"I had been with the count long enough to learn some of the rules of Viagra, which included not drinking too much and taking the pill an hour and a half before you expected to need it. When you went to dinner at nine-thirty, it seemed to me you had to plan very carefully. So I was surprised and confused to watch the count consume most of a bottle of wine at dinner. Then he insisted on three after-dinner drinks in the hotel's swanky lounge. As far as I could tell, by midnight he still hadn't popped any pills.

"....I had been somewhat embarrased about the sexuality the count had brought out in me, but I was enjoying it too. I had forgotten the power of a new relationship, especially the part that is all heat and no common sense. I bought fancy underwear--not just at La Perla but everywhere, including the Italian dime store. I took long baths again. I wore high heels again. I turned into a teenage girl and I loved it, although it was also frightening. I thought about sex all the time. I certainly seemed a lot more interested in sex than the count did. How was I supposed to be playing hard-to-get when he couldn't even play get-to-hard?"

Back to: Book Review: C'est la Vie

In this review:

Book Review: C'est la Vie

Excerpt #1: Being Catherine Deneuve

Excerpt #2: Rare, medium, or well-done?

Excerpt #3: The rules of Viagra

Also see:

Book review: Almost French, by Sarah Turnbull (another first-rate Paris memoir)

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