Chapter 11
MY FRENCH DADDY
NATALIE
I’m so excited I can barely breathe. I’ve checked over my bags a thousand times, making sure I haven’t forgotten anything, and I’m just waiting for my best friend and her unbelievably sexy dad to pick me up. I’ve been in love with my best friend’s dad for as long as I can remember.
Annette and her dad moved here from Paris when I was in the fourth grade. We’ve been best friends ever since. I helped her learn English, and I spent just about every weekend over at their house. During the summer, they always spend a month in Paris, and ever since we were little, her dad has been promising to take me along as soon as I turned 18. Well, guess who just turned 18 last month?
I’ve spent my teenage years living like a damn nun because the idea of letting someone else touch me made me feel sick. The boys I went to high school with did absolutely nothing for me. How could they when I had Annette’s dad to compare them to? Everyone ended up falling short. I’m so tired of waiting though. I’ve got 30 days to make him understand that I’m the only woman for him.
When I hear the doorbell ring, I take a deep breath and grab my bags. I’m so nervous I can barely get my feet to move. I make it halfway down the stairs when I get my first glimpse of him. Luc Benoit stands in the open doorway, talking to my parents, and my heart melts at the sight of him. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can hear the French accent, and it lights my whole body on fire. He’s tall, with a sculpted, broad chest that would make any man envious and any woman drool over. His dark hair is long enough to always make me have to fight the urge to run my fingers through it. It just looks so damn silky soft. He’s clean shaven today, giving me an unobstructed view of that chiseled jaw of his, and the moment he lifts his brown us up to mine, I forget to breathe. I just stand there like an idiot, frozen on the stairs.
He gives me a sexy grin that has my knees feeling weak, and I’m sure the smile I’m giving him is probably way over the top, but I can’t help it. He just makes me so fucking happy. In the next second, Annette rushes into the house and gives me a huge hug, squealing in happiness.
“This is going to be so amazing!” she says with a big grin on her face. Like a lot of bilingual kids, she speaks both languages perfectly. Her accent only comes out when she’s really tired or really pissed.
She grabs some of my bags as I return her smile. When we get to the front door, my parents pull me into a big hug and repeat the same warnings they’ve been drilling into me for days. Be careful, don’t go out by myself, don’t drink, keep hold of my passport, and on and on.
“I promise she will be safe,” Luc says. “You have my cell number, and you can call me anytime, day or night. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
I smile at his words, almost believing there’s a bit of possessiveness behind them, but I know I’m probably just hearing what I want to. Giving my parents one last hug goodbye, I start to walk past Luc, but the feel of his hand on my shoulder stops me. Goosebumps rise all over my skin, and my cheeks heat up when I realize he probably sees them. He slides the heavy bag off my shoulder and puts it on his own.
Looking up into his gorgeous brown eyes, I manage to whisper a quick, “Thanks,” before walking to the waiting car on very shaky legs. To say Luc is rich would be an understatement. His company is massively successful in both the U. S. and France, and he often travels between the two countries several times a year. Because of the frequent trips, he prefers to use a private jet. I’ve never been on a plane at all, let alone a luxurious private one. I have no idea what to expect. I just hope I don’t embarrass the hell out of myself. I want him to think of me as a sophisticated woman, but I feel very much like an inexperienced kid.NôvelDrama.Org content rights.
The driver takes our bags and puts them in the trunk while the three of us get into the back. I sit next to Annette with her dad taking the seat across from us. He’s not in one of his fancy suits today. Instead, he’s wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, and he manages to make it look just as sexy. I love that about him, that he can look just as at ease in an Armani suit as he can a pair of blue jeans. He may be rich as fuck, but he’s not the kind of man who’s content to sit behind a polished desk and let himself be pampered.
I try not to stare at the way his shirt hugs his biceps and chest, or the way his tanned forearms look stronger than any other man’s I’ve ever seen. I know I’m failing when I look up and see him looking at me with an amused grin on his face. Fuck, we’re not even ten minutes into the damn trip, and I’ve already been caught out for ogling him.
Annette’s excited voice pulls our attention to her, and we spend the rest of the ride to the airport talking about our plans for the next month. There are so many places I want to see and foods I want to taste. I don’t want to waste a second of this trip, especially when it comes to Luc. That’s where I really need to keep my focus, which shouldn’t be a problem since I can’t stop thinking about him.
When we reach the airport it’s dark, but the airport is lit up enough for me to be able to see. I can’t help but gawk at the private jet waiting for us. Annette laughs at my expression and gets out of the car, already running off to board the plane. Luc waits and offers me his hand, helping me from the car. His large hand engulfs mine, and a shiver of pleasure races through me. His hands are gorgeous, the kind of hands that immediately have me imagining them all over my naked body.
“Are you excited?” he asks me.
There’s something about his question that surprises me, something about the way he’s looking at me that makes me think he’s talking about way more than the trip to France. My nipples are hard, and my panties are soaked, so I answer honestly.
“Very.”
He studies me for a second longer before giving me a sexy grin.
“Good,” he finally says, running his thumb along the palm of my hand.
He doesn’t let go like I’m expecting him to. Instead, he keeps his eyes locked on mine, watching my reaction to his touch. His eyes drift down, noticing the way my nipples are easily visible through my shirt, before bringing them to my lips that are now slightly parted, before finally meeting my eyes.
I can only imagine what they’re telling him. I imagine he’s seeing every dirty thought that’s racing through my brain right now because he slowly gives me a wicked smile that has me letting out a small moan. His eyebrows arch at the sound of it, but he doesn’t say anything, just lets his fingers slide along my inner wrist and palm before dropping his hand.
Before he turns away, he says, “I look forward to spending the month with you, Natalie,” leaving me standing there more aroused than I’ve ever been and just as surprised.
The chauffeur has to give a gentle cough to get my attention, and I’m so embarrassed that all I can do is say a quick thanks and rush to the plane. My nerves don’t calm down once I’m inside. All I can think is Holy Fuck!
Luxurious doesn’t even begin to describe this. There are plush recliner-type seats that look more comfortable than any bed I’ve ever seen, a table for our meals that will easily fit the three of us, a bathroom with all the amenities you could possibly need, and there’s even a bedroom toward the back of the plane.
Once I’m done looking around, I drop the backpack I want to keep with me next to one of the plush seats and sit. Annette takes the seat across from me and Luc walks off to speak to the pilots, but when he comes back, he surprises me by sitting in the one right next to me. When he rests his arm on the side, I can’t help but immediately do the same. We’re not touching, but it’s close, and it makes me happier than it probably should.
I can’t help but notice the gorgeous flight attendant coming our way. She’s tall and blonde and all smiles and perfection. The look she gives Luc has my stomach twisting into knots. I can’t help but wonder if she’s always the flight attendant he uses. Did he specifically ask for her? Has he fucked her? All kinds of thoughts rush through my head, and I know it’s not my business and that obviously he’s been with other women, but I can’t help feeling the way that I do.
“Monsieur Benoit,” she says, and then rattles of who knows what in what sounds like perfect French.
He responds, making me squirm a bit in my seat. God, I love hearing him speak French. I don’t know what he’s saying, but it sounds pretty damn good to me.
Switching to English, he says, “Carmen, this is Natalie, our guest on the flight. Please make sure she has whatever she wants.”
Carmen turns to me, and her grin isn’t quite as big as it was when she was staring at Luc. “Of course. Would you like a drink before we take off?”
Annette and I both ask for a soda and when she comes back, Luc says, “Thank you, Carmen. We’ll let you know when we need anything else.”
She doesn’t look pleased by his remark, but she hides it with a smile and quickly walks back to the cockpit, disappearing behind the closed door.
“Oh my god, could she be any more obvious?” Annette groans. “She was totally trying to get your attention, Dad.”
“Well, as long as she doesn’t cross the line, she can try all she wants. I’m not interested, and I’ve made that perfectly clear.”
I take a drink to try and hide my huge grin, but I think he sees it, because when I look over, he’s giving me the sweetest look. The chocolate brown of his eyes looks almost amber under the overhead lights, and he has the longest lashes I’ve ever seen on a man.
Luckily, Annette seems to be oblivious to everything that’s going on. Of course, maybe nothing is going on. Maybe he looks at everyone this way. I have zero experience with boys, let alone grown men, so what the hell do I know?
When the pilot announces that we’re about to take off, we buckle up, and I stare past Luc and out the window excitedly. I didn’t choose the window seat on purpose because I was afraid it might make me too nervous, but now I want to see everything. It’s dark, so there’s not much to see, but I love how the airport is so lit up.
Luc laughs at my excitement and watches me as I watch the airport. Since I’m leaning over a bit, our faces are so close, and I have the sudden crazy urge to just turn my face and kiss him. I dismiss it as soon as it comes into my head. I mean, it would be crazy. Annette is right across from us. But even with all that, I can’t deny how much I want to do it.
When I feel the plane start to speed up, I sit back and grip the arm rest so hard my knuckles turn white. It’s exhilarating to feel us start to take off, but also scary as fuck. We keep rising, and I keep gripping. Finally, Luc places his hand over mine and gives me a gentle pat.
“It’s okay,” he says, and his deep, accented voice immediately starts to work its magic. I feel myself relaxing my grip. “You’re perfectly safe, I promise.”
And I believe him. I know he’d never let anything happen to me, so I relax fully into my seat and say, “Thanks. It’s my first time flying.” “You’re doing great,” he says, giving me a wink.
Once we’re in the air, Annette says, “Dad, can we get supper?”
“Sure, honey.” He pushes a call button and Carmen immediately opens the cockpit door and walks to us.
When she’s standing next to us, Luc says, “We’d like to go ahead and get supper, Carmen.” He turns to me and asks, “Natalie, are you okay with steak?”