Chapter 23: Going Native - Missy

After we returned from shopping, I headed to my room to lie down for a bit. It's been a crazy day, and a little relaxation will definitely help, I think. I've been flying high ever since Dave asked me out earlier today, and I'm still happier than I've ever been. I lay down on my bed and relaxed for a bit, thinking about the events of the day. I guess I wasn't too surprised that Dave asked me out. I figured he would do it when he felt it was the right time. I guess I knew deep down that we were right for each other, and somehow I knew that Dave knew it too.

Honestly though, I don't think things will change that much now that Dave and I are a couple. We were becoming closer physically anyways, and while legitimizing our relationship does mean a lot to both of us, I am sure Dave will continue to take things slow. I'm also not sure how much us being together will affect our relationships with other people, at least right away. I still have a lot to learn about relationships, and I still want to continue my explorations with Jess and women in general. On the other hand, I know that Dave and I will continue to develop our relationship but I'm not ready for a really high level of intimacy quite yet.

As I said before, I'm not a very possessive person, and if Dave can accept the fact that there are some women that I would like to be with, I don't have a problem with him having other women in his life. However, I'm certainly not in favor of promiscuity and I don't like the idea of an open relationship that Autumn brought up. That might work for her and Paul, but not for me.

I lay down and dozed for awhile, before Dave gently knocked on my door a bit later. "Missy, you have about 45 minutes to get ready for dinner," he said, and I sighed and headed to the shower. I let the warm water cascade over my body for a few minutes while I recovered from my slumber. It felt nice, coming from the three shower heads. The joined streams warmed me nicely. I shampooed my hair, trying to get the last vestiges of salt out, and afterwards, I quickly soaped myself and let the warm water rinse off the soap. Feeling squeaky clean, I headed to my room to pick out an outfit for tonight. Dave had said that we were going to a nice restaurant and club, and I'd bought just the thing earlier today. It was a pale blue spaghetti strap dress that I had bought in a small boutique, and it matched my eyes almost perfectly. I quickly threw on some matching undies and the dress, and selected the matching shoes, and for a little contrast, my new pink handbag!

I walked out to see how everyone else was doing, and wasn't surprised to see Dave, as he was always early, but he looked quite different! I wasn't surprised to see him exquisitely dressed; he was usually a very sharp dresser, sporting a black Hermes suit with blue shadow stripes and matching tie, and a navy blue shirt, finishing off the outfit with black Chelsea boots and a Patek watch. However, he had apparently just shaved and gotten a new haircut, and looked very handsome! His hair had been getting a little longer, but with his new haircut, he looked very clean cut. It was very short, almost military, and he'd apparently gotten the barber to give him a fade, giving him the appearance of a 5 o'clock shadow. Overall, he had the look of an European footballer, and I greeted my handsome new boyfriend with a gentle kiss. "What's with the new look?" I asked.

"Oh, I just decided to change things up a bit, I've had the same haircut for the last three years, it was time for a change. Besides, it's good for the summer, and I'm changing, you know?" he said. This was true, ever since I had known Dave he had had a sort of spiky, messy cut that seemed fashionable but he hadn't changed it really at all. I was pretty used to it by now. I guess he really was buying into this reinvention thing. I suppose I was too, what with the new outfits and such.

Jess and Cindy interrupted our conversation with their grand entrance, and they were quite a sight. Cindy apparently shared Jess' penchant for pushing the envelope. She was wearing a cropped halter top in a zebra pattern that highlighted her flat stomach and embellished her full breasts, covered by a white jacket that would clearly satisfy the demands of modesty for dinner. She wore a matching miniskirt and white shoes over knee high black/white leggings and she carried a tiny LV Epi handbag. It was a modern, trendy outfit that would be somewhat questionable for meeting the dress code in some elegant restaurants, but this was France and she was a beautiful girl, clearly it wouldn't be a problem.

Jess was dressed somewhat more conventionally, in a traditional black sheath cocktail dress, but it was cut just barely high enough to remain tasteful rather than slutty, but more than low enough to show ample cleavage. It was also skintight, and the skirt went just below mid-thigh, and clung to her like a second skin. She wore the obligatory strappy black heels and carried the sea-green Dior handbag that Dave had given her earlier today. It gave the outfit a touch of color but was a slightly curious choice. "I love this thing!" Jess bubbled, at my curious look. "I have a hard time putting it down," she continued, giving her brother a huge smile.

We headed downstairs to the restaurant. The restaurant Chantecler was one of the best in Nice, and the maitre'd quickly greeted us and guided us into the restaurant. The décor could be best characterized as elegant, with wood paneling that dated to the 1800s and a large portrait of the Duchess of Orleans that dominated one side of the room, which was richly carpeted. Our table was nicely situated in a corner, giving us a great view of the entire room. The waiter immediately brought out plates of sizzling foie gras, along with small glasses of 2001 Rieussec. Dave said that this was a surprise, not only because of the pairing of Sauternes with foie gras but also because the 2001 Rieussec was such a young and exuberant Sauternes. I shrugged, just reveling in the wonderful tastes of the creamy foie gras and the heady sweetness of the lovely wine.

Cindy expressed great interest, as not only had she never had a Sauternes before, but she'd also never had sweet wine that hadn't come out of a jug. "This stuff is amazing!" she exclaimed, taking a careful sip of the Rieussec. It was thick and extremely sweet so it couldn't be consumed too quickly. The waiter than brought us a small piece of toasted bread that held one oyster and one small piece of salmon with a dill sauce and the sommelier placed flutes of '94 Cristal Rose in front of us. This was another delightful combination; the bubbles complemented the tangy taste of the oyster and mesed nicely with the smoothness of the salmon.

"Do you guys eat like this all the time?" asked Cindy.

"Only when you are around!" teased Dave with a shit-eating grin. Cindy gave him a smile at that, but looked bemused.

"We've been eating pretty well on this trip, but we don't do this at home," I said. Cindy nodded. The waiter then brought us what he referred to as a duck pie, tender pieces of duck in a white wine sauce that was baked into a pastry shell. It was quite tasty, the flavor of the sauce contrasted with the slightly gamy taste of the duck and the pastry was crisp and soaked up the sauce without getting soggy at all. This was accompanied by a 'Village Burgundy' which was a very light pinot based wine. It accompanied the fowl quite well.

We quickly finished the duck pie, and the waiter brought us a green bean salad with an interesting white sauce, topped with beluga, along with some glasses of sparkling spring water. This was fabulous and was a good way to clear the palate after the wine and duck. We had just finished the salad when Cindy's cell phone rang. She excused herself and went into the lobby of the hotel to take the call, and came back several minutes later. A variety of expressions were painted on her face, and none of them looked good.

The waiter cleared the table to prepare for the main courses, and while we waited, Jess turned to Cindy, "You don't look happy, what's going on?"

"That was Heather. Apparently she feels she's fallen in love with this guy and they're on their way to Switzerland. She said she feels bad but I know Heather. She falls in love at least once every six months, and she'll call me heartbroken in a week. Anyways, my vacation as I know it is over. I might as well enjoy tonight and figure something out in the morning," Cindy said, with a rather forced grin on her face.

Dave looked at Jess, and then at myself, and both of us quickly nodded. "Well, we're going to Monaco tomorrow, and continuing on to Italy the following day," said Dave. "You are welcome to stay with us as long as you would like. If you are free and don't have any plans, we're going to be traveling for a couple months yet," he continued. Cindy broke into a big grin and said that she'd be happy to take us up on the offer.

"I have a couple weeks before I need to meet up with my advisor. I can probably get my plane ticket changed to go back whenever, and we didn't make reservations at any hotels so I think I'm good as far as that goes. I'm not really sure how long I'll be able to stay out here though!" Cindy said.

Dave smiled. "Don't even worry about the money Cindy, the trip is my gift to my sister and Missy, and we go way back, it's not even a concern. As far as your trip home, just let me know a few days in advance when you want to leave and I'll have my pilot pick you up," he said. It looked like we would have another traveling companion for awhile.

Cindy laughed, "Wait, you have a plane? I was going to object to you paying my way, but if you own your own airplane then feel free," she said, which brought a round of giggles from Jess and I, and the mood lightened considerably. Cindy still didn't look completely comfortable but I could tell a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

The waiter brought out a bouillabaisse, or seafood stew, in a Provence style, with oysters, mussels, and delicate nuggets of sea bass and lobster. This was marvelous, and it was served country style with chunks of fresh baked local bread. It was lovely and we dug in, taking spoonfuls of the stew along with bread that we dipped. Jess sighed as she inhaled a generous portion of the stew. I admired her quite a bit for her willingness to eat. Both her and Cindy were taking decent sized bites of their food. Too many girls I know, especially in my parents' social circle, were afraid to enjoy food because they didn't want to get fat. Jess on the other hand, was slender despite her appetite. She had started doing heavy workouts with Dave and I, but prior to do that, she hadn't apparently done much exercise, I wondered what her secret was.