Page 8 of Sex, Lust & Lingerie

CHAPTER 5

Gloria

Wouldn’t you know, our private planes were scheduled to depart at about the same time. When my driver didn’t show up, Jaime offered me a ride in his limo.

“I’ll take a taxi,” I huffed as I stood in front of the hotel with him.

“Bonne chance,Ms. Long,” he said with a shrug. “Have you ever tried to catch a cab in Paris morning rush hour traffic?”

I was about to find out. Wearing leggings, a sweater, and ballet flats, I darted to the edge of the insanely busy Saint Germain, and started to hail a cab. I jumped up and down, flailing my arms, trying to get one to stop. “Taxi!” I repeatedly shouted at the top of my lungs. I must have looked like some kind of whacked-out ballerina dancing to a symphony of honking horns. One cab after another whooshed by without stopping. I continued with my desperate dance, growing more and more frustrated by the minute. When cab number-I-don’t-know-what zoomed by me, I turned my head and stole a glance at Jaime. He was smirking. The asshole! He was enjoying every minute of my pathetic song-and-dance show. I wrinkled my nose at him. To my utter chagrin, he mock-mimicked me and waved.

My blood bubbled. I’ll show him! It was time to get aggressive. Convinced the cab drivers weren’t seeing me, I stepped deeper into the crazy-with-traffic Paris boulevard.

“Atten-cion!”screamed a voice. I processed the word in my brain—“Watch Out!”—but it was too late. I cranked my head to the left. A stocky Frenchman on a motorbike was speeding my way. In fact, he was only a few feet away. My heart was racing, but I froze like a deer caught in the headlights.

As the cursing biker barreled toward me, my life flashed before me and I silently said good-bye to this world.

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