“Everything is going to be fine. I wish Christian Gray were going to be there,” she says with a giggle.
I file that away for later.
“But it might be nice to have a backup plan in case you’re put in a situation you aren’t comfortable with.” She’s right—she thinks of everything. “You’re a viral sensation now. There might be some rich ladies who might want to… you know? Touch.”
My heart begins to beat a little faster at that thought.
They wouldn’t, would they?
“How about sunflowers for the safe word?” I tell her.
She smiles. “Sunflowers is perfect.”
We arrive not long after. The driver opens my door, I step out, and round the car, then he opens hers. I hold out my hand for Emily to take as she steps out of the limousine. The flashes of the paparazzi go off immediately. They are blinding there’s so many of them.
Emily nervously squeezes my hand.
“It’s going to be okay,” I try and reassure her, but in truth, it’s me who needs the reassurance. I don’t let go of her hand as we walk the red carpet. Just having Emily close to me is giving me the strength to walk along the red carpet answering mundane questions about my art from the reporters hanging over the red rope waiting for us.
“Louis… Louis,” the paparazzi shout. The flashes continue to go off all around us. I wave and smile for them, but I don’t stop, I’m not ready for their inappropriate questions.
“Louis, is this your girlfriend?”
“Miss… miss… who are you?”
They start to hound Emily. She tries to let go of my hand, not wanting to add fuel to the fire, but my hand grips hers tighter. I pull her away from the vultures and finish the red carpet as quickly as possible. Once our names are ticked off the guest list, we walk into the grand ballroom where the charity gala is being held. Tonight, we’re raising money for the Monte Carlo Art Society which funds some great art therapy projects.
“Wow! This is…” Emily’s jaw is on the floor, and her eyes widen.
“I know, it’s spectacular.”
“Is that…”
I follow where she’s looking. “Yes, that’s the Prince. Would you like to meet him?”
Emily shakes her head. “No. No, I can’t. Maybe later.”
I was nervous too when I first attended one of these events, but when there are so many, you become immune to the opulence of it all, but I have to admit seeing it through fresh eyes is nice. I want to show her everything. Introduce her to everyone. I want to help her become part of this world because she deserves to be here.
23
Emily
Tonight has been unforgettable. Me, at a casino in Monte Carlo, mingling with royalty, socialites, politicians, and the art society elite is something I never thought would be a reality for me.
At first, Louis was very apprehensive, but as the night wore on and there was no sign of Yves and Elisabeth, he eventually relaxed. Seeing him in his element, charming everyone, dealing with some handsy women who wanted to ‘talk’ to him was amazing. I took photographs of the event and loaded them online, and I wrote about raising money for art therapy programs. Adding links to the various societies’ information, I can hopefully bring some more awareness to the cause from people who can’t afford the one-thousand-euro ticket.
“Now, Louis… is this your girlfriend?” an older gentleman asks.
“She’s way too smart to date me. Emily is helping me prepare for my next exhibition in New York at the end of the summer.”
The older couple nod in my direction.
“Do you paint, my dear?” the older man asks.
“I dare not call myself an artist, but I paint to relax.”
The older man chuckles. “Yes. I’m the same. We all can’t be made for greatness like this man here.” The older man pats Louis on the back in some sort of man-slapping thing that they do.
“Emily tells me I’m her favorite artist, and I guess she should know, she has an art history degree.” I raise an eyebrow at Louis as he teases me again over my confession. The older couple laughs at Louis’ joke, then utter their well wishes and move on to someone else.
“Would you stop telling everyone I’m your biggest fan. They’ll think I’m some art groupie.”
“Aw… come on, Emily. I know you have a poster of me up on your wall at home.” He gives me a wink.
“Yes, I throw darts at it. Often. I’m a pretty good shot now.”
Louis smiles, then his eyes look over my shoulder, and he stills. His face turns pale immediately. I spin to see what’s spooked him and notice that Yves and Elisabeth have arrived, and Louis can’t take his eyes off of them.
“Sunflowers?” I use the safe word, but he’s lost somewhere in his mind—he’s not paying any attention to me anymore. There’s a soft murmur amongst the crowd as people realize what’s happening.
Elisabeth is dressed in a stunning off-the-shoulder red evening dress with a slit that ends at her hip exposing her long, toned, tanned legs. She looks like a goddess. It’s no wonder Louis is still so hung up on her.
Yves is a lot younger than her, but he’s equally as good-looking dressed in a tuxedo, his face is unshaven, and tattoos are peeking out of the luxury material. A gold earring sits in one ear, his face is hard as he dismisses a waiter who approaches him. You can see why they call him the bad boy of the art world, he’s got that look about him.
Then, I see the moment that Elisabeth notices Louis, the hitch in her body posture gives it away—she’s still affected by him. I don’t like the way she’s looking at him. It’s as if he’s some tasty treat that she hasn’t had in a while.
“Louis, you okay?” I step in front of him breaking his trance.
He shakes his head. “Sorry.
