Chapter 2

I cleared up the junk that was tossed on the bed and put some of it away and stuffed the rest of it onto the book case shelves. I opened the closet door and shoved my cases inside among the rest of the junk that had accumulated there and made a note to drag some of it down to the studio. With a little luck I could rope my guests into helping me with it and that would save a few dozen trips up and down the stairs. Unloading it wouldn't be a problem; it was just that the stairs to our flat were a bit of a hassle.

The girls were comfortably ensconced in the tub when I got done and seemed to be hitting it off. The Cat was telling Kathy about some cool shops she knew in San Francisco and about some stuff she thought Kathy would 'look fabulous' in. Kathy was kind of looking at her a bit oddly, and my arrival with the last of the six-pack of Dos Equis and a bowl of chips and guacamole shut off the flow of girl talk for a moment.

"So, you don't seem too shocked by our left coast life style." I said as I pulled off my t-shirt. Kathy was just wearing her birthday suit and seemed comfortable about skin, so I stripped down to join them.

"Grab another joint, will ya?" The Cat said as I got out of my jeans.

"Sure."

"We gotta take Tony with us, he really needs some new threads." Cat said to Kathy.

"Fuck that, I still haven't worn most of the stuff we got the last time I let you talk me into going shopping with you."

"Hey, I just want you to look nice."

"For the Dead?" I asked. "You know I don't need that kind of stuff."

"Well, what if you and Nancy want to go someplace nice?"

"Big fuckin' deal." I said as I climbed into the tub. "Ahhh!" I said as I eased in. "Yeah, like anyone would waste time looking at me." The Cat got a rueful look on her face.

"Yeah, you sure got that right," She conceded. She saw Kathy's curious look. "Nancy's a knock out. You'll see what I mean when you meet her. And speaking of meeting her, where the hell is she, anyway?"

"Working. Some people do, you know?"

"Aw, that sucks. Any chance she can take a few days off while I'm here?"

"Probably. Why? What do you have in mind for my lady that's going to take a few days to do?"
"I don't know, but we'll figure out something."

"You really sure you got ten days?"

"Yeah. Nothing on the book until the sixteenth."

"Cool. Make you a deal then. You don't make me go shopping with you, I'll wear something dressy and you can take us all out while you're in town."

"Deal." The Cat said instantly.

"Okay." I agreed.

"Did I miss something here? You just told her that like assumed she was going to be picking up the tab?"

"Haven't you heard of Women's Liberation? She wants me to get dressed up, she can pick up the check." The Cat nodded, being busy with filling her lungs at the time. "Besides, it's not like she's really paying for us. It's all expense account stuff."

"Oh." Kathy took the joint. "What kind of job do you have that you get an expense account? I always thought that sounded like a pretty nifty thing to have."

"I'm a photographer." The Cat hissed through her toke.

"Mmmn?" Kathy asked as she inhaled.

"The Cat shoots skinny chicks in overpriced clothes for fashion magazines. Be careful when you go out shopping with her, as you'll find that when she says 'divine', it means there's a comma in the price tag." The Cat snickered as I sucked in smoke, but she didn't deny it either. Kathy took a second to figure out 'comma' and laughed, thinking it was a joke.

"Don't worry, Kathy. I got some favors to cash-in in this town and I'm sure I can get someone to lay something nice on you." Kathy looked at her a bit bemused.

"So, how come I never see you wearing anything besides that safari jacket get up of yours?"

"Hey, that jacket's my trademark! Don't go making fun of my jacket!"

"Huh! Talk about sexist, you're bitching about me getting all dressed up and then when I do, what are you wearing? Righttttt!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh! So we ran a little over time and I couldn't make it home to get all spiffied up for going out. You're never going to let me forget it either, are you?"

"No, probably not, now that you mention it." I sucked in some more smoke.

"Poor baby," she hissed at me through her own toke. I coughed a little, then couldn't stop from wasting the toke.

"So you're a photographer?" Kathy asked as she took the joint.

"Uh huh." The Cat blew out her toke. "Advertising, mostly."

"Like what kind of advertising?"

"Clothes," I said. "Plus all the other crap that goes with it." The Cat grinned at me smugly. Her monthly income was way beyond what I made in a year and it had been that way for a couple of years now.

"Oh yeah?" Kathy waved off the joint, and I handed it to the Cat.

"Yeah. Don't let the slovenly look fo —Hey! Watch it!"

"Ah, shit, sorry man, didn't mean to get the joint wet."

"It's okay, but don't let it happen again, okay?"

"Okay, I'll be good." She leaned back and got her beer, then turned to Kathy. "I got lucky a few years back and suddenly I'm the really 'in' chick photographer all of a sudden. So my agent keeps jacking up my fees and keeps me pretty busy."

"Oh. Uh, you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Naw, go ahead."

"What do you make doing that kind of work?"

The Cat told her what her fee was for the cancelled shoot in Madrid was. Kathy looked like she didn't believe her, or maybe she thought it was for a year's work.

I whistled. "Jesus, Cat. Fuck the clothes, buy me a new Ferrari instead."

"You want a Ferrari?" She looked at me seriously a second. I shook my head.

"No, but it's nice to know that if I'm a good boy, I can look forward to something in the Christmas stocking." She laughed.

"Naw, seriously, you want a Ferrari?"

"I am about one more speeding ticket away from having my license jerked right now. If I was driving one of those, it would be gone in a week for sure and then how do you think I'd feel looking at that fucker just sitting there parked and going to waste?" She broke up giggling.

Kathy was looking like at us like there was a joke going on between us that she wasn't 'in' on, never realizing that the 'Ferrari joke' wasn't a joke.

"Aw, fuck, Cat. You don't have to buy me a god damn car just to get into my pants, you know?" She was still giggling and that really got her going again.

She came over to me and sat on my lap and leaned in and planted one hell of a kiss on me. That stopped her laughing, and it certainly was nice to have done to you.

"Tony," she said after she broke the kiss. "Long as you still feel this way about me," and her hand slid down between us and grabbed me, "I'll buy you all the god damn cars you want, okay?"

"Fuck, Cat. I don't want your god damn car, I just want your god damn body!"

"Damn good answer, Tony." She said huskily. She smooched me again and turned to Kathy. "You think you can keep yourself amused while Tony and I go discuss some business?"

"Uh, sure." Kathy was a little off balance from how fast the conversation had shifted, and how it was obviously going someplace else for a while.

Cat got up off of me and pulled my hand as she stood up. I resisted a bit, not wanting to offend my ex girl friend with my enthusiastic display.

"Get me a towel, will ya?" I said to the Cat.

"Sure."

I looked at Kathy. "Uh, make yourself at home, okay?" The Cat tossed a towel across my head and I turned around and got out. She reached for my hand impatiently and I held mine up.

"Slow down, Cat. Nancy just changed the sheets yesterday and she'd be pissed if we got them all wet."

The Cat snorted. "I'll do the fucking laundry after we're done, big guy. They're going to get plenty wet, either way."

"Nancy comes home while we're busy, just introduce yourself, Kathy."

"Enough talking," the Cat said and got a come along grip on my finger and pulled me inside the house, inside our bedroom, and inside her body in about twenty seconds flat.

And yeah, the sheets got damn wet.

About two hours later, when I reemerged from the boudoir, Nancy was out in the tub with Kathy and she spotted me heading into the john.

"Hey, Tony! Why didn't you get some more beer while I was at work?"

"Because I didn't have a chance." I went in and pee'd and rinsed off my face, then went out to the back deck. I gave Nancy a welcome home smooch, but she wasn't having any.

"Long as you're dry, why don't you run on down and pick up another few beers?"

"Okay. The Cat's here."

"Yeah, I heard. And why ain't she out here saying hi, anyhow?"

"She's totally crashed. She just flew from New York to Madrid and then here. I don't think we'll be seeing her for dinner."

"Well, ain't that the fuckin' pits."

"And they lost her bags, so you want to go with me and we'll get her some clothes to wear?" The Cat wouldn't fit into anything of Nancy's, that was for sure.

"Ah, I think she left some clothes here last time she was in town. I think they're in a box down in the laundry room."

"Good deal."

"So how's things with her, anyhow?" I shrugged, not sure what was bothering her but knowing something was. Nancy caught it and raised an eyebrow, but Kathy couldn't see that one from where she was sitting.

"Samo, samo, I guess. We didn't really have time to talk much."

"Well, seems she got at least one thing fixed." Nancy said dryly. I grinned, knowing that Nancy wasn't getting on my case, and knowing how tough it was for the Cat to get laid much out on the road.

"She certainly did. But I don't think we can hold her to the promise that she'd change the sheets right now." Nancy smirked.

"Guess not."

"So you two already got introduced?"

"Yeah. We were discussin' what to see and do around here. You up for playing tour guide?"

"Sure am. And that reminds me, we have to get some tickets for the Dead."

"No big deal. You want to take care of that or should I?"

"I'll deal with it."

"Cool. So you didn't want the Ferrari?"

"Uh, no, why?"

"Well, sweet Jesus, that is one dumb fuckin' question!"

"Come on, Nance. The son of a bitch would cost me my license in about a week."

"That's because you can't talk a cop out of a ticket."

"Well, shit, you want one, you ask the Cat to give you one."

"Well, I ain't saying I want one."

"Well, it sure as hell sounded like it to me." I said somewhat irritated. "You want the car, you can ask her for it yourself."

"Ah, hell, I don't know if I really want one or not."

"Who's going to pay for fixing the thing when it breaks down?"

"Well, there is that."

"And insurance?"

"Okay, okay. I got it, it's a nice idea, but who needs it, right?" I realized just how odd it must sound to her, as she's usually the one talking me out of expensive things I just can't live without.

"Hell, Nancy, if you really want the car, I'm sure that the Cat would spring for the incidentals on it." She nodded. "You really want the hassle of worrying about someone scratching the paint, or stealing it?" She thought about it a sec, then shook her head. "So what are we arguing about here, anyway?"

Kathy was sitting up on the deck and looking uncomfortable about our discussion. Nancy shrugged, "I don't know. I just thought it would be cool to have a far out car to drive around in for a while."

"Well, hell. Just because I'm from Michigan doesn't automatically make me into cars all that much." This really wasn't like Nancy at all, and I couldn't figure out what had gotten into her.

"Well, I guess I'm just jealous is all. How come she doesn't offer to buy me cars?"

"Because you weren't here while she was playing Lady Bountiful." I said with some irritation in my voice. "You know she'd just as soon give you anything she's got as look at you." Nancy nodded, knowing that it was the truth.

"Tell you what. Why don't you go wake her up and ask her for a car and we'll go shopping right now? And while we're doing that, you can get her some clothes to wear?"

"Okay, okay, I'm being a bitch. I'll shut up and be good."

I couldn't help myself. I looked her in the eye and said earnestly, "Sweetie, you don't get cars like that by being good!" She laughed and stood up out of the water and I came forward and she leaned up and I kissed her and got my shirt wet and Kathy gave me a quizzical glance and looked away for a minute to give us some privacy.

Nancy had had a rough day, was getting her period, and had not gotten much sleep the night before with welcoming me home. And with several thousand dollars worth of camera equipment wandering around the Friendly Skies on its own, instead of having a nice morning in bed and going out for breakfast, I'd woken her up getting dressed to go retrieve my lost gear and the whole day had been like that. She gets home, and finds not only did I bring home a former girlfriend, but her bed was being slept in by another friend of ours and she was stuck with playing hostess to this nervous stranger in the hot tub, who didn't quite know how to explain about where her old man was, nor how she got there in the tub with no clothes on. So much for her taking off early that day, and then the stranger proceeds to relate this odd story involving this odd girl who had offered to buy her boy friend a Ferrari.

That was about where I came in.

I finished hugging Nancy and went in and got a the remains of a quart of ice cream out of the freezer and split it into two bowls and brought them out to the back deck and handed them to the ladies. I dressed and gave Nancy a kiss and ran down and picked up some beer and munchies and made it back home as soon as I could. Then I got the Cat's dirty clothes out of the bedroom, straightened out the covers on the bed a bit with the Cat never waking up the whole time I was doing that, and took her dirty clothes out to the porch and started emptying pockets onto the coffee table. Passport, a wad of Spanish money, comb, chewing gum, receipts from the upper pocket, a half empty pack of Sherman's, a Dunhill lighter, and a couple of lens filters and a match book cover with someone's phone number on it and a flip pad of notes and a pen without a cap on it, fortunately out of ink. Her jeans had a small wallet with credit cards and business cards, a folded over wad of American money about an inch thick, about a dozen or so coins from two countries and her plane ticket from Madrid to SFO, a receipt for thirty one dollars cab fare, another match book cover with an illegible scrawl on it, and that was about it for the stuff in the pockets. I took her dirty clothes and put the jeans and underwear in the washing machine on gentle cycle and left her white stuff for the next load, and looked for the box of her clothes Nancy said were down in the laundry room somewhere. I finally found the box behind a couple of other boxes on the floor and lugged it back upstairs to the back deck. Kathy was sitting on the deck and looking pensively at the back yard, peeling the beer label with a fingernail.

"Where's Nancy?" I asked.

"She went to lay down. Said she didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah." It had been a swell welcome home. "We were up pretty late."

"You sure it's okay for me to be here?"

"Yeah. She'll be fine once she gets some sleep." I didn't want to apologize for Nancy, and Kathy was seeing her at her worst. I thought about it a second. "Why? She say anything?"

"Not exactly."

"Oh?"

"Well, I can see this isn't the best time."

"Kathy, this thing with the Cat, well, it's hard to explain, but there isn't any reason for you to be concerned about it, Nancy is totally okay with her being here. Uh, and as far as the thing goes with her and me, uh, well, Nancy knows all about that and it's totally okay."

"You gotta be kidding me."

I shook my head. "Kath, there isn't any big deal about me going to bed with the Cat. Nancy knows all about that, and we're fine with each other about it." Kathy looked at me for a long moment, and I might have been a little defensive about having to explain all the ins and outs of my somewhat tangled love life to someone I hadn't seen since the summer after high school graduation. But I wasn't looking like I had something to hide, that was for sure. "It's just —complicated."

She smiled faintly. "I guess."

"Yeah, but seriously, we're really okay with the Cat and all."

She gave me an appraising glance. "Sounds like you have a pretty interesting life going here."

"Oh, yeah."

"So." She said, give me another speculative look. "What's the thing with 'I want a Ferrari, ' anyway?"

I sighed.

"Fuck, I don't know: I never knew Nancy wanted one before this afternoon." She was plainly expecting me to explain some kind of in-joke. Our little flat wasn't any big deal, a very small two bedroom, kind of old and funky wood shake two story building with an uneven concrete stair way up the side of the house that really could use replacing, and the furniture was stuff we'd picked up at flea markets, and Sally Anne's Boutique and the most expensive thing in whole place was the stereo system and our record collection. We were definitely not the kind of people who drove Ferrari's, and our chunky little friend in the safari jacket and jeans wasn't your stereotypical rich bitch either. "You remember when you asked the Cat how much she made?" Kathy nodded. "You thought that was what she makes per year, right?" She nodded again. "That was her fee for the shoot in Madrid." Kathy seemed to pause for a second, and I could almost hear the little gears whirring in her head. I continued, "That was a ten day shoot." Kathy blinked, "and that is one hard working little chick. I doubt if she takes more than two weeks off a year and she's the hottest high fashion photographer on Madison Avenue right now, and every couturier and fashion house in the world wants her to shoot their ads. I know for a fact that she lives in a hotel in New York and when she goes out on the road her stuff just gets packed away and when she comes 'home', they haul it all up out of the basement store room and she writes off the hotel room as a business deduction. It might sound crazy as hell, but this is not only the Cat's 'official residence' so she can vote, but it's also the closest thing she has to a real home in this world. She grew up three doors down that a way, and her father drank and was a total asshole when he was drunk so she's been hanging around with us since she was thirteen or fourteen. So she knows people around here, went to school here and knows the area better than she'll ever know New York or London or Paris or Saint Barts or any of the places her work takes her. You really don't have any idea of what kind of insanity being on the road is, it's like traveling with a ten to two hundred people traveling circus that's geared around when magazines hit the newsstands and airline schedules. The closest I can come to describing it is like a traveling rock and roll show with better dressed groupies and nicer furniture. Every meal she eats out on the road is a business deduction, every hotel room, beverage on the set, limo, assistant, what class she flies when she flies, what kind of car is to be provided, all of that shit is worked out by her agent in contracts and negotiations. She's making top dollar for her work and she's into the kind of money that the old, established guys are getting simply because she's a chick, very hip, and has one of the best eyes for shooting what's 'in' on the planet right now."