Page 34 of All the Gossip from Paris
“At the end of the day I’ll show you the photos, and the videos I’ve taken. You’ll just have to be patient.”
“Videos? That wasn’t part of our bargain.”
“Yeah well, the Macarena needed both photo and video media to do your dancing justice. I’ll try and get some other pictures before we head to the next design house.”
Sophie finished buttoning up her coat, then said. “Change of plans. We are not going to the other designers.”
“Oh, so where are we going?”
She started for the winding stairs, and Liam hurried after her. “There is no point dragging you around Balmain or Dior. Let’s go back to the hotel, grab anything else you need, and pick up my car from the valet service. After that I’m taking you home to my family’s chateau. The best way for you to get a true appreciation of the world of haute couture is to step inside a working atelier.”
Sophie was taking him home. To her father’s workshop. That wasn’t where he was hoping they might end up today.
Damn. When she said we were going back to the hotel, I was kinda hoping she had other plans in mind for the afternoon.
He was going to be spending the rest of the day with beads and fabric. He’d much rather be sharing rumpled sheets and sighs of pleasure with Sophie.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liam clenched his butt cheeks as Sophie threw the Audi round a sharp bend in the road. His fingers gripped the edge of the passenger seat as he sent a silent prayer to the heavens.
Dear Lord, I promise to be a good boy if you make her slow down.
He’d come to the white-knuckled conclusion that Sophie viewed the brake pedal as being purely for decorative purposes. Once they were out of the city, she’d put her foot hard on the gas, and hadn’t let it up. To preserve his sanity Liam had soon stopped checking the roadside speed limit signs.
“I thought you said the roads were icy this morning,” he ventured.
“Oui, but this car can handle them.”
She glanced over at him for a moment, and her brows furrowed. “You’re not afraid of my driving, are you? I thought you Americans were all big and tough in your cars.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you slowed down a little.”
His stomach would also greatly appreciate her laying off the quickfire lane changes, but he wasn’t about to push his luck and say that to her. Especially not when Sophie kept taking her eyes off the road when she was talking to him.
He was grateful they hadn’t stopped for lunch in the city. The way Sophie drove, it would have been impossible to keep his food down.
“Ok,” she huffed. Sophie eased off the gas, and Liam’s ass cheeks relaxed. He would live to see another day.
“How far is your house from here?” he asked, hoping she wouldn’t notice the less than subtle change of subject.
“About ten kilometers, so we should be there very soon. We’ll take the A13 exit toward Versailles, then we’ll use the off ramp which leads to Marly-le-Roi.”
“I must go and visit the Palace of Versailles one day. It’s always been on my list. Whenever I’ve been in Paris it’s been for work; and I’ve not had the time to get the train out here,” replied Liam.
“It’s grand, and fabulous to visit after hours. But during the day, beurk! So many putain de tourists.”
She didn’t need to translate her disgust at the crowds. Everywhere Liam had travelled in Europe seemed to be suffering from over-tourism. Several times he’d tried to get into a famous place only to discover they’d been booked out months in advance.
“The main building at my home was designed by the architect who created the first parts of Versailles, Louis Le Vau. People say Le château de la forêt verte reminds them of Versailles.”
“Is that the name of your house?” asked Liam.
“Yes, in English it roughly translates to the castle in the green forest. There used to be a great wooded area around the chateau. Then King Louis the Fourteenth, the Sun King, decided he wanted a little hunting lodge nearby. From all accounts it was anything but little. They tore down hundreds of trees. Fast forward one hundred and fifty years and a bloody revolution later, they tore down his chateau. It’s mostly parkland now.”
Liam couldn’t imagine living in a castle. His current residence was a dilapidated circa 1980’s apartment. But with Ryan now about to get married, he was in a bit of a bind as to what to do with the lease. He couldn’t afford to keep the place on his own.
I might ask mom and dad if I can move my stuff back to their place. At least until I can sort something else out.
