BlackHeart

Chapter 57

        Sophia and I decided to go to dinner with our little group of girlfriends we've made here in Paris. They're the good time girls. 6 of us. 3 blondes and 3 brunettes. Aside from Sophia and myself there's also Clara, blondie number 2 with a French political father. Vanessa's blondie number 3, and she's got a large Monroe type beauty mark above her lip. I would label her the craziest of the group. Always doing silly things like running through our gatherings topless or something ridiculous like that. She makes us laugh. Amelia's the second brunette aside from me. She's got the shortest hair out of all of us. She cut it just shy of her shoulder, mainly mid-neck, but she looks great with it. And then the final brunette is Louise, a charming girl with a posh style. 

They're the ones who've taken us out all over Paris, taught us what little French we know, and who Sophia spends time with when I'm swamped with work. We do fun lunches at Parisian cafes, sit in the grass at the park beside the Eiffel Tower, and we definitely call them when we feel like going out on the town at night. Which is what we're doing today. 

After a week of long hard work I just want to unwind with these ladies.

        L'Arc Paris is an upscale nightlife venue with edgy interiors, a champagne menu, and rooftop garden with a city view. The decor is somewhere between a traditional night club and a fantasy land. Beautiful shimmering gold by day, but with added neon rainbow lighting at night. They have mirrored ceilings, which is probably why the place feels like it's glowing. Reflective. They have comfortable booths intimate enough to hold a conversation. On the other side is more of an open floor that isn't exactly a dance floor, but sort of becomes one after hours. Upstairs at the rooftop garden they have bushes trimmed into walls to break up the space. It's really cool. 

We went up there first to have a drink and chat amongst us girls. I was in a simple slip dress tonight, but some of my friends went all out. Of course it always catches the attention of men. I can't say I'm really interested in finding a Frenchmen to have a fling with while I'm here. My mind is always stuck on Domani damn De Luca.

        Still I was here to have fun, so we chatted with some guys who came up to us and weren't being sketchy about it. Two of the men didn't speak English at all, so it was kind of funny when they'd try to address Sophia and I. We stood with blank faces. Amelia, the short haired brunette, came up to me and pulled my arm from where I'd been leaning against the far wall with the view. "That guy's been checking you out like crazy!" She whispered to me, shifting her brown eyes past our friends, over to the bar. He raised a glass to me when he noticed the two of us looking. I cringed, "Damn it, he saw us look. It's gonna encourage him to come over here."

 Amelia gave me a momentary confused expression. "So? He's cute, no?" Her French accent sounds cute when she ends a sentences with a question mark that doesn't need to be there. "A little. He's not really my type," I waved him off. He was more preppy chic. Certainly fashionable, but with no aura of anything that draws you to him. No dark finesse.

        I almost stumbled when an arm suddenly flung around my shoulder. I saw the sway of blonde hair before I saw it was Clara, the friend with a French political father. "These men are offering to buy us drinks. What would you like?" She asked the two of us. At the same time I saw the man who Amelia pointed out heading this way. Dang it. When he approached I saw he had a strong chin and smelled of sandalwood or something of that nature. He spoke in French and I had to sheepishly smile as I always do and say, "Je ne parle pas Français" (I don't speak French).

 The man's eyebrows rose to his straight hairline. "American? You have-great accent for a non speaker" he gave me a thumbs up . I chuckled. "Thank you, I've been trying to learn, but I've mastered how to tell people I don't speak French, in French." He smirked at my amusement at myself.