This is Part 11 of the
Survivor Revival Challenge
,
organized by Tara Cox. This is the story of Jim & Marybeth, and eventually others, of course. This might be my last installment.
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The conclusion of the saga of Jim & Marybeth, & their friends
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Marybeth wore comfortable clothes to travel in. She met Jerome at the Gare de l'Est in the early afternoon. They took a slow train to Reims, which takes around 90 minutes. They talked the entire train trip. By the time they got to Reims, they knew a lot about each other.
At Reims, they stayed at La Demeure des Sacres, an amazingly charming hotel. If Jerome was trying to seduce Marybeth, he was off to a great start. Jerome could see it in her eyes. After the previous night, when despite her claims to the contrary, Marybeth had let Jerome do anything and everything to and with her, with the exception of copulation, he figured tonight it would be one step better. He had been thinking about little else than laying this fabulous sexpot of a woman.
When Marybeth dressed for dinner, Jerome almost lost it when he saw her. Claire had really outdone herself! Granted, she had excellent raw material, but somehow Claire had found the clothes that accented all the best features of Marybeth, and at least in the mind of Jerome, there were a lot of those: breasts, ass, tiny waist, flat tummy, legs, and - most of all - her pretty face.
Claire had even taken the trouble to have Marybeth get her hair done at the Dessange beauty salon just off the Champs Elysées. Marybeth looked ravishing. Jerome, however, did his best to play it cool, and he acted like a proper gentleman, even if Marybeth herself had given him the best blowjob of his 39 years of life, just the night before.
The two arrived at the restaurant right on time, their reservation being for 8PM. They arrived by taxi from the hotel, as the restaurant was a bit out of town, and their hotel was in the center of town, within a stone's throw of the cathedral, Notre Dame de Reims. The cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was traditionally where the kings of France were crowned, back when there were kings of France. Marybeth wanted immediately to see it, but Jerome had had other ideas. They had kissed and made out for some time, while Marybeth was constantly thinking about seeing the cathedral. Then they had dressed for dinner, each in their own room.
As the taxi pulled up in front of the restaurant, a man literally ran from the restaurant down the long walk to get to Marybeth's door of the taxi to open it for her. Marybeth felt elegant in her work-of-art dress, and her heels. Her heels were high enough to be high heels, but low enough so that she could easily walk in them.
Marybeth's father was only 22 years older than Marybeth; he had knocked up her mother and they had enjoyed a hastily arranged marriage. Marybeth's mother was only 17 when she gave birth to her. Therefore, Jerome was only a few years younger than her father, who was 42, while Jerome was 39. Marybeth wondered if that was why she was so attracted to older men? She hoped not. She hoped it was just because they had money, power, a certain elegance that comes with age, and most of all knowledge. They were suave, and wise to the ways of the world. She liked those traits in a man.
Jim had spirit and youthful exuberance. Marybeth loved Jim, everything about him, but especially how kinky he was as regards sex. Jerome was not kinky. He was a straight as an arrow, conventional man. His one kink was that he was a dominant. For a natural submissive like Marybeth, this was both a welcome and a dangerous fact. She knew Jerome would have control over her. He already did.
A pretty woman, in a drop-dead gorgeous outfit, with brilliant colors (probably by Kenzo, Marybeth thought) greeted then at the door, asked their name, knew without checking that they had a reservation, and ushered them to their table. In heavily accented English she asked if they would like a drink before dinner? She suggested their special welcome cocktail, which was (of course, since they were in the heart of champagne county) a glass of champagne mixed with some peach liquor, served with special, little, savory, 'amuse-gueules.'
Before Marybeth could even taste one of the amuse-gueules, which Jerome called amuse-bouches, because it was easier to pronounce, she had to look at them and give Jerome her opinion on their appearance. She realized the entire evening was going to be like that: Jerome took his job seriously.
"This is supposed to look like a romantic date between lovers. You're supposed to be trying to get inside my panties," Marybeth remarked, in a whisper, to Jerome.
"I am, believe me. I hope I do. It's just that I have a job to do, too," he said.
Marybeth gave her opinion on the appearance and display of the amuse-bouches, and then she popped one in her mouth and had a dainty, feminine sip of the welcome cocktail. The two lovebirds talked about Reims and Jerome mansplained the history of the cathedral. Marybeth already knew its history, but like a good little submissive, she pretended to be fascinated by Jerome's knowledge, even if he got a few details wrong. She didn't correct him, she just enjoyed his attempts to look down her dress as he talked.
When it came time to order, as they had agreed, they both ordered the extensive tasting menu, which looked to Marybeth as if it might be enough food to feed a family of four, for a week. Jerome explained to her she only had to taste each course; she didn't have to finish them. At each stage, starter, main dish, pause and "le trou Normande," and then salad, cheese, and dessert, there were choices, and whatever Marybeth chose, Jerome chose something different.
A few minutes before the starters began, about a half hour after Jerome and Marybeth arrived, two women walked in, holding hands. Everyone looked at them, and not just because they were both gorgeous and sexy, but because they were obviously lovers. They were seated two tables away from Jerome and Marybeth. In between them were two young American businessmen, apparently wine importers for New York State, and also for Massachusetts.
The two men looked over the two women carefully, checking them out in shameless detail, and Marybeth overheard one of the men say, "Such a pity. Why is it that such gorgeous women waste themselves on other women?"
His dinner companion said, "Take a look at the beauty with her Sugardaddy at two o'clock, you moron." He gestured with his head directly at Marybeth, who blushed. She wasn't supposed to hear that. This being a super fancy restaurant, the tables were not close to each other. Marybeth had always been blessed, however - or was it a curse? - with bionic hearing. Nobody on earth could out-eavesdrop Marybeth!
So that's what they think? They think Jerome is my Sugardaddy? Marybeth thought to herself. Hey, that's a kink she'd never even thought about before. She smiled, a private, little smile, not enough for Jerome to pay attention to it. She'd learned, again from eavesdropping, that both men were in their mid-twenties, and they were Mark and Dylan. Mark was the New Yorker, and Dylan was the guy from Boston.
Marybeth continued to eavesdrop on the two men, especially when they were discussing "the two babes" sitting at the neighboring table, namely Claire and Susie.
"Those two men at the table next to us are ogling Claire and Susie," Marybeth whispered to Jerome.
"Susie, maybe. It must be obvious Claire is a lesbian," Jerome said.
"I think Claire is bisexual, like Susie," Marybeth replied.
Jerome didn't answer, because just then more food arrived. Marybeth realized she should have paced herself better. She was already full, and she had the main course, the salad, the cheeses, the "trou Normande," dessert, coffee, and cognac still to go! She really didn't want to explode from all the food. The problem was it all looked so good, and it also tasted so good, she felt compelled to eat everything!
At the end, an overstuffed Marybeth, and a (very) well fed Jerome, waddled out of the restaurant to their waiting taxi. It was raining (of course) but for the walkway to the taxi, the restaurant's doorman held open a huge umbrella, sheltering both of them, while he got wet. Marybeth was impressed; anyone would be.
Back at the hotel, the two overstuffed Americans collapsed into armchairs in the hotel bar. Jerome ordered a Bas Armagnac, and Marybeth ordered a bubbly water. She hoped, since it had bubbles, maybe it would be like Alka-Seltzer? Soon Claire and Susie joined them at the bar, and shortly later the two American men did, too.
One thing led to another, and soon Susie, Marybeth, Dylan, and Mark, were all discussing college sports. Jerome wasn't interested in college sports; he wanted to autopsy the meal they all had just had. Claire knew nothing about American college football and basketball, so she was happy talking to Jerome.
The idea that Claire might be bisexual, and not a die-hard lesbian, had taken root in Jerome's mind, especially because Claire looked both pretty and sexy. Also, both Marybeth and Susie seemed infatuated with the two younger men. So Claire and Jerome became lost in their own conversation.
The four Americans in their twenties got noisy, and at one point, Claire decided to retire to her room. Jerome escorted her there, and to his surprise, Claire invited him in. Marybeth and Susie didn't even notice that they had left, until finally, when the hotel bar closed at 2AM, they looked around and noticed Jerome and Claire had left.
"Did your Sugardaddy abandon you?" Dylan asked, and ordinarily Marybeth would have slapped him; but he said it innocently, and it was so obvious he liked her, that she let it go.
"Apparently, he and Claire left earlier," she replied. She saw Dylan's eyes light up when she said that.
Mark was a little smoother, saying, "It appears your dining companion has turned in, too?" as he looked at Susie. Susie gave him her best come hither smile when he said that.