One Night in Paris: Short, Steamy Romance - Episode #2 of 4 (Stockholm Diaries, Alice)

by Rebecca Hunter

  Alice sighed. “All I wanted was to not end up like my mother. She drilled it into me from a young age that I needed a good man to take care of me. She spent her life pining after my father, but he was in jail more than not.” She glanced over at Jonas. “Not sure if she thought he was one of those ‘good men’ or not.”

  She hadn’t talked about any of this in a long time. Alice had worked hard to mellow out her Brooklyn accent, and by the end of her freshman year at Columbia, her background rarely came up. It was strange to think about her teenage years on this Paris street, but Jonas was watching her, his face carefully neutral, waiting for her to continue. What else was there to say?

  Alice stopped in the window of a jewelry store, feigning interest in a display of earrings. She took a deep breath. “My mother also thought college was a waste of money. My college admissions essay and my English teacher’s recommendation got me a scholarship, so she stopped bothering me about it. And I was suddenly an English major. Publishing was about as far from my neighborhood as I could get, so I went for it.”

  Her own voice sounded hollow. She shouldn’t have even brought her mother up. All those things were in the past, and there was nothing else to do but move ahead.

  Alice waited in front of the sets of wispy silver earrings, bracing herself for more questions about her past, but they didn’t come. She really liked this about him, that he didn’t press her too much.

  He looked at the jewelry display in front of her. “Which ones?”

  There were larger and smaller versions of interwoven silver threads, all delicate and beautiful. She pointed at the pair at the end, long and extravagant. “Those.”

  He smiled. “You want them?”

  Was he offering to buy her jewelry? Probably not.

  Alice shook her head. “I’ve already—” She caught herself before she finished the sentence. She had already spent too much money.

  “No, thanks,” she finished.

  He waited for an extra beat, then let that go, too.

  Jonas took her hand, and they walked slowly along the street. Alice closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet, full scent of chocolate wafting out of the shop they passed.

  “It’s been a long, long time since I’ve just wandered around,” she said.

  “No walks in Central Park with that boyfriend of yours?”

  She snorted. “Hardly. He wasn’t the type.”

  “What type is that?”

  Alice could hear the smile in his voice. She shrugged. “You know, flowers and balloons and mushy crap like that.”

  Jonas laughed. “I’ll be careful not to try any of that crap on you.”

  She glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What kinds of things are we talking about?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know.” He feigned interest in the window display of men’s shirts, but she could see the smile on his face grow broader. “Probably too mushy for your refined tastes.”

  “Probably,” she said, biting back her own smile.

  “So what was he like?” asked Jonas.

  “Who? Neil?”

  “That’s your ex-boyfriend’s name?” He smirked. “He sounds short and wimpy.”

  Alice laughed. “Nah, not really.”

  “Did he wear a suit?”

  She nodded. “Sure. Typical executive wear, I guess.”

  Jonas stopped walking and turned to her.

  “He’s an executive?” he asked.

  “Yep. At Boars and Allen.”

  Jonas’s eyes widened. “You work with him?”

  Alice squirmed under his stare, regretting her last comment. She really didn’t want to talk about this.

  “A little,” she said. “He’s not my boss, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  Jonas didn’t say anything. They walked, neither speaking. Finally, he stopped and turned to her.

  “Were you in love?”

  “No,” she said. “Not even close.”

  She had surprised both Neil and herself by simply saying no when he asked her to move in with him. And thank God she did. After that, it was as if he had saved all his nastiest thoughts in the unlikely event that she turned him down.

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  She looked away and shook her head. She probably wasn’t the type who could really, truly fall in love.

  But before she could take another step, he threw his arms around her and picked her up.

  “Someday, Alice,” he whispered. “Someday.”

  He put her down and held her face in his hands. His lips met hers, lingering. Someday wasn’t a consolation. Someday was a promise. One that he couldn’t make. So why was her heart thumping so hard?

  She started down the street again “Why the interest in Neil? Believe me, it’s a lot less dramatic than it sounds.”

  Jonas slipped his arm around her waist, and they fell into step.

  “I’m just trying to figure you out,” he said. “It feels good to wonder, to discover things about you. I’ve never really had a normal, get-to-know-you relationship.”

  “I guess I get it,” said Alice, slowing. “But we don’t have a relationship.”

  “We do right now,” he said giving her a pointed look. “So I’m acting like it right now.”

  Alice furrowed her brow.

  Jonas looked down at her, and his expression was serious. “We don’t know what will happen next. Anything’s possible. What if you get hit by one of these crazy taxis on the next corner? Then I definitely won’t regret asking you any of these things.”

  Alice blinked. “Hmm. That’s deep, Jonas.”

  The corners of his eyes crinkled, and he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m usually much shallower.”

  She smiled a little. Always so self-deprecating. But a humble man wouldn’t make it in the intimidation business. He had another side, one that was written all over his body in ink. One that he kept far away from her. When did it come out? All it took for her father to flip was a few late nights.

  Damn. Why the hell was she thinking about her father again? Jonas wasn’t like him, not now anyway. And their “relationship” had less than a day left. She slipped her arms around his waist, searching for the warmth of his body against her hands. Neither of them spoke. They walked under the awnings of a row of stores rippling in the soft breeze.

  “If I get a contract with a U.S. publisher for this book, I’ll probably come to New York,” said Jonas. “I just wanted to put that out there.”

  He said it offhandedly, as if he were mentioning the weather.

  “Oh.” What was he expecting her to say? That her heart pounded wildly at the idea of seeing him again? She took a deep breath and kept her expression blank.

  “It’s just that I’m an asshole in real life,” he said. “I don’t want you to see me that way.”

  Alice took more slow, even breaths. He was already making excuses about why there wouldn’t be one more night, even if they were in the same city again. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he did have a lot in common with her father.

  She let go of his waist and bent down to adjust her shoe. She wasn’t going to let him see any hint of disappointment on her face. This shouldn’t be a surprise, so why did she feel the sting of rejection? She should be relieved. Knowing that the end was near, there was no reason to hold back. She could be selfish, ask whatever she wanted of him tonight. Not worry whether she was pushing him too far. Alice straightened up again.

  They turned down another narrow street, one without stores, only quiet doorways to the old buildings that rose up in shades of grays and tans. She and Jonas were the only ones on the street, their footsteps the only sounds above the din of traffic in the background.

  They cut around one corner and another until they came to the enormous boulevard where the taxi had dropped them off. Across it, beyond the low concrete wall, she caught a glimpse of the Seine. In the distance, and around the river’s bend
, the Eiffel Tower rose up through the trees.

  This was it. The Paris of her dreams. A rush of giddy excitement ran through her, pushing away the sullen thoughts about Jonas. She was here, right now, with a man who could turn her on with a few whispered words. And he did, over and over again. That was enough, wasn’t it?

  “Let’s cross over,” she said. “I want to get closer to the river.”

  The sun had disappeared behind a stack of puffy clouds, and the water of the Seine glimmered in purples and blues. They found the wide path that took them down below street level, along the river’s curves. The concrete bank sloped down into the water, and a few men and women sat along the edge, some in groups, some alone, reading or smoking cigarettes or just talking. They passed a couple deep in a kiss. One of the man’s hands slid up the young woman’s leg, under her skirt. Alice stared as they passed by, but neither the man nor the woman noticed. The women moaned if she didn’t care who stared or heard her. How far would they go out here on the banks of the Seine?

  Jonas squeezed her hand and nodded toward the couple. “Want to try that?”

  Alice shook her head. “I’m not into making out in public.”

  “We haven’t done that yet?” he asked, slowing to a stop. “A bedroom kiss out in the open?”

  “Just that kiss on the Stockholm street, but no one was around.”

  His eyes turned hungry. Was he remembering that kiss, too? His lips parted. “Hmm… I hadn’t thought about it, but maybe we haven’t.” He raised an eyebrow. “You never got a little tipsy and made out with your ex-boyfriend on the subway platform?”

  Alice snorted. “I doubt Neil has ever taken the subway. But no.” She tried to imagine a kiss right there in the street with Jonas as his hands explored more intimate places. She frowned. The idea was more embarrassing than sexy. “I think I’d just feel like I’m showing off. Like it’s for other people, not me.”

  “Even here, in a foreign country?”

  “I don’t know.” She studied the others wandering by. No one else seemed to be paying much attention to the amorous couple. The woman had shifted onto the man’s lap.

  “No one seems to care,” she said. “Maybe I’d be okay, but I still don’t get why someone would want to.”

  Jonas’s eyes crinkled at the corners, but he suppressed his smile. “Maybe they get caught up in the moment?”

  “I guess.” She shrugged.

  He laughed and started walking again.

  She arched an eyebrow at him. “Are you laughing at me?”

  “Never.”

  She gave him a little shove. “There goes the romantic walk by the Seine.”

  Jonas glanced at his watch. “Then let’s eat. I know a great place around here.” He planted a wet, showy kiss on her lips. He pulled back, and his face glowed with amusement.

  Alice shook her head and smiled a little. Not bad.

  They crossed the busy boulevard and headed to another little street. Jonas looked so at ease. Was he happy? Maybe. Now that he had cleared up their non-existent future.

  The lights inside the shops glowed. They walked closer, dodging other couples on the narrow sidewalk, and her hand brushed against his, intimate, his body so close.

  Jonas stopped outside one of the restaurants. The menu was written in elegant script on a giant chalkboard next to the doorway—in French, of course. At least the prices were clear. At second glance, that wasn’t a good thing. Everything was too expensive. Even the very first item, which was probably some tiny arrangement of lettuce leaves. Alice’s stomach growled, begging for more than just lettuce.

  Damn. In the whirlwind of her day with Jonas, she had almost succeeded in forgetting about this most basic problem. She couldn’t really afford this trip. Stockholm and Copenhagen were paid for by Boars and Allen. Here, she was on her own. If she spent this kind of money on dinner, she’d probably max her overcharged credit card before she even saw the hotel bill. Did they have vending machines in Paris?

  She swallowed and turned to Jonas. “Um, on second thought, maybe we can just grab a sandwich from the bakery we passed and head to the hotel.”

  The heat crept up the back of her neck, and she looked away. Maybe he’d think it was a play to get him back into bed.

  He said nothing. Finally, she glanced back up at him.

  Jonas was studying her, brow furrowed. “Would it help if I read the menu to you?”

  His eyes searched hers. If she were standing here with Neil, this discussion would have already turned into an argument about how she never just let go. How if she just relaxed a little, she’d be more fun. But Jonas wasn’t Neil, not even close.

  Lie to Jonas or spend money she really, really didn’t have? Her morals were eroding by the minute. She had to think of something, but exhaustion and hunger were setting in.

  “Sure. Let’s go in, and you can read me the menu,” she said.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to a small, candlelit place with low ceilings. The tables were packed together, leaving little room to maneuver, and the dark, wooden walls were filled with old photographs and signs. Jazz played softly in the background. One other couple sat at a table next to the window, leaning together, their faces glowing in the evening light.

  Jonas said something in French to the waiter and motioned to the back corner table. The waiter nodded and led them through the restaurant. Alice chose the bench seat by the wall, and the waiter handed her a menu. She searched for something recognizable.

  “Escargot?” she read.

  Jonas’s face lit up. “Want to try it?”

  Alice looked up and wrinkled her nose. “Snails, right? Hmm…”

  “It’ll be a first for me,” said Jonas. “I’ll order it.”

  Alice scanned her menu and set it down. “Just order something French for me.”

  “This is all French,” he said dryly.

  Alice rolled her eyes. “I mean something typically French. Something unforgettable.”

  “You’re setting the bar high. I’ll try to deliver.”

  The waiter returned, and Jonas spoke with him for a few moments, gesturing. The man took their menus, and walked away.

  “I ordered you the beef bourguignon and a glass of wine,” said Jonas. “Not fancy but definitely French.”

  “Thanks.”

  Jonas slid a hand under the little table and rested it on her knee. A crease had formed between his eyebrows, but he didn’t say anything.

  She had so many questions for him. Did she really want the answers?

  “You’re accent sounds Scottish or Irish,” she tried.

  “I spent some time in Dublin.”

  “Why Dublin?”

  “It was a good place to earn money.” Jonas hesitated, then added, “And there was a woman.”

  Alice raised an eyebrow. “A red-haired woman?”

  Jonas nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  The image of Jonas and another woman came before she could stop it. His hands in her hair as he kissed her. His big, hard body over hers as his face twisted in pleasure. Alice frowned.

  “Did you love her?” she asked.

  Jonas turned his head to the row of empty tables next to them and sighed. “I don’t know. Sometimes I thought I did, but I thought a lot of crazy things back then.”

  Alice’s heart pounded in her chest.

  “Why did you two break up?”

  “We fought a lot. After a while it was just fighting. And sex. By the end, the sex felt a lot like fighting, too.” Jonas’s expression was unreadable.

  Sex and fighting. What would that be like with Jonas? Despite his size, he hadn’t tried anything… intimidating in bed. Far from it. Far from anything she’d expect from a man who would land in prison.

  She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. If she wanted to know about his past, now was the time to ask.

  “Was she the one you were in Paris with?”

  Jonas nodded.


  “The woman from your novel?”

  Jonas shrugged. “Some parts.”

  “You said the character in your novel is American, not Irish,” she said.

  “True. Let’s just say that I rewrote my own history in the book.”

  He didn’t offer anything more. Now she really did need to read his book, though it was probably better if he wasn’t around for it.

  “I’ve never had sex with someone I was fighting with,” she said.

  “What happened when you and Neil were ending things?”

  “We just didn’t have sex,” she said. “He said I was too cold to be sexy.”

  Jonas muttered a few words under his breath and shook his head. “Sounds like a real fucker to me.”

  “Yeah, he is,” she said. “But it took a while for that side to come out.”

  Alice blinked away the unexpected tears at the corners of her eyes. Why the hell did she care about what Neil thought?

  “He really hurt you,” he said softly. “What else did he say?”

  Alice’s cheeks burned. She hadn’t repeated Neil’s last words to anyone. But why the hell shouldn’t she.

  “He said that women like me end up alone.”

  Jonas’s face flushed an angry red. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  Alice swallowed hard.

  “I don’t know,” she whispered. “He asked me to move in with him, maybe even get married some day, and I turned him down. That’s when all this started.”

  Jonas watched her, his face still flushed, his pulse pumping at the base of his neck. She studied his face, looking for some hint at what he was thinking, but he gave nothing away. Jonas wouldn’t say the kinds of things that came out of Neil’s mouth after that awful dinner, but did he think any of them? Not that it mattered.

  “Do you want to get married someday?” he asked softly.

  He didn’t mean with him. So why was her stupid heart pounding again?

  Alice forced a little smile. “I’m not sure I’m the type.”

  Jonas nodded.

  The waiter brought her a glass of wine and a glass of water for Jonas.

  “No wine for you?” she asked.

  “No,” he said. “Every now and then I have a beer, but I don’t usually drink much. Probably best for everyone.”