The Frenchman's Bride

by Imani King

  The store manager unlocked the front door and the line of people rushed in. My fans snatched up copies of my books and waited patiently for me to sign them. Naturally, I felt obliged to pose with them for their silly photos as well. My lovely French Chocolate accomplices kept perfect pace, doling out their delicious desserts, but only to the paying Blaize Simon fans.

  I had to admit, the line contained an inordinate number of beautiful women. And at any other time in my life I would have thoroughly enjoyed having them fawn all over me. I would have certainly chosen a couple of them to fuck in the back room on my lunch break. But today was different. Today I found them to be an inconvenient annoyance, especially when they blocked my view of Ms. Chelsea Dixon. They weren’t exactly a challenge for me, either. Women worldwide adored me… The real challenge was getting that hot little vixen across the room to feel the same way.

  Chelsea caught me staring at her on several occasions while she worked the crowd. She was so damn hypnotic with her big Bambi eyes, and thick black lashes. One of the times, I caught her staring back… Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I signaled to Rolande that I needed him to come over so I could relieve myself.

  “Rolande, please announce my brief break to the fans. I can’t stay away from that delicious woman over there any longer.”

  “Will do boss man. Go get her!”

  * * *

  I headed toward the bathroom, but detoured over to the French Chocolate dessert table. I walked up behind Chelsea, and gently placed my hand on the sexy small of her back. She quivered slightly as I leaned in closely and inhaled the sweet vanilla scent of her hair before whispering in her ear: “Your sweet talents are driving me wild……..I just stopped by for a bite.” Then I snatched a dark chocolate praline from the candy tray and popped it into my mouth.

  Tiffany suddenly shot me a wide-eyed “What are you doing?” look. I closed my eyes and savored the milky richness of the chocolate for a few seconds, giving them both a “two thumbs up” gesture. Then I mischievously trotted away before either of them could reprimand me.

  A handful of minutes later I was seated back at my table again, greeting my steady flow of fans as they filtered in.

  “Thanks Rolande. Although, I’m not sure that helped. All it did was whet my appetite for a much needed feast.”

  The final half hour passed excruciatingly slowly. All I could think of was planning my next move on Chelsea. Sure, having her at the book signings was great, but I needed another avenue for spending more frequent intimate time with her. It wasn’t long before a scathingly brilliant idea popped into my head. It was the perfect plan…….

  10

  Chelsea

  Once the remaining customers left the bookstore, Tiffany and I darted to the back room to sit down. Two hours of nonstop standing had taken a toll on us. We both plopped down on the small couch and let out a big, “Aaaaahhhhhhh, that feels so good!”

  “That was really fun, wasn’t it Chels? I enjoyed every minute of that. And the fans loved our French Chocolate. This is really gonna boost our business!”

  “Yeah, I enjoyed it too! Except for my poor aching feet! What were we thinking? Six-inch stiletto heels? That was cruel and unusual punishment on these unhappy tootsies!”

  “Our feet have become too accustomed to our comfortable Aerosole work loafers! They may be ugly-ass shoes but at least they’re not medieval torture devices! I swear I might need a shoehorn just to pry these off!”

  We yanked off our pointy-toed pumps and let out another long sigh of relief. Then we burst into giggles.

  As if drawn like a moth to the flame, Blaize made his way into the room. “What’s all the joviality about in here? Did I hear someone complaining about sore feet?”

  “Have you ever tried parading around in women’s high-heels for a couple of hours?” Tiffany asked Blaize.

  “Of course I have! Didn’t you see the January issue of People magazine? What a party that was! It was quite a blow-out! Just wish I could remember it!”

  I wondered what it would be like to live that sort of crazy partying lifestyle. I never had a chance to experience anything like that. It seemed as though I had always been seriously working and focusing on my dream. There really hadn’t been time to play. Not even in Paris. But it was okay; it was all behind me. My hard work was paying off now.

  “Tiffany, before I forget, Rolande said he wanted to talk you about something, when you have a moment.”

  “Uh oh. What is it? Did I do something wrong?”

  “No. No, definitely not. You were perfect today. Thank you for your hard work. My fans are now your fans.”

  “I better go see what he wants. I’m not puttin’ these nasty things back on my feet though. I’ll just carry them, for now.”

  Tiffany scurried out, leaving me alone with Blaize in the back room. I had a suspicion he planned it that way, and it made me nervous.

  He took Tiffany’s place on the sofa, and lifted my legs and feet into his lap. I let out a brief yelp of protest, but he gently cupped my right foot in his hands and proceeded to give me the most erotic foot massage I’d ever had in my life. His hands were magical and his fingers hit all the right pressure points.

  “That feels fantastic Blaize. Just what I needed… Thank you.”

  “No, Chelsea. Thank you. You were perfect today as well. And it is my absolute privilege to rub your lovely feet. Besides, I am really digging on your dark red, vampire toenail polish. It’s a wonderful touch!”

  He pressed deeper into my arch with his thumbs, while staring intensely and hungrily into my eyes. I felt myself go wet between the thighs. Shit! I was loosing control of my defenses with this man!

  “So, I think the book promotion was quite a success. Don’t you, Blaize?”

  I was clearly just making inane small talk but I didn’t know what else to do. Blaize was rubbing my other foot now and seemed to be completely and totally focused on the task.

  “Huh?............yes…… yes, it went very well………..” His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes and started gently working the toes on my left foot between his talented fingers.

  Oh my god! I was already breathless. I needed to put a stop to this! I pulled my foot from his clutches.

  “Blaize! Please! I think I’d better go now.”

  “You’re not afraid of me, are you Chelsea? What’s wrong with a little afternoon foot massage?”

  “I think we both know what’s wrong with it…”

  “Well, alright. I was enjoying providing you with a bit of pleasure. You are a far more delicious treat than anything you’ve served up today…”

  Blaize Simon had an annoying way of leaving me completely dumbfounded. I had never met anybody with that ability before. He was so damn confidently brazen. I found it frustrating, disconcerting, intriguing and super-hot all at the same time. But getting romantically involved with him was simply out of the question. I had too much respect for myself to end up as one of Blaize Simon’s castoffs.

  “Well, I must warn you also Blaize: My restaurant isn’t open to just anyone…”

  I could tell my response caught him off guard as well; he changed the subject.

  “Speaking of which… I have a small favor to ask you. If you don’t want to do it, I will completely understand……..I’ll pay you, though. Handsomely.”

  “What is it Blaize? If this is more sexual innuendo I might just smack you.”

  “No, not at all. Rolande has been searching for a chef to cook our meals while we’re staying on the boat. I know you can’t be our full-time chef, but I was wondering if you’d consider cooking a few dinners for us until we’re able to hire someone on a more permanent basis? I’ll pay you of course; whatever amount you think is fair. You surely have more impressive cooking credentials than anybody we will hire for the position. You could start tonight…”

  I was apprehensive to say the least, but the challenge of doing some real gourmet cooking within the confines of a boat galley was appeali
ng. And the idea of gastronomically impressing two Frenchmen was too hard to resist.

  “Alright. I’ll cook dinner for you and Rolande. How’s 7 sound? I don’t mind buying the ingredients. I know you won’t stiff me.”

  As soon as the last 2 words left my mouth, I knew I had inadvertently set myself up for some sort of inappropriate response from him.

  “Chelsea, you’re really making this too easy for me… I’ll see you at tonight,” he replied, standing back up and adjusting his pants to mask his telegraphed interest.

  I just smiled back… Maybe this was a mistake to play his game, but I was enjoying all the attention Blaize was throwing my way. It felt very… French.

  11

  Blaize

  “Now don’t take this personally Rolande, but you are going to make yourself scarce pretty soon aren’t you?” I was almost finished getting dressed for the evening.

  “I’ll be leaving shortly, don’t worry. I have to say that was another stroke of genius; having Chelsea cook dinner for us. Does she know that I won’t be here?”

  “No. I conveniently left that part out.” Rolande was standing behind me, so I winked at him in the mirror as I finished buttoning my dress shirt.

  “That’s what I figured. It was also brilliant to keep Tiffany occupied tonight, so the two of you could be alone.”

  “What did you tell her, exactly?”

  “I told her to go back to her house and wait; that something big would be coming which would require her signature. She’s going to flip when that new bakery oven arrives. I wish I could see the expression on her face.”

  “My intentions were not completely self-motivated. I sincerely want to make it easier for French Chocolate to succeed. They’re far too talented to have to struggle with some run-down old oven every day. Besides, we ran out of pastries halfway through our last book signing, and I want to be absolutely certain that doesn’t happen again…”

  “Do you know what Chelsea is preparing tonight?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t care. Whatever it is, it’ll undoubtedly be superb. Too bad you’ll miss out on it, old friend.”

  “I’m assuming I need to stay gone all night?”

  “Rolande, have we met? Seriously?”

  “Let’s go up on deck and wait for Chelsea to get here. It might be better if you don’t leave until after she arrives.”

  Rolande poured us each a glass of Scotch over ice and we headed up the stairs with our drinks. We made ourselves comfortable in our deck chairs and waited for our lovely new chef. The summer sun was setting, leaving a wispy pink and gray marine layer on the horizon, as the city lights popped on one by one in the surrounding buildings. The early evening air still felt warm and even a bit humid. Dusk was always the most inspiring and romantic time of the day for me, regardless of where I was. There was just something about it that was conducive to fucking a beautiful woman.

  “I hate to bring this up when you’re hell bent on having a little fun, but have you given any thought at all to your visa agreement?”

  “Yes, I’ve been thinking a lot about that actually. And don’t worry…… I have someone perfect in mind for the job.”

  I glanced down over the boat railing and smiled slyly as Chelsea Dixon came riding up on her bicycle. Rolande laughed and a wide-eyed look came over his face which instantly told me he caught my drift.

  “I’ve got to have her, Rolande……one way or another.”

  12

  Chelsea

  Now what are those two clowns up to? I wondered. Blaize and Rolande were both staring down at me from atop the boat, with ridiculous smirks plastered on their faces. I took a step back and eyed the huge vessel from end to end. I don’t know what I had been thinking! When Blaize said “boat”, I did not picture anything like this. He didn’t even have to give me a slip number… He could have just told me to look for the biggest penis extension at the dock. This was no boat… This was a megayacht.

  I started to lift the bags of groceries out of my bike basket, when Rolande yelled down, “Wait! Let me get those for you Chelsea!”

  I liked Rolande. So far, I hadn’t heard him say anything the least bit questionable. It was reassuring that perhaps not all Frenchmen were sexual deviants. Speaking of which, Blaize helped me on deck and greeted me in his own debonair way:

  “Welcome aboard Chef Dixon! My my, but you’re looking as enticing as always. May I ask, what is on le menu this evening?”

  “Braised turkey in Beaujolais Nouveau with prunes, warm goat cheese salad, and chocolate mousse for dessert. If you will steer me toward the galley, I can get started. With any luck, dinner will be ready in 2 hours.”

  “Shall we escort her to the ‘galley’ Rolande?” They both laughed smugly as they walked me down below to what turned out to be a gigantic gourmet kitchen. Rolande set down the grocery bags and Blaize continued to tease me with his bad boy comments:

  “I’m sure you’ll find everything you need in here. The menu sounds as scrumptious as you look in that stunning little dress. If you have any questions, just give a holler. I’ll be happy to give you a hand…….or both hands. You seemed to really enjoy them earlier, and of course, I could just as easily untie that halter top with my teeth…..”

  What had I gotten myself into? I decided to just ignore his lame attempt at humor.

  “No thank you. I’m here to do a job and I think my hourly wage is going to go up every time you interrupt me. You guys can just go back up on deck and leave me to my work!” I turned my back on them and started unpacking the dinner ingredients.

  “Come on Blaize, let’s leave our obviously capable chef alone so she can do what she does best.”

  “Thanks for getting him out my hair, Rolande. I really appreciate it.” I turned and smiled at him, to make sure he knew I meant it.

  First, I familiarized myself with the impressive kitchen. It was a chef’s dream and lacking in nothing. Satisfied with the selection of cooking implements, I went to work on dinner: Browning the turkey pieces, peeling onions, simmering the prune/wine sauce and chopping cheese.

  About half-way through the meal preparation, Blaize came back down and relayed the disappointing news that Rolande would not be joining us for dinner:

  “I’m afraid he got called to an unexpected meeting with a potential client up in Malibu.”

  I was really sorry to hear that for two reasons: The first one being that I was really wanting to get to know Rolande better. And the second reason was my fear of being alone with Blaize Simon. The risk was too great. He was a gorgeous, charismatic man with an innate ability of getting whatever he wanted. I had a feeling I was his true intended dessert, and the idea wasn’t lost on me when I’d picked out my outfit for tonight…

  Only now I was having second thoughts.

  I decided that I would simply make a polite excuse to leave as soon as I was finished cooking.

  “Rolande asked that I make his apologies. He had really been looking forward to this… Not just the meal itself, but also sitting and chatting with you Chelsea.”

  Before I could respond, my phone chirped and buzzed signaling a text message. It was Tiffany:

  Wait till you see the surprise at home!OMG!!

  Maybe that could be my out… I turned away from Blaize and began whipping egg whites into a frenzy for the mousse. Tiff’s text would be a perfect excuse for leaving early.

  “Here, Chelsea. Have a glass of this excellent Cabernet while you’re cooking. I have to admit your California wines are every bit as good as ours in France. That Beaujolais you bought for the sauce is an excellent choice too.”

  “I might have sampled the Beaujolais when I opened up the bottle. It’s really delicious.”

  “I wouldn’t respect you as a chef if you hadn’t!”

  Blaize poured us each a glass of the Cab and took a seat on one of the kitchen barstools. I preferred that he not watch me cook but I had no choice in the matter. I felt the heat of his stare.

  “Ever
ything smells fantastic! Can I help you with anything? Seriously, I know my way around a kitchen. I simply choose not to cook because I enjoy dining out, especially with all the wonderful restaurants around here. Tell me what you need me to do…..”

  “Well okay, I guess you can stir the chocolate so it doesn’t burn.”

  As I relinquished the wooden spoon over to Blaize, our hands touched and he gazed deeply into my eyes. I quickly turned away hoping to dash over to the fridge for some cream, but he quickly snatched my hand and pulled me back over to him.

  “Chelsea, I just want to sincerely thank you again for cooking dinner. I’ve been looking forward to dining with you all afternoon.” He brought my fingers up to his mouth and kissed them with his sensuous French lips. I felt a rush of warmth run through my entire body and a definite sexual tingle south of the border. I needed to make an escape as soon as possible.

  “You’re going to burn the chocolate,” I said, returning his attention to the pan.

  “I don’t think I’ll be able to stick around for dining. Tiffany says there’s some big surprise at the house. I need to run soon as I finish cooking dinner.”

  Blaize poured a little more wine into both of our glasses.

  “I had no idea witnessing the delivery of a new baker’s oven could be so urgent!”

  “You bought us a new oven? Blaize, Tiff and I are perfectly capable of buying our own appliances without your help.”

  “Chelsea, please don’t make more out of this than it is. I didn’t mean to imply anything by it at all. I’m sorry if it came off as patronizing or presumptuous. It’s obvious that you are both extraordinary business women in your own right. I simply wanted to convey my thanks and offer a gesture of goodwill to the two of you for making our first book signing event an over-the-top success… And I wanted to ensure we wouldn’t be running short on delicious treats at my next signing. A new oven should facilitate that… Please Chelsea, accept the oven as a small bonus. You and Tiffany deserve it… And please, stay and have dinner with me this evening. We have much to discuss…”