Author's Note: As always, I apologize for the delay in submitting another chapter. Too much work, too much life, not enough writing. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the previous three. Don't forget to vote and please leave a comment and let me know what you think, good or bad!!!
-nosebone
The remainder of our trip to France could not have been any better as far as I was concerned. We took a helicopter ride to see the Alps on Saturday and the Tour de France bicycle race came by on the road in front of Laura's estate on Sunday morning. It was an impressive parade of trucks, cars and cyclists that just whizzed by in a matter of minutes. Laura had stood next to me holding my hand the whole time. JP and Henri had placed themselves in front of us in case something happened on the road, so we'd had that private moment where we didn't need to pretend.
After the race passed by, we had a light lunch on the back patio. Laura insisted that JP and Henri join us. It took some convincing as they both took their work very seriously. They finally relented and it was one of the more enduring memories I have of that trip. JP and Henri let their façade down and were real people. I kept thinking how I wished that they'd been friends of mine growing up. They honestly weren't that much older than me. I bet they both would have been great football players. We enjoyed a glass of wine as well as a men-only glass of cognac. Laura begged off as she said the taste didn't agree with her.
After talking with them the day before and during lunch the following day, I couldn't help but admire those two brave men. They'd taken a job where their client's life was deemed more important than their own. That was a very interesting way of life, I thought. They had their training though. Something I didn't have. As time passed from my "moment of bravery" the Friday before, I realized how stupid I'd been.
I did begin to wonder if my actions had made Laura face her feelings, even to the point she'd see it as a rash action that she'd regret. She'd been adamant about that since the beginning of our affair, but she'd told me that she loved me the day before. I laid there afraid to respond to her, but I finally did. She looked up at me and smiled softly before she laid her head against my chest once again. I didn't want to press matters, so I didn't tell her again until Sunday night when we were getting ready for bed. As we stood next to one another in the bathroom, I wrapped my arms around her in front of the huge mirror. I was significantly taller than her since she was barefoot and not in her customary 3 to 4-inch heels. I leaned forward and kissed her on the neck.
"I love you, Laura," I said. She reached with her arm to capture my head and I kissed her neck again softer and slower.
"I love you too, Michael," she said. "There are feelings we can't stop, and I was foolish to think we could. We still need to respect boundaries and the actions we take."
"Laura, we can," I agreed. She turned around to face me.
"I hope so. I'm sorry Michael. I haven't been able to stop myself with you. I worried so much about you and it's been me. We've just connected, despite our years and our differences, we have. You've made me feel things I've never felt," she said.
"Laura, you don't have to apologize to me. Honestly. I know you're older than me and all of that. I get it. Honestly, I'm not sure about any of this, it's all still so new to me, but it feels so right with you. I mean if we were still home and you were just a normal person that went to work every day, it would still feel right to me. You've shown me things this weekend that I never imagined, but they wouldn't mean anything without you," I replied.
"You can stop, now. You're going to make me cry," she said.
"No, don't do that," I said desperately. I took her in my arms and held her close. I could feel her begin to sob and it was torture for me, but I never let her go. Finally, she stopped and looked up at me.
"Laura, I'm sorry," I said immediately.
"Baby. There's no need to be sorry. I needed that more than anything," she replied. "You held me while I let it out. Most men will never learn that, and you already know it. Like I've said. You're beyond your years."
"Thank you," I said.
"I'm better now. Why don't we go to bed," she suggested.
"Okay," I smiled.
---
The following Monday, Laura had once again arranged seats on the Concorde to go back home. I was a little disappointed as I'd hoped to stay another day, but she was insistent that it would be fine.
"We'll be home, Michael," she said. "But that doesn't mean that you can't spend another night with me."
"No, I guess it doesn't," I smiled.
The flight home was equally impressive as we arrived "before we left" according to the clock. We were in her Ferrari speeding toward her house a little after 1 P.M. local. As I drove, we were both quiet. Laura held my hand except when I was shifting the transmission. I thought of the trip and all that happened. It had been hard for me at the gate telling JP and Henri goodbye. It was a strange that I felt so close to those two men I hardly knew. Little did I know that I would grow much closer to them over the coming years, even to the point that they would know the true nature of the relationship between Laura and me.
When we arrived at her house, I parked the Ferrari in the garage. Laura had our luggage already delivered by the time we'd arrived. Despite all the time I'd ultimately spend with her, I never fully comprehended the number of people that were involved in making her life easier. We walked into the house and she announced that we should have lunch and then spend some time in the pool. I agreed wholeheartedly.
I followed her to the kitchen as she began pulling ingredients from the refrigerator and cupboard. I didn't know what she had planned, but I knew it was going to be delicious. She instructed me to open a bottle of wine, which I did. I watched as she worked on making another exotic Asian dish.
"I need to take you to Asia," she smiled.
"Oh, yeah," I asked.
"I think you'd love it," she said. "Europe has its charms, but Asia still has some genuine mystique about it."
"I imagine it does," I smiled. "I'll go wherever you want to go. It'll be wonderful as long as I'm with you."
She shook her head at me and smiled. "You probably really mean that too, don't you?"
"Well, of course I mean it," I said.
"I love that," she said. "I could hardly get my ex-husband to go anywhere."
"He was an idiot," I said.
"Apparently so," she smiled.
Lunch was prepared and she plated everything. I carried the plates to the dining table, and I pulled her chair out for her. Her smile could have melted steel.
"It is wonderful that there are still a few gentlemen in the world," she said.
"My mom always made sure I learned good manners, and I've watched a lot of old movies," I laughed.
"It's certainly paid off," she smiled. She raised her wine glass. "What should we toast to?"
"To more adventures together," I smiled as our glassed clinked softly.
