A Maid's Tail Ch. 12: Saturday

5 - Saturday

She knew now that her job had really started with the plug. The plush black feline tail attached to that inconspicuous little plug had brought the whole nature of Kim's employment for the McKennas into focus: Against her otherwise mundane life, they offered an adventure and a paycheck. It was a shared secret; from the tip to the generous swell of its girth that promised- and promised to hide- so much. It went all the way to the flat and unassuming base that nestled comfortably between her cheeks and brushed her sensitive spots unbeknownst to the rest of the world.

Yes, the tail was paramount to her contract with the McKennas; in the same way she couldn't be their catgirl without it, they couldn't be her masters without it. Whatever the rest of the world thought of their arrangement, it was the thrill of that tail brushing her meaty thighs, of it tugging gently against her ass when she walked. It was a shared secret. A sacred agreement. . .

Kimberly stroked that tail as she sat cross legged on her bed waiting for the alarm to go off, feeling the texture of the fake fur bristle against her fingertips. Did they realize what they had done to her? What she had given over to them first out of necessity, now out of a wish to serve? she would have done it again. There was no doubt in her mind that this was where she wanted her life to go.

But was she still wanted? Could she still be the maid that they wanted when the very fabric of their family was being torn apart by her being there? Sylvia didn't like change, that much was obvious, but that wasn't Kim's fault. Why did she have to suffer for it, too?

As the older woman stroked her tail she memorized the arch of the fur under her fingers. How it swayed and rippled, teasing vibrations rode up to the plug and the forbidden depths within her. She wanted this. There was no question. But how could she bring everything back together?

Sylvia wasn't wrong to want the best for herself and her family. The jealousy and fear she was losing what she wanted most were understandable, how could Kim show her that she wasn't a threat to that? How could she be their catgirl maid?

The alarm sparked to life with a gentle flow of music. Kim startled and crawled over to shut it off. She slipped her feet into her heels and stood, she squared her shoulders, prepared to face her dragon.

#

Kim was surprised to see someone perched on the wrap around patio of the McKenna's plantation style home. It was a small figure wrapped up in a black hoodie and jeans with a white baseball hat, a woman- she had a phone in her hands, tapping away at it. At first a tiny thrill of terror ran through her as Kim thought she saw Sylvia, but the closer she got the more she realized it wasn't Sylvia at all.

Rebeca hopped up when Kim was a few dozen feet away and bounded over to the side of the trundling Pontiac and knocked on the window. Kim unlocked the door instead, not trusting the glass not to get stuck or something.

"Morning," she said brightly. "So hey, can I impose a big favor?"

"Morning to you too. . . .that depends, what do you need?" Kim became suddenly conscious of how the younger woman's gaze roamed down her painted legs. After that momentary exploration Rebeca chuckled and looked to her:

"I need to meet someone, I was hoping I could get a ride. I don't know my way around, so it's going to be like asking me to set a broken leg- I might be able to do it, but someone's not walking right when it's all said and done."

"That's uh, that's pretty vivid." Kim fidgeted with the steering wheel. "I need to talk to your father and Sylvia before-"

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news but he's at work and she's. . . .I dunno, painting butterflies or something."

Something about that made Kim's warning instincts chime: if Sylvia was hiding in her sanctum, would she even want to see Kim? Didn't she still owe it to her employer to at least check in, especially after what had happened last time? She looked to the house uneasily.

"Yeah, I know. But hey, you get to avoid her for a bit longer. Sounds like you two have a history."

Kim stroked the steering wheel with her thumb. There was no win to this situation, it was the Kobiashi Maru of the Codex Madicus; an infamous no win scenario meant to test people's reaction to stress rather than overall success.

She was starting to get an idea of who would actually pen that kind of book. While it might have made her laugh otherwise, right now she was terrified. If she didn't pop in and show she was still there, she was going to look like she'd abandoned the McKennas. However if she did go and say she was taking Rebeca somewhere, it would only drive that wedge between them.

"Neko, neko, why do you ignore me when I offer such treats?" Rebeca chirped. "You don't have to see her-"

"Because-" No. No, it wasn't her place to explain anything to this girl, even if she was Elliot's daughter. She shook her head. "Let me go talk to her."

Rebeca pouted playfully but, to Kim's surprise, she stepped away from the car allowing the maid to park. Kim was about to climb out the window when she realized how that was going to look, so instead she climbed out of the passenger's side- just to save that little bit more embarrassment. It didn't work, but she tried anyway.

Maybe just so she could say she did.

Inside the house Kim found that Sylvia's door was cracked open and the music was thrumming a peaceful chant at a reasonable level. A slightly tangy wisp of incense smoke wafted through that crack filling the hall with the scent of all spice. It was fitting that Kim's dragon would smell like a ghost pepper. Something she'd tried ages ago that'd put her flat on her ass with its heat. Kim had chugged three glasses of milk and plowed through half a loaf of bread trying to calm the heat, but in the end- just like Sylvia- she had to ride it out. There was no balm for this kind of fire.

But that gave her an idea; food. She hadn't gotten the groceries this week yet! Kim's heart swelled as the tension in her shoulders eased. She could do this. Kim drew a breath and knocked.

Almost instantly the door opened more to reveal Sylvia standing there with her bathrobe halfway open in a sultry V that accented the swell of her modest chest, daring anyone to look. Kim almost fell into that bear trap by sheer surprise, but when the shorter woman's gaze met hers and those mismatched eyes settled on her, she knew it was now or never.

"Good morning, mistress McKenna." Kim performed a tiny curtsy, drew herself up. By sheer force of will she held the woman's gaze and spoke as clearly as she could manage. "If you'd allow me, I would like to serve yourself and your family today." A beat. "I believe starting with groceries would be a good idea."

Sylvia's gaze swept Kim from toe to crown. Judgment and vague amusement danced about in those eyes before she stepped in and adjusted the lacy frill on Kim's crown. When she stepped back she met Kim's gaze evenly. The lines on her face softened like something was being released and she simply said: "There's money in the study."

"Yes, mistress." Not about to push her luck, she whispered. "May I be excused?"

"Don't." Sylvia said quietly, like thunder right before a lightning strike. They stood in the wake of that word for a couple of seconds, neither brave- or dumb- enough to speak. Eventually Kim opened her mouth to excuse herself. Sylvia leaned forward and started adjusting Kim's uniform around her cleavage- she made it more modest, if only just so. Then she drew back, her delicate fingers grazing the Kim's swells to the very tips of her nipples before she drew back. "I'll be here when you get back."

Kim blinked. "Y- Yes, mistress." And just like that, she was excused. She didn't waste any time, as if Sylvia might change her mind and send her on her way. Back outside with the money in hand, she found Rebeca pacing as she tapped into her phone with that kind of frown that said there was too much on her mind. When she heard Kim approaching she looked up and just like that her concerns vanished and she was just some bright eyed twenty something.

Maybe not quite twenty something. Kim had never been good with age. It was a hell of an act, either way. If not for the subtle pull at the corner of Rebeca's lips and the way her shoulders were set, Kim would've thought that smile was real.

"Guess I'm not the only one having a long day, huh?" Kim said casually as she worked out the logistics of how she was going to get into her car without embarrassing herself.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan." Rebeca tucked her phone away and, as if she was expecting Kim to fall in line, she wandered over to the Pontiac. "Probably not the first time you've heard that, but being around her is like trying to get a blowjob from a ball python."

Kim stared at the girl blankly. "That's uh . ."

"Tell me about it. I mean you might be able to get it down her th-"

"Let's not." Kim raised her hands defensively. "I don't need to hear more."

The girl flashed a sagacious smile. "Yeah, sorry. I get kind of blunt when I'm tired." She at least had the good manner to look admonished. "Got zero sleep last night."

"It's fine. . . .why no sleep, though?" Kim resigned herself to embarrassment and climbed in through the passenger's side of her car. Rebeca was only a moment behind.

"Well," the girl started as Kim started the car and got them going down the driveway. "I make my living online, right? So that means I have to have videos and all this other stuff up every day and do streams three times a week. . . .I like it, it's just that a lot of people I record with are still in Japan. Timezones are a bitch."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, it's terrible and great and I'm running up a fortune in tethering fees on my phone-" she scoffed. "Now I'm complaining. Sorry."

Kim waved it off as she got on to the freeway. "So uh, where am I going?"

"Huh? Oh! Oh yeah, uh- there's this lounge called "The Estate" on Hartwell and Branch."

"Lounge- you mean a bar?"

"You say tomato, I say tomahto." Rebeca reclined her seat a bit. She pulled her hat down to shade her eyes but Kim could see the girl's gaze out of the corner of her own eye, she was watching Kim. "Are you like- I mean is this what you do? Catgirl maid for hire?"

Kim blushed hotly, suddenly aware that she was actually going into public dressed as she was. Why hadn't that occurred to her earlier? Her breath hitched, she cast a glance to her passenger. "It's complicated."

"That's 'I don't want to talk about it' if I ever heard it." Rebeca shrugged. "I get complicated- my mother loves 'complicated' and if you ask my father? So does he." She rolled over to look Kim over full on now. "So maybe that's okay. Complicated can be fine.

"Take me, for example- please, free to good home!" Rebeca chuckled half-heartedly. "My parents sent me all over the EU for education and stuff, because my mother would rather spend her time partying and having fun than taking care of her kid, right? Now, I know that sounds bad, but it's been an amazing way to learn about the world."

Kim wasn't quite sure what- if anything- she should have said to that so she offered a polite smile, nodding along.

Rebeca shrugged. "But the problem is that I'm considered 'rude'. Which may not be too far off the mark, really, but my mother once told me that I was the equivalent of eating all the food in someone's house and shitting on the table afterwards. . . .me? I say I was a toddler at the time and Uncle Kou needs to get over himself!" The girl smiled slyly.

"Uh. . ."

"No? Not even a chuckle?" She pouted. "Fine, be that way."

Somewhere along the line they fell into a comfortable silence with the thrum of early morning traffic giving way to the minimalistic chaos of downtown before thinning out once more as they made their way into the more affluent part of the suburbs with its rolling hills and cookie cutter housing. It was nearly ten by the time they found the place in the heart of Hartwell county. Kim wasn't thrilled but this was part of the promise she'd made to the McKennas and herself, wasn't it?

The Estate lived up to its name from the word go: the outside was ringed with carefully manicured grass hosting an iron fence around the edges and hardwood paneling around its angled structure punctuated with two velvet doors offering the only windows into the place. Kim and Rebeca exchanged dubious glances before the girl climbed out. "Say, uh. . . .I don't have any right to ask, but would you come in with me?"

"Uh. . . .s- sure." Kim parked the car and together they made their way to the building- much to Kim's surprise the place was open. Inside was decked out in plush velvet with loads of booths and benches lit by candles and recessed fixtures that favored the gold trimmed ceiling more than the seating, yet somehow provided enough to see by and create an inviting atmosphere. The only well lit fixture in the entire place was the fully stocked bar at the other end of the 'lounge', broad and deep with pictures of local celebrities laminated onto the bar top. And, to Kim's surprise, a small group of barcade style video games.

Rebeca nodded approvingly when she saw the miniature arcade cabinets. "So far so good."

"You said you were meeting someone here?" Kim whispered.

"Yeah, I wanted to be early in case he was lying. . ." At once the girl locked on to a machine at the far end called Bubble Bobble. "Ohh, let's play!" In an instant she had her phone out pointing at the machine, then at Kim- lingering, she noticed- then on her. "So you'll never guess what I found." She said to the camera. "It's not an arcade with a capital A, but check this out!" She trained her phone back on the machine.

Kim flinched away from being recorded. Was this live recording or something? Gods, who was going to see her? She bristled quietly but suddenly became acutely aware of the presence of another person in the room. She peeked around the barcade machine warily. An older man was smiling back at her with a box of beer he was already unpacking behind the counter. Kim prodded Rebeca. Right in the ribs, for good measure, before she nodded towards him.

Rebeca fearlessly poked her head around, all smiles and performance again. "I was told this is one of the only arcades around, I can see I'm not going to be disappointed."

The old man chuckled. "Not much of an arcade, really. People like 'em, though and my son gets to make some money with his hobby. . . .you two uh from around here?"

"Only for the time being!" Rebeca said casually. "Just meeting someone here and- hey, do you mind if I record some video? I run a Youtube channel, and I could advertise this place for you. . ." And just like that she was up at the bar showing off some videos of her visiting other places while Kim hid behind the machine with her entire body clenched. Going to the grocery store was one thing, this was something else- she couldn't do this. . .

God dammit, why had she agreed?!

"Hey, Kim?"

"Y- Yes?"

"I will school you in Centipede, come on!" Rebeca chuckled. "Come onnnn, don't be like that, I thought cats liked playing with long wobbly things."

The bartender snorted into a laugh.

Kim grit her teeth. She could do this- she could do this and not make a fool of herself. She was the McKenna's maid, after all. They'd chosen her to help take care of things and she could damn well do it! All she had to do was stand up, shoulders squared and proud. Just a deep breath and. . .

When she stepped out of her hiding place both of them were looking right at her smiling like they'd won some prize. Maybe it was her imagination, but some part of it seemed appreciative and just a touch salacious. Kim forced herself to join the girl, leaning in close to whisper. "I'd rather not be recorded, is that okay?"

"Oh- oh, sure. Sure, sure, sure." Rebeca smiled slightly. "Sorry, I didn't even think." She leaned towards the bar. "Can I get two glasses of water? We're waiting for someone, then we'll see what kind of drinks we want."

Drinks in hand, she lead Kim over to a booth. "I'm really sorry. I've been doing this for too long. . ."

"It's okay, I just-" She knew why she didn't want to be on video, but somehow it wouldn't come to her lips.

"You don't want to show the world what a freak my dad is, and you don't want to be thought of one either, am I right?" The girl prodded playfully. "You would be astonished how common this kind of thing is in Japan. They have cafes themed around maids and, let's be honest, who doesn't love a pretty neko?"

Kim rolled her eyes with a good natured smile.

"Most of them don't have maids quite as pretty, though." The girl said casually as she took a sip. "I guess I said that, didn't I? Whoops."

"Not uh, not that I don't appreciate the thought. I don't think that's a rabbit hole we should be going down."

"Probably not. Unless it'll score me brownie points I can trade in for prizes? Also, totally biting my tongue. Really hard." She wagged her brow playfully. "Pretty sure I drew blood."

Kim cupped her chin, elbow on the table as she looked at the girl. "Has anyone ever told you that you're like a mime?"

"Pretty sure a lot of people wish that were true, yeah. I've been accused of talking too much."

"Just never convicted right?"

"Those records are sealed, thank you very much." Rebeca took a swig. "What about yours? Do I have to file a subpoena to get to them?"

She'd never have expected it, but the banter set Kim at ease. She relaxed into the plush velvet of the booth, tapping her glass. "I guess we're both putting on performances, yeah. Something tells me we both enjoy what we do, though."

"You never did answer my question: how'd you come to work for my dad?"

"A want ad," Kim said a little too quickly. "I needed a job, and they wanted a maid. That's really about it." At the girl's incredulous look she held up her hands. "If you're looking for something else, yo-"

"What about the tail?"

Kim tensed. She wrapped her hands around her glass, feeling the swell of her heartbeat through the water. "It's. . . .part of the uniform."

"Yeah but-" she leaned in to whisper. "I mean, what's it attached to?"

Heat warmed the older maid's cheeks in an instant. She glanced away. "It's a tail, attached to a belt."

The girl gave her a blank expression- then suddenly it clicked and it was Rebeca's turn to blush. She leaned back as if Kim had slapped her. They stewed in that uneasy silence for several moments until, almost as if someone had answered their prayers, a young man wandered through the front door.

He was generically handsome, tall, lightly tanned and somewhere between waking up and walking in it looked as if he'd fallen into an Old Navy; attractive enough to be appreciable but otherwise unremarkable. He looked around uneasily before finding Rebeca as she got out of her seat to meet him.

They talked in hushed tones for a bit before Rebeca brought him to the booth behind Kim so they were back to back. The booth wasn't even warm before she started in: "You don't look much like your profile picture, huh? Guess I'll have to keep drinking until you do."

Kim blanched. That was too far, too damned far. Kim started to look back, to warn the girl that she was being cruel.

Then the man retorted, "I was thinking the same about you- guess you can hide a lot behind the Porn Hub logo."

If she'd been any smarter, Kim probably would've realized sooner that she was in over her head with this girl- of course that was just as true with the rest of the family, too. So she sat quietly, biding her time and simply listening to the exchange so she could attempt to puzzle out the girl's relationship and how it might have fit in with the family as a whole. Maybe that was a bit much or something, but she was supposed to be looking after Rebeca and the girl herself had mentioned she wasn't sure about the guy. So she listened.