Chapter 11 - Harrison
Harrison
The mood was quiet at breakfast the next morning. Caroline was busy typing away on a laptop, supposedly trying to meet a deadline, but I got the impression she was awkward around Anne-Sophie. The Comtesse was dining with us, but her young date was still in bed.
“He needs his rest,” she explained with a big smile.
After breakfast, we prepared to leave for my meeting with the French Finance Minister.
“I will be gone when you return,” Anne-Sophie said. “But please, stay as long as you wish. My home is always yours, Harrison.”
She meant it, too.
“It is always a pleasure, darling,” I said, kissing her on both cheeks.
“Perhaps we can spend more time together on your next visit?” she asked.
“Perhaps,” I agreed with a knowing smile.
We got into the car and began driving toward the government district.
I usually loved visiting Paris because it meant a chance to meet with Anne-Sophie.
She was a fun partner, whenever the stars aligned and we were both single at the same time.
We both understood this was just physical, and neither of us allowed it to complicate things.
But I was weirdly glad she had brought a date home with her last night. For one thing, it meant I could focus on the many investments and dealings that were currently occupying my mind around the clock. But for another thing, I simply didn’t have any interest in that on this trip.
I wondered if it had to do with Caroline being with us. And not because I was afraid of her writing about it in my biography.
“I need to tell you something,” Rafael said while I selected neckties from a rack of options. “Last night, while Anne-Sophie was occupied downstairs, I incorrectly assumed that you were with her.”
“And you let it slip to Caroline that we have a physical relationship?”
“Yes.”
I glanced at him in the stand mirror. “There’s more?”
“I also may have implied that… I have joined the two of you.”
I turned to face him directly. “How on earth did you imply that?”
“She made a vague guess. I told her to stop speculating, but I think she inferred something based on my reaction.”
I let myself consider that. Caroline knew, or suspected, that Rafael and I had shared a woman in bed.
And not just any woman, but a rich Parisian comtesse.
I didn’t mind her knowing the truth, or even writing about it.
I realized, to my own surprise, that I cared about her personal opinion on the situation.
“It’s fine,” I said. “If that news breaks, it won’t sink me. I’m not a politician. Speaking of politicians, is transportation taken care of for today’s visit?”
“It was taken care of before we left New York,” Rafael replied.
I nodded and straightened my tie. Rafael was extremely good at his job.
Caroline was waiting for us in the foyer. “I see that Anne-Sophie’s tailor is doing a wonderful job.”
The journalist gave a little spin, showing off the summer dress. “I asked for something more conservative and professional, but she insisted I would look wonderful in this. And I think I agree!”
“I think we all agree,” I said with a smile.
“The car should be ready.” Rafael gestured for the door. Outside, another black SUV with tinted windows stood ready.
“Give us some privacy?” I asked as Rafael opened the door for us.
He nodded. “Of course.”
Rafael closed the door for us, then climbed into the passenger seat. There was a divider between the front and back, like a limo.
“Privacy?” Caroline asked. “Should I be worried?”
“Rafael tells me he might have… said too much last night. About my personal life.”
“Ahh.” Caroline nodded slowly. “So that’s what this is about. Rafael actually hid it well, aside from his cheeks turning three shades of red.”
I laughed. “Rafael is the hardest man I know. His poker face is normally flawless. Except when it comes to sex. Then he turns into an awkward, blushing teenager.”
“There are worse weaknesses,” Caroline replied.
She stared out the window in silence as we drove through Paris traffic. She had the most beautiful face, with cheekbones that would make a model jealous. I almost said so to her, but stopped myself.
“Do you think less of me?” I asked instead. “Because my bodyguard and I occasionally… share a woman?”
She glanced at me, face blank. “I don’t think about your love life at all, actually.”
“Ouch.”
“I write for the Wall Street Journal, not TMZ,” she replied. “I only care about your romantic endeavors if they affect the market. So if you sleep with the French Minister of Finance today, then I’ll care.”
“Jean-Noel Barrot is a handsome man, but he is not my type.”
Caroline smiled. “Ah, too bad.”
We arrived at the Ministry of Economics and Finance, a modern building that overlooked the Seine River. There were a number of pedestrians walking along the road outside the building, and a cluster of photographers and journalists huddled near the entrance.
“It appears our meeting has not gone unnoticed,” I said.
“Isn’t that the point?” Caroline asked bluntly. “Make a good public appearance, even though your hedge fund is under investigation by the European Union?”
“That is a small misunderstanding,” I replied. “But yes, this is intentionally an outward-facing meeting.”
She unbuckled her seatbelt. “Since when do you care about public opinion?”
“Since it affects the Blackstone and Moreau share price,” I said with a grimace.
Rafael opened my door from the outside, and I stepped into daylight to a flurry of camera flashes. Reporters shouted questions at me, but I ignored them and locked onto Jean-Noel, the Minister of Finance.
We shook hands, then stood in front of the building to pose for photographs. I tried putting my arm around Jean-Noel’s shoulder, but he shrugged it off.
“Ouch, what did I do to deserve the cold shoulder?” I asked.
“You know how public perception is at this moment,” he said through a smile for the photographs. “Even shaking hands with you is going to cost us political capital. Considering the effect your firm has had on the French commodities market, you are lucky I accepted this meeting at all.”
“The day you stop taking my calls,” I threatened through my own smile, “is the day you find out just how nice it is to be my friend, and how unfortunate it feels to be my enemy.”
“Message received,” he replied curtly. “Please give us a moment, and then we will go inside.” Then he turned to his assistant and began speaking French.
I leaned closer to Caroline and said, “You look bored.”
“I am bored,” she whispered. “I know it’s important for you to keep a good relationship with a sovereign nation, but this feels like a waste of my time. I have an article due by the end of today.”
“End of day, New York time,” I clarified. “Which means you have until midnight to relax and enjoy…”
Someone shouted. Time seemed to slow down, even as everything happened very quickly.
Rafael sprinted toward us like a heat-seeking missile. He wore an expression I had never seen before: fear. That was enough to make me move on instinct, putting an arm around Caroline to turn her away from whatever was happening.
The crowd to my left parted, and suddenly there was a blond man darting toward us. Sunlight reflected off something in his hand.
A knife.
The stranger lunged with the blade, too quick for me to stop him.
Rafael slammed into him like a wrecking ball, knocking him to the ground. Police pounced on him immediately, trying to wrench the blade away, but I was already moving in the other direction. Rafael immediately grabbed Caroline and pushed her inside the Finance building.
With a sense of shock, and a gratefulness that Rafael was on my team, I followed them to safety.