Chapter Two: Pat Gets Her Licks In
Curlers laid on the floor, mewing plaintively, feline eyes gazing at Pat begging (if that was possible for a cat) her not to leave him.
For a moment Pat stared down at him, before--with an exasperated sigh--she bent down and picked him up.
"You know you're not supposed to come with me to the salon," Pat scolded her pet, but the only reply she received was more mournful meowing. "Well, alright, the salon is closed today anyway, so I guess you can come with...but just this once, buster," she admonished, wagging a finger for emphasis.
As she left her apartment, Curlers purred contentedly in Pat's arms. Taking the elevator to the parking garage, Pat loaded herself and her furry companion into her sedan. The vehicle was on loan from her cousin, who had deemed it dangerous for Pat to be tooling around New York City in a normal car. Of course, as the Man of Bronze had commented after experiencing her driving for the first time, it was dangerous for Pat to drive, period. To say she had an aggressive style would be an understatement, though her superb reflexes had--to this point--managed to prevent her from having any accidents.
Today was no exception. With the weather warm and sunny, Pat reached the modernistic building on Park Avenue which housed her beauty establishment in only a few minutes and, pulling around back, parked the blue sedan at the mouth of the tunnel behind the building. She fumbled at the rear entrance for a moment for the proper key then, finding it, opened the door and stepped inside. Behind her, the door clicked shut. Turning on the lights, Pat bent down to release her now struggling burden.
"There you go, you pesky cat," she laughed. "Explore all you like, but stay out of trouble!" As she wandered further into her salon, she mused to herself, "Stay out of trouble? Jeesh--I'd better watch it or I'll be sounding like Doc!" Curlers followed her with his eyes as she walked away, meowed once, and wandered off to investigate things.
The Park Avenue Beautician--for that was the name of the lovely lady Savage's salon--was nearly as impressive looking as its owner. Chromium, enamel and plush, colored rugs created an air of modern opulence which Pat tried hard to cultivate. Normally, the place would be bustling in the morning, with stately, striking attendants taking care of all her fashionable clientele's beauty needs. In keeping with the atmosphere she was trying to create, Pat's female employees were invariably stunning in appearance. Pat did have some male clients, but as she had once told Doc, "I don't know whether they come to have their looks improved, or to flirt with my snappy assistants." However, the beauty of those assistants was overshadowed by the radiance of their boss.
Today, however, the place was deserted. Pat was expanding the gymnasium which occupied the second story of her establishment, and Pat had closed the salon for a week until the work was completed, deeming it too noisy for her hoity toity customers. However, the workmen had not yet arrived this morning; out getting some supplies, Pat didn't expect them to show up for a couple more hours.
Pat ambled through the main room of the salon to her private office, where she figured on putting in some time going through the books. Pat charged through the roof and, even better, got most of her money upfront, as her customers purchased exclusive memberships to the Park Avenue Beautician. Though she had a team of crack accountants, she liked to look through the figures herself once in a while, though she rarely had the opportunity when the place was jumping. This would be a good chance for her to catch up.
Slipping her high-heeled shoes off her stocking feet, Pat swivelled in her chair and, putting her shapely feet up on the credenza behind her desk, began flipping through files. Though her demeanor might have seemed casual to an onlooker, her sharp eyes and keen mind were focused intently on her work, totally absorbed in her task in the empty salon.
When the hand touched her shoulder, Pat nearly hit the roof.
Exclaiming loudly, Pat shot out of the chair as if propelled and whipped around. The sight that met her golden eyes was a petite young woman, convulsed in laughter.
"Gee, I'm so sorry Pat," the newcomer managed to choke out between her hysterics. "But if you could only see the way you jumped..." Another burst of mirth prevented her from continuing, as she clutched her sides.
"Yea, very funny," shot Pat, though the corners of her delectable mouth had begun to turn upwards in a smile. "Honestly Melissa--you nearly startled me back to Canada!"
The young woman Pat had addressed as Melissa wiped the tears from her eyes, fought to regain her breath. She was a diminutive vision, scarcely topping five feet, with long, lustrous black hair which fell nearly to her slim waist. Her matching eyes glistened with her tears. She was attired in a blue blouse and skirt outfit which showed off her svelte figure to tremendous advantage, revealing her shapely calves and accentuating her small but perky bosom.
"I'm so sorry, you just seemed so intent, I couldn't resist."
"I'll show you sorry, you little minx," Pat retorted. "You owe me big time for that, and I'll pay you back, just wait!"