The Last Harem

by George P. Saunders

  My personal conclusion? Prince Jefri was a pretty ordinary fellow, save for the fact that he was one of the top two richest guys in the world, the Sultan holding top honor in this category. He had generous money to spoil his women. He did so generously.

  The Prince became my friend, we had sex. And that was that.

  Outrageous?

  Crazy?

  Any more unbelievable than, shall we say, the President of the United States confessing on live television to a sexual liaison with his 24 year old intern in the White House Oval Office?

  I think not.

  ***

  I do not know if girls still travel to Brunei.

  I have done research on what Robin (Prince Jefri) had experienced of late, and it is directly out of google research. It is available for one and all to review and assess accordingly.

  In essence, Prince Jefri had been the finance minister of his oil-rich country from 1986 to 1998. He also served as chairman of the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) which invested much of the country's wealth and was responsible for overseas investments. In the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, the sultan had external accountants audit the books of BIA, resulting in charges by the Brunei government that Robin had embezzled $14.8 billion. He denied the charges but in 2000 agreed to turn over his personal holdings to the government, in return for avoiding criminal prosecution and being allowed to keep a personal residence in Brunei. After numerous legal disputes and appeals, in 2007 Britain's Privy Council ruled that this agreement was enforceable. His various legal issues with the Bruneian state had become the most expensive legal case in British legal history.

  Prince Jefri was known for his extravagant lifestyle. His personal holdings included a huge art collection, the British jeweler Asprey, The New York Palace Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and Plaza Athénée in Paris. He is currently married to three wives and divorced from two others and has eighteen children.

  Again, this is the google background.

  But they don't really know the man, the artist, the funny, shy prince.

  I no longer follow Robin's history beyond a few glances on the Internet. Supposedly, many of his assets have been seized, and he's in danger of being arrested. Again, for me, all hearsay.

  My life, as of 2012, is very different than it was in those giddy days post-Brunei.

  I was one of the girls who did not invest the money wisely, I fear, though I was able to spoil my family for a while. In fact, much of the cash evaporated within a few years. I lost two of my Rolexes on the set of a low-budget movie, and I had to sell the Bulgari jewelry long ago along with other assets.

  Shortly after George and I had separated, I met a multi-billionaire in northern California, who asked me to marry him. I accepted, and the marriage lasted approximately three years. However, it was rewarding for me in one major way: I had literally adopted and raised his small daughter, as her mother was always 'indisposed' and 'absent.'

  My own parents died a short time ago, most recently, my mother, who passed from breast cancer. I miss her dearly.

  I provide few details of names today in my life, save my fiancé, Bill.

  We live comfortably in Southern California, and I still do the odd acting job here and there. He is in pharmaceuticals. I own a condominium and a nice car and am attempting to get pregnant. At 44, it is a bit late in the game, but the game is nevertheless actively afoot.

  I am leading what many would call … a normal life.

  Yet for one brief shining moment, I was treated like a princess in a fairy tale.

  I do not know if a harem still exists in Brunei.

  It may well have been, or is, the last harem in modern times.

  In a way, I hope it is not.

  Not because it provided so much to me at the time, and took so much away from me spiritually as well, but rather because it was the experience of a lifetime few girls had or will ever have.

  We mush on, as George says.

  At the end of the day, what we have that endures, are memories.

  This is my memory of the last harem I have shared with you.

  The End.

  Afterward

  EXCERPTS OF INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH "ALUMNI" OF THE HAREM...

  By George

  I include this section because I conducted three interviews with friends or associates of Aphrodite who also went to and returned from Brunei. In 1997, on a televised program of 20/20, one of the girls suing the Sultanate gave a very teary tale of how she was mistreated at the hands of the Royal Family. Some of the girls had commented on the interview; many have very definite opinions as to why some individuals were pressing charges against the Sultan and his various princes. The following is quite brief, but might be of interest of some of those interviews of long ago…

  ***

  Christie:

  I was in Brunei for about a year. I was never mistreated. I actually never met Prince Jefri, the Sultan, or any of the Royal Family, per se. I mainly hung out with the close circle of friends at the nightly party. I made over a million dollars in twelve months. I came home with six Rolex watches. I decided it wasn't such a big deal to have sex with some of Prince Jefri's entourage. I slept with four of his friends. I was compensated to the tune of $150,000 each and every pop. I used condoms each time.

  Lita:

  I slept with Prince Jefri twice in the year 1994. I was in Brunei for eight months; during that stay, I was taken on what were called "vacations" with the Prince and some of his closest friends. Vacations were in London, Great Britain and Singapore. Each week I was there, I was provided an allowance of $50,000 shopping money. After a while, I fell in love with Prince Jefri's hairdresser on these road trips. We are now dating on a regular basis ... or at least whenever he's here in the United States. I was never abused, raped or coerced into any kind of unpleasant sexual activity.

  June:

  I just want to make one thing very clear: I'm not a whore. I slept with eight of Prince Jefri's friends in a two year time period, and came home with over $2 million dollars, but I do not consider this prostitution. I was very selective and I liked each one of the men I was with...

  ***

  On Monday, August 25, 1997, the Sultan of Brunei, in the city of Los Angeles, State of California, was granted diplomatic immunity by the United States State Department. Thus, all allegations against the Sultan himself were dismissed – and the issues revolving around those allegations by some women would never be discussed or tried in a court of law on American soil.

  On July 6, 1998, Aphrodite Antonia Dorian was featured, incognito, on the E Channel's Special Report on "The Girls of Brunei" which was aired in September of 1998.

  Acknowledgments

  While it was tempting to use my own language for every word written in this story, I decided it was only fair to try and capture, if not exactly, then approximately, the inflection, tone, voice and feeling of Aphrodite herself. The reader will have to decide how successful I've been in delineating my voice from hers...

  Thank you, Aphrodite, for bringing this story to light. It is, of course, one story only. This book is an attempt to be fair and accurate, not only to Brunei, but to the many girls who had gone there as guests to the Sultanate.

  Back to Contents

  Table of Contents

  Also by George P. Saunders

  Preface

  Foreword & Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Introduction

  The Big Picture

  Just Folks, Really...

  Wait a Minute – You're Leaving Tomorrow?

  An Ugly American

  Easy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown

  Birthdays and Plots

  As George recalls...

  A Little Wine Here and There is Good for the Heart

  Sex, Crabs and Throwing the First Punch

  Sailing, Tits and Nipples

  The Biggest Little Harem you Ever did See...

  Coffee, Tea, Singapore

 
As George Remembers Singapore...

  Sing, Money, Sing!

  Bali

  We're Back in Kansas, Toto!

  The Goddess of Love and Beauty

  Epilogue and Conclusions

  Afterward