A Parisian Twist!

A PARISIAN TWIST

Sitting on the flight to Paris, she wondered why she thought going to Paris would help her start

over. Who goes to a romantic city like Paris alone? What on earth made her listen to her friend

Grace who said the best way to get over Jack was to take a break and rediscover herself? all

Lucy wanted to do was curl up in bed with a good book, a box of tissues, and hibernate for a few

weeks. Looking back the warning signs were there Jack was distracted, cancelled dates, and had

changed his appearance. She should have known he was cheating but was blind to what was

really happening. Now listening to the stewardess saying they would shortly be arriving in Paris,

Lucy thought maybe a few days away would give her some perspective on her future. She looked

at all the couples together and felt a sense of loneliness, she wiped a few stray tears away, made

her way down the aisle and off the plane determined to try and enjoy her time in Paris and

practice her French language skills out on the locals. Suddenly she felt lost and alone how would

she get around Paris? Her sense of direction was not one of her strengths, and although she could

speak some French, she was in no way fluent. At this moment she wanted to strangle Grace why

did she listen to her? This trip was going to be a disaster, but she was here so had to try and make

the best of it. She decided to take a taxi to the hotel which was located in the 9th district of Paris,

just a 3-minute walk from the Moulin Rouge, Hotel Joke – Astotel, the blurb mentioned a 24-

hour front desk, concierge service and free Wi-Fi access throughout. Blanche Metro Station is

190 meters away and offers direct access to the Arc de Triomphe. Reviews suggested a very

generous breakfast! Much more on offer than we expected, and plenty of time to have breakfast!

Well at least I won't go hungry Lucy thought to herself. There was a queue at the taxi rank, so

she decided to check her phone and message Grace to say she had arrived in Paris. Her parents

died in a car accident 5 years ago, and she had no other family being an only child. She had a

few friends, but Grace was her closest and had supported her through the traumatic time after

losing her parents, and when she split with Jack.

The taxi pulled up and she hesitantly tried out her French and asked to be taken to the hotel it

took a few minutes but eventually the driver understood, and they drove off. She smiled at

herself for being able to at least get herself to the hotel while only speaking French. The hotel

was pleasing to the eye, maybe it would not be so bad after all Lucy thought. She was taken up to

the first floor her room number was 25 and given her key then the door closed behind her, and

she was alone in this glorious room with a view of the Arc de Triomphe, there was a little

balcony with a table and chairs, she could imagine herself sitting there later with a glass of wine

admiring the view. Lucy decided to make herself a coffee from one of the free sachets, look at

the Paris guide she had bought, then unpack her case as she hated having her clothes laying in

her case, she was a little OCD when it came to her clothes they had to be hung up and in a

certain order, but first, she needed that cup of coffee. She finished her coffee and started to hang

her clothes up whilst pondering on her relationship with Jack and wondering if any of it was her

fault then she pushed it out of her mind, it was over now it was time for her to start again and

think of her happiness for once. She decided to freshen up and then go and have a look around

Paris, then plan what she was going to do tomorrow as it was already 5 pm and she was starting

to get hungry. Lucy found a restaurant open with surprisingly reasonable prices for Paris, she

decided to have chicken with pasta and sauce and some freshly baked French bed alongside a

glass of Pinot Gris. She loved people watching and whilst she waited for her meal, she noticed

the women looked chic and the men in their classy suits looked like something out of a James

Bond film. Her meal was beautiful, her stomach pleasantly satisfied she paid the bill and walked

back to the hotel, whereby she was so exhausted she fell into bed. The past few weeks had taken

it out of her she did not realize how much until now.

Next morning the sun was shining with not a cloud in the sky, Lucy had a shower and

immediately sprang to life, her stomach was by now rumbling in part because the smell of

freshly baked bread permeated her room. It was time to go and get some croissants and a good

strong coffee to start her day before she went out to explore the sights. The restaurant was

surprisingly busy for 7 am, so much so that she was lucky to get a table to herself. She planned to

go to the Eiffel Tower first before the crowds built up so after grabbing her jacket before she left

she went to reception to ask how far the Eiffel Tower was from the hotel, the woman at the desk

told her it was only a 20-minute walk so with a map in hand Lucy set off. She marveled at the

beauty of the City in all its glory she felt glad that she had come, she felt as if this was just what

she needed to start over again. She managed to find her way, and already there was a long queue

of people all speaking in a myriad of languages, children laughing, adults complaining over how

long they had to wait, she felt as if she had all the time in the world, and carried on people

watching, alongside taking in the breathtaking scenery, taking pictures with her new Canon

Camera it was one of those points and shoot models, as Lucy was not one for taking many

pictures and wanted a camera that was easy to use. An hour later she was at the front of the

queue and was soon at the top of the Eiffel Tower, the view was amazing, the weather glorious it

was well worth the wait. Lucy felt happy and free for the first time in a while, she looked

forward to exploring Paris more, she stood there for half an hour then went into the souvenir

shop and bought an Eiffel Tower ornament and some small souvenirs to take home. Lucy got

Grace a small bronze Eiffel Tower and a keyring, as Grace loved collecting items from other

countries, Grace would love these. Lucy smiled to herself, she was so glad that her friend had

encouraged to come on this trip, and she planned on telling her so when she got home.

Lucy decided it was coffee and pastry time, so she looked for a café where there was outdoor

seating. There was nothing better than people watching whilst drinking a French coffee and

eating a delicious pastry, it felt heavenly. She had decided that she would do more travelling

after this and maybe look for a new career. Working in an office was not fulfilling, maybe she

could go back to study, thinking about it the future started to sound exciting, the world was her

oyster and Lucy intended to live life to the full. Suddenly a man a little older than herself maybe

early 30s asked if it was ok to sit down at her table, as all the tables were taken. He looked like a

film star, he was dressed in an expensive suit which was not off the rail, his hair was dark brown,

wavy and his fringe flopped over his forehead a little like Hugh Grant in Love Actually. He was

so handsome she could not stop looking at him, on close inspection, she could see that he had no

wedding ring on. Lucy figured that someone like him must have a girlfriend. He said hello and

smiled at her, she blushed, but smiled back she felt like a teenager with a crush. His name was

Francoise, and he lived and worked in Paris, his brown eyes were the colour of chocolate and his

accent was to die for. What was wrong with her? She was lost for words and she was never lost

for words, her friend Grace would testify to that as she often told Lucy that she never stopped

talking. Lucy told him she was from England; she was 26 and had just broken up with her

boyfriend, which led to her coming to Paris for a few days to take her mind off things at the

insistence of her friend Grace. Francoise told her a little about himself he was 30 years old was

an investment banker and lived alone in Central Paris. The conversation flowed back and forth

as if they had known each other for a long time. Then suddenly Francoise got a call which meant

he had to leave, but not before he got the name of her hotel. Lucy knew she would probably not

see him again and felt deflated, but she told herself they hardly knew each other and the last

thing she wanted now was another relationship

.

Finishing her coffee, Lucy decided to head to The Louvre as one of her interests was art, she

often visited the art galleries in London, living and working in London had its benefits. Her other

interests were theatre, music, walking, and reading which she did as often as she could when not

working. On her walk to the Louvre Lucy could not stop thinking about Francoise she felt silly

as she hardly knew him, she had never felt like this before but she needed to shake the feeling off

as she wanted to enjoy sightseeing. The Louvre was extremely busy, the sky blue with barely a

cloud. Lucy enjoyed being among the throng of people most of whom were tourists like herself?

After an hour or so Lucy decided to go to the local park just to enjoy the tranquility, she had

bought a coffee and sandwich while deciding where she would go next. She saw children playing

with a ball and adults chatting about everyday things and wondered if she would ever meet

someone special and have a family. She had always loved children and enjoyed playing with her

2-year-old niece Emma whenever she had the chance The only men she met were those that just

wanted a fling and were uninterested in settling down, she had almost given up until she saw

Francoise. He seemed to be a perfect gentleman, not only handsome but also intelligent,

someone she could discuss many different topics with. She must stop thinking about him what

was wrong with her she hardly knew him. Lucy decided to visit Notre Dame as it looked

beautiful from the picture's she had seen, she looked at google maps on her phone, which said

that it was about 15 minutes away, following the directions she arrived there and proceeded to

enter, at least there were not massive queues outside, and inside was not too full she could still

see everything she wanted to see. It was a beautiful cathedral built in the 13th century with flying

buttresses and gargoyles with the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, alongside being

one of the most widely recognised symbols of the city of Paris. As she wandered around her eyes

lit up at the great spectacle before her the sheer beauty of it all.

Lucy started walking back to the hotel feeling tired so decided to make herself a coffee and eat

one of those biscuits that were complimentary from the hotel. Suddenly she dozed off and did

not wake up until 2 pm two hours later, she forgot how tiring sightseeing could be. Suddenly she

started thinking of Francoise and wondered what he was up too. She did not expect to hear from

him again, then without warning her thoughts turned to Jack had she been too hard on him. They

had been together for 3 years and she still loved him, she just found his betrayal too hard to bear,

the trust was gone. Now a week later she wondered if she had been too hard on him after all we

all make mistakes, he had tried so hard to make it up to her, then she dismissed the thought, she

was supposed to be on a relaxing break. Suddenly the hotel phone rang, and the receptionist said

there was someone called Francoise who wanted to see if she was available. Lucy started

panicking, she looked a mess. She told the receptionist she would be down in 15 minutes, she

brushed her hair and put some makeup on, this would have to do she thought to herself. Lucy felt

nervous and excited at the same time she had not expected to hear from Francoise again, yet here

he was in her hotel. She had butterflies in her stomach but went downstairs not without some

trepidation.

Francoise was smartly dressed in a pair of designer Jeans and a labelled shirt with a black leather

Jacket. Everything about him spoke perfection, she felt a little underdressed in her casual top and

jeans, but it was too late now he had seen her. He asked her how she was and said he was taking

her out for a meal and what would she like. Grace liked steak but was not bothered she was too

awestruck with him. Francoise took her to a steak house that looked expensive, but he was

already walking in the door. The waitress found them a secluded table but with a bird's eye view

of the Eiffel Tower. Grace ordered a medium-rare steak and Francoise chose a rare steak. They

had a bottle of champagne, crusty bread, and when the steak came it looked divine. Grace did not

realise how hungry she was and tucked into her steak with relish. Francoise asked what she had

been doing, she said she had been to The Louvre and Notre Dame as well as the Eiffel Tower.

Francoise was busy at work but decided to take the afternoon off as he needed a break as well as

wanting to see her. Lucy had cheesecake for dessert as did Francoise alongside a coffee. By the

time they left Lucy was so full that she could not have eaten another bite.

Francoise invited her up to his apartment, although this was not something Lucy normally did,

she felt she could trust him and was thinking about what he would be like to kiss and much more.

What was happening to her she just wanted to undress him and for him to take her passionately

with no holds barred, was this the magic spell of being in Paris as she had never felt like this

before. She needed to calm down, and just enjoy being with him. Suddenly he took her in his

arms and. kissed her, she could feel butterflies in her stomach, her face flushed and tingles in

places that she had not felt for a while. Francoise poured her a glass of wine and sat next to her

on the couch. He stroked her hair and nibbled on her neck, then his hands found their way to her

breasts through her top, her nipples suddenly hardened, she gasped and felt his hardness, he

made love to her slowly and sensuously, she gasped with pleasure as orgasm after orgasm came.

He was getting close she could tell he was speeding up going deeper and deeper, until his whole

body convulsed, he gasped, cried out with pleasure just as Francoise climaxed inside her. Lucy

lay there her whole-body glowing; Francoise put his arm around her and kissed her gently on the

lips. They lay there not needing to say anything until Francoise said he wished he could stay with

her but would have to go to the office. They had breakfast and showered after he left Lucy sat

with a coffee going over the preceding night and wondering if it was all a dream. She had never

felt anything like this before. Suddenly she realised that Francoise never mentioned about seeing

her again, she guessed as he was in a hurry, he did not have time, she was sure he would call her.

She finished her drink and left his apartment making sure that the door was locked. It was 10 am

and she could not decide what to do.

She was due to fly home in two days so decided to go for a walk and see where it would take

her. Lucy could not believe only a few days ago she was worried about getting lost, now she felt

so much more confident. Lucy could not stop thinking about Francoise, but what did she know

about him. She tried to put her worries out of her mind and found herself by the River Seine.

Maybe she could go on a cruise as she had not been, and it was on her bucket list for this trip.

There was quite a long queue, but she was in no rush. She took some more pictures with her

Canon and asked a woman in the queue if she would mind taking a picture of her, the woman

smiled and said of course. By this time, she was near the front of the queue and boarded the boat,

she listened to the commentary and relaxed into her seat. It was a glorious day, the cruise was

idyllic, she could see why Paris was the city of romance you could not fail to be enchanted with

the place, Lucy wished she was not going home soon but knew she could come back again as

being in London she could easily fly or catch the Eurostar, that was one of the many things she

loved about living there. She decided to pick up a newspaper to read while she was having lunch,

to improve her French she bought a local Parisian Newspaper, eating a chicken salad with a glass

of wine she suddenly saw a familiar face it was Francoise, what was he doing there? He was only

an investment banker then her face dropped, he was accused of embezzlement and was wanted

by the police. Oh my God, she thought how could she have been so stupid? She tried to pay the

bill and noticed her Visa card was missing, luckily, she had some Euros so paid, she felt faint

and her legs felt weak she needed to go back to the hotel. She checked the distance and decided

she could walk back, as soon as she got to her room Lucy lay on the bed and sobbed; she could

not believe she had just slept with a criminal. She wanted to ring her friend Grace but felt so

embarrassed that she had been taken in by Francoise so easily. Then her mind wandered to Jack

and suddenly she wished he was here, it dawned on her that deep down she was still in love with

him. She wanted to call him, but would he still want to speak to her? She felt herself drifting into

sleep when she finally awoke it was 3 pm. Lucy made herself a coffee and decided that she was

going to ring Jack, what was the worst he could do not take her call?

Lucy dialled Jacks number and after a few rings, he answered, she had so missed his voice, she

felt at a loss for words. He said hello who is this. Its Lucy she said, he hesitated before saying Hi,

I am in Paris she said and I miss you, I am sorry I walked away but I could not forgive you for

cheating on me, I felt betrayed Jack. I have had time to think and wondered how you felt about

me and if you were seeing anyone. He said he was single and had not stopped thinking about her

and what an idiot he had been. Lucy told him about what had happened, and that her Visa had

been stolen, her meeting with Francoise not leaving anything out, he hesitated and said have you

gone to the police? She said no, he said you need to tell them, you also need to call the bank and

get them to put a hold on the card as soon as possible. He asked her where she was staying, she

told him and that she was due home on Saturday, it was now Thursday. They talked for a while

longer, Jack said he would call her back later. Lucy put the phone down, then called her bank to

let them know, she finally called the police to tell them she had seen him and that he had stolen

her Visa card. They asked her to come to the local police station to file a report, looking on

google maps Lucy saw that the station was a ten-minute walk away, so she left the hotel and

made her way there. Lucy did not expect to get her card back, but the police told her she had

helped enormously, and they were now going to trace Francoise who incidentally did not live at

the apartment. He had rented it for one night so he could seduce her, she felt so foolish and all

she wanted was a hug from Jack, but he was so far away. She cried tears falling onto her cheeks,

she felt so alone. Francoise had tainted her memories of such a beautiful city all she wanted to do

was go home.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door, Lucy had no idea who it was but answered, she got the

shock of her life the figure standing there was none other than Jack. She fell into his arms

sobbing on his shoulders she had never been so glad to see him in her life. What are you doing

here she said? He said I could not leave you in Paris all alone, so I caught the next flight to Paris

to be with you. I have a room here and I thought we could spend some time together and try and

work things out before flying home on Saturday. Her face lit up, her heart swooned, she said I

have missed you so much, Jack. Thoughts of Francoise disappeared, maybe Paris could now

bring her some happy memories, most of all maybe there was a chance for her and Jack to start

over. Lucy and Jack kissed passionately, walked out into the sunshine to explore the magic of

Paris with the promise of a future together.

Alexis Mundy