The bellman took our bags, while the doorman jumped to attention to present the hotel lobby to us. The grand lobby was surreal, an astounding palatial presence with a domed ceiling soaring at least five stories high. Sparkling crystal chandeliers reflecting light from the rich wood accents and golden gilded crown moldings bathed the room in an old, warm charm. Huge paintings, sumptuous fabrics, and warm cream walls wrapped the lobby in supreme opulence.
As we made our way to the front desk, taking in the grandeur of the magnificent hotel, I noticed that all eyes were on us. I wasn’t sure if we stood out compared to the type of guests that the hotel was likely used to, or if the awe in our eyes had caught their amusement. I didn’t think I stood out that much, even if I was dressed entirely in girly pink, but something about the contrast of my girlish look with Sienna’s black, tight-clothes, high-heeled rock star look, made us an interesting pair.
I was surprised when the woman behind the desk knew who I was, but chalked it up to the type of attention to detail that guests of a hotel of that type of stature would receive.
“Good afternoon, Ms. St. Claire, welcome to the Royal Chancery. We are very excited to have you here.” The smiling woman handed me two room keys and an envelope.
I thought it was odd that she was handing me keys before I even gave her my license and credit card. Weren’t we all trained to walk to the front desk and hand over our license and credit card? I started to fumble in my purse as I spoke. “Do you just need a license and credit card?”
The smiling clerk looked amused, but smiled as she spoke. “No, Ms. St. Claire, that’s all been taken care of for you. Please just enjoy your stay and let us know if there is anything at all that we can do for you. Mr. Walman, the hotel manager, will show you to your room, if you are ready.”
I looked at Sienna and saw that she had the same perplexed look on her face. She shrugged her shoulders and gave me a look that said just go with it. So I did. The hotel manager gave us a history of the hotel on the way up to our room, and pointed out a few paintings that were apparently impressive, but which I had never heard of.
We arrived in front of a double door suite on the top floor of the hotel, and I was beginning to think that the manager had made a big mistake. He opened the door and we entered a luxurious suite that looked like it took up half of the entire floor. There was a dining room table that seated at least sixteen and I could smell fresh flowers in the air. It reminded me of the presidential suite my mother and I had stayed in at Jack’s hotel when she came to visit. A light bulb finally flicked on in my dimwitted brain.
“Mr. Walman, who owns this hotel?”
The manager looked confused and more than a bit concerned. “Heston International Hotels, of course. Is everything okay, Ms. St. Claire? Mr. Cole instructed the staff to take care of anything and everything you needed. If this suite is not acceptable, I’m sure we can find one to satisfy you.”
“No, no. I’m sorry Mr. Walman, the suite is beautiful. That isn’t what I meant. Thank you very much for taking such good care of us. I’ll be sure to let Jack, uh, Mr. Cole, know how well we were treated.” I watched as the manager’s face visibly untensed, clearly relieved at my praise.
He smiled at me and nodded his head. “Is there anything else that I can get for you, Ms. St. Claire, before I depart?”
I looked at Sienna, who raised one eyebrow and smirked as she spoke. “A bottle of tequila with a few limes and some salt would be nice.”
The manager looked at Sienna and smiled, then turned back to me as he made his way to the door. “The bar in the living room is fully stocked. Mr. Cole instructed us to add a few extra bottles of tequila, but I’ll have some extra brought up with limes and salt anyway. If it’s okay with you, I’ll have some snacks sent up as well. You must be tired after your flight.”
“That would be great. Thank you, Mr. Wolman.” I smiled, genuinely thankful for his suggestion.
Before the door was even fully closed behind the manager, Sienna started in. “Holy shit, Syd. I am loving the perks that come with you f**king a rich handsome god.” I turned and smiled and found her wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “Does he have a brother for me?”
We laughed and for the third time in one day, Jack had put a smile on my face and taken good care of me.
***
I powered on my phone to call Jack to let him know that we had arrived safely and found his response to the last text I had sent before turning off my phone for the flight.
Royal Chancery is one of ours. I’ll let them know who you are.
I smiled, thinking of the phone call that must have ensued, with Jack barking orders and scaring the shit out of his staff. The man didn’t do anything halfway. Over the last few months, I’d learned that Jack was direct and commanding in his business. He wasn’t rude, but when he asked for something to be done, there was clearly no room for negotiation. In fact, that was the way Jack was in every facet of his life, except when it came to me. With me he was patient and collaborative, but I could tell it was something he worked to achieve. Partnership didn’t come naturally to Jack, but he struggled to find a balance for me. Except in the bedroom. In the bedroom he reverted back to the domineering and commanding man that was innately him, but that was more than fine by me.
We talked on the phone for almost an hour, and our conversation flowed easily, as it always did. I thanked him for the upgrade to the suite, and my heart melted when he responded by telling me what’s his was mine now. The only time I felt tension was when I mentioned the places that the flight attendant suggested. Jack got quiet for a few minutes, and I could tell he was struggling with the thought of my going out to clubs thousands of miles away. I tried to make him feel better by telling him that we probably wouldn’t have much time for clubbing with the crazy tour schedule, but I knew the damage had already been done. I’d planted a small seed somewhere in the back of Jack’s mind that would grow to visions of men hitting on me in a trendy club in London.
Chapter 3
The next few days were a whirlwind of tightly scheduled activities. The tour promoter had hired a handler to manage our activities and get us from place to place on time. We were photographed, measured, interviewed, lectured, trained and prepped for fourteen hours a day. I found moments to call Jack whenever I could but most of our conversations were short and rushed.
Thursday evening we were finally supposed to meet up with Double Strife, the tour headliners, who were returning from the last of their shows in Belgium. I was anxious and feeling a little guilty for looking forward to seeing Justin again. Justin was one of the two brothers who fronted the band. Sienna and I had met Justin and Kyle Smith when we were all struggling new musicians trying to gather a following back in Boston years ago. We had all stayed friends, often playing the same venues, until Sienna moved to New York and I stopped playing a few years back.