Chloe watched mesmerized as the city flew by the taxi window. She had always dreamed of seeing Paris, but the travels with her parents had never brought her to the City of Lights. Now here she was, seeing it for the first time, and it was more than she had ever imagined.
The old and new blended together perfectly. Storefronts with colorful awnings mixed with little artsy shops. People sat in front of small cafés sipping lattes and eating croissants.
Chloe couldn't take everything in. It was so overwhelming.
Suddenly, the taxi stopped outside a large ten story stone hotel. Chloe looked up at the building in awe as she stepped out of the taxi. Sark took her arm gently and led her inside.
"May I help you sir?" asked the concierge in a thick French accent. Sark walked over and spoke with the man quietly as Chloe stared at the lobby.
The floor was made of colorful squares of marble in mosaic design. White stone columns held up the lush ceiling that was painted to look like a map of France. Mirrors hung in gilded frames throughout the immense room and any wall space not covered by a mirror housed the replica of a famous painting. From across the room, the Mona Lisa smiled back at Chloe. The young woman felt as if she'd stepped into a fairyland. She had never seen anything so amazing, so beautiful in her entire life. She didn't even want to think how much it cost to stay there.
An arm wrapped around her waist and Chloe looked over her shoulder startled. Sark smirked down at her.
"If you think this is amazing," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "wait till you see the room." Chloe blushed slightly at the implication that they would be sharing a room. Every time they did that they came very close to having sex. Sark's hand found hers and he led her over to the elevators that lined one whole wall.
Sark hadn't been lying when he'd said the room was impressive. The room was more of a small apartment than anything. The entryway had the same mosaic floor, the same creamy white walls, and the same mirrors as the lobby. A plush bedroom branched off to the right of the entryway. You sunk into the large bed when you sat on it. The satin sheets and down pillows were the best money could buy. And two fluffy robes lay across the bed, two pairs of slippers on the floor beneath the robes. There was also a large living room type room, and a Class A bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub and large shower.
It was Sark's hope that they would not need any other room than the bedroom. But he knew he would not pressure Chloe into something she didn't want, no matter how badly he may want it.
"My god Julian," Chloe breathed, looking around the suite in awe, "this place must cost a fortune."
"It's nothing I can't afford." He replied with a nonchalant shrug. She turned to look at him, and Sark was over come with the urge to kiss her. He pulled Chloe to him, ignoring the bellhop that had followed them into the penthouse, and kissed her deeply.
He savored her taste, the way her lips moved against his own, and the way she moaned softly when he ran his tongue across her lips. Casually, he let one hand drop from her waist and waved the bellboy away.
Bored, that was the only way to describe what Chloe was feeling. She had been in the suite for nearly two days. She and Sark had holed themselves up in the room to work on deciphering the disk. Sure she was still in awe of the room, but after forty-eight hours, the novelty had sort of worn off. There was only so much TV she could watch; even watching Friends dubbed in French got boring after awhile. There were only so many baths she could take in the Jacuzzi before she started to turn into a prune. Room service had been called innumerable times. And still, the two of them were no where near figuring out what the damn disk meant.
"Julian," Chloe whined, falling down beside Sark on the plush white couch and sinking into its cushions, "I'm bored." Sark looked up from the laptop. He had been working diligently on the disk ever since they had first checked in, well almost. The two of them took breaks whenever they felt the urge to make-out, but that was it.
"I'm sorry Chloe," Sark said pulling her into him. Chloe grinned and buried her face in Sark's shoulder, cuddling up to him tightly. "I've been so intent on working this out that I forgot about you." He pulled away so he could look the young woman in the eyes and pouted playfully, "Can you forgive me?" Chloe kissed his lips softly. "I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled. He stood, stretching out the kinks in his back and pulled Chloe up beside him.
"Where are we going?" She asked as he led her towards the door.
"We are going to tour the city." Sark replied grinning down at her. Chloe squealed like a little girl and hugged Sark tightly.
"Yippee." She cried giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you."
The city was so beautiful it made Chloe's breath catch in her throat. Sark led her down the streets, pointing out landmarks and famous sites. They went into small stores and boutiques, sat outside a famous café, and climbed up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Looking down on Paris Chloe couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than what lay before her.
Looking over at Sark, she knew she had done the right thing in going with him. True he caused her a lot of grief, but he always made up for it. He always made the effort to make things right between them. She reached over and took his hand in hers. Sark looked at her and smiled. Chloe felt her insides melt at his gaze and couldn't help the smile that spread across her own face.
But, with as much fun as she was having with Sark, Chloe couldn't help but think of the hurt she had caused her parents. They loved her more than anyone ever had and how did she repay them? By running off with Sark and making them think she had chosen him over them. She felt like a traitor to her family. Hadn't they spent their practically their whole lives fighting against the very man she loved?
With a sigh Chloe looked back down at the city. Sark's hand tightened around hers.
"What's wrong?" he asked. Chloe didn't know how to answer the question. She knew she felt bad about leaving her parents, but was that truly what was wrong?
"Nothing," she said shaking her head and pushing away from the railing. "I'm just tired." It wasn't a lie, not completely at least. She was tired. Tired of being so confused, tired of being a bundle of emotions, tired of being a big crybaby. She hadn't been like that before. She was strong, independent. So why all of a sudden did she feel completely and utterly dependent upon Sark and his strength...his love?
Sark wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her towards the elevator that would take them back down to the city. Chloe loved the feel of his arms around her. She loved the way his muscles moved beneath his shirt, the way he held her so possessively yet lovingly at the same time. She loved the emotions his touch stirred within her, the fire that ignited within her soul. His touch thrilled her; his presence was all she could feel. She truly did love him and that scared her more than anything else ever had.
Chloe wasn't used to being in love. She wasn't used to having someone else hold her heart in their hands. Knowing that he had the power to break her heart, to destroy her very soul was the scariest thing she could imagine. But at the same time it was oddly reassuring. She had someone that she could tell everything to, even things she had never thought she could tell her parents. Sark was somebody to hold her when she was scared, or hurt, or just wanted to be held. He was solid, a comforting figure. But a deadly one.
As he watched Chloe sleep, Sark ran his fingers through her hair. He loved the way she looked when she slept, so peaceful with a small smile playing across her lips; she was childlike and innocent. That was what he loved about Chloe. She was a tough bitch when she needed to be, but underneath that was a little girl. A sweet and unaffected little girl who would do anything to please the people she loved. She would even put her own needs and wants behind those of others. She was truly special.
Sark lay down beside Chloe and pulled her close to him, savoring the warmth that filled him. Her eyes were closed and Sark wanted nothing more than to know what was going on behind them. He was worried about her. She had seemed distant the whole way back to the hotel and he didn't know why. He had thought they'd been having a great time. Apparently he had been wrong.
Rubbing her arm gently with his fingers, Sark thought of all the times that they had lay together in bed. There were so many times that he had wanted to go farther, had wanted to be with her in the most intimate way possible. But whenever they got close, she pulled away. Sark felt as if he would burst with the need and want for her that filled him. It just wasn't possible though, not until Chloe wanted it too. Kissing her forehead gently, Sark closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Short chapter I know, but at least it was much better than the last one. I won't be updating this for awhile because my aunt, uncle, and cousins are coming to visit for awhile, so I won't be able to do any writing while they're here. I hope this chapter is enough to hold you guys over. Lol. Please review and tell me what you thought.
Zeriea: I'm sure Syd and Jack would have an alert out for Sark and Chloe. For the sake of the story though, they didn't.
neptunestar: True, Sark would have had him and Chloe using fake passports, but I didn't think about that till I had already posted the chapter.
Alias-Addict-4-Life: To be completely honest, even I don't know where this story is going. I do have a bunch of ideas floating around in my head, but I don't know which ones I'll use and which ones I'll trash. So hold in there, because there will be direction soon.
Sarks-Girl-89, freakygirl, wicked-sista, cg's-gal-72689, csk8-20, Kiki, and intriKate: Thank you all for reviewing and I hope you will continue. You all keep this story going whether you realize it or not. So thank you for all your thoughts and ideas.