«Mmm, you sound so sexy when you speak French», Tina whispered in Bette’s ear. The brunette laughed out loud. «Then maybe I should take a course when we get back to L.A.»

Bette and Tina checked in and then went to look for their room. The hotel was small, with only 29 rooms, but very elegant and charming. Located on Montparnasse street, it was just a few blocks from Saint-Germain-des-Pres and the Latin Quarter.

«Wow, this is so beautiful», Tina said when they walked into their room. Bette agreed as she put the luggage on the bed and started unpacking. «What time is your meeting again?», Tina asked. «Only at two, so it’ll give us plenty of time to get settled and…», but Tina cut her off. «Come on baby, we’ll do that tonight. Let’s go for a walk right now», she told Bette. Her enthusiasm was so contagious that Bette took Tina’s hand and led her to the door. «All right, let’s go, baby».

They got a map of Paris at the information desk and decided to go to the Jardin du Luxembourg. They walked a few blocks, hand in hand, enjoying the sights that surrounded them.

«Did you know that an artist named Henri Matisse did a painting once called «Luxembourg Gardens», but it was stolen during an armed robbery of the Chacara do Ceu museum where it was housed», Bette told Tina when they arrived at the garden.

«Really ? Was it ever found?»

«No, never…», Bette told her. The Jardin was beautiful with an octagonal pond, where children were playing with small remote-controlled boats, numerous statues and two fountains. They noticed several chess players, enjoying their favourite pass time and they admired the Palais de Luxembourg where the French Senate met.

«This is so great», Tina told Bette, pulling her closer. «It is, baby, isn’t it?», Bette replied, gently stroking Tina’s back. They strolled around for about an hour and then they found a small café nearby where they ate croissant and cheese. They watched people go by and tried to guess which ones were locals and which ones were tourists.

Bette suddenly looked at her watch. «Oops, I have to get going…», she said.

«Can I come with you?», Tina asked.

«I thought you wanted to look around a little bit more», Bette replied.

«Yeah, I do, but I don’t want you to meet with a pretty woman without me», she said, smiling.

Bette chuckled. «How do you know she’s pretty ? You haven’t even seen her and neither have I»

«Well, she’s French, so she must be pretty and she’ll probably talk with that cute little French accent…»

Now Bette was laughing out loud. «The only woman I’m attracted to is you baby…», Bette said, leaning closer to kiss her sweetly.

«I believe you, but I still insist on going…», Tina replied, grinning mischievously.

«All right, you can tag along…»

The painter’s studio was just a few blocks away from where they were so they walked instead of taking a cab. Bette rang the door bell and waited until a pretty red head answered the door. She smiled at Bette.

«You must be Bette Porter ?», she asked, extending her hand. Bette shook it and introduced Tina. «I hope you don’t mind I brought my girlfriend. Tina, this is Julie St-Clair».

The woman smiled. «Of course not. I never go anywhere without mine…», she replied, taking Tina’s hand in hers. She gazed into her hazel eyes and gave her her most charming smile. «It is very nice to meet you Tina», she said. As they made their way to the back of the house, Bette pulled Tina closer and whispered in her ear. «Now who’s being hit on?», she teased. Tina gave her a playful tug and smiled. «Better me than you babe…», she said laughing.

Julie brought them to her studio where a naked woman was laying on a bed, surrounded by flowers. «This is my girlfriend Angèle. Sweetheart, I’d like you to meet Bette and Tina», she said. The woman didn’t appeared to be uncomfortable. She smiled at them. «Enchanté», she told them.

«So», Bette said to Julie, «I’m very eager to see your work. From what you sent me, it looks very interesting».

«Thank you… I’m looking forward to do business with you. Shall we begin?»