5. The Invitation.

[Claire]
The rest of the press conference continued without any more coincidences and I managed to stay out of Jean's way because I did not see him again after our meeting outside the hall, but that did not mean that I wasn't still thinking of him.
I couldn't get all six-foot-three of him out of my mind, I couldn't tell if I liked him with or without a tan but it certainly did not do less to douse my body's reaction to him.
If he had held me in his arms any longer, I would have jumped him, that's how much he affected me.
Whenever I was with him, my self-control just shoots off to hell, but just in the nick of time we were interrupted by someone who said Jean was needed inside, I couldn't understand what a palace guard was needed inside for but then I understood that he was probably a bodyguard or a close guard to the Prince.
Sitting at my desk, a pen in my mouth, I did not realize that I was drooling in my daydream about Jean until my arm was almost covered in slobber.
"Shit, shit." I cussed as I hurriedly tore off a tissue paper from the box and cleaned up the mess I had made.
I looked around the small glass cubicle that was my office and I prayed no one had seen me in such an embarrassing state.
I had to stop thinking about Jean.
I adjusted in my seat and squinted my eyes at the computer screen. I had to finish compiling the information we had gotten from the press conference on the prince's arrival.
I had tried to find a picture of the Prince online but it seemed like the prince was camera shy and did not allow his pictures to be taken, pictures of him that I could find online were from his childhood years, pictures of him and the late queen at his high school games and also with the King's secretary.
All images of him that were online did not show his face clearly as he normally hid his face behind his hands or behind a bag, but most times his guards covered him, even at the parade, he had worn dark shades and a large hat which was weird but I guessed the prince was just a private person.
Being the daughter of Mr. Hamilton exposed me to the spotlight and so I could understand the prince's need or want for privacy.
"We haven't gotten any images of Prince Lucas worth using?" A magazine landed on my table startling me out of my thoughts.
"Sir!" I stood up in shock, I did not even realize when my boss entered the cubicle. "Mr. Anders?"
Mr. Anders was the head of the editing department and I was his assistant. He had a very good command of English because he had studied in the US.
He was a bit older than I am, if I was to guess, I would say two years or three years tops.
He was a very domineering boss and he expected perfection every time and that was very stressful for me because I was used to being served in my father's company. I was often so busy I didn't have time to follow up leads on my mother.
He was in my office now and I had no idea what he wanted to ask of me.
"Oh, you make me seem so old, I've always told you to call me Anders." He smiled at me exposing a white set of teeth.
That was a lie though, he was obviously just trying to patronize me, meaning he wanted me to do something that I wasn't paid to do.
"Okay, Anders, what can I do for you?" I decided to play along.
He winced slightly at the name but he recovered quickly and gave me another smile.
"I need you to use your womanly charms for me." He said and I frowned, now I saw where this was going.
"What did you mean?" I frowned and closed my legs tighter, feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"Oh no," He laughed. "Nothing like that." He said and pointed to my slightly unbuttoned shirt.
"I only need you to come with me to the Charity Event at the palace, I need you to help me sneak a picture of the Prince."
"No." The answer screamed in my head before I mumbled it out.
"We might be able to see Jean." My inner self chided me and I groaned.
"What was that?" Anders asked and I sighed. "Everything will be taken care of, from hair to makeup to dress to transportation, consider it as a one-night offer to a fairytale land."
I looked at him in total confusion and that was when it hit me, he thought I was a poor person that he was offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Very presumptuous of him.
"Very well then sir, I beg to take the rest of the day off if I'm going to be attending a Charity Event this evening." I was definitely pushing my luck and I hoped my attendance at the event was that important.
"Fine." He said after much thought and turned to leave my cubicle. "If you pull this off Claire, I assure you a very fat promotion."He said just before leaving.
A promotion, not that I really cared about it since my stay in Denmark might be temporary, but then when I found my mother, what if she wanted me to stay, what if I wanted to stay, I didn't want to go back to that lying father of mine, so I might as well embrace the promotion.
The rest of my day was spent in a meeting with a private detective I had hired to help me find my mother.
I left his office feeling a bit dejected because he did not seem to be having any leads.
***
"Ah," I screamed when I entered my apartment, the door was open, I locked it, didn't I?
"Come in belle femme, don't just stand there monchéri, we've been waiting for you."
"Who are you?" I asked even when it was more than obvious.
A man was holding a makeup brush and setting up a makeup parlor in my small living room and a woman was arranging a rack of dresses.
Just how much of a fairytale was this night going to be.
"Oh pardon our lack of manners." The woman removed her head from the stack of clothes and stretched a bedazzled gloved hand towards me. "I'm Sophie and this is my brother Michele, we were sent by Anders to get you ready for the Charity Event."
"Oh yes, I'm a fairy godfather with a makeup brush and she's a fairy godmother with a stack of designers and you must be Claire," Michele said.
Their French accent was evident in every word they spoke.
"How did you get in?" I asked the one question that had been lingering on my mind.
"Oh, that's easy, we found your key under the doormat, not a very obscure place to hide a key." Sophie smiled and I noticed three sets of piercings above her pearly whites.
The two of them were very french looking, Michele had shoulder-length middle-parted brown hair, his eyes were the same color as his hair and he had makeup on, he looked better than I could hope for on a good day.
While Sophie had a black boy cut hairstyle, she had hazel-colored eyes and she had tattoos on her face and neck, she even had a septum piercing which complimented her goth looks.
"Okay," I said not entirely convinced I should not be freaking out over two beautiful strangers breaking into my apartment.
"Yeah, we were sent by Anders, said you're attending a Charity Event at the palace, we will make you the envy of everyone at the ball tonight," Sophie said and pulled out a very fancy-looking dress from the hanger of clothes.
"What do you think, Michele?" She asked and placed the dress on me.
"Ohh, Belle, she will look wonderful in that dress." Michele clapped his hands excitedly. "It will outline her jawline and beautiful neck perfectly, not to talk of her curves and her beautiful red hair, it is natural, isn't it? I can't wait to lay my hands on it, with some highlighter and some rollers, she will look like a queen."
"Please can you not do anything fancy," I said as the both of them led me to a chair. "I really don't want to draw attention to myself."
"Ah, I'm gay and even I can see how beautiful and attractive you are, no, it can't be helped, you're a belle femme," Michele said and I couldn't help but blush.
"Really?" I asked.
"Of course, just wait until we're done with you," Sophie said and spun the chair around.
Halfway into my dressing and makeup, the doorbell rang and I went to get the door.
I opened the door but there was no one standing there. I was about to turn back inside when I caught sight of a package on my porch.
—Please wear this to the Charity Event, will be expecting you.
—Signed: Jean.