TRAVEL ROMANCE SERIES: #1 GENEVA | BÉBÉ

9. Parc La Grange

When she came down dressed in her thick, navy blue winter coat, tight dark jeans, and knee-high boots, Wolff exhaled in a quiet and controlled manner. She barely had any makeup on her flawless face, now dressed in thick clothes. Yet all he wondered was how crazy it would be to strip her naked.

Her tanned skin accented the thick blackness of hair that fell perfectly around the faux fur of her hood. As she walked gracefully, he noticed her perfectly shaped legs and curvy derriere. This drove his senses wild. Fifteen minutes ago, he'd only imagined her in gym clothes, but she's rocking all threads.

"What time is your flight back to Dubai tonight?" he lightly took her left hand to stop her from walking too fast. Then he took another slick move by glancing to check the time on her watch again. It read 9:05.

She jolted at his touch. Normally, she would have told him off, but it quite thrilled her, imagining how he'd be in bed.

"Half past 7 in the evening, but our airport pickup is at 5 pm," she replied.

"Then we have time," he opened the passenger door for her.

He started the engine and drove out of the hotel entrance into the busy street of Pont du Mont-Blanc. Perhaps her absence at the bar last night was a blessing after all.

His white Audi Q8 picked up speed as it entered the misty road along the lake, the quiet view of the near frozen waters to their left, the giant jet d'eau shooting up in the chilly February air.

"This isn't your first time here in Switzerland, is it?"

"My family and I took the train from Paris to Geneva to see the jet d'eau at the lake and strolled around the Vielle Ville. Then, we took another train to visit my mom's friend in Interlaken."

"And, what are your first impressions of Switzerland?" he took a quick glance at her.

"I remember saying: it's too beautiful. It was in the beginning of spring, so we passed through endless blue gray mountains capped with snow and streches of vineyard terraces. But that mountain lake in Grindelwald left me speechless. I thought I was in a dream."

"I agree with you. Like this lake, it keeps changing each time I pass by it. And today, it looks different again. It feels different," he said, his eyes on the road, sensing her eyes on him. He absorbed the calming silence inside the car.

The sun presented itself boldly that morning when they entered a restaurant in the middle of a park on top of a hill overlooking the lake. She appreciated the laid-back mood. The beautiful glazed windows showcased a spectacular view of the gardens and the lake in the winter.

"It's beautiful here," she said as he pulled out a chair for her.

"Thank you for allowing me to spend the day with you," he smiled with his eyes.

When she gave him that killer smile, he reminded himself to thank his father for the recommendation. He knew this place well; his father would usually take his grandmother and mother here on special occasions. He didn't tell her, but he'd made reservations while waiting in the lobby.

They talked while enjoying a delectable brunch of the traditional saucisse Vaudoise, rösti, sunny side up and salads. He'd learned she was an art student before her life in Dubai. He wondered why she left a creative path over a flying career.

"That must be difficult to leave something you were so passionate about."

"I haven't held a paintbrush since I left the US. I got so burnt out right after college."

He'd sensed she didn't want to get into too many details about her old life when her voice changed to a melancholic tone.

"When I was in business school, I could only think about making music. We just have to delight in the present. The yearning to create will come back someday."