The Royal Contract

"You look like you are bored." Lance walked behind her, slightly startling her in the process.

He went away supposedly for a few minutes to handle a minor situation, leaving Jacky to fend on her own. But a client stopped him on his way back, discussing an important matter.

It took him an additional thirty minutes before he was able to return to where he left Jacky. He was expecting that she would be gone or mingling with the other guests. But she sat on the side alone, watching the other people went on with their business.

"Yeah, I guess I am." Jacky felt lying would not fool him, so she went for the truth. She returned her hands under her chin and her elbows on top of the table, sulking in her gloominess.

Her excitement when she arrived at this party earlier turned into boredom.. What was she supposed to do, pretend that she belonged with these people? Who was she kidding? Certainly not herself.

She tried to mingle with the group next to her. But all they talked about was the millions that they spent on this and that. Then, on the other group, well politics seemed to be the hot topic.

"Come on. Alex's party can't be that lame." Lance sat opposite her and stared at her despair.

He could understand that most of the guests were his kind of people. But he thought that Jacky usually handled them daily. Naturally, he would think that she could easily fit in.

During this kind of party, he suddenly remembered that people tended to be more vocal about their achievements and accolades. It was either they were trying to impress the other or overwhelmed their opponents.

"It is not. I think it is just me." Jacky once again admitted, seeing that everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

She believed she was just not in her element since she was not in her crowd of people. She could count in her one hand the number of times she attended a party like this. 

One was when she went with Dani to his father's party. That was the first time that she and Marcus clicked together. But she had Dani then to entertain her and then Marcus.

Another time was when she went with Marcus as his date, but they hardly stayed at the party for too long. Then, there was Alex's birthday party, but Lance knew what occurred on that occasion.

"Then, let me be your very own personal jester for the night." 

Lance announced as he pulled her hands away from her face and made her looked at him. 

He believed he understood what she was going through. But this time, he was not leaving her side anymore. Not unless it was a life and death situation.

Jacky only needed a few encouragements from him, and she would bounce back to her jolly self. Sometimes, he wanted to beat Marcus to the pulp for destroying Jacky's confidence when he dumped her.

"You don't have to do that. I am sure I can find something else to entertain myself. I am sure that you have things that you need to do. People to talk to." Jacky rambled on, trying to convince Lance to find something else to do.

She did not want him to feel obligated to stick at her side. Although technically, they were on a date, she still believed that he could do more if he had taken someone else.

In social gatherings like this, she believed that a partner should be able to help the other. But what could she bring on the plate when she had nothing? She barely finished high school.

"I would rather stay here and talk to you. Besides, you are right. This party is lame, and all those people are not worth my while." Lance grabbed two glasses of champagne when a waiter passed their table. 

He handed one to her and raised his glass to her. "Shall we toss for the greatest night of our life together?" He asked, pointing his glass to hers, waiting for her to clink her glass to his.

"Are you sure about this?" She looked at him with a mix of doubt and exhilaration. But she also raised her glass to him, and after toasting for the night, they drank the wine, bottoms up.

It was just her third glass, so she was not yet tipsy. But she knew that a few more, and she would get drunk. Better be watchful of her drinks because she was not in a club.

"Quite sure," Lance responded, placing their glasses on the table and pulled her on her feet. "Now, we dance."

They passed by several people who tried to vie for his attention, especially the eligible girls that littered the ballroom. But he ignored them all as he led her to the dance floor.

A quartet, located in front of the floor, produced the lovely melodies that played on the acoustic speakers that surrounded the ballroom. A beautiful, elegantly dressed woman stood beside the grand piano, singing along with the soft music.

He placed one of his hands on her waist and keeping the other hand in his. Then, he started moving, keeping track of the rhythm of the slow beat. He was graceful in his movement, in a manly manner. 

"You are a good dancer." Jacky complimented as she tried to keep up with him.

Unlike him, she only knew how to dance in a dark club. Keeping up with the fast beat was way easier than this. Besides, nobody would notice if she was out of tune since it was dark and most of the crowd was tipsy and drunk.

"Well, I think you also have potential." Lance smiled at her with a glint in his eyes. 

Before she knew what he was planning, he twirled her around, and in one swift movement, she bent her backward and caught her before she fell on the floor.

She was speechless when he pulled her back on her feet and returned to their dance position. Slowly he guided her back to the rhythm as if nothing happened.

She felt like her heart suddenly dropped to the floor. Her breathing ceased to exist, and her colors went down the drain. Goosebumps covered her body after the stunt he just made.

But the worse part of it all was that she enjoyed every minute of it. She loved being in Lance's arms, the nearness of his body to hers, and the closeness of his face that she could almost breathe the same air.

"You see, you are a natural." Lance gave her a juvenile smile, knowing that what he did was a bit naughty.

But he would do it again to feel her body next to his. He did not expect to do that, but he was entranced with the music and captivated by her beauty. It felt like it was the natural thing to do.

"A little heads up would have been nice." She finally found her voice again, and her heartbeat was starting to go back to normal.

She tried to even her breathing, hoping to be able to act as normally around him. But every minute that she was in his arms, normal seemed to vanish into thin air. 

In its place was a desire to be closer to him and to feel the kiss that they shared earlier, once again. Jacky found herself fantasizing about him, just like the way it played out during her dreams.

She would act as the damsel in distress while he was the prince who would save the day.