a cigarette and watching Dionne.
‘I can’t,’ Alyson insisted.
‘Come on, live a little!’ Dionne chided, as Alyson flushed. Then Dionne changed tactics. ‘Please,’ she begged, her lips obscenely large as she pouted. ‘I’m celebrating! I got me a modelling job and I want you to come celebrate with me.’
‘Congratulations, Dionne,’ Alyson smiled, genuinely pleased for her.
‘Thank you.’ Dionne made a sweeping bow, a movement that sent her bare breasts swinging.
Alyson averted her eyes. ‘What is it for?’
‘Catalogue work.’ Dionne made a face. ‘Not exactly high fashion, but the pay’s pretty awesome.’ Of course, she hadn’t got the job for Pierre Gavroche. They’d even rung up her agency to complain about her – yeah, like she was the one with the attitude problem. But a day spent hauling her ass around town from one casting to the next had finally paid off. ‘So are you gonna come?’
‘I’d love to,’ Alyson lied, ‘but I really can’t let Aidan down. Friday nights are always so busy, and we’re short-staffed as it is.’
‘Oooh, who’s Aidan?’ Dionne squealed. ‘He sounds hot.’
‘He’s my boss.’
‘And is he hot?’ Dionne pressed.
‘I …’ Alyson faltered, unsure of what to say. She hated it when Dionne put her on the spot like that. ‘… He’s a really nice guy.’
Dionne burst into peals of laughter. ‘Come out with us, honey – we’ll introduce you to some hot guys. We know all the cutest men in Paris. We’d find you someone, no problem.’
Alyson looked away uncomfortably as CeCe watched her curiously, blowing smoke up to the ceiling. ‘Have you ever had a boyfriend, Alyson?’ she asked casually.
Alyson glanced up sharply, feeling as if she’d been caught out. ‘No,’ she admitted, feeling hot with embarrassment as she saw the surreptitious glance that passed between Dionne and CeCe. She suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to fit in, to confide in someone about the man she’d met at work today, and the feelings he’d evoked. ‘There is someone I like though …’
Dionne let out a whoop. ‘Yeah, go, Alyson!’ she cried. ‘So come on, who is he?’
‘He’s … I met him at work …’ she began hesitantly.
‘I knew it!’ Dionne exclaimed triumphantly. ‘I knew this Aidan guy sounded cute! So you have a little crush on your boss, huh?’
Alyson opened her mouth to correct her, but Dionne was in full flow. ‘Hell, go for it, girl. You’ve got to have a little fun while you’re at work. Makes the day go faster. Hey, we’re both gonna be on missions tonight!’
Alyson looked at her in confusion as Dionne carried on. ‘While you’re working your charms on the delectable Aidan, I also have my sights set on a guy and tonight’s the night he’s gonna be mine,’ she growled. ‘He’s handsome, charming – and rich as fuck. Everything I want in a man. I am gonna go for him, and I am gonna get him!’
Alyson believed her. She couldn’t imagine anyone turning Dionne down: she was an unstoppable force, the sort of woman who got whatever she set her mind to.
‘Perhaps you can meet us after your shift,’ CeCe suggested, turning to Alyson.
‘Yeah, maybe …’
‘Cool. You have my number, yes? Just jump in a taxi after work and call one of us.’ CeCe stubbed out her cigarette.
Alyson made a noncommittal noise and carried her empty plate through to the kitchen, suddenly eager to get away.
She knew they meant well, but it wasn’t for her. She couldn’t think of anything worse than spending the evening in a noisy nightclub, trussed up in some ridiculous outfit while you were judged by a group of strangers who didn’t give a damn about you.
Alyson sighed as she picked up a dishcloth – neither Dionne nor CeCe had done the washing up, as usual, and there was a pile of empty glasses in the sink left from last night’s impromptu party.
If she was being honest with herself, she knew that part of her was scared – scared to go out, get drunk, meet a guy … have fun, a voice in her head chided. That was the real reason it was easier to keep saying no. She wasn’t like Dionne. Maybe it was something to do with being American, having that innate self-confidence, but Dionne seemed so at ease with herself. Okay, so she was also loud, irresponsible and unreliable, but she wasn’t racked with doubts and insecurities about everything, the way that Alyson was.
Alyson couldn’t imagine knowing her rent was due but blowing her last hundred euros on a bottle of champagne. She couldn’t see herself turning up for work three hours late because she’d got so out of it the night before that she’d slept through her alarm. And she certainly couldn’t envisage having a one-night stand with a guy she didn’t know – let alone love.
She thought about the man who’d come into Chez Paddy today. Philippe. If she closed her eyes she could still picture his face – warm, dark eyes, a few laughter lines creasing at the edges, and full lips pursed in a Gallic pout. Just the thought of him made her pulse race faster, an excited, nervous sensation flooding through her belly, moving lower … Was this what the other girls at school had meant when they talked about having a crush on some boy? Or what Dionne felt when she staggered home after a night out and declared she’d met some honey of a guy she wanted to fuck until she couldn’t see straight?
Oh, it was ridiculous, Alyson thought, waving the thought away. He was just one customer, passing through. She’d never seen him before and she’d probably never see him again, so it was in everybody’s interests if she just forgot about him.
But she couldn’t do that, and she knew it. He’d awakened something in her, something she’d never felt before. It was exciting and new and she wanted to see where it took her.
Idly, she wondered what the girls would say if they knew – if she’d announced to Dionne and CeCe that she’d fallen for a customer, a handsome, older man that made her heart pound and her insides fizz like a million tiny fireworks exploding throughout her body. What would Dionne do in that situation? There was no question – she wouldn’t be mooning around the apartment, kicking herself for the fact that she knew nothing more about him than his first name. She’d have gone for it, seduced him with her clever lines and perfect body and smouldering gaze, until he was begging for her phone number, desperate to take her on a date.
Alyson exhaled in frustration, annoyed at herself for being so reserved and unadventurous. Dionne might have many faults, but Alyson couldn’t help admire her headfirst approach to the world. Deep down inside, there was a small part of her that wondered what it would be like to lead Dionne’s life, just for a day. To be so outrageous and unselfconscious, to be the centre of attention, dance naked on the sofa if you felt like it and do exactly what you damn well pleased without having to worry about money or work or your sick mother back home—
Alyson slammed the final plate down and dried her hands, hurrying through to her room to get ready. Her shift at Chez Paddy started in half an hour, and she couldn’t afford to be late.
7
‘Everything’s under control, sir. No problems to report.’
‘Glad to hear it.’ Philippe Rochefort nodded curtly at Alain Lefèvre, his immaculately presented head of security, who was prowling round his sumptuous office. The man was six feet four inches of burly muscularity encased in a black Hugo Boss suit, and he was the kind of guy you didn’t fuck around with.
‘The club’s filling up nicely, sir,’ he commented, glancing at the bank of monitor screens.
‘Yes, business has been extremely good since