+TYPED OUT-

+MAISON SOUQUET-

Mondays' eyes grew wide at the sight of the palace hidden within the city. They crossed the garden and entered a verrière restaurant.

"Monsieur, your table is ready."

Mondays' boots sunk in the thick red velvet carpet. She let her eyes roam around the rooms' decor that gave a view of the garden and its beautiful greek statues.

"What is this place?" Monday asked as the waiter pulled a chair out for her. "Merci," she said, and she sat down.

The waiter nodded.

"It's a hotel," Kenneth replied while trying to retain the corner smile that fought to display itself.

"Wow, the place is a work of art."

The man could not mask how content he was to see Monday's enthralled reaction this time.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Kenneth said.

The waiter explained the three-course menu before opening a bottle of champagne for them.

Monday could not pretend to be unimpressed. Her mind already began to envision a chapter. She imagined a date, no, an encounter. The type that had no tomorrow but marked its protagonists.

Kenneth observed Monday a minute before saying, "what are you thinking of?"

"Huh?"

"You're elsewhere. What are you writing?"

Caught red-handed, Monday looked down at her plate, "eh, I was thinking I could write a," if her skin were lighter, the woman's blush would have been scarlet red, she touched her earlobe, "it seems a great place for lovers."

Kenneth linked his hands under his chin, "tell me Monday. What's the most erotic chapter you've ever written?"

The woman cocked a brow at the question Kenneth threw out like an anchor, "excuse me, do you really want to know?"

"Yes, I wonder how you muster your sex scenes."

Monday lifted her glass and took a huge gulp, "I love slow burns. My characters never have sex before thirty chapters, at least."

"Unlike us," his flirty smiling eyes stared straight into Mondays' who redirected her gaze to the waiter bringing their entrees.

The two remained silent while he served.

"Merci."

"Thank you."

The waiter left.

"You were saying?" Kenneth said as he deployed his napkin with one shake.

"Yes, unlike us. My couples have sex later and remain together."

Kenneth noticed how her eyes slightly widened when she concluded. He didn't need to ask to know Monday was of those for whom sex came in the last stages.

He personally didn't care when the act occurred. Sex didn't guarantee anything except the promise of pleasure. What mattered was how he perceived his partner and whether he wished for more episodes with the same female lead.

"So tell me, what locations do you use?" Kenneth pursued.

"I research romantic spots. The book with the hottest scenes had the couple staying at the Royal Mansour in Marrakech, and they went to the Scala. In another book, they had their honeymoon in the Fiji Islands and spent their first night there. Another couple went on a business trip in Geneva and stayed at the Beau Rivage."

"Wait, you had a couple have sex once married in your books?"

"I told you, Kenneth, everything depends on them."