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“There he is!” suddenly Dooley cried. She followed his gaze and saw he was right. A white stretch limo had just turned the corner and was slowly rolling their way. Showtime!

She patted down her fur, gave herself a quick once-over, took a deep breath, and emerged from her stakeout place behind the fire hydrant and sashayed into the road.

“Harriet!” Brutus cried, and she quickly glanced back, only to see him hold up two paws and give her an encouraging grin. She ignored him. Soon Brutus would be a thing of the past, as would Max and Dooley and all her other friends. A slight pang of regret niggled at the back of her mind, but she ignored it. Onwards and upwards! The grand life awaited!

The limo crawled to a stop in front of her and the door opened, light spilling out into the street. And then she saw him. Limo Cat. Love Symbol. He was everything Shanille had promised and more. Orange, butch, his fur shiny and gleaming in the dome light, slate gray eyes sparkling and bright, he displayed the kind of grin that seemed oddly familiar. He was also wearing a mask, which covered half the acreage of his noble and handsome visage.

“Hey, beautiful”, he said, his voice a purr.

“Oh, hey, there,” she said, as if his arrival had caught her by surprise.

“Fancy a ride in my fancy car?” he asked, gesturing at the limo’s butter-colored leather interior.

She couldn’t see the driver, but Love Symbol was all alone in the plush back section, which told her he was the one in charge of the proceedings, the stretch limo all his.

“Sure,” she said. “Why not?” She knew time was of the essence here, as Brutus and the others were ready to pounce on Limo Cat. Her plan had been to hop into the limo the first chance she got, and tell Love Symbol to hit the gas and get out of there. Now that she was face to face with the cat, though, a sudden doubt seemed to cripple her.

“Hop in,” he said. “You look like the kind of cat who likes to have a good time. And guess what? I’m the kind of cat who likes to show cats like you a good time. Heh heh.”

She frowned. Once again the thought that this cat seemed awfully familiar assailed her.“Have we met?” she asked.

He laughed.“Oh, honey, if we had I would remember. A beauty like you?”

She smiled.“You think I’m beautiful?”

“I think you’re gorgeous. In fact I think you’re probably the most gorgeous cat I’ve ever met. I can’t wait to get better acquainted.”

She decided to take the leap. A cat who appreciated beauty like this couldn’t be bad. It showed the kind of depth of character and sophistication she’d been looking for. He might have a private dungeon back home and turn out to be Christian Grey’s cat but who cared? Christian was a billionaire, right? He owned a private jet, didn’t he? So she hopped into the limo and as she did something hopped from Love Symbol’s fur onto her and she yelped.

“A flea!” she cried. “You’ve got fleas!”

“No, I don’t,” said Love Symbol bluntly.

“Your flea just jumped on me!”

He grinned a lascivious grin and leaned in.“Is that an invitation?”

“Get away from me, you freak!” She started to crawl back out of the car.

His smile vanished and he yanked off his mask.“Cut the crap, Harriet. You know you want this as much as I do. Now get your pretty little tush back in here and we’ll dance the vertical mambo just the way we used to.”

She stared at the cat, aghast.“Diego? What the hell?!”

He shrugged and displayed that grin again.“Hey, I’m happy to see you too.”

“I thought you moved away?”

“To Southampton. Only a few miles down the road.”

“You left me, you scumbag! You left me for some stupid human!”

“I’m sorry, okay! It was an offer I couldn’t refuse! Free Cat Snax for the rest of my life? An actual mansion? Are you kidding me? The only thing I miss is you, babe. So what do you say? Come and live with me? Kitty Nala’s got cat food up the wazoo, and toys and grounds stretching as far asa cat’s eye can see. The only thing she hasn’t got is playmates, but she was kind enough to give me this limo so I can be out and about from time to time—take care of those other needs, if you catch my drift.” He gave her a fat wink, and Harriet couldn’t believe she ever thought Diego wassexy. He repulsed her now. Him and hisfleas.

“Maybe Kitty should send you to a vet. You’ve got fleas, Diego. It’s a real turn-off.”

“Who cares about a few fleas as long as you’re having fun? Come with me, babe. I’ve missed you. I’m all alone up there in that big mansion. No one to play with. No one to shoot the breeze with. No one to cuddle up to when the nights get cold and lonely.”

She wavered.“Do you get to go to cat shows and stuff?”

“Sure! I can go to any show I want. Kitty’s got a private plane. Whatever you want.”

She glanced back at her friends, who stood concealed behind the fire hydrant. Suddenly the life of the big-city cat she’d wanted seemed a lot less appealing. Then the flea took a big bite out of her tush and she yipped, “It bit me! The frickin’ thing just bit me!”