Atonement (The Atonement Duet Book 1) by Selene Chardou

Author:Selene Chardou [Chardou, Selene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC
Published: 2016-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

***

Colin, ever the gentleman and always looking out for his interests as well as my own, took me to a place appropriately called the Beer Palace, which was conveniently located in the Aker Brygge section of downtown Oslo. We both decided to try what they had on tap and settled on a Norwegian lager that was actually quite good.

Although they had outdoors seating, I assumed we would be more comfortable inside. The weather definitely wasn’t warm enough to enjoy our time out there. I’d almost forgotten the reason why the outside beckoned for Colin.

“I could really use a ciggie. I have been extra good at my grandparents’ and I swear to God I am trying to quit, but these withdrawals are doin’ my head in,” he explained.

I smiled in return. “I’m just glad I brought my sweater coat. Come on, we can sit outside.”

We walked to the patio, and although I thought it would be a place full of twenty-something professionals, the crowd consisted of well-heeled businessmen and women of all ages who worked in the area. The place smelled like entitlement and plenty of disposable income. We were definitely in our element.

Colin had chosen to wear a pair of black slacks and a white silk shirt, a combination which complemented his naturally lean body, while I had opted for a tight black cashmere sweater, a short red skirt, black opaque tights, and black knee-length four-inch boots I had gotten on sale at the Christian Louboutin boutique the last time I’d visited Vegas.

We certainly didn’t stand out, and no one gave us a second look. Colin was tall and blond, like almost fifty percent of the crowd, and although I could not be mistaken for being an ethnic Norwegian, the place was a regular United Nations. There were people from all over the world enjoying a beer with friends and colleagues as they spoke animatedly, mostly in Norwegian.

We sat at a table, and I sipped from my lager. It was strong but went down smoothly. I people watched as he pulled out a pack of Camel Crush and politely offered one to me. I knew I shouldn’t, since I had done so well at quitting beforehand, but as a former ex-smoker, the thought of sitting there and not indulging was too tempting, so I took one and he immediately lit it for me.

He lit his own cigarette, inhaled and exhaled with ecstasy. “Oh, wow. That’s what I have been missing. Once we get back to Seattle, I’ll quit again, but it’s just too tempting here not to indulge in all my naughty habits.”

“Yes, smoking does seem very European, doesn’t it?” I asked. We both laughed, and it came so easily to both of us. “So, how did you find this place anyway? I was expecting some ratty little dive full of university kids with bad eighties music playing on the jukebox.”

“How do we ever find places? I Googled nightclubs in Oslo and this one seemed promising. Technically, it isn’t a nightclub, but there are some pretty cool ones not far from here if you’re in the mood later.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.