I felt anger surging through me as I strode out of the room filled with women and into the hallway. I was itching for a smoke, something I hadn’t done since my father had died. But more importantly, I wanted to smash Bruno’s face into an unrecognizable pulp.

I walked down the hallway until I saw his familiar form, chatting up a waitress. She was giggling, and he was smirking down at her. Fucking typical.

“Bruno,” I ground out through gritted teeth. “Seems like we need to talk.”

He looked up at me and gave me a strained smile.

“Excuse me, sweetheart,” he said to the waitress.

She looked over her shoulder, blushing and curtsying before scurrying away with her platter filled with dishes. I made my way over to Bruno, my hands forming fists at my sides. I had to use every ounce of self-restraint to stop myself from driving a fist into his chiseled jaw.

“What’s going on, brother?” he asked, leaning against the wall as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Problems with the competition again?”

“You know damn well what’s going on,” I snarled at him. “Why can’t you leave her the fuck alone, Bruno? She belongs to me, and you’ve known it all along.”

“Who are we talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Amber. The one I picked from the beginning.”

“Then why all the games?” He was taunting me, and we both knew it. “Why not just skip the competition?”

“You know damn well why,” I growled at him. “It was my father’s wish.”

“Seems to me like you don’t give a shit about that,” he told me. “Knowing what you did, I doubt you care about the King at all.”

“Shut your mouth.” I stepped forward and drove a finger into his chest. “You swore you’d keep that between us.”

“No,” he hissed. “You threatened me. Or do I need to jog your memory, brother dearest?”

“Just shut your fucking mouth and do as you’re told,” I growled. “And stay the fuck away from Amber.”

“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want,” he replied. “Unless you want everyone to find out what you did?”

He had me by the balls and he knew it. I wanted to fucking kill him, but that would mean more blood on my hands, and I wasn’t going to stain them with someone who wasn’t even a real threat.

“Empty words, empty threats,” I told him. “You’re still following my orders, bastard. And you always will. Remember that.”

I walked away from him, feeling his searing gaze on my back as he followed me into the restaurant. Right away, I sought out Amber, my hand wrapping around her arm and pulling her against me.

“Olivier,” she breathed. “Are you… are you okay?”

“Fine,” I ground out in response. “I took care of it, don’t worry.”

Her eyes were fearful when they found mine, and I fucking got off on it.

Fear was such a delicious thing. Nothing sweeter than the quivering of a woman’s bottom lip as she waits for you to hurt her.

“Thank you,” she managed, and I gave her a smile in response.

Then, her eyes wandered over my shoulder and settled on something behind me.

I turned around, finding Bruno standing to the side. He was holding a flute of champagne, which he raised to us in a silent toast. Hatred burned me from the inside, but I kept my voice down and pulled Amber against me. I kissed her then, hard and unforgiving, her surprise evident in the way she tried to resist. But it only took a few moments for her to succumb to me, to let me have it all.

I pulled away after a moment, ignoring the surprised faces of the women and the seething expression on my brother’s face. I was done playing games.

Let the competition go on. Let the girls eat themselves up, trying to impress me.

In the end, Amber would be mine.

And I would relish the feeling of taking her from my brother.

“The court presents a new challenge,” Fleur told the girls the next day while I stood off to the side. “An old-fashioned tradition that is usually done at weddings. We call it Baiser Inconnu.”

“What does that mean?” Zara piped up, and I grinned before stepping forward, taking center stage.

“The groom – in this case, me, will be blindfolded,” I explained. “I’ll sit in the middle of the room while Fleur sends you up to me one by one. Each of you will kiss me. After that, I will eliminate two girls without ever seeing who they were.”

A murmur went through the crowd and there were some worried looks, but also some excited giggles. It put a smile on my face, and my eyes sought out Amber. She was jealous, I could tell. Her golden eyes were glowing like embers in a fire. I smirked at her.

“If you please, Your Majesty,” Fleur said, leading me to the chair in the middle of the room.

I sat down on the armchair, placing my hands on the armrests while she tied a blindfold around my eyes, attaching it firmly into place. I couldn’t see a thing through it, and I found myself more than a little excited about the prospect of toying with Amber’s emotions.

My cruel side was coming out. Maybe it was Bruno, maybe it was my mother pissing me off. But I was done fighting off the instincts that begged me to hurt somebody.

I listened to the girls shuffling as Fleur put them into a line. I really had no idea who I’d get first, and I listened to the maid explaining the rules while I made myself comfortable in my seat.

“You’ll each have two minutes,” Fleur said. “Please begin.”

The chatter died down and I felt someone approaching me, the ghost of a hand against my chest, the scent of roses filling my nostrils. I had no idea who she was, but she smelled fucking good.

She surprised me by sitting on my lap, but I kept my hands on the armrests, letting her do whatever she wanted. Her lips were on me in a second. She tasted sweet, so fucking sweet. She kissed me almost desperately, clumsily. She wasn’t experienced, but she was fucking eager.

After a few seconds, I groaned, my hands going to her, wrapping around her waist and positioning her on my lap the way I needed her. Her ass was on my cock and I knew she could feel my hard on. I kissed her back, enjoying every second of her little butt grinding on me.

“Time’s up.”

I cursed out loud as the girl slid off my lap. My cock craved her back in her spot, but a moment later, her seat was taken by another girl.

This one kissed me like she was angry, nipping at my mouth and refusing to give me her essence that I craved after one taste of her lips.

Soon enough, Fleur’s voice became a wake-up call.

Girls changed on my lap and I kissed them all, recognizing only a few. The first one I knew instantly was Amber.

She didn’t sit on my lap. Instead, she went behind me, kissing my neck and taunting me with her closeness, always just an inch away from brushing her lips against mine. In the two minutes she had, she never kissed me on the mouth once, but she undid the top three buttons on my shirt, raining kisses over my neck. I was turned on as all hell by the time she was done, managing to not touch her once during her playtime but vowing to punish her for making me rock hard once we were alone.

After Amber, her complete opposite took her spot. Where Amber was hot raging fire, this girl was ice, a cold burn soothing my flamed-up wounds.

She kissed coyly, a smile playing on her lips as she parted my knees and took her spot between my legs. She was a royal, bred to hold back but so fucking eager for more.

Freya.

Once I was sure it was the ice queen, I grinned, letting her work me with her tight, slender body. She pulled back after two minutes and once again was replaced with another girl.

This went on and on until they’d all had a turn.

By the end, I was so eager to fuck. Needing release, I ripped off my blindfold the moment Fleur announced the challenge was over, joining her at the front of the room.

“Five-minute break for everyone,” Fleur managed, taking one look at me. “Then come back here.”

The girls scattered, and I downed a glass of water given to me by the maid. Goddamn, I needed to get rid of my fucking hard-on before someone beside Fleur noticed. I wanted Amber, even if it was just for one stolen kiss in the hallway.

I went out only to find several groups of girls whispering amongst each other.

I noticed Amber was chatting to Violetta, their heads bent as they whispered their secrets. I used the moment before the elimination to listen in.

“It’s okay,” Amber whispered to the girl, shooting me a nervous glance. “I’m sure he won’t send you home, it’s just how these challenges are. Trust me, I don’t like them either. Not one bit.”

Violetta nodded, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “I just want to go home. If only I didn’t like him this much…”

Amber’s posture stiffened. My girl was jealous, and I fucking loved it.

“Ladies,” I cut in, and they raised their heads to look at me fearfully. “Will you please join me back inside for the elimination ceremony?”

“Of course,” Violetta replied, shooting Amber a long look before following me back into the room.

I took my place by Fleur and let her explain the rest of the challenge.

“Now Prince Olivier will send two of you home,” she said, giving me two small brass bowls.

In one, circles of amethyst covered the bottom, and in the other, small and beautifully polished pearls waited to be inserted in the girls’ collars.

“The floor is yours, Prince Olivier.”

I was supposed to call out the girls with their numbers, and I racked my brain trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this mess. But in the end, I decided to trust my instincts. If there was no chemistry between me and the girl I’d been kissing, there was no point in keeping them around.

And after all, I knew who I wanted to keep, and I knew which one Amber had been.

“Number one,” I called out first, curiously examining the women in front of me to see which one would emerge as the passionate first kiss of the challenge.

My eyes widened as Zara stepped forward, a sly smile playing on her face as she walked up to me.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she purred, and I grinned at her before placing both stones on her collar. “I was hoping you’d know it was me.”

I hadn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell her as much. I merely smiled and showed her to the side, curious thoughts filling my head. If she kissed like that, she must be eager to learn more… and after all, I’d always been a good teacher.

I called three more numbers, welcoming Monica, Asya and Camellia to the front.

Next up was the girl I’d recognized as Amber. As I called her number and she stepped forward, I grinned to myself, pleased that I’d been right.

She’ll make a fine Queen, I thought to myself, placing the stones in her collar. A fine Queen indeed. I winked at her as she stepped to the side, pleased to see only the smallest sliver of jealousy in her eyes. I had a feeling the whole thing had turned her on.

After fire there was ice, and I called out the next number. Just as I’d suspected, Freya stepped forward triumphantly, walking up to me and never taking her eyes off mine as I added the stones to her collar.

I fought the urge to rip the sheer, glittery white dress right of that sinful body. It was the first reaction I’d had to another woman since Amber had come along. Interesting.

The number of women dwindled as I called out number after number. The final girl I chose was Violetta, leaving Kendy and Eva standing alone.

“I’m so sorry, ladies,” Fleur piped up apologetically. “Please say your goodbyes. We’ll provide transportation for you after you pack your belongings.”

The girls had a teary goodbye. Eva didn’t even come up to me, and a part of me was upset I’d sent her home. But in the end, she wasn’t the right woman for me. She would make a fine partner to a man far better than I ever could be. In a way, she was getting off lucky.

Kendy approached me with a regal smile and bowed before me, a motion which I returned. After all, she was a princess, too.

“Thank you for the opportunity,” she said, shaking my hand.

On an impulse, I pulled her in for a hug. Her body was tight, rigid. In that one embrace I understood how much weight she carried as she made her way through the world, and I felt guilty for dismissing her because of her chaste kiss. She was special, and she was more than her touch revealed. Sending her home was a decision I regretted.

As the two women were escorted out of the room, I focused my attention back to the remaining seven.

“Did you think that challenge was fun?” I asked them. They responded with shy smiles and giggles. “Did any of you think it was too much?”

None of the girls spoke up, but finally, Violetta raised her hand. I raised my brows in surprise.

“Too much for you, was it?” I asked her, and she nodded, a look of passion on her face.

I approached her, slowly, like a predator circling its prey. Once she was inches away from me, I saw how scared she was, shivering in fear.

“You didn’t like kissing me?” I asked next, and she remained stubbornly quiet, her lips firmly pressed together. “I could punish you for that, you know. I could have you flogged in front of all the other girls for disobeying me just now.”

“Please,” she whispered. “I didn’t-”

I didn’t let her finish, instead pulling her trembling body against mine and kissing her deeply. She’d been one of the shier kissers, but I knew this was the last chance I’d get to taste the Spanish beauty’s sweet pouty lips.

She kissed me back this time, that temperament I’d noticed within her coming out to play. I could hear the gasps of the other women as I took her, my arms going around her waist and holding on tight.

When I pulled back, her eyes were glassy and not quite meeting mine. I glanced at Amber, her golden eyes furious.

So pretty when she’s jealous like that.

“That change your mind?” I asked Violetta.

She stared at me, unwilling or unable to answer.

“I’m sick o-of these games,” she finally muttered. “I’m sick of fighting for a man who so clearly has a favorite!”

“Is that so?” My voice was saccharine sweet. “In that case, why don’t I make things easier on you, you pretty little thing?”

I stepped closer, tipping her chin back and making her look at me.

“Pack your fucking bags and go.”

“W-What?” she muttered, eyes wide and shocked as she stared up at me. “You can’t be serious, I just…”

“I am,” I cut her off. “Now go. I don’t need any negativity, and I won’t let you question me.”

She stared at me with those fiery eyes for a long time before bowing her head.

She turned around to face the other girls, but my hand wrapped around her arm and I muttered in her ear, “No. You lost your chance to say goodbye. Leave, now.”

She let out a sob and ran off in the direction of her room. The rest of the women were silent, staring at me with frightened doe eyes. I raised my head and looked right at Amber, the jealousy in her eyes replaced with worry.

“Remember,” I told them, looking only at my woman. “I can be fucking ruthless. Any more objections to the challenges?”

No one said a word.

“Good,” I replied with a low chuckle. “Now back to your rooms, little playthings. I want to hear no more drama of this until the next challenge.”

Amber kept looking at me, so I gave her one last smirk, clearly adding, “And that goes for all of you.”