“All you need is a bed,” said Lulu.
“See the cabinet over there. It’s a hidden bed,” said J. P.
“Is this your apartment?” asked Lulu.
“No, it’s too closed in for me. It’s OK for a couple of hours but, I couldn’t live here. This bookstore is old and has a lot of history. I was told by the previous owner that a Jewish family was hidden here during World War II. The apartment had already existed but was closed off to hide the family.”
“Wow, that’s really interesting. Gives me the chills,” said Lulu.
“Let’s go downstairs and go over to the café near here. If you have time,” said J. P.
“We’re on vacation. We have plenty of time,” said Dillon.
They walked downstairs, and his assistant was helping a customer at the register. J. P. told her that he would be out for a while, but his father was in the back if she needed help.
“Do you come and go as you please?” asked Lulu.
“When we aren’t busy, yes. Toward the end of the month I tend to be really busy.”
“What made you decide to open a bookstore?” asked Lulu.
“It was my father’s idea. He wanted me to work at a steady job. I’m the only child in the family. I got to travel a lot after university, so my parents created a job for me. I’m a trust fund baby. I know that sounds terrible to say.”
“We can’t help what our parents give us,” said Dillon.
“It’s hard to be motivated sometimes when you get too much. But I enjoy working at the bookstore. I see that it gives pleasure to my dad. My mother comes in sometimes and helps, especially during the holidays.”
“Have you been to most of the European countries?” asked Lulu.
“Most. I’d like to visit the US. What do you want to order?” asked J. P.
“Just coffee,” said Lulu.
“Me too,” said Dillon.
“Dillon already invited me to visit Hawaii or San Francisco.”
“Yeah, you should come. You could learn to surf—hang ten,” said Lulu. Dillon laughed.
“No, I’m not a surfer-boy type. I like hiking or running and martial arts, but no surfing for me.
“Do you like the song by Joni Mitchell, ‘Free Man in Paris’?” asked Dillon.
“I hear it once in a while. I like it.”
“Lulu plays it every day. I can’t stand it anymore,” said Dillon.
“I didn’t play it while I was in Nice,” said Lulu.
“That was the only time.”
“What did you do while you were in Nice? I never saw you with Dillon.”
“I had an Italian friend. He showed me around the city.”
“Well, that explains a lot.” J. P. smiled and Dillon had a big grin on his face.
“I think Dillon was a bit jealous,” said Lulu.
“Yeah, you have me all figured out, Chockey Bickey.”
“Have you seen the Moulin Rouge show here in Paris?” asked J. P.
“No, I haven’t. Is it good?” asked Lulu.
“It’s fabulous,” said J. P.
“Should we get dressed up to go?” asked Dillon.
“A little—don’t wear shorts,” said J. P. Lulu laughed.
“That’s all he has.”
“Can you buy yourself a pair of pants or nice jeans?” asked J. P.
“I can get some money from the American Express office,” said Dillon.
“I’ll buy you a pair if you can’t get any money,” said J. P.
“No, it’s OK.”
“Dillon isn’t poor; his family owns a couple of convenience stores,” said Lulu.
“Oh, merde,” said J. P.
“What’s wrong?” asked Lulu.
“I have to get the tickets right away before they sell out,” said J. P.
“Let me give you some money,” said Lulu.
“No, I will take care of it. I get a discount because I know the owner. Let’s walk over there now, and then I have to go back to my store.”
As they walked along, they walked by the Tiffany’s. “Have you ever been in this Tiffany shop here?” asked J. P.
“Yes, they have beautiful jewelry,” said Lulu as she glanced over at Dillon. Dillon was not showing any expression, so Lulu was relieved.
“I could get you a discount. I know a woman that works there, Monique,” said J. P.
“Is she my size with short black hair and blue eyes?”
“That sounds like her. Do you know her?”
“I’ve met her at the store.”
“She went to the Paris Sorbonne. She’s very smart. But she got involved with this Italian playboy—a very wealthy jewelry designer who is married, of course. He got her the job at Tiffany’s. I told her to leave Tiffany’s and work at my bookstore, but she can make more money at Tiffany’s. He still sees her when he comes to Paris. He has some type of hold on her, which I don’t understand. He sees other women from what she’s told me.”
“Have you met him?” asked Lulu.
“Yes, once in Tiffany’s. He’s very charming and a good-looking guy. But he’s a womanizer, so I don’t like him.”
“What’s his name?” asked Lulu.
“Raphael Sabini, but he goes by different names,” said J. P.
“We met him in Nice. He invited us to his dinner table. His brother Giovanni was there and some cousins. I didn’t like him that much. He kept calling me ‘Mr. Hawaii’. I thought Giovanni was nicer,” said Dillon. Lulu gave Dillon a stern look.
“Wow, what a small world—that’s incredible,” said J. P.
They entered the ticket shop and J. P. purchased three tickets for the Moulin Rouge. The owner spoke a few minutes in French to J. P. J. P. was able to get a sizable discount because of his connection. “The tickets are for tomorrow evening for 8:00 p.m. I’ll come by your apartment and pick you up. We can take the metro to the theater.”
“Thanks for getting the tickets. Sounds like a lot of fun,” said Lulu.
“I have to get back to work now. There’s a little café down the street that you might like,” said J. P.
“See you tomorrow,” said Dillon. J. P. walked back the way they had arrived. Dillon and Lulu walked farther down to the café.
“That was close,” said Lulu.
“I had to say something. We might run into Monique when we’re with J. P.” Dillon ordered two coffees with sandwiches.
“I wonder if he’s going to figure things out. I didn’t think that Monique was still seeing him. No wonder she had dagger eyes for me.”
“She’s probably his ace in the hole whenever he has no one else. And they work together sometimes. Who knows what’s going on,” said Dillon.
“I haven’t heard from Raphael since he returned to Milan, which is a good sign.”
“Don’t be surprised if he returns to Paris before you leave for the States.”
“I like J. P. He’s more of a normal guy—nice looking too. He would make a good friend for both of us. He’s a good contact if you want to come back to Paris,” said Lulu.
“If I came back to Paris, I would visit Nice again,” said Dillon.
“Yeah, me too.”
They walked back to their apartment. Dillon was saying bonjour to whoever would glance his way.
“Don’t forget to buy yourself a pair of long pants and a shirt that isn’t a Hawaiian print.”
“Oh, I almost forgot about that,” said Dillon with a big grin on his face.
Lulu unlocked the apartment door. There was a note lying on the floor. Lulu picked it up and opened the folded paper. “It’s from Raphael. He’s in Paris. He tried to call me it says. He wants to see me and take me out. He’s staying at the Hugo’s. I can’t tell you the rest,” said Lulu.
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll probably have to call over there and tell him that I can’t see him anymore because it’s too hard on me. That will stroke his ego.”
“Why don’t you give him back his jewelry that he gave you?”
“No, never. That’s for me to keep.” Dillon shook his head.
“I’m going out for a while. See if I can find long pants and a shirt. I haven’t worn long pants in so long. What a drag.”
“You sound like you have to get a tooth pulled—how funny.” Lulu put on the “Free Man in Paris” album. She thought about Raphael and the good sex that they had. If she slept with him again would that make her a slut? she wondered. Her phone rang but she didn’t answer it.
16
Moulin Rouge
Dillon told Lulu that he was going to visit a museum, but he really had plans to visit a guy that he had met in Nice who lived in Paris. Lulu was thinking about J. P. and decided to give him a call. She asked him if he was very busy because she was thinking of coming by at 2:00 p.m. just to look through the books. He told her to come by. She thought that seeing J. P. would get her mind off of Raphael.
Lulu walked slowly to the bookstore, but, as she approached Tiffany’s, she decided to walk faster. She heard a familiar voice calling her name. She didn’t look back. She walked even faster. As she entered the bookstore, she saw J. P. near the front of the store. “Hi, I need to hide quickly from someone that I don’t want to see.”
“Let’s go up to the loft then.” He told the assistant at the cashier desk to say that they weren’t in if anyone asked for them. Lulu practically ran up the stairs to the loft.
“Hurry. I don’t want him to see me.” J. P. looked amused and pressed the secret tab for opening the loft apartment. Lulu found the little window that J. P. used to spy on the customers.
J. P. stood close by. He could smell Lulu’s perfume. It wasn’t heavy and was very soft. “I like your perfume.”
Lulu didn’t turn around. “Thanks. Oh no, there he is.”
“Oh, don’t tell me that you’re Mr. Sabini’s latest victim.”
“He treated me really well. But I wanted it to end in Nice. But he doesn’t know how to end things.”
“He likes the chase and can’t stand the rejection, or he just really likes you. I can understand why. You have a better personality than Monique.”
“That’s sweet of you to say that. I see that he’s wandering around. Maybe he will think that I went out the back door. Oh no, he’s looking up here. Does Monique know about the loft?”
“Yes, she’s been up here before. I don’t know if she told him about the loft. It doesn’t matter. He can’t get in here.”
“What if he knows about the secret panel?”
“I’ll take care of that right now.” J. P. went over to the door and put the latch down.
“He’s coming up here. Don’t make any noise,” said Lulu.
J. P. laughed, and Lulu told him to be quiet. J. P. went to his refrigerator and took out a bottle of wine and then got two glasses from the kitchen counter. He made some noise opening the bottle, and Lulu gave him a dirty look. J. P. was grinning as he poured the wine into the glasses. He set them down at the table.
There was a knock on the wall, and Lulu jumped back from the door. She went over to the table, and J. P. handed her the glass of wine. In a quiet voice, J. P. told her that Raphael would leave soon.
“Lulu, I know that you’re in there. Are you with the French guy now? He can’t make you happy. I’m here for a few days. Call me at my hotel. I’m staying at Hugo’s.” There was silence.
Lulu slowly walked to the secret peep hole. She peeked out and saw Raphael walking down the stairs.
“Oh my God. I hope he won’t do anything to you,” said Lulu.
“He’s not a mean guy, but I’m not afraid of him. He probably isn’t going to give up that easily though, so expect him to show up at your apartment.”
“Are we still going to the show tonight?”
“Of course, I’ll come by at 7:00 p.m.”
“I better go then. Thanks for helping me.” Lulu kissed J. P. on the cheek.
J. P. had a big smile on his face and said, “Ciao,” as he unlocked the door.
Lulu walked down the stairs and out the back door. She scanned the street but didn’t see Raphael.
When Lulu reached her apartment, she found Dillon sitting out on the balcony. “You look really happy,” said Lulu.
“I’m having a really good day. What time are we leaving for the show?”
“J. P. is coming over here at 7:00. Did you buy your clothes?”
“Yes, I bought a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeve shirt. What did you do today?”
“I walked over to the bookstore, and I heard Raphael calling my name. He was some distance away. I just kept going. Then J. P. hid me in the loft. Raphael came up to the loft and knocked on the hidden panel. Can you believe that?”
“That’s hilarious. That girl must have told him about the loft. I wonder if J. P. has slept with Monique?” said Dillon.
“I don’t know. But it’s getting weird.”
“There’s something in the kitchen from Lover Boy,” said Dillon.
Lulu walked into the kitchen to find red tulips in a vase. There was a note lying next to the vase. How can you just dismiss me after what we shared? You know that I care deeply for you. You’re throwing me away like an old shoe and now you’re already with someone new. It was signed Raphael and had the number of his hotel room.
“What do you think of the note?” asked Lulu.
“It’s pretty good. It actually rhymes, like poetry—new, shoe.”
“Seriously,” said Lulu.
“I don’t know. You’re the only one that knows. I don’t know what transpired between the two of you.”
“I feel kind of bad now. I did have a great time with him. And he was so sweet,” said Lulu.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”
Dillon went to his room to shower and get ready for the evening. Lulu used the phone to call the Hugo hotel. Raphael answered and was delighted to hear that it was Lulu. “Thanks for the lovely red tulips. I was busy today,” said Lulu.
“I know. I followed you to the bookstore, but, when I got inside, I couldn’t find you. I know that you were in the loft. Jacques likes to take women in there to seduce them. He and Monique had a brief fling. He’s not a good lover. So I hope you won’t waste your time with him.”
“I went out the back door. I was looking for Dillon, but he wasn’t there. I’m going to a show tonight with Dillon and his friend, so I won’t be able to see you.”
“I’m busy tonight as well. I promised Monique that I would take her to an art show and then to dinner.”
“I thought that you weren’t seeing her anymore,” said Lulu.
“We’re still friends. I don’t see her often. Anyway, I always remain friends. I’m not a spiteful person. I still care for you. I don’t know why you want to play games. Maybe that’s the American way.”
“What do you want, Raphael?”
“I want to see you before you leave for the States. Unless you really don’t want to see me anymore, my angel.”
“I thought that I was your last fling.”
“You are my last fling. I don’t intend on sleeping with Monique.”
“I can see you tomorrow,” said Lulu.
“What do you want to do?”
“Let’s meet in the afternoon and walk through some gardens and go to the Louvre. They have a good exhibit there now,” said Lulu.
“OK, my love. I’ll meet you at your apartment around 3:00 p.m. Ciao.”
Lulu decided to finish a novel that she had started before getting ready to go out with J. P. and Dillon.
J. P. came at 7:15 p.m. The three of them took the
subway to the theatre to watch the cancan show.
“You look very sharp in your long pants, Dillon,” said J. P.
“Thanks. It’s been a long time since I’ve worn slacks. There’s no need in Hawaii.”
Lulu thought that J. P. was a really handsome guy. He wasn’t flashy like Raphael. He had a classier look. “Did you have an affair with Monique?” asked Lulu.
J. P. looked surprised. “No, she’s not my type in that way.”
“Why do you think that?” asked Dillon.
“Raphael told me that he did.”
“Maybe Monique was trying to make him jealous,” said J. P.
Lulu looked at J. P. and felt that he was telling her the truth. “She must have told Raphael about your loft,” said Lulu.
“Monique came with her girlfriend a few times to my bookstore, and we drank wine upstairs. I was interested in Monique’s girlfriend, Carole. But Carole had a boyfriend. But nothing ever transpired between me and Monique. Let’s look for our seats.”
The show was very entertaining, and Lulu laughed a lot. The cancan dancers were gorgeous and funny. “Thanks so much for taking us here tonight. I really liked the show,” said Lulu.
“Yeah, I did too,” said Dillon.
“What are you doing tomorrow, Lulu?” asked J. P.
“I’m going to see Raphael tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to say goodbye. He took Monique out tonight to an art show. He says that they’re just friends.”
“Do you really believe that?” asked J. P.
“Yes, why shouldn’t I?” Dillon looked at J. P., and they were both grinning.
“Why don’t you go over to the hotel earlier tomorrow and surprise Raphael,” said J. P.
“Why would I do that?” asked Lulu.
“You’re a smart woman—think about it,” said J. P.
The next morning Lulu had her breakfast early, and then she decided that she was going to walk over to Raphael’s hotel around 11:00 a.m. Dillon was out visiting another museum. Lulu wondered if Raphael was going to be there or if he was at Tiffany’s. She decided to go to his hotel and take the chance. She asked the hotel clerk if he could call up to Raphael’s room.
“He isn’t in,” the clerk told her. “Do you want to leave a message?” he asked her.
The Odd Couple in Paris Page 10