About a week later, Mr Andretti turned up for his second visit. Master had sent me for another 'ordeal by beautification' and it wasn't quite as bad as the last time. Maybe I was getting used to it... or maybe I didn't need quite as much work.
Master had chosen my simple, black, open-backed dress and I knew I looked stunning as we waited to welcome his guests. Sadly, tonight, we only expected Mr Andretti and his slimeball nephew, Simone - there was no Terri to keep me company!
As we waited, I noticed that we didn't have all the extra bodyguards hanging around - just Elroy. Maybe Master and Mr Andretti were starting to trust each other.
Then they appeared. Mr Andretti was as charming as ever. He greeted Master warmly and then he stroked my cheek as he told me how lovely I looked.
He only had the one bodyguard with him, this time, and the guy tried to do his quiet 'disappearing into the wall' thing as Master and Mr Andretti exchanged a couple of words in Italian before stepping down into the living room.
But, of course, Slimeball was as slimy as ever and, as soon as Master's back was turned, he leaned down so his head was next to mine and I cringed as I smelt the drink on his breath. Then he whispered something in my ear. I didn't know what most of the words meant but it was clear he was talking about nasty stuff... sex stuff... It made me shudder and I shuddered even more as he ran a finger down my bare back.
Suddenly I didn't like that black dress anymore.
At last he followed the other two down into the living room and carried on as if nothing had happened.
But I just knelt there, frozen to the spot, as Elroy appeared and offered our guests drinks.
When Mr Fussy noticed I hadn't moved, he looked up to me and gave a slightly fussy look before saying, "Kitten, could you bring the canapés, please?"
Moving like a machine, I did as I was told.
When I'd offered the snacks around, I moved to kneel next to Master but Slimeball managed to shuffle round so his slimy hands were in range of my back again. I just didn't know what to do. This meeting was important and Master wouldn't want to upset Mr Andretti so I just knelt there and suffered in silence.
But the vile Slimeball just got worse and worse. At one point, Master popped up to his study to collect some documents and when he returned, he found Slimeball teasing one of my nipples through the skimpy material of the dress.
"Please leave my kitten alone," Master told his guest firmly. I mean... his tone was all controlled but there was a dirty great dollop of menace bubbling just below the surface. "She is my property and my responsibility and I will not have her interfered with in any way."
"But it's just some bint."
"Be that as it may, she is my..." he did this pause thing to show he didn't like the word being applied to me... "bint. And with the sums of money involved in this deal, you can afford as many... bints... of your own as you wish."
"You don't want to add her to the deal as a sweetener?"
"She is worth much more to me than this entire deal."
"How about selling her, then?"
"She is not for sale," Master told Slimeball flatly.
Mr Lovely smiled down at me for a moment and touched my shoulder. But, as he did it, I caught a glimpse of wild hatred flashing across Slimeball's face. I guess he wasn't used to being told that he couldn't have something.
And when I saw that look, I wasn't just worried for me but for my lovely Master too.
But, as Mr Bossy stroked my shoulder, I forgot about it and found myself leaning into him in relief and gratitude.
The meeting seemed to be going smoothly and, for a while, even Slimeball was more interested in the deal than with getting his slimy hands on me. I started to relax a bit and listened to what they were saying. The Andretti Family needed to move large quantities of 'product' from Asia to the United States and Mr Bossy was confident he could organise this.
Of course, nobody actually said what the 'product' was.
And at last, Mr Andretti asked about the price.
"Before I answer that question, I would like to clarify the way in which I operate," Mr Bossy said. "I don't play silly haggling games. I may be open to negotiation on the terms of payment and so on but I will not move on price."
Mr Andretti met his eye and nodded.
Then Mr Bossy gave the price... and I needed all my Kitten training not to react.
I mean... I already knew he was stupidly rich... but up until then I didn't understand what stupid meant.
Mr Andretti was quiet for a bit then nodded. "I believe that we are having the basis for an agreement," he said
Then the two stepped across to the other side of the room. It sounded like they were phoning lawyer type people.
But, as soon as their backs were turned, Slimeball made a move.
The first thing I noticed was a wild jolt of cold. He'd taken an ice cube from his drink and casually reached down to place it on my inner thigh, just above my knee.
I froze at the unexpected freezing touch. And I froze as he started to move it upwards. I knew that a good kitten wasn't supposed to move but I trembled with the shock and was having difficulty controlling myself as the memories of being touched like this by my stepfather came flooding back.
And still the ice cube kept creeping higher.
Then Master turned around. "Kitten, come here," he told me.
Trying to control my shaking body, I did my 'elegantly rising from a kneeling position' thing and stepped across the room to kneel next to him. He put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and, though I knew I was supposed to stay still, I just had to lean my head into his thigh. Then he turned to Mr Andretti, quite deliberately turning his back on Slimeball.
"It appears that I was insufficiently clear last time," he said. His tone was calm but there was no hiding the cold fury underneath. "I will say this once and once only. This girl is my property and I consider her wellbeing to be my personal responsibility. If any member of your family interferes with her again, I will instantly and for all times terminate all relationships with your family. This is not the way I conduct business."
The room seemed to freeze as everyone waited to see how the old man would react. I could see Elroy and the security guard sort of tensing up and I got the feeling that we weren't very far away from the whole thing exploding into violence. I guess that Mr Andretti wasn't used to being talked to like this.
The old man was quiet for what felt like a very long time but at last he gave a nod. "I am understanding of your anger," he said. "Simone, you are embarrassing. You are apologising."
Simone said the right words and, even though everybody could tell he didn't really mean them, it broke the tension. But I didn't trust that Slimeball and, as the other two continued their conversation, I kept my eye on him. You don't have to turn your head to watch somebody.
And, as the two older men stepped through to the dining room to refill their glasses, Simone turned to glare at Master's back. That look was truly terrifying and I thought he was about to attack Master. It was a huge relief when the others returned.
As the men moved to the sofas to talk about other possible deals. I knelt close to Mr Bossy and he must have seen how upset I was - though I don't think anybody else would have noticed. "Kitten," he said gently, "go to your room now. If I need anything else, I'll ask Elroy ." He reached down and helped me to my feet.
"Yes Master." I nodded to his guests then forced myself to do Cruella's controlled walk thing as I climbed the stairs to the Mezzanine... and I even managed to keep it together until I reached my room.
But as soon as I got the door closed, I tore that dress off then threw myself onto the bed and curled up in a little ball.
I don't know how long I was like that but suddenly Master was there, sitting next to me, stroking my back, and singing gently to me - one of the silly songs from 'The Mikado'. I'd never heard him sing before.
And, gradually, I relaxed enough to collapse into tears.
And he sat there, singing and stroking my back as I cried.
"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked as my tears started to relent.
"There's not a lot to say," I answered. "It's just that Slimeball brought back all those horrible memories from my stepfather."
"Please don't call him that out loud," he said with a bit of a laugh. "It's not that the name doesn't suit him. It suits him all too well. But I mustn't get in the habit of thinking of him like that or it might slip out at the wrong moment!"
I had to smile and he patted me on the bottom. Then he stepped across the room to the lovely black dress which lay in a crumpled mess on the floor. I knew I ought to be in trouble but he didn't even give me a dirty look as he picked it up. "Should I get Elroy to dispose of this?" he asked.
I thought about this for a moment before I reached a decision. "No thank you," I told him. "It's a lovely dress and I don't want to give... him... that victory. "But I only ever want to wear it for you... not when there's anyone else about, particularly him."
"My brave Kitten! Then that's the way it's going to be." He stepped into my dressing room to hang it up.
"Bed time!" he said when he reappeared. "Do you need my help with your make-up?"
"I don't need it but I would like it very much."
But when he lifted me up off the bed, we noticed the horrible mess of tears, snot and makeup on the pillow.
But Mr Lovely snuggled me to him and kissed me on the forehead - probably the only bit of my face that wasn't a total mess! "I do not consider that to be your fault," he said as he carried me into the bathroom.
He popped a towel on the edge of the bath so it wasn't cold for my bottom as he sat me down. Then he gently wiped off the mess, kissing each bit as he got it clean. Then he told me to brush my teeth as he went to change my pillowcase.
And finally he popped me into bed, wished me a good night and gave me a lovely, gentle, tender kiss on the lips before stepping down the corridor to his own room.
I lay there for a long time in the dark, thinking about that evening, and, even though it wasn't my place, I decided I had to warn Master. So I went along the corridor and hesitantly knocked.
"Come in!"
I opened the door to find he was already in bed and was wearing a pair of startlingly scarlet silk pyjamas.
"What's up, Kitten?" he asked when he saw me. "Have you got an ache?"
"I've always got an ache," I replied. "It comes from living with a Master who refuses to tend his kitten's needs properly."
He gave a little smile.
"But that's not why I'm here."
"What's the matter then?" He raised himself up on one elbow and looked at me.
"I don't think you should trust Simone," I told him.
"I know he ogles you as if you're an item on the buffet and he can't keep his hands to himself but I don't think..."
"It's not that," I said. He raised an eyebrow to remind me that I'd just interrupted him but he decided not to disturb my flow. "I didn't like the way he was looking at you, particularly when your back was turned."
He patted the bed next to him as he thought about this. I lay down next to him and he casually put his hand on my back. He was quiet for a long time.
"Thank you for telling me, Kitten," he said at last. "It couldn't have been easy, particularly as we both know I'm Mr Scary!"
We shared a smile.
"I want you to come into the office with me tomorrow. You can go through the video feed from tonight with the guys from 'Enforcement' to see if you can find the incidents."
"You've got video from tonight?"
"I have video recordings from every moment in every room for over a year," he told me, "much longer for any significant material."
I don't suppose I should have been all that surprised.
"Aren't you afraid that the wrong people will see... stuff?"
"It's secured by a level of encryption which ensures that nobody can access the video stream without the appropriate password," Mr Bossy explained. "And should the courts, or anyone else, force me to hand over the password, I will give them one which allows them access to a carefully prepared fiction. Only I know the password to access the true recording."
I suppose that's the sort of thing that makes perfect sense if you're a paranoid drug smuggler. Everybody really is out to get you.
"Do you recall exactly when he gave me these looks?" he asked.
"The first one was when you told him he couldn't have me..." I answered.
"It's probably not a familiar experience for him," Mr Bossy laughed. "And the other?"
"When you went to refill Mr Andretti's whisky glass."
"That's excellent information, Kitten. We'll be able to track down those two events with ease. Now was there anything else?"
"Could I have a snuggle please? It was very frightening."
"Of course, Kitten. Go and pop something on..." I hopped out of bed and made my way into his changing room. "Second drawer down," he shouted after me. "And bring my dressing gown."
"Alright now Kitten?" he asked as he eased me into bed.
I nodded gently and he covered me in his dressing gown, turned off the light and wrapped me up in his enormous arms. He even put a hand on my tummy.
And Kitten was safe from the scary man.
When I woke the next morning, Master's arms were still wrapped around me but his hand had slipped lower... much lower.
Not low enough to be touching anything important, sadly, but rather pleasantly lower. I tried to lie very still indeed so that he kept on sleeping.
But it didn't work.
"Kitten!" he whispered in my ear. "Now I know you were a very good kitten indeed last night but we can still start the morning with a cold shower."
"Kittens don't like cold water!" I said hurriedly.
"Then kittens had better behave!" I could hear the smile in his voice.
"But I didn't do anything!" I said, not because I thought it would do any good, just because I was enjoying the conversation... and the snuggle... and wanted to keep it going.
"No, but you were enjoying it! Go on, off you pop!" He gave me a couple of slaps on the bottom which were just too firm to be fun and that had me hopping out of bed. "We need to get going," he said. "You go on down without me.
It was when I was in the lift that I realised it was a bit funny but I was a good kitten and was busy on the running machine by the time he came down. However, once he appeared, he seemed to want to make up for lost time and we managed to finish early without doing any less work than normal.
So I was moderately pooped by the time we made it back to the lift. "May I take my collar off to wash it?" I asked as we travelled up together. I sort of assumed... hoped... he wouldn't make me wear it to his office.
"Turn round," he told me. He took it off for me then kissed me on the back of the neck. I was all sweaty and horrible but he never seemed to mind that.
I enjoyed a quick shower whilst trying to work out what I should wear. In the end, I went for the blue dress and the rather elegant black leather pumps with a slight heel. Of course, with my neck free, I wore my lovely kitten necklace. I thought I looked OK but I was still a bit worried as I made my way back to the kitchen.
Master was busy on his phone when I appeared and he held up a finger to make me wait as he finished his call.
"Spin round!" he told me and, still worrying about whether I looked OK, I did as he said.
"Perfect," he said when I had spun back to face him and I glowed with pleasure. One thing about his 'never telling me a lie' thing was that, when he did pay me a compliment, I knew he meant it.
He helped me up onto one of the stools then stepped across to press the magic button and with a whirr and a buzz and a small cloud of steam, my cappuccino appeared.
"I've got a question for you," I said as we set to work on our morning chomping. "If you're videoing everything, why didn't you stop me before I ran away with the money?"
"The video is being recorded but not continually monitored. That would require a team of about a dozen people. Anyway, there was no point whatsoever in worrying about that as you had stolen a phone with a tracker in it."
"My phone's got a tracker in it?" It felt like an enormous invasion of my privacy
"Of course your phone's got a tracker in it. My phone's got a tracker in it too, as has this." He held up his left wrist to show me his gold, medical alert bracelet. I really don't know why you're worried about that, though. You've still got the tracker around your ankle."
"Oh yeah!"
"Oh, Kitten!" he said when he saw that I'd forgotten. He stretched across the table and kissed me on the forehead. "Please try harder to use that brain of yours! We both know that, deep down inside, you're not the silly little kitten that you like to pretend you are!"
Within a couple of minutes, breakfast was chomped, teeth were shiny and he was helping me into the waiting limo.
He said a couple of friendly words to the driver before pressing a button to raise a privacy partition. Then, after giving me an apologetic smile, he took out his phone.
"One more question, please,' I said hurriedly before he started his first call. "What should I call you at work? I can't really call you 'Master'!"
"It would merely confirm what they already suspect about my home life," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "My name is Anthony Lloyd. Anthony," he added with a firm look, "never Tony."