Under the Bayou Moon

by Gynger Fyer

  “It’s not a three-month date. You have good staff here, I’m sure there’s someone who can handle the day-to-day operations. Going to Louisiana will allow you to meet your biological parents and get to know them while you get to know me.”

  She seemed to consider his argument.

  “I can’t just show up on their doorstep and say hey mom, hey dad, I’m back, and can I stay for three months?”

  “I’ve already told them I’ve found you, and they can’t wait to meet you.”

  “You what!”

  “You mean you didn’t want to see them?”

  “No, that’s not it.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Angel got up and started pacing. He’d seen her father do the same thing every time he had a lead on her whereabouts. Her father didn’t want to give up the search, but it had become more and more difficult to see what it did to his wife when Angel didn’t turn up at the end of the search.

  “I don’t know, nerves I guess. I don’t know how to think of them when the Palermos were my parents. I don’t want to dishonor their memory.”

  Angel crossed her arms and continued to pace.

  “Who said you have to choose between parents? You were obviously raised well, I’m sure your natural parents will be grateful for that.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’m sure it’ll be just as awkward for them as well.”

  “You also have a lot you need to learn about your gator, cher. Now that you’ve shifted, it can happen at any time. You need to learn to control your shifting ability, and I’m just the gator to teach you.”

  “I’ll admit, this…shifting thing excites me, but it also scares me. I changed in the shower this morning. One moment I was washing my hair, the next moment I was on the floor of the shower flapping around. It was like I was there but not there. I was scared I wouldn’t change back. I still don’t know how I did.”

  Fuck! Jacques swore to himself. That wasn’t a good sign.

  “Cher, I’m not going to lie, it’s not going to get better. Do you want to be on the casino floor the next time you shift?”

  Okay, so he was laying it on thick. The only way she could possibly shift was if she were in or near water or if she became really emotional, but he wasn’t going to tell her that, not while he had the upper hand.

  “What will I do for three months in Louisiana? I won’t feel right staying with my parents right away, and living in a hotel for three months is not my idea of a picnic.”

  Jacques had her exactly where he wanted her.

  “You’ll of course stay at my family’s townhouse in New Orleans, there’s plenty of room. My mother and brother will be there, so you wouldn’t have to worry about me sneaking into your room at night.”

  “What If I wanted to sneak into yours?” She was surprised that she’d asked the question.

  “No, don’t answer that. I swear I don’t know where that came from. I don’t usually speak so freely around people I don’t know.”

  Her cheeks were turning a delightful shade of pink. He could see she was genuinely embarrassed.

  Jacques got up and approached her, testing his boundaries. When he was in front of her, he stopped.

  “It’s only natural that you’d feel comfortable around me. You’re my mate. Even if you don’t recognize it, your gator does and that’s a start.”

  “Look, about this mate thing…”

  He put his finger against her lips to silence her. When he was sure she wouldn’t speak, he moved closer; his eyes never left hers. How beautiful she was. He traced her bottom lip with his thumb, noticing how she trembled.

  “If you ever feel the urge to visit my room, the door will always be unlocked for you. No conditions, cher. No strings.”

  Her eyes held his for a moment longer before she looked away and then backed away, clearing her throat.

  “I-I’ll keep that in mind.” She moved around him to sit back at her desk.

  “You never answered my question. What will I do for three months?”

  Jacques crossed his arms. “Ahhhh, cher. I’m glad you asked…”

  •●•

  Angel stood on the dock warily eyeing the first riverboat she’d ever seen in her life. She still couldn’t believe she was Louisiana. When Jacques said he’d purchased a riverboat and wanted to turn it into a floating casino, the idea was intriguing. He needed it ready by Mardi Gras but said it needed work. Looking at the large boat in front of her, it looked as if the riverboat should have been taken under by the river.

  “Well, what do you think?” Jacques asked with an air of expectation in his voice.

  “I think she’s seen better days. Is that thing even safe to board?”

  Angel had her doubts.

  “She looks worse than she really is, cher. She’s a diamond. All she needs is a bit of polish.”

  Angel looked over at Jacques. Lord, that Cajun accent was like hot oil being rubbed on her body. It made her knees weak. He made her knees weak, if the truth were told. She thought it was a fluke. After their deal was struck in Vegas and he left for home, she’d begun to think her attraction to Jacques Bertrand had just been her imagination.

  Emotions had been high; Michael hadn’t remembered her transformation after he’d awakened. Apparently being high made a person doubt their judgment. He’d fallen for their story about him tripping on the carpet and hitting his head. He’d only been mildly concerned about her going to New Orleans with Jacques, but once Jacques had paid him the remainder of his proceeds for the Tiki, she hadn’t seen Michael again. His abandonment hadn’t surprised her. The casino was anathema to him. What did surprise her was the swiftness of his abandonment. He’d gotten a good bit of money from the sale of his half of the casino. If he managed it well, he could live nicely off of the interest. Angel hoped having a new slate would mean a fresh start for him, but only time would tell. He’d posted several pictures of himself on Facebook. The comments said he was in Miami on the beach. A part of her had been hurt by his lack of communication or care, but honestly, it was just the kick in the pants she needed to push her to go to Louisiana.

  She’d actually been surprised at how quickly she’d been able to wrap things up in Vegas and head to New Orleans where the riverboat was docked. Angel turned the reins over to Mitch. She knew he could run the Tiki in his sleep. It felt strange leaving the Tiki. It felt like she was abandoning her child, but her gut was telling her this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She needed to do this. There were too many unanswered questions.

  So here she was, just after Thanksgiving, standing next to a mysterious man who held the keys to her past and future within his grasp. Angel tried to shake the nerves she’d been feeling since she’d gotten off the plane and seen Jacques waiting for her.

  For his size, he moved with the smoothness of Mikhail Baryshnikov. He was tall, solid, and muscular, but not like a body builder, he was more natural looking. His hair was dark brown and cut in a short military style that was high on top and a bit shorter on the sides, but his two best features in her opinion were his eyes, which were a beautiful shade of jade green, and his hands. Those hands that had held her pinned to the floor with little effort were big and warm with just the right amount of roughness. She’d awakened a few nights thinking she felt his solid weight on top of her, his eyes staring intently into her own, and the feel of a bulge between her legs pressing against her aroused core.

  “Is it too big for you?”

  Angel startled and looked down at Jacques’s crotch, which showed no evidence of an erection. She heard him laugh for the first time. Her eyes went immediately to his, which were sparkling with laughter. Angel immediately looked towards the object of his unusually worded question. She was sure her face was flushed red with guilt.

  “I was talking about the riverboat, but I like your train of thought, cher. Don’t worry, I guarantee I’ll keep the door unlocked just as I promised.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Bertrand. I told you, I’
m here to get this boat, and I use the term loosely, ready for business. I’m going to meet my parents, learn about my abilities, and possibly get to know you in the process. That’s it.”

  Jacques smirked at her before giving her a wicked grin.

  “You never answered the question, cher.”

  Angel cleared her throat before answering with a confidence she didn’t completely feel but was determined to pull off anyway.

  “I’ve handled bigger.”

  The smile was wiped off of Jacques’s face just as Angel had hoped. Yet somehow, she didn’t feel like the victor with her snarky comeback; instead, she felt crappy.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Although the smile was gone from his lips, it was still there in his eyes. Angel was not sure why, but it comforted her. She nodded toward the boat.

  “Well, let’s go aboard and see what we’re working with. Mardi Gras will be here before we know it, and I plan to party like a native before I go back to Vegas.”

  He smiled again at her and offered his arm like a gentleman.

  “Who knows, Angel, after this is all over you might find you like it so much you want to stay.”

  Angel thought about that and dismissed it. Her home and life were in Vegas. That’s where she belonged.

  “No, I doubt it, Vegas is home for me. But I’ve waited a lifetime to find my parents, and I’ve been in need of a vacation. What better place to cap off a vacation than Mardi Gras.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll be your tour guide while you’re here.”

  “I’d like that,” Angel murmured as Jacques led her onto the genteel riverboat now being scraped down. The name on her side read Bayou Moon.

  Chapter Four

  Jacques sat behind his desk on the Bayou Moon. It was nearly the afternoon. He thought he’d have Angel tucked away at his place by now, but he’d obviously underestimated her love of project management.

  The moment she’d met his cousin Chloe, the two had been inseparable. Chloe was known for being opinionated and stubborn when it came to her work, but somehow Angel managed to get Chloe to change some of her core “must have” designs. Jacques shook his head at the creativity flowing between them. Angel had already called a meeting with the contractors and their union for the next morning as well as made a laundry list of items she wanted him to do. He didn’t mind.

  Today she wore gray slacks and a white blouse. Her hair was in the same updo she’d been wearing when they met. Soft curls framed a heart-shaped face that was just as beautiful as he remembered. She was wearing glasses, making her look like a sexy professor. He wouldn’t mind having her teach him a lesson or two. At that very moment, Angel bent over the table to point at something on the architectural plans and his gator rolled over in heat. Her rounded bottom was on full display. Jacques sat mesmerized, picturing himself behind her, moving within the paradise he knew was just below the fabric of her pants. He wondered what type of panties she wore. No matter, in his aroused state, he’d probably shred anything she had on.

  His cell phone vibrated, interrupting his afternoon fantasy. Glancing at the display, he saw it was his mother.

  “Hey, Momma.”

  “Jacques, where are you and Angel? The other pod sovereigns will be arriving in several hours, and I’m sure she’ll want to rest up and change before meeting everybody, especially her people. I thought I’d meet her and get a good feel for her before the others got here. I swear her momma has been ringing my phone off the hook with questions about how she looks and if I’ve seen her yet.”

  Jacques clinched his jaw. He knew he’d told her not to invite the sovereigns to meet Angel on her first day. They could be an overwhelming group on their best day.

  “We discussed this, Momma. We agreed that you would only invite her family and ours.”

  “And I’m a gator of her word. I only invited the pod leaders from Orleans, that pain in the ass, Philip Boucher from Acadia, and the Dupres from the Monroe Pod. Since they just so happened to be in town, I thought it would be good to invite them. It might be a while before they’re in this area again. It’s important that they see your engagement. You know they’ll want to see her markings as soon as possible, or they’ll never accept her.”

  Jacqueline Bertrand was as clever as a fox. She had a way of manipulating people so well, they didn’t even know they were being manipulated. He knew better.

  “No, it can only be our families. She’s already nervous to meet her parents, I don’t want to put any more on her plate, and she doesn’t know about the engagement ritual.”

  “Jacques, you were supposed to tell her about that when you were in Vegas.”

  “Well, things happened and I didn’t get around to telling her about it. Until I do, I’d prefer not to have the leaders from surrounding pods poking and prodding around her.”

  “Good Lord, Jacques, what exactly did you do while you were in Vegas? This poor girl is going to be ambushed when she gets to dinner, and her parents are fully expecting an engagement or else they won’t look kindly to her staying under our roof.”

  Jacques had been thinking that very thing. He’d wanted to tell Angel, but there’d been so much to explain.

  “Don’t worry, she’ll be ready to meet her parents.”

  Jacques stood up and walked outside so his conversation wouldn’t be overheard.

  “Just invite the families tonight, and this weekend we can invite the other pod leaders for the engagement. I’m sure the LaFleurs will understand why she’d prefer to stay with us.”

  “And what about Henri Dubois, we can’t possibly turn him and his wife away. We’re staying in the Orleans pod area and he’s the leader. He’ll think it’s an insult if we don’t have him and Diane there.”

  Jacques ran his hands through the top of his hair and sighed. His mother was right. Even though he ruled the Lafayette pod, his regular home was over two hours away. He kept a home in the French Quarter because most of his business was in New Orleans. His parents had always had a great relationship with the Dubois family, and it would be considered a slap in the face if they weren’t invited.

  “Okay, invite the Dubois, but that’s it.”

  “Alright, fair enough. I can at least explain my actions to Boucher and the Dupre family. At least I’ll have a leg to stand on.”

  “Since when have you worried about explaining yourself to anyone?” Jacques snorted.

  “Oh, you hush. You two come on home so I can meet my daughter properly.”

  “Momma…”

  “What, she’s your mate, that makes her my daughter. I always wanted a little girl, but God saw fit to give me two boys. Not that I don’t love you two rascals, but there’s nothing like having a daughter.”

  Jacques walked back into his office and Angel was sitting on the sofa, leafing through a magazine. Everyone else was gone.

  “Well, it looks like she’s ready to go now. We’ll stop to get some lunch and then be on our way. Is Charles there yet?”

  He asked after his brother, who ran their family’s endowment back in Lafayette.

  “No, he had some business to tend to. He’ll be driving in closer to dinner time.”

  “Okay.”

  Jacques disconnected from his mom and walked over to Angel, who was suppressing a yawn as Chloe and the construction foreman talked and looked over the plans. The muffled sounds of hammering, sawing, and shouting were music to his ears. It meant progress.

  Angel was so engrossed with the conversation, she obviously didn’t hear him approach. He came up behind her and whispered near her ear.

  “Are you ready for lunch and then a nap?”

  She jumped slightly before turning.

  “Good grief, Jacques, for a big guy, you move like the wind.”

  “Well, it comes from being a gator. Have you ever seen one in the water?”

  Angel looked around cautiously before answering him.

  “Don’t worry, we’re all congregation here. I hire all gator crews for
my projects if possible.”

  “Oh, okay. But to answer your question, yes, I’m starving and a bit tired.”

  “Okay, let’s get outta here. We’ll grab a bite to eat then go to my family home.”

  They said good-bye to Chloe before exiting the riverboat. It was time to come clean with Angel. Time wasn’t on his side. With her family coming from Baton Rouge to see her and the Dubois from the Orleans pod being in attendance, he’d have to get her caught up, and quickly. He just prayed she could handle it all.

  Chapter Five

  Angel glanced at the busy restaurant named VingtEt Un. It was bright, cozy, and old-fashioned, reminding her of a turn of the century eatery. She could picture women in bustles wearing hats and gloves dining on some of the best food New Orleans had to offer. The flat screen TVs and bar-like atmosphere made it seem more modern and down to earth.

  “Do you like it?” Jacques asked, with an amused look.

  “Let me guess, I have tourist stamped on my forehead,” Angel chuckled good-naturedly.

  “Oh no, you look like a native.”

  “Yeah right! I’m not buying that swamp water, Cajun.”

  “Cajun! You say that like it’s a curse word.”

  “Nope, they’re five letters in Cajun, so it doesn’t qualify…well maybe it does, there are also five letters in bitch, which is a common curse word.”

  “Well, technically a bitch is a female dog. Humans have made it into a curse word.”

  “So what are female gators called?” she asked teasingly. “I did some research after you left but I didn’t see that one.”

  A smirk came to Jacques s face.

  “A female is called a cow and a male is called a bull.”

  She scoffed, “A cow! What genius came up with that?”

  Jacques’s laughter boomed from their table, causing her to look at the other patrons to see if anyone was staring at them. No one even turned in their direction in the crowded establishment. Angel smiled at him. Man, was he handsome. He wore a crisp, navy blue, button-down shirt with the first few buttons opened. He looked relaxed with his eyes sparkling back at her. She felt butterflies release in her stomach and took a sip of the lemon water she’d ordered.