What a night!Cat stood in front of the mirror and smiled at herself complacently. With well practiced moves she colored her lips in an eye-catching shade of red. Her dress was fitting just perfectly. It emphasized the right parts of her body and was sexy in an almost modest manner. This evening was going to be special, no doubt about that. Cat had to admit to herself that she had been wrong. When the shop clerk had first shown her the dark red dress she had wrinkled up her nose in contempt. On the coat hanger it had looked much too conventional. But even so Cat must have still been a school girl when she had last worn anything that decent, she certainly had never before looked more seductive. This was going to be her night! And what kind of a night!
Cat winked at her mirror image and thought of her colleague’s and particularly Lois’ reaction this morning.
<Please say that again!> Lois had shouted appalled. <Who did you say is supposed to interview Alex Flint?>
Perry had rolled his eyes, afflicted. <Cat Grant,> he had murmured, leaving little doubt that he’d rather have someone like Lois or Clark do the job. A little later he had decided that going further into detail wouldn’t hurt. <Alex Flint has granted the Planet this Interview on the condition that Cat does it. He wrote me that he is a great admirer of her column and he wants to meet her. I’m sorry, Lois, but we need this interview and you know how shy Mr. Flint is.>
<But Perry, > Lois had argued. <You don’t honestly want to trust Cat with the story of the year! She lacks the experience! Alex Flint has been refusing to give interviews ever since he appeared. I’ve been trying for weeks to meet the new star on the financial firmament. This story is just too important to leave it with the gossip column.> Lois had fumed. Cat still enjoyed the memory of that moment. She would never forget it. Just like she would never forget tonight.
<Unfortunately we have no choice but let her write that story, or there won’t be an interview, Lois. Besides, I’m still waiting for the details on that city council story you and Clark promised to write,> Perry had ended the argument without further ado.
For the rest of the day Lois had pouted while Clark obviously couldn’t stop grinning. Somehow it seemed to make him happy that Lois wasn’t interviewing one of Metropolis wealthiest men. Instead they would be sifting through piles and piles of documents. Cat knew what she would prefer and she didn’t begrudge Lois in the least.
Glancing at the clock, Cat noticed that she needed to hurry. She didn’t want to be late to her date with Alex Flint. This night had to start as soon as it possibly could. There were the most fascinating rumors about Alex. He was said to have so much sex-appeal that even Spencer Spencer would seem pale in comparison. Unfortunately that were no more than rumors, because Alex Flint avoided public and no one had ever seen him. Cat was determined to confirm those rumors tonight.
The financial world’s who-is-who didn’t contain his photo, but the details of his curriculum vitae were promising. He was barely thirty and already a millionaire. He had attended the best schools throughout the USA, yet important parts of his life remained a mystery. He kept his private life hidden from everyone. Hard as Cat had tried to find a photo in one of his school’s year books, she had failed. But he had to look amazing, given that he had been captain of a basketball team.
Some time later, Cat’s heart was beating madly as she opened the door of the expensive restaurant Alex had invited her to. She looked around and studied the faces of the good-looking men who sat at the various tables. Most of them returned her glance with blatant interest, even though some of them were accompanied by another woman. There were a few lonesome men, but none of them carried a yellow rose like Alex had promised to do it. Slightly confused Cat had a look at her watch and wondered if Alex was late. That was if he came at all.
Suddenly, she felt a slender hand on her shoulder.
“Ms. Grant?” a soft female voice asked.
Cat turned around and looked into the smiling face of a woman in her thirties. Much to her surprise the woman obviously wasn’t a waitress. She wore a stylish pant suit that couldn’t prevent her from being mousy. Her smile was all that gave her a certain charisma. Cat didn’t like those sad wall flowers, even though they had never been dangerous to her. This woman didn’t even wear make-up.
“Yes?” Cat asked and did her best not to sound too disappointed that it hadn’t been Alex’ hand on her shoulder.
The young woman smiled even broader. “I’m glad to finally meet you. I’m Alex Flint.”
