In Over Her Head by Elsie Russell - Parnasse.com

laughed and poured more wine.
Penny attacked her plate of cured ham, sausage, pâté, tiny little
pickles and thick slabs of the same bread she'd had earlier at Dick's.
Normally, she was more or less a vegetarian, but she was letting that
slide for now.
"So, do you and Max live around here? Dragon Street, that's
intense, you live in the same apartment, right?"
"No, no, yes, yes, we live in the "quartier," on the Rue du
Dragon, but we have adjacent apartments, you know, not so big, just
the floor, it is very expensive around here."
"Expensive? You dress like a million bucks, what are you
talking about?"
"Oh, the clothes, well, this is Paris, one must look good, no?
Our place is not so—the quartier is convenient but also richissime. Our
place is not. It is converted chambres de bonnes, like garrets, but we
have an elevator, so rare for old buildings."
"Yeah, I live in a fancy part of town too, and it sure is
convenient. Little Italy and Chinatown have everything I need. Have
you been to Manhattan?"
"No, no, not yet, but Ula has told me all about your
neighborhood. All the best shops are there now, Chanel, everybody,
just like here."
"Yeah, the designers. I hate shopping, I get every thing mail
order," Penny said. She'd been waiting for this.
"Your hunting jacket is too big, No zero in the catalogues? But
the outfit and the boots are perfect, yes?" Maia winked at Penny.
"Alessandro got those. I guess he thought I would blend in
better in these than jeans and hiking boots."
Maia's laugh rippled out, and she drained her beer to the slice of
lemon at the bottom.
"Quel drôle de zèbre. He is a strange one, Sandro, so serious,
really. I must tell you about him."
She pressed her lips together and fished her cigarettes from the
narrow purse.
"Cigarette?" She offered Penny the pack, then without waiting
for an answer, lit one for herself and took a long drag. Maia exhaled,
leaned in confidentially.
"So, Beatrice, the famous Roman model is Sandro's mother.
She has an affair with this married older man. He is richissime with a
title, a real catch, so she thinks he will divorce and marry her if she has
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