The next morning, I had decided to take our guest shopping.  If this baby was mine, it was important that I show Savannah that I can provide for her and the baby like no one else.  Of course, we couldn’t go shopping in Los Angeles.  I’m not a tourist.  I would have to take her to the proper shops in Paris for the day.

As I approached the guest wing, I saw her door open.  Byron popped his head out.  He didn’t see me and I backed into the shadow of a column before he looked in my direction.  Satisfied that he thought no one was watching, he snuck away.

The fool!  This time of the morning someone might see him.  The servants talk!  I told him to come here, but I did not want him to be seen!  Where is his common sense?  Where is his discretion?!

Bursting into the room, I decided to confront Savanah.

“Savannah, you’ve slept with Byron,” I stated.

For a moment, she looked ashamed, but then composed herself.

“I did,” she said cautiously.  “Don’t be jealous.”

“I am not jealous!” I said, perhaps a little too forcefully.  “I am angry because Byron shows no discretion.”

“Discretion?” she said warily.  “No offense, Dominique, but you guys don’t exactly have a reputation for that.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The press here labeled you two as the “bad boys of Europe” and that you’re both wild and crazy.  Your parties, your women---  They’re all in the tabloids.”

“I do not dignify such rubbish by reading it,” I dismissed. 

“Good for you, but it doesn’t change the fact that you have a reputation,” Savanah continued.  “If you two had any discretion, you wouldn’t have that reputation.  I think you’re just mad that he was in here with me and in me.”

“You are very vulgar,” I said.

“And you are an arrogant prick,” she said insultingly.  “You think just because your family’s rich you get to control everything.  Can we please get the paternity test going?  I mean, isn’t that important?”

“We will, but for now I am taking you shopping.  Pack your bag.”

“Shopping?  I don’t want to go shopping.  I don’t have time!”

“The baby will need things,” I insisted.

“The baby is at least five months away!” she said.  “Why are you worrying about it now?”

“You do not think of the future,” I said.

“The paternity test is the future,” she pointed out.  “You may not even be the father.”

“I don’t care whether or not I’m the father,” I said.  “Do you not see how I feel about you?”

“You were gone in the morning after we had sex!” she snapped.  “At least Byron stayed!”

“I did not want to cause a scandal!” I growled.  “You do not understand the court politics in my country.  People would not understand!  My father, the King, would not understand.  It is one thing for rich young men to come to America and have a wild time.  It is another for a man to sleep with a woman who is having another man’s baby.”

“That is a weird distinction to make,” she said suspiciously.  “I think you’re just jealous of Byron.”

“Think what you want.  Now will you got shopping with me or not?!”

“I don’t really want to go.”

“We will take my jet.  Do you want to just sit in the embassy for days?”

“I want us to take the test first.  Start the test and I’ll go.”

“Fine!”

I stormed out.  Women can be so infuriating!  They cannot simply do what they are told.  They must question, question, question, question everything.  I summoned one of our doctors.  He took blood from Byron, Savannah and I.  I did not tell Byron that we were going shopping.  Let him find out about it later.  Finally, I went back to the room and found Savannah sitting on the bed reading her phone.

“Now, we will go shopping,” I insisted.

“I suppose.”

“I’m taking you to Paris, the most romantic city in the world to buy you things and you act as if I’m trying to get you to go to the dentist!” I snapped. 

“All right, all right, I’ll go if it’s so important to you,” she relented.  “You’re very cute when you’re jealous and possessive.”

“I am not jealous,” I said.  “It is not about the sex, I tell you.”

“Uh-huh,” she said in disbelief.

“It’s about common decency.  Something you don’t understand.”

“Uh-huh.”

She further annoyed me by still being unready with her bag.  I waited until she packed.  If she had any consideration, she would’ve already packed her bag or had a servant pack one like I did. 

We stopped by her place to get her passport.  It was a very small place.  I don’t know how people live in these “apartments”.  It’s like they’re in one room of a big house, but don’t know each other.  My God, they must be constantly tripping over one another!  And judging by the size and number of people in the building, they couldn’t have more than two or three rooms to themselves!  Imagine not having a private room for watching TV or smoking or relaxing or drinking or eating---  You’d have to do it all in one space!  You’d be tripping over your servants constantly!  Ridiculous!

It was at her apartment that the paparazzi caught up to us.  She rushed back into the limo as the cameras flashed.  I kept to the inside of the limo where I could not be seen.  The moment she was inside and shut the door, I told my driver to lose them.

“As you wish, my prince,” said the driver.

My driver was a former race car driver in my country.  It’s why I hired him.  I don’t remember his name, but he was a good man.  He sped through the hills of Los Angeles, whipping the limo around, once knocking over a mail box or planter or something. 

“Jesus Christ!” cried Savannah on the drive.  “Is this guy nuts?”

The moment of the turn slid her closer to me and I put my arm around her.

“Don’t worry, Savannah, you are in good hands,” I smiled.  “I shall protect you.  Like the airbag only more handsome.”

She laughed.  Finally, we were having fun again.

“Sorry about earlier,” she said.  “I just---  This whole thing has really thrown me off my game.  It’s not that I don’t want to go to Paris, I just feel like I’m dropping the ball on my career.  I worked really hard for it and now it’s falling apart.”

“Don’t say such things,” I said.  “This is just a minor set back in life.”

“What do you know about set backs?”

“It is all relative, my dear.  For me, a setback is that my private helicopter is not working on the yacht and I am forced to take a boat to shore and be late for a party.  For the poor people, maybe they do not eat for a day.”

“Wow, you have been rich your whole life, haven’t you?”

“My point is, you cannot let life’s little bumps upset you.  You are a smart, capable and very feisty woman.  Let nothing stop you and it won’t.”

My driver took another step turn and we found ourselves on the tarmac of the airport. 

“Wow, you guys can drive right on the tarmac,” noted Savannah as she got out of the limo.  “And the jet’s ready to go.”

“See?” I said.  “Now if it wasn’t ready, that would be a little set back.  I would not let it stop me.  I would fuel another jet immediately.”

“You are a true inspiration to all,” she said, mildly sarcastic.

We entered the jet.  The servants there were ready to feed us lunch.

“So, wait,” she said almost in disbelief.  “We’re just going to go right to Paris while we have a sandwich?”

“Sandwich?” I said incredulous.  “That’s not on the menu.  My jet makes an excellent Duck a l’Orange, although the wine list is still a bit lacking.”

“I didn’t think they could fit a whole wine cellar on a jet,” she mused.  “You princes really know how to live.”

“Yes and you actresses---  Well, the apartment building is interesting to me,” I said.  “How do you all share a bathroom?  There must be so many people in the morning.”

“We have our own bathrooms,” she explained.  “It’s not a flophouse.”

“That would be one down from an apartment building, then?”

“Yes,” she said.

“I do not think I would like this flophouse,” I thought aloud.  “Unless I choose my housemates.  Do they get to choose?”

“Not really,” she said.

“Fascinating.  We shall have to visit one sometime.”

“Oh, no-no-no-no-no.”