I Unintentionally Became Her Kitten

I woke finding Alisha already gone. It had been a while since she'd had to slip away in the middle of the night. I rubbed my eyes, and slid out of the bed, planting my feet in new slippers that probably cost more than enough for me to protest them. But I had stopped asking how expensive things were.

Part of Alisha’s affection was making sure I was comfortable and well taken care of. And knowing she made business deals that reached beyond six figures made me stop questioning if she could afford things.

She absolutely could. And she could probably live far more luxuriously than she did. But it just wasn't necessary.

So I accepted the fancy branded slippers that were incredibly warm and comfortable.

I got dressed, finished rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and finally wandered downstairs.

She wasn't there either.

Instead Lili was sitting at the dining table. Bored, but not asleep despite the early hour.

“Morning,” I greeted her, still sleepy. My voice was still thick.

“Morning,” she reciprocated with the same enthusiasm.

I found coffee in the pot still. Glanced behind me where the table was visible.

“Coffee?” I asked.

Lili nodded, leaned her cheek against her hand to support herself being upright.

I got two mugs for us. Coffee, milk, hunted down Alisha’s sugar.

Lili barely acknowledged me beyond a grateful mumble until she drank most of a mug of very sweet coffee.

I scrolled on my phone. Fascinated by macarons. They were complicated. And challenging. Outside of my skill level… for now.

Alisha had tasked me with picking out some sweets to sell in the cafe. The chocolate chip cookies were a no brainer. They were too easy to make. Even with the compact oven she purchased, we could bake a dozen jumbo sized ones at a time. Biscotti was next on my investigative list.

Now I was torn between cake pops and macarons. Both social media heavy lifters. Both difficult in their own ways. Macarons required less decor and were probably tastier than play-dough textured ‘cake’. But the whipping, folding, drying, then baking process was intimidating.

Lili started to be more upright as I finished my own coffee and drew my attention back to the present.

“No Matteo today?” I asked.

She shook her head. “He was needed elsewhere.”

Oh. That kind of night for Alisha. And probably Tye too at this rate.

“Well… I don't have anything planned for today. We can stay in,” I explained.

She shrugged. “It doesn't matter much to me.”

I hesitated. Lili had not always been friendly with me.

“Are you happy with your job?” I asked.

She didn't expect that question and stared at me for a few seconds. “It's fine,” she said finally. “It pays the bills.”

I felt the absurdity of that statement. Almost dying protecting Alisha and I should've been a wake up call for her. And I was sure it had been but not in the way I expected.

We went back to silence for a while. I discovered black chocolate macarons that looked decadent in all the right ways. They would make our little cafe operation look very high class in all the right ways.

“I don't understand something,” Lili said, bringing my focus back to her.

“Hm?” I asked.

“Why are you together?” She asked.

“Alisha and I?” I clarified.

Lili nodded. “Maybe it's not my business but…”

“It's okay,” I told her. She had a look of genuine curiosity on her face rather than anything cruel. “She makes me feel safe. And I think I do the same for her.”

This only made Lili frown. “Safe?” she questioned. “But she’s…” she trailed off.

“A mob boss. Yes.” Alisha was terrifying. Even to me. “She takes care of me. Not just in a financial sense either. I thought at first maybe she wanted… to make me her kept girl. But I think she really just needed someone to see her. And not have ulterior motives, you know.”

“Hm. Typical rich man meets poor girl plot?” Lili asked.

“Kinda, I guess.” Except I hadn't really changed Alisha much. Usually a plot where a rich person fell in love with a poor person resulted in the rich person learning to be more selfless or that there was more to life than wealth. I had a feeling Alisha never wanted the wealth to begin with. Not for what it cost everybody involved.

“I think,” I explained. “I know a different Alisha than you or Matteo do. I didn't meet her as my boss and don of a crime family. I met her after she'd had a long day and needed to do something nondestructive for somebody. Even if that person was a total stranger. She was kind. An emotional brick wall, but kind.”

Lili thought about that for a long moment. “You think her boss-attitude is entirely an act?” she asked.

I stumbled mentally. Alisha would not want me to admit her emotional vulnerabilities. “I-I don't know about that,” I managed.

Lili still looked contemplative, leaning her face in her hand. “I think it is,” she said finally. “She tackled me to the ground that day. That was probably the stupidest thing she could have done in that moment.”

I blinked. I didn't understand.

“She saved my life,” Lili clarified. “By risking getting shot. She was the person Matteo and I were supposed to be protecting but instead she protected me.”

I nodded. “I think she would've done the same for anyone she considers under her wing. She sees herself as responsible for everyone's safety.”

“That sounds… exhausting.”

“It absolutely is.”

I looked at the last few drops of coffee in the bottom of my mug. Alisha had stared into her coffee so intently every morning for quite a while now. I didn't know what she was thinking but it was serious.

“How did you end up working for Alisha?” I asked. “If it's not too sensitive.”

Lili hesitated. But she took a deep breath and braced herself.

“I'll explain,” she agreed.