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Eliza could not get the lyrics of Madonna’s song, “Nothing Really Matters,” out of her head. It made her smile, the mixture of American and French songs and menu items that had been at the café where they were in. She felt her smile on Rafe’s chest, as the expanse of her cheek touched the top of her hand on his chest.
It made her happy that he was here, that Severine had told him where she was.
Severine was a rare bird, and Eliza could see why Rafe had fallen in love with her. She was beautiful and warm, and loved him enough to share him.
Like she did.
Sharing him was not something that Eliza had ever thought she would do, until she met and fell in love with Oscar. Looking back on everything, their relationship had gotten better as a result of other people in their lives. They stopped taking each other for granted. When she met Oscar, she was feeling resentful of who she had become with Rafe. She felt like a trophy fiancée, everything was so automated between them. Now she felt like a woman who had found someone she loved, and there was still room in her to love someone else as well.
And she had.
She swore that Rafe could smell that she was thinking too hard, because from his apparent slumber…
“What are you thinking about?” he said suddenly.
“Aren’t you asleep?” she said with a husky as if she had been asleep voice.
“I could feel your pensive position on my chest.”
She looked up at him, he was looking up at the ceiling. Almost like he was reaching for the stars with his eyelashes.
Eliza had fallen in love with his mind, he was gorgeous, but it was his mind that she fell in love with. For Valentine’s Day, once he took her to a gallery to see a Joseph Beuys multiple of a rose, surrounded by chocolate and meat. Rafe loved art as much as the next person, but he took her there because it was all dead decaying and yet worth more than the live roses and fresh chocolates most women would have gotten. Maybe even coveted. It was an inside joke because she had not really been a fan of Beuys who she had studied in college. There was so much of that between them.
“I was thinking about what it is like to be an American in Paris. I met a guy here who was obsessed with my Americaness,” Eliza lied because she did not feel like having a conversation about everything that had passed between them. It did not really matter, love was all they needed much like the lyrics in the Madonna song. She remembered reading a magazine article that said that that song was about Madonna’s new daughter. What would it be like to have a baby with Rafe? To expand their relationship even more than it was already expanded?
“Did you sleep with him?”
Eliza stiffened.
“Does it make a difference if I did or not?”
Rafe took a deep breath.
“No.”
“So yes then?”
She pushed off of his chest, and looked down at him.
“I came here because I wanted to be with you, and you were not with me.”
“Are you saying I abandoned you?”
“You are saying it.”
“So you made love to me angrily?”
Rafe took another deep breath.
“I needed to be with you.”
“Were you even asleep?”
Rafe laughed, and sat up.
“I got here looking for you, was mad and Severine calmed me down. She said it was ridiculous that I was freaking out when I asked her to take care of you. Asked my lover, to take care of my fiancée…”
Eliza stared at him, not sure what to say, but knowing him well enough to know what he was feeling before he said it.
“It is hard for me to get used to you being with someone else. I know it is selfish, and I could not deny you when you said you wanted to open us up…but knowing someone else is with you…”
Leaning into him, she rubbed her breasts against him and wrapped her arms about him.
“Right now, you know you are with me…and nothing else matters does it?”
On her back and her face lit by the moonlight pouring in from the hotel window, Eliza understood Rafe’s silence more than his words from underneath him.

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joseph beuys dead rose & chocolate & dried meat multiple photo by f dot leonora

Eliza moved her fork through the raspberry sauce that was left on her plate, using its side so she could gather the sauce up like a spoon. The fork slipped between her wine-colored lips, and she closed her eyes again savoring the almost unexpected sweet and tangy sauce. The first bite with her flourless chocolate cake had been orgasmic. She closed her eyes again remembering, took her foot out of her shoe and wiggled her toes.
Opening her eyes slowly, recovering, she saw Rafe.
It had been a long time since she had seen her fiancé. She thought that he would be in New York with Fiona, since it was her birthday.
Rafe picked up a fork, and tilting it on its side, gathered raspberry sauce the way that she had.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice a cocktail of incredulity, surprise and shock.
“I missed you.”
Eliza put her foot back in her shoe. Seeing him was unexpected and expected. Hadn’t she wanted him to come to her? With her budding relationship with Severine, listening to her talk about him made her long for him. How ridiculous, that she needed to hear another woman talk about her fiancé to make her long for him in a way she had not for a long time.
Or maybe it was like he said that she knew she had him, so she took it for granted.
The glint of her ring on her hand shown off his eyes.
“I thought you would be in New York with Fiona.”
“Fiona is in love, she did not have time for me.”
“In love really?”
Fiona had not mentioned anything to her about anyone, and she found that odd because she had Skyped with Fiona earlier. But then again love and relationships had been awkward to discuss, ever since she had been in Shanghai with Fiona…
Eliza closed her eyes as Shanghai made her think of Oscar.
“Yeah love, you remember that don’t you?”
“What do you think I am arrogant because I am wearing your ring? That love evaporated or something?”
“You haven’t kissed me.”
Eliza put her fork down, got up and stood before Rafe.
“Did Severine tell you I was here?”
“Fuck Severine…”
“Did you?”
Eliza paused between his knees, looking down at him. She knew she was testing him, but she could not help it. Sometimes she needed to.
He grabbed her about the knees and pulled her onto his lap, her arms automatically surrounded him. Her legs curled onto his lap, her need to be closer as she kissed him. Rafe’s hands caressing her backside, was sensual and proprietary at the same time. Pulling away from their kiss, she saw the waiter who had seen her there with Adrian several times look at her with a deep smirk.
“I did not fuck anyone since you went to Shanghai Eliza, all I have been doing is missing you in New York. Severine called, and told me that you missed me so I am here. I will always be here for you.”
Eliza studied her proprietary wine-colored lipstick stains on his face, neck and shirt and shrugged,
“Doesn’t really matter.” He looked at her, and she knew he wanted to ask her if she had fucked anyone. She knew he did not want the answer, anymore than she wanted to answer him. “I missed you.”
“I want to fuck you. Are you going to lick the sauce off of that plate, or are you going to come with me?”
Eliza stuck her finger on the plate, let the last thick puddle of raspberry sauce roll over it and smeared it over Rafe’s lips and hers.
“I always come with you.”

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raspberry sauce left on a dessert plate photo by f dot leonora

Fiona walked about the rooftop, restless. The stars were practically on top of her, along with her own photographs hung up everywhere. She loved the attention, she always had. 

Ever since Shanghai, when she was there with Eliza, it was all that she relished. The attention that she got because of her own talent. Photographs had always been her map to the world, the way she absorbed things and the way she translated everything. Holding her camera, the circles she made around this earth, everything that was in her eyes was in her pictures. It did not matter if it was the supremely beautiful, or the most common of things for her as an artist. It made her smile because she had told Alice about her love of Jean Dubuffet, who loved to highlight the most basic of things. Alice had introduced her to her boss Polly, who had just acquired a Dubuffet as a surprise in Paris. They were negotiating now the private sale of the painting.  

Fiona smiled even more when she thought of Alice. The beautiful girl had wandered into her vision through a crowd in Paris, like she was tumbling down the hole and Fiona felt like the bunny that led her down. She could tell when they first met that Alice was starstruck, Fiona’s reputation as a lothario of sorts was out there and a lot of girls wanted to be her next conquest. But that was just it, Fiona wanted a conquest. Someone she had to chase. Well she used to, anyone she could not get that was who she wanted. She had to admit that that was part of her love for Eliza. Not that it negated her love, but she had to admit where it was coming from.

But as she talked to Alice, she saw that she was really smart about art, self-possessed and that she liked her. 

Alice was the reason she had agreed to this birthday shindig at the gallery which she was going to veto, but she wanted to see Alice again. As it turned out, she was with Polly when they went in the private viewing room to look at the Dubuffet earlier which made Fiona’s heart burst with joy as soon as she saw it. The almost fecal tones, it was that earthy and she loved it. She started snapping pictures of it, and one she snapped while Alice was looking at it. Alice’s side profile defined with her lovely head cocked to one side, and her hips thrust out.

Fiona liked her, and judging by the way Alice looked at her with alternate smiles, or avoiding her eyes she was pretty sure Alice really liked her.

It was with the stars on top of her, and with a birthday cake on the table covered in edible gold and silver stars, that Alice appeared. With her hair out, Alice effortlessly made the transition from day to night. A touch more makeup and glitter, made her shine more than all of the stars in the sky to Fiona.

“I was wondering where you were,” she said to Alice, watching her sentence register over her face.

“I had to finish up some work, but I told you I would be here. Especially since Polly could not make it…”

“Let us eat cake then!” Fiona took Alice’s hand in hers, and the softness of Alice’s hand felt like a soft fire in hers. “I eat cake on my birthday, but I want more champagne really!”

“I barely like sweets,” Alice said.

They cut into the buttercream-filled layer cake, and took one piece. Fiona piled stars on their slice, laughing as people watched her pile on the stars. Balancing two glasses of champagne, 

they took the cake back out onto the roof,  Eating cake to distract her from staring at Alice, Fiona captured a forkful with lots of buttercream frosting and a small star. She let it hover over Alice’s mouth. Alice looked surprised, but she opened her mouth to accept the cake. Fiona took out her phone, knocked a glass of champagne off the ledge of the roof, and took a picture of Alice. When Alice looked like she was protesting, she took more pictures and continued to feed her cake.

“You’re beautiful,” she said finally, as she filled Alice’s beautiful mouth with the last scraping of buttercream frosting.

“Thank you,” Alice said quietly.

Fiona’s eyes lifted toward the stars, as she fingered the frosting-smeared plate.

“What was your birthday wish? I see you looking at the stars, and I was not here when you blew out the candles.”

Fiona stared at Alice, turned to face her fully, pushed out her hips and lowered her lids.

“I wished for you.”

Fiona whirled away from Alice, and mingled with the crowd. She had not been drinking, but she barely heard anything that was being said because all she was thinking about and feeling was Alice. When Alice left, she was no longer there either.

It was awhile before she left herself, but she eventually did and got into the car that was waiting for her. Alice sat by the window. When Alice turned and looked at her, Fiona leaned forward and pressed her lips to the mouth that she had photographed on the roof, focusing on it like a Tom Wesselmann. Alice moved into her, and Fiona pulled Alice’s legs over her own and felt herself click like a key had been turned between her legs. Fiona closed her eyes, and before she did she saw the stars in the sky. Such a heavenly view, she heard that fragment of Coldplay’s ‘Sky Full of Stars’ in her head as they kissed. Alice’s soft fire turned hard, as their kisses deepened.

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tom wesselmann study for smoking via google images

Alice was super nervous about her review. All of the interns had an exit interview…some of them were hired after the fact. Being in Paris was nerve-wracking, because she was terrified that she would do something wrong and she really wanted to work with Polly. There was room for Pollyto hire an assistant, and she wanted that to be her.
She went to a reception in Polly’s place, where there were sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and creative cocktails. Polly was having dinner with the client that they had met with earlier, Alice guessed that their families had been friends.
Some people knew the latest music artist, Alice knew the newest artists. When she noticed a photographer that she admired, she took a sip of her drink and tried not to shake. Her friends laughed at her when she fan-girled an artist, but this was her groupie base. In the art world.
Seeing Fiona Méret, made her pause. Aside from her stunning photographs, Fiona herself was stunning. The first time Alice walked past her to get a cocktail–a rye whiskey concoction mixed with Lambrusco–she almost had a nervous breakdown. But it was Fiona’s hand on her shoulder that soothed her.
“Come on in honey,” she said pushing Alice forward.
Alice smiled and got her cocktail, which she sipped faster than she normally would have. For her second one, she again walked past Fiona who had never moved away from the bar. Fiona who this time, fanned away from the rest of the crowd to invite her in.
“Come on honey,” Fiona welcomed her like it was her own home. “Another one for the pretty girl,” she said to the bartender.
Alice blushed, she knew that Fiona liked women, she had read an article about her. But she was not expecting the particular nervousness she felt when she walked past her.
Fiona was gorgeous, and additionally charismatic and charming as evidence by all the groupies around her. Alice felt flattered that she went out of her way to allow her in to get her drinks. And at that close range, she saw how striking Fiona was. Everyone around her, looked at her like she was otherworldly. Like she had come down from the stars.
Maybe there were stars in her eyes as she lingered, just a bit where Fiona was. She took a soft sip of her cocktail, and observed her, closer but she was not quite near her. Fiona took out her phone, to take a picture, of a lacy decoration on the wall.The decoration was lace, somewhat Victorianesque in its look.
Alice moved closer. Without words, she and Fiona had a full conversation.
“So you know I am a photographer,” Fiona said to her after they had started actually talking. “What do you do?”
Alice did not tell her she was an intern, she just told her where she worked.
“Well cool, I am going to be there next week. Here’s my card.”
Fiona’s skin whispered against Alice’s palm as she handed her the card. Suddenly Alice was not thinking about Polly’s review of her, or her exit interview.
She was thinking of Fiona Méret’s cool card burning a hole in her hand.

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louise dahl-wolfe photo via duck duck go images

It kind of felt like going on an interview, Eliza stared in a store window one more time to make sure she looked perfect before going into the apartment building.
When she had decided to open up her relationship with Rafe, she realized it meant that she acknowledged that there would be other people in their lives. Transient lovers were not an issue, but people that were going to be ongoing was different.
She had never had a conversation with Severine, she had been in the same place with her or heard her on the phone but never really engaged her. For Eliza, to be fully open, she wanted to meet Severine when she was in Paris. So she could know her as more than just an idea, or a shadow.
The door opened, and there was a soft smile on Severine’s mouth. Her beauty was obvious from quick glimpses in New York, but here in Paris it was offsetting.
“Bonjour,” she offered warmly and put her arms around her.
“Bonjour,” Eliza said, and put her arms around her.
“It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Eliza said primarily because she did not know what else to do.
Severine looked at her with wide eyes. She saw that the other woman was insecure too and that soothed her. She smiled,
“You’re nervous too.”
Severine smiled even more.
“Oui, sorry! I tend to speak in French even more when I nervous…”
The conversation ended up being very different from what she was expecting, especially after some aromatic Malbec was introduced.
“What made you change?” Severine asked her. “Rafe told me that you are now also participating in the open relationship part.”
“I fell in love with someone else, that was how I learned that relationships are more fluid that I thought. It is not easy, but there is definitely a difference in deciding that there is more than one person I want to be with. You were involved with Oscar…”
It was still so hard for her to say Oscar’s name since she left Shanghai. Left him and…
“Yes, I feel like if it had just been Rafe that we shared that that would be one thing, but Oscar too…”
Eliza smiled, and looked around at Severine’s apartment which reflected her extensive travel. Postcards and exotic knickknacks everywhere.
“Well you are beautiful, it is not surprising to me that men find you attractive. Want to be with you.”
“So are you, I can imagine that Rafe is scared as hell that you want to be with other men. He could lose you.”
After a huge sip of Malbec, Eliza smiled.
She was not thinking about being lost to Rafe. Right now she was lost to herself.
She was still drinking Malbec later, in a cafe not far from her hotel in Montparnasse. Adrian was late. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she felt alone and abandoned.
It was so easy for her to feel like that now, and she hated it…Maybe she wanted Rafe to say he only wanted to be with her? But then she was in love with someone else, who was she to fuss?
She was more than tipsy when Adrian walked in, but between her legs pounded soberlt as soon as he walked in.
He sat next to her, and she put her hand on his thigh. He brought it up further along his thigh and she pushed that boundary too.
His kisses ignited her body. She loved the feeling of his hard body that wanted hers, kept demanding hers. Sex with him was like drinking too much Malbec. Savoring, taking everything in.
When the waiter spoke to them, her French was sharper than usual. Did she have to drink too much to be fluent?
Eliza felt fluent in lust, as Adrian pulled her legs over his. She looked him in the eye. He felt sweeter to her because he had not been shared with Severine. He was only hers. At least she did not know who else he had been with. She liked that she thought, as she licked his lips that tasted like the Malbec on hers.
When she opened her eyes, they lingered on all the French words around them and she thought how freeing it felt to be in Paris. Rafe and Oscar were not her utmost thoughts. She was not feeling like the Sylvia Plath poem, The Applicant.
She had not spoken a word to Adrian or he to her, but tangled up in each other their bodies spoke all of their volumes.

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vins photo by f dot leonora

Polly did not know if she could trust Colin. His mouth was not on her body anymore, so she was able to think better than she had a moment ago.
“That cannot happen again. I am with someone now, and I can’t…I don’t want to,” she declared.
“It did not matter when you were with that other guy, the one you were living with.”
She looked down at her hands, folded neatly like they would have been when she was a schoolgirl.
She was always the good girl.
“That was different, things were different.”
“So you are in love?”
Polly pounded her folded hands gently on the table.
“What does it matter to you? I don’t have to explain anything to you. Especially when you are going to throw things back in my face. You know it was not easy with Greg. You said you would console me, it got out of hand…I was sad. I’m not sad anymore.”
“So I am only for when you are sad?”
Polly shook her head.
“This is why we could never be together because you do this. You always do this. Try to manipulate me. I am not who I was when you met me, but you haven’t noticed have you?”
Colin laughed.
“Because you are all conventionally pretty and successful now? And how were you different from when we talked about art, went to museums and I drank your blood like wine Polly?”
When he said that she was transported for a moment. She had trusted him so much at that time, trusted him with her mind and her body. They used to go to auctions with his parents, dressed goth and people wrote about how they looked in the papers. No one knew how dark they really were.
She remembered the taste of his blood, if she closed her eyes very tight. It was all just sort of a whim to him though, and she was along for the ride.
“And who are you now Colin? A poor little rich boy? The tortured artist? The fashion impresario? CEO of your father’s company?”
He looked uncomfortable. She had not really meant to hurt him, but he had gone for the jugular first and she was more of a fighter now than she used to be. Without words, she communicated to him that she was sorry. He nodded his head.
“I started collecting Dubuffet.”
Polly shook her head, unfolded her hands.
“You did?”
Colin stood up, and she followed him as he walked and showed her the Dubuffet.
“I thought you did not like his style.”
“I was having dinner with a new artist, who was telling me her style was like Dubuffet. She wanted me to buy one of her paintings, and it made me revisit Dubuffet and said I might as well buy the master.”
“Smart. You have always been so smart about art.”
He ran his hand over his head.
“Not so much about women.”
Polly looked at him. The usual way that she consoled him was with her body, but now she was with Oscar. Oscar was not like anyone she had been with before. Not that her relationships had been bad, but Oscar made her feel lighter in her heart than she had ever felt before. Being in Shanghai with him, doing karaoke, kissing him and lying in bed with him for hours…days before they actually had sex. He made it so light for her, had swept her off of her feet in a way that she had not been swept before. With Colin, at some point she was so desperate for him that it felt less like love, than some kind of dependency. Even now. It was hard to trust if her emotions for him were real, or just remnant of something she used to crave so desperately with him.
“I love you Colin, will always love you. But you and I, you know what it was…”
“What was it Polly?”
She could not read his eyes, she looked at the Dubuffet, the fecal colors she almost felt. His work was gritty and earthy.
“I am surprised that you are collecting Dubuffet…”
“You don’t really know me Polly.”
Looking from the Dubuffet to him, she realized she did not.

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soul of the underground by jean dubuffet photo fragment by f dot leonora

q

Polly took Alice to Paris. She was not sure if her intern was going to think that it was because she knew about her and Oscar, or if it would be reflective of her leadership that Alice constantly raved about.
She really did like Alice, she was smart and discreet. Reminded her of herself when she was that age.
But that was not the reason that she had invited her along, not by a long shot.
She was picking up a de Lempicka from Colin, and she felt that she would be a lot safer with the younger woman with her. Polly was not sure that she wanted the dark and deep flirting that coming to Paris always bought. Having Alice with her, would prevent anything.
Or at least she liked to believe that. Colin had never been afraid of much, and certainly her just seeing Oscar would not distract him from anything that might be on his mind.
It was not every time that she ended up with him, she had mixed business with pleasure a few times…but now she had no intention of that.
The view of Paris from his apartment was gorgeous, and she was glad that Alice had looked away to gawk at it when Colin saw her. He was startled by her intern, and the look in his eyes was of such disappointment. He took her by the arm, and his lips grazed her neck. She looked at him sharply, as Alice suddenly realized she was gawking.
“This is my intern Alice,” Polly smiled, and she could see that pleased Alice.
“It is lovely to meet you. I love the de Lempickas so much, and am happy to be here,” Alice said as they looked at the guest of honor.
A stunning de Lempicka.
“It makes sense then that you are Polly’s intern because she has been a de Lempicka fan for decades. Even before she was doing this.”
Alice turned to look at Polly with a question, but it was Colin that answered.
“I have known Polly for a long time.”
Polly’s smile was tight, but she gave it.
“Alice is also a huge fan, which is why I brought her to Paris.”
Alice smiled, and Polly thought to herself how many of the other women there did not want to work with her because she was very pretty. She half wished that Alice’s beauty would distract Colin, but it did not.
When Alice was in the bathroom, Colin cornered Polly. His expression was perplexed, but he stood closer to her.
“When can I be alone with you? Dinner tonight?”
Polly smiled, nodded. She looked out at the view that had captivated Alice.
The last time that she had been in Paris with Colin, she had watched that view naked to her waist. He did not bite into her skin, but the way he sucked at her would leave deep bruises.
Polly wrapped her arms about herself.
Dinner was at Colin’s. Paris was dark now, and he had loosened his tie.
“I missed you,” he said cornering her again.
“Colin…”
“I don’t care who he is…”
“You know?”
He paused, and looked at her.
“I guessed.”
“You know me too well.”
“I know your blood…”
She could smell the heat she used to smell when he wanted to suck the blood from her. He pulled her close, and held her chastely for a long time. Polly did not expect that he would suddenly kiss her neck, and gnaw at her skin gently almost to the breaking point…
When they were younger she had been so eager to give him her blood, to give him her whatever he wanted. He was the leader, and she had followed.
Paris grew all the darker outside of the window.

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the vampyre by edvard munch via wikipedia commons

Eliza walked along Rue Edgar Quinet toward the Montparnasse Cemetery. She was not going there to visit any of the famous graves. In all her time in Paris, she had never visited any of the cemeteries there.
She was going because Adrien had asked her to meet him there. That was the effect that Adrien had had on her since he had brought her into the city for hire. The effect that he had had on her since they had sex in the basement of her hotel. He asked her to meet him here, she guessed to get a rise out of her? or because her hotel was close by?
He stood just outside the entrance, with an electric cigarette that emitted a sweet scent she was not accustomed to them giving. Maybe she was not exposed to enough of them. She smiled at him, and he broke into an immediate grin. He nuzzled her, and she tilted her neck to receive him.
“Tell me something filthy in English…you promised to help me with my English.”
Eliza got goosebumps from the way he whispered it just below her ear.
“Fuck me again…I can say it in French too if you don’t understand me…”
He clutched her so hard about the hips, that she was sure that he bruised her.
“Mais oui,” he breathed against her neck.
And he did. They did. Over and over while she was in Paris, after she would meet him at the cemetery. Well outside of the cemetery, then they would have dinner on Rue Edgar Quinet or Boulevard Montparnasse. Often they would have sushi.
She studied Adrien that night over sushi. He was sexy and charming, and even more so because he kept her mind off of Oscar.
She wished that she could say something horrible had happened, that Oscar had thrown her to the side and had stepped on her heart. But he was graceful even as he was breaking her heart. When he held her close to him like a butterfly, pinning her down before he let her go…it was nothing that he said. He let her know that he always loved her, and she said that she loved him…
But he let her go.
There was no reason for her ever to return to Shanghai.
“So you were in Shanghai you told me?”
Eliza looked at Adrien with a smile, and nodded. She was not immune to his charm even with Oscar haunting her, and having been in and out of bed with him made him all the more irresistible.
“Why did you pick the cemetery to meet me?”
Adrien looked at her, and she realized even though she had been in and out of his pants that she did not know him.
“I like cemeteries,” he shrugged eating a piece of sashimi. “And it let me know for sure that you are not squeamish. You just came.”
Eliza smiled at the double entendre she dwelled on silently.
“Depends…”
She started to pick at her roll, when she heard the soft noise of Adrien’s chopsticks hitting his plate. He squeezed her thigh, his fingers not high up her thigh but close enough.
“On what?”
“You do not scare me,” she said.
Eliza picked up a piece of sushi, let her tongue glide over it while looking in his eyes.
She was not the same Eliza she used to be.

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chopsticks via wikipedia commons

Alice tried to remember who had given her the key, but she could not remember exactly. She was in charge of watering all of the flowers being delivered to Polly while she was out of the office, while she was in Shanghai with Oscar.
She closed her eyes when she thought about Oscar. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Even though she was an intern, she had an intensive interview and was sent to work with Polly. Polly was lovely to her, but she worked hard for her. It was much more than going to Starbuck’s to fetch coffees like other interns did. Polly took her when she went to pick up a say for example, Tamara de Lempicka from a client.
Polly was as gorgeous as a woman de Lempicka would paint too. She had an impossibly gorgeous stylized look, and it was something that was going to be branded on Alice’s psyche for the rest of her life.
Walking into Polly’s office like the Maxfield Parrish Mary Mary Quite Contrary, she paused.
Polly had her blouse open, and Oscar kissed her bare breasts slowly moving to her stomach. Polly looked stylized even in an intimate moment. Her eyes closed tightly, and her sharply bottom on the edge of her desk fighting to stay there as Oscar pulled up her skirt. Alice realized her mouth was open, as she eyed Polly’s dancer’s thighs topped with thigh high lace parting…She stepped back intending not to be seen, but she had spilled water watering the floor as she had intended to water the flowers.
The thunk of her heels made Polly gracefully stand up.
“I am sorry!” Alice stammered. She spilled the rest of the water, and a pile of nerves, used her jacket to wipe up the water from the floor.
“Alice.”
Alice looked up to see Polly standing over her, buttoning up her blouse.
“Call maintenance to clean up the floor and get your jacket dry-cleaned. Then come into my office. Thank you.”
Alice could not help but admire the grace with which Polly walked back to her desk, and stood in front of Oscar who gazed at her with tremendous concern. She could not see Polly’s face even from the side, but Oscar looked at her with love and adoration.
After she called facilities, she remained at her desk until she saw Oscar walk out. She avoided his eyes, and took a deep breath before she walked into Polly’s office. Polly sat on the edge of her desk as she had when Oscar was kissing her body. How could she look so calm and collected, when she was wet just from watching them?
Polly walked across the room and closed the door, she returned to the edge of her desk and looked at her with sober eyes.
“I am sorry about what you saw Alice, it was incredibly unprofessional and I understand if you want to work in another department.”
“You don’t want me here anymore?”
“Alice, you are a bright girl, but if you are going feel awkward with me…”
“I don’t.”
Polly looked at her even more soberly.
“I would love to continue our working relationship, and would ask for you discretion then. I am in a relationship with Oscar, but I did not intend to flaunt it. Certainly not in the way that I unintentionally have.”
Alice sat back in her chair.
“You’re a beautiful couple…”
Polly smiled at her, and for one second she felt like they were equals. Then Polly stood up.
“Who gave you a key to my office Alice?”
“It was on my desk while you and Oscar were in Shanghai. Someone wanted me to water your delivered flowers.”
Polly looked out of the window, and she picked up card after card. Something was off, Alice could not tell what. But something was off. She was just glad that she was going to keep working with Polly. She wanted to be just like her, and hopefully find her own Oscar.
Alice was ashamed when she felt herself getting wet again thinking about what she saw.
The sun fell on Polly, making her look like all the more like a de Lempicka painting…

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