“You’re kidding. You’re telling me Dad’s hooked?”
“Don’t sell yourself short, Georgie, you’re a really good writer. Your father and I are both big fans of the author.”
I laughed. “Glad to have support from both of you. Seriously, there are tons of wannabe writers out there who have parents that wish they’d go get a job in tech like a normal person.”
“Not us. You’re brilliant, the kind of woman who can do anything she sets her mind to. Dad and I are here to cheer you on and see what kind of mark you end up making on the world.”
More tears formed. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to have such amazing parents.
I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get so much as a syllable out, the door to the apartment opened and closed. I turned in my seat to see Colette, slender and petite, dressed in nothing but a towel and a bikini top, her blue eyes flashing, and her black hair pulled up in such a way that she managed to look effortlessly chic despite having clearly been at the beach. She tapped her wrist, the international sign for “hurry up.”
“Alright Mom,” I said. “Gotta go. Colette’s here to crack the whip.”
“Alright, sweetheart,” she said. “Call again when you’re getting ready to leave for the airport tomorrow, I’d like to track your flight and make sure you get home safe.”
“Will do. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, Georgie.”
I hung up, setting my phone on the side table and hopping up from my chair.
“Do not tell me you are going inthat.” Colette gave my outfit a once-over, her eyebrows arched as if she couldn’t believe what I had on. Her words carried her heavy French accent that the Greek guys couldn’t seem to get enough of.
“Says the woman wearing nothing but a bikini.”
Colette laughed. “Hey, I am wearing a towel, too. Seriously though, it is our last night in Greece, and you are dressed as if you’re going to do your daytime shopping and cleaning the apartment.”
“We’ve got, like, two hours,” I said. “Plenty of time.”
She shook her head. “That is not true.Pour commencer, I need to shower and get ready. That will take no time at all. However, whatwilltake time is finding something appropriate foryouto wear, something that will catch the eye of a handsome man and hopefully get him in your bed.”
I couldn’t help but laugh whenever Colette talked about sex in such a way.
“You know, how frank you are about sex used to surprise me. Then, it occurred to me that you’re French, so it’d only make sense for you to befrank.” I grinned, pleased as hell with my pun.
Colette smiled, shaking her head. “I am not sure where you got your knack for puns, but let us, ah, keep it stored away for the night, oui? There are things men like, and what you Americans call ‘dad jokes’ are not one of them.”
“What if I want to find a guy who likes my dad jokes?”
“There are many traits that you will want in a man before a liking of such jokes. Namely, handsome, tall, a good dresser, and so on. Oh, and most importantly, that he has money.” Colette, pretty and charming as she was, had no problem getting men. And that meant she had very high standards.
I, on the other hand, was looking for something else, something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I’d had no trouble getting attention from the guys in Greece. However, I was more inclined to chalk that up to the fact that I was an American, and thus an easy target in the eyes of the men there.
“Anyway,bouge ton cul! We have our work cut out for us!”
* * *
“Your dress, it is… something else.” Stavros, the Greek man who I couldn’t quite seem to get away from, moved his eyes up and down my body in a way that made it clear he wanted me to know he was checking me out.
Nice, Colette… you put me in a dress so tight that I’m going to have to peel every guy in the bar’s eyes off me just to get back to the table.
“Thanks. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever wear it. But, uh, here I am.” I offered him a weak smile as I averted my eyes and sipped my drink.
He chuckled, either not noticing or not caring that I wanted to be anywhere but there.
Stavros leaned in, his eyes flicking to my tits one more time.
“It looks gorgeous on you,” he said. “But all I can think about is what it would look like on the floor next to my bed.”