, snow was falling. Again, Cathy surprised Ken. It was very cold and the wind was swirling the snow around the street lights. But instead of huddling into her coat like all the other girls he knew, Cathy held her head up straight and seemed to enjoy the sensation of the snowflakes melting on her face. Unselfconsciously, she took his hand and held it as they walked down the street.

It was only a few blocks to the apartment, Cathy had said. They had gone less than two blocks when two men wearing ski masks and brandishing guns rushed out of an alley and accosted them. One of the men exclaimed, "This is a holdup! Give us your money and jewelry!"

When Cathy opened her coat to reach for her money, it revealed her gold collar. The assailant's eyes widened behind his ski mask and he asked her to open her coat. She did, and he saw the jeans and chambray shirt she was wearing and also got a better look at her gold collar.

"Oh God! You're with that bank, aren't you? You're one of them?" Cathy just nodded and he continued, "We're terribly sorry! This has been an awful mistake. Good night, and please be careful." With that they ran back down the alley from which they had appeared.

Cathy closed up her coat and shivered. It appeared to Ken that her shivering was purely a result of the cold and had nothing to do with the attempted holdup. As far as the attempted crime was concerned, it was as if a passerby had asked her for the time of day. He stopped, took her by the shoulders and then just looked down at her upturned face. "What was that all about, Cath? My God! I've never seen anyone look so cool in my life."

"I'm not cool, I'm cold!" she replied. "Ken, would you hold me for a minute, please?"

He tipped her chin up and kissed her softly. He confirmed what had happened at Murphy's: Her lips were as sweet as sugar and he could feel electricity passing between them. He could feel her arms moving around his neck as she molded her body to his. Breaking off the kiss she just snuggled in his shoulder while he held her tight and thought how beautifully she fit against him. For the first time he realized that she was a very tall girl and fit perfectly in his arms in spite of wearing flats.

"Feel better?" he asked softly.

He could feel her head nod quickly and she looked up with a warm smile and replied, "Much! Thank you, Ken. That was a wonderful kiss." Then she added, "We had better get going, though. I talked with Cindy and she asked me to bring you up for a nightcap. Will you join us?"

He quickly agreed and they moved off again. Now he noticed how easily she moved and remembered that his normal experience was to have to walk at what was for him a snail's pace if a girl was with him. He realized that Cathy had long, very shapely legs and matched him stride for stride.

When they reached the apartment building, Ken let out a low whistle and said, "Clearly, Cath, you're not a slave in the low-rent district! What does one of the apartments in this place go for, anyway?"

She grinned and replied, "I have no idea. Besides, Cindy and Dan have the penthouse which I guess is even more money. Let's go." She let herself in and they rode up in the penthouse elevator. She had called up on the house phone from the lobby so Cindy, also wearing Levi's and her work shirt, was waiting at the apartment door when the elevator arrived.

Cindy had a wry grin on her face and said, "The drunks come staggering home. I'm so glad you could make it, Slave Cathy," she said acidly, "I thought you were going out for just a couple of hours?"

"Mistress, it's not my fault! What can I do when I'm in an Irish bar with people like Kelly and Kevin. For that matter, your deputy wasn't much better. What can I do when I'm with my boss? I couldn't very well just walk out, could I?"

Turning to Ken she said, "Mistress, I would like you to meet Ken Bradley. Ken, this is my boss, my owner, and my inspiration, Cynthia Martin."

The two shook hands and entered the apartment. Ken's eyes had widened when he first saw Cindy. In spite of everything he had heard about her that night, he still wasn't prepared for the reality. Saying that Cindy Martin was beautiful was like saying the Pacific Ocean was big. The statements were true, but inadequate to describe the reality. Then he was tempted to let out a low whistle as he entered the apartment. Never in his life had he seen a home as beautifully or as warmly decorated. Cindy brought him into the living room where Dan was waiting wearing khakis and a University of Illinois sweatshirt. He shook hands with Ken, greeting him warmly.

He asked about drinks and Cathy said she had better stick to beer. "Speaking of which," she added, "I think I'm about to float away. Would you excuse me, please?" She left for the powder room while Dan went for the beer, leaving Ken alone with Cindy.

"You're an incredibly beautiful young woman, Cynthia Martin. I also find you have a very large fan club in this town. As a matter of fact, I think you saved me some money a few minutes ago," Ken then went on to quickly describe their experience on the street. He finished by saying, "The funny thing is that I had the sensation of being followed. I really think they escorted us here from a distance. Does that sound completely nuts?"

By this time Dan had returned with the beers. He gave one to Ken and put the tray on the coffee table. Effortlessly, he picked up Cindy, then sat down in the chair with her now sitting across his lap. She had been talking with Ken and didn't even miss a word while it was all going on. Still apparently paying no attention she retrieved her beer and Dan's from the tray and just snuggled against his shoulder.

Ken looked at her and grinned, asking, "Do you always do that? Do you always sit on Dan's lap?"

With a perfectly straight face she replied, "Kenneth Bradley, haven't you heard about world overcrowding? Dan and I are just getting prepared. This way we don't occupy as much space. Don't you think we're being thoughtful?" Ken just grinned in response.

Then Cindy asked, "What do you think of our resident virgin house slave, anyway?"

His eyes widened and he exclaimed, "You're kidding! She can't really be a virgin. Can she?"

Cindy's eyes gleamed as she responded, "Let's see: you were at J.J.'s with Kelly, Sue and April, weren't you?" He nodded, puzzled. She grinned and continued, "I'll give you a hot clue. Sue and Kelly are also virgins and April has made love to only one man in her life, Ron Jackson, who is the father of her little boy. If you're looking for promiscuity, you'll have to look somewhere else."

"But ... But ... I don't understand. They don't act like virgins!"

"Oh? How do virgins act?"

"Well, you know," Ken replied, obviously flustered now. "They're not at ease around men."

"Oh, I see!" replied Cindy with sarcasm dripping from her voice. "They always wear white and cover their boobs with one hand and their crotch with the other. Is that it?"

"No, Cindy, and you're not being fair. You know exactly what I mean. Virgins are ... innocent! They can't feel comfortable around men. Besides, I thought virginity went out of style with the death of Victoria."