Part One
Catwoman
Barbara Gordon walked into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She had just come from her father's house. It was a ritual they had. She had dinner with him every Friday night since she left home to go to college. Often, it was the only time they had to see each other. Although she had a job with regular hours, he was Gotham City's police commissioner and therefore worked long and often irregular hours.
And then, she spent a lot of time with her "second job." In fact, she was going to go out again tonight. During dinner, her father had asked about her plans for the evening. She told him that she was going to get some exercise. He dismissed it as only a visit to her aerobics class. If only he knew.
Barbara went to her bedroom and undressed. She stepped into the shower and washed the day off herself. She wanted to make sure that the perfume she normally wore was completely removed. It would not be good for her second job to have any smell that might give her away.
She rubbed the washcloth over her breasts and for a brief moment wished that her vocation didn't make it so hard to meet men. Nice men, not the sort of guys she normally ran into at night. It had been so long since she'd had a nice man in her life.
Thoughts of her plans for the evening soon quieted the sexual fires that threatened to engulf her. She finished her shower mechanically, her mind occupied with other details.
After the shower, she dried off and again went to her bedroom. Opened her closet and pulled out the locked trunk. She then took her keys from the dresser and opened the trunk. Still naked, she picked up the black lycra bodysuit and inspected it. It was brand new. She'd had to replace it after her last outing. The insignia she sewn on it looked perfect.
She took a pair of underpants and a jogging bra from her dresser and quickly put them on. She then slid into the tight bodysuit. She pulled a belt and cape from the trunk and put them on. Barbara Gordon turned to look at herself in the full length mirror on the closet door. It was not Barbara's image that looked back at her, it was Batgirl's.
The night was hot and steamy. Gotham was in a typical summer heat wave. Batgirl climbed the fire escape to the top floor of the building. Most of the buildings in this neighborhood were older and had external fire escapes. She found that came in handy.
From this vantage point, five floors up, she could see the entire back of the museum. She knew from experience that this was where the building was most vulnerable. She sat back on her heels and partially hide behind a chimney. She waited.
Several hours later, she noticed the motion across the street. It was time to move.
She quietly lowered herself to the street and crossed to the museum. It was quiet. Not alarms. Not that she expected any. The person she was after would be too good at what they did to set off any alarms.
Barbara Gordon had read in this morning's paper that the exhibit of rare gems was opening tonight at the museum. Batgirl knew that the gems were a prime target for one of Gotham's criminal element. What she hadn't known was which one.
Batgirl noticed the open window and climbed into it. She quietly lifted herself through the window, pausing only to look at the alarm wires that had been neatly bypassed. She lowered herself quietly inside, her senses alert for any sound that might indicate where her prey was.
She noticed that she was in a coat room. She assumed that the burglar would exit through this same room. Although she could wait here for the criminal to return, she decided that the room didn't allow space to fight if necessary. She snuck across the small room and quietly opened the door. The hall appeared empty. She wondered where the night guards were.
Batgirl moved out into the museum. It was typical of most museums. Large and full of shadows. Batgirl liked that. It gave her room to move and hide. It also afforded her the chance to see her prey before they saw her. The gems were probably in the second level showroom. She decided to hide near the main stairs and wait. She had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard a slight sound to her right.
Without thinking, Batgirl moved into a fighting position. She heard the soft padding sound again, closer. Her black costume and the deep shadows hide her from view. The sound was real close. Deciding to take the initiative and strike a swift first blow, Batgirl kicked out toward the sound of the sound. She was rewarded with a thud and a short hiss.
An expert at savate, the French martial art, Batgirl realized instantly that the blow she struck had not hit anything near the size of a person. She moved out of the shadow and saw a cat laying on the floor of the museum hallway. It laid still. She knelt beside it and felt its side. It was not breathing. The swollen belly of the animal told her that it had been pregnant. A cat meant Catwoman, Batgirl decided. She took one last look at the poor animal...
Then she heard a angry scream and then nothing...
First came the pain. Lots of it. Then, slowly, came some portion of awareness.
Long, agonizing moments of pain slowly gave way to a dull sense of consciousness. Batgirl tried to move her head and was rewarded with a painful throbbing in her head. She realized, almost at a subconscious level, that she was alive and that she'd make a big mistake.
Letting the dead cat distract her had been a mistake. Killing the cat in the first place was not a good choice either. She decided to just be thankful that she was alive and start with that. Batgirl opened her eyes and was surprised to find that she was no longer in the museum. As she continued to gather her thoughts, she assumed that she had been struck on the head by Catwoman and left for dead.
She risked another spasm of pain and looked around. It was then that she noticed that her hands and feet were tied and she was hanging spread-eagle from her arms. As the pain in her head subsided, she began to become acutely aware of the pain in her shoulders and wrists.
Batgirl could tell that she wasn't in the museum, but was having trouble placing exactly where she was. It was dark and she could not see anything. She could tell that her mask was still on, but aside from that nothing.
She hung in the dark for long minutes. Eventually, a door opened and someone walked in. A light came on, momentarily blinding her.
The figure in front of her spoke. "You killed my pet, you bitch."
Although blinded by the bright light and still groggy from the blow to her head, Batgirl remembered the voice. It was a very angry Catwoman.
"That cat was about to have kittens. You killed her. For no reason."
"I'm sorry," Batgirl said, her mouth dry. Her tongue felt several times larger than it was. "It was an accident." She was more accustomed to the light now. She lifted her head to see Catwoman standing in front of her. Catwoman wore a tight, form-fitting leather body suit, but had removed the cowl that she normally used to cover her head. Her long black hair tumbled over her shoulders.
Catwoman stepped closer to where Batgirl hung. Batgirl darted her eyes to both sides. She was in an old warehouse. Her shackles where attached to large eyebolts in the support beams that were spaced about every ten feet. Her arms where just high enough to support most of her weight, but her feet were on the ground. Her feet were also bound by the same shackles that held her wrists. Her feet were spread open by the shackles.
Catwoman simply looked at Batgirl with hatred in her eyes. She finally spoke. "You killed one of my pets." Catwoman turned and started to walk away. Batgirl thought she heard Catwoman start to cry.
Abruptly, Catwoman turned. Tears flowed down her face. "You kicked my cat!" she screamed and kicked Batgirl hard between the legs.
Batgirl was still weak from the blow to her head. She flinched from the blow and short seconds later felt dizzy and ill from the pain. As she lost consciousness again, she thought she heard Catwoman say "Kick my pussy and I'll kick yours."
As she awoke the second time, Batgirl became aware of an urgent need to urinate. She'd never been in this sort of situation before. Every other time she'd been captured by one of Gotham's loony master criminals, she'd been able to escape shortly thereafter or had been rescued by Batman. This time, that wasn't an option.
Even if Catwoman hadn't removed her utility belt, there was no way for Batgirl to reach it with her arms tied the way they were. And Batman was out of town. Or at least that's what her father had speculated earlier in the night during dinner.
Batgirl opened her eyes again. This time the lights were on and Catwoman was sitting on a box about ten paces away. Catwoman was watching Batgirl as she slowly awoke.
Catwoman did not speak. The two women stared at each other for several minutes. Batgirl finally spoke. "I'm really sorry about your cat. It was a mistake."
Catwoman still did not speak. Batgirl looked at her. Catwoman was a tall and well built woman, maybe in her mid-thirties. She had long, thick, black hair that flowed over her shoulders when it wasn't hidden under the cat-eared cowl she wore as part of her costume. The costume itself was a form fitting single piece leather jumpsuit. What in the fashion trades was called (appropriately, in this case) a "catsuit." To the catsuit, she had added a pair of flat, soft soled boots and a pair of leather gloves. The leather gloves has sharp razors attached to the finger tips; Catwoman's claws.
"Well, what are you going to do with me?" Batgirl asked.
"I haven't decided," Catwoman said.
Another few moments passed, neither woman talked.
Finally, Batgirl decided she could take it no more. It was bad enough that her neck hurt from having her head hanging, her head hurt from the blow, her wrists and shoulders hurt from the weight of hanging, and her crotch hurt from being kicked. All that was bad enough, it was just too much to have a bladder that felt like it was about to bust. "Catwoman," she said.
Catwoman looked at her.
"I really have to go to the bathroom. Can you get me down?"
"You'll just try to get away," Catwoman said. "I can't let you loose until I decide how you should be punished."
Batgirl got mad. "You just want me to pee all over the floor?" she yelled.
"No," Catwoman said calmly, standing. "All of my pets are trained to use a litter box." Catwoman left the room.
Litter box, Batgirl thought. What does she have in mind?
A moment later, Catwoman returned. She carried a plastic box about two feet square. It was filled part way with cat litter. She placed the box under Batgirl, between Batgirl's feet.
"You've got to be joking?" Batgirl asked.
"No," Catwoman said. She flashed her "claws" in Batgirl's face.
Catwoman unzipped the front of Batgirl's bodysuit. The zipper only went to just below the chest. Catwoman held the fabric and with her other hand, cut through it, ripping the front of the bodysuit open. Batgirl watched, partly afraid and partly awed, as the razor-sharp claws tore her costume apart. Inches from her flesh. Batgirl shivered in horror at the thought that Catwoman would cut her up the same way.
Catwoman ran her claws down the front of Batgirl's body suit. She peeled it away from Batgirl's body from neck to the top of Batgirl's boots. Catwoman then reached for the jogging bra. She slipped a single finger between Batgirl's breasts and flicked the claw. The thin strip of cloth between the bra cups was sliced cleanly by the razor. The bra fell open, exposing Batgirl's breasts.
Catwoman paused for a moment, eyeing Batgirl's milky white breasts. Batgirl looked in absolute horror as Catwoman's fingers waved inches from her breasts.
Catwoman then slid a finger under Batgirl's underpants. The claw scratched Batgirl's hip, but didn't cut too deep. First one flick, then another flick. First the right hip, then the left; the underpants fell into the litter box.
Batgirl hung from her shackles, her costume in shreds and totally exposed in front. Her bare breasts and crotch were exposed and vulnerable to Catwoman's claws.
Catwoman turned and left the room.
Batgirl had never been in a situation quite like this. She'd faced certain death many times, but had never been humiliated quite like this. She had no recourse but to hang from her bonds and wait for mercy from her captor.
She finally could stand it no longer and relaxed her bladder. She was thankful that she could relieve herself in privacy.
About a half hour after leaving, Catwoman returned. She walked up to Batgirl and looked at her.
She finally spoke. "You're a redhead."
Under her mask, Batgirl blushed. She realized that Catwoman was looking at her pussy hair, not her head.
"I've never been with a redhead," Catwoman said.
Ohmygawd, Batgirl thought, she's a lesbian. All those times she's tried to seduce the Batman had been a ruse.
As if reading Batgirl's mind, Catwoman said, "I'm not a dyke, if that's what you think. But, I've slept with a woman or two. Maybe I'm bi. I don't know. What I do know is that you've got a very nice body."
Batgirl looked down at her exposed body. She'd never really thought about how attractive she was. She worked out at the gym, taking aerobics classes. That was mainly for appearances. Her other workouts were in private, with heavy weights and martial arts instructors. Her body was lean but muscular. As Barbara Gordon, head research librarian for the Gotham City Public Library, she rarely had to do anything more physical than carry a few books, but as Batgirl, she needed to be in top shape.
Catwoman pulled off her gloves and tossed them aside. Batgirl silently felt a wave of relief with the risk of the claws removed from her exposed breasts and pussy. Catwoman cautiously reached out and softly caressed Batgirl's breast with one hand.
Next, Catwoman cupped Batgirl's pussy in her hand and gently pressed her palm against Batgirl's mons. Batgirl was partially repulsed by the actions, but secretly she admitted to herself that she was finally finding out what it would be like to make love to another woman. Barbara had known several girls in college that professed to be lesbians, and had often wondered what it was like. Since becoming Batgirl, she'd pretty much relied only on masturbation as a sexual outlet. She'd never wanted to get too close to any guy, for fear that he'd figure out her secret.
But, Batgirl realized that even if she wanted to satisfy her curiosity, this was not the time to do so. Catwoman had knocked her out and practically kidnapped her. Maybe she was a sexual psychopath instead of just a cat burglar. Anyone that ran around at night in a costume like that must be crazy, she thought. Remembering her own costume, the tight black lycra bodysuit with the gold bat symbol on the front, Batgirl decided this was not the line of thought to pursue too much.
Batgirl struggled against her bonds. They were snug, but she wondered if she could pull free. She pulled on her right hand has hard as she could.
Catwoman seemed to be oblivious to her captive's struggles. She continued to caress Batgirl's pubic hair, seemingly entranced by the red curls. Although she continued to struggle with her shackles, Batgirl was afraid to admit to herself that Catwoman's caresses felt good. It had, after all, been so long since she'd had a man touch her like that.
Catwoman knelt down in front of Batgirl. She paused for a moment, as if contemplating what she was about to do. Batgirl stopped struggling for a moment, also contemplating what was about to happen. She was helpless to stop it.
Her Batgirl persona often got in Barbara's way of a "normal" life, especially a normal sex life. That was not to say that she was a virgin. Barbara had what she thought to be a considerable amount of sexual experience, both in college and after college. Of all the activities that a man and woman could do, she liked having her pussy sucked most. She'd just never had another woman do it.
Catwoman leaned forward and placed her face in Batgirl's open crotch. The shackles held Batgirl's leg spread open and her entire pussy was accessible. Batgirl shivered in anticipation. It was almost like Catwoman was teasing her.
Finally, it came. The warm tongue flicked out and barely touched her pussy lips. Then again, just a little more. And yet again.
Batgirl resumed her struggles. She pulled on her right arm with all her might. She felt her hand start to slip through the shackle just as Catwoman gave her clit a long, slow lick.
"Ohhh," Batgirl moaned. She tried not to enjoy it, but it felt so good and had been so long. She pulled on the shackle again, her wrist feeling raw from the friction.
Another long, slow lick of her clit caused a shiver to run down her body. This time Batgirl bit her tongue rather than moan. Catwoman paused a moment. Batgirl looked down and saw her open the front of her catsuit. Like Batgirl's bodysuit, the catsuit had a zipper in front. Unlike the bodysuit, this catsuit's zipper ran nearly to the crotch. Catwoman pulled the zipper down to just pass her breasts. Batgirl could see Catwoman's cleavage.
Catwoman returned her attention to her captor. Another quick flick of Batgirl's pussy lips, then Catwoman grabbed some of the red curls in her lips and tugged on them by moving her head from side to side.
If this keeps up much longer, I'm going to come, Batgirl thought. She wondered if that was really a bad thing.
Batgirl pulled on the shackle again. This time, her hand slipped through. Catwoman had ignored Batgirl's struggles until now, but with her captor's hand free, she jumped to her feet.
The two women stared at each other for a long minute. Batgirl had one hand free but had none of her utility belt gadgets available to her. Catwoman was quick and still had the upperhand. Both waited for the other to make the next move.
Well, you started off the night with a bad decision, Batgirl told herself. Let's just hope I don't live to regret this one.
Batgirl flexed her arm slightly. It was sore and partially numb from the weight of hanging on it. She tested it more. Catwoman eyed her warily.
Batgirl decided to make her move. She slowly reached forward and put her hand on Catwoman's left breast.
The other woman smiled and returned the gesture. Catwoman then leaned forward and kissed Batgirl full on the mouth. At first the kiss was gentle and soft. Batgirl started to return the kiss. Soon the two women had their mouths open and were gently probing each other's mouths with their tongues. Batgirl had never kissed another woman before, let alone a woman with the taste of pussy on her mouth.
Finally, Catwoman broke the embrace. She looked deeply into Batgirl's eyes and smiled. She reached up and slowly put her hand on Batgirl's mask.
Batgirl grabbed Catwoman's wrist with her free hand. For a tense moment the two woman resumed their conflict. They both tensed their bodies in anticipation of a struggle.
Realizing that Catwoman could have removed the mask while she was unconscious, Batgirl figured that the move was a gesture. A non-verbal way of asking for trust. Batgirl removed her hand from the other woman's wrist. Catwoman paused and then slowly lifted the mask and pulled the mask and cowl from Batgirl's head.
So much for my secret identity, Batgirl thought. She wasn't a celebrity or anything, but her picture had been in the paper several times, for winning awards in school and several times beside her father at various police functions. She'd often worried about having her secret discovered, but she decided that outside of someone linking her to her father, there wasn't really much that anyone could do. It wasn't like she was a multi-billionaire socialite like Bruce Wayne. She could understand the blackmail opportunity if that were the case.
It was a hot and muggy night. The cowl was never very cool and on a night like this it was downright confining. Batgirl's short red hair was plastered to her head and wet from perspiring. Until recently, she'd worn her hair longer. Sometimes nearly as long as Catwoman's. But she wanted a change, so she'd tried a very short hair style.
"Your hair is so butch," Catwoman said softly, almost purring in Batgirl's ear. "I like it," she said as she ran her hand through Batgirl's hair.
Batgirl had not considered the short haircut to be butch. Until now. She moved her free hand up and ran her own fingers through Catwoman's long, black hair. She thought, for just a split second, that she had the advantage now. She could curl her hand up in the mass of black hair and pull hard. The surprise might catch Catwoman off guard.
Batgirl was the one caught off guard. While she was preoccupied, Catwoman embraced her again, her mouth on Batgirl's mouth. She used one hand to pull Batgirl's head toward her. The other hand snaked around Batgirl's waist and rubbed Batgirl's firm ass.
After the embrace, Batgirl said, "That's not fair. You have two hands and I only have one." As she said this, she reached to touch Catwoman's breast again. The implied message was clear; two hands meant twice as much touching.
Catwoman nuzzled a moment more against Batgirl's cheek and then reached up, reluctantly, to unbuckle the shackle holding Batgirl's other hand. Batgirl used her previously free hand to massage the feeling back into her other arm. As she did this, Catwoman knelt down again. A long slow lick of Batgirl's pussy brought another moan to Batgirl's lips.
Catwoman then reach down and in turn unbuckled both of her captor's legs. She pushed the litter box out of the way so Batgirl could stand without her legs spread open. Batgirl flexed each leg. Again, for a brief second, she considered a swift kick to disable her opponent. But, having been tied up for so long, she was stiff and sore. She doubted that she could pull of the move.
Besides, something special seemed to be happening between them. Batgirl reached out and took Catwoman into her arms. Catwoman was taller, but not so tall they couldn't stand together and kiss. As they kissed, Catwoman pulled what remained of Batgirl's costume off her. Batgirl returned the favor by finished to unzip Catwoman's catsuit. As they embraced, Batgirl was suddenly overpowered by the exotic combination of smells. Two hot, sweaty women; one in leather and the other in lycra. The smell of her own wet pussy wafted to her nose and mixed with the other smells.
Catwoman broke the kiss and lead Batgirl into the next room. They were in an abandoned warehouse, but one that had been partially renovated into apartments. The next room was a large living area. Several cats roamed the room and a large bed filled one corner. Batgirl didn't have to be told that was were they were headed.
Catwoman pushed Batgirl down on the bed and pulled Batgirl's boots off. She then tugged on the catsuit and pulled it first off one shoulder, then the other. Her large breasts fell out as the suit came down.
Batgirl looked up at the other woman's large breasts. She had seen naked women before, at the gym and in the showers at college. She decided that Catwoman's were about the best looking breasts she ever seen. She couldn't help wondering how Catwoman could stand to run and jump around town the way she did with those large breasts getting in the way. Her own breasts were smaller, but still full and round. Only a maximum strength jogging bra enabled her to function as Batgirl.
Catwoman now stood over Batgirl naked. Her black hair framed her face and similar hair covered her pussy.
Catwoman laid down beside her companion. They kissed for long minutes, their hands roaming each other's bodies. Batgirl was surprised that the movements seemed so natural to her. If someone had told her earlier that she'd have her first lesbian experience tonight and would be touching another woman's breasts, ass, and pussy, she'd never had believed that it feel so wonderful.
"Oh, you're so tight," Catwoman said as she slowly slid a finger into Batgirl's pussy. Batgirl idly ran her hand through Catwoman's hair and down her cheek.
"It's been a long time since I've had sex," she said. "I don't meet many nice men in this line of work."
"I don't either," Catwoman admitted. "Except for..."
"Batman," they both said at once. They laughed. Batgirl felt her pussy get even wetter as Catwoman pushed her finger further into her.
"I see he makes you hot and wet too," Catwoman observed.
Batgirl didn't answer. Her blush did that for her.
Catwoman pushed a second finger into the other woman's red- haired pussy. "I'll bet he's got a nice big dick."
"Ohhh, yeah," was all Batgirl could moan, partially in agreement, but mostly in orgasm.
After Catwoman brought her off, Batgirl figured she owed it to Catwoman to do the same. She didn't know quite what to do, but remembered her college friends saying that only a woman knew what another woman would like. Batgirl liked to have her pussy sucked, so she figured that's what she do to Catwoman.
Batgirl moved to place her face in Catwoman's crotch. Catwoman laid back and spread her legs open. "You've never done it before, have you?"
"With a guy," Batgirl answered.
"Just do it like you like it done to you," Catwoman told her.
Batgirl used one hand to hold Catwoman's pussy lips open. The other she used to reach up and caress Catwoman's large breasts. Catwoman's nipples were large and stiff with excitement. Batgirl rolled the one nipple in her fingers as she carefully moved the dark pussy hair away from Catwoman's clit.
The musky odor of a woman's pussy filled Batgirl's nostrils as she moved closer to the other woman's pussy. Catwoman was wet, her pussy hole glistened with moisture. Batgirl tentatively reached out with her tongue and placed it on the other woman's large swollen clit.
Catwoman placed her hands on Batgirl's neck and shoulders. She moved one hand up through Batgirl's now dry hair. She caressed Batgirl's shoulder in response to Batgirl's tongue caresses on her pussy. Each time Batgirl moved her tongue up, Catwoman would stroke up; each time Batgirl moved her tongue down, Catwoman would move her caress down Batgirl's shoulder.
Slowly, the caresses moved out of time with what Batgirl was doing. It took her a moment, but then Batgirl realized that Catwoman was directing her how to lick pussy. Batgirl tried it. Catwoman moved her hand in a slow circular motion, so Batgirl moved her tongue in a slow circular motion around the woman's clit. This brought a low moan, almost a purr, from Catwoman.
Catwoman pulled Batgirl's head tighter to her pussy and sped up the movement of her hands. Batgirl tried to keep up with her tongue. Her untrained tongue was getting tired. She wondered if she needed to add tongue exercises to her daily workout.
By now, Catwoman was practically fucking Batgirl's face. She pressed her pussy hard against the redhead's month and bucked her hips in a frantic motion. "Lick my pussy, lick my cunt," she said in a soft voice. "Lick me, ohhh, ohhhhhh yeah."
Batgirl hadn't made love to a woman before, but she had come herself enough to recognize that the other woman was about to have a powerful orgasm. She continued to press her sore tongue against Catwoman's black haired pussy. Her tongue was just about ready to turn numb when she remembered a technique she'd had done to her once.
Batgirl opened her mouth open as wide as she could and pulled her tongue in. She clamped her mouth down over the entire top portion of Catwoman's pussy and then pursed her lips around the clit. She started sucking hard on Catwoman's clit while only occasionally licking with her tongue.
"Fuck me hard, that feels so good," Catwoman screamed. "I'm gonna come. Ohh, yes, lick me." She straightened her legs out quickly several times, kicking in involuntary orgasmic contractions and them wrapped them around Batgirl's neck.
A flood of hot wet liquid shot into Batgirl's mouth. Piss? she wondered. It didn't taste bad, she decided. She ejaculates, Batgirl realized. She remembered reading about it, but had never been able to do it herself.
Catwoman laid back, limp from the hot sex. Batgirl moved up to suck softly on her breasts. They were heaving as Catwoman gasped for air.
After resting for several long minutes, Catwoman reached over to a nightstand beside the bed. She pulled out a black leather belt and a large pink dildo.
"You said it's been a while since you've had a good fuck, right?" Catwoman asked her partner.
"Yeah," Batgirl said. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the rubber phallus.
Catwoman slide the belt around her waist and pulled another strap up between her legs. She stroked her pussy for a moment and then buckled the harness. The base of the dildo rested just above her clit and as she bounced the rubber dick up and down, it vibrated her clit so nicely.
She pushed Batgirl back and mounted her. The rubber dick was only about eight inches long, but Batgirl gasped in a combination of pain, surprise, and pleasure as it entered her hole.
Catwoman bucked her hips up and down, just has she had earlier while Batgirl was licking her pussy. The feeling of pushing against the base of the dildo made her cunt even wetter.
Batgirl pulled Catwoman toward her and enjoyed the weight of the woman on top of her as they fucked. She'd almost forgotten how good it felt to be penetrated and was very much enjoying this.
The two women kissed and hugged each other tightly as they fucked. Catwoman varied the thrusting every couple of moments, keeping Batgirl guessing what was coming next. Long, slow, easy thrusts for a couple of minutes and then a series of quick shallow thrusts and then some hard deep thrusts that took Batgirl's breath away.
Most of the men Batgirl had fucked tended to get into rhythm and they stayed there. Although that was nice, this felt better. Batgirl couldn't decide if it was the technique or that fact that it was another woman on top of her. Catwoman's large hot breasts crushed against her own breasts as the moaned and moved as one person.
After Batgirl's orgasm, Catwoman took the harness off and handed it to Batgirl. "Now, you do me," she commanded.
Batgirl took the dildo in her hands. It was slick with her own juices. She couldn't resist taking it into her mouth and sucking it for just a moment. She then put it on. It took her a few tries to get it buckled just right, but Catwoman moved around behind her and helped. When it was on, Catwoman took the dildo into her hands and pretended to jack Batgirl off. She pressed her tits into Batgirl's back as she reached around and caressed the fake dick with one hand and Batgirl's tits with another. As Catwoman did this, Batgirl discovered that the weight of the dildo in the harness made it rub her mons just right. She wondered if she'd have another orgasm just wearing the thing.
Catwoman got down on her hands and knees. Batgirl got behind her and, taking the dick into her hand, started to move it to the opening of Catwoman's pussy.
"No," Catwoman said.
"What's wrong?" Batgirl asked.
"The other way," Catwoman said.
"Other way?" Batgirl asked, confused.
"In my ass. Stick it in my ass."
Batgirl had never tried anal sex, but wondered what it was like. It was being to look like she'd end up trying all sorts of new things tonight.
She carefully repositioned the dildo to the opening of Catwoman's asshole. Catwoman seemed to tense up for a moment and then took a deep breath. As Catwoman relaxed, Batgirl could see her asshole relax also. It seemed to open up and await the dildo's entrance. The dildo was still slick with Batgirl's come, so it moved into Catwoman's ass easily. She's done this before, Batgirl thought. With a man or a woman? she wondered. Or both?
Batgirl wasn't quite so sure what to do now. She knew the anus was a very sensitive spot and didn't want to hurt Catwoman. Earlier, the two had been enemies. But now, they were lovers. Like any lover, Batgirl had developed some deep feelings for the other woman and didn't want to hurt her.
She pushed the dildo in slowly and hoped that Catwoman would tell her if she went too fast or too deep. Catwoman reached back with one hand and grabbed one of Batgirl's hands. She brought Batgirl's hand forward and placed it on her breast. Batgirl leaned forward and could feel how hard Catwoman's nipple was.
Batgirl slowly begin to move her hips forward and backward. Catwoman still didn't say anything, so she used the pressure on her own clit as a guide to have far to move the dildo in and out of the other woman's ass.
After a few moments, Catwoman's ass seemed to relax more and the pushing got a little easier. Batgirl took this as a sign to push just a little faster; not much, just a little. Catwoman moaned softly and began to move in rhythm to Batgirl's own movements.
Many long, gentle strokes later, both women had another orgasm. Batgirl pulled the dildo out of Catwoman's ass and took off the harness. Catwoman rolled over and they kissed long and hard.
Afterward, the two lay quiet, holding each other in an embrace.
"My name's Selina," Catwoman said.
Batgirl kissed her. "Hello, Selina."
"Hello, Barbara..."
"How do you know?" Batgirl asked, only half-surprised.
"I've seen your picture in the paper. You were at a banquet with your father just last week."
"Well, yeah," Barbara admitted.
"He's rather nice also."
"Who?" Barbara asked.
"Your father," Selina said. "I've always like those big bold action types."
Barbara thought about it. She'd never realized it before, but her father was a very attractive man. Although he'd gained a little weight from being behind a desk for so many years, he was still very much the burly, ox of a man that he'd been as a beat cop.
Several of the cats had made their way to the bed and although suspicious of the newcomer, had cuddled amongst the women. Barbara laid back, content for a short while. She'd forgotten how good it felt to just lay quietly in another person's arms after sex.
"This sort of changes things, doesn't it," she said.
"How so?" Selina asked.
"Well, what happens the next time I catch you at the museum?"
"This time I caught you," Selina reminded her. "I'm sorry I hit you."
"I'm sorry about the cat," Barbara told her, a slight break in her voice as she remembered the cat laying still on the cold marble floor.
"I just lost it when I saw you knelling over Tigger. I didn't mean to hit you so hard, I just saw red." Selina started to cry.
The two women hugged each other close and both cried for a long time.
Barbara wiped the tears from Selina's face. Selina said, "It does change things, doesn't it."
"Yeah," Barbara admitted. "Even if I don't do anything, there's still the police and other people that will try and stop you."
"Like Batman, you mean."
"Yes," Barbara said.
"Can't you just put in a good word for me?" Selina questioned.
"He wouldn't listen if I did."
"You work together, don't you?" Selina wondered.
"No," Barbara told her. "He only tolerates me. I think he figured out who I am. For a long time, he went out of this way to hinder me. I think it might have been some 'chivalrous macho' thing, I don't know."
"Probably figured a woman couldn't cut it," Selina said.
"Well, anyway, there was one night I came home from a late date and he was in my apartment. It was the night my father was shot. He came to get me. The next time he saw me as Batgirl, he treated me differently. Like he begrudgingly accepted me."
"Do you know..." Selina started to ask.
"No," Barbara said quickly, "I've never been able to figure it out. And I couldn't tell you even if I did know. Even after..."
"Even after I fucked your brains out?"
"Yeah."
The woman held each other, their naked bodies intertwined. Selina's cats began to climb onto the bed and snuggle around the two women. Soon, all were asleep.
Part Two
Batman
"Commissioner, you're here?" Bullock sounded unsure.
"Of course, I'm here," Commission James Gordon said as Chief Detective Bullock walked into this office. "Where else would I be?"
"But, Commissioner, the signal's on. I thought you'd be upstairs on the roof."
"The signal's on. Why? I didn't authorize that." Gordon jumped up from his seat. "Come on."
He and Bullock headed for the elevator. Moments later, the elevator doors opened to the top floor of the Gotham City Police Department Headquarters Building. They ran to the stairwell that lead to the roof.
Gordon rushed though the door to the roof. Even as he first pushed the door open, he could see the bright light from the signal reflecting off the windows of the office building across the street.
He and Bullock walked cautiously to the signal light. "Batman," Gordon said, loudly. He spoke mostly to the air, but expected an answer.
"He's not here. Yet." The voice was female. From behind the signal's frame, a dark figure appeared.
"Batgirl?" Gordon asked, partially shielding his light from the reflected glare of the powerful searchlight.
"Yes."
"What are you doing here? And why turn on the Bat-signal?" Gordon used the slang term for the signal light. To most of the Gotham City Police Department, "the signal" was all that was required to signify which one they were talking about. Gordon personally thought the "Bat" prefix attached by the media to everything the Batman did or used was childish.
"I'm sorry, Commissioner," Batgirl said. "I would have asked permission, but quite frankly I was hoping you wouldn't notice."
"Wouldn't notice?!" Gordon said. "It lights up the damn sky for hundreds of miles. Wouldn't notice! Humpf!" he snorted.
"Yeah, Batdoll," Bullock added. "Besides, in case you didn't notice, this is Police Headquarters. You can't just not expect us ta notice."
"I was hoping to speak to Batman privately," Batgirl started to explain.
"In that case, I'm sure Detective Bullock wouldn't mind leaving." The voice came from the dark. It was a dark voice, deep and resonant. And when it come out of the dark like that, it gave even Gordon chills.
"Batman," all three said at once.
They heard the knife switch of the light; a loud click. The light went out, only a remnant of its incandescent arc continuing to glow cherry red for a moment. From out of the dark, the Dark Knight appeared, tall and looming. His long, black cape covered him entirely; only the lower half of his face was visible from under the mask and cowl.
"We can leave you alone," Gordon said.
"No, Jim, you stay." It was not a request, it was an order and even the Police Commissioner obeyed orders from this man. Jim Gordon had known Batman longer than anyone else in Gotham and several times following Batman's orders had saved his life.
"Chief," Gordon said, with a motion for Bullock to leave. Grumbling to himself, Chief Detective Bullock stocked back to the stairs.
After he was out of heading range, Batman turned to Batgirl. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to; she had summoned him after all.
Batgirl had hoped that Police Commissioner Gordon would have left also. She was afraid that her voice would give her away. Although she took efforts to disguise it, he was, after all, the man that raised her. Her own father would surely recognize his daughter's voice.
"I just wanted to share some information," Batgirl said.
"About Catwoman?" Batman asked.
How does he know? Batgirl wondered to herself. She was glad for the darkness of the moonless night. She was sure the two men could see her cheeks glowing bright red with embarrassment. If only he knew, she thought to herself. Knowing him, he does, she said to herself.
"Yes," Batgirl answered curtly.
"So it was Catwoman that hit the museum two nights ago," Gordon said. "You obviously didn't get her," he said to the female crimefighter.
Depends on how you define "get," Daddy, Batgirl thought. She wondered what her stern father would think if he knew not only his innocent librarian of a daughter was Batgirl, but that she'd also slept with and been fucked by Catwoman. And enjoyed it. "Uh, no, not really," Batgirl said. "Batman, please, I'd like to discuss this with you alone. You can fill the Commissioner in on this later."
Something about her voice convinced him there truly was a need for privacy. "Alright," he said. He turned and strode quickly to the edge of the roof. Faster than Gordon or Batgirl could hardly see, he pulled a small gun-type device from his belt and fired into the night. A cable whipped from the device. The hook on the end of the cable caught the edge of the building across the street. Without so much as a word or sound, he launched himself into the night.
"I'm sorry about using the signal," Batgirl told the Commissioner. She too walked to the edge of the building. She, however, had to throw her rope across manually. Then, Batgirl too stepped off the edge of the roof and was gone into the night.
The signal, Gordon thought. Only cops called it just "the signal," he thought. And how had she known how to turn it on? he wondered. The switch was hidden in a portion of the frame.
Across the street, Batman waited for Batgirl to follow. He didn't have to wait long. Although her equipment was not as sophisticated as his, she was very nearly his equal when it came to getting around the rooftops.
Alone, he said, "You had something to say to me that you didn't want your father to hear." Once again, a statement, not a question.
"You know, that really bugs me," she said. "You know everything about me and I know nothing about you."
The silent figure in black didn't answer.
"Okay, okay," she said. "Yes, I didn't want my father to know about my...encounter with Catwoman."
The pause in her voice was very slight, but Batman noticed it. It was his job to notice little things like that. "That's a unique way of phrasing that," Batman noted. "What happened?"
"I accidentally killed one of her cats," Batgirl told him. "It really was an accident. The cat was going to have kittens. I felt sorry for it and let my guard down."
"You've been sloppy before," Batman noted. Batgirl took that comment as a direct reference to her allowing him to discover her real identity. "Continue."
"She knocked me out."
"So that's how she escaped," Batman noted.
So, he doesn't know anymore. Everything up to now was just a guess--detective work, Batgirl thought. "Well, not exactly," she admitted. "There's more to it than that. She took me back to her...hideout."
"And you escaped."
"Eventually," Batgirl said. Well, if you consider walking out the front door the next morning in a borrowed set of clothes "escape," she thought.
"Why tell me all this?" Batman asked. "And why don't you want Gordon to know?"
Batgirl paused. Here was the tricky part, she thought. I don't want to give too much away. "She discovered who I am. She'd seen my picture in the paper last week; the annual Police Banquet. I was standing with my father and Bruce Wayne in the picture."
"You're sure she recognized you?" he asked.
"Yes," Batgirl said. "But...I don't think it's as bad as it seems."
"Oh?"
"We spent some time together...talking. I think there's more to Catwoman than you or I imagined. I think she'd go straight if we gave her a chance." Batgirl knew she was going out on a limb here, but she felt she owed it to Selina for killing her pet.
Batman considered the conversation for a moment. Batgirl, although not quite in his league, had always been straight with him before. Several times, she'd proven to be a worthy ally. And Selina Kyle, the Catwoman, was not exactly your average villain. She followed a strict code of honor, always a thief, never a murderer. Batman knew for a fact that much of the profits from her robberies was given to the poor though one of the churches in a seedier part of Gotham. The same church where her sister was a nun.
In his line of work, Batman encountered everyone from fiendish killers like the Joker to noble and honorable men like Superman and Commissioner Gordon. The only person he'd never been able to figure out was Selina Kyle. Sometimes, she'd do extremely noble things, other times, she'd steal without remorse.
He remembered an article a couple years earlier, by Lois Lane. It was a freelance article Lane had done with the man who was now her fiance, Clark Kent. Even objective journalists like Lane and Kent couldn't paint only a one-sided picture of Selina Kyle. The other subjects of the article were without redemption. But Catwoman came across in the article like a modern day female Robin Hood.
And if any man could see through someone, it was Clark Kent, Batman told himself. He was one of the few privy to the fact that Kent was really Superman.
And now, Catwoman knew Batgirl's identity. He wondered what price that would fetch, should she decide to fence it like any other of her plunder. But, he admitted to himself, that sort of information is very expensive. It extracts a toll higher than most other things in life. He knew that himself, remembering the piece of kryptonite that Kent had entrusted to him.
All these thoughts raced through Batman's mind. "Why do you think she'll change?"
"She could have taken advantage of the situation more than she did. It seemed to me that she is really just a lonely person in a bad situation."
"She's never given any evidence before of going straight. Why now?"
"Don't you ever consider that maybe there wouldn't be so many criminals out there if you'd help them instead of always hunting them down?" Batgirl said.
"Do you give your father the same speech?" Batman realized he was being sarcastic, but sometimes she deserved it.
"Yes," she said definitely, "Every chance I get!"
Batman knew this was true. As Bruce Wayne, he'd dined with the Gordons several times and had listened intently to Barbara's young idealism. It possessed her to become Batgirl and it possessed her to argue for what she thought was right.
"The only man in this whole God-forsaken city that seems to care about making things better is Bruce Wayne. At least the money he donates to charity buys something other than fancy cable-guns!"
A lifetime of practice allowed Batman to keep a straight face. He so desperately wanted to smile, just ever so slightly.
"What was all that about?" Gordon asked.
"I'm not quite sure," Batman answered.
Although he tried not to show it, Gordon was mildly surprised. It always seemed that there were few things that Batman didn't know. In those rare instances, Gordon couldn't help but be surprised.
"She claims that Catwoman wants to go straight," the Dark Knight explained. "Or, at least, would if given the chance."
"She stole three million dollars worth of gems from the Gotham Natural History Museum two nights ago," Gordon said. "Mighty funny way of 'going straight'."
"Yes. But if Batgirl is correct, it is worth pursuing."
"Well, I guess it would be. Catwoman's really more of just a nuisance. I mean, when you compare her antics to the Joker's..." Gordon didn't have to finish the sentence, Batman was already gone. The shades of his open window fluttered slightly from the Dark Knight's passing.
"I hate it when he does that," Gordon said to no one in particular.
The lights in the cave snapped on as the car tripped the electric eye at the entrance. Batman stopped the car on the turntable and stepped from the large black vehicle. The news media called it the "Batmobile," but to Batman it was simply one of several cars he used.
Contrary to the initial impression that a cave would be wet and cold, the cavern below Wayne Manor was dry and cool. Portions of the cavern were blocked off to keep the rodents and bats out. They just took too large of a toll on the electrical equipment.
The main part of the cavern was open, with a vast array of exercise and gymnastic equipment to one side and a fully equipped garage on the other. Between the two was the thirty foot turntable the car now rested on. Batman flipped a nearby switch and the turntable slowly moved around. When it had completed a half turn, the car was pointed to the entrance and ready for a swift exit.
To the back of the main part of the cavern, a number of rooms had been built. A long hallway lead from the cavern to a steel door. The steel door lead to a short hallway, the walls of which were also steel. At the end of that hallway was another steel door, the stairs to the mansion above. Unless unique entry codes were entered at both doors, they would lock and prevent anyone from escaping. Only someone of Superman's strength could possibly break out of the trap.
On either side of the long hallway there was a large office, workshops, a computer room, a locker room (complete with sauna, whirlpool bath, and massage table), a first aid station, and various types of equipment storage.
Batman pulled the cowl and cape off and hung them in the locker room. He then walked to his office. The office was typical of what might be used by any Fortune 500 CEO. It was lined with bookshelves and the centerpiece of the room was a large custom built desk. The desk was mahogany and was nearly twenty feet across. It was identical to the one in Wayne's office at the Wayne Enterprises building. The only difference between the two desks was that the one at Wayne Enterprises didn't get used as much.
The desk in the cavern office was covered with books, three computer terminals and piles of papers. Batman sat down in the chair behind the desk and logged into his private computer system. If the news media know of the computer's existence, they surely would have dubbed it the "Batcomputer."
The computer system would be the envy of any large corporation or scientific research facility. Due to the unique nature of his requirements, the computer system was pieced together from the various components that suited each need. There was a IBM ES/9000 mainframe for heavy database work and several DEC and HP minicomputers to handle general administration and e-mail. A Silicon Graphics workstation was also attached to the network, as well as a smaller Cray supercomputer for heavy computational and design needs. Various personal computers, including a number of WayneTech prototypes, were scattered through the cavern. Additionally, there was a newly installed desktop video conference system.
All of Bruce Wayne's business e-mail was secretly routed to the system here in the cavern. If he choose to, Wayne didn't have to go to his Wayne Enterprises office at all. He could run his entire empire right from this office. He used the office for Wayne business only in the most dire emergency. He made very certain that the two halves of his life didn't overlap too much. But there were times when Bruce Wayne could do things Batman could not. As an idea began to form in his mind, Batman wondered if this might not be one of those times.
Most of the time, Batman stayed very active. When he wasn't out on patrol, he was in the office doing various types of research or in the cavern gym working out. There were certain times when just sitting down and thinking through a problem was required. This was one of those times.
Batgirl wasn't quite herself, he thought. Not that she didn't have every right to be out of sorts. One of Gotham's infamous costumed criminals knew her secret identity. But she didn't seem overly concerned about that, Batman thought. Why not?
He decided that he would have to have another talk with Batgirl. He needed some answers to questions he didn't yet know to ask. If that didn't work, he'd resort to plan B. If he couldn't get anything as Batman, maybe Bruce Wayne could find out more by other means.
Barbara Gordon kept a very busy schedule. She held down a full-time job as head research librarian for the Gotham City Public Library. She also spent a fair amount of time as Batgirl. This, coupled with her workouts to stay in shape and her social activities as the daughter of Gotham City's Police Commissioner, kept her very busy. So as to not get too frazzled by it all, Barbara allowed herself one night alone each month. Tonight was that night.
She planned on a long hot shower to relax and then a quiet evening reading a good book.
She stepped into the shower and began to rub a soapy washcloth over her body. She felt the hot water pounding down on her back and felt the tension begin to ease from her body.
She finished washing and just stood there under the water, letting the spray of hot water soothe her. Without thinking, Barbara began to rub her hands over her naked breasts and down her stomach. The hell with a good book, she thought, I need a good fuck.
Then she began thinking about her encounter with Selina three nights before. She still couldn't believe that she had spent the night with a woman and actually enjoyed it. Every time she thought about it, she began to tingle all over. It reminded her of when she was a teenage girl and first learned to masturbate. Once she discovered the joys that her body could give her, she didn't want to do anything else.
Her experience with Selina seemed to have reawakened her sexuality. She wondered what new experience she wanted to try next.
Barbara decided that instead of staying home and reading, she'd get dressed up and go out on the town for a change. She so seldom went out by herself and it sounded like a fun thing to do. Maybe dancing. With her sexy new hair style and the right clothes, no one would know she was stuffy ol' Barbara the librarian.
She turned off the shower and stepped out. She began to dry off when she heard a noise from the living room of her apartment. Was that the front door? she wondered. No, it sounded more like the balcony door. Barbara wrapped a towel around herself and opened the bathroom door.
"Daddy," she called. It wasn't like her father to drop in on her like this, but he did have a key. Maybe she just didn't hear the doorbell, what with the running water of the shower. And her mind was preoccupied.
There was no answer. Maybe I was hearing things, she told herself.
Barbara pulled the towel tighter around herself and held it together with one hand above her breasts. She walked out of the bathroom. She peered into the bedroom, but there was no one there of course. She pattered in to the living room.
"Sorry to disturb you, Ms. Gordon."
Barbara was startled, but had half considered the possibility in the back of her mind. "Batman," she said.
"I didn't realize you were showering," he said. "I can leave."
Barbara smiled at him. "No, that's okay." She walked into the living room and nearer to him. He was standing near the balcony. The sliding glass door was open and a mild breeze caused both his cape and the curtains to flutter.
"What brings you to a single lady's apartment so late at night," she asked.
Batman eyed the woman. She was acting strange, he thought. He had visited her apartment several times and she always took it as business and was always brisk and to the point. Her short red hair was still wet from the shower and was arranged around her head in a tangle. She held the towel around herself with one hand, but it seemed ready to fall at the slightest movement. And the look in her eyes. It was a very uncharacteristic smolder.
Bruce Wayne had known Barbara Gordon for a number of years. They had met during her last year of high school. She was visiting Gotham State University in preparation of attending as a freshman the next year. Bruce was visiting as part of an alumni committee. When he found out that the shy little redhead was Commissioner Gordon's daughter, he had volunteered to escort her around campus. They became social friends, little more. As Bruce Wayne, he ran into her at various social functions that she attended in the company of her father. Years later, as Batman, he encountered her as Batgirl and soon thereafter discovered her identity.
Never in all that time, as either Bruce Wayne or Batman, had he seen that look in Barbara Gordon's eyes.
"I wanted to discuss Catwoman," he said. He noticed that the towel seemed to be edging lower. Her face and upper chest was bright pink. The effects of a hot shower, he figured. Or a case of sexual flush, he wondered. Why was she acting such the tease?
"We can sit and talk." Barbara motioned for the couch and easy chair.
Batman made no move. He preferred to stand, ready to leave if necessary. Barbara half turned and moved toward the couch. As she did, the towel fell open. She let it drop to the floor.
Batman looked at her as she stared dreamily into his eyes. Her breasts were fully exposed and heaving with each breath. As was common with redheads, her upper chest and shoulders were lightly dotted with freckles. He darted his eyes to the side. She sighed and slowly bent over to pick up the towel. "Silly me," she said. As she bent over, she pivoted on one foot and rolled her hips. At full bend, her ass pointed directly at the tall, dark clad figure.
Batman looked at Barbara again. He could see the glow of her pale white skin, moist from the shower. She hadn't finished drying off, he realized. He could see her breasts hanging forward has she bent over. Between her legs, he saw an inviting flash of red hair. Although he displayed no outward shock or even recognition of her actions, under his cowl, a bead of sweat rolled down the back of his neck.
If Batman thought Batgirl had acted out of character the night before, he was sure that Barbara Gordon was acting out of character now. Was she trying to seduce him, he wondered. What could possibly make her act this way?
Barbara Gordon finished picking up the towel and slowly wrapped it loosely around herself. She sat down on the couch and pulled the towel from under herself, draping it across her breasts and lap.
Batman moved to stand behind the easy chair. From this position he faced her directly.
"Exactly why do you think Catwoman is ready to reform?" he asked.
"I don't know for sure," Barbara said. The shrug of her shoulders threatened to cause the towel to fall again. "It's just a feeling I have."
"Exactly what happened?" he asked.
"We...talked," she said.
Again the pause, he noticed. There is something about that encounter that she doesn't want me to know about, Batman told himself. "And."
"And, she seemed to open up." As she said that, Barbara Gordon opened her legs slightly, almost unconsciously. The towel still covered her lap, but if she opened the her legs much further, the gap would afford him a view of her crotch.
This is going nowhere, Batman thought. Actually, it's going somewhere I'd rather not go. Batgirl was usually very forthcoming with information about her crimefighting. Tonight, all that was forthcoming was a very blatant and sexual proposition.
"She said she wanted to go straight?" he asked.
"Not in so many words," she answered. Barbara ran her left hand through her damp hair. As she lifted her arm, the towel threatened to fall again. She put her right hand to her chest to catch the towel. "It was more something that I felt from her. She seemed...lonely. I think being an outlaw has made her a lonely person and she wants to live a normal life now."
"Do you think she'd be willing to met me?" Batman asked. "To talk," he added quickly.
"Maybe," Barbara said. She moved the fingers of her right hand slightly, a gentle caressing motion over her breast. "I don't know."
"The next time you see her, tell her I'm interested in talking with her. If she agrees to talk and returns the gems, I'll refrain from taking her in." He moved toward the balcony.
"I don't know when I'll see her again," Barbara said. She started to get up, the towel falling again.
Batman already had his back turned and was heading out the balcony door. "But you will," he said.
"Yes," Barbara agreed. But he was gone. She stood in her living room, naked and with damp hair. God, he makes me horny, she thought.
The next day, Barbara Gordon was working at the reference desk of the library when two surprises happened. She was filling in on the reference desk for a sick co-worker when a messenger brought her an invitation to a party at Bruce Wayne's the following night. This seemed unusual, she was normally invited with her father to Wayne's parties. But this invitation was especially addressed to Ms. Barbara Gordon and guest.
Not more than a half hour after the invitation arrived, the second surprise showed up. Barbara was busy helping a young high school girl look up a reference in a science journal when she turned back to the desk and found Selina standing there.
"Hello," Selina said.
"Hi," Barbara stammered. She was beginning to feel really inadequate, what with Selina and Batman continually sneaking up on her.
"I was in the neighborhood and thought we could go for lunch," Selina said.
Selina stood in front of the reference desk. She was wearing a white silk blouse and blue jeans. The white blouse contrasted her black hair. The jeans were tight and fashionable, sure to turn every man's head. But dressed like this, she didn't look like Catwoman.
"Well, I guess," Barbara said. She wasn't sure about Selina's motives, but she figured a polite conversation over lunch in a public place couldn't hurt anything. And maybe she could feel Selina out on the idea of meeting with Batman.
The cafe served the best espresso in Gotham and had outside seating. It was another hot and humid day, but the shade of the umbrellas on the tables helped.
To the casual passersby, the two woman appeared to be old friends. If someone had happened to overhear their conversation, they would only have heard things that women normally talk about. The topic eventually turned to men.
"I saw an old friend last night," Barbara said.
"Oh," Selina said. "Which one?"
"The tall, dark gentleman," Barbara told her. "I was just getting out of the shower. He didn't want to stay."
Selina rolled her eyes. "He has the willpower of a saint. Believe me, I've tried."
"No luck?"
"Apparently none better than you had last night. Are you willing to share him?"
"Ha!" Barbara laughed. "I'd love to. But I'd guess neither one of us is going to get that lucky."
"So why did he stop by?"
"He wants to talk to you."
"Seriously?"
"Yes." Barbara leaned forward so one one could hear. To anyone watching the scene, it appeared like she was telling her girlfriend a secret. "I've got him convinced that you're not such a bad person. He promised not to take you in if you'll meet him and talk. And return the gems to the museum."
"Maybe, I'll have to think about it."
Barbara looked at Selina. The look in Selina's eyes was hard to read, a strange mixture of melancholy and promise. Like Barbara, she was a lonely person and wanted to fit in somewhere. Maybe now was the time for a change in her life.
"Well, while you're thinking about it, how about coming to a party?"
Bruce Wayne had a reputation for being a rich kid that inherited a great deal of money and then struck it big in the computer software market. But his reputation also included the fact that he gave great parties!
Bruce walked down the stairs. Some early guests had already shown up. He checked his bow tie in the mirror on the landing. Everything looked fine. He was in a tux. A bit overdressed by the look of things, he told himself as he looked over the guests.
As much as Bruce disliked mixing his two lives, there were times when they were necessary. After the fiasco in Barbara Gordon's apartment, he resorted to plan B. A party. Not just any party, but a major blowout. Most of the parties he hosted were fundraisers for some worthy cause or another, but this was simply a party for the sake of a party. At least that's what everyone attending thought.
For Bruce, this was the opportunity to wear his best disguise (that of a rich playboy) and observe close up one of his guests. Barbara Gordon was at the top of the guest list. Although she didn't know it, the whole party was especially for her.
Bruce had specifically instructed Alfred, his butler and confident, not to invite Commissioner Gordon. No, this time the party guests were younger, wilder. This was no political fundraiser, no need for the old fogeys to get in the way.
He walked out into the main hallway of the mansion. He smiled at the guests as he walked past. A few words of chatting here and there. Like everything else he did, he played the host perfectly.
Bruce found Alfred in the kitchen. "Has everything been taken care of?"
"Yes, Master Bruce." Although Bruce was fully grown, Alfred was still in the habit of addressing his employer as he had when the two first met, those long years ago when Alfred first came to Wayne Manor to serve Bruce's parents. The young Bruce Wayne had taken an instant attachment to the butler and the butler has taken an attachment to the inquisitive youngster.
"One of the waiters from the service called in sick, but aside from that everything is in order," Alfred reported.
"Good." Bruce pulled the older man aside. "Alfred, I now how much you hate these parties, but make sure everyone has a very good time."
"Of course, Sir. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"And, if I'm not around when she arrives, please find me and let me know when Ms. Gordon gets here."
"Ms. Gordon, Sir? Isn't she just a bit young for you?"
"Alfred, I think she may be in a bit of trouble. I'd just like to keep an eye on her."
"Oh, yes, of course Master Bruce. I understand." There was that tone to Alfred's voice that told Bruce he understood that it was "Batman business."
Bruce wandered back into the party. The mansion was large and most of it was never used. Bruce tended to use mostly the "downstairs addition," as Alfred referred to the cavern, and had little use for the twelve other bedrooms. But, the large number of accommodations did come in handy for guests that indulged too much.
A short while later, he found himself talking to some young starlet, Bambi she called herself. She was trying to talk him into financing her next film. Alfred tapped his shoulder discreetly and whispered into his ear with a calm voice. "Ms. Gordon and her lady friend just arrived, Sir."
"Lady friend?" Bruce whispered back. The starlet hadn't noticed that Bruce's attention had been diverted and continued to drone on about how great this new script was and how the movie would be her big break into comedy.
"A Ms. Kyle, I believe, Sir. Selina Kyle."
Bruce had to restrain himself from stiffening. Catwoman, here, at my party, he thought. What power does she possess over Barbara? he wondered. "Thank you, Alfred," he said calmly.
"Please excuse me," he told the starlet.
"But, Brucie, I haven't told you who's going to direct," the starlet pleaded.
Bruce kissed her and said, "We'll discuss your movie later. I'm sure I can scrounge up the support. I've wanted to branch Wayne Enteprises into movies anyway."
The commitment made the starlet very happy and she was content to let Bruce off the hook. Before he had walked more than twenty paces, she had already turned her attention to another male guest.
Bruce found Barbara Gordon and Selina Kyle standing beside the buffet. Barbara looked stunning in a very short, knit minidress. The dark green color set off her red hair and matched her own green eyes. Although he was able to keep his objectivity, Bruce was also able to acknowledge that her long, bare legs and supple figure made her look quite desirable; no less desirable than the night before.
Her companion was equally attractive. Selina Kyle was dressed in a simple, but elegant black minidress. Her raven hair flowed freely about her shoulders and her dark eyes seemed to sparkle. Her legs were even longer than Barbara's, Bruce noticed. Hard to believe that she was Catwoman, he thought. But then the catsuit didn't show this much skin. Both woman were getting their fair share of looks from the other guests.
"Babs," Bruce said cheerfully, "Can this vision of loveliness be my favorite librarian?"
Barbara Gordon turned to her host. "Bruce," she said, a brilliant smile gracing her face. "Daddy says hi."
"Tell your father I send him my best." Bruce turned to look at Barbara's guest. He had a playboy image to live up to after all, so it wouldn't hurt for him to stare at a beautiful woman. "I don't believe we've met," he said, knowing full well that it was a lie.
"Bruce, this is my new friend Selina," Barbara introduced them.
"Selina," he repeated. "What an exotic and beautiful name for such a beautiful woman. You're not one of those dreadful feminists, now are you? You don't mind if I tell you that you're beautiful?"
Selina smiled. It was a perfectly wonderful smile and perfectly practiced. "Mr. Wayne, I never mind when the richest man in America tells me anything."
"Well now, I'm not exactly the richest..." he shrugged. "I think Bill Gates and Lex Luther are richer. I don't know. I never bother counting the stuff. I'll have to ask my accountant the next time I see him."
The three laughed.
Bruce spent the remainder of the evening mingling with the guests. He moved masterfully around the room, making sure that everyone was happy and having a good time. With practiced skill, he managed to move around the party in such a way that he kept Barbara and Selina in sight most of the evening.
Barbara Gordon was dressed a bit more revealing than what he thought she normally dressed, but aside from that, he couldn't decide exactly what was wrong. She mingled also. She knew many of the people at the party from other functions that she had attended, functions that were either fund raisers for the library or political gatherings that she would have attended with her father.
Selina Kyle did likewise. She didn't appear to be casing the mansion, although for Catwoman, it would have been a perfect target.
When the two women were together, Bruce noticed that they were acting like two very good friends. They giggled together and whispered in each other's ears. They sometimes touched each other's shoulders or arm as they moved through the party guests. Bruce couldn't quite pin down what was wrong. He was convinced that Barbara was acting unusual and that Selina, Catwoman, was responsible. But he couldn't figure it out.
He noticed that both women spent a fair amount of time dancing. This was to the obvious delight of most the male guests. Between the two women, they danced with almost every man there. Once, they even pulled poor Alfred onto the dance floor and tried to get the reserved butler to dance with both of them at once. Alfred held his dignity intact and politely excused himself from the festivities.
Is it just possible they've become good friends, Bruce wondered. He tried to image himself in a similar situation. He couldn't picture inviting the Joker, Killer Croc, and Two-Face over to the mansion to watch Sunday afternoon football. He had already dismissed drugs or mind control, it just wasn't Catwoman's modus operandi.
Late in the evening, Bruce went into the kitchen to speak with Alfred about accommodating some of the more inebriated guests for the night. Alfred informed him that several of the guests had already taken the liberty of claiming some of the bedrooms. The look on the Englishman's face was of quiet resolve in the face of great anguish. Bruce shrugged off the issue; it wasn't the first time he'd had a party where couples had stuck upstairs to make love in the plush Victorian bedrooms.
When he reappeared in the main hall, he scouted the room for Barbara or Selina. He didn't see either. Bruce quietly asked one of the waiters if he had seen them. The waiter knew exactly which two ladies Bruce was referring to. "They went upstairs a few moments ago," the waiter said. "With Bob Jones, I think. Lucky guy."
Bruce thanked the waiter and dismissed him.
Bob Jones was the Gotham Giant's home run king. Like many other baseball greats before him, Jones had a reputation of striking it big with the ladies as well as with the bat. Both of them? Bruce wondered. How good of friends have they become? He decided he almost didn't want to know.
Being Batman was inherently voyeuristic. He spent many hours stalking across the rooftops of Gotham City, looking for criminals. Sometimes, he had to hide in the shadows, watching and waiting. Just as the stakeout was part of police work, so too was it part of being Batman.
In the years he had been Batman, Bruce Wayne had seen many things while watching and waiting. He had lost count of how many times he'd seen a prostitute perform oral sex in the front seat of the customer's car. Or walk into an alley with a john for a quick, up-against-the-wall screw.
At first, he had thought to chronical the sexual exploits he witnessed, but since most of the time it was purely incidental to his mission, he decided not to.
As he swung from building to building or climbed across the rooftops, he was often privy to scenes from people's private lives. He'd seen couples (and more) making love, he'd seen singles (men and women) masturbating. Nearly every combination of love-making and raw, nasty sex, he'd witnessed in some form or another.
There were several times, he'd been able to catch his prey only because they were engaged in the act. These times he did note in his crime journals, particularly when the sex act was deviant enough to possibly provide clues to the criminal's psychological makeup. Batman would never forget the time he busted into the Joker's hideout and found the Clown Prince of Crime bound and gagged while his female cohort, Harley Quinn, was stroking his penis with a feather.
Now, as Bruce walked back into the kitchen, he wondered about the ramifications of what he was about to do. The mansion had been originally built in Victorian times, and had many hidden secrets, not the least of which was the cavern below the grounds. The mansion was laced with passages and all of the bedrooms upstairs had peepholes and one-way mirrors. Bruce had never figured out the original purpose for this, and never resorted to using them.
But now, he seemed to have a need for just that sort of thing. He needed to know exactly what the relationship between Barbara and Selina was and how far it went.
He entered the passageway though the secret door at the back of the pantry. He slipped off his shoes and quietly climbed the stairs. The upstairs hallway ran the length of the mansion. On either side of the hallway where six bedrooms, with each bedroom opening out into it's own balcony. The passageway twisted and turned, allowing access to the common wall between each bedroom.
Bruce quietly walked from room to room. He had covered all of the original peep holes, but had not replaced the original one-way mirrors. A small cut-out behind each of the guilt- edged mirrors allowed a view into the room. Due to the light difference between the room and the pitch-black passageway, there was little chance of a person discovering that they were being watched.
Several of the rooms were empty and several hosted sleeping guests, drunk to the world. Other rooms were indeed being used for sexual activity. It was in the fourth room of this nature that Bruce recognized Selina Kyle sitting on the bed.
Bruce slowed his breath and peered through the mirror. As distasteful as he found this, he also felt a tingle in his loins. It was the thought of seeing Barbara Gordon again that ran through his mind. He had resisted the temptations of Barbara Gordon's naked body the night before, but now, watching unseen, caused him to become excited.
Selina was sitting on the edge of the bed and was unzipping her dress. She pulled it down and her large round breasts fell out. On the bed beside her, Jones laid back with Barbara on top of him. They were kissing. Selina stood up and pulled the dress down. She was wearing a very small pair of thong panties. With a dress that tight, she'd have needed something very skimpy to avoid panty-lines.
She climbed onto the bed and laid next to the couple. Barbara lifted her head and Selina kissed Jones. Bob Jones held both women in his hands. He rubbed his large hands up and down the backs of both women.
After a few moments, Barbara, still dressed, slid down and unbuckled Bob's belt. She then slowly, teasingly, slid down his zipper. Selina and Bob stopped kissing for a moment and watched the "unveiling." Barbara fumbled for a moment and then Jones' erection popped up into her face.
It was at this point that Bruce realized that he could hear every word in the room. The wall behind the mirror must have been thinner than he thought. Both woman make comments about "it's as big as a baseball bat," and giggled. Bob Jones was obviously revelling in the attention of the beautiful women.
The night before, when he had been in Barbara's apartment as Batman, Bruce had not gotten an erection. The supporter and athletic cup he wore as part of his costume applied just enough of the wrong type of pressure to prevent it. Now, wearing just briefs and a pair of pants, he was not prevented from getting hard. The thought of Barbara Gordon, sweet, innocent Barbara Gordon, sucking a large dick made his own start to swell.
Barbara played with the man's penis for several minutes, bringing it to its full size. Bruce had been around enough to know that Jones' was on the large side, but not nearly as big as some other men he'd seen. In fact, the Joker was larger, Bruce thought. Unbidden, the image of the Joker's gastly white cock sprung into his mind.
By this time, Bob Jones had one of Selina's breasts in his face and was sucking on her nipple. Her breasts were large, but very firm. From his vantage point, Bruce could not see any scars. He wondered if she was just naturally firm. Her nipples were large, with fairly small, dark areolas. The nipples looked even bigger than they probably were because they were extremely erect.
Barbara bent over Jones' crotch and began to lick the end of his dick. She unconsciously brushed her hair back, obviously not yet used to the short haircut. The look on Jones' face was one of absolute bliss; a large tit in his face and a redhead sucking his dick.
Selina got up and moved down to Bob's crotch. She motioned Barbara away and took his dick into her own mouth. Barbara took that as the opportunity to get undressed. She slid out of the dark green minidress and her panties in one quick movement. She then straddled Bob's face and pushed her red haired pussy onto his mouth.
Bob Jones was known throughout Major League Baseball for never giving up until the last man was struck out. He'd lead the Giant's to several come-from-behind victories for the league pennant several seasons in a row. What he couldn't do was stand up to the sexual ministrations of these two beautiful women. His come shot into Selina's mouth. She moved her head back away from his penis and ended up with some of it on her face.
As soon as he came, he pushed a very reluctant Barbara off his face. Mumbling something about "game tomorrow," he grabbed his clothes and headed for the adjoining bathroom.
Selina and Barbara looked at each other in amusement and disappointment. Bruce continued to watch from the passageway. Barbara moved over to Selina. Then, she leaned forward and licked the come from Selina's face. When she had finished licking it off, she and Selina embraced and kissed.
So that's it, Bruce said to himself, bewildered by the thought. He first considered that Selina had "enslaved" Barbara, but dismissed the idea. She was acting unlike herself, but Barbara was most definitely not being told what to do or being forced into it in any apparent way.
The shock of seeing the two women kissing and touching, combined with the potential problems this arrangement could cause, wilted Bruce's erection. His mind sprang into action, pondering the various options before him. His own sexual needs and desires fell away under the logical and precise mind of the Batman.
He walked quietly down the passageway and back to the pantry. He put his shoes back on and adjusted his pants, just in case. Alfred looked at him curiously when he stepped from the pantry. He knew that he'd have to explain it to the butler at some point, but he also knew that Alfred would wait patiently.
Bruce walked back into the party and waited. He continued to play host, but the hour was late and the crowd had dwindled. Bob Jones came down from upstairs, a slightly guilty look on his face. No one in the room seemed to notice as he walked across the room to Bruce. "Well, Bruce, ol' buddy, thanks for a great party."
"Leaving so soon?"
"Have a big game tomorrow," Jones said.
"Slug one out of the park for me," Bruce said to the ballplayer.
"Sure."
Bruce turned his attention back to the party. Several minutes later, Barbara and Selina quietly came downstairs. Barbara noticed Bruce watching them. She blushed deep red. She had hoped that no one would have noticed their little visit upstairs with the home run king.
She and Selina began to mingle with the few remaining guests. Bruce walked over to the two ladies. "Did you a good time?" he asked.
Barbara blushed even darker. "The party, I mean," Bruce said. "Alfred really went all out planning it on short notice." He pretended not to notice Barbara's embarassment
"Yes," Barbara said. "It was very nice."
"Why, yes, Mr. Wayne," Selina said. "I enjoyed myself a great deal." As she said this, she shifted her evening bag in her hands. Bruce was half tempted to see if she'd taken anything. He reminded himself to ask Alfred to count the silver tomorrow.
"Thank you for inviting us," Barbara said. She then leaned up and gave Bruce a kiss. Not the friendly social kiss they usually shared, but a french kiss. Bruce was caught totally by surprise. It was the same sort of kiss he had just seen the women share upstairs. He recovered his composure quick enough to rub his tongue against the younger woman's tongue as she thrusted it into his mouth.
Barbara broke the kiss. Selina said, "Yes, thank you." And she too gave him an open mouthed french kiss. She did more than just press her tongue into his mouth. She took his tongue into her mouth and sucked it slightly, running her tongue back and forth across the tip of his. Just like a blow job. Just like the blow job she'd just given Bob Jones.
She finally broke off the kiss. Bruce was absolutely stunned. He simply stood there and looked at both women. Barbara leaned forward again and said, "Please don't tell my father. He'd kill me if he knew I kissed you like that."
"Uh, right," was all Bruce could say as he watched the women walk across the floor and out the front entry way.
"I dare say he would," Alfred said quietly, coming up from behind Bruce. "Did you learn what you wanted?"
"More. Far more than I wanted," Bruce admitted.
Part Three
Bruce Wayne
Bruce Wayne awoke with a start. He had another nightmare. This was not uncommon. He often had nightmares. One dream in particular tended to haunt him. The vision of his parent's death at the hands of a gunman visited him on a regular basis.
But this dream was different than most. It had been hot, he had slept with no covers. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. His erection formed a tent in the front of his pajama bottoms. Yet, he felt no urgent need to urinate. The dream, this dream, had been a dirty dream.
He sat back down on the edge of the bed. He normally preferred not to remember his dreams. But he wanted to remember this one.
He calmed his mind and cleared it of all thoughts. The dream began to come back to him as he closed his eyes.
He was naked in the dream. No, not totally naked. He was wearing the cape and cowl, but naked underneath. And there were women in the dream. He tried to remember their faces. One by one, the faces came back to him.
Silver. Vicky. Talia. Barbara. Selina.
Silver St. Cloud; Vicky Vale; Talia, Ras Al Ghul's lovely daughter; Barbara Gordon, Batgirl; and Selina Kyle, the Catwoman.
He reopened his eyes. They had been naked in the dream too. And offering themselves to him.
In reality, outside of the dream, he had slept with the first three. He even thought at the time that he had loved all three. He'd seen the other two naked. Just the night before. And they had both kissed him the way only a lover should.
As he walked from his master bedroom, Bruce Wayne put on a robe and headed down to breakfast.Try as he might, he couldn't decipher the dream. Bruce finally decided it was merely sexual wish fulfillment. He smiled briefly when he thought about all those lovely ladies: platinum blonde, blonde, brunette, redhead, and raven-haired. All the colors of a female rainbow.
Batman sat at the desk in his cavern office. He had spent the day here. Bruce Wayne was after all the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Wayne Enterprises; he could take a day off if he wanted. Batman had taken the night before off, sort of. Now it was back to work.
He had spent the day net-surfing. Computers were becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life. They were also becoming an increasingly valuable tool in criminology.
He had, however, come up empty. Not that he hadn't tried.
WayneTech was considered a fine company and made excellent computers. They were simply coming from behind. IBM, HP, and DEC had made it there first. To make up the difference, Wayne had borrowed an idea from Apple. He gave enormous quantities of his computer equipment to schools and universities. WayneTech did, of course, get a sizable tax break. The goal, however, was not to save money. It was to seed computers into the schools so that the next generation of workers would be skilled in their use. The fact that they were trained on WayneTech systems only went to help future sales.
One such university that relied heavily on the generosity of WayneTech was Gotham State University. His alma mater. And that of Barbara Gordon.
Although WayneTech computers were considered second tier, WayneSoft had an excellent reputation. Microsoft was first with microcomputer software, but WayneSoft had the market lead on most other types of software, including the software that ran on the WayneTech mainframes.
Long before anyone else heard of microkernel architecture for an operating system, WayneSoft's Computer Monitor System (CMS) was built around a small and very fast core module. It was the only part of the computer that the user could not alter. This was for security reasons. It was also the part of the system that had hidden instructions which allowed Batman a backdoor into any computer running it.
Batman had logged into the Gotham State University computer system and spent a better part of the day looking for information about Barbara Gordon. He looked through her transcripts and read her thesis. It was on the applied application of computer technology in libraries. The girl was ahead of her time, he thought. If she ever gives up being Batgirl, I might just have to hire her to run this system.
But no where could he find any indication of aberrant behavior. Not while she was in college, not in the work records he'd gleaned from the Gotham City Public Library (also a WayneTech CMS system).
He didn't let his conscience get the best of him. After last night, he figured he'd already stepped over the line by invading her privacy. Batman considered his actions normal in the course of his investigation of any criminal. But Barbara Gordon was no criminal. She was just having lesbian sex with one.
The intercom beeped. Batman looked at the time display on the nearest computer screen. It was almost 10:30 pm. It was nice and dark by now, time to begin patrol. Alfred was probably just reminding him to eat something first. "Yes, Alfred," he said.
"Master Bruce, you have a visitor."
"This late. Who is it?"
"I believe it's Batgirl."
"Batgirl?"
"Yes, she's here to speak with Mr. Wayne."
"I'll be right up. Give me time to change."
"I'll keep her entertained, Sir."
"Are you sure you wouldn't like a drink, Madam?" Alfred was asking Batgirl as Bruce Wayne walked into the entryway of the mansion.
"Maybe some mineral water," she replied.
At first glance, Bruce thought it was Catwoman. Batgirl had changed her costume. Instead of the black bodysuit with big gold bat across the chest and a black cape with purple lining, she was wearing a simple black full-length bodysuit. A much smaller gray bat-symbol was above her right breast. The cowl seemed trimmer also, but that might just have been because her shorter hair didn't come out the back like it used to. She wore black gloves and long, lace-up black boots. Like Catwoman's catsuit, the boots were soft soled to prevent noise.
Only the ears of the cowl were different than Catwoman's costume, more pointed, like those on his own cowl.
"Batgirl?" he asked.
"Yes, Mr. Wayne. I'm sorry for dropping by so late."
"That's okay," he said. "I had a monster party last night and was still recuperating. I didn't have any plans for tonight." He tried to cover for looking at her so intently, "I thought you wore a cape?"
"It's a new costume. The cape tended to get in the way," she explained.
"Oh," he said. "Well, it certainly shows off your body." He played the womanizing playboy to the hilt. Which wasn't hard considering that the bodysuit did hug her curves and it reminded him that he'd seen her naked twice in the last two nights.
He was somewhat concerned with the new costume. It was more suited for night work than the original one. The purple and yellow trim made Batgirl's original costume look like something that a schoolgirl would design. But then, that was exactly what it had been.
The new one was just too close to Catwoman's. More evidence of Catwoman's influence on Batgirl? Oh, well, he thought, one step forward, one step back.
Batgirl didn't answer Bruce's come on. He did notice a slight blush coloring the parts of her checks that were visible from under the cowl. Inwardly, he sighed. She's just got to be more careful. That blush is the same one she had last night when I caught her and Selina sneaking down the stairs after their little session with Bob Jones.
"Won't you come into the parlor. It's far more comfortable. And cooler. The mansion is old, you know. The air conditioner just doesn't cool off this entryway the way it should."
"Of course," she said.
Batgirl followed Wayne into the parlor adjoining the entryway. Alfred followed a moment later with a tray and two bottles of mineral water. He also had two glasses of ice on the tray.
Batgirl took a seat on the couch and Bruce leaned on the back of the easy chair. As Alfred served the water to their guest, Bruce realized that this arrangement was far too close to their positions in Barbara's apartment several nights before. He strolled casually to the window.
The Batsignal was flashing in the sky. There was nothing he could do until Batgirl left.
"So, what brings you here this evening. Surely you don't suspect me of some heinous crime," he laughed.
"Of course not, Mr. Wayne."
"Please, call me Bruce," he turned on the charm.
"Yes, Mr. ... Bruce." She took a long drink from the water. He imaged how good it tasted. With the hot and humid weather that Gotham had been suffering, he knew exactly how hot it was under a cowl like hers. "I wanted to discuss some business with you."
"Business?"
"Yes. I have a friend who is looking to change careers. I thought you might be in a position to hire her as a consultant."
"A consultant. In what field?" Bruce asked.
"She is a bit of a security expert."
"I have several very good experts already," he explained. "Why would I want to bring your friend on?"
"Mr. Wayne," she said, deciding to remain formal. Batgirl found it easier to disguise her voice that way. "I understand you're a philanthropist. You contribute vast sums of your money to worthy causes. Consider this job a form of rehabilitation."
"Rehabilitation? Who exactly are we talking about?"
"Her name is Selina Kyle. You might know her best from the newspapers. The media nicknamed her 'Catwoman.'"
Alarms went off in Bruce's head. She's getting very sloppy, he thought. It was enough to introduce Selina Kyle as Barbara Gordon's friend. But to introduce Catwoman as Batgirl's friend was cutting it way too close. It wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together.
"Catwoman!" he exclaimed. "I wouldn't want to hire Gotham's most famous catburgler as a security consultant. And you consider her a friend?!?" He did his best to sound incredulous.
"Mr. Wayne, I have evidence that she's willing to go straight. But to do so, she needs a decent job. Her skills with security systems are legendary. It would be like when you gave the young gentleman that broke into your computer system a job as a programmer. It gave him a chance to put his talents to good use, rather than bad."
Still sloppy, he thought. Now she's sounding more and more like Barbara when she gives her idealist talks to her father.
"Well," he laughed, "You almost sound like a young friend of mine. Always extolling me to do the right thing."
This time she hide the blush. Or didn't realize he was talking about Barbara Gordon.
"But what about the gems she stole from the museum lately?"
Batgirl finished drinking the mineral water and stood up. She walked to stand beside Bruce at the window. "The Batsignal," she pointed out. "That's probably Police Commissioner Gordon summoning Batman right now to tell him that the gems were returned to Police Headquarters this afternoon."
"Oh," he said.
"Yes. She wants to make a change in her life. You're the only one in Gotham I could turn to. Batman and the police are too skeptical to believe me. Offer her a job so she doesn't have to steal for a living and she'll be a changed woman." With that, Batgirl left. She was across the floor and out the entryway before Bruce could reply. It was obviously a tactic meant to give her the last word. He often used it himself.
"Are all the gems there?" Batman asked as he stepped through the open window into Gordon's office.
Gordon jumped at the sound of the Dark Knight's voice. "How did you know?"
Batman didn't answer him. The gems were laid out on a tray on Gordon's desk. A police forensics expert was cataloging the gems against the crime report from the museum. "It appears so," Gordon admitted. "A package just turned up on my desk this afternoon. I went out for lunch with my daughter Barbara and when I came back, here they were."
Barbara slipped them there when he had his back turned, Batman thought. She's certainly sticking her neck out of this one.
Batman picked up one of the gems and held it up to look at it in the ceiling light. "Not fakes," he said.
Gordon wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. "We're going to have a museum expert look at them tomorrow morning. But I don't think so."
Chief Detective Bullock hurried into the office. "You were right Commissioner. They were Selina Kyle's fingerprints on them. Yo, Bats."
"Detective," Batman acknowledged Bullock. He turned back to Gordon, "What sort of container were they in?"
"This bag," Gordon said. He handed Batman a canvas bank bag. Batman gave the bag a cursory look and handed it back to Gordon.
Small enough to conceal in a purse, Batman thought. And a type of fabric that wouldn't leave fingerprints. Maybe you're not as sloppy as I thought, Barbara.
"So, I guess Batgirl was right. Catwoman does want to go straight," Gordon said. But once again, Batman was already gone.
"Mr. Wayne, you have a visitor," his secretary announced on the intercom. "She doesn't have an appointment."
"Who is it?" he asked.
"A Ms Kyle," the secretary said.
Bruce had been waiting two days for this. He'd assumed that Batgirl's visit was merely the opening gambit and that Selina Kyle would have to approach him herself.
"Send her in," he told the secretary.
"But, Mr. Wayne, you have an appointment with Mr. Fox in twenty minutes."
"Delay it. Lucius will understand. Send Ms Kyle in please."
A moment later, the secretary lead Selina Kyle into Bruce's office. Selina was wearing a simply outfit; black silk long- sleeved blouse and medium length skirt. The same colors as the night of the party, but an entirely different appearance.
"Ms Kyle, so good to see you again," Bruce said, rising from his desk to greet her.
"Mr. Wayne," she said.
The secretary left, closing the door behind her. Selina looked directly into Bruce's eyes. She slowly and deliberately wetted her lips and said, "I had so much fun at your party."
"Well, thank you," he said. He motioned for her to take one of the chairs in front of his desk. He waited for her to sit and than sat down himself. He noticed her long smooth legs as she crossed her legs and her skirt rode up slightly.
"Surely, you didn't come to my office just to thank me for having fun at my party. I think that goodnight kiss was thanks enough."
Selina smiled. "You're right, I come for another reason."
"And that is..."
"A friend of mine suggested that I speak to you. I'm looking to start a security consulting firm. My friend said that you might be willing to hire me."
"And what does a beautiful woman like you know about security?" Bruce asked.
"Mr. Wayne, you don't have to play dumb with me. The fact that I am Catwoman has been covered more than adequately in the newspapers and on the local television. The publicity of my last trial alone was more than enough to let every man, woman, and child in Gotham know the name of the woman beneath the mask."
"Okay," Bruce said, getting serious. "I won't play dumb. I know who you are. Even if I didn't know that Selina Kyle was the Catwoman's real name, I'd still have known. I had a visitor several nights ago."
"Oh," Selina said. By the look on her face, it seemed obvious to Bruce that she didn't know about Batgirl's visit to Wayne Manor.
"Yes, Batgirl stopped by two nights ago. She indicated that Catwoman was wanting to give up a life of crime and needed a job to support her new lifestyle. Batgirl seemed to think you were friends."
This disturbed Selina. She was worried that Barbara's behavior was going to get Barbara into trouble. Anyone could figure out that it would be just too much of a coincidence that Barbara and Selina were friends and Batgirl was saying that she was friends with Catwoman. Batman might already have figured out who Batgirl was, but Selina didn't think Barbara wanted the whole world to know.
"Well, Mr. Wayne, I've run into Batgirl a few times. And Batman many times. Batgirl has always struck me as a nice person, but friends...," Selina shrugged noncommittally.
"I assumed she was telling me the truth. She's always been an advocate of criminal rehabilitation, you know."
"She probably thought she was doing me a favor," Selina said.
"In return for some fashion advice, no doubt," Bruce said.
"Fashion advice?" Once again it was apparent to Bruce that Selina had no idea.
"Why, yes," Bruce said. "Batgirl's redesigned her costume. It looks almost identical to your Catwoman costume."
"I wasn't aware of that," Selina said. "She's free to use the design. I suppose I should be flattered."
"I have a meeting that I'm late for...," Bruce started to say.
"If you're not interested, Mr. Wayne, say so. Don't try to just brush me off."
"...but I'd like to talk to you further about this."
"Oh."
"Would you be interesting in discussing this over dinner? My place, about seven?"
"Mr. Wayne, I'd be delighted. You don't have an ulterior motive, do you?"
"Why, no, Ms Kyle. Do you?"
After dinner, Alfred dismissed the catering staff and adjourned to his own quarters. Bruce led Selina into the parlor and the two sat down to resume their conversation.
Bruce had discovered over dinner that Selina Kyle was a very interesting woman. She could be witty and very charming. He began to see why anyone, even another woman, would be attracted to her.
The two chatted for a few moments and then Bruce asked, "I can't just hire you as a consultant without understanding your motivations. Why?"
"I told you. I've decided to 'retire,' as it were. I need to find a job to support myself."
"Selina, I can't condone what you've done, but why quit? For that matter, why did you become the Catwoman in the first place."
Selina Kyle's face turned contemplative for a moment. "I really don't know. You'd probably have better luck trying to ask Batman why he does what he does."
A lot better luck than you'd imagine, Bruce thought. "Come now, Selina. You must have some idea."
"I guess it was a sense of adventure. Thrillseeking." She shrugged.
"So why quit? Won't you get bored with the thrills?"
"There are other ways of finding thrills," she said, a sly smile on her face.
"And what sorts of ways would that be?"
Selina slid closer to Bruce. She reached up and held his face in her hands. She kissed him gently and then more forcefully. She reached around and grabbed him. He moved his hands around her waist. She kissed him again, this time with an open mouth.
Bruce returned the kiss. Whatever her faults, this woman knew how to kiss. But, then, it had been so long since he'd felt a woman's embrace.
They broke the kiss. "There are all sorts of thrills," Selina said.
"Selina, are you trying to influnce my decision?"
"Of course," she said. She moved her hand down his back. She was surprised at how solid his body felt. Selina had assumed that a rich playboy like this would be soft and flabby. Well, with his money, he can afford the best workout money can buy, she told herself.
Bruce began to wonder exactly how far to let this go. He was lonely and she was a beautiful and extremely sexy woman. But, she was Catwoman. He couldn't just let himself develop an emotional attachment to her. What if this whole scenario was simply a ploy?
Before he could decide, Selina kissed him again. He returned the kiss. She wiggled closer to him and still in mid-kiss, straddled him. Her breasts pressed against his chest and she rocked her hips over his. She was definitely hot and not just from the weather, he thought.
It wasn't the first time he'd had an agressive woman throw herself at him sexually. He was one of the richest, most desirable batchelors in the country after all. People magazine said so.
Most of the time, found some way to discourage them. This time was different. He discovered, quite to his amazement, he was attracted to her. Part of it was the thrill of the chase; after many times as Batman, he was finally going to 'bag' the Catwoman. Part of it was the sense of danger. What if she discovered that he was Batman?
Bruce ran his hand up and down her back slowly. He felt her shoulder blades and realized that under her dress he couldn't feel any bra straps. She had extremely firm breasts to be walking around with out a bra, he told himself. He felt a thrill run up his spine when he realized that soon he'd feel those same breasts. The same breasts that he'd seen through the peep hole only nights before.
Bruce broke the kiss and held Selina tight. She put her head on his shoulder and blew into his ear. He was intoxicated by the smell of her hair. Selina had a natural scent that mixed with the very small amount of perfume she was wearing. He'd never noticed it before.
She sat back up, still on his lap. She caressed her own breasts, cupping them in both hands. He smiled as she did this. She knows the effect she has on men, he thought.
"Selina," he said.
"Yes,"
"You are a very attractive woman. You might just steal my heart."
She smiled and made a grabbing motion at his chest with her hand, symbolically stealing his heart. "You can't expect a leopard to change her spots that easily, do you?" she said.
In return, he reached up and felt her breast. He first placed his hand above it. Bruce could feel her heart beating under the palm of his hand. He slowly slid his hand down and rubbed against her breast. She was firm and her nipple grew erect at his touch. Another shiver ran up his spine and through his groin. He hadn't felt like this since Silver St. Cloud.
He wasn't sure exactly when the decision was made, but it was. He had to have her. He moved his hand down to her leg and moved her leg off him. She stood. He also stood and then swept her up into his arms. Bruce mounted the stairs and carried Selina to his bedroom.
Once there, he threw her on the bed and leaned over her, his mouth on hers. She unbuttoned his shirt as they kissed. Selina ran her hands under his shirt and across his chest. "You certainly aren't built like I'd have expected," she said. "I would have thought that sitting behind a desk all day and eating fancy lunches would have made you flabby."
He knew it would be hard to explain why Bruce Wayne had a physique like a body builder. "I play a lot of racket ball," he told her. "It's good for burning off the fat."
"I think we'll burn off some tonight," she said, reaching for his belt.
His belt loosened, he stood up and dropped his pants. As he did so, Selina pulled down her dress and her breasts fell out. Her nipples were hard and she was already breathing hard. She lifted her butt off the bed and slid the dress further down, her panties with it. A flip of her foot sent the dress and panties across the room.
Bruce stepped out of his briefs as he looked down at her bare body. Unlike most of the women he normally dated, Selina Kyle was full-figured, with round hips and large breasts. Her active nightlife kept her toned and firm. Her full black bush covered her pussy. Most of the supermodels and actresses he dated trimmed their pubic hair. Bruce decided he liked a full beaver instead. More of an adventure that way, he thought.
As he knelt down to kiss her nether lips, he remembered Silver St. Cloud. Her hair, including her pubes, were so light it almost seemed to glow. Selina was the exact opposite; her raven hair was so dark it threatened to suck Bruce in.
He parted her black pussy hair and found an erect clit. Her pussy lips were large and already swollen from the excitement. "My, but you're wet," he said, his finger sliding easily into her.
"It's been a long time since I've been with a man," she said. "Or at least one that I was really excited about. The heat makes me horny."
"I excite you?"
"Yes."
"What else excites you?" Bruce asked. His finger curled inside her and he pressed against the ridge at the front of her love canal.
"OH!" she said. He knows female anatomy, she thought, delighted. She moaned in pleasure. Selina reached down and took Bruce's face in her hands. She pulled him forward, to her. He stretched out on top of her and with unerring aim, slid his erect dick into her wet pussy. "Oh, yes," she moaned as she drew her legs up and around his waist.
"What else excites you?" he asked again, his mouth next to her ear. He pushed into her.
"Lot's of things," she whispered in his ear.
"Tell me."
"A hard dick in my cunt," she said. He pumped her a little harder. "And a soft pussy in my mouth," she admitted, her voice a throaty whisper.
"Have you slept with your friend Barbara?" he wondered.
"Yes," she admitted.
The thought of the two woman sleeping naked, together in each other's arms, pushed Bruce over the edge. He pushed his dick hard into Selina's waiting pussy and came. He felt the muscles in his neck and shoulders tighten with the orgasm.
There were a number of events in his life that Bruce Wayne considered turning points. The biggest of course was the night his parents were killed. Another big turning point in his life was the first time he put on the Batman costume.
Others included the time when he took Dick Grayson into his home and taught the young man to became Robin. A sad turning point was when Dick's eventual replacement as Robin, Jason Todd, had been killed by the Joker. Bruce's most recent turning point was when he was defeated by Bane and spent a year of his life healing and training to resume his crusade.
He felt that tonight was likewise a turning point. He slept with Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. A woman who up till now had been an enemy. An enemy who was now a lover.
But would she also be a confidant?
Bruce laid back and Selina had fallen asleep, her head on his chest. He was not used to sleeping this early, but the release of so many pent up sexual tensions relaxed him and he dozed lightly. It felt good to have a woman in bed beside him, he thought.
Selina awoke sometime in the middle of the night. She quitely arose from the bed and walked naked into the adjoining master bath. After peeing, she returned quitely to Bruce's side. He was awake.
"Did I wake you?" she asked.
"No. I don't sleep very well sometimes," he said.
"I'm sort of a night person myself," she admitted.
He put his arm around her and held her tight. Her skin was warm and soft. Her hair smelled fresh and delightful, even after their quick and sweaty fuck.
Selina rolled on top of him and pressed her pelvis down on his. Bruce felt himself begin to harden again. She sat up, straddling him. She reached down and positioned his dick at the opening of her pussy. A tilt of her full hips drove it into her. She then leaned forward and kissed him gently. "This will put you to sleep," she said.
She rocked her hips slowly forward and backward. Selina could feel his dick getting harder and swelling inside her. This position allowed her control and she pressed her weight hard on the top of his pelvis. This put the pressure of her movements onto her clit. Selina moved slowly and drew the experience out for as long as she could.
Bruce put his arms around her neck and pulled her down to kiss. The two lovers opened their mouths and pressed their tongues together in rhythm with Selina's hips. Under them, a spring in the bed began to squeak softly.
For long minutes, Selina rocked her hips slowly up and down. Bruce kissed her the whole time and held her tight. He felt as though her hot breasts were burning a brand onto his chest.
Only after Selina brought herself to orgasm did Bruce begin thrusting up into her. Up till then, he'd allowed her to do the work. As she slumped against him, exhausted, he assumed the same rocking motion with his hips, thrusting into her wet cunt. Again, long minutes passed until he too reached a climax.
The next afternoon, Selina was sitting on the couch in her apartment. The air conditioner droned in the window behind her and her two favorite cats stretched out beside her. It was still hot and humid in Gotham City; Selina was wearing a halter top and shorts, nothing else.
The phone rang. She answered it. It was Bruce Wayne.
"Selina, I just wanted to call and tell you how much I enjoyed dinner. And the rest of the evening as well."
"I enjoyed it also," she told him.
"Look, Selina," Bruce said.
Here it comes, she thought. Fuck her and then leave her out to dry.
"I've been thinking about your...career change, as it were," Bruce continued.
"Oh," Selina said. She moved the phone to her other ear and stroked the fur of the cat closest to her.
"I can't just go hire you just on a whim, you know. I think we need something a little more solid to work from. I've got the boys in Legal drawing up a contract."
"A contract. For what?"
"It's fairly standard practice for contractors. Especially those in unique professions. Can you come by tomorrow afternoon to review them?"
"Sure," Selina said.
"See you tomorrow then?" Bruce asked.
"Yes," she said.
"Very well, till tomorrow," he said, reluctant to hang up too soon.
"Till tomorrow," she echoed.
After they hung up, Bruce sat back in his chair. He considered the wisdom of hiring Catwoman. Well, he told himself, if nothing else, I'll be able to keep a close watch on her.
Late that night, Selina was dressing for a workout. She waited until it had cooled off. Even after midnight, and it was still hot. Although she decided to give a try at Barbara's crazy idea, it didn't mean that she had to hang up the catsuit so soon. Maybe I'll try my hand at being a vigilante, she thought. Like Barbara.
Just then, she heard a sound from the other room. She finished zipping the front of the black leather catsuit up and slid her gloves on. She flexed her fingers to settle them into the gloves; the steel points at the tips of her fingers gleanting in the light of her bedroom floor lamp as she did so.
She moved quietly to the doorway between her bedroom and the other room. The apartment was on the top floor of an abandoned building. The building had once been a textile factory, but was left vacant for many years. About five years ago, real estate developers tried to renovate the building and convert it into luxury apartments. Their financing fell through before they could complete the renovations.
Selina had put a down payment on one of the apartments. She figured that as long as she could fence the gems and antiques that she stole, she might as spend the money on a decent place to live. She ended up buying the building outright when the real estate market bottomed out during the late Eighties. She moved into the large apartment on the top floor and left the rest vacant. She liked her privacy.
The large space next to her apartment was supposed to be another apartment, even larger and better than hers, but it had never been finished. Only the original beams had been restored; the rest of the space was wide open. Selina used it for a workout area. A large skylight provided an opening to the roof.
Through the doorway between the apartments, Selina could see a shadow in the workout area. She wondered if it was Batman. As far as she knew, he didn't know where she lived. But he had his ways of finding things out. Barbara had said that he wanted to talk to her. Even though she returned the gems from her last heist and made an effort to find gainful employment, she was sure the Dark Knight would want to keep a close eye on her.
"Selina," Batgirl said.
"Barbara?"
Batgirl walked into the light. Selina could have swore that she was looking in a mirror. "Bruce said you changed your outfit, but I never expected this."
"I was getting tired of the old costume anyway," Batgirl explained. "This leather should be much more durable."
The two women walked into bedroom. Selina turned to look at her friend. Barbara's new costume was almost identical to her own. The ears on the cowl were different and Batgirl didn't have "claws" on her fingers, but aside from that, the two outfits were almost identical. But Batgirl had a stylized bat on the right side of her chest. This symbol was smaller and grey in color, instead of the bright yellow bat her old costume had.
"You spoke to Bruce Wayne?" Batgirl asked, pulling her cowl off. Her hair was wet with perspiration. She ran her hand through it in an effort to dry it.
"Yes," Selina said. She turned slightly so that Barbara couldn't she the smile on her face.
Barbara moved to face Selina. "So what did he say? Is he going to go along with the idea?"
"I was able to persade him," Selina said.
"'Persade him,'" Barbara said. "You slept with him, didn't you?"
"Maybe," Selina said coyly.
"You did! You slut," Barbara yelled. "You knew that I had my eyes on him."
"Calm down, Barbara. You can still fuck him if you want. I'm secure enough in my sex life to be able to share. In fact, I'll bet he'd like having both of us at once," Selina teased.
"Both of us?" Barbara was still somewhat naive about such things. But she was learning quickly. "So he was good?"
"Very good," Selina said.
"Both of us." Barbara found that the idea was very arousing. She and Selina had not been together since the night of Wayne's party and hadn't finished what they'd started with Bob Jones. Barbara had come tonight to see Selina partly to see what the outcome of her idea was. And partly to see if Selina wanted to have sex again.
"I was just getting ready to workout," Selina said. "Care to join me?"
"Okay," Barbara said. She focused on the thought of finally getting Bruce Wayne into bed. The thought was enough to put other thoughts out of her head. She'd had a crush on Wayne since the first time she met him. And now Selina was going to make it all happen.
The next afternoon, Selina walked into the executive offices of Wayne Enterprises. She was carrying a small pet carrier. The secretary looked at her with a funny expression, but buzzed Bruce to let him know that Selina was here.
"Send her in." She heard Bruce's voice on the intercom.
She walked into the office. Bruce was writing someone on a piece of paper. As he finished, he looked up at her and smiled. He rose to greet her. As the secretary closed the door, he walked to her and kissed her. She returned the kiss.
"What's this?" he asked after the kiss.
"A present," Selina said. "A gesture of good will."
"It looks like a cat," he said, peering into the pet carrier.
"You're almost as observant as his namesake," Selina said. She opened the carrier and pulled out a partially grown kitten. Pure black. Almost as black as her own hair.
"Namesake?"
"Batman," she explained.
"Batman?" Bruce asked, a questioning look on his face.
"This little guy likes to sneak around and pounce on me unannounced."
"Oh," Bruce said.
"I thought your mansion was just a little too big for just you and your butler. I figured you needed some company. For when I'm not there." She placed the kitten into Bruce's hands.
Bruce held up the kitten and looked at it's face. The kitten's bright golden eyes stared back intently. "Well, we do have some mice," he said, mostly to himself.
Selina moved to stand next to him. She nuzzled Bruce's shoulder as they both looked at the kitten. "Thank you," Bruce said, automatically.
Part Four
Two Bats and a Cat, in bed
"And how shall you know I'm addressing the cat, sir, and not you?" Alfred asked.
"Alfred, you don't usually call me 'Batman.' Even when I'm wearing the suit. Besides, we can always give it a different name," Bruce said.
The two men stood in the kitchen, watching the kitten drinking a bowl of milk. "Yes, Master Bruce, I suppose we can. We just won't tell Ms Kyle."
Just then the door bell rang. "You were expecting company, sir?"
"No," Bruce said.
Alfred walked to the front door and opened it. Selina and Barbara were both there. They were both dressed casually and Selina was carrying a grocery bag.
"Madames," Alfred said. "Please come in. Master Bruce is in the kitchen with 'Batman'."
"Batman's here?" Barbara said.
"It's the kitten I gave him," Selina explained.
"You named a kitten 'Batman'?" Barbara asked.
"It seemed to fit at the time."
Alfred lead the two ladies to the kitchen. There, they found Bruce squatting over the kitten and scratching it behind the ears. An empty bowl was on the floor. As the women walked in, Bruce stood up. "Selina," he said, smiling. "And Barbara?" He was somewhat surprised to find the two women here. Especially this late at night. He was wanting to begin his evening patrol. This was the second night in the last week that his patrol had been cut short due to unexpected visitors. And twice in the last two weeks, he'd not gone out at all.
Barbara Gordon was wearing a red knit halter top and tight jeans. The halter hardly covered her breasts and left a large expanse of her freckle-dotted chest and shoulders bare. Bruce had known her for quite some time and the attire was decidedly unlike her. She normally dressed more conservatively. He also noticed that her nipples stood out prominently through the tight material of the halter.
Selina was dressed in a simple tee-shirt and jeans. Her jeans were looser than Barbara's but still tight enough to show off her round hips and long legs.
"We brought you some stuff for Batman," Selina said. She sat the grocery bag down on the kitchen counter and begin to pull items from it. A variety of cat toys and various treats soon covered the counter.
"That's very thoughtful," Bruce said.
"Quite so," Alfred added. "Sir, I believe I'll be adjourning for the night."
"Why, yes, Alfred," Bruce said, "Thank you." He caught the look the butler throw his way as Alfred left the kitchen. It was that look that Alfred always gave him when the butler thought he was doing something he shouldn't. Alfred still didn't approve of his current "arrangement" with Selina Kyle. But, Bruce told himself, Alfred is the one that's always after me to slow down and enjoy life.
When the butler left, Selina put her arms around Bruce's neck and kissed him.
Barbara stood watching, almost expectantly, Bruce thought.
"Um, lover, I've missed you," Selina said. "Would you mind if Barbara joined us tonight. I told her what an animal you are in bed and she so wanted to share you."
Bruce thought about it for a moment. Having two woman at once was every man's fantasy. And, although she was somewhat younger than himself, he found Barbara Gordon very attractive. He'd always considered her cute, but with the new, shorter hair cut and the less conservative wardrobe, he now found her quite sexy. Plus the fact that he had seen her naked several times piqued his curiosity. If nothing else, it's good for the playboy image, he thought. I just hope I don't have to look Jim Gordon in the eyes anytime soon.
Bruce put his free arm around Barbara and kissed her. After their kiss, Selina leaned forward and kissed her. Bruce then lead the two women upstairs to his bedroom.
In the bedroom, Bruce peeled off his shirt and laid down on the bed. He propped up a couple of pillows and watched as the two women began to undress each other.
Barbara was running her hand up and down Selina's back. Next, Barbara grabbed the bottom of Selina's tee-shirt and pulled it up. Selina raised her hands and allowed the tee-shirt to be pulled off. She left her arms up, it lifted her full breasts up and displayed them to both her companions.
"Ohmygawd," Barbara said, as she looked at Selina's breasts. "You didn't have these the other day."
Selina turned slightly to give Bruce a better look. A ring hung from each of her erect nipples. Selina had pierced nipples. "I didn't have the rings in," she explained.
Barbara reached up tentatively to touch one of her friend's breasts. Selina touched her other breast and gently tugged on one of the rings, moaning in obvious pleasure as she did so to show Barbara that the rings didn't hurt.
"How long have you had these?" Barbara asked, fascinated.
"A couple years," Selina told her.
A couple years, Bruce thought. That would have been when she was in prison. Bruce was not overly fond of body piercing, but he had known several women that had pierced nipples or belly buttons. He know of course about the anthropological significance of piercing amongst various tribal cultures, including some of the criminal sub-cultures in modern society. It was becoming more mainstream.
And, the last time he'd seen Dick, the younger man had a pierced ear. Bruce disapproved of course. Not because of the fashion statement; he disapproved because Dick, as Nightwing, wore only a face mask, not a full cowl. The face mask allowed people to see Nightwing's ears. Having a pierced ear meant the possibility of someone noticing that both Dick Grayson and the vigilante known as Nightwing had a distinguishing characteristic in common. For the same reason, Bruce disapproved of Dick's new pony tail. At least Clark has the common sense to comb his hair different when he's out of costume, Bruce thought.
Barbara was playing with Selina's breasts, licking the nipples and grasping the ring with her lips. As she grew more comfortable with the idea, she was growing adventuresome with Selina's arousal.
"If you like these," Selina said, "I've got something else to show you," she told the younger woman.
Barbara looked up, curious. Bruce was somewhat curious himself. Selina seemed to have an endless supply of surprises.
Selina unbuttoned her jeans and let them fall. She stepped out of them and kicked the jeans to the side of the room. She was not wearing any panties.
Barbara and Bruce looked at her; they could see nothing. Selina sat down on the edge of the bed and laid back, next to Bruce. She spread her legs open in invitation to Barbara. Barbara took a moment to pull off her own halter top and jeans. She was wearing panties. She slid them down and off and was likewise naked. Bruce was beginning to enjoy the view.
Barbara knelt down in front of the raven-haired woman. Selina touched herself and then pulled her thick black pussy hair aside, revealing her pussy to Barbara's view. Bruce saw the look of shock on Barbara's face. He got up and moved to the end of the bed to get a better look.
Selina had a ring, similar to those in her nipples, just above her clit, through her clit hood. The difference was that this ring had a small bead on it. The position of the ring allowed the bead to rest directly on Selina's clit. Below the clit ring, running down each of her pussy lips, were six small gold studs. Three on each of Selina's thick pussy lips. Bruce was fascinated almost as much as Barbara. During his travels, he had met native tribes where the men pierced their penises, but he'd never seen a woman up close with piercings on her genitalia.
"Does it hurt?" Barbara asked.
"Oh, no," Selina said. She rubbed her clit and it began to swell almost immediately. "Well," Selina explained, "It hurt like a bitch when it was done. But it doesn't hurt now."
Bruce leaned forward and took a closer look. He hadn't noticed the piercing holes when he'd gone down on Selina before. Selina had a prominent clit and large, meaty labia; what Bruce considered to be a classic "orchid" shaped pussy. When Selina was fully aroused and her clit at it's full extension, it and her pussy lips looked almost identical to the shape of an orchid blossom. The gold studs were actually little tiny barbells, a round ball at each end of a short staff. The staff was through the piercing holes.
"Why?" Barbara wondered. She seemed to be a little turned off by it.
"It was an initiation in prison," Selina explained. She fingered herself more, her pussy noticeably wetter.
"Will one of you lick my pussy before I die of horniness?" Selina implored. Bruce leaned forward and started kissing her pussy. As he licked her pussy lips, he noticed that when he moved his tongue up, Selina's cunt lips fell back to their normal position from the weight of the studs. Each time this happened, at tugged very gently on her clit. This seemed to arouse Selina far faster than when he'd licked her unadorned pussy before.
In a moment, Barbara broke out of her trance and moved up to kiss Selina. She straddled the older woman. Bruce took a break from licking Selina's pussy. He fingered her and rubbed her clit with his thumb as he looked up, into a closeup view of Barbara's red-trimmed pussy.
Barbara's pussy was smaller and looked tight. Her pussy lips were much smaller than Selina's and her clit looked buried in her folds. As the two women kissed and Selina began to suck on Barbara's tits, Bruce noticed Barbara's pussy beginning to moisten.
Bruce shifted his weight and centered himself in front of the two women. As much as he was enjoying licking and sucking on Selina's pussy, he was very curious to see how Barbara tasted. He reached up gently and caressed her back and buttocks. She glanced over her shoulder once, but otherwise didn't seem to give him much notice. But too, she wasn't pushing him away.
He continued to finger Selina's pussy as he tentatively kissed the small of Barbara's back. A prickle of goose bumps erupted over her back as he did so. He moved down, bypassing her anus for now, and gave her pussy one long gentle lick, from front to back, beginning at her clit and ending at her asshole. He felt Barbara tense in anticipation as soon as his tongue touched her pussy.
The attentions of Selina on Barbara's tits and his own work on her pussy soon had Barbara on the edge of her first orgasm on the night. Her pussy had opened up some from her arousal, but was still no where as large and "flowery" as Selina's.
Bruce decided to tease Barbara, it was his first time with her and he wanted her to enjoy herself to the maximum. That, in turn, would increase his pleasure as well. Leaving Barbara panting at the edge, he turned his attention back down to Selina's pussy.
He began licking Selina's clit. First up and down with his tongue, and then side to side. He curled the tip of his tongue into the ring and tugged gently on her clit. A few moments of this had Selina on the edge also. She moaned several times. Bruce could hear the smacking of the woman's lips as they kissed and sucked each other's tits.
He slid a finger back into Selina and sucked on her clit. He took it into his mouth and sucked it, like a nipple. "OH!" Selina cried. "Oh, that feels good... Batman!"
How had she figured out? he wondered. Bruce looked up. The two women were disengaging their embrace. The kitten had jumped on Selina and was batting at one of her nipple rings. As she grabbed the kitten and put him on the floor, all three laughed.
The kitten taken care of, Selina turned her attention to Bruce. "Barbara wants you to fuck her," she said. "Won't you be a good boy and make her happy?" At the suggestion, Barbara merely smiled.
Bruce had spent too much of his life learning to observe situations and people. Try as he might to distance himself from his thoughts, he just could not stop his mind from automatically assessing each new person or situation he found himself in. His life had relied upon this skill numerous times and he was glad of that.
In a bedroom situation like this, he obviously enjoyed himself, but couldn't help but wonder what each person's motivations were. He watched the women together and had noticed that Barbara was more passive than Selina. He knew that Selina was a strong willed and aggressive personality, but he would have thought that Barbara would have been too. In the other aspects of her life, she was fairly aggressive. But in the bedroom, at least with Selina, Barbara was willing to be a follower, not the leader.
Bruce knew from various studies he'd done into people's motivations and the psychology of group dynamics that some people's personalities did change depending upon the settings. Was this the key to Barbara's recent personality changes? he wondered. Maybe she wasn't such a different person, but merely was enjoying a more active sex life recently and tended toward a more passive role when it came to sex.
He stood and unbuttoned his slacks. He let them fall to the floor. Bruce slid his shorts down and he kicked off the shorts and slacks together. He stood in front of Barbara and Selina; all three were now naked.
"Doesn't that cock look good?" Selina asked Barbara.
"Yeah," Barbara replied.
Selina held her hand out and Bruce took hold of it. She then guided him forward and on top of Barbara. She then ran her hand down his chest, to his belly, and then to his cock. She stroked it a couple of times and then dropped her hand to Barbara's pussy. There, Selina stroked the red-haired pussy lips several times and then held them open for Bruce. Bruce slowly lowered himself to Barbara. His penis was at the opening to her tight pussy.
Bruce was worried that Barbara would not be able to take him; she seemed so small. He had met women like that before; very small and tight vaginas although they were not overly small themselves.
Almost as if she were reading Bruce's thoughts, Selina said, "Don't worry, lover, she's taken my dildo before and it's bigger than you."
The thought of Selina fucking Barbara with a dildo excited Bruce. He'd never thought much before about women loving women, but with these two, he found the thought exciting.
He pressed forward and sure enough, his cock slid into Barbara's pussy with little resistance. She was wet and willing and wrapped her legs around his hips as he moved into her fully. Selina laid beside the couple, kissing Barbara and running her hands over both Barbara and Bruce. None of the three talked much as Bruce began fucking the pretty redhead.
Selina continued to kiss Barbara and finger her own pussy. Barbara held Bruce close to her with her arms around his neck as he fucked her slowly. He slid into her fully and then moved out with deliberate strokes. At the full point of retraction, he paused. Barbara was arching to meet him, wanting his penis back inside her. He would then slid back into her fully. Several minutes of this had them both on the edge, ready to explode into orgasms.
Bruce came first, but was able to stroke Barbara several more times before the feeling in his dick became too intense. He pulled out, his come dripping from the end of his cock. He fell onto the bed beside Barbara and held her tight. They kissed and slowly moved their tongues into and out of each other's mouths in imitation of their lovemaking.
Selina slid between Barbara's legs and began licking Bruce's come from the redhead's pussy. Barbara came as Selina licked her wet cunt.
Bruce was gone when the Selina awoke the next morning. She woke Barbara and the two women dressed without talking. After dressing, they went downstairs. Bruce and Alfred were in the kitchen.
"May I fix you ladies breakfast?" Alfred asked, ever the butler.
The next night, Selina and Barbara had plans to go out together: in costume. Selina had decided to accompany Barbara on an outing. She was curious what it was like to be the hunter instead of the hunted.
Batgirl arrived at Selina's apartment at about 10:00 pm. It was still hot and humid; Gotham had not cooled off much since sundown.
The two women spent the night swinging from building to building, spying on the streets below. Their black leather costumes and the dark shadows kept them invisible to the unsuspecting people on the streets.
It was a quiet night. It was simply too hot to do much of anything, even commit crimes. At about two in the morning, they decided to call it a night. They had not seen Batman and wondered if he was even about town this night. But Batgirl knew and she suspected that Catwoman knew also that if Batman didn't want to be noticed, he wouldn't be.
Batgirl's thought was proven true with they swung onto the roof of Catwoman's building. A dark shadow increased and the man in the cape stepped from behind a chimney.
"Quiet night," Batgirl said.
Batman didn't answer. He simply stood there and watched as the two women walked toward him.
"I understand you've been wanting to talk," Catwoman said. She held her whip in one hand, coiled.
Batman noticed the whip. The last time they'd stood this close, Catwoman had tried to wrap the end of the whip around his neck. Times had changed.
"I thought you gave up the costume."
"I might have reformed, but I'll never give up the costume," Catwoman said.
"She went on patrol with me," Batgirl explained.
"I know."
"You followed us all night, didn't you?" Batgirl was mad.
"Not all night," Batman admitted. "But long enough."
Catwoman turned to Batgirl. "You can stay out here and taunt him all you want. But I'm hot and sweaty and thirsty. I'm going inside." With that, Catwoman turned and talked to the skylight. A moment later, she was gone.
"Water would taste good right now, don't you agree, Batgirl?"
He was practically inviting himself in. "Sure," Batgirl said. She motioned for the skylight.
Catwoman's feline friends scattered when the strange man stepped into the apartment. Selina had pulled off her hood and unzipped her jumpsuit. It was open almost to her crotch and a generous portion of her cleavage was apparent. She stood beside the open refrigerator and was drinking a bottle of water. She let some of it spill out and down her chin and onto her breasts.
When she finished drinking, she reached into the refrigerator and grabbed another bottle of water. She tossed this one to Batgirl. Before opening the bottle of water, Batgirl too pulled off her hood and unzipped the front of her jumpsuit. Barbara only unzipped it to just below her breasts. She was wearing a sports bra. It was soaked with sweat from her night's exertions.
Selina looked silently at Batman. He simply stood there looking at them. She took another bottle of water from the fridge and tossed it to him. He caught it with only the slightest movement of his hands; his cape barely moved.
Batman unscrewed the lid to the bottle and drank deeply from the bottle. He was as hot and sweaty as the woman. He disliked weather like this; the heat sapped his strength and it tended to make him slow and careless. But then, it also tended to discourage the hard-core criminals.
As Barbara and Batman drank their water, Selina walked to the side of the room and turned on the air conditioner. She bent over and opened the front of her costume to catch the refreshing cold air that come from the unit. A long minute later, she stood up and faced Barbara. Her breasts were fully exposed and her nipples stood up from the cold air. She was wearing the nipple rings.
"We was going to get naked and cool off," she said. "You wouldn't care to join us, would you?"
Batman stood quiet. He sat the now empty water bottle down on the table and stared at the bare-breasted woman. Inside, he was trying to decide what to do. He wanted to sleep with both of the woman again, but hadn't actually planned to confront them tonight. Definitely not in costume. He still didn't know what prompted him to step out from the shadows on the roof. It had been mere circumstance that he encountered them tonight and followed them back to Catwoman's apartment.
After all the problems that he'd had in his life, he wondered if now wasn't the time to share his secret with someone. These two woman shared a lot in common with him. If anyone could and would understand, it would be these two.
As Batman stood silent in thought, Barbara walked to the air conditioner and also bent over it. She shook her head in front of the cold air, and rubbed the sweat out of her hair.
Selina walked up to Batman, her breasts swaying as she walked. "Cat got your tongue?" she teased. She slid her hand under the cape and felt his crotch. He didn't move. A moment later, she rapped her knuckles on the athletic cup. "So that's it," she said. "Of course."
Selina had tried several times in the past to arouse Batman, either as a ploy to escape or as a dare to unnerve him. She'd wondered why he'd never sprouted a boner. She figured he was either gay or had a very strong will. Now she knew the truth--the athletic cup prevented any bulge from showing.
She looked up into the Dark Knight's eyes. It was hard to see into his eyes, the cowl covered them. Up close, she could see that the area around his eyes were covered with black makeup, which blended into the black of the cowl. Only the whites of his eyes showed and even then, Batman usually squinted Clint Eastwood-like at this opponents. It was extremely unnerving.
Without warning, Selina found herself in Batman's arms. She arched up and met her lips to his. Surprisingly, he returned the kiss. She'd tried this too, several times, but he'd never returned the kiss before. Now he did and he kissed her very hard and passionately.
Selina pulled herself out of his embrace. She was partially overjoyed and partially scared. He was, after all, the Batman.
Barbara was watching from the other side of the room. She turned and pulled the shades shut. Selina's apartment didn't face any other buildings, but Barbara decided that what she hoped was about to happen was definitely not to be seen by anyone but the participants.
Without saying anything, Barbara unzipped her leather jumpsuit fully and slowly pulled it down. She unlaced and removed her boots and then pulled off the jumpsuit. She pulled the sport bra off over her head and stepped out of her panties. She walked over to Selina and Batman totally and completely naked.
Barbara kissed Selina and felt her breasts. Her heart was pounding. She was loving Catwoman right in front of Batman. No man, not even Batman, can resist the sight of two woman making love, she thought. It had certainly been a turn on for Bruce Wayne.
She broke the embrace with Selina and rubbed up against Batman. Barbara slid her arms around his waist and pressed her breasts up against his firm chest and rock-hard abdomen. The hard edges of his costume dug into her soft flesh.
As Barbara turned her attentions to Batman, Selina finished undressing. She slid out of her leather jumpsuit and soon also stood in front of the man in black, naked. He had still not said anything, but his gloved hand was squeezing Barbara's ass as he kissed the redhead. Selina stepped forward to rejoin the fun.
Selina reached for his belt; it was heavy with it's various contents. The belt was much like a cop would wear, various compartments and rings for attaching items to it. When she had it unbuckled, she gently removed it. It was heavy; she wondered how he ever found the strength to lug it around all the time. She was curious about what the various compartments held, but decided that her sexual curiosity was stronger right now.
Unlike the one-piece jumpsuits the woman wore, Batman's costume appeared to be two pieces, basically a top and bottom. Over the bottoms, he wore a pair of trunks. Selina pulled on the trunks. They were a heavy material, probably Kevlar, she thought. With the trunks down, she could see that the top of the costume was like a leotard, it had a crotch to it. She wondered how she'd get Batman's cock free without having him undress entirely. Selina assumed that even if he would fuck them, he probably wouldn't remove the cowl. She didn't know about Barbara, but that seemed like part of the fun to her; the anonymousness of it all.
Barbara and Batman were still kissing and groping each other. Selina tugged at the crotch of his costume and found that it had snaps. She unsnapped the crotch and was able to pull down his pants. Under his pants, Batman wore an athletic cup and supporter. Selina pulled the elastic garment down and was finally rewarded when a thick, erect penis popped out.
She bent down to take his cock into her mouth. It's about the same size as Bruce's, she thought. She was comparing him to her latest lover. Although Batman's cock was good sized, it wasn't as large as she'd always imagined. It was somewhat comforting to see that he didn't excel in everything.
Batman's cock was already oozing pre-come. He was definitely aroused by the two women. Selina licked the clear liquid off the end of his cock. He even tastes a little like Bruce, she thought. Could it be? Selina wondered.
Batman bent over and began to suck on Barbara's breasts. His cape expanded to cover the two woman and Selina sucked his dick in the dark. In the close confines of the cape, she felt secure, but almost overpowered by the experience. She could smell his sweat and taste its saltiness on her lips. She could smell herself and Barbara. Each of them had their own unique scent.
After a few minutes of mutually enjoyable sucking, Barbara broke away and steered the Dark Knight to the bed. She laid back with her legs spread wide open, her gapping red-haired pussy an invitation for him to mount her.
He climbed onto the redhead and Selina climbed to the head of the bed to kiss Barbara while she was getting fucked. This is just like last night, Selina thought. She watched closely as Batman began thrusting into Barbara's wet cunt.
Batman moved very much as Bruce had. Selina watched as the man in black fucked her friend. She wondered if the body language of fucking was the same as the body language of someone walking, for example. She could often tell who someone was without seeing them simply by the sound of their walk. On the street, she recognized people by the movement of their gait before she could see their faces. If a man always made the same motions when he fucked, she reasoned that she would recognize him even if his face was covered.
For a split second, Selina considered calling Batman "Bruce" to see if he'd react. She ultimately decided not to. Part of the fun of this was that she'd never really know. Unless he decided to someday tell her.
By now, Batman was pumping Barbara hard and was about to come. At the last possible moment, he pulled out and shoot his load over Barbara's pale white skin. Just like in a porno film.
Selina couldn't resist. She stretched out forward and slid along Barbara's body, licking up the come as she went. Yep, she thought, he does taste like Bruce.
When Selina looked up from licking Batman's come from Barbara's breasts and abdomen, he was gone. Just as in everything else, he did his job and left without a word.
Selina sat back on her heels and looked down at her young friend. Barbara had a satisfied but somewhat disappointed look on her face.
"Well?"
"It was good, but now I don't have any more fantasies," Barbara said.
"At least you got to feel his dick inside your pussy," Selina said.
"Yeah," Barbara said. She smiled a big smile, mostly to annoy her friend.
Selina laid down beside Barbara and embraced her. "Did anything seem...I don't know...familar?"
Barbara looked puzzled for a moment and then said, "Now that you mention it, I felt like I've fucked him before. His dick really felt the same as Bruce's."
"Do you suppose?" Selina asked.
"NO!" Barbara said. "I've known Bruce Wayne for years. There's no way he could be Batman. Could there?"
Part Five
Changes
After nearly two months of hot, humid, and basically oppressive weather, Gotham City was now cowering under a storm front. The late summer storm poured cold rain from the sky.
As Dick Grayson walked from the Gotham City International Airport and looked for a taxi, he thought the weather matched his mood. And he figured it was probably matching BruceUs mood also. This time of year always affected Bruce that way.
"Evergreen Cemetery," he told the taxi driver.
"Great day for a funeral," the driver said.
"No funeral, just paying my respects," Dick told him.
The drive out of the airport and across town was uneventful. Dick wondered how Bruce was doing. This being the anniversary of Bruce's parent's death, Dick didn't figure that Bruce was in any sort of agreeable mood.
"Here we are," the driver said as the taxi pulled into the cemetery gate. "Do you know where you want?"
"Drive down this lane," Dick instructed.
A moment later, the lane curved to the right. Bruce's car was parked to the right. "That's my friend's car," Dick told the driver. "You don't have to wait."
The driver took the hundred dollar bill Dick offered him. Dick made no effort to get change. The sizable tip brightened the driver's disposition considerably. "You sure? I can wait. It'd be no problem." The driver considered the prospect of another large tip for the return trip into town.
"I'll catch a ride with my friend," Dick said as he gathered up his bag and opened his umbrella. He tucked the three sets of flowers he'd picked up at the airport florist shop under his left arm and began the slow walk toward Bruce.
The taxi driver waited a moment and then left.
Dick walked quietly to where Bruce was standing. Bruce Wayne stood before his parent's grave with his head down. His bare head was wet from the rain. Some unnatural sense told him he was not alone. "Dick," he said quietly as he saw that it was his young friend.
Dick Grayson laid the first set of flowers beside the ones that Bruce had obviously already laid on the Wayne grave. He stood silent for a moment and then quietly walked the fifty feet to his own parent's grave. There, he laid the second set of flowers and stood silent for a number of minutes.
Although this was not the anniversary of Dick's own parent's murder, it had become a ritual to visit the pair of graves together. Four years before, the ritual was extended to yet another grave.
Dick silently walked to the small grave behind the Wayne plot. "Jason Todd," the tombstone read. Bruce Wayne had arranged the plot. The impact of Jason's death on Bruce was not evident by the size or location of the grave. It was a simple grave for a brave young man. Dick had not known Jason or worked with him, but the two young men were tied together by their bonds to their mutual mentor and benefactor, as well as the costume they had both worn. Dick laid the third set of flowers on Jason's grave. Another set of flowers already rested there.
After a respectable silence at Jason's grave, Dick slowly and thoughtfully walked back to where Bruce still stood. The older man was taller than Dick and much heavier. Dick had grown and filled out considerably in the nearly five years since he'd left the Wayne household, but he still didn't quite measure up to his friend and mentor.
Without saying a word, Bruce turned and began to walk to the car. Dick followed.
Only after the car had left the cemetery did Bruce Wayne say anything. He turned to his passenger and said, "Dick, I'm glad you came. We have a lot to talk about."
Dick Grayson didn't show any emotion on his face, but inside he was surprised. Bruce wanted to talk. That seemed so unlike him, Dick thought.
Alfred met the pair was they walked into Wayne Manor. "Ah, Master Dick," the British butler said. "So good to have you home, sir."
"Good to be home," Dick told the manservant.
Alfred turned his attention to Bruce. "Ms Kyle is in the study and both Ms Gordon and Master Timothy have telephoned. They should both be arriving shortly."
"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said.
Dick handed his bags to Alfred and hesitated slightly. He wanted an excuse to talk to Alfred alone. Bruce seemed to not pay the other two men any attention and headed to the study.
"Alfred, the gossip is true?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand, Master Dick. Gossip?"
"The society page of every newspaper in the country has been writing about Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. I wondered if it was just an idle rumor, but she's here."
"Why, yes, Master Dick, she's been a frequent guest of late and if I can be so bold, I think it's a vast improvement. Master Bruce has been markedly better for the companionship."
"But...Alfred..., she's...."
"Master Dick," Alfred interrupted. "She's considerably reformed. And he's shared some of his 'secrets' with both her and Ms Gordon. I believe that's the gist of this evening's meeting, as it were."
Dick simply shook his head. I knew he was upset about the fiasco with Jean Paul, but to let Catwoman in on the secret of Batman? Dick wondered.
"In the meantime, sir, your old room has been prepared. I'll take your bags and coat."
"Yes, thank you, Alfred."
Dick headed to the study as the butler headed upstairs. He walked in to find Bruce standing at the back of the sofa, leaning over and talking quietly to a very lovely woman. Her raven hair seemed to sparkle as it reflected the flames from the fireplace. Dick tried to remember the few times when he'd encountered Catwoman as Robin; all he remembered were adolescent memories of large breasts and a tight costume. Hardly the memories to match the vision that now graced Bruce's sofa.
"Dick," Bruce said. "This is Selina. Selina, this is Dick Grayson."
The two eyed each other briefly. Selina rose to greet Dick. He noted that she was nearly his height and very graceful. "How nice to met you," Dick said, trying his best to be polite.
"Oh, we've met before," Selina said with a sly smile. "But not on so friendly of terms."
"Right," Dick said.
"I imagine you're a bit leary of my being here." It was not a question Selina posed, but rather a statement of pure fact.
"Well..." Dick started to say.
Bruce moved from behind the couch and imposed himself between his lover and his ward. "I assure you, Dick, Selina is now a friend. A friend and an ally. Whatever happened in the past is past." It was not the Bruce Wayne voice that said this, but it wasn't quite the Batman voice either. It was something in-between. Nevertheless, Dick decided it was a command.
Although his instincts told him something wasn't quite right, Dick decided to let it drop. If anyone could be a good judge of character, it was Bruce. If Bruce trusted her, then he would also.
Several hours passed. Dick and Bruce got caught up on the mundane events in their respective lives. Occasionally, Selina joined the conversation, but she mostly sat quietly on the sofa. A cat curled in her lap most of the time. With a rare grin, Bruce told Dick the cat's name was "Batman" and that it was a gift from Selina. Contrary to his earlier decision, Dick's scepticism grew when he heard how casually the biggest secret in Bruce's life was being tossed around.
"Master Bruce," Alfred interrupted, "Ms Gordon and Master Timothy are here."
"Show them in," Bruce said. After a brief squeeze of Selina's hand, Bruce stood and assumed his earlier position behind the sofa.
Dick was surprised by the way Barbara Gordon had changed. Her red hair was cut very short and she wore a pair of skin- tight jeans that showed every curve of her firm young body. Dick remembered her as a demure wallflower when she was a college student. He had first met her at a dinner that Bruce hosted. She had come with her father and had hardly spoken a word. Bruce is sleeping with Catwoman and Barbara Gordon is a knockout, he told himself. Times sure change!
"Hey, Dick," Tim Drake said.
"Hi, Tim," Dick said as he watched Barbara kiss both Bruce and Selina. Tim didn't seem to notice. "How's your dad?"
"He's doing pretty good. We spent the summer in the Hamptons. I helped him with his therapy and he's getting to where he can walk a little bit." Tim Drake's father was a neighbor of Bruce's. Drake had been the target of a kidnapping attempt and was severely injured as a result of the sadistic impulses of the kidnappers. His wife, Tim's mother, had died in the same attack.
"If there'll be nothing else, Master Bruce, I'll adjourn to the kitchen and begin dinner," Alfred said.
"No, Alfred, I'd like you to stay. You're as much a part of this as the rest of us," Bruce told him.
The look on Alfred's face betrayed the butler's astonishment, but his practiced reserve fell back into place almost instantly. "Yes, sir," Alfred said as he assumed a position next to, but a respectful distance from, Bruce. The rest of Bruce's guests sat on chairs facing the sofa. Selina remained on the sofa, Bruce's hand resting thoughtfully on her shoulder.
"I'm glad you could all make it," Bruce started, somewhat hesitantly. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I want to discuss some of my ideas with all of you."
He continued, "I'm going to take a break from some of my night time activities. There are other functions that Bruce Wayne needs to attend to."
"But, Bruce," Tim said, "Gotham needs Batman."
Dick shuddered at how casually that came out. Although no one had told him, apparently Barbara Gordon as well as Selina Kyle were now in on the secret. How many others know? Dick wondered.
"Yes, Tim, you're right. And after the mistake I made with Jean Paul, I'm going to make sure that the right man gets the job." Bruce looked directly at Dick. "Dick, I'd like you to wear the cape and cowl. You've earned it and I can't think of anyone more qualified."
"Bruce, are you sure about this?" Dick asked. "All of this?" Dick motioned to the ladies.
"Yes," was Bruce's simple and heartfelt answer.
"Well, I'm be lying if I didn't admit that it'll be a thrill. But I can't replace you."
"You're not replacing me. You're simply filling in until I'm ready to resume that function."
"But why?" Dick asked. "You just got back from your injury. You worked so hard to make amends for the mess that Jean Paul made. Why quit now?"
"There are lots of problems in Gotham that Batman can't solve," Bruce explained. "As Bruce Wayne, I can do more as a businessman than I can as a vigilante. Batman can't hire people and pay them decent wages so they can put food on their tables and send their kids to a decent college. But that is something that Bruce Wayne can do."
"Well, yeah, but..." Dick racked his brain for a good reason why Bruce should remain in the cape and cowl.
"It's only temporary," Bruce insisted. "And there are other reasons."
Before anyone could ask what those reasons were, Tim said, "So, this is sort of like 'Team Batman,' right?" No one answered the teen's question. "Right," Tim said. "I think it's cool! Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Catwoman, fighting crime and kicking ass!"
"Catwoman's retired," Selina said.
"What?" Barbara asked. "You've enjoyed our patrols, haven't you."
"Yes," Selina admitted. "But I'm out of the game. At least for awhile."
"Why?" Barbara asked.
"Yeah, why?" Tim echoed.
"I'm pregnant."
Everyone in the room was silent. Alfred was the first to find his voice. "And it's jolly well time Wayne Manor had some tykes running about. This old house is far too quiet. Jolly good show, Master Bruce."
"I'm sorry you had to drive me home," Barbara said.
"It's nothing," Dick told her.
"I really should get a new car. That's the third time this month that it's broken down on me."
It was still raining as Dick Grayson drove toward the lights of Gotham City. He looked at the young woman beside him. Barbara Gordon's car had broken down about a half mile from the mansion. She was soaking wet from her walk back to Wayne Manor. Either it was being wet, or perhaps the news from this evening, or both, but she didn't look too happy.
"That was quite a bombshell Cat..., I mean, Selina dropped," Dick said.
"Yes." Barbara didn't seem to be a talkative mood.
"Are you okay?" Dick finally asked after a long and very awkward silence.
"Oh, I don't know," Barbara admitted. "Everything just seems to be changing so fast."
"Don't I know it," Dick agreed. Today he had returned home to visit Bruce Wayne, his childhood guardian and mentor. Only, he had returned to find Bruce sleeping with Selina Kyle, the Catwoman. And Bruce wanted to give up being Batman. And Selina was pregnant. And, to top everything, Bruce wanted him to take up the role of Batman.
Dick knew that Bruce had gone through some rough times in the last year, but Dick couldn't imagine taking over as Batman. His own recent failures as leader of the Titans and his breakup with Kory were all too painful reminders of the consequences of the life he led.
The remainder of the ride to Barbara's apartment was quiet. Neither Dick nor Barbara wanted to talk.
"Well, here we are," Dick announced as he pulled the car up to the curb outside Barbara's building. He reached into the glove box of the car and took out an umbrella. "Take this," he offered.
"Thanks," Barbara said as she took the umbrella.
Barbara opened the door and stepped out. She opened the umbrella and started to shut the door. A gust of wind caught the umbrella and snapped the ribs fully open. The force of the wind broke most of the umbrella's ribs and it began to flutter in the wind.
Dick quickly jumped out of the car and used his raincoat to shelter both he and Barbara from the rain. They ran to the safety of the building's entrance.
"I guess it's just not my night," Barbara announced. She looked at the tatters of the umbrella. "Where's the Penguin when you really need him." She forced a smile, but it did little to brighten her face. Her short red hair was plastered to her head and drops of water ran down her face.
Dick smiled at her joke, trying to be a gentleman. In truth, he was very uncomfortable with the fact that Barbara and Selina now knew his and Bruce's secrets. His discomfort was made all the more by the casual discussion of their costumed adversaries.
"Now you're all wet too," Barbara noted. "Why don't you come up and I'll fix some hot tea. It's the least I can do after you gave me a ride home."
Dick shook his raincoat off and said, "Well, okay." He hoped that when she was dried off and in the comfort of her own apartment, Barbara might want to talk more. Dick wanted to find out more about Bruce and Selina's apparent romance.
"Here you go," Barbara said as she tossed Dick a towel.
"Nice place you've got here." Dick was not just being polite. Barbara Gordon's apartment was large and spacious, far more than he would have thought she could afford on a librarian's salary.
"Thanks," she said as she headed to the kitchen.
"If I knew the Gotham City Library paid so well..."
"They don't. I have a small inheritance from my father. It pays for the apartment and some of my Batgirl expenses."
"Father?" Dick asked. He was confused. "But your father's not dead."
"Oh," Barbara said, "You don't know that Jim Gordon is really my uncle."
"Your uncle."
"Yes. My parents died when I was very young. I've lived with my uncle since then. I barely remember my real father. 'Uncle' Jim is the man that raised me. In my book, that makes him my father."
"You're lucky," Dick said. "At least someone was there for you."
"But Bruce was there for you, right?"
"Yes. But it's not the same." The long forgotten pain of his own parent's death came back to Dick. The visit to their graves earlier in the day had brought the pain back. The fact that Barbara shared more in common with him than a costumed identify made Dick feel closer to her.
"I need to get out of these wet clothes," Barbara said. "Will you watch the tea?"
Dick nodded and she walked into the bedroom.
While Barbara was out of the room, Dick stood in the kitchen. He watched the tea kettle begin to heat up, his mind thinking of the common bonds that all the people around Bruce shared. He thought of Bruce losing his parents, he thought of his own parent's death. Dick thought about Barbara's parents, and about Jason Todd, and Tim Drake's mother. So much pain, so much suffering. Maybe Bruce was right, Dick thought. Maybe he can do more as Bruce Wayne than as Batman. As Gotham City's resident billionaire, Bruce could donate money to victim assistance centers, orphanages, and social programs. All Batman could do was fight crime, not crime's aftermath.
Dick was pulled out of his rumination by the sound of the tea kettle whistling. He took the kettle off the stove and turned off the burner. He looked in the cupboard and found two cups. He then searched for tea bags. He found those in another cupboard. He poured water into the cups and placed a tea bag in each. Alfred would never approve, he thought to himself. The English butler always made tea the "proper way," with loose tea and served from a porcelain tea pot.
"Well, I feel better," Barbara announced as she walked back into the kitchen. She was dressed on a bathrobe and her short red hair was tousled from a towel drying. She took one of the cups from Dick and padded into the living room in her bare feet. Dick followed her.
"When did you cut your hair?" he asked.
"Couple months ago. I just felt like a change."
"Oh." Dick took a sip from his cup. The tea was still very hot.
"I changed my costume too."
"No," Dick said. "I always like your costume."
"The cape always got in the way," she explained. "And besides, it looked like something a cheerleader would wear."
"Well, maybe, but I still liked it. I can remember the first time I saw you in it. Well, I mean, I didn't know it was you at the time, but..."
Barbara smiled for the first time this evening. "I can remember the first time I saw you in your old Robin costume," she said. "You had such cute legs."
"That costume was cold," Dick said. "And I was always scraping my knees."
"That's why I switched from spandex to leather," Barbara explained. "What is your Nightwing costume made out of?"
"Mostly kevlar," Dick answered. "A lot more protection than that old Robin costume." He paused to take a drink of his tea. "Leather, huh? Catwoman--I mean, Selina, always wore leather."
"That's where I got the idea."
"Oh," Dick said. Now maybe we're getting somewhere, he thought. "You go to the same tailor?"
"No, I bought mine from an S&M; shop." Dick raised his eyebrows at the thought of Barbara Gordon walking into an S&M; shop. "You'd never guess how much it costs for a custom made, full-body, leather catsuit. Or in this case, batsuit," Barbara said.
"Well, kevlar's not exactly cheap either. If one of the divisions of Wayne Enterprises didn't make protective clothes for police and fire departments, we'd never be able to get the stuff." Dick took another drink of his tea. The hot liquid did a lot to warm him up. He noted that it also seemed to do a lot of lift Barbara's spirits.
"Want some more tea?" Barbara asked.
"Oh, no, I need to go soon."
Barbara got up and went to the kitchen. She returned with a fresh cup. As she sat down, her bathrobe slipped open. Dick could see that she was not wearing anything underneath. He was surprised that she would be so casual about it.
Trying not to notice the open bathrobe, Dick took another sip of his tea and asked, "So, when did Bruce start seeing Selina?"
"It's been a couple of months now," Barbara answered. "They started seeing each other right after she began working for Wayne Enterprises."
"She works at Wayne Enterprises?" Dick asked. "But how?"
"I got her a job there."
"You?"
"We had a little...encounter," Barbara started to explain. From the way she phrased it, Dick took it to mean a fight between Batgirl and Catwoman. Barbara didn't explain the exact nature of the encounter. "Well, anyway, I was convinced that she wanted to go straight. So I convinced Bruce to give her a job as a security expert."
"And when did Bruce let you and Selina in on the secret?"
"We...put our heads together..."
"You and Selina?" Dick questioned.
"Yeah. We figured it out."
"You're friends?" Dick wondered.
"Yes," Barbara said, somewhat defensively.
Dick was expert enough in questioning people and judging their responses to know that Barbara was hiding something, but he wondered if he should press it. He had already learned more than made him comfortable. What key piece of the puzzle had the two woman stumbled upon? he asked himself. How could they have tied Bruce Wayne to Batman?
"Well, I thought we were friends," Barbara said.
"What do you mean?"
"I would have thought Selina would have told me she was pregnant."
"Maybe she intended to and it just slipped out tonight," Dick conjectured.
"Maybe," Barbara said.
Dick decided that the conversation with Barbara was getting more complicated that he was ready to deal with. Although he wanted to find out more about Bruce and Selina, he decided it was time to leave. "Look, it's getting late. I was up early to catch a flight here. I'd better be going," Dick said.
Barbara grabbed his arm. "Don't go."
"I..."
"Please," she said. "Stay the night. It's dark and raining. There's no need for you to go back out into the rain. You can stay here."
Dick thought it odd. A little rain certainly wouldn't hurt him. And he knew that Barbara knew that he spent a great deal of his time out in the dark. Swinging from building to building at that. So did she. Why did she not want him to leave? he wondered.
"Dick, please," she pleaded. "I don't want to be alone tonight."
"Barbara, you can't possibly be scared of the dark..."
"No. I'm just lonely."
Dick felt that she was going to give him a further explanation, but she said quiet, simply looking into his eyes.
"Barbara, I don't understand," he finally said at last.
"That could have been me," she said, tears coming to her eyes.
"'Could have been you?'" he repeated. "What could have been you?"
"I slept with with him too. I could have been the one pregnant."
Dick sat numbly and looked into Barbara Gordon's face. This whole day was more than he could have imagined and it was just getting stranger. Bruce had slept with Barbara also, Dick thought. "You want to be pregnant?" he asked.
"No," she replied. "But I could have. It just is all such a shock. I mean, I love them both and I feel now like I don't fit..."
Love them both? Dick wondered. Well, that would explain the kiss earlier in the evening. Was it possible that Selina and Barbara were lovers also?
"Please, Dick. I just want to be with someone tonight. I don't want to be alone."
Unable to think of anything thing else, Dick Grayson sat back on the sofa and held Barbara Gordon in his arms as she cried softly.
Dick never had the nightmares that Bruce did, but he still often woke in the middle of the night. He realized long ago that the strange schedule he kept as first Robin and then Nightwing affected his ability to sleep normally. He awoke as he often did, in the middle of the early morning. Only this time, he found a young woman in his arms. Barbara Gordon, he remembered. Batgirl.
He was still sitting upright on her sofa. She was curled up in his arms, sleeping quietly. Her bathrobe had fallen completely open in her sleep and he gazed down upon her small breasts as they rose and fell with the rhythm of her breathing. Dick remembered the crush he had on her the first time he and Batman had encountered Batgirl. And now she was asleep, half-naked, in his arms.
Dick slid out from under her and gently picked her up. He carried her into her bedroom and placed her in her bed. As he pulled down the bed, she stirred. "Dick?" she asked softly.
"Go back to sleep, Barbara," he said softly. He pulled the covers over her. She rolled over and fell back to sleep. He contented himself to return to the sofa.
He awoke shortly after dawn. It was quiet in the apartment, Dick assumed that Barbara was still asleep. He softly walked to the bathroom and tried not to make any noise as he relieved himself. He didn't hear Barbara sneak up behind him.
"Now I know why they call you 'Dick,'" she said, looking in the mirror to see him peeing.
He was startled and wanted to put his penis back in his pants, but couldn't cut off the urine in midstream. He quickly finished and made himself presentable before turning around. The Barbara Gordon that stood behind him was not the Barbara Gordon that he'd known for years.
She stood in the entrance to the bathroom. Her bathrobe was fully open and he could see her breasts and her red pubic hair. She had a glint in her eyes that Dick couldn't quite place.
"I always get so horny first thing in the morning," she said. "Don't you?" At this, she stepped forward and put her arms around his neck. She leaned upward and kissed him full on the mouth.
After the previous night's surprises, Dick didn't know what do. Although he found the redhead very sexy, he didn't feel like having sex with her. Until he sorted out exactly what was going on with Bruce and Selina and Barbara, he figured that sleeping with her would just complicate matters.
"Uh, Barbara," he said, breaking the kiss. "This isn't like you."
"Yes it is," she declared. "I changed more than just my hair and my costume. I like sex and I want to fuck you."
Dick instantly wondered if she was under the spell of one of Batman's enemies. Perhaps she'd been drugged. Selina! Of course, he thought, that's Catwoman's little game. Seduce Bruce to steal the Wayne billions. But how had Barbara become a pawn in the whole scheme?
"Don't you want to fuck?" Barbara asked. "I would have wanted to last night, but I was in a foul mood from the rain and that tea just put me right out."
Dick tried to pull away from Barbara, but she held his arm. "Let's see that big dick again," she cooed. "I'll suck it if you want."
His mind was racing. This wasn't Catwoman's usual modus operandi, Dick thought. Mind control was more the game of someone like the Scarecrow. And he couldn't think of any of Batman's enemies that resorted to sexual mind control. Was it possible that Barbara was telling the truth?
"Barbara, you're a very beautiful woman, but I don't think this is the right time for something like this."
"Dick, I've been attracted to you for years. Now that I've lost Bruce and Selina, I need someone else to fulfill my needs."
"What do you mean, 'lost Bruce and Selina'?"
"Well, if they're off making babies, they don't want a fifth wheel like me along."
"Maybe it was an accident," Dick suggested.
Barbara ran her hand down his chest, stomach, and to his crotch. He admitted to himself that this was very arousing, but Dick tried to maintain his self control. "It probably was," Barbara admitted, "but nonetheless, they probably don't want me around anymore. At least not in bed." She rubbed her breasts against his chest as she stroked his crotch.
"Please, Barbara, this isn't right..."
"Oh, come on, Dick. You're not going to be as stuffy as Bruce was, are you. It took me several tries before he fucked me and then only when Selina and I both ganged up on him."
Dick had known Bruce to date two woman at once, maybe even sleep with them, but not two in the same bed. Barbara Gordon wasn't the only person to change, Dick decided.
"So, Master Timothy, will you be joining Master Bruce and Master Dick this evening?" Alfred asked as Tim Drake came into the kitchen. Tim carried his school books. He had just come from school and had stopped at Bruce's before heading home.
"No, Alfred," Tim replied. "My dad wants to go the movies tonight."
"You don't sound too thrilled about this prospect," Alfred observed.
"Well," Tim explained. "It's great to spend time with my dad again. You know, now that he's getting better. But, I really want to go out with Bruce. Bruce and Dick."
"Ah yes," the butler agreed, "Quite the dilemma. Perhaps your choice of the cinema will not be quite as difficult."
"No way," Tim said. "We're going to Tim Burton's new flick, 'Spider-Man II.'"
"'Spider-Man?'" Alfred asked. "A film about a man who collects arachnids, no doubt."
"No," Tim said. "He's a college student who was bite by a radioactive spider and gains all the powers of a spider. You know, super-human strength and stuff like that."
"I see. And am I to assume that with such a colorful name and such fantastic and marvelous powers, that this gentleman is a super-hero?"
"Right!" Tim said. "The movie should be great," he told Alfred. "Lots of great special-effects. And the best part is Michelle Pfieffer is playing the Black Cat."
"'The Black Cat?'" Alfred asked. "And she is...?"
"She's like Spider-Man's arch-enemy. She's this, like, super- catburgler. She steals only the most valuable pieces of art and the police can't catch her. Except, the twist is they really have a thing for each other and fall in love."
"So this 'Spider-Man' is a vigilante who falls in love with his arch-enemy who is a woman that dresses as a cat and steals valuable art treasures."
"Right," Tim confirmed.
"This movie seems extremely preposterous," Alfred said in his dry English tone. "I sincerely doubt anything like this could possibly happen in real life."
"What's preposterous?" Bruce asked as he and Selina walked into the kitchen.
"Master Timothy was telling me the plot of the cinema he is attending this evening with his father," Alfred explained. "A simply preposterous tale," the butler declared as he turned his attention back to his dinner preparations.
Tim looked first at Bruce and then at Selina. Bruce simply shrugged and Selina gave Tim a blank look. Neither had any idea of what Tim and Alfred had been discussing. Tim then looked at Alfred, who was nonchalantly preparing a leg of lamb.
Tim decided to let the whole subject drop. Sometimes he had a hard time judging when Alfred was pulling his leg, but he suspected that this was one of those times.
"Oh, Master Bruce," Alfred said over his shoulder as he placed the leg of lamb in the oven. "Master Dick is downstairs. I believe he mentioned wanting to speak to you."
"Thank you, Alfred."
Barbara Gordon chided herself once again for the way she had come on to Dick that morning. After he had left her apartment that morning, she had decided that she'd come on simply too strong. All day, she turned the matter over and over in her mind. I just don't know what's gotten in to me, she thought to herself. Ever since I met Selina, I've just craved sex.
She decided to spend the evening out on patrol as Batgirl. When she put on the costume, it was like becoming a different person. Sometimes that helped to put her "normal" life into a different focus.
Only now, Barbara Gordon felt like three people instead of two. There was the "real" Barbara Gordon, librarian and devoted adopted daughter of Gotham City's police commissioner. And there was Batgirl, the costumed vigilante she modeled on Batman. But now, Barbara felt like there was a third person; a bisexual sex machine that wanted to fuck every desirable man and woman that she met.
Barbara tried to ignore the sensual feelings that the tight leather Batgirl costume caused as she slipped into it. She tried to ignore the smell of the leather and the memories it brought back of her first night with Selina. She tried to ignore the exotic pressures the tight costume made on her legs and her stomach. She tried to ignore the temptation to caress her breasts as she zipped the suit up and her hand passed over her upper torso.
As she moved away from the mirror, she felt the tight leather dig into her crotch and involuntarily felt her vagina begin to moisten. She glanced back at her image in the mirror and decided that the slick leather costume made her figure look even better than the old spandex costume. There's no cape to hide my ass, she thought.
She wondered how Selina had managed to wear a similar costume with her pierced nipples. Barbara continued to wear a sports bra under the costume. Although she was not as well endowed as Selina, she figured the bra would help absorb sweat if nothing else. Barbara unconsciously brought her hand up and felt her right breast through the tight leather. Even through the heavy material, she could tell that her nipples were hard. Was it the sexual thoughts, she wondered, or the excitement of being Batgirl? Or both?
Was being Batgirl a sexual turn-on to her? she wondered. And had it been all along and she was only now realizing it? Surely, every other costumed vigilante had more noble reasons for doing what they did, she thought. Or did they?
An image flashed through her mind. A TV commercial. "It's not just a job, it's a great way to get laid!"
"So what's up with Barbara?" Dick asked. He was in the cave's gym area, practicing some tai chi moves.
"Exactly what do you mean?" Bruce asked. He had noticed that Dick's form was far more advanced than it had been the last time they had practiced together.
"She practically raped me this morning."
"Oh," Bruce said.
"Nothing happened," Dick was quick to say. "But she certainly wanted it to."
"I suppose she's just going through a stage. Rebelling from the confines of her life a bit."
"She's older than I am. I haven't been this rebellious since I was a teenager."
"Well, Dick, you have to realize that Jim Gordon is a pretty straight-laced guy. She probably didn't get a chance to go through the normal teenage rebellion."
"Speaking of 'straight-laced,'" Dick said. "You seem to be loosening up quite a bit yourself lately. Barbara claimed you slept with her also."
"Yes," Bruce admitted. "I suppose you could say that I'm rebelling a little myself."
Barbara slid the cowl over her head and pulled it down tight. She wiggled it slightly to adjust the eyeholes. She looked in the mirror and Batgirl peered back.
It had been quiet in Gotham City. Considering some of the events of the last year, it was nice for a change to have some peace and quiet. But there was still a need for Batgirl.
Batgirl spent most of the evening patrolling. It was a tendous task to simply move from rooftop to rooftop, spying on the streets below, looking for signs of criminal activity. During the long night, she broke up two fights and caught one purse snatcher. Basically, a boring night.
Early morning found her in the old warehouse district. The abandoned buildings were often used as hideouts by criminals and their gangs. Batgirl ran through the list of costumed criminals in her mind, trying to imagine who she might encounter. Catwoman is accounted for, she thought with a twinge of regret. She had grown accustomed to having her friend accompany her on these patrols and missed the older woman's company.
Batgirl threw her rope to the roof of a nearby building and climbed to a new vantage point. She crouched in the shadows of a furnace stack and surveyed the surrounding warehouses. All of them looked abandoned.
She started a careful building by building search, carefully peering into the interiors of the warehouses through broken windows.
Several hours of this proved unfruitful. Batgirl was about to call it a night when she noticed a faint light in one of the nearby buildings. She quietly made it to the alley behind the small warehouse. An old fire escape at the back of the building afforded her access to the window where the light was.
Slowly and carefully, Batgirl climbed the old fire escape. She had to be careful not only to be quiet, but also because the ladder was old and nearly rusted through.
Batgirl reached the window without incident and cautiously peered through the dirty glass of the window. She could tell only that there were people inside. The glass was too dirty to tell much else. She steadied herself with one hand and risked wiping a small area of the window clear with her other hand. She looked through the opening.
There was a woman standing in front of a man. The man appeared to be laying on the top of some sort of table. The woman had her back to the window and was blocking Batgirl's view of the man. Although Batgirl couldn't see much, she thought it was strange that people would be in the abandoned building. They must be up to no good, she thought.
Batgirl reached into her utility pouch and pulled out a small sound amplifier. She mounted it carefully to the corner of the window and turned it on. She then opened the hidden ear flap in her cowl and slipped the earpiece into her ear. The man and woman's voices were picked up by the device as the vibrations on the window glass.
"But, Mr. Jay," the woman said. "Please don't make me do it again."
Batgirl looked through the window again. Her eyes slowly adjusted and she could finally see that the woman was naked, except for a pair of panties.
"Do it," the man said. "Do it!"
"Okay, okay," the woman finally agreed. She moved to the end of the table and bent over the man. As she moved, Batgirl could see the man clearly for the first time. The first thing that she noticed was that the man was strapped to the table. The second thing was that the man was naked and very pale. The last thing Batgirl noticed was that the man had green hair. It was the Joker!
The Joker had been presumed dead after his last encounter with Batman, almost a year ago. Although no body was found, both Batman and the police had thought that no one could have survived a twenty-story fall. The evidence before her told Batgirl that their assumptions were wrong.
Batgirl studied the scene a little closer. The Joker was strapped to a table and a blonde woman was bending over him. The woman reluctantly put her mouth down over the erect white penis and began to give the Joker a blow job.
After a moment, the woman stopped. "Please, Mr. J., just fuck me tonight. I don't want to suck your dick again."
"Harley, Harley, my dear," the self-styled Clown Prince of Crime said. "DO IT!"
Harley, Batgirl thought. Harley Quinn, Joker's female accomplice. Batgirl thought back to the files she'd studied in Batman's records. Harley Quinn was really Harleen Quinzel, a former psychology resident working at Arkham Asylum. She had been assigned to review the Joker's case. The madman had seduced her to a life of crime and Harley Quinn had been his accomplice ever since.
"But Puddin'..." Harley Quinn protested. "It's been so long since you stuck your big ol' dick in my tight liddle pussy. I really, really want you to fuck me. Please."
All the Joker did was laugh. Not just a normal "ha ha" laugh, but that manic, howling laugh that almost made normal people as crazy as him. Batgirl turned down the volume on the sound amplifier to avoid having to listen to it.
As he laughed, the Joker's skinny white body strained against his bonds. His dick twitched and throbbed in Harley Quinn's hand. "But Harley," he finally said, his grin stretching obscenely from one ear to the other, "You know I can't come any way but this way. NOW SUCK IT!"
Batgirl watched as Harley stood up. "No," the blonde said quietly. "I'm tired of always having you come on my face. I have every right to come as you do. And I want you to fuck me. If you don't want to, maybe I'll just leave!" At this, the blonde walked to the other side of the room and put on a long overcoat.
"But Harley, you can't leave me like this," the Joker screamed. He struggled against his bonds again, to no avail.
Harley Quinn turned her head away from the thin white- skinned man and walked out the door. She slammed it so hard, dust rose from the floor around the door frame.
Batgirl wondered what to do. There was Gotham's most wanted man, helpless and unable to escape. But Harley Quinn might return any moment. As she watched the Joker struggle in his helpless condition, Batgirl wondered whether she should call Batman or simply call the police. A devilish thought entered her mind. Why let them have all the glory, Batgirl thought. Why not take some for myself.
With this, she stood up and backed up on the fire escape a few steps. There wasn't much room, but enough for what she wanted. She then kicked the glass out of the window.
"Who's there!" The Joker screamed, still struggling. "Batman!"
"No, Batgirl."
"Batgirl," the Joker said, amused. He laughed again, not nearly as loud or as long as before.
"Yes, Batgirl." Batgirl jumped down through the broken window and stepped to within a couple feet of the bound mass murderer. He appeared to be securely bound. Was it possible that he could only orgasm when totally helpless, she wondered. Batman had a file covering every possible aspect of the Joker's warped personality, but Batgirl didn't think this was in it. She wondered what Batman would think when he learned this newest twist.
"Batgirl, Batman, what's the difference?" the Joker asked. "Either way, you'll want to take me back to Arkham. And to do that, you'll have to untie me, won't you."
Suddenly, the thought of untying the Joker scared Batgirl. She wondered if she could handle the maniac herself. It was so strange, seeing him so totally helpless. It reminded her of the time Catwoman captured her and tied her up...
And suddenly, Batgirl had another idea. It was an idea that excited her and at the same time repulsed her. She looked down at the Joker. He was bound to the table by large leather straps. There were two straps for each of his arms and legs. A larger strap crossed his chest and waist. There was even a strap around his forehead. The only part of his body that was free was his cock.
The Joker's cock was as white as the rest of his body. And his pubic hair was as green as the hair on the top of his head. The odd coloring was no doubt the result of the acid bath he'd taken trying to get away from Batman the first time the two had encountered each other.
Batgirl looked at the man's cock. It was still large and erect. It was almost that the more helpless the Joker was, the more turned on he got. Batgirl also noticed that the table could be tilted forward and backward. She cautiously moved forward and tested the table. It was counter-weighted and moved forward and backward with just a push. She first moved the table forward.
The Joker looked her in the eyes has the table moved him upright. Batgirl had to look away, the sight of the madman's eyes was too much for her. He didn't say a word, but the look in his wild eyes was enough to send chills down her spine. How could Harley Quinn even stand to be near the guy, Batgirl wondered. Let alone suck his cock.
Next, Batgirl tilted the table as far back as she could get it. This put the Joker almost totally upside-down. As she did this, Batgirl noticed that the Joker's cock hung directly over his face. What ironic justice, she thought. Harley Quinn didn't like getting sprayed in the face. It's serve the bastard right to have a taste of his own medicine.
Fighting her repulsion, Batgirl reached out and touched the Joker's cock. Thank god I've got gloves on, she thought to herself.
"Don't do that!" the Joker screamed. "You'll make me cummmmmm......"
"That's the idea, scumbag," Batgirl said, trying to sound as mean and nasty as she could. In reality, the thought of touching the Joker made her want to throw up.
She slowly teased his dick with her gloved hand and soon realized that it felt just like any other man's dick. It just looked different, what with being stark white and having green hair at its base. His balls hung down heavy. As Batgirl began to jack the Joker's dick up and down, the balls flopped up and down in unison with the motion of her hand.
"Do you like this?" she asked. Although she didn't want to admit it to herself, Batgirl was starting to enjoy the feeling of power that she had over the helpless man.
"NO. No...no...no...nononononono........" the Joker said.
It was obvious to Batgirl that he was enjoying it. In fact, unless she missed her guess, he was enjoying it more than he'd have if it had been Harley Quinn sucking him off. Batgirl figured that the extra bit of helplessness caused by the fact that she would not unstrap him when she was done probably added to the Joker's arousal.
"I'll bet you want me to suck it, don't you?" Batgirl asked. There was no way she'd do this, but Batgirl figured it might get the Joker off faster if he thought she would.
"Yes, yes, please yes, suck me. Suck me," the Joker was babbling with pleasure. "Batgirl, bats, bats, suck me. Suck my dicky."
Batgirl squeezed the large white dick harder. Why can't I find a nice guy with a dick this big, she wondered to herself.
Under the strap around his waist, the Joker was trying hard to pump his hips up and down. The muscles of his thin frame tightened and relaxed in an almost orgasmic tempo as he strained against the bonds.
Batgirl continued to stoke the Joker's dick. She figured he was close to orgasm. She usually could tell when the man began to grimace, but with the Joker, his face was always in a acid- washed grimace. This time, she had to use other clues; his balls were tight and the head of his dick had swollen larger than before.
To increase the torture, Batgirl squeezed the head of the Joker's dick hard. Hard enough to squeeze the blood built up there. She then stroked the head with her other hand as she continued to pump the shaft of his dick.
Batgirl parted her lips and licked her tongue. She bent down and brought her face as close to his as she dared. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at him, but he didn't have to know that. She licked her lips and then stuck out her tongue and rolled it around as if she were sucking a man's dick.
"Suck me!" The Joker's scream echoed in Batgirl's ears. She stood back up and aimed his dick downward toward his own face. She knew he was ready to shoot off and she wanted it to spatter all over his face.
"NO! Suck me! Suck me! Suck me!"
Batgirl increased the pace that she was stroking. To be honest, her hand was getting tired and she decided that she'd quit if he didn't orgasm soon. That would serve the bastard right, she thought.
Just then, a drop of pre-come oozed out of the tip of the Joker's dick. She slowed down and then speed up her stroking. "You're going to come all over your own face," she told him.
"No! Not my face."
"But you come on Harley's face, don't you?"
"She likes it. Honest!" the Joker pleaded.
"You want to come on my face, don't you?"
"YES!" the Joker screamed again. He spasmed as his voice was cut off by a long and nasty sounding laugh. Just as the laugh ended, Batgirl decided enough was enough and stopped stroking.
"NO! Please finish me! Suck me!"
"Okay," she teased. Batgirl bent over, pretending to get ready to suck him. She blew on the tip of his upside-down dick. The warm touch of her breath caressed the sensitive underside of his erect penis. It twitched and she jumped back. Batgirl took it in her hand and aimed it directly downward.
"NO! NO! No! nono noooo...." the Joker screamed as his own come sprayed all over his face. It was Batgirl's turn to laugh when the biggest glob went right into his nose and he started to choke.
"Bye bye," she said. "Was it good for you too?" she asked over her shoulder as she climbed through the broken window. The first lights of dawn were appearing on the horizon as she slipped through the window and left the Joker literally stewing in his own juices.
Part Six
Girl's Night Out
Barbara stretched her arms upward and pulled her chair back from the desk. It's finally over, she told herself. She finished stretching and slowly reached forward to grab the mouse. She used it to click the menu and pull down the "save" command. The Gotham Public Library's annual budget was finally done as she saved the last spreadsheet.
Done until some accountant at City Hall butchered it. Thankfully, she knew that philanthropists like Bruce Wayne would be contributing to the Library to help make up any budget deficits.
She hated this sort of desk work; it was one of the reasons Barbara had passed up on several job promotions. It also required a great deal of overtime. And Barbara had other ways of spending her evenings.
Usually, she donned her black leather "batsuit" and spent her nights as Batgirl. But, her last encounter with the Joker had disturbed her enough to make her thankful for the overtime work at the library. She still shuddered at the thought of what she'd done. How could I have been so stupid, she chided herself.
The shudder was almost immediately followed by a glow of pride. Batgirl had captured the infamous Joker all by herself. Well, she hadn't actually captured him. He was bound to the bondage table and she'd simply called the police (anonymously, of course) after leaving him, still bound. The glow was immediately followed by shame at the memory of what she'd done. She remembered the feeling of power and excitement at manipulating the helpless man the way she did.
Every time she thought this, Barbara stopped and told herself that the Joker was anything but helpless. He was, after all, a psychopathic killer who would just as soon kill someone as laugh...and he was compelled to laugh every couple of minutes.
Barbara pondered for a moment what she should do this evening. She looked at her watch. It was after seven o'clock on a Friday night. She would normally have dinner with her father, but he was out of town attending an urban terrorism conference. Actually, as Police Commissioner for Gotham City, James Gordon was the keynote speaker at the conference. Few other American cities could match Gotham for its collection of colorful criminals and its experience with urban terrorism.
She felt her stiff muscles protest as she stood from the desk. Barbara realized that she'd simply spent too long sitting at the computer. She thought for a moment about going home and getting into her Batgirl costume and getting some much needed exercise. No, she told herself. You worked hard on this budget and you deserve to treat yourself. And besides, Bruce is out of town too. Selina could probably use a night out also.
She picked up the phone and punched in the number for Selina Kyle's office at WayneTech.
"Yes," was the curt reply when Selina answered.
"Sounds like you're working as late as I am," Barbara said. "How about we treat ourselves with a 'girl's night out'?"
"That's the best idea I've heard today," Selina admitted.
Dinner was an absolutely delicious Italian feast at a small restaurant near the financial district. Mele's was one of those small "hole-in-the- wall" places where the food was good, everyone that worked there was family, and they made you feel like part of the family too.
The two had talked and laughed through the entire meal. Selina was wearing a simple white silk blouse and a dark skirt with a matching jacket. The only downside to the whole evening was when she splattered marinara sauce on the blouse. Barbara was wearing a green blouse and black slacks. The blouse matched her eyes and contrasted with her red hair. She was lucky enough to avoid spilling anything on her clothes. Secretly, Barbara thought it just a little amusing that Selina Kyle, the great thief Catwoman (now reformed), could jiggle the most sensitive locks, but couldn't avoid dripping tomato sauce.
They left a large tip...it was sort of an obligation. Papa Mele, the owner, had once found Batman injured in the alley behind the restaurant and had tended to his wounds. Since then, Papa had helped Batman from time to time. Nothing major, mind you, just an occasional mention of something overheard in the restaurant. Some of the restaurant's regular customers tended to run with the wrong crowd. Bruce's way of repaying the debt was to dine at the restaurant regularly and spend way too much money on way too much food and to leave a tip that was probably equal to the restaurant's take for the entire day. It tended to help Bruce reinforce his playboy billionaire image to overspend and overtip like that. When Barbara and Selina had been let in on Bruce's other secrets, they'd been clued into this one also.
Barbara actually had a love/hate relationship with the restaurant; the food was so good, she always overate. She usually followed each meal with a feeling that she'd gained about ten pounds. And she absolutely hated eating lunch here...the food was so heavy, all she wanted to do was take a nap. Something she couldn't just indulge in at the library.
After the meal, the two women decided to take a walk to burn off some of the rich food. Gotham was having uncommonly pleasant weather and the cool night air helped them to clear their heads after the heavy meal. Barbara wondered about the safety of the two of walking around the mostly deserted downtown Gotham City.
She wasn't worried so much for their own safety. They were Batgirl and Catwoman, after all. They could take care of themselves. She was worried about what would happen if someone did try to mug them. It just wouldn't do her meek librarian image any good if she ended up pounding some punk into the pavement. Thankfully, she'd never been mugged and hadn't had to deal with that eventuality.
As they walked, the two friends talked and caught each other up on their respective jobs. Barbara was happy to hear that Selina was doing so well at her new job. Selina explained that she was working on the security systems for a new microprocessor fabrication facility that WayneTech was investing in.
Their walk took the women into a slightly run-down neighborhood. Recent efforts to improve the neighborhood's condition were evident everywhere. Several new businesses had recently moved into renovated buildings, much of it the result of Bruce's recently renewed philanthropic efforts. Barbara admired him even more than she had previously, for now she knew exactly the extent of his efforts to improve the human condition in Gotham.
One of the new businesses occupied a quaint old Victorian building. Discrete signs made the business seem upscale and oh, so discrete. Stylish Victorian style script on the sign proclaimed the name of the club: "Sensuality." In smaller script below the club's name, the sign suggested "...indulge yourself."
Barbara stopped for a moment to look at the building. Selina stopped a few steps further. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," Barbara said. "I was just wondering what this place is. Chief Bullock mentioned it the other day when I went to see Dad for lunch. The way he leered when he said it, I assumed it was some sort of topless bar or something."
Selina laughed. "It is."
"Doesn't look like it," Barbara observed.
Selina touched her friend's shoulder. "No, it doesn't. Strip clubs have gone 'respectable,' you know. Not like when I worked in one."
Barbara turned and looked at her companion. "You were a stripper?" she asked.
Selina dismissed it. "I was very young and had to pay the rent. It was before I discovered I had other... talents." What talents she meant went unsaid between the friends, but it was clearly understood she meant talents like picking locks and sneaking into museums.
Selina didn't say anymore and Barbara knew the other woman well enough now to know there were times when Selina didn't want to talk about herself.
The comment did help Barbara realize two things. One, there were many things she didn't know about Selina. And two, Selina was not entirely defined by her life as Catwoman.
After a brief moment, Selina's mood improved. An impish grim lit up her face. "Let's go in and take a look," she suggested.
"Well, I don't know..." Barbara started. She was cut off when Selina grabbed her hand and began leading her toward the door.
The entrance to the building was manned by a very Victorian, very British-looking doorman. He tipped his hat as he held the door open for the two women. Barbara guessed that he was about as British as she was; he was a large man, probably an ex-football player. He was really just a well-dressed bouncer.
Another sign beside the door listed Sensuality's hours and discretely advised the unaware that the club was a nude dance club. This sign also indicated that the club was "a couples cabaret."
Barbara and Selina walked into the cabaret. It had better lighting than Barbara expected; she could clearly see the way to a booth as Selina lead her to a quiet corner. She expected the place to be dark and foreboding. The stage was well-lit as was the club in general, but the booths were darker. There were fluorescent black lights behind each booth. It caused the white of Selina's blouse to seem to glow.
As the two women settled into a comfortable booth, Barbara looked around. She was surprised to see several other women in the club. The other women were with what appeared to be their husbands or boyfriends. Selina had worked in a club for nearly a year and had never seen a female customer. Here, there were several.
The booth was a semi-circle of thick padding and leather upholstery. A small table was in the middle of the booth. Each booth was separated from its neighbor by a partition that extended beyond the front of the booth by several feet, ensuring the booth's occupants a degree of privacy. The need for privacy was evident when Barbara looked directly across the room at the booth opposite the one she and Selina where in. A man sat in the booth and was being entertained by a long-legged redheaded dancer. The dancer was nude and was stretching the limits of the "no-touching" rules of lap dancing.
A waiter in a stylish tuxedo came to take their order. "Welcome to Sensuality," he said. "Would you ladies like to order something to drink?"
"What do you have?" Selina asked.
"We serve no alcohol, but aside from that, we have almost anything you might want. Soft drinks, bottled waters, gourmet coffees and teas, espresso, cappuccino, lattes, fresh squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, protein drinks, fruit smoothies, 'virgin' mixed drinks, non-alcoholic beers and wines..." the waiter trailed off, evidently running out of options.
Selina thought for just a moment and then said, "I'll take a skinny decaf mocha latte."
"Excellent choice," the waiter commented, winking at her. "And you, Gorgeous?"
Barbara was caught off-guard by the obvious flirting of the waiter. She wasn't expecting it, but then she was sure the female waitresses and dancers flirted with the male customers.
"Mineral water, I guess," she replied. The waiter left them.
"They don't serve alcohol," Barbara noted. "If so, why do they need all the bouncers?"
"They don't want men messing with the dancers," Selina explained.
"I could understand that if they served booze and everyone got a little excitable. But everyone here seems so well behaved."
"If it was only a topless bar, they could serve booze," Selina noted. "Since they don't, it must be a nude club. You're right, about the bouncers. I've never seen a customer get bounced. Most of the people, men and women, that can afford to come to a nice place like this are probably going to behave themselves."
Barbara wondered if the behavior was due to the manners of the customers or the threat of the bouncers.
Even as a child, she'd taken an active interest in her father's work. It was one of the ways Barbara dealt with the fear of losing him. Since he'd moved up in the force and became eventually the Police Commissioner, she realized that the actual day-to-day threat of her father being gunned down on the street by some gang thug was less, but she was still concerned herself with his safety.
One of the things that Barbara did to better understand what her father's work was like was to study the various police statistics. She wondered if more businesses would experience fewer shoplifters if they employed large bouncers like this club did.
She knew that many businesses, banks for example, hired security guards. But many of them were older men. One of the security guards at her own apartment building was a middle-aged man who was about only about five-six and weighed maybe 110 pounds soaking wet. Sure, he carried a gun, but how much of a threat is a guy like that? she wondered. Sometimes the suggestion of a physical threat worked better than the actual threat did. She clearly understood the psychological aspects of such threats; Bruce had taught her that.
Now that the two women had a chance to look around, they settled into their booth and surveyed the surroundings. For Selina, it was an old habit to scope out someplace new. She involuntarily sized up each of the customers. She also noticed all of the exits. You never knew just when you'd need to make a quick getaway. Barbara had a similar habit, but for different reasons. Theft was a major problem in libraries now and she had the habit of watching patrons to make sure they didn't steal any books. And, being the daughter of a cop, she had grown up with her father constantly reminding her to be aware of the people around her.
Selina had noticed at a glance that the room was arranged pretty much like any other strip club. The room was rectangular in shape. The entrance had been at the center of one of the shorter walls; the front of the club. The DJ booth was on one side of the entrance, the bar on the other side, although this bar was equipped with an espresso maker and several juicers instead of liquor bottles and beer taps.
Along the two opposing longer walls where booths like the one that they were sitting in. Coming out from the shorter back wall was a small elevated stage. The edge of the stage had a small raised ledge and around the outside, the stage formed a tabletop where customers could sit. The stage was about fifteen feet wide and maybe thirty feet long. There were three chrome poles arranged in a triangle at one end of the stage. On either side of the stage were doorways; one was labeled "Restrooms" and the other "Employees Only." Between the stage and the booths, the floor was scattered with tables.
What Selina found interesting was that unlike every other bar, disco, or strip club she'd ever seen, the chairs and tables were not all alike. Some were larger than others. Some of the chairs were hard and straight backed, but others were easy chairs covered in leather or various clothes; no vinyl in the entire place. The effect was more like a coffee house with a odd mix of tables and chairs than the slick vinyl and chrome she'd remembered for her stripping days. The mix of chairs extended to the chairs arranged right at the stage. Several of the chairs were large enough to qualify as loveseats and one such chair was being used by one of the couples in the audience.
She remembered how cold it had been to sit in some of the vinyl and chrome backed chairs while trying to coax a customer into buying a drink or a lap dance. Selina was glad to see that, at least at this club, the dancers didn't have that problem.
This thought caused Selina to notice how warm it was in the room. It felt comfortable, not cool or downright cold. Most bars and clubs seemed to run their air conditioning constantly. She remembered how cold it was walking around wearing almost nothing. The dancers here seemed to be warm and comfortable.
Watching the dancer on-stage right now, she wondered how comfortable the stage was. Being on stage, exerting herself, was the only time Selina had ever been warm when she'd worked in a club. The dancer on stage was doing a strenuous number, with lots of splits and gyrations. Not just a bump and grind. But the dancer didn't seem to be sweating.
The dancer was a very slender and very flexible blonde. The DJ had introduced her as "Diva." She was nearing the end of her set; she was totally nude except for her shoes. She was working around one of the poles on-stage, using it much like a ballet dancer would use a barre. Diva lifted her right leg above her head and hooked her foot around the pole. She then ran her hand down her leg, from ankle to buttock, and then slapped her butt with her hand.
Selina was dying to know how they were regulating the air temperature. It was a subject that she normally didn't concern herself with, but her recent career change and new job had her thinking about a lot of new things. The new microprocessor fabrication facility that she was helping design was using focused air conditioning. Instead of using one single large system of air chillers and ducts to cool the entire building, each workspace had its own cooling system. There were a number of advantages to this system. Overall, it was more economical because you were only paying to cool the areas that needed it. It was more comfortable. Each employee could adjust their own environment. And it was far more secure.
There were many times as Catwoman that Selina had gained access to a building through the air conditioning ducts. This new system virtually eliminated these large ducts. A thief wouldn't be able to enter the building through the ducts unless they could shrink to about a foot tall. And, because there were people in the world that could shrink to that height, and smaller, Selina had insisted on adding other security measures as well.
Selina wondered if Sensuality was using focused air conditioning for the stage and letting the rest of the room have a more ambient temperature.
The waiter returned with their drinks. Barbara started to reach for some money to pay him, but Selina beat her to it. She motioned for Barbara to put her own money away. The waiter smiled and the smile widened considerably when he saw the tip that Selina left on his tray. "Thank you," he said, his teeth glowing bright white in the black light of the booth.
"No, thank you," Selina said, doing a little flirting of her own.
Barbara knew that Selina could turn on the charm if she wanted. She had seen Selina charm other waiters out of extra helpings of desert at restaurants. She'd even seen Selina charm Alfred on occasion, something Barbara had previously thought impossible. She just hoped that Selina could charm her father. Barbara had not yet introduced them, at least socially. Police Commissioner Gordon had already met Catwoman.
Diva had finished her dance and left the stage. Barbara and Selina had been talking with the waiter and had missed the DJ introducing the next dancer.
The dancer now on-stage was a short, slender woman with short dark hair and a bright smile. The dancer was kneeling in front of the couple in the oversized chair. There appeared to be a narrow padded strip around the outside of the stage. It was like the padded frame of a waterbed. The dancer was resting her knees on the pad as she knelt down and talked with the couple.
Selina nudged Barbara and discretely pointed to the couple and dancer. "There's a padded edge to the stage," she told her redheaded friend. "I used to hate banging up my knees knelling down on stage."
Barbara understood her friend's concern for her knees. It was obvious that the dancers spent some of their time knelling and it must be hard on the joints. Just as Batgirl spent time knelling on building ledges. It was an effort to protect her knees, elbows, and other parts of her anatomy that lead Barbara to change from a lycra spandex Batgirl costume to a leather suit. She also knew it was one of the reasons that Selina wore thigh-high leather boots as part of her own costume.
Right now, Barbara was more interested in the interaction between the dancer and the couple. She knew that it was expected for the stripper to knell in front of male customers and flash them, working for tips. But she never expected to see something like this.
The dancer hadn't yet removed her top or g-string. She was knelling in front of the couple and seemed to be engaged in a spirited conversation. Barbara felt a flush rise to her cheeks when she realized how voyeuristic this was to watch them.
The dancer first encouraged the woman to caress the man's chest and then encouraged the man to return the favor. As the man lustfully grabbed his wife's/girlfriend's breasts, the dancer laughed and stood up to continue her dance.
Selina leaned over. "There're rules against touching the dancers. But here, they apparently don't have any rules about customers touching each other." She emphasized the point by running her fingers lightly over Barbara's shoulder and down her arm.
Barbara felt a little uneasy with the public display of affection and was glad for the privacy of the booth. She returned the caress by putting her own hand on Selina's knee and giving it a soft squeeze.
The two women cuddled closer and continued to watch the dancer on stage. The dancer was using the poles to swing around in time with the music.
"Is it hard to dance on stage like that?" Barbara asked.
"No harder than fighting wackos like the Joker," Selina said.
The thought of the Joker sent a chill down her spine. Barbara said, "It seems like taking your clothes off in front of strangers would be tough."
"No, you get used to it."
The song that the dancer was dancing to came to a close. The dancer continued to sway to the music that was no longer there. The next song in her set started. It was a rock song with a stronger beat. The dancer started to move with stronger movements. She stopped swaying and began to shimmy her shoulders and hips in time to the music. As the music crested, she whipped off her top and playfully tossed it toward the couple she'd just been talking with. The couple were still groping each other and didn't seem to notice.
The lighting on-stage increased slightly to reflect the stronger mood of the new song. As the dancer moved to the next customer, she moved around the stage to a point where Barbara and Selina could see her better. Selina said, "She looks like Lois Lane. Well, at least in the face."
Barbara shrugged. She'd read many of Ms Lane's stories in the Metropolis Daily Planet, but she couldn't remember if she'd ever seen a picture of the reporter. "I guess," Barbara said. "I've never really seen her."
"She interviewed me once."
"Oh," Barbara said, taking a sip of her water.
"Yeah," Selina said. She paused and Barbara figured it was another of those subjects that Selina wouldn't want to talk about. Selina simply blew on her latte to cool it.
But, a moment later, she continued, "She and her partner interviewed me a couple years ago for a story."
Barbara remembered reading the article. She also remembered that Lane's partner was Clark Kent. Barbara knew that both her father and Bruce had a very high opinion of the award-winning reporter. She understood her father's opinion; Kent tended to focus on hard- hitting but fair-handed crime reporting and generally painted a sympathetic picture of the police.
What she didn't understand was Bruce's reaction to the reporter. Several mornings, after a strenuous night with Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, she'd joined the others for breakfast at the mansion. Bruce had a habit of reading through a number of newspapers at breakfast, including the Daily Planet. Bruce had occasionally made cryptic comments about the Metropolis reporter. Barbara wondered if this was one of Bruce's many secrets that she hadn't yet been privy to. Although no one explicitly stated it, she definitely get the feeling that Bruce kept certain secrets even from Dick and Alfred.
The article that Selina had mentioned was a Pulitzer Prize winning series about costumed women crimefighters and their criminal counterparts. The article pointed out that the majority of "superheroes" and "supercriminals" were men, but that the "weaker sex" was represented as well.
Although the series had won journalism's most prestigious prize, Barbara felt it was really a fluff piece. She thought it had read like a celebrity interview. The article looked at two women vigilantes, Princess Diana of Themyscira, perhaps more well known as Wonder Woman, and the former Justice League member Black Canary. The two women "supercriminals" were Selina (Catwoman) and Pamela Isley. Isley was an eco-terrorist known by her more colorful nom de crime "Poison Ivy."
Barbara had been just a little disappointed that the reporters hadn't profiled Batgirl. But she decided that she'd really rather not risk exposing her nighttime activities to the scrutiny of a pair of reporters. It was hard enough keeping the secret from her father.
They continued to watch the dancer on-stage. Now dancer removed her g-string and was totally nude. With the g-string removed, it was obvious that the dancer had shaved her pubes. In place of pubic hair, she had a tattoo on her mons. Although the light was fairly bright in the room, the two women were too far from the dancer to see the tattoo clearly. It appeared to be a snake or maybe a Chinese-style dragon.
The music came to a close and the dancer took a few moments to collect the few bills left as tips around the edge of the stage. The couple she had talked with earlier were still groping each other, but the woman pulled away from her boyfriend/husband long enough to place some money on the stage.
The DJ announced, "She's hot, but she's classy. Ladies and gentleman, that was ... Kassy!" The customers around the cabaret clapped politely as the dancer, Kassy, took her bows and gathered up her costume and tips. The slim dancer than left through a curtain at the back of the stage.
The DJ continued with his banter. "Okay folks, we're in for a special treat. We have a request for a special dance. Joining us now on stage is the dancing waiter, Lance."
Selina and Barbara both noticed that this was the waiter who had brought them their drinks. "Do the wait staff usually double as dancers?" Barbara asked. She knew that her friend was more knowledgeable about these things than she was.
"Sometimes the female dancers hustle drinks," Selina said. "But usually only at the lower class clubs. I think this is a special request from one of the women."
Apparently the waiter, Lance, knew exactly who had requested the dance. He moved to one side of the stage, right in front of one of the women customers. He began moving to the music, not really a dance, but rather a simple pelvic gyration, with an occasional thrust thrown in every couple of turns.
The focus of Lance's attentions was practically swooning. Her smile got larger as the waiter/dancer grabbed the lapels of his tuxedo jacket and began to shimmy his shoulders. He slowly lifted the jacket by the lapels and began to ease it off his broad shoulders. He finally finished pulling the jacket off with a flourish and whipped it over his head a couple of times before tossing it behind him.
He then knelt down and began to untie his bow tie. He continued to shimmy his shoulders as he slowly untied the tie. When he removed it, he stood back up and teased the woman by dangling it in front of her face. She loved it.
Lance then started to unbutton his shirt. As he did so, Barbara saw that he had a totally hairless chest. She tried to suppress a giggle but failed.
"What's so funny?" Selina asked.
"Remember the last time we saw a chest that hairless?"
Selina remembered and giggled herself. It was rare that Selina giggled. When she felt like laughing, she had a deep throaty laugh that almost sounded like a growl. "Do you think poor Tim will ever forgive us?"
"Someday," Barbara said. "Maybe."
The event the two were remembering had happened a week previous.
It was late in the afternoon on a Saturday. Because of Selina's pregnancy, she had taken to following a less strenuous exercise schedule than her normal martial arts and gymnastics workout. To that end, she'd invited Barbara to come to the mansion and play tennis.
After the game, the two needed to shower. They were both sweating and neither wanted to wait to shower after the other. They had slept together, so why couldn't they shower together? The problem was that Bruce was asleep upstairs in the master bedroom and the master bath was the only one large enough for two people.
They didn't want to wake Bruce. With his schedule, they felt he needed as much sleep as possible. Although he'd vowed to spend less time as Batman, the week had been a rough one and in addition to his duties as CEO of WayneTech, he'd spent the last four nights out.
The master bath was the only shower large enough in the mansion, but the locker room in the cave had an even larger shower. So, they headed downstairs. When they got near the locker room, they heard the shower running.
They knew that Dick was out of town for a couple of days attending to some personal business and it was Alfred's day off. And besides, the butler never used the locker room in the cave. Both Selina and Barbara figured that Bruce had awoken and came down to the cave for a workout and was now in the shower.
The women quickly stripped out of their tennis clothes and rushed into the shower to surprise the man they both loved.
They stepped into the shower hand-in-hand. "Surprise!" they both said, expecting Bruce's smiling face to greet them as they assumed sexy positions at the entrance to the large shower stall.
What they found instead was Tim's shocked face. The three simply stood looking at each other. Neither woman had a towel with which to cover themselves and Tim was shocked enough to simply stand looking. Although Barbara would have expected it, the teenager wasn't the least bit aroused by the sight of the two naked women. In fact, his penis seemed to shrink up even more from anxiety.
Selina and Barbara recovered first and quickly left the shower room. They wrapped themselves in towels and waited outside the locker room until a very embarrassed Tim finished his shower, dressed, and left.
They later found out from Alfred that Bruce had thrown Tim in judo practice the day before. According to Bruce, the move he'd used was effective only when the one person was noticeably stronger than the other. Tim had apparently come to the cave to spend some extra time in the weight room to try and make up the difference between himself and his mentor.
The teenager had barely said two words to either of the women in the week since the incident. Barbara had considered talking with him about it, but Selina had discouraged her from doing so. They knew that eventually Tim would get over it and forgive them for the accident.
Kassy came out from the employee's only entrance beside the stage. Before she had a chance to talk to any of the customers, she looked over to where Barbara and Selina were sitting. Selina motioned for her to come over.
"Hi, my name's Kassy," she said as she walked up to Selina. Selina could see that her eyes were large and brown, and she was even more petite up close than she'd appeared on-stage. Barbara thought, "If she looks like Lois Lane, then Clark Kent is a very lucky man." Kassy wore a bikini-style top and a matching g-string bottom. The top and g-string was a multi-colored checker pattern that seemed to glow and even flash on and off in the black light.
"Selina, and this is Barbara."
"Hi," Kassy told Barbara.
"Is that a pad around the edge of the stage?" Selina asked.
Kassy must have immediately understood that Selina had once worked in a strip club. "Yeah, it's great."
Lance finished his dance. Unlike Kassy before him, he stopped with only one song and had only removed his jacket, tie, and shirt. As the bare-chested waiter left the stage, the DJ announced the next dancer.
Barbara listened as Kassy talked with Selina and only half heard the DJ. "I used to wear high boots to try to cushion my knees," Kassy said.
"Yeah, I did too," Selina said. Selina lifted up her latte to take a drink.
"Rio is our next scheduled dancer," the DJ said. "But she couldn't make it tonight, so we have an extra special treat for our Gotham City crowd."
Selina took a drink from her latte and then started to choke. Both Barbara and Kassy paused to look at Selina. Kassy patted Selina on her back and Barbara asked, "Are you okay?"
Selina coughed and spilled her latte on her skirt and blouse. She waved off the two other women's concern. "Look," she said to Barbara, pointing at the stage.
Barbara looked where Selina was pointing. She listened to what the DJ was saying.
"That's right, Gentlemen. Direct from the streets of Gotham, Batgirl!"
Barbara felt numb as she saw the dancer strutting around on-stage. The dancer grabbed one of the poles and spun around it. The dancer was wearing a short yellow cape and long purple gloves and thigh-high purple boots. Under the cape, she wore a purple halter top with a large yellow bat symbol on the chest and purple hot pants. Over her head, she wore a cowl similar to what Barbara had first worn when she'd started out as Batgirl. As the dancer spun around the pole, the cape fanned out over the heads of the men sitting at the stage.
"That's..." she started to say.
"Yeah," Kassy said, her smile bright. "It's great. Isn't it?"
"Sure," Selina said, composing herself and trying to suppress a laugh.
Kassy was beaming. "We all thought it'd be great to make up costumes. Rio absolutely adores Batgirl and thought the people in Gotham would love this costume."
"Yes," Selina said. "I'm sure they'll love it about as much as Barbara does."
Barbara looked at Selina when she heard her name. She still didn't say anything. She was too shocked. That was a sexed up version of her first Batgirl costume. That's my costume! her mind screamed. She knew that Batman hadn't taken her seriously at first, but was this what everyone else in Gotham City thought of Batgirl? Barbara got up from the booth and rushed to the women's restroom.
Kassy continued, "And you should see Charlie's Catwoman outfit."
"Catwoman?" Selina asked, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the tiny woman beside her.
"Yeah, but she's not working tonight."
"Good," Selina said under her breath. She looked at Kassy with a critical look. "What sort of costume were you going to do?"
"Maybe Supergirl," Kassy replied. "But I'm not a blonde. So I was thinking maybe a female Robin."
Selina raised her hand to the ridge of her nose and closed her eyes. She felt the vaguest beginnings of a stress headache.
Barbara just couldn't watch the dancer. She ended up going to the women's restroom and struggled not to cry.
Selina and Kassy followed her into the restroom a minute later. "Are you okay?" Kassy asked.
"Sure," Barbara said, her voice threatening to crack.
Selina jumped in, "She just broke up with her boyfriend." It was a lie, but they couldn't just tell the young stripper the truth.
Kassy patted Barbara on the shoulder. "I know how you feel."
The DJ's voice and the music could barely be heard in the restroom, but they could tell that the song was nearly over. Selina slipped out for a moment to see if the dancer was still on-stage. Because of the novelty of the dancer's costume, she was getting a very enthusiastic response from the men, and even the women. Nothing like playing to a hometown crowd, Selina thought.
Selina watched as "Batgirl" left the stage with wad of bills in her hand. Although the club was not terribly busy, every customer seemed to have loved the idea of a naked Batgirl dancing on stage.
She went back into the women's restroom. Kassy was checking her makeup in the mirror. Selina flashed Barbara a thumb's up sign, indicating that the dancer had left the stage. She just hoped that "Batgirl" didn't make an appearance later. Based on her reception on-stage, Selina knew that the dancer could clean up with lap dances.
Barbara dapped her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose. She tried a smile on in the mirror and was greeted with Kassy standing beside her smiling also. "You just need to put him out of your mind," the petite dancer said.
"Thanks."
The three women walked back to the booth and Selina asked about getting fresh drinks. She saw that Lance was still busy with his female admirer. Kassy said she could get them something and left.
"You shouldn't take it so hard," Selina said, now that they were alone again.
"I don't know what come over me," Barbara said. "I tried so hard to be respected by Batman and everyone when I first got started. To see that old costume... like that... I just couldn't stand it."
"You've always found Batman sexy, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
"You have to realize that some people find Batgirl sexy too. This is just one way they see you."
"I don't know," Barbara said.
"Hey, at least we're not action figures."
Barbara smiled, reluctantly. "I guess you're right."
Selina saw that her friend was feeling better and give her a hug.
Kassy came back with their drinks. Selina tipped her with a hundred dollar bill. The dancer's eyes bugged out. "I usually have to dance naked and let guy's paw me to earn something like this."
Selina said, "I know. I've been there." She said it in such a way that Kassy realized that she was being dismissed.
Kassy was actually glad she didn't have to do a table or lap dance for the two women. They seemed very nice, but Kassy always felt a little uneasy dancing for other women. Sometimes lesbians came into the club and wanted dances. The women actually groped more than the men. "I hope you feel better," she told Barbara and then left.
A moment later Kassy was sitting next to a young man seated at the stage.
"You know," Selina said, "She was right."
"Oh?"
"You need to put it out of your mind."
"And how do you suggest I do that?"
"We could go up on the stage. Show them what the real Batgirl can do," Selina said with a challenge.
"I can't put that costume on," Barbara protested.
"No, no. Only you and I'd know that you're the real Batgirl. But, that's what counts."
"I don't know. I've never done anything like that before."
"All the more reason. Try something new."
Barbara remained silent, obviously thinking about it.
"Remember how much fun you had the last time you tried something new?"
Barbara assumed Selina was referring to their first encounter after the incident at the museum. Her first love session with Selina. "Let me think about it," Barbara said.
Selina leaned back in the booth and sipped her latte.
The DJ announced, "Next up, direct from her blockbuster tour of Japan, is our featured dancer this evening. Ladies and gentlemen, Nikki Sabille."
The audience clapped in anticipation of another dancer coming on stage. Smoke arose from the edge of the stage. For a few seconds, nothing happened as the smoke rose to fill the space between the chrome poles. The applause died down as the audience wondered what was wrong. Like the rest of the customers, Barbara and Selina watched the stage, waiting for the dancer.
The stage was still vacant as long seconds ticked away and the smoke rose higher. Then, so suddenly that the people seated around the stage flinched, the stage exploded with a flash of movement.
The curtain through which the dancers passed on to and off of the stage blew open and a dark blur swept around first one pole and then another.
Barbara watched, breathless, as the dancer, Nikki, bounced around stage. Nikki flashed a bright smile, almost as large as Kassy's, as she skipped around. Most of the other dancers moved slow, strutting or shimmying. Nikki was obviously enjoying herself and had a somewhat different take on what people would find sexy. Her movements were less choreographed and more spontaneous.
"See, it can be fun," Selina said.
Barbara continued to watch the dancer on stage. Nikki Sabille was petite, but not a tiny as Kassy. She was athletic with a well rounded butt and small but shapely breasts. She was wearing a long gown that completely covered her legs. It was a leopard print and had a long slit up one side to allow the dancer to move freely.
The design of Nikki's gown caused Barbara to think of a cat. Maybe a playful kitten.
"Want to give it a try?" Selina asked.
Her friend continued to watch Nikki. Barbara began to wonder it was something about women that used the feline motif. She began to feel that tingle deep in her belly that she got whenever she got horny. Am I attracted to this woman? she wondered.
"Earth to Barbara."
"Huh?" Barbara said.
"Do you want to give it a try?"
Barbara blushed. She didn't realize that her attraction to Nikki was so obvious. Was Selina upset? she wondered. "Uh, no...I don't even know her..."
"Try dancing," Selina said. "You know, what we were talking about."
"Oh, yeah," Barbara said, embarrassed. "Yeah, it does look like fun."
Nikki's first song finished and the DJ started the next song immediately. It was an old Frank Sinatra tune. Nikki switched from her bouncy style to more slinky movements. No, Barbara decided, not slinky. Sultry. Yes, Barbara thought, sultry. Unlike the other dancers, Nikki truly had mastered the art of sultry.
Nikki still smiled, but it was a naturally sly smile. She teased the audience by cupping her breasts and squeezing them. Her fingers slowly tugged the edges of her gown, suggesting that she might remove the garment.
Barbara's analytical mind unconsciously realized that the subtle suggestions were unnecessary; this was a strip club after all. The outcome of Nikki's dance was predetermined. She would end up naked like the other dancers. If not totally naked, she would still expose her breasts and private parts to the audience. But the sultry and subtle suggestions of Nikki's movements played to a sexual anticipation. And everyone, including Barbara, loved it.
It was hard for Barbara to picture herself up on the stage. She tried to imagine her own body, moving slowly to the music, as Nikki's was now. She even tried to picture herself moving like the other dancers. She couldn't do it. She had no trouble picturing Selina doing it. Selina had a natural grace.
It was the same with Bruce and Dick. Bruce was one of the strongest men she'd ever seen and had witnessed for herself some remarkable feats that he'd accomplished in the gym and on the streets. But Dick had a natural grace, a natural poise that put Bruce to shame. Dick had been an acrobat since early childhood and looked graceful simply walking across the living room; just as Selina now looked graceful just sitting in the booth.
Barbara's mind went back to a time when she was a child. She had bugged her father for months to teach her how to dive. She had practically taught herself to swim, but she just couldn't summon the courage to climb the ladder of the diving board. Her father had finally told her, "You'll never know if you can do it until you try."
She knew her father would cringe in disapproval if he knew those same words of encouragement were prompting her to get up on a stage in front of strangers and take her clothes off. Barbara herself probably would have cringed at the thought only a couple months ago. She still couldn't explain it, but she felt different now. She wanted to do things that were a little bit naughty.
"Okay, let's do it," she told Selina.
Selina went to talk to the DJ about her and Barbara dancing. Barbara remained in the booth. She sipped at her mineral water and continued to watch Nikki dance. The dancer's second song had ended and she had only teased the audience with a quick flash of her breasts right before the song ended. She had slipped back through the curtain between the second and third song.
As the music for the third song started, Nikki came back through the curtain with thick blanket in her hands. She dropped it to the floor and revealed that she was now naked. Barbara noticed that Nikki's nipples were hard. Unlike most of the other dancers, Nikki had not shaved her pubes. They had been trimmed, but were dark and full. They gave her a somewhat more mature and sensual look, Barbara thought. For a moment, she thought about Selina's dark love nest and felt that tingle again, deep inside the pit of her abdomen.
Nikki sank slowly to the floor onto the blanket. She crouched there, like a cat. She then arched her back and lowered her head. Her thick hair fell down over her face and though that veil she eyed one of the men who sat beside the stage. The man was short and wore glasses. He had a very big smile on his face at the prospect of being singled out by the dancer.
Nikki began to creep toward the man she'd singled out. Barbara was awed by the sight of the dancer. She could give Selina cat-lessons, Barbara thought. Nikki moved toward the man, sliding first one arm forward, then the other. When she was almost completely prostrate on the blanket, she did the same with her legs--first sliding one leg forward and then the other. As she repeated the process several times to cover the distance, Nikki flexed her back and hips in a very entrancing way.
Barbara noted that the view of the dancer from the back was almost as bewitching as the view from the front. As Barbara was admiring Nikki's full butt and slender legs, Selina returned. "It's all set," she said and took Barbara's hand.
Barbara was reeling from the events of the evening. First the full dinner, then the experiences of the club. It felt like a roller coaster. First she was up with excitement and then down with depression, and then high again with lust. She numbly allowed Selina to lead her across the room. Kassy and another of the dancers escorted them into the back, through the "employee's only" door.
Behind this door was a combination dressing room and locker room for the dancers.
Along one wall of this room, there were several makeup tables that the dancers all shared. Along the opposite wall was a row of lockers. Several wooden benches and chairs were scattered along the open wall and around the room. A short flight of stairs lead to a platform about six foot square and the curtain to the stage.
The dancer with Kassy was almost as tall as Selina, with long brown hair and large, natural-looking breasts. Kassy introduced her as Rio. She wore thigh-high white leather boots and a western style leather vest with long fringe. She had a pair of glasses perched on her nose. Unlike some of the other dancers, Rio exuded an aura of innocence.
Barbara was so numb from the rush of events that she almost didn't connect the name Rio with Kassy's explanation of the "Batgirl" costumed dancer.
"What do you want to wear?" Rio asked Barbara. Rio spoke with a soft Southern accent. Barbara realized then that her blouse and slacks wouldn't facilitate a strip-tease.
"I don't know," Barbara said. The curtain between the locker room and the stage parted and Nikki came in, holding her blanket around her nude body. Barbara wondered if a leopard-spot gown like Nikki had would look good on herself.
"I know what would look good on you," Rio said. She went to one of the lockers and opened it.
Barbara could see the yellow cape hanging in the locker. Not the costume, not the costume, Barbara thought to herself. She silently breathed a sigh of relief when she say the black knit dress that the dancer held in her hands.
"What do you think?" Rio said. "It's the only thing I've got that might fit you. My other costumes are really meant for someone a little bustier." Barbara knew that there was at least one other costume of Rio's that she didn't want to try on.
Barbara looked first at Kassy and then at Selina, and then at Nikki for their opinions. Selina had taken off her jacket and blouse and then put the jacket back on over her red lace bra. The red looked good against Selina's pale white skin and black hair.
Rio held the dress up against Barbara's torso. Kassy said, "Looks good to me."
"Yeah," Selina said, "It's sleek and easy to take off. And besides, black suits you." She winked. "Better than purple," she mouthed.
Nikki, still nude, dropped her blanket on the makeup table chair and moved beside Barbara. Barbara felt her pulse race as the woman stood beside her and she could smell Nikki's perfume. Nikki reached forward and smoothed the dress out over Barbara's breasts and down her abdomen with her palm. Barbara felt the tingle in her belly intensify.
"Yes, this would look good on you," Nikki declared. She then turned and walked back to her own locker. When Nikki opened the locker door, Barbara could see a small poster on the inside of the door. It was a picture of Nikki with tiger-stripes painted on her. The letter across the poster proclaimed: "Nikki Sabille. Japan '95 Tour. An Evening of Exotica." The bottom of the poster was Nikki laying on an oriental style table in a feline pose that mirrored the pose of a real tiger also on the poster.
Barbara stepped back and started to remove her blouse. She then unbuttoned her slacks and slide them off. She decided to take off her shoes and go on stage barefoot. Wearing just her bra and panties, Barbara slid the knit dress on.
Rio had a far larger bust then Barbara, but the knit dress fit fairly snug. Not exactly skin-tight, but snug enough.
Selina removed her shoes also and then reached up under her skirt and pulled off her panties and pantyhose. She looked at Barbara in the borrowed knit dress and smiled. She struggled to button one button of her jacket. Her breasts had begun to swell slightly with her pregnancy and the button strained under the pressure. "This may be that last time I fit in this outfit," she said. The jacket pressed her full bosom together and deepened her already ample cleavage.
Selina took Barbara's hand and then leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips. "Let's go," she whispered.
The two women walked up the steps and waited for a moment on the platform. They could hear the DJ. He was entertaining the audience with a mix of music and small talk. One of the waitresses was on the stage, wiping down the poles.
Barbara took a deep breath and tried to relax. It felt like the first time she'd swung from one building to another on her "batrope." The erotic tingle in her belly fought for attention with the butterflies in her stomach.
Selina pressed a doorbell set on the wall beside the curtain. "It tells the DJ we're ready," she whispered to Barbara. "Here's a light in his booth."
"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we have yet another special treat tonight. You guys can take it easy though, Batgirl had to leave and won't be coming back...at least tonight." The audience laughed. "No," the DJ continued, "Today we have two amateurs that want to try their luck on our stage. So, join me and the rest of Sensuality in welcoming 'Harley' and 'Ivy'."
"'Harley'?" Barbara said to Selina, "'Ivy?'"
"They were the first two names that came to mind. We can't just use our real names," she shrugged and then lead Barbara through the curtain.
The stage was bright and Barbara could barely see beyond the edge of the stage. The music was loud and had a strong beat. She could feel her body begin to move to the rhythm. Selina let go of Barbara's hand and moved to the side of the stage.
Selina moved to the side of the stage where the short man with glasses sat. Barbara watched her friend begin to move her hips in a seductive pelvic thrust. The man pushed up his glasses and smiled up at Selina.
Barbara moved tentatively to the front of the stage. She didn't see anyone sitting directly at the end of the stage. She tried hard to simply focus on a point on the wall and follow the sound of the music.
With the bright lights in her eyes, she saw only the outlines of the other people sitting around the stage. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Selina. Her friend had opened her jacket and was beginning to shake her full breasts, much to the enjoyment of the man in front of her. Nikki came out of the "employee's only" entrance and sat beside the man. Nikki gave the man a squeeze on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek. Barbara felt a brief twinge of jealousy.
Barbara had made it as far as the end of the stage. She tried hooking the pole there with the crook of her arm and she slowly walked around the pole, wiggling her hips in exaggerated movements as she did so. She decided to simply stay in the one spot and move to the music.
The harsh beat of the music was beginning to pound in her ears. It was almost primal in it's beat. Barbara closed her eyes and pressed back against the pole. She ran her hands first up her body and then back down.
She opened her eyes. There was still no one in front of her. She glanced back to Selina again. Selina had removed the jacket and taken off her bra. Barbara didn't realize how fast things were moving. Her friend's nudity reminded her that the whole reason for dancing on stage was to eventually become naked. Or at least topless.
I just hope this excites these people more than it did Tim, she told herself. She could just make out Rio and Kassy moving across the room to sit at a table in front of her, just beyond the stage. Barbara felt reassured when she saw the other dancers there, offering their support.
Resting her shoulders against the pole, Barbara moved her hips forward. She closed her eyes again. She thrust her hips forward and backward a couple of times as she gathered the courage to remove the dress.
Barbara didn't open her eyes. She heard someone coming toward her. Someone with a loud voice. "I'm telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. He was trussed up like a turkey ready for Thanksgiving dinner," the voice said.
She heard a couple of the chairs in front of her being pulled out from the stage. She kept her eyes closed and redoubled her efforts to keep calm and in time with the music. She slid down the pole slightly, with her legs open. Barbara moved her hands down to her hips. The dress had rode up a bit. She took the edge of the dress in her hands and pulled up.
The pulse of the music seemed to intensify as she pulled the dress up, exposing her bare thighs and waist. Barbara pushed off from the pole and stood upright, pulling the dress over her head. She tossed it behind her, just has she'd seen the other dancers do.
Selina had been right, Barbara realized, you did sort of get used to it.
Her eyes were still closed as she slumped back against the pole. Her hips were still moving in time with the music as she moved down. Her bare feet pressed against the padded rail of the stage edge and she laid back. Her knees remained in the air and she pumped her hips up and down. She felt herself begin to get wet between the legs.
Barbara wondered if the light on stage was enough for someone to see the wetness of her panties. She decided that whether she wanted to or not, she'd have to remove them.
She kept her knees together and began to slide her panties off. A soft current of cool air was coming out of the edge of the stage. She continued to pump her hips up and down. On each down stroke, she could feel the cool air on her wet pussy. Barbara had still not opened her eyes; she knew that if she opened them and saw the men sitting in front of her, she'd chicken out.
Selina moved to beside Barbara. The loud-mouthed man in front of them spoke up, "Well, well, when I suggested seeing some pussy, I never expected this, eh, Montoya."
Montoya, Barbara thought. I recognize that name...and that man's voice, she told herself.
She opened her eyes and saw Selina lean over the edge of the stage. Selina was totally naked and her full breasts hung heavy when she leaned forward. Selina took hold of the man's tie and pulled him forward.
Chief Bullock smiled as Selina held his tie. "Moonlighting?" he asked Selina. "Your new job doesn't pay enough, eh, Selina? I'd talk to Mr. Wayne about a raise."
"It's customary to tip the dancers," Selina said. She wiggled the thumb and forefinger of her free hand in front of the Chief's face.
Bullock pulled out his wallet and waved a dollar bill in front of Selina's face.
"You call that a tip?" Selina said. She wiggled the fingers again and pulled on the tie a little harder.
"This is highway robbery," Bullock protested.
"So, call a cop," Selina taunted.
Bullock pulled another bill out of his wallet. It was a twenty. Selina snatched it from his fingers. "Meow," she said.
"And one for the other dancer," he said, looked at Barbara for the first time. He held up another twenty and then paused. He recognized Barbara.
Barbara was embarrassed to look into the Chief's eyes as he looked at her. She felt her face and chest warm as a blush rose. As she moved to stand up, she opened her legs and unintentionally flashed her red-haired pussy at Lieutenant Renee Montoya, how was sitting beside Bullock. Montoya was an attractive young female police officer who was sometimes Bullock's partner.
All Barbara could think was: Dad is going to kill me as soon as Bullock tells him about this.
Barbara and Selina walked off the stage just as the music finished. Selina stopped before she went through the curtain and blew Bullock a kiss. She then gathered up her clothing and Barbara's borrowed dress.
When Selina walked into the locker room, she saw that Barbara had picked up Nikki's blanket and covered herself with it. She looked dazed and confused.
"At least we made good tips," Selina said, handing Barbara one of the twenty-dollar bills.
A moment later, Nikki came in. "The woman with the fat guy wanted me to give this to you," she said. She handed Barbara a slip of paper.
Barbara held it up for Selina to read. The paper had Lt. Montoya's name and phone number on it.
Chapter Seven Friends, Family, Lovers, Aliens, and Self
Over the next several days Barbara thought a great deal about the night at Sensuality.
Of course, she worried about what her father would think. What he would say if he find out what she'd done? Barbara was concerned that Chief Bullock would tell her father that he'd seen her at the club. She didn't think he'd do it intentionally, but he might let it slip. Barbara had known Bullock for a large part of her life and always considered him crass and somewhat crude. She could just imagine him bragging about it to some of his buddies on the police force and then word getting back to her father.
She also thought a lot about Renee Montoya. Barbara didn't think Montoya would tell. Bullock was the type of man that others expected to visit strip joints. But Montoya was a bright young female police officer with a promising career. She had too much to lose.
Barbara thought about the phone number. She hadn't called the number and wondered about why Montoya gave it to her. Did it mean that Montoya was a lesbian and was attracted to her?
If so, that definitely meant that Montoya wouldn't tell anyone about what had happened at the club. Barbara just wasn't sure how she felt about having a woman attracted to her.
Well, there's Selina, she thought.
She still hadn't figured out her relationship with Selina Kyle. Selina was pregnant by Bruce Wayne and was practically living at the Wayne mansion. But she and Barbara had slept together several times. And they'd slept together with Bruce a couple of times as well.
Selina and Barbara had slept together that night after coming home from the club. Barbara was generally confused about the time she spent with Selina in bed, but she was most particularly confused about that night.
This was another of those things that she'd thought a lot about since that night. Had Selina taken advantage of her? she wondered. Her feelings had been so jumbled that night; she had felt very vulnerable.
If he knew about it, she was sure that Dick would say that Selina had taken advantage of her. Dick still didn't seem to accept all of the changes between her and Selina and Bruce. And he believed that Selina was somehow controlling Barbara and maybe even Bruce. Sometimes, Barbara wondered if Dick was right. It would certainly explain a lot, she thought, like why I'm turning into a sex maniac.
Barbara wondered about her feelings toward Selina and her feelings toward the dancer at the club. When Barbara began thinking about the dancer, she began thinking about going back to the club. Maybe dancing again.
It was one of those things that she rationally knew she didn't want to do, but thought about anyway. It was sort of like a rape fantasy. No woman in her right mind would want to be raped, but some did fantasize about it. When Barbara thought about going back to the club, she remembered the thrill in the pit of her stomach, the intense surge of power that reverbarated through her, the adrenaline rush; it was like when she was Batgirl, but different. She also remembered the fear; the fear of being rejected by the audience, the fear of being found out.
Barbara had gone out once as Batgirl since the night of the visit to the club. She had prowled a neighborhood on the other side of town. It was a precaution that she had purposefully planned. She knew that if she'd been anywhere near the club, she would have been tempted to stop in and show them what the real Batgirl was like.
Luckily, her stint as Batgirl was rather uneventful that night. She knew that the Joker was safely behind the locked doors of Arkham Asylum, but she still shuddered at the thought of her last outing as Batgirl. When she compared the two events, she decided that a trip back to the strip club would be a cakewalk compared to being face- to-face with the self-styled Clown Prince of Crime.
Barbara entered Police Headquarters. She was here to have lunch with her father, Commissioner Gordon. They had not had lunch since he had returned from the urban terrorism conference. They had also not spoken, in person, since the night Barbara and Selina had spent at Sensuality.
She was more than a little nervous. She didn't want to see Chief Bullock or Lt. Montoya; hopefully they were both out of the office on partrol or something. Barbara also didn't like the idea of seeing her father and having to hide the truth from him. It was something she'd been doing for years now, but it didn't get any easier.
She wondered what would be easier: admitting that she was Batgirl, or admitting that she and Selina Kyle were lovers. Or admitting that she'd taken her clothes off for a crowd of strangers.
Knowing her father, he'd hate all of them.
She walked through the squad room and smiled at a couple of the police officers that recognized her. Barbara didn't see either Bullock or Montoya at their desks.
She stuck her head in and started to knock on her father's open door. She then saw that he was not in his office.
"Your father got called to some sort of emergency meeting down at City Hall," one of the officers said, seeing Barbara standing there.
"Thank you," she told the officer. "Do you know when he might be back?"
"No, sorry."
Barbara pondered whether she should wait. She knew that her father would try to get back in time for lunch if he could. Lunches like this were one of the few times they spent together since Barbara had left home and began living on her own.
Lost in thought, she didn't see Montoya walk up.
"Hi," Lt. Montoya said, her stance a little tentative.
"Oh, hi," Barbara said, startled.
"Your dad's not in."
"Yeah," Barbara said, "They told me he was at City Hall."
"Bullock's there too," Montoya said. "Some sort of pow-wow about the security plans for the technology convention next week."
"Ah," Barbara said. "Any idea when they might be back?"
"Supposed to last all day."
The two women stood silent for a moment.
"Kind of ruins your lunch plans, huh?" Montoya said, before the silence got too ackward.
Barbara nodded.
"I'm free. Harv usually drags me down the street for chili dogs. I'd enjoy a decent meal for a change."
Barbara paused, unsure of what to say. She had resisted the idea that Lt. Montoya might be attracted to her and was extremely nervous about seeing the policewoman now.
Before Barbara could repond, Montoya said, "Hey, if you've got other plans, I understand."
"No. I mean, I don't have other plans." Barbara said, "I guess we could do lunch..." Better to just get it over with, she figured.
"Great," Montoya said.
In the end, the two women decided on chili dogs after all.
Barbara remembered the times when she was a little girl and she'd come to visit her father. He'd bring her to this same hot dog stand and buy her ice cream afterward. James Gordon was really her uncle, her real father's brother. But her real parents had died when she was very young. She barely remembered them. It was father- daughter activities like this that had made Barbara think of James Gordon as her father.
After buying their hot dogs, the two women sat at one of the picnic tables outside the stand. Montoya had purposely selected the table furthest from both the stand and the passersby on the sidewalk.
"I know this is uncomfortable for you," Montoya said. She took a bite out of her chili dog, holding it delicately to avoid spilling chili sauce on her uniform.
"A little," Barbara admitted. She likewise took a bit out of her own hot dog. She had chosen a polish dog with kraut and also handled it delicately.
"Well, you can rest assured that I won't tell anyone."
"Tell anyone about what?" Barbara didn't know why she was playing coy; it had become a habit.
Montoya smiled. She assumed it was that little game you play sometimes. Someone tells you not to tell about something and you pretend not to even know what they are talking about--like that something doesn't even exist.
Renee Montoya hated that game.
"No, really," Montoya continued. She looked around to confirm that no one was within hearing distance. "I won't tell anyone about anything. You keep my secrets and I'll keep yours. All of them."
The hairs on Barbara's neck started to raise. She got that funny feeling that she got sometimes as Batgirl. That feeling that had sometimes warned her of danger.
"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Lt. Montoya." Barbara said.
Montoya took another bite from her chili dog and washed it down with a sip from her diet soda.
"Call me Renee."
"Okay. Renee," Barbara said. She hoped that Montoya was just talking about the night at the strip club.
"You will keep my secrets, won't you."
"Of course, Renee," Barbara said. "Although I don't really know what they are. I'd hate to make any assumptions."
"Harvey's the only one that I've told. He thinks it's neat that we can go to the strip clubs and look at the same girls."
"So, you're..."
"A lesbian?" Renee finished the question.
"Well...," Barbara shrugged.
"The honest answer is: I don't know." Renee finished off her first chili dog. Before starting on the second one, she said, "I've dated men and I've dated women. I guess I'm bi. But most people don't like someone that 'sits on the fence'."
Barbara didn't know what to say. She was somewhat glad that the conversation had focused on Renee rather than her.
Renee picked up her second chili dog and took a bite out of it. Although she was careful, she spilled a bit of chili sauce on her uniform shirt. She laughed, "That one's for you, Harv."
Barbara smiled. Renee spilling the chili dog reminded her of how clumsy Selina was with food spills. And, for as long as she'd known Harvey Bullock, she'd always known him to have some sort of stain on his shirt or tie.
"I won't tell," Barbara said.
"That's cool," Renee said. She looked around again and then leaned in toward Barbara. "What is it like?" Renee whispered.
Barbara wondered what she meant. She assumed that Montoya meant what it was like to have sex with Selina. Since Selina was Catwoman, Barbara figured that Renee was asking what it was like to sleep with a "celebrity." "Well, she's okay, I guess. I don't have anything to compare it to. But it's good."
Renee smiled. "Okay, that was going to be my second question."
"Well, what did you mean then?"
Renee looked around again. Still no one near them. "It doesn't take a detective, you know." She smiled at her own joke. She tapped her badge, "Well, maybe it does."
"What does?"
"Do you just want me to come right out and say it?" Renee asked.
"Say what?"
"I know, Barbara. Your father hasn't figured it out." She thought for a moment. "Well, at least he hasn't said anything that makes me think he has. I don't know if Harv has figured it out. But I have." Renee paused for dramatic effect. "I know what you do with your evenings."
Barbara felt a chill go down her spine, despite the warm fall day and its bright sun.
"Oh, I promise I won't tell anyone," Renee reassured Barbara.
Taking an absent-minded sip from her iced tea, Barbara realized that Bruce had been right. She'd played it just a little too loose with her Batgirl identity and if Lt. Montoya could figure it out, someone else could.
Or, maybe she thinks I moonlight as a stripper, Barbara thought. I have to play this cool, she decided. "That's good," she told Renee, "It'd be really awkward if Daddy knew that I was a stripper."
"As much as I enjoyed looking at your cute red snapper," Renee said, her voice a little saucy, "That's not what I meant." A quick look around. Renee lowered her voice even more than before and leaned in so close that Barbara could smell the onions on her breath, "That's not at all what I meant, is it Batgirl?"
Barbara backed away from Lt. Montoya. She reached for her iced tea. The ice made the cup sweat in the warm air and she wiped the moisture off her hand with a napkin. She waited for the cold shock she expected. She had known from the beginning that her secret would get out someday. She just always thought it would be when some costumed villian had killed her or when she awoke in the hospital after losing a fight.
The shock never came. There was no sense of relief either. It just was. Montoya knew she was Batgirl and she just wasn't concerned.
"You know, I really envy you."
"You do?"
"Sure," Renee said. "Look, I know some of the older cops don't like the idea of vigilantes, but most of my generation know what we're facing out there. It's bad enough that every time you pull some speeder over or walk into a domestic disturbance you run the risk of having your head blown off. But to have to put down wackos like the Joker or Two-Face? I'm one cop that's glad there are people like Batman and Batgirl around."
Barbara wasn't sure what to say. She was happy that someone appreciated her efforts, but was still concerned about someone else knowing her secret. First Selina, now Renee. It was bad enough that Bruce figured it out.
"Well...You still can't tell my father."
"Of course not," Renee confirmed.
"About anything. Especially that night at Sensuality."
"You know Barbara, there is usually a high cost for keeping a secret."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
Barbara had a bad feeling about what was about to come next. "And what would that cost be?"
Renee smiled. It was a sly, sexy little smile. "Well, I've never slept with a superheroine."
Barbara returned the smile, but her's was a nervous smile that looked and felt very uncomfortable.
"I've never had a redhead, either," Renee said, as she licked the chili sauce off her fingers.
The next day, Barbara left work early. She drove out to Wayne Manor to spend some time doing some research with Bruce's computer systems in the cave. She didn't always understand all of Bruce's criminology lessons, but she did understand computers. She figured that one of the ways that she could best contribute to the team was through her computer and library research skills. To do this, she had to better familarize herself with Bruce's unique computer setup.
When she arrived, she parked in front. To the unaware, it was just a social call. Not that many people would even see her car. The front of Bruce's mansion was nearly a mile from the lane and was well sheltered by trees and shrubs. This was after all a very exclusive part of Gotham's suburbs.
Barbara knocked on the door and waited patiently for Alfred to answer the door. After waiting several minutes, she began to wonder where everyone was. Several of Bruce's many cars were parked in the drive as was Selina's.
Deciding that something might be up, she hurried around the mansion and entered the large home by a side entrance, using a security code that Alfred had given her. No one appeared to be in the house either. She quickly went to the hidden entrance to the cave and went downstairs. No one was there either, but the cars and motorbikes were all there. That meant there could only be one other possibility.
Back upstairs, Barbara walked through the mansion and outside to what Alfred charmingly referred to as the "back yard." Public parks were often smaller and less well equipped than the Wayne estate. Although the weather was warm, no one was at the Olympic-sized swimming pool. But, as she got closer, Barbara could hear the rhythmic pong of a tennis ball being batted back and forth.
She walked on to the tennis court to find several people playing tennis with the remainder watching. Alfred had served refreshments and was actually in tennis togs himself.
Barbara watched for a moment as Bruce and a young teenage girl played doubles against Selina and Tim. She'd never meet the girl, but Barbara assumed that it was Arianna, Tim's girlfriend.
Dick, in slacks and a polo shirt, was seated next to Alfred. Iced tea glasses sweated beads of water on the table beside each of them. A gentleman in a wheelchair was beside them.
The man was obviously Tim's father, Jack Drake. The man looked a lot like an older version of Tim. Jack's lustful gaze moved from Selina to Barbara as Dick and Alfred greeted her. Alfred made the appropriate introductions.
"I'm extremely pleased to meet you, Miss Gordon. I'm an old friend of your father's, you know."
"I believe he's mentioned you, Mr. Drake."
"We're all friends here. You can call me Jack," Drake said. "If I can call you Barbara?" The smile was pure lust.
"Sure. Jack, it is," Barbara said, accepting Alfred's offered iced tea.
Barbara took a seat beside Dick and joined the others watching the tennis match. She eyed Jack Drake for a moment. He was maybe ten years older than Bruce and had just a touch of grey at the temples.
Drake was in the wheelchair as the result of a kidnapping attempt that had gone wrong. He had lost his wife in the same incident. Drake was a neighbor of Bruce's and a friendly competitor in business. Although not quite as successful as Bruce, Drake had become rich enough to purchase the mansion next door; if you considered two miles away as "next door."
His success in business made him rich enough to the target of a kidnapping attempt. A group of foreign terrorists had tried to kidnap Jack Drake and his wife and hold them hostage for money. What they didn't count on was Jack Drake's attitude. He fought the kidnappers and lost his wife and the ability to walk as a result.
Jack was still watching the tennis match. Actually, he seemed to be watching Selina's breasts bouncing up and down as she bounded backed and forth across the court.
"When my wife was pregnant with Tim, she didn't exercise like this," he commented.
"They know more about pre-natal health and exercise now," Barbara commented.
"Yes," Jack agreed, "I guess they do." He watched the match for another moment. "They do make a good looking couple, though, don't they?"
"Master Tim and his friend Arianna are very well matched," Alfred agreed.
"Well, yes they are," Jack said. "But, I mean Bruce and Selina. Hell, I'm jealous. First Bruce beats me out on that city computer contract and now he's nabbed a beauty like Selina."
Barbara watched her friend Selina and her sometimes lover Bruce as they hung back and let the younger kids volley the ball back and forth. "Yes, they are a good looking couple. I'm sure the baby will be gorgous."
"At least the little tyke will be well fed," Jack laughed. The comment drew a frown from Alfred. Seeing Alfred's displeasure, Jack explained, "You know, the old silver spoon." Everyone at the table knew that he was really referring to Selina's breasts, but out of politeness, decided to accept Jack's explanation--mostly by ignoring it. Dick turned his attention to the pitcher of iced tea and poured himself another glass. While he was at it, he topped off Barbara's glass.
Barbara smiled politely at the man's comment. She realized without being told that Jack Drake was a hardworking man who had become extremely lucky in life and had progressed to a level of society that he was unaccostumed. She often felt out of place herself, at social functions with her father or even here at Wayne Manor.
She watched Selina for a moment. She does have some outrageous boobs, Barbara thought, feeling a blush come to her frecked face at the thought of the times she'd spent sucking Selina's breasts--and of Selina sucking hers. The thought triggered that tickle deep within her belly. The same tickle she got every time she started to feel horny.
She had come over here today to do research on the computers in the cave, but the thought of Bruce and Selina, sweaty from their tennis match, made Barbara forget about doing anything with computers.
Dick was watching the tennis match as well, and didn't see Barbara look him over. He lounged in the chair, his strong arms resting casually on the table and arm of the chair; long legs stretched out in front of him. He's looking hot today, Barbara told herself.
She took a long drink of the iced tea, letting the ice cubes rest against her lips. She tried to concentrate on the cold sensation of the ice; mentally telling herself to cool off.
Turning her gaze back to the tennis court she watched at Arianna ran for and caught the ball before it went out of bounds. The teenager returned the volley and caught Selina with her guard down. The older woman had assumed that the ball would go out of bounds and had lowered her stance for a moment to catch her breath.
Arianna's cute, Barbara thought. With her dark hair, she was a good match for Tim. Barbara watched the girl for a moment. Arianna was shorter than Tim and slender, but moved with a grace that was usually evident in women much older.
In fact, Barbara thought, she's got a cute butt.
Oh my god! she thought a split second later. I really shouldn't go there...
...she finched when Dick touched her arm. "Earth to Barbara. You okay?"
"Yeah, Dick, I'm fine. I was just thinking about some research I wanted to do."
"Research?" The look on Dick's face was dubious.
"Uh, yeah, that's why I came over," Barbara said, lowering her voice so that Jack Drake won't hear.
"Bruce suggested that we all take a break today and have fun. He's hosting a bar-b-que tonight. You're invited, of course. Your dad too, if he's available."
"Bruce is bar-b-quing?" Barbara asked skeptically.
"Well, Alfred and Jack will be there. Tim assures us that Mr. Drake is a good cook."
"I'll give my dad a call and see if he's available."
"Great."
Barbara slipped down to the cave for a couple of hours while the rest prepared for the bar-b-que. She explained her absence to Jack by saying that she wanted to look over some of the books in Bruce's library. The Wayne Collection was well-known. She assumed him that it was related to some possible acquisitions at the Gotham Public Library. Although Mr. Drake seemed disappointed about the beautiful redhead leaving his company for even such a short time, he gamely spent the time with his son and neighbors, content with flirting discretely with Selina.
When Barbara had first been introduced to the cave, she had thought how parts of it looked more like a corporate office than the secret headquarters for a masked vigilante.
The caverns stretched for miles under the limestone bedrock. A much younger Bruce had discovered them while having the part of the mansion basement repaired. The largest portion of the cave lay directly below the west wing of the mansion. When he had decided to pursue his nighttime career, he decided to expand his operations into the quiet darkness of the cave. He then took his identify from the winged mammals he found living there.
Some of the work on the cave was done with foreign labor that Bruce had recruited secretly, but Bruce and Alfred (and later Dick and Tim) had done most of the work themselves.
Other parts of the cave were partitioned off to provide a very complete training area. The area nearest to the hidden entrance was a large multi-car garage. The remainder of the cave was fenced off with chicken wire to prevent the bats from soiling the equipment.
The part of the cave Barbara was in now was the office suite. Each person on the team, even the newer members like Selina and herself, had offices. They resembled the types of private offices many middle-level managers had in any American corporation.
On the other side of the office suite was a large computer room with raised floor and a library. The library was small; most of the reference materials were digitized and indexed in the computer system. The extent of computerization was evident everywhere: computer terminals dotted the offices, the library and even the machine shop, gymnasium, and garage.
Out of habit, Barbara glanced into the computer room to check the current condition of the systems. She knew that Alfred and Tim had been assigned primary responsibility for maintaining the computer systems in working order, but since today seemed to be a day off and she was here anyway, she looked over the monitors that displayed the status of the various systems as a whole.
Satisfied that everything was working just fine, Barbara then slipped into her office. She hadn't had time to really decorate or personalize the workspace. It consisted of a square room about 20 feet on each side. The room was painted in an off-white and had floruesent lighting. A large desk filled most of the room. The desk had three computer systems on it, arranged in a row. An ergonomic chair on wheels allowed her to move easily from system to system.
The arrangement was similar in each of the other offices, although Bruce's office was about twice the size. Unlike Bruce, Alfred, and Tim, the rest of the team spent far less time in their offices. Barbara and Selina's were the least cluttered. Surprising when you considered that he had spent so little time here lately, but Dick's office was the one with the most personalization. The walls of Dick's office were covered with circus posters and autographed photos of various circus performers.
Aside from the computers, there were several phones on each desk. Barbara picked up the handset from the phone that was connected to the mansion's phone system and called her father.
She was mildly surprised to catch him in his office. She invited him to the party that night. Being the dutiful father that he was, and realizing that Bruce Wayne was an influential person in Gotham, Gordon readily accepted the invite. He rationalized it by telling himself that if nothing else came of the evening, he could check up on the reformed Catwoman. Jim Gordon was sure that Bruce's new girlfriend would be at the party.
The smog over Gotham contributed to a spectacular sunset as the bar-b-que started in earnest. Bruce did his best at the large gas grill, but everyone realized that it was really Alfred that was doing most of the work, with Dick helping far more than Bruce was.
Barbara watched Bruce carefully and tried to decide if his ineptitude with the bar-b-que was part of his general "act". But then, there were aspects of life that Bruce had little experience with. Between his upper-class origins and then his self-imposed isolation following his parents death and then the intense training, there simply were some things Bruce didn't know about. Like the quiet pleasures of a late summer bar-b-que.
Eventually, Alfred put a soft drink in his employer's hand and hustled him away from the grill. Bruce spent the rest of the evening chatting with Jack and Commisioner Gordon.
"You know, Bruce, this conference next week is presenting some unique problems," Gordon said.
"Why is that, Jim?" Bruce said, taking a big swig from the diet soda he was carrying.
Gordon took a sip of his lite beer and replied, "Wayne Technologies may only be showing off it's latest computers, but some of the companies are showing off weapons systems. Gotham PD just can't handle an attempt by some terrorist group trying to steal one of these super-weapons. On top of that, the Vice President will be here. And the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. And Prince Edward."
Bruce nodded. He knew the VP was promoting some of the Clinton administration's technology policies. And the princes were representating various technology initiatives for their respective countries.
"Our budget just can't afford it," Gordon continued. "...it's been an extremely busy year. I spent all day yesterday in the mayor's office fighting for more money."
Bruce nodded again. No one in Gotham know that more than he did about how "busy" the year had been. First there was the mass breakout at Arkham, then the mess with Bane, and the dealing with Jean Paul Valley. "Well, Wayne Tech can handle most of the security," he said. "I've got some of the best security experts in the world. And I'm more than willing to bear the expense of any extra security necessary for the conference to go off without a hitch."
Gordon glanced at Selina. She and Barbara were watching Tim and Arianna play with a frisbee. "I'm sure your people are good." Gordon paused, unsure whether to risk offending the richest man in Gotham. He shuffled his feet and turned away from the women.
Sensing the police commissioner's discomfort, Bruce moved to the other side of the patio under the pretense of getting Jim and Jack more beer. Gordon followed. Jack Drake did also, wheeling himself to stay with the other two men.
"Bruce, are you sure it's appropriate putting Catwoman in charge of your security?"
"Selina is not in charge of my security. She functions as an independent contractor, designing security systems for new building projects. Her current project has nothing to do with any facilties in Gotham, Wayne Tech or otherwise."
"Well," Gordon said. "I'm unsure about her motives. Quite frankly, I can't understand why you hired her. And my opinion is shared by others."
"What others?" Jack Drake wondered.
"Others on the force," Gordon said, looking at each man in turn. "And I'm sure Batman would question your decision to hire her as well."
"The next time I see Batman, I'll ask him myself," Bruce said. He said it in such a way and held himself in a posture that told Gordon that the subject was not debatable.
"Hasn't she gone straight?" Drake asked. "If so, I think we owe her the benefit of the doubt. I even heard that she's teamed up with Batgirl."
"Batgirl!" Gordon said, rubbing his temple with the cold beer bottle, as if to relieve a sudden headache. "Yeah, some of the officers on the force have said that's the rumor on the streets. Bruce, what do you know about that?"
Bruce chuckled, "She's a very independent woman. I don't question where she is every minute."
Before Jim Gordon could figure out what else to say and how to reapproach the issue of security at next weeks technology conference, everyone turned to see what Arianna was so excited about.
"Look, Tim!" she pointed to the sky over Gotham.
Tim Drake and everyone else on the patio turned their attention to the point in the sky where the teenager was pointing. They saw the Bat-signal sweeping across some clouds.
"Dammit," Gordon mumbled to himself. "I hope it's not Batgirl again." Only Bruce was close enough to him to hear and Bruce was surprised by the police commissioner's attitude. "Excuse me, Bruce, could I use your phone?"
"Sure," Bruce replied. "Alfred, could you get Jim a phone."
The butler excused himself from the grill and handed his tongs to Dick. He gave Bruce a very stern look, as if warning him to stay away from the grill and then walked quickly into the house. The butler returned a moment later with a portable phone and handed it to Gordon.
Gordon walked to the edge of the pool, away from the others while he punched in the number to the police headquarters' switchboard.
"What's up?" Barbara whispered to Selina.
"I don't know," Selina said. She looked at Bruce as he calmly tried to assist Alfred with flipping the burgers on the grill. The butler tolerated his employer's "help," but quickly made use of the spatula and turned most of the burgers himself. "Bruce doesn't seem to be too concerned."
Everyone tried to look casual as they watched Gordon finish his call. He stood beside the pool for a moment and drained the remaining beer before rejoining the rest of the group. They all hung on his words. "It's nothing important," Jim said. He placed his empty beer bottle in the trash can beside the cooler and accepted another bottle from his daughter. "Seems Batman received a crank call a few minutes ago."
"Oh," Bruce said.
"Someone called Police HQ with a strange message," Gordon said.
"Does that happen often?" Jack Drake asked.
"No," Gordon said. "But he's not listed in the phone book you know, so sometimes we play 'message center.'"
"What was the message?" Arianna asked the question on everyone's mind. Bruce was glad the young woman's curiosity had gotten the better of her. It saved him the excuse of figuring out how to find a way to ask Gordon himself.
"Something about 'the man who gave you the green ring needs to meet tonight at midnight.'" Gordon quoted. "Like I said, a crank call."
Everyone but Bruce tried to hide their disappointment at not understanding the message. "Maybe it's a taunt from one of Batman's enemies," Barbara suggested, slipping her hand under her father's arm.
"Maybe."
"Well, I'm sure with that thing lighting up the sky, Batman will no doubt get the message himself." Bruce said, motioning toward the searchlight. The "bat-signal" as it was commonly known, was still sweeping across the few clouds that hung high in the evening sky. "I suggest that we spend the rest of the night enjoying these burgers I cooked."
Alfred shot Bruce a quick look. "Well, of course, Alfred and Dick helped," Bruce admitted. He had the look on his face of a child who had taken credit for something he hadn't done.
As everyone queued up to the grill, Alfred dished up the burgers. Bruce hung back, seemingly embarrassed. But it gave him an opportunity to talk briefly with Dick. "The message is from Superman," Bruce explained in a whisper.
Dick accepted what Bruce said without asking for a further explanation. He knew that if Bruce wasn't making excuses for them to leave, it wasn't overly important. There would be time later for a full explanation.
After everyone had their fill of burgers and beer and soda and Alfred's fabulous rum cake, Jack Drake suggested that he was going to retire for the evening. Tim reluctantly helped his father to the handicap-equipped van. He obviously wanted to stay with Bruce and Dick and find out what the mysterious message was all about.
After helping his father stow the wheelchair in the van and helping his father manuevuer into the driver's seat, Tim rejoined Arianna and they told everyone goodbye. Tim drove his girlfriend home. He had told his dad that he was going to be home a little late because she needed help with one of her school assignments. He felt bad about telling his father a lie, but it was necessary to cover his Robin identity.
He told Arianna that he had to be home to help his dad with some physical therapy. Lying to his girlfriend hurt almost as much as lying to his father.
By the time Tim returned to Wayne Manor Commissioner Gordon had left also. He hurried down to the cave. Everyone else was there in costume, even Selina. As he headed to the locker room and quickly dressed in his Robin outfit, Nightwing filled him in on the events of the evening.
When Robin and Nightwing returned to the main conference area, they heard Batgirl say, "Wow, Superman? Superman wants to talk to you?" She had figured that Batman knew other heroes, but still, they were talking about the most famous man in the world.
"Oh, we're old pals," Robin interrupted. Batman and Nightwing knew the story and let their younger partner enjoy his moment of glory. Robin explained for Batgirl and Catwoman how he'd actually helped Superman on a tough case once when Batman wasn't available. Of all the people in the cave, Robin was probably the one that knew the Man of Steel the best.
"If he's such a good buddy," Catwoman wondered, "why did he leave a message with the police department?"
"I don't know," Batman said. "He may have flown over and seen that we were entertaining. He wouldn't have just flown down into Bruce Wayne's backyard and left a message for me."
Batgirl sometimes thought of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl as two separate people herself but she still thought it was funny listening to Bruce talk about himself in the third-person.
"What does the message mean?" Catwoman asked.
Batman was less than enthused with her coming along. Her pregancy hadn't progressed to the point where it was obvious, but he was concerned about her risking the baby. She had promised to hang back and to not do anything too strenuous.
"It's just a code phrase that proves the message is from Superman," Batman explained. He didn't tell them that the "green ring" was a large gold man's ring with a green gem set in the face. A ring that Superman had confiscated from Lex Luthor. And that the gem was kryptonite. Batman still didn't understand why Superman trusted him with the ring, but it was safely hidden deep within the cave. And provided the two men with a code phrase that no one else knew.
"And the fact that he didn't want to meet until midnight means it's probably not world-shaking," Robin suggested.
"Right," Batman agreed.
"Where's the meeting?" Batgirl asked.
"He'll find us," was all Batman said, as he headed for one of the cars.
The group gathered on the roof of Wayne Technologies corporate headquarters. It was one of the tallest buildings in Gotham and seemed a natural place to meet someone that was going to literally drop out of the sky.
Since they were higher than any of the surrounding buildings and therefore didn't risk people seeing them, Batman and the others didn't stick to the shadows like usual.
Batman and Nightwing stood out in the open, near the northeast corner of the building. Robin hung back a bit. Sometimes he felt a little out of place when Nightwing was around. Robin had been Batman's partner for only a couple years, but Nightwing--the original Robin--had been Batman's partner for many more years than that.
Robin had partnered with Bruce and with Dick separately, both when Dick substituted for Bruce as Batman and when he was Nightwing. Robin had also tried to guide Jean Paul Valley when he assumed the mantle of the bat. But when Nightwing and Batman were together, Robin felt like a fifth wheel. And since the incident in the shower, he didn't feel comfortable with the women on the team.
And, Robin told himself, since Selina started dating Bruce and she and Barbara had joined the "team," everyone seemed to be acting differently.
As he moved to the southeast corner of the building, Robin smiled to himself. Of all the people here tonight, he felt most comfortable about the man they were all waiting for. He remembered with pride the time Superman had come looking for Batman but had found him instead. Although Superman was the most powerful person on the planet, he didn't have access to the same information sources and detective equipment that Batman did. Bruce Wayne had been out of town that week, and Robin had been in the cave when the man of steel had flown in through one of the many hidden openings.
Robin had been in awe of Superman at first, but Superman had treated him as an equal and asked for his help. And the Man of Steel had complimented him for the job well done when they were finished.
Batgirl and Catwoman prowled along the western side of the building. Batgirl was excited about meeting Superman and scanned the dark sky and looked at her watch every couple of minutes. Catwoman paced back and forth, obviously nervous. Nervous as a cat, Batgirl thought, watching her friend.
When it happened, it happened very fast. One moment, Batgirl was glancing at her watch. It said 12:01 am. She then glanced diagonally across the building to where Batman and Nightwing were standing alone. She then glanced first at Robin and then Catwoman, who had paced to the southwest corner; when she turned back to Batman and Nightwing, they were standing beside a large man in a flowing red cape. Superman.
He had simply dropped out of the sky right next to Batman and Nightwing and hadn't made a sound. Batgirl shook her head. She knew Batman had a reputation for making a quick and silent entrance, but Superman had to at least be runner up.
Batgirl walked over to where Catwoman was standing, beside some of the building's cooling equipment. The two women stood there, watching from a distance at the three men as they talked. Robin casually walked up to the other three and joined them. Although it was dark, Batgirl could still see well enough to make out the expression on Superman's face when he saw his young friend. It was the sincere look of a man happy with the way a young person was processing with life; much like the expression a parent would have for a favorite child.
"One hundred percent grade A prime male," Catwoman whispered as the two women looked at the man from the sky. Batgirl felt embarrassed when Superman looked in their direction just as Catwoman finished saying it. The two women averted their gaze. Even over the distance of better than fifty feet, he had heard Catwoman's barely whispered comment.
Batgirl looked up a moment later to see that the Metropolis Marvel had once again turned his attention to Batman as the two talked. Batgirl compared the two men; Batman was cloaked in his black cape, almost hidden against the darkness of the moonless night. Superman's cape caught the slight breeze and fluttered about. It lifted off his body and afforded Batgirl a good look at his physique.
Whereas Batman was poised with the relaxed attention of a martial arts expert (as were Nightwing and Robin for that matter), Superman stood strong and tall, almost tense. His costume fit somewhat tighter than Batman's, mostly because Superman had no need for body armor. Superman's costume consisted of a pair of flat blue tights and shirt, with a pair of red trunks and red boots. The pentagonal "S" symbol covered his broad chest. The costume fit snug enough that Batgirl could make out the fact that Superman was well muscled, but not as defined as Batman or Nightwing. They looked like virtual bodybuilders next to the man of steel.
He looked more like the classical Greek model of masculine beauty, like the statues of Adonis or Hercules she'd seen in pictures. His shoulders where broad and thick, his chest wide enough to carry the red and yellow "S" symbol. He had a thick waist and strong legs that looked like tree trunks.
Batgirl wondered what it would be like to wrap her legs around that waist--she doubted that she'd be able to get her legs all the way around. She just hoped that one of Superman's powers wasn't reading minds; she'd be very embarrassed if he knew what she was thinking.
She was relieved when he didn't turn and look in her direction when she thought that.
A moment later, Superman stepped away from Batman and the others. Although the meeting had taken only seconds, it was over. He turned toward Batgirl and Catwoman. "Ladies," he said in a louder voice, as he made a small gesture with his hand. Not quite a wave, but definitely a farewell. Batgirl felt foolish afterward, but she unconsciously returned the gesture with a little wave.
She then watched as the man's chest swelled up even more as he cocked his head back slightly; chest first, arms spread out at his side, he moved silently into the air. His cape bellowed around him as the air caught it. In a few split seconds, he accelerated and was out of view.
Batman and Catwoman returned to the cave in one car, with Robin, Nightwing and Batgirl in another.
Due to his size, Robin had opted to sit in the smaller jump seat of the car. He leaned forward and said, "It must be really great to fly like that."
Batgirl was surprised by the remark, but reminded herself that Robin was, after all, only 16. Tim had handled so much in his young life and generally acted much older than his years. But sometimes, he reverted to typical teenaged behavior--like hero worship.
"Yeah, it would be," Nightwing agreed, as he drove through the nearly empty streets of Gotham City. "When I was a kid, Dad would take me up on the trapeze and I wanted to jump off and just fly around the circus tent..." He trailed off as he remembered his youth.
"I've seen the way you swing around," Batgirl said. "And when you're working out on the gymnastics equipment in the cave, it looks almost like you're flying. If anyone comes close to flying, it's you."
Nightwing looked at the woman in the passenger seat and smiled. He appreciated that fact that someone had noticed. His earliest memories were of watching his parents on the high trapeze and all his life Dick Grayson had dreamt of being a circus performer. "You and Catwoman didn't have be such snobs," he teased. "We would have introduced you, you know."
"I guess we just didn't feel comfortable. I mean, that was Superman!"
Both Nightwing and Robin laughed at Batgirl's assessment, but unknown to each other they silently agreed with her. There was something elementally impressive about the Man of Steel.
"What exactly was that all about, anyway?" Batgirl wondered.
Nightwing explained. "He stopped a break in at LexCorp last night. Before he caught the perps, he overheard one of them talking about hitting the techology conference next week."
"It's a given that the conference will be a target," Batgirl said. "My father and Bruce were talking about it just this evening."
"Yeah," Robin added, "But these guys were talking in Arabic."
"Terrorists?" Batgirl asked.
"Maybe," Nightwing said. "Or Ra's Al Ghul is up to his old tricks."
When they returned to the cave, Alfred was there to greet them. Tim hurried off to the locker room and emerged a few moments later, struggling to pull on his tee-shirt. "Gotta get home," he said and hurried up the stairs to the mansion.
Batman and Catwoman likewise headed up the stairs. They were arm in arm. They both used their free hands to pull off their respective cowls. Alfred inquired if there was anything they needed before turning in and Bruce told his oldest friend that they were just fine.
Barbara quickly slipped out of her costume and stuffed it into the locker set aside for her. She slipped on a pair of jeans and a shirt and likewise left for the evening. Although she sometimes spent the evening at the mansion, she somehow sensed that Bruce and Selina wanted to be alone.
Dick started to head for the locker room also, but Alfred touched him on the arm, a silent signal. He waited for Barbara to leave before turning to the butler.
"What's up?" he asked Alfred.
"Master Dick," the faithful butler began, "I wanted to talk with Master Bruce about this..."
"But he has other things on his mind," Dick finished. He gestured to the stairs where Bruce and Selina had just disappeared.
Alfred shrugged. "He does have a great deal to worry about. Wayne Enterprises, the techology conference, and, of course, Miss Selina and the baby."
Dick laughed, "Alfred, you're the one who's always bugging him to lead a real life once in a while. You almost sound disappointed."
"Master Dick, believe me, no one wants him to have a real life more than I do. But I'm afraid this 'real life' may be somewhat... coerced."
Dick wondered about Alfred's choice of words. "You think he's under some undue influence?"
"I don't have any evidence of such. But you and Master Bruce are far better detectives than I. I'm just the family servant."
Dick sat down to tug off his boots. "So why are we having this conversation?"
"I stumbled upon something suspect this afternoon."
"What?" Dick asked.
Alfred sat down at the computer console next to Dick. He quickly turned on one of the large computer monitors and started up the crime database program. Dick was a bit surprised, he half expected the butler to pull something incrimating out of his pocket--something the butler had found in Selina's personal effects during the course of routine housekeeping. Dick tried to imagine the butler rummaging through Selina's delicates...it just wasn't a picture that suited Alfred.
Dick turned his attention to the screen.
"I was putting the weekly crime statistics into the computer today," the butler explained. It was an activity that they all did, but sometimes Bruce and Tim and Dick got a little behind with the data entry and Alfred picked up the slack.
Bruce tended to use the statistics only as a formality. He preferred to look not at aggregate statistics, but rather the details of every case. He tended to find commonalities where none apparently existed. Bruce had taught Dick to likewise look at the trees and not the forest; but as an exercise in criminalogy he'd had Tim develop this database.
Alfred pulled up a graph showing several categories of crime over the last couple of months. Each of the categories was graphed in a different colored line on the high-resolution monitor. Each of the lines but one had a seemingly random course. Some where up one month, and some were down. But, one of the lines showed a sharp upturn in the last month.
"What's this?" Dick asked, pointing to the upturned line.
"Sex crimes," the butler said.
"Maybe it's just a statistical aberration," Dick suggested.
"Perhaps," Alfred agreed. "But given the current state of, um, affairs..." Dick smiled at the butler's discrete pun. "...I plotted the individual incidents against a different set of sub-categories."
Alfred clicked the mouse pointer on another data window. This one was similar to the first; various categories plotted by number of incidents and occurrence date. The butler didn't need to explain the graph.
Dick studied the graph for a couple of minutes. The major crimes, like rape and aggrevated sexual assult had only a slight upswing in the last couple of months. The largest increases were in minor sexually-related misdemeanors, things like indecent exposure, lewdness, and public nudity.
Alfred clicked the mouse into yet another data window. "This is the Gotham County Health District's current statistics," he said. "I matched their statistics to the same time scale as the crime stats. There's been an upswing in sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregancies. I spoke with Dr. Thompkins as well. She didn't have the hard numbers, but she felt there was an upswing in these sorts of things in the last month or so."
Dr. Leslie Thompkins had been a young nurse working in the Social Services Department when Bruce's parents had been killed. She was the kind soul that pried young Bruce from his parents bodies that dreadful night. She held him for hours that night, comforting him. Much later, he returned the favor by paying her way through medical school.
Now, like Bruce's father, Dr. Thompkins spent much of her time in the poorer neighborhoods of Gotham. She helped drug addicts, gang members shot by rivals, young prostitutes dying of AIDS. Regardless of their standing in life, Dr. Thompkins helped those in need.
She also was one of the few people to know that Bruce Wayne was Batman. She was the medical member of the "team" and had healed many of their wounds.
"Maybe the warm weather's just got everyone horny and it's loosened their inhibitions," Dick said. The rise in sexually transmitted diseases was unfortunate, but an understandable consequence of unrestrained sexual behavior.
"We've had unnaturally warm weather before," Alfred pointed out. "The weather might affect the libidos of some, but I've never seen Master Bruce act like this. Nor Miss Gordon."
"You think there's some factor causing everyone to act ... uninhibited?"
Alfred shrugged again. It was very uncharacteristic of the butler. "It would explain a great deal."
Dick thought about Alfred's comments. He stared at the graph again. He wondered about the possibilities. Was it some chemical agent? He leaned over to another monitor and accessed another part of the criminal database. He saw that people like the Scarecrow and Hugo Strange were accounted for. Dr. Crane, the Scarecrow, was in Arkham Asylam and Strange was in prison. Both were criminals with MOs that included mind control and psychotropic chemical agents. Even the Joker was back in Arkham; the Clown Price of Crime had sometimes used mind control drugs--although he tended to favor a special version of nerve gas that contorted his victims' faces into grotesque parodies of his own grinning countenance.
Was this some scheme by one of Batman's other enemies? Dick thought of Superman's news and his comment to Batgirl earlier in the evening. Ra's Al Ghul was an accomplished scientist and had money and influence to access whatever his mind could imagine. Was this some strange scheme to weaken Batman? And were Batgirl and Catwoman unwitting victims?
Barbara opened the door to her apartment. Having a locker in the cave meant that she didn't have to carry around the heavy leather "batsuit" in a gym bag anymore. Sometimes she missed her old costume--the spandex was definitely lighter. She hadn't planned on staying out quite so late, but it was a thrill to see Superman up close.
She locked herself in for the night and padded into the bedroom. She unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off. She walked into the bathroom to urinate. As she squated over the toilet seat to relieve herself, she used her fingers to open her pussy lips. Barbara hadn't realized she was so wet; she was still horny.
And she'd been that way all night. First watching Bruce and Selina (and Tim and Arianna) all sweaty from playing tennis. And Dick in the tight tennis shorts. And then Jack Drake's obvious flirting and sexual innuendo. And to top it off, she'd seen (and fantasized about!) Superman.
Barbara finished and instead of pulling her panties up, she kicked them off. She reached over and turned on her shower. She then pulled off her shirt and took off her bra.
Naked, she walked into the bedroom while the shower warmed up. She opened the top drawer of her nightstand. She pulled out a large silicone rubber dildo and headed back to the shower.
The dildo was a gift from Selina. Barbara hadn't tried it by herself-- she'd only used it with Selina once. It had a large suction-cup at the base and Selina had showed her how to put it on the wall of the shower. Selina referred to it as a "shower fuck" and tonight Barbara was horny enough to give it a try.
The dildo was a soft silicone rubber that quickly absorbed body heat. The dildo was a bright pink. Selina's was off-white and Barbara was relieved that Selina hadn't given her one of the same color. Barbara didn't think she'd even consider playing with a sex toy that reminded her of the Joker's dick.
She felt the water in the shower and adjusted it slightly. She then took her wet hand and ran it over her already wet pussy. She sighed as her own caresses suggested the eventual relief that she knew she'd give herself.
She stepped into the shower. She held the base of the dildo under the mist of warm water. She could feel the silicone rubber absorbing the heat of the water. Barbara then turned and stuck the base against the wall. The dildo didn't want to stick. It had seemed so easy when Selina did it.
She leaned over and put her butt up against the wall, trying to judge what height to put the dildo. Holding the artifical penis by the shaft, she slammed it against the wall again. This time the suction cup held to the smooth wall with a satsifying "thud".
Leaning over again, Barbara compared the position of the dildo to the position of her pussy opening when she bent over. The dildo seemed to be in just about the right position.
When Selina had shown her how to use it, Barbara couldn't imagine herself using it. But now, it looked like it might be fun. It was amazing the things you'll do when you're horny, she thought to herself.
Leaning against the shower wall, Barbara felt the warm water of the shower splash over her breasts. She stoked one hand over the rubber penis and one hand between her legs. She was wet with natural lubrication, but decided it was probably best to use some additional lube.
She stepped out of the shower for a moment and pulled a tube of lube out of the medicine chest. This was also Selina's. They used the lube when Selina wanted to take a dildo up her ass. Barbara had never tried anal sex, but her friend seemed to enjoy it.
Barbara wondered if Selina and Bruce had tried butt-fucking. Barbara said it out loud to herself, "butt-fucking...." Then again, slower, "Butt. Fucking." She imitated her friend's bedroom talk and realized it was making her even hornier to picture Selina taking it in the butt. "Fuck my ass with your big dick," she told the dildo.
Back in the shower, Barbara put a generous amount of the lube on the rubber dildo and then stroked the fake dick again. As she did so, she pictured in her mind all the men's dicks she'd seen in her life. She remembered accidently seeing her father's as a child, she remembered seeing Bruce's first as Batman and then with Selina, she remembered seeing Dick's in the mirror right here in this bathroom. She even remembered seeing Tim's flacid teenaged dick in the locker room shower.
The first dick she'd ever fucked was in high school. Bill Richardson was her prom date. They had started making out in his car after the dance; Barbara waited for at least three more dates before she took the plunge and let Bill fuck her in his parent's bed one day after school.
Closing her eyes, the next image to come to her was Superman's tight costume. She wondered if his dick was as large and strong as the rest of him. He's an alien, she told herself, he might not even have a dick like human men. Barbara tried to focus on her remembered image of the Man of Steel's crotch, but she couldn't accurately remember it. She'd have to ask Selina. She was sure Selina would have noticed.
Barbara leaned forward and put her behind up against the head of the lube-slick dildo. It was awkward to bend over in the shower this way and the head of the dildo poked against her virgin asshole. For half a second, she thought about taking it into her butt, but decided against it. She told herself she'd save that for Selina. She hiked up her hips and used her hand to move the dildo into her waiting pussy.
She pushed her hips back slightly and felt the large rubber dick begin to part her opening. Using one hand to steady herself against the edge of the tub, she used the other to rub her clit. The warm water flowed over her head, shoulders, and back. She took a deep breath of the steamy air and pushed back harder. The slick dildo slide all the way into her wet and willing pussy.
In all of Barbara's previous sexual encounters with men, she'd been in the receiving role. She'd always wanted the men to move just a little faster, or stroke a little deeper. Now, with the dildo, she was in control. She rocked her hips forward and backward, the dildo sliding in and out of her vagina.
She moved in a steady pace, enjoying the slowly building climax. This was an awkward position and she realized that she'd soon get tired; but it felt so good, she didn't care if it exhausted her.
Barbara hadn't had any man inside her lately outside of Bruce and the dildo was somewhat larger than Bruce's dick. If she hadn't have been so horny and so wet, she wouldn't have been able to take the dildo without discomfort. She was beginning to relax and take the dildo to its full length. The dildo was tireless and didn't complain when she pushed her full weight down hard on the base. Now she understood why Selina liked to shower so much!
Her orgasm washed over her quickly, catching her by surprise. She fell forward, exhausted. The dildo slid out of her flushed pussy with a loud "pop". If she'd have had the strength to look back at her rubber lover, she'd have seen it wobbling up and down slightly, still bouncing to her rhythm. The dildo came to a rest before her breath did.
Barbara curled up in the bottom of the shower stall, breathing hard. She realized that she was exhausted but still horny. As she pushed her hands between her legs and began rubbing her pussy she wondered, "Why am I always so horny?" As her second orgasm came to her, she asked herself, "What's wrong with me?"
Chapter Eight
Dick was in the kitchen the next morning. He was waiting for Bruce. Whether his mentor and friend wanted to talk about it or not, there was definitely something going on. Something that apparently affected much of Gotham City as well as their own team.
Alfred was fixing breakfast and Dick was glancing through the stack of newspapers. Bruce subscribed to every major newspaper on the East Coast and it was part of his daily ritual to read through every one of them. It was a habit that benefited both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
"Morning Alfred, Dick," Bruce said as he strolled into the kitchen. Normally Bruce was less than amicable in the mornings, but this morning he patted Dick on the shoulder as he strolled past and leaned over Alfred's shoulder. "That looks good. I'm hungry."
Alfred looked at his employer and friend with a whimsical look. The butler usually had to remind Bruce to eat--the man was usually so absorbed in whatever he was doing that he forgot to eat.
"Will Miss Selina be joining us?" Alfred asked. He held up the skillet he was using. Golden slices of thick-cut french toast sizzled in the skillet and filled the kitchen with an inticing aroma. "I'm making her favorite."
Dick looked up from the Metropolis Daily Planet; he had never seen Alfred patronize either Bruce or himself like this. He wondered if it was simply the charm of this particular woman, the uniqueness of having a woman in what had until then been a men's domain, or whether Alfred was also affected by the mystery agent.
Dick had been reading an article by Clark Kent on a recent string of robberies in Metropolis. Ordinarily, such things happening in another city would not have caught Dick's interest. This time it did, however. One of the robberies was the one Superman had mentioned. Dick wondered if there were any clues in Kent's story to what the thieves would be targeting in Gotham.
"Selina's...a little under the weather," Bruce said sheepishly. It was apparent that he was uncomfortable with things of this nature. "I believe she's suffering from a touch of morning sickness."
Bruce poured himself a cup of coffee and inhaled it deeply. "Ah, Jamacian Blue Mountain?"
"Yes, sir," Alfred replied. He slid the french toast slices expertly out of the skillet and onto a serving plate. Before battering another pair of bread slices, he handed the plate to Bruce.
Bruce sat at one end of the table directly opposite Dick. It was a confrontational positioning that the two had adopted many years ago. When the just orphaned Dick Grayson joined the Wayne household, the young man had resisted the attempts of both Bruce and Alfred at making him comfortable. Instead of sitting beside Bruce, the young man had stubbornly insisted on sitting directly opposite.
The older man offered the serving plate to the younger. Dick speared several slices of the french toast and put them on the empty plate in front of him. "Thanks," he said as he put the newspaper aside.
"You're in my normal mood this morning," Bruce observed.
"We have something to talk about," Dick stated, still confrontational even after all these years.
Bruce helped himself to the remaining french toast and began pouring syrup over them. One thing about leading a double-life and averaging only four hours sleep a night: you didn't have to worry about calories. Bruce used up enough energy in one workout in the cave, let alone out on patrol, that he was able to eat pretty much anything he wanted.
With the quiet tone that so irrated Dick, Bruce said, "You think there's something making Selina, Barbara, and myself act different. Right?"
"I don't think," Dick said. "I know it. And with Alfred's help, I now have evidence."
"Now, Master Dick," Alfred said, "The evidence does seems to be a bit circumstantial."
Dick looked at the butler and smiled. "Last night you were just the family servant, not a detective."
The only thing the butler did in his own defense was to return the smile.
"Well?" Bruce said.
Dick turned back to Bruce and began to explain. "Alfred's right. It is circumstantial. But it's definitely something we need to look at further. Something is apparently affecting not just Selina and Barbara..."
"And me?" Bruce interjected.
Dick realized that Bruce was goading him. He decided to let it pass. "...But also many other people in Gotham."
Bruce sat silent for a moment and stared at his younger partner. He then looked at his oldest friend and confident. Alfred merely sat another plate of french toast on the table and went back to making more.
Dick continued with the story of how Alfred had discovered the seemingly unique crime statistics. Bruce resumed eating, but his movements became more mechanical and automatic. It was an indication that he was absorbing what Dick was saying and following the other two men's analysis to the same conclusion.
Is it morning already? That was the first thing Barbara Gordon thought as she awoke. She fought against a yawn, and lost. She then reached across the bed and grasped for the alarm clock.
The second coherent thought she had was: My pussy hurts. She had masturbated several times in the shower after riding the dildo. She finally crawled out of the shower and dryed herself off; only to rub herself to several other orgasms while sitting on the toilet seat. The trip to bed was uneventful, but several moments later she was laying on the bed with her legs spread as wide as she get them, a vibrator buzzing at her swollen clit. Later, she did herself again, and again, with her hands.
Barbara had lost count of how many times she got off last night. No, she told herself, that was this morning. As she slid out of bed and struggled to get to her feet, she realized that she'd only had about two hours of sleep. It had been midnight when the team had met with Superman and it took another hour or so to go back to the cave and then home. The last time she remembered looking at the clock, it was after three thirty. And she'd been awake for at least two orgasms after that.
Now it was six o'clock and she was due at a library staff meeting at eight. Her frantic schedule as Batgirl had forced Barbara to tolerate a limited amount of sleep, but she knew that it would eventually catch up with her. Unlike Bruce, she wasn't quite as driven--she routinely took a few days off every couple of weeks.
After a sleepy couple of moments trying to navigate to the bathroom, Barbara finally decided to set the clock for seven thirty and then get up and call in sick. She proceeded to sit on the toilet and relieve herself. Her labia were so sore she almost couldn't stand to touch them; she resisted touching herself until the stream of urine stung. She gingerly held her labia open until she finished.
I should put some first aid cream or something on my pussy, she thought. But she didn't want to arouse herself again. Barbara still didn't know what was causing her to be so horny, but the events of early this morning convinced her that something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
Barbara crawled back into bed and fell instantly asleep without resetting her clock.
When Barbara awoke around ten o'clock, she felt far more refreshed. She was still sore and tired, but she was at least functional. It took her a couple of minutes to realize that she was late for work and she hadn't called in sick like she'd planned.
She rushed to the kitchen and started to heat a pot of water. She knew that a hot cup of strong tea would help. She then reached for the phone and dialed her supervisor at the Gotham City Public Library.
The only time Barbara called in sick were those few unfortunate times when she'd taken a blow to the face as Batgirl and had bruises. Everyone at work knew she was single, but she didn't want them to suspect that she was an abused girlfriend, or worse. She was typically pretty lucky during cold season, she very rarely got sick enough to have to take time off. So she knew she had sick leave available and there shouldn't be any problem just taking the day off.
While the phone rang, she wondered what excuse to use this time. It was something she never really thought about ahead of time. She figured it just would sound too rehearsed and therefore too phony if she came up with the excuses beforehand.
"Gotham Public Library, this is Susan," the voice on the phone said. It was Susan Jones, one of Barbara's coworkers.
"Sue, this is Barbara," she said. "Is Gloria there?" Gloria Giordano, nicknamed GeeGee, was the Head Librarian and therefore Barbara's supervisor.
"Are you sick, girl?"
"Yeah," Barbara admitted.
"I know all about it. The kids have been sick for a week," Susan said. She had a pair of boys that seemed to always have a cold. "Gloria's out sick herself. Good thing it's been quiet today."
"Oh," Barbara said. "Well, who's Gloria's backup this week?"
"Duh, you are," Susan said. "But since you're out, I guess I'm in charge."
"Okay," Barbara said, her voice intentionally a little dull. "I think I'll be okay tomorrow."
"You really are sick, aren't you? Tomorrow's Sunday. The library is closed, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. Okay, I'll be in Monday."
"Alright. Take care of yourself, Babs," Susan said. "Lots of fluids, plenty of rest, you know the drill."
"Sure, thanks."
The water was hot by the time she finished with the call. She made a cup of tea and poured in a spoonful of honey. She sat at the kitchen table, resting herself a bit gingerly in the chair. Barbara shifted her weight a little and realized that she was still sore.
She remembered a high school health education class she'd once taken. During what was supposed to be a serious discussion about sex, several teenaged boys had instead used the class to make crude jokes. One student had asked, hesitantly, if masturbation was harmful. One of the jokers at the back of the class interrupted the teacher's response with: "Only if you rub yourself raw!"
At the time, she'd nerviously giggled along with the other kids. But now, she realized that the smart-assed kid had been right.
Barbara blew on the tea to cool it. She wondered what she should do. There was obviously something wrong, but she was embarrassed at the thought of going to a doctor. Likewise, she didn't think she could talk to her father about it. This was one of those times when she wished her mother was alive. She needed to talk to another woman. Not just another woman, but someone that understood the unique situation she was in.
She could think of only two options: Selina or Renee.
She doubted that anyone from the library would call her at home if they thought she was sick, but Barbara didn't want to take any chances. She forwarded her home phone to a cellular phone that she carried for emergencies. The phone would ring an extra time or two, but most people wouldn't notice that they call was being forwarded. She just hoped that the cellular signal would work in the cave. Barbara decided that if she spent any time today in the cave, she'd forward her phone to her extension in the cave office.
She then drove out to Wayne manor. She assumed that Selina would be there.
When Barbara got there, Selina was downstairs in the cave with Bruce and Dick.
"What's up?" Barbara asked. The others were all huddled around a computer monitor.
"Just going over some crime statistics," Dick explained. He still wasn't sure about his and Alfred's theory and didn't know if they should let Barbara in on it.
"Oh," Barbara said. "Selina, can we talk?"
Selina smiled, apparently happy to be taken away from the dull statistics. The two women walked into Barbara's office.
"I've got a little problem," Barbara said.
"You're pregnant too," Selina wondered.
"No," Barbara said, surprised. "Just really horny."
"Oh," Selina said. "Sorry, but I'm still a little nauseous and the boys are busy with their toys."
"No, you don't understand," Barbara pleaded. "I'm not horny right now...well, actually I am. That's the problem. I'm horny way too much, ALL THE TIME. There's something wrong with me!"
"Everyone goes through times when they are more aroused than normal," Selina said.
"I think there's something wrong. I ..., I masturbated about twenty times last night...this morning...." Barbara was almost at the point of tears. "I had to call in sick this morning because I didn't get any sleep. I'm so sore I can hardly walk."
Selina started to laugh at her friend. Most people wanted more sex in their lives, but here Barbara was complaining about too much. But the look on Barbara's face stopped her from laughing. It was obvious that this was really bothering Barbara.
"Let's go talk to Bruce. He and Dick may be on to something about this."
Barbara tried to keep her embarrassment in check as she, reluctantly, explained her problem to the two men. Luckily, they both kept their expressions neutral while they listened--she probably would have died from embarrassment if either had so much as smirked or laughed. She became less embarrassed when Dick explained his theory to her. She became mad when she began to consider that someone was doing this deliberately to her. To her and Selina, and maybe Bruce. And to other people in Gotham City.
"So if there is some agent that's doing this, how is it being distributed?" Barbara asked.
"In the water?" Selina asked.
Bruce pulled up a digitized map of Gotham City on the computer monitor. He superimposed the sites of the crime statistics on the map. There were a couple areas that were a little higher than others, but the sexually-oriented crimes were about evenly distributed around the city.
"Gotham has over thirty different water sources," he said. "If a person put the agent into the system from any one source, it would tend to be concentrated in one area of the city."
"Airborne?" Dick suggested.
"Possibly," Bruce agreed. "But the prevailing wind patterns would carry it inland, to Bludhaven and beyond. There are no increases in the statistics from those areas."
Everyone studied the map for a moment. Bruce then turned to another terminal and entered a query. A second or two later, the printout on the screen confirmed whatever theory he had in mind. He turned back to the Gotham map. "There have been no strange reports from Arkham in this timeframe. If the agent was airborne, it should have had an affect there."
"What sort of 'agent' could do this?" Barbara asked.
"Good question," Bruce said. "The symptoms are simple. Increased libido and lowered inhibitions. In the case of these statistics, the agent simply brought out actions people would otherwise hold in restraint. You notice that none of the serious crimes have increased. Murder, thief, and assult are all basically at the same levels they've been for several years."
He continued, "We could be dealing with something that is causing a physical reaction, resulting in an increase in various hormones and therefore increase in sexual desire, or we could be looking at something that's psychoactive in nature, reducing a person's inhibitions; possibly affecting their judgement..."
"It sounds like you're talking about an aphrodisiac," Dick said. "I thought there were no real aphrodisiacs."
Bruce responded, "There aren't. But there are various substances that can produce increased sex drive, just as some prescription drugs conversely reduce the sex drive. The most common substance is testosterone."
Selina said, "But that's the male sex hormone. How would that affect a woman?"
"Women produce testosterone naturally," Bruce said. "Although not normally in the same quantities as a man."
"Right," Dick confirmed, "I remember reading about female bodybuilders who take steroids. Steroids are a form of synthetic testosterone. One of the side affects is an increase in sex drive."
"So we're looking for a steroid?" Selina asked.
"Maybe. Or something like it," Bruce said.
"Could it be something that forces the body to produce more testrosterone naturally?" Barbara wondered.
"Maybe," Bruce confirmed. "The question is: what?"
"Let's look at this a different way," Dick suggested. "I don't feel affected. I don't think Alfred or Tim seem to be affected either. What do we all have in common?"
"You're all male," Selina pointed out.
"But so is Bruce," Barbara countered. "And these statistics are probably a cross-section of genders."
"What if this is tied to location?" Dick wondered, "A very broad geographic location, granted. Alfred very rarely leaves the mansion. And Tim spends most of his time in school or at home."
"Or here," Barbara pointed out.
"Right. And I've been in and out of town several times since this started," Dick said. "But the three of you have been downtown almost everyday. You all work there."
"But I don't work where Bruce and Selina do," Barbara pointed out. "And all of these reports can't have come from people working at Wayne Enterprises."
"No," Bruce agreed, "But they could all come from people that live all round Gotham but work downtown." He narrowed the scope of the map, focusing on the center of the city. "Even if we narrow the parameters to only downtown, we still would be dealing with at least five or six city water sources."
Dick snapped his fingers, "What about water coolers. Businesses have water coolers, with bottled water. Suppose someone's putting the agent in bottled water."
"Unlikely," Bruce said, "All the bottled water vendors would also be distributing water outside the downtown area."
"And we don't have bottled water at the library," Barbara said. "Budget cuts," she explained. "And I don't have bottled water at home."
"Whatever the common link, we can start by looking downtown," Bruce said. "We need to keep our eyes open for the next couple of days."
"I don't know if I can put up with this for another couple of days," Barbara said.
"We've also got the technology conference to worry about," Bruce stated.
"Could the two be connected?" Selina asked.
"I don't think so," Bruce said. "If these statistics are any indication, this all began before the conference was definitely confirmed for Gotham."
The team broke up and Barbara went back home. Everyone had an assignment.
Alfred was due to go into the city on a shopping trip; he was assigned to try and get water samples from various sites around town.
Both Bruce and Selina were going to bring back air and water samples from their respective offices. Each promised to look for suspicious activity around Wayne Enterprises. Bruce even suggested that he might do an impromptu tour of some of the various Wayne Enterprises manufacturing and office locations around the city. It was something that he occassionally did. Other companies, like computer and electronics giant Hewlett-Packard, had formal management policies that dictated that executives spend time outside their offices and interacting with the people under them. They called it "managment by wandering around."
Bruce happened to like this current management fad. He hated the idea of being a CEO that the employees only saw at the Christmas party or in their annual report photo. He wanted to know the people that worked for him and liked to find out about their problems. The only way that happened was when he stepped out of the oak- panelled corner office and mingled with the employees. He sometimes ate lunch in the company cafeteria, he sometimes dropped in unexpectedly to departmental meetings. Sometimes, doing these things made people a little scared and extra careful around him. But sometimes, he met employees that didn't know who he was or who were secure enough in themselves to confront the "big boss."
As a consultant, Selina's office was actually in a different building than Bruce's. Bruce's executive offices were in the Wayne Enterprises tower near Gotham City Hall. Selina's office was in the WayneTech "campus" at the south end of Gotham Bay. The campus was in a high-tech cluster that included the Gotham City branch of STAR Labs.
Dick spent the afternoon revisiting some old haunts. It afforded him the opportunity to reaquaint himself with the city he'd grown up in and the opportunity to get similar air and water samples. Later that night, he'd do the same as Nightwing with Robin's help.
Barbara's unofficial assignment was to get some rest. Her offical assignment was to provide some air and water samples from her apartment, the neighborhood around her apartment, and from the Gotham Public Library. As an employee, she knew she could get into the Library on Sunday. She could make up some excuse if necessary.
The team decided to meet back in the cave later that night and again Sunday night. After that, Bruce would have to turn his attention toward the technology conference. As head of the largest high-techology company in Gotham, he was the unofficial host of the conference. Therefore, he had numerous social responsibilites this week.
Barbara took a brief nap upon getting home, but felt restless. She wanted to put her costume on and prowl around as Batgirl, but decided that was counterproductive in her current state. Either costume, the tight leather one, or the even tighter lycra suit, tended to excite her these days.
Instead, she sat down at her home computer. She'd played a bit with the Internet at work, mainly when she had to e-mail other libraries for book requests. Barbara had promised herself that she'd learn more about this facinating new media, but she'd never had the time. Since joining Bruce's "team" and working closer with Batman, Nightwing, and Robin, she'd come to realize that there was far more to fighting crime and injustice than just punching crooks. She realized that her library skills could prove a valuable asset to the team and that she could benefit the group best by doing some of the more mundane research tasks.
So, since she had the time available, she decided to spend the afternoon learning to "surf the net."
Barbara dialed the Wayne Enterprises computer system using the number Bruce had given her. Like most businesses, Wayne Enterprises relied heavily on computers. (In fact, the WayneTech subsidiary manufactured them.) Therefore, there was a very large and complex computer system at the heart of the business. And like most businesses, Wayne Enterprises had a fully-redundant system. As a backup against a natural disaster that might destroy the computer center, the company maintained a completely separate computer facility in one of the nearby suburbs. This facility was periodically tested, but otherwise remained idle. Bruce used this facility to piggyback the cave's systems into the outside world with minimal risk of detection.
This backup facility offered Barbara access to the full scope of the Internet with little chance that someone would see what she was doing. She took a couple minutes acquainting herself with the system's configuration and she reset her PC's IP address so that the Wayne Enterprises computer would see her home PC as simply another node on the company network.
Then she began to do some research in earnest.
On a whim, she started with a web search using various keywords. She typed "aphrodisiac" into the search field. A few seconds later, an index of web pages displayed on her screen.
The heading on the search result page indicated that more than 4,000 pages matched the search criteria.
Barbara quickly read down through the list. She was disappointed. Most the web pages that matched the search word were ads for various sexual services, not valid research on aphrodisiacs.
So much for the 'commericalization' of the Internet, she thought. I wonder if this is what Al Gore and Bill Clinton had in mind when they began touting the Information Superhighway?
She cleared the keyword field and typed in "testosterone". This time the search result page indicated that over 13,000 pages matched the search criteria. "Oh, great," she mumbled to herself. This is fruitless, Barbara thought.
Her eyes scanned down through the beginning of the list. She clicked the mouse on the hypertext field that caused the list to display the next portion. Some of the web pages appeared to be medical research abstracts and news articles about various types of drug research. One of the pages was titled "Metabolic Disorders" and another "Testosterone Replacement Therapy for HIV-Infected Men."
"This is more like it," Barbara said to herself. Some of these web pages looked like legitimate medical research.
Barbara scanned over a number of the web pages. Some of them still pertained to off-topic pages. That was one of the problems with the current search engines. They were dumb string-matching indexes. Any page, regardless of its actual subject, would be in this index if it had a single word in it that matched the search criteria.
She laughed at some of the titles. One pretentious title, no doubt for a univerisity thesis, was "In Vivo and In Vitro Evidence for the Biosynthesis of Testosterone in the Telencephalon of the Female Frog." Barbara was half tempted to access this web page to read it, but she decided to focus on the pages that seemed to be more relevant to human females.
The most promising title was "Testosterone's role in the female sex drive." Barbara pulled down the File Save menu and saved the web page to her local hard drive for reading later. Another promising title was "Testosterone and Antisocial Behavior."
Like every library in the country, the Gotham City Public Library was struggling to stay on top of the advances in computers and the Internet while dealing with a limited budget. The library had only been able to afford an introductory course in using the Internet. The instructor of the course had been good; putting complicated concepts into terms even the older non-computer literate librarians could understand. Barbara remembered the instructor likening web pages to a newsletter.
That same instructor had likened e-mail to the post office and paper mail. Likewise, the Usenet was likened to a bulletin board. Barbara didn't have the e-mail addresses of anyone that might help with this problem, but she did have a program that could read the newsgroup messages posted on the Usenet.
She existed the web browser and started the newsgroup reader program. Not knowing where to start, Barbara clicked on the button that read "Refresh Newsgroup List." She then sat dumbfounded as the computer display indicated that the process would take over twenty minutes. She couldn't imagine how many newsgroups there might be, but there were apparently quite a number.
Since this was going to take awhile, Barbara got up and stretched. She went to her kitchen and heated up a bowl of soup while she waited. The soup was just coming to a boil when she heard the computer beep. That meant it was done with the update.
Barbara turned off the stove and poured some of the soup into a bowl. She crumbled in a few crackers and then headed back to the computer.
She sat the soup down on the desk beside her keyboard and clicked the "List Newsgroups" button. The program displayed a new window listing all the newsgroups. The status line at bottom of the window indicated that there were over 15,000 newsgroups.
Taking the mouse into her hand, she began scrolling through the list. She quickly understood why some people found this confusing. Newsgroups had names going from general to specific whereas the domains or locations that designated actual computer systems were named from specific to general. For example, WayneTech had a web site through which it provided support for its products. The web site domain name was WWW.WAYNETECH.COM. But the newsgroup related to WayneTech computers was COMP.SYSTEMS.WAYNETECH.
Barbara ate a couple spoons of the soup as she remembered from her library Internet course that the first portion of the newsgroup name was defined as a high-level hierarchy. All newsgroups related to computers were under the COMP hierarchy. As she scrolled through the list, Barbara saw that most of the newsgroups seemed to fall in the ALT hierarchy.
In this case, ALT stood for alternative. She remembered that the instructor had said that the newsgroups in the ALT hierarchy were totally unregulated. As she scrolled further through the list, she saw why.
There were newsgroups like ALT.BINARIES.PICTURES.EROTICA, ALT.SEX.STORIES, ALT.SEX.MOVIES, and ALT.SEX.ESCORTS. No wonder the politicians and religous types want to censor the Internet, Barbara thought. As a librarian, Barbara had very set opinions about censorship. She was firmly against it. She understood the need for some rules, like those relating to libel, but she firmly believed in the right of people to read and view whatever they wanted.
Barbara was amazed to find almost 100 separate newsgroups under the ALT.BINARIES.PICTURES.EROTICA group. There seemed to be a separate newsgroup for just about every taste. Blondes, redheads, latins, teens, gay, lesbians, bears (it took Barbara a while to figure out this was gay slang for hairy men), and cartoons. Barbara had learned from Selina that there were many ways to express your sexuality, but she never realized there were so many options.
She took a few more spoons of the soup. Barbara had been so engrossed with what she was doing; she'd lost track of time. The soup was cold.
Curiosity got the better of her and she clicked on one of the groups. It was labeled ALT.BINARIES.PICTURES.EROTICA.FEMALE. It took a couple of minutes for the computer to download the complete list of messages posted to this newsgroup. There were tens of thousands of messages!
It took Barbara another couple of hours to figure everything out. First she discovered that the newsgroup messages were only text and that pictures couldn't be directly posted here. Instead, some ingenious souls had figured out ways to code graphics files into text files that could then be posted. Barbara had to exit from the newsgroup reader and search for a progam that could decode the messages.
She then returned to the newsgroup and downloaded one of the messages. She ran it through the decoder program and then opened it in one of the paint programs that come with the PC. The picture that was displayed on her screen some minutes later was a female nude typical of what she'd seen in magazines like Playboy or Penthouse.
Wouldn't it just be easier to go buy the magazine? she asked her self. The hassles men will go through to see the female body naked! she thought.
Her curiosity satisfied, Barbara exited from the newsgroup. She thought she'd just scroll quickly through the rest of the erotica newsgroups, but one other caught her eye:
ALT.BINARIES.PICTURES.EROTICA.SUPERHEROINES
"Oh, great," she groaned.
She clicked on the newsgroup name and began looking at the titles of the messages posted there. There were not as many messages in this newsgroup as in the other one, but there were still hundreds. Many of them seemed to be requests for pictures, not actually pictures themselves. Wonder Woman and Supergirl seemed to be the most requested pictures. One of the titles trumpeted "UPSKIRT SUPERGIRL NUDE!"
Knowing that this was probably a bad idea, given her current state of easy arousal, Barbara nevertheless was curious. She downloaded the message and ran it through the decoder. She then held her breath as she opened the picture in the paint program.
The picture that was displayed onscreen was a fuzzy shot of Supergirl flying away from the camera. The Girl of Steel wore a short mini-skirt and from this angle the camera had a full view of her butt. Even to Barbara's unpracticed eye, it was obvious that someone had used a similar paint program to retouch the photo. The cleft of Supergirl's buttocks seemed to be just a bit sharper than the rest of the photo. Normally, Supergirl wore a pair of red shorts under the red mini-skirt. But the color of the shorts was changed to a flesh color and the line between the shorts and her legs had been erased.
As she looked at the picture on her PC screen, Barbara remembered seeing a similar photo recently in the news. An airliner had lost an engine during a long overseas flight. Supergirl had flown out to the aircraft and helped it land safely by lifting on the wing to make up for the missing engine. The photo had been taken by a news photographer at the airport just moments before the airliner landed safely. The original photo had run in many US newspapers. But in the original, you could see the entire plane and Supergirl was simply a very small part of the image.
That's why the picture is so fuzzy, Barbara realized. It had been cropped and then electronically enlarged to focus only on Supergirl's image.
Thinking of Supergirl made Barbara think of the Girl of Steel's cousin--Superman. Barbara shifted uneasily in her chair as the thought of Superman ran through her mind. She was still sore from her self-abuse the night before, but Barbara was still aroused and she could feel the wettness begin to spread between her legs.
Since she now knew that some agent, chemical or otherwise, was affecting her libido, Barbara deliberately ignored the sensations coursing through her body. After her encounter with "Batgirl" at the strip-club, she naturally wondered if anyone had faked photos of her.
Barbara scanned down through the newsgroup. By reading the titles and a few of the non-picture messages, she discovered that the users of the Usenet had abbreviations for some of the newsgroups. Most of the newsgroups in this hierarchy were abbreviated A.B.P.E. and the the final part of the name. Therefore ALT.BINARIES.PICTURES.EROTICA.SUPERHEROINES became A.B.P.E.SUPERHEROINES.
The other thing Barbara quickly discovered was that this newsgroup consisted of not just photos (fake and real), but also drawings. One was titled "CAT.GIF." Barbara had learned that GIF was the abbreviation for a type of graphic image. She wondered what the picture was--maybe Catwoman? She downloaded it and decoded it.
It was a fan drawing of the Black Cat, a comic book and movie character. Barbara remembered Tim talking about the recent Spider-man movie. The Black Cat was apparently a friend of Spider- man's. Based on the picture, she determined that the Black Cat was a young silver-haired woman with large breasts. Typical male- fantasy comic book fare, Barbara told herself.
A few messages later, a message by the same author as "CAT.GIF" was titled, "Who needs Spider-man?" Barbara downloaded it and was presented with another fan drawing of the same Black Cat and a red-haired woman apparently named Mary Jane going down on each other. The two women in the drawing where on a bed and behind them was a silhouette of Spider-man's head peeking through the window.
Barbara scanned through the rest of the newsgroup. She skipped over the rest of the Black Cat drawings and photos. The actress that had played the character in the movie was apparently very popular.
Most of the Wonder Woman and Supergirl photos were simply scanned from various newspapers and magazines. A few of them were "retouched" as had been the first Supergirl photo Barbara had seen.
Barbara was somewhat relieved that there were no "BATGIRL.GIF" messages. At the very end of the newsgroup, she did found what she'd been looking for. "CATWOMAN.GIF" was the simple title of the message. She downloaded and decoded the message.
The picture was another fan drawing. This artist was very good and the likeness to Selina was striking. The picture was of a mostly nude woman wearing Catwoman's mask and boots. Her trademark bullwhip was wrapped around a prone man's neck. The woman in the picture was squatting down over a man's very large and erect penis. The swollen head of the man's penis was inside the woman's shaven pussy. While the man's attention was apparently glued to "Catwoman's" extremely large breasts (even larger than Selina's own), the woman in the picture was sneaking a wallet from the man's pants.
"And it doesn't even look like Bruce," a voice behind her said.
Barbara jumped up, startled. Nightwing was standing behind her.
"Damn you!"
Nightwing held up his hands in mock defense. "I just wanted to see if you were okay."
"I'm fine," Barbara said. She sat back down and closed the paint program, removing the Catwoman picture from the PC screen.
"I never thought you were the type to go surfing for dirty pictures."
"I was doing some research," she pleaded. "I always wanted to learn more about the Internet, but never had the time..."
"You learned quite a lot, it appears."
"I stumbled across this by mistake. I wonder what Selina would think?"
"Ask her," Nightwing said. "Tim already found that picture and showed it to Bruce and I. I'm sure Bruce showed her."
"Oh," Barbara replied. "Has Tim found...?"
"Any of Batgirl?"
Barbara nodded.
"No," Nightwing said. "But there are fan stories, though."
"Oh, great..."
"You might not want to see the stories. They're pretty bad, if you know what I mean."
"I'm sure I can handle it."
"Uh, Barbara," Nightwing said, "Selina told us how upset you were when you uh, when you and she went uh, out for dinner that one night."
She stood up and faced the dark-garbed man. "The night we went to the strip joint, you mean!" It was obvious by the tone of her voice that she was mad.
"Uh, yeah," Nightwing replied. He walked back to the open balcony door and closed the curtain. As he turned back to Barbara, he took off the mask that outlined his eyes. "Selina was concerned. Actually, she only told Bruce. But this morning, after what we found out about this... problem, he had her tell the rest of us. Selina said you were a little teed off at your 'fan' for wearing a Batgirl costume."
"Wonderful. Maybe I should just post the whole fucking story to the Internet!"
"Hey, you went to a strip club. So what?" Dick said, shrugging. "It's not like you got up on stage and took off your clothes or anything...." He saw the change in Barbara's expression. "...did you?"
Barbara just looked at him. Selina had apparently not told them the whole story. But now Dick knew because she'd gotten mad about it. She sat back down and slowly began the process of logging off the computer.
"You did," Dick said simply, reading her body language. "Barbara, it's not that big of a deal. You're under the influence of some drug or something. You probably weren't thinking straight. And God knows, Selina isn't a girl scout. It's not like she's the best role model in the world..."
"Shut up!"
Dick stopped talking and quietly sat down on the sofa across from the computer desk. He waited.
Barbara finally shut off the PC and turned to look at her uninvited guest.
"If you wanted to know if I was okay, you could have just called."
"Tried. Phone was busy," he said, motioning to the modem sitting beside the PC. "Besides, I was in the neighborhood. I thought I'd save you the hassle of getting an air and water sample."
"Great. I'll still get you one from the library tomorrow."
"No need," Dick said. "Tim already got one."
"Oh." Barbara looked at the younger man sitting across from her. She could feel the attraction she had for him and the anger she had at the moment. The anger seemed to intensify the sensation in her crotch. "Sounds like you don't really need me--maybe I'll just take a vacation or something," she said sarcastically.
"It's not like that," Dick protested. "He was there anyway. Doing research for some school project."
Barbara sat in her chair, seething. She fought the urge to throw the soup bowl at him. She just stared and he just sat there waiting. That was something both Bruce and Dick were good at: waiting. It was always something that she had a problem with. Sometimes crime fighting meant surveillance of suspects. Just sitting and waiting.
She was having a problem now, trying to out-wait Dick. It would be easier if he didn't look so adorable in his skin-tight Nightwing costume. And if she wasn't so horny.
"So."
"So," Dick echoed.
"So, if you and Tim have all these water and air samples, have you found anything?"
"Not yet," Dick admitted. "Alfred's back at the cave right now, running some tests on the samples we've got so far."
"What's Bruce doing?"
"He and Selina are reviewing the security plan for the technology conference."
"Oh," Barbara said. "I thought I overheard him telling my dad that she wasn't working on that?"
"She wasn't. But after the info from Superman, Bruce isn't taking any chances. Between the Secret Service, Gotham PD, MI5, Batman and Catwoman, I'd guess they've got enough experts to make sure the conference goes off just fine."
"MI5?"
"British Secret Service. Prince Andrew is representing some English technology company at the awards ceremony."
"Ah." Barbara paused, trying to think of something to say, something to keep her mind off the throbbing of her pussy. She couldn't help but remember the last time Dick had sat on her couch and how she'd tried to get him into bed. "I guess my Dad'll be busy all week. He almost never sleeps when he's dealing with stuff like this."
"Yeah, Bruce is the same way. And it's tougher this time. He's got such a big role as himself."
She also remembered the last time Batman had been here to her apartment. She wondered if Dick would have resisted her charms if she'd shown him as much as she'd shown Batman. The night Dick had spent here, she'd been in an entirely different mood and hadn't been quite so brazen as she'd been with Batman.
Barbara wasn't quite sure what sort of mood she was in now. She knew intellectually that she probably shouldn't do anything. Her body needed rest and she wasn't sure how sleeping together would affect her 'working' relationship with Dick. But, she did feel horny and he looked so hot in that costume.
"Uh, Barbara? You okay?" Dick asked.
"I'm fine. Why?"
"You look sort of ... funny. Sort of spacy."
"I was just thinking of something."
"What?" Dick wondered.
"I was thinking about fucking you," Barbara said, boldly.
"Oh," Dick said, sorry he asked.
"So?" Barbara asked. "You want to?"
"Look, you're obviously not yourself. This agent is making you act this way..."
Barbara interrupted, "I'm just fine. Maybe I'm just attracted to you. Have you ever considered that? This mystery agent might not even exist. And even if it does, didn't Bruce say it's just making us act out what we're already thinking."
"Uh, Barbara," Dick said, getting uneasy with the whole situation, "I like you, really I do. And you're very attractive. But I can't just take advantage of you like this."
Barbara stood up and began to pull off her tee-shirt. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath and she ran her hands over her breasts. Her nipples got even harder.
"You wouldn't be taking advantage of me. I want to do this."
Dick sat up, perched on the edge of the couch. He tried not to look at Barbara's breasts. He remembered his teenaged fantasies, of both Batgirl and Catwoman. He now had, again, the opportunity to live one of those fantasies. The last time he'd been here to Barbara's apartment, he'd had the chance. But he didn't want to take advantage of Barbara. That last time, she'd seemed a little depressed. Now, she was obviously in the throes of whatever agent they suspected.
His analytical mind and his well-honed observational skills conflicted. His mind whirled with the possible ramifications of his having sex with Barbara. As his mind struggled with the dilemma, he eyed her freckled breasts. His adolesent fantasies about Batgirl rose from deep within his memory.
Barbara cupped herself with both hands and then twisted her nipples. She remembered the experience with the Joker; the power she had over the bound psychopath. Dick was unbound, but seemed to be nearly as helpless. He continued to sit perched on the edge of the couch. She wondered how long he'd hold that position; surely his jock was beginning to feel a little tight.
She knew her own jeans were feeling a little wet. She had tried tempting Dick with the innocent bathrobe-falling-open-bit the last time and figured that something a bit more direct might work this time. She stared directly into his eyes as she smiled. Her hands moved down to her waist and she unbuttoned her jeans.
Dick continued to watch, his mind racing.
Barbara slowly unzipped the jeans and then pushed them down. She put her thumbs under the hem of her panties and pushed them down with the jeans. In a couple of seconds, she was standing naked in front of her sometimes partner. She kicked the jeans and panties to Dick's feet as further temptation.
Continuing her new tactic, she moved her right hand directly to her bush and began stroking herself. "Your turn," she growled.
Dick took a deep breath and thought he could smell the enticing odor of Barbara's pussy. He idlely wondered if the mystery agent affected other bodily functions the way it did the libido. He wondered if her smell was stronger because she was aroused or because the agent was affecting her biochemistry.
He stood and continued to watch the woman in front of him. She continued to finger herself and Dick could see that her fingers were moist with her own juices.
He remembered the first time Batman had shown him how to swing from one building to another. Dick had grown up with the circus and his parents had already taught him many tricks on the trapeze. But there was always a net under the trapeze. He realized that sex and love were a lot like swinging from building to building with only a thin rope to support you. There were certain precautions, but there basically came a time when you just had to take the leap.
He unsnapped the catch at the neck of his costume and began to unzip the front. As he did so, Barbara continued to finger herself and watch him. When the zipper came to the bottom of its track, she knelt down in front of him and began running her hands up and down his legs.
Bruce finished reviewing the latest plans for the Gotham City Convention Center security systems. He couldn't think of any additional changes. He stood from his desk and walked into the open portion of the cave.
Alfred was there, running some automated tests on the various air and water samples. "Sir," the butler said as he sensed his employer walk up behind him.
"Any luck, Alfred?"
"No, Sir. There are varying levels of industrial and urban pollution in both the water and air samples. The carbon monoxide levels are higher than federal standards." Both men knew all too well the problems that Gotham had dealing with the affects of too many cars in the metropolitan area.
"Nothing that fits the criteria?"
"No. I'm sorry, Sir."
Selina came down the hall into the cave. She was absorbed in a magazine.
"What are you reading, Miss?" Alfred asked.
"Oh, Alfie, it's the annual People magazine 'best and worst dressed' issue."
"Ah, the facinating world of fashion," Alfred said.
"Don't laugh," Selina said. "I'm in it."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, and so is Bruce!"
This caught Bruce's attention. He turned away from the computer display of the test results. He moved beside Selina and put one arm tenderly around her waist. He stood at her side and looked at the page Selina was showing him.
The page showed several pictures of him, taken at various charity affairs by celebrity photographers. The heading across the pages heralded "Bruce Wayne: Best Dressed Businessman". He turned a few of the pages as Selina continued to hold the magazine. He smiled as he flipped through the pages devoted to show business celebrities. "Well, at least this year, I bet out George Clooney."
Alfred looked at Bruce with a look of astonishment. The devoted butler usually had to remind Bruce of such important things as eating, but since Selina had moved in, Bruce had seemed to round out the other aspects of his life. The butler would have bet a month's salary that Bruce had never, ever, seen an issue of a magazine like People.
"You're in here too?" Bruce asked.
Selina took the magazine from Bruce and flipped to the back of the magazine. Instead of just focusing on business and show business celebrities, People had devoted pages in this year's issue to the fashion of politicians and sports stars. And, this year, for the first time, a couple pages devoted to both superheroes and supervillians.
Selina's picture was under at title that read "Best Dressed Pussycat?" The picture was obviously taken without Selina's knowledge and Bruce recognized the building in the background. It was the Wayne Enterprises corporate headquarters. Selina was wearing a tailored outfit; it was one that she purchased soon after starting work for Wayne.
On the facing page was a bold full color shot of Superman. His cape was flowing around him and his broad chest seemed to leap from the page. The photo appeared to be a publicity shot that he sometimes did for various children's charities. Bruce reached over Selina's shoulder and turned the page. The "super-fashion" section of the magazine ended on the next page with pictures of the Joker and Supergirl.
Although the fashion editors considered Superman's look "classic and timeless," they condemned Supergirl's costume as "out-of-date."
"Looking for something?" Selina asked.
"Just hoping for a double-header," Bruce joked.
"That's unlikely," Alfred judged. "You can't take decent photographs in the dark."
"Speaking of such, I suppose it's time to get to work," Bruce said. He kissed Selina and then headed to the locker room to change into what Alfred dryly refered to as his "work clothes".