The Seduction Of Claudia (25 page)

Claudia knew she should return to bed, to allow the couple their privacy. She didn't. She stood in the dark of the hallway outside her cousin's room, listening, hearing the intimate sounds of lovers reunited. The moist sounds of open-mouthed kisses, soft sighs and the rustling of bedclothes. She heard the quickening of the lovers' breathing even as she felt the atmosphere grow tense, thick, with sexual need.

More shifting about, then the sound of a muffled moan, a greedily whispered, Oh, yes. Whatever was happening in the room so absorbed the participants that they forgot that their liaison was to be kept silent. Their voices came louder, more urgently now. Claudia heard wet sucking sounds and Marie-Josee's lover whispered huskily, That's it, take my cock in your mouth. A hot twist of desire curled low in Claudia's belly and she placed her hand there, not knowing whether she sought to still or preserve the feeling. She knew what her cousin must be feeling: the arousing sense of power that walked hand in hand with the supplication that was required when one pleasured his or her lover orally.

There was a juicy popping sound as the suction between lips and cock was broken. Claudia heard her cousin's teasing, husky laugh. She heard them shifting again and she imagined they had repositioned themselves to fuck, wondered which pose they would have chosen. Him on top, her on top, doggie-style? Or had they adjusted themselves to facilitate soixante-neuf?

She ceased to wonder when she heard Marie-Josee's sharp gasp, then the rhythmic melding of flesh as they began to move. She couldn't see them, but had the distinct impression that her cousin and her mystery lover were far beyond a casual relationship. She sensed that each of them was very knowledgeable about what would best please the other; there had been no awkward fumbling and they had slid easily, immediately, into a matching cadence as they began to fuck.

Claudia listened, growing feverish, as passion overtook the couple. They whispered lurid words of love and sex amidst their torrid lovemaking; words that clearly spurred them on, made them burn hotter and brighter. Marie-Josée broke first, letting loose a guttural moan, then a chorus of Yes, yes, yes... Her secret lover was swept along with her and he thrust two, three, four, five more times, grunting with each thrust until finally he stilled with a muffled roar.

Claudia's heart was racing as she recalled how Andrew always looked at the moment of climax, saw in her mind's eye the transparent joy that was always on his face, mixed with the pleasurable agony of a soul-wrenching orgasm. Andrew gave himself over unstintingly when they made love. She hoped Marie-Josée was equally blessed and would wish her the best at the first opportunity, despite the fact that Marie-Josée hadn't told her that she was involved with anyone at all. Interesting, Claudia thought distractedly, wonder what she's hiding?

The lovers had subsided, crooning to and soothing one another. Claudia's mouth dropped open when she heard the man say, Je t'adore, chérie, je t'aime. She was further shocked when Marie-Josee replied, Moi aussi, mon chér. Je t'aime aussi. As she had suspected, this man and her cousin were not casual lovers.

Creeping silently back to her room, Claudia marveled over the ease with which her cousin had said the words. I love you. Three simple words that tangled in her mind and in her throat when she contemplated the saying of them. As she curled up in her solitary bed, she regretted that she'd never given Andrew the gift of the words. She turned toward the wall and whispered with heartbreaking feeling, "I love you, Andrew"and hoped that, somehow, the universe would deliver the message to him where he lay in his own bed across the ocean.

Claudia had slept poorly and was grateful when the sky outside turned pearly gray with the light of dawn. She got out of bed and dressed quickly in her running clothes. It felt good to be up and about after a night of tossing and turning; at some point during the night, the bed had begun to feel like a prison. Had she been in her own home, she would have gotten out of bed and found something to occupy her mind until she felt sleepy again. She had been loathe to do that while visiting Marie-Josée, especially in light of the mystery lover she had discovered stealing into her cousin's room.

She crept out of the apartment and once on the street, began to warm up with a brisk walk. The streets were free of traffic, the only people about were street cleaners and shop owners going to work baking bread and pastries, readying their stores for the morning's influx of customers. She walked down Rue des Pyramides, crossed Rue de Rivoli and entered Jardin des Tuileries where she began to jog.

It felt good to move after several days of no activity. Though the morning was misty and chilly, Claudia was enjoying her run. As she ran through the garden, she blanked her mind, purposely steering her thoughts away from Andrew. For Claudia, running was akin to meditation; she had learned to focus her mind on her body and how it felt as she put it through the paces. When she was successful, she felt oddly rested, calm and peaceful afterwards.

Leaving the garden, she ran down the Avenue des Champs Élysées toward the Arc de Triomphe. The store window displays along the way glittered with glamour and opulence; she found herself window-shopping. She relaxed her focus on the meditative run and her mind wandered. Its journey was short and led directly to the one subject she had purposely avoided thinking about: Andrew.

She couldn't help but wonder what he had been doing to pass the time since she had left. She hoped that he missed her at least a little bit and that he had had trouble finding 'normal' without her. She certainly hadn't felt normal. Her world seemed a few shades dimmer without him in it; even Paris, her favorite place on the planet, had lost its luster.

Her mindset vis à vis Andrew had changed this morning. She had begun to entertain the idea that she might try to convince him to continue their relationship when she got back to Boston. She hoped to persuade him that they could endure the strain that had been placed on them by the Patrick Gates quagmire if they were smart about it. She would promise to keep her feelings about Gates to herself and that she would never force Andrew to choose between her or Gates. She would advise him to compartmentalize his life: her in one section, his family, including Gates, in another. She knew it would be difficult for them both, but the alternative seemed worse. Not being with him in any capacity would be more awful than bore thinking about.

She was unaccustomed to being the person appealing to another for a second chance. Usually, she was the one who created distance in relationships, distance that left the other person feeling unsettled. Andrew had been in just that position for most of their time together and he had always pursued her and urged her to see that they had something special. Now it was her turn. She hoped that he had not forgotten the very persuasive arguments he had presented; it would be much easier for her to win him back if he remembered how hopeful he had previously been.

It would not be easy for her to follow through on her plan. Objective as always, even when she would be shown in a bad light, she knew that her pride would take a heavy blow. But I would rather lose face than lose Andrew, she told herself. If the way she had felt the last couple of days was any indication, she would be miserable without him. Maybe the hurt would fade in time, but she knew she would always want him. Anybody she met and became involved with would be compared to Andrew and, she was sure, be found wanting. Claudia just didn't think she would achieve anything close to happiness without Andrew.

Being with him, but set aside from his family would be difficult. She had liked his parents and his brother immensely and she was sure they had liked her equally as much. She acknowledged that it would be strange to be involved with Andrew but not see his family. They meant a lot to him. Staying away from them seemed the best thing to do, though, because who knew when Gates would show up? If Iain and Maggie were around, Andrew had told her, Gates and his wife were never far behind. So, the best thing to do would be to avoid seeing his parents. She would of course tell Andrew that he should feel free to spend time with them as he normally would, that she would gladly occupy herself with something else when he visited them.

The one thing that would complicate her self-imposed prohibition on mingling with his family would be children. Claudia didn't know what would happen if they married and had children. She was certain that she wanted a child with Andrew somewhere down the line and he had once told her that children were a part of his vision of the future, too. She knew that Maggie and Iain would be enthusiastic, doting grandparents. She also knew that she would have a hard time with being excluded from family events that Andrew and their child attended.

She shoved the thought from her mind. She was getting way ahead of herself. She needed to talk to Andrew first, see if he would even be willing to resume seeing her. If he agreed to her terms, she would gladly adhere to the rules she had put in force. Not being part of every aspect of Andrew's life would be a sacrifice, but she would take what she could get. Claudia hoped -- prayed -- that he would see the reason behind her plan and that he still thought she was worthy of his affection.

When she arrived back at Marie-Josée's apartment, she found her cousin in the kitchen making breakfast. The women greeted each other and Claudia noticed that her cousin had difficulty meeting her eyes. The mystery lover was nowhere to be seen, but judging from the amount of food Marie-Josée was preparing, he must still be in the apartment. They chatted briefly and Marie-Josée's nervousness seemed to increase. Claudia finally excused herself, telling her cousin she was going to hit the shower before breakfast.

When she joined her cousin in the kitchen after her shower, the mystery man had risen from bed and was sitting at the tiny table near the window drinking a cup of coffee. Claudia gasped when she registered who it was sitting there.

"Nicolàs?!" she asked, shock, surprise and pleasure mingling in her voice. She was across the room in a flash, throwing her arms around him when she reached him. He squeezed her tightly, laughing and exclaiming his own delight at seeing her.

They disengaged and Claudia took a step back to get a good look at him. Only as she did, did she realize he was only partially dressed. He was barefoot and wore an unbuttoned shirt and jeans. Realization hit her with the force of a freight train.Nicolàs was Marie-Josée's mystery lover!

She turned toward Marie-Josée and narrowed her eyes. "Nicolàs was the man in your bed last night?"

"Yes," her cousin answered, concentrating far too hard on whisking the eggs in the bowl she held.

"And how long has this been going on?"

Nicolàs answered in a clipped tone, clearly on the defensive, "Almost a year."

"Almost a year and neither of you told me? This is unbelievable!"

Nicolàs's family lived in the house next door to Marie-Josée's family in Martinique. The two families had been very close and were even related in some convoluted way. Marie-Josée and Nicolàs were the same age and had been inseparable as children. People had always said how they seemed more like brother and sister than friends and neighbors. Both Nicolàs and Marie-Josée had attended university in Paris and had shared an apartment for most of the time they lived there.

Claudia could remember Marie-Josée complaining about Nicolàs's womanizing. He was quite a gorgeous-looking man -- tall, with milk chocolate skin, a brilliant white smile and a physique to die for -- and women constantly threw themselves at him. He had gone through a phase where he caught as many of them as he could. It had driven Marie-Josée crazy and she had moved out of the flat they had shared. The two had continued their friendship, still seeing each other frequently and occasionally double dating. Neither of them had ever liked anyone the other dated. Claudia had always thought it odd that Nicolàs and Marie-Josée would each call her and espouse in voluble detail the numerous negative qualities of whomever the other was dating.

She had never paired them as a romantic couple, but now that she was forced to contemplate it, she could see that it made sense. They were already best friends, had all of the important things in common and were just different enough to keep things interesting. Based on what she had heard last night, they were also compatible as lovers.

"No one knows," Marie-Josée explained. "We thought everyone would think we were too closely related to condone our relationship."

"Closely related? That's ridiculous! There are so many layers of 3rd cousins and once-removeds between the two of you it'd probably be impossible to figure out just how you're related in the first place," Claudia said.

"That's what I've been telling her all along," Nicolàs said, going into the kitchen and taking the bowl of eggs from Marie-Josée. He set it on the counter, gave her a kiss, then shooed her out of the kitchen. He heated the skillet and prepared it to receive the eggs.

"I just didn't want to alarm the family. We don't know where this is going, anyway," Marie-Josée said, shrugging.

Nicolàs glared at her from the kitchen and Claudia had the suspicion that he knew exactly where he wanted the relationship to go.

"I overheard you guys last night," she began, blushing. She paused, then cleared her throat before continuing. "I had no idea you were seeing anyone and I was going to tell you not to hide it, that you should grab for happiness while it's within your reach. It's what you're always telling me to do, so it's only right that you take your own advice..."

"That's a low blow, Claudia, throwing my own words at me."

"Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander," Claudia said smugly. "I really meant what I said, though. I don't think the families will be too surprised at the two of you, actually. It took me about thirty seconds to see how much sense the two of you make. I think it's great and I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. I'll think about what you said."

Nicolàs came out of the kitchen with their plates and they sat down to breakfast. Claudia demanded they tell her how they had first realized they were in love with one another and a lively retelling of the tale ensued. Watching the two of them together, Claudia felt a little jealous. They were obviously in love and unafraid to admit it to one another. They exchanged loving glances and touched each other often, giving their affection freely. Once Marie-Josée got over her silly reservations about telling their families, they would go on to have a brilliant future together.

If she managed to reconcile with Andrew, she would seize what happiness that was on offer to her. Their situation presented its own set of problems, but she would deal with each one on an individual basis. Her future may not be as certain or as bright as that of Marie-Josée and Nicolàs, but she thought she would find some happiness if Andrew would take her back.

After breakfast, Marie-Josée did the dishes while Claudia brought Nicolàs up to speed on why she had made the sudden trip to Paris. Marie-Josée received a call on her cell phone and rushed out to open the door for the delivery that had apparently arrived. Claudia began to cry and, ever one to console, Nicolàs pulled her on to his lap and let her cry on his shoulder. He had been her shoulder to cry on many times during their childhood and Claudia always felt better once Nicolàs had provided his peculiar methods of dealing with whatever was bothering her.

Andrew had gone straight to Marie-Josée's apartment from the airport. He called her once he'd arrived at the building and told her not to tell Claudia he was there for fear that she would refuse to see him. He was the 'package' that Marie-Josée left the apartment to retrieve.

When he walked into the apartment, he could hardly control the spike of jealousy that ripped into him when he saw Claudia sitting on some gorgeous guy's lap. The guy whispered something in her ear and she giggled and pulled away from him. The guy smoothed her hair back from her face and cupped her cheek tenderly. From the look on his face, the guy definitely had feelings for Claudia.

Andrew cleared his throat noisily and the two turned toward the source of the sound, somewhat guiltily, Andrew thought.

Claudia leapt off of the guy's lap. "Andrew! What are you doing here?"

Her heart was hammering like crazy. She was ecstatic to see him, but nervous at the same time. It suddenly occurred to her that she must look like hell from crying and she groaned inwardly.

"I came to see you, obviously," Andrew replied from where he stood just inside the door. His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his pea-coat and his face was set in an inscrutable expression. If she had had to hazard a guess, Claudia would have said he was angry.

"Oh." Oh? God, how lame, she berated herself silently. Now was not the time to have nothing to say.

Marie-Josée beckoned Nicolàs to her side with not-so-subtle motions of her head. Andrew watched the other man's approach, coolly assessing him. He had never been jealous in his life, but seeing Claudia all cuddled up with this man had immediately pissed him off. His jaw tightened as he restrained the urge to say something he'd probably regret later.

"Andrew, this is Nicolàs. His family lives next door to my parents in Martinique," Marie-Josée said nervously, having caught the murderous look in Andrew's eye. Confused, she chattered on, "He's a very close friend of the family. Claudia has known him her whole life."

Nicolàs held out his hand to Andrew. As they shook hands, the two men sized each other up, not even bothering to utter the obligatory niceties such as 'How do you do?' They stopped short of glaring at each other, but only barely. Claudia and Marie-Josée exchanged a startled glance and then both began talking at the same time,