Waking up on Tuesday morning, I wasn’t filled with the same sinking sensation of dread in my stomach. Sophia had agreed to pretend to be my girlfriend. I couldn’t believe that everything had fallen into place like pieces of a puzzle. If I’d never met Sophia, I would have been subjected to Mother and her attempts to set me up again.

I didn’t plan on marrying Sophia, but our “relationship” would get Mother off my back for a little while. I doubted I could convince Sophia to come back to the UK or even Qatar once she returned to Dallas, so I would be living on borrowed time.

That was if we could convince everyone that our relationship was real in the first place.

My feelings for Sophia were strictly platonic, but she was my type. Without dating anyone for some time, I didn’t think I had a type. But the way that she always said what she wanted and made me laugh made me excited to see her again. Of course, she was beautiful. That made it easier for what I intended to do. I didn’t mind looking into her eyes or seeing the way her mouth curved ever so slightly when I turned her down or said something that amused her.

She hadn’t disappointed me yet, so I hoped we’d be able to keep up that streak for three days.

We would be okay as long as I did my absolute best to influence her to keep the essential things in the front of her mind: clothing, attitude, and customs.

Throughout the morning, my mind wandered to Sophia on a regular basis. Each breath I took between answering emails, I thought of Sophia in my family home. I imagined her dressed the way the other women did, accentuating her looks by covering most of her body. Even though I knew what her body looked like, there was something about the traditional dress that heightened the attraction. It was almost like I was privy to a secret.

I shook off that feeling when Justine knocked on my office door around eleven-thirty.

Her chin was down and focused on the tablet in front of her. “I’ve cleared your afternoon as you asked, Mr. Walters. Lunch is scheduled with Ms. Holmes at twelve. I’ve sent the details to your calendar.”

“Thank you, Justine,” I said, standing up. “Forward me anything urgent and call me if there are any issues. While this is a business lunch and meeting, I will be fully available.”

“Very good,” she said.

I hadn’t gone into detail with anyone about my plan with Sophia. The fewer people who knew, the better. Father would never question anyone at the company, and Mother didn’t have the means to. Whatever they saw between Sophia and me at the palace was the only truth they would know. It made the process easier for me.

Over the years that Mother spent trying to fix me up, I wondered why I never thought about it before. I supposed I never came across the right woman. I had never met anyone like Sophia before. Someone who knew I was a prince and wasn’t intimidated to wait in my office for an entire day to speak with me for five minutes.

“Ms. Holmes will be expecting you soon,” Justine said in her best effort to gently coax me out of my thoughts.

“Very well,” I said, clearing my throat. I buttoned my jacket, concealing the slight tightness in my crotch at the thought of seeing Sophia again.

* * *

The day was blustery, so I didn’t expect Sophia to be waiting outside for me when I arrived at her hotel. But when I parked at the curb, she stepped out of the front doors of the hotel and rushed over to me. She wore jeans and a pea coat with a little gray hat covering her head. Her cheeks were already red. I wasn’t sure if it was from windburn or nerves. I hoped it was the latter. It would make me feel a little better about feeling the same way.

“Hey,” she said, getting into the car.

I blasted the heat, turning the vent in her direction. “Hi.”

“I am so not used to this weather,” she said.

“Luckily, my home is closer to Dallas weather than here,” I said as I pulled the car onto the road again.

“That’s a relief,” she said, shivering.

I had the urge to put my arm around her and pull her close to warm her, but I silenced it. We weren’t there yet. We only had to fool my family, so anything done outside of that might ruin our relationship before it fake started. I didn’t want to give the wrong impression that I was interested in her outside of the business aspect.

It was a tricky situation, and I hoped I would be able to navigate it smoothly. I was giving up a personal interview for the opportunity, and I wanted to suck everything I could out of it in my favor for that trade.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To a pub for lunch,” I said. “I’m off for the rest of the afternoon, so I thought we could have a quick meal before going shopping.”

“Have you done this before?” she asked.

“I go to pubs all the time,” I said.

“No,” she said, laughing. “Shopping with women.”

“Oh,” I said. “That. Not recently.”

“Are there a lot of places in this area that offer clothes for your country?”

“I’m not interested in turning you into one of them,” I said. “Some Western women travel to Qatar all the time. You don’t have to wear the traditional dress; you just have to respect the customs of the faith. You can still have your own style.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said. “For the banquet, I’m sure Mother will request that you dress in something more formal, but for the day to day, all that is required is keeping a more modest look about you.”

“Luke, I’m willing to do what it takes to get this interview,” she said.

I clenched my jaw only slightly. This was what I wanted. A fake relationship. But why did her words affect me negatively? I didn’t expect her to fall for me or for us to ride off into the sunset. Our missions were aligned, so why wasn’t I happier?

As if she realized how her words sounded and how they affected me, she quickly added, “And for you to get your parents off your back.”

I smiled, hoping to crack through the dour feeling in the pit of my stomach. Mother would see right through our relationship if I couldn’t get a grip on myself.

“I’m assuming your boss is on board?” I asked.

“He is,” she said, her hands tightly clasped together in her lap. “He said I’m the first Western woman to visit with the royal family.”

I considered that. “I suppose you are.”

“That’s a little nuts,” she said, glancing out the window.

“Are you nervous?” I asked, hoping that she wouldn’t consider backing out now. Even though I hadn’t told Mother the name of my “girlfriend,” I knew it would be a tough sell to find another one in that short amount of time.

“A little,” she said. “But if I wasn’t, then I wouldn’t be human.”

“I suppose not,” I said, pulling into the parking lot for the pub. “You know I’m here for any questions you might have.”

“I know,” she said. “But I think we should set the basis for our relationship first.”

“You do?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m sure your parents will have a lot of questions. We need to nail down the smallest details.”

It was something I hadn’t thought of much. Instead, I focused on making Sophia look presentable so Mother wouldn’t have a reason to dislike her straight away. The idea that we had to make this relationship up from scratch lodged in the very back of my mind.

“Like what?” I asked, pulling into a space.

“Like how we met,” she said.

“I suppose I can’t tell her you stalked me to my workplace,” I said.

Sophia’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t stalk you. I made an appointment.”

“And you sneaked in when my secretary went to get coffee.”

She pressed her lips together, but I saw the slight tremble indicating that she was trying hard not to laugh.

I couldn’t help but laugh as I got out of the car.

Throughout lunch, Sophia and I talked about our fake relationship. We’d met at a pub when she was visiting the UK to cover a story. She thought it was best to stick with the truth as much as possible.

“The fewer lies we tell, the easier the story will be to keep,” she’d said.

Since our “relationship” was so new, we kept it long distance when she traveled back home to Dallas. Mother wouldn’t care to hear if we were like other couples and stayed with each other on a regular basis. Besides, it wouldn’t fit in with her job.

While I knew Father would be wary of a reporter in the palace, if we sold our relationship in the right way, then there would be no reason for him to think that Sophia was only interested in me for a scoop.

After lunch, we headed to a boutique that Justine had located in the downtown area. They had stock for women who traveled to warmer countries, even when it wasn’t particularly warm outside here.

A young woman met us when we arrived. “Mr. Walters,” she said, nodding her head. “And Ms. Holmes. I’m Katherine. Welcome. I’m excited to work with you today on clothing for your trip. I’ve already put aside some things.”

She turned away and walked through a side door, beckoning us along.

Sophia touched my arm. “How does she know my size?”

“Justine is very observant.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I was the one who guessed Sophia’s size based on the time I’d spent with her. She might think I had thought about her body way more than I should have. It was the honest truth, but sharing that might turn her off completely.

“Hm,” Sophia said and followed Katherine into the next room.

The room was the size of my walk-in closet. A plush gray love seat sat in the middle of the room in front of a trifold mirror. On one side of the room was a door that I guessed was the changing room.

“Mr. Walters, if you wouldn’t mind taking a seat,” Katherine said, opening her hand in the direction of the chair. “Ms. Holmes—”

“Sophia,” Sophia said. “You can call me Sophia.”

Katherine smiled tightly. “Sophia. Please come through here with me so I can point out some of my choices for you.”

Sophia gave me a look and then followed Katherine.

Unbuttoning my jacket, I sat down on the couch. I slung my arm over the top, then thought better of it and put it down at my side. I didn’t want to appear too comfortable in front of Sophia, as if I did this a lot. Though, why did I care? In the short time since our arrangement was made, I’d been unable to think of much else. I wouldn’t tell her that, though. She was here for the story. I had to remind myself of that.

After a few moments of rustling around in the dressing room, Katherine came out and smiled at me. “Would you two like some champagne?”

“No—” I said at the same time Sophia called out a loud, “Yes!” from the room.

I smirked. “Whatever the lady wants.”

“Very well,” Katherine said with a small bob of her head before leaving the room.

“Justine nailed it,” Sophia said, opening the door.

She stepped out of the room, and I unconsciously sat up straighter.

Sophia wore simple khaki pants that brushed against the floor since she wasn’t wearing shoes. The deep red top flowed across her chest, reaching up to the base of her neck while the sleeves reached her wrists.

While I appreciated the jeans and V-necks she wore on a regular basis since I’d met her, I was quite fond of the outfit in front of me.

“This is really nice,” she said, staring at herself in the mirror.

I locked eyes with myself in the mirror and saw the dumb look on my face. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen this woman almost every single day since she arrived in the UK. Still, it was like seeing her for the first time again.

“It is,” I said.

“It’s light,” she said, moving her arms up and down.

“It’s hot at home,” I said. “Even though you need to cover up, that’s no reason to sweat the whole time.”

“I like that idea,” she said.

Katherine brought champagne for the both of us while Sophia went into the dressing room to try on a few other pieces.

We weren’t going to be at the palace for long, so I opted for Sophia to pick about six outfits. She could easily mix and match them if necessary.

Katherine had certainly earned her commission. With each outfit, my interest in Sophia grew more.

Going shopping with my girlfriend, real or fake, seemed like an intimate thing between two lovers. While she was in the dressing room, it took all of my strength not to open the door and drink in how she looked in a bra and panties.

I wasn’t a pervert, but I appreciated the gorgeous woman in front of me. And with her taking my family’s traditions so seriously, that somehow made her more attractive.

The last outfit was my favorite. It was a long gray dress that covered Sophia but clung to her body as if it were tailored to her. I imagined a hijab on her head, and she would fit in perfectly with my family.

“I had this sent over when Justine told me where you were headed,” Katherine said, beaming. She was proud of herself.

“It’s beautiful,” Sophia said, pressing her hands against her hips as she turned to see the dress from all angles.

“It really is,” I said a little breathlessly.

Sophia locked eyes with mine in the mirror. “Thank you.”

Sophia decided on which outfits to buy for the trip, and I handed over my credit card to Katherine to ring up the bill.

When we were left in the room together, Sophia was finishing changing into her regular clothes.

“Thanks again,” she said from the little dressing room.

I stepped closer to the door so that Katherine wouldn’t hear us. “It’s my pleasure. Anything to make this plan work.”

The door opened, and I came face to face with Sophia. She stopped in front of me and tilted her head up to look at me. The side of her neck was exposed, and I wondered what it would be like to touch or kiss her.

“Excuse me,” she said, smirking.

“Oh,” I said, moving out of the way. The moment was gone, but the lingering effects remained with me for the entire ride to her hotel.

“I just want to be clear,” I said as Sophia’s hotel came into view almost fifteen minutes later. “While we have the clothes and our story straight, Father is very traditional, and Mother will not like you.”

“You know how to make a girl feel special,” she said with a smile.

Mine tightened. “I want you to have those expectations. You don’t need to work hard for them to love you, but you have to be someone that they accept. If Mother doesn’t feel that you are right for me, then she will keep trying to set me up, and this whole thing will be for nothing.”

“You’ll still give me the interview, right?” she asked, falling back into reporter mode. “I don’t want this to turn into the cafe or the French restaurant.”

“I will give you the interview,” I said. “But if we can make this arrangement work for the both of us, that would make me feel at ease with this plan.”

“Don’t worry about it, then,” she said. “I will keep my end of the bargain, especially since you’re footing the bill.”

She had no idea that that was the easy part. I had enough money to make the trip on a daily basis. What I didn’t have was Mother off my back.

I pulled up to the curb and my stomach twisted. I didn’t want to be too eager, but I had to let her go. I had a lot of work to do up until the trip that had nothing to do with Sophia.

I got out of the car and so did she. I met her at the trunk, grabbing her bags of new clothes.

Flagging a bellhop, I instructed him to take her things to her room.

“I can get them,” she said, unwilling to let go of one of the bags.

“This is something you will have to get used to,” I said.

She nodded and handed over the bag. “I suppose so.”

“Remember, the servants at the palace have a job to do. Allow them to do it, and that will earn big points with my parents.”

“Okay,” she said, digging her hands into her jacket.

“I should be on my way,” I said. “I’ll pick you up on Thursday, and we won’t be back until Sunday.”

“It seems so long,” she said. “Especially if we’re playing the roles of boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Hopefully, it won’t be too hard,” I said. “We have our stories straight.”

“We do,” she said, looking up at me through her thick eyelashes.

“I will give you your interview then,” I added.

“Sounds fair,” she said. “Well, goodnight, Luke.”

“You have my number in case you have any questions?”

“I do,” she said. “I’ll be sure to send some along. I always have questions.”

“I had a feeling you might.”

She glanced around us, trapping her lip under her teeth. I could tell she didn’t want to end the conversation either.

I was the first to initiate one of us leaving. She was trembling so hard. As much as I wanted to comfort her, we weren’t on the clock yet.

“Goodnight, Sophia,” I said and left. I wasn’t able to take a full breath until she was out of my sight.