Chapter Eleven #2
They found a hotel downtown called the Crown Sanctum, with its famed lobby and marbled ducks.
Celeste had stayed here once for a legal conference.
It was beautiful, historic, and expensive.
But her credit card could handle it, and moreover, something in her wanted this. One night in a place that felt special.
The lobby was stunning. Ornate Italian Renaissance Revival architecture, with a grand marble fountain at its center where the famous ducks resided.
The ceiling soared overhead, and everywhere Celeste looked there were elegant details: carved wood, gleaming brass and plush furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum.
“Wow,” Ruby breathed, stopping to stare. “This place is incredible.”
“They have duck parades. Twice a day. The ducks march from the fountain to the elevator and up to their rooftop palace.”
Ruby's face lit up. “That's the best thing I've ever heard.”
At the check-in desk, a cheerful man in his fifties standing by greeted them. “Welcome to the Crown Sanctum! Checking in?”
“Yes,” Celeste said. “Two rooms, please.”
Ruby's face flickered with something that might have been disappointment, but she nodded and didn't argue.
“Wonderful, wonderful!” The man, who introduced himself as Robert, said as the front desk receptionist typed rapidly into his computer.
“Beale Street's just a few blocks away. There, you can find the best blues in the country.
There's also some fantastic barbecue joints I can recommend.
Central BBQ is my personal favorite, but honestly, you can't go wrong with any of them. And if you want something fancier, Chez Philippe here in the hotel has an excellent menu...”
He continued speaking about restaurants and music venues while the receptionist processed their reservation. Celeste only half-listened, too aware of Ruby standing beside her and conscious of the space between them.
“Dad, you're talking their ears off.”
A young woman emerged from the back office. She looked to be in her early twenties, with long dark hair and striking green eyes. She was beautiful in an effortless way, wearing jeans and a fitted blazer that somehow looked both casual and elegant.
“Just being helpful, Evangeline,” Robert responded cheerfully.
“There's helpful and then there's holding people hostage.” Evangeline smiled at them apologetically. “Sorry about him. He gets excited about the Memphis food scene.”
Ruby returned the smile. “It's fine. We appreciate the recommendations.”
Evangeline's eyes lingered on Ruby. “Y'all here for Beale Street? The music scene is incredible this time of year.”
“Just passing through,” Celeste said. “But we might check it out.”
“You absolutely should. I actually know all the best spots, the places the tourists don't find.” She leaned against the desk, angling her body toward Ruby. “I get off work in an hour. I could show you around if you're interested. There's this jazz club that just opened—”
“That's really kind of you,” Ruby said warmly.
“Not kind. Selfish, really. We don't get many beautiful women passing through who appreciate good music.”
Celeste's jaw clenched. She focused very intently on signing the registration form, her pen pressing perhaps harder than necessary against the paper.
They got their keys and headed upstairs to drop off their bags. The rooms were on the same floor, just a few doors apart. Celeste unlocked hers, a beautiful space with high ceilings, elegant furniture, and a view of the city.
“Want to grab dinner?” Ruby asked from the doorway. “I'm starving.”
“Sure.”
They met back in the hallway fifteen minutes later, both having freshened up. Ruby had changed into a clean shirt and run a brush through her hair. Celeste had touched up her makeup and tried not to think about why she cared how she looked.
The hotel restaurant was elegant but not stuffy, with dark wood paneling, soft lighting and white tablecloths. They'd barely opened their menus when Evangeline appeared at their table.
“Hey!” She was even more striking out of her work clothes, or maybe that was just the confidence she radiated. “Thought I'd swing by and see how you're settling in. Did you decide to head out after all?”
“We haven't decided yet,” Ruby said, setting down her menu. “Still recovering from the drive.”
“Where are you coming from?”
“Illinois originally. But we've been making a lot of stops.” Ruby's smile was easy and natural, friendly in the way she was with everyone. “Antique stores, veterinary clinics, you know, the usual road trip activities.”
Evangeline laughed, pulling up a chair without being invited. “Veterinary clinics? That sounds like a story.”
“Oh, it is.” And Ruby launched into the tale of Sparkle, complete with dramatic hand gestures and Evangeline listened with rapt attention, laughing in all the right moments, her body language openly flirtatious.
Celeste grudgingly participated in the conversation in short sentences but mostly watched it all, her hands clenched in her lap under the table.
The jealousy was irrational, she reminded herself.
She had no claim on Ruby. She'd literally just told Ruby, twice, that nothing could happen between them.
But watching another woman flirt so openly with Ruby made Celeste want to flip the table over.
“So what do you do? When you’re not rescuing birds?” Evangeline twirled a lock around her finger, her eyes never leaving Ruby’s face.
“I'm an artist. Painter, mostly.”
“That's amazing.” Evangeline's eyes lit up. “I've always wanted to meet a real artist. Do you have a studio? Do you show your work?”
Ruby answered, humble and charming, and Evangeline ate it up. She mentioned an art gallery downtown that Ruby should definitely visit and offered to take her there herself if Ruby wanted. She even suggested they could grab drinks afterward.
Celeste sipped her water and tried not to imagine doing violence to the tablecloth.
Finally, Evangeline glanced at her watch. “I should let you ladies eat. But seriously, Ruby, if you want that tour of Beale Street, I'm around.” She pulled out a pen and wrote her number on Ruby's napkin. “Call me. Or don't call me. But definitely call me.”
She winked and sashayed away.
Ruby looked down at the napkin, then at Celeste. “She was nice.”
“Very nice,” Celeste said flatly.
“Very forward.”
“Yes.”
They ordered dinner, steaks and wine that Celeste barely tasted, and Ruby spoke at length about her plans for when they got to New Orleans.
It was normal conversation, but Celeste couldn't stop thinking about Evangeline's hand on Ruby's arm and the way she'd looked at Ruby like she wanted to devour her.
After dinner, they headed back upstairs. They stopped in the hallway between their rooms, and Ruby turned to say goodnight.
But instead of saying goodbye in return, Celeste covered the short distance between them and kissed her instead.
This time, it wasn't tentative or exploratory.
It was possessive and claiming, fueled by jealousy and want and the desperate need to prove something she couldn't quite articulate.
Her hands fisted in Ruby's shirt as she backed her against the wall, kissing her like she was starving and Ruby was the only sustenance that mattered.
Ruby made a surprised sound that quickly turned into a moan, her hands coming up to run along Celeste's back.
Celeste pressed even closer, eliminating any further space between them, her body flush against Ruby's.
She could feel Ruby's heart racing, the way she trembled slightly, and taste the wine on her lips.
“Your room or mine?” She breathed against Ruby's mouth, her voice barely recognizable.
“Yours.”
They stumbled through the door, mouths never separating and hands everywhere at once. Celeste kicked the door shut and heard the lock click with immediate satisfaction. Then they were falling onto the bed in a tangle of limbs, and Celeste's brain finally went blessedly quiet.
Ruby's hands slid under her shirt, fingers tracing patterns on bare skin that made Celeste arch into her touch.
She kissed along Ruby's jaw, down her neck, tasting salt and the faint remnants of her perfume.
When she found the pulse point at the base of Ruby's throat and bit down gently, Ruby gasped and pulled her closer.
This was madness. This was everything she'd sworn she wouldn't do.
This was perfect.
Ruby's fingers worked at the button of Celeste's jeans, and reality slammed back into focus with a sharp, resounding thud.
“Wait.” Celeste pulled back, breathing hard. “Wait, I can't—”
She shook her head as more words poured out.
“I'm sorry. I can't do this.” She scrambled off the bed, putting distance between them.
Her whole body was shaking, although whether from desire or fear, she couldn't tell.
Every cell in her body was screaming to go back, to finish what they'd started, but her mind would not let her. “You should go.”
Ruby sat up slowly, hair mussed and her shirt half-unbuttoned. She looked so beautiful and wrecked and Celeste wanted her so badly it hurt.
“Wait!”
Ruby held up her palm.