“What about that girl you brought last time?”
“Eh. It’s run its course.”
“Well, you better find a new girl quick. Only got a couple days.”
“I might ask one of the girls at Maxine’s. Women on the clock don’t talk as much—and they fuck good.”
“Problem solved.”
28
ALIÉNOR
With my first paycheck, I bought a nice gown to wear to this fancy party. It had one sleeve that crossed over my chest to my shoulder, and it had another slit over my stomach. The front was short, all the way to my upper thigh, and the train in the back was long with puffed curls in the fabric.
It was actually a piece by Diamant, and because of that, I was able to get it at a discount, but it was still a pretty penny. I curled my hair to match the puffiness in the train of the dress. I wore a gold necklace around my throat and matching pumps.
As always, when Luca arrived at my door, he just let himself inside. In a black tuxedo with his hair combed back, he looked like an MI6 agent whose job was to catch the bad guy in an exotic location and fuck a couple beauty queens along the way.
He stilled slightly at the sight of me, his eyes suddenly becoming glued in place. He took me in with obvious approval, his eyes moving down then bouncing back up again. He recovered then approached me, a powerhouse in that suit, looking like a million euro when he was already worth a billion. He didn’t say I looked beautiful or say anything about the dress—but his eyes sure did.
His arm circled the small of my back, and he brought me close, angling his neck down to kiss me because the strain to his spine was worth it. His other hand slipped into my hair, and he kissed me so softly, like he didn’t want to ruin my lipstick or my hair but he couldn’t resist. When he pulled away, he looked at me again, taking in my appearance like he needed a second glance. Still, he said nothing.
But that was fine with me.
He noticed the duffel bag on the counter and grabbed it before he opened the front door for me to walk through.
We headed downstairs and got into the back of his SUV. There were two captain’s chairs, but Luca was big and broad enough that he could easily rest his hand on my thigh, absent-mindedly pushing away what little fabric was there so he could feel my bare skin right next to my panties. He stared at the road ahead.
I looked at him, seeing the veins pop in his neck above his collar. He’d shaved before he got dressed, and his fair skin was clean, the little bones in his jaw even more noticeable. His natural expression was that of intensity, so he looked mad when he was feeling nothing at all, and there was something about it that I liked.
He must have felt my stare because he turned to look at me.
I’d been caught like a giggling schoolgirl, but I didn’t look away.
When he realized I had nothing to say, his stare became less sharp. He looked at me as I looked at him, and then after almost a minute of staring, he looked out the window again.
We hadn’t said a word to each other since he’d entered my apartment, but it wasn’t tense or awkward or uncomfortable.
It felt right.
The SUV got in a long line of cars and eventually arrived at the entrance to the Louvre, which was decorated with pedestals of flowers on either side of the walkway, banners hanging down the front of the building with the French flag.
Luca got out first then helped me because of my heels and the long train of my dress. When we were situated on the sidewalk, he didn’t put his arm around me. Instead, he took my hand in his, his fingers encircling mine, and walked me to the entryway where other couples waited to enter.
He’d never held my hand before, and something about it felt more intimate. A man put his arm around his date, even a friend, but he didn’t hold hands with a woman unless there was deep affection there. Unless there was commitment and unity.
I let him guide me, the top of my head reaching his chin in my heels, the man reaching at least six-four. I’d never asked how tall he was, so I had no way of knowing exactly what his height was, but it had to be about there because my heels were at least six inches tall, and I still felt like a valley to his mountain.
We waited in line behind everyone else to check in and get past security.
“You never drive.”
He turned to look at me, slight confusion in his eyes.
“It’s just funny that I hopped into your car when you were driving, but you don’t seem to drive yourself often.”
“I do sometimes.”
