Well, I survived.

Although, to be fair, I didn’t really know what to expect after I got off the phone with him. I mean, after I got back home from dinner on Friday, I kind of just sat there, thinking about the offer.

The money would be great, sure, I couldn’t deny that. And please don't look at me like that, okay? I wasn’t selling myself. I made it explicitly clear that I wouldn’t sleep with him. And I wasn’t far off the truth, telling him I had debts to pay. But then I decided that the money was a short term consideration. The career making secrets I’d find were the long term goals.

But anyways, the first thing I do now is call Mike. I needed to make sure everything was going to be okay. Of course, Mike is enthusiastically on board about the whole thing.

“But won't the other papers figure out that I’m not a stripper?” I asked Mike. “Won’t they realize I work for you?”

“I think you’re overthinking that one, kiddo,” he answers, taking his time with his explanation. “Once we come out with our exclusives, we make sure to create a believable cover story for you. And don’t worry, as soon as I get off the phone, I’ll get some of the best people we have to set you up as Daphne Apple. Even if the Prince does a search of public databases, all he’ll see is a fake Facebook, and some government ID hits. Totally doable.”

I think that frightens me as to how easily I can become someone else.

There’s just one final last thing bugging me.

“And you’re sure what we’re doing is right? Tell me you’re sure, Mike?” And this is it. I was entering into something to find dirt on the Prince. Why? Because dirt sold papers. And our majority shareholder who happened to be the District Attorney wanted dirt. So she could most likely kick him out of the country. I mean, you saw, right? When he wanted to be, he could be charming and personable like he was at dinner. It almost makes me forget how much of an asshole he’d been to me so long ago.

Almost.

“Yeah, kiddo, I’m sure,” Mike said with a long sigh. I could tell he’s thinking this himself. “At the end of the day, this is our job. To expose the truth. We gotta do it.”

Okay. If he says it’s okay, then I’m in.

“Get some sleep, kid. But first, get me tomorrow’s story.”

That’s right! I’m getting another shot at Abby! Yay!

I hang up and pour myself a glass of wine and begin to type up my story on my laptop. About dinner. And Per Se. And his amazingly hot body. The smell of his cologne. His blue, soulful eyes.

Oh, my.

* * *

Derrick picks me up at 8 am that Sunday. He’s got a stretch Bentley. I roll my eyes. That’s exactly what I expected from someone that I call Prince Sin.

Jake calls again, but I push it to ignore and get into the car.

“Morning, love,” he says with a smile as he gets out. “Figured we’d go do a photo op helping at a soup kitchen. What you say?”

I can’t argue with something so blatantly altruistic. “Who came up with the idea, Your Highness?” I ask.

He takes a moment to smirk at me. “Actually, it was Pressly who suggested it to my lawyer. Thought it would be a good way to spend the day. And fuck me, if they didn’t call some press accidentally.”

Figures. I wouldn't expect someone as hedonistic as Prince Sin to come up with an idea like that.

I’m quiet most of the way down Manhattan and only when we crawl through the maze-like streets of Lower Manhattan does the Prince even look in my direction.

“Seriously, Daphne,” he says with no hint of mirth. “I don’t mind doing these things…. I just never get a chance to.”

I roll my eyes again. “Too buy getting kicking the girl out of your bed?” I ask.

He actually nods in agreement! “And hung over,” he adds.

Great. He doesn’t feel a lick of shame at his actions.

We board the Staten Island Ferry after some breakfast and the Prince takes me outside. It’s already close to 11 and it’s a nice morning and I watch the seagulls fly around the boat. It’s perfect.

I take a sideways look at the Prince, seeing what he’s doing. He’s gazing out soulfully towards Manhattan. I gasp, but try to keep it to myself. Gone is the arrogant smirk, the cocky demeanor. Instead is a man, struggling with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

I’m about to say something when I hear a scream.

My head turns immediately to the stern. There’s a woman. She’s flailing her arms and screaming.

“Help!” she yells. “Timmy! My boy!”

Before I know what happens, Derrick is already rushing over. I run after him, but I can’t catch up to him.

“He fell! He fell…please someone help!” the woman is wailing. Tears are flowing down her eyes and she’s nearly hysterical. I see a little head bobbing in the water. The other people around us all turn around and are looking at her. No one is sure what to do.

Derrick doesn’t even stop, but jumps on the railing and jumps off the boat.

Well, I can’t say I expected that.

With swift and strong strokes, within seconds, he’s caught up to the boy and he takes him in his arms. He stays in place, treading against the current and waves at the mother, who is still going crazy.

By this time, some other passengers have alerted the Ferry captain and the boat slowly comes to a stop. But Derrick is already swimming up to the boat itself and by the time the emergency workers lower the life raft, Derrick is waiting, helping get the boy back to the emergency workers.

The mother weeps and cries out as the emergency personnel bring the boy up and put a blanket around him. Derrick is down below, talking to the emergency workers.

Remarkably, the Staten Island Ferry resumes service immediately, although it turns around and heads towards Manhattan.

It’s only once we dock again in Lower Manhattan that Derrick comes up to me. He’s dripping wet, and soaked to the bone.

“I think we’re going to have to cancel today’s event, love,” he says looking directly into me. “Seems our first foray into respectability is all washed up.”

I can’t help but smile. Emergency personnel have taken the child to the clinic at the ferry terminal and the mother looks towards Derrick very briefly.

She never got a chance to even thank him, I think to myself. But then again, no one will ever even know about what he did. His heroism.

Except for me.

“You smell like dirty water,” I say, cracking a rare smile at him. “I think you need to go home and change.”

He smiles back. “Let me have the car drop you off then,” he says. I hesitate. I can probably take the subway on my own. It’s a Sunday morning. “I insist,” he tells me. I finally nod my head in agreement.

“Make sure you stay on your side and don’t get me wet,” I tell him with mock sternness.

“It's my job as Prince Sin to get every woman as wet as I can,” he says with a chuckle and a smirk and I can’t help but laugh.

Only Derrick would appropriate a name meant to shame into a badge of pride.

The ride to the Lower East Side is relatively short and Derrick holds the door open for me.

“Thank you for an interesting morning,” I say to him, and before I know it, I stand on my tiptoes and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

God, just doing that is getting me all sorts of hot.

Derrick raises his eyebrows. “Did I get you fucking wet there, love?” he asks with a grin.

“No,” I reply, sticking my tongue out at him. “But you will if you get any closer.”

I’ll leave you to decide what kind of wet I’m talking about. I get too hot just thinking about it.

Derrick is happy to stand there playing along but I eventually turn around and head into my building, going up the stairs, my mind filled with thoughts of random happiness.

Those thoughts are interrupted when I see the door to my apartment jarred open. I look closer. Someone’s broken through the lock.

Oh no!

The door is off its hinges and listing to the side on one hinge. I gulp. I probably shouldn’t go inside, but I can’t help myself.

I take a step inside.

“Jenna?” I call out. No answer. The living room is untouched. I go knock on Jenna’s door. She’s not in and the door isn’t locked. I take out my phone and call her.

“What?” Jenna answers in a cold voice when she picks up.

“Have you been to our apartment?” I ask.

She sighs on the other end. “No, and don’t worry. I’m staying with my parents in Connecticut.”

That’s not what I asked her but she continues. “I’m moving out. You don’t have to see me. I think you treated Jake like a real bitch and I don’t want to be around you as you finish him off, Alicia.”

I look at the phone. Is this the same Jenna that was sleeping with my boyfriend? While I was in the apartment? What is going on? Since when did I move to Bizarro world, where Derrick is saving people and I’m becoming a social pariah?

“What did he tell you?” I ask, and Jenna sighs again in irritation.

“You know, it's not even worth it Alicia. He told me all about how you…” Jenna begins but I cut her off.

Because I’ve just walked into my room.

The window is broken. My laptop is broken and tossed on the ground. My posters are ripped from the wall. My desk chair is broken into three pieces. My mirror on my vanity is cracked – like someone took a baseball bat to it.

I hang up, not even thinking what I’m doing. I’m crying, and shaking all at once.

Someone’s wrote in black spray paint, “SLUT” across my wall.

“Oh my God,” I say to myself and I run out. Someone's been here and they came to trash my room. Why would anyone do something like that?

I call Jenna again, but it doesn’t even ring. She puts me straight to voicemail.

I’m so scared I grab my purse and run out of the apartment. So violated. So afraid.

There’s nowhere for me to go. No one for me to call.

I don’t know why I do it, but I dial his number.

He picks up on the first ring.

“Derrick,” I say with a broken voice, trembling despite the warmth of the day.

I don’t need to say any more. “Give me ten minutes,” he says. “Fuck. Give me five minutes.”

He stays on the phone not saying anything but not hanging up and literally 7 minutes later a black stretch Bentley peals around the corner and brakes hard outside my building.

Derrick bounds out and grabs me in his arms.

I sink my face in, and feel his strong arms around me, and for the first time since I get home, I start to feel a little safe.

“Someone broke into my apartment,” I say, my voice muffled into his chest. “They trashed my room.”

Derrick motions to someone and from the background I notice that he has nondescript bodyguards dressed as civilians. The man nods and opens the door to my building.

Derrick looks at me, “What apartment, love?” he asks.

“4F,” I reply weakly, not wanting him to let go. Derrick conveys this to the man standing at the entrance to my building and the man rushes upstairs. Derrick continues holding onto me.

“Sam’ll go upstairs and get whatever he can carry and bring it back to my place, okay?” Derrick asks, disengaging himself slightly to be able to look me in the eyes. “You’re coming over and staying with me until we get this whole thing sorted as well. Okay?”

He’s commanding, and takes control of the situation. But that’s exactly what I need right now. I look into his eyes and nod.

He holds onto me as he helps me into the car and the Bentley takes off.

He never let’s go the whole time.