Will You Love Me 'Til I Die? Ch. 12

The guard stopped our car and asked us to please give him all our IDs so he could scan them into his computer in the small guardhouse next to one of the gates. We all located our passports and ID cards for Jean and Janelle and he took them into the guardhouse. He returned in a few minutes and gave them back to us. "Everybody who is allowed to enter the house must have a photo ID on file or they are not allowed in." He stood back and motioned for us to drive through the gates.

We could see a magnificent Chateau in the distance. After another long drive we pulled up to the front doors and stopped under a massive porte cochere. We all got out of the car like we had just entered heaven and would soon be speaking with St. Peter. Even Suvarna seemed awestruck.

"Holy shit Suvarna you've got your own Biltmore here."

"Biltmore?"

"You really need to get out more. Biltmore is a replica of a French Chateau in Ashville, North Carolina. It was built in the late 1800s by an heir to Commodore Vanderbilt the railroad tycoon. It may have had more land than this place but it's not any more impressive."

The people from the agency introduced themselves as Pierre and Alysse, co-owners of the agency. They told us this place was about a hundred and fifty acres with thirty acres belonging to the house and the rest set aside as a nature preserve. It had been opened to the public as a park shortly after Suvarna's father purchased it in order for it to qualify as a national historic landmark. This meant the government paid most of the upkeep on the park and Suvarna didn't have to pay taxes on the house.

The Chateau was not built a long time ago but between the years 1947 and 1950 as a project to employ people after the war and instill national pride in France. They especially sought out artisans skilled in the kind of construction necessary to replicate what was done in the late nineteenth century. It was designed to have as many modern systems as possible including electricity, plumbing, duct work for central heating and later air conditioning as well as natural gas hook ups and provisions for upgrading and improving these systems in the future.

Over the years there had been many improvements and restorations and the house now had all the modern conveniences you could possibly want but still retained its original look and feel. Pierre handed Suvarna a thumb drive and told her that every detail about the house from the day her father had bought it in 1970 was on there including the original purchase price: ten million francs, about two million dollars at that time. Today it was presently valued at a little over sixty five million euros.

"Suvarna please don't take this the wrong way but what the fuck have you been doing living in New York when you could have been living here? You should be spanked for never having been here before."

"Prem we both know that I have not had my priorities properly aligned with my best interests until you came to be with me. I'm better now thanks to you but you can still spank me if you want. This place is fabulous isn't it? I can't wait to see the inside."

I could write twenty more pages to describe this place and still not do it justice. Four floors and a gigantic basement, twenty-six bedroom suites and forty bathrooms, three dining rooms, library, billiard room, ballroom, media room and on and on. The view of the lake from all the rooms on the side of the house that faced it was maybe the most incredible view I had ever seen. It was certainly over configured for a house but I think they wanted to keep the workers employed for as long as possible so they just kept building.

The house was long so it seemed even bigger than it was and afforded more exposure to the lake. We could stay here for a month and still not discover all the things this place had. Practically all the rooms on the lake side had French doors that opened on to long, wide covered balconies where you could sit and look at the view. There was a gorgeous formal garden in the back between the house and the lake that ran the entire length of the house and was at least sixty meters wide. It has been said that architecture is art that you live in. Nothing I had ever seen embodied those words like this place.

Pierre and Alysse informed us that they had been taking excellent care of the place since it had been listed with their agency which included regular maid service, cleaning, maintenance of all systems, landscaping, plumbing, numerous upgrades and a host of other items that needed to be managed.

When they opened the front door it was like walking into a palace and it was absolutely immaculate. We spent the next five hours on a fast paced tour of the place and still didn't see all of it. There were so many staircases and alcoves that you needed a map to get around. I'm sure it was tempting to turn the place into a museum or showplace and fill it with all kinds of art works and trinkets but somebody managed to avoid that trap. There were paintings, beautiful furnishings, magnificent tapestries and draperies, and Chandeliers but the place still looked and felt like a place you could actually live in. If you had pockets deep enough to afford the upkeep.

"Pierre how many people come here to do things?"

"There are about sixty people who come at various times to do work and cleaning. Amazingly only ten people take care of the grounds. Alysse and I come by once a month to make sure people are doing their jobs. Other than that nobody is allowed inside the inner fence although plenty of people who come to the park use telephoto lenses to take pictures of it."

"This place just begs to have a grand party in it. Do you have any idea how many people might be interested in attending a party here?"

"How many people are you thinking of inviting? I could get two thousand people here next weekend with no trouble at all. Half of France knows about this place and would pay dearly to come to a party here."

"Ahhhh, so it would be a very prestigious honor to get invited to a formal party here would it?"

"You could probably get the president here if you sent him an invitation and if you really want to do this he should be the first person you invite."

"I'll have to think about that Pierre. Presidents and heads of corporations are not my favorite kind of people. I was thinking of more interesting company like the neighbors, musicians, artists and maybe a few professors. You must know some plain nice people who live around here. They don't have to be superstars although it would probably be fun to invite a few super models from Paris to provide eye candy for Carl and Jean. They could wear some haute couture clothes and walk around looking pretty. Lyon has some world famous chefs and cooking schools doesn't it?"

"Oh yes mademoiselle, some of the best."

"Do you think you could interest a few of them in showing off by cooking for such a party? I don't want a banquet just party food, canapés and hors d'oeuvres. Very high quality of course."

"They would give their first born child to have a chance to cook for a party here."

"So if they got asked to do it they might feel like they owed me a favor n'est-ce pas?

"Oui mademoiselle, I'm sure they would be delighted to express their gratitude to you for being chosen to cater your party. Did you have something specific in mind?"

"Peut-etre, perhaps Pierre."

"OK why don't you and Alysse get busy and see if you can come up with a plan for something for around eight hundred people. I know it's short notice but do you think you could get this ready for next Saturday or Sunday? We'll need lots of entertainment. Some string quartets and chamber orchestras. You must have music students in the universities who would like to play here."

"You're asking a lot mademoiselle. It would be like planning a wedding in five days. But it sounds like a marvelous idea. I'll get my entire staff on it tonight and see what we can do. The Internet is a powerful tool for getting things done quickly. There will of course need to be lots of security, there are priceless antiques here."

"We can rope off all the areas we don't want people to wander into and remove valuables and breakables from the rooms we will use. We can put guards at the stairways since nobody needs to go upstairs anyway. Be careful about using the Internet. If word of this party gets out and goes viral we'll need the National Guard here to keep order. We'll need some way to identify the people who have been invited. They'll need to send us a photo ID to get in the inner gate. No ticky, no washy."

"What time do you want the party to start and end?"

"I think an afternoon party is best. Let's say four o'clock until nine or ten. That should be enough time for everybody to mingle and give the cooks and entertainment time to get set up in the morning. You have my cell phone number so I will expect you to stay in touch with me if you think you can make this happen. Money is of course no object and you will be compensated commensurate with your efforts. Keep records of your time and expenses."

"Most importantly of all, nobody is to know about me or any of the others that are with me. Do not tell anybody that I own this place and do not under any circumstances give my name to anybody. If you have written my name down anywhere in your office you are to destroy it immediately. You are paid through third party proxies that act for me and nobody except you and Alysse are to know who I am. If I see my name in a newspaper or on the Internet I will make you sorry you were ever born. Do you understand me?"

"Oui mademoiselle, I understand perfectly and you may rely on my discretion. It has been a pleasure to finally meet the owner of this magnificent property and I am honored to take care of it for you."

"Alysse, you haven't said much. What do you think of this party idea?"

"I think it is a fabulous idea and I hope you will include me in the list of people you intend to invite. I would like to get to know all of you better. I haven't said much because I like to get an impression of people by listening to them. You make me feel very comfortable to be with you."

"Alysse rest assured you will be invited to the party but you don't have to wait until then to get to know us. We would love to have you show us around Lyon if you would be kind enough to do so."

"It will be my pleasure mademoiselle. Please call me tomorrow when you are ready and I will come out here and be your personal guide to Lyon."

"Merci Alysse." Suvarna walked over and hugged her then hugged Pierre. "Merci Pierre."

Pierre sort of allowed Suvarna to hug him but Alysse actually responded to her hug and you could tell she wanted to really hug her back but was reticent to do so. I was looking forward to spending more time with her. She seemed like a gentle woman but there was an impression of someone who had not been treated kindly and felt a little lost. She had excellent taste in clothing. She wore a grey dress that looked like a long t-shirt but it was obviously expensive and made of a fine fabric, probably cashmere. She had a very pretty black belt on to accentuate her small waist.

Her hair was long and a lovely shade of brown. She wore it straight but it had the soft luxuriant shine of expensive conditioners from a salon. Her breasts were perfectly proportioned to her size and the material of the dress hugged them like a second skin. She had a nice ass with no visible panty line and long legs that ended in expensive shoes.

Her makeup was perfectly done and brought out all her features to maximum effect although her lips were a little thin despite the rich red color of her lipstick. The overall impression was of a pretty woman who was confident but still lacked the equanimity of somebody like Mitra; who had become my yardstick for evaluating all women. Granted she set the bar very high but she had spoiled me by showing me what women could be and I was no longer prepared to overlook behavior or demeanor that did not measure up to her standard.

They were getting ready to leave and walked up to each of us and offered their hand to be shaken. When Alysse got to me I took her hand and brought it to my lips and kissed it. I held it with both hands and looked deeply into her eyes. She did not seem uncomfortable with this and met my gaze. "I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Thank you for offering to show us around."

"I look forward to tomorrow as well. I'm sure it will be a pleasure for all of us."

I wasn't trying to come on to her but I wanted to communicate to her that being around us would entail a lot more than she might imagine. She appeared to have gotten the message and did not give any indication that she was intimidated by it.

We got a recommendation for someplace to go for dinner and after they left we all made our way back up to the fourth floor to pick out the bedrooms we wanted to sleep in. All of the bedrooms on this floor were large master suites that had king size four-poster beds and beautiful furnishings. Even though it was well into July the weather was not uncomfortably warm so we opened the French doors that led out onto the balcony. There was a nice little breeze coming off the lake. We would be able to sleep without air conditioning tonight.

After bringing the luggage up in the service elevator that had been installed in the second renovation sometime in the early eighties for the purpose of allowing large pieces of furniture to be brought to the higher floors, we unpacked and headed for the private bathrooms that were part of each suite. They were as over the top as the rest of the house and rivaled Suvarna's spa in New York. We played in the tub for a while and then got dressed to go eat.

We ate dinner at a comfortable restaurant about half way back toward Lyon. While we were waiting for our food to be served I asked Mitra, "Did you get the impression that Pierre was a little unhappy about being with us and showing the house today?"

"I would say more than unhappy, he came across as resentful. I'm pretty sure it was because Suvarna was a pretty young woman that owned a property that is a national landmark of France and has never even bothered to come see it for over forty years. The French can be rather proud of themselves and tend to take offense at having foreigners treat their treasures so cavalierly. Pierre is definitely a reluctant ass kisser. He'll do it but only when he thinks there's something in it for him."

"Alysse didn't seem to exhibit the same thinly veiled contempt."

"There is something strained in the relationship between those two. Alysse acts as though she needs to be very careful about what she says and does in his presence. I'm going to try to get her to open up about their situation while she's showing us around tomorrow. I'm not trying to pry but they have a huge responsibility in the preservation and care taking of a national landmark that will soon belong to you so we have a right to find out if there is any discordance that may ultimately be detrimental to your interests."

"I somewhat have to agree that it is unforgivable for Suvarna to have ignored this place for so long but I must give her credit for continuing to finance the upkeep of it all this time and not interfere with its functioning. Pierre may also have been wondering what the dynamic is between the six of us and what we're doing with two French teenagers. You must admit that does tend to pique one's curiosity."

We finished up eating and when we walked outside there were two taxis parked at the entrance to the restaurant. One of the drivers that was standing next to his car asked us if we needed a cab. Jean translated his question for us and told him no, we had our own transportation. Mitra then told Jean to ask him if there was a club in Lyon that featured nude dancing. He replied that there were four such clubs. Mitra wanted to know which one was the most exclusive and he said the Club du Paris. He said it wasn't just a titty bar but more of a gentlemen's club and it had a cover charge. Mitra asked him for the address.

"What was that all about Mitra?"

"Have any of you ladies ever been to a nude dancing club?"

Vitesha said she not only had been in several but had actually danced in one when she rode with the Hell's Angels.

"Good then you'll be our coach. Put the address in the GPS and let's go to the Club du Paris."

The club was unexpectedly nice with a lighted parking lot and landscaping around the building. A security guard stood at the front door and asked us if we knew there was a cover charge and how would we be paying. Jean told him we were aware of the charge and we had credit cards. He looked us over and told us to go on in.

Just inside the door was a counter where you paid the cover. Suvarna gave the woman behind the counter her black Visa card and she ran it through and handed her a copy of the receipt after she signed it. She told us to walk down some steps and go through the glass doors. When we had stepped inside the club a waitress was waiting and asked us if we wanted a booth, a table or front row seating. We did a quick look around and saw that the booths were along the back walls of the building so we asked for a booth.

She said to follow her. She had on a very skimpy little string bra and a thong that barely covered her pussy. From behind she appeared to be completely naked. The club was only about half full so she led us to a booth in the middle that had a good view of the dance area, which was a large round platform in the center of the room. She told us there was a minimum charge for drinks so Suvarna told Jean to ask her if a bottle of Champagne would satisfy that. She said it would.

Vitesha told Jean, "Tell her to bring us a real bottle of French Champagne and not that cheap stuff they serve to tourists. We want it in an ice bucket and she is to open it at the table once we've approved it." She said OK and left to get the wine.

"The clubs you were in must have been charming Vitesha."

"You wouldn't call them clubs. Cheap topless joints would be more like it. I found out about how those places ripped off the customers. Of course they didn't try that shit with us. If they had we would have probably burned it down."

"It sounds like you hung out with a rough crowd."

"They could be but if you were straight with them they'd be straight with you. They just didn't like being fucked with."

The music started and a very pretty young woman came up onto the platform and started performing. She had on a skimpy bra and thong like the waitress to begin with but after a few minutes she discarded the bra and a little later took off the thong. She did the usual kind of routine for this kind of place including swinging around a pole and some acrobatic moves. Another girl joined her and did about the same thing.

Eventually there were eight girls on the platform. They all moved to form a line at the edge of the platform where the front row seating was. They squatted down and leaned back on their hands to give the men seated there a close-up view of their pussies. There were plastic buckets along the edge of the stage and if you dropped money in one the girl nearest the bucket would move up so you could do more to her pussy than just look at it. No hands, tongues only. Some of the women seemed to genuinely enjoy the treatment their slits were receiving.

There was a plastic card on the table that listed the price of a private dance. There were various kinds from just watching a nude woman dance close to you to lap dances where both of you were completely nude. The only restriction was the customer was not allowed to touch the dancer with their hands. The dancer however was under no such restraint and could do anything to the customer except fuck them. All of our questions about the private dancing were happily answered by our waitress who, of course, was available to perform them.