French Kiss (Novella)
Read French Kiss (Novella) Online
Authors: Abbie Duncan
FRENCH KISS
by Abbie Duncan
Galleon Romance
Atlanta,
GA
This
book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher.
This
is a work of fiction and all names, places, incidents and character traits are
products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or
events is purely and totally coincidental.
****
Copyright
2013 (All Rights Reserved)
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
The streets were bustling with life as Maria sat back in her chair.
Positioned in the shadow of the imposing, but
majestic, Eiffel Tower she was enjoying the company of all the elegantly dressed
strangers as they passed by. Maria had always wanted to visit Paris, but had always
been unable to because of certain “obstacles” in her life.
Now, experiencing it for the first time was
enlivening and she felt as if she belonged, as if her life was always meant to
somehow end up in the City of Light where culture abounded. It was a place
that so many sophisticated and unusual people had called home through the centuries.
She was suffused with the pleasant feeling that she was home, now only one more
ingredient was needed.
Where the heck is Cameron?
At the moment, Maria was still a little unsure of the
new man in her life; but at least so far, he had passed all her tests with
flying colors. Not that her standards were high or anything – far from it. It
had been a while – a long while, since she had had any kind of experience with
the opposite sex. In fact this was the first time in years she had let someone
get this close to her…
For this particular sojourn, Maria had selected one
of her favorite outfits: a crisp, snow-white blouse that was pristine and
unblemished. She hated stains, and thankfully there was never any chance of
that happening here. And to add to the professional, powerful aura of the
blouse, she had chosen a tight black skirt that was an inch or so above the
knee, just how she liked it. Not too brazen, but not so ‘mundane’ as to be
considered unappealing to the opposite sex.
There was only one such member of the opposite sex
she had eyes for anyway, it was he that she hoped to entice just a little more
this evening.
The target look was professional yet adventurous.
With a pair of juicy Versace pumps to top everything off. She couldn’t believe
her luck when she found them there in the shop, she had been scanning as usual,
surfing through the freebies, almost in tears at the hopelessness of it all
when they had jumped out at her. In a free shop of all places!
The pumps added the final gloss to her wardrobe and
as she sat and watched the street life unfolding around her, in the way that
she had grown accustomed to. In this fascinating new world, she basked in the
intense feeling enveloping her.
Happiness?
No, that was too basic a word to describe her feelings at that moment ...
eagerness, yes! That was the word, much like the eagerness that little children
exude on Christmas Eve. Somehow, she knew it was much like a Christmas for her,
only this wasn’t celebrating the birth of Christ, it was the birth of Maria
Thornton, at least the one she had always wanted to be.
For one night, she could throw off the restricting
mask that was the old Maria and become anyone she wanted. Her attire was
complete as were her hair, nails and lipstick - the three essentials she called
them, without which, she would feel naked.
She sipped at her coffee, twirling her newly curled
and colored hair around her fingers, the burgundy dyed locks matching perfectly
with her burgundy painted nails, her favorite color, so intense and attention
grabbing, it was a perfect echo of her own character.
If Cameron wasn’t impressed with what he saw when he
appeared, she would be disappointed to say the least. When they had first met
weeks earlier, in Rome, Maria had not even bothered to choose an appropriate
outfit or even take the short time to color her hair.
Cameron, who had rolled up in a Limousine, leaned
out of the window and confidently said, “Hey, you look lonely, would you care
to join me for coffee?”
She had gotten lucky, real fast.
Maria had heard from friends that it had taken them
months to hook up with someone once they got out there and made themselves
available, but she had barely been actively looking for a day when the suave
and handsome Cameron had appeared to scoop her up. Needless to say, she had
almost fallen out of her chair in her eagerness to join him, so much so that she
had to keep reminding herself to stay grounded and not get too lost in the
whole whirlwind that had kicked up that night.
It was just nice to have someone to talk to, someone
to share something in common with. He was lonely. She was lonely. Of course,
Rome was a magnificent city to look upon and the streets seemed to go on
endlessly.
Maria had loved getting lost in the back streets and
alleyways of such a historic place but there had only ever been one purpose for
visiting. Rome was a veritable library of romantic fairy tales and legends and
was one of the first locations visited by romance seekers such as herself and
Cameron.
Looking down the street, at the huge steel feet of
the Eiffel Tower, she wondered just how it was that something so incredibly big
could have stood for so long, over a hundred years, yet there it was, as if it
were erected the day before. If only all things were built so carefully and
meticulously, she thought, a sigh escaping her lips as she stopped the
fidgeting at once, reality rearing its mocking head ... just for second.
The moment was over as soon as she spied the person
she had come to meet, drifting through the brightly lit street, the lamp light
causing his beautiful golden hair to glow like the morning sun just peeking
over the edge of the horizon. She smiled, impressed with his outfit for the
night, and put her coffee down to greet her gentleman.
As he approached through the now almost deserted
street, Maria was pleased to see that he had followed her advice and worn a
James Bond style tuxedo and he looked just as she had imagined he would, on all
those nights spent alone in her bed. Her hero had arrived and Paris was to
become their playground for the evening. She looked at her watch - another
freebie, and saw that it was barely 6:30pm.
Plenty of time for them to explore.
“Hey, beautiful!” Cameron said as he reached her
table and stood, admiring her. A huge smile crossed his face.
Maria struggled to control herself, her heart was
racing and threatened to beat right out of her chest but she took a deep breath
and spoke, finally, “Hey ... handsome, it’s so nice to see you again.”
Damn, she knew that was a little desperate sounding,
oh well, too late.
Cameron continued to smile, looking dashing in his
tux. “Likewise, in fact ... I was a little worried you might not show.”
It was Cameron’s turn to feel awkward now and he
hesitated before continuing, “After all, it’s not exactly normal, all this ...
is it?”
Wonderful. Just wonderful.
Cameron was as nervous as she was. All her previous fears about not ‘clicking’
with him vanished in that moment and Maria, all at once, felt at ease.
Rising to meet him, she couldn’t help but feel like
a teenager, a teenager just setting out on a journey of romance for the very
first time. It was all still so very new and exciting to her and she never
wanted that feeling to go away - it was an alien feeling, but a welcome one
nonetheless.
“It’s as normal as we make it ... I suppose.” Maria
said shyly, hoping he would agree and she wasn’t disappointed because he
nodded, still smiling.
“You’re right, Maria. Why don’t we go for stroll and
take in the sights Paris has to offer?”
“Yes, why not. I always wanted to visit the Eiffel
Tower and see what the world looks like from up there. Wanna go?” She said,
hoping he would say yes. She craved the companionship that only a like-minded
person could offer her.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s ... take a look.” Cameron said,
sounding a little unsure.
Maria liked the sound of his voice. It was gentle,
yet she could sense there was substance to him, despite the obvious nervousness
he no doubt felt at that moment. That was what attracted her to him in the
first place anyway, those moments of almost boyish shyness, as if he were
really just a teenager, and not a thirty year-old man in his prime.
He reminded her so much of herself and how she would
often find herself sinking back into the character she was so used to playing.
It had been so long since she had been someone that could be considered
‘self-assured’ but when she was with Cameron, confidence came easy.
She supposed that when two people who were both
inexplicably damaged, met and clicked, a kind of magical forcefield
encapsulated them, shutting off their insecurities. Although, Cameron seemed a
little more ‘off’ than usual and she wondered whether that was because it had
been weeks since they had last spoken.
“Hey, you? You okay?” Cameron asked as he appeared
in front of her. Maria suddenly caught herself, as she realized he had been
waiting for her while she was lost in thought.
“Oh, yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking how nice it
is to have ... found you.”
There was a pause, then Cameron -- humble as ever-- shrugged
and said, “I think we both know I’m the lucky one here.”
Maria felt a wave of compassion then, for this man.
The only man she had ever known who had made her feel important, even if this
was only the second time they had met.
She laughed, basking in the glow of his
unintentional charm, borne probably of his lack of self-esteem.
“Something tells me you’re wrong there, Cameron, but
only time will tell, I suppose.” She said, nudging his arm playfully. Cameron
smiled, bumping her back gently before skipping off down the street dodging a
small group of youngsters sporting extravagantly decorated costumes.