Reverie. Candace Gold
So much history and beauty lay before her. She hardly knew where to begin.
When the waiter brought Nikki her salad and a large basket of assorted rolls, she ordered another glass of wine. Browsing through her Paris tourist guide, she hardly felt self-conscious sitting alone in a city known for its romance. Though there were couples huddled close together drinking in each other’s presence with their eyes, Nikki was too busy making an itinerary for the following day to notice.
The waiter brought out her main course. Hungry, she began to eat with relish, stopping only momentarily to wipe off the dollop of sauce which had dripped on the page of her guide book. By the time her dessert and coffee arrived, she was winding down. Her body had begun to run out of steam.
Nikki paid her check and took another taxi back to the apartment. Once inside, she locked the door and went straight into the bedroom. She sat down on the goose-down bed and removed her shoes. Exhausted, she quickly stripped off her clothes and put on an oversized t-shirt.
She rummaged through her carry-on for her toiletry case and brought it into the bathroom to prepare for bed. Back once more in the bedroom, Nikki drew down the bedspread and blanket from the inviting bed and slipped between the crisp linen sheets. Sleeping in a strange bed had always been difficult for her, but tonight her exhaustion overcame all opposition and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the overstuffed down pillows.
* * * *
When Nikki had failed to call Jonathan to let him know she’d arrived in Paris safely, he grew concerned. Her plane would have touched down around eight o’clock Paris time. He’d hoped it hadn’t become a case of “out of sight; out of mind.” As silly as it might seem, he feared she’d fall in love with Paris and want to remain there. Then she’d meet a Frenchman and forget him. Eating leftover Chinese food for dinner over the sink, he pictured himself doing this on a permanent basis if he lost Nikki. Sitting down and eating food like a human being at the kitchen table wasn’t the only thing Nikki had improved on, he thought and smiled. However, the warm moment passed just as quickly as it had come. Why hadn’t she called?
No longer hungry, Jonathan put the white carton aside and reached for his cellphone. There was a six-hour time difference making it around 2:30 AM in France. He would send a text message, asking her to call to let him know she was okay and that tomorrow he’d call at a more decent hour.
* * * *
Nikki dreamed in French, as if starring in a foreign film without subtitles. In the dream, she was strolling along a beach with the same bearded man from the cafe. He wore a straw hat with a red band over his dark hair. He had a large forehead and a full, well-trimmed beard. His three-piece, summer weight worsted suit was open and he sported a black, wooden walking stick. From time-to-time, he’d pull out his watch attached to a gold chain and check the time. She held a brightly-colored silk parasol over her head to block out the strong sunlight. High above them she heard the cacophonous squawking of sea gulls circling the shimmering, cloudless blue sky. Every so often, one would boldly swoop down to grab some morsel of food it had spotted on the ground. The boardwalk was so hot she could feel the heat radiating through the thin soles of her high-laced leather boots.
She spied the gabled roof of the Grand Hotel in the distance. As they walked along, the man held her arm affectionately, patting it now and then, stopping often to kiss her, his full beard gently caressing her face like silken fingertips. Those tender kisses sent delicious sensations throughout her body and spoke of the promise of what was yet to come. They were returning to their room at the hotel to make love. He whispered how he wanted to lie with her as the afternoon sun streamed through the window, turning her hair to flame.
Small red and white striped cabanas stood like silent sentries on the sand facing the entrance of the building. Men attired in suits and straw hats or bowlers sat reading newspapers along the stone wall overlooking the water. Boats signaled one another with a sharp toot of their horns as they passed. Women sat on benches doing needlework while their children frolicked in the sand. Many of them, like Nikki, wore long skirts or dresses that came down to the tops of their shoes and feathered hats to shield their heads from the strong rays of the sun.
Nikki and her lover stopped at the front desk. The clerk handed the man a letter along with the room key. He glanced briefly at the envelope before slipping it into a breast pocket of his suit jacket.
“I’ll read this later, my darling,” he said. “Right now, I have more important business to tend to.”
Nikki lowered her eyes to the obvious bulge in his wool suit pants. This further increased the rate of her heart which was now beating wildly in her breast with the anticipation of their lovemaking. The couple stepped into the ornate wrought-iron elevator car, and the attendant pulled the gate closed with a clang. Her lover looked at her with adoring eyes. She smiled in return. The lift began to ascend slowly, taking them to their floor. When they reached their destination, the elevator attendant pushed open the gate and nodded to them as they walked out of the elevator car.
Their room was a short distance on the right. The man opened the door with an iron key and Nikki stepped inside. As soon as the door had been closed behind them, the bearded man took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. The kiss was filled with hunger, and she returned it with fervent familiarity.
They moved further into the room, and he removed his jacket and vest, carefully folding and placing both across the back of a richly embroidered armchair. Opening his arms, Nikki glided inside their shelter.
His full beard tickled the soft flesh of her neck as he kissed her there.
“My love,” she whispered, encouraging him.
Together they walked arm-in-arm into the bedroom. Nikki sat down on the bed and watched as the man methodically removed his clothes. He was somewhat of a bohemian, possessing a freer spirit than most and completely unabashed by his own nudity. His body was compact and somewhat fleshy around the middle, but virile and most capable of satisfying her every need. As she watched him, she did so without blushing. She enjoyed what she saw and felt her own body respond by sending shivers of delight surging through her. She wanted him and longed to be in his arms.
He sat down beside her and snaked his hand under her long skirt and petticoat before firmly clasping her bottom. She felt the heat of his skin sear through her linen knickers. He sought out the center of her sex and rubbed vigorously, sending fiery sparks of pleasure coursing throughout her body. His long fingers deftly opened her blouse, and she shrugged her shoulders out of it before he set to work on her corset, freeing her heaving breasts which longed to be touched and suckled by him.
One hand fondled a rosy peak, causing it to harden as his lips fastened around her other nipple with tantalizing possessiveness. She quivered with pleasure as her body arched instinctively. The man’s lips began an exploratory journey along her ivory skin as his hands followed closely, arousing her still further. Her soft moans soon filled the room.
He helped her remove the rest of her undergarments, and his eyes feasted upon her lovely body. His gaze turned her bones to liquid as she lay there panting, her chest heaving. Above all else, she was ready to be filled with his sex. However, he didn’t comply. Instead, he teased her further by outlining the beaded tips of her breasts with his forefingers. Then he suckled each one before slowly kissing his way down her body. She let out a whimper. He ignored that and parted her thighs, slowly grazing his fingertips over her sex. She let out a moan.
“Yes, my love,” he whispered as he covered her body with his and entered her. She raked his back with her nails as they found the right tempo to the music which bound their bodies together as one.
Nikki had welcomed him into her body. The pleasure she felt was explosive, but the golden wave of passion and love which flowed between them seemed familiar. He was no stranger to her body and seemed to be taking what he considered rightly his. Afterward as they lay together with his arms about her, she heard the sound of a church bell chiming in the distance. The breeze from the water gently caused the lacy curtains on the windows to billow inward and slowly cool the heat rising from their bodies.
“My darling, I have made a decision,” he declared as he