Page 43 of Gilded Kisses

“Umm.. ah… Key bearers or Key Masters?”

“Owners soon enough. For now, we are masters.”

I keep my answers short and to the point. To prove what I say is true, I roll up my left sleeve and reveal the golden key etched into the skin of my forearm. The boy pulls out a black light and beneath the delicate flourishes of black and gold ink shines through a secondary level no unassisted human eye can detect.

“Cleared. Welcome back to the Gilded Key Society. Please enjoy your stay.”

If that failed to appease the boy, my guns on the seat beside me might have had his lips sealed and him punching us through too. But I like to give credit to people having some level of common sense. Viper thinks I have too much faith in my fellow human beings, but I don’t know. It’s nice to put good vibes out after three and a half decades of putting bodies in the ground. I figure if I can persuade enough angels to fight for my soul, I might get a chance at going to heaven with Aster when the time comes. It’s worth a shot.

I angle my head around and catch a death glare from Aster. Common sense tells me to release her and make sure no guns are out of her reach. But the demons in me like seeing her gagged and roped.

We roll to a stop on the outskirts of New Orleans. Fifteen miles back, streetlights slowly faded away to give space for the wilds of Louisiana to take over. This far outside the city, the night air is clean, warm, and holds the scent of jasmine. The club is on an old plantation with sprawling lands and draping willow trees. The perfect location to keep low and let whatever storm is rolling over with Aster pass us by. If she tries to run this far outside the city, she can only get so far.

Not that I see untying her soon. She thinks we will let her go, but this time the girl isn’t going anywhere. The first time I let Mirsha and Viper win. This time it’s what I want.

Fuck the consequences. Sometimes common sense is overrated.

A valet pops the door open and I step out, handing him the keys.

His eyes go wide when Viper hauls out a pissed-off Aster and slings her over his shoulder. Mirsha jerks his chin at the gawkingman-boy and steps in front of him, blocking the view of Aster’s fine ass in leather.

“Eyes to yourself unless you want to lose them.”

“Sorry, sir. I just…is she okay?”

I grin and rest a hand on his shoulder. “Depends on who you ask. Do us a favor and call in to the manager. Ask them to prepare our suite for a female guest. We will need to sign in a temporary guest for this evening.” There are a few rules to keep the members of the Society safe—discretion to the fullest is high on the list. But letting everyone know that once you step within these walls protection is vital. Key bearers, Key masters and guests alike. Names are added to a book nightly and everyone is checked on periodically.

I grip Aster’s ass and get a squeal in return and then she knees Viper in the chest. Poor bastard.

Instead of walking through the front door, we round the side of the Society and head for a more discreet entrance. The low-hanging branches of willows give a semblance of privacy as a few members make their way to the back gardens. Embarrassing Aster is the last thing any of us wants so we stay quiet and use the darkness as a shield.

“Evenin’, gentlemen.”

An aged voice welcomes us from the darkness before a door is eased open and red lights color the night around us.

“Smells like dat rain will be here soon. I’m glad ya got back before da storm hit.”

“Meuser Boudreaux,” I tilt my head in greeting. Leaning toward the latter end of eighty, the N’awlins local has a fiery sparkin his eye that tells of his world-weary time on this earth. He smiles and the age creasing his cheeks deepens with what my grandparents called wisdom lines. I can only hope I get to be his age, but the odds are heavily stacked against me.

For the time we’ve stayed here, this has been our way in and out of the club. Boudreaux feels like an old friend by now. So far he’s not seen us with a woman, so I can understand the surprise on his face at seeing Aster.

His grin turns mischievous with fond memories of being young and wild. “New guest?”

“An old friend.”

He tilts his head in understanding and gestures us inside. “Welcome to da society, gentleman and lady.”

None of us are interested in joining the club members for sexual entertainment. My dick doesn’t respond to anyone but the little minx spread over Viper’s shoulder, but we bought in once we discovered the owners wanted to sell but would only do so to members.

Speaking of, her head pops up and those large, expressive icy blue eyes want me dead in my tracks. I tap the underside of her chin and wink at her.

“WET MWE DOWWN!”

I fix her gag from slipping. “Soon, sweetness.”

The blush on her cheeks makes the murder in her eyes sound like a fun night.

Viper leads the pack with me in the middle and Mirsha bringing up the rear.

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