Dancing in the Gray Read online

  “Trey! Are you coming?” Will called out to him. Everyone had made their way into their vehicles while Trey stood there looking up at the Eiffel Tower.

  “Yeah.” Trey walked to the SUV. He was riding with Will and Jessie and their security team. There were French police escorting their entourage back to the hotel. Jessie and Will were sitting in the third row seat while Will’s detail, Charles, and Trey rode in the second row. Ronald was sitting up front with the driver, who was the detail provided by the American Embassy.

  Trey sat their silently looking out the window.

  “Trey, go to the concert with her, dude.” Will’s comment broke the silence in the vehicle.

  Jessie jumped into the conversation, “With who?”

  “Trey met a lady on the plane on the way up here, and she invited him to do some stuff with her in Paris. She has awesome seats to the sold out Foo Fighter’s concert tomorrow night.”

  Trey turned his head back to look at Will.

  “Why don’t you want to go?” Jessie asked.

  “He does.” Will answered for him. “But Trey doesn’t think that he can have a relationship and a career. I tried to explain that they weren’t mutually exclusive, but he wouldn’t listen. Plus, it’s not like he had to marry her just because he went to a concert with her.”

  “Will’s right. I would love to go with her, but I think I messed up, anyway. One of the things she invited me to is happening tonight. I stood her up, so I doubt very seriously that she will want to see me tomorrow night at the concert.”

  “What event was happening tonight?” Jessie asked.

  “Some roller skating thing.” Trey wasn’t sure what it was. All the information was in the envelope in his room.

  “That’s the Pari Roller group, sir. They start out the night just a few blocks from here. The French police provide security for them and lead their skaters through the city.” The Embassy driver knew what Trey was referring to.

  “Can you take us there?” Will asked the driver.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “No. What are you doing?” Trey looked back at Will.

  “Didn’t you just say you wanted to go with her?” Will was looking at him expectantly.

  “Yes, but…” Trey was trying to finish his sentence but he couldn’t. He couldn’t think of a reason why he didn’t want to see her.

  “But, nothing. Please take us there.” Will addressed the driver.

  Trey started getting nervous as the driver was taking them to the event departure location. It took a while to get through the city traffic. When they showed up at the spot where the skaters meet, they were already gone. Trey tried not to show it, but he was really upset.

  “It looks like they have already left, sir. Did you want to go to the midway point where they stop for a few minutes to let the skaters rest?” The Embassy official was looking at Trey through the rearview mirror.

  ~

  Elise was having a great time. The only thing that would have made it better was if Trey was here with her. The trip had taken her all around Paris and near the Seine River. The group leader just announced that the group reached the halfway point, and they would be pausing for a while for everyone to rest and get hydrated.

  As the herd of skaters came to a halt around the Place d’Italie roundabout, Elise noticed a gentleman in a suit standing on the side of the road looking through the crowd. It was Trey. She was so excited to see him. She started to make her way through the crowd to get his attention.

  “TREY!” Elise yelled his name, and he must have heard her because he was now looking in her general direction. She was waving her arms and finally he made eye contact with her. She smiled and continued to skate towards his direction. As she got closer to him, she was more focused on Trey and not the crowd of skaters. That’s when she got sideswiped by a gentleman on rollerblades that was travelling quickly, even though the group was stopping. Elise fell down right in front of Trey. She threw her arms out in front of her to break her fall, but ended up hitting the ground pretty hard.

  “Elise!” Trey ran up to her and picked her up off the ground carrying her to the grassy part of the roundabout where a lot of skaters were sitting down resting. He got to his knees and placed her down on the grass carefully.

  Two gentlemen in yellow shirts rushed to Trey’s side obviously witnessing the fall.

  “Madame vous allez bien? Est tout ce mal?” One of the gentlemen bent down and asked if she was ok.

  “Je vais bien. Je pense que je viens de grater mon genou et de palmier.” Elise explained that she was only scraped on her knee and palm.

  “Elise, are you hurt?” Trey looked concerned.

  She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. My pride is probably hurt the most.”

  Trey wrapped his hands around the back of her lower thigh and calf examining her knee closely. She was scraped pretty badly and was bleeding a little. “Let me see your hand.” He asked gently.

  Elise swallowed hard and lifted her right hand turning it over so he could see her palm. “You’ll need some bandages on these. Are the gentlemen in the yellow medics?”

  “Yes.” She nodded her head.

  Trey looked over his shoulder at one of the gentlemen and said, “Bandage?”

  Elise smiled. He was lucky bandage was the French word for bandage.

  Combien? The gentleman asked Trey.

  Trey looked back at Elise. She continued the conversation holding up two fingers. “Deux s’il vous plait.”

  The gentleman handed Trey two bandages and a couple of antibacterial wipes. Trey went to work opening the wipes. He looked up at Elise and told her, “This might sting a little.”

  How cute! Elise couldn’t help but laugh. “I think I can take it.”

  Trey smiled that sexy half smile from the plane right back up at her, and Elise nearly passed out. He was so handsome.

  He gently dabbed the wipe across her tender knee removing a little dirt and gravel that was lodged in there. He then covered her knee up with the first bandage and started working on her hand. Her hand looked so tiny being held by his. He took his time with her palm making sure all the scrapes were clean before putting the other bandage on it.

  He looked up at her when he was done. “Are you sure you didn’t sprain anything or hurt anything else?”

  “I’m ok. Much better now.” Yes, she was flirting with him. Fun Elise could win a gold medal in flirting.

  Trey smiled and shook his head. “Do you have any shoes?”

  “Yes. They’re in my backpack.” Elise lifted her right hand to her shoulder to try to grab her backpack and inadvertently winced when the strap rubbed against her palm.

  “I’ve got it.” Trey slid his hands in between Elise’s shoulders and the straps of her bag, slowly sliding them down her arms. Holy shit! Mr. Second Base had some flirty moves of his own. Elise instantly felt the need for one of the fans that southern ladies use in church.

  He carefully removed her backpack and opened it, retrieving her shoes. He unlaced and removed her skates, took off her socks, and slipped on her espadrilles. He stood up and offered her a hand to get up. Elise gladly took his hand and with little to no effort, he lifted her into a standing position. He wrapped his arm around her waist, “Try to see if you can put some pressure on it. I don’t want your knee to buckle and send you back to the ground.”

  Elise took a step. Her knee hurt a little bit, but she could definitely walk. She thought about faking it for a second, just so he would keep his arm around her. “I think I’ll survive.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you.” Trey grabbed her skates off the ground and grabbed her backpack. “You look very handsome in that suit. Where are you coming from?”

  A shy boyish grin crossed his face, and it looked like he was avoiding eye contact. Was he blushing from the compliment? “My brother’s rehearsal dinner. It was at Le Jules Verne.”

  “Very nice. Was that your first time there?” They started walking towards the sidewalk of the roundabout.r />
  “Yes, it was. It had a beautiful view.”

  Elise nodded her head up and down, “That, it does.” She was tired of the small talk. Fun Elise gets to the point. “What made you decide to come out here?”

  Trey was definitely caught off guard. “Well, I uhm,” he cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders, “I wanted to see you.”

  Elise liked that answer. “I hoped you would come. I was kinda sad when I didn’t see you at the departure location. But, I’m glad you’re here now.”

  “Me, too.” He looked super nervous. It was totally cute. “I’ll just come clean with you. I was very flattered when I saw the envelope in my laptop bag. At first, I wasn’t going to join you.” He looked over at her like he was making sure she wasn’t wielding sharp objects at him. Elise just continued smiling and listening. “But, as the day went on I kept thinking about you more and more. And, while I was in the world famous Le Jules Verne with my family, instead of enjoying the view and the food, I just kept wondering where you were. So, I came to find you.”

  He stopped walking. He was looking down at his feet, avoiding eye contact with Elise again. She touched the bottom of his chin so he would look up at her. “Thank you for your honesty. It is very refreshing.” Elise was sincere.

  She looked up and saw the same guy that was on the plane with him standing a few feet away. “Isn’t that your security guy?” Elise pointed in his direction.

  “Yes, that’s Ronald.”

  “Why do you have a security guy that’s with you all the time? Are you a Rapper or something?” Elise smiled up at him.

  “A Rapper? I told you I’m in finance.” Trey smiled as he shook his head. “He’s Secret Service. And without sounding like a pompous asshole, most people recognize me, but obviously you haven’t.”

  “Secret Service?” Elise was confused.

  “My name is Roger Alexander Watts, III. But, my family and friends call me Trey. I’m Trey Watts – President Watts’ son.”

  Elise’s eyes grew wide. “Rebecca Watts is your mother?”

  Trey chuckled, “Yes, she is.”

  “Holy shit! She’s Jackie O. 2.0.” Elise was about to hyperventilate. His mother was THE fashion icon of the millennium. Graceful, beautiful, classy – the whole package.

  Trey laughed hard. “She will positively love that reference. I’ve gotta tell you, Elise, you are probably the first person that related me more with my mom than my dad. Most people are pretty impressed with the whole President thing.”

  “Not in my world.” Elise shook her head.

  “So that’s why Ronald is with me all the time. After five plus years, I’ve gotten used to it, but I can see how it’s unnerving.”

  “Yeah, a little. So you just left your family, The President and First Lady, to come hang out with me roller skating?” Elise couldn’t help but smile.

  “Yes, I did.” Trey smiled back. “Which, I’m sorry that I missed the first leg of the trip. You looked like you were having a great time before I distracted you.”

  “It was awesome! So much fun.” Elise was bubbling with excitement. “We skated by the Seine, it was so beautiful.”

  “So, are you on your way to find Fun Elise?” He remembered.

  “Yes, I am.” Elise answered confidently.

  “Your friends are right; Fun Elise definitely looks good on you.”

  ~

  Her smile was contagious. It made him want to smile, too.

  At that very moment, Trey was absolutely sure that he made the right decision by listening to Will and coming to find her.

  “So Elise, I’ve ruined the rest of your evening by distracting you and causing you to injure yourself. I owe you some fun. What would you like to do?” Trey had no idea where that came from, but it felt right.

  “Are you serious? Because you never know what happens when Fun Elise shows up.” He appreciated the warning, but Trey was up to the challenge.

  “I’m positive.”

  “Alright, we’re going to Le Showcase!” She was clapping her hands together softly, proving that her palm was hurting her more than what she was eluding to.

  “What is Le Showcase?” It sounded like a strip club. Trey was suddenly nervous.

  “A nightclub.” Elise bit her lower lip.

  “Le Showcase it is.” Trey had a car service standing by since Will dropped him off. “My car is this way.” He placed his hand on Elise’s lower back, and they both walked side by side to the car which was waiting on a street close to the roundabout.

  Trey opened the back passenger door for her while Ronald sat in the front seat with the gentlemen from the car service.

  “Pouvez-vous s’il vous plait nous emmener au Le Showcase? Savez-vous ou c’est?” It sounded like Elise asked the driver to take them to the nightclub.

  “So you speak French. Any other languages?” Trey was fascinated.

  “Spanish, too.” Elise looked like she was proud of herself.

  “I’m impressed.” Trey couldn’t help but smile. She was sitting very close to him, and he prayed she couldn’t tell how nervous he was.

  “You should be.” Elise said confidently as she elbowed him and gave him a wink. Who was this woman? “So before we go to this club, tell me something,” Elise paused for a second, “You were very honest earlier when you said that initially you weren’t planning on coming, which I really appreciate. But, why weren’t you?”

  “You want the honest answer?” Trey looked her right in her eyes. She nodded. “Because I don’t have time for a relationship. Between my current job and the fact that I am about to run for my first political office, I don’t have the time to dedicate to someone. Plus, I’ve done a really good job at protecting my image over the last four years. I didn’t want to have anyone throwing dirt out there to get their fifteen minutes at my expense.”

  Elise’s expression never changed. She leaned close to him, continuing to use those amber eyes to her advantage as she whispered, “So, why are you in the back seat of this car with me? And, before you ask, yes, the honest answer.”

  Trey leaned in close to her continuing to stare into her eyes. His lips were mere inches from hers, “I have no clue. But, I want to be here.” He did. He wanted to be exactly where he was.

  Elise smiled. “It sounds like you need a lesson on how to dance in the gray.”

  Trey was interested. “Dance in the gray?”

  She nodded her head, “Yes. My mom always told me that life was never just black or white, and to be successful in anything, I would have to learn to dance in the gray. Just because you are here with me right now, doesn’t mean that I expect a relationship or time to dedicate to me. I’m just here to dance in the gray between no one and the one. So I’m glad you joined me, Trey. You never know, you might just have a little fun.” Elise raised her eyebrows and smile seductively at him.

  Trey smiled right back at her, “I hope so.” For the first time in his life, Trey was allowing himself to color outside the lines, and he liked it. What was this woman doing to him?

  The car pulled up to the club which was blaring with techno music. Trey could hear the bass from inside of the car. He climbed out of the car and walked over to open the door for Elise. When she stepped out, she told him to leave his suit jacket with the driver. He was definitely overdressed. He took off his Armani jacket and handed it to Ronald. He just shrugged his shoulders and followed Elise’s swaying hips into the club.

  When they were inside, there were a crowd of people all dancing to the music the two DJ’s were providing. The bar was towards the back of the club, and the dance floor was through brick archways that separated the two. Elise went straight to the bar, and of course, got immediately served. Trey knew it had nothing to do with her speaking French, either. She was hot! Those little white shorts with her wedge shoes drew attention to her legs and her great ass.

  She was waiving him over as the bartender lined up shot glasses that he filled and pointed to a table that the rest of the bottl
e was being delivered to. Elise handed him the shot glass, “Its 1800 Colección.”

  Trey had no clue what she was talking about. “What is it?”

  “Tequila.” She tapped his shot glass with her own and threw her head back.

  Trey smiled as he watched her savor her shot. “Don’t you need a lime or something?”

  “This is not spring break. That shot is probably about $100. The bottle was 1300 Euro.” She winked at him.

  “Did you just by that whole bottle? That’s $1700.” She nodded her head. Trey was dumbfounded. He partied at Harvard, but not with thousand dollar bottles of tequila.

  “Try it. It’s totally worth it.” Elise motioned to the bartender to pour her another one.

  Trey shook his head then poured the drink into his mouth. He was shocked. It was smooth and delicious. “Wow! That’s good.”

  “I know, right!” Elise was nearly yelling since the music was so loud.

  “Is that our table?” Trey pointed to where the bottle of tequila was sitting. There was a section of small rooms that had white leather sectional sofas that surrounded a low table where the tequila and glasses sat. Opaque drapes that hung in the front of each area allowing some privacy for the patrons who could afford to sit there. Obviously, a $1700 bottle of tequila buys that kind of privacy.

  Elise nodded. She grabbed him by his wrist and led him to the table. “You want another shot.”

  “Not right now.” He shook his head already starting to feel warm from the first one.

  “That wasn’t a question.” Elise poured another shot in his glass. “Fun Elise requires a two shot minimum.” She lifted the glass off the table and handed it to him.

  Trey smiled and shook his head. “Why does Fun Elise require a two shot minimum?”

  “Take it, and I’ll tell you.” She bit her bottom lip in the sexiest way.

  Trey took the shot which was even smoother this time around. She had great taste in tequila, that’s for sure. “Spill it!”

  “Because I have a theory that everyone is only two shots away from doing anything that they want to do.” She placed the shot glass on the table and grabbed Trey’s hand leading him to the dance floor.