My first story... be gentle!
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The doorman asked me if I needed any help. I thanked him, and told him that I was okay. My husband, Aiden, was a little bit too enamored with the frozen alcoholic slushes that NOLA specializes in, so he wasn't much help. This was our third time in New Orleans, and he always seemed to overdo.
I had my arm around his waist to steady him as we walked across the ornate lobby of the hotel Monteleone. It is one of my favorite hotels we've ever stayed at, and, thankfully, I know my way around.
We got upstairs and after fumbling a bit with the keycard, we got in the room. I set my purse and half-finished drink on the small kitchen table. Aiden headed straight for the couch in the sitting area and flopped down.
"Honey! I'm so sorry!" He squinted at the clock. "It's only 10:00 - it's too early! I don't know why the alcohol hit me so hard this time. My head is swimmy. Why is it just me? You seem fine."
"Because you are a lightweight," I laughed. "It's fine. I'm good to just hang out and rest a little. I'll probably just sit on the bed and play my games until you are good to fool around."
He didn't answer because he was already asleep.
I opened the door to our bedroom and flipped on the light. Man, I love this hotel. Everything is so classy and fancy. The bed was tall and very luxurious, and there were a couple of comfy chairs in a sitting area by the window. The curtains were open and I could see the lights and hear the chaos that was nearly constant on Royal street below.
I kicked off my shoes and mashed some pillows up against the headboard and sat back. After a few minutes I was engrossed by one of the puzzle games on my iPad, and I lost track of time. When I looked at the clock, I realized it was been an hour, and Aiden's occasional snores still echoed from the other room.
I was bored and decided to go explore. I slipped my shoes back on, checked my hair in the mirror. As insecure as I am, I must admit that I looked pretty darn good. (It is amazing what a year of hard work and discipline can do to a body and one's self-esteem.) I liked my shorter hairstyle, which I never would have attempted before I got into better shape. I wore black leggings and a basic black shirt that buttoned down the front. Normally, I'd have one or two buttons open. Tonight? Three. Hey, it's New Orleans, and I was feeling good! Nothing wrong with a little bit of cleavage, right? Simple, but classy.
I quietly snuck through the front room, grabbing a keycard off the table on my way. Opening the front door as quietly as I could, I slipped the "Do Not Disturb" sign on to the outside handle. Peeking back through the door as it closed, I saw that Aiden hadn't moved a muscle.
I spent the next few minutes walking around the hotel. It was quiet. The always-busy lobby was empty. I sat on a couch for a few minutes, until I was distracted by the noise coming from the bar. Not just any bar, mind you, but the famous Carousel Bar.
When I peeked in, the bar was not too crowded. A few solo drinkers sat on the barstools that slowly rotated around the bar. A few groups were gathered at tables and booths. I selected a small out-of-the-way booth and slipped in and sat down.
Moments later, a waiter came by, "What can I get you. Ma'am?"
I hope the "ma'am" comment was just southern manners, but shrugged it off and ordered a cranberry martini. (New to me, but I read about them in some magazine.)
Within moments, the waiter was back with my drink. He asked how I would be paying.
"Last name Davis, room 921."
"Excellent, I'll just bill it to your room." And off he went.
The drink was excellent. The tart cranberry juice offset the vodka taste, and the sugared cranberries added a touch of sweet. Yum.
I sat and relaxed and enjoyed my drink. We love New Orleans. The food, the fun things to do, and the plain old decadence -- or even the hedonistic -- aspects of that town made it special. Some of our best travel memories, and best sex memories are from NOLA.
I finished my drink, and was about to stand up, when the waiter brought another cranberry martini and set it on a napkin in front of me.
"Wait! I didn't order this."
"Compliments of the party over in the corner." He replied as he motioned with his head to a round booth in the corner of the bar.
I looked over and help up my drink and nodded to the group. There were four of them, three guys and one girl. They all started waving me over, inviting me to join them. I smiled and waved them off and mouthed "Thank you."
No sooner had I looked away that a man slid into the booth across from me. I jumped and almost spilled my drink.
"Sorry to startle you! No pressure, we just saw you sitting alone and thought that nobody should be sitting alone in here. Come join us! Really. Oh, by the way, I'm Drew."
Drew was a good-looking guy. I couldn't tell how tall he was, but he definitely gave off a young Paul Newman vibe. Wavy, blond hair, seriously blue eyes, and a potentially dangerous smile. Probably mid-twenties- he looked young enough to be one of my sons.
"That is so sweet of you, and I appreciate the invite, but I was just going to head back up to my room." I demurred.
"Wrong answer!" Drew laughed. "We insist. At least until you finish your drink."
I reluctantly slid out of the booth and followed him to the round booth where the others sat. My first thought was that it was a pity-invite. They saw this older lady sitting by herself and felt bad for her. My second thought was, what the hell. I might as well enjoy being the anti-Katie, because this was so far out of character for me.
One of the other guys slid farther around the bench, giving me room to slide in. Drew sat down next to me at the edge of the bench, and began the introductions. The southern gentleman was on task.
"I'm Drew, originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, currently in med school at LSU."
The guy next to him interrupted. "We are all in med school at LSU -- not just 'Doctor Drew. I'm Lance, by the way." Everyone laughed, except Drew who flipped a quick bird in Lance's direction.
Drew continued, motioning to the only girl in the group. "That little person is Chanti." She was sipping on a drink and waved a little wave to me.
"Chanti. Is that with an 'S' or a 'C?'" I asked
She looked surprised. "A 'C,' as in Chanterelle."
"Chanterelle? I like it -- Chanti, too. Your parents must love mushrooms." I replied.
She laughed and slapped the guy next to her with the back of her hand, "See? She gets it. You guys just don't have enough class to appreciate it."
She turned back to me and said, "Actually, you are exactly right. My parents are both chefs, and they love mushrooms. Chanterelles are the best of the best, so that's what they named me. At least someone at this table isn't a cretin."
Chanti was amazingly cute. Short blond hair, in an almost pixie cut. She had on a little too much eye makeup for my taste, but it worked on her. She had on a breezy green sundress -- the kind Aiden likes -- that made her bright green eyes pop. I couldn't help but notice that a few too many buttons were open on her sundress. My eyes dropped down for just a split-second to gauge if she was wearing a bra. She wasn't. I glanced back up to see her looking right into my eyes, with an impish grin on her face.
Busted.
I could feel the color move to my chest and face. So embarrassing. Chanti didn't say anything, and returned to her drink.
Drew continued, "This man next to me is Lance. He is a local boy, so if you can't understand his accent, one of us can translate for him."
Everyone laughed, including Lance. It took me a minute to realize who he looked like He was solid, well-built, with messy, curly back hair and a square jaw.
"Steve Young." I blurted out, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that out loud."
Drew saved me, "He gets that all the time, right?"
Lance nodded and said, "Hey, I'll take that as a compliment. Steve Young was awesome back in the day."
I already felt old, and that didn't help.
Drew resumed the introductions, "And last, but not least, we have James. He's the strong-silent type. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, we all listen."
James chuckled, tipped an imaginary hat at me and gave me what I guess I would call a "million dollar smile," proving Drew's point. He was tall, handsome, and very Black.
All four of these "kids" were very attractive, well-dressed, well-groomed and gave off the vibe that they came from money. I must admit that it helped me feel safe with them.
I was enjoying myself until Lance chimed in and said, "tell us about you?"
Oh, no. I thought. "What do you want to know?'
"We could start with your name, where you are from, why you are here, etcetera." Lance suggested.
"And why you are here alone," Chanti added.
"First of all, I'm here alone, but I'm not HERE alone. I'm with my husband."
"So where are you staying? What's the occasion?" Chanti asked.
"Hang on!" Drew resumed control of the conversation. "First things first: What is your name."
"Katherine, but I go by Katie."