My French Lover.........by Julianna Rowe

 Chapter ?:   Never Try to Out-Con a Con...... 

I had found myself falling in love with LaReigne Lucrece at this later stage in my life.  He came to me totally out of the blue, one day as I was stopped at a red light.  Yes, a red light.  I was acting up as usual with my comedic Halloween bloody leg hanging out the side of my car with a magnetic sign next to it saying, "My Last X Husband."   That produced LaReigne to jump out of his little convertible sports machine, run around to my side of my SUV and hand me his card. 

He said, "Call me Babe, or I'll call you....Je t'apprecie Belle.' "  (I like you)

You see my number was on the side of my vehicle in the form of an employment advertisement.

 Several days past with no call from the handsome Frenchman and then my phone rang, only to hear the very raspy voice of LaReigne Lucrece.  I can’t say I was not pleased. Of course, I was and to say I hadn't waited for it would be a lie.

As time passed, we became very close as well as intimately close.  He was the most romantic lover I had experienced in my life.   He seemed to love me from somewhere deep inside his soul along with every other part of his being.  I was not used to a man that gave of himself so deeply and with such selfless intent.

My neighbor, who leaned toward hearing from the beyond stopped in to blatantly tell me not to see this man anymore as he is known for sleeping with women and then telling them he must leave the country for various reasons.   I argued with her, saying no, no, he loves me.  She flipped her long black hair and curtly walked out of my apartment saying.

 "You will see Missy!"

The affair continued a glorious few weeks longer. Then without any warning one evening after an amazing lovemaking session, you know, the kind where it seemed extra intent was at hand?  It was then he told me he needed to talk to me about something.  I obviously was not prepared for what came next although I handled it perfectly, thanks to my neighbor and the fact I was not a young woman with a brain of mush. Only a bit of mush left.  He calmly and with his sex filled French accent said.

 "I rent out my home in Paris to friends and famous people for parties.  There have been some problems and I must go back and take care of them. I hope you will understand my little Cheri." 

I did not flinch nor fall apart.  I did not cry.  I did not react in anyway whatsoever except to offer up a slight grin.  He immediately caught it.

 "What is that?  No, what is that? "

I replied with no emotion.

 "Oh nothing, I understand how these things can happen.  So, when are you leaving?"  He replied to me as soon as possible. 

I spoke calmly.

"Well let’s have an outing before you go LaReigne?  One last outing?  Okay?"   

I found myself listening and waiting intently to what he might have to say.  I decided I wanted to follow this game out to the end.  Who knows, might make for a good book someday.  I never did know when to quit. Nor did I ever learn to play poker.   I should have.

The following day LeReigne and I picnicked near the lake.  We were walking and reminiscing close to a wooded area when my neighbor, the one that foretells the future, comes walking out of the woods and down a hill towards us saying loudly how she is aware of his intentions, how dare he do this. She continued loudly and with great emotion how she and her other friends have warned me regarding who you are and what you are like.  What you have done to many of the women in your past.

LaReigne stopped dead, turned, and looked directly into my eyes just as he did when he made passionate love to me. 

I pretended to be stunned.  To know nothing of what this woman was spewing.  That is when I looked at her and shouted.

 "STOP!"  

But LeReigne turned and walked away.  It was too late for me to repair the damage.  Stupid woman! I wanted so badly to turn the tables on LaReigne.  For once I wanted to come out on the head end of a deal vs the tail end.  I have always heard one should never try to outcon a con. And  I had lost and now he was gone forever. Truth is I was the stupid woman.  Others had tried to save me where I thought I out of many new best.

After the Frenchman ordeal settled down, I was summoned to a property my family owned.  I was to prepare it for sale.  I had never seen it before so I put the address in my GPS and headed out for the county side.  I didn't tell anyone where I was going.  Something I forgot to do more than once.

After what seemed like thirty miles I finally came to the proper address. I couldn't see the main property because of the long driveway up to what appeared to be a huge mansion.  It looked like something out of a movie set.  The garage door opener worked so, I pulled right in like I owned the place.  I guess I did.  I was selling it for our family trust even though I knew very little about it.  I was about to learn more than I wanted or needed to know.  When I initially walked in all appeared to be a normal, yet, a very royal mansion.  Marble floors, gold embossed framing around each doorway, as well as the intricate wood carvings surrounding each fireplace in every room.  Still there was a very eerie feeling surrounding me.  The thought came more than once that I should let someone know where I was.  Yet I did not. I made it up the winding staircase to the second floor and couldn't help but notice how many rooms there were with closed doors.  And in the center of all the doors which circled the area were barred rooms.  Oh my God, it was a prison.  The entire second floor of our family mansion was a prison I had never been aware of.  What was behind the doors?  I tried to open one but I was not able to.  I pushed as hard as I could and it only budged enough for me to see light through the crack.  It was obvious those doors had not been opened for many years.  It was then I was halted in my every movement and thought as I heard voices.  Here I am in an old mansion, out in the middle of nowhere, a jailhouse with locked doors all around it, I am hearing voices and no one knows where I am.  I just need to get out of here and now. It was at that moment that I recognized LeReigne's voice.  What was he doing here? Fear began to rush through every cell of my body.  My rational mind concluded this could be him trying to gain hold of my family’s property in some way.  I found my way down the stairs and out into the garage.  My spirit sensed he knew I was there.  I then realized the men with him were there to help him kill me. Somehow, he had gained control of the papers giving him sole rights to my inheritance.

On the floor was a piece of paper with a small round type metal item that looked like a battery. But it was not a battery rather a connection source.  His plan was to soak that in gasoline, pretend that it was a love letter he intended to give me when he left for Paris.  But upon my touch, it was to blow up in my hand and take me out when I touched the connector.  My spirit literally spoke those words to me.  I decided to reverse his game and do it to him instead or maybe just get the hell out of there.  I jumped into my vehicle and put it in reverse. My intention was to get down that driveway and out of there.  Forget winning any game with LaReigne.  Get out and back to the reality of my old life in the city.  It was then that I went into fear mode. I couldn't tell if I was in drive, or reverse, or neutral from the terror that had taken over.  I couldn't recall if my doors were locked or even which way the lever went to lock/unlock. As I was thrashing in fear searching for my senses, LaReigne jumped into my vehicle staring into my eyes as he grinned an evil smirk and said nothing.  I had irretrievably once again and on a larger scale than I ever dreamed could happen to this small-town woman lost at life once again. I had nothing else to lose.  I drove as fast as I could to the end of the driveway.....the only control I had was behind the wheel of that vehicle and he was not going to take that away as well. No one would ever take that away again.  I pulled out of that driveway of life into the path of an oncoming semi going at the least seventy miles per hour.  I had just enough time to look into LaReigne's terrified eyes and smile letting him know I had won the last round. 

Remember. Never try to con and con.  This time: No one won. No one.