Have you been sick?” Maggie asks, shoving a bunch of mugs into the dishwasher behind the counter. “It’s not like you to miss work.”

Lovesick, more like.

“Um,” I stall, wishing I had a table I needed to check up on. “Not really…”

This gets Maggie’s attention faster than setting the café on fire.

“Okay, spill.”

“Well…it’s Gabriel. I, well, I’m falling for him. Hard.” I glance away from her, already knowing what her reaction is going to be.

Her eyes go wide and she goes silent.

“Girl, are you fucking a motherfucking prince? Oh, Sophie, please tell me you are. Please. And please say you’ll let me be your bridesmaid! Bridesmaids always get lucky, and maybe we could be royal step-sisters!”

I nearly fall over with laughter. It’s just like Maggie to fixate on finding a new sexy man to play with.

“Actually, no,” I confess, feeling a blush burn my cheeks. “But we’ve…well, we’ve messed around a little, I guess. It’s nice.”

“Nice? Sophie. Are you kidding me? You have a prince chasing you and lavishing attention on you…and it’s nice?”

“Well, you know,” I stall, grabbing a rag and wiping a counter I cleaned five minutes ago.

“No, actually, I don’t know.” Maggie’s voice is brittle behind me. I turn and see her staring at me, her arms crossed against her chest. “I thought you were keeping him at a distance and playing along so you could get a bomb of a payday.”

Glancing to make sure no one else is in listening distance, I drop the rag and face Maggie.

“So did I.” I sigh, thinking back over the whirlwind of the past few weeks. “There’s something about him…”

“You mean his money? Or his dick?”

“No!” I say quickly. “It’s not like that. We haven’t had sex.” I cross my fingers behind my back, not wanting to go into the exact details of what we’ve done. The way he went down on me on the jet was spectacular. I’ve never come so hard in my life.

“Huh.” Maggie’s eyes narrow and it’s obvious she’s skeptical. “So what is it, then?”

“Really? It’s going to sound corny and cliché, but we click. He’s a nice guy. And before you say it or roll your eyes, I mean it. He treats me well.”

“What does he get out of it?”

Anger flares in me and I take a deep breath. No matter how much I try to control my voice, I know it comes out sharp and wounded. “Are you referring to this?” I look down at my body. “Are you saying I don’t look like girlfriend material for a prince?”

“No, Sophie! No! That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Maggie’s face softens and I instantly regret having hurt her feelings. Sometimes the years of being called fatso are so ingrained that you assume even a good friend is saying something mean.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. It’s just…I’ve told you about how I was teased in high school. It’s hard to forget.”

“I know.” Maggie runs her hand along her arm, quickly glancing through the coffee shop and making sure no one needs help. “I mean, no offense, but princes don’t normally date starving artists. The way he was when he was here, he just seemed so classic ‘I always get what I want’ rich boy. Besides, I thought they all dated other royals or girls who don’t even know the word job, much less credit card debt or rent or student loan.”

“I get it, I really do. It really doesn’t seem like he has an agenda. Sure, it started with him needing a date for this gala at the museum, to keep his father happy and to maintain a certain appearance, but it’s developing into something. I’m scared to think of just what, but it’s absolutely more than just some high-paying gig I lucked into.”

“Are you sure?”

Before I can answer, the sound of the coffee shop door opening makes us both turn.

“He has got to be in the wrong place.” Maggie says, her eyes glued to the man walking in. He’s wearing a sharp black suit that costs more than what either of us earn in a month. Men in suits like that rarely come in here.

It takes me a moment, but I recognize Gabriel’s driver before he’s two steps into the coffee shop. “That’s… I know who that is.”

“What?” Maggie’s voice rises and she turns to stare at me.

“Miss Benjamin, good afternoon.” Aston nods his head slightly as he approaches me.

“Hello. Can I help you?”

Aston discreetly coughs. “Actually, Miss Benjamin, I’m here to pick you up. Did Prince Gabriel not inform you?”

“Ah, no,” I say, trying to politely extricate my arm from Maggie’s hand which is cutting off my circulation.

“Oh, I do apologize. I’ve been instructed to take you to meet a private shopper, so you can be properly attired for the event.” Aston looks more embarrassed than I am, at having to tell me why he’s here.

I glance around the coffee shop, thankful the owner isn’t in right now. “Maggie, can you cover for me? It’s pretty quiet…”

Maggie grins at me and practically shoves me out the door. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Go choose a fancy dress. You certainly deserve it!”

I glare at her, then give her a quick hug.

“Make sure it’s godawful expensive!” Maggie whispers in my ear. I grin back at her and practically rip off my apron.

“Thank you! I’ll make it up to you, promise.”

Apparently, after looking down her nose at my figure and tut-tutting as she talked about taking my measurements to have the dress tailored for exactly my body, this personal shopper also feels I need new lingerie. ‘Oh, honey. You can’t wear…that…under a dress like this…’ is what she really said. Even though Gabriel instructed them to give me carte blanche, judging by the fact there aren’t any price tags on anything in Cou Cou, the most exclusive boutique in the city, the saleslady still thinks I’m less than worthy for their clothing.

However, as snooty as she is, she’s right. After a slightly embarrassing interview which involved me being topless so she could fit me for a bra, I’m now wearing the most amazing and gorgeous bra of my life. My breasts are wonderfully framed by lace and the bra actually fits.

I nearly jump out of my skin when my phone beeps with the special tone I picked out for Gabriel.

How is the shopping going? Have you found a dress?

I have! I can’t wait for you to see it!

Send me a photo?

No. It’ll be a surprise. I’m sure you’ll be pleased.

You tease…

Feeling confident in lingerie for probably the first time in my life, I tap the camera app and take a picture of me in the mirror, from the chest up. I quickly crop it to make sure it’s flattering, then before I can think twice, I text it to Gabriel.

After a minute, my phone beeps again, this time notifying me that Gabriel wants to video Skype with me.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly run my hand through my hair, then accept the video call.

“Hi,” I say, shyness overwhelming me.

Gabriel’s eyes go wide when he sees me and he gasps.

“You are fucking gorgeous. Will you show me more?”

“Um,” I stall, my mind racing. I move my phone so that it’s closer to me, but not showing him anything more than in the picture. “This is all you get right now, Gabriel. Like the dress, the rest is a surprise for the night of the gala.”

Gabriel’s light blue eyes narrow at me and he opens and closes his mouth, then his full lips break into a wide smile that lights up his face.

“That sounds like a promise to me. I like that promise…”

My cheeks flood with color and I smile at him. I’ve never felt comfortable showing a man my body before, because I thought I would never be good enough. It’s always seemed like the most desirable men always want or end up with women who look like they belong in a fashion magazine. Yet Gabriel is still excited about seeing me naked, after the trip we took. Feeling attractive to an attractive man is something I doubted would ever happen.

“You are so beautiful when you blush. I would very much like to see you after you finish shopping.”

There’s something in Gabriel’s eyes – not just lust, but a tender need, too. It matches the way I’ve been feeling about him. It feels like a wondrous new world is just a breath away. I wasn’t lying when I told Maggie that it feels like there’s a deeper connection between Gabriel and me.

“I’d like that, too. Though you’re going to have to wait,” I tease. “I need to get back to work. The owner will kill me if he finds out I ducked out for even a little while and Maggie will kill me if the coffee shop gets slammed and it’s just her there.”

“I…” Gabriel’s smile falls from his face and his brow creases.

“What’s wrong?” A surge of concern rises in me and I feel an overpowering desire to comfort him.

“I’m sorry, sweet Sophie. I have to go. My Father is calling again.”

“Oh, of course. We’ll talk again soon.”

Gabriel says goodbye and smiles again, then the screen abruptly goes dark.

I look in the mirror and run my hands across my breasts and down my stomach, feeling more confident about myself.

For the first time in a long time, I truly feel desirable.