Did I Seduce You Mr Jacques Read online

  “Okay, I’ll be ready at eight…”

  “Perfect. I can’t wait to see you again.”

  “Jacques, could I ask you something?” she said in an adorable way.

  “Anything you want Eve.”

  “When you came to my apartment that time…”

  “Yes?”

  “Had you seen me accidently in the street?” she asked making me feel embarrassed.

  I was taken aback. She was clever enough to realize that I had been following her and that I wasn’t near her house by accident that evening.

  “Yes, accidently. I was passing that way on my way home or rather work and…”

  “And…?” she asked, having realized that I was talking nonsense.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you everything!”

  “I’m listening…”

  “Since the day I saw you I couldn’t get you out of my mind and when I found out were you lived I didn’t miss a chance to pass by and look at you,” I replied and a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

  “Well, why didn’t you talk to me?”

  “I don’t know. I couldn’t. I hesitated.” I lowered my gaze.

  She came close to me, softly touching my shoulder with her fingers and kissed me on the most delightful place; that fine line between my lips and my cheek.

  I was gazing at her beautiful expression and felt bewitched. Even now, I can feel her warm lips on my cold face.

  “Goodnight,” she said and walked into the lift.

  “Goodnight!”

  My hand was pressed over my cheek, where I had received the most wonderful kiss I had ever had in my life.

  After waiting for a few minutes outside her building, I started humming and jumping with joy on the pavement, like a five-year-old!

  I was standing in the middle of the road and as I looked up, I saw her watching me from her balcony and laughing! She was laughing out loud. You could tell that she was happy.

  I can’t deny that I was really uncomfortable and no words could describe how embarrassed I felt, until she started waving both her hands in coordination with small dancing steps, joining me in my happiness. I didn’t feel embarrassed anymore and I kept on walking.

  The next day I couldn’t think of anything else! I was at work, sitting distracted in front of the computer and every ten minutes I glanced at the damned clock, which seemed to go slow on purpose. The time seemed to have stopped! I waited anxiously for the moment to come when we would meet again.

  When I finished work, I went home to get ready. I couldn’t concentrate! I didn’t know what clothes to wear or how to match them! I was acting like young girls do before they go out, taking them at least two hours to get ready, trying on various outfits!

  My bed was covered with different shirts and trousers, creating a huge pile. I finally found the right clothes to wear that I thought she’d like. I put plenty of gel on my hair and my favourite cologne and I was off.

  The time had come when I’d finally meet her and I was taking deep breaths so I could overcome my anxiety. It was the first time something like this had happened to me. She wasn’t the first relationship that I’d had but I felt totally different to that period in my life and with that particular girl. The girl who brought back to my mind all those bittersweet memories and unforgettable moments…

  I parked outside her apartment and stepped out of my car to greet her, holding five bright red roses. I didn’t choose five roses by accident. It was symbolic. Five months had passed since the day I saw her crossing the road near my house.

  As the entrance door opened, she hesitantly appeared. I was watching her as she came out, mesmerized by her beauty. She was wearing a tight black dress; black high-heeled shoes and around her elegant neck she was wearing a platinum necklace. Her thick, shiny hair had an unusual honey colour and her breath-taking smile left me speechless.

  “Good evening. I’m on time as you can see.”

  “You are beautiful…” I said, not being able to take my eyes off her.

  She seemed embarrassed and had a shy expression as she came down the entrance steps and walked towards me.

  I gave her the roses and opened the car door for her so she could get in.

  “Thank you, Jacques. You are very sweet.” She gave me a hug before she got in the car.

  On the way, she was talking about her husband and the difficult times she’d had with him and I was talking about different situations that I’d gone through in my life. There were good and bad ones, but they were all memorable… to be precise the bad moments always overshadow the good ones but you need all of them to complete the puzzles that are our wonderful lives!

  After driving around for a while, we had dinner at a romantic French restaurant that was decorated with candles and had great service; although later we went and had something else to eat because the restaurant’s portions hadn’t satisfied our appetite.

  Next stop wasn’t a stylish place or a fancy restaurant but a sandwich canteen.

  I hesitated at first to suggest it, but discovered that Eve wanted to go there, so we sat in a luscious green park to enjoy our fast food.

  “Thank goodness you suggested eating something because I’m starving,” she whispered with a smile.

  “See? It’s like I’ve known you for years…” I told her in a soft voice and she gazed at me with a piercing and intense look paying attention to my every word.

  2I haven’t eaten from a canteen since I was in school,” she said.

  “It’s not that bad, is it?” I asked.

  She gave me a nudge on the shoulder and we started laughing like small children.

  Our image that night was a contradiction. Eve was wearing her expensive jewellery and her elegant dress and I was dressed smartly and we were sitting on a bench in the middle of nowhere eating two very simple but at the same time delicious sandwiches.

  As we finished our second dinner, sat down on the bench I opened my arms and she fell in them like a baby. Her scent was magnificent. She smelled exactly as she did the day I saw her crossing over the road in front of me. I closed my eyes and my thoughts travelled.

  “Jacques, can I ask you something?”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “Have you ever been married?”

  “No. Unfortunately I haven’t found the right woman,” I hesitantly answered.

  “Didn’t you ever have a girl that you were interested in? That you had dreams with? Planned your future together?” she asked, putting me in a difficult position.

  “Now you are bringing up situations that I don’t want to remember,” I replied looking into her eyes.

  “Come on tell me,” she said in a cute way.

  “There was a girl once…she was the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but our plans for the future didn’t help our relationship. Things took a different turn and we drifted apart,” I replied.

  “Did you break up?”

  “No, we just lost touch… I can’t really explain it,”

  “I know what you’re talking about. I’ve felt this way many times. Even when I was married I felt that he may not have been the right man for me and my heart should have searched elsewhere. I always felt subconsciously that a part of love was missing, but I strongly felt that I’d given it somewhere else. I don’t know where. I can’t remember. At the end it turned out that my husband was not the one for me and we split up,” she said, shaking her head with sadness.

  At that point she pulled away from my arms, took off her shoes and put them underneath the bench. She laid on her back, placing her head on my knees and looked at the bright stars that stood out like shiny diamonds in the pitch black sky.

  “Look, look! A falling star; make a wish,” she whispered, gripping my hand.

  I saw how good hearted and virtuous she looked and I smiled with happiness.

  From the conversations we had she seemed very vulnerable and sensitive. She had faced many difficult situations in her life that had scarred her, she was l
eft an orphan by the age of three and her misfortunes continued till very recently, having stayed in a very turbulent marriage with her ex-husband.

  In general, our characters were suited and we had many things in common. From the way we looked at each other you could tell that we had a mutual affection for one another.

  As she was resting on my legs and I was gently stroking her hair, she was gazing at me with a melancholic and expressive look that seemed like a rare painting; sorrow and happiness both in harmony.

  All the time we were looking at each other, our minds were drifting in magical worlds. At some point she lifted her head up a bit and whispered to me:

  “Five red roses…” she asked.

  “Yes, five. It wasn’t unintentionally. Five roses because…”

  “Because that was the number of months that have passed since we met. Right? That’s why there were five roses,” she interrupted me leaving me speechless! It was unbelievable the way she put together the five roses that I gave her and the number of months we had first met.

  That was the reason that I chose five and not more or less. She impressed me that she thought of that herself.

  “Exactly. Five months today from our first encounter,” I whispered.

  “Why did you lose contact all those months? I’d been waiting to see you again and every day I couldn’t wait to go home and look over my balcony in case I saw you. I missed you, even though I don’t really know you…”

  “Don’t you know me?” I asked with a hidden meaning, causing her discomfort. She gave me a strange look, trying to understand me.

  “What do you mean?” she enquired.

  I bent over her, coming close to her idyllic face with the intense desire to become a part of her. Our breaths had come very close. So close that you thought that one would devour the other. Our eyes were fixed with longing. My lips pressed against hers overflowing with passion! She placed her arms round my neck and couldn’t let go. I did the same.

  I hugged her as tight as I could, feeling her fast and intense heart beat pounding against my chest.

  “Let’s go…”

  She bit her lip in an alluring way, confirming that she agreed with me.

  Returning to the area where she lived, I walked her up to her apartment door and there the spontaneity we both had gave us an unforgettable night of passion filled of love and feelings that were overwhelming.

  I couldn’t bear to flirt using only words and going inside her apartment. I threaded my fingers through hers and pushed her delicate hands high up on the wall, kissing her constantly on her wet and sensual lips and especially on the place that was just above her shoulder. She seemed to enjoy it.

  I still can’t remember how I went from her front door to inside her bedroom. The only thing I remember is the sweet aroma of her body that had enticed me and our clothes thrown in the hallway before we had even entered the room.

  I could only describe that night as magical. Her youthful body didn’t have a shred of imperfection and the way we made love was unique and extremely explosive!

  Her kind and shy looks took on a different appearance, more feminine and more erotic; I was infatuated.

  That night and after hours of making passionate love, she revealed that she hadn’t been in love before and it was the first time she felt such a great desire for someone. Even though we only knew each other for such a short period of time, she felt a mysterious attraction for me and didn’t want to lose me. Of course I didn’t want to either…

  The following morning, I woke up by the bright sun light that had invaded the half open window of her room. I slowly opened my eyes, while lying half covered by her white sheets and half naked on the bed.

  As I moved in order to stand up and say good morning to Eve, I came across a pleasant surprise. On the small table that was in the room awaited an exquisite breakfast consisting of fruit, honey and hot coffee.

  She served it in bed, only wearing a very short black and almost transparent nightdress, which she accompanied with a soft kiss on the mouth.

  I grabbed her from the waist playfully and I threw her on the bed while I felt stunned by the sight of her exquisite body.

  “Magnificent!” I murmured, making her blush and she stubbornly covered her face with the pillow.

  I didn’t miss my chance and I started to kiss her again, teasing her and touching her body gently.

  After that wonderful morning we went for a walk in the nearest park and we sat together in each other’s arms, without doing anything… We were embracing and our silence spoke volumes.

  The word ‘perfect’ could not describe our relationship! a sensual relationship; full of passion and surprises, with an intense feeling of love.

  We had managed to create the perfect cocktail. We were a couple that suited each other but at the same time we were very good friends and that was apparent from our everyday routine. Pure love that made our faces light up with happiness and joy. Infinite moments of laughter and enjoyment…

  You could tell from her eyes that she really needed all that and her enthusiasm revealed a childlike innocence!

  These elements made me want her even more than any other characteristic she possessed! Her innocence and authenticity.

  We experienced great and unforgettable moments, which we swore that we would have every day, every month and every year and at some point we would move permanently to Venice. It was her dream; to live in beautiful Venice. Somewhere lost in the historic cobble streets; both of us, together in a traditional Venetian house!

  We planned too far ahead… a wise saying states that: ‘Whoever makes long term plans; God looks down at them and smiles…’

  Her heart was beating only for me and she never let a day pass by that she didn’t remind me how much she loved me. I too felt the same way and every day I fell more and more in love with her.

  Unfortunately, all this romantic and dreamlike fairy-tale had started to be overshadowed by the dynamic presence of her controlling aunt.

  A domineering woman, who everyday was planting ideas in her head against me and was persuading her to leave me, to find someone else to continue her life with. This, of course, had a negative impact on our relationship.

  Recently, Eve had changed her behaviour drastically and was behaving very strangely and that made me very suspicious and cunning.

  She gave me a lot of excuses that were not convincing. I knew her well enough and I could tell whether or not she was lying! She wasn’t the kind of person who could hide it. It wasn’t in her character to keep secrets without the truth being detected.

  She constantly looked tired, weary, was late for work and she was exhausted and lay in bed to sleep telling me that she wasn’t in the mood.

  At first I didn’t mind at all, I was happy just holding her in my arms but after a while it was tiring and draining! The strange thing was that she kept on telling me that she loved me and she really believed it… You could tell that she wasn’t lying by the way she looked at me and kissed me but her attitude made me worry.

  Her aunt didn’t want our relationship to continue under any circumstances. She didn’t like me at all and was trying everything to separate us! Besides, her niece was beautiful with dreams for the future that I couldn’t fulfil. I could never have children and her aunt knew about this. It was genetic and I couldn’t bring up my own children, something I made clear to Eve from the moment I met her and she assured me that she didn’t mind at all.

  Unfortunately, her aunt didn’t see me in a good light and I didn’t have the strength to change her mind. Apart from that, she wanted to fix her up with a young man, an old school friend of hers, who had just finished his masters in America and had returned to France. The young man was the same age as Eve and to my knowledge they were once fond of each other.

  Eve was in a very difficult position and didn’t know what to do. She had been brain washed by her aunt; she was giving her the wrong impression of me, and I, on the other hand, didn’t want to push her a
nd see her miserable. Maybe her aunt was right, when it all boils down to it… Maybe I wasn’t the perfect companion for her.

  My situation had become unbearable and one day I decided to take matters in my own hands and find out what was happening at last.

  One afternoon I passed by where she was working and I followed her in my car, being careful not to be noticed.

  I was astonished to find out that Eve was dating the young man! I saw her with my own eyes coming out the main door of the building where she worked and going in the young man’s car and driving away with him.

  An awful feeling! I still have a hard time breathing when I think about it.

  How can a person that is so wonderful, who has so much love inside her, spread so much misery?

  ‘How could she cheat on me?’ I pondered constantly. ‘It can’t be; it can’t be happening!’ I kept telling myself, trying to convince myself that what I was seeing was an illusion and not reality.

  The perfect woman for me, our marvellous relationship, our dream life, everything came crashing down within seconds.

  As I was watching them drive off, my palms were sweating on the leather steering wheel, while my bitter tears rolled down, like a warm stream, on my cotton suit.

  I still loved her… I didn’t know if I was crazy or if I’d misunderstood, but I loved her.

  After this scene, I naturally couldn’t go back to work. I called my secretary and told her another lie.

  “Hi, Maria.”

  “Good morning, Jacques. We’ve been waiting for you.”

  “You know, Maria, I was in a car crash and I won’t be able to come back to the office,” I said.

  She immediately realized, after hearing me hesitate, that I wasn’t entirely honest.

  “Are you okay?” she asked me.

  “Yes, yes. Nothing to worry about. Just a small car accident and we are waiting for the police to arrive. I don’t know how long it’s going to take, so don’t wait for me. Please mention it to the manager.”

  “Alright…”

  I understood from the tone in her voice that she hadn’t believed me. She knew me too well to believe a lie like this!