“I speak English,” she says with an accent.
“Perfect,” Diana says. “We would like to book a table tomorrow to eat and then enter the club.”
She looks us up and down and that makes me stand; she was checking us out. “I don’t have tables.” She smiles.
“Really?” I ask. “You don’t have one table available the whole day?”
“No, but if you want to book a table in the club, it will be seven hundred and fifty euro.” She crosses her hands on the top of the table.
“Done,” Kate says. “I’m assuming you take Amex?” She opens her purse and throws her gold Amex on the table. The woman looks her down and then up, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll be right back,” she says, turning and walking away on her perfect black Louboutins.
“Are you insane? That is like fifteen hundred dollars,” Diana says.
“Did you see the way she looked at us?” Kate says. “I’ll eat ramen for the year; I wasn’t letting her get the upper hand.”
“I’ll pay half,” I say, thinking in my head. “I like ramen anyway.”
“Fine. We can split it three ways,” Diana says. “The spicy beef is my favorite flavor if we are buying ramen in bulk.”
We shake our heads and laugh and see her coming back. “Here you go. Your reservations are set for tomorrow night at eleven, and the fee covers a bottle of Grey Goose.”
“It better be seven liters,” I mumble under my breath.
“There is a dress code,” she says, and now I’ve had it.
“Really, I didn’t think bitchy was a code,” I say to her, smirking. “Let’s go, girls.”
We turn and walk away. “We so need to go shopping and buy dresses that kill.”
“And are slutty,” Diana says, and I look over at her. “You know, in case someone wants to pay for our table!”
“Okay, plan for tomorrow to get slutty dresses,” Kate says as we walk up the cement stairs to the bridge, and she puts her hand up to flag down a cab. “But, first we nap.”
Chapter Five
Meghan
“We have to be there by eight,” I say from the bathroom as I fix my makeup. I’m dressed in my bra and panties when Diana comes in dressed the same. “What time is it?’
“Seven fifteen,” Kate says from the bed.
We got back to the apartment around five and slept till six thirty. Honestly, if the alarm wasn’t set, I would have slept till tomorrow. I got up and showered first, and the other two followed me. “What are we wearing tonight?”
“I’m wearing shorts and a top,” Kate says.
“Me too,” Diana says. “My red shorts with my leopard shirt. I think that screams Paris.”
“It screams something,” I say, putting the last touch of mascara on. “Okay, you’re up,” I say to Diana as I walk out of the bathroom, giving her room to get ready. I walk over to my bag, throwing things around until my hands find the gold and black sequined shorts, and then I look for the white silk blouse that I pair with it.
I change my pale pink bra for a white one and slip on the shorts, zipping it on the side. I grab my white silk long-sleeved shirt and throw it over my head. I button the front, leaving the top two buttons open. The shirt has a pocket on each side, each zipped with a gold zipper. I grab the sleeves and roll them up to my elbow, attaching them with the button there. I tuck the shirt in, then bring a bit out. “Holy shit,” Diana says, coming out of the bathroom. “Your legs look incredible.”
“It’s all the fucking lunges I do,” I say, turning to the bag of jewelry in the corner of my bag. I grab a big chunky pearl necklace and three pearl bracelets with my rose gold watch.
Sliding on my nude one strap heels, I tie them around my ankles. “I’m ready,” I say, grabbing a black purse to match the outfit. I put my wallet inside with my pink lip gloss.
“I’m ready also,” Diana says, and I look over at her. She’s wearing her high-waisted red shorts with a tiny black belt around her waist. Her V-neck button-down leopard print silk shirt is tucked in with her sleeves rolled up and pushed to the elbow. “How do I look?”
“Like you’re on the prowl.” I laugh at her, and she slips on her nude shoes.
“I’m ready,” Kate says, coming out of the bathroom with her tan linen shorts tied at the waist in a big bow with the same material. Her white button-down shirt is tucked in but only buttoned up to the middle of her chest. The white lace bralette underneath gives her just a hint of cleavage.
“Too bad we didn’t dress like this when we went to make reservations with that blonde bitch,” Diana says, and we nod.
“It’s seven forty-fifteen.” I look at my watch. “How about we get an Uber and go sit at the bar?”
“I like that idea a lot,” Kate says, looking down at her phone. “He will be here in four minutes,” she says, and we all grab our purses and the keys. “Selfie,” she says before we walk out, and the three of us pose in front of the floor-length mirror. “He’s here,” she says when her phone dings.
We lock the door and walk outside, the warm breeze blowing our hair once we open the door. Our Uber driver is waiting outside. “Jean Paul?” Kate asks him, and he smiles and nods. She opens the back door and gets in, and we both follow her.
The Uber driver doesn’t make small talk nor do we talk to each other. I look out the window, and Kate does the same, but Diana is on her phone. The driver stops the car in front of a restaurant, and I look up at the red awning with the name “Chez Pascal” in clear block letters.
I open the door and get out on the sidewalk where people are walking all around us as we stare up at the building. Potted plants decorate the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, and the tables have red umbrellas opened. We walk down the red carpet to the front door where a man dressed in a tux opens it for us. “Bonsoir.”
I smile at him and walk in after Diana, who stops at the hostess stand “Sorry, we have reservations at eight.”
The woman looks at her and then down. “It is just seven-thirty,” she says in her accent.
I take the time to look around; the place is packed, not a free table in sight. I look to the left and see a U-shaped bench in red leather, tables spread out around with little candles. Red lamps hang from the ceiling. Mirrors line the walls so you can see everything going on. “We would like to have a drink at the bar,” Kate says, and I look into the back of the restaurant where the bar is across the whole back wall. A big half circle is lit up with numbers; it looks like a huge half clock. I walk into the restaurant toward the bar when the lady behind the stand asks our name.
“Um, I think it’s under my name, Meghan,” I tell her right before I turn around and see three open chairs at the bar. I point them out to the lady. “Can we take those seats over there?” I ask her while she looks down at her book and then her head flies back up.
“Your table is ready.” She smiles at me and then grabs the menus and says, “Follow me.”
We look at each other with big eyes as we follow her to the left of the restaurant, passing more tables that are full. She walks through a doorway, and I stop as soon as I get in and look around. The whole room is a circle with windows all the way around from top to bottom. Only one table is in the whole room with four chairs.
“Um,” I say to her, not sure what else to say.
“I’ll tell Sandrine you’re here,” she says, and I just nod. We wait for her to walk out of the room before Diana starts.
“Holy shit,” she says, walking to the window. “It’s the Eiffel Tower.” She points, and I see it, but I’m not sure.
“Maybe it’s a mistake,” I say, and Kate just laughs.
“You are going to have to let him cop a feel of something,” Kate says over her shoulder. “This must have cost him a shitload.”
I don’t say anything because I can’t; the only thing I can do is look out the window at the Eiffel Tower. The sun sets on one side of it, shooting the light through it. No words can justify the beauty of it. Ka
te and Diana turn and walk toward the table. “This is crazy,” Diana says, taking out her phone and snapping a picture. Kate sits facing the Eiffel Tower; Diana sits on her left.
“Bonsoir,” the waitress says, coming in dressed in a white dress shirt and black skirt. “je m'appelle Sandrine, et je suis votre serveuse attitrée ce soir” My name is Sandrine, and I’ll be your waitress tonight, she tells us, and I walk to the table and sit down on the chair to Kate’s right.
“Bonsoir,” we all say to her when I grab the black cloth napkin and place it on my legs.
“Oh, we need wine,” Kate says. Grabbing the wine list, she opens it, then looks at Sandrine. “Quelle est la spécialité de la maison?” What is the house specialty? she asks her.
She smiles at us. “tout est vraiment bon. Tout dépend si vous voulez du poisson ou de la viande. Personnellement je recommanderais le filet.” Everything is really good. It all depends if you want fish or meat. I prefer the filet myself.
I grab a menu and open it. “I think I’m going to go with steak also,” I tell them.
“Then let’s do a red wine,” Kate says, then looks at Sandrine Vous recommanderiez quel vin rouge?” What would you recommend for red wine?
She speaks but is interrupted by a male voice. “Sandrine vous pouvez apporter une réserve de Deville rouge s'il vous plaît.” Sandrine, you can bring a reserve de Deville red please.
I look behind her, and I don’t know why I’m surprised he’s here. I also don’t get why I’m holding my breath. As I watch him, he takes off his black aviator glasses and smiles at Sandrine, and she returns the smile.
“Bien sûr, Alex,” Of course, Alex, she says and walks out of the room.
“Well, well, well,” Diana says with a smile. “Look at what the cat dragged in.” Kate laughs with her. I am still looking at him, my mouth suddenly dry.
He stands there in tight black dress pants and a black button-down dress shirt with the first three buttons open. His black-and-white small checkered jacket is closed with one button, and it molds to his shoulders and chest with a black-and-white handkerchief in the breast pocket of his jacket. “Ladies,” he says to us, the smirk on his face making his brown eyes light up. “I hope you don’t mind me joining. I was in the neighborhood,” he says, looking at Diana and Kate and really not even looking at me. He goes to the empty chair, lifting his left arm to undo his button, showing us his Rolex and a black beaded bracelet. His woodsy smell is all around me; I can’t get away from it.
I watch him as he sits down, then places his phone on the table face down and his glasses on his phone. I look at Kate and Diana as they look over at me, checking to see if he’ll say anything, and he doesn’t. I look down, trying to focus on the words on the menu, but my heart is beating so fast and suddenly sounds so loud I’m wondering if the three other people sitting at the table can hear it. Sandrine comes back in with two bottles of wine in her hand, placing one on the table in the corner I never noticed before. She grabs one bottle and comes over, showing Alex the label, and he just nods his head. She places the bottle on the table and uncorks it, handing the cork to Alex. I try not to watch, but my eyes are not in sync with my head that is screaming to look away.
He grabs the cork and smells it, then nods to her, and she pours a bit in his glass. He picks it up, swirls his glass once, and then smells inside the glass before bringing it to his lips. I push my chair back and look at Sandrine. “Oú sont les toilettes s’il vous plaît?” I ask her for the bathroom.
“À droite juste avant le bar.” To the right, right before the bar, she tells me. I put my napkin on the table and get up. Grabbing my purse, I look at Diana and Kate who look at me with questioning eyes. “I’ll be back.”
They both nod at me when I get up and walk out of the room. I walk the way Sandrine instructed me to the bathroom. My heartbeat returns to normal as I look at myself in the mirror. “Why do I care that he just ignored me? He’s an asshole,” I say under my breath. I wait a couple of minutes and then apply some lip gloss before going back to the table.
I walk into the room, and Diana and Kate are both laughing with Alex and holding their wine glasses in their hands. “Hey,” Kate says when I sit down and grab the napkin again. “We are just toasting.”
I reach out to grab my glass and pick it up. “What are we toasting?”
“To Alex,” Diana says, and I look at her when she winks at him, and he smiles at her. She holds out her glass in the middle, and we all clink glasses at the same time. I bring the glass to my lips and take a sip; the red wine goes down so smooth it’s like water.
“This is the best red wine I’ve ever had,” Diana says, and I literally have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I look up at her and then at Kate, who is looking at me with a twinkle in her eye.
I grab my spoon and scoop a couple of ice cubes from my water glass, that was filled when I was in the bathroom, and drop the ice in the red wine.
“That is the biggest faux pas in wine drinking.” I hear Alex say, and I finally look at him, seeing his eyes only on me.
“I like my wine chilled,” I say to him, grabbing it and taking a sip. “Yup. Much better a bit chilled.”
“Normally, you chill a red wine thirty minutes before drinking it. By placing the wine in a decanter, it gets warmer, and the full body of the wine comes out.” He sits back in his chair with one hand on the arm handle.
“Normally, we say to each their own.” I take another sip, this time drinking much more. “Which means …”
“However you like,” he says to me, trying to hide his smirk, and this time, he’s really starting to irk the shit out of me. “I get the saying.” He leans in again, placing his elbows on the table. “So what did you girls do today?”
Did he just dismiss me? I think to myself, so I don’t even bother answering him. Instead, I just drink more wine while Diana talks. “We walked around the city.”
“It’s so beautiful,” Kate says. “Oh, and tomorrow night, we are getting down at Faust,” she says with an accent. I laugh at her as the waiter comes to the table, putting down three plates. I look up at Kate. “Alex ordered for us.” I look at the waiter who is wearing a white button-down shirt with black pants, his hair long at the top, short at the side. A well-trimmed short beard fills his cheeks.
“Wonderful,” I say sarcastically, not bothering to look at him, though I can feel him looking at me. I look up at the waiter, who looks at me and smiles. I smile back at him. “Merci.” I am not going to let Alex ruin this night or my mood.
“De rien,” he says, turning to walk back out.
“Now that looks like a man who puts ice in his wine,” I say, looking at the food in front of us. “What is all this?” I ask, and Sandrine comes in with two more plates.
“Cœur de laitue et copeaux de parmesan.” She points at the heart of lettuce with parmesan shavings. “Vapeurs de Crevette.” She points at the shrimp. “Carpaccio de Saumon frais.” She points at the salmon carpaccio. “Foie Gras de Canard mi-cuit.” She points at the duck liver. “Et enfin Escargots de Bourgogne.”
“We should do like Iron Chef and taste everything at the same time,” Diana says, laughing while Sandrine fills our wine glasses again.
“Puis-je avoir un verre rempli de glaçons?” Can I have a glass of ice cubes? I ask her, and she nods.
“I don’t think I can do foie gras,” Kate says, “but YOLO, right?”
“Worst case, we chase it down with a whole glass of wine.” I laugh at her. “YOLO.”
“So what do you girls plan to do tomorrow?” Alex asks while eating.
“We have no idea,” Kate says. “I think I want to go up in the Eiffel Tower.” She looks at Diana, who nods, and then me.
“Yes,” I say to her, grabbing my now filled glass of wine. “Then we can shop.”
“Shop?” Alex asks, and I grab a bite of food.
“We are going to party at Faust tomorrow night,” Kate tells him. “The girl today was snotty.”
“Me?” he asks, leaning back in his chair.
“Yeah, you. When we returned that bottle of wine, you came to our table like a bear out of hibernation searching for food.”
“Bear?” he asks.
“Ours,” I say the French name for a bear.
“I know what a bear is,” he says. “I’ve just never been compared to one.”
“Never say never.” I grab my wine. “So much better chilled,” I say, putting in another ice cube.
His eyes go from watching me to turning around and asking Kate, “So why was she snotty?”
“For one,” Kate starts, “she thought we couldn’t afford it.”
“The prices aren’t that bad,” he says, grabbing a piece of bread and tossing it into his mouth.
“Well, seven hundred and fifty euro for a table in a club is a bit steep,” Diana says.
He whips his head to her. “What did you say?”
“Um,” she stutters, “seven hundred and fifty.”
“Merde,” he says, grabbing his phone. “What name is it under?”
“They took my Amex so probably mine,” Kate says, while Alex starts typing on his phone.
“The max they charge is two hundred and fifty euro,” Alex says.
“See? Snotty French people,” I say, grabbing my wine glass, then looking at Diana and Kate. “Did you take a picture of the label? I wonder if we can get it at home.” I bring the glass to my mouth, taking another long sip.
“You can’t. It’s a private reserve only for the top restaurants in France,” Alex says when his phone beeps.
“Oh, look, the lights are flashing,” Kate says of the Eiffel Tower. I look over and see that it is flashing.
“You should go outside and check it out. It’s pretty cool,” Alex says, and Kate and Diana jump up.
Faux Pas Page 5
