“Nice shades Ken!”
“Thanks dad!”
“When’d you get those?”
“Last week in Vegas. You like them?”
“My son moves into a mansion and suddenly turns all fancy schmancy on me!”
Relaxing on a patio recliner in the backyard, I was catching up with my dad on a video call. Thanks to the generous wad of bills Uncle Artie had gifted me in Vegas, I had treated myself to designer-brand sunglasses at our hotel’s shoppes before we returned home.
A female voice reached my ears, “Someone looks a little cozy…”
I tilted my head to see Belle standing over me, without her usual smile, dressed in a purple sports top and yoga pants.
“Is that voice who I think it is?” My dad asked, perking up on the tiny tile on my phone.
Belle squatted down next to me, entering the frame of my front-facing camera. “Oh hi Rian! Nice to see your friendly face!”
“Yours as well Belle! You look dressed for a sweaty workout,” my dad observed.
“Good guess!” She giggled. “I’m on my way to a hot Pilates class. Was about to ask your son if he needed a ride to the coffee shop this morning, where he usually does his whole job hunt routine. But come to think of it, he hasn’t gone all week. Just been loitering at home this whole time…”
“Kenneth,” my dad sternly conjured my full name. “I hope you aren’t taking Belle’s and your uncle’s hospitality for granted. You should be looking for a job, son.”
“I know… Uh, I’ll talk to you later dad. Tell mom I said hi. Love you.” I hung up the call, a bit surprised that Belle had passive-aggressively singled me out like that.
She then swung around, taking a seat on the foot of my recliner, making me fold my legs to make room for her.
“Ken, have you given any more thought to my suggestion?” She pressed me with her question, one that had been lingering for a week now.
Over breakfast in Vegas, Belle had floated the idea of me being her personal assistant. I had punted on responding then, unsure how to convey my unease. In truth, being someone’s assistant felt beneath me. I didn’t earn a college degree to do menial work.
At the same time, since returning home, it was true that I’d been taking it easy with my job search. Was I getting complacent? Lazy? Perhaps. A healthy ration of my uncle’s spending money, still bountifully lining my pockets, probably didn’t help.
Belle sighed, noting my silence. “So I have an upcoming work trip. And when I travel alone for jobs, it’d just be nice to have an extra hand every now and then, you know?”
I could sense the earnestness in her voice. She was asking for my help without being demanding or entitled, which, in another world, she could’ve easily been. I’d been residing in her mansion rent-free for weeks now. And what was I doing to earn my keep here? Zilch. I knew Belle’s general affection for me wasn’t conditional. But now I was starting to feel guilty.
“Alright Ken, well, I’m gonna head out.” Belle stood up, looking dispirited.
“Wait Belle,” I stopped her. “Um, what would I have to do if I became your assistant?”
She perked up a bit. “Just simple stuff. Emails. Errands. I’d pay you of course. And cover your meals and lodging.”
“Can I ask, what’s the long-term commitment?”
“Tell you what, for my upcoming trip, what if we just do a trial and see how that goes. I don’t want you to feel handcuffed, if that’s your worry. What do you think?”
I took a long look at Belle. It felt good to see a budding smile on her face. Felt even better knowing that I could make it bloom with sakarya escort a few simple words… “Okay, I’ll do it.”
“Really?” Her smile beamed brighter.
“Yeah, sure why not. It sounds like it could be a fun experience.”
“Yay! You’re the best!” Belle lunged forward to hug me.
I withheld my larger reservations from her. Personally, a trial sounded like the best of both worlds. Earn a few bucks without feeling tied down. Perhaps more importantly though, agreeing to help Belle genuinely warmed my heart. It was the least I could do.
“You mentioned an upcoming trip. Where we going?” I asked.
“Paris!”
***
Days later, Uncle Artie, Belle and I were standing in the airport terminal, saying our farewells.
Uncle Artie kissed Belle. “Alright you two, have a safe flight. Say hi to Vi and Adam for me.”
“See ya Uncle Artie! Have fun in Italy.”
“Italy won’t be a vacation for me Ken! Viktor and I will be digging our heels in, working on a new deal. Hoping it goes better this time around.”
“K bye babe, we’re gonna go before boarding closes.” Belle gave him one last kiss, before she and I made our way to our gate.
“Wait Belle, did I hear Uncle Artie right, that Adam’s in Paris too?” I asked.
“Yup! On Vi’s last day at our house, Adam accompanied her to the airport. They decided on a whim that they’d both fly to Paris and live together. Kinda romantic if you think about it.”
An hour later, Belle and I were in the air. The perks of flying with her meant that first-class was the standard, which meant premium in-flight service, extended leg room, and more crucially, free wi-fi!
At one point, Belle stood up and walked into the aisle, heading for the restroom. I noticed she left her phone on her seat…
A text came in from my own device. The notification preview showed that it was from my friend Devin. I ignored it and returned my attention back to Belle’s phone, unable to resist the temptation; I unlocked her device and opened her Vanishhh app, seeing only Enzo’s name listed.
Enzo: “Free?”
Belle: “Sorry buddy, currently on a flight to France.”
E: “Damn. Your mouth would’ve been some really good stress relief right now.”
B: “What’s got poor baby bothered?”
E: “I’ve been blackmailed! No joke! Some fuckers planted spy cameras inside my penthouse. It’s bad…”
B: “OMG! Are you serious?”
E: “They left me a flash drive with footage. It has me holding drugs. There was a letter too, demanding that I stop my operation ASAP or they’d leak the video to the media. They don’t even want any money. Deranged fucks.”
B: “I don’t understand how this is even possible.”
E: “They must’ve got into my unit when no one was home. Crazy thing is, I just did a total sweep. The cameras are gone! My guess is it’s the cops, trying to fuck with me. I bet I hooked up with one of their daughters after a concert.”
B: “Jesus En… Are you and Lana safe at least?”
E: “She’s freaked out. Staying at her friend’s place for the time being. I’m okay, but all alone. Would’ve been nice to have your company…”
B: “Calm your cock, buddy. On a serious note, what are you going to do?”
E: “I already dropped off duffel bags of drugs in a random alley, per their demands. Fuck my life! But shit, there’s more Belle. They also got footage of me and Lana fucking. They’re threatening to leak it too.”
B: “Shit you gotta be kidding me… I can’t believe I’m asking this but… do they have footage of you and me hooking salihli escort up?”
E: “Not that I know of. I think you’re good Belle.”
B: “Thank god… You know, I always told you it was dumb to deal out of your penthouse. You can’t be storing that much in the place you sleep.”
E: “Thanks for making me feel worse =(“
B: “You’re safe En, you’ll live. We probably shouldn’t even be texting about this. Even on Vanishhh.”
E: “You’re right. Hit me up when you get back. I miss your body.”
I put Belle’s phone back down on her seat, smiling to myself. It appeared my friend Devin was ultimately successful in getting Enzo to cease his drug-dealing operation.
Belle eventually returned to her seat, not suspecting a thing. I returned to the unread message from Devin on my phone. It contained no words; just a string of emojis: Thumbs up. Camera. Snowflake. Stop sign. Trophy. Confetti.
“Ken, did you hear me?”
“Sorry?” I refocused, putting my phone down, realizing Belle was speaking to me.
“I said Vi’s going to meet us at the airport. We’re going to be staying at her apartment. I want you to help her if she asks you to.”
Welp, I guess I was now on the clock with assistant duties.
***
“Welcome to my humble abode!” Vi swung open the door, showing us into her spacious Parisian apartment.
Top floor of her building, immaculate white walls, simple minimalist decor. I had no clue what Belle’s best friend did for a living, but Vi was clearly doing pretty well for herself.
Adam suddenly walked into view. He enthusiastically hugged Belle, then me. “Friends! So happy to see familiar faces!”
Vi clapped her hands together, getting our attention. “Well, you two are probably hungry for some real food. I’ll pick up dinner to bring back.”
“I can tag along,” Adam added.
“No baby, you help Belle get settled in,” Vi instructed. “She’s got a photoshoot tomorrow she needs to rest for. You two can set our dining table, have it ready for when the food comes.”
“Sounds good. May I?” Adam asked Belle, offering to roll her two suitcases to her guest room.
“Such a gentleman.” Belle took her hair out of her ponytail, looking like she wanted to relax after our flight.
“Ken buddy, I’ll bring your luggage to your room too.”
“No worries Adam, I got it,” I politely declined.
“Let him Ken, you’re our guest,” Vi made it a point to mention. “Besides, you’re coming with me right now to grab dinner. I understand it’s your first time in Paris. So I’m going to show you around my city!”
Vi and I promptly exited her apartment, setting off on foot to some restaurant she presumably had in mind. We traveled along some narrow neighborhood road, where I took in the sights: blocks of cream-colored buildings with dark roofs; cafes and awnings lining the streets.
“So Ken, first impressions?” Vi asked, minutes into our walk.
“The city’s beautiful! So different from back home.”
“Anything you’re looking forward to doing here?”
“Not sure. Wherever Belle goes and needs help, I’ll follow I guess. But since you ask, I am kinda curious what the sports scene is like here. There’s actually a big match–“
“Hold on,” Vi interrupted, halting us in front of some tiny eatery. “This place is good. Stay here, I’ll be back after I place a takeout order.”
When Vi entered the cafe, I felt inspired to take a photo of the bustling street life with my phone. However, the device I retrieved from my pants pocket though wasn’t mine–it samsun escort was Belle’s. How’d that happen? I checked the multiple pockets of my field jacket, one of which thankfully held my own phone.
With Belle’s device in my possession, I–naturally–checked in on her Vanishhh app. To my disappointment, there were no new messages or names. However, a new text suddenly appeared in real-time, on her normal Messages app.
It was from Vi: “In line right now to order food. This place always takes a while. Take your time.”
Curious what Vi meant by that last part, I opened up the full thread, scrolling up, seeing that their messages had started hours earlier, while Belle and I were mid-flight.
Vi: “Can’t wait til you get here! I’ll be at the airport to pick you up.”
Belle: “Thanks sis Jeez. French hospitality much? Perhaps she was just focused on a busy day ahead. In any case, our one-sided exchange made me wonder why I even bothered trying to flirt. I felt a sudden pang of affection for Eva, who, despite hurting my feelings, was someone I knew I had a mutual connection with.
A male voice said something in French to me over my shoulder. I turned around to see a black-haired, late twenties man wearing a Paris Saint-Germain jersey, rolling a wardrobe rack with lingerie on it. He spoke to me again, this time in Spanish.
“Sorry, I don’t understand.” I stood helpless, not comprehending a word of either language aimed my way.
“Ah English! No problem my friend. I was asking if you could make me a latte too.”
“Oh. Well I would, if I knew how to use this hunk of metal.”
“It’s okay, I’ll help you.” He began fiddling with handles and buttons on the chrome machine. “So one for me, one for you?”
“Actually, one for you, one for Belle. I’m Ken, her assistant.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rodrigo.” He shook my hand.
We spent a few minutes chatting, his charisma making for easy conversation. Much nicer than that female set assistant.
“I noticed the jersey you’re wearing,” I mentioned. “Are you a fan of Paris Saint-Germain?”
“You could say that. I’ve become a casual PSG supporter since I moved to this country. Definitely gonna watch their match tomorr–ah shit!” Rodrigo’s hand recoiled, reacting to the heat of the paper cup. He quickly blew on his fingers to cool them.
“Damn, you okay man? Did you get burned?”
He laughed off the momentary pain. “What good would I be today if I couldn’t use my fingers.” Rodrigo smartly stacked additional cups underneath to double them up, then handed me the two lattes. “Carry those my friend, while I roll the clothes.”
We walked toward the room where Belle was in. Rodrigo knocked on the closed door, then opened it without caution. Right when we stepped inside, we were met with a tall accordion divider to our left, blocking our view of Belle.
“Bonjour, hola, hello!” Rodrigo bypassed the partition, ignoring it. He rolled in the lingerie rack and I followed him.
Belle was on the far end of a long and narrow room. She had changed into a cloth robe, and was seated in front of a vanity mirror. Two other females were doing her make-up and hair, respectively.
“We come with gifts,” Rodrigo said, gesturing to me. I handed Belle her latte, then gave him his. Rodrigo then spoke French to the two stylists, which got them to leave the room.
Belle sipped her cup. “Yum, tasty! Thanks Ken,” she complimented, then turned to Rodrigo. “Ro, Ken’s my assistant on this trip; also happens to be my fiancé’s nephew.”
“Oh that’s right, fiancé!” He said with glee. “I heard about your engagement! Congrats Belle, that’s wonderful! And well done hiring a brilliant assistant. Ken’s a maestro with the espresso machine.” Rodrigo winked my way, kindly propping me up for something I didn’t do.
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