"You would have been arrested, you bloody lecher. But I liked the story you told the Karrenbergers, it gave their foul attempt and even fouler note."
"It was completely true."
"No, it was not, you had not hoped to see me again and you did not pounce on me like a tiger."
"Yes, I did."
"No, you did not, it took you about twenty-eight hours to pounce."
"I did not want to look like a total creep. But I had hoped to see you again."
"Please, Ryan," I said seriously. "Don't be absurd."
"I'm not."
"Why don't we go up?"
He sighed. "Alright. Let's go up."
We had just rounded the corner to the party deck when another brunette pushed herself through the glitzy crowd to get to us. I recognised her. It was Laetitia.
"Jude! Hi! Somebody normal at last!"
Laetitia suffered from the same phenomenon I described earlier: She treated me as if we were the best of friends. (Please remember, she and I had never spoken a conscious word to one another in school, apart from, 'sorry', when passing in the door, or, and I could not even be sure about that, 'do you have a light?' behind the sports pavilion).
She hugged me.
"You haven't changed a bit!" she cried.
"Hi, Laetitia. How are you?"
"Great, great! But before you say anything else, I must, must, must ask you one thing. When I told Fiona and Tabitha you were coming here, they begged me to ask you right away. Do you remember them? Fiona Whitacker and Tabitha McNabb?"
"Sure, sure…"
I did not remember them at all. I hardly remembered anybody from the lower years, only Laetitia, because she had been the one with the mega-hot brother in a Mercedes convertible.
I remembered everything about the ones from the upper year, though. So, apparently, did Laetitia.
"This was the number one St. Cecil mystery. Did you have sex with Monsieur Lasalle in the purser's office?"
"Titia, honestly…," Ryan butted in. "You can't."
"Go away! Jude knows what I'm talking about! Shoot! Get your girlfriend a drink or something."
"No—"
"Yes," I said, "I'd fancy a glass of champagne."
He grudgingly started towards the bar.
"Tell me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Are you willing to pay for the information?"
"Sure. How much?"
"Two-hundred-million."
"Pounds?"
"Yen!"
"Really?"
"Ha ha, no. We did not have sex in the purser's office."
"Oh noooo."
"We had sex in the headmistress's office."
"WHAT?"
"Yes. Michel had the keys because he was supposed to water the flowers when Mrs. Rodgers went to a convention in Plymouth."
"Oh my God, oh my God! I can't believe it! You know how we all hated you because you got him fired? He was so yummy! But we also wanted to be like you, you were so cool! I'll never forget, you once wore lipstick in chapel!"
"Did I?"
"Yes you did! We talked about it for a week. You and Sophie Milliner, you were like Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. You used to drink Vodka-O in the Red Lion."
"Right, that's true. We also played pool. Were you allowed to go to the Red Lion in the fifth?"
"No, only in lower sixth, when you were upper. Gosh, those were the days, right?"
"They were."
"Thank God you sucked at netball."
"I did, they don't play it in Germany."
"Could we please take a selfie and send it to Tabs and Fiona?"
"Sure."
She pulled her phone from her Prada purse. We both smiled and I did a thumbs up. She typed. 'Not purser, MRS. RODGERS' OFFICE! 100%!'
She giggled."It's so funny, when I called Ryan and he told me he had met you, I had to ask if it was really you, you know. Because he was always checking you out at the Christmas concerts. I remember the year I was in upper sixth he had a total go at me for not telling him you were not going to be there anymore. I said, 'well, she was a year above me, why should she be here? She's probably back in Germany'."
"Can't you shut up?" her brother was back and held out a glass to me.
"Didn't you get one for your sister?"
"No…" Laetitia shook her head. "That's okay, I'm not supposed to."
"Oh!" I smiled. "Congratulations! Early weeks?"
"No, I'm not pregnant." She looked at me sadly. "Just out of rehab."
"Aha. Sorry."
"Never mind, I'm doing fine."
"Good."
Ryan put his arms around me.
"You look very good together," Laetitia commented. "You seem to have a certain magnetism."
"Thank you, Titia, we hadn't noticed."
"You're a grumpy, old man."
"Laetitia, don't be mean. I think he's still quite lusty." I poked him.
"Yuk, don't tell me. Anyway, I'm off to the loo. See you laters, gaters."
"Bye-ah."
"Kachoo."
"Bamboo."
"Is this St. Cecil speech?" Ryan asked.
"It is."
"What is?" Camille had just passed and halted at the mention of our school.
"See you laters, gaters," I laughed.
"Bye-ah."
"Kachoo."
"Bamboo."
"Christ stoppit! It's terrible!" Ryan growled.
"Cess it up!" Camille held out a hand for me to high five.
"Up one to the Cess!" I answered and my hand clapped against hers.
It had been the usual thing to say when scoring at whatever sports we had played.
"I'm going to dance with you right now or I'll start to think of you as my sister." He led me down a staircase which led into the disco. It was beneath the pool's glass bottom. There were people everywhere, shoving and pushing and calling out to each other. Obviously most of the guests were acquainted.
"We don't have one like this on Myrtle."
"No, we don't. I never liked it. I think it's horrible."
"You're the best." I kissed him and we started to dance cheek to cheek. If I had not felt like a teenager before, I definitely did so now.
The song was hardly over when Ryan's trousers buzzed.
I mewed. "Ooh, it hasn't done that before. Can we make it a standard?"
He pulled out his phone.
"Shit, I have to take this."
"Let me guess, Shiro."
"No, well, yes, it's a conference call with Tokyo and New York."
"Can't you talk to them tomorrow?"
He hesitated then he gently kissed my cheek. "I can't, baby, this is the only time I can get them together, don't run away, I'll be right back."
He put the phone to his ear and left me standing on the dance-floor.
I looked around but I did not see a single friendly face.
The people were not necessarily unfriendly, their faces simply did not move because they were unable to. I estimated eighty percent of the guests had been under the knife at some point in their lives. Some were already at the end of their career with faces similar to Giordana Vanderhart's, others were still on their way there or simply sported an especially waxy skin.
When I get really bored with my thesis or with my life, I watch gossip shows on TV and sometimes they show images from charity galas where everybody looks like a zombie because of plastic surgery. I had never completely believed anybody could look like this. I thought the TV stations had somehow exaggerated it or that it looked worse on camera.
Let me tell you, it looks worse in reality.
The young women's faces were not welcoming either but well, what was I to expect, I was the one with the big fish on my hook. Or I had been, rather. My big fish had disappeared to God knew where.
I went up to the party deck again hoping I could at least find Laetitia but she had also disappeared.
Fortunately Camille stopped by on her next round.
"Where's my bro
ther?"
"He's in New York and Tokyo."
"Still working like a nut, is he?"
"I can't say, from what I hear it must have been far worse in the past."
"It was dreadful, we hardly ever saw him. He's obviously good at it, he has doubled his fortune and Titia's too. She can't be trusted with money, you know, but it's her own and she wants Ryan to handle it. I'm so glad I have Laurent, he was born to handle money and I've been with him so long, I know I can trust him."
"How comforting."
"It is, it is… Wow, you know, Ryan's never brought a girlfriend here before. This party has a tradition of almost forty years. My parents and my grandparents were always here after the festival in Cannes, so were Laurent's parents and all of their friends. It's so good to have the yachting seasons. One gets to stay in touch with people."
"Lovely."
"Yes, as I said, you're a first. Are you getting a lot of venomous glances from the girls? It's not as if Ryan didn't pull the birds at the nightclubs or anything, but he never brought one to a family thing. You're the first girlfriend we meet."
I wrinkled my nose. "Camille, we've only been— we only met two weeks ago. I wouldn't say I'm his girlfriend, in fact, it feels strange when you say it."
"Sorry, I didn't want to push you but it's so unusual. By the way he looks at you, he must have a terrible crush on you. I find it cute. At his age."
Nosiness got the better of me. "Did he never have a girlfriend?"
"Plenty. Mostly two at the same time so none of them would get any ideas."
"Aha."
"I think he had one for a year or two when he was in America first. Was she a Kennedy? No, something along those lines, but I can't remember, it was even before Simon died. He was in love with success, big time. He's this family's winner."
"I'm sure he was his parents' pride and joy."
"No, not at all."
"No?" I was honestly surprised.
"We're terrible daddy's girls, Titia and I. Daddy always took us hunting and riding and to the pony shows. Ryan played polo with him but they were not too fond of each other. They fought a lot, they still do, I think. He was our mother's pride and joy until Simon came, who was her baby boy and could do nothing wrong. He came at a time when Ryan did absolutely everything wrong. Nowadays, she sees in Ryan all the things Simon could have become. It's pathological, of course, she has a guilt complex, I don't know if you're aware of my brother's death."
"I am."
"Yes. Mum's mostly in her finca and won't see anybody but the local priest. We drop by from time to time but more for our own consciences."
"How sad."
She shrugged. "Yes it's sad, but what can we do? What do your parents do? Are they still together?"
"Yes. My father's, well he was a maths professor. He's retired now. My mother owns a small tour guiding agency. They both like gardening, they take care of our pets and the play golf."
"Ah… interesting."
"Not really."
"Yes, it is. I envy you. I always wanted a family like yours. So normal, not as fucked up as we are. Can I get you anything to drink? I fear, I will have to move about some more. I can also go find Laetitia for you.
"No," I waved it aside. "I'm fine, go ahead. I'll try to locate Ryan."
"He has walked over to the Myrtle, hasn't he?"
"Has he?"
"He wouldn't work from here."
I smiled. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"Me too."
Camille left and I tried to locate Myrtle, but a bigger yacht than Sirius Black had arrived in the late afternoon and blocked my view to our landing.
I went to find a bathroom. I found one but it was locked and I heard giggles inside, then voices.
"Lisa, give it here, you're too drunk, you're gonna pour the stuff into the sink."
"Where's my bill?"
"Here, I have one."
I heard sniffing noises. Not much later the door opened and two girls in their early twenties dropped out of the bathroom, slightly dishevelled and dabbing their noses.
Honestly! How many clichés could there be on one boat?
"Oops. Sorry, it's free now."
"Thank you."
I locked myself in.
"No…" I groaned.
Wealth does not keep people from peeing onto the toilet seat, in case you were interested.
I heard Lisa and the other girl disappear.
"Ryan's girl."
"Ryan!? I didn't look at her, was she a model?"
"No, too fat. Well, she's not gonna last for…"
They were gone.
Too fat? I was not fat! I looked at myself in the mirror. I was not fat at all! I was slim, healthy and fit! Yes, I had a C-cup, but half of the people on this yacht had a C-cup, only mine was genetic, not generic!
I pulled a sad face.
I had no fun at all. I wanted to go to bed, I was tired. I wanted to curl myself against Ryan and lie still until tomorrow came.
Before he had shown up, I had lived a tranquil life with very little alcohol and no sex whatsoever. My days of school debauchery were long over. Now, I was starting to feel like a Guns n Roses groupie. Except for the drugs. Well, I was sure, if I licked any surface in this bathroom, except for the toilet seat (although I would not count on it), I could get as high as a kite.
I sidled out of the bathroom and walked towards the aft deck. Maybe there would be some tranquility. I could also see the quay from there. If Ryan did not come back within the next ten minutes, I decided, I would go home to Myrtle's.
I opened the door leading out and stepped against something. Someone. Someone was lying on the floor in the shadows. At first I thought some drunk person had passed out but when I leaned over them I heard sobs and I realised the person was shivering. It was a woman.
"Are you all right? Do you need help?"
"Jude?"
"Laetitia! What are you doing! Are you sick?"
She sobbed some more. "Don't tell anyone I'm here. Don't tell Camille. They'll send me back."
"Back where?"
"To the clinic. I hate it! I can't go back!"
I knelt down next to her. "You won't have to, you're fine, aren't you?"
"No." She quivered. "No… I take pills every night to sleep, I take pills to make it through the day…"
"Why don't I get you to bed? Where do you sleep?"
"I'm here, with my sister."
"On the Sirius Black?"
"Yes."
"You can't stay here, the noise is too much. Do you have your pills on you?"
"Yes.. In my purse."
"I help you get up and we walk over to Myrtle, alright? There are four empty cabins."
"Yes… yes… Please."
She tried to get up but she could not. I wrenched her up with all the forces I could muster. Luckily, we were on a yacht and none of us was wearing high-heeled shoes. I was in espadrilles and Laetitia was in moccasins. Together we made it to the gangway and onto the quay.
It took us almost five minutes to get to Myrtle because Laetitia could hardly walk.
"Could one of you please carry her into number 4?" I asked Rusty and Colin who had the night shift guarding Myrtle. "It's Ryan's sister."
"Of course, Miss Jude." Colin lifted Laetitia into his arms. I headed our little parade up the stairs and into the corridor. I opened the door to cabin number 4. "Put her down on the couch, please. Thank you so much, Colin. You're very kind."
"Thank you, Miss Jude. Have a good night."
All the beds on Myrtle had spare covers and linen hidden in the heavy bunks beneath them. (As you can imagine, I had inspected every inch of Myrtle in the last ten days. I am one of those people who will always open the bathroom cabinet, wherever they are. I was familiar with every niche and every shelf.) After I had seen how drunk and stoned people got on yacht parties, I was not surprised at the spare sheets anymore. There must be accidents all the time.
I pulled out the bunk, mar
velled shortly how gifted Ryan was as a carpenter, and made the bed.
"He never loved me…" Laetitia wailed from the couch.
"Who?"
"Jude? Where am I?"
"Myrtle, Cabin 4. Who never loved you?"
"Kyle…"
"Who's Kyle?"
"My… my ex. He's the one who's responsible for this… He made me an addict."
Nobody but herself was responsible for her addiction, I thought, but this was not the time for philosophy.
"What happened?"
She sobbed some more. I went to the bathroom and carried the tissue box over to her. Fortunately I knew how to get it out of its metal container within the bathroom wall. I had by accident once undone the one in my own bathroom and I had scratched the marble wall with it. I did not tell Ryan. Maybe he would never find out.
"He… I… we met at the Monte Carlo yacht fair two years ago. He was a yacht broker, so handsome and so educated. He was my type, so hot. We got drunk together and we snorted like champions, then he fucked me like crazy. Honestly, nobody has ever fucked me like that. Men are not all they make themselves out to be, you know. Most of them have small cocks and they can only do it once a night, if they can do it at all."
"I know."
"I was mad about Kyle. He took me out on a Garibaldi high-speed yacht and we sniffed cocaine at two-hundred miles per hour, it was mind blowing! Later we travelled to Zanzibar, then to Bali, Bora Bora, Verbier, LA… it was an endless journey with great sex and he told me he loved me."
"Come on, you need a shower."
I dragged her off the couch and into the bathroom where she cowered in the shower. I pulled her dress off. While I sprayed her with hot water she kept on telling me about her relationship with Kyle who had proposed to her. She had accepted him, but then he had wanted to take a look at her finances. Ryan had forbidden it.
"I know he can't really forbid it but he knows these things, right? He's my big brother, he wouldn't let me down? He's always taken care of me since daddy couldn't do it anymore."
I found it hard to believe Laetitia was actually six months older than myself. She sounded like a ten-year-old.
"Right."
"Then I found out Kyle had pawned my jewels! I kicked him out! He hit me!"
Billionaire on Board Page 14