Call Me Cat (Call Me Cat Trilogy #1)

Call Me Cat (Call Me Cat Trilogy #1)

Karpov Kinrade




Chapter One


One is Such a Lonely Number


THIS IS WHY I don't date.

It had been some time since my last attempt at dating, and while not all were complete disasters, many were. I was a magnet for a certain kind of man. The kind mothers warn their daughters about.

This guy was no exception.

He stared at me with wide brown eyes, waiting for something. I didn't know what to say, didn't know why I agreed to visit his dorm room before we went out for coffee. He sounded so reasonable on the phone. "You swing by and we head out. I just getting out of class so I need to change."

I found his Italian accent charming, and my best friend had assured me he was 'hot.' She'd set us up on a blind date, this guy from her bio-chem class, and I'd stupidly agreed because Bridgette knew me well enough after four years of undergrad to gauge my taste in men, right?

Apparently not.

He stood with his legs crossed, rainbow stripes running up his socks, one pulled all the way up his calf, the other squashed to his shoe. He wore crumpled shorts, which weren't weird by themselves, but the entire outfit made me think of Urkel from that old sitcom Family Matters, down to the suspenders. Who wears suspenders anymore?

I cleared my throat. "May I use your restroom before we go?"

He nodded and pointed to the tiny bathroom attached to his messy dorm room. I let myself in and locked the door behind me, then checked the mirror. I so seldom wore makeup that I'd rubbed at it without realizing, making my brown eyes raccoon-like. A quick fix and another swipe of red lipstick, and I was set.

Adjusting my ponytail, catching a few dark strands of hair that got loose, I glanced at the toilet, where an empty condom floated in the water like an abandoned boat lost at sea.

I snapped a picture with my cell phone and texted Brig. THIS is who you set me up with. Thanks so much.

My phone beeped a moment later. WTF? Is that from the two of you?

Um, no! Gross. I just got here. He must have had company before me.

LOL. I'll call you and bail you out. I'm SO sorry. He seemed nice in class. And the hair.

My fingers flew over the keypad. I'll give you that one, he does have gorgeous hair.

He was still standing in the same place when I returned, his clothes still misaligned. "Shall we go with coffee now?"

I faked a smile and walked toward the door. "Sure."

As he locked up, he watched me again with this expectant expression. "You not say anything?"

"About what?"

He glanced at his socks. "About these. I test you, see if you notice, but you not say anything."

My phone rang and I answered. "Yes?"

Brig whispered like we were spies in a covert operation about to go wrong. "Meet me at the diner, and I'll buy you lunch. It's the least I can do after setting you up."

"Oh my God, are you okay?" I feigned concern. "Yes, of course, I'll be there right away."

Brig chuckled. "Oh you're good. If your career in law doesn't work out, you could always try theater."

I hung up and faced my failed date. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go."

He frowned. "Everything okay?"

"An emergency. You understand? But thank you all the same. I'm sure I'll see you around."

He hollered after me as I scurried down the hall. "I call you later."

"Um, sure." I made a note to block his number as I headed to the diner Brig and I had eaten at for the last five years. Burger Oil's food lacked quality and taste, but the prices were cheap—and cheap was perfect for college.

Cool, crisp air cleared my senses as I made the long walk from Italian Dude's dorms.

When I arrived, Brig pointed at her non-existent watch dramatically, her long blond hair hovering around her head like a halo above her pale face and ice blue eyes. "Did you crawl here?" She looked outside and back at me. "You walked? Is the Bruiser in the shop again?"

"It would be, if I could afford to take it to the shop." The Bruiser was the nickname we coined for my piece of shit Camaro the night it died and forced us to walk to a party in high heels. Our feet were bruised from the walking, thus the name.

"You should have called. I could have picked you up."

I shrugged. "I needed the walk."

"Can't you get more student loans to help?"

She'd already ordered me a cup of coffee. I added sugar and creamer and sipped. "I'm maxed out as it is."

"What are you going to do?"

Before I could answer the waitress rescued me by asking for our order. Once she left I changed the subject. "No more dates. I'm so done with men. Besides, I've got a huge paper due before winter break, and I won't get done if I don't get started on my research."

Brig rolled her eyes. "You'll do fine. Your biggest concern is whether you'll get an A+ or an A++. It's in your blood. Are you still using your mom's book as the springboard for your paper?"

"Yes. Her research into sociopaths and psychopaths intrigues me, and I think there's more to uncover in relation to prosecuting them in court. But I have a long ways to go before I'm ready to formulate my own opinions on the subject."