Rose, Charlotte - Bayou Flood [The Shifters of Alligator Bend 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

This time, Sophie rushed through her gear-packing process. While she usually enjoyed the time as a way to decompress from a performance, she found she didn’t need any time to relax. If anything, having to pack up her stuff was just distracting her from what she really wanted to do.

Once she was done, she rushed to the back of the coffee shop. Virgil and Gabriel grinned and stood up as she approached.

“You were fantastic, baby,” Gabriel said, giving her a tight hug.

“Yeah, you were amazing. You shouldn’t be the opening act. You should be the star.”

Sophie blushed. “It’ll happen someday. Thank you two so much for showing up. I didn’t expect to see you all the way out here. It’s kind of a hike, isn’t it? Especially for a last-minute gig.”

Virgil gave her a soft kiss. “It’s a bit of a distance from the shore, yeah, but we haven’t seen you all week, and we love to see you perform.”

“Wasn’t no trouble to rent a car for the night,” Gabriel said. “It wasn’t a bad drive.”

“I don’t know ’bout you, but we’re starvin’,” Gabriel said. “How ’bout headin’ back to the Quarter for dinner?”

Sophie’s stomach rumbled at the very mention of food. “That sounds perfect. What did you have in mind?”

Virgil grinned. “Galatoire’s. We even rented ourselves a convertible so we could travel there in style. We’ll load up your gear and then come pick your car back up after we eat. Sound good?”

“Do you think we could even get a table there on a Friday night?”

“Oh, sure we can,” Virgil said. “Besides, I won’t mind havin’ to wait in line a little bit if I get to wait with you.”

“I don’t suppose you have a dress for me waiting in the back seat of your car. I’m not exactly dressed for Galatoire’s.”

Virgil laughed. “And here we were trying to surprise you. Come on, let’s go.”

Without waiting to be asked, Virgil and Gabriel picked up her gear and hauled it out to the parking lot.

“Hey, Toni, I’m going to leave my car here for a few hours. Is that cool?” Sophie asked.

Toni nodded from behind the counter. “No problem. It’ll be safe here. Keep it overnight if you need to. I want you to be safe.”

“Thanks, Toni. See you later.”

“Of course. And thanks for filling in at the last minute. Let’s talk later about you headlining next month.”

Sophie was so excited by the offer that she practically skipped out of the coffee shop. By the time she arrived, Virgil and Gabriel were almost done loading her things into the trunk. Once it was packed up, they guided her across the pavement to where they’d left their vehicle. Popping the trunk open, Gabriel reached in and pulled out a luscious silk dress, green with silver piping around the hem. It was short, with a strapless, heart-shaped bodice and a flared skirt.

He also handed her a shoebox. Opening it, Sophie discovered a pair of silver stilettos.

“Oh my goodness. This is far too much. You shouldn’t have.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Why shouldn’t we do nice things for our woman?”

Sophie blushed. She wasn’t sure how to respond. On the one hand, she wasn’t sure how she felt about them describing her so possessively when she hadn’t even decided whether or not she wanted to be mated yet. On the other hand, she liked the attention. No, she
loved
the attention. And she couldn’t help but wonder if she was developing similar feelings for the men.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to go change.” She hurried back into the coffee shop, locked herself in the bathroom, and shimmied into her new dress and shoes. Taking a quick turn in the mirror, she couldn’t help but gasp. Not only was it beautiful, but it fit perfectly. She couldn’t believe they’d managed to guess her size so well.

Walking as quickly as she could in the stilettos, she rejoined Gabriel and Virgil in the parking lot. Gabriel held the passenger side door open. Once she was settled in the car, he slid into the backseat. Virgil revved the engine and put the top down. As he sped toward the Quarter, Sophie leaned back and gazed up at the gorgeous stars, enjoying the feeling of the wind in her hair.

Bourbon Street was already closed down for pedestrian traffic, but Virgil found a side street not far away. After a quick walk down the crowded sidewalk, they took their places at the end of a sizeable line. Sophie’s stomach growled, but she tried to ignore it. This was part of the Galatoire’s experience. Everyone waited. Even celebrities.

At least, that’s what she thought when the maître d’ stepped out and saw them.

“Virgil! Gabriel! Good to see you again,” he said, shaking their hands. “How’s the rest of the family?”

“Doin’ great,” Gabriel said. “We’ll give ’em your regards.”

“Wonderful. And business is good?”

“You should know,” Virgil said with a laugh. “You’re servin’ it tonight.”

The maître d’ laughed and then turned to Sophie. “Forgive me for not greeting you properly.” He took her hand and gave it a soft kiss.

“This is Sophie Deco,” Virgil said. “She’s a musician.”

“Lovely to meet you, Ms. Deco. I hope you enjoy your evening here. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really do need to get back to my duties.” He hurried off back into the restaurant.

* * * *

“He—he doesn’t know the truth about you, does he?”

“Nope,” Gabriel said. “Nice job keepin’ cool.”

They looked out into the neon-lit night of Bourbon Street, watching the people out and about, carousing and enjoying the beginning of the weekend.

“So how did you get started in music?” Gabriel asked after a few moments of silence.

“My parents were both musicians. Not professionals but enthusiastic amateurs. My dad gave me a ukulele when my hands were still too small to hold a guitar. As soon as I was old enough, I was taking music lessons. It’s always been my life. I wrote my first song when I was ten. I did my first open mic when I was fourteen, and I’ve been working at my career ever since.”

“When did you decide you want to do music?”

“There was never a conscious decision. It’s just been what I’ve always done. I can’t imagine being happy doing anything else.”

Sophie was excited to share her experiences, the highs and lows she’d experienced in her career so far. Before she knew it, nearly an hour had passed and the maître d’ was coming out to guide them to their table.

She opened her menu and instantly began salivating at the wealth of options. She hadn’t been to Galatoire’s since before her parents had died—her musician’s income didn’t allow for it—and she kept wondering if she wasn’t dreaming.

Gabriel ordered a plate of oysters Rockefeller and a round of champagne for everyone. Sophie busied herself with obsessively studying the menu. Finally, when the waiter arrived, she decided on the crabmeat Sardou.

“A toast to us,” Virgil said, lifting his champagne flute into the air. They clinked their glasses, and Sophie savored the expensive liquid bubbling around in her delicate glass.

“Wow,” she gasped. “This is amazing.”

“Nothin’ but the best for you, baby.”

“In fact”—a grin broke out on Virgil’s face—”I just have to say, I’m really damn happy that you’re here with us, Sophie. I know some of this has been stressful for you, but we’re glad you’re willin’ to trust us and spend time with us.”

Sophie blushed. “Thank you. I’m really happy, too. I was so excited when I saw you two at the show tonight.”

“In fact, I’m so happy that I want to share some of that with everyone else here.”

Sophie felt herself blush even harder. “What exactly do you mean?”

“You’ll see,” Virgil said as the waiter brought out their food. When the table was set, he pulled the waiter down and whispered something. Their server walked away chuckling.

Sophie dug into her food, savoring each decadent bite. She found herself so lost in the delicious food and lush atmosphere that she almost forgot that Virgil had been plotting something. At least, she forgot until she saw an entire cadre of servers walking around with bottles of champagne in their hands. Their own waiter walked up and handed Virgil a microphone.

“Ladies ’n gentlemen,” he began as the servers started pouring glass after glass of the bubbly liquid. “I’ve been comin’ to Galatoire’s ever since I was a kid. New Orleans is my home, and this is my favorite part of the city.”

The room broke into light applause, and then he continued. “I’m here tonight with my best friend and an absolutely beautiful, wonderful woman. I realized, sittin’ beside her, that there’s no way my life could possibly be better. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. And I’ve decided that you should all be able to share that. So I’ve bought a glass of champagne for everyone in the house. I hope you enjoy.”

The entire room burst into loud claps, with a fair number of whoops and whistles as well. Virgil gave a slight bow and sat down. Gabriel immediately reached across the table and gave him a high-five. Sophie was sure her face had never been redder, but more than anything else, she was amazed by his generosity and the way he used his joy to make the people around him happy.

“I think you’ve just made everyone’s night,” she said, giving him a kiss.

“Yeah, but what I really want is to make your night, if you know what I mean.”

Sophie weighed her desire to sample the delicacies of the dessert menu with her desire to get both men into her bed as soon as possible.

“I’m sure the coffee here is fantastic, but we could just have some at my place. You know, after we’re done making my night.”

“I like the sound of that,” Gabriel said, motioning for the check.

“Where do you live?” Virgil asked. “Should I get the car?”

Sophie shook her head. “We can walk there, actually, if you want. It would probably be nicer than trying to navigate the car through the crowds on a night like tonight. It’s not far at all. I have a little place on Wilkinson.”

Gabriel raised his eyebrows as he paid the bill. “If you don’t mind my askin’, how do you afford to live in the Quarter on a musician’s salary?”

Sophie laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not offended. My parents actually owned the property. It passed on to me when they died.”

Virgil raised his eyebrows. “Died. You’re too young to have lost your parents.”

Sophie shrugged. “That’s the way it goes sometimes. My dad had a heart attack when I was nineteen, and my mother died of cancer about two years later. It was tragic, but that’s just how life is.”

“So you ain’t got no family?”

“Nobody I’m close to. All of my extended relatives live in other states, and we don’t talk much.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. I’m happy in New Orleans. The city is my family. And who knows? Maybe I’ll have a new family in the future.”

She tried not to giggle as she saw the hopeful look that Gabriel shot Virgil as they stood up and left the restaurant. As they walked out onto Bourbon Street, Virgil and Gabriel each took one of her hands and shielded her from the debaucherous crowd. Once they’d made it through the worst of the partiers, they gave her a little more space but still kept their hands around hers. Her pussy was already tingling as their palms pressed against her and as she imagined everything they were going to do to her once they were inside.

They were on her the second the door locked behind them. Gabriel started unzipping her dress and sliding it down her body while Virgil kissed every inch of accessible skin, working downward as Gabriel undressed her and revealed more.

Once her dress was pooled at her feet, Gabriel unhooked her bra and slid her panties down and then lifted her up.

“Where’s the bedroom?”

“Straight down the hall.”

Despite the speed with which Gabriel raced through her apartment, Sophie felt completely safe in his strong arms. She leaned against his chest, savoring the strength of his muscles through his shirt.

Gabriel set Sophie down on the bed and finally took her shoes off, tossing them aside. Then, he and Virgil began to undress themselves, going slowly so that she could savor every moment of it. Their jackets dropped to the floor, they stepped out of their shoes, and then they took forever easing off their ties. They finally tossed the colorful slips of fabric onto the bed and began the process of unbuttoning their shirts. Again, they made Sophie wait for what she wanted. Each button came down painfully slow. Then, when he was halfway done, Virgil decided to button his shirt back up again.