I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

Chapter 39: The Advisor

Nicco requested my presence during a discussion Alisha and him needed to have.

I didn’t know why he would want to meet me. Angela made sense, but Nicco should have no interest in me at all. I wasn’t involved in the business so there was no reason for me to need to meet her business associates. But it was still a request. Alisha assured me I didn’t have to go if I didn’t want to. Nicco wasn’t so much of a wild card as her mom was and she could handle his discontentment without much trouble, but I agreed anyway. I was learning the more problems I tried to put off, the more they snowballed into something bigger. Like my parents calling the police after getting blocked and after the police couldn’t do anything, showing up in person in an attempt to drag me back home.

So I agreed to go and got dressed in my nicer casual clothes, since Alisha was also going in her usual. I made sure I was clean and at least looked fairly well groomed, running a bit of product in my hair to soothe any stray frizz, and curled the different layers around my fingers like Stella had done. It wasn’t as polished as when she had taken care of it but it was good enough.

Tye was Alisha’s security companion for this trip and drove us in the Escapade, the big black SUV-type that Alisha always took and was apparently bulletproof. As far as I knew, no one had ever taken a shot at her but between her having a scar from some kind of assault and the long history of violence in her work, I didn’t blame her for being a little paranoid.

We arrived at another office building, not the laundromat but it was similarly vacant once we went inside. Another fake secretary staring at cameras only glanced up as we passed by.

The set up beyond the entrance was different however. Instead of the large open office space, there were separate rooms with frosted glass doors and windows to let light in and out but still obscured what might be happening on the other side.

Alisha knocked on one of these glass doors before opening it a second later. Tye went in the room but stayed by the door as Alisha led me to a conference table.

There was a man there, hands folded in front of him patiently.

“Alisha,” he greeted warmly, but it was almost too warmly and made me hesitate to trust his intentions here. “And your new girl,” he continued as his gaze slid over to me.

There was that familiar sense of being sized up as he looked me over.

I tried not to stare back but still made an effort to observe him. His hair was trimmed short and was greying. All facial hair had been shaved very recently and I could smell something like sandalwood and menthol coming off his shirt.

Alisha pulled a chair out for herself and then offered one to me.

I sat, feeling uncomfortable. There was absolutely nothing in this room other than the table and the people. I became aware of another guard by the door, opposite Tye. There were no words or even looks exchanged between them but there was definitely a sense of familiarity with the situation for everyone here… except me.

Nicco, I presumed, continued to look at me until Alisha rested her hands on the table.

“This is Kit,” she introduced me as. “My partner.”

I nodded. “It’s nice to meet you,” I told him.

His gaze lingered before there was an intake of breath. “And you have been spending a lot of time with Alisha?” he asked.

I nodded, unsure of why this was the first thing he had to say to me.

He sighed and finally looked at Alisha. “Are you trying to destroy everything?” he asked.

Alisha’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re implying.”

I shrank into myself a little, recognizing this situation all too well from her mother.

“I have no problem with you taking on a partner, but this little thing is a liability,” he explained.

Alisha scowled. “There is nothing wrong with her,” she stated. “She knows what happens to rats and so far she’s proved herself trustworthy.”

I swallowed. Alisha’s word was usually law, but here… I had a feeling Nicco had a similar sway among their underlings.

“I don’t like hearing that you punished Sergei because of her.”

“That’s not what happened,” Alisha stated. “He made a sexual comment about her and after I told him to knock it off, he continued to be… inappropriate,” she explained.

“So you cut out his balls?” Nicco leaned back, folding his arms as he did so. “Is that really fair?”

Alisha glared. “I know you personally put a bullet in someone's dick for making eyes at your wife.”

“That’s different,” Nicco said. “That’s my wife, not some low-class fling.”

I kept myself very still, but inside there was a racing in my blood. 

Alisha composed herself very carefully before continuing. “I don’t appreciate you talking about my partner in such a way,” she said. “And even if she wasn’t involved, Sergei was being disobedient. There needed to be repercussions. I’m not so cruel to kill him or even take… both, but he’d continued to be a problem until I took action. Now he’s obedient, and things are calm.”

Nicco looked at me. “And do you think this was a fair punishment?” he asked me.

I didn’t know what I should answer. “Uhm,” I filled the quiet at least as my brain scrambled. “I mean, it’s harsh but… he was being deliberately uncooperative and there were more incidents leading up to that situation.”

This man seemed dissatisfied with my answer but he said, “I see. That’s reasonable.”

I looked up. Had I said something helpful for once?

Nicco sighed and pulled a stray hair free of his shirt, dropping it to the floor as Alisha watched.

“Be careful, Alisha,” he said. “I know we have our differences. I do what I can to reinforce your control but I can only do so much. I just want you to make the right choices.”

“There is something I wanted to discuss with you,” Alisha told him, dismissing the comment.

“Your mother?” he guessed.

“Yes. You want to talk about my relationships, how about we talk about yours as well.”

Nicco went very still. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

“You can be as sneaky as you want but I know my mother very well. She tends to chatter about her partners, whether they’re secret or not.”

He scowled. “That’s my business, not yours,” he said.

“It is my business,” Alisha said. She didn’t speak loudly or even forcefully but there was still a weight to her words that kept Nicco quiet as she continued. “If you think me getting an unassociated partner is a problem, what do you think someone is going to say if they find out you're sleeping with the boss’ mother? Or your former boss’ wife? Do you really think that’s going to go well in the future?”

“My work and sex life are separate,” he defended. “She has nothing to do with my decisions here.”

“And yet we wouldn’t be having this conversation if she hadn’t run to you.” Alisha folded her hands, elbows on the table and stared him down from over them. “And what about your wife?” she asked. “Does she know? Have you opened your relationship up or am I going to get a call in the middle of the night hearing that somebody got murdered in a jealous rage?”

Nicco was silent.

“From now on, I’m letting my mother be your problem,” Alisha said. “Keep her in check or it's going to be your head. Do I make myself clear?”

The man that had started this conversation full of confidence and pride was now looking at the table intensely.

“Am I clear?” Alisha repeated more forcefully this time.

“Yes,” Nicco agreed. “I understand.”

Alisha relaxed a little. “Good,” she said. “Now, are you going to be calling me stupid for having a relationship with someone unassociated?”

“I never said that,” he defended.

Alisha glared him down, simply waiting.

“No,” he agreed. “I won’t talk about your relationship with other people,” he said.

Alisha’s mouth twitched into a little bit of a sneer. “Good,” she said icily. “Then I’ll be on my way. I trust you to handle your drama with discretion.”

Alisha stood and I followed her, the chair easily rolling away once I was up.

Tye pushed off from the wall, ready to drive us again.

“Alisha,” Nicco said.

She paused and looked back at him.

“I don’t want us to be at odds,” he said.

“You should remember that the next time you want to comment on my personal life,” she told him and turned her back once again.

I followed her, glancing back to see Nicco staring after her, his hands resting on the table contemplatively.

The door closed behind us with a click. Alisha maintained her pace, the heels of her shoes clacking loudly on the linoleum tiles.

I could see one of her fists balled up tightly, but it was the only expression of frustration until we were safely inside the car once again, where she finally sighed.

“I’m sorry my presence is complicating things,” I told her.

“It’s not you,” she said. “It’s never you. It’s them… being stupid.” She shook her head. “The absolute gall of that man. He wants to make me feel like I can’t be in a relationship? Seriously?” Her hand fell to the seat limply.

I reached over and rested mine on top of hers. 

She smiled softly and pulled it away, instead pushing my hair back into place. Her fingers lingered behind my ear after.

Tye started to drive us away again. I glanced at him and wondered if we should talk openly about this with him there… but he had witnessed the entire conversation already.

“Your mom really is sleeping with him,” I commented.

She nodded. “Yes. That could become a major problem.”

“Is it because of… bias?” I guessed. “Or…?”

“It’s a bold move politically speaking. I’m sure my mother was the one flirting with him, not the other way around. She does have a thing for men in powerful positions. Nicco has enough of a brain not to initiate something like that, but he’s still one of those men.”

I nodded. Being one of those men did suit him.

“There's so much that could go wrong with this,” she said. She fixed her hair briefly, straightening a single strand that had moved to the wrong side of her part.

I nodded along.

“Murder is a big concern. Our type of people isn’t exactly known for being peaceable and working things out calmly. But a murder between upper ranking mobsters will draw attention. It’s far easier for the police to make a case to dig into a crime of passion like that and whatever gets dredged up during their investigation is viable ammo for more investigations. On the flip side, either party can run to the police for the sake of hurting the institution as a whole because of hatred for a part. Which is equally as bad.”

“I see,” I said. “So this puts the entire family at risk,” I followed.

She nodded, grim.

I hesitated to ask. “Did you know for sure they were sleeping together?”

She shook her head. “Not until today. But I could tell they had a detailed chat about you last night. It just didn’t feel right if they weren’t closer than they should be.”

I looked at my hands. “I know I ask this a lot but… are you sure it's okay for us to be together like this? He does have a point I am… a liability.”

“Everyone is a liability,” Alisha said without hesitation. “And I’m the one that’s going to fall the furthest if things go wrong. I’m more worried about your safety. The more you learn of this business and the more people get to know your face, the more the blood is going to mix with yours, and the harder it’ll be to walk away.”

I felt my heart sink a little bit. There was a price to pay for me staying here like this. For both of us.

“I’ll stay,” I told her. “I’m not afraid of you… but I do worry about bringing unwanted attention to you… and I am afraid of this business sometimes.”

“I know, Kitten. I wish I could say that it gets better.” She leaned against the seat, closing her eyes for a moment and then they slitted back open. “Unfortunately every time I think I’ve seen the worst of this place, something comes along that’s bigger and badder. I mean, I’m at the point where I’ve murdered one parent and the other…” she trailed off hesitating to continue. “My mother knows the risks,” she said finally. “She’s bringing whatever happens onto herself.”

I knew Alisha didn’t get along with her mother, but there was still a glassiness in her eyes after she said this and she rubbed at them briefly. I leaned against her.

“I wouldn’t want my parents hurt either,” I told her. “Even with everything they’ve done… they’re still my parents.”

She shifted so I could lean flush against her, and pulled me a little closer. “Do you want to get some lunch out?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t mind,” I told her. The way her hands were resting on me was making me hungry in a confused mix of signals. I refused to get turned on in the back of the car, but the temptation was there. Maybe I’d try looking cute for her later; curl up on the bed a bit scantily dressed and give her my best innocent look.

For now, I’d settle for food.