Claim
Page 59
This four-day trip to Paris had been something of a last minute thing. The idea had actually occurred to him on New Year’s Eve, when Madelyn and James had invited them to their wedding. Try as he might, he simply hadn’t been able to re-arrange his packed schedule so that they could arrive in time to join them. But he had been able to carve out these extra days before they were due in London for the annual board meetings.
And they had been wonderful days so far. Even though the weather had been cold and rainy almost the entire time, he’d still shown Tessa several of the major sights - the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe. They had enjoyed wonderful meals, browsed the shops and galleries, and listened to live music at small, intimate clubs.
Tessa had been all wide-eyed wonder the first time the limo had pulled up to the grand Parisian hotel. The majestic architecture made the Gregson one of the most famous and admired buildings in the city, and the interior was every bit as splendid. The owner’s suite was not quite as large as some of the others they had stayed in, but was so sumptuously decorated that Tessa had declared it was like a small palace. She’d loved taking afternoon tea on the intimate terrace that offered up a breathtaking view of the city, even though the chilly weather had provided less than ideal conditions.
Tomorrow would be their last day in the City of Lights, and Ian had already made some very special plans to make sure that Tessa’s first visit to one of his favorite cities would be an especially memorable one.
A quick glance at the bedside clock showed there was barely fifteen minutes until their food was due to arrive, so he hastened into the opulent marble bathroom without further delay. But as he opened the shower door and got his first look at Tessa’s wet, lush curves, not to mention the sultry, inviting look in her blue eyes, he gulped, wondering if they did have time for a quickie after all.
“The very last thing I need is more clothes. Or shoes. Or lingerie. And yet here we are, apparently getting ready to buy all three.”
Ian lounged back against the plush leather loveseat inside the dressing room, grinning at her in a rather maddening manner. “Ah, but you don’t have a dress or shoes or any lacy bits that were actually bought in Paris, do you? Until now, that is.”
Tessa sighed, knowing from experience that this was one of those moments when Ian would not be swayed. Her fiancé could be the most stubborn of men at times, especially when it came to spoiling her. And he’d been going out of his way today to indulge and pamper her, with all of her protests falling on deaf ears.
After their late afternoon tour of the Louvre yesterday, where she had been thrilled to see such famed treasures as the painting of Mona Lisa, the sculpture of Venus de Milo, and the lavish furnishings that had belonged to Napoleon III, they’d had a light supper before turning in for the night at a rather early hour. And since they had had precious little sleep the night before during their marathon lovemaking session, they had fallen into a deep and dreamless slumber very quickly.
This morning, however, Ian had been full of energy after a good night’s sleep, and had whisked her off to the hotel’s fitness center for an hour’s workout. Tessa had grumbled a bit about being woken at such an early hour, but after half an hour of jogging on the treadmill she’d admitted to herself that she now felt less guilty about all of the pastries, bread, and café au laits she had been indulging in since their arrival in Paris.
After breakfast back in the owner’s suite, they took a long walk through the trendy Le Marais district, browsing through the boutiques and art galleries, before Ian summoned the hotel limo to take them to the Rue Saint Honoré. The area was filled with expensive designer shops and boutiques, including the one they were ensconced in right now.
The sales clerk who’d waited on them had been all too eager to help, recognizing both the quality of the clothing they were wearing, and the Gregson name. In rapid, fluent French, Ian had told the woman exactly what he was looking for, and she’d been quick to comply, bringing a selection of gorgeous cocktail dresses, fabulous shoes, and exquisite lingerie into the spacious, private dressing room - the one reserved for VIP’s.
Tessa sighed as she began to remove the slinky black beaded dress she’d just modeled for Ian’s critical eye. “I’m not sure why it makes a difference where it was purchased,” she argued, hanging the dress up. “And all of these look very, uh, flashy. The kind you’d wear to a nightclub or a big party.”
He winked at her, then lowered his gaze admiringly to her lavender and cream lingerie. “Good guess. The former, that is, not the latter.”
She gave him a tiny frown. “You’re taking me to a nightclub? Really? I mean, that just doesn’t seem like your usual, ah, style. Or mine, for that matter.”
Ian chuckled. “You’re being very diplomatic, love. Are you sure you didn’t mean to say that I’m a bit old to be going to nightclubs?”
“No, I definitely did not mean to say that!” she denied emphatically. “And you know how upset I get when you keep referring to yourself as old. I was just surprised, that’s all, because neither of us are the nightclubbing sort.”
He shrugged as she took the next dress off its hanger. “I won’t deny that it’s not my favorite sort of place. Colin can keep calling me a stuffed shirt until the end of days, but that won’t change my opinion. I much prefer going to the symphony or the theater or just having a quiet dinner with friends to being in a noisy club.”
Tessa looked at him in confusion, wiggling into the tight-fitting, nude metallic bandage dress. “Then why are you even thinking about going out to one tonight?”
Ian stood and deftly zipped up the low back of the dress before dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder. “Because you’re young and beautiful and hot,” he murmured huskily. His hand caressed her hip through the shimmery fabric. “You’re in Paris for the first time in your life, a city known for its nightlife. And it would be a damned shame if you didn’t have at least one night out on the town. So tonight we’ll both let our hair down a little, have a few drinks, and go dancing.” His lips caressed her throat as his hand slid around to splay over her belly. “And so I can be the envy of every man in Paris when I walk inside the club with you on my arm. Let me see you in this dress now, love.”
She turned around slowly, feeling his intense gaze taking in every detail of the short, low-cut dress. She resisted the urge to tug the hem down, feeling half-naked with so much of her long legs exposed, not to mention the amount of cleavage on display. But for once Ian didn’t seem to have a problem with the quantity of bare skin she was flashing, and instead nodded his approval.
And they had been wonderful days so far. Even though the weather had been cold and rainy almost the entire time, he’d still shown Tessa several of the major sights - the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe. They had enjoyed wonderful meals, browsed the shops and galleries, and listened to live music at small, intimate clubs.
Tessa had been all wide-eyed wonder the first time the limo had pulled up to the grand Parisian hotel. The majestic architecture made the Gregson one of the most famous and admired buildings in the city, and the interior was every bit as splendid. The owner’s suite was not quite as large as some of the others they had stayed in, but was so sumptuously decorated that Tessa had declared it was like a small palace. She’d loved taking afternoon tea on the intimate terrace that offered up a breathtaking view of the city, even though the chilly weather had provided less than ideal conditions.
Tomorrow would be their last day in the City of Lights, and Ian had already made some very special plans to make sure that Tessa’s first visit to one of his favorite cities would be an especially memorable one.
A quick glance at the bedside clock showed there was barely fifteen minutes until their food was due to arrive, so he hastened into the opulent marble bathroom without further delay. But as he opened the shower door and got his first look at Tessa’s wet, lush curves, not to mention the sultry, inviting look in her blue eyes, he gulped, wondering if they did have time for a quickie after all.
“The very last thing I need is more clothes. Or shoes. Or lingerie. And yet here we are, apparently getting ready to buy all three.”
Ian lounged back against the plush leather loveseat inside the dressing room, grinning at her in a rather maddening manner. “Ah, but you don’t have a dress or shoes or any lacy bits that were actually bought in Paris, do you? Until now, that is.”
Tessa sighed, knowing from experience that this was one of those moments when Ian would not be swayed. Her fiancé could be the most stubborn of men at times, especially when it came to spoiling her. And he’d been going out of his way today to indulge and pamper her, with all of her protests falling on deaf ears.
After their late afternoon tour of the Louvre yesterday, where she had been thrilled to see such famed treasures as the painting of Mona Lisa, the sculpture of Venus de Milo, and the lavish furnishings that had belonged to Napoleon III, they’d had a light supper before turning in for the night at a rather early hour. And since they had had precious little sleep the night before during their marathon lovemaking session, they had fallen into a deep and dreamless slumber very quickly.
This morning, however, Ian had been full of energy after a good night’s sleep, and had whisked her off to the hotel’s fitness center for an hour’s workout. Tessa had grumbled a bit about being woken at such an early hour, but after half an hour of jogging on the treadmill she’d admitted to herself that she now felt less guilty about all of the pastries, bread, and café au laits she had been indulging in since their arrival in Paris.
After breakfast back in the owner’s suite, they took a long walk through the trendy Le Marais district, browsing through the boutiques and art galleries, before Ian summoned the hotel limo to take them to the Rue Saint Honoré. The area was filled with expensive designer shops and boutiques, including the one they were ensconced in right now.
The sales clerk who’d waited on them had been all too eager to help, recognizing both the quality of the clothing they were wearing, and the Gregson name. In rapid, fluent French, Ian had told the woman exactly what he was looking for, and she’d been quick to comply, bringing a selection of gorgeous cocktail dresses, fabulous shoes, and exquisite lingerie into the spacious, private dressing room - the one reserved for VIP’s.
Tessa sighed as she began to remove the slinky black beaded dress she’d just modeled for Ian’s critical eye. “I’m not sure why it makes a difference where it was purchased,” she argued, hanging the dress up. “And all of these look very, uh, flashy. The kind you’d wear to a nightclub or a big party.”
He winked at her, then lowered his gaze admiringly to her lavender and cream lingerie. “Good guess. The former, that is, not the latter.”
She gave him a tiny frown. “You’re taking me to a nightclub? Really? I mean, that just doesn’t seem like your usual, ah, style. Or mine, for that matter.”
Ian chuckled. “You’re being very diplomatic, love. Are you sure you didn’t mean to say that I’m a bit old to be going to nightclubs?”
“No, I definitely did not mean to say that!” she denied emphatically. “And you know how upset I get when you keep referring to yourself as old. I was just surprised, that’s all, because neither of us are the nightclubbing sort.”
He shrugged as she took the next dress off its hanger. “I won’t deny that it’s not my favorite sort of place. Colin can keep calling me a stuffed shirt until the end of days, but that won’t change my opinion. I much prefer going to the symphony or the theater or just having a quiet dinner with friends to being in a noisy club.”
Tessa looked at him in confusion, wiggling into the tight-fitting, nude metallic bandage dress. “Then why are you even thinking about going out to one tonight?”
Ian stood and deftly zipped up the low back of the dress before dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder. “Because you’re young and beautiful and hot,” he murmured huskily. His hand caressed her hip through the shimmery fabric. “You’re in Paris for the first time in your life, a city known for its nightlife. And it would be a damned shame if you didn’t have at least one night out on the town. So tonight we’ll both let our hair down a little, have a few drinks, and go dancing.” His lips caressed her throat as his hand slid around to splay over her belly. “And so I can be the envy of every man in Paris when I walk inside the club with you on my arm. Let me see you in this dress now, love.”
She turned around slowly, feeling his intense gaze taking in every detail of the short, low-cut dress. She resisted the urge to tug the hem down, feeling half-naked with so much of her long legs exposed, not to mention the amount of cleavage on display. But for once Ian didn’t seem to have a problem with the quantity of bare skin she was flashing, and instead nodded his approval.
