"- Available tomorrow at 4pm for a two-hour lesson?"
After posting ads all over the place offering French lessons, I'd finally received this text message. I don't usually respond to this kind of solicitation without a polite greeting or contact details. But it was already the end of the month and I was almost out of money. As the conversation progressed, I eventually learned that the person requesting my services lived in the capital's up-and-coming neighborhoods, and that her name was Jane. Probably a shallow student who didn't spare any expense and wanted to get a good grade to please Dad. He'd be sure to offer her a vacation in Mykonos as a reward for her hard work.
When I arrived at the indicated place, I saw at once that I hadn't been mistaken about this girl's social background. She lived in an old mansion; behind the front door was an elegant red carpet leading up to the upper floors.
At the door, I was greeted by an ordinary housekeeper. She seated me while she went to fetch "Miss". After ten minutes, I began to grow impatient. She must be quite a person, I thought, bringing me in overnight and making me wait in the hallway. Finally, the employee returned and beckoned me to follow her. At the end of a long corridor, she beckoned me into a bright office.
It wasn't a student facing me, but a beautiful woman of about forty. She was sitting behind a desk. Her blond hair was tied back in a ponytail, and with emerald-green eyes, she stared at her computer screen, typing with her perfectly manicured hands. Without a glance, she motioned for me to sit down on the desk in the corner of the room. The employee left us alone, closing the door behind her.
"- Just a moment, I'm finishing an e-mail. - Take your time," I said annoyed. But she didn't even notice the irony in my voice.
She sat down and explained why she had come. With a bright smile, she explained that she had a business appointment in Paris next week and needed to practice her French a little, to do some grammar exercises. We set to work.
Sitting next to me, I could observe the details of her face. She had a fine nose and was wearing a very bright lipstick. As my gaze wandered, I couldn't help but let my eyes drift. Her white blouse molded a firm, full bust. The first open buttons revealed her cleavage and tanned skin. Leaning into her exercise, it seemed she could see me watching her out of the corner of my eye. I pretended to look away. The coldness she had shown at first was gradually fading. She was very smiley and tactile. At the end of each exercise, she'd put her hand on mine to let me know she'd finished. As I corrected her exercises, I could see her absent-mindedly sucking on the end of her pencil. She would smile at me as she obediently wrote down my explanations. Twisting her hair, she looked like a diligent young student.
A few discreet knocks on the door interrupted my reverie.
"- Come in!"
It was the maid bringing in a tray laden with drinks and pastries. She placed it on the corner of the table and disappeared as quickly as she had come.
