Chapter 4
Vivienne
As I knew he would, David follows me into the hallway.
“Wait,” he says, grabbing my arm.
When I glare at him, he immediately lets me go and drops his arm to his side like a good little soldier.
That’s more like it.
“I didn’t mean to scare you off,” he says apologetically. “I’m sure you’ve seen enough of the office for one day, but would you like to stay a bit longer and see the rest of the manor? I can give you a tour right now.”
I check the time on my phone, it’s not that like I have anything else planned. Who would double book an appointment with a King? I smile at him graciously.
“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a look. At the very least, I can inspect your security system.”
I follow him through the hallway, admiring the view of his broad shoulders and towering height. I still can’t believe what I just saw a few moments ago.
All the rumors are true—he’s as long and horny as a unicorn’s horn. And it’s almost as big as his ego.
My training as a public relations professional has prepared me well for dealing with arrogant horn dogs like him. But nothing could have prepared me for the way I felt when I saw him watching my reflection in the window while I changed.
When he looked into my eyes and silently begged me to let him watch, I gave him a chance to prove that he deserved it.
And he passed my test with flying colors. He didn’t turn around. He didn’t try to take things any further.
He just sat there and watched.
And for the first time in my life, I felt truly seen.
If I can trust him to keep our little game a secret, I know I can trust him to keep his own secrets. Eventually.
Right now, the man needs a lot of work. And I mean a lot.
“Here we are, love.” David stops me at the foot of a grand staircase with beautiful marble steps and a gold banister. It’s ostentatious as fuck, but that’s not surprising, considering how much David loves to show off.
“And where are we, exactly?”
“This is the ballroom. The office we just came from is on the west side, the dining hall is on the east side, and the ballroom extends from where we’re standing now all the way to the north wall.”
He smiles and leans down close to my ear.
“That’s also how my father taught me to remember the points on a compass: work to the west, eat to the east, balls to the wall. He wasn’t the King of Propriety, either.”
I laugh. “You said that very quietly. I give you high marks for using your indoor voice.”
He scowls at me, but I can tell he isn’t offended. He puts his hand in the small of my back and directs me up the stairs. It’s a surprisingly intimate gesture coming from someone I just met, but David is also the sort of man who uses pet names.
Love, he calls me. I wonder if he calls anyone else that.
I try not to think about it. He’s my client, and when I’m done with him, he’ll be calling everyone by their preferred names and keeping his hands to himself.
What a shame, though.
I wouldn’t mind letting him run those big hands all over my body—maybe someday when there aren’t any windows between us. But for now, I’ll settle for touring his estate and figuring out where he keeps his unmentionables. So that they stay unmentioned, of course.
“What’s upstairs?” I ask.
“It’s a surprise.”
He takes my hand and continues to lead me up the steps. I’m so amazed by the artwork we pass along the way that I forget to let go. Even when I remember, I still don’t let go.
I’ve craved his touch ever since I walked in on him pleasuring himself in his office. I’ve never held a client’s hand like this, but then again, I’ve never had a client like King David.
He’s irresistible. He’s magnetic.
How can I expect him to say no to his urges when I can’t say no to them, either?
He stops in front of a set of double doors and turns both knobs, letting the doors swing open in front of us.
I gasp at the spectacle before me.
I don’t even know where to start with this room.
The first thing I notice is the fireplace on the far end, but not because there’s a fire burning inside. Above the mantel is a nude painting of King David in all his glory. The artist has spared no detail, and the proportions are astonishingly accurate.
Wow. What must the housekeepers think when they come in here to change the sheets?
In the middle of the room is the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. It’s covered in soft pillows, satin sheets, and an assortment of vibrators in many shapes, colors, and sizes. There’s a mirror on the ceiling above the bed.
Whatever this room is, it was not made for sleeping.
“This is my bedroom,” David announces, seemingly unaware that he looks like he’s trying to lure me into a bordello right before the cops bust in. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t sleep in the palace. That moldy oldie is for tourists and other people we’re trying to impress. On most days, I stay here in the manor, where I can spread out and get comfortable.”
I don’t think I should ask how he likes to get comfortable. It’s likely to lead to a very uncomfortable answer.
“Never show this to anyone,” I tell him, pushing him out and closing the door behind us. And I mean it. Seeing him naked was an accident.
Getting cum on my dress and having to change was not exactly an accident, but it was unavoidable on my part. Walking into his den of sin, however, would signal to him that I’m here to fuck him instead of doing my job.
If David can’t respect me as a professional, he won’t respect me as a woman. That’s why I need to stop this tour right now before I hop on that bed and kiss my career—and my love life—goodbye. Once I have an affair with the King, any man who googles me will know.
And although I am a strong, independent woman, and dare I say good person, King David’s advisors have kept a list of people he’s allowed to marry when the time comes. And I’m pretty sure I’m not on it.
That’s part of the reason I’m here: to make sure he’ll be a suitable husband as well as a suitable king—for someone else to marry, of course. I’m just the hired help. Which means anything he and I do together will be just for now, just until something more suitable comes along.
Now I see why he’s so resistant to propriety. Being proper is no fun at all.
“But why would we leave now?” David whines. “This is where the magic happens! I haven’t even shown you the detachable shower head yet. You would love it. The water pressure has three different settings.”
“I want to leave now, please.”
“But didn’t you see the mirror on the ceiling? If you thought the window was hot…”
That’s it. He’s gone too far.
“Your Majesty, I’m trying to do my job, and this is not helping. I want to take the time to get to know you before I outline your strategy, but in order for me to do that, I need you to stop distracting me. Do you think you can do that, or should I tell your advisors to hire someone else?”
It’s a risky move. I really want this job to work out. If I can help clean up a dirty king like David, I can help anyone.
He pouts. “Yes, I can do that. But please, call me David.”
“David,” I repeat. He softens at the sound of his name on my lips. “Now what else do you do for fun around here? I’m hoping you have some hobbies that don’t involve your dick. Otherwise, it’s going to be very difficult to come up with alternative story ideas for the media.”
“Right this way,” David says in his most cordial tone. “I can take you to the front lawn, where I go to watch the grass grow. After that, maybe we can head to the kitchen to watch the ice cubes form in the freezer.”
“That would be lovely,” I say, ignoring his sarcasm.
Following his lead, I head down the stairs and out the front door for a proper tour of his estate.
“What do you think of my properties now?” he asks after I’ve seen every inch of the manor, the surrounding guest houses, and most of the grounds.
“They’re enormous,” I tell him. “The biggest I’ve ever seen.”
“Well, you should spend more time here then. I want to show you what I plan to do with them. The tabloids are going to eat it up.”
I stand on my tiptoes and plant a soft kiss on his cheek. I think my first crisis with my new client has been safely averted. For now.
“I’m looking forward to it, David. Thank you.”