Hutton

After the contract contenders have toured the palace and the grounds, they load in an SUV to head to the castle. We’re being shown possibilities for the filming of movies, news coverage, tourism commercials, and everything royal—from births to marriages to deaths. I try not to let the simplified sales pitch bother me. This contract has ballooning to cover other events over a twenty-five year period.

It’s an incredible opportunity worth a fortune, one that would net the company billions. My other work has been put on hold until this deal is secured, but I can only afford another day before I need to return. I won’t let the current clients suffer if this gets dragged out.

The princess hasn’t been seen around this morning. Not at breakfast and not in any of the places we’ve been visiting.

I already miss her.

She’s easy to get addicted to. When she smiles, it’s genuine. Her laughter comes from the inside as though she can’t contain it. She’s flirty and so fucking sexy. When we talk, she listens—really listens. She doesn’t always agree with me, but that’s because she knows her opinion is important too. Our games were never about who we were, so I know she never set out to hurt me. I didn’t know about the life she was trying to hide, but at least I know she never hid the real person from me.

The combination of her determination, strong will, and intelligence is a mental turn-on. Feisty and frisky. Those might be the best words to describe the contradiction that is Ally Edwards versus Princess Arabelle Sutcliffe.

But with the breaking of a new day, the problems come out from the darkness that nighttime cloaks and become clearer. What happens next for us? We really need to talk somewhere that allows us to talk about something deeper than the weather.

When we arrive at the castle, I see Dick standing in full Duke regalia next to a horse. He shoos away the stable boy, who leads the horse away, while he greets us. Asshole.

I’m still not sure what part he plays. He says one thing when it comes to Ally, and she says another. I need to dig a little deeper.

As he explains the history of the castle and the moat, we cross the bridge that leads to the drawbridge. Inside the castle walls, Yamagata leaves the group to take a call. I tell Bennett, Jakob, and Dick that I need to make a call, and I’m given permission to wander the grounds without them.

I walk down a corridor and then down a rounded stairwell. Intrigued into the darker recesses of the underground, I look for a cell signal but realize I lost it when I came down here.

“Are you lost?”

Turning around, my beauty stands near a lamp with a flickering bulb that needs changing. “Endlessly without you.”

After closing the distance between us, she caresses her hands over my head and then wraps her arms around my neck. “You’re found now, my love.”

I kiss her quickly, and then say, “You say such sweet things when I know the bitterness of fate will soon come from those very lips.”

“Am I that cruel, sir?”

“Crueler, but that’s just to my heart.”

“It’s strong and handles anything little ole me can throw its way.”

I take a moment to look at her in the dim light. “What about others?”

“You’ve never had trouble handling yourself before, Mr. Everest.”

In case we have to leave before I get another chance, I kiss her. This time I’m not quick or thinking of time. I’m just feeling, taking in, and savoring what this is like. “Explain to me how the marriage thing works.”

A sly smile slips into place. “Well, sometimes when one person meets the person they’re meant to be with, they get married, strengthening their bond under the law of that land.”

“You’re cute. A comedian. But I’m talking about you and how things work here in Brudenbourg. Dick is here, and by all appearances, he looks confident in his role as duke. He treats your employees like they’re beneath him.”

When her arms begin to loosen, I grab her to keep her in place, and say, “I’m not letting you escape. We need to talk, Ally. I need to know the real situation and what’s going on. I can’t fight against the unknown.”

“You need to understand that anyone who works for us is an employee—paid and free to leave at any time.”

“I sense a but coming.”

“Let’s walk down here.” She takes my hand and leads me farther into the bowels of the castle. The women I’ve dated in the past would be scared in such a dank, dark, and dingy place. It gets colder the farther we walk. “The but is, they are beneath him in title only.”

“Not when it comes to humanity. I wouldn’t treat my employees how he so comfortably treats yours. Considering you’re in line for the throne, I’ve never seen you dismiss or treat anyone rudely. Even Sabine Rosalie. The ice was thick between you two at the pub, but you still weren’t rude.”

“Sabine Rosalie is . . . how do I say this? She’s very popular with men.”

“You know this for sure, or is this just gossip?”

Walking ahead of me, she’s almost far enough that I momentarily lose sight of her. “She and the senior dance king were caught in the back of his carriage getting it on.” I reach her, wrapping my arm around her waist and holding her close.

I say, “Two things. First, a carriage as in a horse-drawn carriage?”

“Yes.” She giggles. “That’s what we take to dances. It’s our version of limos.”

“Secondly, who cares who she was getting it on with?”

“I did.” When her lips purse, I think I’ve hit a raw nerve. “He wasn’t just my date. He was my boyfriend.”

“Wait a minute. Back up. He gave up being king of a country for sex in a carriage?”

She rolls her eyes, but it’s playful and followed by a laugh. “Pretty much, but let me explain how things work here in Brudenbourg. There are no kings. Only queens. So he might have been a crowned prince if I had kept him around.”

“Ah yes, Jakob told me.”

“To be honest, when I caught them, I was relieved. He was kind of an asshole. He’d been pressuring me for sex for months even though he knew the law.”

“What law?”

“The chastity law.”

“What the fuck is that?”

She spins out of my hold, catching my hand, and pulling me with her. “Not so loud.” Up ahead, I see where light sneaks in through a hole in the brick, and she whispers, “We’re almost there.”

Whispering, I repeat, “What’s the chastity law?”

“Just what it sounds like.” Her voice goes even softer. “I’m supposed to be virginal, sacrificed for the first time at the altar of my husband.”

“That’s quite the visual.”

She giggles. “I have a flair sometimes.”

“Yes, you do. That law is utter bullshit. Only a weak man would subscribe to something put in place to protect a delicate ego.” So she’d be judged for sleeping with me. I mutter under my breath, “Bullshit.” Glancing at her silhouette, I don’t want what we’ve done to hinder her in any way. “How are you going to get aroun—?”

Fingers are pressed to my mouth. How can she even fucking see me? “Shhh. Don’t say anything more. The walls could have ears.”

Alert, I look around, willing my eyes to adjust better to the dim light. “That’s creepy as fuck.”

Standing close enough to see her shrug, I want to laugh that even the suggestion doesn’t seem to bother her. As far as the women I’ve known, she’s a true anomaly. No wonder I haven’t been able to get her out of my head.

Once we pass the light, it goes dark again. I don’t know how she can see anything more than a foot in front of us. My eyes haven’t adjusted, and I’m tempted to pull my phone out to use as a flashlight since it’s getting even darker the farther we go.

I’m pulled into a room and pinned to a cold wall built from stone. I can’t see a fucking thing, but I can feel. Ally presses against me, her lips lightly on mine. “I want you inside me, Hutton. Not your fingers and not your mouth, though it’s magical. I want your cock.” My dick is grabbed, halting my breath in my chest. Her hand feels good, so I release a heavy exhale. “I’ve missed the fullness. I’ve missed you so much. Make love to me.”

“Here?”

“Yes. No one even knows I’m here. No one knows you’re with me or where we are. It’s been too long. It will be fast and—”

“Ally.” I may not be able to see her, but I know her body well. I caress her face and lean my head against hers. “It has been too long, baby, but I don’t want it fast. I want to take my time with you. Not in a wet and musty dungeon, but on a bed where I can spend hours appreciating you without interruptions.”

“Hutton—”

“Ally,” I say again, taking her hand from below and bringing it to my mouth. “You’re so tempting, and I’m going to regret this as soon as we leave, but it wouldn’t be making love down here.” I kiss her wrist. “Tonight, I’ll make love to you all night because I want to do it when I can see your eyes, your gorgeous face, and those lips. Fuck, those lips are incredible. And whatever you want, I’ll give to you. I promise.”

Her lips crash into mine, causing me to hit my head on the stone. Our tongues meet in a sudden rush together, and I’m now thinking I could be persuaded to take her hard and fast in this pitch-black room. She pushes off me, pulling out of my grasp, and says, “Tonight. All night.”

Her warmth covers me again, and I hear the excitement in her voice even if I can’t see it, making me smile. “All night.”

“I can’t wait. Come on.” She takes my hand and leads me out of the room. The light in the far distance is enough to guide us back the thirty or so yards we traveled. When we reach the stairwell, she smiles, admiring me. Running the pad of her palm over my cheek, she says, “That’s better.”

I don’t mind her marking me any way she wants to, but the guys might wonder what I’ve been up to if she doesn’t wipe off her lipstick this time. Giddy, she lifts up and down on her tiptoes several times. “See you later.”

“See you later, Princess.”

She waves and then runs into the dark. This is the creepiest-ass place I’ve ever been, and she knows every part of it. Damn, is this what royal kids do for fun when they’re little? Or is it required learning from the book Beginners Guide to Being a Queen—learn the secret passages in your castle?

Something buzzes by my ear, so I rush up the stairs, wanting to get the fuck out of here as I swat whatever it is away. When I reach the ground floor, I walk back toward the entrance but pull my phone out and call Ethan.

“Thought you were avoiding me,” he answers lightheartedly.

“No,” I reply, stopping in the courtyard inside the tall walls. “We’ve been buried here. I emailed you about making it to the next round, but Yamagata is working them hard to bring them to his firm.”

“He’s solid competition. With his remarkable career, I’m surprised our startup has made it as far as we have. You and Bennett must be doing something right.”

“Bennett may be a real pain the ass sometimes, but he’s been an asset in the meetings. He’s a real innovator. He’s creative like you.”

“You underestimate yourself.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m a numbers guy and happy to be so. I’ve shown Everest Enterprises is a solid investment, but Bennett’s given them a lot of new ideas to consider, projects that we can take the lead on for them to bring them into the digital age and make money doing it.”

“The reports are great. I’m comfortable with the numbers you’ve sent for the bid. What will it take to close the deal?”

“I should have a better feel of where we stand by the end of the day. I think it comes down to experience versus vision and feelings. I hate to say that since feelings are the last thing that should come into play in business, but if the connection isn’t there on an emotional level, we won’t get it.”

I see the guys return from an arched doorway. I nod once. Ethan asks, “Should I ask about Ally?”

“Depends on what you want to hear.”

“How about starting with how are you doing?”

Kicking up dirt with the toe of my shoe, I smile, feeling ridiculous. I guess being happy over the girl you like liking you back makes you do crazy stuff, and feelings are the last thing that makes sense, so I go with it and stop overthinking. “Unexpected.”

Ethan laughs. “Okay, care to elaborate?”

“No. Not quite yet. I’m cautiously optimistic.”

“I hope you’re more than cautious when it comes to the optimism of the deal.”

Now I chuckle. “Don’t worry. My head’s in the game.”

“Good. Hey,” he starts, shuffling some papers, “I have a meeting to get to. Shoot me an email in the morning.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and when are you returning?”

“I’m here through tomorrow, then I catch my flight early the next morning. I’ll stop by the office before I go home.”

“No, it’s fine. Come over for dinner. Singer’s dying for an update. You know how much she loves to read romance books. Hate to put the pressure on, but you’re like a real-life fairy tale for her.”

“Are you slacking, bro? Romance the woman and then she won’t worry about my love life so much.”

“Hey, hey, go easy. But you’re right. The woman’s a saint for putting up with me. I already made surprise plans for her this weekend, but I think I’ll bump them up. Hey Cheryl, cancel my six o’clock meeting and all my meetings tomorrow.”

“That’s a step in the right direction.”

“By the time we return to Manhattan, she will have forgotten all about you and the princess. Gotta go.”

I chuckle. “Have fun.”

“I plan to.”

Hanging up, I walk toward the drawbridge. There’s unfinished business with Ally, but I need to close the media deal first. Time to put the Everest negotiation and innovative skills to work. “Hey Dick, what exactly does your Duke-ship entail? Do you own the coastline or rent it or what?”

“Well, it’s not true ownership. Queen Aemilia owns all the land. As Duke of Wenig, I’m the guardian of the province.”

“And you are the first duke in your family?”

“It’s an inherited title. My son will be the guardian after I pass.”

I watch with rapt fascination as this drawbridge that’s more than six hundred years old lowers before us from a pulley and chain manpower system. “And if you have a daughter?”

“Which is likely in these parts,” he says with a goofy laugh and a nudge to my arm. “The Vaughns have managed to outwit the Bruden waters and birth males.” In irritation, he motions for one of the guards to latch the chain. Seeming satisfied, his untrustworthy smile returns and he says, “I’ll carry on that tradition, although the weaker sex must be birthed to rule Brudenbourg.”

My eyebrows shoot the sky. The weaker sex? If I wasn’t so angry, I’d laugh in his face. He doesn’t understand women at all. If he did, he’d know they hold all the cards.

He continues even though I wish he wouldn’t. “I’m hoping to work on changing the worthless law that prevents a king from taking the throne.”

Arrogant. Small-minded. Little Dick just like his name says. That law is in place for that exact reason—to protect women from the little dicks—and even bigger assholes—of the world. And as if I wasn’t irritated enough, I decide to push some more buttons. “How do you feel about the chastity law?”

Just inside the castle walls, he stops and looks at the cloudless sky, seeming to think before he speaks. That’s a good sign. Maybe he’s not too far up his own ass yet. “Reputation matters.” And then he speaks. “If she has a bad reputation, it can stain your own. The Vaughn family name will not be tarnished on my watch . . .” He stops to gripe at a man with a clipboard, then claps his hands to make him hustle. Asshole. “I would think you, Mr. Everest, would be well informed on the matter of reckless women wreaking havoc on the family name, considering your brother’s misfortune.”

“A woman having sex prior to marriage isn’t a stain on my name. Only I can ruin that.”

Though I have the height advantage, his eyes stay on mine. “Very well. I’ve just never been inclined toward loose women.”

Wow.

Bennett comes through the entry to the fortress with Jakob trailing while on the phone. “So what are we discussing, gentlemen?”

When I don’t reply, Dick does. “Loose women and the volatile nature of their emotional cycles.”

“Whoa!” Bennett’s hands go up. “I was not expecting that.”

Then Dick has the balls to finish. “Women are too volatile to rule fairly.”

I hate him. I hate every fucking little thing about him. How can her parents believe this egotistical dickwad should marry their daughter?

I check to see if Jakob heard. He’s busy on a call still, but I imagine Dick wouldn’t be so cavalier about women rulers if Jakob were here. I ask, “And that’s what you would do if you were the crowned prince? Rule fairly?” By how he treats everyone around him, I think the answer is obvious, but I poke the bear anyway.

“That’s what I will do,” he insists. “I just have to handle the situation delicately.”

Situation? Is he referring to my Ally as a situation? His arrogance needs to be cut off at the knees. I’m about to knock the fucker in the face when Bennett steps in, and says, “Let’s talk business,” and leads the Duke off to chat with Jakob.

I stand there, turning my back to them. Three deep breaths and three exhales to dispel the anger that’s built up. Business. I need to focus on business because personally, I will never let him marry Ally.

That is a deal I’m willing to wager my life on.