Page 25 of Purrfectly Haunted

James looks exhausted. “It’s too early for this shit...” he grumbles, even though the sun is high in the sky, shining brightly through the small window. He tries to go back to bed, but Pearl hisses at him. He backs away, horrified. “Well then, time for breakfast. You coming?” he asks me.

I nod. “In a moment.”

He’s about to say something, but Pearl hisses at him again, so he stomps out of the room, mumbling things like “fucking cats” and “furry menace”.

When James has left, I bury my face in the Ragdoll’s soft fur. “Thank you, sweetie.”

None of this is James’ fault, but I need some time to compose myself. I don’t want to have a talk about how depraved I am. I don’t know how to face him yet. I sigh and stroke Pearl’s back. She licks the tip of my nose.

“Ewan, what about breakfa—” James falters as he reenters the room an hour later. “Oh my fucking god...”

“Sorry,” I say. “I really meant to come... I mean go do... down...” I stammer. Fuck. Why does everything sound dirty? “I meant to join you for breakfast, but then I couldn’t move.”

The seven cats found their way to our room moments after his departure, and they all sat on me. Misty, the white cat, is on my chest beside Pearl. Then I have Lucifer on my legs, with Retia and Rava, the black cat and the tabby, a bonded pair. The fat calico, Mouche, is a heavy weight on my bladder. The Russian blue, Lupin, is sleeping on the pillow behind my head, tail curled around my throat.

“These cats aren’t normal,” James mumbles. “I’m telling you.” As if on cue again, the seven cats look at him. He shudders. “Fucking creepy. I’m going back to the kitchen to think about our next course of action. Join me when you can, please.”

He glares at the cats one last time before grabbing his bag and leaving.

I sigh and pet all the cats one by one. “Thank you, my friends, but I’ll have to face him sooner or later. Also, I really need to pee.”

The cats purr loudly.

Half an hour later, I make my way to the staff kitchen with my heart in my throat. At least James is still willing to keep working with me after last night. Maybe if we can pretend it didn’t happen, this feeling of intense shame will go away eventually.

When I enter the kitchen, James is seated at the table. Shirley is pacing the room, and Lana is leaning on the counter, stirring a cup of tea.

“Good morning, sugar,” Lana says. Today, she’s wearing a dusty pink track suit and her red hair in a high ponytail. “I heard you had an awful encounter with the Lady in Red.”

I look at James, mortified. What did he tell them?

“She almost knocked us both out,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me. “I was so fucking horny I thought my cock would explode.”

I flush. He was? I was too busy sucking his fingers and coming in my overalls to really pay attention to his cues.

It sounds like he didn’t give them details about my... sexual assault situation...

Lana cackles, seeing my face. “Don’t worry, we’ve all been there. That ghost is a dignity hazard. I went to the library once to try to stop a threesome at two in the morning. Let’s say it became a foursome. One of the men, a Portuguese tourist was so big he—”

“Boss...” Shirley cuts her off. “Too much information.”

Lana hides her smile by sipping her tea.

To my surprise, James is laughing. And in the blink of eye, I feel slightly better.

“Well, tonight we do need a decent plan of action,” he says. “I admit I let my temper get the better of me last night, and it made things worse. The Lady in Red seems to be more coherent than the other two ghosts we met. Maybe we can negotiate with her.”

“And maybe masturbate before going,” Lana says.

Shirley groans. “Oh my god, boss...”

I laugh, and Lana winks at me. I wonder briefly if she’s doing it to make me feel better about the whole situation. If so, it’s working.

We spend the afternoon devising a plan involving a lot of flattering and heartfelt apologies.

When midnight comes and the last guests trickle to bed, my anxiety is through the roof. Will I be able to control myself this time if the Lady in Red uses her ability on us again? Or will I do something I’ll regret terribly? I can only take so much shame.

“I really think we should split-up if we face her wrath again,” I repeat for the hundredth time. It can only help if James isn’t close when I get terribly horny. He’s a catalyst, no doubt about it. I find him quite attractive.