"I am officially on vacation!" she announced to the group, taking the final swallow of her Champagne.
"It's about time, friend!" Rihanna reached across the aisle and grabbed her arm.
Nicole Ritchie, seated across from her in the small cabin, raised her empty glass and tossed her long blond hair. "Bonjour, Monte Carlo. And that, my friends, is the limit of my French."
"Don't forget Parliament," she added. "You know, our smokes."
"Touché," she said.
"See, your vocabulary's getting better by the second."
She looked around at her friends. How did she get so lucky? The outspoken, wise-cracking comedic socialite and star of The Simple Life (2003), Nicole Ritchie, outspoken, wise-cracking comedic socialite and actress, the adopted daughter of singer Lionel Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey, and socialite Paris Hilton's former best friend. Lindsay Lohan, former teen star, actress, singer, 25 years old, just now rising above her struggles and controversies, a beauty in her own right with clear white skin and fiery red hair worn loosely about her shoulders. And Barbados-born Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty, of course, the Caribbean global pop star with an unrelentingly edgy image, whose vast array of hit songs included ore albums and an array of hit songs, including "Unfaithful," "Umbrella," "Disturbia," "Take a Bow," "Diamonds" and "We Found Love."
And then there was her. Mischa Anne Barton----British-born, U.S.-raised actress, model, best known for her role as Marissa Cooper on the popular television series The O.C., but these days a fading star, due to her DUI arrest and drug and alcohol problems. What these interesting women were doing with the likes of her was anyone's guess. For all the complaints she'd had about leaving the states and temporarily moving to Austria, all she had to do was look around at these women to find a silver lining.
"I think for the rest of this trip I'm going to let my Londoner's accent come back." She turned to Rihanna. "Bloody good show, love," she tried, doing her best Monty Python imitation.
"And I'm going to be an American," she replied. "Hey, how ya doin'? You got any countries we can invade?"
They got off the private jet---thank you, Nicole Ritchie---bathed in the rays of a welcoming, lowering sun. An SUV drove them to the area of the Cote d'Azur Airport, marked PRIVATE AVIATION, where their bags awaited them inside.
"Do we have a car?" Rihanna asked.
"A car? Cars are so pedestrian, dahling," said Nicole Ritchie in her best Zsa Zsa voice, with a wink at all of us. None of them was poor by any stretch of the imagination, but Nicole Ritchie lapped them several times over. To know her, one would have to have an idea how rich she was. She was as sweet and down-to-earth as anyone Mischa knew. She had money, and she clearly planned to spend it.
They followed Nichole Ritchie through a door that led out to a large landing pad---and a large, sleek, silver-and-gray helicopter.
"Nikki, really!" said Lindsay, with maybe a hint of nervousness. Lindsay wasn't getting out very much these days. Her boyfriend, Russian heir Egor Tarabasov, was what you might call controlling if you were being polite. If you were being rude, you might call him, well, something else. The long and short of it was, Lindsay had never been on a girls' weekend like this.
"Why drive when we can fly?" Nicole Ritchie ran over to the helicopter and climbed in. Mischa couldn't believe it---but then again, she could. Money was no object, and Nicole Ritchie wanted her friends to live a fantasy for four days.
"Couldn't you find anything bigger?" Mischa asked.
Once they were belted in, the helicopter lifted quickly, causing a minor rebellion in Mischa's stomach. But soon they were soaring over Monaco, and nothing else mattered but the sloping hills of the French Riviera, the blue expanse of the Mediterranean, dotted with yachts and sailboats heading back to port for the night, and the pink-green sky, against which the sun was starting its descent toward the horizon.
"Did you know that Monaco is the second smallest country in the world?" Lindsay asked.
"Fascinating," said Rihanna. She and Mischa made eye contact, suppressing smiles.
"Lindsay, love," Mischa said, patting her leg, "we're going to have fun. Don't be nervous."577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡba3J5PXtAW
A mere seven minutes later, the women were landing on a beachside helipad. They unstrapped their restraints and waited for the pilot to open the door.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWJ9ELneVb
"Wait," said Nicole Ritchie. She reached into her bag and removed three overstuffed envelopes, handing one to each of us. Mischa opened hers and found a thick wad of euros.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6ANdWaQIP
"What's this?" Rihanna asked.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA0nfpPVb7
"Fifty thousand euros each," she said. "Gamble with it. Shop. Do whatever fuckin' think you want. Just promise me you'll spend it."577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgOdy30dN4
"Can I buy a car?" Mischa asked. "A little island?"577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4ESbvgvDb
"How 'bout a movie star?" Rihanna asked. "I think I can rent Brad Pitt for the weekend."577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMHk1DGLMq
"Brad Pitt? Too old, Rhi," Mischa said. "One of those younger boys. Zac Efron, maybe."577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEUdWPOjOW
"You want an athlete," Nicole Ritchie suggested. "David Beckham? Vijay Armatraj?"577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zO0uKQZAv
"Vijay, maybe," Rhi agreed.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYXNXXVOZJ
They looked over at Lindsay, who had remained silent. She considered the money, looked at Nicole Ritchie, and allowed a wry smile to play on her face. "You could get into big trouble with this batch of money," she said.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSr3CwPjnGf
They all looked at each other, giddy and slightly intoxicated, relaxed and eager, and broke into laughter. Beyond the window of the helicopter was Monte Carlo, world-famous playground of the rich and famous. They were all stifled in their own way, actresses and boyfriends living in their temporary Austrian city, and these four days would be their chance to escape. To live someone else's life, just like they did when acting.577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1ABq09ktS
"Lindsay," Mischa said, "that's the general idea."577Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABCxVRfd3W
