Paris Was The Place I Met My Billionaire Lover (My Sweet Billionaire Love Story Series) (10 page)

“I’ve spent your whole life trying to teach you those very same things!”  Harrison paused, then added, “Except that
quest
thing, I don’t know what the hell that means.”

“I’m not saying its your fault,” Caitlyn said, leaning forward and offering her open hands to help plead her case.  “Maybe no girl ever listens to her father, I dunno.  But I do know that I’m learning things now that never made sense before, some that you can’t even seem to understand; that I’m becoming a person I can barely recognize -- ”

“Now at least we’re on the same page,” Harrison said.

“But I’m not the same person who flew out of here a week ago, and I’ll never be that girl again, Dad.  You’re just going to have to get used to that.”

Harrison took another sip from his brandy snifter.  “And I’m happy to.  I want you to grow up, to mature, but I don’t think that’s what you’re achieving here.  If anything, I’d say you’re backsliding, big-time.”

“Well, you’re certainly welcome to your opinion,” Caitlyn said, noting that Sabrina had begun dipping her eyelids closed, subtly shaking her head; neither were signs that the conversation was going particularly well for anybody involved, but an excellent indication that things were about to start getting worse, and fast.

“As the man with the checkbook,” Harrison said, “I’m entitled to a lot more than my opinion.”

Caitlyn’s voice remained low and cool as she said, “Meaning?”

“Meaning precisely this; I’ll go on paying for your tuition, your books, your dorm, everything will go on as before.  But you are going to promise me you won’t just run off with some strange man, that you won’t turn your back on your schooling or your responsibilities.”

“In other words, you’ll give me my life back, in exchange for my freedom.”

“No, Caitlyn,” Harrison angrily corrected, “in exchange for your co-operation.  What you’re talking about isn’t freedom, it is anarchy, it’s childishness and foolishness and idle rebellion.  And I’m not paying good money for that.”

“Harrison,” Sabrina started.

“No, Sabrina,” Harrison said, “it’s enough.  She’s a grown woman and this choice is hers to make.  If she stays she makes certain sacrifices; that’s what freedom is all about.  She goes, that’s fine, but she takes her chances.”

“Alone, out there in the world,” Sabrina said, repeating it out of a sense of her own growing disbelief.  “Think what you’re saying.”

“I don’t have a choice,” he said, turning to glare at Caitlyn.  “The choices are all hers.  Whether she’s going to make the right choice and correct these mistakes, or make the wrong choice and throw her life away, it’s not my responsibility anymore.  You heard her, she’s an adult now.”

“Excuse me, I’m standing right here,” Caitlyn said.

“And the longer you’re here, the more I know about what your eventual choice will be.  You won’t leave, Caitlyn.  You’re not ready and you know it.  And that’s okay.  You’re young, you have a lot more to learn and experience before you can set off on your own like this.  It’s okay to admit your weaknesses, we all have them.  Why are you in such a rush to run away from us?”

“Why are you so afraid to let me go?”

“I am not,” Harrison said.  “I’ll not keep you here against your will.  If you want to go... go!”

Caitlyn stared him down, offering Sabrina a glance that was met with maternal impotence in the face of paternal determination.  Caitlyn looked around the quiet room, cleared her throat and pushed herself up out of the overstuffed easy chair.

“I’ll be gone by tomorrow night,” she said, stepping out of the room.

Sabrina said, “Caitlyn, wait!”

“No,” Harrison reprimanded his wife.  “Let her go.  If this is the way she wants it, this is the way it’ll have to be.”

After Caitlyn was out of the room and safely out of earshot, Sabrina said, “What’s gotten into you, Harrison?  Do you really think this is the way to handle things?  You know you’re not putting her into a position of weakness.  She’ll only go back to that Frenchman, you’ve practically thrown her into his arms.”

“I don’t think so,” Harrison said.  “A man like that, he’s probably replaced her by now.  She’ll call and he’ll break her heart, and she’ll come to us with her disappointment, and we’ll take her in and love her and help her lick her wounds.  Then she’ll return to school and things will go on as before.”

Sabrina glared at Harrison, even as he enjoyed a smile that celebrated his own cleverness.  She said, “You really are a complete bastard, you know that?”

Harrison nodded.  “Sometimes being a good father requires exactly that.”

Sabrina shook her head, sipping from her cold cup of tea.  “Sometimes.”

There was a silent tension filling the house the next day.  Even Robbie was sweet and considerate with Caitlyn and helped her pack up the rest of her things which hadn’t been boxed up and stored when she left the house for dorm life over a year before.

“You’re sure about this, Sis?”

“Absolutely, Robbie.  Someday you’ll understand, it’s about growing up, becoming your own person.”

Robbie shrugged, head tilting, one corner of his mouth digging into his cheek.  “I guess.  Does this mean you’re going back to France for good?”

Folding a sweater and setting it into a cardboard box, Caitlyn said, “For good or for ill, I don’t really have many other options, Robbie.”

“You’ve already made plans then, with that guy?”

“I put in a call to him.  And Julien’s not just
some guy
, Robbie, he’s a man.  There’s a difference, which is something else you’ll come to understand as you get older.”

“I thought life got better as you got older,” Robbie said, rolling his eyes.  “Seems like it just gets harder.”

Caitlyn set her hand comfortingly on his arm.  “They go hand-in-hand, buddy.  Sorry to have to tell ‘ya.”

“Nobody tells you that!”

“Well, it’s not something you can really describe,” Caitlyn said, patting him on the shoulder.  “It’s something that has to be experienced.”

The doorbell rang, sending a little ripple coursing through Caitlyn’s body that she couldn’t quite understand.  A few increasingly quick steps later and Caitlyn was at the front door, instantly recognizing the voice on the other side.

She threw the door open to see Julien standing there, a weary smile on his handsome face.  She leapt to his chest, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him hard on the mouth and met with a glorious, warm welcome.  It seemed like a dream come true; a dream because it couldn’t possibly be so.

“What are you doing here, Julien?”

Julien looked around, as if confused.  “I’m here to take you back to France, your call...”

“Well, yes, of course, but... I only called you this morning, there’s no way you could have made it all the way to California -- ”

“Caitlyn, I flew in last night, on the plane that followed your own.  I knew you would need me, I hoped you would.  In any case, I wasn’t about to let our last night in Paris be... our last night in heaven.”

“Caitlyn,” Harrison asked from inside the house, “who’s at the...?”

Caitlyn turned just as Harrison approached her from behind.  “Your Frenchman.”

Julien stood his ground, extending his hand in friendship.  “
Monsieur
Haliwell, I presume.”

“You certainly do presume,” Harrison said, arriving on Caitlyn’s other side.  She also stood her ground, safely between them; memories of her father’s angry tirade and the young Frenchman’s death at Julien’s hands still fresh in her memory.

“Don’t worry, Dad, he’s not staying.”

“And neither are you, I suppose?”

Julien said to Harrison, “Please,
monsieur,
we have much in common -- ”

“Our age?”

“Our love for Caitlyn.  For her sake, can we not discuss matters, find some resolution among us?”

Harrison stared him down, his lips pulled tight over his gritted teeth as Sabrina approached behind him.  “What’s going on?”

Caitlyn stepped back a bit to reveal Julien more fully to her parents.  “Mom, Dad, this is Julien Cherierre.”  She turned and said, “Julien, these are Harrison and Sabrina Haliwell, my parents.”

“It is a pleasure,” Julien said.

“The pleasure is entirely yours,” Harrison spat back.

“You’ve made your contempt for me clear,
monsieur
, as clear as the contempt you feel for your own daughter.  Because this is your home, I will make certain allowances.  But I warn you,
monsieur,
do not encumber my patience overmuch.”

Julien turned to Sabrina and nodded slightly.  “I am sorry I will not have the pleasure to further make your acquaintance,
madame
.  If either of you should like to be our guests in Paris, you will always be welcome.”

“Now hold on, everybody,” Sabrina said, holding her hands out to calm the rising tension.  “Nobody’s going anywhere.”  Sabrina controlled their surprised attention with grace and aplomb.  “Julien, since you’re here you’re going to come in and be our guest.  Whatever matters we need to discuss, we will do so calmly, reasonably, like adults.”

Harrison said, “Sabrina...”

But she pretended to ignore Harrison even as she addressed him indirectly.  “We want a chance to get to know you before you whisk our daughter away, and we’re sure you’d like to know a bit more about us.”

“
Oui, madame,
I would very much value that opportunity.”

Sabrina stepped back to clear the doorway.  “Well, come on in then.”  Nervously, Caitlyn eased Julien into the house and closed the door behind him.

“Is that the guy?” Robbie said from upstairs, leaning on the railing.

Caitlyn turned to Julien.  “My kid brother, Robbie.”

Julien looked up and smiled.  “
Bonjour
, young man.”

Sabrina asked Julien, “Can I get you anything?  Something to drink, a cup of tea or a cocktail?”

“Tea, please,” Julien said, looking around their pleasant tract home.  “You keep a lovely home,
madame
.”

“Please,” Sabrina said with a charmed smile, “call me Sabrina.”

Harrison said, “You can keep calling me
monsieur.
”

“Dad,” Caitlyn said, “he’s a guest in our home.”

“An
uninvited
guest,” Harrison corrected, still glaring at him.

“Actually,
monsieur
,” Julien said, “Caitlyn invited me.”

“Well it’s not her house anymore,” Harrison said, leaning back into his chair.  “The privilege of inviting guests is no longer hers to extend.”

“What of your wife, sir?” Julien asked.  “Or are you the only one with rights in this household?”

“I...” Harrison started angrily, correcting himself, “my wife is... oh, very well,
Monsieur Cherierre
, consider yourself a welcomed guest in our home, by all means.”

Julien took a cup of tea from Sabrina.  “Monsieur,” he said to Harrison, “I appreciate the position you are in.  You see me as derailing Caitlyn’s future, ruining her prospects for a good education and a stable, happy life.  At the very least, you feel that I am taking advantage of her innocence, robbing her of her youth, and that ultimately she will only be miserable and lonely as a result of our time together.”

“That sums it up rather nicely, yes.”

Caitlyn said, “Dad, he saved my life, and then was willing to go to prison for it.”

“And I’m grateful for anything he’s done to help you,” Harrison said.  “But that doesn’t make me blind to what he’ll do that may hurt you.”

“Like what?” Caitlyn demanded.

“Like throw you over for the next pretty young tourist he meets,” Harrison said, words quick, low and cruel.  “Or worse.”

“
Mon Dieu
, that is enough!”  Julien set down his tea cup and saucer, standing.  “I will not be insulted in this manner.”

Harrison stood too, the men facing each other off in a clash of wills.  “What manner would you prefer?”

Caitlyn stood and pushed herself between them.  “Stop it, both of you.”

“Caitlyn’s right,” Sabrina said.  “You’re acting like a couple of kids.  Let’s all just relax.”

“I am sorry, Sabrina,” Julien said, “but it is clear that I am not welcome here.  We will be staying at the Chateau Marmont until Friday morning -- ”

“Friday?” Sabrina said, “but that’s just three days.”

“
Oui, madame,
time enough for Caitlyn to get matters straightened out for her return to France.”

Harrison asked him, “And what if she doesn’t want to go back to France with you?”

“Then I shall return there alone,
monsieur
.  Unlike you, I am willing to let Caitlyn make her own decisions, and to support her in any case, not contingent upon my own devices or desires.”  Turning to face Caitlyn but still addressing Harrison, he added, “But she will always know where to find me, because I will always be with her, no matter where I am.”

Harrison rolled his eyes again.  “Oh brother!”

Julien asked Caitlyn, “Will you join me?  You can show me your lovely city.”

Caitlyn didn’t have to give it very much thought.  The tension in that house had become unbearable, and spending some time with Julien sounded like exactly what Caitlyn wanted and needed.  She turned to her parents and said, “I’ll call before we leave, if we don’t hear from you first.”

Five minutes later, they were driving down Caitlyn’s street in Julien’s rented Mercedes Benz, the GPS device guiding him back toward the freeway.  “So that’s how you found me,” Caitlyn said.

“No,” Julien answered.  “Fate is how I found you, this merely led the way.”

And they let it keep doing so, directing them to Beverly Hills, the world-renowned super-posh community of high-end shops and multi-million-dollar mansions.  It was one of the few places Caitlyn thought might impress Julien, and she did very much want to impress him.  This was her chance to be the host, the give the guided tour, to share the facts and fascinations of the local culture.

This was
her
chance to impress
him
.

She brought him to
Spago
, the famed restaurant owned and sometimes operated by Wolfgang Puck, the legendary restauranteur.  But Caitlyn was shocked to see the master himself not only working the restaurant, but coming to their table with hands outstretched.

“Julien!”

“Wolfie!”

Julien stood and the two men hugged, exchanging European kisses.  Julien introduced Caitlyn, who allowed the great man to flatter her beauty and insist on bringing out a specially chosen banquet.

Caitlyn looked at Julien in near disbelief, but Julien merely shrugged it off. 

“Wolfie?”

“We were friends back in Paris,” Julien said, “when he was just starting out.  Some people never forget their roots, eh?  No matter how famous or powerful, they remember where they come from, and who their real friends are.”

Caitlyn sank into a melancholy reflection, his words echoing in the lonely space of her aching conscience.  The waiter brought an
amuse bouche
, three small, delicious bites: The tuna tartare in a cone was salty and tender on Caitlyn’s tongue.

“Try the poached quail egg,” Julien said, the little oval nestled in a brioche round and then topped with a thin slice of rare black truffle.  It tasted as exquisite as it looked, a melange of mild flavors and textures that were more suggestive than superficial.  The third was an oaky treat, savory and warm. 

“Is that a bacon pastry?” Caitlyn asked, her tongue in the throws of such ecstasy that she could barely get the words out.  “I may never eat anything else again!”

Julien chuckled.  “You will sample all the flavors of the world, Caitlyn, I promise you.”

“Still, I don’t want to forget my roots, right?”

“Did you grow up eating at such places?”

Now Caitlyn had to chuckle.  “Hardly.  But my dad did provide pretty well for the family.  I gotta say, I feel a little like an ingrate now.”

“Your father seems like a very decent and honorable man.”  Julien popped his own bacon pastry into his mouth as the waiters brought more colorful, small delicacies to sample.  “I am sure he considered it his duty and privilege to provide for you.”
             

“He did, absolutely.  But that doesn’t make me feel much better about leaving.  Truth be told, it makes me feel worse.  If he were some complete bastard, I’d be gone in a shot.”

“Caitlyn, just because you leave does not mean you can never return.”

“Doesn’t it?” 
Maybe you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about,
Caitlyn wanted to say.
  You don’t know him, you barely know me, you certainly can have no idea of the complexities of our relationship as father and daughter.
Instead, Caitlyn dabbed the corner of her mouth and said,  “I’ve never known him to be this angry.”

“He is angry now,” Julien said as another waiter poured the chardonnay.  “But this will pass.  You are his daughter, nothing can change that.”

Which brings up another point...

But Caitlyn remained silent and was glad; in truth, she wasn’t sure what her precise point was anymore.  Things were so confusing.  She thought things moved quickly in Paris, and they did; but they didn’t seem to have slowed down at all.  In the few days since she’d returned, she’d had a blow-out with her father, practically been kicked out of the house, essentially dropped out of school and committed to a life in a foreign country with a dangerous man she still hardly knew.