I open my mouth to answer and realize I don't know. I don't know anything about his life back in Elanda. I know nothing about the future he’s mapped out for himself. I don't even know where he lives. Is Lisa right?
A sinking feeling happens somewhere between my ribs and my gut. I push it away. I'm not going to let her sow doubt. I know what I'm doing. I'm happy. Just because she isn't doesn't mean I don't have a chance at happiness.
I can always ask Thomas, and he'll tell me. We just haven't talked about it yet. He’d never asked what I was going to do with my future. He knew, of course, because I told him. But he’d never asked. He just wasn’t as talkative. He wouldn’t volunteer information unless I asked.
All I have to do is ask.
It's simple. Everything is fine. Thomas is a great guy, and Lisa is just hurting, which is why she's so negative about the whole thing. My life is headed right where I need it to.
Thomas
Nicole's become much more comfortable around me. We’ve slipped into a groove.
Everything between us is like we’ve known each other for years. Since we’ve slept together, Nicole is comfortable in her own skin like I’ve never seen her before. She's confident, and that only makes her sexier. It's as if she’s come into her own.
As she's now more comfortable; I'm getting nervous. She’s been asking me questions the whole night. It's as if she's suddenly decided to get to know who I really am. I haven't told her much. Aside from everything to do with Elanda and my destiny, I don't have that much to tell her.
My royal lineage is a secret I intend to keep. There's no coming back from that. No way to put the genie back in the bottle once it's out. It would change things between us, and I don't want that to happen. I like the way things are going with us. Why ruin it now?
She asks me if I can take her to my apartment.
"I don’t even know where you live," she says.
I resist at first. I rarely ever bring women back to my place. I’d done that with Jessica, and that had turned into a goddamn nightmare. Still, Nicole is nothing like Jessica. I can't think of a good reason to tell her no.
We drive in my car, and I weave through the streets of the Upper East Side. It doesn't take long before I pull into the parking garage beneath my building.
"This is it?" Nicole asks.
I nod. "Yeah, this is it."
She looks around at the other parking spots. "There are a lot of expensive cars down here," she says.
I glance at the cars. My neighbors are all wealthy. They all have expensive cars, just like I do.
"I guess so," I say.
We take the elevator, and I press the button for the penthouse.
"Fancy," she says. I nod. The elevator doors ping and slide open in the lobby. Someone else calls for it. When the doors open, Nicole gasps and steps out of the elevator.
"This is just the lobby," I say.
"I know," she says, turning around. "Look at this place!"
I look at it the way a stranger might see it. The floor is marble, and the front desk is a colossal structure with a marble top. Large, real plants decorate the corners, bursting with colorful flowers. Security stands in front of the doors. It isn't exactly the kind of thing Nicole is used to.
This is why I don't want to bring women home with me. I've done it before, and the reaction is always the same. They're intimidated by my wealth. Either that, or like Jessica when she’d found out my status by accident, they stop seeing me as just a man. They’re more interested in my money and what I can offer them as a crown prince. I don't think Nicole would ever be like that, but I don't want to risk it. I have no more than eleven days left before going back home. There's no reason to ruin it all now. We have such a good thing going.
"This is amazing," Nicole says to me. "I can’t believe you’re so modest about it all. This is like walking into a palace."
I shrug. "Come on," I say. "I’ll show you my place before I take you home."
Nicole nods and walks back to the elevator. I press the button. The doors slide open almost immediately, and we step in. I press the button for the penthouse again. When the doors slide closed, we're in the elevator alone.
"What is it your parents do again?" she asks me. "I mean, you mentioned taking over the family business, but I never asked what that was."
I shrug. "It’s sort of a management thing, you could say. It’s not really for me, though. I don’t want to go into it."