Faux Pas

by Natasha Madison

  “Over my dead body are you wearing flip-flops with that dress,” she says to me right before the Uber pulls up.

  “I don’t think I can breathe,” I say when I sit down.

  “Breathing isn’t a necessity,” Kate says, laughing. It takes us less than five minutes to get to the stairs that lead us down to the club. We walk down the cement stairs, seeing the lights outside bright around the white tables from yesterday. If we thought it was busy yesterday, it’s nothing like today. We look over at the door and see about two hundred people in line.

  “Oh my god,” I say, and Kate grabs my hand after Diana grabs hers.

  “We paid a shit ton. I’m not waiting in line,” she says, going around the line to the front where a bald bouncer stands. His shoulders are so wide I’m surprised he fits through the doors. He has a clipboard in his hand while he looks at it with a group of five girls standing in front of him.

  “Excusez-moi, nous avons une réservation.” Excuse me, we have a reservation, Diana says to him, and he looks at us from the side, only his eyes moving to us.

  “Votre nom s’il vous plaît.” Your name, he asks.

  “Kate,” Kate says out loud. He looks at his clipboard and smiles, nodding his head.

  He takes out his phone and calls someone. “Guy,” he says once that person answers. “Vos invitées sont arrivées”.” I look at both Diana and Kate when he tells the man that his guests have arrived.

  “Um.” I’m about to say when a man comes out of the door. He’s standing there in his perfect black suit and white shirt. His blond hair is cut short on the sides and longer on top but combed back. His blue eyes are crystal, and he smiles when he sees us.

  “Ladies,” he says, “follow me.” Kate doesn’t even bat an eye and walks in right after him. Diana follows and so do I. “My name is Guy.” He smiles at us as he introduces himself. “I have everything prepared for you.” He turns and says while we walk down a hallway that looks like a dungeon with red lights lighting the way. Dance music gets louder and louder as we walk into the club. We stop at the top step before walking down the five stairs to the club. Exposed light bulbs line from one side to the other in rows and rows, and they flicker from red to white. He walks down the steps, and we walk around people who are dancing anywhere that they can fit. I notice tables are against one wall with red leather couches.

  Five tables are set up, then the DJ right in the middle; light bulbs are along the wall in back of him, and five other tables are all the way to the end. At the back of the room, there is a long bar with lightbulbs all against the back wall.

  We follow him to the right, and I see five arches leading to elevated rooms with a seating area right in front of the stairs leading up to the rooms. He walks into the middle of one where a bucket of champagne and ice is already chilled and waiting on the low table between two couches. He walks up the five steps to the room. “You have your own private bar, and this is your server, Adele.” He points at the woman standing behind the bar inside the room.

  “Um,” I start to say while I look around. The room has the same couches all around the wall and small tables scattered in case you want to drop your glass. “I think there has been a mix-up.”

  Guy looks at me and then at Diana and Kate, shaking his head. “No mix-up. You know Alex?”

  I cross my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes while Kate and Diana both say, “Yes.”

  “It has come to my attention that Monique was rude, and it has been taken care of. I apologize on her behalf and hope you can let us make it up to you,” he says, putting his hands in his pockets. “Adele, le champagne s’il vous plaît,” Adele, the champagne please, he tells her. She nods her head, bending and bringing out a new bottle. She pops the cork and pours four glasses of champagne. Guy hands us each one and holds one for himself. “To showing you that Paris is filled with good people and not bears,” he says, turning to me and winking. I toss my head back and laugh, clinking my glass to theirs.

  “I really like this,” Kate says, putting her purse on the bar. “Is this whole space just for us?”

  “Yes,” Guy says, “well and …”

  “You didn’t think I wouldn’t show up, now did you?” I hear his voice from behind me, and I turn around to face him, telling my mind that he’s an asshole. Except my head isn’t getting the memo, and he stands there as though he just walked off the fucking runway. He’s wearing blue dress pants, a baby blue button-down shirt, the first three buttons opened to show his tanned skin under it, and a cream-colored jacket tied with one button. A baby blue handkerchief is tucked into the pocket on the side. His hair is perfectly set, his brown eyes lighting up a touch when he smiles at them.

  “Alex,” Diana and Kate both say, and I watch them go to him and kiss him on the cheek. “You da man,” Kate says. I don’t move to him, but his eyes find mine, and I nod at him, turning to get my champagne glass refilled.

  When I turn back, I see the blonde behind him coming up the steps, and she is so beautiful I have to stop and stare. She is wearing a white pants suit, but the jacket is buttoned at her waist, plunging open down the middle. Her blond hair loose and curled. “Eh, bien sûr, je me demandais bien pourquoi tu m’avais demandé de sortir avec toi” Of course, I should have known that you would have a reason to take me out, she says to him, and then he turns to Kate and Diana. The pit of my stomach is now knotting, the champagne suddenly burning a hole.

  “This pain in my ass is my sister, Giselle,” he says, and I let out a deep breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Giselle, this is Diana and Kate.” She walks to them, smiling and kissing them on the cheeks.

  “It’s a pleasure,” she says, her accent making me smile.

  “Where are the rest of your clothes?” I hear Guy from beside me ask Giselle.

  “Tu vas pas commencer toi aussi!” Don't you start also, she says, walking to him and putting her arms around his neck as he smiles and bends down to kiss her. “You must be Meghan.”

  I look at her surprised. “You were the one who called him a bear?” She uses her thumb to point back at her brother.

  “That would be me.” I smile at her, and she looks at me. “Would you like champagne?”

  “Oui,” Yes, she says. “Let’s get some drinks in us and go dance.”

  “That sounds like a plan, but I think shots are in order,” I say and then yell at Diana and Kate. “Guys, we can’t party in Paris without having a couple of shots,” I say, and they throw their hands up and come to me, chanting, “Shots, shots, shots.”

  “Tequila,” I say, and they both groan. “Okay, first one tequila.”

  Adele nods her head and pours six shots, placing a salt shaker and lime wedges on the bar. Guy hands the shots out, calling over Alex, who is glaring at me. Fuck him, I think to myself. Bringing my hand up to my mouth, I turn it and lick the inside of my wrist, then shake some salt on it, and pass it to Kate. I look up and see that Alex is still glaring, turning back to the group. “Okay, here’s to Paris and making it our bitch.” We all laugh. I lick my wrist, take the shot, hiss at the burning, and then suck the tart lime.

  “On pourrait avoir une bouteille de Grey Goose s'il vous plaît Adele.” Giselle says to her can you bring out a bottle of Grey Goose please and then turns, grabbing my hand. “It’s time to show Paris you’re here,” she says, and I follow her, smirking at Alex when I walk past him.

  We walk down the steps, and Adele shows up with a bottle of Grey Goose and another bucket. “Ladies,” Giselle says, pouring us some Grey Goose, and we mix some cranberry juice with it. “If it weren’t for you, I would be stuck in my apartment, so I’m going to make the best of it.” She lifts her drink. “To showing you that Paris isn’t full of bears.” I throw my head back and laugh. I take a drink, and my eyes are going back to the arches where Alex stands with his hands in his pockets while he stares at me.

  Chapter Eight

  Alex

  I’m leaning against the bar inside the room now, watching the
four of them drive all the men wild. Of course, they are oblivious to the men standing around. I just had one of the bouncers tell me that a group of ten men would like to join us. I laughed at him. “If you keep your eyebrows like that, you will need Botox.” I hear Giselle say from beside me. “Un verre d’eau s’il vous plaît.” Water please, she asks Adele before picking up her hair. “Someone needs to turn the air on.”

  Guy tosses his head back. “Chérie, it would help if you weren’t jumping all around.”

  “Whatever,” she says, kissing him and then walking back out. I hear Coldplay come on, and Kate screams that this is her jam.

  “Bring them water,” I tell Adele, and she nods, bringing them water bottles. My phone beeps in my pocket, and I bring it out, seeing a text from Clement.

  Who is the hot chick dancing with your sister?

  And he sends me a picture of Kate.

  I’m in the room.

  I text him back, and two minutes later, he’s walking up the steps to us, wearing a smile. I’ve known him since we were in private school together. He now plays for the national football team. “Had to be with you,” he says, and I smile at him when he sticks his hand out and comes in to hug me “Cochon.” Dirty dog. He laughs. “You remember Hugo?” He motions to one of his teammates, who I know is the goalie on the team. He stands there smiling at me, putting his hand out. “Hugo, this is the owner, Alex.” I shake his hand.

  “What do you want to drink?” I ask them, and they turn around to look at the girls, making me laugh till he says, “Who’s the redhead?” Hugo smiles at her.

  “Not yours,” I say to him, and he just nods his head. “Drink,” I say, my smile now gone. I look out and see that the woman who is pushing every single one of my buttons since I walked in is now dancing with her hands above her head while she sways her hips. The dress molds so tight to her; she is the most conservatively dressed, yet I can’t look away. I walked in, and when Diana and Kate came to me, I was waiting for her to approach, but she didn’t. I should have been okay with it, but instead, it irked me and frustrated me. I tried to lock it down the best way I knew how, but I was slowly starting to lose it, and I knew something would make me snap.

  When she licked her wrist, I thought two things would happen. One, my cock would break through my pants, and two, I would throw her over my shoulder and take her away. Instead, I just glared at her while she did one shot and then went to dance.

  “Well, well, well.” I hear from beside me and see that it’s Kate. “Who do we have here?” she says, and I see Clement stand straight.

  “This is Clement and Hugo,” I say, and she smiles. “Guys, this is Kate and Diana,” I say, seeing that Diana has come over now, and the four of them greet each other. I turn to see that Giselle and Meghan are singing “Wild Thoughts” at the top of their lungs.

  “Incoming.” I hear Guy say beside me, and I stand as two men, perfectly dressed, start to approach them. “Merde,” he says and walks away. I follow him even though I should let him handle this and stay back. Instead, I’m right behind him when he says, “Je ne savais pas que tu serais en ville ce soir.” I didn't know you would be in town tonight. He goes up to them, laughing and putting his hand out to shake the first guy’s hand and then the second guy’s. ““on va vous installer dans le salon particulier afin que vous puissiez diner toute initimé" Let me set up a booth for you. Get you some privacy. He flags over one of the waiters. “A booth for them at the end.”

  “Right away,” the guy says and goes to make sure it’s being set up.

  “Have you met my girlfriend?” he says of Giselle, and I see one of the guys’ smile leave and then turns to his friend.

  “Allons-y, elles ne sont même pas disponibles.” Let’s go. They aren't even available. He smiles at them. “Bonsoir.”

  “Who is that?” Meghan asks when she sees the guys walking away. “He looks super friendly.” She smiles and takes a sip of her drink when another song comes on, and she yells for Kate and Diana, who come out of the booth with the guys following close behind. I stand here at the top of the stairs looking down at everyone in our group, when the girls start yelling the lyrics about heaven having a plan for you.

  I put my hands in my pockets, my eyes never leaving Meghan as the three of them get together and sing at the top of their lungs.

  Then all three off them jump when the lights flicker on and off to the beat. I look out into the crowd and see everyone is on their feet dancing to this one. I see that Guy is sitting on one of the couches and Giselle is sitting on his lap with her arm draped around his shoulders. Last night, she said that she’d loved him since she was fourteen, and she was just waiting for him to get his head straight. “Why do you hate me?” I hear from next to me and see it’s Meghan. She stands on the top step next to me, so close I can smell strawberries. The lights go off and then flick on again, and I can see the twinkle in her green eyes. “So are you going to tell me?” she says, coming closer. “Why do you hate me?” she says and then smiles, and it reaches her eyes, making them even brighter, and then I finally snap.

  I grab her hand, her fingers linking with mine, and I look at Guy. “I’ll be in the office,” I say, and her hand stays in mine as we make our way to the back of the club, zigzagging through the people who are dancing. Turning at the end, we continue down a dimly lit hallway where the offices are kept. We make it to Guy’s office, and I enter the code, dragging her in with me.

  “What in the hell?” she says when I close the door behind me, leaving us in the mostly dark room. I push her against the door, and her breath hitches. “Alex,” she says in a whisper, her hands going to my chest.

  “What did you ask me?” I ask her, putting my hands beside her head, laying my palms on the door.

  “I asked you why you hated me,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.

  One hand comes down and moves her hair back, away from her face. Even in the dark, I can see her eyes, her chest rising and falling so fast you would think she just ran a marathon. “Meghan,” I say quietly, moving the hair on the other side now. “I.” Starting to talk, I stop when she starts moving her hand slowly on my chest, going from my stomach to my chest. I look down at her hands.

  “Tell me,” she says quietly. “Why?” Her fingers play with the collar of my shirt slowly and softly.

  “Trust me,” I say to her, my hands now going into her hair. “The last thing I feel about you is hate.”

  “Alex,” she breathes out, and I snap. Hearing my name on her lips causes everything I’ve tried to keep at bay to snap. I grip her hair in my hands and turn my head a touch, leaning in.

  “I’m done,” I say to her, and her eyes open wide. Her breath hitches, and I finally claim her mouth with mine. Her lips are soft, and I slowly let my tongue slip out, licking her bottom lip. Her tongue comes out and touches mine. I grip her hair harder, almost as if I’m afraid to hurt her when she arches her back and her arms circle my neck, trying to pull me closer. The kiss isn’t soft, and it isn’t delicate like I wanted, like I planned, like I imagined. It’s the opposite. It’s a kiss full of need, full of want, full of fire.

  She groans into my mouth when I turn my head the other way to deepen the kiss and hitches one leg over my hip, aligning her pussy straight on my cock. My hands now leave her hair and roam down to her neck, then her shoulders, and then her back, and finally, my hands grab that ass that has been tempting me all night long. The ass that fits perfectly in my hands, pulling her more into me. She raises her other leg, locking both her legs behind my back.

  “Alex,” she moans, leaving my lips to throw her head back and give me full access to her neck. I lean in, biting her first and then sucking gently. Her hands now go to my head as her fingers go through my hair.

  “Come home with me.” The words come out before I know what I’m saying. I shouldn’t be doing this; I shouldn’t be caught doing this. I should be taking my own advice and laying low. Instead, the thought of not taking her home with me is unbe
arable.

  “Yes,” she says softly, unlocking her legs from my waist and standing up now, my body still attached to hers. “Let’s go.”

  I nod, grabbing her hand and walking back into the club. We walk up the steps and find everyone at the bar tossing back another shot. She lets go of my hand slowly, the tips of my fingers bending to keep her hand, but letting her go. She walks to Kate and Diana, who are laughing at he. “Tu es sûr que tu devrais faire ça?” You sure you should be doing this? Giselle asks me when she stands next to me. My eyes never leave Meghan as she tells the girls something.

  “No,” I say the truth. “La seule chose dont je suis sûr, c'est que si je ne le fais pas , je le regretterai toute ma vie.” The only thing I'm sure of is that if I don't do this, I'll regret it the rest of my life.

  “Qui es-tu et qu'avez-vous fait de mon frère?” Giselle laughs while she asks me who are you and what have you done with my brother.

  “For once, I’m doing what I want for me,” I tell her, putting my hands in my pockets when I see Diana and Kate come up to me followed by Meghan.

  “You dog you,” Kate says, shoving my shoulder, “pretending not to even notice her.”

  “Well played,” Diana says, bringing the champagne glass to her mouth while trying to hide her smile. “See you tomorrow for breakfast.”

  “Lunch,” Meghan says with a smile, coming to my side and standing next to me with her hands in front of her as she holds her purse. She looks at me sideways. “It’s going to be a late night.”

  Giselle throws her head back and belly laughs. “I like her,” she says, then turns to the girls. “Lunch then. Let’s all have lunch,” she says. “We can have it at my place.”

  “I’ll call you,” I tell her and grab Meghan’s hand now, our fingers intertwining “Let’s go out the back.”

  She nods at me, her other hand, which is holding the clutch, coming to hold my hand also. “Lead the way.” I smile and have the need to lean in and kiss her, just because, but I don’t in case people are watching. She doesn’t need that. I walk down the steps, going to the back, and then turn down the hallway past Guy’s office to the back door. I open the door and walk out in front of her while still holding her hand. I look back at her and see her looking at me, a slow smile now filling her face.