Authors: Denise Kahn
“Would we be dreaming about a tall Spaniard perhaps?” Monique asked.
“No. Well… Monique, you know me too well. He is rather smashing though, isn’t he?”
“Absolutely. And you’ll have plenty of time to talk to each other. You and Alejandro are taking us to the airport. Remember?”
The Rolls Royce, still adorned with flowers and banners, slowly crept away from the pub. Davina sat in front next to Alejandro, who drove. Jacques and Monique, in the back, were in their own private world. Davina worried that the hour’s drive to the airport would be an eternity. She didn’t know what to say. How was it that a man could do this to her?
“We really haven’t had a chance to meet,” Alejandro said, interrupting her thoughts.
“Yes, you’re right. It’s been a rather hectic day.”
“It was nice, don’t you think? Jacques and Monique make a marvelous couple.”
“Oh, yes.”
“And you looked just as beautiful. You are the loveliest maid of honor I have ever seen.”
Davina was sure her face was red. She was glad it was night.
“Thank you, and you look quite dashing yourself.” She regretted saying it the moment she heard her words. It sounded so, so young, so silly. She was glad to be able to get out of the car at the airport.
“You know, I really can’t understand why you are taking suitcases with you,” Alejandro joked. “I mean, you’re going to a deserted Caribbean island, and you’re on your honeymoon. Why would you need any clothes?”
Jacques mockingly punched his friend in the stomach. “You sly old fox, you just take care of yourself. And Davina of course. I’ll handle my end.”
The men laughed, but Davina turned crimson. Monique came to her rescue. “Now, don’t forget, we’re meeting in Cairo next month for the opening of my tour,” Monique reminded her.
“I remember,” Davina said.
The voice over the loudspeaker announced the departure of their flight.
“That’s us,” Jacques said.
They bade each other farewell and Jacques and Monique headed toward their terminal. Alejandro and Davina watched them until they disappeared. Alejandro took Davina’s arm and put it through his. As they walked to the waiting Rolls Royce, she felt as if an electric current was flowing from his body into hers.
“I know a splendid little restaurant,” Alejandro said. “How about it, are you hungry? Would you join me for dinner?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am hungry.” Especially for you, she thought. “That sounds wonderful.”
Alejandro carefully guided the white Rolls through the streets of Paris to the Hotel Crillon by the Place de la Concorde.
“This, my dear lady, is the place where they have the best food in town.”
“But it’s a hotel.”
“Yes, that’s true, but don’t worry about it—just concentrate on the food—it really is exquisite.”
“Alright,” she said, trying not to think that there were rooms, with beds, just above where they were standing.
“May I order for both of us?” he asked once they were seated.
“Yes, that’s fine, thank you,” she said politely.
Alejandro carefully analyzed the extraordinary face in front of him. She was stunning. He explored her, as much as he dared, inch by inch. He marveled at the amber-blond hair loosely cascading over her shoulders. Her skin seemed to glisten with the warm glow given off by the candle on the table. He gazed into her big dark aqua eyes and her full sensuous lips that quivered slightly as she mustered a polite smile. She was not aware that her natural powers of beauty had intoxicated this invincible man.
They soon became more at ease with each other and talked about their childhoods, talking more as two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. It was as if they had always known one another.
Alejandro could not concentrate on the food. He didn’t seem to taste it. He was sure it was delicious, having eaten at this restaurant many times before, but tonight the food seemed completely bland. He could not stop looking at Davina. His eyes followed her every movement, the way she ate, the way her lips touched the bouchées as she delicately put them into her mouth. She was a refined lady in every way. And her singing! She had moved everyone in the wedding party to tears. The soft feminine timber of her voice and the richness of it had penetrated into his heart. He wanted to touch every inch of her body, to show her how much she meant to him. A thrill ran through him. He did not want the evening to ever end.
“How was dinner?” he asked.
“Delicious. You’re right, the food here is superb.” She really did not know. She did not seem to taste the food.
“I’m glad. Would you like a drink? A Cognac perhaps?”
“An old one?”
“Only the best!”
“I would love one.”
“I know a place that has a bottle of the best aged Cognac France has ever produced.”
“You know all the hideouts, don’t you,” she said laughing.
“I try.”
“So, where is this wonderful Cognac?”
“It is the only place in town that serves it in such a manner, but I will only take you there if you really want to go.” He paused, watching her face. “It is very close by, in this same building as a matter of fact.”
At the hotel elevator, Alejandro gently put his hands on her arms. Davina felt liquid fire running through her veins. “It is only a few floors up.”
“A room?” she asked.
He nodded. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman,” he added quickly.
“I believe you.”
“Let’s go then,” he said softly.
The trip to the top floor seemed like an eternity. They didn’t say a word, both lost in their own thoughts and desires. Finally, the elevator came to a halt and the door opened. Alejandro gently put his hand in the small of her back and guided her down the corridor to his room. He quickly inserted the key and opened the door.
“Please make yourself comfortable while I get the Cognac.”
“Thank you,” Davina said going toward the window at the far end of the suite. “The view is magnificent.” The Eiffel tower in the distance seemed to acknowledge her presence, the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysées were bustling with life, and Davina had never felt more alive.
“Yes, it’s wonderful. It is the city of lights, the city of lovers,” he said, pouring the Cognac into the glasses. “Here you are,” he said handing her a glass. “May I propose a toast?”
“Please do...”
“To us, to... good friends.”
“Yes, to good friends.”
They put the crystal to their lips and delicately sipped as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Alejandro slowly moved toward her and stopped just a few inches from her body. “It feels like we are perhaps a little more than friends,” he said.
“I think...yes.”
Alejandro put his glass on the table next to him, took hers and placed it next to his, and took her hands. He could read her desire.
“You are very beautiful,
querida
, dearest one,” he murmured. Davina shivered and involuntarily reached out for him. Alejandro tightened his grip on her arms and pulled her to him swiftly but gently. They clung to each other a few moments, just enough to feel the urge of the other’s need and their hearts racing. Alejandro released her just enough so that he could see her face. He caressed her lips with a finger. Davina held her breath as her lips parted with his touch and then their mouths met. He ventured deeper in her mouth. He tasted the Cognac. He possessed it, as he wanted to possess her entire body.
He ran his hands through her silky hair and she reached up to touch his face. They held each other tightly and their mouths met once again, this time with greater urgency. Davina thought her legs would no longer hold her. He unbuttoned her blouse and cupped her breast. He felt her nipple harden under his experienced fingers and Davina moaned in pleasure. He dipped a finger into the glass of Cognac and brought it to her lips, tracing them as if he were painting a great canvas. She responded eagerly, licking her lips and his finger. He again dipped his finger into the Cognac, and this time, he outlined one of her nipples with it. He licked the moisture from her breast. Davina’s moans grew more insistent. Alejandro picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
He laid her gently on the bed and quickly took off his shirt and pants. Davina stared at his perfection. His chest looked broader without his shirt.
His long muscular legs were well sculptured, giving the ensemble an aura of strength and masculinity. Her desire to touch his body was overwhelming.
“You are exquisite,
amor
,” he said as he gently removed the rest of her clothes. As he caressed her, he saw that she was quivering. He could feel her arousal as intense as his. He cradled her in his arms and gently his hand moved slowly over her body. Her fingertips explored his back and shoulders and gradually found his waist.
Nothing could stop them now. Their passion was in command. Alejandro thought he would never be able to control himself, but he swore that he would make their first time magnificent. He knew already that this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. God how he wanted her. Her eyes were resplendent in their love, in their yearning for him. They searched his face, questioning, loving, on fire with a passion she still did not fully comprehend. Gently, he thought. Slowly. Carefully. His passion rose with her sensuality.
When the possessor had become the possessed, they lay together in silence. Davina held him, her man, yes, he was hers. He had taken her into a new world.
They spent the next two weeks together in Paris. Davina loved Paris. She had spent many of her formative years in the City of Light. They walked up the Champs Elysées in the evenings, taking in a movie or a show. One day they drove out to visit some of the châteaux of the Loire Valley, one of the most beautiful areas in all of France. On the last day of their holiday, Alejandro took her to a bistro in his neighborhood. They sat at a small table by the fireplace. A waiter lit the candles on their table. Alejandro ordered champagne.
“Are we celebrating?” Davina asked.
“You will see.”
“Alejandro, tell me!”
“Patience, my love.”
“Never!” she laughed.
“There will be plenty of time for that.”
The waiter returned with the champagne. “Miss Davina Walters?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“You have a telephone call.”
“For me?” She could not imagine who would be calling. No one else knew where she was.
Alejandro winked at the waiter, who was in collusion with him.
“Anything important?” Alejandro asked casually when she returned.
“No, as a matter of fact, there wasn’t anyone on the line.”
“How odd. Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “now I can make my toast.”
“Yes, please do. I can hardly wait.”
“To us, more than friends,” he said raising his glass.
“To us,” she said and lifted the glass to her lips but she immediately put it down. She looked more closely into the glass. “There’s something…”
“I haven’t finished my toast,” Alejandro interrupted her. “Miss Davina Walters, would you honor me by wearing this ring?”
A heart-shaped ruby ring surrounded by diamonds rested at the bottom of her glass of fizzing champagne.
“Davina, will you marry me?”
“Alejandro, yes, my love, I will marry you, with all my heart.” Davina looked at the ring. “That’s my mother’s engagement ring, the one her grandmother gave her!”
“Yes, it is filled with great history. Your mother lovingly gave it to me.”
“Ah, so you were in cahoots!”
“Absolutely. Your mother is quite the master, and a divine lady.”
“And how much champagne do I have to drink to get this ring?”
“May I?” he asked, dipping a finger into her champagne.
“You have a habit of dipping your finger into fine drinks.”
Alejandro leaned over and kissed her.
“The phone call, that was you of course. You sly fox.” Davina turned serious. “Are you my fox, Alejandro? You know, the one who befriended the Little Prince.”
He had read the story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry but long ago. “Remind me.”
“The fox tells
le Petit Prince
that he cannot play with him because he’s not tamed. The Little Prince has to tame him first. And the fox warns him, he says:
But if you tame me, then we shall need each other
.”
Alejandro was transfixed. He looked deeply into her eyes, into the depths of her soul, he thought. “Do they play, the fox and the prince?”
“Yes. The Little Prince tames the fox, but the Prince has to go back to his own planet, so they are sad. Before he goes, the fox gives him a present, a secret.”
“What’s the present?”
“The gift was the secret.”
“And what is the secret?”
“This is the secret.
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye
.”