Hotel Louvre Bons Enfants
Paris, France...
"How was your flight?" Adam asked, sounding like he was right next door, though in reality, he was halfway around the world.
"Uh?" Rhys started uncertainly, his thoughts drifting back to the flight and the girl he'd met on the plane. The truth was that ever since they'd parted, he couldn't get her out of his head. "It was?" He paused, as if searching for the right word. "Interesting."
"Interesting" First time you've ever flown, and that's all you have to say' You obviously made it there safely, so I'm assuming everything went okay. Did you take those pills I gave you to calm you down?"
"Uh, no?" Rhys replied, shoving a hand through his short-cropped hair, while he stood looking out on the view of Paris from his hotel window, eyes scanning the crowd for a certain brunette. "I didn't need them."
"Drank yourself to sleep?" Adam asked, knowing Rhys was terrified of flying and that the only way he was going to get to Paris without having a nervous breakdown was to find some way to relax.
"I had a few drinks," Rhys admitted, a couple before even getting on the damned plane. It seemed it was his nervous agitation about flying that had gotten the brunette's attention in the first place.
"Just a few?" Adam asked, doubtfully. "You handled it better than you thought you would then."
"Yeah, uh?" Rhys started, knowing he'd have to come clean sooner rather than later, and no matter how he put it, Adam wasn't going to like it. "I need you to run a name for me."
"A name?" Adam repeated, already not liking where this was going. "What name?"
"A girl." Rhys paused to correct himself. "Woman. Name's Natalya Pimenova."
"A Russian?" asked Adam, obviously surprised. "Look, you're not James Bond, and this isn't From Russia With Love."
"Just run the name, will you?" Rhys insisted, frowning as his eyes searched the crowd. What the hell was it about her that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her"
"Wait?" Adam paused, as if just realizing something. "Where'd you meet her" I thought you just got there."
"I met her on the plane," Rhys replied, his heart racing every time he spied a brunette in the crowd that looked a little like her.
"You met her on the plane," Adam repeated, as if finally understanding. "What the hell did you do' Have sex in the bathroom?"
"No?" Rhys had to smile a little at the memory of it. Eight hours that he'd never forget for the rest of his life, however long or short it might be. "It was in First Class. Let's just say I'm now a member of the Mile High Club."
"Jesus Christ!" Adam exclaimed.
Rhys chuckled. "Trust me, dude, Jesus wasn't there."
"Are you out of your mind?" Adam continued.
"She was amazing," Rhys replied with a sigh.
Adam could just about hear the smile and the sigh from clear across the ocean. "What is with you anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Rhys asked, confused. "It was just one night. What's the big deal?"
"Just one night," Adam repeated. He'd heard that before. "How many is it now?"
"How many whats" Nights?"
"How many girls?" Adam asked pointedly.
Rhys frowned, never having been asked that question before and never having kept count. "I don't. Not that many."
"If you lost count, it's too many," Adam pointed out.
"Look, she was there and I was there, and" it just happened," Rhys replied, defensively. What was he supposed to do' Say no'
"How do you know she's not a demon?" was Adam's next question.
"Trust me, she's not," came Rhys" reply.
"How do you know?"
"Jesus, Adam, give me a little credit, will you?"
"Laura," Adam said, trying to jog Rhys" memory about a one-night stand that had gone horribly wrong a few years back during a hunt in Vegas.
"Who?"
"Laura" The stripper in Vegas. Remember her" I seem to recall having this same conversation with you, and what did she turn out to be? Demon. Big surprise."
"I'm telling you, she's not a demon. She had a couple of tats. A pentacle and the Key of Solomon. I slipped her some holy water to be sure. No smoking or spitting, so I figure she's clean."
"Okay, so, she's not a demon. Who is she then?"
"I don't know, I haven't got that figured out yet, but there's more to her than meets the eye."
"You think?" Adam asked, sarcastically.
"Just run the name, all right?" Rhys asked, feeling suddenly weary. He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd gotten any real sleep.
"How was your flight?" Adam asked, sounding like he was right next door, though in reality, he was halfway around the world.
"Uh?" Rhys started uncertainly, his thoughts drifting back to the flight and the girl he'd met on the plane. The truth was that ever since they'd parted, he couldn't get her out of his head. "It was?" He paused, as if searching for the right word. "Interesting."
"Interesting" First time you've ever flown, and that's all you have to say' You obviously made it there safely, so I'm assuming everything went okay. Did you take those pills I gave you to calm you down?"
"Uh, no?" Rhys replied, shoving a hand through his short-cropped hair, while he stood looking out on the view of Paris from his hotel window, eyes scanning the crowd for a certain brunette. "I didn't need them."
"Drank yourself to sleep?" Adam asked, knowing Rhys was terrified of flying and that the only way he was going to get to Paris without having a nervous breakdown was to find some way to relax.
"I had a few drinks," Rhys admitted, a couple before even getting on the damned plane. It seemed it was his nervous agitation about flying that had gotten the brunette's attention in the first place.
"Just a few?" Adam asked, doubtfully. "You handled it better than you thought you would then."
"Yeah, uh?" Rhys started, knowing he'd have to come clean sooner rather than later, and no matter how he put it, Adam wasn't going to like it. "I need you to run a name for me."
"A name?" Adam repeated, already not liking where this was going. "What name?"
"A girl." Rhys paused to correct himself. "Woman. Name's Natalya Pimenova."
"A Russian?" asked Adam, obviously surprised. "Look, you're not James Bond, and this isn't From Russia With Love."
"Just run the name, will you?" Rhys insisted, frowning as his eyes searched the crowd. What the hell was it about her that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop thinking about her"
"Wait?" Adam paused, as if just realizing something. "Where'd you meet her" I thought you just got there."
"I met her on the plane," Rhys replied, his heart racing every time he spied a brunette in the crowd that looked a little like her.
"You met her on the plane," Adam repeated, as if finally understanding. "What the hell did you do' Have sex in the bathroom?"
"No?" Rhys had to smile a little at the memory of it. Eight hours that he'd never forget for the rest of his life, however long or short it might be. "It was in First Class. Let's just say I'm now a member of the Mile High Club."
"Jesus Christ!" Adam exclaimed.
Rhys chuckled. "Trust me, dude, Jesus wasn't there."
"Are you out of your mind?" Adam continued.
"She was amazing," Rhys replied with a sigh.
Adam could just about hear the smile and the sigh from clear across the ocean. "What is with you anyway?"
"What do you mean?" Rhys asked, confused. "It was just one night. What's the big deal?"
"Just one night," Adam repeated. He'd heard that before. "How many is it now?"
"How many whats" Nights?"
"How many girls?" Adam asked pointedly.
Rhys frowned, never having been asked that question before and never having kept count. "I don't. Not that many."
"If you lost count, it's too many," Adam pointed out.
"Look, she was there and I was there, and" it just happened," Rhys replied, defensively. What was he supposed to do' Say no'
"How do you know she's not a demon?" was Adam's next question.
"Trust me, she's not," came Rhys" reply.
"How do you know?"
"Jesus, Adam, give me a little credit, will you?"
"Laura," Adam said, trying to jog Rhys" memory about a one-night stand that had gone horribly wrong a few years back during a hunt in Vegas.
"Who?"
"Laura" The stripper in Vegas. Remember her" I seem to recall having this same conversation with you, and what did she turn out to be? Demon. Big surprise."
"I'm telling you, she's not a demon. She had a couple of tats. A pentacle and the Key of Solomon. I slipped her some holy water to be sure. No smoking or spitting, so I figure she's clean."
"Okay, so, she's not a demon. Who is she then?"
"I don't know, I haven't got that figured out yet, but there's more to her than meets the eye."
"You think?" Adam asked, sarcastically.
"Just run the name, all right?" Rhys asked, feeling suddenly weary. He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd gotten any real sleep.