Did I Seduce You Mr Jacques

by James Al Greco

  “At your house?”

  “Yes. It’s two minutes from here. All the bars are further away. Just one drink and we’ll be back soon,” I said, looking into her eyes.

  “Such a meeting could be taken the wrong way and could be seen as not being so innocent, so it would be better if we left it.”

  “I’m begging you… you are my only company.”

  “Awe, what can I do, being that you’re so sweet! Okay, only one drink!” she answered in a cute way and we started walking towards the house.

  We went through the living room and she stood for a second at the entrance, stunned! She covered her mouth with both her hands, shocked by all the preparations I had made for her.

  There were white candles everywhere; soft music could be heard throughout the whole house and a bottle of expensive French champagne was accompanied by two tall crystal glasses.

  “What’s all that? Did you expect company?” she asked.

  “I arranged this for you.”

  “No, Jacques. It doesn’t feel right and I think I must go…” she said, putting her handbag back on her shoulder.

  “What isn’t right, Camellia? That I made some preparations for my best friend?”

  “So, you knew I was going to come! You took me for granted?” she asked somewhat annoyed.

  “No! Nothing like that,” I answered, denying it.

  “I see… then explain it to me, what’s with all the candles and the champagne with the two glasses?”

  “Camellia, if you hadn’t come, I would have offered the other glass to my loneliness because there is no other woman I would expect in this house apart from you.”

  With a sweet smile, she took off her coat and left it on the sofa. I rushed immediately towards her to pull out the chair so she could sit, like any gentleman would do.

  “Chivalrous!”

  “For you, always…” I started lighting the candles and filling our glasses with champagne.

  One glass led to another, accompanied with some snacks that I had made, such as smoked salmon and brioche and without us realizing the bottle was empty!

  She started feeling an intense euphoria, as she was smiling at anything I said without it being funny and made me laugh, even though I still had all my senses!

  “Camellia, it’s time to go. To go to your hotel,” I said, trying to lift her off the chair.

  “I don’t want to,” she replied with laughter.

  “Please. It’s late and you are drunk,” I replied, trying to bring her back to reality.

  “I am not drunk. Let me go!’ she exclaimed and sprang out from her chair straight into my arms.

  “Camellia, come to your senses!” I said, as I watched her moving to the rhythm of the music and I admit that I was starting to become captivated by the whole atmosphere that was created between us.

  While she was dancing passionately, swaying and moving her incredible body, suddenly she approached me and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth and kept on smiling!

  I was trying to reason with her and I was begging her, so we could leave the house and I could take her to the hotel, but she wasn’t listening to a word I was saying to her.

  The truth was that as I was watching her dance so passionately, I couldn’t resist and I started moving towards her slowly and hesitantly, lured by the enchanting scent of her perfume and from the way she moved.

  I was a breath away from her face. I bent down and started kissing her softly on her neck. I was barely touching her, making her tremble slightly. At first she resisted, giving me a playful look but within a few seconds I had won her over!

  I gently bit her smooth skin just beneath her ear, while with my hands I slid down her straps, taking her dress off and I led her up to my room. Her dress fell on the stairs and her hot body was naked just for me!

  Mind-blowing! There was not an inch of imperfection on her. Soft skin, smooth stomach with sexy abs, firm, toned breasts and curvy hips all of which completed a perfect image.

  I threw her on my soft bed and as she laid face downwards I bent over her, breathing in her ear. I firmly held her hands stretched out, sinking in the mattress and I pressed her back with my body. Then she turned her body around to face me and she looked at me, her eyes filled with passion, biting her lip. My tongue slid from her soft neck down and round her breasts, giving her slight, gentle bites and from there down to her belly button, causing her to let out deep moans from desire.

  I kept on kissing her and gently touching her while at the same time I was throwing my clothes off until I was completely naked! My knees touched her thighs and spreading her long and silky legs she pulled me close to her, scratching my back slightly!

  She was so hot! Her whole body was on fire. I wanted her and desired her more than anything! You can find out your limits only when you surpass them, I was thinking and this is so true!

  All the time we made passionate love, I couldn’t think of Camellia. In her face I could see Eve! Even though she was stunning, a real goddess, I couldn’t bear to look at her. Even the small spasms when she was in orgasm and her intense expressions in her eyes and lips, they all reminded me of my old love.

  Every time I closed my eyes, my mind subconsciously drifted to Eve! The more the two merged together, the more my movements became stronger and more violent! My fingers dug deeply into her ribs, causing her immense pain and I didn’t stop for one second moving harshly and forcefully inside her!

  I grabbed her by her hands and I immobilized her on the bed, satisfying my irrational urges in the most violent way.

  Her image from behind was a masterpiece! Slender and athletic back, a tiny waist, firm and rounded buttocks and a small tattoo that depicted a fairy at the base of her spine. As I focused on her, I increased the intensity and force that I put on her, with one of my hands holding her head pressed in the pillow.

  I continued without stopping with the same exploding intensity and unbelievable passion moving on top of her. Her body was covered with red marks and slight bruises from my ruthless touch!

  At some point everything round me darkened! I saw her begging me to let her go and I was shocked with myself! How could I harm her this way? It wasn’t me. Surely, it couldn’t be me! I stopped straight away. I pulled the sheet and covered myself in shame and crawled to the corner of the bed and curled up. I can’t have committed such a terrible crime and to my best friend nonetheless. I didn’t mean to harm her. I swear it wasn’t me. It wasn’t Jacques, but my other self…

  My muscles had started to relax. I calmed down from the exquisite pleasure she had given me.

  Her pillow was soaked with tears and saliva from her screams; she was crying so hard that every time she took a lungful of air, her breathing stopped.

  “Eve, I love you!” I whispered to her.

  She frowned and looked at me with disgust. She looked mortified! She stared at me with her large red eyes and stood up silently from the bed. -

  My eyes focused on her and she quickly started to pick up her clothes from the floor and ran towards the stairs to escape from her insane rapist. Me!

  Her crying sounded throughout the whole house and only stopped the moment the loud noise from the wooden entrance door was heard, which shut with hatred.

  I descended into the hallway, wearing only my underwear and stood at the front door without shouting for her to come back. I just watched her as she was lost in the wild night, half naked and upset.

  ‘Oh my God!’ I murmured and closed the door to go down to the basement. I felt once more the urge to look into Eve’s eyes.

  Fetching the painting from behind the bookcase, I unwrapped it and looked at it, experiencing an enormous shock at what I saw!

  On the mysterious portrait there was now Camellia’s image and not that of my first love!

  I wanted so badly for Eve to be near me, that I confused her with her friend, as though they were the same person!

  I covered my eyes with both my hands and sat on the floor exhausted, telling my
self that this could not be happening.

  ‘Why?!’ I yelled in a loud voice and breathed a sigh of relief. I opened my eyes again and on the portrait there was Eve, as in the beginning, soothing my fears!

  I could not explain why I had experienced that illusion, but I was scared. My brain was not functioning normally and thank goodness, I was able to realize that.

  All the rest of the night I spent inside the house, as I used to, together with Niki.

  I felt terribly depressed and constantly worried for Camellia, who I was madly in love with! I didn’t want to be violent towards her, neither did I want to treat her in that monstrous way, the situation got out of control. It wasn’t me! I swear even as I say it. That monster wasn’t me! It was almost certainly someone else. Someone hidden inside me.

  ‘She will never forgive me,’ I told myself and held Niki in my arms, who had already come next to me and was brushing against me.

  The next morning, I was a wreck. I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept at all. My wicked and unethical thoughts travelled to what I had done to Camellia and the worst part was it still aroused me as I thought of her!

  I had confused the two women in my mind and I couldn’t think straight. I was subconsciously searching for Eve’s replacement that would fill in the void she left, unfortunately without success. I had to fill in the emptiness of my lost love and without realizing I was becoming my own victim.

  I wanted to call her out of concern. To find out how she was and to explain that I didn’t want to scare her with my behaviour, but I hesitated to call her. I was afraid of her reaction, so I decided to go by the hotel where she was staying and if I bumped into her, I would talk to her.

  I sat a few hours outside the hotel, right under the balcony, where I had seen her before and I waited for her to show up.

  Suddenly, the balcony door flew open and I stood up so I could talk to her. At the edge of the balcony, an old lady stood with a pleasant smile on her face and gazed at Venice.

  “What happened?” I thought to myself baffled and with swift movements I entered the hotel.

  “Good morning,” said the polite receptionist.

  “Good morning. The couple from Rome? Camellia and Paul?”

  “Ah, Camellia and her husband checked out early this morning from our hotel.”

  “But how? Weren’t they supposed to stay for more days?”

  “Give me a second so I can check… Yes. They were scheduled to leave in three days. I don’t know why they left earlier than their scheduled reservation,” the smiling receptionist replied.

  “That’s strange. Did they say anything else?”

  “No, sir. I didn’t notice anything. They seemed to be acting normally.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Good day to you,” said the girl and picked up the phone that was ringing persistently on her desk.

  I left in a frenzy! I couldn’t lose my second Eve as well! No, it was impossible for me to lose her… I had to find her and apologize to her. After being friends for so long, the last thing I wanted was to leave her with such an appalling and humiliating impression! Pure disgrace!

  I had ruled out the fact of her having talked to Paul about last night, so it was certainly her decision to leave unexpectedly from Venice.

  I had called her over twenty times but with no response. Her mobile phone was switched off. Dragging my feet and filled with disappointment and sorrow, I returned home. I hadn’t eaten anything all day and I was nearing forty hours with no sleep.

  Everything seemed really calm, until I received a message on my phone. I immediately held it in my hand, obviously shaken and I started reading it…

  Jacques, I’m in a sad position to inform you that you are unwell. You need psychological support and help from a specialist. You have to erase last night from your memory, because it was one more mistake you’ve made and the biggest mistake for me. I beg you, don’t neglect yourself anymore and don’t drag yourself down into this tragic situation. Eve doesn’t belong to you anymore. She has her own life, her own dreams and her own family and the best thing you could do is to erase her. She will never come back to your world!

  Your last night’s cruel behaviour does not leave me any room to support you. You have always been a very good friend and you have comforted me many times in the past, but now I don’t even want to know you. You ruined everything with your behaviour. I would really like to able to help you with anything you need but I can’t! I love you… but I can’t speak to you again. I don’t want to… be careful because you’re becoming very dangerous!’

  It was sent from ‘Eve’. With that name I had her number saved in my mobile phone!

  As soon as I read her message, I sat quietly on my sofa, not thinking about anything in particular and I deleted the message instantly. I started to read a book so I could take my mind off things.

  Her response really annoyed me and from the moment I read the message, I deleted her phone number and erased her as a friend. I know it was my fault and I deserved all this and even worse. I am the only one to blame and I am completely responsible for my terrible actions and for the way I think, but that’s the way I am. I felt sick, mentally and psychologically.

  The months went by, the years passed like the grains of sand in an hourglass and I continued with my miserable and futile life.

  I did what Camellia had told me. After three month’s treatment with a psychiatrist and after immense efforts, I could say that I was over Eve. I hadn’t forgotten about her, I was over her or at least that was what I thought.

  I had matured as a man and I had managed to convince myself that I had to leave some situations behind me if I wanted to get on with my life and live normally.

  It was dusk and I remember that I was attending to a remarkable painting in my basement, which was brought to me by a Spanish painter in order for me to correct some imperfections and appraise it.

  “Good evening!” I heard a girl’s voice speaking in English and I was taken aback.

  I left my coffee on the dusty table that was in the basement and I went upstairs to the living room to see where that young voice was coming from.

  When I was upstairs, my eyes gazed at a young girl with an angelic face, who was standing shyly on the doorstep, waiting.

  “Good afternoon. Can I help you?” I asked, drawn by her youthful innocence, as she was not more than twenty years old.

  “I’m sorry I came inside like this, the door was open and…”

  “It’s alright, sweetheart. I am quite careless and sometimes I forget it is open. Tell me, what do you want?” I said, interrupting her, holding a paintbrush between my fingers.

  “We’ve just moved to Venice and I was told that you speak both Italian and English,” she said, crossing her fingers gracefully.

  “Yes. That’s right. I speak both languages. How can I help you?”

  “I am from London and I came with my father because of his job, so I have to learn the language to communicate.”

  “Very well. And what do you want from me?”

  “I was thinking if you could teach me some Italian, since we both speak English. It would be easier for me if I spoke the language that the residents speak.”

  “Unfortunately, sweetheart, I don’t teach private lessons. I may speak the language but I don’t know how to teach.”

  “I understand… I just thought I should ask you. I thank you again and I’m sorry for the intrusion. It was nice meeting you,” she said, taking a step backwards.

  “It was nice meeting you too, little one, and I’m sorry that I can’t help you,” I replied, escorting her outside.

  “Eve!” she introduced herself, giving me her hand.

  I froze! The paintbrush slipped from my fingers and fell on the floor, leaving a slight stain on the shiny marble.

  “Excuse me?” I asked in a sharp tone and bent down to pick up the paintbrush.

  “Eve is my name,” she stated again, glowing with her beautiful smile.


  “Eve?” I was staring at her white teeth that were barely covered by her youthful pink lips.

  “Yes, Eve. And you?”

  “Eve… a beautiful name’,” I whispered, touching her tender hand. “My name is Jacques,” I continued, still holding her hand in mine.

  “It was nice to meet you. Goodbye.” She turned round to leave, shaking her straight, blond hair.

  “Eve, wait!” I called.

  “What is it, sir?” she asked, disarming me with her blue eyes.

  “When do you want to start?”

  “Start what?”

  “Italian.”

  “But you just said…”

  “I didn’t say anything and call me Jacques. I’m not that much older.”

  “In a week we’ll be permanently settled here, so I presume that we could start in two weeks. If you can of course.”

  “In two weeks, it’s perfect! I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “And what did we say… No more ‘sir’. Just Jacques.”

  She gave me a smile one more time with her sweet lips and started to leave.

  Her flowery dress blew with the breeze in the small alley, giving my neighbourhood a more pleasant atmosphere. More youthful and childlike.

  For so long I was torturing myself continuously here in Venice by the conflicts of my inner world and now the time had come that I felt my heart pounding and the darkness I felt inside was vanishing slowly!

  I watched the charming girl as she vanished at the end of the picturesque pathway! The paintbrush was still dripping on the floor without me noticing it! I woke up from the daydream that I had fallen into caused by the unknown girl and I went down to the basement to finish my work. I glanced behind the bookcase and the painting was still there! Covered with the white sheet and I was trying to resist looking at the damn portrait again.

  I hadn’t touched it for almost four years!

  I followed the doctor’s advice and Camellia’s, who both brought to my attention the danger that lurked inside me. So, when I’d realized the monster I could be transformed into because of my obsession with Eve, I decided to keep the portrait wrapped in the sheet, once and for all and never confront her face again… never again!