The Bat and The Cat

Part 10-The kiss

"Bruce, I....did not mean to interrupt," Selina Kyle said as she walked into Bruce's office.

Bruce Wayne was in a rather compromising position, sat on the edge of his desk, kissing a beautiful, young woman who had her hands down his half-opened shirt. Startled, the girl pulled away and Bruce groaned.

"Who is she?" the young woman asked him in broken English.

"Me?" Selina asked, faking outrage, "I'm the wife."

Wide-eyed, the girl turned to Bruce for confirmation.

"Selina," he warned, meeting her eye over the girl's shoulder.

Selina offered him a dazzling smile before walking to the sofa and picking up the girl's bag. "Honey," she said and the girl turned to her, "I'm not the wife but neither will you be. Now take this," she threw the bag that the girl struggled to catch, "and go back to school."

"I finished school," the girl replied confused.

"Then do some more."

The girl looked between Bruce and Selina; when she realised Bruce was not going to protest, she walked out as dignified as she could muster, slamming the door behind her.

Selina raise her eyebrows, "Teenager, eh?"

Bruce rolled his eyes at her and proceeded to button his shirt. Selina could see there, on his exposed chest, the three claw marks she had left on him, and she couldn't help but feel satisfied with that.

"Why are you here?" Bruce asked, "assuming is not only to ruin my good humour."

"It's not, although that is the best part."

Bruce shot her an unimpressed look and made his way to the chair behind the desk. "What do you have for me?"

Selina unfolded a black piece of paper and slapped it on his desk. It read: Masquerade Night.

Bruce looked up at her. "What's this?"

"This," she said, perching herself on the edge of his desk, her leg dangerously close to his hand, "is an invitation to one of the most exclusive parties in town. And Bruce Wayne got us an invitation."

Bruce picked up the paper and read the details. "And why do we wanna go here?"

"Because Almazio will be there."

"No!" he said almost before she had started speaking.

"What? Why?"

"He's seen you, Selina, we can't risk him seeing you twice."

"It's a masquerade ball. I'll wear a mask."

"Yeah, a cat mask?"

Selina scoffed. "Yes, if I want everybody to know that I'm the cat burglar."

"Well, you might as well. It's not like what you're proposing isn't a suicide mission." Bruce was starting to crush the edges of the invitation in his hand.

"He won't recognise me," Selina argued.

"He might. And I'm not willing to take that chance," he said as if that was the end of their discussion.

But she wasn't done. "And why is that?"

Bruce stood up exasperated. "Because last time he almost chopped you into pieces and I wasn't there to stop him."

Selina was taken aback by his outburst, his guilt. She shook her head. "Bruce, you can't blame yourself for that."

"Can't I? You were the one that told me I threw you in the lion's den."