by Michael Todd
Korbin nodded thankfully. “That’s wonderful. So can I assume all of your Damned will also be members of the French military?”
A female official nodded. “Oui. It seems simpler if we keep everyone under the same command. That way we have full control over the fort and how the defense is handled.”
Pandora grumbled. And also, that way they can keep a tight rope on their infected.
Katie got her third cup of coffee. You don’t know that. Logistically, it makes sense.
Pandora scoffed. Right.
The official folded her hands on the table. “The only issue we now see is that your teammate Calvin was supposed to be the one to train these Damned. They are almost all familiar with basic military movements, but most are not prepared for hand-to-hand combat with demons. Chloe here is the only one who has not served until now, but she was a mercenary in the field for the last couple of years in France. She is well-versed in training and combat.”
Katie piped up, clearing her throat, “Calvin had some personal matters to attend to, so I am here instead. I would be more than happy to be the one who trains your Damned. I and my partner Pandora, of course.”
All of the officials gleefully nodded their heads, whispering to each other. The woman smiled. “This would be wonderful. You are known for your hardline tactics and abilities. Who wouldn’t want an angel to train our fighters? You are one of the most perfect of humanity’s warriors.”
Katie smiled, uncomfortable with the praise. Pandora giggled loudly. Oh, man, have we got her fooled or what? Warrior, yes. Perfect? Hardly.
They spent the rest of the time enjoying lunch and chatting about the different things to do while they were in France. When lunch was over Katie excused herself, leaving before the others. She stepped out into the cool air and breathed deeply, ready for a flight.
Pandora sighed as Katie opened her wings. You’re making all the decisions. Who we train, where I sleep, and what we do with our time. I want to make some of them.
Katie rolled her eyes as she took off. We are not going to the red-light district.
Pandora laughed. No, that’s not what I meant, although I wouldn’t argue. I just want to choose where we eat dinner.
Katie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, then shrugged her shoulders. Yeah? Okay. That sounds fair. Dinner is your choice. With the whole gang?
Pandora smirked. No, just us. So we can talk.
Juntto buttoned the top button of his coat, still looking like the Wall Street guy. Angie didn’t mind. It allowed them to be together without the distraction of people’s responses to his giant blue body, even though she loved him for it. She shivered, tying her scarf into a knot under her chin as she went out onto the sidewalk.
They took a car out of the base and into Paris, where they got out and decided to just go for a walk around the city, even though it was freezing cold. Angie hooked her arm into Juntto’s and they strolled along, looking at all the shops along the way, as well as the posters on the different poles along the street. As they approached a stretch of wall that was covered with them, Angie stopped and smiled.
She pointed to a flier for the Cirque du Soleil. “I have always wanted to go to a show. I know they’ve been in New York, but I didn’t have time to go when they came through.”
Not getting a response, Angie looked up at Juntto. He was staring at another poster down the way. He released his arm from hers and walked up to it, looking excited. “Blue People! Playing War Drums!”
Angie wrinkled her nose and put her hand on Juntto’s arm. “Um, I don’t think this is quite what you think it is, Juntto.”
Juntto looked at her and then back at the poster, tilting his head and stepping closer. Angie grimaced, waiting for him to realize they weren’t frost giants but humans in makeup. Suddenly Juntto’s mouth dropped open and he pointed at the picture, flabbergasted.
He looked at Angie, at the picture, and then back at her. “I cannot believe it, although I probably should. I have been in this dimension long enough to know that humans can be cruel and unusual creatures. I mean, look at slavery, oppression, and the Holocaust. But this! This is disgusting.”
Angie wasn’t sure where his mind had gone. “What do you mean?”
Juntto gasped and pointed at the blue men on the poster. “The humans have captured and shaved a bunch of short frost giants and put them on stage to dance like monkeys for their amusement. They are wearing some sort of cover to hide their strong manhood, and they are beating drums made of plastic, not animal skin. I can’t even look at it. It’s disgusting.”
Angie laughed, quickly pressing her lips together and giving Juntto a caring look. “Oh, sweetie, that’s not what it is at all. Trust me, you are the only frost giant that I know of to have come to Earth. Those are humans in makeup.”
Juntto calmed. “Oh. Well then, let’s go see it. Come on.”
Angie pulled on him, laughing. “We can’t. This was a tour from last year. We missed the show.”
Juntto frowned. Angie smiled. “But they perform in Vegas quite a bit, so you are in luck.”
17
The cab pulled to the curb, where groups of people walked down the Paris streets. The door opened wide, and Pandora’s long leg stretched out. She stood up, wrapping her mink stole around her shoulders and straightening her short, sequined black dress. She stepped carefully down on the cobblestone street and up onto the curb, waiting for Katie to follow. Her hair blew softly around her in voluptuous curls, and she smiled as Katie scooted out onto the street.
Katie shut the cab door and turned around, her red sequined gown flowing to the ground. She wiped the lipstick from just below her pouty bottom lip and pulled on her elbow-length gloves. The right side of her hair was pulled back tightly, and the left side flowed around her face in curls. Her black eye makeup gave her a sexy look, and her red dress popped. Her red toenail polish shimmered as she stepped onto the curb in her strappy heels.
Both girls were dressed to the nines. Katie glanced at Pandora. “Was all this really necessary?”
Pandora tucked her clutch under her arm. “Of course. We are in Paris. When we go out, we go all out.”
Katie looked at her purse. “Do you even carry anything in that?”
Pandora glanced down. “No, of course not, but it completes the ensemble. Gives it a little femininity. Come on, it’s as cold as Juntto’s balls out here.”
Katie scrunched her nose at the thought and hooked her arm through Pandora’s. One of the hosts opened the doors to the restaurant, and the two stepped inside. The lobby was completely separate from the restaurant, and the hostess stood at a podium in a white button-up blouse, black blazer, and wide-legged black dress pants.
“Welcome to O’Naturel. We are happy to have you. What name is on the reservation?”
Pandora winked at Katie. “KatieDora.”
The hostess smiled and nodded. “Follow me, please.”
They went into a small coat room of sorts. It was elaborately decorated, and there were chairs inside. The hostess grasped the curtain on the front and slid it half-closed. “This is a new, modern dining experience, and we hope you enjoy it.”
Katie wasn’t sure what that meant. She turned around as the hostess closed the curtain. “Why is there a curtain?”
Pandora dropped her stole and let the thin straps of her dress fall. Her dress slid down, draping around her hips. Katie shook her head and put her hand up to block Pandora’s giant bouncing tits. “What in the fuck are you doing? You just got dressed. Why are we in this room, and why are you now naked?”
Pandora chuckled, taking off her platform heels and setting them to the side. She pulled her dress down to the floor and stepped out of it, smiling as she stood there completely nude. “It’s a nude restaurant.”
Katie shook her head, waving her hand. “You are full of shit, Pandora. There is no such thing.”
Marching over to the curtain, she poked her head out and stared down the hall, her mouth dropping open as she
stared at the rows and rows of naked people. She glanced at the hostess and wiggled her finger. The girl came over with a smile and leaned toward Katie.
Katie whispered, “Is this a nude restaurant?”
The hostess smiled and nodded at her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Katie stared at her for a moment. “Do I have to be completely nude?”
The hostess looked around. “Well, normally we only allow clothed patrons under the age of eighteen, but if you are not comfortable, you can eat in your undergarments.”
Katie pursed her lips. “Right. Okay.”
She ducked back into the dressing room and grimaced, turning away from the naked Pandora. “You said that we would have a nice dinner. A nice dinner. When I think about a nice dinner, I don’t envision dozens of naked people of all ages and body types sitting around tables with candles and tablecloths.”
Pandora put her arms out. “This is nice, and you promised. You’re a fucking angel, baby. You can’t break promises. It’s in the fucking rules.”
Katie put her purse on the ledge and narrowed her eyes. “I’m sure there is something about eating naked with a bunch of strangers in that rule book too.”
Pandora shook her head. “Nope. Nothing in there about that. Besides, we were created in the nude. It was Lucifer who made us ashamed of being naked. Aren’t angels supposed to follow God’s true wishes?”
Katie took a deep breath and put her hands on her hips. “I will eat here…”
Pandora clapped her hands. “Yay.”
Katie put up her palm. “I will eat here, but I am eating in my bra and panties. There is no way I’m rolling in there titties out, ass cheeks bouncing. And if Gabriel says one word about us doing this, I am claiming that you kidnapped me and I was completely aghast at the whole thing.”
Pandora shrugged. “That’s fine. I’m going to eat in the nude. I came for the experience. There hasn’t been a place like this since Greece thousands of years ago. Then, of course, everyone was basically naked. The white cloth was just for sun protection.”
Katie shook her head as she undressed, taking her strappy heels off and hanging everything up next to Pandora’s garments. She straightened her breasts in her black lace bra and swept her hair off her shoulders. “It is a damn good thing that I wore matching underwear.”
Pandora glanced down. “It’s a damn good thing I talked you into doing personal body maintenance on that jungle of locks that was down there just this morning. You could have braided and beaded that shit.”
Katie rolled her eyes and stepped to the side, letting Pandora go first. She walked rigidly as the hostess took them to their table. Katie took the seat by the wall and held her menu in front of her. She glanced at all the other people in the place, but no one was paying them much attention. There were people from all walks of life in there. Some were very old, some young, and there were a whole lot of middle-aged white men with guts.
Pandora looked around excitedly and tapped her foot. Katie blinked at her. “Can you stop fidgeting? Those things are going to bounce so hard you’ll give someone a fucking black eye.”
Pandora looked down at her breasts and stopped tapping, then laughed. “Oh, lighten up. This is fun. Now you’ll be able to tell people you ate naked at a restaurant once.”
Katie shook her head. “Nope, this is the kind of thing you definitely keep to yourself. I don’t like this at all. How many asses have been on these seats?”
Juntto held Angie’s hand tightly as she snapped a picture with her phone. They stood at the bottom of the steps of the Sacré Cœur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris. It was impressive, even to Juntto, with its three large domes, carved stone, and large expansive base. Angie put her phone away and looked at Juntto, nodding, and they raced up the steps, still clutching hands. Angie laughed loudly as Juntto basically dragged her behind him, growing his legs long enough to take three steps at a time.
When they reached the top, Juntto pulled Angie into his arms, twirling her around. He stopped and kissed her forehead as she caught her breath. She leaned in and put her cheek on his chest, looking out from the top.
Angie gasped and pulled back, pointing toward the city. “Look at that. It’s so beautiful.”
The Basilica was atop a tall hill overlooking the city, which was all lit up. It was nighttime, and they were almost the only ones there. Juntto put his arm around her and pulled her close, the two taking in the scenery around them. It was even more beautiful than the Eiffel Tower from afar.
The wind whipped over the hill and Angie shivered, clutching Juntto. He glanced down and smiled. “I have to admit, when you were so excited to come here, I could not understand it. But now that I am here, I am starting to see exactly why you love this place so much. It is very beautiful. Much different from America.”
Angie nodded. “It is historical, but in such a romantic way. But it’s freaking cold out here. Let’s go inside.”
Juntto chuckled, and they turned to walk inside. Through the large arched doorways, they entered the central open-air room of the Basilica. Rows of pews lined the sides of the church, but no one was there to fill them. Slowly Juntto and Angie walked down the center, staring up at the giant mural painted on the high domed ceiling. Jesus was in the middle, his arms spread wide, angels at his feet. On both sides of him were rows of people, crowded together in awe of the Messiah. The colors were so vibrant that it was as if it had just been painted that day.
Juntto put his hand to his chest and goosebumps ran up his arms. Angie looked up at him, surprised. “I never took you as the religious type.”
Juntto shook his head. “No. Look at the people. There are people of all races and all types gathered together. They are coming together for one cause. There is no war in this painting. There is no anger or hatred. This painting is all about pure love.”
Angie smiled, holding his arm tightly. “That’s right. And when we really want to, when the cause is great enough, humans are capable of that.”
Juntto was in complete awe. He had never thought that humans would be capable of such a thing. In fact, he had never thought any species could be. He wrapped his arm around Angie and pulled her close to him, his eyes glued to the images. Angie had to admit, she had a hard time looking away from the masterpiece herself. It meant so much, especially at that moment in Earth’s history.
They stood there for a long time, not speaking a word, not moving, just staring up at the painting and holding each other as close as they possibly could.
By the time dinner was done and Katie had paid the bill, she had loosened up quite a bit. She had forgotten how much fun she could have with Pandora when she just relaxed. They headed to their changing room and got dressed again, making sure to put on their warm wraps since the Paris night air was very chilly.
They walked outside and stopped, looking up at the snowflakes that were starting to fall. Katie smiled. “For some reason, the snowflakes in Paris seem a lot more magical than the ones in New York.”
Pandora chuckled. “Probably because they aren’t falling on a bunch of angry assholes.”
Katie began to walk down the block, and Pandora furrowed her brow. “Where are you going?”
Katie popped out her wings and grinned at her. “I thought maybe it would be a good night for a short flight. We’ve never seen Paris in the snow, right?”
Pandora smirked and spread her wings as well, the two of them taking off. They glided next to each other, gazing at the people out and about and enjoying the beauty of the night. Katie shook her head. “It’s so weird seeing people actually enjoying the evening. Everyone in the States is always in such a hurry to get somewhere.”
Pandora chuckled. “You know what I think is weird? Why an old, fat, naked man would think that ordering the meatballs was a good idea. I couldn’t tell if he was eating dinner or standing on his head at the table.”
Katie covered her mouth and burst into laughter. “Or the chick with the chickpeas?”
Pandora�
�s eyes went wide. “I knowwww. I was afraid she was going to accidentally fork her nipple, thinking it was part of her dinner.”
Katie shivered. “That sounds so painful.”
Pandora shook her head, letting out a deep breath as she allowed the wind to whip wildly over her. “So many people had rolls.”
Katie shook her finger. “But did you see the guy with the peach? Huh?”
Pandora smirked, closing her eyes and licking her lips. “I don’t think there was a single person, woman or man, in the whole restaurant who didn’t take a look at that peach bottom. It was so firm and juicy. Holy hell, I almost fell out of my seat when I saw him.”
Katie laughed. “And then his boyfriend came in, and I am pretty sure your entire heart deflated right there in the chair. I could hear the air leaving it.”
Pandora shrugged. “I told you a long time ago that I keep picking out gay men. I can’t be what they want. I can be a lot of things, but I can’t grow a dick. So, here I am, stuck with just staring at those perfect buns.”
Katie shook her head. “You do know there is more to being gay than just sword-fighting, right?”
Pandora pursed her lips. “Oh, sure. There’s anal, and the BJs, and…”
Katie waved her hands in the air. “Stop, stop. No, I mean more than just sex. They actually care for one another.”
Pandora blew a raspberry. “I know that, but you know I only think about the D-man. I don’t have time for that fucking mushy shit. Besides, that’s all I think about in hetero relationships, too. It’s all about the…”
Katie flipped her body, her legs down, her wings keeping her hovering. “My angel sense just went off. There is something going down, and we are really close to it.”