“Am I that easy to read?” Lily wondered.
“Nah, but with a stubborn streak that led you to not only run away but stay hidden for six years, it makes sense. Okay, give me ten minutes and I’ll be back. I want to get out of this dress,” Venus said. She blew Emelise a kiss and headed into the back of the club where the dressing rooms were.
“I see why you like Venus; she’s a character,” Lily said.
“Yeah, but Mal is just as much fun to hang around with. After you left, Mal was pretty much the only other shifter I really got along with here. The first time I saw him as Venus I was totally blown away.”
“I have to ask, and if it’s none of my business or you’d rather let him tell me, say so, but…is he gay?” Lily asked curiously.
Emelise rolled her eyes then laughed. “As if I’d be all snooty with you just because you wonder if Mal is straight or gay.” She tossed a napkin at her. “To answer your question, he’s as gay as a three-dollar bill.”
Lily laughed. “Just making sure I don’t embarrass myself.”
A little over ten minutes later a broad-shouldered man with sandy-blond hair, that brushed his shoulders, approached their table and took the seat Venus had previously occupied. “This is much better. I don’t know how women wear those sequined dresses all the time. After a couple of hours, tops, I’m ready to rip mine to shreds.”
Lily blinked. “Wow, the change is… I never would have guessed you were Venus,” she finally said to him.
Mal laughed. “Malcolm Savage, Mal to my friends, at your service,” he said and offered his hand. “I’ll take that as one hell of a compliment, babe. Let me know if that offends you; I know not every woman is cool with a man calling her ‘babe’ unless they’re an item. I tend to call every woman I know that; I don’t mean anything by it.”
Lily waved it away. “I live in New Orleans where I’m called ‘cher’ all the time; I think I can handle ‘babe’,” she assured him.
Mal chuckled. “I like you. I see why you and Emelise are besties.” He ordered a glass of scotch and settled back in his seat. “What brings you back to Phoenix, Eme?”
“Just here to get my shit out of storage. We’ll be heading back day after tomorrow. Hey. Listen, I’ve got a proposition for you, Mal. I’m opening a jazz and blues club in New Orleans, soon. It’s in the recovery phase right now; I bought an old bar that’s been vacant for a few years. What would you say to coming down and doing a show once it’s open? I know you’ve been itching to get out of Phoenix.”
Mal considered it for several minutes while he sipped his scotch. “I just might do that, babe. Send me the info when you’re ready to open the doors. I haven’t been to New Orleans in years. Is it still controlled by leopards?”
“You know what group controls the city?” Lily and Emelise said together.
“Ladies, I went to Mardi Gras before it was legal for me to get wasted—yeah, I know who controls New Orleans. They’d just had a change in leadership and things were unsettled so I steered clear of them. It seems Mardi Gras is the one time of the year they don’t push the territorial bullshit.”
“The Alpha’s name is Caine Bordeaux, and he is by far the most arrogant male I have ever fucking met,” Emelise growled.
Mal stared at her, then laughed. “Aw shit, Eme’s found the one thing that would ruffle her fur: a controlling male who happens to be her mate. Let me guess, he tried to order you to not drive out here?”
“She didn’t even tell him we were coming,” Lily said before Emelise could reply.
Eme glared at her and then turned the glare on Mal when he laughed even harder. “Laugh it up,” she grumbled. “He doesn’t own me; I can do whatever I damn well want to, and if he doesn’t fucking like it, he can kiss my ass.”
Mal leaned over and patted her hand. “You know I’m teasing you, babe. Make him work for it; that’ll prove he’s worthy of you.”
They shared several rounds of drinks before exhaustion finally set in, and both Lily and Emelise were struggling to stay awake. “We’ve got to head back to the hotel to get some shut-eye before we both pass out right here,” Lily said as she set her empty glass down.
“Give me a shout in the morning; I’ll come help load the truck,” Mal told them. There were hugs all around before he made sure they were safely settled in a cab and on their way to their hotel.
