Page 57 of From Paris, with Butter
Near the door, an orange tabby raised its head from the basket of blankets it had been sleeping in and blinked at us.
“That’s Beau,” Laurent told me. “He comes and goes as he pleases. Minerva kept trying to murder him whenever I brought her here. That’s why she now stays at home with a sitter.” I bent down to scratch Beau between the ears.
“And look here,” Laurent said, opening another door. I peered inside and saw a toilet, shower, and sink. “It’s a real bathroom. My father set up the plumbing.”
“A flushing toilet? My goodness, we really are in the lap of luxury.”
Laurent quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, I see. Are you making fun of my childhood abode?”
“Not at all,” I replied, equally serious. “And I’m not thinking at all that your parents must have banished you here, like a barnyard animal, because you’re clearly their least favorite child. That thought never crossed my mind.”
“A barnyard animal?” Laurent repeated. “I’ll show you a barnyard animal.” He tossed me on the bed and straddled me, his mouth hot on mine. His hands were busy at the buttons of my sweater as he kissed me urgently, his tongue running over my swollen lips. I pulled his hips close, feeling him hard beneath his jeans.
The final button of my sweater came undone, and cold air wafted over my skin. Laurent quickly remedied the situation by pulling me close as he unhooked my bra. It slid off as I fumbled with his jeans, my anxiety over meeting his family replaced with urgent desire.
Laurent raised himself a few centimeters so I was able to slide his jeans off over his hips. I peeled Laurent’s shirt off as he pulled my jeans down to my ankles, then off my feet. Clad only in our underwear, I maneuvered so I was fully beneath Laurent’s shuddery, warm body. He grazed my neck with his teeth.
I had my legs wrapped around Laurent’s waist when his phone buzzed. He groaned.
“Let me just check that. They’ll come knocking at the door if I don’t respond.”
I sighed, sinking back into the pillows. “Well, it’s nice to know we still get cell phone reception in this hinterland.”
Laurent rolled his eyes theatrically as he got up. He crossed the room, which gave me the opportunity to admire his taut muscles and just how nicely tanned he was.
Laurent looked at his phone, then came back over and gave me a kiss on the tip of my nose. “My mother can’t find the braiser since I last reorganized thekitchen. I have to dig it out so we can have dinner.”
I sighed. “I suppose I won’t make your family go hungry just to satisfy my lust. I’ll shower so I’m presentable,” I said, pulling him down to kiss him again. Laurent trailed a string of kisses from my chest to my belly button before pulling on his clothes. Before he left, he kissed me a final time, groaning low in his throat before he finally pulled away.
Laurent’s father must have some serious plumbing skills because the water in the shower was hot and strong. I took my time lathering up and combing conditioner through my hair, wanting to look my best for the family dinner. As I was rinsing off, I heard Beau knock something off the end table. A loud crack reverberated across the shed.
Oh no,I thought, quickly stepping out of the shower.Little beast better not knock my phone off next.
“Cut it out, Beau!” I shouted as I ran out of the bathroom.
Beau, from the nest he’d made in the bedcovers, raised his head and looked at me disdainfully. He turned to the other person in the room. It wasn’t Laurent.
Chapter 21
Standing not a meter from where I stood naked and dripping wet was an elderly woman. An elderly woman I had just shouted at. She was wearing low heels, a maroon dress, a string of pearls around her neck, and a look of disdain that blew Beau’s out of the water.
This was it. This was the moment of my death. It must be because I don’t know how someone could keep living when their only wish was to be swallowed immediately by the earth.
Goodbye Laurent, it was fun, but your grandmother thinks I’m a naked, screaming banshee, and now I must leave this world.
Laurent’s grandmother didn’t look shocked, although it’d be much better if she did. Instead, she simply looked imposing and mildly disapproving, as though jumping out of the shower to scream naked at strangers was a peculiar hobby she hoped I’d soon grow out of. Looking as though it pained her, she extended a hand.
“I am Madame Roche.” Every word was like ice.
I hadn’t moved a centimeter since I’d seen her, still waiting desperately for the whole swallowed-by-the-earth moment to happen already. Mechanically, I extended a wet hand and grasped her fingers. I dimly wondered if I should kiss her hand, she seemed so much like a queen.
Just then, Beau gave a yowl, and it shook me out of my horrified stupor.
“PleaseexcusemeI’llberightbackIjustneedtogetdressed.”
I fled back to the bathroom.
Once inside, with the door firmly locked, I contemplated the possibility of just staying here forever. It’d be tough, but I could make it work. It certainly beat the idea of venturing back into the outside world.
