package.
“So do you have plans or not?” He’s giving me a knowing smile that tells me we both know what’s up with my libido being in overdrive. Maybe it’s normal after transatlantic flights. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he winked with the express purpose of sending me over the edge; he seems a little dangerous like that, aware of his own power over women. But he just waits for me to answer him, his eyes practically sparkling. Or maybe I’m just imagining it all because I really, really want to see this French man naked in my big comfortable bed. And in my bath. And in the middle of the room…
“No, no plans yet. But I’m hopeful. I just need to get my key thing figured out.” I don’t want to walk away, but I’m also not a big fan of awkward moments. I step as if to go down the hall. I’m looking for my dream man, but I think maybe this guy is too dreamy. I need to set my sights just a tad lower. Someone a little less hung might be more attainable and less intimidating.
He holds out a hand, stopping me with the motion even though he doesn’t touch me. “Hold on a second. I’ll get you some help.” He pulls a cell phone out of his pocket and speaks rapidly in French. I only catch “bonjour” at the beginning and “merci” at the end just before he ends the call. “I’m having a key sent up for you. It should be here shortly.”
“Oh,” I’m a little taken aback by that. He’s not wearing a uniform, but he’s obviously on friendly terms with the front desk. And the way he just took charge like that and asked me all those questions… he had to be an employee. “I didn’t realize you work here. Wow, that’s great customer service. Do you just roam the halls here and help damsels in distress as they pop up on your radar?” Now he seems less intimidating for some reason. The French are so friendly. I love it here. I feel my face stretching into a big smile again.
One side of his mouth lifts in a grin, and I nearly pass out from it, my smile faltering because I just remembered that dick hanging down his leg. My eyes stray lower and I almost strangle myself on my own drool. Holy mother of all angels, if he wasn’t working I’d ask him out on a date myself . I cough to get my equilibrium back, and he turns his back to give me a moment to collect myself.
He pulls a key out of his pocket and uses it on the door across from mine. Looking over his shoulder, he says, “Would you like to wait in here until the key arrives?”
I look around him and see a room that’s much bigger than mine, but there’s no bed in it. It looks like a giant waiting room or a living room of some sort. Maybe even a party room. “What is this place?” I move closer to the entrance so I can see more of it.
“A suite. You’re welcome to use it while you wait. I can have them bring the key here instead of making you wait out in the hallway.”
I walk in slowly, taking all the details and filing them away in my brain. In my haste to leave I not only left the key in there, I also forgot my camera. This is a place I don’t want to forget. I feel like I’m in a castle.
He comes in behind me, and I realize it’s probably not the smartest thing in the world to do, walking into a room with a man I’ve only just met. But he leaves the door partially open and puts the key down on the table nearby. He takes a seat in one of the chairs that is set up as part of a little conversation area. There are several in the room.
I sit across from him on a couch, and we stare at each other for a few seconds. Watching him watch me is causing an interesting reaction in my system. I’d heard of fight-or-flight before, but what I was feeling was a little more like flight-or-get-it-on. I put my purse down at my side to break the tension a little. There’s no way I was taking that flight option.
“So you are from the United States,” he says.
It’s not really a question, but I answer it anyway. “Yes. California.
Learning to Kill: Stories