“I hope Charlotte will be all right,” said William, in an attempt to avoid the silence.

Elizabeth graciously took up the underlined offer to have a civil conversation. “Yes, I believe she will. She’s not unused to those fits of tiredness, being her busy self... And she’s also wondering about her future, that doesn’t help either. She’s off tomorrow night, I’m sure Ricky will manage to get home early and he’ll take good care of her.”

“They are well matched, he says he loves her very much,” he said, still the same hopeful envy in his voice. “And she seems to reciprocate the feeling.”

“Oh, that she does!” her tone matched him. “And yet they’ve known each other for what? Six months? That doesn’t seem like much!”

“So you don’t believe in love at first sight?”

“Well, I didn’t until tonight! From Jane’s reply, we’ve witnessed a real one…” Elizabeth couldn’t hide her puzzlement over the phenomenon but her voice was steady; indeed, at least on Jane’s side, this had been a coup de foudre. She dearly hoped it was also Charles’s case, and two facts spoke in favour of that theory. First, his message had come to them – which showed that his intent had been devoid of any short-term sexual interest, otherwise the waiter wouldn’t have delivered it - and second, his reaction on meeting Jane had been even more astounding than her sister’s. She wanted to get his friend’s point of view, but tried to be more positive than earlier.

“William, I have an embarrassing question. It’s for Jane’s sake; she’s not only my sister, but also my best friend…” she paused, at a loss to find a non-offensive phrasing.

Her companion had winced at the beginning of her sentence; but he had the same concerns for his friend. He hoped that if he replied frankly, she might be as honest, to the satisfaction of both.

“I guess you’re wondering about Charles’s love life…” Seeing her nod, he went on. “I wonder about Jane’s too. Well, Charles is not married, he’s not engaged, he doesn’t have a girl friend – believe me, I’d know! He’s the social type and he sees a lot of women but none seriously…”

This was good news and a genuine smile started to flourish on Elizabeth’s lips. There was still a point to address and she hoped that he had paused to find the right words. To her relief, he went on, obviously embarrassed by his next words.

“He’s not used to take his dates to bed either.” There it was said! William looked expectantly at her and her radiant smile took him by surprise. His breath caught, his loins awoke; how he wished he had been able to produce this type of reaction earlier…

She noticed the un-asked question and the sudden flash of desire in his eyes. The former was easy to answer and she was more than willing to do it – as truthfully as she trusted he had. As for the latter, well she was not at all able to deal with – as conscious as she was of the sex appeal of his body by her side. While a deep blush settled on her face, she looked away and started, her voice not very steady at first.

“Jane? Jane is a pure soul… Not that virginal, of course, but she always follows her heart. I’ve never seen her give her body if her mind was not involved… Do you want to see her answer?” To his astonishment, she found her phone immediately in her purse and after pressing two or three buttons, she handed him the mobile.

He read the message, smiled and gave her back the phone. “True love, hum… After one hour?”

“So it seems,” she replied, her whole countenance showing the happiness she felt for her sister.

After a slight pause, he caught a deep breath and said: “Listen, Elizabeth… I’m really sorry for what I said earlier… It was very inappropriate and based on wrong assertions… I hope you’ll forgive me someday.”

“Honestly William?” She shot him an ironic look. “We get that kind of comment all the time. It’s part of the job. At first you’re shocked, then angry… After some time, you just laugh! Like we did after hearing you saying that in the Crazy…”

“Well, you sounded really hurt when you raised the subject at the bar!” William was starting to wonder if all that had not been a game, although he couldn’t believe she was so good an actress.

“Oh, I was! The fact is that I feel those criticisms much stronger when they concern the ones I love.” And besides, you have a much too strong effect on me, William… “But anyway, given your explanation to Richard, I understand and I forgive you.” Her shy smile on the last part warmed Williams’s heart, a new and somewhat shocking development in their – already shaky – relationship.

At least I know she hasn’t heard the first part of the confession! It does good to be cautious… ”Oh no, it’s started raining again!”

She looked up at him with a playful smile. “You brought us that weather! November in Paris is usually very agreeable…”

He faked a stern look. “Yeah, like I’ve never been in Paris in November… November is a dreary month for Western Europe!”

Her smile widened. “Well, at least we get two days off,” she replied, referring to the Toussaint* Holiday and the Armistice of WWI. “Okay, we’re there. It’s just across the street,” she said, ready to cross the Avenue George V, edging the pavement and checking the rather-light traffic.

William remained behind her and addressed her more harshly than the so-far good-natured tone of their conversation. “But there is no cross-walk!”

She turned sharply towards him. The return of the haughty and critical William Darcy was wholly unexpected and absolutely unwelcome. “So what? You think I’m gonna walk all the way to the next cross-walk when there are so few cars? Well I’m tired, it’s late and I’ve adopted the French way of life – even in its lack of manners or in its breaking the law aspects! If you don’t like it, nobody obliges you to do it. I’ve arrived anyway!” And this said, without even looking where she went, she started to cross the street.

William had checked that no cars were coming from the right; but as his eyes caught in their left corner the movement of lights coming very close and very fast towards them, his brain shouted that they were in France where cars drove on the right. He impulsively grabbed her as one of her feet was already on the street and pulled her strongly back against him while a car went just beside them, where she would have been, honking and splashing them with water from the gutter.

At first, both of them were silent; he could feel on his chest her body almost hyperventilating, his own breathing being very laboured. Although the danger had passed, he still held her strongly, his arms unable to release her, his brain unable to give the order.

“O My God!” he whispered. “Elizabeth, are you alright?”

He could feel she wasn’t; although he was now able to breathe almost normally, she was still inhaling much too often. “Elizabeth… Please calm down… Lizzie… Don’t faint!” He was frustrated by their position; her hair in the way, he didn’t know if she even listened to him. He turned her swiftly and cradled her head with one of his big and gentle hands. With a tone even gentler, he urged her: “Lizzie, listen to me… It’s okay now…”

For a while, she remained in his tight embrace; his kind and reassuring words were slowly making their way to her shocked brain, while his hand was stroking her hair softly. When her lungs started filling and emptying at a more sedate pace, he felt a rush in his blood almost as overwhelming as when he had realised that he had saved her from a severe injury.

Her first murmured words surprised him: “Thank you William.”

He tightened even more his arms around her. “You’re welcome, Elizabeth,” he replied in the same soothing tone he had been using before. His head was full of vindication about the French way of driving but he knew that she would not welcome it; he smiled, happy to have at least gained some understanding of her; then he frowned, wondering why he was happy about that!

And then, his body told him he had Elizabeth, sexy Elizabeth, teasing Elizabeth, The Black Wigged Elizabeth in his arms… The realisation was very sudden and very physical; his heart returned in a bit to a fast pounding, his groin hardened, a forceful strength urged him to make her lift her head up and to taste her full lips… His brain screamed not to do that, as rejection – hurtful and brutal rejection – was the only thing that was awaiting him… He knew it… She had been clear enough about that… She was not a whore! His impressive willpower was hardly sufficient and, to prevent himself from grabbing her chin, he pressed her even more against him. With her head tucked right under his chin and his arms around her, he could not even catch her face…

But if she had any doubts about his arousal while being closely hugged, none remained after that second strengthening. And although she had heard about the ‘life reassessing itself after the fear of death’ stuff, she couldn’t quite believe he had seen it that way. She had been at risk, not him. No, it was holding her closely that made him horny. Knowing that she had induced this state by being fully dressed in his arms enflamed the crouching desire she had managed to hold at bay so far. She started to feel hot, terribly hot, and having her face pressed against his chest didn’t help either. Struggling to catch enough of the cold November air to cool herself, she tried and managed to back up a little, to lift her head and… she fell deep into his burning eyes.

Time stood still for a moment, then the vapours of their breaths mixed, once, twice… then no more. At last his lips tasted hers, at last her mouth was joined with his. They kissed once, tentatively, as if to check that was really what was going to happen, ready to retreat if all the magic they imagined was not there. But it was. And what started hesitantly became furious as their teeth nibbled, as their tongues invaded the other’s mouth, as his hands were trying to feel her body through the plastic rain-outfit, while hers had, fast enough, found their way to his brown curly hair. Thinking was no longer possible for neither of them; feeling was the only possibility, feeling as much and as little as the situation allowed…

The frustration at not being able to really feel her curves made William slowly realise where they were, what they were doing and whom he was kissing so thoroughly and desperately. She was Elizabeth Bennet, the one who had insulted him – more or less in the right, though – and who had said that his dick wouldn’t enter her tonight… And they were in the middle of the street, like a couple of teenagers – but they were far too old and it was far too late – or like a customer tasting a prostitute before choosing her – although he guessed ‘try and buy’ wasn’t used in this business. When all these considerations were before him, he had to stop. He didn’t know any longer what he really wanted of this woman, but this very hesitation was enough to make him stop and to make her realise where they were, what they were doing and whom she was kissing so thoroughly and desperately. He slowly backed up, ending the kiss softly but firmly and keeping her in his arms until she had returned to her senses.

Elizabeth felt something amiss when she didn’t get the reply she had become used to. She insisted to re-ignite the fire that had been roaring seconds ago; but, if she didn’t feel rejected, she didn’t feel warmly welcomed neither. Her mind struggled to understand this change and it understood instead what had been happening… She had been kissing hard the man who had unsettled her as soon as she had seen him, the very one she had sworn to reject, and all that in the middle of the Avenue George V and in the middle of the night. And it had been good, better than good… The shock of this revelation was so strong that she backed up violently, her breath still very uneven.

William cleared his throat. He was feeling ill-at-ease and soon understood that it was partly due to the fact that he already missed her body touching his. The other reason was of course that he had, once again, to apologise for what had just happened…

“Elizabeth, I’m… I’m sorry… I got… carried away… Believe me, I’ve got your point… I won’t say that I didn’t want to do it… But I shouldn’t have, I knew it and I did it all the same… Please forgive me,” he ended, still embarrassed but vastly relieved nonetheless. Under the street-lamp light, he couldn’t see clearly her reaction to his words; he was therefore quite surprised to hear her answer.

He had given her enough time to regroup and she was touched by his apologies. She grabbed the excuse she had imagined – for him – a few minutes before. “There’s nothing to forgive, William; I got as carried away as you. I suppose facing death just a short while ago didn’t reinforce my sanity either… But you didn’t take advantage of it, I knew what I was doing when we started…” She looked down at her hands. But after that, I must say it quite escaped me! After a while, she went on, in a cheerful tone that didn’t sound right even to her own ears. “So, let us forget it… Our paths part here anyway, it’s raining and the entry to the garage is just there, you see that little shack on the pavement in front of the Crazy. You should go back.”

“But it’s a public garage… You cannot seriously think to go alone to your car in a public garage in the middle of the night?” He hadn’t just saved her from being ravished by him to leave her alone in such a place! Waiting for her reaction, he realised the patronizing tone he had used didn’t seem to bother her; obviously, she wouldn’t unwelcome his help. He considerably softened his voice and even put some playfulness in it. “Allow me to end my contrition and walk you to the door of your car.”

She smiled up at him, a smile he would have qualified as grateful if he had not been so moved by it. “Thank you William. Actually, there are private floors and the Crazy rents some spots… Nevertheless I confess I feel ill-at-ease in those garages.” She was very surprised by his behaviour since their kiss… very agreeably surprised. He could have thrown back at her everything about her being easy; he could even have just carried on up to the point where they’d have gone back to the George V and finish what they had so violently started. But he had not; he had let the kiss die, she was sure of that now, and he had behaved more than gentlemanly ever since. A heart-stopping kisser gentleman whose body she was more than sensitive to, wow, that started to be a dream come true man!

He offered his arm to cross the street. She looked at it, raised her look to his eyes and hiding the turmoil in her thoughts by smiling her agreement, she took it. In this friendly posture, but still too embarrassed to find any safe topic of conversation, they crossed the street, took the lift down to the fifth floor and walked to her carmine Twingo.

“Well, here we are.” Taking a deep breath, she added as an after-thought, shyly smiling, “William, thank you for your help… And for saving my life!”

“You’re very welcome, Elizabeth, it has been my pleasure. But I won’t consider my task finished as long as you aren’t locked in your car, with your safety belt on!” The effect his genuine smile and his dimples had on her was so devastating that her heart skipped a bit and she had to swallow before smiling back.

To escape the lust that was slowly engulfing her, she forced herself to remember what she always did; she took her key in her purse, once again without rummaging in it for ages, once again surprising William, unlocked the car, opened the door and threw her purse on the passenger seat. She felt his look strongly but, after all, he had nothing else to do… She smiled once again at him and, as he was about to extend his hand, she started to unzip her yellow raincoat.

It was William’s turn to have some cardiologic issues and to get a dry mouth. He had been relishing the sight of her in her routine and hadn’t prepared his libido for a strip tease, as insignificant as it was. He knew he was staring and forcefully shifted his eyes to her car.

Fortunately, she was still struggling with her own desire and didn’t notice his reaction. After throwing her garment in the back, she turned back to him, ready to leave.

“Well, William, see you…” said she, with an embarrassed smile. What was she supposed to say after all that had happened between them?

Extending his right hand, he said, as embarrassed as she was, “Elizabeth, I can say, after all, that it has been a pleasure.”

She looked surprised at his hand and leaned up to him, presenting him her cheek. “I’m too French now to shake hands with someone I had a drink with.” He smiled and closed the space between them, starting the ballet of the ‘cheek-kissing’ à la française.

The issue with ‘cheek-kissing’ à la française is that in some places, people kiss twice, in others thrice, and in others four times, the latter being probably the more usual. William being educated as a foreigner went for the more usual although Elizabeth was settled in an area of ‘twice’ for several years. When she stopped her moves and he didn’t, the place where his lips landed was not her cheek; it was a place they had already discovered and immensely enjoyed; it was a place they didn’t plan to leave again with no idea of when they would go back to. And as luck would have it, once her lips had been the unexpected object of some new attentions from his, they didn’t plan, either, to release them in a near future.

As fast as their mouths started making love, William and Elizabeth understood that this kissing was severely de trop.

The fact that his hands were now able to really discover her body over her denim outfit kicked his willpower to the very back of his mind. His tongue was licking her mouth, outside, inside; he felt her lips lightly swollen by their previous kiss. His hands groped her ass, so nicely fit in her jeans, searched and found an opening in the jacket; and then, they stroked every curve she had, pinching now and then, more eager with every groan she was letting out. When he discovered he could slid his hands under her tee shirt, the pressure in his sex became almost overwhelming. Her skin was burning under his cold hands, it was soft and firm, it was the most lust-inducing material he had ever touched.

Elizabeth gasped when he slid his freezing hands up from her waist to her ribs but she didn’t even think of pushing them away. She was once again in his arms, her hands once again ravaging his hair, her body pressed and swaying against his. The hunger he had raised with their previous kiss came back tenfold. He was creating all the magic his sheer presence had led her to suspect since she had seen him. Whether it was witchcraft or not was not the question; she felt much too good to even think about that. Her brain – the one about to be forgotten - tried to tell her he was the dope she had been afraid of and that if she carried on she would be doomed to an addicted life but in vain. She had never felt so close to coming with so many clothes on… If only she could touch him, she was sure she would make it… But she was either kissing or dishevelling the only available parts of his body and she wanted more. Her groans increased, being now due to pleasure and frustration and she suddenly pulled back.

“William…” She tried to catch her breath… “William…”

The sound of her voice and the deprivation her withdrawal had created blew him out of his sexual trance. “Fuck!” He took one step backward, looking as a mad man, and, almost unable to stand up, he went back to the car to lean on it, his elbows on the roof, his face in his hands. He was panting, his body screamed to take her back in his arms and to come to the logical end of what they had been doing. He barked, even more furiously, “Fuck!”

Elizabeth, still out of breath, watched him with surprise; she was really shocked by the intensity of what she had been feeling but she also wanted more. To Hell with all her principles! Having sex with that man would be the most un-forgettable event in her love life; she didn’t want to miss it. She tried to fathom why he would have gone so far from her… All she wanted was for him to remove his Burberry!

When she had recovered enough to be able to speak, she tentatively called him. “William?”

He didn’t look at her; he didn’t even lift his head from his hands. But his reply came, clear enough. “Elizabeth, I’m so sorry… You were right; I should have left you outside. The only guy about to rape you in this garage tonight was me!”

Her astonishment knew no limit. Had he not understood that had she been able to, she would have raped him too? He was apologising? To her? “Why are you sorry, William? It’s not rape when both agree! I want you as much as you want me…” A fear was invading her thoughts; he was not going to back off, was he?

He had not been really listening to her. He was appalled by his own behaviour. All he wanted to do – well, all his brain told him he wanted to do, while his instincts were shouting at him the exact opposite – was to apologise and leave her as soon as he could. Their paths would necessarily cross again, at Charlotte and Richard’s wedding for instance. As strong as was his desire for her, he couldn’t have a one-night-stand with her; and if he was not sure he wished for a relationship with her, he was convinced that she didn’t want one with him. His brain won, he left his hiding pose, turned towards her and stated, as matter-of-factly as he could.

“Once again, we got carried away, Elizabeth; and truthfully, I’m not surprised. Ever since I spotted you on stage, in what I think is your second number, I’ve been bewitched by you.” He saw surprise in her eyes. “You’re the black-wigged one who has the solo with the three bars, aren’t you?” She nodded slowly, even more surprised. “This dance was torture for me, it was like a ghost was making love to me… something I couldn’t touch and which couldn’t touch me but which created all those feelings nonetheless. I hate to lose control and it was the first of many times tonight where you managed to do just that.”

“But how do you know I’m Lili Bright?” she asked, bemused.

“Lili Bright? It suits you… Rich had told us that the three of you had a solo number so it could be you and then we shook hands…”

Understanding dawned on her. “Oh, so you’ve felt it too…”

His eyes were blazing just with the memory. “Yes I did. Why do you think I couldn’t release your hand?”

She smiled shamefully. “Well, I thought you were hitting on me…”

He smiled back, but with a derisive smirk. “In a sense, I was…”

Their eyes were locked, each remembering this event and the ones after, each wondering how this could end. Then he saw her shiver… And he remembered that it was very late, that it was cold and that he intended to apologise and leave. He carried on his interrupted speech.

“Anyway, I think I now have a fair idea of your opinion on one-night-stands and… this… would have driven us right there. I owe you to protect yourself from the…”

“Power you have on me? Attraction I feel for you?” she suggested coyly.

Why is she torturing me like that? Why does she expose herself so? “Whatever… I owe you to protect yourself against it.”

She was looking at him and he couldn’t fathom her thoughts. She was not pissed by his once again patronising words but he didn’t think she agreed with them either. Surely she couldn’t want to spend the night with him, after all?

“And to be totally honest, I must tell you that casual sex is not my style either. Having sex in a hotel room is an idea I abhor. Oh, if the lady and I share the room for other purpose also, it’s different but…” he left his sentence unfinished, his meaning clear enough.

Elizabeth was torn; William was behaving more gentlemanly than any man she had ever met, and yet, the only thing she wanted to do was tear his clothes apart and shag him mindlessly. She understood his reasons and found them quite smart but she didn’t want smart, she wanted hot. He was against one-night-stands? Well, she was absolutely sure that her desire for this man wouldn’t be satisfied in one night; he was in Paris at least until Friday, that was two more nights… Two more nights! And Jane’s and her flat was not far away… She would be happy to take him there if his hotel room was not the right place! She thought about telling him her conclusions and then she thought better. As proper as he appeared to be at the moment, he would probably find another good reason and she would be left out alone in the cold. She was going to play it more smartly; she was going to trap him.

She found her earnest tone and said: “I understand William; you’re probably right. But I cannot have you behave like a gentleman and not return the favour. It’s very late, it’s cold, it’s raining, let me drive you back to the hotel.” Seeing him shake his head, she went on. “I know it’s just a few meters away but it’s on my way anyway.” She saw him hesitate; she took her most begging voice. “Please, William.”

He was staring at her, trying to shield the raging thoughts that were going through his head but not really achieving it. He looked at his watch, looked at her car and, smiling to her, he replied. “But I can’t fit into a Twingo!”

She replied, managing to maintain her serious but opened demeanour. “It’s amazing how small things can sometimes welcome things that appear way too big to fit in them. Maybe you could try?”

Is she really meaning what I think she means or is my mind completely sex-driven? He assessed her smile, warm and calm, and went for the second solution. “Okay, I’ll try.” He went around the car, opened the door and very successfully tried to sit on the passenger seat.

Sitting in hers, she playfully said: “See, I told you! Close the door and buckle up!”

She started the car, and drove the way up to the exit. She asked for her purse to get her badge and exited the garage, a mere 50 meters from the entrance of the George V, on the other side of the street. They had remained silent, he not knowing what else to add and searching a way to leave the car without any other physical contact, she planning her next move so that he wouldn’t leave her car until Rueil.

She drove in the contre-allée** and stopped her car. As he unbuckled his safety belt, she played her asset. “William, I haven’t told you all the truth. I know you were the one who made that distasteful statement because after hearing you, Charlotte made us go to the place where the audience is looked after, and we saw Charles and you; after the rose and meeting the two of you, it was obvious enough that it couldn’t be Charles, so…” She left a pause.

William was devouring her words, with despondency over his stupidity and pleasure at staying with her a while longer.

She went on in a lower voice. “You know what happened when I saw you from the poste d’observation? My skin tingled and I shivered. I knew there was half a chance you were the prick but I felt a stirring in my loins nonetheless. You’ve had this power over me since even before I knew you, we’re tied in this.”

She left another pause and her tone made his groin stir when she started again. “I made love to you during my solo; I was determined to make your night as un-peaceful as possible.”

She had kept her eyes on the street in front of her during her whole speech. He had not been able to detach his from her lips, the very ones uttering this vocal foreplay. The pounding in his heart had returned; his breaths were heavy again. She turned her head to him; he raised his eyes to hers. He was unable to voice one thought.

“And you know what? I’m still as determined; I’ve just changed my idea on what should prevent you from having a peaceful night. It’s not my memory to whom you’re going to make love to; it’s my body and mind. And it’s not in your hotel room we’re going to have mindless sex; it’s in my bedroom, in my flat.”

Had he been able to move, he would have taken her then and there but he no longer knew if he was in a dream or if this was reality. He remembered Charles talking about that memory that would invade his dreams… was it that? Had he already come back to his room and fallen asleep? He was not even able to pinch himself to check…

“As for your objection about one night affairs, I suggest that you settle in Rueil for the remaining of your trip. I suspect Charles will be delighted by the scheme and I think Jane will agree. That’s the only long-term relationship I can propose at the moment… A kind of ‘Try and buy’, if I can say so.”

Even the mention of the very words he had used in his thoughts before for a prostitute and her client didn’t stir him. She left him a chance to voice his opinion. She was more than ready to argue and from the flame she could see in his eyes, she didn’t fear much opposition. The fact that he remained speechless and motionless led her to believe that she wouldn’t face any. His blaze was starting to ignite hers and she had to drive them to her bed before she would combust. She felt herself lean towards him but she shook her head and tried to clear her mind.

“I won’t kiss you now, William, ‘cause if we start we won’t stop this time. Just buckle up, we’ve got a fifteen-minute drive before us.”

She re-started the car and absentmindedly went up the Avenue George V up to the Champs Elysées. The wide avenue was almost free of cars and she reached and went around the Place de l’Etoile in no time. The rain still played its game of hide and seek and had stopped for the moment. It’s only when, on the Avenue de la Grande Armée, she indicated him the building where Charlotte and Richard lived that his thoughts went back to a minimum of consistency. He had no idea how she had managed to lead him to this state of obliviousness, but he felt gladder and gladder about it. He could now add to the reasons why she was so irresistible a light and enticing scent around her.

“What perfume do you wear?” he said, boldly placing his now warm hand on her thigh.

She chocked out a confused “Paris”.

He felt a rush of satisfaction at seeing that she was not so immune to his presence as she appeared. When he started stroking her leg, she put her hand on his to stop him. “William, we won’t have that head-banging sex if I kill us both in a car accident.” When he stopped, she stated, teasingly: “Remember? I told Charlotte I’ll make you behave.”

He laughed, almost astounded to be now able to have a civil and pleasurable conversation with her. She was an astonishing young lady, smart, beautiful, funny and devilishly sexy; he wondered why he had not been able to see that immediately, he who prided himself in his quick understanding and fair judgement.

They were about to exit the Tunnel de Neuilly when she told him: “Look, we’re going to go over the Seine with a wonderful view of La Défense by night. When the city is shining with just-fallen rain, it’s very beautiful.”

Her words had just the opposite effect. He had been looking at the high buildings barely lit before they entered the tunnel, but, from her tone, he guessed that the light in her face would be much more enjoyable. Her enthusiasm made her eyes bright and he felt his breath catch. “Indeed, it is very beautiful.”

She blushed, feeling his look upon her. She could only regret that he had not chosen to use his charm much earlier in the evening; it would have prevented them from fighting so bitterly. She had to concede though that she would probably have a much weaker understanding of the man and that she would probably not be believing the sincerity of his flirting.

In the white light of the tunnel they were now in, he noticed that her cheeks had taken a slightly darker hue; from there, his eyes wandered over her lips which seemed to him still swollen; then his thoughts trailed from her lips to their kisses, from their kisses to the stirring they had provoked in his body, from the desire he felt for her to the fulfilment he now knew would exist soon. And then he shouted: “Shit!”

He startled her and fortunately the three-lanes boulevard to Rueil was currently empty as the car swerved. Realising the fright he had given her, he quickly apologised. “Sorry Elizabeth… I didn’t mean to startle you, but… I’m afraid you have to go back, we can’t… I mean I can’t…” He paused, trying to find a way to express his concern.

“William… What is it? Why can’t we spend the night together?” She really worried about his new opposition. She had thought he had been completely convinced by now.

He took a deep breath and replied. “I have no condoms and… from what I’ve understood of your and Jane’s characters, I suspect there is none at your flat neither. As much as I want you – and believe me, you’ve overpowered all my objections – I can’t have sex with you without protection.”

She sighed heavily. Thank God it was only a condom problem! She felt moved by his believing that they had none in their apartment; and indeed he was right, as neither she nor Jane ever had sex on a first date, and when they felt the time was right, they bought some for the occasion.

He wondered about the meaning of her sigh but as she wasn’t slowing down, he guessed that he had been wrong and that, indeed, they kept some in their flat – which was not such a dumb idea, after all. He was therefore surprised by her answer.

“I fully agree with you, we have to find some condoms. But I don’t think going back is necessary… On the outside wall of almost every chemist’s shop in France, you can find some condom vending machines. And there happens to be three chemists’ very close to our building. Between yours and my change, I’m sure we’ll be able to get a box or two.”

He started laughing. He didn’t know if it was out of relief, of amusement over her teacher tone or of sheer happiness to be in a car with a seemingly perfect woman; but he laughed. She felt his genuine deep baritone laughter in the marrow of her bones; and she laughed too.

The five last minutes of their drive, she had indicated him that they were in Rueil and she spotted for him the milestones of her day-to-day life. They had left the Nationale 13 and entered the core of the city centre. Soon, they circled around a stately church - Eglise St Pierre St Paul where Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte first spouse was buried, Elizabeth explained him – and she turned in a very narrow street. She slowed down, opened a gate with a remote and, with a cautious manoeuvre, she entered the car and parked it on the only spot remaining in the small paved backyard.

“I understand now why you have a small car!” he playfully told her.

She chuckled back and asked him, in a teasing tone. “So, you wish to see the chemists’?”

“More than you can imagine, Elizabeth.” The gravity of his tone made her pause. He was not kidding when he said that casual sex was not his style! Here was a man who kept his earnestness even in his love life. His opening her door startled her. She had not even been aware that he had got out. She gathered her coat and purse, and taking the offered hand, she exited the car. While she was wrapping herself up, he looked at her building. It was an old one with adornment at the windows, old wooden doors and a frieze right under the roof; it was in a good condition and obviously held several apartments; it was a very nice building.

She had walked a few steps forward and called him in a low voice. “Come on, William, it’s freezing. Let’s not linger.”

He caught up to her and took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. The rush it created at her body surprised her, as it occurred several centimetres above its usual happening when he was touching her. It took place around her heart…

She led him to the closest chemists’ and they embarrassingly laughed about the number of boxes they could buy. Once their shopping was done, they went back and climbed the three flights of steps to her top-floor flat.

To William’s expectation, she immediately found her keys in her purse and unlocked the only door of the floor. The situation was slowly becoming awkward; both of them perfectly aware of what they were going to do but also completely unsure on how they would get there. She entered, switched the light on and tried to lighten the mood: “Welcome to my humble abode!”

He smiled warmly at her and followed her in a small wooden-floored hall that opened in a spacious living room only separated from the kitchen by a bar; the colours of the wall were warm and there were a lot of plants spread over the room. “Thank you.” After a quick look around, he added. “Charlotte was right, you have a very nice flat! One feels right at home when entering it.”

She was flattered by the sincerity in his voice. She knew he lived in a much bigger and much wealthier house; Richard had told them of his family situation, including William’s, and of their living conditions in England. That someone used to so much better could appreciate their comfortable-but-ordinary apartment made her proud. She removed her raincoat, her shoes and he followed her. While she was putting their clothes away, she said, still embarrassed. “I have to close the shutters, make yourself comfortable. Do you wish anything to drink?”

“No thanks.” After finding – and using – the bathroom, he went back in the living room and started looking at the numerous pictures displayed on the walls. “Who took the pictures?”

“Most of them are mine; well apart those on which I am, obviously. I’m the photographer; Jane loves to film.” She had finished and sat on a high stool by the bar, watching him look carefully at a picture.

“It’s one of the rare picture where the seven of us are together.”

He turned towards her with wide eyes. “Seven?”

She laughed. “Yes, my parents, my four sisters and I. Jane is the eldest, I’m the second, and then come Mary, Kitty and Lydia.”

“Wow! It’s very unusual…”

She noticed with pleasure that his tone had not been despising on his last comment. She replied, wistfully. “Well, my mother wanted a son and my father didn’t mind… He stopped her though, when Lydia was born. But it’s nice to grow up in a big family; you learn to be independent for the details and to act as a team for what is important. Even if my youngest sisters are still quite wild, Jane and I always enjoy going back home.” She finished with a smile, “and we’re as glad to come back to the quietness of our Parisian life!”

He went back to her. “I grew up as an only child; Georgie was born when I was 13 and already at the boarding school; we’ve never really had a brother-sister relationship. She’s the most precious thing that exists in my life, though, since our parents had that car accident.” His tone was tender yet distressed. He was standing in front of her, pain in his eyes, wondering why he was confiding those intimate thoughts to her, and feeling so much better because of it.

She saw his past sufferings, the one she imagined – the brutal disappearance of his parents and the subsequent shattering responsibilities – the one she had heard him talk about – Georgie’s almost rape - and an overwhelming feeling of protectiveness settled upon her. As crazy as the consideration was, she didn’t want this man to suffer any more, and she felt ready to act upon it. Relieving his pain was the only thing she could do at the moment and she held her hands to him. He took them; she parted her knees to allow him to be as close to her as possible, pulled him to her and embraced him. He put his arms around her; she placed her cheek against his shoulder and they stayed still for a while, each feeling the heartbeat of the other.

Then she pulled back slightly and, while she looked up at him, he bent his head towards her. Unlike all their kisses so far, this one was above all an expression of tenderness. He released her lips to taste her eyelids, her forehead, her nose, her chin; his hands cradled her head. Her eyes were close; her face reflected serenity; her hands were lightly roaming over his torso. She just enjoyed the heart-felt pleasure of being the object of his gentle ministrations.

When his mouth came back to hers, she felt the already usual fire light in her loins and quickly spread in her whole body. The touch of her hands became heavier; her lips challenged his to become more daring.

Being in her arms was a strange experience for William; he had not felt this peace for a very long time and yet the physical exhilaration she was able to create with her hands alone was tremendous. Feeling that her mood had switched to a naughtier one revived his burning desire in a second. While his mouth took up the challenge, his hands released her head and started a frantic dance over her back and her sides. She answered every thrust of his tongue with one of hers; his lips were bitten for every nibble of his teeth. When his hands slid under her tee shirt, once again voracious to touch her warm and soft skin, he felt her pull his polo out of his trousers and start stroking his abs then his slightly hairy chest.

At last! Her eagerness at touching his bare torso was increased by the frustration she had felt in the garage. She had felt his breath catch when she had opened the way of his skin to her fingers, she heard him groan when she touched her. She relished in every moan she made him exhale and pulled his polo higher and higher to gain an easier access. He stopped their kiss to help her by taking it off entirely. But the sight she was now offered rendered her motionless for a second. Her first thought was that she was about to make love with the most handsome specimen she had ever seen. Her second thought made her recover her abilities immediately: she was able to touch and see, his skin was hers, to taste, to kiss, to nibble.

When her tongue started to play with one of his nipples, he instinctively pulled her hips against him, his groin pressuring her body slightly above her sex. She swayed against him and what he had left of self-control vanished; his hands were feeling her firm ass moving, his shaft was feeling her body searching it through their clothes; he became wild. He pulled her head up to his and ravaged her mouth; her tee shirt, then her white cotton bra joined his garment on the floor. After that he showed her that his fingers and tongue also could play with her tits. He found out that her breasts fit perfectly his hands, and that her cries were the sexiest music he had ever heard. He tried to unbutton her fly once, twice and then he growled against her nipple: “Where is your bedroom?”

She snapped her eyes opened and panted: “What?”

He lifted his head and stared right into her eyes. “Bed Room!”

Understanding dawned on her. “Oh! Second door to the left in the corridor.”

He lifted her and carried her, his hands cupping her bum, his waist circled by her long legs, his neck surrounded by her arms, his tongue in her mouth. He stumbled into the room, fumbled for the switch with his elbow and sat heavily on the bed. Their mouths had only parted to allow her to giggle at the crookedness of his path and him to smile at her laugh.

He lied down, keeping her in his arms and swiftly turned around, placing her by his side. He quickly achieved the unbuttoning that had so resisted him a few seconds ago and removed her jean and socks. He paused for a while, his eyes devouring her wonderful body he was able to see for himself. “O My God! You’re perfect, Elizabeth.” Unhappiness and resentment at not being the only one to see it tried to intrude in William’s brain but his lust was far too powerful to allow it. His eyes were blazing but his fingers started to brush lightly her skin, starting at her feet and climbing up her legs. Her giggles came back when he tickled her around the calf but were soon replaced by sighs as he neared her white cotton knickers.

“Oh, William!” She was now on her back, her hands grasping the sides of her thighs – for lack of anything else to grasp. Too shy to utter the words, she raised her hips upwards to show him she wanted more than light touches. That proof of her eagerness hardened his shaft even further; he briefly left her to undress himself. She moaned and swapped her eyes from the ceiling to his body when his fingers left her. An admiring “Oh!” followed as she drank the sight of his hard bum, of his long muscled legs and last of his impressive erection.

His mouth had not tasted her for too long and as he went back to her, his lips lingered on her still dressed pubis and on one nipple until they found her slightly opened mouth. While they re-acquainted one with the other, his hands followed the opposite path; one stayed to satisfy the tit that had been left alone by his lips; the other went on to the still untouched part of her.

Her loins had been screaming for his touch for so long that when she felt his hand near her panties, she swiftly undressed herself. He plunged his laughing eyes in hers but she eagerly re-captured his mouth. He followed her lead and she soon let a heavy contented sigh out as his fingers, at last, started stroking her wet sex. Almost as soon as he insisted on her core, she convulsed violently, her fingers gripped on the sheets, her toes curled tightly. He had stopped kissing her and had moved downward to tease again one breast with his tongue. When she couldn’t do without some fresh air in her lungs, she squeezed his hand between her thighs and he let her breathe.

She had placed her hands on his scalp while he stayed to place sweet kisses around her nipple; she lifted her head and placed a tender kiss on his hair; he looked up at her, a matching tenderness lightening his eyes and he watched her expression switch to blissful surprise as he entered her with two fingers. His eyes didn’t release hers while he led her to a new ecstasy. Her moans were both Heaven and Hell to his ears; he felt his self-control slowly slip away; he knew he had to stop the game soon.

When he gratefully felt her release his hair, he went on one elbow to place one quick kiss on her swollen lips and left her to fetch the new bought condoms in his trousers. After putting one on, he placed himself above her, resting on his hands around her head, while she opened her legs for him. He tried to enter her slowly but the very feeling of her around him was enough to make him lose his mind. He thrust forcefully in her body, his throat letting out a groan; she welcomed him with a cry of her own. She tilted her hips to allow him deeper access and let him drive them to oblivion. He remained silent while her shouts were louder and louder. Her ultimate cry was almost immediately followed by his deep growl and she absentmindedly felt his body fell on her.

The soft glow of the nightstand lamp gave to their entwined bodies a copper tone. After a while, he disengaged his body and lied down by her side. His eyes were closed, his breathing was still laboured; she gazed tenderly at him and placed a kiss on his ajar lips. He lazily opened his eyes and pulled her towards him, settling for the night.

She tried to draw his attention. “William?”

“Hmm, yes?”

“I imagine you have to go to work tomorrow,” she quietly said.

He replied, almost asleep. “Work?” Then the meaning of the word permeated his exhaustion; his eyes popped open. “Oh! Shit! I have to go back to the hotel,” his tone was despondent.

She erased the wrinkles on his forehead with a kiss. “Remember what I told you in the car? That you would settle here. So don’t even think of going back there. Tomorrow morning, you’re gonna use this phone, ask for the concierge to have someone sent to your room and pack some clothes for tomorrow; then a courier will be ordered to deliver the bag here for you to be at your meeting in good time. See? You can sleep now!”

His look was admiring and surprised. “And you thought about all this when?”

She chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “I had prepared my answer before I ask you in the car. I wouldn’t let this come into my way…”

He chuckled back. “What an anticipating woman! You didn’t need to worry, though; I was completely stunned by your speech. Not that I’m complaining!” he ended, placing a lingering kiss on her lips.

“So tell me, when is your first appointment tomorrow?” she asked, turning to the clock. “Erh, today, I should say.”

Snuggling against her, he lifted his head to catch a glimpse at the hour. He let it fall against the pillow, tiredness in his voice. “O My God, it’s 3:00 already! And our first meeting is at 9:30 in La Défense.” He made a slight pause; his voice became less dejected. “I’m not sure living here will do good for my health.”

Evaluating the time when he should call the hotel later in the morning, she hadn’t paid much attention to his last sentence. “I think we should wake up at 7:00. With a minimum efficiency, they should be able to deliver your clothes around 8:30 and you’ll be ready to go at 9:00. That’s perfect!” Satisfied of her own scheme, she set the alarm and came back to their conversation and his last words. She answered with a bump of her ass back in his low stomach. “William Dear, tonight, maybe we could skip the insults and the fight and go directly to the best part? That would move our schedule at least one hour forwards; what do you think?”

He laughed and kissed the back of her hair. “I’ll think about it. Tell me, Great Organiser, what do I do with Charles? He’ll be waiting for me in the lobby at 8:45 and I won’t arrive…”

“Easy enough!” she answered, switching the light off, “just leave a message for him when you call the concierge and tell him to meet you at your meeting place directly.”

“That’s it! I’m hiring you, Elizabeth.” When he felt her body settle for the night, cuddled against his, he let a sigh out. “Such a pity it’s so late…”

The teasing in her answer was smoothed by the sleepiness that was already invading her. “What do you think we’re going to do between 7:15 and 8:30?”

He thought about her promise to make him have an un-peaceful night; he thought about the contentment he felt, holding her in his arms; he thought about their quarrels; he thought about their lovemaking; he thought about the amazing woman already asleep spooned against his chest; he thought about what they would do a few hours later and after her work. He only smiled and held her tighter one last time before slumber knocked him out.

The classical music that started playing four hours later was answered by a loud groan. “O Shit!”

Elizabeth’s eyes popped open at such an unexpected noise. Then, as her body became aware of the warm obstacle that prevented her to turn around, the surprise at her tiredness was replaced by a blissful understanding of what she had heard. “Do you always wake up so grumpily?” she asked happily.

The question startled William out of his sleep. His eyes blinked twice and they registered a mass of brown curls just a few centimetres away; his nose breathed an unusual fragrance; he moved his fingers and they grasped the soft skin of a breast; he tried to move his other hand and found out he couldn’t feel his arm any longer; he became aware that his morning erection was resting against a firm butt. And then a smile flourished on his lips and he answered in a much softer tone: “I don’t know, nobody has ever been impertinent enough to ask me… Although if I recall correctly, my mother always brought me a cup of hot chocolate and waited for me to have it before talking to me. You should try that!”

She giggled and turned swiftly in his arms. “Good morning William,” she told him against his lips.

“Good morning Elizabeth,” he replied before taking the tantalising offer and ending the awakening of their bodies.

When he released her, she gasped: “You should not do that again before calling the hotel or I’m afraid you’ll never make it on time.”

“You’re afraid?” His only valid hand was discovering the curves of her side.

She shivered. “If you carry on, I’m afraid I’ll do everything in my power to keep you not far from this bed ‘till I have to go to work!” The ragging way she took his mouth and pinched his nipples after that wary declaration and his instinctive reaction to it left him no doubt about the efficiency of her power.

“As much as I’d like to experience that, I don’t think I can yield to temptation,” he replied, a heart-felt regret in his sigh, his hand travelling a little so that he could now brush his knuckles against the skin of her breast.

It didn’t stir the usual ache in her loins: Elizabeth was thinking. Of course she understood his decision; a man with so much responsibility couldn’t be whimsical and blow off a probably carefully established schedule because he was having some good – earth shattering would have been more accurate for her, but she didn’t want to presume – sex with a woman he had met the evening before. And she had to admit that she felt completely out of balance by what she felt when she was with him; she wouldn’t give up another night with him for anything but coming back to her normal life for the day might help her to regain some kind of equilibrium. And she had so much to hear from Jane and so much to tell her – and Charlotte – that she was overall more pleased than disappointed by his choice. Decided that behaving – for the time being – was the smarter course of action, she kissed him lightly and stood up. After switching the light on and handing him the phone, she put on a huge grey robe and blew him a kiss before leaving the room.

William’s eyes hadn’t left her face since she had given him that hungry kiss; at first, he hadn’t been able to discern much – as dim was the light in the room – then his vision had re-familiarised itself to the gorgeous sight she was. His body was more than aware that she was his embodied sex-dream but curiously what remained imprinted on his retina after she left were her smiling eyes. She was not a dream – and she hadn’t killed him after love, he chuckled to himself. And from their discussion since waking up, alcohol was not the reason why she had been so enticing the evening before. So many things had happened in so little time; he hadn’t had time to think about it. Being with Charles for the day, being his normal businessman self for the day may be what was best. The reason why he wouldn’t see her until very late that night made him cringe; the fact that he could voice no objection made him cringed harder. He wondered if he would be able to carry on this relationship if she didn’t quit and resolved to try to broach the subject in the few hours they would spend together until his return to England; that was not a happy thought but honesty – plain and blunt – was one basis of his character.

He suddenly remembered he had a phone in his hand and he had to use it to call the hotel. After retrieving the George V number in his trousers, he managed to get the concierge and explain him his reason for calling. The latter’s long habit of dealing with strange customers’ whims made it easier for William; he had only to prove his identity - he thanked God for having taken his passport for his Crazy Horse evening – and, a few minutes later, he was directing a maid who was packing some clothes for the day. He had barely noticed the sounds of Elizabeth’s activities in the kitchen but her entrance with two tea mugs on a tray somewhat distracted him. He mouthed her a “Thank you” and went on describing the tie he wanted.

She put the tray by the bed and, after removing the robe, she went back by his side. She tried her tea – too hot – and watched the man who had been able to unsettle her so much in the past twelve hours – hot, very, very hot, but not too hot! She placed her thigh on his, she felt him tense and he frowned a “no!” to her. She smiled sweetly at him and nodded vigorously, adding her hand on his chest and her mouth nibbling slightly his free ear. “Oh yes!” she added and went on discovering the taste of his neck.

His cock hardened immediately and his orders became less fluent. She was now laying on top of him, having slipped her whole body on his; her tongue was tickling his Adam apple and he felt less and less at ease. Fortunately, he was now back with the concierge – who required less patience – and only had to give him the address where the small bag had to be sent.

“Hold on a minute,” he said, placing his hand on the set. He gulped. “Elizabeth…” She had left his throat and was slowing making her way downward.

“Yes?” she answered, pausing slightly in the discovery of one of his nipples.

He gulped once more and tried to scold her. “Would you mind waiting for a few more minutes? I’m almost done, here…” He gulped once again, for her hungry mouth had restarted her travel. “And I need your address.”

From above his navel, propped on her hands resting by his hips, she looked up at him and gave him the required information. Her eyes were so lusty that he lost his breath and only managed to croak the names of the street and town to the concierge.

Her fingers were now making their way on the dark curls that started to spread under his navel. By the induced motion of his shaft, she witnessed once again the power she had on him and it made her even greedier. She observed that he didn’t listen when the directions were repeated, idly hoping that the man knew his job, and, when he had barely politely taken his leave, she took the phone and threw it on the floor.

His growl when she took him in her mouth made her happy she had waited till the end of his phone call. His body was tensed and managed to straighten even more every time she released him to better take him back. His hands had at first tried to grab a piece of her – any piece – but in her too far away position, it was not to be; so he grabbed the sheet and held to it for dear life.

She was wet just by his answer to her licks and kisses; her tits were already hard; she wanted now to feel his hands on her. After a last stroke, she let him go and went to sit by his side, her legs towards his chest. He immediately got her meaning and started playing with her nipples, making her moan. She had gone back to his groin and if her ministrations were less attentive; his pinching made her even more eager. Unconsciously her legs parted, one foot now resting by her knee. While her tongue was moving all along and around his dick, he moved his hands to the new offered place. She breathed an “Ah” when his fingers found her core and started stroking her. She tried to keep focused on his pleasure but the feeling was too overwhelming; she was afraid she would hurt him if she remained too close to his shaft. Hurting it was not what she wanted; using it, yes, thoroughly and to the satisfaction of both, but making it suffer, most certainly not!

Feeling that she was done with him – for the while at least – and willing to pay her back, he pushed her so that she was on her back. He was now sitting by her hips and he bent to taste her; she let a guttural howl out when she felt his tongue and teeth play with her folds. She felt that he was sucking her out of her body; she couldn’t feel anything but the volcanic eruption that was boiling inside her. When his fingers entered her, she exploded and didn’t even hear her own cries. He stayed and kept on licking and stroking until her moans became almost desperate. He had managed to reach the endurance limit of her well-trained body; she needed to breathe, her abs needed to relax, her brain had to get some blood back.

He sat up, looked at her still close-eyed flush face and he felt a wave of surprising pride wash over him. He had never had any complaint about his sexual abilities but to see her so utterly satisfied by him left him breathless. His lust for her hadn’t decreased – even by a tiny bit – but he was more than willing to wait; he felt he would be able to wait for ages if only he could hold her in his arms. When she opened her eyes and smiled gratefully right into his, his heart swelled and he drowned in them. He helped her to sit up as well and gathered her, still weak, in his arms. She tenderly kissed his shoulder and rested her head on it, placing tiny pecks on his throat.

Her body eventually managed to move by itself and her hands were drawn back to his torso. The sigh he exhaled when her fingers touched him was a sweet music to her ears. He had given her so much; she wanted to do just the same. She left him to fetch a condom and put it on him. His groan became louder when she straddled him and eased herself on him. After the storm she had gone through, she relished in the feeling of closeness their position gave her. He was in her; his legs were under her buttocks; she closed her legs behind his and wrapped herself around him. When she lifted up her face to him, his eyes were burning; their mouths crashed one against the other and he pulled her fiercely against him, her breasts crushed against his pectorals.

Thrusting was a tongue job at this moment, and both of them played the game. William’s hands had seized her bum but there was no movement of their hips; Elizabeth only clenched and unclenched around him, efficiently enough so that he felt he was coming closer to the edge. His moans answered hers while the classical music still played from the clock. He suddenly let himself fall on his side, taking her with him, and he then pushed her on her back. She hadn’t released his body, her legs still around his waist but he managed to enter her deeper. She put him in motion by tightening the grip she had with her legs; he first followed the rhythm she was proposing, then increased it. He once again felt ready for the final plunge but didn’t want to do it alone; he tried to read in her but her eyes were closed; when her cries pierced the morning, the surprise was so great he lost it and, his voice joining hers, he exploded, buried deep within her.

“O My God!” he said, once his breathing had gone back to its normal pace.

She giggled. “Well, now we’re intimate enough; you can call me Lizzy, you know!”

He chuckled and bit her bottom lip as revenge. “Why, thank you Lizzy!”

“No, thank you,” she replied, her tone dead serious now. “I’ve never… I mean… I knew it would be special but I had no idea!”

He only nodded, his eyes reflecting her amazement at the astounding sex they had shared, and kissed her deeply. He stopped suddenly when he heard her stomach rumble. “Time for breakfast?”

“Well, I guess so… Not that I’m used to wake up so early but then, I’m not used to so much exercise either,” she added with an impish smile.

Smiling warmly to her, he stood up and looked around to find something to put on. Savouring the sight of his tall and firm body, she whistled softly while he put on his boxers and his polo. “Well, that will have to do for now,” he said. Seeing that she had not moved, he offered her his hand. “Miss Bennet, shall I take you to the kitchen?”

He settled behind the bar while she was gathering the usual French breakfast items. The fact that, even wrapped in her too big robe and preparing the meal, she was able to thicken his blood frightened him slightly. He chose to focus on something else and, while sipping the new cup of tea she had made him, he started to talk to her about her life in France.

Once everything was ready, she went to sit with him. Over the breakfast, she told him about her coming in France five years ago, after her A levels, because she wanted to further her studies in French literature, about her meeting Charlotte almost immediately in a dance class, about Charlotte introducing her in The Crazy Horse crew, about her dragging Jane over the Channel to work there, about their finding and buying this flat and settling here.

“So you won’t move back to England?”

“Oh, I don’t know… I’m happy with my life here; my job is fun and lets me work as much as I want on my thèse. I like France; everyone is always grumpy but as soon as you smile, people become amiable; I love French food, the Saturday morning markets, the bakeries and all the foreign restaurants. French arrogance is not worse than the American one or ours; it is just not based on the same criteria and is reinforced by their ‘cultural exception’ as they call it. Hertfordshire is four hours away and with Internet, I can get whatever typically British I wish… So moving back to England is not something I plan to do in the short term. As for the long term… well, I’ll wait and see.”

William knew it was the perfect moment to speak to her about her job; he had been able to almost forget the pale thigh that wasn’t hidden under the grey flannel and she was opening her thoughts to him. Yet something made him hesitate; those peaceful moments they now shared were soothing. He felt better than he had in ages, less tired, more serene, even though he had had a very short night.

She didn’t let him choose. She had done eating and back in the kitchen, she started to put everything back. He forgot what he meant to say as he caught a glimpse of a rounded breast in the increasing opening of the robe. When she bent down to put the dishes in the washing machine placed under the bar, he openly stared at her. She looked up at him and found in his eyes the fire she had become used to reading as good news. When she stood up, she made no move to re-close the robe; she backed against the furniture behind her until her bum rested against the worktop and licked her lips. His eyes hadn’t left her body. They were burning her, creating a longing in her sex, making her skin tingle in anticipation of the pleasures before her.

“Want some help?” William asked, his voice much lower than before; he had stood up and was making his way around the bar to the kitchen. He felt her eyes on the stretched fabric of his boxers and his cock throbbed. He went slowly to where she stood, prowling, and he saw her tense. Her teeth had replaced her tongue on her lips; her hands were tightly holding the worktop; her breath was shallow. He relished in the magnificent sight of her body now barely hidden by the opened garment. He closed the space between them and, placing his hands on hers, he bent and reached her mouth with his.

She immediately opened her lips and let his tongue invade her. His approach had been tantalizing enough to make her wish another proficient part of his body entered her also. She disengaged her right hand and plunged it in her pocket to extract a small object; he paused.

“What is it?” he panted.

She showed him the condom and replied to him as out of breath as he was, “Our last one… Don’t spoil it!”

He was glad she wasn’t in a foreplay mood either; he couldn’t understand how he could want her so much after so little time but there it was… and it seemed a reciprocated feeling. He removed her robe, cupped her buttocks and lifted her on the worktop; his boxers and polo followed her wrap on the floor and he put the condom on, “I won’t, Elizabeth, believe me, I won’t.”

The powerful thrust he graced her with made her cry. She rested on her elbows, while he held her at the hips. When one of his hands left her to catch one breast, she shook her head. “Hold me tight, William,” she gasped, “I want it hard.”

Her words unleashed the lust wave he had almost managed to control so far. His hips pounded in her body, harder and harder as her nails were imprinting deeper in his writs, deeper and deeper as her shouts were getting louder. His half-opened eyes watched her as she climaxed around him; he barely felt one last tightening of her fingers around his arms as he joined her in utter satisfied daze.

“I suppose that’s what being in lust,” were her first flabbergasted words when she had recovered her ability to speak.

“It can’t be more powerful!” was his as stunned reply.

She sat up and framed his face; speaking against his mouth, she said shyly: “William, tell me you won’t sleep at the George V tonight…”

“We made a deal in the car, remember? I’ll cancel my room and settle here until I leave – that is, if you agree…” He backed up slightly and waited for her reply with asking eyes.

“I do! I have to check with Jane, though… I don’t live here alone, you know,” she replied slightly embarrassed.

“Well, Charles is a very peaceful roommate; you could make a bargain…” he chuckled.

She smiled. “That’s an idea! Can I call you today, once I’ve spoken with Jane?”

He had started nibbling her swollen lips to give his agreement when he stopped abruptly. “Damn! I forgot to leave a message for Charles.”

She giggled, “Well, you weren’t very focused at the end of your phone call! Scoot away, I’ll send an SMS to Jane.”

He regretfully let her go. He stood stark naked in her kitchen, she reluctantly put her robe on.

“Do you ever speak to one another on the phone?”

She smiled. “Oh yes we do… But I don’t want to intrude, she might be… busy!” she added with a naughty smile. “William, I think you should start to move! Your things should be here shortly and I might not be able to behave much longer if you don’t disappear from my sight.

He laughed, gave her a quick kiss and went to the bathroom.

She sent a short ‘W wants to talk to C, call me’ to Jane’s mobile. Thirty seconds later, her mobile rang. Obviously, Jane had not been too busy! Explaining to her sister all that had happened between William and her wasn’t easy and she far preferred to do that face-to-face. She went to the bathroom while Jane grudgingly agreed to wait until she came back to their flat. Elizabeth fled the awkward situation of having to speak with an astounded Charles by handing the phone to her new, incredibly hot and still totally nude lover.

William also managed to avoid the explanations on the phone; he didn’t let Charles speak, only informing him that he was not at the hotel and that he would meet him in the hall of the place they had a meeting in at 9:25.

“That’s okay with you Bing?” … “Well, it’s a long story… I’ll tell you later! See you!” He hung up and handed her back the phone, smiling. “Well, I suppose we’ll have some explanations to give today…” he told her, half-embarrassed.

As she was about to reply, the intercom buzzed. “That must be the messenger; I’ll call a taxi for 9:00 too, okay?”

He blew her a kiss as she left the room and started his usual morning routine, with very unusual thoughts in mind.

When he emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed with the clothes the maid had packed, he looked for her and found her already half asleep in her bed. She smiled dreamily up at him. “Hello Handsome, you ready to go?”

“Yep. I put my mobile number on the bar. It’s almost 9:00, I have to go down. I’ll see you tonight?”

She held her arms towards him; he went to sit by her side and brushed his lips against hers. “I wish I could stay with you…”

She smiled sweetly at him. “I’ll call you. I need my keys and I don’t have any spare to give you; shall you meet us at the end of the show?”

His smiled turned sourer, “yes we will.” He gave her a last kiss and left her. Sleep was so overwhelming that she didn’t notice his turn of mood and barely heard the door close. She was startled out of her dreamed lovemaking with William by her sister’s brutal entrance in her room.

Author’s notes

** A ‘contre-allée’ is a one-lane street often lounging the wide avenues in France.

Crazy Horse - The future