Part 2
It had been unseasonably warm during the weeks Debbie and I had been together back in the UK, but the heat that washed over us as we climbed from the air-conditioned 737 on the runway at Nice was almost overwhelming.
"ETA on clothing departure is about ninety minutes," Debbie assured me.
"You might have got that wrong by about eighty-nine," I said, "Let's get through check-in and find our car before we melt out here."
Thanks to our policy of only bringing a holdall each - hand luggage - we were in the car park inside an hour, and the waiting Peugeot was blasting us with cool air in less than another minute. Debbie had volunteered as driver, much to my relief as a novice to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road, and she set off with far more confidence than I ever showed even back home.
"I'm guessing you've done this before," I nodded at the crowded road ahead.
"I have. My first lessons were on holiday with the folks in Holland and to be fair I think I prefer driving on the right anyway."
"I'm impressed," I told her, honestly.
'prendre la premiere rue a droite'
I eyed the sat-nav with the sort of suspicion only a Brit would have when spoken to by a machine in a foreign tongue, "Do you want me to try to change the language?"
"It doesn't bother me," Debbie said, "My French is a bit rusty but I can speak it and understand it well enough still, I think."
"A cunning linguist as well, then?"
"Surely you know by now my tongue is very flexible?"
I giggled, "Oh yes. And talking of you being a cunning linguist..."
"Slow down, ma salope. We'll be at the villa in ten minutes and there'll be plenty of time to demonstrate my skills then."
"What's a scallop when she's at home?"
Debbie laughed, "Salope, not scallop. That's coquille. Mind you that somehow sounds more appropriate for you!"
"I'm not sure whether to be offended or happily teased," I said, understanding what 'Lost in Translation' really meant. "What's French for 'nude' though? Because whether I'm a shellfish or whatever a salope actually is, I rather fancy being a naked one as soon as possible. I do hope the villa isn't overlooked."
"It's nu. And since when would being overlooked bother you? Maybe we should discard clothes right from the start. What do you think?"
The sun was still quite high in the sky and all around us life was glowing so very green and somehow vibrantly. I felt almost like I had done that first day when I went naked through the woods back home - close to nature. And I was sitting beside the one person in the whole world who could enhance that wonderful feeling. "I think I'd like that. And you're right... if someone sees us, well... that'll be their good fortune, right?"
"Putain de vrai, ma chere!"
"I have a feeling," I laughed, "That you just agreed with me."
"Fucking true!"
"I thought so."
It was Debbie's turn to laugh, "No - or yes - but I just meant that 'fucking true' was what I'd said in French. Or at least I think so - it's been a while."
"Putin du..."
"Putain de vrai. You want to learn some French, then?"
"Debbie, there's only one sort of French that's on my mind right now!"
"Ah, good call - some baisers francais."
I slapped her thigh, "Stop showing off the wrong sort of tongue skills. Mind you," I added, "it is kinda sexy hearing you speak like that."
"Well I have a feeling that sex is something we'd better get used to."
"Just with you, I hope?"
She indicated left and pulled into a broad driveway towards a villa that I sincerely hoped was our destination, "Dallas, there's only you for me now." She pulled up and turned to look at me, "I hope that's what you want as well."
"There's pretty much always only been me to play with," I laughed and stilled her protest "I mean yes of course. I know we did some weird shit before we left and I guess we might well do it again - but I don't want to be intimate with anyone but you now."
"You really sure you're not going to miss-"
I stopped her this time with a kiss, "Debbie, as sickly as it sounds, I'll do anything for you but there's a condition."
"I probably shouldn't say this without checking first, but ok, I'll agree with whatever you say."
"Even if I said I want you to go to a club and strip for all the punters?"
She shrugged, "If that's what it takes, then-"
"It doesn't! That was just a joke. A bad joke!" I paused, "Mind you..."
She gave a trademark giggle and slapped my thigh, "Then tell me what it really is."
I leaned back and let my heart have free rein on the truth that lay within me now, "My condition is this. Whatever you do - or I do, for that matter - it's done for each other's pleasure and ultimately for both of us. I really don't care who sees you, who lusts after you, how much they climax - either gender - just... just make sure it's only you and me together, okay?"
I wondered for the few seconds she took her to answer whether I'd been too forward, too direct. But then she laughed and tapped my thigh again, "Deal. But I have a condition as well. Make that two."
"Okay..."
"I want the same condition as you. It's just you and me in the end, yes?"
"Yes! More than you could know - more than I realised before, come to that." Relief flooded through me, "You said there were two things, Terror."
"Oh yes," she pecked my lips, "You know that club you want me to strip at?"
"It's a theoretical one but yes."
"Well, if I do it - and if you want, I will - then you do it with me!"
I laughed - blushed even though we were quite alone in the car - and then nodded, "I can't seem to refuse you anything. I'll do it."