by Vivian Wood
“Anything?” he grunted, and I shivered, nodding eagerly. His lips were almost on mine, so fucking close, his scent mixing with mine, his grunts making me rub on the toy, on his hand. I felt like a slut. A whore for the pleasure he was giving me. At that moment, I would have done anything for more.
The lights flickered to life for a second, and I saw his tux, his form towering over me, the shadow of stubble on his chin.
“Fucking come for me, little girl,” he ordered, and I came apart before his words really hit me.
“N-No,” I managed to mutter while he continued his assault, holding me in place. “You’re not-You’re not…”
“No,” he said viciously just as the lights turned on again and I was faced with the monster who’d used me, taken advantage. “No, I’m not him. But you wanted it to be me, didn’t you, little girl? You fucking craved me, you wanted me all along. You begged for it, Amber.”
It was too late to stop the waves of pleasure. My body rocked against his hand and he laughed out lout when I came, my breaths coming in fast as the first tear slipped down my cheek.
“I hate you,” I told him. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”
“No, you don’t,” he growled in my ear, and my knees went weak again. “If you did, you would have stopped me when you realized it was me. And what did you do instead, little girl?”
He brought his fingers to my lips, my own scent filling my nose and eliminating any trace of the perfume Olivier had created. My juices glistened on his fingertips and as he pressed them to my lips, I opened my mouth for him, feeling like a puppet without a will of my own.
“That’s a good girl,” he told me. “This is why I know you don’t belong with him, Amber. Because your pussy aches, needs, wants only one man.”
He pulled his fingers out of my mouth with a pop, gently stroking the hollow in my throat.
“And that man,” he said. “Is me.”
With those words, he walked away from me, not even throwing back a single glance when I whimpered and fell to my knees.
The door shut behind him and the light that seemed so alluring only minutes before was suddenly harsh and unforgiving. I stared at my crumpled form in the mirror, letting out a small sob and then shaking my head clear of Bruno and what he’d done to me. With my permission.
I picked myself up and held my head so high you would’ve thought nothing had happened. I was ready to come back from this. I wasn’t going to let a moment of lust ruin everything. I would tell Olivier what had happened and beg for his forgiveness if I had to.
Smoothing down my clothes and my hair, I carefully reapplied my lipstick before exiting the bathroom. I felt better, confident. Something about what Bruno had done to me put a spring in my step. It was only later, when I was sitting back to Olivier and the royal bastard that I remembered my forgotten toy in the bathroom of the restaurant.
“Where were you?” Olivier asked. “They turned off the lights so we could see the stars through the sun roof.”
He pointed upward and I followed his motion, gasping when I saw the sky behind the glass. It was glorious, magnificent. The stars never seemed closer to reach than that night.
“I’m sorry,” I told him in a whisper. “I’ll explain everything.”
At that moment, Bruno walked into the room and took his seat across from me. I flushed furiously when he smirked at me, hating the effect he had on me time and time again.
I shifted my attention to the food before me. It was beautifully presented, but I had completely lost my appetite. I felt like my guilty deeds were being served to me on the delicate china plates. Time and time again, I pushed the plate back, knowing I couldn’t stomach a bite.
Finally, when dinner was over, I managed to get a quiet moment alone with Olivier.
“I don’t like you disappearing like that, chérie,” he muttered in my ear.
“I’m sorry,” I responded. “Olivier, I… I have to tell you something.”
“What?” His brows knitted together in worry.
“I… thought I got a package from you,” I admitted.
“You did. The perfume?”
“I got two parcels,” I managed. “One was the perfume – it was absolutely beautiful… And the other was a… a… toy.”
“A toy?” He stared at me in disbelief. “I didn’t send you a toy, chérie.”
“I know that now.” I was burning up with shame. “But I thought you did before, so I… I… used it.”
His eyes widened as it finally dawned on him what kind of toy it was.
“Amber,” he ground out. “Who sent you that?”
“I think it was Bruno,” I admitted. “Because he… he…”
“What?” His voice was nothing but a growl, his fingernails digging into my skin painfully. I tried to pull my arm back but he wouldn’t let me, and I shivered at the exciting thought of his strength. “What did he do?”
“He came up to me in the bathroom.” I swallowed, feeling his grip tighten. “I’m sorry, I… It’s my fault, I thought he was you.”
He let go of me like he’d burned his fingertips and I stared on as he took a step back, mouth pursed and eyes looking for the culprit of the crime.
“Don’t, Olivier,” I begged him. “It’s okay, I-”
“Shut the fuck up.” His voice was cool, rough. And holy hell, it was turning me on. “You won’t mention this to anyone, do you understand, Amber?”
“W-What?” I stared at him, my eyes filled with surprise. “But I thought you… I thought he-”
“Nobody,” he repeated, eyes zeroing in on me. “Fucking no one. Nod if you understand.”
I nodded on autopilot, then watched him storm away.
The other girls were whispering, and my heart was pounding.
The worst part was, it wasn’t with fear of what the two men would do to one another.
It was pure, unaltered… excitement.
Chapter Eighteen
Olivier
I felt anger surging inside me as I strolled 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 I had 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 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 back into the restaurant. Right away, I sought out Amber, my hand wrapping proprietorially 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 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, 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
“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. You’ll each have to kiss me. After that, I will eliminate two girls without ever seeing who they were.”
A murmur went through the crowd of women 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 arm rests while she tied a blindfold around my eyes. She firmly attached it 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 armrest, 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 hoped she felt that she’d made me hard. 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 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 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.
“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 her sheer, glittery white dress 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 numb
er 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 head.
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. It was a decision I regretted, sending her home.
As the two women were escorted out of the room, I focused my attention back on the remaining seven.
“Did you think that challenge was fun?” I asked them. They responded with shy smiles and giggles. “Well, you’d better strap in for the next one if you thought this was a lot…”
Chapter Nineteen
Amber
The pleasant, lazy afternoon was interrupted by a loud angry shriek.
Zara and I looked at one another, eyes wide with surprise. We were on our feet in seconds, rushing out of my room where we’d been talking and running down the hallway to where the noise was coming from.
A bunch of the other girls had gathered in front of one of the rooms, and my eyebrows knit together when I realized it was Freya’s. What now?
“It’s GONE, don’t you understand?”
The loud screaming was coming from behind Freya’s closed door, and we exchanged glances with Asya and Camellia before shifting our attention back to the raging in the bedroom.