CHAPTER 1
Diana
Maybe this wasn’t such a great plan after all.
I surveyed the surging crowd in the ballroom of The Colossal Hotel with more than a little trepidation. I teetered on my high-heeled shoes and tried to breathe while in a dress that was much too tight to suck in sufficient air. I stood back, frowning as I evaluated the enormous formal staircase leading down into the crowded venue.
I’m never going to make it without falling flat on my ass. What am I doing here? I hate balls and fancy parties. Always had.
Sure, it had all sounded perfect when I was home in New York, but I was now stuck on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean in a ballroom with men in tuxedos and women who were definitely dressed to impress. The wealth of the island nation and the invitees from other countries was on full display, and I was feeling woefully inadequate as I peered down at the enormous number of guests milling around the pomp and circumstance of the marble ballroom that was glittering with gemstones. And not all of the precious stones were around the women’s necks or fingers. As I squinted down at the lavishly decorated area below me, I could swear the walls were actually decorated with gems.
I need to just go, try not to fall down the stairs in these heels, and get rid of my virginity so I can move on to exploring the island.
My plan really was just that simple. I didn’t want to be royalty. I’d already lived in the world of the ultra-rich for my entire life. I hated it, so I’d gotten a college education and tried to remove myself from the upper circles.
I knew the only reason I’d been invited to Rubare Virgina was as a prospective wife to some pompous, spoiled, and extremely rich prince. Normally, I would have fought with my mother and refuse to attend the weeklong festivities, but the lure of exploring a small nation that wasn’t usually open to outsiders had been too strong. I’d heard about The Grand Library of Rubare Virgina. It housed some of the richest history volumes in the world. Then, there was the unique history of Rubare Collina and Rubare Virgina. I’d already been to Rubare Collina, found as much information as possible on the history of the exiled who had eventually formed two separate but very powerful nations. Being allowed entrance into Rubare Virgina had been too big of an opportunity to ignore. Since my main focus of interest was European history, I desperately wanted to write a book on the two countries that most people in the world knew little about.
My mother hadn’t cared why I’d agreed. She just wanted me to become the next Princess Di…literally.
For once, I’d allowed her to get her dressmaker to design the perfect dress for the ball, and I’d actually had a makeover so I could learn how to straighten out my frizzy, flame-red hair, and make my freakish eyes look more acceptable with contrast and shadows. Not that I cared, but tonight I wanted to be able to attract somebody—anybody—to take my virginity at this gathering.
After that, I’d be home free to explore the island until the festivities were over. Rubare Virgina was steeped in tradition, and if I didn’t fit into the “virgin on her wedding night” category, I wasn’t eligible to be a bride to any of the royal family. Any wife for a prince had to be a virgin bride, untouched on the day of her nuptials.
His Highness won’t have any problem finding a less tainted bride in this crowd.
I could see plenty of young, beautiful hopefuls below. Any one of them was welcome to the prince. All I wanted was to quietly sneak away to explore as much as I could during the week of festivities.
The chances of Prince Nic actually selecting me as his bride were almost nil, but I wanted an excuse as to why I wasn’t attending all the planned parties if anyone asked while I was out studying the island. I’d tell them that I’d been mistaken for an “eligible” female when I really was not.
I edged my way toward the top of the staircase, determined. I was just as wealthy as many of the guests attending this formal party. My father had been one of the wealthiest men in the world, and he’d left half of his fortune to me. Since I was an only child, I was the sole heir to the Longmont legacy.
Unfortunately, money had never made me many real friends or brought me much happiness.
Because I’m a geek. I’ve never fit into the world of the rich and beautiful.
My hair was a wreck, and I didn’t really have the patience or the desire to go through hours every day to straighten it.
My eyes were some bizarre shade of green, so light that they were more eerie than they were unique.
My body was just a little too round.
My grace was non-existent.
And I cared way too much about the world and all its curiosities to be considered part of the elite. I couldn’t adopt the nonchalant, disinterested attitude that seemed to be necessary for me to fit in with other women who flitted from party to party. They might be my peers, but they were females I could never relate to.
I sighed as I considered the guys in my circle. I’d yet to meet one who wasn’t more concerned with my money than with getting to know me.
Really, I wasn’t all that complicated, but when I started to talk, it wasn’t difficult to see my date’s eyes glaze over from boredom. I had majored in history, and I had already written published texts on European history, so maybe I wasn’t exactly a great companion unless a man was interested in something other than their bank account.
I tried to shrug off the discomfort of my last encounter with just how painful picking the wrong guy could be, but I wasn’t entirely successful. Luckily, the relationship had ended before it had really started. But it had still left me wary and cynical.
Straightening my shoulders, I stepped into line to go down those terrifying steps, now fervently wishing I’d just put on my sneakers with the long dress. I watched as the women before me swept down the stairs with all the grace and elegance one would expect at a very formal masquerade ball. Nobody was really in disguise, but everyone attending was wearing a mask, including me. To my chagrin, I’d realized that my glasses weren’t going to work with the fancy mask I was wearing, and I hadn’t remembered to bring my seldom-used contact lenses. So everything and everybody was just a little bit fuzzy if I wasn’t close enough for objects or people to come into focus.
Good thing I don’t know anybody here. I won’t be expected to recognize anybody.
“Hello,” an older gentleman in a tuxedo greeted me as I stepped up to officially enter the ball. “May I have your invitation?”
I silently handed him my card so he could announce me, an unsettling event that made me even more nervous.
I cringed as he bellowed: “Miss Diana Longmont of the United States of America.”
I tried to smile at him, but the butterflies in my stomach were getting the best of me, so I was afraid it was a rather feeble attempt.
Resisting the urge to rip off the itchy mask I was wearing, I gathered the full skirt of my silky, cream-colored gown and took my first step.
My fingers were white-knuckled on the golden banister as I took a second step. The polished marble beneath my feet was slick, and I wasn’t feeling particularly confident. But as I approached the halfway point, I started to relax.
I can do this. I can be elegant and alluring. It’s only one silly flight of stairs.
Of course, I didn’t want to remind myself that my vision wasn’t completely clear, and I was, by nature, a complete and total klutz.
I made it to the second-to-the-last step before I tripped over my high heels, unsteady because I’d let go of my death grip on the banister as I’d neared the bottom of the stairs.
My shoe caught in the hem of my dress, and I let out a very indelicate squeal as I pitched forward, my arms waving in the air like a baby bird who couldn’t quite take flight from the nest as I braced myself for my inevitable hard landing.
“Oooff!” The air was forcefully removed from my lungs as I collided with something nearly as hard as that damn shiny floor.
“Easy,” the smooth baritone advised. “It would be a shame to end that spectacular entrance on the marble.”
My hands connected with a rock-hard chest that was wrapped in a pristine tuxedo. My savior had wrapped strong, steely arms around my waist, keeping me upright.
“It was far from graceful,” I muttered.
“But is was unique,” the deep voice replied with a chuckle.
It only took me a moment to catch my breath. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I’m really a klutz,” I said in a mortified whisper. “How many people just saw what happened?”
“Not many,” he answered in a noncommittal tone. I was pretty sure he was telling a bold-faced lie.
“Oh, God,” I groaned.
“You’re fine,” he said in a reassuring tone.
“At least you have very good reflexes,” I muttered as I pushed against his hold on me.
I’d gone face-first into his body, and as I took in panicked breaths, I got a whiff of his masculine scent. It was warm and inviting, making me want to stay exactly where I was, but I knew I had to redeem myself somehow.
I can’t even get down a flight of stairs in heels without creating a major incident!
He let out a low laugh. “Lucky for you I just happened to be standing here to break your fall.”
As he loosened his hold, I looked up at him, hoping his physical appearance was far different from his seductive voice, hard body and tantalizing scent.
Unfortunately, as my eyes rose to his face, I discovered he was every bit as male and devastatingly handsome as he sounded, felt and smelled. I nearly melted as I looked into an attractive pair of dark eyes, and noted his cropped, spiky, just-rolled-out-of-bed blond hair.
“T-Thank you,” I stammered as I untangled myself from his arms. “I really am sorry. I wish I could say it never happens, but I’m afraid it’s quite normal for me.”
“No harm done,” he answered smoothly. “Would you like to get a drink?”
He held out his arm politely, and I knew I couldn’t refuse. “Yes,” I agreed and took his offered escort. I needed a very strong drink. The only problem was that I didn’t do well with alcohol.
The more I drank, the clumsier I became. But a cocktail would usually mellow me out.
When a woman was already inclined to trip over almost anything, even her own feet, alcohol and me could be a dangerous combination.
I already fell down the stairs. What other calamity would matter after that?
“I’m Diana Longmont.” The poor guy at least deserved to know the name of the woman he’d saved from further embarrassment.
His accent was hard to place. He sounded British, but I wasn’t quite certain.
He looked down at me with a grin, his humor reflected in his warm, chocolate brown eyes. “Alexander. But you can call me Alex.”
I nodded nervously. “Alex,” I echoed. “Thank you for saving me. It would have been ugly if I’d hit the floor.” It usually wasn’t a pretty sight when I fell.
He barked out a laugh. “American, yes?”
“Yes.”
“I love Americans. They’re usually blunt and honest.” As we arrived at one of the many bars around the ballroom, he looked at me expectantly.
I shrugged. “I have no idea what sort of drinks they have here.”
“Alcohol is fairly universal,” he answered with a smile. “Would you like a glass of wine.”
I shook my head. “Tequila. Straight up. Make it a double.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
I nodded vigorously, willing to risk getting tipsy if it would calm my anxiety.
He placed his order, and the bartender had the drinks ready almost immediately.
I eagerly took the golden amber drink from his hand and tossed it back in one large gulp. “It’s smooth,” I said after I swallowed and handed him back the empty tumbler.
I had to force myself not to cough. The drink was burning its way through my system, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to relax.
“It should be smooth,” Alex said. “It’s the best in the world.”
“Of course it is,” I mumbled. “Good enough for royalty.”
“Exactly,” he countered, handing me another drink that the bartender had made up at Alex’s request.
“What’s this?” I took a sip of the tangy drink, and it slid deliciously over my tongue.
“Tequila Sunrise,” he answered. “If you throw back another glass of straight tequila the same size as the one you just finished, I might be catching you when you swoon.”
“I don’t swoon,” I told him bluntly, watching him take a measured sip of what appeared to be some kind of whiskey from his glass. “But I do get even clumsier, so you might be right. I’d better slow down.”
His intense gaze stayed on my face, my body reacting as he seemed to take in every detail of my appearance.
“I’d be more than happy to catch you again if you fall,” he answered, his eyes roaming over my body slowly.
My gown was far from revealing. The front was cut low, but I had very little to show off as far as cleavage goes. The little cap sleeves left most of my arms bare, but I wasn’t dripping in gems like most of the women in the ballroom. The only thing I was wearing was a diamond-studded heart necklace that my father had given me before he died. I rarely removed it, so I’d never seen any reason to acquire more jewelry. Granted, it had been bought for a sixteen-year-old girl, but I loved it because my father had given it to me.
“I’ll try to avoid tripping on my heels again,” I told him breathlessly, feeling like his presence was sucking all of the air from the room, making it difficult to catch my breath.
God, he was handsome. Even in a black mask that matched his dark tux, it was obvious that he was absolutely gorgeous.
“A shame,” he drawled in a deep voice. “I rather enjoyed having you in my arms. So what are you doing here in Rubare Virgina?”
Alex’s attention surprised me, and I found myself flustered under his appraising gaze. Men didn’t pay that much attention to me, especially when there were so many other gorgeous, single females in the room.
I could feel the first drink I’d downed coursing through my veins, and being the object of this man’s interest was beyond heady. There had never been a man who had focused his attention on me so intensely, and I couldn’t say it was comfortable for me.
I shrugged. “I’m trying not to catch the prince’s attention. Not that I really think people will notice me unless I come flying down the staircase again. They usually don’t.”
“You have my attention,” he replied. “Are you hoping to marry Prince Nic? I think almost every woman in the room has that ambition.”
I kept sipping on my drink, shaking my head fervently to his question. When I came up for air, I answered, “Oh, good Lord, no. That’s the last thing I want. I don’t care to marry some conceited, fluff-headed royal who thinks it would be an honor to be his bride.”
I shuddered as I thought about how much I wanted to avoid men like the eligible prince.
“How do you know he’s conceited?” Alex questioned with a grin.
“He’s a royal. And the Demande family is filthy rich.”
“And you aren’t? I don’t imagine you’d be here if you weren’t.”
I tried not to make a slurping sound as I hit the bottom of my glass. “Oh, no. I’m rich. But I’m not much for rules and the cut-throat society of the ultra-wealthy. I usually stay as far away from these sort of events as possible.”
“Then why are you here? If you aren’t hoping to catch Nic’s eye, what’s the point of traveling here?”
“I really wanted to see The Grand Library and look around Rubare Virgina. Since there is no sightseeing allowed, I figured this was the only way I’d ever see the island.”
The explanation was close enough. The last thing I wanted to tell anybody was that I was gathering information for a history book.
He nodded in affirmation. “There are many species of wildlife and plants here that exist nowhere else in the world.”
Excitement bubbled up inside me, eagerness to see and explore what so few other people in the world had seen. “I can’t wait to see the island. If I could just…”
“What?” Alex prompted. “What do you need?”
“I’m hoping to lose my virginity here tonight so I won’t be eligible to be the wife of a prince.” I blurted out my plan before I could think better of it. “Then I can just go explore the island without worrying about attending the rest of the events this week. I wouldn’t be an acceptable bride for him since he needs a virgin.”
Alcohol was making any inhibitions about sharing information with Alex flee my body. Normally, I probably wouldn’t have shared my plan. There was also something about him that just invited me to tell him everything. He seemed like a trustworthy type of guy.
There was a brief hesitation before Alex began to laugh, an unpretentious, booming sound that filled the air around us.
As he recovered, he grinned down at me. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever met who actually wants to escape from a Demande.
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t cut out to be a princess. I’d rather leave it to one of the other women here who desperately wants the title and the money.”
“What do you want then, Diana?” Alex asked, leaning in so he could ask the question provocatively near my ear. “Every woman here wants to be a princess.”
I shrugged. “I just want to be me,” I admitted. “I want to be seen for something other than my money.”
“I take it that being you doesn’t include balls and royal parties.”
I shook my head as I handed him my empty glass. He gave me one that was full a few moments later. “No. I don’t fit into this world, Alex. I never have. I was born rich, but I couldn’t wait until I was an adult so I could get out of attending social events and embarrassing myself. I’d much rather be in a museum or an art exhibit.”
“Since you seem to be determined to go ahead with your plan, will you allow me to free you from your obligations?” His voice was husky and mesmerizing, so seductive that I nearly melted to a puddle at his feet.
It wasn’t difficult to decipher his meaning.
Here he was…the man who would finally take my virginity. The guy who would make it unnecessary to attend the rest of the events planned during the next week.
I was close. So close to getting what I needed to excuse myself from the weeklong party plans.
I shivered as I thought about his big, hard body dominating mine when I finally surrendered to him. Alex would make it a good experience. I had no doubt about that. “Yes,” I answered simply.
Ridding myself of my virginity was the reason I was here, and Alex was far more than I’d expected for my first. Hell, I’d have accepted just about any guy.
I nervously downed my drink as he stayed silent for a few moments, his rugged jaw tight as he tossed back the rest of his drink similar to the way I’d downed my first double shot of tequila.
He set his empty tumbler aside on the bar, then took my nearly-finished cocktail and put it next to his. “Dance with me, Diana,” he insisted, holding out his arm politely.
I guess I’d expected him to pull me into some hidden closet somewhere and do the deed, but his beckoning eyes told me he thought differently.
So we danced.
We talked.
We laughed.
We drank.
And somewhere in the wee hours of the morning, we discreetly left the ball, drunk on alcohol and each other’s company as we made our way back to my room in the hotel.