12. Madame X Mansion

Madame X Mansion

Austin

We lucked out. It took a bit, but along with the zombie body, Lady Geneviève came through with papers. A birth certificate, passport, and driver's license, although Luc most certainly would not be driving anywhere. But with that in hand, he got a great job. Well, it took time for his soul to heal the body enough to actually play piano. But once it did, he was ready to go. The music came back as if it had never left, and that led to the job and a better apartment, in turn. Some of Luc's new connections helped us land a great deal on one we could afford. A charming one-bedroom in Madame X Mansion on Toulouse.

I paid Walsh what I owed him in back rent before we moved. But this new place was worthy of Luc. He deserved it with all its character, brick walls, hardwood floors, and high ceilings. And we even had our own balcony. And it made Luc happy. And Luc being happy made me happy.

He came out of the tiny bathroom wearing a negligee—black and silky. Deities ! It looked so good on his skin, hanging above his knees. It was so amazing how his appearance had changed. His new body had lighter hair and a gaunt look when he first entered it. Now it looked more like Luc with darker hair and good health. The body's eyes had been blue. I remembered that. Blue and vacant, they actually had creeped me out when we first saw it. I nearly called the whole thing off, but I trusted Luc, and I wanted this for him. But now those eyes were more hazel. Closer and closer to Luc's lovely brown by the day. I didn't know how it happened, and I didn't care.

Luc twirled around the living room. "What do you think?"

"Fucking sexy." It was the first time I'd seen him like that, though I'd known he bought the lingerie weeks ago.

"I learned that things like this are a lot more acceptable now. When I was alive the first time, wearing this could get me beat or killed. But I love it. It feels. Like me."

His voice had changed too. It was scratchy and deep at first. He couldn't sing a lick. It took weeks to get to a range Luc could do something with. Now, it was nearly as close to the voice I remembered as it could be.

And he was so talented.

He loved jazz, but he started playing other genres too. His regular gig was at one of the fancy hotels, The Davenport Lounge at The Ritz Carlton, and that paid most of our bills.

And me? I went back to waiting tables…to get me through school. I enrolled in business courses in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration at The University of New Orleans. I loved this city, but waiting tables wasn't enough. I wanted more out of life. I wanted to have more to offer my Luc.

No more gambling. It was time to be that better man. Someone he deserved.

Everything else with that body was in working order as well. "Come here, sexy."

Luc smiled and slid closer, sitting on my lap. He wasn't as tall as his spirit had been, his overall build was smaller, and I loved wrapping him up in my arms. He felt so good, warm, and real. I kissed the side of his head, but then he turned and wrapped his arms around my neck and smiled mischievously. Then he kissed me for real. His tongue danced with mine as I rubbed down his back. He was gentle and kind, and I wasn't kidding when I said sexy as hell in the nightie.

I wasn't the biggest guy, but since I'd been eating and sleeping regularly, I'd put on some muscle, so picking him up was nearly effortless. I slid my arms under his knees as I stood and then walked slowly toward our bedroom. It had a fireplace that we put oversized candles in front of. The mantel had gorgeous white paneling on the sides with more of that red brick above it. It stood between two closets and opposite French doors that led to the balcony. In between? Enough room for a queen-sized bed. And ours was loaded with pillows and quilts. The room was light and airy and full of comfort. I set my lover on top of the bed.

I rubbed his legs, and he instantly spread them. "Damn, I am so lucky."

Luc shook his head. "No. I am."

"Well, you're about to get lucky."

"Prove it, Sass-mouth."

"Sass-mouth, huh? Is that how it is?"

Luc winked at me, daring me to give him more, and I certainly would. I loved nothing more than playing with him, except maybe listening to him play. Either way, I was the luckiest man in the world. He did more than share his new life with me. He made me better in every way.

There was no room for side tables, so we kept the lube in my closet. I opened the plantation-style shutter doors and grabbed it off the shelf inside. "Here we are. Just what I need." I showed him the bottle.

"Well, then…" We hadn't known enough about this body. Even though Geneviève had assured us Luc's spirit would heal all of it, and we had seen it do that and then some, we still got tested several times before we dropped the condoms. Going all-natural with him was a dream come true that I never even knew I had. I wasn't one to fool around. And the few years leading up to Luc were too full of surviving to worry about hooking up. But I'd been tested too. And it was worth it.

I crawled over Luc's body, pressing my hard cock into him and leaning in to kiss him again. It was delicate and sweet at first, but it quickly turned demanding.

"You have entirely too many clothes on, Aus. Get naked." He tugged at my shirt.

I stood and gave him a quick show, dropping my clothes on the floor and flinging my boxers across the room. Luc laughed, which wasn't smart, probably, since it only encouraged me. I shook my ass back and forth. "How's that?"

"Better, now get up here and take care of me."

"With pleasure." I made my way back and kissed his knee before sliding down between his legs. I licked his balls, making him wiggle. He'd never had anyone treat him with such care. In his day, it was quick fucks, if that, because if they got caught, it could mean death. Well, no death here. I sucked them into my mouth, tonguing them, bringing him as much pleasure as I could. He deserved it. He'd waited a hundred years for me, and I planned on making every one of the rest of his days as good as I possibly could for him. In turn, it made my life better as well. Win-win-win!

He never talked about Rose and how he died the first time. I wondered how much of it was lost to the sacrifice and how much he simply didn't want to dwell on the past. Either way, I made it my mission to make sure none of it mattered. It was all about what he needed.

To find what you need, you need to focus on the needs of others. A need is a need, and everything depends on the needing .

I pulled off his balls and licked a stripe up this cock. It was a nice one. I took it down to the back of my throat. I loved practicing on him and was progressively improving my deep-throating skills. His moans of pleasure proved it. While I played with his dick, I used my lubed up my fingers to open him up.

When he was begging me, humping into my mouth, I knew he was ready. "Want to get fucked, Luc?"

"Ah…yes…please…" he panted.

"You got it, sexy lover." I ran my hands over the silky lingerie, pushing it up so I could see his abs and chest. I flicked his nipple, making him gasp. It was one of his favorite things. Then I lined up the head of my cock with his hole and pressed in.

"Aus…"

"Yes, baby."

He moaned loudly as I pressed all the way in and stopped. "More…" It didn't take long to build up to a punishing pace with Luc's legs over my shoulders. All his little noises of pleasure encouraged me to keep going…there…there…more… And when he finally came, I exploded right behind him. "So good, Aus…"

"It was everything, Luc. Just like you."

He kissed me, then we cleaned up and crawled back into bed. I held him close. "Luc. I love you so much. Thank you for sticking with me." He certainly didn't have to. Why he wanted a washed-up, broke-ass ex-gambler, I would never know. But I was damned determined not to be that guy anymore. My mother would have been proud of this change.

"I don't know, Austin, it wasn't difficult. You're adorable, so loving. I couldn't ask for more in a partner. You have all the things that matter." He kissed me.

I couldn't ask for more, either. "I think we're pretty good together."

"Me too."

"Now get some sleep. Sloane said he was coming to hear you play tomorrow." Sloane had become one of our best friends. How could he not?

Yep. Everything was perfect. I needed this man, and he needed me.

Thank you for reading these Hot Nights in the Big Easy …