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98. Paris again
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2024-10-29 19:42:56They arrived in Paris in the evening and took a taxi to the center of the capital. Usually, Jo was overjoyed at times like this, but this time around, she had mixed feelings.
Not only Patrick was with her, but also his family bodyguard. They were going to spend a few days together, which looked like a horrible prospect.
While she managed to get used to the presence of friends around her, this time she had to survive additionally with a complete stranger who was supposed to take care of their safety.
She wasn't used to being treated like this and wondered if it was really necessary.
On the plane, she talked to Patrick about how to get rid of the bodyguard, but they came to the conclusion that if they won’t obey his father's will, he would be ready to send them
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It was strangely quiet when she woke up early the next morning. ‘Were the rest of them still asleep?’ Jo wondered. ‘Impossible! They are morning people!’She was surprised to see the living room in perfect order. She found a lot of boxes full of food on the table in the kitchen. Has everyone already had breakfast? She couldn't hold back her astonishment. Was it possible that they had gone shopping somewhere?Soon, it all became clear. She found a note stuck on the refrigerator. The guys had gone for a run, and Patrick's father had sent them food. She wouldn't mind accepting that treat as she was not able to do much, with only her left hand.She was in Paris! Once again she found herself in a place she loved and wanted to make the best of it.
The Bet 100. Montmartre
To the amazement of them all, the bait was caught by Patrick’s father. After a short make-up, and a quick preparation of the set and props preparation, Jack took some photos and sent them to his employer. The shots were so realistic that he had to accept reality. He had no doubts about the credibility of the photos, knowing what his son and Jo could do. In addition, they were under the care of his trusted man, so he couldn't doubt him. These kids screwed up again. He ordered Jack to take care of the three rebellious, spoiled brats. In case of any problems, he had to give him a phone call. “In fact, you must have given him a hard time in the past because he believed what he saw so easily.” He commented on the message from his boss. “Badass was unrivaled at pissing off
The Bet 101. Assistance in distress
They were right. As soon as they got off the metro, Jack received several messages from his employer asking how his mentee were doing.He wrote back that he had to go to the pharmacy and go shopping to cook them some soup.They actually walked into a supermarket on the way from the metro to Matthew's apartment. Each of them felt like eating something different, so they had a problem with how to arrive at a conclusion regarding their meal plan. However, in the end, they left the supermarket laden with bags with a supply of food for a good week.Matthew didn't have the strength to argue with them that his fridge and freezer were limited in size and that it was the middle of summer, so all food was difficult to store there.“Take it easy.” Jo tried to cheer him
The Bet 102. Duties and predicaments
When they finished their meal, Jack left them alone. He was sure that they were not going anywhere as they felt very comfortable in Matthew’s apartment.His boss exaggerated the characters of the people he was supposed to watch over. Jack was sure that the last thing they wanted to do was wander around the nightclubs and start a brawl. All three of them were intelligent, sensible and balanced individuals; all the more reason that he didn’t understand his employer.It was enough for them to have a good time when they had tasty food and each other’s company. He had experienced it the previous evening and earlier that day. It had been a long time since he had such a good time with a lot of laughter as he did with them.He wondered what his boss was trying to achieve. Well, whatever he thought ab
The Bet 103. Golden hour
“What’s going on, badass?” Patrick was concerned.“We have a crisis, gentlemen.”“We already heard that. Could you please say more about it?” He was impatient as he saw some concerns evident on her face.“You have to call your dad to ask him to end this house arrest. Matthew has to go home tonight. His dad lost his voice because of angina.” Jo explained briefly.Meanwhile, Matthew was flipping through his calendar on his phone.“Damn it! I have to go back. I have a few important cases tomorrow. My mom won't be able to do it alone tomorrow.”“Okay. So I propose, Matthew, as you know French the best, call the mu
The Bet 104. Emergency
They walked around the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees until almost eleven o'clock. Everyone was so busy admiring the spots Jo had led them to that they even forgot about dinner.“My stomach is craving for food!” Jo reflected first, feeling a pain in her stomach.“You are always hungry.” Patrick complained.“And you are always on a diet, or not hungry.”“You eat for three, and we don't see anything on your perfect ass. It's unfair.” “Heal your thyroid, you will be able to do that too.” Jo said mockingly.“My thyroid is fine.”“Of course. You are a hypo. Go see a doctor at last.”“I don't like doctors.”“So don't eat at all. You will look perfect like me.” Jo stuck her tongue out at him.“I can say the same about you too. Instead of following your proper diet, you eat whatever falls in your hands.”“Stop! You guys started talking nonsense like Mike.” Matthew broke in and became irritated by their argument.“Don’t mention that asshole, please.” Jo pleaded.She didn’t feel like tal
The Bet 105. Change of plans
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The Bet 106. Nostalgia
“Do you have any specific place in mind that you would like to go to?” Jo asked Jack, but she hoped that the guys didn’t have any ideas and she would be responsible for planning their city trip today.“No, I don’t. We have time and plenty of opportunities.” He answered honestly. He would like to see many places.“Great! I will take care of it.” She didn’t hide her excitement.“I don’t like your enthusiasm, badass.” Patrick said straight. “Don't plan any murderous wanderings, please. Matthew needs to be in good shape tomorrow, well rested in fact.”“Fine! I will consider that.”“Why don't I trust you?” He didn't like the gleam in her eyes; he knew she was up to something again.“I have no idea!” She said innocently.“I am not joking, badass. We have to be back at three o’clock so that the boys have time to rest and prepare for the journey.”“Really?”“Yes, besides I should take them to the airport so I have to be in a good shape too, because I am not a fan of driving in places I don’t
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The Bet 133. Under control
“We already had dinner; Martin took care of our meals today.” Jack informed them.“Good guy! He also brought food for us.” Patrick realized that they had such a good time that he didn't even call and thank them for the catering. “I should call and at least say thank you.”“I already did that. We will have the catering all week.”“Sounds good, but I wish I could make use of the kitchen here too.” Patrick had some plans.“Why don't you spend your holidays far away from the kitchen? There are so many beautiful places to visit around. Besides, I'll take care of Mike.” Jack really wished that they would have a good time.“We cannot burden you with caring for him. We have to get a nurse tomorrow. And you should travel with us.”Jack was glad to hear that he wouldn't have to babysit Mike even though that one didn’t cause him any problems throughout the day. He had a great time with the bunch of big kids, and he wanted to spend some time traveling around too.Besides, his boss had clearly mar
The Bet 132. Boring day
Jo was extremely happy to see the hammock outside in the beautiful surroundings. She immediately started walking towards it.Behind her were Patrick and Matthew. When they made sure that she was comfortable, they started to unpack and unfold the garden furniture.In the next half an hour, they had dealt with most of the setting up. The patio immediately changed its face to an elegant and, above all, a comfortable place to relax. A few wooden deck chairs with a low table and umbrellas were placed near the swimming pool.The guys also put a long wooden table with eight chairs under an electric marquise, parallel to the glass wall of the villa and of course near the kitchen and dining room doors.“The table looks so good!” Jo commented from the hammock.“I feel like I am on a boat.” Matthew joked.“The owner loves sailing, so you are right. Only the wooden steering wheel is missing.” Jo laughed. She also noticed so many things related to marine life.“A wooden steering wheel sounds good.
The Bet 131. Unexpected inconvenience
”Are you worrying about Mike?” Patrick asked, seeing consternation and some kind of sadness on Jo’s face.“No, I am not worried about that asshole. He deserved it.”“Nobody deserves anything like this, badass.”“That’s not what I meant.”Patrick looked at her expecting some more explanations.“He shouldn't have gone out with you the previous day. He knew it perfectly well, so it was one hundred percent his fault. So, in that sense, he deserves it.”“I agree, but still, he is a man. You don’t understand male pride, badass.”“I understand him more than you can imagine. It’s just his fucking character.”“All of us, we have ‘interesting’ personalities, badass. For most of the people around us, we are assholes.”“I am not questioning it, Pat.” She hesitated for a moment. “But this fucking macho is one of his kind...”Patrick was speechless. He couldn’t argue with that. While he had a lot of understanding of the people around him, Mike was still a special case to him. But still he tolerated
The Bet 130. A blow
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The Bet 129. A bitter morning
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The Bet 128. Existential meditation
Mike felt much better after a nutritious lunch. There was no sign of a hangover; the only thing that bothered him, even after strong painkillers, was the ache in his ankle.He was changing the ice packs, and putting on more anti-inflammatory creams, but it didn’t help much. As soon as he was trying to put his foot flat on the floor, he saw ‘all the stars in the sky’ from pain.He didn't know if he would trigger the alarm again by opening the bedroom door, and he didn't feel like testing it.He went out onto the terrace a few times, but it was too hot to stay there.‘Why do I have to sit alone, in a deserted place like that?’ He thought. ‘I didn't have to travel so many kilometers to be accompanied only by empty walls. Did I?’ He wondered looking around the empty room.‘It is no different from my everyday life. Should holidays be like that? Do I deserve it?’ Hundreds of thoughts swirled in his head.Despite his exhaustion, he couldn’t sleep. There was no TV in the room, and watching mo
The Bet 127. Redemption
Mike was lying on his stomach with his head covered with a pillow, asking the heavens for silence. He had never imagined in his life that he would ask for such trivial things. He didn't know for how long he prayed, but he was at the end of his tether. Even if he wanted to leave the house to relocate somewhere in the garden or on the terrace, to not hear the alarm, he was not able to move that far jumping only on his uninjured leg.‘I know it's my fault, but why doesn't Jo have any pity on me? I always thought that she was an angel with a golden heart, but why is she heartless now?’ He made assumptions. ‘She knows I have a goddamn hangover. Plus, I smashed my ankle. Isn't it enough punishment for me to be here, in the middle of nowhere, alone?’Mike thought about so many things looking for a solution and he was really desperate. Finally, some clue appeared in his sore brain. He recalled that when Jo was taking a shower, there was absolutely no noise outside, so there must have been g
The Bet 126. Painful lesson
Mike was really pissed off. He screwed up his vacation, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had to accept and bear with it. As soon as he heard that the car drove away, he got up and jumped on one leg to his suitcase, and pulled out clothes which would be less obstructive in his general movements like, a loose T-shirt and short cotton shorts. He hung his ironed clothes on the armchair standing next to the bed. He returned to the bed and unwrapped the bandage. His ankle didn't look the best. The hematoma was visible on the entire surface of his ankle, despite the already quite large swelling. Considering the state of his injury, he was sure that the best solution after all was to stay at home. He lied down, tipping from side to side impatiently for a while, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts swirled in his aching head. He got up and decided to change the atmosphere of the semi-dark room a bit. ‘Damnit! It's so dark here!' He muttered under his breath and opene
The Bet 125. Apriopriate treatment
As soon as Jo realized what had happened, she lost her good mood. ‘It was predictable! Will this asshole ever grow up?’ She cursed under her breath. She felt guilty about letting him come out of the house in such a bad shape at all. She blew into Mike's bedroom, without even knocking the door beforehand, like a hurricane with a destructive force. She was ready to deal properly with her rebellious, bullish friend and all his faults, who tried to disguise from her the fact that he had sprained his leg. The image she saw right after opening the door made her feel sick, as she predicted. She was truly disgusted. Mike's hair was still wet after the shower, and his face was perfectly shaved. He was dressed in a white polo shirt, perfectly ironed, and baggy khaki cargo pants. He was sitting on the bed with his left leg propped up on the bed. His pants were rolled up as he was bandaging his ankle. On the bed, she also noticed a tube of very strong painkiller ointment. “What a fucking as
