European Secrets (Paris - Vol. Two) (3 page)

Adrien motioned her toward a group of people talking in a corner. “Come and meet some people.”

A tall man in a blue shirt nodded as they approached. Adrien introduced her in French and then switched to English. “Annie is a writer. She’s in Paris for a few days.”

“Nice to meet you Annie. My name is Antoine. This is my wife, Marcelle.” He looked at the woman next to him, who smiled and nodded.

Annie deflated. He wasn’t one of them. His wife stood next to him. Adrien wouldn’t make things so simple for her, she surmised. As the conversation unfolded, she tried to focus and appear attentive, but the object of tonight’s game held her in a grip. She needed to find the three men, and make her decision.

“Excuse me for a moment.” She extricated herself from the conversation and walked over to a long table lined with drinks. She suddenly felt alone and awkward, surrounded by strangers. She grabbed a tall glass of white wine and stood by the table, sipping and watching the crowd. She wondered if Kate had instructed the three men to ignore her or approach her.

As the thought stirred, a good-looking man with dark blonde hair and blue eyes approached her from the side, holding a glass as tall as hers. He uttered a string of French that was lost on her, and as she furrowed her brow trying to understand, he smiled.

“English?” His accent was a little thicker than Adrien’s.

“Yes, Sorry. I’m Annie.” She smiled awkwardly, unsure if she should shake his hand.

“My name is Serge. Are you visiting friends in Paris?” He stood close to her, and she swore he glanced more than once at her dress.

“Yes. I’m just here for a few days. You live in Paris?” She started to plan her path to discovering who he was, hoping he’d make it easy.

“No, I’m from Northern France. But I work for an architectural firm here.”

Bingo. He had to be the architect, she guessed, feeling relieved.

“This is my colleague, Victor.” He gestured toward a man with jet-black hair, several inches taller than him but just as good looking, who appeared from the right.

“Shit,” she whispered internally, wondering how many architects were in the room. “Hi Victor. You work with Serge?” She felt awkward again, as though she’d spoken as if she already knew the blond man to her side.

“Yes. And your name?”

He was the best looking of all, she decided, hoping he was the man who matched her card. She watched how his eyes glinted under his brows, and how his long fingers curled around his wine glass.

“I’m Annie. Nice to meet you.”

“Are you visiting friends, Annie?” Victor asked, edging a little closer to her. She sensed mild competition between him and Serge.

Before she could say no, Adrien waved at her from across the room.

“Ah, you’re with Adrien?” Both men smiled, and she blushed, worried they knew everything.

She nodded. “So you’re both architects?”

“Yes,” Serge replied, a little decidedly. “And you?”

“I’m a writer.” She changed direction before they could continue with their questioning. “This is a beautiful apartment.”

“Thank you.” Another man, nearly as tall as Victor and with hair almost as dark, overheard their conversation as he passed. He moved in and kissed Annie on both cheeks. “Gustav. Pleased to meet you.”

“Gustav’s law firm works with the architectural firm a lot,” interrupted Victor. “Many of the people here tonight are from the firm.”

The lack of answers dizzied her. An apartment full of lawyers, and she had no idea which one Kate had selected.

Gustav introduced her to what felt like an endless stream of guests, whose names she forget as soon as she heard them. Men in their twenties, thirties, forties and fifties. Some attractive and charming; some she wanted nothing to do with. She felt hope slip from her, and refilled her glass. The room had become stuffy, and she wandered into the library adjacent, looking for air. Large French doors opened to an expansive balcony. She walked over the thick carpet and stood outside by the railing, watching as yachts bobbed on the black river. The moon was visible in the sky, between a few clouds. She had a sudden urge to smoke, after years of quitting.

As she turned her head to look inside she saw a man walk past the open doors, stopping to glance at her. He reminded her of Pedro: black hair and stubble lining his jaw. Tan skin under a dark shirt and slacks. He smiled at her and disappeared. She felt the urge to follow him and find an excuse to talk to him. Pedro had become a
type
, she realized, and she imagined herself forever chasing men who looked like him. “Stay on track,” she reminded herself, gulping the last of her wine and leaving the balcony. She didn’t have much time left, and there were still countless men she hadn’t met. She returned to the table lined with drinks, and caught another glimpse of him. He was gorgeous, and all the more tempting because he was out of bounds for her.

“Annie...how are you doing?” Adrien’s voice made her jump. He stood beside her, smiling at her surprise.

“I’m fine thanks. It’s a beautiful place, this.” She sounded distracted and knew it.

He sensed her focus and leaned in close. “Time’s nearly up. Make your decision soon.” He disappeared as quickly as he came, back into the circles of friends and colleagues, all a little drunk. She looked to her left and flinched at the surprise of seeing the man she liked standing next to her. He smiled slowly and lingered a moment, taking his time selecting his drink, and then wandered off.

It was too late. She had to make up her mind. The architect. That was her best choice. There was a chance he was either Serge or Victor, and both were attractive. She thought of herself in bed with both of them and felt a twinge of lust flutter between her legs. As she leaned her purse on the table, ready to rummage for the cards, she noticed a business card left beside her.

Below a bank’s logo, the words
Louis Dubois, Strategic Investments
jumped at her, printed in black ink on thick cream cardboard.

It was him. It had to be, she promised herself. He’d been the only man to stand that close to her by the table. She glanced around the room another time, and then picked the ace from the cards. She wondered if leaving his card had been a form of cheating, and dropped it into her purse. Casually, she walked over to the table by the door and pretended to look at the artwork on the wall above the table. When she guessed no one was looking, she left the ace of spades face up by a bowl of ceramic eggs and moved away.

She searched for Adrien, unsure of her next move. He tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around.

“Go upstairs and walk to the end of the hallway,” he whispered, and then left her standing alone. She walked to the wide staircase opposite the front door and climbed the carpeted steps, looking over her shoulder. No one was behind her. The upstairs corridor was lined with oil canvases framed in heavy gold leaf, with small spotlights mounted above them. She inhaled the scent of furniture polish and rose perfume and tread over the thick red Persian runner. At the end of the hallway stood heavy double doors, panelled in wood with brass door handles.

She opened the door to find the man she’d seen from the balcony standing on the rug, waiting for her.

“Louis?” She hoped she’d guessed correctly, and felt her heart rate elevate.

He walked toward her and kissed her on each cheek. “Yes. Hi Annie.” He took her hand, and nerves tickled her. He walked with her across the room, to another door. A hidden staircase curved steeply down to the first floor. She followed him, holding tight to the iron railing and trying to figure out where he was taking her. The door at the foot of the steps led outside, and the night air was cool after the heat of the packed apartment.

“I have a boat, Annie. Let’s go.”

She stopped, confused.

He saw the flicker in her eyes as she tried to understand, and he smiled. “There was only ever one man, Annie. It was always going to be me.”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, laughing. This time she really would kill Kate.

A small white yacht floated near the edge of the embankment by the river. She followed Louis out onto a narrow wood jetty, and a man in a white sweatshirt and khaki pants appeared from below deck. The two men exchanged a few words in French that Annie failed to catch, and then they guided her on deck. She felt the rock and sway of the boat under feet and steadied herself.

A cabin sided in cherry panelling hid beneath the deck. Annie gripped the door handle to the little room as the boat undocked and they began to sail away from the riverbank. As she opened the door all the way, she froze. Adrien stood by a double bed that took up most of the room. She heard the door close behind her and felt Louis’ hands on her hips from behind.

Adrien approached her and swept a loose lock of hair from her face. “There will be three of us tonight, Annie. Are you OK with that?”

She stood rigid a moment, double guessing what she’d heard. She moved her lips, but nothing came forth. “Yes,” she managed, on her second try.

Louis’ lips found her neck as Adrien began to kiss her, undemanding at first. Then he pulled her close, pressing himself against her. She was thankful for the wine that had loosened her reserve. Louis unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, exposing her to Adrien. He cupped her breasts and kissed her with more intent, enjoying the feel of her hard nipples under his fingertips. The touch of four hands on her quickly unravelled her, and she forgot her inhibitions quickly.

She loosened the button of Adrien’s pants, kissing his chest as Louis’ hands roamed her. She felt his hard cock firm against her ass as he stepped closer. Adrien sighed as she took him in her hands and rubbed him, and she kissed her way down his chest. It had only been five hours since she’d felt him inside her in the kitchen, but it felt like longer.

“Yes, suck him,” Louis encouraged her, holding back her hair as she took Adrien in her mouth. She sucked him hard, holding the base of him with her hand. She felt Louis’ eyes on her, watching as her lips curled around the other man and heightened his arousal.

Adrien guided her out of his mouth and took her hand at his waist. “On the bed, Annie,” he ordered her. He sat down on the mattress and pulled her to sit in front of him, then pulled her back a little. He held both of her breasts firmly as Louis dropped to his knees and spread her legs, then kissed his way from her ankles to the tops of her thighs. She tensed at his light touch, and let her head press into Adrien’s chest. Louis’ lips and tongue swirled around her, flicking and then sucking as she stared at the cabin ceiling, wondering how this had all become possible. His fingers entered her as he teased her, licking and kissing until she felt pleasure bloom and flower between her legs.

She felt Adrien hard against her back. He stared down at Louis’ head between her thighs, and at her nipples as he pushed her breasts together. She didn’t want Louis to stop, but he pulled away, kissing her thighs again. Adrien gently nudged her forward and stood up, then motioned for her to move to all fours on the bed. She took Louis in her mouth as Adrien found her from behind, and traced her opening with his fingers. She felt the soft glide of his fingertips, slick from her wetness. He pushed two fingers inside her as she sucked Louis harder, cupping his balls with her hands and running her tongue along his shaft.

As he penetrated her faster, she felt a growing need for both of them and arched her back to open herself more for him. He pushed deeper, rubbing against her walls and easing her farther from restraint. She moaned at the sensation of Adrien’s firm cock against her, sliding over her open body and waiting to enter her. He eased in slowly, then quickened, rocking his hips against her. She released Louis from her lips as Adrien’s thrusts filled her, and she pushed against him to take in more of him. Louis held her breasts that hung like teardrops under her as Adrien continued to drive into her. She watched as Louis replaced her mouth with his hand, jerking his cock and staring as Adrien filled her.

She was surprised when he withdrew before coming. He eased off the bed and took her hand, leading her to a pull-down ledge opposite the desk. She climbed onto it, resting on the edge while Adrien held her steady. Louis parted her legs and rubbed his shaft over her wet pussy until Annie grasped his hips and urged him to enter her. He was a little thicker than Adrien, and she moaned at how he stretched and fulfilled her. He thrust into her as fast as Adrien had, with his eyes intent on consuming her opening part for him. She liked Adrien, but adored Louis, she decided silently.