Chapter Five

Jen looked around the restaurant and smiled. It was lovely and everything Jon had said it would be. Le Wagon Bleu was an old 1927 Orient Express carriage that had been turned into a restaurant and the ambience was just divine. She looked down at the table that had originally been set for six but was now just for four and shrugged ruefully. Before they had left the hotel Tico had taken a call from his wife; his son had been in an accident and was in hospital with a broken leg. Of course Tico had dropped everything and had rushed to the airport to book a flight home. David, having seen that he would be a spare wheel, so to speak, had offered to accompany him. Jon had tried to get him to stay but David had just muttered something about feeling like a foreskin in a Jewish swimming pool and had gone with Tico. Which left the four of them.

Richie had elected to sit next to Jen instead of opposite her as tradition demands as he said he couldn’t exactly run his hands up and down her legs if she was sat opposite him. Jon had just laughed and had sat down next to Deborah.

Jen was quite worried about Deborah. Between going into the bathroom and coming out she had changed. Her demeanour had changed, she had gone quiet but wouldn’t tell Jen what was wrong. Jen knew it had something to do with her mobile as she’d kept looking at it every few minutes whilst getting changed. She looked over at her friend and smiled at her. Deborah smiled back and Jen relaxed a little. Hopefully a good meal and some damn fine conversation and company would bring her out of whatever blue funk she was in.

“So where are we in relation to our hotel?” Jen asked, as she glanced out of the window to the calm, dark Seine River below them.

“Oh it’s not far, although our hotel is in the 6th arrondisement and this place is in the 17th, geographically it’s not far at all. Paris is arranged spirally, like a snail shell, with the Seine going straight through.” Deborah replied, oblivious to the surprised looks two of them were giving her.

“Jeez, did you eat a guide book this morning, or what?” blurted Richie, with a laugh. He’d never met anyone with such a thirst for knowledge before.

“Unlike you man, there are some of us who read.” Jon retorted as Deborah blushed slightly at the guitarists words.

Deborah smiled and stuck her tongue out at Richie. She was feeling a hell of a lot better than she had back at the hotel and was feeling relaxed.

“hey, I didn’t mean it to be an insult but damn, I’m gonna call you Hermione Granger from now on.” Richie said, as he placed a hand on Jen’s thigh.

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Have you read many Harry Potter books then?” she said.

“Nah, but Ava’s got them all and if I have to sit through one more damn movie I’m gonna Avada Kedavra my own ass!” he laughed.

They all laughed at the thought of Richie as a wizard.

“Rich man, you’d miss.” Jon drawled.

Jen was trying to study the menu but was finding it hard for two reasons, one being that it was in French and the other was that Richie’s hand was currently at the top of her thigh with one of his fingers pressing down on her clitoris, through her jeans. She knew it was payback for blowing him in an alleyway but it was making her decision making process give up and go back to bed.
Desperately trying not to break out in a sweat, or moan, or give the game away in any way, she surreptitiously closed her legs, trapping his hand, and squeezed, causing a mild shock to race through her system. Thankfully the carriage was darkened with dimmed lighting and candlelight the only illumination as she was sure her eyes were completely dilated.

Richie looked at Jen and smiled. She was something. Most women he’d known would have been embarrassed at what he was doing to her in public, but then again after what she’d done to him in that alleyway he wasn’t really surprised at her wild side and smiled to himself as he pictured her hot, naked body writhing under his later on that evening, and most of the night if he had his way.

“Hey, you ok?” Jon said quietly, turning to Deborah who was studying the menu with a quiet intensity. He’d seen the slight play between Jen and Richie and was quite content to leave them to it. If they got caught it was their business. He’d stopped looking after Richie years ago and now just left him to fuck up in his own unique fashion.

“Yeah, just not sure what I want to eat, that’s all.” she replied, looking up from the menu for a few moments before looking back again.

Jon was perplexed. The sadness in her eyes was back and he was damned if he knew what had caused it. They’d had such a great day, or had seemed to, that he hoped to hell it wasn’t him that was causing it.

He had noticed the surreptitious glances she’d been giving her mobile phone since they’d got there and frowned slightly.

He’d just plucked up the courage, which was a new feeling for him, to ask her what was bothering her when her mobile bleeped. Automatically she picked it up and read the text.

Deborah’s face turned ashen and she dropped the phone with a clatter.

She turned to Jon and, asking him to excuse her, fled past him to the Ladies.

“Gimme her phone Jon. She’s been like that since the hotel. I know she got a text when she was in the bathroom as I heard the beep but she won’t tell me what’s wrong.” Jen said, reaching her hand out for the small silver phone.

“She’s like a different person from today.” Jon said, as he handed the phone over.

Jen read the text out loud to the two men.

“Hey sweetie, you gotta help me with Lisa. She wants to get married and I don’t know what to tell her. I don’t know if I’m ready or not. She keeps turning hot and cold on me. What should I do? I miss your brain! Xx Glen”

She put the phone down, her face devoid of all emotions except one. Anger.

“Son of a fucking bitch!” she ground out.

“Who’s Glen?” Jon asked.

“Her ex, he left her for Lisa.”

“Son of a bitch…” Jon said, his face blank.

Richie recognised Jon’s poker face and knew that Glen was in big trouble.