Club Noire

Chapter 10

“We will go at your pace and get along with other for your sake. Also, I do not dislike Baz. We have worked together on several occasions and he has proven himself to be an honorable man.” I gave him a smile and he took my hand and kissed my knuckles gently. Baz spoke next.

“I agree with Alexei. There’s no reason for us not to unite in loving you. I already knew you were my mate, I was lettin’ you catch up to the idea,” he said with a smirk. Then he leaned over and gave me a peck on the lips.

“As far as sharing you with anyone else, as long as we get to be a part of your life, dear one, we are happy. Do not fear our jealousy will get in the way of us caring for you as you deserve,” Alexei whispered beside me. Be still my heart. Apparently I had been my own worst enemy in my love life. The moment was interrupted when the flight attendant knocked and let us know that we needed to prepare for takeoff.

As we settled into our seats, I relaxed and thought about my new reality. I was really going to do this. Give a relationship a try and see what happened. I take a calming breath as Baz intertwines our fingers on one side of me and Alexei begins to rub my back on the other. My breathing slows as we gain altitude and soon I fall asleep between my new mates. I wake up as we are about to land in New Orleans. I guess the stress of the past couple days caught up with me. Looking around, I see Phaedra and Jas deep in conversation and Dima cuddling with his mate. Oisin was playing a game on his phone and winked at me when he caught my eye. I gave him a small smile as I knew he was happy that I had finally accepted his brother. Honestly, it was a surprising relief to have others that I could trust with my heart. Sometimes being the strong, independent woman was a drag.

After we landed at the hangar in New Orleans, the crew offloaded our luggage into the waiting SUVs, and we headed to a hotel that I had part ownership of along with my aunt’s in-laws. It made visiting easier when I could head up to the penthouse without reserving a suite somewhere. I checked in with my staff and answered some emails on my phone while we navigated our way to the hotel. As we pulled up, the valets and staff rushed to help us with our luggage and park the vehicles. I went to the front desk, and the clerk immediately smiled at my men (are they my men already?). I resisted the urge to snatch her across the counter and instead cleared my throat. She reluctantly dragged her eyes off Alexei and Baz and focused on me. Both men moved closer to me, so she knew that they were taken. It didn’t seem to be working. After giving a long-suffering sigh, she gave a fake smile and greeted me.

“Welcome to the Hotel Monteleone. How may I help you today?” she finally chirped. Her southern accent would probably attract most men, but mine looked bored. Her smile faltered a bit. Good.

“We have a reservation under the last name DuPont,” I told her, smirking as she stiffened and looked at me fully. She was starting to sweat as it became clear that she had insulted one of her bosses’ bosses to their faces. I glanced at her placidly and waited.

“Sure thing, let me look that up right now! Oh yes, here it is. An executive suite, two Vieux Carre suites, and four Iberville double suites are reserved for your party. Please let us know if we can be of further service,” she purred. Oisin smirked and couldn’t resist whispering, “Is this that renowned southern hospitality I’ve heard of?” Baz growled at him and called him a fecking i***t under his breath while Alexei smothered a smile. I glared at the receptionist and pointedly said, “No, it usually isn’t extended to men who aren’t single.” She finally took the hint and shut up.

I took all the key cards and passed them out to everyone. “The Iberville doubles are for our mated pairs. Alexei, Baz, and I will have the executive suite; the other rooms are for the rest of you. Unpack, rest, and we’ll meet downstairs in a few hours. They have a lovely rotating lounge downstairs with live entertainment and fantastic food. One of my cousins is a chef here.” The receptionist had gone downright pale as she listened to me. Weird, I giggled to myself. She might need to lie down by herself. I turned on my heel, heading to the elevators, with everyone trailing behind me.

The staff took our bags into our rooms, and we finally had a moment to relax and look around quietly. Baz got comfortable on the king-size bed and clicked on the television to a soccer match. Alexei clucked at him and sat at the table in the suite, while I used the Keurig to brew a little coffee. We needed to discuss what to expect when meeting with my aunt the next day. I glanced out the window at the French Quarter below us as the coffee brewed and sighed. I loved coming to New Orleans. It was as much home as anywhere else, and my aunt and her mates had always made me feel welcome. My cousins were rowdy and the complete opposite of my sisters and other cousins from home. Those home cousins were so uptight as to be unreal.

Alexei came and stood behind me, while wrapped his arms around me. His touch comforted me more than I wanted to admit, but it was a nice, new feeling. I had existed so long with my emotional walls up that I was having to force myself to let these wonderful men in.