Karma (12 page)

André's office was a warm and inviting and utterly male. The
dark wood floors were covered by a beautiful medieval Aubusson rug, his large
teak desk was set so he could look out over the landscape of Las Vegas. Dark wooden
beams placed against a white ceiling made it appear as if the room was set in some
French château.

Marcy was in a ridiculously good mood. Talking to Mike
always made her girlishly happy and now he had proclaimed that he loved her.

They had only known each other three weeks, yet she could
feel that same irresistible pull toward him, too. The man made her feel
cherished and beautiful. Was that love? She sure as hell hoped that it was
simply profound friendship. Somehow she was going to have to get him to back
off. There was no way in hell that she was going to sleep with him.

What am I going to do about Mike?

Seeing
André made all her concerns about Mike disappear. The Frenchman courteously stood
immediately upon her arrival, and came around the desk to greet her like some
sort of dignitary. He was her boss. Why did he do that? He always made her feel
so damn special.

Crossing
the room, the man moved toward her with that elegant masculine grace of his. Marcy's
heart lifted even further.

André
was beautiful, both inside and out. He had done so much for her and he was a real
gentleman. Marcy reflected once again how important he made her feel. He
treated her, and all his employees, as if they were fundamental to his
happiness.

"
Ma belle
, how are you? Come sit with me
here, I wish to speak with you."

"André, I'm just great."

Jesus Lord,
she thought,
what
is in that man's cologne? God damn, he smells so good.

They sat on the large, plush white couch turned toward one
another. Marcy found herself looking at him and smiling, just as he was. Ever
since she had known him, André had only shown her respect.

"You are happy to have joined our little
family?"

"I can't tell you how happy I am," she said.
"I was thinking, you know, I'm pretty good with a computer. If you needed
someone to – I don't know, put in data or create an electronic filing system
for you? Well, I'm your girl. I worked for years as a medical secretary in a
busy medical center, but I guess you know that. It's just that I think you're
paying me a ridiculous amount of money, and I'm not doing much for you."

"
Vraiment?
You are good with computers? I
shall give this matter some thought. But I understand that you have applied to
continue your nursing degree part time?"

She laughed. "Man, I didn’t know how much men
gossiped. Okay, so Mike told you that? Yeah, I've always wanted to have a
degree behind me, and I got a good start on nursing. Unless you think I should
get an education in something useful to you? I swear I'll happily work for you
forever, but only if you actually need me."

"Très bon
. This
is good to hear. I am happy that you are happy."

"Is that what you wanted to speak to me about?"

Anne came in with hot chocolate on a tray for André, and
an option for hot chocolate, coffee or tea for Marcy. A few slices of cut up
pear and apple, and some fine Brie and blue cheeses rested on the colorful
French provincial stoneware. Marcy thanked her, and Anne fussed over André,
which André took in good part – obviously well used to her motherly attentions.

André smiled affably when she left. "She treats me like
the spoiled eldest son, I think," he said with a shrug.

"My dear, André," Marcy said with a snort,
while pouring herself a hot chocolate. "Anne loves you, and why not? You're
pretty damn lovable. I adore you myself, and everyone who works for you. I'm
still expecting to wake up. I can't believe that you picked me. Thousands of
others would have been more helpful to you."

"It was your honesty,
ma belle.
We have discussed
this. How many of those thousands would have taken the $100 bill? I can trust
you utterly, of this I am certain."

"Thank you. I won't let you down." She took a
sip of dark hot chocolate, savoring the sweet, rich taste.

"
Ma belle
, six days ago, you watched a woman and
myself on the screens while cleaning the security office, no?"

Marcy almost choked on her chocolate.
Oh shit
. A nervous
knot settled in the pit of her stomach. "Um, how did you know?"

He raised one thick, elegant eyebrow. "There is 24 hour
recorded footage taken of the security room."

Marcy just shook her head. "Well. That's a surprise,
but I should have known. Am I in trouble?"

"Do you consider that you should you be?"

"I don’t think I violated anything on my contract.
In this short amount of time I believe that I've come to know you pretty well.
I didn't think you would mind if I watched. Did you mind?"

"I did not."

Relieved, Marcy exhaled the breath she had been holding
and smiled.

"What did you think of it?" he asked, studying
her closely with his intense dark and knowing eyes. The man saw everything it
seemed to her.

"Honestly?"
Marcy's mind went back and she once again recalled the reverence André had
shown for the woman. "I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I
have ever seen in my life," she said. Marcy knew that the admiration she
felt for him showed. That was okay. She wanted it to show. Marcy had nothing
but a universe of high regard for André Chevalier.

Marcy
saw a faint reflection of astonishment register in his eyes and she quickly
said, "Why? What did you think I would think of it?"

André
laughed. "You are most charming,
ma belle
, and you are of course
correct.
Mon Dieu,
you have surprised me, and I am not often surprised.
I will explain further in a moment. But first, can you tell me why you should
describe that scene as beautiful?"

Marcy's
brows drew together while she considered his question. "It was that
exposure of self - both yours and hers. I have never had the privilege to see
such intimacy. It was like looking at two souls touching."

Restless
and suddenly unable to keep still, Marcy surged to her feet and began to pace.
"I'm sorry," she said, waving her arms. "I feel like I'm jumping
out of my skin, I've been so distracted and confused ever since I saw that
video. How did you do it? Reach that level of honesty? Reach that level of
intimacy? You made it look so easy."

Marcy
came and sat back down beside him. As she expected, he met her eyes with all his
sharp attention. "There are so many questions I've wanted to ask you. I
wanted to see the rest of the video, too. How did it end? Did Jennifer discover
her sexuality? Did Charles find out how to please his wife? Maybe his wife
needed to know how to please him? I feel like I got half way through a really
good book, and then someone took my book away. Would you mind if I saw the rest
of it, André? I want to know what happened."

With
a low chuckle he said, "
Mais oui
, I would not mind at all." André
gave Marcy a boyish, irresistible and utterly appealing smile.

What
a heartbreaker
, Marcy thought as she was caught by
that smile. Anyone, male or female, straight, bi or gay, could so easily fall
for André Chevalier. The man was a charming, charismatic straight shooter, and
he seemed to perfectly understand
everything.

"My clients know that all is recorded and available
to my staff," he explained. "You, Marcy, have signed the
non-disclosure, so this does not present a problem."

"How
did that recording switch on, anyway?" Marcy asked. "I swear to God, I
just walked in. I didn’t touch anything."

André
sat back on the couch and his chest shook with laughter. The man's uninhibited
mirth was joyful, light and carefree. Marcy thought she could listen to him
laugh all day long.

"Because,
ma belle
," he said. "I arranged to have that video come on, the
moment that you came into the room."

"What? Why?"

"I was curious,
ma belle,
" he said.
"You interest me. I see in you, a beautiful, intelligent woman in her
prime. A woman who should be sharing her life with another, or at the very
least enjoying sex. Because I am curious, I have made Mike Thompson speak to me
of what he knows."

"You did?"

André gave a low chuckle. "It is so very easy, you
understand? I merely say, "And how is the beautiful, Marcy? Have you seen
her?"

Taking a bite of pear and blue cheese together, André began
chewing and nodded with satisfaction as the two tastes ran in concert, complimenting
each other.

"You must know,
ma belle
, that Mike Thompson
is not generally a talkative man concerning his private affairs –
non.
The cards, he holds them close to his chest. And yet his tongue never rests on two
subjects only; he can talk by the hour of your daughter, Katie, and of
you."

Marcy's head spun. These simple words, proof of Mike's
regard, were so wonderful to hear. Initially, Marcy had wondered if she was a
passing interest to Mike or if perhaps he was fascinated and only pursuing her because
she had refused him.

Now he had told her he loved her, but words were so hard
to believe. Finding that he talked constantly to André about her and about
Katie? Well. It made something in her chest tighten to an almost painful level.

"II
n'y a qu'un bonheur dans la vie, c'est d'aimer et d'être aimé,"
André said.

Marcy
studied him. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"It
is a quote from the famous French novelist, Baroness Dudevant. "There is
only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." André gave her a
knowing smile. "Mike cares for you,
ma belle,
and for your daughter.
He has a most high opinion of you both."

Marcy still had no idea what love really was. Was she truly
in love this time? But if she was, it would inevitably lead to sex. Confused
and upset, she sighed.

"There is an impediment?" André asked, a
concerned frown between his eyes.

Marcy didn't know anything for it except to just come out
with the problem. "André, I'm generally suspicious and untrusting of men,
but I really like Mike. He's been gone only five days and I miss him so much.
Mike would be an easy man to love. But I'm just no good at sex."

"Of a certainty, this is a lie,
ma belle
,"
André said sitting up straight with a heated vehement expression. "You are
self-contained,
oui,
but inside… oh, I am persuaded that a most
passionate woman resides within, no? The embers, they wait, they smolder, yet
with a touch,
merde!
How they would burn! A woman such as yourself is
always a most enjoyable partner in bed."

Marcy had to smile at that. How did André manage to give
such outrageous compliments without causing offense?

A string of angry French words ran from André's lips, too
fast for Marcy to understand even one. "Who has told you that you are not
a good lover?" he demanded. "The ex-husband?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah. Trent always said that I
was a lousy lay."

To Marcy's surprise, André gave her a satisfied smile and
threw his hands in the air. "And so, it is as I expected! The words spoken
by a fool – the
i
mbécile
that was your husband. We
shall let them pass, if you please. They waste our time."

"But it isn't only that," she said. "I
just don’t seem to be able to enjoy sex. I've never even had an orgasm."

André sat forward. "If you do not enjoy sex, and you
have not had the climax – bah!
Je vous assure
, it is nothing. It is only
that you were with the wrong man,
ma belle
."

"Really?" Marcy asked, and even she could hear
the pathetic ring of hope in her voice. "Can you help me?"

"Of
a certainty," André said. "I can, of course, like that." He
snapped his fingers. "This is a most easy matter. You trust me, and you
care for me – as I care for you. It would be a great honor to reveal the
pleasure that has been hidden from you for so much of your life."

Marcy
figured that she could lay back, shut her eyes and listen to André talk all day
long. The way André said "pleasure" drawing the 's" out was so
incredibly appealing. His seductively deep voice and beguiling accent were such
a distraction sometimes.

Marcy
withheld a sudden impulse to laugh. This was madness!
"Say boss, I have
a big favor. Can you help me have my first orgasm?"
She knew she could
rely on André for anything. But what an insane request!

André
stood up, and began to speak with a very thick accent, while waving his arms
and gesticulating, speaking mainly in French, while throwing in a few English
words. Marcy frowned, recognizing only
'une caresse,
' meaning 'a caress,'
and
'je te desire,'
which was flattering, really, because she knew they
translated to mean: 'I want you.'

It
seemed that André, amazing guy that he was, found her sexually attractive which
boosted her confidence. It also seemed that whenever he got excited or
passionate about something, André became very French.

Marcy's
face heated at the idea of getting naked with him. Did she want to? No way. He
was her friend, and he was her employer, two things she valued and never wished
to jeopardize.

But
what else could she do? She could never tell Mike the embarrassing truth about
her inability to orgasm. She couldn’t risk it. For a start, what would he think
of her?

André
paused from his agitated pacing, and gave her a penetrating look. "Do not imagine
that you are alone in this problem,
mais non! J'assure!
Many women never
find a key to their sexuality, and it is why,
mon Dieu
, I have so much
work! It is a little God humor, I think." He gave her a brilliant smile.
"A mischief that the creator plays between a man and a woman."

"Un homme,"
he began,
explaining with his hands. "With the man, the male flesh before him becomes
hard. It swells red with blood, it weeps, it pulses - it commands the attention.
Something must be done,
n'est-ce pas
? Even a stupid man can soon
discover what must happen to release his seed and to find relief. But the
woman?
Non, elle est très difficile.
It is not so obvious
,
comprenez vous
?"

This rapid tirade made Marcy feel better. She
hadn't really considered it, but what he said made sense. Probably lots of
women go through their entire life never learning how to reach orgasm or to fully
enjoy sex.

Unfortunately, Marcy was one of them.

"Do not fear," André said.
"The instinct and animal need is there,
ma belle
, in all of us. It
is just that with a woman, it is not always so straightforward. Yet if a woman
pays attention to her mind and body, she can learn to climax even more easily than
a man."

André sat back down beside her once more, and
took her hands in his. "It would be a great joy for me, to do this for
you, Marcy. Why? Because we would have fun and laugh together, oh
mais
oui,
there would be much to laugh about. And yet,
I do
not believe this privilege of helping you discover your sexuality is mine to share.
Can you not think of another who would be more suited to this task?"

Marcy
gave him a wan smile. She knew that they were both thinking of André's Security
Officer, Mike Thompson. It was embarrassing to ask this of André, and yet how
could she ask it of Mike?

"It
would be a lot of pressure to put on a man," Marcy explained. "You're
experienced in these matters. What if this poor man didn't succeed? What if I
can't climax? Your self-confidence wouldn't be shaken, André, but the man I'm
thinking of, he may be really upset. And who's to say? I may be a really,
really tough case, you know."

It
isn’t like I haven’t tried,
Marcy mused.
There was a
point where I really wanted to have a climax. I even bought a vibrator. But in
the end it was just too hard. For some reason, my body just doesn’t want to go
there.