Chapter 2

“Excuse me, what did you say?” I heard Emilia Clarke ask me when I finally got past her various layers of private security and staff.

“Come to Manchester, as soon as possible, to this address,” I recited it quickly, annoyed that the voice commands were harder to deliver whenever sound or volume weakened, “by yourself, no staff, no security, no press, nobody. Is that clear? Take only what luggage you can carry with you on a commuter flight from Heathrow.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll purchase a ticket and be right there. Why am I doing this? Oh, well, I’m bloody well doing it, damn ... there, I’ve booked the flight. So, I’m not reserving a suite, just showing at this flat? Okay, that’s ... different. And who are you, anyway?” Emilia asked me now.

“My best friends call me ‘Frank,’ but you can call me, ‘Uncle Frank,’ okay? Just like my niece, who requested your presence, you see,” I smiled as I gave those instructions to the Game of Thrones actress.

“Oh, okay, so it’s for your niece. How sweet! But you’re a Yank, judging by your accent. You have a British niece?” Emilia seemed loathe to hang up with me for some reason, getting rather chummy.

“That I do, ma’am. That I do. Until then, best wishes and thank you,” I hung up on Emilia Clarke, a subtle way of asserting myself with someone used to others hanging on her every word.

“So, just like that, you have a new lackey, dear. What will you do with her?” I teased Tammy, well aware of what she had in mind for Emilia.

“So ... do we all really get lackeys, and if so, who’s everyone else’s?” Tammy asked me now.

“Mine ... I want ... Kate Beckinsale. I gotta have her,” I decided, raising at least one eyebrow, but little true surprise.

“There’s a lot of names that you might have chosen, but yeah, I could totally see that one. She seems to be a free agent right now, so no relationships disrupted there, either,” Olivia commented for her part, “great choice, anyway. I can’t wait to hear her posh accent in this flat and elsewhere up close.”

“Elizabeth Hurley myself. She’s just too yummy not to go for her,” Ernie admitted at last.

“Esme Bianco in my case,” Olivia informed us, making it an all-female lackey staff, it would seem.

“I wonder who Karin and the twins will choose, and yes, they’ll get lackeys, too. We’ll need a much nicer home before too long. No offense. Just a necessary expansion into more space, you know,” I didn’t tell them that I decided to add more lackeys in time, but I wanted to start smaller ... for now.