“Max, the airport must have lost one of my bags! That’s the only explanation! There’s no way that I would have forgotten to pack underwear.” I shook my head and put my hands on my hips. “How am I supposed to meet Cateline with no underpants?”
“Well, we could try to see if any stores are open—”
“I already have!” I pointed to my open laptop. “There’s nothing open this early nearby.”
“You don’t have to wear underpants.” He stepped into the room and closed the door. He set the brown paper bag down on the table beside the bed.
“Max, there is no way I can go to what’s probably the most important meeting of my life without any underwear on.”
“I go without underwear all the time.” He shrugged.
“Women are different, Max! Wait, when do you go without underwear?”
Max frowned. “You know—now and then.”
“Like when? At the movies? Were you going commando when we went to the park the other day?”
“Sammy.”
“You’re right, that’s not important now. What is important is that I have nothing to cover my rear end with and I have to be at this meeting in less than an hour. Max, what am I going to do?”
He walked over to me and hugged me. “First, you have to calm down.”
“Calm down?” I stared at him. “Did you not just hear me? This is a disaster!”
“Hold on a second. I have a very special gift for you.”
“Max, not now.” I shook my head. I was on the edge of a meltdown that I really didn’t want Max to witness.
“I think you’re going to like this. It’s something I’ve never given to any other woman, and to be honest, something I never thought I would.”
Despite the way my heart raced, his words made me curious. I looked over at him.
“What is it?”
“You have to close your eyes.”
“Max! I don’t have time for games.”
“Sammy!” He pointed a finger at me. “If you want to know what it is, you have to close your eyes.”
I stared at him with disbelief. I could see the crease in his forehead and the squint of the curve of his eyes. He was enjoying this.
“Fine.” I closed my eyes.
“Now, Sammy, I’m giving you this because I love you, and over time we will learn to share all things.” He placed something soft in my hands.
I opened my eyes to see a freshly folded pair of his underwear in my hands.
“What?” I met his eyes.
“You said you needed underwear.” He smiled.
“But these are yours.”
“Don’t look so disgusted.” He laughed. “They’re brand new. I bought them for the trip.”
“No, it isn’t that. I’m sorry Max, of course I’d wear your underwear, any underwear—even old sweaty underwear.” I winced. “Okay, maybe not sweaty.”
Max tightened his lips to hold back laughter.
“It’s not funny, Max! I can’t wear men’s underwear!”
“Why not?” Max’s eyes widened. “It’s not like Superman. If you put on the underwear I promise you won’t magically turn into a man, or a superhero.”
The image of me ducking into a phone booth to change into his underwear and emerging moments later as a bearded man did force a giggle from my throat.
“Okay, okay. You’re right. But do you think they’ll fit?” I stretched the waistband.
“They’ll be fine.” He kissed my cheek. “And thinking of you wearing them all day is kind of hot actually.” He cleared his throat. “Maybe we should do this more often.”
“Max, I’ll do just about anything for you, but cross-dressing isn’t one of them.”
“What is? Maybe skinny-dipping? I hear the French like to go topless at the beach—”
“Max! I can’t even think about that right now.” I sighed.
“Okay, I know you’re stressed.” He hugged me again. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll set us up with breakfast on the balcony, okay? I got chocolate crepes!”
“Chocolate for breakfast? Max.”
“You promised on the plane, remember? We’ll be doing a lot of walking later. Trust me. You can handle a chocolate crepe.”
I pouted but I didn’t argue. I was more concerned about what I would wear to the meeting.
Chapter 8
As I sorted through my clothing options, all of my old insecurities rose to the surface.
The mirror was beautiful. I was sure it was antique, with a gold frame and an intricate design. But my reflection was another story. I tried a few things on but nothing looked nice. Most were either too tight or too baggy. I couldn’t find that perfect balance.
Max poked his head in from the balcony just as I tugged on another dress that I could already tell was snug.
“You’re not dressed yet?”
I smoothed the taut material over my hips and blinked back tears. I pulled the dress off and tossed it on the floor.
“Sammy, what was wrong with that? You look amazing in it. It’s one of my favorites. The color brings out your eyes.” Max walked over to me.
I stood in front of the mirror in nothing but my bra and Max’s underwear.
“It’s too tight.”
“It is not. It shows off your figure perfectly.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to look ridiculous.”
“Sammy, don’t you see how beautiful you are?” Max stared at my reflection in the ornate mirror. He reached out and brushed his hands along my shoulders and down my arms. “Every day I’m grateful that you agreed to marry me. I can’t wait to open my eyes in the morning, just to see your face. That is not something that is ever going to change, no matter where we are or what happens in life. I just hope that you’re able to see your own beauty as clearly as I do.” He leaned close and kissed the side of my neck. “You own the world, Sammy, remember? You’ve created an entire career for yourself, and you’re about to turn a success into a wild success. It’s time you gave yourself credit for that.”
“Oh, Max, I just got lucky.” I tilted my neck toward his kiss. “I got lucky because I found an amazing man like you, and I got lucky because the right person read my book.”
“No, Sammy. You worked hard to get to a point where you felt confident enough to try a relationship with me. You worked even harder to build your talent and confidence as a writer. You created this success. It wasn’t luck. We’re here together, with nothing to keep us apart, because you did this.” He wrapped his arms around me and smiled. “Now go to that meeting and blow Cateline out of the water with your charming, funny, talented nature.”
“Are you sure you shouldn’t come with me?” I turned in his arms and looked into his eyes.
“I could I suppose, but you don’t need me to.” He winked at me. “You’ve got this, babe. You’ve just got to remember to believe in yourself.”
“Thanks, Max.” As my lips met his, my entire body began to calm. My heart rate slowed, the heat in my cheeks faded to a subtle throb, and the twist in my stomach eased. By the time we broke the kiss, I felt grounded again.
“Get dressed and come eat.” He met my eyes. “I don’t want to have my first breakfast in Paris alone.”
“Alright, I will.” I smiled.
After Max left the room I picked up my favorite dress. I pulled it on and tugged it down over my hips. I didn’t worry about what was rounder than it should have been, or what was flatter than I’d like. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and smiled at it.
“And thank you too, Sammy—for being brave enough to try.”
After a quick comb and style of my hair and just a touch of make-up I headed out on to the balcony to join Max. The crepes looked amazing and tasted even better. I tried to eat around the chocolate but Max scooped up the gooey piece on his fork and held it in front of my lips.
“Trust me, you’re going to need your strength.”
“Oh?” I took the bite and savored the taste. �
�What do you have in mind?”
“I’ll meet you after the meeting and we’ll go exploring. Okay?”
“Sounds good. I can’t wait.” I kissed his cheek.
I checked my make-up and hair very fast in the mirror and then raced out the door to my meeting.
It wasn’t until I was several steps down the sidewalk that I realized wearing Max’s underwear came with a real problem. A creeping up and getting stuck problem. I wiggled my bottom a few times in an attempt to set the bunch free, but that only made things worse. I lifted one foot high and then the other. That resulted in Max’s underwear turning into a thong.
There were many people on the street. I couldn’t discreetly tug or loosen.
In a last-ditch effort to free the underwear, I dropped my purse on the ground. Then I went into a full squat to pick it up. Finally the material slid back into its proper place, but the relief was accompanied by quite a few whistles and even a small amount of applause.
I looked over my shoulder to see that all of my wiggles and movements had slid my dress up along my hips to the point that when I squatted, my rear end was in full view of every person behind me on the street. I tugged it down fast and clenched my cheeks so tight that the underwear slid right back into the place it did not belong.
I hurried the rest of the way to the bookstore with my cheeks still clenched. I decided I’d rather have underwear tucked in the wrong places than my dress up around my hips.
Chapter 9
The bookstore was a bit smaller than I’d expected. It had two tall windows on either side of the door. The windows were filled with a variety of books on display. I noticed that there were several copies of my book included in the display.
A little thrill traveled up my spine at the thought of my book being promoted in a foreign country.
I tugged open the door and stepped inside. With a quick sweep I ran my hand over the curve of my bottom and tried to hide the out-of-place underwear.
The inside of the store was much roomier, with lots of comfortable places to curl up with a book.
I looked around and didn’t see any sign of Cateline. I checked my phone to make sure that she hadn’t called to change the meeting time. At that moment I received a text.
I’ll be right there.
I texted back.
I’m here, but no rush.
I looked around the store one more time. It didn’t seem like anyone else was there. It struck me as odd that she would leave the door unlocked and the store unattended, but I assumed things might be a bit different in France.
I took advantage of my alone time and tried to force Max’s underpants back into the right place. I had just dug them out, when a door to the back room swung open. A petite slender woman walked toward me with a smile so big that it seemed to consume her entire face.
“Hello! Samantha! It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
I smiled in return and was careful to offer the hand that I hadn’t been using to fish for underwear with. “It’s wonderful to meet you as well, Cateline.”
I did my best to hide the surprise in my voice. I’d been expecting a woman with some girth, or at least someone who wouldn’t be able to fit into a size zero, but this woman was one hundred pounds at best. She was shorter than me, and her features were small as well. She was what I would describe in one of my books as delicate.
“I’m sorry for the delay. I saw you come in on the security camera but I was just finishing up inventory.”
Her words made my eyes widen. Camera? Had my underwear rescue been broadcasted to her in the back room? If it had, she didn’t mention it.
“So how are you enjoying Paris so far?”
“To be honest, I haven’t seen much of it.” At least, not as much as Paris had seen of me, I thought. “But I can’t wait to see all of the sights.”
“You’re going to love it. I tried to space your schedule so that you would have plenty of time for sightseeing. Also, I’d like to provide you with some transportation while you are here.”
“Oh, that’s too much, we can take care of that.”
“Nonsense, I can’t have my star writer getting lost or abducted by roaming bandits.”
“No, that wouldn’t be good.” I laughed. I decided that I liked Cateline and her good sense of humor.
“Here is your schedule so we can get that out of the way. I also listed a few places you might like to see and some restaurants with a delicious menu.” She quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “I see that you already tried some chocolate crepes. They’re the best, aren’t they?”
“How did you know?” I looked from her to the neckline of my dress. Splattered across the top of my breasts were a few drops of chocolate. “Oh no!” My cheeks grew hot.
“Oh, please don’t worry.” Cateline handed me a tissue from a box on the counter. “You’re not the only one that gets chocolate on them, trust me.”
I accepted the tissue and wiped at the chocolate. “I’m so sorry, you must think that I’m horrible.”
“Horrible?” Cateline tilted her head to the side. “Why?”
“I mean, I shouldn’t be eating things like that.”
“If you fly all the way to France and don’t try the amazing cuisine, then I think you’re horrible.” She grinned. “Please, sit with me for a moment. I’d love to chat—to get to know you a little better.”
I nodded and tossed the napkin into the trash can. I still had chocolate smeared across my skin but I did my best not to focus on it.
“Sure, that’d be great. Fire away. I’m happy to answer any questions.” I gulped and tried to calm my nerves, which seemed to be flaring up again all of the sudden.
“Your words have such a powerful influence. Why do you think that is?” Cateline sat down across from where I’d seated myself on a fluffy green couch.
“I don’t know if I could say that they’re powerful.”
“Ah, modesty. But you must know how influential your books have been, otherwise your sales wouldn’t be so high—and you wouldn’t be here.”
“I guess I know in a way. I’m just not sure why they’re so powerful. I’m honest and the words just come to me. In a lot of ways, I write what I need to hear myself.”
“Raw and wise—I love it. I find that your message really speaks to me, because honestly, I’m always second-guessing how I look. It’s sad to think that appearance has become so tied to self-worth.”
Chapter 10
I was stunned that a woman like Cateline would even question her looks. I didn’t see a single flaw. “That’s true. I just feel that women all over the world are put under this undue pressure to meet a certain standard, and honestly, I don’t even know what purpose it serves.”
“Neither do I! When I put my make-up on in the morning, sometimes I stop and ask myself, who am I wearing this for? Now and then, the answer is for me, because I see nothing wrong with accentuating one’s looks. But most of the time it’s to look acceptable to my customers or people I meet throughout the day.”
“I think many women feel that way—as if they have to look a certain way in order to even be accepted by society,” I said.
“I hope that your book’s message can change that.”
“To be honest, Cateline—if they help one woman look into the mirror and feel proud, then I’ll be happy.”
“But of course it’s not just about physical beauty. It’s about the journey and challenging yourself again and again so that you can get to the core of who you are and what you want. Isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes.” I nodded. “My life has changed so much in just a short span of time, all because I traded fear for growth. I try to face whatever hardship I encounter with an ounce of curiosity. Why is this happening? Where will it lead me?” I thought about the clothes scattered all over the room that morning. “Of course, sometimes I still slip into old habits.”
“Don’t we all?” Cateline laughed and shook her head.
“Can I ask you a question, Cateline?”
“Sure.”
“What made you pick up my book and read it?”
“I’d heard about it from a friend of mine. She told me that there was a book I just had to read and that she felt all women should read. So of course I had to try it, and once I did, I was blown away. That’s when I knew you’d be perfect for this tour. You’ll start with my bookstore and move on throughout France to other stores. They’re all owned by women who want to support female writers who have an inspiring or influential message. I’d say that you fit that bill perfectly. Wouldn’t you?”
I smiled. “I like to think so. I’m just so happy to be here.”
“I’m happy to have you Samantha. But I don’t want to stop you from getting a little sightseeing done. So why don’t you take the rest of the day and share it with your husband? If you’d like, we could all meet for dinner tonight—with the friend that I told you about.”
“I’d love that, thank you.”
“Great, I’ll call you with a time and place. Oh, and don’t forget this.” She handed me a business card. “This is Jean-Paul. He’s a friend of mine that runs a car service. Anywhere you are in Paris—if you’d like a ride, just call him and one of his drivers will pick you up. Alright?”
“Thank you so much.” I took the card and then stood up.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Samantha.”
“And you as well.”
I walked out of the bookstore with Max’s underwear in the wrong place yet again and the business card tucked into my purse. I found Max waiting outside.
“I thought you might be done by now.” He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the chocolate smeared across my chest. “What were you two doing in there?”
“Ha, ha. You could have told me I dripped chocolate on my chest!”
“Maybe I was saving it for a snack later.” He winked.
“Oh, gross, Max.” I swatted his shoulder.
“I’m kidding. I honestly didn’t notice. How did it go?”
“It went great. We have our own car service we can call if we need it and Cateline wants us to meet for dinner tonight. I hope that doesn’t throw a wrench into any of your plans.”
Sammy in France (Single Wide Female Travels #1) Page 3