Frequent Flyer

Chapter 19

Jake's flight arrived in Paris right on schedule and although he had lost a couple of hours in one of his favourite locations, due to the last minute meeting, he wasn't going to let that set him back. He would just need to make some minor adjustments and get back on schedule.

As usual, the local airline agent was waiting at the gate for Jake to escort him swiftly out of the busy airport straight to his waiting car. He thanked the agent and handed his bag to the driver. The sun was out but there was a chill in the air so he quickly climbed into the car. He was carrying his coat in his hands and and decided to leave it off for the drive. The driver quickly entered the vehicle and welcomed Jake to Paris with the usual Bonjour et bienvenue à Paris!

"Bonjour et merci." Jake answered him back. "Slight change of plan if you don't mind. I would like to drop my bag off at the hotel and then be dropped off at the Louvre. You see, I lost a few hours and wanted to make up some time. Would that be ok?"

Of course it would be ok but Jake never wanted to assume or be impolite to those who made sure his travels were seamless. He always made a point of asking rather than telling them what he needed.

"Yes. Of course monsieur. You are staying quite close to the Louvre so it shouldn't take us long to get you there. Did you want me to return to drive you back to the hotel?"

"Thank you but that won't be necessary. I will walk back and enjoy the Parisian air."

"Very good sir."

Jake looked out the window at the sunny sky as motorcycles roared by between lanes as if the driver had taken a wrong turn and ended up on a racing track. He always expected to see more motorcycle accidents than he did but these guys were pros and swerving through traffic. The traffic did seem lighter than usual but he wasn't about to complain about it. Soon he started to see the familiar Eiffel Tower peaking over the buildings as it came in and out of site. He never tired of seeing the structure. It wasn't the way it looked but rather it was what it reminded him of. All the good times he had in this beautiful city.

Although there was always traffic in Paris, they had arrived at the hotel quite quickly and Jake thought that maybe arriving at a later time wasn't such a bad thing after all. He quickly got out of the car with his bag in hand and went straight to the VIP desk. The agent recognized him immediately.

"Welcome back Mr. Otero. How are you today?"

"Actually in a little bit of a rush to be honest. Would it be possible to have me checked in and send my bag up. I have a car waiting and would rather not go up to the room right away."

"Of course Mr. Otero. Here is your key and room number. The bag will be waiting for you when you return. Is there anything else you need before your return?"

"That is all. But thank you."

With that Jake returned to the car and the driver headed to the Louvre to drop him off. Today he was looking forward to the Spanish works of art and needed to lose himself in it. Brush off the latest stresses and dwell into the work by the masters themselves. As he saw the familiar building, he gathered his things, felt the art paperback in his coat pocket, and thanked the driver. He exited the vehicle and headed straight for one of the side entrances where he could avoid all the tourists using the main entrance and bottlenecking the area. As an Amis du Louvre Jake had an annual membership that he took great advantage of. He wasn't into walking through museums but rather enjoyed sitting in the museum looking at a particular piece of art at a time and reading about it in its presence. He headed to the first floor of the museum and walked straight to the Spanish collection without allowing himself to be distracted by the rest of the art that he passed. Then before he knew it, before him, was the Spanish art section in all it's glory. The museum was busy for the time of day but nothing like the summer months, so he first did a walk around of the area and then headed to one of the centre benches to have a seat. No less in front of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo's, El nacimiento de la Virgen, or Birth of the Virgin. He sat back and took in the painting taking his time to feel it as a whole and then slowly look at all the details to create his own thoughts on the masterpiece before reading about it. He would do this with all the paintings within the time he had without rushing. He knew he would be back and could continue where he finished off so there was no need to skip through the room.

He was meeting some friends for dinner and drinks tonight and was looking forward to a night out to unwind and let loose. He had been to the city so often that most of the tourist attractions were no longer an interest. Rather, Jake preferred being with his friends enjoying good food, wine and catching up. There wasn't a particular restaurant or place they frequented since there were many options and may places they wanted to try in the city. They would take turns planning the night out, and tonight Jake was off the hook, since he had planned the last one. This extra time was welcomed since he just wanted to disconnect before going out without having to reconfirm everything.

As he sat there admiring the painting and and reading up on the history, he suddenly picked up the scent of a perfume that peaked his interest. He wasn't a big fan of perfumes but for some reason this one had caught his attention. It was beautiful, delicate and light, and he inconspicuously turned, as if to look at another painting opposite the one he was admiring, and there saw an elegant attractive woman that matched the extraordinary scent that had first knocked him out of his trance with the painting before him. He decided to get up from where he was sitting, walk around to the other side by passing in front of the beautiful woman, and taking a seat beside her. She sat there in a long elegant form fitting solid navy dress, that reached just bellow the knee that still showed long tanned toned legs, in pumps that complemented them. To top it off, she wore a sun hat that partially covered her face at an angle making her that much more intriguing to him. She had an ora of shyness, elegance and independence that increased Jake's interest with every look. Her hands were soft, tanned and long, and they delicately held her art book in them turning the pages delicately as she looked up to admire the painting before her. As she did, Jake noticed the side of her eye suddenly peak over to quickly take a glimpse of the man who had just passed her. The tall, fit, handsome man wearing a dark suit and white unbuttoned shirt that exposed his muscular tanned chest. With this, Jake stood up, walked towards the painting as though to get a better look, and let her get a better look at him.

He stood there just a minute and could feel her looking at him, and this excited him. With that, he turned and caught her glancing at him. She quickly bowed her head back down to her book and Jake noticed the exposed side of her face slightly blush, and a faint smile appear as she turned another page in her book. He walked back to the bench, sat down next to her, took a deep breath and said "Not bad right? And the painting is alright too". She giggled and it was a relief to her that he had broken the ice by making a joke, knowing that he had caught her admiring him.

They spent the next couple of hours walking through the museum talking and getting better acquainted. Jake was in awe with her. She was beautiful, elegant, well educated and had a great sense of humour. She thought that she had hit the jackpot with Jake and was hoping that today wouldn't be the last time she would see him. However, she wouldn't be the one to to ask to see him again. It was against her beliefs. It would have to be him, but she would make sure that he wouldn't leave without making sure that another meeting would take place. She felt a sense of trust and ease with him, but could feel a mysterious side. Maybe it was just that he was well travelled and educated. Or maybe there was more; and she was determined to find out.

Jake looked at his watch and realized that if he didn't leave soon he would be late to meet with his friends so he decided to up the charm in order to break down any barriers that would prevent his ultimate goal. Based on how she was reacting to him in the past couple of hours, Jake knew it wouldn't be long before he wrapped things up and was on his way to a night of fun.

Jake was hoping to head back to the hotel but there was no time for that since he spent the extra hours he was counting on with the beautiful woman at the museum, so he hailed a taxi just down the street from the museum, and headed to the restaurant as the beautiful woman lay dead with a broken neck down the emergency exit stairs.