Bit by the Bug (Matthews Sisters 1) (4 page)

‘I know.’ Kat bit her lip and squirmed around excitedly in her chair. Her heart beat so fast at the very idea of her career taking off in such a way. It was all her dreams, right in front of her, about to come true. She’d sacrificed everything for her work, for her dreams of making it big – not that there had been much to sacrifice. She’d never had any serious boyfriends, or at least none she seriously felt anything for beyond great sex.

‘You can date an ugly, awkward man for six months. Besides, all dating consists of is getting together every once in a while. Let’s see, once a weekend for six months, that’s like twenty-four dates, minus a few because you can skip them for work – once you get a job.’

Kat lifted her glass of water and nodded in agreement. Yeah, she really needed to find a job.

‘Mark some off as group dates, which will be important if the guy is such a creep that you positively cannot be seen alone publicly with him.’

‘Group dates,’ Kat agreed. ‘Perfect idea.’

‘That’s only like twenty dates, less if it takes him a while to ask you. Then you’re just creating opportunities, like showing up where he is, running into him “coincidentally”. That sort of thing. Twenty dates is very doable and it will be less than that if he has to work weekends. Most doctors do because of staff rotations.’ Zoe took a deep breath, nodding. ‘What hospital does he work for?’

‘He’s not that kind of doctor. He’s, ah, I forget how to pronounce it. I have it written down somewhere.’ Kat glanced at the black camera bag she carried instead of a purse, but didn’t touch it. The paper it was written on was at home by Sasha’s computer on which she had looked up the word. Sasha was a college student at NYU and Kat let her use her apartment to study when she couldn’t get work done at the dorms. Her sister had left her laptop behind last time she dropped by. Since it had a wireless network card, they could steal bandwidth from one of Kat’s neighbours and connect to the internet. ‘He’s one of those non-medical doctors. An ety-
something
-ologist. I looked it up, but basically they study the origins of words and stuff.’

‘Ah, one of those English professor guys. I see now why he’s not on the bachelor’s list.’ Zoe nodded knowingly. ‘You should take him to visit dad. I’m sure they’d have plenty to talk about. Maybe they buy their tweed suits at the same place.’

‘Oh, hell no,’ Kat said, shivering at the very idea. Their father, Douglas Matthews was a retired English professor. He’d worked at several private schools, most prestigiously Harvard. Usually he wasn’t one to pressure his daughters, but if he found a guy like Mr English, he’d
probably start harassing her as much as her mother did to settle down.

Zoe laughed, hitting her flat palm on the table in exaggerated mirth. ‘You could double date with mom and dad!’

Kat shivered in abhorrence of the suggestion. There was no way she’d double date with her parents!

‘Ha, ha, ha, very funny,’ she said dryly. ‘My luck, dad would want me to settle down and marry the guy.’

‘What’s wrong with that?’ Zoe asked. ‘It just might turn out to be true love.’

‘Have you been reading those romance novels again?’ Kat asked, shaking her head. ‘I swear, romance is an addiction and I for one have better things to do. Besides, I like being addicted to coffee better than being addicted to love. Coffee serves a purpose. It keeps me awake. With love, you have only two emotions – gushy or heart-broken. Both are completely unappealing and have no place in a modern woman’s life. I won’t say it doesn’t exist, just that it’s foolish to wish for it. There are so many more fulfilling things than being someone’s Mrs.’

‘You’re hopeless.’ Zoe sighed. ‘Not that I think you would fall in love with an intellectual.’

Kat knew what her sister meant and didn’t even pretend to be offended. It was true, she usually only dated artistic people – painters, musicians, actors, poets, men who thought like she did. Life was an adventure, to be taken at leisure. She looked at love the same way. Why stress over the love of one person, when you could have the love of family and friends? Such a type of love that came with no strings and was uncomplicated – or at least ideally it should be.

‘Huh, I’ll have to contemplate that one later,’ Kat said, more to herself.

‘What?’ Zoe asked, confused.

‘Oh, nothing, the supposedly uncomplicated love of family.’ Kat waved a dismissing hand.

‘You lost me that time.’ Zoe frowned.

‘Never mind, it’s not important.’ Kat laughed. ‘Yeah, this poor man probably really does wears tweed suits and has a comb over. Maybe I can do him some good. I’ll take him shopping and spruce him up a bit. He’ll be my makeover project. With any luck, he’ll find a real girlfriend and I’ll be off the hook in less than a month.’

‘You know, that’s not such a bad idea. Hook Mr English up with someone else more his speed and then it’s not your fault he stops dating you. You did say that his parents just want him to get out there.’ Zoe shrugged. ‘Could work.’

‘It’s definitely a plan.’

‘So, how are you going to do it?’

Kat reached down to the side pocket of her camera bag and pulled out a book. She handed it to her sister.

‘Five hundred big words everyone should know and love. A guide to intellectual conversation,’ Zoe read. As she handed it back, she said sarcastically, ‘Sounds dreamy.’

‘I thought it might help if he got all smart on me.’ Kat grinned. ‘Want to quiz me? I’ve got two pages almost memorised.’

‘Ah, tempting, but no,’ Zoe laughed.

‘Who knows, maybe if I whisper big words in his ear, he’ll get all excited,’ Kat dropped her tone to a sultry pout, ‘pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis.’

‘What in the world is that?’ Zoe laughed, shaking her head.

‘It’s a disease in the lungs caused by breathing particles of some kind of volcanic dust.’

‘And that will turn him on?’ Zoe made a playful move to grab the book from Kat. ‘You’ve lost it, sweetie.’

Kat jerked her arm back, still holding the book. ‘It happens to be the longest word in the English language. I looked it up.’ Kat laughed. ‘I guess some guy made it up in the nineteen-thirties, but it still counts.’

‘Huh, I thought it was that children’s song mom used to sing to us all the time when we were growing up, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.’

‘Nope –’ Kat took a sip of water, ‘– common misconception.’

‘That is it. Miss Katarina, you have got to go.’ Zoe stood up. ‘We’ve officially run out of things to talk about when we start discussing big words. Besides, I’ve got some chicken back there that needs prepping.’

‘I’m going, I’m going. You don’t have to throw me out.’ Kat slipped the book back into her bag. ‘Besides, you know I’d never stand between a cook and her chicken.’

‘You want me to make you a sandwich before the boss gets back?’

Kat’s smile fell. ‘No, I’m fine.’

‘Have you eaten today?’ Zoe persisted. ‘You’re looking thin.’

Kat forced the smile back over her face. She was hungry, but she had to stop taking her sister’s charity. The last thing she needed was Zoe losing her cool new job because of her. ‘You’re one to talk. Whoever heard of a skinny chef? You should gain at least –’

‘Kat,’ Zoe drawled, ‘quit avoiding.’

‘Fine, yeah, a quick sandwich,’ Kat agreed. She stood, slipping the camera strap over her head so it went across her chest and back with the bag resting on her hip. She’d designed it out of a side pack she found on clearance. It was much easier than hauling around the usual awkward rectangular shaped camera bags. ‘I am a little light-headed.’

‘Hmm,’ Zoe walked back towards the kitchen. Reaching around the corner, she pulled out a sack. Kat laughed. Zoe already had a lunch made for her. ‘Too bad this date job doesn’t actually pay in cash.’

‘I know,’ Kat said, before thanking Zoe for the food. ‘But, if it does pay off the way I want it to, then I won’t
have to worry about cash and I’ll buy you your own restaurant with my millions.’

‘I’ll hold you to that,’ Zoe said, pointing a finger at her.

‘I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to go and do some recon, see if I can’t figure out who the guy is and why he’s so awkward. According to his parents, he works downtown, not too far from here. Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of him and see what I have to work with. Who knows, maybe the whole makeover thing could be fun.’

‘Did you ever think maybe he’s gay?’ Zoe asked, tilting her head thoughtfully to the side. ‘It’d make sense as to why he doesn’t date.’

‘Ugh, don’t curse it.’ Kat leaned against the outside door, and pushed it open without using her hands. ‘I can pretend to be many things, a boy isn’t one of them.’

‘Good luck,’ Zoe called. Laughing, she pointed at Kat’s head. ‘Oh, and I love the pink.
Très chic
.’

Kat reached up and touched a long strip of her bangs. The hot pink chunks framed her face while the bulk of the heavy brown locks were piled high on top of her head. Grinning, she said, ‘Thanks. I did it last night when I couldn’t sleep. Though, I’ll probably have to take it out for Mr English.’

‘Who knows.’ Zoe winked. The waitress came out of the back with a tray and began clearing a table. The sisters ignored her. ‘Mr English might like a little freaky freaky in the bedroom.’

Kat rolled her eyes, letting the door close behind her as she stayed inside the restaurant. She might pity date the poor man for purely selfish reasons, but she wasn’t going to give him pity sex. ‘No way am I sleeping with him. The last thing I want is some nerdy English guy falling in love with me. Besides, freaky freaky is why I keep Jack around.’

‘Kat!’ Zoe scolded. ‘You are not still seeing Jack, are you?’

‘What do you mean still? I’ve been with him for four years.’

‘I know.’ Zoe shrugged. ‘I just keep hoping you’ll give him up. He’s not right for you.’

‘What? It’s not like I’m going to marry the guy or any guy for that matter. A single girl’s got to get her kicks somehow and Jack’s good at accents.’ Kat grinned, again pushing the front door open to let in the unseasonably hot air. ‘I like to think of Jack as a giant sex toy that never runs out of batteries. Besides, just like a vibrator, he never complains when I get rid of him afterward. I just tell him I’m inspired to work and he leaves.’

‘Kat!’ Zoe shook her head. Kat could tell her sister was trying really hard not to laugh. The waitress just grinned at them, chuckling to herself.

‘Ah, you know you love me.’ Kat winked.

‘Yep, you are the bane of my existence.’ Zoe waved a hand and turned to go towards the kitchen.

Kat smiled, stepping out into the bright sunlight. Opening the paper bag, her grin only widened as the smell of food wafted over her. Now this is why she loved Zoe. She took out half the cut sandwich and sniffed the delicious grilled chicken smothered with homemade mozzarella, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes and a creamy ranchlike sauce Zoe had invented. On the bottom of the bag was an extra sandwich for later.

Who needs true love when I have sisters, she thought, as she took a very unladylike bite.

The address she was looking for was several blocks away and it was fairly hot out, but Kat decided to walk it. With traffic, she’d probably get there faster on foot and she couldn’t really afford to waste money on a cab ride anyway. Eating as she strolled, she navigated her way along the busy sidewalk.

Horns honked, drowned out by the sound of busy street workers drilling away. Kat ignored the sounds,
having tuned them out long ago. For the most part, she minded her own business, but her eyes were always searching the crowds, looking for that one must-have photograph. It didn’t look as if she’d find it today, but she never knew.

She finished the first sandwich, wrapped up the second one and put it in the side pocket of her camera bag for later. Stopping in front of a window she quickly adjusted her hair, using the reflection as a mirror. Kat really didn’t have a plan, but knew it was best to be prepared in case she found an opportunity to meet Dr Vincent. With that in mind, she dug a couple of breath mints out of her bag.

‘Vincent,’ she said, thoughtfully studying her reflection in the glass. She wore faded denim jeans and a black jersey tunic that was split down the front, starting at the ruched material between her breasts and falling softly below her hips. The slit showed a splash of hot pink. It matched her hair and had actually been the inspiration for her to colour the pieces framing her face. Scrunching up her face, she lowered her voice into a breathy, seductive murmur, ‘Hello, Dr Richmond, know any big words?’

The shoulder straps on the T-shirt were wide, but still left her arms bare like a tank top. She glanced around to make sure no one was staring at her before reaching down the front to grab her breasts and lift them up to show more cleavage. Next, she pulled her hands out and quickly adjusted the underwired bra. A quick squirt of the perfume conveniently kept in the side pocket of her camera bag and she was ready to go meet the man who’d make all her dreams come true.

Kat laughed. Most women seemed to think men themselves were the ultimate goal – marriage, family, pretty little homes in the suburbs to raise the kids in. Not Kat. If marriage happened, it happened. If not, then not. Her whole life was not built around the desire to make someone else happy. Just because she wasn’t in love didn’t mean she wasn’t complete. Her first love was her
photography, the burning desire to make something real, tangible, moving, potent, the need to capture the small moments that made life what it was. And, if some of those moments happened to be taking photographs of designer clothing for top selling magazines, then so be it. Kat was happy doing what she loved. Fashion, after all, was an important, if not immortal part of society.

The front entrance to the building Vincent worked in was narrow and poorly marked. Kat actually walked past it and had to turn back around. She stopped, glancing up the side of the tall brick structure. It wasn’t much to look at, nestled between larger retail stores and set back from the street by a small row of steps. A little weathered plaque next to the door read, ‘DJP Scientific Department of Entomological Research’.