"Oh, Paree," Clark sighed, leaning back in his chair leisurely and tilting his face up to the sun. A breeze crawled across his skin, jostling one strand of hair across his face. My heart did the ol' "skip," giving my ribs a gentle punch from the inside.
"I'm very happy," I said, leaning over the table, "to be across from you right now."
He smiled, dimples shining devilishly. "I know," he smirked. It wasn't the smirk of an asshole, thankfullyâit was the smirk of a boy, teasing: playful. I was up for it, I thought to myself. As I examined his face, I took in the details. It wasn't necessarily classically beautiful, as you might classify James Dean or George Clooney. But the charm that oozed from every pore of Clark's being made up for any discrepancies, rendering me rather useless in his presence. I had been lusting after this man for so longâtoo long. His current proximity reminded me of years worth of yearning. How had I been able to stand it?
I scraped the food around my plate, my appetite beginning to rage in a manner very unrelated to food. I would keep my cool, I swore to myself. Hell, I would outcharm this unattainable seducer.
"Serveur," I called, raising an arm to the waiter. He spun at the sound of my voice, bustling toward me with a broad smile.
"Mademoiselle?"
"I'm ready for the check," I purred.
He winked at me and nodded, reaching for my plate. I tapped him on the shoulder and he bent down toward me. I moved close, my lips just inches away from his ear.
"Le repas etait delicieux," I whispered, smiling. The waiter grinned, nodding and hastening away for the bill.
I peeked at Clark to find him watching me with an intense gaze, appearing both amused and intrigued.
"You're devastating when you flirt, did you know that?" I perceived a small sigh escape from him.
"I did know," I replied, mimicking his easy posture and leaning back in my chair.
"So what does the day hold for us, Clark? Are you going to take me on another tour of the city? Or will it be wine tasting again? No, I knowâtoday we can sample the finest baguettes that France has to offer!"
With each suggestion, I leaned in marginally closer, my eyes never leaving his face. Clark responded in kind, drawing to me until I could feel the heat of his skin radiating onto my face.
"I was thinking of a different kind of tour," he breathed, pausing for a moment. "A different kind of...taste."
I stared at him, momentarily paralyzed by the desire welling up in me as a response to his suggestion. I recovered quickly, and chuckled in reply.
"Soâpizza?"
My flippant flirtation awoke the beast. His hand was behind my head in a moment, closing the distance between us. His first curled around my hair as our lips metâmy mouth open, hungry, my hand immediately gripping his shirt.
"Ahem!"
Our heads snapped up as we broke apart, the waiter holding the bill sheepishly. I smiled, running a thumb around the periphery of my lips where I was sure lipstick had smeared. Signing the bill with the flourish, I thanked the waiter in his native tongue.
"Tout le plaisir ĂŠtait pour moi," he responded bowing graciously.
"I do believe you just broke our waiter's heart," Clark said, rising to pull out my chair. I stood, turning to face him, momentarily at his eye level in my heels. I looked directly into the warm pools of coffee, shimmering with flecks of gold and black in the sun.
"The waiter's heart, eh?" As I felt him moving in for another kiss, I slyly pecked him on the cheekâit took all my willpower to do so. If he was stunned or disappointed, he didn't show it.
"So, pizza-hunting it is," he said smugly, placing a hand gently around my waist and guiding me away from the table. We stepped out of the restaurant patio onto the quaint cobbled sidewalk, my senses suddenly tuning back in to the gentle hum of Paris bustle.
I didn't want to pizza hunt.