The three ate seafood starters followed by fine cuts of meat and perfect vegetables with a bottle of red wine, making polite small talk. As soon as the last spoonful was in Nancy’s mouth she yawned and declared herself “out.”
“I’ve got a sexy romance novel waiting for me on my bedside table. I’m calling it a night.” With that, she stood and lumbered her way out of the restaurant, leaving Selena’s worried gaze trailing after her.
So he was affecting her. Okay. It perked him up to be in more familiar territory. “Don’t look so terrified,” Nick said with an easy grin. “I’m not that bad of company am I?”
Selena’s pained expression softened into a smile. “No, sorry. It’s just—and then there were two.”
Nick smiled. “I know what you mean. I’ve always wanted to be dining in Paris with a beautiful woman, but, you’re my boss.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. First rule of keeping the player card was do not say dumb-assed shit. Did he just say that? He held his breath and waited for a response.
Selena frowned. “Thank you. But...”
And like an idiot, he doubled down. “You are a beautiful woman,” he added quickly, “but this is obviously not a romantic getaway.”
Selena tugged at the hem of her blouse and kept her eyes on the tablecloth. Stop, Nick. You’re creeping her out.
Selena asked, “Have you been to Paris before?”
Subject change. Thank you. “No. I’ve always wanted to come, but somehow it never felt like the right time, or rather I never had the right person to come with. You?” More like where the fuck was he going to get Paris money? But he wasn’t kidding about always wanting to come. He’d had the whole city mentally mapped out since he was a teenager. All the places he wanted to see. Paris always felt like a place where he could escape.
Selena smiled, “Oh, I’ve been to Paris before, but it’s not a trip I really want to remember. It was with my ex. Right before he left me for a model. I booked the trip for us, which, looking back makes sense—it was always me pushing us forward and convincing myself we would be together forever.” She hushed. “And now I’m blabbing.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.
“No, you’re not,” Nick said. “And he sounds like scum.” Then something struck him. “You need to wipe that clean from your Paris memory. You need an adventure to wipe the slate clean.”
Selena laughed. “I probably do, but we have a huge deal tomorrow morning. I need an early night.”
Nick’s eyes fixed on her and determination in his voice. “True, but let me take you on a quick adventure. We’re close to some of the major sights and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Rumor has it Paris is best seen by two. Come on. It’ll help you pitch better. It would be a crime not to. We are in one of the best cities in the world for ONE night. Let’s get something out of it. Cross that bad memory off your sheet.”
A hesitant grin tugged at her lips. “Where are we going?”
Nick shook his head. “Nope. The one caveat is you need to trust me. You’ll be safe with me. But, you’ll probably need walking shoes.”
She glanced down and then sighed. “Okay, give me five.”
While he waited, he paced in the lobby. He couldn’t be fucking nervous could he? Besides, this wasn’t a date. And for one night he could forget what he was really doing, could forget why they were here.
She practically skipped into the lobby with a wide smile on her face, and he stared. She looked so radiant. Something pinched his heart. She was completely jaw-smacking beautiful. Even more so than he’d realized.
“Okay. I’m ready for adventure. But you know what, let’s take the car. I sort of want to see as much as we can.”
He could only nod mutely. But then he shook himself out of it. “Sure. Let’s head to the Luxembourg Garden first. That way we’ll see it before it’s too dark. It really is a shame there’s no time for Versailles.”
“More reason to come back again, right?” She said with a happy smile.
Right. He just hoped she was right. If everything went okay, he’d make it back here again someday. Yeah, just not with her.
It turned out she was right. The car was a better idea. They were able to hop from Arrondissement to Arrondissement. Luxembourg Garden, Montmartre, the catacombs. Even though it was early evening, the tourists were still out in full force. At every stop, he made sure to get a picture. Unfortunately they had so little time, they were only able to briefly stop at Notre Dame Cathedral. And do a drive by of the Champs Elysees.
He finally had the car drop them just by the Fontaines de la Concorde. It was only a few blocks walk back to their hotel.
“Where are we going?” She asked with a happy laugh.
By the time they’d hit the Eiffel Tower, as they were lighting it, Selena had taken to looping her hand into the crook of his arm. It wasn’t entirely romantic, but it was familiar, friendly. “It’s just something I saw on the way here. It’s really not far. This way,” he said.
Nick was in his element. He’d spent so much time sorting out everyone else’s lives over the past few years, he’d lost touch with his adventure-seeking side, but it was always in there, dying to come out.
They walked along the wide streets, lined with cafes and tables full of locals and tourists chatting loudly, a rich mix of French, American, British, Italian, and German accents. After a few blocks, the street gave way to a peaceful square with the fountain trickling in the center. The pale ivory-coloured buildings enclosed the sound perfectly. It was peace within the city. Selena gawped up at the statue in the center of the water feature and smiled. She gave Nick an approving grin.
“It’s beautiful.” She sat down on the edge of the fountain wall and absorbed the sights and sounds. A young man sped past on a moped with his lover clinging dearly to his back, her laughter ringing in the night air. Selena caught eyes with the girl, who grinned at her in euphoria.
Nick’s heart quickened as he watched Selena melt into happiness, not a hint of business about her at this point. He liked her like this. Light. Carefree.
“Thank you for everything tonight.”
He grinned. “At your service. And honestly, thank you. I’ve always wanted to see all of those places. So the company is much appreciated.”
“Previous Paris trip erased.” Another couple on a moped zoomed up the narrow street. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” she said, pointing after the young moped couple.
He joined her on the fountain and they sat in happy silence for a moment.
“I need to come back here on holiday,” she said softly, her eyes trailing the rooftops above them. “I want to sip wine on a balcony like that.”
It saddened Nick to think he would never be the one to make that wish come true. His eyes fell on her scar as her delicate features turned upwards. “What happened?” he asked softly, touching his own jaw to indicate what he meant.
Her happy smile vanished. Shit. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Nick offered, worried he’d overstepped the line.
“It’s okay,” she said, her eyes locking into his. “It happened a long time ago. When I was nine. My bastard brother did it with a tin can.”