Curves of the French Riviera (2 page)

“What if he does own the boat though, Laura? What if we got to go out with him? We’ll Google him and see what Auntie says. She knows everyone around here anyways. Besides, all he did was give us his card.” She hoped she sounded calm, because in her head she felt torn between screaming or singing. Something about him triggered a primal desire in her. She prayed that he could deliver on his promise. She prayed that he was all that her imagination was making him into.

“You liked him, didn’t you?” Laura’s whole demeanor suddenly changed as she figured it out. A conspiratorial smile took control of her features. When Megan didn’t answer right away, she knew the answer. “You like him! And I think he liked you- he barely even glanced at me.” Megan rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Barely glanced? No one barely glances at you. Especially not because they are looking at me,” said Megan.

“Don’t sell yourself short! I have experience in when men are looking at me and when they aren’t. He was looking at you like a starving man at a buffet.”

“Really?” Megan let herself hope for a moment.

“Really. Let’s go home and ask Auntie right now before she goes to bed. I want to get you that date tomorrow!” Laura grabbed Megan’s hand and began towing her towards home. Megan felt a silly smile fill her face as she let herself hope.

***

Gabriel Aubert, according to the internet entry, was a self-made billionaire. He was the owner of the famed Fortune Inc television and media company, as well as several other smaller companies. He vacationed frequently in the French Riviera, was known for his love of sailing, and was considered one of France’s most eligible bachelors. The picture on the website was somehow more handsome than Megan remembered meeting. His black hair was smoothed back, a chiseled jaw, and intense green eyes. She hadn’t been able to see the color of his eyes in the dark, and now they seemed to stare into her soul from the computer screen.

“Gabriel Aubert? I met him last year at a charity fundraiser. He donated over a million dollars to the children’s fund that year. I remember thinking he was very intense. Very good looking, but very intense. You two girls met him and he offered you a ride on his yacht? Did I mention the good looking part? I would ride on his boat in a second, if you know what I mean…” Auntie trailed off with a wink. Megan turned to stare at her aunt, Laura laughing as she scrolled down the computer screen. Auntie stood up and kissed each girl on the head, turning out the kitchen light as she left the room. She called out a good night as she headed off to bed, the two girls still giggling

“Did you bring that blue dress- the one with the low scoop neck?” Laura asked Megan, her face intent on the glowing screen.

“Only because you made me. I still don’t know how you convinced me to buy it.” Megan replied as she flopped onto the couch, chewing on a fingernail.

“Well, it says here is favorite color is blue. So, you are wearing that tomorrow. Hand me the phone, will you?” said Laura holding her hand out towards Megan .

“You are serious about this, aren’t you? I really think you are crazy. A billionaire Laura. He could have anyone he wants- supermodels, regular models, hand models- literally anyone. Why would he be interested in me?” replied Megan handing her the home phone. Laura picked up his business card and began dialing.

“Because he sees what I see. You sell yourself short Megs…. Yes,” she straightened up, obviously not expecting a person to pick up. “Is this Mr. Aubert?” she said, going pale a little bit. Before her pause became too awkward, she regained her senses and began talking. “This is Laura and Megan from the dock this evening. We were hoping your offer to go out tomorrow evening was still available? Yes- 7pm on the docks. We will be there, thank you so much. Have a wonderful evening.” She set the phone down with a small click. “I just spoke to a billionaire on his personal line. He gave us his personal line, Megs- I feel like someone out of a movie!” Laura spun her chair around to face Megan, her face suddenly stern. “Now get to bed young lady- I need you to be your best tomorrow!”

***

Laura and Megan sat down at a little restaurant overlooking the town square, a fountain gurgling pleasantly in the background. They were taking a break from shopping for that evening, the restaurant not yet busy with the lunch crowd. Megan ordered a white wine while they looked over the lunch menu, a refreshing breeze ruffling the patio umbrellas. The waiter took their order quickly in French, leaving them to enjoy the warm summer day.

“Salut, Mademoiselles! I did not expect to see you before tonight,” a deep voice greeted them. Megan felt herself turn a deep scarlet and she considered hiding behind her menu as Gabriel greeted them. He looked even more handsome in the daylight; his black hair was windblown around his chiseled face, his green eyes intense on her.

“Salut! Would you like to join us, Mr. Aubert? We only just ordered, and we would love your company,” Laura chirped up sweetly at him. Megan kicked her under the table, she was nervous enough for tonight without a surprise luncheon. She felt suddenly very underdressed in her jean shorts and t-shirt. Her heart pounded with hope and fear with what he would say, unsure of which answer she actually wanted.

“Please, call me Gabriel. I would be delighted to join you,” he grinned as he hopped the fence. Megan felt a thrill of excitement run through her as he sat across the table. He was close enough to touch, and somehow growing more attractive by the minute. She gulped a sip of wine, nearly choking as it tried to go into her lungs. She set it down carefully, trying not to cough, wondering if he had noticed, but he simply picked up a menu and asked what they had ordered. Megan took a deep breath, determined not to make a complete fool of herself.

“So, Gabriel, where are you thinking of taking us this evening?” Her lips loved the way his name felt. She was trying not to stare at him, but she wanted to take in everything about him.

“I was hoping to take you out to where you can see the entire city. The lights are quite beautiful from the water.” He smiled, his green eyes intent on Megan. She gulped and smiled nervously under his gaze. She could smell his cologne. It was clean and masculine, just the way a man should smell.

“So, how long have you been sailing?” Laura asked to keep a conversation going. His eyes never left Megan as he answered.

“As long as I can remember. My father was a fisherman, so I have been on the water my entire life.”

Megan felt like she could listen to his voice all day. The slight accent and the way his lips formed around his words sounded like music to her ears. Laura asked him another question and again he answered without his eyes leaving Megan. Megan blushed from his attention, trying to think of something clever to ask. She thought she had a question, but as she opened her mouth, the waiter arrived with their food.

“You said that your aunt lives here in town, yes? Perhaps I have met her?” He asked as the waiter placed food in front of each of them. Megan began telling him of her aunt, the two of them falling into easy conversation. Laura chimed in once in a while, but carefully sat back letting the two of them talk. She smiled as she watched him lean closer towards Megan, his face and hands animated as he they talked. Laura felt a twinge of jealousy as he flirted with Megan, unintentionally leaving Laura out of their conversation.

This is what Megan must feel like all the time
, Laura thought. The thought surprised her. She was always the center of male attention and it felt strange not to have him interested. A bubble of resentment floated through her, but as she looked at her friend’s smiling face it quickly disappeared.
She is head over heels for him. And he can’t get enough of her!
The two of them were lost in their own little world as Laura carefully observed them. She felt a rush of happiness for her friend, and decided to help her out. She smiled happily to herself, enjoying watching them fall for each other as she constructed a simple plan.

Gabriel’s hand was slowly creeping towards Megan’s. Laura kept sending it mental cheers as though it were a football player moving the ball towards the goal. When his hand rested a mere inch from Megan’s, Laura thought her brain might explode from the energy she was sending towards it. She thought she might kill the waiter when he suddenly interrupted them to drop off the check. Gabriel’s hand floated away from Megan’s to the check, a silent groan filling her as it broke the spell. Gabriel handed the waiter a black credit card, waving the two girls off as they offered to pay their share. Laura hoped that they would fall back into their previous conversation, but Gabriel’s phone rang as the waiter returned. He excused himself to answer it, standing and moving slightly away from the table. His eyes darkened as he spoke quickly into the phone, something obviously not pleasing him. Megan’s eyes never left him, a small smile glued to her lips.

“Je suis désolé, but I must excuse myself, mademoiselles. I am looking forward to this evening, mes amis. Ciao!” he said regretfully as he backed away from their table. They shouted out their thanks and goodbyes as he walked away, speaking carefully into his phone. Laura smiled at Megan’s happy glazed expression, knowing her friend had just had the best lunch of her life.

***

Megan had watched him leave the restaurant filled with a giddy happiness. He had paid all his attention to her; she could still feel the heat of his hand as it had gotten close to touching hers. His smile, his eyes were all she could remember, the entire lunch a blur of attraction. She closed her eyes to remember it more clearly when a horrible thought struck her.
He was doing this to get to Laura.
Of course. Why would an incredibly attractive wealthy man spend his time on her unless he knew it was the way to get to Laura. She remembered the beach the day before and how Laura had shunned the young men who hadn’t invited them both. Mr. Aubert was just smarter than them.

She felt a deep sense of hopelessness fill her. He didn’t want her; he was using her to get to Laura. She looked over at Laura as they began walking towards another shop. She was perfect. Gorgeous. The windows of the shop reflected their differences in glaring detail. She felt like a fool. Laura babbled on about how he never took his eyes off of Megan, how beautiful she was going to look tonight, but she knew the truth. It had happened too many times before. She had been passed over for Laura too many times not to see this coming. She tried to tell Laura, but Laura would have nothing of it.

“Quit it! He likes you OK? I saw it. Quit putting yourself down- I won’t have it, do you understand? This night is going to be about you and I will not have you saying things that aren’t true.” Laura fumed at her when Megan tried to tell her that there was no way someone as handsome as him would be interested in someone like her. Megan stepped back, trying to avoid the heat in her gaze.
Fine. I’ll play your game. You can dress me up, but at the end of the night, it is you he will be taking home. At least I’ll look pretty.

***

She nearly didn’t recognize the beautiful woman in the mirror. The blue dress hugged her hips, giving her a perfect hourglass shape while the low scoop neck showed off her cleavage to full advantage. With Laura’s help, her hair and light makeup made her look like a movie star. Laura had somehow coaxed her thick hair into gentle waves that flowed down her back.

“See, you are gorgeous. There is no way he is going to be able to resist you.” She had said. For a moment Megan even let herself believe it. She closed her eyes and remembered the spark that had passed between them when their hands touched and the way his eyes glowed at her in the dark. A thin flame of hope started to burn deep within her despite her best efforts to keep it down.

Laura wore simple linen slacks and a pale blue shirt, and put her hair in a ponytail as they left the house. She still managed to look beautiful, and Megan felt a quiver of jealousy shoot through her. Even without dressing up Megan thought she looked prettier. She looked to the mirror again, trying to convince herself that she was beautiful and that Gabriel would want her over Laura.

Laura steadied Megan as she wobbled on her heels down the wooden planks of the pier. Megan suddenly wished she had worn different shoes, but Laura had convinced her that these went with the dress and that she would be taking them off on the boat anyway. She could see the giant yacht at the end of the pier, Gabriel standing on the bow waiting for them to arrive. She felt like she floated the last hundred yards to the gangplank of his yacht.

Megan’s hands felt unnaturally sweaty as she tried to smooth them on her dress. She felt hot and uncomfortable, the low cut of the dress making her feel extremely exposed. Gabriel smiled down at her as he reached out a hand to guide her aboard. His hand felt hot and strong, the same electric current shooting through her as they touched. Once she was safely aboard, he held her hand for a moment longer than necessary. She pulled out of his fingers, blushing a bright scarlet. Gabriel turned and offered his hand to Laura.

“I am afraid I won’t be able to join you tonight- I am suddenly not feeling well. You two please have a wonderful evening without me though!” she said as she slowly backed away from the ship. Laura purposefully ignored the look of terror on Megan’s face at being left alone.

“Are you sure?” Gabriel asked her, his hand slowly retreating. He was trying to look disappointed, but too much happiness was shining through. She smiled up at him and nodded.

“You two have a wonderful time. You’ll see that she gets home safe? I won’t wait up, so don’t worry about coming home late, Megs.” Laura started walking down the pier, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. She felt a burst of happiness for her friend as she walked back towards town.

***

Megan watched Laura walk away, her heart pounding with anxiety. She had no idea what Laura was doing leaving her alone with Gabriel. Granted, she wanted to be alone with him more than anything, but she was sure that Gabriel was interested in Laura, not her. And now she was stuck in a situation where her dream guy was going to tell her he wasn’t interested. She sighed, tears threatening to fill her up at the rejection she knew she was going to receive. She started heading towards the gangplank, her throat tight. He touched her shoulder, stopping her from moving forward. Her breath caught at his touch. She wished he would never stop touching her.