I couldn’t just have Aaron buy everything I needed.  Some stuff was just too personal anyway.  I called Naomi and told her to pack my bag and drop it off at the embassy.  She was super busy and eventually had her assistant drop off the bag.

When you’re an actress, you’re used to moving onto movie sets.  I had a bag for just such an outing.  Actually, I had two ready to go.  The extra one was in case that I came back from a shoot and had to go right back out the door.  This is the bag that I had delivered.

It was simple, I could lay low here, get the paternity test and then see who the daddy is.  No way these high and mighty European snobs would want to marry an “actress.”  They think we’re all whores or at least that’s what I read once.  I’m sure that whatever prince was the father would accept the child, but never me.  Dominique probably wanted someone more princess-like.

Poking my head out of the bedroom door, I called for Aaron and then for Dominique, but they weren’t nearby.  I decided to explore the place on my own.  No big deal, right?  Just an American wandering around this huge embassy complex.  It’s not like I could hurt anything.

First off, understand that this building was big enough to have wings.  Yes, that’s right, plural, wings.  Since it used to be an old hotel, it already had tons of guest rooms.  Every room was as opulently furnished as mine.  Velvet curtains, silk sheets, hand carved antique furniture that had been sitting in some duke’s villa or some monarch’s estate for the last five hundred years until the princes bought it up.  That’s how the princes rolled!

“Madame,” a voice suddenly said.

Startled, I turned around.  It was Aaron.

“I’m sorry, did you require something?”

“Oh, not really,” I said embarrassed.  “I just wanted to look around.  Is that okay?  I mean, you guys aren’t holding any state secrets here, right?”

Aaron seemed not to understand.  He looked at me blankly.

“That was a joke.”

“Oh, very good Madame,” he said routinely.  “I’d be happy to show you around.  Andalia’s greatest artists contributed to the décor.”

“I don’t really know much about your country,” I said, feeling ignorant.  “Is it very modern?”

“Mostly, Madame,” he explained.  “The Royal Family doesn’t hold any political power anymore.  Their titles are more symbolic, like the Royals in England.  Still, as in England, the people are very fond of the Royal Family.  It goes back many hundreds of years.”

“Does the same go for Byron?  I mean, Prince Byron?” I asked.

“Crown Prince Byron,” he corrected.  “And yes, Breynia is not dissimilar.  We spent many years at war with his country over the centuries, but now we are great allies and friends.  Their Highnesses are likewise great friends, Madame.”

“Well, that’s nice,” I said, pleasantly surprised.  “Guess there are few people they can relate to.”

“Yes,” he agreed.  “It is very lonely at the top and they are both at the top of their respective countries.  They are the richest, the most famous and the most powerful---  Well, figuratively speaking.”

“Do you know where Dominique went?”

“I believe he’s working out, Madame,” explained Aaron.  “Both the princes enjoy an extensive regime of exercise and nutrition.  Much like professional athletes in your country.”

“Why are they so fit?  I mean, it’s a health thing, I assume.”

“Being a prince leaves one with an extraordinary amount of free time, Madame.  His ancestors sometimes used that time to do nothing but eat.  But one only lives so long that way.  So the princes decided that they would be as fit as possible.  However, their boundless energy often leaves them restless.  I guess there’s a price to be paid whether you’re fit or not.”

Aaron gave me a tour of the rest of the embassy.  There were rooms for almost any situation.  There were rooms to sign documents, to discuss important matters, there were lounges, smoking lounges, libraries, an indoor pool, kitchens, quarters, dressing rooms---It went on and on.  I was kind of hoping he’d hand me a map so I could find my way back to my room.  Fortunately, he walked me all the way back.

“Thanks for the tour, Aaron,” I said.

“Very good, Madame,” he bowed.

Back inside my room, the only thing that stood out from the endless opulence I had seen was my bag.  Good luck finding this room again if I got lost!

Laying down on the bed, I thought of Byron.  It seemed wrong to keep the baby from him.  I had to call him, right?  I mean, one little call couldn’t hurt, right?

I dialed him up.  Byron, a little drunk, answered.

“Hey, who is this?” he asked.

“Hey, Byron, it’s Savannah Kelly,” I said.  “Can I talk to you a minute?”

“Oh, my God, Savannah?” he said pleasantly.  “I was just thinking about you.  That is so weird.”

“Listen, I know its weird calling you up out of the blue like this,” I started.  “But I really need to talk to you.  I know you’re in Napa, but I’m at the embassy.”

“Actually,” he explained.  “I’m coming back to L.A. tomorrow  Napa was---  Well, I can’t go back to certain wineries now.  Too good of a time, you understand.”

“I see…”

“I’ll be you’d like a repeat performance of that night at the party,” he laughed.  “God, that was fun.  Wasn’t that fun?  That was a lot of fun.”
“It was fun,” I agreed.  “Almost, too much fun.”

“No such thing,” he laughed.  “I want to see you.”

“So come see me,” I offered.  “Dominique gave me a room for a few days in the embassy.”
“Ah, ha!  You do want to sleep with us again!  I knew it!”

Well, technically that wasn’t untrue.  It was honestly the most erotic sexual experience I had ever had.  Better than just one man, so I wasn’t lying when I said---

“I actually do.  Come by soon, okay?  Plus I have to tell you something, but that can wait.”

“Wait, what is it?”
“Ask me tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said, hanging up abruptly.

I wasn’t sure I had done the right thing.  Now Byron was going to rush back here thinking he was getting laid, but finding out he was maybe a dad.  That was kind of a big let down for a guy, but why risk it?  Byron was uber rich.  He might freak out and bolt.  What would I do if they both took off to Europe and never came back again?  Could I even sue them for support?  Sure, they were rich, but their families may not want us around at all.  That would be depressing.  Good enough to fuck, but not good enough for their families.  I wonder how many hundreds of years that had been going on!
Aaron brought me some dinner.  I asked about Dominique, but he was nowhere to be seen. 

“Is this how princesses live?” I asked Aaron.

“It’s not my place to say, Madame,” he demurred. 

My dinner included pheasant stuffed with some kind of stuffing made from bread and berries that I didn’t recognize.  The side dish was little carrots and it included a small roll that looked like it had been backed just for me.  It was delicious and was followed by a cheesecake that was absolutely divine.  I was surprised Dominique wasn’t here wining and dining with me. 

Guess we were done.  He probably was freaking out over being a dad.  Love ‘em and leave ‘em, that’s what princes do, right?  I mean, you can’t have a bastard on the throne, I imagine.

After letting my food digest and putting my tray outside my door, I retreated to a private bathroom that was elegantly furnished.  I took a bath in a freestanding claw foot tub.  The bathroom had been stocked with top-of-the-line cosmetics, soaps and perfumes.  I mean, seriously, the medicine cabinet had about $4K worth of product in it easy.  And, judging by the amount of rooms they had in this place, I figured they must’ve had something like $160K in product alone.

Finishing the bath, I got ready for bed.  It had been a long and stressful day, but the bath really helped.  I found a remote, but didn’t see a TV.  I pushed the button.  One of the paintings disappeared and the television came on.  It was a huge painting and I should’ve known it was a TV.  They had every possible channel.  Staying here was like staying at a Four Seasons.  I watched a few hours of TV, flipping through the various selections.  These days, there were too many choices.

Then, just as I was about to roll over and go to sleep, there was a knock at the door.  I knew it had to be Dominique.  It was time to get some answers.  At the very least, I might learn something about this crazy country he supposedly ruled.  If not, well, I could show off my sexy nightie.