by Rachel Astor
~ 13 ~
It was the most annoying clearing of the throat you could imagine. I mean, I’ve never been woken up by someone clearing their throat before, but let me tell you, it is obnoxious.
“Oh, you’re finally up,” Miranda said, her hands on her hips in what I’m sure she thought was an authoritative manner, but really it kind of looked more like she was a petulant child.
Which was kind of the way I was starting to think of her.
I finished blinking awake and sat up a bit straighter, looking around, remembering where I was. “Uh, yeah. Did you need something?”
“The Prince is looking for you,” she said, obviously more than a little annoyed that she had been sent out to find me.
I actually felt a little bad for her. You know, for about a half a second. Until I fully processed the depth of the scowl on her face. “He’s waiting for you in the library.”
“Thank you,” I said, gathering up my things.
“By the way,” Miranda said. “How is the book coming along?” I sincerely did not like the smirk on her face as she crossed her arms.
“Great!” I lied, and smiled my most confident smile.
Okay, my most confident fake smile, I suppose, because right then, I was in no way confident about the book, or pretty much anything else for that matter.
Hell, the only thing I’d written since I got to England was that ridiculous dream world ‘a Prince and his illegitimate lover with child’ story, which was in no way ever going to find a home in the biography.
Still, Miranda didn’t have to look so damned smug when she said it.
“Good to hear,” she said, still staring as I walked away.
I tried to hold my head high, really I did, but it was kind of hard considering I had no clue how I was ever going to write an entire book in the five or so weeks I had left in the deadline.
Of course, maybe the Prince was finally ready to start spilling about his life and I was wasting time worrying about nothing. I couldn’t help but think that writing a biography would probably be a lot easier if the biographer felt at all comfortable around their subject. I mean, I knew all the weirdness from the past few days was all in my head, but I still felt a little on edge every time I was around him.
“Hi,” Leo said, as I entered the Library. “I hope it’s okay that I sent Miranda to look for you.” His smile beamed.
“Oh sure, no problem. What’s up?”
“Well, I was thinking of heading back into London again tonight.”
I cringed internally. I mean, at least I hoped it was only internally. I often had little control over the way my body language seemed to scream every tiny thought.
“I really just need to get away for a while. There are all these pressures piling up, and well… we do need to talk a bit more about the book.”
I nodded, but inside I was thinking, a bit more? When did we even talk about it in the first place? “Sure. What did you have in mind?” I could only hope he meant heading to some obscure restaurant or something where no one would recognize him (or me!) and it would be nice and quiet so he could tell me his whole life story.
“Well,” he said, looking rather more flirtatious and conspiratorial than I would have liked. “I was thinking about sneaking off to the city and just doing a bunch of zany, crazy things that I’ve wanted to do my whole life, you know, the kinds of things that would really go great in a biography… zip lining, wall climbing, bungee jumping, white water rafting, surfing, those sorts of things. And if you do them with me, you’ll be able to write all about what they’re like, and I’ll finally be the outdoorsman the whole world seems to think I am.”
I could not stop my mouth from falling like one of those amusement park rides that leaves your stomach several stories up while the rest of you plummets down.
One might say that danger was definitely not my middle name. Of course, the entire world knew what name suited me much, much better.
Disaster.
The word filled my head like a blog’s tag cloud, different fonts, big and small, swirling in a never-ending sea.
“Um, well, I can certainly watch…” I said, trying to get the swirly-ness to stop for just a second so I could come up with a decent excuse. Not that a person should need an excuse for not wanting to put their life in danger, but, something told me the Prince wouldn’t look at it that way.
“No, no,” he said, as if he was doing me a favor. “Don’t worry about the cost or the equipment or anything. It’ll all be my treat,” he said. But honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should be “treated” by the Prince at all. “In fact I insist. You really need to get the real experiences into the book.” He beamed again.
“Um… when is all this happening?”
“Well, we’ve got five weeks left before deadline, right?”
I nodded, doing a mental freak out at how short a time that seemed.
“So, then let’s fill it up with as much as we can squeeze in!”
I really could not believe how enthusiastic he was about all of it. I mean, the most daring thing I’d seen him do in the almost two months I’d known him, was ride a horse. A very old, very tame looking horse. Way tamer than the one I got.
“Really?” I said, unable to hide my confusion anymore.
His smile faded. “Look, I know I don’t really seem like the daredevil type when you see me in person, but that’s who the paparazzi have painted me as, ever since I did a little surfing when I was in Hawaii once.”
I nodded.
“So, I think that’s why I’ve been so… hesitant about the book.”
“Well, that’s a relief, at least. I’d been thinking I was just a really bad interviewer or something.”
“No, no. It was all me, I swear. You’ve been nothing short of perfect.” His smile reappeared.
Which really did nothing to help my comfort level, given the way he was practically boring a hole right through me. Something about the way he looked at me was just a little disconcerting.
I tugged at the collar of my t-shirt even though a minute ago, it felt just fine.
“So,” he said, and clapped, startling me out of my sudden claustrophobia, “we should get started right away!”
“Um… okay… I um, guess,” was the extremely eloquent reply I gave.
Of course, there were approximately one billion and seventeen questions shooting through my brain. Was he serious about the bungee jumping thing, because I really, really did not like the sound of that? And, how much life insurance did I have again? And then there was that little issue of when the hell was I supposed to write the book if he was so gung ho about trying all these things? But maybe, most important of all: if I was going to be so busy, when was I ever going to talk to Jake? Plus his shoot would be over soon, and I just couldn’t bear to tell him not to come to see me. But… what kind of awful person would I be if I told him to come see me and then I was off wind surfing with a Prince?
“So, why don’t you go pack up your stuff, we’ll just stay in my apartment in London for the next while.” He set down the book he’d been holding. “I’ve got a few things to get together myself.” He turned to head out of the room.
I couldn’t help but wonder how often he used those whitening strips on his teeth. It had to be a lot. “Okay,” I said, wondering if I was supposed to pack absolutely everything, or what.
“Oh,” he said, turning back around. “And feel free to grab whatever you like from Melania’s old room. You’ll need swimsuits and athletic clothes and stuff. And of course disguises.” He grinned again and walked out.
I admit it, my heart started to race thinking about the giant closet again. And this time I wouldn’t be under so much pressure to pick just one thing. I officially had permission to go crazy in there. I mean, what else could “grab whatever you like” mean?
The question now was, how much time did I have? Also, how on earth did one bungee jump in a friggin’ wig? Perhaps that would be a hat day or something.
I also had to find out if there was any extra luggage hanging around. I don’t care what it took, if I couldn’t find a nice little (okay big) suitcase to fill, I’d use plastic shopping bags if I had to.
I mean, it was probably sacrilegious to put designer into a plastic grocery bag, but if it was that or nothing, I choose plastic baby!
But thank God, it didn’t come to that.
In Melania’s stuff, I actually found some of the cutest luggage. It was a dark pink set with lighter pink spots. To be honest, it was a little over the top, but it was just so… fun.
An hour—and one pink luggage set (large case, carry on, and overnight bag) stuffed very full, not to mention five boxes containing various mannequin heads with wigs, ‘cause you can’t just toss those in a bag—I went back to my room to pack my own things. Which were dismally boring in comparison of course, but they were my things nonetheless. And honestly, I didn’t even want to leave them at the castle for fear of tainting the beauty of the place.
Sadly, that meant I had an embarrassing amount of luggage.
I couldn’t bring myself to make one of the workers carry six cases, so I quickly took out my daily essentials (underwear, toiletries, etc.) and stuffed the pink overnight bag even fuller, hoping I would have everything I needed, and praying that there would be no explosions of my underwear all over the place if the zipper were to break.
Which would just be my luck.
I stood in the entrance hall waiting for Leo. The car was already pulled around the front of the house and my luggage safely tucked inside. I was kind of glad, because I didn’t necessarily want to let him know I’d stolen the pink luggage, along with practically an entire wardrobe of his ex-girlfriend’s things. I mean, he gave me permission and all, but I’d taken quite a bit. Not that anyone would ever notice anything was missing considering the sheer volume of it all, but still.
“Hey,” Leo strolled in with the tiniest little wheeled suitcase I’d ever seen. Seriously, it was like it should belong to a child.
“That’s it?” I asked, before I could stop my giant mouth from its usual flapping.
But Leo just smiled his smile in that way that he did, and said, “I’ve already got just about everything I need at the flat.”
“Oh right,” I said, stupidly, now even more self-conscious of how much luggage I’d brought. I mean, I’d pretty much packed enough for the entire five weeks, but he might have just meant we’d be in the city for a week, then go somewhere else. I had no idea.
Much to my dismay, Leo insisted on putting his teeny tiny little bag in the trunk by himself so there was no getting around him seeing what I’d brought.
And since he didn’t say anything when he climbed into the car, I chose to believe I did the right thing. I mean, I was sure I probably hadn’t, but there was nothing I could do about it at that point.
Leo chatted away most of the ride into London, thank goodness, and didn’t even pause as we passed the field from the other night. When we arrived, as expected, Leo’s flat was absolutely gorgeous. It was the penthouse suite with an amazing view of the Thames, and by the time we got there, the nighttime view of the area was insanely spectacular with all the lights of the city reflecting off the water.
The apartment was sparsely furnished, though it had every amenity you could ever need, including, I noticed as he gave me a tour of the kitchen, a cappuccino machine that would make Starbucks jealous. I absolutely loved everything about Leo’s apartment, but I had to admit, it felt a little un-lived-in, almost unloved or something.
But I’m sure it was just because Leo hardly spent any time there. It’s not like he could take care of a bunch of plants or anything.
“How long have you had this place?” I asked, kind of wondering what the heck we were supposed to do now that we were alone in his apartment.
And I was suddenly very aware of how alone we were.
“A few years…Dinner?” Leo asked.
“Um, sure,” I said, not knowing exactly what he was asking. I mean, I knew he was asking if I wanted to eat, I just didn’t know if he meant go out, or eat in, or what, and I really, really didn’t have the energy to get all dressed up in disguise.
“What’s your favorite? Pizza? Chinese? Italian?”
Whew. Looked like take out, it was. “I could really go for a great piece of pizza,” I said, smiling sheepishly, hoping I wasn’t looking totally lame for wanting a simple slice.
“Oh thank God,” he said. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to say something fancy, ‘cause sometimes a guy just needs a giant piece of greasy pizza.”
“Amen.”
The pizza got there quickly and Leo just happened to have a fabulous bottle of Cabernet hanging around. Okay, he had an entire wine collection hanging around, and Leo was in the mood for Cabernet. I mean, I didn’t really know all that much about wine, so I was game. I was pretty sure there wasn’t a “perfect pairing” wine to go with pizza anyway.
I had to admit, the wine/pizza combo was a lot better than I expected. I didn’t really think they would go together, but the wine actually made the pizza taste better. I mean, I knew wine was supposed to open up your taste buds or whatever, but I swear, it was one of the best pizzas I had ever had.
“How about a movie?” Leo asked as we were finishing up.
I shrugged. “I guess. As long as we don’t have to go out, because it’ll take me an hour just to get into disguise.”
He chuckled a little. “I still can’t believe Miranda made you sign a contract that you couldn’t be seen with me in public.”
“Eh, it’s probably for the best anyway. The paparazzi are already all over you, and apparently me too. If we were seen together, all their heads might explode.”
Leo chuckled. “Not to mention Jake probably wouldn’t like it very much.”
And that, my friends, is how you totally throw a giant elephant into a room.
Why on earth did he have to bring Jake up? Especially when even I wasn’t completely sure what was going on with him. I mean, I was like, ninety percent sure everything was okay, I just… I just wish I could get a hold of him. I cleared my throat and smiled. “I’m sure he’d be fine. He’s not really the jealous type.”
Which, of course, was a total lie.
“You know what? I think that wine made me sleepier than I thought. Maybe I’ll just head to bed.”
Thankfully, if it bothered Leo, he didn’t let on. Just went about like nothing unusual at all had occurred. “Probably a good idea, I want to get started fairly early tomorrow. Get a firm plan on our activities for the next week or so.”
“Great,” I said, trying my best to smile, still bothered by his bringing up Jake, although I was immensely relieved that tomorrow was just going to be a planning day and we didn’t have to actually start with the fear inducing—and let’s face it, probably vomit inducing—daredevil stunts that he was so gung ho about all of a sudden.
And as I pulled out my computer to get some work done—since, you know, I wasn’t actually ready for bed yet—I found myself focused on something other than what I should have been.
I swear, I just wanted to get rid of the melancholy that had washed over me, but before I knew it, three hours had passed and I’d completed another thirty pages on my silly Prince/love child story instead of the damned biography.
~ 14 ~
Morning came way too friggin’ fast. I mean, Leo thought I’d gone to bed three hours earlier than I actually had, but still… who in their right mind wakes up at six o’clock on a Saturday if they don’t absolutely have to? But apparently the answer to that question is Leo. I mean, I guess he didn’t have a real job to go to or anything, so Saturday probably didn’t mean anything much different than Tuesday or even Sunday to Leo, but I, for one, was still firmly planted on a working woman’s schedule even though I hadn’t actually had a nine to five job for a while now.
“Are you ready for the day of your life?” Leo asked?
“Uh, I know I’m no pr
ince or anything fancy like that, but I think even I’ve had a day or two that can outshine a day of organization.” I smiled and sipped the cappuccino that the lovely robot coffee master contraption had made for me. I still couldn’t figure out why Leo needed me up so stinkin’ early.
“Planning? Oh no, we’re way beyond planning. I was up for a couple hours last night and managed to book us in some times for white water rafting. We’ll be hitting the water by nine.”
I did my best to keep the coffee in my mouth, I really did, but then I just started choking and ended up spitting it all over the place anyway, hacking away for a good five minutes. When I was finally finished, Leo just looked amused and not the least bit concerned for my safety.
“How’s the cappuccino?”
I sighed. “Great. Thank you for asking.”
“So you’re all ready for today then?”
I smiled, and even though I was about the last thing away from being ready, I knew I had no choice. No matter how much I wanted it to, this biography was not going to write itself, and the Prince was suddenly bound and determined to show his previously non-existent “wild” side to the world. So therefore, I apparently had to show my wild side to the world. Except that, you know, I couldn’t really, since I’d have to be all in disguise and stuff.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, as if I didn’t have a care in the world. This whole kamikaze thing was beginning to feel almost like a dare. And I had never really been that good about backing down from a dare.
No matter how in over my head I got.
I knew it wasn’t the smartest way to be, and yet, do you think I could do anything about it?
Not in a million years.
Leo looked a little surprised, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was scared too, and was depending on me to force him to back down from doing this stuff, but I was far too determined for that. He composed himself fairly quickly though, and headed off to get ready.
