Myka's Tail Ch. 03

The Strip was where you went for a night of bar hopping if you were looking to "cut loose", but only wanted the polished veneer of artificial debauchery that this Disneyfied common space specialized in. That being said, it did boast some of the best live music clubs anywhere, and The Tavern was at the top of that list. I had been there once before, when I had first started college, and the jazz fest that happened that weekend still shines as one of my brightest memories. It was three days of soul searing music, pianos and horns, and rooms filled with the smell of stale whisky and sweat. It had been pure heaven, and I was hoping that Paul's performance tonight would be similar.

I remembered on New Year's when Paul expressed to me his interest in music, and how I had encouraged him to follow that passion after teaching him the ins and outs of lovemaking, pun definitely intended. It surprised me, though, that he would jump into it that quickly. I decided that I would have to make sure and pry the story from him after his show, and I am sure Kelli was hoping that between the two of us we could pry a few other things out of him as well. She and I had talked long and hard about it in the few days immediately following New Year. We realized that for our relationship to work we were going to have to share everything, including any extra bed mates that my Neko half might push me to.

By the time my musings had brought my one track mind back to thinking about sex we had arrived at The Tavern and made our way inside. It was just like I remembered, with dim, almost nonexistent light in the common areas, with the bar and stage both sporting a bright halo of warm light. Both Kelli and I immediately went up to the counter and got the attention of the bartender, who immediately asked for our IDs. We didn't even bother getting them out and just asked for two under age bands that nearly all the drinking places in the area used. It was great for business because most of us who were under age really loved the live music in the Strip, and we could still buy food and sodas so it was a win for everyone.

Once we had our no alcohol bracelets in place and our first drink orders put in, Kelli grabbed me by the arm and began leading me over to one side of the common area, where I noticed Ali and some other people had gathered. I waved at her as she turned and noticed Kelli and I, and everyone with her quickly made room and stood to greet us when we came over.

"Hey guys," Ali greeted us with a smile. "Come join the crew."

"Thanks for having us," Kelli replied as she gave Ali a quick hug.

"Pffttt... I'd be a Class A Bitch if I didn't hang with my friends. And you look absolutely fabulous tonight Kelli!"

Kelli blushed from neck to ears at Ali's compliment, but still managed to thank her without appearing to be overly bashful. Once Kelli had stepped aside I pulled Ali into a bone crushing hug that made her grunt in surprise.

"Thank you so much for everything that you did," I whispered in her ear, with a slight quaver in my voice. "It means the world to me that you're my friend and would step up like that for me."

Ali took my face in her hands and looked at me while we touched forehead to forehead.

"I haven't known either you or Kelli for very long," she whispered back to me. "But you are both my sisters, as sure as anyone in the Circle is my sister. I hope you know that I would walk through fire and all the levels of hell for either of you, because I know that you would do the very same for me without a moment's hesitation."

Then she kissed me on my cheek and tried to wipe a few tears from her eyes without me seeing before turning to the others in the group so she could introduce us.

"Ok gang, this is Myka, our own resident Neko, and her girlfriend Kelli. Myka, Kelli, this is gang," Ali said in introduction, getting several laughs in the process.

"Really though, this is Jessica, Paul's sister, our friend Jasmine and her boyfriend Matt," and as Ali indicated each person in the group we all made the rounds of handshakes and hugs.

I was not sure what it was, but something about the group was bothering me. I really couldn't put actual words to my feelings about it, but something just felt disjointed about the way everyone was interacting with each other. I took a minute or two to look at the lines that bound these new people to each other and I didn't notice anything wrong there either. Clearly Jessica and Ali were very good friends, but there was almost no connection between Matt and anyone but Jasmine. If they were in a relatively new relationship, however, then this would most likely be more than normal.

I just couldn't shake the feeling that something about the group was going to go terribly wrong. As I was trying to solidify my understanding of what my instincts were telling me about these new people I suddenly shivered as an icy chill shot down my spine faster than a bolt of lightning. I was being watched, and suddenly my feelings about Ali's friends made sense. It wasn't the group that was wrong it was someone or something else in the bar with us.

I stepped back while everyone else was talking and I scanned the room using all of my more predatory senses so that I would miss nothing. I looked in every corner, and every dark space, but even with my heightened powers of observation I still could not locate the source of my feeling. And with another jolting shiver the sense of being watched disappeared as fast as it had appeared, taking with it everything that I had sensed about our new friends. I knew that Kelli and I would need to be even more careful until we had figured out who was behind the problems we had been having.

"So, Myka," Jessica called to me as I turned back and rejoined the group. "How do you know Paul?"

I giggled shyly at her question, and even Kelli blushed a bit as she wondered how I was going to answer. Ali, on the other hand, was just shaking her head in mock disgust, and Matt and Jasmine just looked confused.

"Well Jessica," I began with a wink at Kelli to let her know I wouldn't overdo it. "I ran into Paul during the New Year's party at your house. We danced some, talked about things, and spent some time discussing his love of music."

"Wait a minute," Jessica gasped as her eyes widened in realization. "You were the girl he was with at the party? Oh my god!"

I couldn't help but giggle, and Jessica's surprise made me blush a little, knowing that Paul had at least mentioned me to his family.

"Yes, Jessica, I was that girl. And the only other thing I will tell you is that he was a perfect gentleman who just needed a little push in the right direction."

"But, why? Aren't you with Kelli," she asked, I could tell that she was still a bit confused.

"I am with Kelli, and I love her very much. The details of New Year's, however, get a little bit complicated," and I took Kelli's hand in mine as I responded. "Kelli and I have a unique point of view, and even we don't understand it all yet."

"So you cheated on your girlfriend with Paul at the party," and I turned to respond to Jasmine's irritated comment, but Kelli beat me to the punch.

"Actually, Myka and I had just kissed for the first time at the party," Kelli quipped back, and I sensed that she was defending me like a bear protecting her cubs. "So, no, she hadn't cheated on me, and we talked about it for several days afterward and I am certainly ok with it."

And then Kelli lowered her eyes in a coquettish display and said, "And I wanted to meet Paul tonight to see what all the fuss was about."

"You need to behave," I said as I smacked her on the arm, and both of us burst into a fit of giggles while Ali just shook her head at our antics.

"Look, I'm sorry," I said after a few moments. "I really am not trying to make light of this, but there are things about our relationship that are complicated, as I said before. One day we may have it all figured out, but right now we just take it day by day, like everyone else."

As I said this, Kelli wrapped her arm around my waist and snuggled into my shoulder, but Jasmine turned around and took a seat far away from us, the look of disgust written plain on her face. Jessica, however, just looked at the two of us thoughtfully for a minute.

"Look, as long as you don't hurt my brother, I really don't care how you choose to live your lives. You hurt him, though, and you will answer to me, understood?"

"I promise you I won't hurt him," I replied, gently taking Jessica's hand. "Now, what do they have to eat here? I feel like I haven't eaten in, like, two days!"

"You haven't," Ali mumbled under her breath, trying her best not to laugh at my comment.

"So, yeah," I broke back in. "Food first, and right the hell now, then when is this show supposed to start?"

And with that the ice was broken, with Jessica and Matt at least, and we all sat around a table they had staked out near the wall. I was not sure what Jasmine's problem was, but everyone else seemed to be ok with Kelli and me. I figured I would just give her some space. In the mean time I was able to order a gigantic roast beef sandwich, very, very rare, with sweet potato fries and some mini-peppers. Half of the conversation over the next forty five minutes as we waited for the show to start was how in the name of Almighty God I could eat that much food in so short a time. It really felt good to laugh again, and to be among new and old friends.

There was a lot of bullshitting as we sat there, with the mish mash of questions that any group goes through when so little is known about each other. Jokes were made in an effort to lighten the mood, silly and embarrassing stories were swapped, much to the chagrin of the various victims at the table, and even Jasmine seemed to loosen up after she had had a drink or two.

Jessica had completed a communications degree with a business minor, and would be interning at her dad's company for a while. She would probably end up in charge when he decided to retire. Ali had graduated in history and linguistics, though I'm pretty sure that Kelli and I were the only ones here who knew about her other education, and Jasmine, everyone else called her Jaz, was in her last semester of college for a degree in biology. That was when everyone turned their eyes on Kelli and me, and it was our turn under the microscope.

Kelli was a math and physics major, of course, and as far as all of us at the table could tell, was our resident genius. Kelli finally mentioned my reluctance to declare a major and mocked me for my foolishness in front of everyone. I mean really, and everyone agreed, who the hell hasn't chosen their major by the time they finish their second year? The fact was that I was going to be required to pick a major in order to register for the next semester, and this conversation would be moot in a few months. I did, however, continue to accept the good natured teasing rather than let my petulant side out. Soon enough the lights dimmed and the announcer came over the speaker system to introduce tonight's entertainment.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to The Tavern."

The low bass of the announcer's voice washing over the night crowd caused a rippling hush to descend on the bar, and the stage lights were lowered to a barely visible stream.

"Why don't you put your hands together for this evening's show, first timers here on our stage. Give it up for the Paul McAllister Combo."

"Alright, here we go," said Jessica, as gleeful as a yarn wrapped kitten. "And you all better clap like crazy or I will beat each and every one of you senseless."

Her comment made us laugh, and we all clapped for Paul and his group as if they had just introduced John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk. Within moments, however, the applause died down as the crowd held their breath in anticipation of the first notes of the night's performance.

It started with a slow beat of a bass drum with a matching rhythm from a snare drum being played with wire brushes. A couple of measures later the deep resonant thrum of a well plucked bass fiddle joined the drums along with the low mournful sound of a tenor saxophone. The lights started to come up on the stage then, and the soft mellow sounds of the first set had us swaying in our seats. The lights were still low enough that I could not make out any of the features of the players, but I could tell that the bassist was a giant of a man, standing well over six feet tall, and with shoulders as wide as the Grand Canyon. Even so, he played the upright bass with a dexterity that few could probably match.

I had been so caught up in scoping out the band members that I had failed to notice the bright spotlight that had just illuminated the baby grand piano, but the addition of the melodic tinkling of the keys to the music pulled my gaze to the now revealed pianist. Paul's deft movements over the black and whites meshed perfectly with the other players as the tempo picked up a touch, and the beauty of their music had everyone in the room tapping their feet or snapping their fingers. He looked pretty much as he had on New Year's, with a crisp white shirt covered with a deep maroon vest, but he had opted for a loosened straight black tie instead of the bowtie I remembered.

Soon enough they moved on to the next song in the set, and then the next. Paul pushed the group through several peppy up tempo numbers, and a smattering of the slow crooning ballads that were the hallmark of classic jazz music, stopping only to call out the occasional count off for tempo when it was needed. They were good. Really damned good for a group that had only been together for a couple of months, and I could tell that Paul was a true master at his craft. They weren't there yet, but with some years of seasoning and practice this group would probably be remembered as one of the greats of modern jazz.

After what seemed like way too short a time, the band ended the first set and a forty five minute break was announced and when I looked at the time I was shocked to realize that they had been playing for well over an hour. I had been so lost in the music that I hadn't paid attention, and their music was really that good, and I was glad that there would be more to come.

Paul had come down off the stage by then and was shaking hands and receiving congratulations from the crowd, but he made his way over to our group. He had come over to say hello to his sister and to introduce her to his band, and I giggled to myself as I saw Kelli eying him in a very subtle, but very predatory manner.

"Hey Jess," Paul said, as he pulled his sister to himself and hugged her. "Thanks for coming out tonight."

"You know I wouldn't miss this for the world Peanut," she replied, and it was clear that he was embarrassed by her use of an obvious family nickname.

"Come on Jess, you know I don't like to be called that," he groused as he rubbed the back of his blushing neck.

"I know, and that's why I still use it," Jessica giggled. "Because you look so cute when you blush."

"Hey Jaz, Matt," Paul greeted the couple in an effort to keep his sister from embarrassing him further. "How are things?"

"We're great," Matt piped up, almost immediately, and Jasmine followed right on his heels.

"Yeah, never better. Though school is still a pain. I can't wait to be done."

Paul waved and said hello to Ali before beginning to introduce his band to his sister and her friends. I couldn't help but focus my attention on Matt and Jasmine, though, because there comments just seemed off a bit to me. The bond between them obviously was solid, but it was thinner than other love bonds between couples that I had observed. Perhaps they were a really new couple, and had not really formed solid attachments yet, but either way I resolved to keep an eye on it over the next few weeks. If I needed to step in and help or to push them a bit, I would be ready. Then Paul turned and noticed Kelli and I, and his jaw dropped so low you could probably have driven a car into his mouth. He recovered quickly, though, and rushed over to me.

"Oh my god! Myka! How are you," Paul exclaimed as he pulled me up in a chest creaking hug and spun me around before setting me back on my feet.

"Hi Paul," I replied softly, as I placed my hand on the side of his face and gave him an ever so gentle kiss, my ears and tail flicking with pleasure. "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah, it's really good to see you too," he said excitedly, still blushing from the kiss I had given.

"Damn Paul! You never told us you knew a cat-girl," rumbled the giant bass player as he moved up to greet us, nearly eclipsing what little light there was in our corner of the room. "And a damn sexy cat-girl at that. You really need to introduce us man."

Both of his other bandmates were nodding their heads while Paul was shaking his, a resigned grin plastered to his face.

"You have a two track mind Mark. It only recognizes music and women," Paul chuckled and we all joined in with his laughter.

"Damn straight," he replied. "Nothin else matters. So hurry up and introduce me to this lovely lady already."

Paul sighed as he shook his head, and then indicated his band as he said, "This here is Mark, our genius bass player and resident horn dog. Carl over there is our drummer, and Jackson, or Jax for short, is our tenor horn player. Guys, this is Myka."

The other two waved, and clearly liked what they saw, but Mark was really interested in moving into my space. He was nice looking, and confident as hell, but I was not really interested.

"Hi there Myka," Mark said as he leaned down to get closer to my short frame. "It is a rare pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman."

"Well, hi to you too Mark," I replied with good natured laughter as I grabbed Kelli's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. This is my girlfriend, Kelli."

I almost had to laugh out loud as I could practically hear the grinding of gears trying to turn in his head as Kelli said hello. Clearly this was something Mark had not expected.

"So, uhh, when you say girlfriend..."

"Well, when I say girlfriend it means we live together, go on dates with each other, have met each other's parents, and we have sex," I had leaned in so that I could whisper the last part just loud enough for everyone to hear.

My comment made Ali laugh out loud, while Kelli and Jessica both blushed red with embarrassment. Paul on the other hand just shook his head while failing to suppress an ear to ear grin.

"Sorry bro," Paul chuckled, patting Mark on the back. "Better luck next time."

"Mark, I really was not trying to be so mean," I replied, still giggling like mad. "I just let my mouth run away with my brain sometimes."

Everyone, including Mark, was laughing again at this, but Jasmine had gone to sit back down with another disgusted look on her face, clearly not finding any of my antics funny. I felt sad that I had somehow offended her before I even got to know her, but I had learned long ago that you just could not please everyone.

The group spent the next few minutes just hanging together, and the comfort level that everyone had with each other made for fast friendships. The time came, however, for the band to go back stage and get prepped for the second set, so they all made their excuses and went to prepare.

"You guys are all staying for the second set, right," Paul asked, as he turned to follow his bandmates. "Cause it's going to be fantastic."

Jessica guaranteed him that we all would stay, though no one was in any mood to leave. People were refreshing their drinks and taking the time to mingle during the break between sets, and I turned and grabbed Kelli as the sound system started playing recorded music during the break.

"Come dance with me," I insisted, as I dragged her out to the floor.