Adrian stroked the sub’s cheek. “Mirabelle here has been wanting to meet you for a very long time. I promised if she was a very good girl, she could.”
“Mirabelle.” Tamara practically purred the name. “Have you been a very good girl?”
Mirabelle raised her big eyes to Tamara. “Yes, Mistress. But I’ve also been very, very naughty.”
“Mmm, Adrian, I think she might be perfect.”
“Mais I thought you’d approve.”
Moira shook her head slightly and turned as Toussaint laughed.
“Adrian and Tamara had a wager going over you.”
Moira’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“My dear, it was all a setup. The moment you left Adrian’s that first night, he was on the phone. Tamara was his ace in the hole. We’ve known about you for a very long time. Kara talked about you from the minute she entered our little community.”
“Wait, what? What was the wager?”
Toussaint laughed low. “Adrian offered Tamara another shot at Kara. He wanted to see how far you would go for her.”
Moira threw a glare at Adrian, who simply smiled and winked. “That son of a bitch.”
Toussaint grinned. “Oui, he is. But look how well it worked out.”
“He’s lucky it did. It’s the only reason I don’t stop speaking to him altogether.”
Toussaint laughed again and tipped his top hat in her direction before taking Marcelle’s arm. “We will see you shortly, Moira.”
Adrian returned to them, still grinning. “Don’t pout, mon ange. It makes me want to do deliciously naughty things to you.”
Moira brandished her crop and then shrugged. “I’d tell you to try, but you’d enjoy that too much.”
“Such a shame. I thought you might enjoy another taste of the bottom.”
“In your dreams.”
Adrian laughed. “Oui, mon ange noir. Definitely in my dreams.” He held out his arm for her. “Shall we go in?”
Moira turned to look at Kara with a smile. “Yes. Let’s. Oh, wait!” She turned back to the cloakroom, whispering in one of the girls’ ears. The girl vanished inside and came out a moment later with a box. Moira thanked her and turned back to Adrian and Kara. She kissed Kara again, because she could, careful of the masks they both still wore, and took Adrian’s arm. Settling the box in the crook of their arms, she extended her free hand to Kara, intertwining their fingers as she pulled her along.
Inside, the darkness of Fleur de Nuit made her roll her head back and grin. “God, I love it here. How did I live without this?”
Kara kissed her shoulder from behind. “You didn’t. Remember?”
“Thank you, love. I haven’t told you that enough.”
Kara rested her head on Moira’s shoulder and sighed happily.
Adrian pulled them deeper into the gallery, through the seething mass of bodies, all wearing masks—and some, little else. He stopped, turning to kiss Moira’s hand, and then walked sedately up onto the stage where the band played.
“Mesdames et Messieurs, Doms, Dommes, subs and switches. Let me start by saying bon Mardi Gras to you all!” A cheer went up, and Adrian raised his hand to silence them. “The season of excess comes to an end after tonight, but who knows excess like we, les fleurs de la nuit? It’s our season, and what better way to celebrate its final night than together, non?”
The crowd cheered again, and Adrian turned to look at Moira. “And what better celebration than the bringing together of two kindred souls. L’Ange Noir has done what many of us have wished to do. She has tamed the untamable Kara, la belle dame sans merci. And today, they have chosen to share that with all of us. Mon ange noir?”
Moira, biting her lip nervously, turned to Kara. “Ready?”
Kara smiled and squeezed her hand. “Beyond ready.”
Together, they climbed up onto the black stage and stood beside Adrian. He smiled at them both and stood between them, like a priest officiating at a wedding. “Maîtresse Moira D’Arcangelis, L’Ange Noir. Kara Deschamps, mon soumise préféré. You’ve come together to formalize your commitment to each other, as Dominant and submissive. Mon ange?”
Moira smiled. Her eyes saw Kara and nothing else. “Kara, as your Mistress, I ask you to commit yourself to me, heart, body and soul, as your highest priority in life. That you will love, honor and obey me, and put my needs before your own. I ask that in your love for me, you submit your thoughts, actions and will to me. In return, I commit myself to you, as guardian, guide and teacher. I pledge to make you the highest priority in my life, to love and honor you, and put your needs before my own.”
Adrian turned to Kara. “Do you accept the terms and promise your Mistress has given you?”
Kara took a deep breath, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I accept, Mistress.”
Moira’s smile grew. “Will you kneel to me?”
Kara knelt without a word, her eyes falling to the floor. Moira handed the box to Adrian, opening it to reveal the collars she had picked out. Lifting the unlocked chain-link day collar, she held it in front of Kara. “As a symbol of our mutual love and promise, I offer you a collar. Will you accept?”
“I accept, Mistress.”
Moira placed the chain around Kara’s neck from behind and locked it. She ran her finger over the engraving, a simple M+K, and then turned it so the lock faced front. Turning back to the box Adrian held, she picked up one of the two keys that went to the collar. “As a further promise to never ask more of you than you can handle, I offer you the key. Will you accept?”
Kara took a deep breath and lifted her eyes. “I require neither key nor promise, Mistress. I am yours.”
Moira’s breath stopped, caught in her chest below an overflowing heart. Without a word, she took Kara’s hand and lifted her up, kissing her before she’d even finished rising. Sound erupted around them as the gallery cheered. Moira pulled Kara close and held her, her heart too full for anything else, except a single word. “Mine.”
Kara squeezed her back. “Yours.”
Moira looked out over the crowd that still cheered them, the new family she’d gained, and hugged Kara tighter. Toussaint and Marcelle stood in front, next to Tamara and Mirabelle. She spotted Devon and Master Ian, as well as Mistress Victoria, the other judge, and several of the subs who had been part of her training.
Family.
It felt good.
She raised her eyes, struggling not to cry, and caught sight of a single figure along the balcony. Standing in the darkness with a glass in hand, the one silent and still figure in the room. She felt his eyes on her in that moment and shivered.
Kara pulled back. “What is it?”
Moira shook her head and smiled. “Nothing. I’m just so happy.”
“Me too.”
But as she hugged Kara to her again, she couldn’t help glancing back to the balcony, and the figure in the darkness. She slowly raised her glass to Gideon and watched as he faded back to the shadows.
Epilogue
Adrian glanced out over the gallery with a smirk before turning to the bar. His drink was waiting before he reached it, as the bartender had worked there long enough to know his order without asking. Adrian picked the glass up, raising it in silent acknowledgement, and turned away.
“Adrian.”
A smirk pulled at his lips as Tamara sashayed up next to him. “Maîtresse. I’m surprised you’re still in Vieux Carré.”
Tamara shrugged and sipped at her whiskey. “I’m trying to remember why I left.” Adrian looked at her with a single eyebrow raised, and she rolled her eyes. “Fine, I remember why I left. But I didn’t come find you so we could talk about that. Your young soldier, the one you had helping with...” she waved her hands, “…that mess. He was certainly useful. It’s not like you to leave such an excellent prospect untrained.”
Adrian sighed and took a drink. “Monsieur Boudreaux is a conundrum. He hasn’t been home long enough for me to deal
with him, and he’s already left the bayou again.”
Tamara snorted. “He’s clearly interested. And you have the connections. Get him reassigned, Adrian, and get on with it.”
“Mais would you train him, ma chère?”
Tamara made a face. “I’ve already stayed longer than I should. As much as I don’t particularly want to leave, I do have a business to run. What about Moira?”
“She and her Kara will be leaving for Tuscany in a week. The annual Deschamps family trip, oui?”
Tamara laughed. “I’d forgotten about that. Lucky them.” She swallowed the last of her drink with a grimace. “What about Chance? Or is she going to stay in dreary Michigan forever with those annoying people she calls family?”
Adrian tapped a finger on his glass and favored her with a thoughtful look. “She always was one of your favorites. But you could be right.”
“Of course I’m right. I trained her, after all.”
“Bon.” Adrian raised his glass to Tamara, then knocked the last of the bourbon back. “To Chance. And Tamara…” he eyed her sharply, “…you might consider coming home.”
Tamara shook her head. “Maybe.”
About the Author
Cat Montmorency grew up reading every book she could get her hands on, and pining after the ones she couldn’t. She’s been everything from lifeguard to riding instructor to high school math teacher, but discovered that being a ninja gamer-girl and out-of-the-closet die-hard romantic who writes things was much more fun. If pressed, she’ll describe herself as a Southern Belle with a geek complex and a fetish for well-crafted words.
You can find her on Twitter (@CatMontmorency), and on her website at www.catmontmorency.com.
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Coming Soon:
Bourbon Street Bondage
Bonne Chance
Vieux Carré
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Ziporah has always been Cami’s champion, comforter, and friend. She volunteers to take this erotic journey alongside her, convinced it’ll be nothing more than a steamy adventure. But along the way she discovers she and Cami might not be so different, after all.
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As he teaches their bodies to submit to his, their enchanting combination of vulnerability and strength tempts him to do something totally unexpected—submit his heart to theirs.
Warning: This book contains BDSM elements, f/m/f ménage, graphic language, two smokin’ hot subs, and a Dom who got a hell of a lot more than he bargained for. Includes scenes of rape survival that could be possible PTSD triggers for sensitive readers.
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The moment Haris sees Tyler playing piano at a concert, he falls hard, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make the guy his. Even if it means—for the first time in his life—opening his wallet as wide and desperate as his heart.
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Curiosity and the temptation of a no-strings good time bring them together. The discovery of their secret fetishes—she likes to show off, he likes to watch—turns mere sexual chemistry into a fiery exploration of matched passions. They’re a natural fit. Trust in love, however, is harder to earn than trust in bed, especially when this beauty and beast hide even from themselves.
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eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Fleur de Nuit
Copyright © 2015 by Cat Montmorency
ISBN: 978-1-61922-724-8
Edited by Christa Soule
Cover by Kanaxa
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: September 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
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Fleur de Nuit: Bourbon Street Bondage, Book 1 Page 28
