Finally the knife dropped away and Andre could feel himself breathing a sigh of relief. The clatter of of metal reverberating against the floor sounded as beautiful as the bells of Notre Dame tolling for weddings and festivals to the young or not so young man. Reaching up with one hand he gently massaged at his neck before falling into step behind this intoxicating but very dangerous woman. After she made her announcement that she was leaving she reached over to take his hand and intimately whisper in his ear.

The pat on his posterior was somewhat disconcerting since he could see all of her appendages but at the same time it wasn't completely shocking. She had been able to manipulate a knife in front of him so why couldn't she manipulate something else in order to admire his physique? "Of course." Andre replied with a smile at the woman though a slight nervousness was obvious in the expression.

As they turned to go he gave a nod to the other men, "Gentlemen... until next time." And then led the young woman out onto the street. Even though it was later in the evening, Andre was able to find a cab in relatively short order. After providing the driver with the name of a small cafe that he enjoyed frequenting he turned his attention back to his captivating companion. "You've hired me and yet neither of us know each others names. I'm Andre."

The car was small as was the design of those days. But - equally as was design - it combined its well worn utility with a sense of aesthetics that was both pleasing to the eye and touch. Lightly there hung in the car the musk of cigarettes like a remembrance of passengers bygone. As incense in a church it told the passenger of the untold number of people this wagon had ferried over the black river of Paris by Night.

The seats were rough to the touch, but not unbearably so, she found. And the hand he had helped her into the car with had been a most welcome addition. Now, now quite in keeping with the etiquette of the unmarried, she leaned into Andre as he questioned her. Leaned into him with the full force of her female wiles. Not...cheap. Her eyes were on his and were...

Challenging as the set of her shoulders.

Her lips went near his ear, almost in a gesture of romance. So small the invasions. So much for normalcy. So much for good manners. "Call me..." Her voice was not husky or musky, but rather tinged with a bit of dark humor and darker...interest? It was a place of senusality in a way, yes. But not one of the carnal kind. It was dark as the smoke that had once inhabited this cab. (The driver was only mildly scandalized by his passenger and gave occasional glances into the back mirror.)

"...Emilie." She was not... herself any more. No mere child to be confined on an island. She was here. He was here. Both were different. Her right hand rested chastely in her lap as though nothing was going on. Nothing much anyways.

Her green eyes were like twin whirlpools that tried to pull a person in. Her scent was subtle but strong enough to be felt when she leaned in this close. As her lips moved next to his ear, almost close enough to brush against it, Andre couldn't help but turn his head and breathe ever so slightly. She was intoxicating in a way that he had not yet experienced which was a wonder to him. He had lived almost forty years, though he didn't look a day over thirty, and this was the first woman that had challenged him so thoroughly.

"Emilie..." He closed his eyes, allowing the name to roll off of his lips. If spoken in English it would probably be the very normal Emily but in French... in French it was truly a thing of beauty. Mentally, he noted that he would have to fight off the desire to simply call her 'Em'. Somehow he didn't think a commanding lady like this would particularly care for pet names.


As his eyes remained closed, Andre took a moment to focus and center himself. With a little over a year learning Boxe-Française Savate he was becoming quite capable of defending himself but it was in the mental rather than the physical that he excelled. When someone, be it an enemy or a friend, could distract him mentally he was helpless but if he could maintain control then anything was possible. It was only a few moments, though it might have seemed longer for someone watching from the outside, before Andre opened his eyes.

His blue eyes were sharp and clear as his lips slowly curved into a slight smile. "Your beauty is a weapon that you employ as easily, if not more so, than your other abilities. And, while to the outsider it might appear that your in need of protection for your associates, I would wager that you're actually the enforcer." His voice was low so that their driver wouldn't hear but easily loud enough Emilie's ears, and very nice ears they were. Pausing, he fully took in her features as his eyes traced along her cheek bone, jaw line, and back up the other side of her face. "If you don't mind my asking, what roll are you expecting me to play in this little group? I don't normally perform the muscle bound thug role as you already know."

The challenge in her shoulders melted like Ice in the sun... melting like butter on your tounge. So good I am for you. Enough to make your wish come true?... Am I not a bit of Apple? Poisonously innocent. Somewhere she was. Somewhere in your shoulders. Leaning into the man. Brushing against him... some more of you? The hand from her lap rose and climbed on the mans chest...
not very innocently. Feeling the texture of the cloth that lay there. Feeling the breath that made his chest rise. And slightly, ever so lightly, feeling the heartbeat. Can there be a greater invasion? I feel your... life beating. Away, away. I see you, ultimately. Intimately.

Rising already?

His words were rising in her. Rising deeply in her stomach. Going down like oil and sugar. Honey, honey. Only that she knew - at least suspected - in her jaded way. He might just be employing against her what she was doing to him. Charming, chearming your way into your... heart? for me to you. From me to you. My hand on your chest. My feelings? Anxious. Interested. A bit more... controlling. Myself or you. That is the question of import.

Her voice was... sultry? "Such dangerous questions..." Do I sound dangerous to you? Her hand was moving upwards. Still not really touching, only sharing... warmth. Her breath was light as her touch. Feathery moving. Chest rising, falling. "We do need someone who knows the lay of the land. Among other things..." Indeed, we do. We... as if there was no question any more of who was in charge. there was none, naturally. She spoke for the men. For all the men. Now. She subsumed him in her "we", made him hers. Her lips said so.

Who thought a girl from a backward island could be like this? More than she was ever born to. Who when not him? Would you understand me? Please? It is my desire. Unspoken. Questions.

Her touch was beginning to make Andre a little uncomfortable but he did his best to mask it. Never before had he met a woman so forward and so obviously manipulative. She was a master of her art and it was only with the most regimented breathing and mental control that he was able to keep his wits about him. She seemed closer... was she closer? The hand that gently touched the fabric of his shirt was distracting and he did his best to ignore it but it was very difficult. The touch was both gentle and firm as she fingered the cloth while the heat from her skin seemed to pass right into his chest as though there were nothing between them. Her movement were all at once lazy and purposeful, doing her best to put him under her spell. She had three muscle bound idiots already but why not increase her power by increasing their numbers?

"Such dangerous question..."

"Danger is what gives life its spice." Andre replied, hating the way his voice quivered ever so slightly. He hated what this woman was doing but at the same time he loved it. She was dangerous and unpredictable but that only made her more desirable and that desire was slowly chinking away at the wall of self-control he had so carefully built.

"We do need someone who knows the lay of the land. Among other things..."

For a moment Andre was speechless. What other things was she talking about? Was she talking about his burglary skills or did she mean something else? Were her hands and lips only there to distract him or were they unspoken clues to what she really wanted? She she all business or was she a person that took pleasure wherever she might find it? What was this situation in her mind? Was it business or was it pleasure?

The sound of a throat being cleared made Andre realize that their cab had stopped and a quick glance at the window revealed that they had arrived at their destination. "Around the block a time or two or would you like to get out now?" The cabby asked with a sly grin on his face as he looked back over his shoulder at them.

"This is fine... thank you." Andre responded quickly before digging a hand into his pocket and removing a couple of bills to pay the fare. There was no reason to remind Emilie that he was paying with money taken from her bodyguards which probably meant that she was really paying for their evening. As long as she didn't think about it then Andre might at least appear chivalrous even if he really wasn't.

Turning his gaze back to the woman, he raised an eyebrow questioningly as he looked into her captivating green eyes. "What is it that you want?" For a moment, he let the question hang in the air, allowing it to transport her wherever she willed before adding, "They have some delightful soups here."

Her performance... performing? Was... so rude... interrupted by their announcement, arrival. Being here and now. Question: Had she really not known this would happen? Had she played him this far? Had she gone further? Might she? Upon recieving the notice by the driver she... went away for just a moment. Blinking up at the man in teh front seat, sweet smile on her lips. Poison this time, no questions asked. Poison for you, bad man. Poison. The drived did not seem to notice. Or rather, in the way of people who deal with people for a living, resorted to ignoring her slightly displeased looks.

She distanced herself from Andre immediately. Moving away into her seat, abadoning the pursuits of the moment before in the process. Made now for looking young and prettily innocent. (She was made for that as well it seemed.) Shifting her shoulders, her face. A bit of lieing might have been involved there as well. How much the reader will have to infer from other sources. That the man would pay for her she made abundantly clear by steadfastly refusing to acknowledge any duty to contribute to the acumulated debt. Once payment was accomplished, she opened the door on her side. Herself. Left the car to stand upright and, hopefully, watch Andre leave the car himself. Catch his eyes over the zop of the car. Her slowly spreading smile was nothing innocent though. She was breaking her own game. Amused, obviously. maybe? Over something she might be. Had she noticed where the money had come from? Or was this a comment on the previous events? Her body left the answer open.

Her voice did as well. She liked playing games... She really did. "Delightful... soups. But of course!" Her voice made the innocent sentence sound... obscene. Something you hear in a bar in an all male group that had too much to drink. Her Alto makes it sound much too... feminine. Much too... other. Falling out of the grid with me. Are you yet?

She walks as she talks now. quickly around the car. Quickly but with swinging hips that formulate a tension in themselves. Breaking borders tonight it seems she wants to say. Breaking things for you.

Exiting the vehicle provided absolutely no clarity about the situation within which Andre now found himself. Emilie was still playing her game, toying with him, doing her level best to confuse and distract with both her body and her words. The smile that showed so much and yet divulged nothing only made it even more clear that Andre had not yet realized what was really going on. In fact, if he were being completely honest, at that moment he felt quite like a fly caught up in a spider's web. No matter how much he might struggle to break free or somehow reverse the trap on his captor, there was no escape. The carnivorous female continued to close in on her prey with eyes that glittered in anticipation.

"Soups... focus on the soups." Andre lectured himself as he watched the woman walk around the cab. For a brief moment, it seemed as though he might be able to maintain clarity, but her skill with a blade was only matched by her skills as a woman. Just the right sway that invited a gaze without appearing vulgar. Enough to tempt without making it seem like she was laying everything out on a silver platter. She was wily, but in the same way that a vaccination works by exposing the patient to a weakened version of a disease, this continual exposure was beginning to build Andre's resistant. He was far from being immune but if time continued to pass then perhaps he would at least be able to resist. Either that or the exposure would build an addiction instead of an immunity. Only time would tell.

"The cream of asparagus and lobster bisque are my favorites." He offered, trying to keep the conversation focused on safe territory. "But perhaps those are to mild for you... the Spicy Fish soup has quite a kick. Their recipe originates from the port town of Dieppe." Andre could appreciate some spice in his food but more than that he enjoyed the rich and creamy decadence that something like lobster bisque could provide. Perhaps there was someone in the world that would say that your food choices somehow reflected what you looked for in the opposite sex but that was a little to far afield for him. Food was food and women were women, both to be enjoyed in the proper time and place.

We shall see She thought as she passed the man on her way to the entrance of the restaurant. Letting herself keep a bit of distance. Just enough of it for him to have a nice view of her backside. Because, just because... it looked nice and she knew it. Saying she was while walking, husky voice carrying slightly... "We shall try and see. There are some things I like. Others make me wild." Just like that. An independent woman, she went inside, leading the way like a general led the charge... No, wrong image. Maybe like a woman fleeing, just a little bit? With swaying hips again.

The restaurant looked nice and cozy inside. Maybe just that little bit of shabby that indicated it was not a touristy spot but rather one that was frequented by the local populace. Also it was not her style. Much too booorish, but then again she wanted to experience local cooking. Local men she wanted to experience, too. And, going by the smells that assaulted the nose in that restaurant, those were both containing a bit of lobster as well as unwashed man-sweat. Mhhh. Sweat. A few glances were gliding over to her frame. Over her frame. And then proceeded to fall back into their owners respective soups.

She ordered a table for two with the moderately-well-dressed waiter, proving herself American right away and illicited a funny look. He simply pointed towards one of the free tables and said "there Madame." In a French that was slightly cold. It was also obvious from the tone that he thought unmannered foreigners were not quite welcome in his establishment.