Rescued By An Alpha, Complete Set (7 page)

"Oh, how I wish Tom could be here and share this with me," she said to herself, and her thoughts kept wandering, "This city is everything a city lover could possibly desire. There are chic little boutiques and huge department stores, wonderful art galleries, superb restaurants, and huge flea and antique markets. There are elegant squares and pretty parks and the Seine must be the most romantic waterfront in the world. I am working in this atmosphere, how blessed am I!" she said out loud. The Jean La Belle Fashion store was situated not far from the river Seine, and when it was time for Serena's lunch hour, she walked down and ate her lunch there while taking in the amazing scenery.

One such day, when she had finished her lunch, she got up from the bench and walked over to look at the river. Just then, a group of young people ran past her. One of them fell over when another jogger ran into him, causing them all to collide with Serena. The push was enough that she lost her balance and fell into the water. She went under the water, and as she came up to the surface, she gasped for air, her eyes and mouth wide open in shock. She splashed around trying to keep afloat, but it was hard with all her clothes and shoes on.

"Ooooh Ooooh..." was the only sound she could get out." She spit out water and coughed.

"Oh, someone help me!" She frantically screamed and splashed in the water trying to stay afloat.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her around her waist, trying to keep her head out of the water. She heard a man's voice behind her, speaking to her in French, telling her to relax.

"I have got you. Let me help you get out of here."

Serena, in shock, clung to the man's arm as he swam over to a ladder leading up to the pathway.

"Are you okay?" the man whispered as he struggled to breathe.

"Will you be able to climb up the ladder?"

"Oh my God, I think so," Serena stuttered She was shivering and shaking all over, in a state of shock. She climbed up the ladder slowly. The man was right behind her in case she should fall down. The young people on top of the ladder were waiting to pull her up the last bit of the way. When they were both safely up on the pathway, the man led her over to a bench and sat her down, sitting next to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just a bit shaken up," she managed to say.

"I'm Philippe," her rescuer introduced himself. I'm so sorry. I was deep in thought and didn't pay attention to where I was jogging, so I ran right into the other people."

"I'm Serena," she said with a little smile and a shivering voice as she looked into a pair of beautiful glistening green eyes. She was captivated and couldn't seem to stop looking into those eyes.

"I think we'd better get you dried. There is a yacht club not far from here. Would you allow me to take you there so I can make up for the trouble I and the others caused you?"

"Oh, yes please, I can't go back to work looking like this." Serena was relieved and happily welcomed his offer.

When they got up from the bench, Serena was a bit wobbly on her feet. Philippe grabbed her to steady her while she found her balance. Philippe put his arm around her waist to hold her steady. She leaned into him to keep her balance.

She surprised herself by feeling attracted to this hot, handsome French man, oozing out sensual masculine energy. She couldn't quite understand why she reacted like that in the state of mind she was in. Once at the club, he asked her to sit at a table in the café area while he went and arranged for a couple of changing rooms where they could dry themselves.

It turned out that Philippe was a member of the club. He arranged for robes while their clothes were cleaned.

"Would you like something hot to drink?" Philippe asked Serena.

"Yes, please," she answered. He seemed like such a gentleman, but she felt shy and uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"Do you think I could borrow a phone so I can call my work and let them know why I'm not back yet from my lunch hour?"

"Sure, you can use my mobile," he said as he handed it to her. She sat down at the table and pressed Francine's number. She explained the situation to her. Francine was very understanding.

"Oh my God, that is terrible. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little shaken up, but I'm here at the club with the man who accidentally pushed me into the river. Our clothes are being cleaned and we are just waiting for them to dry."

"Serena, I think you should take the rest of the day off. It must have been an awful experience for you. Go home and rest. We will see you tomorrow."

"Thank you Francine, that is kind of you." Philippe came back with steaming hot cups of coffee and sat down at the table across from her.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he smiled. It was then she got a really good look at him. He was a handsome man. Her heart felt like it was beating twice as fast, and she was hoping he wouldn't notice. She looked straight into his beautiful green eyes. At that moment, they exchanged a long eye to eye glance, full of romantic promises. She observed everything about his physical looks, his hair was dark, but with blond streaks from the sun. He was well built. She could tell by his athletic body that he was working out or doing some kind of sport. Serena felt self-conscious,

"Yes, but a little shaken. My boss told me to go home and take the rest of the day off."

"Good, where do you work?"

"I work at the Jean La Belle Fashion store as a dressmaker."

"That's our family business. I work with the export sales part of the business. We export our goods all over the world. What a coincidence. Where in the world do you come from Serena? I notice you have a slight accent. You are not from around here, are you?"

"I'm from Sweden."

"Your French is very good."

"I always knew I wanted to come to France and work in the fashion industry, so I studied French for a long time."

"You speak the language well."

"Thank you." Oh, he is a real gentleman, she thought to herself. They chatted for a while and Serena felt more and more comfortable in his company. One of the staff members came to tell them that their clothes were ready.

"I will drive you home," he said in a matter of fact way, so it only seemed natural that she accepted the lift.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that."She went and got dressed.

When she came out, she saw him waiting for her wearing black tracksuit pants and a white sleeveless T-shirt which showed off his olive skin and muscular arms. Serena was impressed and felt a ray of warmth coming over her just by being in his presence. She had to catch her breath for a moment. Who was this handsome guy?

He smiled as he said, "My car is just outside." And what a car. It was an expensive red sports car. As soon as she sat in it, she could smell the black leather seats. Serena had never ridden in a sports car before. She was both amazed and bewildered. The top was down so the wind was blowing her long blond hair away from her face. She loved the feel of the whole experience and couldn't help, but giggle to herself. Philippe turned his head and looked at her and smiled. She was enjoying the ride. He dropped her off outside her apartment.

"Thanks for the ride." She had recovered from her fall in the river and was now smiling.

"You are welcome. That was the least I could do for you after my clumsy behavior. I'm very sorry about what happened, but I'm glad I got a chance to meet you. Would you allow me to take you out for dinner tomorrow night, so I can make up for your fall into the water?" Philippe smiled his most charming smile. How could she resist him?

"Yes, thank you. That would be nice, and don't worry about me falling in the water, nothing happened. I'm fine now."

"Okay, I will pick you up at 7pm." She turned around and walked up to her apartment.

"You're home early, how come? Violet asked in a surprised voice.

"Oh Violet, you will never guess what happened to me today. I was accidentally pushed into the river by some joggers, and rescued by the most handsome guy. He has invited me out for dinner." Serena cried out.

Serena and Violet made a pot of tea and got seated in the living room while Serena told her the whole story of what had happened to her. Violet was shocked to hear she had fallen in the water, but also excited about her having a date with this handsome man Philippe.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The next night, Serena was getting ready for her dinner date with Philippe. The little black dress she had chosen to wear was simple, but daringly low, her entire back bare except for two narrow straps. The dress enhanced her curves and the slit up the side made her look HOT, especially topped off with a pair of strapped black high heeled shoes. Serena was getting nervous, or was it excitement? She was not sure what she felt, she hadn't been out on a date for so long, it felt very new to her. The doorbell rang and her heart started to beat faster when she saw Philippe standing there. He looked more handsome than she remembered and was dressed in a very fashionable outfit.

"Wow, you look beautiful Serena," was all he could say. His eyes were shining with admiration for her. He seemed very impressed. "Thank you, you look pretty good yourself," she managed to get out, "Do you want to come in for a quick drink?" Serena asked. "No thanks. I think we should get going. We have a long drive to the restaurant. "That sounds exciting, I'll just get my bag and we can be off."

It was a beautiful warm evening, but Serena was happy Philippe had pulled the top up on the car. She didn't want her hair to get messed up in the wind. Philippe drove out of town and the countryside was pleasant with lots of wine fields all around. She had not been outside Paris yet, so it was a real treat for her to experience this part of France.

After driving for a while, he stopped at a gorgeous-looking country style restaurant. "Here we are. I thought you might like to go somewhere different." Philippe said. "What a charming place this is." A feeling of gratitude came over Serena. Once inside of the country restaurant, Serena looked around. She was taken back by the look of the decor, it was fascinating. On one of the walls was a mural of people working around the wine barrels in a wine cellar. It gave her a feeling of being right there where the wine was made. It also created an atmosphere of being somewhere old that had a long history behind it. The other paneled walls added to the feel of the place where paintings of famous old French painters hung. Small tables were set up around the dining area, and a waiter came over to greet them. It appeared that he already knew Philippe. He showed them to a little cozy niche with lit candles on the table. Philippe ordered drinks after having asked Serena what she wanted.

"The food here is superb. You are welcome to look at the menu, but if you will trust me to order for you, then you will not be disappointed. I come here often."

"That sounds good. I will have what you have then." Serena said. It seemed to be a popular place judging by the number of people who were there. The background music playing a soft, pleasant tune. Serena looked around and thought to herself, it is a long time since I have felt in such a romantic mood. She looked at Philippe and they exchanged a deep look into each others eyes. It was definitely a glance of a promise of an unforgettable romantic evening. Serena was taken by him, what a charmer he was. The food arrived, it was every bit as delicious as Philippe has promised. "Great choice, it taste fantastic," Serena said.

"I knew you would like it." The conversation between them went fairly smooth. Later in the evening, a musician played the piano and sang old, favorite love songs. A few couples got up to dance.

"Would you like to dance?" Philippe said as he looked at Serena.

"Oh yes, I would love to dance." Philippe swept her firmly into him with a well-toned arm and gently led her around the dance floor. Serena felt like she was floating on air being held by his strong arms. He dropped his head down close to her face. Now and again, his lips touch her cheek, sending shivers through her body. Something was changing in her that she had no control over. He had her completely under his spell. Oh, how she had missed having a close romantic relationship with a man she cared about.

"I loved just holding you," he whispered into her ear as he led her back to their table. They sat and talked for a while after the musician had stopped playing for the night. It was time to leave. The full moon was shining down on the two lovers, as they walked out to the car park holding hands. They stopped at the car and Philippe took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly. They stood close together for a while looking at the moon, before he opened the door for her. The drive back went much too fast. Serena didn't want the evening to end. Philippe parked the car in front of the apartment block where Serena lived. He got out of the car and opened the door for her. He gave her a long passionate kiss Goodnight.

"Can I see you again Serena?" breathlessly he asked her, his voice hoarse after the kiss.

"Yes, I would love to see you again," and she gave him her mobile number.

A couple of days later, Philippe called her and invited her over to his place. Serena happily accepted the invitation. She had been worried that she would never hear from him again. He picked her up and took her to his apartment, on the top floor of the building overlooking the Seine. Serena was impressed. What an apartment! She had never seen anything like it. Beautiful, expensive burgundy colored leather furniture was placed in front of the bay window overlooking the river Seine as well as a big part of Paris. What a fantastic view. Everything in Philippe's apartment gave the impression of wealth. Serena was amazed, but at the same time she also felt a bit intimidated. How could she live up to this?

He was so sweet and had set the table for the two of them with candles, and she knew she was in for another romantic evening. "I have got dinner ready, but I have to admit that I bought Chinese takeout,"

Philippe announced with a little devious smile. Serena laughed,

"That is fine, I love Chinese food. What have you got?"