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The Art of Being Naughty

21

He was hired far quicker than he'd expected and he could safely say, he truly hated it here. The dancers were silent for the most part, keeping to themselves. They were either hard eyed and cold or beaten down and hopeless. None of them made him feel welcome. Some of them were even openly hostile with him because they thought he would take the lion's share of their profits.

No amount of assurance by him could convince them otherwise. Then there was the boss, himself. Feral shuddered at the memory of those slimy paws caressing his body every opportunity he could whenever the dark tom was performing.

Slasher made no secret of how much he desired Feral and that made the dark tom sick. He wanted nothing more than to avoid the mobster whenever he could but that would defeat the reason he was here so, much to his disgust and fear, he had to pretend he enjoyed Slasher's unwanted attentions.

He'd been at the club a month and had heard some fur-raising things which he passed to Chance or Jake, whichever one was on duty watching him but none of it was about the murder. The money was good but he had a hard time shutting his eyes and ears to the torture Slasher inflicted on his dancers. It just made him sick.

"Must you do that?" He asked, unable to hold back one evening as a young, pretty dancer was being beaten with a belt for failing to make enough money that night.

Slasher eyed the dark tom a moment then released the she-kat and said coldly, "get out of my sight and do better tomorrow or else."

The dancer staggered to her feet and got out of the boss' office as fast as she could.

Slasher spared the departing dancer no further thought as he reached a paw out and pulled Uly close to him and nuzzled the tom's side, inhaling his scent.

"Aw, is my handsome honey upset? I have to keep my dancers in line or they will think they can walk all over me. It's just business," he purred, caressing the tom's abs then moving his paw down to give the genitals a swift squeeze.

Feral was hard put not to slam the sleezeball's head against the nearest wall as he gasped at the obscene touch. "I just don't like the sight of blood," he murmured, stroking the tom's hair gently even though he was more inclined to pulling it out by the roots.

"That's why I like you, babe, you're sensitive as well as one hell of a dancer. Keep doing what you're doing and there might be a reward in it for you," Slasher leered as he gave the dark tom a hard swat on the butt to send him on his way.

That look made Feral feel slimy as he gave the nasty tom a coy look before slipping out of the office. He quickly made for the small closet he'd discovered quite by accident that allowed him to hear what was going on in the boss' office. It's odd acoustics were just right for picking up sound from the nearby offices.

He'd seen two of Slasher's criminal associates head for Slasher's door and thought he might hear something useful. Fortunately, he had an hour and a half before he was expected on stage. He pulled out a special recorder Chance had gotten and pressed its listening ear against the wall to pick up anything that was said.

22

Leon Sheron was furious. Not only did one of his dancers get killed but his club had been smeared by the publicity. He knew without a doubt that Jett Slasher was responsible but that slime had covered his tracks too well.

He'd been incarcerated for twenty-four hours but managed to obtain bail and was now using his own contacts to try and get the goods on his rival.

During this time, he was worried about his dancers and knew they were worried about him and the club's prospects. He called each one and soothed them as well as he could by telling them he would pay them a minimum wage to keep them from losing their homes until the club reopened.

Weeks later, frustrated in his attempts to get anything on Slasher, Sheron was further upset when his top dancer went to work for the enemy. He never thought Ulysses would do that but he hardly blamed him, the dark tom did have his mother and sister to think about and the minimum wage wouldn't be enough to cover all his needs, but still it hurt.

But it wasn't just him deserting the Passion Club, Sheron was concerned for Uly's welfare. He knew the reputation of the Red Fox and was very worried about Uly getting hurt.

He was going to urge the tom to not do this when he ran into Chance and Jake. The pair told him not to worry about Ulysses. They got the tom's back. Uly was gathering information, acting as a mole.

Sheron was horrified. This was worse than just working there, the dark tom was putting himself right in the crosshairs of the mobster's fury if Slasher ever found out. He demanded the pair keep him informed because it was far too late for him to try and get Uly out without exposing him.

As each day went by, Sheron grew more and more worried. Finally, he received an excited call from Chance saying Ulysses had finally gotten what they'd been hoping for. They were going to take the information to the police right then. Chance told him Uly was fine and at home and not to worry but he did anyway.

He knew Slasher better than the pair did and if the mobster had learned he was discovered, his vengeance would be terrible. Frightened for the dark tom, Sheron went to see Uly at his home and discovered the police already there. Finding out Uly had been taken, he raced to the Red Fox Club, heart pounding in fear.

23

After another two weeks of playing the part of a willing dancer for Slasher, Feral had finally hit the jackpot. A runner had come in anxious and fearful. Whatever his news was, it obviously wasn't good.

Feral had just finished his set when he'd spotted the runner. He looked around carefully, then slipped into the closet. What he'd heard made his heart pound with excitement. This was what they'd been waiting for. He held his post longer than he should have but it was important to get all the details he could. So when he heard them getting ready to leave the room, he hurriedly gathered his spy stuff and left the closet.

Unfortunately, he was spotted. Totally unaware, he finished his shift and went hurriedly down the street to meet Chance, who was his guard tonight. The thug, Slasher had set on his dancer, recognized the tom the boss' pet had met and left with. He quickly returned to his boss to report what he'd seen.

Excited by what they'd found out when they'd listened to the tape, Chance didn't want to wait until morning to hand it over to the cops. He and Jake quickly went to find Detective Selkirk while Feral went home, relieved he would be able to stop going to the club. However, Chance had warned him, he would have to serve notice so no one would suspect him and he'd been upset by that but knew the tabby was right. He planned on doing that tonight.

He never got the chance. Just after lunch four thugs came bursting into his home.

"Screeeeeeeee!" His mother's screams woke Feral and sent him charging out of the bedroom to be met by two thugs who grabbed him.

Feral instantly went into defense mode and slammed one of the thugs against a wall then threw the second one over his shoulder. His mother was crying in fear toward the front of the house so Feral left the two downed bad Kats and barreled into the living room then froze in his tracks.

"Hold it right there, smarty pants! Unless you want to see your momma dead!" One of the two other thugs said tightly, holding a gun to the she-kat's head.

Feral held his paws up and stared at his mother's face with anguished eyes.

"That's a good tom, now let's leave here peacefully and your mother will be left in peace," the thug assured him as his partner went to the dark tom's back and yanked his arms behind him then put on pawcuffs.

The two other thugs had regained their feet and forcefully shoved Feral out the door. They left the house in a tight group, all piling into a dark van. Feral had been pushed bodily to the floor and the door slammed behind him.

24

Chance and Jake were tired but elated when they finally was able to track down Detective Selkirk. It had taken them all night and into the next day to catch him. The detective was grateful for the information but was a bit concerned as well.

"You know you could have gotten your friend in serious danger. He still might not be safe now that you've gotten the goods on Slasher."

"Yeah, we know but we kept close to him as back up. He's at home now. I told him he should serve notice so no one would be suspicious. He wasn't happy about that but said he would do that tonight," Chance said, still riding high with their success.

Selkirk was shaking his head. "No! That would be a very bad idea. Slasher was warned that the investigation was going against his plans. He might have guess by now that he has a mole in his club and possibly have a very good idea of who that person might be. Your friend could be in serious danger right now."

Chance and Jake gaped at him in horror. Jake recovered first, "Maybe we'd better check with Uly and see if he's alright," he said pulling his cell phone out and making a call.

What he got was a crying and terrified she-kat. After doing his best to get her to calm down, he got the facts, told the detective who immediately contacted officers to go to the she-kat's aid then summoned a squad.

"We've got to hope Slasher hasn't harmed your friend yet," he said as they ran from the station house for their cars and headed to the Red Fox Club, sirens screaming.

Frightened for Feral, Chance and Jake followed the racing police cars.

Meanwhile, Feral had been hauled from the van and carried none to gently to the boss' office. Slasher was pacing his office when his thugs arrived and shoved the dancer face first to the floor.

Furious, Slasher reached down and yanked the tom to his feet and shoved his face in the dark tom's. "I don't like snitches and I, especially, don't like being made a fool of," he hissed swinging Feral violently and slamming him into the nearby wall.

Stunned, Feral slid to the floor where he was kicked viciously several times. "I'll teach you to betray me!" Slasher yelled as he signaled his thugs to carry Feral down the hall and up some stairs that led to Slasher's temporary quarters when he stayed at the club overnight.

He was dumped on the bed and stripped of his clothes. Feral was just coming around when he felt the powerful gray tom drop down on him, his cock hard and ready to rape the dancer. Furious and terrified, Feral shoved violently upward and sent the mobster flying toward the door, knocking his two thugs, that were guarding the open doorway, over and into the hall.

Panting, Feral grabbed a blanket to cover himself and slammed the door shut before the fallen thugs could get to their feet. He shoved a heavy dresser against the door then frantically looked for a way out.

25

Sheron arrived just ahead of the police and was now trying to figure out how to enter the club without getting himself caught which wouldn't help Ulysses at all. He walked behind the club and searched for a way in. He spotted some windows on the second floor and was seeing how he could get up there when one of the windows flew open and a familiar face peered anxiously out.

"Ulysses!" He shouted.

Ulysses looked down and sighed in relief, "Mr. Sheron! I've got to get out of here."

Suddenly shooting could be heard. The dark tom pulled his head in and looked toward the door worriedly. Bullets were hitting the dresser and shredding it. They would be getting in soon.

He poked his head out the window again and looked around. Not more than a couple of feet from him was an emergency ladder. If he could just get to it. However, he was naked and couldn't hold a blanket and do what he needed to at the same time. Braving the bullets, he hurriedly searched and found his pants. Yanking them on, he returned to the window and climbed out.

Meanwhile, Sheron wasn't idle. He'd seen Uly eye the ladder and had an idea of his own. He leaped up and yanked the lower end of the ladder down then climbed hurriedly up it. When Uly appeared again and climbed out the window, he was ready.

"Ulysses! Reach for me!" He shouted.

Ulysses was surprised to see Mr. Sheron on the ladder reaching out for him. He hesitated but loud sounds from inside the room made him take the chance. He leaned as far as he could and caught hold of Sheron's wrist and arm.

Gripping it tight, Sheron did the same with the dark tom, he pulled while Uly leaped. The big tom ended up clinging to the snow leopard's back on the ladder, smashing both of them against the rungs.

Once they got their breath back, Feral carefully climbed down the leopard's body until he could get his paws on the ladder himself. They both hurried down as fast as they could. A thug appeared at the window and began firing at them but the bullets missed, however, the guy wouldn't miss the next time so they quickened their pace downward.

Luck was with them when the thug was distracted by noises from behind him and he pulled back inside. Sighing in relief, the pair reached the bottom of the ladder and jumped down. Tugging on Uly's arm, Sheron urged the tom to run. They raced down the alley to the front of the club.

26

The street in front of the club was clogged with police, fire and emergency crews. Chance and Jake had been forced to, yet again, watch from the side lines. Sheron and Ulysses pushed through the crowd until they stood behind the pair.

"Chance.....Jake!" Feral said, startling the two toms.

The pair whirled around and shouted for joy, giving the tom hugs of relief.

"How the heck did you get out of there," Chance asked.

"Back window and a little help," Feral said shyly, as he inclined his head toward Mr. Sheron.

"Way to go, sir," Chance said in surprise. "We'll have to tell Detective Selkirk, Uly's okay. Come on!" The tabby pushed closer to the police barrier and spoke to the cop standing there. The cop nodded and sent another cop to inform Selkirk then had the three come through the barrier to wait. The police wanted to get a statement from them.

It took some twenty minutes before Detective Selkirk appeared through the main entrance of the club and walked toward the three.

"Well I'm certainly glad you are safe and in one piece, if a little beat up," he said shaking his head. "That was a very foolhardy thing you did but thanks for the information you managed to get on him. However, your troubles aren't over......you'll have to testify and I'm not certain if your life will be safe from Slasher's mob contacts," Selkirk said, worriedly.

Feral sighed. "I guess we'll have to wait and see. I won't be intimidated and I will testify."

Selkirk nodded, "Well I admire your courage and hope you'll stay safe. We could put you in the witness protection program........"

"No thanks!" Feral said holding up his paws. No way did he want to move and change his identity.

"Alright. The district attorney will want to take your deposition so please keep safe and keep us informed of your whereabouts at all times until we go to court," Selkirk warned him.

"Certainly. No problem, Detective. I will insure his safety, personally," Sheron suddenly interjected and held up a paw to prevent Feral from protesting.

Selkirk just nodded then turned and went back inside the club.

"Sir, I can't let you do that!" Feral protested, not wanting his boss to stick his neck that far to protect an employee.

"Yes, I can and I will. I want to hear no more from you on that. Now that Slasher has been caught and there's iron clad evidence against him, my contacts will ensure his business is completely dismantled. I made sure to collect all the data I could on his rather shady accounting practices so I've been able to sicc the IRS on his tail. Believe me, Slasher will be too busy trying to save his business he won't have time to seek revenge and just to make sure, I've set into motion plans I'd made some years ago that will ensure Slasher and his mob are completely destroyed. So you needn't worry about your safety," Sheron told them, with complete confidence.

The three dancers could only gape at their boss in utter astonishment.

27

Bewildered, Feral could only say inanely, "uh, well I guess I don't have anything to worry about then." He tried to gather his wits then remembered something important. "My mother!" He cried in concern starting to take off before a paw grabbed his jeans waistband and held him firm.

"She's alright.....no need to go harrying off in a panic. I saw her myself before hurrying here. The police were there and seeing to her needs," Sheron told the upset tom soothingly, releasing him.

Feral's shoulders slumped in relief. "Oh thank god! Those thugs had frightened her so badly.....I'm just glad Sherry wasn't home from school."

"Definitely a good thing, big guy," Chance said, clapping the tom on the back, comfortingly.

"However, she's probably home now and both she and your mother are most likely worried about you so how about we give you a lift home?" Jake said warmly.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," the dark tom said, then turned to Mr. Sheron. "Thank you so much for saving me, sir," he said, gratefully.

"Couldn't allow my best dancer and choreographer to come to harm......could I?" Sheron said warmly while inside wishing the tom would show his gratitude in a more intimate fashion.

Hearing himself called ‘sir' all the time from the dark tom was so disheartening. Despite his true feelings though, he kept a smile on his face and waved good bye to the three as they left to head for Chance's vehicle parked down the street.

With their departure, he allowed his face to fall into unhappy lines as he turned to stare at the Red Fox Club with its cordon of cops. A small, not so nice, smile graced his lips at the thought of his enemy's fall at last. Pleased at the outcome, he turned and walked to his own vehicle, pulling out his cell phone to set in motion the plans he'd held in waiting for just this moment.

Using legitimate methods and not so legitimate ones, Sheron cleaned house in the strip club business. He had served in the military secret police in a country far from Megakat City. He had lots of very good friends in and out of the service despite his retirement, who would be glad to help him out.

By the end of a week, Jett Slasher's empire came tumbling down. Sheron's friends ensured there were no tentacles left to try and take revenge on those that had brought the mobster down. He'd heard Slasher had flown into a rage and had to be put in solitary when he learned his entire life's hard work had been destroyed and that he had no more minions to do his bidding even from prison.

Now he could focus on getting serious about reeling in a certain dark tom. Yes, he knew he'd promised to respect the other's wishes to keep employee and boss relations separate but he'd been alone far too long and the only one he wanted was Ulysses. He'd just have to convince the tom that it was alright to break that rule under some instances.....this being one of them. It was when abuses of power by the owner created the problem and he would never do that. He just had to make Ulysses believe that.

28

Chance drove as fast as he dared knowing how badly Ulysses needed to get home and reassure his family. It took about fifteen minutes but they were soon pulling up to Feral's apartment building. The police were gone and the street was quiet and empty. The vehicle had barely halted before Feral was out the car door and running for the entrance.

Shaking their heads at the tom's hurry, Chance and Jake decided to leave and not interrupt the family's reunion. Pleased the day had ended on a high note, Chance drove off for home.

Not bothering to use the elevator, Feral raced up the four flights to their apartment. His apartment door had been replaced, much to his relief. He checked and found the door locked. Knocking, he called out, "Mother......Sherry.....it's me! Let me in!"

Moments later the door swung open and his mother was there throwing herself into her son's arms. She kissed his face and sobbed in relief.

"Oh, Ulysses......I was soo worried.......when those bad Kats took you away......."

"Shuuu.....its alright Mother.......I'm fine and the bad Kats are under arrest. There's no need to worry now," Feral soothed his mother then reached out to his sister who hung back to allow her mother to greet her son first. "Come here little bit!"

Sherry threw herself on him when her mother stood back a little to allow her close. "There....there sweety.....I'm alright," he murmured to her, kissing her head and hugging her tight. "Let's go inside. I need a shower and something to eat!"

Laughing, with tears still shining in her eyes, his mother moved back into their apartment. Feral followed holding onto his sister then closing the door behind him and locking it.

"Say, who fixed the door?" He asked.

"Oh, Henry and some of the other males in the building," his mother said brightly, hurrying to the kitchen.

He followed her, his sister still holding onto him. "Really, well that was very nice of them."

"Wasn't it. I didn't know we had so many wonderful people in our building. Of course, I know our closet neighbors but not everyone. We do now. They wouldn't let us pay for it either," his mother said brightly, relief in her voice as she put something together for them to eat. She and Sherry had been too upset to eat dinner at all.

"Well, while you're fixing us something to eat, I'm going to take a shower," Feral said, making his sister let go, gently, pushing her into a seat and giving her another kiss on the head before disappearing down the hall.

Fifteen minutes later he returned, dressed comfortably and his hurts discreetly taken care of. He sat down at the table and his mother served them then sat down and asked for a report of what had happened to him.

29

They listened and ate while he told his harrowing tale. He left off some things, like the attempted rape but did tell her how he was saved.

"So your boss came to your rescue and helped you escape?" His mother asked in amazement.

"Yes he did. I was really surprised to see him there," Feral said, shaking his head at the memory.

His mother eyed her son oddly.

He noticed. "What?"

"I know he's a really nice Kat and all but he's your boss. In all my life, I've never heard of a business manager sticking his neck in so much danger for an employee."

Feral felt the heat rise in him but managed to say blandly, "he's just that nice, Mother."

"Uh huh......right.....you sure it isn't because he happens to really like a certain dark tom," she asked pointedly, an eyebrow cocking upward speculatively.

Now Feral's face was reddening under his dark fur. "There's some attraction there.....I'll admit it....but when he did ask to court me, I told him no since that's not proper between an employee and a boss."

"Who says?"

Feral blinked in shocked surprise.

"Son, that rule is because some of those types of relationships are just wrong. Too often its because one of the parties is married and they are cheating on their mate which causes a lot of friction when the parties are trying to hide it and the other employees feel uncomfortable about it. But you've told me Mr. Sheron is unmarried, is honest, polite, and a very moral individual. You're unmarried as well so I see nothing wrong with you two being together. It's not like you or he would abuse your fellow workers by flaunting your relationship in their faces. You're used to being discreet and he doesn't sound like the ‘kiss and tell' type from what you've told me of him," his mother said bluntly.

"But.......it just doesn't feel right....." he began to object.

She reached a paw out to his and looked him in the eye. "Ulysses, you are a good Kat and Mr. Sheron apparently sees that and wants to be with you. How will you know if its right if you never try? I want you happy, my son and mated," she said firmly.

He could only stare at her a moment longer before returning his attention to his food. It still felt wrong but perhaps she was right. No matter how much he tried to put distance between himself and Mr. Sheron, it was no good. The attraction was too strong between them and getting hopelessly stronger all the time. He was beginning to truly worry he'd have to find a new job and that was something he didn't want to do.

He didn't know what to think so let it be for now. Maybe it was as simple as letting things happen and not fight them. He would wait and see.

30

It took another week before the club could open and when it did the crowds were even larger than normal. The dancers raked in a great deal of money which eased their worries significantly.

Everyone was laughing and performing better than ever before. With a light heart, Ulysses wowed the crowds with his performance as did Chance and Jake.

"Kat's Alive! Did you hear the crowd?" Uly said, giddily as he counted his cash.

"I heard Mr. Sheron had to beef up security because so many wanted in here that fights were breaking out. We don't need that kind of publicity, so I'm glad he made the decision to hand out passes for other nights. That seemed to work real well," Chance said, grinning.

"That means we'll be in the money for some time to come!" Jake said happily, yanking his mate along to the quiet room for some personal time.

Feral just shook his head at his friend's antics and chatted happily with the other dancers in the changing room as he removed his stage makeup and changed his clothes.

Sheron was kept hopping putting out fires before they could become a problem, soothing ruffled fur when things got a little too rowdy and insuring everyone had a good time. The notoriety that occurred due to the murder and his arrest seemed to have done his club no harm at all much to his pleasure and pocketbook. It helped that there were so few strip clubs now due to the loss of Slasher's clubs which had folded completely.

He was thinking seriously about acquiring a couple of them and expanding his own business. His financial advisor said it would be a good move on his part and would triple his earnings. He was taking the advice seriously and had been studying some of the closed clubs for viability and location as well as seriously considering hiring the now out of work dancers that had been abused under Slasher.

Watching his own dancers perform tonight was a real pleasure. He could see just how happy they all were after the trauma they'd all endured. They were putting on the best performances he'd ever seen and it warmed his heart. He noted, particularly, just how happy a certain tom was and he wished he wasn't so busy right now so he could personally tell Uly how pleased he was with his dancing tonight.

Sighing in regret, he turned his mind back to the patrons filling his club. It would be a very busy night.