The early afternoon plane landed at the airport a little before mid-day. Paris was lit and rushed like the streets of London. The walk from the baggage claim to the car rentals was not extensive. Upon arrival, I grabbed the Masonry reserved under the companies name and began the not so smooth trip around town. Traffic followed me wherever I went. I was to meet a real state agent to find a new place for the Paris branch of the company. The agent, an experienced English speaker, and a natural French speaker could comprehend all that I asked him. Our meeting point was at a cafe just outside the Eiffel Tower, "There is nothing better a tourist could do around here, the noise, the smells, this is truly France."
The agent exclaimed. There was a gentle passion in the man, something I could relate to almost like he had just fallen in love. I looked at the tower and thought of the amazing view that could awe-struck the clients with it. I pondered for a few minutes and wondered off into possible scenarios of where the new headquarters could be placed. We drove to the first place. An empty construction area a little bigger than the area of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. It was what we needed but not really the floor seemed as though three was a park and would need a lot of construction work to be done on it. The building was placed in a neighborhood where an old chateau was also for sale and for a few seconds I wondered if I could make my summer house out of it.
The agent explained everything that was needed to me and that area was, in fact, a previously stated park. He told me that the city hall had removed it and placed it elsewhere because of the high traffic in the area. When we arrived at the second location it was already close to 3 o'clock a neighborhood just outside of the main Ilê de France. A little north inside Aubervilliers, the area even though a little poor had a lot of possibilities of growth. Before checking the area out the agent took me to a small place, a corner restaurant where we talked and laughed for a few minutes. An interesting conversation showed up though. He asked me why I chose to build inside such a chaotic city like Paris.
I told him I loved Paris I loved the people the food, the ambiance, the language. Then I laughed and said I was kidding. It was not me who chose the place but a board full of old rich people. Suddenly a phrase entered the conversation that I did not quite understand. J'ai tellemeent envie de faire amour avec toi! My inexperience of the French-led me to an awkward situation where I just I smiled and agreed with whatever he was saying.
After paying for lunch we got up and left to Aubervilliers, but in the middle, he took a different turn we turned and moved West. I questioned why the sudden change of mind. He responded me with a simple you will see. After about 3 hours of driving we arrived at a huge hotel what the French people call a Chateau, he said that the Hotel was not for sale but if we bid high enough offer we could get it and turn it into whatever I wanted it to be. I was enchanted, it was beautiful the mountains, the forest, the hotel in itself was beautiful. He said that I would be convinced of the place I looked more into it. That is what I did. After parking on the outside spot I pulled my phone to cancel the overnight stay at the hotel close to the airport. Since it was already night I was not going to send my faithful companion home alone. I invited him to stay. We marched inside the Chateau and ordered two rooms for the night. The rooms were not small but they were not big either, at least not what I was used to. I settled into my room and took a bath under the hot water. My hair was tied up neatly into a bun. The bubbles wrapped my body in a minty and tingly feeling. The place was a lovely rustic place. After about 40 minutes I heard a knock on my door. It was the agent, he had changed into what seemed a badly ironed t-shirt and shorts. I was still wrapped in my towel. I looked down at my body and then looked at the agent. I let him in. I grabbed clothes and changed in the bathroom. The t-shirt and shorts placed in my bag were meant for sleep but they looked good enough to wear outside. He walked me through the hotel like it was the palm of his hand. He knew every piece of the history of the place like it was part of a plan to bring me to the hotel. We talked to the staff and some of the people that were guests seemed pretty happy with what they had there. The more time we walked through the place the more I felt like staying there for the rest of life. The small details of the hotels created beautiful tales. When my watch beeped 8 p.m we went to eat dinner. Roasted chicken and onion soup something to warm the soul on a cold night out. The agent looked at me once in a while and giggled like a 12-year-old. When the meal was finished I went up to my room. I began the report on the possible places of the next Headquarters. After about 3 and a half hours I heard another knocking on the door it was room service a bottle of champagne and a bottle of wine. I looked up at the waiter and failed miserably to try and tell him that there was a mistake. Behind the waiter to save my life was my agent, just he gave the waiter a tip and brought to my room both the wine and the champagne. He opened the champagne and said, "You know there is one last thing that I did not tell you about this hotel," he began, "these 2 are the best rooms."
I looked at him blankly, he then continued, "outside of your window is a hill, on top of the hill is the most beautiful view you will ever see."
He seems already a bit drunk. "You intend to take me there in the morning?' I asked.
He sat on my bed on the tip of my bed and stretched his arm out. I looked at him for a second confused. "Let's go!"
"Now? I can't I need to sleep." I said.
The hand stretched further and gripped onto my arm. He walked me out of the room with both bottles under his arm. He opens the hotel exit and we climbed the small hill. There all that was visible was shining light of the Eiffel Tower. "Is that what you want to show me?" I questioned.
"We'll be here for a few hours, so sit down." He said looking up at me. He stretched a towel on the floor for the both of us and when I reached closer he pulled me down so I sat. He opned the bottle of wine first and began a conversation about my private life. If I was married, kids etc. His eyes shined brighter for every no I responded. When he stopped asking the questions. Something inside of me clicked. The words came out my mouth unintetionally, "Do I know you?".
He sympathetically said, "you should."
"What do you mean?" I then responded.
"You inerrupted my meeting with your boss last week." He said ironically.
I took a long sip of wine and before I could say anything he was already re-filling my cup. "Sorry. Did not mean to. It was just I needed answers quickly."
"It's ok. It was the best thing—" I interrupted him with the first of what would a long series of hiccups.
"I think that would be enough of wine for me." I said omnously placing my hand on the cup of glass.
"Just out of curiosity, what happened the last time you got very, very drunk?"
I looked at him and said, "I got laid."
I immediately regreted saying that sentence but it was as if the alcohol was taking over me. The agent grinned as he pulled my gllass of wine away from me. Replacing it with a glass of champagne. "Come on," he began, "you are not going to waste a nice bottle of champagne."
My alcoholic mind had by then taken over and I was more and more loosing control of myself. Sometime during that waiting I felt hand on leg, it sent shivers down my spine. By then I was not that drunk, but I was still in recovery. The agent next to me had then finished both the wine and the champagne bottle on his own. Yet, still seemed pretty strong. He lay himself next to me and I began to start feeling little touches from him. First on my leg for a second time, then on my shoulder he let his fingers run by my neck and the I felt a bite on my earlobe. That is when alcohol took the best of me and I turned him around positioning him right under my hip. The last memory of that night that I retained was waking up on the grass with a towel covering my body and my clothes thrown to my sides. The agent was gone, and I was there wondering if that was really a dream.
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