Please start with Part 1 of this series. If you don't understand Part 1, some of this content may not make sense.
Some readers may ask how I can remember all these events. I was a lawyer in another life and learned to keep outstanding notes. When I became Andi, I kept a daily diary of what was happening in my life. Some of the dialogue may not be exact, but the gist of it is correct.
Summer 2004
I called Susan and Charles back and told them I would accept their offer. Yes, I was moving to Paris. Susan was so excited that she gushed with enthusiasm. She told me that since I was coming, I needed to be there before June 21st so I wouldn't miss the Fête de la Musique. I didn't understand what she said, but I promised to be in Paris by then. Over the years, I have enjoyed this music celebration. But that's a story for another time.
Within two weeks of their wedding, Misty and Louis moved to Paris. I'm unsure if Misty's father was happy for her or relieved that she wouldn't marry me. I remained unaware that Misty and Louis shared an apartment in the same building as Louis' parents. Misty and I had mended any bitter feelings between us. I realized that she still loved me. We continued with our sexual relationship, but only when she initiated it without involving Louis.
I told Tina and Ned about moving to Paris. The first question Tina asked me was, "Do you have a job?"
"Tina, you wouldn't believe what a wonderful job I have."
"How did you get a fantastic starting job in Paris?"
"Louis's dad owns a large company and offered me a job. You won't believe me, but I can care for myself. You should be pleased that I am expanding my horizons.
"I am. I hate to see you leave."
"There are phones. You can call me anytime." I had to laugh. I was 10 miles away when I went to school, and she could have called anytime. She didn't. Ned agreed to take care of my beloved Grand Cherokee. He was going to drive it every week and keep it running.
I called my advisor at Indiana University. I explained that I was moving to Paris and wouldn't be enrolling this fall. I then called the professor I would work with as his graduate research assistant. I was astonished at how sad he sounded when I wasn't coming. I also called my future landlord in Bloomington and explained I wouldn't use the apartment. She was very understanding and told me she would only keep my deposit. I packed everything I wanted and stored it in my room at Tina and Ned's. I told Mary Sue and Bill they could do what they wanted with anything I left behind.
There was a lot more to do than I realized. I had to get a long-stay visa for France. It would allow me to stay as long as I wanted to. Charles agreed to "employ" me to help me get the visa. He also asked me not to bring too much clothing because he would care for anything I needed. Susan and Charles bought a first-class ticket from Cincinnati to Paris. I landed in Paris three days before the Fête de la Musique. I couldn't believe it, but Susan, Charles, Misty, and Louis met me upon arrival after I had gone through customs and immigration. I'm not sure who hugged me the most; all of them really seemed to be excited.
We went to the arrival pick-up; a big, black Mercedes limo drove up, and Charles said, "This is us." Even on a Saturday, it took us the better part of an hour to reach their building.
The building had a restaurant and a clothing store on the first floor. Susan and Charles occupied the entire second floor. It must have been 4,000 square feet. It was a sizeable space in the US, yet it seemed even more enormous in Paris. The building divided the third floor into two apartments. They told me I would have one apartment while Misty and Louis occupied the other. The fourth floor was occupied by office spaces, and the fifth floor had apartments, which they rented out. I was about to have life changes I hadn't had since I became Andi. But that's a story for another time.
A wooden door between the restaurant and the clothing store led to a hallway, stairs, and elevator. Charles handed me a key and said I would only need it before 6 AM or after 6 PM. The door was open to the outside during the day.
The hallway had a large mirror mounted on each side. It gave the effect of a larger hallway. The beautiful dark oak stairway hugging a wall spiraled up. The elevator cage was in the middle of the stairway. It could only hold three of us. This was a rather large elevator for Paris. As Susan, Charles, and I entered the elevator, Misty and Louis started to climb the stairs. Charles turned to me and said, "I had the stairway and elevator replaced 10 years ago." I found out later Charles had made many upgrades and remodeling to "his building."
The elevator stopped on the third floor. The elevator was slow enough that Misty and Louis were waiting for us. Susan turned to me, "This is your stop". Charles walked up to a door, put a key in the lock, and opened the door. He handed me the key and said, "Make sure you always keep your door locked." He held the door open for me to enter first. It opened up to a hallway. Charles pointed for me to keep going. I could describe the apartment, but not from the first time I saw it. I was overwhelmed by its beauty and spaciousness. The apartment was about 1500 square feet. A vast apartment by Paris standards. As I adjusted to my new environment over the first week, I noticed all the walls were painted a light cream. Ornate crown molding was in every room.
A large doorway opened up to the living room. Three large doors on the outside wall opened up to balconies. Because of its size, the living room was more of a "great room." During the day, the room had an abundance of light. The furniture was a mixture of vintage and antique pieces with modern furniture and art. The décor had Charles' fingerprints all over it. The longer I got to know Charles, the more I realized he had impeccable taste. The floors were all hardwood herringbone. A gas fireplace with a massive mirror and elaborate, gilded frame was on the outside wall. It made the room look even bigger than it was. Through a doorway was the kitchen. It was equipped with all the modern appliances, including a microwave, dishwasher, and washer-dryer combo. In the middle was a small table with only two chairs.
A set of glass French doors led to a dining room on one side of the living room. There was a solid wood table with six chairs, large gilded mirrors on two of the walls, and two large doors on the outside wall opened up to balconies. A wrought iron table with two chairs was on the balcony nearest the kitchen. I spent many mornings at that table, drinking coffee and greeting the day.
I was finally shown my bedroom. Against the inner wall was a king-size bed. The outer wall had two large doors that opened up to balconies. A substantial French provincial dresser was between the doors, and a matching chest of drawers was on the inside wall. There was also a large walk-in closet. I never thought I would have enough clothes and shoes to fill it.
Charles was anxious to show me the bathroom. In France, they call it an en suite. Again, it had large doors that opened up to a balcony. On one side, near the doors, was a copper bateau bathtub. Charles told me I could shower in it but to be careful not to get the wooden floor wet. The sink was oval and free-standing. Susan showed me the fully stocked linen closet on the inside wall of the bathroom. I noticed there wasn't a toilet in the bathroom.
As we exited the bedroom, Charles laughed and said, "I'll bet you were wondering where the les toilette was." He opened a door in the hallway, and there was a toilet and bidet. That was a great design. I didn't have guests trampling through my bedroom to use it.
The last door in the hallway was the guest bedroom. It was smaller than my bedroom but still very tastefully decorated. The bathroom was on the outside wall. One outside door was in the bathroom, the other in the bedroom. I had more guests visiting me than I expected. Everybody wants to see when you can provide free housing, some meals, and a tour guide (me). Tina and Ned (who never traveled) visited me numerous times. Mary Sue, and Bill also visited several times.
Charles said he would be up briefly to check on me. We all agreed to meet at the restaurant downstairs in our building. As they left, I heard Misty say, "Go ahead. I want to talk to Andi for a minute." As she came back into the apartment, she grabbed me and kissed me with as much passion as I had ever seen from her. Her tongue went deep into my mouth. One of her hands grabbed one of my boobs, and the other grabbed my crotch. "I have been dreaming about this for months; I need to taste you," she whispered.
"Let me get settled, unpacked, and showered, and we'll figure something out. I'm not going to fuck you in front of Louis. He tells his mother everything."
