Falling for Grace

We caught our train through the southeastern countryside to Dover, a very pleasant 2 hour ride, during which we ate some cheese and bread with a couple of beers. There we caught a 2 hour ferry across to Calais, and after going through customs, we caught another train to Paris, 3 hours. So starting at noon, it was 7 hours getting to Paris from London. We should have flown. It was exhausting. With the one hour time difference, it was after 7PM back in London, but it was after 8 in Paris.

When I spoke to my father two days earlier, he gave me the hotel information. He booked us into the Hotel Le Meurice, another 5 star hotel we stayed in a few years before, right on the Rue de Rivoli, a few blocks from The Louvre and from the Champs-Elysees in the other direction, which led to the Arc de Triomphe. We were in the middle of a lot of the major attractions in Paris. And like London and New York, Paris had a first class public transport system, buses and subway, so getting around was easy if you understood French, which we both did, especially Grace, who spoke fluently. My girl was brilliant, after all.

We finally got to the hotel around 9, tired and starved. We got to our suite, and at least temporarily, we forgot about both problems. The suite was even more magnificent than at Claridge's. Modern and classy, mostly leather couch and chairs, dark wood tables and fixtures with modern lighting. And the bathroom was brilliant white, huge, with a big shower stall and an oversized sunken tub. We grinned at each other when we saw that. Oh, the possibilities.

I tipped the bellman, and before he left, I asked how late room service was available. He said the full menu was until 11 but there was 24 hour limited menu service. When he left, Grace and I sat wearily on the couch. It was very soft and plush, easy to sink into. "Well, honey, do we eat first or get cleaned up? I could use both" I said tiredly.

"I think we should order food, call home, and unpack while dinner gets here. Then I think we need to try out that tub. I think we might have to try it every day while we're here" she said mischievously.

"How do you have the energy to even think about that right now" I said while I got two menus, handing one to Grace.

"I don't right now. I'm hoping some good food and a hot, sudsy bath with my hot and sexy man will invigorate our libidos." She was smirking at me, and I knew right then we'd find the energy when the time came.

We ordered dinner, which the kitchen said would be up to us in 45 minutes. Then we called my parents. where it was about 4 and since it was Saturday, my dad was home with mom and Edina. And as a surprise, Evelyn was home for the weekend. She picked up the phone and accepted the call.

"Hey little brother! How y'all doing there in Paris?" She had that exaggerated Southern accent thing going, but it sounded like home and it was fun with her. It was like I could hear her smile.

"We're great, but we're tired. We took the long way to get here. Never again."

"Awww you're suffering so much, touring Europe with a beautiful woman on your arm. Seek sympathy elsewhere, Henry. It's great to hear your voice, really."

"Same here. I miss you, Ev."

"Not much the last week or so though, right?"

"Well..."

"You don't have to explain to me. Oh, and by the way, I have to thank you, Henry."

"For what, Ev?"

"After this, mom and dad owe me a big trip when I graduate in May. They can't deny me a trip, even if I want to bring a guy. Though I won't unless he's special to me. But either with a guy or one of my girlfriends, I'm getting a heck of a graduation present!"

I was grinning despite my exhaustion. The thought of her and one of her beautiful sorority sisters hitting the beaches of Greece or somewhere...those poor men wouldn't have a chance. Evelyn and her sparkling personality always made me smile. "You're welcome, sis. My pleasure."

"Yeah, I bet it's your pleasure" she said knowingly and I just closed my eyes. She was a pistol. "Mom is trying to grab the phone from me, so I'll see you for Thanksgiving. Love you Henry. Send my love to Grace, please."

"Thanks, and I will. Love you too," Next my mom was on the phone, and after talking to her for five minutes or so, and promising we would keep taking lots of pictures, Edina got on and after I said a short hello to her, I put Grace on the phone. They talked for ten minutes or so, then my dad spoke to her for a couple of minutes before she handed the phone to me, with a kiss of course.

"Hi, dad. How's everything back home?"

"We're all fine, Henry. Thank you for staying in the hotels. It's a big worry off our minds here."

"You're welcome...I guess. It's not like we're making a big sacrifice, exactly. We feel like a couple of Rockefellers. Dad, this has got to be terribly expensive."

"You let me worry about that. Your mom and I will pay for the hotel bills. You can pay for your meals elsewhere and whatever else you buy. But your rooms and meals there are on us. It's buying us peace of mind, son."

"I've said it before, dad. You and mom are the best. Evelyn's not so bad either."

"Yes, your sister is pretty amazing in her own right. Except she's going to make me pay for her trip after graduation and I can't exactly say no under the circumstances. Well, she's earned it. She's going to graduate in the top ten of her class at this rate. She's applying to medical schools now."

"She'll be a hell of a doctor, dad. Count on it." We made a little more small talk and then we said our goodbyes. Grace and I felt a little homesick then, but we got past it. We unpacked some and then dinner came, finally.

The meal was wheeled in by a waiter in elegant white jacket with black tie. We were dressed in jeans and sweaters and felt very out of place. But the waiter was polite as he set up our meals and I signed for a generous tip, as my dad had always taught me to do. He explained to me when I was about thirteen "Henry, most of these people break their backs to earn a living. They do hard work for not a lot of money. So always reward good service with generosity and respect." He gave me guidelines for tipping, and I stuck to his suggestions.

We had a sumptuous meal. I had sliced lamb in a light red wine sauce and Grace had a mildly spicy shrimp in a green sauce. The food was great and we ate like it was our first food in days.

"We ate kind of fast, didn't we" Grace giggled. "Thank goodness we weren't in front of other people."

"We were famished, honey. It was delicious, wasn't it."

"Oh yeah! That sauce was very interesting, a little spicy, like I like it. Like I like my man." She was flirting with me big time.

"You're pretty zesty yourself. You still feel like taking a hot bubble bath together?"

"Very much. Let's finish unpacking and get our bed clothes for after, though we're not getting to bed for a while yet." We finished putting clothes away and then while I started the bath, Grace started putting our dirty clothes in a laundry bag provided by the hotel. I called the concierge and arranged for our laundry to be taken care of the next day. There really is something to be said for a first class hotel.

We got naked and I shut the water. The huge sunken tub was 3/4 full, with a thick layer of scented bubbles on top, scented with jasmine bath oil. I stepped in first, and then I held out my hand for Grace, helping her walk the marble steps into the hot, soapy water. We sat together, surrounded by steamy water with slick suds and a little bit of dispersed oil. It was incredibly relaxing. We held hands under the water as the oils and the heat worked on our pores and muscles.

"I could get used to this" Grace said softly. "I mean like every day."

"So we'll get rich, buy a big fancy house with a sunken tub in our bathroom. See? Easy."

"Tell you what, Tiger. You buy a house like that, I'll gladly live there with you."

"Are you saying you'll marry me?"

"No, I said I'd live there with you. So you could get some conjugal rights. Some."

"I get plenty of conjugal rights now. I'm going to buy an expensive house and get my rights to your body limited? Hardly seems fair."

"Take it or leave it. Of course, you can take as much as you want now. Starting right this minute" Grace said as she stood up, turned to face me, and straddled my body on the marble built in bench. Her knees were on either side of my hips and her breasts were at my mouth, inches away. She bent a little and kissed me as I held her in my arms. Her body was streaked with soap, glistening on her brown skin, sexy as hell and my cock got hard within a few seconds. She could feel it on the inside of her thigh. "I guess you're going to take it."

"I love taking you, Hot Stuff. Over and over and..." she stopped me with another kiss and I held my cock as she shifted around to lower herself until the tip was touching her lips. Then down she sank as her pussy opened, giving no resistance to my throbbing dick. She sunk down all the way as I moved forward to give her more room for her legs.

"Oh, Henry, this feels so good" Grace groaned as her clit pressed on the base of my cock. I even sucked on her tits, even though they had soap suds streaking across her flesh. It was bitter but I didn't care. I just didn't swallow as I sucked eagerly on her pulsing nipples. She was grunting as she rose and fell on my cock. I grabbed her ass with both hands, squeezing hard as she switched to grinding on my crotch. Her head went way back as I swirled my tongue around her stiff points, biting gently when I thought she needed a little something extra.

"Tiger, you know exactly what I need. Buy the house and you can have me every day. Twice if you want."

"Can I get that in writing?"

"You can get it in kisses if you like" Grace answered as we kissed hard, darting tongues back and forth. She was back to going up and down now and we were both perspiring from the sexual intensity and the heat from the water. I was lifting my hips to meet her down thrusts, causing some of the water to splash over the sides. We didn't care, we were beyond caring about such minor things as we were cruising to a fantastic orgasm. Grace was thumping on me, her voice full of lust as she crested the wave and came, her muscles gripping me as I twitched inside her pussy, which was soaked but not from the bath. That sent her over the top again and her nails were digging into my shoulders.

"You going to cum for me, Tiger? You make me tingle all over when you fill me with your love."

"Oh, Gracie" I moaned, so close now. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Tiger. Go ahead, let it go for me." She leaned over and licked my ear and I exploded, jet after jet of my love and lust filling her warm pussy, sloshing inside her with her own cream and some sudsy water. Grace settled there for a couple of minutes as we kissed tenderly. "You always do the most wonderful things to me, Henry. I love you so much."

"Same to you, Gracie. I always feel like the most special man in the world when I'm with you."

"That's because you are, baby" she said with a soft kiss. "As far as I'm concerned, you the most wonderful man in the world. Look where we are and how we got here. I mean that night you all but begged my mother to come into our house and meet me and Gus. If not then, it might not have been the same when we eventually met. The time and place have so much to do with it. It was the perfect time in the perfect place. Thanks to you. My love."

I was choked up on my feelings. "Gracie, I don't know what to say to that. Except I'm so grateful for you. My perfect love." We kissed a few more times before we realized we were getting kind of cold as the water had lost its heat. I pulled the plug to drain the water, then we jumped into the big shower to rinse off the soap and warm up again. We helped dry each other off, put on some very casual sleepwear, and we brushed and flossed before getting into bed, finally. It had been a very long day and we were both wiped.

We spent a few minutes cuddling and kissing. We needed sleep, but we still needed our affection first. It was another huge bed we shared, soft and comfortable, but most of the warmth we felt came from the other, the best kind of warmth there is, the warmth of our most loved one. We cuddled and fell asleep easily.

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A week in Paris is not nearly enough time. A month is not nearly enough time. Just exploring the streets to look at the architecture would take a year probably. We could have spent a week at the Louvre alone. Instead we gave ourselves half a day there before we had to move on. And that's how most of the first couple of days went. A museum early before the lines got too long, a lunch at a bistro, always with a glass of wine, then something else in the afternoon, the Eiffel Tower or a walk along the Champs-Elysees. The Tuileries Garden was right across the street from our hotel, leading to the Louvre, so we explored that after the museum itself. The Luxemburg Gardens were even more magnificent. There was so much to do that we decided to spend three more days there and just four in Amsterdam. Choices had to be made.

We took a day trip by bus to Versailles, which is one of the most ornate palaces anywhere. And nights were spent at a nice restaurant, followed by a romantic walk along the Seine. Somehow, we found time for both sex and for love. And somehow, our love for each other just kept growing. I wouldn't have thought that possible, but it was happening.

We spent Thursday afternoon doing some shopping. Between what we spent in London on clothes and what we could spend in Paris, I knew the customs duties when we went home were going to be scary. But I had my checkbook with me. We were having a great time.

We were walking down a small side street a few blocks from our hotel when we were around a bunch of lingerie stores, all within a few blocks of each other. It was like they were zoned to be near each other. We looked in the window of one store and it peaked both our interests.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Grace asked.

"If you're thinking of going shopping, I am."

"Wait a minute, Tiger. We're not going shopping together here. I'm shopping. You go in another store, one that sells things for men as well. If I'm getting some things for our enjoyment, then so are you."

I hadn't really thought about that, and while it seemed like the fair thing to be doing, I never had considered wearing something sexy for Grace. Selfish me. "What if no one sells men's...playthings?"

"Henry, all these stores. You really think there's nothing for a man to wear? Lets' put it this way. We're going to meet at that little patisserie around the corner from our hotel in...two hours. 4:15. If you don't have anything for yourself to wear, then you won't be seeing what I buy, not on my body, not even in the box. I might have to model it for the bell boy." With that, before I could even protest, she went inside the store, leaving me open mouthed on the street.

Grace had me. I had to find something. There had to be something. After walking into three stores and striking out, at the third store, the saleswoman, a striking lady in her 30s gave me a knowing smile and asked me "Are you looking for something to wear for your boyfriend or girlfriend?" She asked with no judgement at all.

I blushed three shades of red. "Girlfriend" was all I said. It was all I could say.

"She's a very lucky lady to have a young man willing to wear something for her." She looked me over like she wanted to give me a try herself. I wasn't usually so unsure around a woman, but being an older woman who was so open about her desire made me desperate to get out of there before I did something stupid. She directed me to a store a block away and after I thanked her, I turned to leave, and she gently touched my butt before saying "Good luck."

Good thing for me I wasn't a cheating type or I might have gotten myself in a lot of trouble. I followed her direction and found the store tucked away in an even smaller street, called Le Homme Discrete, The Discreet Man. I sucked up my nerve and went inside.

As the name suggested, it was merchandise for men only though there was nothing 'discreet' about the clothing for sale there. It was everything I never even could imagine in my 18 years. Short shorts, bikini style shorts that were barely there, with a pouch area for the genitals. Mesh shirts of all sorts of materials. In the back were outfits in leather, with military style caps. I honestly never knew such things existed. They sure as hell didn't in South Carolina, not in 1979.

There were men and women in there shopping, including a number of obviously gay men. It never bothered me before, but some were blatantly checking me out. Again I was blushing. Thankfully a salesman approached me, and while he was gay, he was not flirty with me, just straightforward wondering what I was looking for. In my decent French, I explained what I was looking for, and why. He chuckled and said more men came in there for that very same reason than anyone would suspect. "You have to keep your ladies happy too" he said with a smile.

He could tell my size in terms of waist and such just by his expert eye of selling clothes. He did have to ask me, as delicately as he could, about the size of my "equipment" was I think the word he used. Again I blushed and I told him simply I was above average. When he pressed gently I told him how big I thought I was, vowing to get even with Grace for this. He looked at me approvingly and then guided me to some tables. After hemming and hawing for a while, and running short on time, I settled on a matched red mesh tee style shirt and boxers that hid nothing and also a micro small metallic bikini brief with a pouch. He then suggested a black silk thong with big red Rolling Stones style lips over the penis area and I was so desperate to get out of there, I agreed. I would have agreed to pretty much anything to get out of there. I paid for my choices by travelers cheque; there was no way I wanted this showing up on my credit card statement, especially in case my father, or worse, my mother, saw the statement. I would have preferred slow death to that.

I got to the patisserie a little early and sat and ordered coffee while I waited for Grace. I'm not much of a coffee person, but the coffee everywhere we went was so good I actually enjoyed it. Grace came along about ten minutes late with three shopping bags. When she noticed my one bag, she smiled her sweetest, sexiest smile. "You actually did it!" she exclaimed, pleased beyond measure. "You bought something sexy to wear for me!" she said as she sat down. I ordered a coffee for her and a couple of pastries.

"I did, and I almost got in trouble in the process." I explained about the older woman and Grace laughed hard at that.

"I know I can trust you. I wish I had seen her trying to seduce my man. I might have had to beat on her ass!"

"That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me" I responded as I leaned to kiss her.

Smiling, she asked what I bought. "Oh, no. You'll find out tonight. Actually, I have three things in here, so I have to think what I want to wear for you first."

"Well, I bought four items, and I know what I'm wearing tonight for you. I can't wait until after dinner. I might even wear mine under my dress during dinner!"

"I don't think I can do that. I don't think I could sit in my clothes if I did that. And we couldn't go to a nightclub if I wear what's in here."

"You should try. Might get you excited all night anticipating."

"I'm already excited just thinking about what you have in that bag, Dirty Girl."

"Ooh we're going to play that way tonight, Nasty Boy? I think I'm wet already. In fact, I think you need to take me to the room right now and give me a good hot quickie."