AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve waited too long to come back.
The night is still warm, and I soak in the Parisian air before the chauffeur closes the door.
“Bonsoir, Madame. Monsieur,” the French chauffeur greets when he slides behind the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz.
“Bonsoir!” I say.
“Good evening,” Bryce says.
“I believe Monsieur is staying at the Mandarin Oriental, as usual.”
“Yes, Pierre. That’s correct.”
“Is Madame comfortable? I can adjust the temperature if she desires.” Pierre speaks English with a thick French accent that reminds me how much I’ve missed this city.
“La température me convient, Pierre.”
“Ah, Madame parle un français impeccable. Vous êtes américaine ou française?”
“Je suis américaine, mais j’ai vécu pendant cinq ans à Paris lorsque j’étais jeune. Mon père travaillait pour une société américaine dont le siège social était à Paris.”
Bryce looks at me in amazement, as if he only now believes that I can speak French.
“Monsieur Van Der Linden, Madame speaks a perfect French. It seems she learned this while living in Paris with her family when she was younger, when her father was transferred here for work.”
“Pierre, yes, it seems Madame speaks an impeccable French.”
He’s addressing Pierre, but his eyes are locked onto mine.
I hold his gaze.
Pierre breaks the heavy silence between us.
“Monsieur had an excellent trip, I hope?”
“Yes, Pierre.”
“Madame, I hope to visit America one day. I want to go to New York City, like every French person. You live far from New York City?”
“I’m a native New Yorker, Pierre, so you’ll have to give me a buzz when you’re ready to come.”
“Buzz? What is a buzz, Madame?” Pierre asks.
“Let me know when you come to New York City and I’ll be your guide.”
“Okay! Génial!” He returns his focus on the road ahead. The rest of the ride to the hotel is silent. Bryce seems preoccupied by something on his phone, and I’m too afraid to disturb him with idle talk.
Hmmm, let me figure what this Mandarin Oriental looks like.
I pull out the new company phone and do a search. I land on a site that divulges a lot about my luxurious residence for the next week. The hotel is located on Rue Saint-Honoré, which is one of the best areas of Paris. The most exclusive shops surround it.
I know Paris like the back of my hand because I combed the streets with Ciara a million times when we were teenagers. When we came back as adults, we always rented an apartment and spent most of our days combing the streets and discovering new spots. That said, we’ve never ventured in the Mandarin Oriental.
I scroll through the site, and I choke when I see the staggering price tag per night.
Holy shit!
Is that in French Francs? I know they’re no longer in circulation, but right now, I’m praying they are. Because in Euros, that’s a lot of coin for a hotel room.
