The Paris Game

by Alyssa Linn Palmer

  “That’s none of your business,” Sera said finally.

  Marc came around the counter and grabbed her arm, glaring down at her.

  “You’re not frightened of a man for no reason. I saw your reaction to him—we could have all ended up dead tonight.” He was angrier now that he had been during the fight. “As it is, I’m sure Sophie’s in shock. That’s the last thing a quiet young woman needs.”

  Sera shoved him away and he winced as she caught his bruised ribs. “Your concern is touching, Marc. You’re just furious that this kept you from winning our wager. You don’t really care about what’s happened except for how it affects your little seduction.”

  “Did you set this up once you saw me come in with Sophie?” he asked abruptly, knowing his accusation was false, but hopefully provocative enough to force her to the truth. “You already had Colette tell her tales, but that wasn’t enough.”

  “How dare you!” Sera turned away from him and fumbled in her bag.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling a cab. How dare you think that I’d do anything like that?” She found her phone and started dialing, but Marc reached around her and forced it off.

  “If you didn’t, then tell me what is really going on,” he challenged.

  “No.”

  “No, you won’t tell me, or no, you don’t know?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know him?”

  “I don’t.”

  She gave a strangled laugh. “You can’t tell me you don’t know him at all.”

  “I’ve seen him around,” Marc retorted. “But you seem to know him much better than I do. And you still haven’t told me why he thinks you’re a whore. Why is that, Seraphina?”

  “How would I know?”

  “Most men don’t think that by default.”

  “Don’t they?”

  “Did you fuck him?” he asked bluntly. He saw her shudder.

  “I’m not that desperate.” She started dialing again and this time he didn’t stop her. He knew she was lying, but it wouldn’t be to save his feelings. Maybe her own. Did she think Jeremy would leave her alone now?

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?” she asked as she put the phone to her ear.

  “Does he know where you live? He could be waiting for you when you get home. Aren’t you concerned?” Sera put her hand over the receiver and glared at him. He wanted to shake her.

  “He’s probably still lying in the street where you left him,” she replied. She gave Marc’s address to the dispatcher, then ended the call. “Or he’s crawling away to wherever he came from.”

  “You’re taking a risk.”

  “I’ll stay with Colette, if you’re so concerned.”

  Marc removed the towel and inspected his wound. It had stopped bleeding. He tossed the towel on top of his bloody clothes. “I’m sure Colette will scare him away if he comes calling.”

  “It’s better than being alone, or here,” Sera retorted. “And if I hear from Sophie that you took advantage of her, I’ll hurt you worse than he did.”

  “What do you take me for? A psychopath?” He wasn’t anything like Jeremy Gordon. “Give my regards to Colette, and tell her to mind her own business.”

  Sera turned on her heel and left without another word. He heard the door slam as he bent to pick up his jacket from the floor. He took out his cigarette case and leaned against the counter. She had to have been sleeping with Jeremy Gordon, he thought as he lit a cigarette. Nothing else made any sense, but she wouldn’t admit to it.

  He walked into the living room, stopping to glance in at Sophie. She was curled up in a ball on his bed, the covers tucked tightly under her chin. Her dress lay at the foot of the bed. That Sera could think he would take advantage of Sophie in such a state! He tried to keep his anger under control, stubbing out his cigarette in an ashtray on the table. He glanced out the window, but the street was quiet. He paced back to the kitchen and lit another cigarette. The whole situation was a mess. And he hadn’t even found out if Jeremy had completed the hit. What was he going to do now?

  Chapter 14

  “Marc slept on the sofa?” Sera could hardly believe it. Sophie shifted on the worn green bench.

  “I don’t know why he did,” she replied. “He looked exhausted when I left. I would have given up the bed for him if he’d only asked.”

  “Was he feeling better?” He’d surprised her. She’d thought he would have milked his injuries for all they were worth and convinced Sophie that they could share the bed.

  Sophie glanced down at her hands. “I didn’t wake him. I just left.”

  At that moment Sera was glad Sophie had called her and asked to meet for a coffee. They’d found a little café near the Tuileries and taken their drinks and pastries with them into the gardens. She’d chosen a bench far from the street and isolated. She tried to look sympathetic, but she was incredibly curious.

  “You left? But I thought you liked him.”

  “I do.”

  When Sera let a doubtful expression flit across her face, Sophie flushed.

  “I do. It’s just—I thought he was going to kill that man.” She gave a compulsive shudder and Sera saw goose bumps rise on her arms, even though it was comfortably warm and they were sitting in a sunny spot.

  “But he didn’t,” Sera reasoned. She could only hope that last night put Sophie off Marc for good. She wanted to see his face when she collected on their wager.

  “He could have,” Sophie objected. “He was a totally different person. I realized I didn’t know him at all.”

  “You’ve only seen the sides he wanted to show you.”

  Sophie picked up her coffee and took a long drink. “I can’t even close my eyes without seeing last night. All that blood.” She picked at the hem of her shirt. “And when I put my clothes on this morning there was blood on my dress. I couldn’t get it out.”

  Sera nibbled at her pastry, now dry and tasteless in her mouth. “Have you never seen men fight before?”

  “Should I have?”

  “You’ve never seen men at a bar, fighting over a woman?” Sera realized Sophie was more innocent than she’d imagined.

  “I never went to those sorts of bars.”

  “When I first met Marc, he often would get into fights over women,” Sera told her, keeping a straight face even as she exaggerated a couple of incidents into a rash of violence. “He had a reputation, but the girls went after him even more because of it.” She shrugged. Colette would be impressed with her acting skills. “It scares me too, Sophie.”

  “I just can’t imagine that I let him touch me, and then to see him knock that other man unconscious.” Sophie looked almost green. “I know he was protecting us, but that was awful.”

  Sera reached out to pat her hand. “I think I know what you need, even though you’re supposed to be working.”

  “I doubt I could concentrate,” Sophie confessed.

  Sera pulled out her phone. “I know someone that will take your mind off everything.” She dialed, watching Sophie puzzle it out.

  “Bonjour, Edouard.” Sera saw Sophie’s head lift. “Are you up to anything this afternoon?”

  “Not at all, until work later,” Edouard replied cheerily. “What’s up?”

  “I’m just sitting here with Sophie and she was telling me how much she has missed seeing you in the past few days.”

  “Really?” Edouard sounded hopeful.

  “Do you want to meet us at—” She looked at Sophie, who mouthed “Shakespeare and Company” at her. “—Shakespeare and Company? We’re feeling very bookish today.” She was glad to see Sophie smile at that.

  “Of course. Can you give me an hour?”

  “We’re at the Tuileries, so you have that hour,” she told Edouard. “We’ll see you there.” She clicked her phone shut and glanced at Sophie.

  “How was that?” she asked.

  “Perfect. Two of my favourite things.�
��

  They rose and walked towards the Seine, leaving the quiet of the garden behind.

  “I don’t want to be nosy,” Sera told Sophie as they turned onto the Voie Georges Pompidou, crossing to walk under the trees. “But Edouard really likes you, and he’s like my younger brother. Do you think it’d become more serious with him? And you’d give up Marc for good?”

  “I like him a lot too, but until recently I didn’t know if I was going to stay in Paris. I didn’t want to disappoint him,” Sophie admitted. “And I don’t like Marc that way. He’s intimidating.”

  “You’ll take the internship?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Where will you work if you don’t? Even if you are wary of Marc, it’s still a great opportunity.” For an art student, the kind of entree into the auction world that Perron and fils offered was indispensable. Even though she wanted Marc to lose their wager, she wasn’t going to ruin all of Sophie’s dreams.

  “I don’t have to decide today,” Sophie replied. “I’ll be here for another couple of weeks.” She blinked rapidly, and Sera tactfully looked away.

  They crossed the Pont des Arts over the Seine to the Left Bank. Sera pulled up short as a familiar figure, a tall, blonde man, stepped out of a taxi nearby. His back was to them, but she was sure it was Jeremy. When the man turned, she glimpsed his face. It wasn’t him. She let out a breath.

  “Are you okay?” Sophie was looking at her with some concern.

  “Fine.”

  “We can take it slow from here,” Sophie told her. “We’ll be at the bookshop way before Edouard.”

  “He might have said an hour, but from the sound of it, he was very eager to meet us. I’m sure he’ll be early.”

  “Maybe he just likes books,” Sophie teased. They crossed the boulevard St. Michel, making their way towards the bookshop. She envied Sophie her easy relationship with Edouard.

  “I think he’d scale the Tour Eiffel if you asked him, Sophie.”

  “I wouldn’t demand that.” Sophie giggled. “But he was so sweet to come with me to every museum I could think of.”

  “He’s a keeper, Sophie.”

  Sure enough, as they turned onto the rue de la Bûcherie, they could see Edouard coming along from the opposite direction.

  “See, what did I tell you.” Sera gave Sophie a nudge. “I’ll just be on my way—I wouldn’t want to impose upon the two of you.”

  “You have to stay.” Sophie tugged at her hand. “I know Edouard wouldn’t mind.”

  “For a little while. You’ll want your privacy soon enough.” Sera felt the vibration of her phone in her purse a second before her ringtone chimed. “Go on ahead,” she told Sophie. “I’ll be right there.”

  She hardly needed to glance at the display to know who was calling.

  “Hello, Marc,” she said calmly as she watched Sophie greet Edouard with a long hug.

  “Hello, Sera. You made it home safely I see.”

  “Perfectly fine. But I didn’t care to wake Colette just to give her your regards.” She let a bit of sarcasm slip into her voice. “Did you sleep well?”

  “I’ve had better,” he replied tersely. “Have you seen Sophie today?”

  “I thought she was with you.” Sera smiled to herself. She wanted to hear him admit to losing track of his goal.

  “She left before I woke.”

  “When you were all alone on the cold sofa?” She heard him let out a breath.

  “You have seen her.”

  “I’m seeing her right now,” Sera told him. She watched Sophie and Edouard talking very animatedly to each other. “But I’m afraid she’s rather busy at the moment.” She grinned in delight. He’d have a hard time making up for last night.

  “If you could pass her the phone, I’d appreciate it, Sera.”

  “If you insist. She’s quite well, so you really don’t need to check up on her.” Sera reached the pair and tapped Sophie on the arm, handing her the phone. “He wants to speak to you.”

  Sophie looked confused. “Who?”

  “Marc.”

  Sophie took the phone gingerly and stepped aside. Edouard shot Sera a questioning look.

  “Why would he want to talk to her?” he asked.

  “He offered her an internship at the firm,” Sera replied.

  “Oh.”

  They paused in their conversation as Sophie spoke.

  “I don’t know, Marc. Things have changed.” She paused to listen. “No, I’m busy right now. And later.” She shifted on her feet. “I’ll have to think about it.” Another pause. “Goodbye.” She handed the phone back to Sera, who put it to her ear.

  “So?” she asked Marc. “What do you think?” She watched Sophie and Edouard head into the bookshop as she settled on the bench in front of the store.

  “She’ll come around,” he answered confidently.

  “I doubt it. She’s scared of you.”

  “What?” Marc sounded as if he couldn’t believe it.

  “She didn’t like your dark side, mon coeur. You’ve lost.”

  “It’s not over yet.”

  “Isn’t it? What she didn’t tell you is that she’s spending the day with Edouard. Unlike you, he’s safe, and exactly what a quiet young woman needs.”

  “Our wager isn’t over yet. Three weeks, remember?”

  “How many days now? You’re running out of time.”

  “There’s still plenty of time, ma chère. And you’ll lose.”

  “From where I’m standing, it’s not looking likely.” He wouldn’t give up. She knew she needed to have a talk with Edouard about moving things forward with Sophie. They both trusted her and it was in their best interests.

  “You’d be surprised, ma chère. À bientôt.” He rang off. She tucked her phone back in her purse. Sophie and Edouard needed time alone, and she should make her farewells. She’d see Edouard at work later and they’d have a little chat.

  Work. Her hand tightened on her purse strap. What if Jeremy were there? She tried to ignore the queasiness, taking a deep breath as she hurried into the shop. She’d need Edouard to lie to Jean; he couldn’t let slip that he’d seen her just several hours earlier.

  She discovered Sophie and Edouard in the midst of a conversation about Rodin. Edouard was holding a large illustrated coffee-table book and it had been opened to a photo of the Gates of Hell bronze, a dramatic and gigantic sculpture that Sera had seen several times.

  “I still think that Paolo and Francesca are the most important,” Sophie told Edouard. “Don’t you agree, Sera?” she asked as Sera joined them.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know enough to make a judgment.” She couldn’t stay still; the cosy little room they were in began to feel close and Sera stepped back.

  “You’re leaving?” Sophie looked disappointed.

  “I’m not feeling well.” She glanced at Edouard. “I might not be in tonight.” Edouard’s hand came down on her shoulder.

  “You have to be there.”

  “I’m not allowed a sick day?”

  “Jean said Royale was going to dock your wages if you were sick again. He wasn’t happy when you didn’t show up on Sunday.”

  Sera swallowed against the bile rising in her throat. She couldn’t afford the loss, not with another payment to Royale due in two days. Her money from Jeremy had been spent and there was no way he’d give her the rest now.

  “Are you okay? You’re looking pale.” Sophie touched her arm, her hand resting over the finger-marks that would have been visible if Sera hadn’t been wearing her jacket.

  “I’ll go home and rest,” she decided. “Don’t worry, Sophie, I’ll be fine.”

  “Do you want me to come by and pick you up so you don’t oversleep?” Edouard offered.

  “You don’t have to.”

  “It’s on my way from Sophie’s to the club,” he replied. “It’s hardly an imposition.”

  “Thank you, Edouard.” Sera leaned forward and gave Sophie a kiss. “Good luck with
your writing.”

  “Maybe tomorrow; I can’t concentrate today. Feel better, Sera.”

  “I’ll be by around five,” Edouard remarked.

  “À bientôt.”

  “Sophie was quieter than usual after you left,” Edouard remarked as he set up the bar for the evening. “She wouldn’t say what was wrong. Did I do something that I didn’t mean to, Sera?”

  Sera came around the bar so she wouldn’t be overheard. “I know she loves you,” she told him and immediately he looked relieved. When she didn’t continue, relief was replaced by apprehension.

  “But what?”

  Sera considered how much to tell him. “Do you remember that man I was with earlier this week?”

  “Of course.” He stopped taking glasses from the dishwasher and leaned on the counter next to her. “What happened?”

  She gave him the details, but skipped over her suspicions that Marc and Jeremy were already well-acquainted.

  “Was Sophie hurt?”

  “No, not directly. But Jeremy was waiting for me when we left.” She shuddered. She didn’t want to relive those moments. “Jeremy made a grab for me, but Marc stopped him. It got out of hand.”

  “This sounds worse than just a fistfight,” Edouard observed.

  “Jeremy had a knife.”

  Edouard’s eyes widened. “Did he use it?”

  “He did, but Marc got away with a very small wound. We were lucky.”

  “Sophie saw everything? No wonder she wasn’t herself.”

  “I wish she hadn’t been there.” Sera laid a hand on his arm. She couldn’t tell him everything…it wouldn’t be fair, to him, or even to Marc. Their wagers were their secret. “Could you take a couple of days off to spend with Sophie? Marc’s been pursuing her, but a man like him is no good for her. She should be with you.”

  “I don’t know if I can, but I’ll spend all my time with her if she’ll let me. But I’d thought she and Marc were friends, not lovers.”

  “Marc doesn’t want friendship, but Sophie doesn’t want it going further. You know him—he’ll just use her and drop her like he does all the women he sees.”

  “I’ll call her on my break,” Edouard pledged. Sera could easily picture him as a knight in shining armour.