"And are your stories written from experience?"
Magnus let out a snicker. "Far from it Ava," he said and reached for her hand. "I simply write what I think people want to read. At first I just wanted to try my hand at it you know? See where it leads me but after my first book, "Love in the highlands," hit the New York Times Best Seller list I was ecstatic. I mean I couldn’t believe that a story that I made up could find itself on the Best Seller list. How crazy is that?" He squeezed her hand tighter.
"And then when my agent called and told me that both my readers and critics enjoyed how I stayed true to the setting and locations, well that pretty much solidified things for me. I was no longer going to be Magnus DuPonte, business man. From then on I became William Nomiuet. At least that's who I am when I write," he joked.
Ava stared at him in disbelief, the entire time that he was telling her his story she wondered how he could be so blind.
Magnus saw her blank gaze and grew concerned. "Ava, what is it? What’s wrong?" He asked.
"Magnus, your pen name."
"Yeah, what about it?"
It was clear to her that he hadn’t given it a second thought, and why would he? No one would think to put two and two together. But she was quite good at solving brainteasers and if one played around with the words, they could quite easily figure it out.
"Ava, what about my pen name?" He asked again.
"Magnus look," she said and fished inside her purse for a pen and paper.
"You’re pen name is William Nomiuet."
"We’ve established that Ava."
Ava let out an exasperated sigh. "Magnus don’t you see, William Nomiuet is William Montieu," she all but shouted at him from across the table.
Magnus sat dumbfounded for a moment. He’d thought of the name right before he submitted his first book and that was several years ago. He hadn’t even thought of buying the plantation and had never even heard of the name.
"Magnus, you buying that plantation is no coincidence," she said.
He knew that she was right. How many nights had he lain awake wondering what his pen name should be? But then one night he’d had a dream, he was in love with a beautiful woman, and she with him but every time he’d reach for her something kept pulling him back. And by the time he broke free of his invisible restraints, the woman would disappear. Strange how he couldn’t remember the woman’s face though, but he knew that she was beautiful and that they were in love. What he did remember was that the surroundings were not of this time or place. And it was shortly after he’d awoken from that dream that the name William Nomiuet came to possess his mind.
Once he told her about his dream, Ava began to pull it all together. "Magnus, first of all I think it’s amazing that you still remember that dream, especially since it was years ago. I mean most people try to remember but can’t because it quickly escapes the mind. But you’re remembering and holding on to it only solidifies what Sinta told us. William Montieu came to you years before and planted the seed in your mind. And from then on you were destined to not only buy Montieu Plantation but to take on Will’s name, sort of like an alter ego.
"How could I have been so stupid? I mean all these years and there it was staring me right in the face and I was completely oblivious to it." He swallowed down what was left of his wine and politely asked the waitress for another bottle.
"Magnus, it’s nothing to get upset over," she reassured him. "Now we can understand more of the story."
"Yes we figured something else out Ava, but I could kick myself for not figuring out that my own pen name was the name of the guy who killed himself in that house. I mean I'm a writer for Christ’s sake, I investigate things; I do research."
"Magnus you’re overreacting, you were commissioned to buy that house by the spirit of Will Montieu and you bought it, end of story. We know what we have to do and we are going to do it, and when we get back we’ll finish reading the diaries. Hopefully we’ll be able to put an end to this horrible curse. But for now let’s enjoy our time here in New Orleans for goodness sake and leave the worries of Montieu Plantation behind," she smiled at him.
"You’re right, let’s finish up our lunch because I’ve got something special planned for you," he said with a boyish grin.
"You’re just full of surprises aren’t you?" Ava smiled. It was the first time in a long time that she felt special.
When they had finished their lunch, Magnus led her by the hand out of the restaurant and into an awaiting horse and carriage. "I thought we’d take our tour in this," he said and helped her into the carriage.
Ava smiled at the female driver of the carriage as she introduced herself to them. Once the mule named Ella got going, the driver began telling them about the real New Orleans and how the locals stay away from Bourbon Street. She then proceeded to Frenchman Street. "This is where the real party is," their driver Jackie told them. Ava marveled at the sights and listened intently as Jackie told them all about the nitty gritty of New Orleans.
As they approached an old slave hospital, both Ava and Magnus glanced at one another, they were both thinking about the slaves that had worked at Montieu Plantation and how many had died on the property. "Probably is no record of it at all," Jackie told them when they inquired if there were any records of slave deaths from the Montieu Plantation.
"So that’s where you all are from? Corinth?" She asked out of curiosity. When they replied yes, Jackie went on to tell them that although the Montieu Plantation was further away from the more popular ones such as Oak Alley that it didn’t stop the various stories about the place being haunted from going around. "And what kind of stories have you heard?" Magnus asked.
And as Ella trotted down the 700 block of Decatur Street at Jackson Square, Jackie went on to tell them the story of how once, the year Katrina hit, she and a couple of friends were out joy riding and happened upon the old plantation. They had barely made it to the front steps of the abandoned place when one of her friends suddenly became racked with stomach pains while another swore that she saw a woman standing in one of the bedroom windows.
"Now the place was completely abandoned and over grown with nothing but a bunch of dead weeds but off to the side of the house, was the most amazing Gardenia shrub you have ever seen. The scent was almost overpowering and it seemed to get stronger and stronger the closer we got to the house. Mind you, we all knew that we was being confronted by some very bad spirits. Spirits who obviously did not want us around and before anything else sinister came after us, we high tailed it out of there and haven’t been back since."
By the time Jackie had finished with her story, they hadn’t realized that she had stopped at Laffite’s bar and a waiter was there ready to take their drink order curbside. Ava and Magnus sat in awe while Jackie took it upon herself to order them two hurricanes, the drink was the house specialty and something told her by the looks on their faces that they needed a stiff drink.
After their tour, Jackie graciously thanked them for the generous tip and she and Ella trotted back towards Canal Street.
"Magnus, do you realize that we’ve probably gotten more clues from this trip than we did searching the entire house?" Ava was still stunned at hearing Jackie’s story. "Poor Will has been stuck in that house since the day he died Magnus." She was saddened by the thought of him loving Celeste so much that he couldn’t find the peace that he so obviously needed. "It’s as if without her he couldn’t even move on, it’s so incredibly sad," she told him.
Magnus tried his best to comfort her, he told her that the moment they return to the house he would get Sinta to perform a séance; it was the only way that they would be able to communicate with Will. "Perhaps after we hold the séance we’ll find out who this woman is. But I think we already know the answer to that question," he said looking at her.
"Yes," Ava replied. "The woman is Amelia Montieu."
This is not how Magnus had envisioned his weekend away with Ava; he had wanted everything to be perfect. He didn’t want
her mind on anything else but the sights and sounds of New Orleans. He was thankful that the awards ceremony wasn’t until tomorrow night, for the evening that was approaching, he planned on taking her with him to a pre ceremony mixer down at a local bar on Bourbon Street. "I hope that the mixer will give us a chance to talk," he said hoping that she would get his implication.
"I'm sure it will Magnus." Her response let him know that she read him loud and clear.
While she showered and dressed for her evening date with Magnus, Ava thought about his mention of the two of them talking. It wasn’t as if they had never talked, so she knew what he meant. He wanted them to talk about things other than Montieu plantation. Lately it seemed that the big house was dominating their conversations and she got a sense that Magnus had wanted to further those thoughts from his mind, at least for the weekend anyway. She had no problem with that, she enjoyed his company immensely and wanted to know everything there was to know about him and tonight would be the night that she would tell Magnus everything that happened between she and Gavin.
Chapter Eleven
Magnus stood outside her door at precisely eight o’clock. He was nervous, he wasn’t sure how Ava felt, but for him it was like starting anew. Even though he felt a strong connection to her, he still couldn’t get the nervous knot out of his stomach. Before he could even knock, Ava opened the door as if she was expecting him. "How did you know I was here?" He asked her, his voice a nervous tremble. She looked incredibly sexy in a red form fitting tank style dress. "I just had a feeling," she smiled at him. " Don’t you look handsome."
"So do you," he said before realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry Ava, I mean you look beautiful, sexy… Ava why am I so nervous all of a sudden?" He questioned her.
She couldn’t help but laugh. "Maybe it’s because this is the first social situation that either of us has had in a long time. I mean the both of us have been so used to communing with the dead, as Sinta would say. That we forgot what it’s like to commune with the living," she joked.
"You’re right," Magnus grinned. "Leave it to good old Sinta to tell it like it is. Now shall we partake in some good old fashioned fun among the living?" He asked and reached for her hand and she gladly took it. "Yes we shall."
The Maison Bourbon was a corner bar located on Bourbon Street. When they walked in Ava could feel the warm, jazzy atmosphere. It seemed to be soulfully oozing out of the walls, and the wonderful sounds coming from the live band told her that the bars reputation lived up to that of the sign posted outside that read, Dedicated to the preservation of Jazz. Inside the walls were covered with photographs of jazz singers and players from the past and present. Smoking was still allowed and the smoky haze all but added to the amazing atmosphere.
Magnus soon spotted his fellow writers and after making the introductions, the drinks were ordered and shortly after, the meet and greet was well under way. Magnus however, found it quite hard to take his eyes off of Ava. Whether she knew it or not, the sexual energy was pouring out of her and it was turning him on like no other. And he knew that it had nothing to do with his drink.
He had been turned on by her the moment she rested her injured leg in his lap that very first day that he met her. Ever since then he’d fought the urge to rip her clothes off and make love to her. He hoped by asking her to be his date that she would know how he felt about her. He could have gone alone or asked someone else but he didn't want to, he wanted Ava by his side and here she was seductively eyeing him while making small talk with one of his writer friends.
"How about a dance?" His friend asked her.
Ava turned and looked at Magnus before answering. "I'm sorry, but I promised Magnus that he’d be the only one taking me out on the dance floor," she grinned at him.
"In case you didn’t catch that Magnus, that was a not so subtle hint for you to ask her to dance," his friend Nicholas playfully nudged him on the arm. "You are one lucky man Magnus," he told his friend and politely excused himself from the table. Magnus stood up at the table and very seductively placed his hands around her waist as they eased onto the dance floor. The lively music had slowed down to a sultry, bluesy melody that forced them both to have to mold their bodies into one another.
Ava wasn’t sure if it was the drinks or just being so close to him that made her want him so incredibly bad. Had they not been in a public place, she would have liked to slowly strip off his clothes and take him right then and there. Magnus held her tight as they swayed to the music. He could feel her hips moving to the slow and steady rhythm of the saxophone. The heat that was flowing from their bodies was intense and soon they were wet with perspiration.
As the slow, melodious tune played, Magnus lifted her face to meet his and when their lips met, the feeling of hot electricity surged through them both. The saxophone got louder and his kisses grew more intense. He casually pulled her over to a corner where his mouth continued to control hers. With every thrust of his tongue Ava knew that he was showing her what he was quite gifted at doing. Her heart was racing and she hoped that the music would go on and on. She was getting swept up in his multitude of kisses and had it not been for the drunken patrons that had noisily burst into the bar, she was sure she would have climaxed.
Magnus had to lead Ava back to the table, she was dizzy. But it wasn’t from the drinks she told him, it was from the dancing and the kissing she laughed. "It’s been a long time since you’ve been swept off your feet hasn’t it Ava?" He asked. He was amazed that she was so unaware of her powers of seduction.
Ava took a sip of her drink before answering. "Yes it has," she said and looked him in the eyes. She marveled at how in just the right light, his eyes seemed to burst with flecks of gold. "Magnus, remember earlier when I told you that I had a boyfriend who told me that I wasn’t worldly enough to have intellectual conversations?"
"Yes."
"Well that boyfriend was my boss, Gavin." She had to shout over the music, it had grown loud again as a group of tourists had invaded the balcony and started dancing.
Magnus looked in the direction of the balcony and made a face. He knew that she was about to open up to him and he wanted her to know that she had his full attention.
"Ava hold that thought, let’s say we take our drinks and get out of here? Follow me," he said and was already leading her towards the door. Summer in New Orleans meant that tourists would be the majority on Bourbon Street and the partiers flowed out into the streets. Ava followed Magnus to nearby Jackson Square; the park was even more beautiful at night with its twinkling lights and horse drawn carriages ready and waiting to take the steady flow of passengers on an evening tour.
Ava smiled when she thought about the tour they’d taken hours before. "Ava sit down," he patted the park bench and handed her a drink.
"Now please continue with your story," he said. He was sure that Ava was ready to spill everything about her and Gavin’s relationship. He wanted to know out of the two, which on was still interested. He needed to know, it would define the rest of the weekend for him, for the both of them.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips before she continued with her story and by the end of it; Magnus had not wanted to hear any more, he was furious. It was quite obvious that Ava was done with him but for whatever reason, Gavin was trying his hardest to get in touch with her. And based on the multitude of phone calls from Gavin to his cell, Magnus got the distinct feeling that it had nothing to do with work. Now he was glad that Ava choose to ignore the phone calls. Thank god he’s no longer in the picture, he silently cheered.
"Ava, how could he be so cold and calculating?" Magnus wondered out loud. "And to someone as wonderful as yourself? That man is nothing but a coward, and I will be more than happy to relay that to him should we ever meet and if your so called best friend is with him? Well let’s just say that I have a few choice words for her as well. What they did is inexcusable Ava."
She kissed him on the mouth, a quick, succulent kiss. "Magnus thank you for calling me wonderful but I
am afraid that I am far from it. You know sometimes I think that I drove him away."
"Now you’re talking non sense."
"No, I'm serious. I mean maybe I wasn’t sexy enough for him; maybe I wasn’t spontaneous enough for him. He always told me that I was incredibly predictable and that he could set his watch by me," she frowned. "Even though he was the one who had to plan ahead and write everything down, I think he wanted me to be the opposite of that. And I thought I was but I guess just not enough."
"Ava, look at me. You are one of the sexiest women that I have ever met. You emulate sex; it’s clearly a part of you. Oh you might like to hide it but I can see it in your eyes, a person would have to be blind not to see it. But it’s not only that which makes you sexy, it’s everything about you. You’re far from conceited and you are the easiest person in the world to talk to. You clearly don’t scare easy and you’re more than able to take care of yourself so please don’t ever let me hear you talk about yourself in a negative way."
He cupped her face with his hands and leaned in close. "Ava Montgomery, any man would be lucky to have you and don’t you forget it," he said and kissed her.
"Magnus, are you trying to tell me something?" She teased him with her lips while she spoke.
A deep moan escaped his lips. "Yes I am," he said right before he immersed his tongue deep inside her mouth.
They had spent hours on the park bench kissing, and before they knew it, the time was almost four a.m. "Magnus thank you for a wonderful evening." Ava stood in the doorway of her suite. She wanted so badly to invite him in but she knew that it wasn’t the right time, they had both been drinking way too much and she wanted the both of them to be sober the first time that they made love. "Many a bad choices have been made when two people embark on a drunken night of sex," her mother always told her anytime that Ava would go out with friends for the night.
Sometimes she had heeded her mother’s advice and sometimes she hadn’t, but this time something told her that it was a bad idea. They’ll be plenty of time for hot, passionate sex, she told herself as she bid him goodnight. If Magnus was disappointed or feeling let down he certainly didn’t show it, in fact he was glad that she hadn’t invited him in. He still wanted to get to know her. And although they’d had their share of intimate moments, some where he was fully aware and some not, he knew that Ava was a woman with whom he would want to take his time. As he got ready for bed, he thought about her. His fingers ached when he thought about how badly he wanted to trace the outline of her body; how he’d take his time and go over each and every curve.
Echoes in the Bayou Page 9
