"I'm fine," I insisted, "I'll call you tomorrow mom, gotta go. Love ya, bye!"
I hung up before she could ask me any more questions and took a deep breath. For a moment I simply enjoyed the peace of my crappy apartment, the only sounds being my kitten's soft purrs as she rubbed against my knee and the calls of the pigeons on the street below.
I had just started to plan a relaxing pamper day when there was a knock on the door. My stomach dropped. Who could that be? Trisha come to scold me for saying no to a life of married unhappiness? Jeff to beg me to reconsider? My mother to bring me home and make sure that I never lived in a big city again?
It was none of the three. Instead it was Nate.
"Oh hi," I said, surprised to see him so soon. He was dressed more casually than he had been last night, in a nice pair of jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders. He smiled at me.
"Didn't think you'd be seeing me this soon, huh?" he said, pushing his way into the apartment. He politely gave Lucy a hello rub before turning to me.
"One of the chefs at my restaurants loves cats. She has like ten of them. So she said she doesn't mind looking after Lucy for the next few days. I guess once you pass five cats it's kind of a the more the merrier type of situation," he said. I narrowed my eyes, not quite sure what he was talking about.
"Excuse me? Why would Lucy need to be looked after? I'm right here?" I asked. Nate shot me that smirk that I had grown to love and hate in equal measure. He was so fucking irritating sometimes. Nate reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of airplane tickets. My eyes widened.
"Looks like I have the week off and I needed something to do. I figured that you wouldn't say no to a trip to Paris. Chicks really seem to dig Paris for some reason," he said, waving the tickets in my face. My jaw dropped. I had always wanted to see the world, or at least see some of it. I'd been
reading about Paris for years and imagining what it might be like to stroll around by the river, but it had always seemed like a dream. Now Nate was presenting my dream on a platter in front of me and I didn't know what to say.
"Um..uh..." I stuttered, staring at the tickets.
"Come on Ruby. I'm not asking you to marry me! I'm just asking you to hang out with me. No pressure, no obligations. I've booked a two bedroom apartment for four nights so you can even sleep on your own. I just want someone to keep me company."
I thought about it. Of course I wanted to go to Paris, who wouldn't? But my gut was telling me that I wouldn't be able to spend all that time with Nate without sleeping with him again.
No, I could be strong. I could resist, if only for the sake of seeing the city of lights. Besides, if we were to be friends like I supposedly wanted us to be, we should be able to spend a few days together without incident. That was what friends did, right? I gave a sigh of defeat.
"OK, I'll go."
Nate grinned, clearly pleased with himself for convincing me. I was pleased too, despite my apprehension.
"So when's our flight?" I asked. Nate's smile widened.
"That's the thing. It's tonight. So you better get packing!"
Nate
It was sweet seeing how exciting a trip to Paris was for Ruby. I had been there so many times that it had become as boring to me as my hometown, though I enjoyed the bread and the beautiful French women. It was amazing to see Ruby experience everything for the first time. She even seemed to relish every second of the long airplane ride.
"I've never sat in first class before," she giggled as the stewardess poured her a glass of champagne, "I can't believe it!"
We got a taxi from the airport to our apartment and she kept her head out of the side window for the entire journey, shrieking every time she saw a landmark that she recognized it was weirdly endearing.
It was early afternoon by the time we arrived but I could see that Ruby was starting to tire.
"Why don't you go take a nap?" I said and she nodded, making her way to her bedroom and throwing herself down on the soft mattress. I would show her everything tomorrow, I vowed. I also promised myself that I wouldn't hit on her, though today she was wearing a very short mini skirt that showed off a lot of her long legs. If we were going to do anything again, she would have to initiate. I wondered if we really could just be friends.
Ruby
When I woke up it took a moment for me to remember I was in Paris. I turned on my side and saw a wide bedroom window. What was outside it looked like an incredible photograph of the city scape at night, complete with the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance. How on earth could Nate ever get tired of this view? I gazed out the window for what seemed like a beautiful eternity before turning away.
I felt invigorated and full of life, like I hadn't felt in the longest time. Nate was to thank for all that. He had even been respectful enough not to make a move on me, though I had worn a tight, short skirt and a skimpy top in effort to see if he would. Maybe he just wasn't attracted to me anymore? We had kissed last night but it had been soft and gentle, more like a peck really. It could have been a habit he had picked up during his travels, meant to be completely platonic. That thought made my heart sink.
I hitched up my skirt to make sure that it just barely covered my ass and strolled into the living room. Nate was there, reading a book in the lamp light, though he looked up when he saw me.
"Ruby, you're awake," he said, and I saw his eyes run quickly up and down my body. He liked what he saw, I noted. There was nothing platonic about that look. Still, I pretended not to notice and plopped down next to him on the sofa, sitting just a little too close for comfort.
"Yup, I had an amazing nap," I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, emphasizing my breasts in a way that he could not ignore. I smiled at him, "Now I feel totally energized."
"That's great," said Nate, putting down his book, "We can go out for dinner if you want?"
I shook my head.
"No, I don't think I'm in the mood. I want a cozy night in. Just you and me," I smiled and he smiled back, though he looked puzzled.
"Do you think my nipples poke out too much in this shirt?" Nate's eyes widened. The material of my top was very thin and it was easy to see the shape of my breasts and how hard my nipples were through the flimsy fabric.
He reached forward and lifted up my top just enough to let my breasts come out. He gave one of them a gentle squeeze, before letting go much sooner than I would have liked.
"I don't know. If you're not sure, maybe you should take the shirt off?" he suggested with a smile. I took his suggestion and pulled the top fully over my head and tossed it on the floor. Nate couldn't resist me anymore. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me onto his lap, kissing me passionately on the mouth as I grinded against him. It only took him a moment or two to realize that I wasn't wearing any panties, but when he did he groaned deeply.
"You're so bad," he said, grabbing one of my ass cheeks in each hand and squeezing hard.
"You love it," I whispered. His hand moved from my ass and soon it was between my legs. I let out a soft moan as his hand brushed off my pussy, before pulling away teasingly.
"Please Nate."
"Please what?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Please touch me. Fuck me."
My words obviously pleased him as he obliged me, slipping his hand back where it belonged between my legs. He began rubbing my pussy, gently but applying the right kind of pressure for it to feel pleasurable. He knew what he was doing, playing with my clit perfectly, each movement bringing me more and more pleasure. I moaned as he bit and sucked my nipples, all the while pleasuring me with his hand.
"Aw, you're gonna cum so soon?" he asked teasingly, but I couldn't respond. He was right, my body had already begun to tense up and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge. All I could do was let the sensation build and build until I couldn't take it anymore. I moaned loudly and my body began to pulse and shake as it became engulfed in the sensation of my orgasm.
Nate
barely gave me time to recover, instead bending me over the arm of the sofa and pulling my skirt up.
"Yeah, bend over for me like that. Good girl," he said. I heard his pants unzipping and soon something all too familiar was pressing against the entrance to my pussy.
"Fuck, I missed your cock," I whimpered. Nate chuckled, obviously appreciating the compliment.
"It missed you too, baby."
I was about to scold him for calling me baby when he slid the entire shaft deep inside me. We hadn't fucked in so long that it actually hurt just a bit. I took a moment to get used to his girth once again before giving him the go ahead to fuck me as hard as he wanted.
"You sure you're ready," he teased. I looked back at him.
"Just fuck me already!"
Nate wasn't one to argue with such a request. He grabbed my hips and slammed his cock inside me, repeating the motion again and again. Every movement sent another wave of pleasure through my body. I couldn't help but scream at the sensation.
Nate reached around and roughly played with my breasts as he fucked me, squeezing and pulling at them with his strong hands. It all felt so good, so incredible. A small voice of doubt in my mind kept nagging me and telling me that this was wrong, but for once I couldn't care less. All I cared about now was Nate's cock and how good it felt to have it inside me.
"Fuck, you're still so tight," he groaned, thrusting harder inside me.
"You're so big," I moaned. My knees began to tremble beneath me.
“Fuck, I think I'm gonna cum!" Nate let his hand slip between my thighs as he fucked me. He began to rub my clit again, speeding up the process. I was feeling so many incredible sensations at once that I knew I couldn't hold on much longer. Nate knew it too.
"Cum for me baby, I like it when you cum," he said, his tongue grazing my ear. I shook my head and dug my nails hard into the arm of the sofa.
"I'm waiting for you," I moaned. He seemed to like this idea. I did too, though I was so close to orgasm now that I didn't know if I could hold on. Nevertheless, I persevered as best I could. Nate gave a few more thrusts before letting out a loud groan.
"Fuck," he said, and I knew I could let go now. I felt my pussy tighten around his cock as another wave of pleasure flowed through my every nerve. He came inside me, hard, and pulled out.
After the two of us had finished panting and come down from the high of our orgasms he looked at me quizzically.
"I thought that you wanted things to be platonic?" he asked. I shook my head.
"Don't ask questions, OK? Not while we're in Paris."
Nate looked like he was considering what I had to say for a minute, before he agreed.
"OK, no questions. What happens in Paris stays in Paris."
Nate
Everything I thought about Paris being boring and overrated was forgotten when I spent time with Ruby there. During our time together we saw every sight, sampled every bit of local produce that we could find and bought tack souvenirs from every store.
"I studied French at high school," said Ruby, as she bought yet another model of the Eiffel Tower, "Souvenir means 'to remember'. It's a pretty good name, isn't it?"
I agreed with her.
Every night when we got back to the apartment we fucked. In her bedroom, in mine, in the bathroom, even on the living room floor. Neither of us ever asked what anything meant and we slept in our own beds every night. It was strange, but for those few days it worked. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen between us when we returned home. It still struck me as weird that I cared. After all, there were plenty of women in the world. There were certainly plenty of women who would be happy to sleep with a tattooed billionaire if they got the chance. I wasn't concerned about how I could get my dick wet if Ruby wasn't interested. No, for some odd reason I just found the girl fascinating.
She was crazy of course, utterly insane. One minute she was freaking out about us being 'related' and the next she was riding my dick like it was her favorite sport. She seemed to enjoy every tacky, touristy aspect of Paris but her favorite part of the trip was the cozy little family run cafes where we had breakfast every morning.
Ruby was talented too. She brought her sketchbook along and did a few quick drawings of passersby. I hadn't realized how amazing she was at art.
"Wow," I said when she showed me a drawing of an old man who had been feeding the birds across the street, "that's amazing. I can't believe you're not making more money out of this."
She rolled her eyes.
"Christ, not everything's about money. I do it cos I like it. If I make enough money to live, I'm happy," she said, looking over at the old man, "though I wish I had money to travel like you do. Everything is so different in Paris. Anything seems possible."
Her idealism was sweet. The two of us were practically the same age but I couldn't help but feel that we lived in different worlds. As soon as we stepped back on American soil I knew that things would be different. We picked up our suitcases and Ruby looked up at me, her eyes wide and earnest.
"You know we can't continue like we did in Paris, right? It just won't work here. It's not the same," she said. I sighed but agreed.
"If you're not comfortable with it then we won't do it," I said.
"So, what now?" she asked. I replied with the only thing I could think of.
"We move on."
Chapter Six
Ruby
Trisha was waiting for me at the apartment when I got home. I was jet lagged from the flight and sore from all of the crazy sex I had been having with Nate, but she didn't show me any pity.
"There you are!" she said, "Where the hell were you? You know I've been over every day since you stopped answering my calls? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Her eyes fell to my suitcase. Uh oh. Busted.
"You were on vacation? What the hell Ruby, you never go on vacation! I thought you were broke from all those doodles that you do instead of a real job," she said. I ignored the jab and unlocked my apartment door. I kind of wanted to slam the door in her face but I wasn't feeling that brave, so I let her in instead.
"So I took a little trip," I said, "No big deal. Drawing is a real job, by the way. But it doesn't matter."
"No, it really doesn't. Not when you left a perfectly good man in tears, broken hearted when he was willing to give up everything to be with you," she folded her arms and gave me a look reminiscent of my mother when I did something bad as a child, "What on earth is wrong with you, Ruby? Are you crazy? I'm trying to understand your point of view but I just can't."
In all our years of forced play dates and, in more recent times, forced double dates and terrible nights out, Trisha had never understood my point of view. This was the first time she had ever seemed interested in understanding, so I tried to explain to her how I felt.
"Jeff isn't right for me," I said, as gently as I could, "and I appreciate that you're worried about me, but honestly I'd rather be single forever than be in an unhappy marriage. That's just me."
Trisha bit her lip. I could see that she still didn't understand, though she really was trying.
"OK. Don't marry Jeff then, if that's what makes you happy," she said, "I just wish I understood you better. What will make you happy, Ruby?"
I didn't know.
Maybe I did know, and I didn't want to admit it. Neither answer was good enough so I chose to stay silent. Trisha gave a sigh of defeat and tossed me a cloth tote, filled to the brim with something.
"That's for you," she said. I looked inside.
"What is it?"
"All your gifts from the other night. You forgot them when you stormed out."
I put them aside and thanked Trisha for going to the trouble of bringing them to me. I hoped she might leave then, but it soon became apparent that she was going to be sticking around for a bit. I gave in and made her a cup of hot chocolate with extra marshmallows as she bitched about every single person who had attended our birthday dinner. Nate was the only exception to this.
Trisha was still swooning about the bracelet that he had given her.
"He really does have amazing taste for a man. Especially with all those terrible tattoos he has, god," she said, waving her wrist around to make sure that I saw every sparkle, "Whatever girl he ends up with will be lucky, that's for sure."
I grunted in agreement, hoping she wouldn't pursue the topic. Thankfully, she didn't.
"So, where did you go on this fabulous vacation then?" she asked, glancing at my suitcase. For a moment, I considered lying. Of course that's what I should have done. After all, I didn't want to tell Trisha that I had just gone to Paris for a few days with my billionaire almost cousin, to see the sights and fuck every night. I should have said that I went to the next town over for an art seminar or something, but Paris had been so amazing that I couldn't quite contain myself.
Dane: Hollywood's Finest Page 27