FrenchQuarter.htm

by Lacey Alexander

  Seeing she was done, Jack took the plate from her hand and lowered it to the table, then gently pulled her into his arms. He didn’t say anything for a long time, just held her, and it felt so good, perfect, like nothing could ever hurt her as long as she was with him.

  “You doin’ okay? You’ve been quiet since…”

  Yes, she had been quiet for awhile. For so many reasons. Certainly the scene with Todd had been terrifying, but there was something else on her mind, too—her love for Jack. It was tearing her apart, yet she’d still kept herself from agreeing to move in with him. She couldn’t accept that much kindness from a man who’d unwittingly been drawn deeper into her problems than she’d ever intended—nor could she let herself risk falling any harder for him than she already had. The pain when it was over would be excruciating, already, but to live with him would be to love him even more, and it wasn’t something she was willing to put herself through. Being with Jack had made her realize she’d never known real love before, and now that she did—damn it, it was scary.

  “I was…really frightened earlier,” she admitted softly.

  “You wouldn’t have to be afraid if you just came to stay with me.”

  So sweet, this man, so protective. In the beginning, she’d thought him gruff and unemotional—now she knew better, knew his emotions came through in actions or touches more than mere words, and she knew he was too good of a man to let a woman live in danger if he could help it. She didn’t reply.

  “Either way, here or there, I won’t let him bother you again, chere.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

  Hours later, they awoke in each other’s arms on the couch. The TV was still on, the clock on the mantel said it was close to midnight.

  “Guess Lynda isn’t home yet,” she thought aloud.

  “I’m stayin’ the night,” he told her.

  “You don’t have to do that, Jack. I’m sure she’ll be home soon.”

  “I don’t care. I’m not lettin’ you out of my sight tonight. It’s non-negotiable.”

  * * * * *

  She dreamed of Jack that night, slightly non-sensical but pleasant dreams of making love to him on the lawn of a castle, of dancing with him in a large, ornate ballroom, of sweet kisses beneath a maple tree turned October gold. Echoes of old, romantic fantasies from her girlhood made new. So apparently that part of her still existed, too.

  Waking up in his arms the next morning was like leaving a good dream for an even better one. She’d awakened with him on several successive mornings, of course, but somehow having him in her bed was different, even more comforting. Perhaps the truth was, despite her bravado, she was feeling less and less confident about living right next door to Todd, so she’d have to change that situation very soon. In the meantime, though, just feeling Jack’s warm body next to her in her own bed was like a little slice of heaven.

  They hadn’t made love last night—she supposed they both knew she needed a little time to recover from her encounter with Todd. Still, she’d felt the need to bring it up—it was such a change of pace for them. “No sex tonight?” she’d asked with a half-playful smile when Jack suggested they go up to bed, to sleep.

  “Rest tonight,” he’d replied, his hand at the small of her back as she climbed the stairs ahead of him.

  She’d peeked over her shoulder. “You’re missing a beautiful bra and panty set under these clothes.”

  He’d grinned, although he’d looked tired. “Time for that another night, chere.”

  His simple reply had, oddly, put a new bit of hope in Liz’s heart when she’d not expected it. Those uncomplicated words had planted a seed, something she’d never really even considered before—that maybe this would go on, not be a short-lived thing. Maybe her affair with Jack, in spite of—or maybe even because of—all its hedonism, meant something to him. Who knew, maybe falling asleep with that idea in her head had been part of why waking up next to him this morning had felt so new, so special.

  Throughout the day at work, though, Liz decided that she wanted to get back to normal with Jack tonight. Normal meaning “normal for them.” Meaning new sexual adventures. Last night she’d felt so vulnerable, and feeling that way with Jack was still dangerous. When she thought of having something serious with Jack, all she could see was the way all her past relationships had turned out—leaving her heartbroken. Strangely, her relationship with Todd was the only instance where she’d come out emotionally strong and unscathed. Maybe that was why she’d been able to trust in him and say yes when he’d proposed. Maybe deep down she’d known she didn’t feel the deep emotions for him that she’d felt for other men, known he didn’t have the power to hurt her. Jack, however, was a different story. And the truth was, maybe she was in too deep with him already, but she just kept telling herself that so long as she knew this was temporary, so long as she kept her head about her, that she could handle it when it was over. So getting away from emotions and back to hot sex seemed like a very good idea.

  Besides, she wanted to get last night’s terrorizing meeting with her ex-fiancé out of her mind, and she knew from experience that sex with Jack definitely had the power to rid her of all other thoughts.

  She called him from work at his office to tell him she wanted to hit the Quarter tonight. “Let’s do something fun, exciting,” she said.

  She heard him chuckle on the other end of the line. “Still lookin’ for adventure, huh, chere?”

  She was glad he couldn’t see what she suspected was a sheepish smile. “I suppose you could say that. It just seems like…there’s still more out there to do, more I haven’t experienced.”

  She felt his sexy grin without even being able to see it. “Well, darlin’, whatever you want to experience, I’m real happy to experience it with you.”

  Just hearing his voice curl around the words made her hot. And going to work every day in her professional suit, knowing what she’d been doing at night, made her feel like she harbored a delicious secret, that she lived a shocking double life. “Jack?” she whispered into the phone, feeling oh-so-daring even as co-workers buzzed about the office around her.

  “Oui, chere?”

  She lowered her voice even further. “I’m wet just thinking about you.”

  The little growl he emitted sent another surge of moisture into her panties. “You just made me hard.”

  “Mmm, that gives me something to look forward to.”

  “Me, too,” he laughed.

  “Until tonight.”

  “Au revoir.”

  * * * * *

  That afternoon after work, Liz went shopping at a store on Canal Street that she’d passed several hundred times without ever a thought of going in. The shop windows at The Leather Lair housed mannequins wearing all forms of sexy leather—from motorcycle gear to lingerie that looked designed for some serious S M. She told the salesclerk she was looking for a sexy dress, and twenty minutes later, she walked out with a shopping bag of items that would transform her into a different sort of woman than she’d ever been with Jack before.

  As she drove home, she was filled with anticipation, wanting to don her new ensemble and show Jack—but first, she needed to talk to Lynda, so she was glad to find her friend’s car in the garage when she pulled in.

  “Long time, no see,” Lynda said when Liz walked in the door. She sat on the couch watching the evening news, but she turned the volume down at Liz’s arrival.

  Liz joined her on the sofa. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  Lynda wrinkled her brow, realizing immediately something was amiss. “What’s wrong, honey? You look worried.”

  “It’s about Todd,” she began on a sigh. “Lynda, you need to know that Todd let himself into your house yesterday. He was waiting in my room when I got home. I checked the locks and he doesn’t seem to have broken in, so he must’ve found the key you keep under the planter on the back porch. I’m so sorry to have brought that kind of trouble upon you.”

  Lynda reached out for he
r hands. “Don’t be silly, honey! The only thing I’m concerned about here is your safety. Now, what the hell happened? Did he try to hurt you? What did you do? I’ll kill the son of a bitch if he hurt you.”

  Liz let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Lynda was such a good friend to her. “Well, long story short, I kneed him in the balls and, fortunately, Jack showed up right then, so he got rid of him for me. I think he roughed Todd up a little, too, but I still can’t guarantee Todd won’t come back.”

  “Well, thank God for Jack! Now, the first thing we’ll do is get rid of the key under the planter. And even though I’ve never been fond of Todd, I don’t think he’d actually break in, do you?”

  Liz gave her head a skeptical tilt. “Before yesterday, I would have agreed with you. But now, I’m not sure. He seemed to be off the deep end, and I think I’ve underestimated how nuts he is over this breakup. He just can’t seem to accept it.”

  Lynda looked pensive, thoughtful. She rubbed her thumb over the back of Liz’s hand. “Honey, I truly love having you here and I want you to stay as long as you want, okay? But I just have to ask—do you think it’s wise for you to be living so close to him if he’s acting as crazy as you say?”

  Liz sighed, tired of worrying about Todd, wishing he would just go away. But it wasn’t that simple. “Well, since yesterday, I’m not sure it’s wise at all. So I’m going to be actively looking for a new place, and until then, well…I guess I just have to hope for the best.”

  “I’m glad you have someone like Jack looking out for you.”

  “So am I, Lynda, but…”

  “But what?”

  She let out a sigh. “But it’s hard not to feel like a burden to him. He’s very protective and I’m so thankful he cares, but I also don’t want to depend on him to look out for me with Todd forever, you know? When the time comes that he wants to end the relationship, I don’t want worries about Todd to make him stay with me if his heart isn’t in it.”

  Lynda gave a solemn nod. “I understand what you mean. But from where I sit, Jack doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Maybe he’s…here to stay.”

  Another kernel of hope—but Liz just couldn’t let herself believe that Jack cared for her in a deep, lasting way. If she did, she’d end up feeling stupid as well as hurt in the end. She’d been there before and she didn’t want to go there again. She wanted desperately to come out of this thankful for the passion they’d shared, not sorry. “Maybe, but I don’t want the situation with Todd hanging over our relationship. So the sooner I can get my own place, somewhere away from Todd, the better I’ll feel on all counts.”

  “Well, you know I’ll help any way I can. And I’ll miss you when you go.”

  Liz summoned a small smile for her friend. “Thanks, Lynda. You’re the best.” Then she gave her head a curious tilt. “So, how was your night? Did you come home with any beads?”

  “Oh, honey,” she laughed, “you wouldn’t believe my night.” She placed her hand on Liz’s nylon-covered knee.

  “Try me.”

  Lynda’s eyes widened slightly. “Well, let’s just say I ended up in the arms of a very handsome and well-hung college boy before the night was through.”

  Liz blinked. “Going for the young ones now, huh?”

  Lynda shrugged. “What they lack in finesse they make up for with enthusiasm. And how about you? Any new adventures with your hot P.I.?”

  Liz regretted the blush, but couldn’t stop it. One of these days she’d get past her old shyness, but for now, it kept rearing its head from time to time. “Actually, we’ve been doing lots of naughty things together, but I suppose the most noteworthy is…”

  “Yes?” Lynda prodded, wide-eyed.

  “We had a three-way with his best friend.”

  Lynda’s mouth dropped open and Liz was actually pleased to have shocked someone generally so unshockable.

  “A very sexy blonde named Ty,” she went on. “You’d love him. We had a very…memorable time together at Jack’s place and…”

  “And?”

  “And…having two men at once was the most amazing experience of my life. I would definitely recommend it.”

  Lynda broke into a broad smile. “You, my friend, have come a long way in a very short time. And maybe I’ll just take that recommendation, coming from such a trusted source.” She winked. “I’m proud of you, honey, for loosening up so much, for learning to enjoy your sexuality. And I bet Jack is just in heaven.”

  * * * * *

  Liz suspected the French Quarter was the only place in the world she could get out of her car in a leather mini-dress and black leather boots and walk up the street without feeling out of place or self-conscious.

  Even so, though, she felt changed in this outfit, as if she were someone different than she’d been a few days before. The sleeveless dress stopped high on her thighs and closed in front with a two-way zipper that could be adjusted from the top or the bottom. So she’d lowered the top to show considerable cleavage, and she’d raised the bottom as high as she dared without getting arrested. The supple leather hugged her every curve—her breasts felt heavy and big pressing against the tight fit. Her pussy tingled in the warm breeze, only a few short inches from being exposed.

  The boots looked downright sinful with pointed toes and silver stiletto heels. They rose up over her knees, yet the short dress still showed plenty of thigh. She’d accessorized with large silver hoop earrings and a black choker, as well as more eye make-up than usual. As she approached the bar where she’d planned to meet Jack, she felt like walking sin.

  She quickly felt all the eyes upon her—men who wanted to see what a woman like her would do to them in bed, and women who were perhaps curious of the same thing. A week ago she couldn’t have worn this outfit. Even when she’d walked into Jack’s office that first day, dressed so sexy and acting so brazen—that was nothing compared to this. The heat of knowing she was worthy to wear such a sex-promising outfit ran through her veins and made her cunt pulse against the bar stool she climbed up on. Her breasts strained against the leather; her whole body felt super-sensitized in a way that only anticipating Jack could make it.

  Strange, she thought, that she felt so much better upon leaving home and reaching the French Quarter. Much of the Quarter was considered very dangerous after dark, yet she felt much safer here in Jack’s world than back in the Garden District of Todd’s. Most people would think she was crazy, but being in Jack’s little part of the universe made her feel at once content and adventurous; safe, yet in another way more willing to take risks. The thought—and her daring new dominatrix look—made her want to do something even riskier tonight, made her want to keep living life to the fullest with her hot, sexy lover.

  Could anything be more intense than being in bed with two men at once? She wasn’t sure, but she wanted to try, both for herself, and also to reward Jack’s noble sweetness. He took such good care of her; she was going to take good care of him, in a different way, for as long as he wanted her to.

  “What are you drinking, sweetheart?” She looked up to find the bartender, an attractive mid-thirties man with dark hair and a strong jawline. “The guys at the end of the bar want to buy you a drink.”

  She glanced down to see several handsome suit and tie types. A couple of them smiled, one lifted a hand to wave. She smiled back, then returned her attention to the bartender. “I’ll have a hurricane, but I hope they won’t be too disappointed to find out I’m meeting my boyfriend here.”

  My boyfriend. It had just come out. And it had felt wonderful to call Jack that.

  The bartender offered a shrug and a grin. “Hey, you take your chances when you send a drink across the room.” After placing the tall red concoction in front of her a moment later, he moved to the end of the bar to fill the guys in on her “taken” status.

  “Gettin’ started on the fun without me?” Jack asked, suddenly next to her. She looked up to find him wearing a teasing grin.

  “I ha
ve admirers at the end of the bar,” she informed him coquettishly.

  He glanced down to the suits, then back at her. “Can’t blame ‘em—look at you, chere.” He gave her a long once-over from head to toe. “Almost didn’t recognize you. You look…dangerous.”

  She smiled. “Is that a good thing?”

  “If you’re askin’ me if I’m turned on, oh yeah. Those boots are killer and I already wanna feel ‘em wrapped around my back.”

  When the bartender returned, Jack ordered a hurricane of his own. “So,” he went on, “are we into whips and chains tonight?”

  She laughed, considering her answer. “I’m…not sure exactly what we’re into tonight, not yet. I’m hoping it will just sort of reveal itself to us—know what I mean?”

  His grin was typically wicked. “What I know is that you’re gonna be fightin’ guys off tonight, so maybe we’d best stop somewhere and buy ourselves that whip anyway, darlin’. Then again,” he glanced down to her feet, “I suppose those heels could qualify as weapons on their own, huh?”

  After they finished their drinks, they left the bar to roam Bourbon Street. Darkness was descending on the thoroughfare of sin and debauchery, another night coming to life in the French Quarter. As Jack had predicted, Liz garnered even more stares than usual. Going from merely “sexy” to “sexy and dangerous” was making her feel as alive as the night itself. She wouldn’t want this sort of attention every day or even every night of her life—she might not ever even want it again after tonight—but in this moment, each glance cast her way registered inside her, seeming to raise her temperature, making her cunt even more tingly and wanting.

  Jack kept his arm around her as if to make sure every man on the street knew she was with him. And while it had been wildly thrilling to be shared with Ty the other night, it was equally as exciting to see Jack acting a little possessive.

  As usual, the mood on the street was intoxicating and infectious. One didn’t have to venture into the sex shops and strip joints to feel their aura in the air, and as on past nights, the decadence that was Bourbon Street was seeping into Liz’s veins. As she and Jack passed by one sex club in particular, called the Pussycat’s Claw, she urged him to slow down so she could take a closer look. Beneath the neon signs touting the “Live Sex Show” was a display of photos. Like the club she and Lynda had stopped to look at during her “reconnaissance mission” to the Quarter before meeting Jack at Club Venus that first time, these pictures showed a wide mixture of people actually fucking on a stage. Most pictures showed a man and woman having sex in a variety of skimpy costumes and settings, but one showed three girls in the remains of harem costumes touching each other, and one photo featured a guy with two girls.