When dealing with the paparazzi, my father always told me to play into the cameras. The more I let them take my picture, two things would happen. First, it would be more exposure for my father’s company. I wasn’t a wild child like Whitney so any picture taken of me always portrayed elegance and care. Second, once they had enough pictures they would move on. If I ran, they’d chase me. And then I’d look bad trying to run, as though I had something to hide.

Yet, there I was, running. And, yes, I did have something to hide. That was Gavin. He did not need to be dragged into the camera lens and have his picture plastered all over the internet and local newspapers.

He should have just listened to me and left when he had the chance. I could have posed for pictures, answered questions, and then slowly worked my way around the stage and to my private car. I had a hotel room booked and I could have Gavin then sneak through the back and he and I could spend the rest of the afternoon and the night together.

Instead, things were crazy.

We didn’t go toward the back of the stage. No. Gavin grabbed my hand, told me to get ready to run, and then he turned, facing the park.

We started to run and I was happy I didn’t wear heels. I never wore those things. I hated those things. My father told me that appearing too short was a negative thing, but according to his research team, me being short showed a level of innocence that helped to protect his image.

The more I thought about my life as I ran through the park with Gavin, the more I realized just how processed it all was. How every decision made was comforted with money as though that were the great end all. And maybe for a time that was a good thing.

Gavin looked back at me and smiled. “We’re almost there, darling. I promise, we’re going to get away.”

I smiled back and nodded. I trusted him. So much. I think I sort of loved him too. He was showing me a side of life I never knew. A life that didn’t revolve around money, predetermined answers to hard questions, and something so simple that it was anything but simple, but worth fighting for.

“Hey! Olivia! Where is the princess running to?” a voice called out.

“Gavin, they’re following us,” I said to him.

In the background I heard the soft voice of Abigail’s dear mother. How terrible was this… these people with cameras worried about me when there was a woman trying to speak of her only child that had been taken so early in life?

“Once we get through the park, we’re fine,” Gavin said.

The flowers that surrounded us were beautiful. It almost felt like a game. Or something… like being a real princess. He was the knight there to save me. The evil kings henchmen were coming to get me. Gavin was saving me.

I heard the voice of Abigail’s mother crack up for a second and I dug my heels into the ground.

“Gavin! Wait!”

He stopped. The paparazzi were still coming after us.

I looked at him. “I can’t just walk away from this. What this means to me. I need to say something to all of them.”

“Okay. Then say it.”

“I don’t want you to have your picture taken, Gavin. It’s not fair.”

“Try me,” he said.

Gavin reached to his jeans and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. He stuck them on his face and stiffened his back. He looked over seven feet tall. He was so sexy in his cleaned up white button down shirt. His version of being well dressed which was sort of comical but made my body tingle.

He then crossed his arms and turned his head, looking rough, tough, and really pissed off.

“Gavin…”

“I’m here to protect you, princess,” he said. He tilted his head and looked over the top of his sunglasses and winked.

I sighed.

I never met anyone like him. And now he wanted to pretend to be a bodyguard for me.

I took a few steps forward and put my hands out to calm the paparazzi.

“Hey, hey, hey,” I said. “There’s a speech going on you all need to listen to. You need to take pictures that way.”

“Olivia! Why are you running?”

“Princess! Who is the mystery man you’re with?”

“Where’s Sterling?”

I shook my head as the cameras snapped picture after picture of me. “I hope you all realize that there is a mother and father grieving back there. A very special young girl was taken too soon. And it’s up to us to help. So I’m asking you all right now to take as many pictures as you want of me, but do the same for Abigail’s parents. For this entire memorial.”

“Where are you running to, Olivia?”

“Princess…”

“I’m going to fully commit to everything I spoke about. I’m leaving now because I don’t want the attention on me. This is not for celebrity purposes. This is for how I felt about Abigail. What she meant to me. What she meant to her family. And more so, about the rest of those children who are fighting a battle that I hope none of us ever have to understand.”

“Princess, your mother died of cancer, correct?”

The question caught me off guard. I wasn’t used to engaging with the paparazzi. It was more or less me just walking, pausing, pictures being snapped. My innocent smile, a few kind words, then move on.

I felt my emotions suddenly catch up to me.

I moved my eyes left to right.

A hand touched my shoulder.

I was being turned around.

I looked up to see Gavin towering over me.

“That’s enough,” Gavin bellowed. “We have to get her to her transportation. Please respect her wishes and turn around and focus on the memorial. Thank you.”

Gavin guided me through the park as they all kept shouting questions at me.

“They’re going to follow us again,” I whispered.

“I know,” Gavin said. “Take my hand, darling, and let’s make another run for it.”

I looked back at Gavin one more time. I blinked fast, trying to hold it together. “Gavin… I…”

He nodded. “It’s okay, Princess… it’s okay.”

We started to run again.

I decided then… if I was going to live my life as a princess then I wanted to be Gavin’s princess.

 

* * *

 

He opened the passenger door to his truck for me and helped me inside. I loved the way he looked at me and played a part that seemed so natural to him.

A few moments later, the truck was started and we were driving. There was no way in hell anyone in the paparazzi would ever think that I’d be sitting in a big, black pickup truck as my escape from them.

In the mirror I saw the park slowly fade into nothing.

Gavin just drove without asking about directions. He just knew what I needed and when I needed it.

We didn’t speak a word either.

I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad though.

Gavin finally did decide on a destination, and that was a drive thru burger place.

He pulled into the line and looked at me, winking. “Gotta eat, right?”

“Of course.”

“From there, you tell me what we should do.”

“Hide,” I said. “You and me, Gavin.”

“Okay. I can head back to my place.”

“No,” I said. I reached across the seat and touched his wrist. I bit my bottom lip. “No, Gavin.”

At that exact moment, I lost it. I burst into tears. Like a stupid fool.

Not a little cry. Not a tear falling from my eye. But a full blown, ugly cry. The kind where tears and snot mixed together, my chest felt like it was caving in, and my stomach hurt from the muscles working so hard to keep crying.

Gavin moved fast. He threw the truck into reverse and backed up enough to get out of the line. That meant jumping a curb and driving over a few small shrubs. Cars started to beep at him but he didn’t care. He drove forward into a parking spot and stopped the truck.

He grabbed for the seatbelt and unclipped it. His hands grabbed for me and he pulled. Next thing I knew I was in his strong arms, my face buried in his hard chest, crying my eyes out. His left hand slid into my hair as he started to rock.

“It’s okay, darling. Just let it all out.”

I clawed at his shirt as though my life depended on it.

What the hell is wrong with you, Olivia?

“I’m so sorry they asked you that,” he whispered. “Fucking morons.”

I broke away from his chest and looked up at him. My face had to look like an ugly mess.

“How did you…”

“I get it,” he whispered. He touched my face and used his thumb to wipe away the tears and whatever makeup had run down my face. “Why were you really there, Liv. I know she meant something to you but this was your way of maybe saying goodbye to your mother. You never got that, did you?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“I don’t know if you got that today or not, but you did amazing up there. I know we can’t bring back those that we lost, but you’ll always have today. What you said. And that little girl’s parents will have it too. And I know you, Liv. You’re going to stay in touch with them. Help them. Fulfill everything you said. Fuck, Liv, do you realize how important that is?”

I sucked in a breath. “Thank you, Gavin.”

“For what?”

“This. For letting me be… real. The second I met you, it was real. That’s me. That’s…”

He put two fingers under my chin and lifted my head. He leaned down and kissed me. “Darling, I still don’t get all the princess bullshit. I don’t care about cameras. About money. About private cars and helicopters. What I saw today was a beautiful woman offering her soul. The same woman who showed up in my town and got drunk and threw up and passed out on my couch.”

I smiled. “Gavin…”

“I’m hoping the next thing you tell me is that you’re hungry. So I can get back in this line and get some food. I know it’s not the first class dinner you’re used to, but there’s nothing wrong with a little grease once in a while, right?”

I reached up and touched his face.

I was amazed that I met someone who could see me. The real me. Who could read me. Who could sense me. Who knew exactly what to do, how to do it, when to do it.

That’s when an idea came to me.

I traced the steel line of his jaw.

“Gavin, I have something to tell you.”

“Darling…”

I put my finger to his lips. To shut him up.

“Gavin, I’m fucking starving…”

 

* * *

 

I looked out the window when he paid for the food, just in case someone recognized me. I hated to live that way but I couldn’t take any chances.

Gavin drove from the fast food place across the street to an empty parking lot. There was a large retail store closed down. He parked in the first spot and we sat there and ate.

He was right. This was not the first class meal I was used to. But you know what? It was fucking awesome.

Gavin downed his food in record time. He tossed the garbage into the backseat of the truck and then put his hands to the wheel.

“Where to now, princess?” he asked with a sly grin.

I swallowed the bite of burger in my mouth. “Hotel.”

“Hotel?” he asked.

I nodded. “I want to show you something.”

“Anything you want. That’s why I’m here.”

Gavin put the truck into drive as I finished eating.

We drove through the little rundown section of town and got on a highway for about twenty minutes before the city came into view, rising from the horizon. All the buildings looking like something out of a postcard. The crazy part was that I had been in every single building. I had conducted business in them. At the same time I could bet everything I owned that Gavin had never been in a single one.

“Have you ever been to the city?” I asked him.

“Sure. A few times. I think once when I was a kid. On a bus trip for school. To look at the buildings and go to the museum.”

“The other times?”

“Don’t really remember,” he said. “I think once was with Luke. He had this dream at some point of living in the city as some big business guy. He knew someone that got us into a rooftop party.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Not quite,” Gavin said. “Bunch of weird people taking drugs while Luke and I wanted to drink beer and party. So we sat on the ledge of the roof and talked for a little bit. Then we bailed and got a ride back home.”

“Gavin. I want to know everything about Luke. If you trust me.”

Gavin looked at me for a second. Then he reached for my hand and squeezed it. “I trust you, darling. I just don’t know if I trust myself yet.”

I wasn’t sure what that meant but I had to respect his honesty.

I gave the directions on how to get into the city and get to the hotel. Now, imagine the sight of me in Gavin’s pickup truck, right? Now imagine pulling into a super high class hotel parking lot. I’m talking thousands of dollars a night. Private entrances and exits. Security like you wouldn’t believe. Privacy everywhere. This was a place where famous people stayed. Where politicians stayed. Where world leaders stayed. It was a place where a lot of people had affairs and everyone was paid handsomely to keep things a secret. There wasn’t a single vehicle in a one block radius that wasn’t worth at least fifty grand.

Until Gavin showed up with his truck.

He parked around the far back in an open corner spot.

When he got out of the truck and looked at the hotel, he shook his head.

“Come on,” I whispered. “This will be fun.”

At the back private entrance we were escorted to a set of elevators that took us all the way up to the thirtieth floor. The elevator had gold doors with gold buttons and gold railings on the inside. It was all normal to me but I could sense Gavin was a little uncomfortable with everything.

When we got to my room, I paused. “Don’t judge me.”

“Never,” he said with a wink.

I opened the door and led him inside.

Gavin took three steps and stopped.

From his vantage point, I understood it.

The huge open floor plan. Like an apartment instead of a hotel room. A full kitchen. A sitting area. A living room. A gas fireplace in the corner. The entire one side of the room was floor to ceiling glass, a massive window that looked out to the rest of the city. There were a handful of doors in the room, too. Two closets, one bathroom, two bedrooms. And the master bedroom had its own private master bathroom.

“This is a hotel room?” Gavin asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Some people stay a while.”

“A hotel room,” he repeated. “I mean… to me a hotel room has a bed, a lamp with a buzzing lightbulb ready to die, and a remote that might work on a TV that has four channels.”

“Well, not here, Gavin,” I said and laughed.

“Holy shit. I’m afraid to touch anything.”

“Don’t be,” I said. “Want a drink?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

I walked to the kitchen where the fridge was fully stocked. And if there was anything I needed or wanted, it was just a phone call away.

I put a bottle of really expensive water on the counter and Gavin put his pointer finger to the top and tilted the bottle back. Then he shook his head and backed off.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I feel wrong being here, darling. All those people back in my town… struggling. And I’m looking at this.”

“You don’t think you deserve this? Even for a day?”

“I don’t know what to think right now, Liv.”

“Can I show you something else?”

“Yeah.”

I took Gavin to the middle of the large window and stood there. “It’s all crazy out there, Gavin. The city. The people. The world even. And you were right about today. About my mother. That’s what it was. You’re the only person who can see me. So I wanted to show you this. Because the truth… I hate it.” I reached for his hand and slipped my fingers into his. “I hate it so much. It’s all I’ve known so far in life. Until I met you. And I feel things trying to change. Or that I’m trying to see things differently.”

“Don’t do that because of me, darling,” Gavin said. “I’m not the guy you change for. I’m not the guy you chase. I’m not the guy you wait around for. Okay?”

“Then what are you?” I asked, looking at him.

Gavin let my hand go and side stepped so he stood behind me. His hands gently touched my hips. My body was instantly set on fire.

He leaned down and put his lips to my ear. “I’m the guy you remember later in life when you need to remember what crazy felt like.”

Before I could say something back, his right hand gently pulled at my dress. I let out a shuddering gasp and looked down, watching his strong, callused, partially black stained hand as he lifted my skirt. He moved slow and calculated, giving me time to resist him.

But I couldn’t resist him.

I wanted him.

I wanted this.

Slowly, I reached forward and put my hands to the window. I felt so exposed around Gavin. But I liked it.

With his left hand he grabbed my skirt as it was finally bunched up. His right hand then slipped down and touched my inner thigh. I was warm, comfortable, but that didn’t compare to the heat waiting elsewhere for him.

When I felt his rough fingers slide over the outside of my panties, I let out a sigh of relief. He pressed, twisting his finger, just enough to get me to buck my hips at him. I put my head back for a second and gasped for air.

Gavin then kissed my ear and let out a little growling sound. Then he kissed down to my neck, lips and tongue playing while his fingers ran up to the top of my panties. He then slid back down, inside my panties, finally touching me.

I groaned as his fingertips rounded me, moving against my wetness, and then slowly entering me. I lost my breath for a second and shut my eyes, feeling him sinking deeper into me. When I exhaled, my body clenched against his touch. He then pulled his fingers down and quickly plunged forward again. My body jumped and my nails tried to scratch at the window.

“Yes,” I whispered. “Oh, fuck, Gavin…”

His mouth kissed my neck with a loud noise. I felt his nose touch my cheek as he sighed against my skin.

His fingers began to move faster, harder, more thorough as he knew exactly what he was doing.

I soon lost myself to his touch, my hips rocking back and forth, wanting and demanding more. My breathing became labored, any sense of outside reality slipping away as all I cared about was Gavin touching me.

But as wild as it was, it suddenly stopped.

Gavin was gone.

I let out a whimpering sound.

His hands grabbed my hips and he spun me around.

I looked up at him, not sure what to think or do.

He slid his hands around to my ass and then down. One hand lifted my skirt again while the other hand touched me again. I gritted my teeth and exhaled with a needy groan of relief when his fingers slid back into me.

“Gavin… I want…”

He put his lips to mine and stole my words. Then he left his lips brushing against mine as he spoke.

“I’m giving you what you need, darling,” he whispered.

I felt his two fingers ease up and find an even more tender spot. The moment he touched my throbbing clit I grabbed at his arms. I groaned, loud.

Gavin smiled.

“Keep going, princess,” he said.

I felt myself tingling and building, my toes curled tight, my body thrusting against his touch. He had found the right spot at the right time. I was so screwed but that was okay with me.

Gavin kissed me again, commanding my body head to toe.

My hands ran up his strong arms and gripped at his thick shoulders. I let my body ease back against the glass window. I lifted my left leg and hooked it around his body. Pulling at him. Needing him.

And Gavin gave it to me. He could have easily opened his jeans right then but he didn’t. He was giving this moment - this pleasure - to me. For me.

I reached my climax and gave a shuddering whimper. Gavin put his lips to mine but didn’t kiss me. Was there anything fucking hotter than that? He then thrust his fingers harder than ever, making me cry out as I began to come.

Gavin let my dress go and slid that hand around to my lower back, pulling me tight to his touch and tight against his body. I cried out, kissed him, groaned, kissed him again, and then I called out his name. I felt dirty and messy, anything but a princess, but when I looked into his eyes, he made me feel… like a queen.

He kissed me gently and left a trail of kisses down to my neck before pulling away for good. He took his hands away from me and left me standing there. My legs felt rubbery. My hips quivering as my insides were still feeling everything. My heart was pounding super fast. My head spinning.

I looked at Gavin and took a deep breath.

“So, what now, darling?” he asked.

“We get the fuck out of here,” I said, semi-breathless.

“Yeah?”

“I have a secret place I want to show you.”