My Prince Charming

Chapter One Henley

Henley

I step off the jet at 5:37pm and into the private hanger my family owns. My car is ready and of course William, my driver, is standing outside the door just waiting to open it for me. I can't take a full breath just yet; the cold night air practically bites at my nose as my body tries to acclimate to the frigid temperature of my hometown. OK, maybe that's a bit dramatic, but since I just flew in from a month's stay in Bora Bora the change in climate is a rough one.

"Mr. Kipling," William acknowledges me with a courteous nod and a bright professional smile. "How was your flight, sir?" He opens my door as a few other members of my staff rush to transfer my luggage. Sometimes it feels like I employ a team of magical fairies that can make things move in a puff of glitter and smoke. I can't tell you the last time I actually carried anything myself.

"Not long enough," I answer him finally. I've been partying for weeks straight and really needed the flight home to recover. Instead, my family's PR person had called at the urging of my mother to try and convince me to behave myself as soon as my feet were back on American soil. I pull the bill of my hat down lower on my eyes as the setting sun sears my corneas with the intensity of a million lit match tips. For good measure, I also lift my hood up so the freezing chill can't get to my neck. "I need a Gatorade," I murmur under my breath as William closes my door.

I rub at my cheeks to warm them as the heat in the car starts to melt away the icy numbness of my face. I feel a month's worth of facial hair beneath my hand. My mother won't even recognize me. My skin is at least three shades darker than usual and my hair is no longer the tidy style I usually sport around town when I'm working. It's been one hell of a month. I chuckle to myself as I think back on all the fun times I had, and more importantly, all the fun times I probably had that I'll never remember.

"I'll be entering the parking structure at the staff entrance, sir." William's voce speaks over the intercom. I must have dozed off in the comfort of the plush leather interior. There were less than a hundred of these babies made and my father was sure to sweep up three of them for our daily drivers.

"You don't think the car will give us away?" I bark sarcastically, probably still a little drunk from the mini bottle party the flight attendant and I partook in on the flight.

"Your mother insists." Of course she did. When the story of my wild month abroad was leaked to TMZ, it created a PR nightmare for my family. I was pictured with at least a dozen women, most of the time barely wearing our bathing suits and drinking like fish near the water. It really doesn't going over well with the family friendly atmosphere my parents must uphold to keep the elite status and name that makes other well off families flock to our Aspen hotels in droves. I imagine rats fleeing from a sinking ship and chuckle again. Fuck it, I'm drunk.

"What do they have lined up to fix it this time?" I ask into the intercom. Last year the plan included setting me up with a royal heiress. That was fun for a night or two. By the third night I was bored out of my mind with her and couldn't stand to hear one more word about her fluffy mess of a dog or how my hands on her shoulders might wreck her expensive imported silk. I could have bought her twelve of them on just one week's salary. Needless to say, we parted ways.

"I'm not at privy to any of that, sir. I apologize."

"Bullshit." I say without pressing the intercom. If my mother had it her way William would still hold my hand as I crossed the street. He's been with me since I was two years old. We pull into the staff entrance and park near the elevator. William opens my door and I step out. I feel around my pockets for a smoke because God knows I'm going to need one to get through this reprimanding my mother has probably orchestrated. "That will be all William. I'll text when I need to be picked up."