Chapter 9
From his seat on the couch in the foyer, Victor watched his brother approaching. Oscar was shorter than Victor, but just as muscular. The scowl on Oscar’s face reminded Victor that their last phone conversation had not been good. Oscar had been upset with the amount of time that Victor was spending in California.
He hasn’t even seen my house in LA, thought Victor angrily. Why does he think that he knows what is best for me? He acts as though this country would fall apart without his self-sacrifice.
As Oscar neared, Victor lifted his lips in a smile. The last thing he wanted was to allow his brother to know that his disapproval affected him.
“Where’s the girl?” Oscar asked.
“Resting,” Victor said. “We’ve been traveling all day, so that we could get here in time for your party.” Victor emphasized the effort. Two can play the game of self-sacrifice, Victor thought.
“I’m honored,” Oscar said cooly. “Well, I’m looking forward to meeting her. Mother has given me some very…. interesting… background information.”
“I’m sure she has.”
“You know her father has been arrested on several different occasions?” Oscar asked. “Once, he was found drunk on a stranger’s couch. Not exactly a stand-up citizen. And her mother—”
“Jessica didn’t grow up with everything handed to her on a silver platter,” Victor said. “That made her who she is today.”
“For better or worse,” said Oscar. “I just hope you know that people look up to us, Victor. We are models of morality. I don’t want this… relationship… to become fodder for tabloid news—a reason for the public to look down on us instead of up.”
“The way the people’s heads are turned doesn’t matter to me,” Victor said.
“No, it never has,” Oscar said.
“Oh shut up!” Victor snapped. “I’m sick of listening to you lecture me from your high horse. Just because you chose a wife based on public rating polls doesn’t mean that I have to.”
“‘Wife’?” Oscar said, clearly shocked. “Girlfriend, Victor. You’re nowhere near ready to think about choosing a wife. Not until you have all of this nonsense out of your system. And you need a haircut.”
“I just cut it.” Victor said. “And don’t tell me that I’m not ready for a wife. This nonsense is who I am, Oscar. It might not fit into your mold of who I should be, but it’s not a phase I’m going to grow out of. I’m never going to stop seeking happiness, Oscar. Maybe you should give it a try. You might find that you’d become less of a controlling asshole. You might actually smile once in a while. Or laugh.”
Oscar’s face flushed. He wore a tuxedo, with the top button clenched tightly around his neck. A baby blue silk tie finished off the look, and as Oscar’s face grew redder and redder, Victor noticed the veins popping out on his neck. They bulged against the tight fitting tie and collar.
“Breathe, Oscar,” Victor said cooly. “Better yet, try getting laid. That’s what I just did.”
Oscar started sputtering, trying to voice his rebuttal.
Victor laughed, and didn’t wait to hear his brother’s response. He turned and walked in the other direction.
There was still an hour until the party started, and he needed to get dressed. For all of his bravado in front of his brother, he knew that there were certain benchmark behaviors he had to meet. He had to wear a tux to the party, for example. I hope that Jessica brought a formal gown, he thought suddenly. Why didn’t I think to ask her?
Shit.
She must have, right?
She knows this is a formal party. Ah well, there’s nothing I can do about it now. The party's in an hour.
He glanced down at his watch, and saw that it was now five after four. She must be waking up now.
The time reminded him that Chelsea would arrive in less than half an hour.
I need to talk to Chelsea about the school plans, thought Victor.
The fact that Chelsea was going to Kilu Island with the family at the end of the month didn’t surprise him. She was heavily involved in literacy projects, and the island trip was going to focus on erecting a school in one of the poorer sections.
Victor smiled to himself as he thought of the last trip to the island. Seeing the children smile and celebrate with joy when the entered the school that he and his family had erected had been one of the best feelings he’d ever experienced.
It’s not about the ratings, he thought as he reached the staircase and began climbing. His hand slid along the smooth railing, and in his mind he pictured the children’s smiling faces. It’s about the good things that I can do, in this position. Being royalty is a pain in the ass sometimes. But it’s all worth it when something like that happens. When I truly get to help. When my position allows me to really help, to really make a difference. Not just in one life, but in many lives.
It’s taken me a long time to grow into it, but I see it now.
I have to tell Jessica about it. Maybe one day, she’d like to help with one of the schools. I want her to experience it too.
He reached the top of the stairs, and looked down the hallway that held Jess’s guest room. I wonder if she’s up? he thought. He glanced at his watch again. I’d better get ready. I need to dress, and then—oh Fuck, I told mother I’d meet with PR. And then I’ll have to meet with Chelsea to discuss plans for the school.
Victor hurried off down a hallway in the opposite direction as Jess’s room.
*****
Jessica stared down at the red lobster on her plate.
The lobster seemed to look back up at her.
She shuddered and reached for her glass of white wine. The wine was crisp and fruity, and made up for the fact that she barely recognized any of the dishes that had been served so far at the birthday dinner.
Her stomach contracted as she sipped the wine, reminding her with the hunger pang that she couldn’t survive the evening on alcohol alone, no matter how delicious it may be.
She turned to Victor, to see how he would approach the shellfish on his plate.
To her annoyance, Victor was facing away from her. He was, as he’d been often that evening it seemed, deep in conversation with Chelsea, the woman on his other side.
They spoke Danish, so Jessica couldn't understand what they were saying. At times, over the last few hours, Victor had translated for her. It seemed that, mostly, the two were discussing some kind of literacy project on a foreign island that Jessica had never heard of.
Jessica tried to make sense of the information, but she felt so out of her element that she’d barely found relevant things to add to the conversation. Chelsea, on the other hand, seemed to have no shortage of information to add—details about the weather on the island, the latest fundraising news, and charming stories about the natives who she was in touch with.
Chelsea, thought Jessica angrily.
She picked up the silver contraption that lay by her dinner plate, as she saw several other people doing. She fitted the silver tool so that it was snug around one of the lobster’s claws. Though Jess had never eaten a lobster, she was pretty sure that she knew what she was doing.
She heard Chelsea laugh, a soft, delicate, flirtatious laugh.
That bitch, thought Jessica, as she applied pressure to the silver tool. To Jess’s satisfaction, a snapping sound erupted and the claw cracked in two, exposing a strip of pink and white meat.
Jess breathed out sharply, letting out more of the evenings frustration as she moved the tool away from her plate.
The blissful cloud she’d been riding after sex had long faded.
After her nap, she’d showered and dressed for the party. When she began searching for Victor, she couldn't find him, and this had given her a sense of panic.
Unfortunately, the sense of unease hadn’t left her, even after Victor had turned up and apologized for letting her wander around the huge house on her own.
The addition of Chelsea to the mix had done little to improve Jessica’s mood.
Victor swiveled his head in her direction, and then placed a hand on her thigh, below the table cloth. “You doing okay?” he asked.
Jessica gave him a look. She wanted to ask him to stop paying so much attention to the woman that was clearly her rival, but she didn’t want to come out and say it.
I shouldn’t have to ask, she thought.
Victor raised his eyebrows.
Jessica wondered if he was catching her drift.
But when he spoke again, his words informed her that he was not. “Are you?” he asked. “I can help you with the lobster, if you want, baby.”
“That’s not the problem,” Jessica said softly, through her teeth.
Before she could say more, the clinking of a knife against a glass interrupted them. Jessica looked up towards the head of the table, where a man that Victor had introduced as the King stood.
Victor’s mother, the Queen, stood up as well, and joined her husband at the head of the table.
Jessica felt embarrassed as she looked at the Queen's’ formal gown.
I wish I’d known, Jessica thought, as she reached her hands down to her own dress. It was a light, cotton sundress, in a crinkly, white material. It was short, and low cut as well. She loved the way she looked in it, and Victor promised that he did as well, but it was shockingly informal compared to the Queen's attire.
Chelsea knew what to wear, thought Jess bitterly.
The woman on Victor’s other side was dressed in a beautiful formal gown, in a champagne color that set off the blond in her hair. She wore elaborate chandelier earrings which dripped with rich blue-green sapphires, which brought out the aquamarine of her eyes.
Jessica brought her finger up to her own ears, which she’d decorated with the pair of earrings she’d brought to go with the dress. They were white squares, made with the pearlescent inside of a seashell. She’d loved the earrings when she'd first bought them, but now they felt cheap and silly. Seashells, she thought. What was I thinking?
I was thinking that this was going to be a summer vacation home. How could I have been so naïve? This is a royal family.
I am so not prepared for this.
Thoughts of doubt and inadequacy buzzed through her mind as the King delivered a speech in Danish, and then the Queen chimed in.
When the rest of the dinner guests laughed, Jessica forced herself to laugh as well. When applause erupted, and Victor’s brother stood up to accept what Jessica assumed must have been his birthday well wishes, Jessica clapped as well.
The dinner party hushed as Oscar began to speak. He spoke in Danish, and Jessica felt her mind begin to wander.
As she looked from face to face around the table, she was once again bathed in her insecurities. She focused on the women. How do these people do it? she thought, examining the perfectly polished hair and makeup, and elaborate jewelry. Her thoughts were interrupted when her stomach gave a loud growl.
Oh my god, thought Jessica, her hands flying to her stomach. Was that me?
She looked around to those nearest to her. Victor’s aunt was on her right, and Victor sat at her left. Neither was looking at her.
Her stomach growled again.
I have to eat something, thought Jessica, her heart racing with panic. This is so embarrassing!
Oscar’s monotonous voice droned on.
Come on, come on! Jessica thought. Just make your point already, and let’s all continue eating. Though she’d cracked a claw on her lobster, she hadn’t had a chance to eat any of the meat inside before the speeches began.
Finally, guests around the table began clapping, letting Jess know that the speech was finally done. Jessica clapped dutifully, and then reached for her silver cracking tool.
I need to eat something. Fast, she thought.
She managed to get the tool around the body of the lobster, and she squeezed the prongs together forcefully.
To Jessica’s horror, as the red lobster shell cracked beneath the pressure she applied, juice exploded out of the lobster body.
The green, chunky mess flew through the air and splattered around her plate in all directions.
Jessica felt the hot liquid hit her cheeks, chin, neck, and chest. She heard a cry from her right, and looked over to see that it had exploded onto Victor’s aunt as well.
The woman was dripping with lobster guts.
The entire dining room became silent.
Jessica stared at the green chunks that had landed on the white table cloth.
No! She thought. No, no, no. She couldn’t look up to see the expressions of those around her. She stared at the table, feeling the goo drip down her face. What the hell was that?
The silence stretched on.
Jessica felt her cheeks burning.
Then, to make matters worse, she heard the sound of laughter. Who would dare laugh at me, now? She thought briefly, in the instant before she recognized Victor’s rich, hearty laugh. A second laugh joined in, and Jessica immediately recognized it as the high pitched, breathy laugh of Chelsea.
Tears pricked Jess’s eyes, threatening to spill over her lids.
She pushed her chair back, refusing to make eye contact with anyone around her. Before the tears could overflow, she stood up off of her seat, turned, and fled from the room.
Jessica was blinded by her tears as she attempted to run through the house to her guest room. She took the stairs two at a time, and then barreled down the long hallway. It took her three attempts to find the right room among the many similar looking doors, but finally she saw her belongings.
Immediately, she went to her suitcase and pulled out leggings and a tee shirt. She went to the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
As she splashed cool water over her face, she began to calm down. I have to get out of here was the first thought that came to her mind. I have to get out of these clothes. I’m not going back to that party.
He laughed at me.
She pulled off her dress, and wiped away the remaining lobster guts on her upper chest with a cool washcloth. Then, as she pulled her tee shirt over her head, she heard knocking at the bathroom door.
“What?” she snapped.
“Baby?” Victor’s voice was deep, rich, and as sexy as ever.
Jessica pulled up her leggings and then dried her face with a towel.
“You in there? Jess?”
Jessica pulled the bathroom door open. She glared at Victor. “You laughed at me,” she said.
“I was laughing with you, baby,” Victor said.
“I wasn’t laughing,” Jessica said.
“It was funny!” protested Victor. “You should have seen…” his voice died down when he saw how upset Jessica was. “I’m sorry,” he said, backtracking. “I shouldn’t have laughed.”
“That was completely embarrassing!” Jessica shouted. “I just made a fool of myself in front of your entire family.”
“It happens,” Victor said. “It’s good for them. Once in a while they need to see something real. Something that’s not perfectly refined.”
“Great,” said Jessica, her shoulders slumping. “I’m glad I can provide some entertainment for your family.” She tossed the towel that was still in her hands onto the floor, and walked towards the bed.
Victor pivoted in place, watching her.
“You’re not entertainment,” said Victor. He smiled. “Though I have to admit, that was pretty damn entertaining.”
“I’m not going back to the party,” Jessica said.
“Baby, it wasn’t that bad. It was one little mistake.”
“It’s not just that,” Jessica said, thinking about the way Chelsea had laughed along with Victor, and the way Oscar had glared at her. She thought of the way Victor’s mom had sneered at her.
“I feel like it’s me against your family down there. When did I become the enemy?”
“They think politically,” Victor said. “They think you’re a threat to the family's approval ratings. Every decision that they make is about the country, and the public.”
“What about you?” asked Jess. “Do you think politically?”
She saw Victor hesitate.
Suddenly, she didn’t want to hear his answer. She pushed on. “I need to think about all of this,” she said.
“Just come back down to the party,” Victor begged.
“In what?” Jessica asked. “That was my only dress, and I ruined it.”
She saw Victor eye her pants and tee. Again, he hesitated. When he spoke, his voice sounded uncertain. “In that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. They want to get to know you… the person that you are.”
“No one down there wants to get to know me,” stated Jess. She felt one hundred percent sure that it was true.
“Please,” Victor begged.
Jessica sighed. “I’ll think about it. You go. Your family needs you there. Besides, I’m sure you have plenty of details to iron out with Chelsea about your upcoming trip,” she couldn’t hide the attitude from her voice as she spoke. She saw that this hurt Victor.
“Yes,” he said. “Actually, I do.”
“Then go,” Jessica said again. “I’ll be down when I’m ready.”
If I’m ready, thought Jess.
“Okay,” Victor said. He stood up off of the bed. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t a big deal. You’re going to look back on this and laugh.”
Jessica didn’t respond. She watched Victor stand and walk to the door.
He stepped out and closed it softly behind him, as if she was an invalid that needed quiet in order to heal.
Jessica covered her face with her hands and flopped back onto the bed. This couldn’t be going any worse, she thought. She felt paralyzed as she lay there. Again, the thought came to her: I have to get out of here.
The thought of facing Victor’s family again, ever, seemed as terrifying as the thought of sticking needles into her eye. I can’t do it, she thought. I won’t let them look down on me any longer. I don’t deserve this.
Maybe Candice is right. Maybe real relationships are best when they're based on similarities, not differences.
She lifted her phone, and began to plan her escape.
An hour later, she found herself creeping through the house, her ears perked for sounds of people approaching. She could hear the faint sound of music emanating from one area of the house, so she moved away from the sound. By the time she located the vast, six car garage, her heart was pounding with nervousness.
But her desire to escape the confines of the house was stronger than her nervousness. The car that she and Victor had arrived in, a black Porsche, was first in the lineup of vehicles.
The valet operator that had greeted them as they arrived was nowhere to be seen.
Jessica looked around the tidy garage and located a wooden box hanging on the wall by the garage's interior door. It was slightly open, and she opened it farther and peered inside.
There were several sets of keys hanging in an organized manner, and it didn’t take long for Jess to locate the Porsche's keys. She also found a button which opened up the garage doors.
Is this theft? she wondered, as she clutched the keys in one hand and the handle of her rolling suitcase in the other.
Who cares? As long as I can get out of here. That’s all that matters to me right now.
She felt a surprising thrill as she started up the Porsche and eased it out of the garage and onto the curving driveway.
The sun had set, and the landscape was lit with small lights that lined the expansive driveway. Jessica picked up speed as she headed down the drive, slowing only for the gate on the property's perimeter. She was relieved that the gatekeeper recognized her.
“Miss Jessica,” he said. “Where is Prince Victor?”
“He’s staying at the party,” Jessica said, trying to keep her cool. “I’ve been called back home by a family emergency. I hate to leave so soon, but I have to!”
“Safe travels, Miss Jessica,” The gatekeeper said.
Jessica cruised through the gates and out onto the open road. Shifting into fourth and then fifth gear, she let the Porsche's powerful engine propel her forward, away from her failures.