The brunette rested on her elbow next to Cat and gazed down at her lover with a tender smile. “I think we should take a quick shower together to freshen up. Will — will you stay tonight?” she asked biting her lip.
“You aren’t kicking me out after that! Besides I want to see your beautiful face when I wake up tomorrow,” Catherine said with a smile.
They kissed sweetly then went into the small bathroom and took a quick shower. While they touched each other it was simply to get clean and to embrace under the hot spray. They dried off and made their way back to the bed.
Catherine picked up her phone and sent a quick text to Sophia to let her know where she was and that she’d return in the morning. She slipped under the sheets.
Chanel got in behind her and spooned her body. She felt Catherine sigh with contentment and hug her lover’s arm to her chest. Chanel sighed in response and in each other’s arms sweet sleep took them into its embrace.
Ben knocked on Margaux’s door and the ravishing Spaniard opened it and smiled at Ben’s crisply tailored suit.
“My, you look very handsome!” she smiled appreciatively as she stepped into the hall.
Ben was drinking in her dark beauty. The cocktail dress which left her arms bare and clung to her curves like a second skin was the deepest blue, bordering on black. The low neckline was lace and tantalisingly hinted at the treasures within. The hem reached mid-thigh with lace accents and she wore tall heels in an attempt to diminish their difference in height. At 5′ 6″, the three inch heels still only brought her to within 6″ of Ben’s height.
Her thick, soft mahogany hair cascaded down over her shoulders and her dark eyes looked very pleased with his appreciative attention.
“You look… spectacular! Truly breathtaking,” he said with a delighted smile.
“We’d better get moving if we are going to make our reservation,” she said with a satisfied smile.
The taxi ride took them a few miles outside of Cannes to a large manor home on a well treed property. They entered the front door and the host greeted Margaux like royalty while giving Ben a nervous glance and nod. He led them to their intimate table on a wide patio behind the building. Tables were spread wide apart allowing privacy for each group of diners and most were couples like Ben and Margaux though he did spot one younger couple with a well behaved child.
Having scoped the location Ben turned his eyes once more to his lovely dining companion.
“This place is beautiful but a little out of the way. How did you find it?” he exclaimed.
“A… colleague suggested it,” she said with a little hesitation.
“What was that?” Ben asked with a smile.
“What?”
“You looked a little uncomfortable about describing the person like you weren’t sure how I’d react,” Ben explained.
Her eyes locked on his.
“You shouldn’t feel uncomfortable saying anything to me,” he smiled.
“He was… also a lover. It was nothing but a casual affair and it did not last,” she dismissed the event. Then she looked cautiously at him again and saw he was just looking at her with a smile.
“What?”
“I’m not threatened by the fact that you’ve had lovers in the past. I’d find it incredible if you hadn’t considering your beauty and grace,” he said honestly. That drew a smile from the woman.
“I’m not used to men being nonchalant about my… past relationships. Most have been possessive and jealous,” she said as she watched his expression.
“Their possessiveness made you feel desired, safe?” he asked.
She hesitated then nodded.
“I still feel jealousy. It can’t be completely eradicated but I know it’s not healthy and just comes from a place of fear and insecurity so I set it aside. Desire tainted by possessiveness is selfish and destructive. Desire supported by admiration, love, and trust is a much stronger bond,” he said with a smile.
They turned to their menus but Ben was quickly lost. He looked at Margaux and she saw his confusion.
“Not to worry. I will order you something you will like.”
The waiter arrived and Ben let Margaux do the talking. Soon they were alone again.
“If I were to have a lover now, would that not make you jealous?” Margaux pressed.
“Well, if you had your lover at our table I think it would make for a very awkward meal,” he grinned then raised his hand when she looked cross at him. “Sorry, just teasing. It all depends on the intent. If you took a lover because you were lonely and he made you feel better why would I want to deny you that comfort? Just so it might make ME feel better? That would be selfish of me and honestly it wouldn’t really make me feel any better at all. My peace of mind cannot come at the cost of someone else’s. If you took a lover to punish me for something then you’d be doing a disservice to all three of us. An honest conversation would be able to clear up the issue far better than the affair. It comes back to honesty. You need to feel free to speak your mind to me with complete honesty. I will certainly do that for you.”
“These are powerful words but will they work in our real lives?” Margaux asked him frankly.
“Tonight, it’s my understanding that Catherine is out on a date. A date with someone she’s strongly attracted to and knowing Catherine as I do, I’m sure the night will end with sex,” Ben said looking into Margaux’s shocked eyes.
“How can you say that so calmly?” the dark beauty whispered.
“Catherine loves me. I love her. I know she’s attracted to her date. She’s been completely honest and did nothing to hide it from me. I know it doesn’t threaten our love. She has the chance of sharing some special moments with this person. She might even fall in love. I wouldn’t deny her that. Besides, she and Gabriella know I’m out on a date with you and they know I’m strongly attracted to you. Aside from their concern that your jealousy might harm me they aren’t denying me the chance to get to know you,” Ben said gently.
Margaux sat back and regarded Ben. “It will take me some time to get used to the idea that the man I am dating has committed his heart to others.”
Ben had no response to that so he just nodded.
The food arrived and Ben was surprised to see how beautifully arranged it was on the plates… and how little of it there was. Margaux watched him with a smile as he moved his fork around the food without touching it.
“It looks more like art than food,” Ben rumbled.
“It’s art to be eaten. A delicate blending of flavors and textures to be appreciated with the tongue as well as the eyes. Do what I do,” she said and carefully cut small portions of each of the items on her plate. When she had a mix on her fork she placed it in her mouth and closed her eyes as she savored the experience of the flavors blending.
Ben did as he was told and it was interesting. Not filling but he guessed that wasn’t the point. He experimented by changing the mixtures until he identified the ingredients that were best left on his plate.
Margaux watched the big man trying his best to work out how to appreciate the experience and she smiled to herself. That was more effort than her ex-husband had made when they went places that only she wanted to try. She watched his face light up when the waiters brought them the entrée which was a broiled and seasoned fillet of grouper surrounded by fresh green beans and three baby potatoes.
“Did you expect the appetizer to be the full meal?” she asked with a smile and he grinned sheepishly at her and nodded.
“Not afraid to admit his mistakes,” she thought with a smile.
The fish was tender and delicious. Ben did his best to eat slowly as he paced Margaux.
“You said you have condos in Barcelona and Paris and travel between them. Are these the places you primarily travel between for work?” he asked.
“Yes, our head office is in Barcelona and I travel there for many meetings and conferences. This consumes quite a bit of time so it made sense to purchase a place of my own. Plus, Spain is in my blood and having a place of my own there feels right. My main office is in Paris and I spend most of my time there. I also travel extensively throughout Europe and Asia. There have been a few trips to Australia as head office is thinking of setting up a branch there. I might be asked to spend a year in the new office to get that operation off the ground,” she explained.