After having dinner they had all moved on to the Shoe Inn and only the children remained at the main house, entertained with videogames while the young girls talked about fashion and music.
From his place at the end of the bar, Jon looked around and observed the crowd: some people were at the bar, others were playing pool, or had formed groups for conversation. Then he saw Richie sitting alone on one side of the brown leather sofa, with his arm on the armrest holding a beer. Jon followed Richie’s glance and saw Frédérique talking with his wife and Tico’s: apparently she had blended in easily.
Every several minutes Jon could observe how Richie and her shared an intimate glance, smiled, and then she went back to the conversation, Richie’s dimples forming in his cheeks. At the opportunity of getting his friend alone, Jon approached the sofa with a glass of wine in one hand and a bottle in the other. As soon as he sat down he put his hand on Richie’s knee, patted and gave it a little squeeze, while his eyes were still looking the direction of the group of women.
“Sooooo…how long were you planning on keeping the secret?”, Jon asked, Richie was always quick to introduce his women to him and by the look of things, this had been going on for quite a while.
Richie smirked sideways but kept looking to the women 15 feet from him.
“I dunno, man…it’s just…it’s happened so fast”.
“Well, she’s a cutie, that's for sure”, Jon was surprised, “and has a hell of a good taste in wine”, he added and drank what was remaining of the liquid in his glass, the poured some more.
Before they left Frédérique’s apartment to head to Jon’s house that evening, Richie had noticed Frédérique was carrying three tall, thin bags with a silk handle. At his questioning look, she had answered with a grin: “A little peace offering”, and Richie was then able to see that the bags contained three green bottles.
At Jon’s comment, Richie reached for the bottle and was able to read the label
Balbé
Vins du Bordeaux
Oh, the vineyard.
“And how did you meet her? I don’t remember you going to France
Richie had just started telling Jon about the day he met Frédérique when David and Tico joined the conversation. All of a sudden the four burst out laughing and Frédérique looked their way, Richie left the beer bottle on the table in front of him and patted on the arm rest, silently indicating Frédérique to join them. Frédérique excused herself and walked towards the sofa.
“Baby, we were talking about the day we were surprised by the rain”, Richie said as Frédérique sat down on the armrest and put her arm around his shoulder. Richie rested his hand on her thigh.
They burst out laughing again when David spoke:
“Yeah Fred, you were lucky you lasted more than an hour before he got you soaking wet, it used to take him less than a minute”
…
After entering the Shoe Inn, Frédérique immediately felt warmly welcome by Jon and Tico’s wives, and though at first they were the ones who did most of the talking, she was soon exchanging opinions on buddhism and martial arts with Jon’s wife.
She could see Richie with the corner of her eye and from time to time looked at him and her heart warmed when she saw the dimples in his cheeks, but most of all, relished in the fact of being able to produce that effect on him, to put that smile on his face and that brightness in his eyes. All Frédérique wanted was for Richie to be happy.
In doing this, she ignored that Richie was going through the same process.
In doing this, she ignored that Richie was going through the same process.
The first few times she had looked at Richie, he was alone, so she was surprised when the next time she looked it wasn’t Richie’s eyes she met, but Jon’s. Big, bright, mischievous blue eyes.
On their way to Red Bank, Frédérique tried to remember the faces in the CD booklet but, as had happened with Richie, she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that those were the people she was about to meet. She remembered Jon’s face, acknowledging the fact that he was in fact, beautiful. But one thing was a photograph and another thing was meeting him in person: even though Jon’s stature wasn’t imposing, his attitude did all the work - he was confident he was standing on the very center of the universe. His charm wasn’t the same sweet humble charm Richie had, Jon’s came from his confidence: he owned everything and everyone around him. At the same time, however, he was extremely attentive, polite and gentlemanly and seemed to honestly and deeply care for his friends and family. Last but not least, he treated his wife like a queen.
After having observed this things over dinner, Frédérique had only managed to find one word to describe him: regal.
And now he was staring at her. And she looked away.
Some moments later Frédérique met Richie’s eyes again, took comfort in their warmth, and at his silent invitation she walked over to him. When she sat down she could have sworn she could actually touch with her bare hands the bonds that united those four men.
At David’s joke, however, she didn’t laugh, the sting hit her again.
So now you’ve met his best friends…that’s stage 2.
…
As soon as the last person was out the door of the Shoe Inn, leaving Richie and Frédérique alone on the sofa, they were immediately all over each other and at each others’ lips.
“Let’s go home”, she said to Richie after breaking the kiss. “I want to fuck you”.
A violent wave of arousal took over Richie. He talked in a heavy, velvety voice against her neck: “Jesus Fred, ya tryin’ to kill me?”, and then after following a trail of kisses up her neck to her ear he added: “I can think of another place – he sucked her earlobe - and it’s much closer”.
“Don't even think about it”, Frédérique said mockingly, “I think we’ve ruined enough sofas today”.
Richie chuckled and she felt his warm breath on her neck: “Nope, I don’t mean here” and closed her eyes as he nuzzled. “I’m saying we should stay over at the house, I’m a big boy, I got my own room ya know?”
“As…- she hesitated, and Richie lifted his head to look at her - …interesting as that sounds…I need to be in the city by 10 at the most and you, Mr, look like you could use some rest”. She started combing his fringe to one side with her fingers.
“S’alright, I’ll drop you off and go back to Philly, I can have a nap at home”, he said, shrugging, and waited for her reply.
Frédérique meditated for some moments but then looked at him with hooded eyes: “Alright” – and pulled him closer for a kiss - “I’ll try not to be loud”.
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