know? Have you lived in Paris long? Are you just moving here?” Her lips would not stop moving no matter how hard she tried. The woman smiled again at her as if she were utterly amused that the little mouse had roared a little.
“Oh no. I’ve just moved here last week. I’ve been staying at a hotel in Passy, but I love Montmartre. I wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else in Paris.” She shook Ellen’s hand lightly; afraid she might crush the little woman’s hand if she squeezed too hard. “Now all I have to do is learn French. You see, I’m just no good at it and so many people here speak English here that it hasn’t been much of a problem yet.” She chatted away as she walked into Ellen’s apartment. There was no one present to see the dark heavy door close behind them.
FRANKIE
Francois Rene LeVoyer stood at the front of Celgen’s Corporation headquarters in Paris. It was vastly impressive as it was intended to be. It was really an old Paris building reworked with so much glass and steel it almost looked as if the landmark hotel was being devoured by some alien technology. Ultra modern, it was a bit ugly on the aesthetic scale, but knowing the president of the company the building suited her perfectly. Modern, chic, imposing: these were all the qualities that made Celine D’Aumont who she was today. He smiled at the thought of just walking right into her lair. After evading her successfully for so long he was now about to waltz in and gather as much data from her office as he could get away with. He was not worried about the security or the endless video cameras in every corridor. She would never go to the police, especially now at such a critical point in her company’s career. Next week she would announce a newly developed anti-aging technology unlike any the public or private sector had ever seen. It was certain that her stocks would go up, and her face had already begun to appear everywhere. America was sending scores of reporters begging for an interview but all had been denied. All except for one reporter and Frankie was pretty sure he knew why Celine had chosen him. He took a deep breath and headed through the sliding doors. Everything in sight was composed of some shade of gray. All the fixtures were steel. It was all so cold and so very sterile. It had about as much warmth as Celine did but again he thought it suited her perfectly. It was designed to impose and intimidate. Frankie was not taken in for one moment. It was all smoke and mirrors to him. His small frame pushed through the dozens of clients and employees mostly unnoticed. He was dressed professionally in a dark gray suit and seemed to blend in perfectly with his surroundings. As he walked toward the elevators he was halted by one of the security guards.
“Excusez moi Monsieur. Avez vouz une carte securite?’ Frankie smiled and pretended not to understand. The guard tried again rather impatiently and this time in English. “I said, do you have your security card?” Frankie said nothing and continued to smile. He stared blatantly into the eyes of the towering guard and looked directly into his mind. He moved in closer without once taking his eyes away from the now bewildered man.
“I’m sorry. I must have left it in my home. I knew I forgot something.” He boldly placed his hand on the arm of the uniformed man. His stare was becoming hypnotic. He was mesmerizing the guard simply with a smile and his uncompromising gaze. Frankie began to see the man’s memories in his mind. Every secret seemed to come rushing to the surface of the man’s brain. The woman that he had slept with two nights earlier and he didn’t even know her name. The crazy things he had done in those few brief hours of lust. The lies he told his wife. This strange little man knew everything about him and for the first time in his life the guard felt a sense of relief. In that one brief encounter he experienced a few seconds of extreme gratitude that someone on
“Oh no. I’ve just moved here last week. I’ve been staying at a hotel in Passy, but I love Montmartre. I wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else in Paris.” She shook Ellen’s hand lightly; afraid she might crush the little woman’s hand if she squeezed too hard. “Now all I have to do is learn French. You see, I’m just no good at it and so many people here speak English here that it hasn’t been much of a problem yet.” She chatted away as she walked into Ellen’s apartment. There was no one present to see the dark heavy door close behind them.
FRANKIE
Francois Rene LeVoyer stood at the front of Celgen’s Corporation headquarters in Paris. It was vastly impressive as it was intended to be. It was really an old Paris building reworked with so much glass and steel it almost looked as if the landmark hotel was being devoured by some alien technology. Ultra modern, it was a bit ugly on the aesthetic scale, but knowing the president of the company the building suited her perfectly. Modern, chic, imposing: these were all the qualities that made Celine D’Aumont who she was today. He smiled at the thought of just walking right into her lair. After evading her successfully for so long he was now about to waltz in and gather as much data from her office as he could get away with. He was not worried about the security or the endless video cameras in every corridor. She would never go to the police, especially now at such a critical point in her company’s career. Next week she would announce a newly developed anti-aging technology unlike any the public or private sector had ever seen. It was certain that her stocks would go up, and her face had already begun to appear everywhere. America was sending scores of reporters begging for an interview but all had been denied. All except for one reporter and Frankie was pretty sure he knew why Celine had chosen him. He took a deep breath and headed through the sliding doors. Everything in sight was composed of some shade of gray. All the fixtures were steel. It was all so cold and so very sterile. It had about as much warmth as Celine did but again he thought it suited her perfectly. It was designed to impose and intimidate. Frankie was not taken in for one moment. It was all smoke and mirrors to him. His small frame pushed through the dozens of clients and employees mostly unnoticed. He was dressed professionally in a dark gray suit and seemed to blend in perfectly with his surroundings. As he walked toward the elevators he was halted by one of the security guards.
“Excusez moi Monsieur. Avez vouz une carte securite?’ Frankie smiled and pretended not to understand. The guard tried again rather impatiently and this time in English. “I said, do you have your security card?” Frankie said nothing and continued to smile. He stared blatantly into the eyes of the towering guard and looked directly into his mind. He moved in closer without once taking his eyes away from the now bewildered man.
“I’m sorry. I must have left it in my home. I knew I forgot something.” He boldly placed his hand on the arm of the uniformed man. His stare was becoming hypnotic. He was mesmerizing the guard simply with a smile and his uncompromising gaze. Frankie began to see the man’s memories in his mind. Every secret seemed to come rushing to the surface of the man’s brain. The woman that he had slept with two nights earlier and he didn’t even know her name. The crazy things he had done in those few brief hours of lust. The lies he told his wife. This strange little man knew everything about him and for the first time in his life the guard felt a sense of relief. In that one brief encounter he experienced a few seconds of extreme gratitude that someone on
Similar Books
