Read Learning Curves 1 - French Cooking 101 for Free Online Page A

 
    “You evil woman, you!” He caught her by the waist, pulled her off the floor into a bear hug, and waltzed with her.
    “Put me down, you crazy boy. You’re going to break your back.”
    “No, I won’t,” he growled. “First, I’m not a boy, I’m a man. Second, I work out to get this fabulous body. Third, you’re light as a feather. I’m much stronger than I look, and I’m happy. Also, I’m full of energy.”
    “I can see that. Indeed, you are,” said Ariane between bubbles of laughter. “I concede you’re the man, a regular Hercules. Now please, put me down and tell me all about it. What did you guys do? Wait, let me be specific. I want the… what do you call it? The version for all audiences. Nothing rated X.”
    “I see, you’re being coy. Too bad you’ll miss out on the best parts. Okay, what can I say? We went to the Marais. I had no idea Paris was so gay friendly. I mean, it’s like Manhattan. Men holding hands. Men kissing in the streets. Boy, I felt like a regular Dorothy.”  
    “Dorothy?”  
    Charles did his best Judy Garland imitation. “‘Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.’”  
    “Ah, oui. Dorothée, Le Magicien d’Oz. Toto’s the dog, right? And you’re from Kansas too?”
    “No, not Kansas. Arkansas.” Charles laughed. “I come from a small place that’ll become famous only if a tornado comes and destroys it. It’s so small it doesn’t even boast a Main Street. It’s like, you know, nothing in the middle of nowhere. It’s non-existent. And here I am! It’s an incredible wonder. I moved to Los Angeles and now to Paris…”
    “I don’t get the cultural reference, but yes, I understand what you mean. It’s as if you moved to a different dimension. Maybe I would feel the same way if I moved to rural America.”
      “So here I am, walking around with Jean-Michel in these lovely ancient streets. We hit some bars, ran into some of his friends. Let me tell you, that man has a lot of friends. Some wanted to be more friendly than others but… Merde—see my French is coming along just fine—I almost forgot. You want the G or PG story. This has suddenly become a much shorter story to tell. We had a few drinks, and we went to my place. Can I tell you he’s a great kisser? Maybe not, because if his kisses were rated, they would be rated triple X. He’s so hot. And he’s even hotter because he thinks I’m perfect. And then he’s… well, so much more than a fabulous kisser. But his job sucks. He has to get up at the crack of dawn almost every day.” Charles sighed.
    “Maybe it’s not a bad thing. This way you got some sleep after all,” said Ariane with a half smile.  
    Ah, ah, that sounded like experience talking. He’d have to probe into that later. “Such a positive way to look at it. Nevertheless, my poor baby didn’t, and he will be dead tired tonight.”
    “Who will be dead tired?” asked Mary, walking in.
    “Those who did not get enough sleep last night.” Charles winked at George, arriving in Mary’s wake. Looking at George’s frown, Charles realized the man was not amused. No sense of humor at all. Charles quickly turned to Ariane. “So, how will you pair us today? Same as yesterday? Pleeeeeease.” He would be okay teaming up with Mary, but there was no way he would partner with Cro-Magnon.    
    “Sure, why not, if that’s all right with you two,” she said, looking at Mary and George.
    Mary looked at George for a couple of seconds and then answered, “That’s perfect for us.”  
    “So let’s get ready. The others should be here promptly,” said Ariane cheerfully and added under her breath, “If they decide to come back.”  
    Why wouldn’t they? thought Charles. He had the feeling he was missing something. Thinking back to last night, Charles ruled out the lovebirds. They had been fine when they had left. So duh, Ariane was referring to Peter. Why would Peter not come back?   Had Peter made a move? Had