Chapter 3

I wish I could’ve been more present in that moment as I sat before Raya Ansari, but all I could think about was Cristo and how much I missed him. I wanted to be back home in his arms just so I could get a peaceful breath in my body.
All I felt in that moment was anxiety and dread. It had only heightened after my talk with John yesterday because my time with Cristo felt so much more limited now. It didn’t help that Cristo himself was so busy with his own business and family matters, but I knew what was happening now. It as obvious after his cousin, Jenna, called me up to ask if things were okay between him and I.
“Things are fine,” I’d said as I looked at my watch to check how soon my flight would be. “Is everything okay on your end?”
“Yeah, it’s just that Cristo is having a talk with my parents…” she sounded confused.
“He’s in Paris?”
“He didn’t tell you?”
“Not like he owes me any explanation at the moment, to be honest,” I said, but it sounded more like I was trying to convince myself of it. I guess Cristo had his reasons.
Jenna continued, “I was wondering if he said anything to you, perhaps?”
“Not really,” I replied with a sigh. “I wouldn’t really push it either. I’m sure that whatever it is, it’s only for everyone’s own good.”
“There’s a lawyer here, Lilith.”
“Again,” I tried coaxing her worried mind, “doing what’s best. He wouldn’t have a lawyer with him for nothing.”
“Oh, lord…” she whined under her breath. “I just hope he didn’t get into any trouble.”
“No, no,” I reassured. “He’s completely in the clear, but I can’t say any more than that because I genuinely have no idea what’s going on. Anyway, Jenna, I have a flight to catch. I really need to go.”
“All right, please stay safe,” she pleaded. “I have a weird feeling about this whole situation.”
“I’ll drop by tomorrow if you need me to and then we can talk it out?” I suggested. “I have a client to meet over there in a few days anyway.”
“Would be lovely,” she sounded much calmer now. “I’ll see you then!”
Since that conversation, I was pretty much on edge the whole time. I mean, Cristo had a whole lawyer at the Dupont house so who knows if this was just about inheritance.
Raya Ansari sat before me, going on about her work and methods. There was a lot I didn’t agree with, although it made sense because her culture was extremely patriarchal. It also explained why the money was so volatile, with the men marrying enough women at a time to cause so much confusion and scuffle. It wasn’t that European men didn’t cheat, but they wouldn’t go as far as to marry their mistresses.
“I’m a little concerned about this aspect of culture seeping into the workings of the club,” I said hesitantly. “You’re aware that most relationships in our part of the world are very monogamous.”
“Yes, yes, I understand,” she said with a wave of her hand, “which is why it would be a breath of fresh air for me to marry the women outside of their culture. Would be a nice change for them.”
Raya had a melodious voice and a calm demeanor that was sure to soften the hardest of hearts. She had dark skin that had a glow of its own, drinking up the sunlight as her hands moved around elegantly as she talked. She was supple and definitely ate well, with a keen sense of style and an awareness of what worked well for her. Even with a traditional headwrap with distinct patterns, she made it work with her silk dresses.
“I see your clients are mostly women,” I noted.
“Parents of the women,” she corrected.
I raised a brow at her, “Won’t that make your job more difficult? I see your goals and I’m not sure there will be much approval. Most families here are strict on caste and religion.”
“Trust me, nothing comes in the way of money with these people,” she assured with a hint of distaste. “I plan to use it to my advantage to give these women lives and identities outside their families and marriages.”
“You seem like you’d be great in our family therapy department, honestly.”
“I don’t mind a career change,” she chuckled. “As long as my participation and income are guaranteed.”
“You’re a kind woman, Raya,” I smiled sincerely at her, reaching into my bag for an envelope and handing it to her. “I hope to see you again in a few months when we launch the program.”
Raya beamed at me, dark eyes shining like marbles. In that moment, I knew that no matter what the outcomes, things will turn out all right.
After another day of being in Jordan, I caught a flight to Paris. I hoped it wouldn’t be intrusive being at Jenna’s place, seeing as how Cristo was still there. It felt weird because I didn’t want to spring on him as a surprise, I was genuinely going there for Jenna’s comfort.
I decided to call Jenna and see if I should just book a hotel instead if Cristo was staying at theirs. I couldn’t allow myself to interfere with his plans. I had my own plans too and they needed to go smoothly.
Him and I were at such a weird point in our lives where we were still just skirting around each other. It didn’t make sense to be this way because I wanted to spend more time with him. Normal relationships didn’t work like ours did, although my life was far from normal and…we weren’t exactly dating?
I wasn’t sure.
The jet lag was sure to last for a long time, and I realized that maybe being at a hotel would be better than staying at Jenna’s place. I needed a spa day. I rang up Jenna who responded hurriedly, sounding disheveled and croaky.
“Hey, Lilith. How are you?” she yawned, but sounded…different.
“Uh…” I paused for a moment, “Jenna?”
“It’s Aubrey, sheesh, how could you not recognize that?”
I rolled my eyes, “Good lord, Aubrey. Where’s Jenna?”
“Still asleep,” she grunted and I was met with a snore ringing in my ear in the next second. It faded away, replaced by Aubrey once more, “She’s loud, isn’t she? I don’t know how I sleep.”
“I’m…surprised you and her are still together.”
“It’s just different when dating women,” she replied nonchalantly. “Anyway, want me to take a message for her?”
“Yeah, let her know I’ll be staying at a hotel for this trip. I’ll drop by whenever you guys wake up, though.”
“Oh, yes, I totally forgot you were gonna be in Paris,” she chuckled. “I’ll drop you a text when we’re up. Let’s have dinner tonight?”
“Sure. I have to go so I’ll talk later. Bye now.”
“Au revoir,” she said sleepily and we hung up.
It was a quick ride to the hotel and I was promptly settled into my room. A cozy yet modern place divided into two floors. The bed was at the top, unfortunately, and I dragged myself up the stairs to fall face down into the mattress.
It hadn’t even been a second before y phone rang, and I groaned loudly into my pillow. I could barely open my eyes from the fatigue at that point, but the call could be really important. My hand patted around for my phone, putting it on speaker as I accepted the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, did you make it to Paris safely?”
I shot up straight and sat onto the bed, scrambling for the phone and bringing it to me as my heart raced in my chest.
“Y-yeah,” I responded breathily. “I got here okay. How did you know?”
“Relax, it’s just me,” Cristo chuckled. “Aubrey told me you were in the city a few minutes ago. I’m staying at Jenna’s place for the time being while I sort some things out. You didn’t tell me you’d be here.”
“You didn’t tell me either,” I retorted as calmly as I could.
He sighed, but not sadly, “So you knew?”
“Jenna told me. It’s not like I sought you out or anything,” I explained. “I’m only here for a formal meeting with a new club member.”
“Working hard as always,” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. “I was wondering, since we’re away from New York and all the drama there, do you maybe want to…uh, go out somewhere nice? After we get all our work out of the way, of course.”
My lips pulled inwards in shock as I processed his words, wondering if I had heard him right.
Was he asking me out on a date? And that too in a place where no one could mess with us? It didn’t sound real. Too good to be true. But I wanted it, I really did. What better place to be with Cristo than the city of love itself?
“Oh, like, um…just to eat?” I asked dubiously.
“Lilith,” he sighed, “c’mon.”
“Just making sure.”
“Are you being serious right now?”
“I don’t know.”
Cristo laughed, “Get some rest, Lilith. Let me know when you wrap things up on your end.”
“Okay,” I said softly and we bid farewell. Even though he had hung up, my phone remained clutched in my hand, staring at it like a teenager who had been asked to prom by her crush. It might as well be seeing as how I’d never even attended prom with a date.
The stupidest smile slid onto my face as I pushed my face into the pillow and squealed.
 
My body didn’t find water until hours later, and I finally started to relax slowly in the warm tub of scented water. Petals floated about, scattered onto the surface as the ripples glinted in the warm, dim candle light. My hand was being tended to, a nice manicure for my nails and tipped thinly with gold at the ends.
“Would you like to head to the massage now?” asked the manicurist. I nodded and she handed me a towel and turned away. I got out and patted myself dry, asking for another towel to wrap around myself. She helped me into it, tucking an end behind my back and leading me to the masseuse.
The room was spotless off-white, with stone accents and a tropical scent that hung lightly in the air. The soft sound of water falling off a fountain trickled in from a distance as sunlight fell gently into the room. There were three other women already there, one of them knocked out cold as her masseuse worked into her back with her elbows.
“That one must be stressed,” I muttered.
The manicurist chuckled as she led me to my spot and helped me on. “That one is a regular client, Marie Pellon.” She explained in her heavy French accent, “She’s a luxury furniture designer.”
“I suppose designing furniture could be taxing, yes,” I nodded.
“She crafts them herself.”
My mouth dropped open and I turned to take another look at her. Now that the masseuse had said it, I could see it was true. Marie’s arms were toned and strong, and so was her back. Her masseuse struggled to break into her muscle and I doubt she would be able to get her work done at all.
“Shouldn’t Marie go to a chiropractor?”
“Probably will after this,” she pondered. “Your masseuse, Alina, will be with you soon. You may lie down.”
I did as asked, turning my head towards Marie to get a better look at her. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Had I met her somewhere at an event? She looked quite aged with greying hair and some laugh lines around her face.
“She might wake up if you stare that hard,” the manicurist whispered. I coughed awkwardly and turned my head away. Marie should not concern me, it was best I focus on my tasks at hand because a detour could not be afforded.
As the masseuse worked on my back, I could feel the tension drain out of my body quite literally. It was weird, feeling this relaxed in so long. I didn’t have anyone to worry about, like Blair or Selene. I hadn’t worried about my mom in a while, and she probably stayed away because she was worried about being cut off from financial support. There was no one in Paris that could bother me and I needed that so much. I was aware Lyra could call me at any moment with an issue, but the person I’d hired in my place was capable enough to manage whatever problems cropped up at the company.
But I was sure something or the other would turn up an–
“You’re not relaxed,” came a tired sigh from beside me. I opened my eyes and looked up at the woman who had walked into place. That must be Alina, folding her sleeves up and dropping some oil into her hands to rub her palms together.
“I’m trying.”
“You were frowning. Your mind is in an overdrive,” She explained and clapped her hands lightly. “Not to worry, I will fix it.”
She cracked her knuckles so loudly that the pops bounced off the walls. That was really unsettling, but I couldn’t really complain. It looked like she knew what she was doing with those toned biceps, although I felt Marie might need her more than I did.
Here I go again worrying about other people, I sighed internally. In that moment, I decided to surrender myself to Alina completely. I trusted in her to work into me properly that day.
She had worked too well because the next morning, I absolutely could not get myself to leave my bed. It was bad, seeing as how I needed to meet the matchmaker in four hours and I hadn’t even had breakfast yet. The room service was great and had brought up a large selection of delicacies on a trolley, but I felt too limp to even pick up a strawberry.
I wasn’t used to being this relaxed.
What if I just postponed it? I thought to myself, my hand reaching out for the phone at the thought. It would be good to indulge in some self-care while I felt like this. It could only last so long.
My phone rang before I’d even touched it. Eyeing the called ID, I groaned at the matchmaker’s name popping up. I should’ve just settled on e-mailing their welcome cards and invites to them instead of meeting them in person, but I knew how important it was to the company image to do this. Hugo was working hard, too. He deserved this at the very least.
“Hello, this is Lilith Mendez.”
“Lilith, hi!” Came Estelle Adnet’s chirpy voice. I have to physically restrain myself from groaning in pain. It was far too early in the morning for her overwhelming energy. “I got news of your arrival, I hope you’re resting well!”
“I am, thank you,” I sighed. “Are we still on for today?”
“Ah, yes, about that…” she trailed off, leaving me hoping that she would postpone. “My client just called me up crying a few minutes ago and I have to be off to diffuse a family situation. I was wondering if maybe…”
“You would like to postpone?” I sounded way too eager.
“No,” she chuckled. “If you would like to accompany me!”
Motherfucker.
“Estelle, I just landed yesterday,” I explained gently. “And I was in Jordan before that. You must understand how exhausted I am.”
“Oh no, I understand,” she said apologetically. “That was so thoughtless of me. Could we postpone it until tomorrow then?”
Victory, I sighed internally and gave her the green light. I settled into bed once more, relishing in the cozy and warm sheets with enough energy to sip on some soothing tea. This hotel had me thinking about retiring early. Would be nice to have a slow and settled life like this.
My mind wandered as I sipped on the tea, inching towards Cristo and the way his large hands would settle around my waist. His warm lips on my collarbone and soft bursts of breath gliding down my skin. I missed his stormy eyes and the way they would hold me into place with need. The gentleness in them when things got rough, and how his fingertips would always tap around me, reaching out for my skin in secrecy.
I missed him. I missed him in bed with me, surrounded by soft sheets and his warm body.
Oddly enough, I found myself growing curious about how he would be as a father. That thought would’ve shocked me a few months ago, and I would discard it immediately. After what happened with Mark I…I just couldn’t think of having a child. I wasn’t sure if I wanted one either.
“Ugh,” I shook my head. “I shouldn’t think about it.”
I delved into the breakfast to take my mind off of my thoughts. Kids were a faraway thought, and maybe would never, ever happen.