Antonio scooted closer. “What’s that?”
Love was something Avceans took way too seriously. Charles stilled and adrenaline coursed through him as he said, “If you’re going to bribe Sandi Smith then you can’t tell her about the royal matchmaking, or your expectations for me.”
Antonio stood. “Easy enough.”
Sandi’s face without the pink dot nose crossed his mind, and he rose as well. This wasn’t the end so he said, “And second…”
Antonio pivoted toward him. “I’m listening.”
Charles crossed his arms. While his deals today didn’t mean anything to him, he needed to ensure no one talked to the press that Clara read.
Nothing could get back to her on how he used the money to pay for Clara’s home care or how Clara was the only person that mattered to him, anywhere.
He feared this quest for love might lead to the one person he was thankful to have in his life. Charles said, “You don’t tell her that you’re pinning your crown’s future peace on her shoulders as she’s meant to temper my traitorous impulses.”
Antonio slung an arm around his shoulder and steered Charles from the table. “I’m not pinning anything.”
As they neared the door of the private room that led to the regular restaurant, Charles slowed down. “Still, you don’t tell her why you’re pushing for her to marry me.”
Antonio nodded to his guards who then surrounded them while he said, “You play many games Charles, but so long as you keep your word, I'll keep mine.”
“Then I won’t interfere with our father or your future crown. We have a deal.” Charles offered to shake hands.
He hadn’t expected Antonio to do it again now that the prince had what he wanted, but his half-brother surprised him and they shook firmly. He said, “Done.”
Charles hadn't kept close male friends because they'd turned too competitive. Secrets sometimes weren’t interesting.
Even if people found out about Clara, his only weakness as she was family, or his love of sweets, so what? The world wouldn't end because an orphan had found a woman to be the mother he never actually had.
And because his story wasn’t interesting, and love didn’t exist, he’d be fine.
He headed to his apartment in Paris thankful he’d not have that mantle of responsibility while his half-brother probably attended a summit. Charles was confident that once again, nothing really mattered. Nothing ever did.
Chapter 3
Sandi's hotel near the river Seine was a former estate close to the palace. Inside, the walls had been painted white to accentuate a huge crystal chandelier in the center foyer.
Located in the Parisian version of Chinatown, it wasn’t anything as dazzling as this hotel where the fundraiser was being held. She stepped inside the glass doors that a bellman held for her.
No one had to know she’d taken the Metro and walked in her heels to save a few bucks.
Sandi summoned memories of her wealthy childhood in Denver to keep her head up as she entered the lobby to wait for the women.
Once the limo arrived, Sandi ushered the five ladies she'd chosen for Charles to meet out of the vehicle she’d rented for them and smoothed her knee-length black cocktail dress over her hip. Black tights and black heels completed her ensemble; tonight she was ready to show all of Paris that she cleaned up well.
She'd told herself this had nothing to do with Charles.
Absolutely not.
As they entered the hotel, she scanned the bar area the event was being held in--was that a pang of disappointment when she thought he wasn’t there?
Maybe the charity thing had been to get her out of his office.
But then she saw Charles in a black tuxedo that clung to all the right muscles and her body lit up like a Christmas tree.
Not going to happen. She stepped out of his line of sight, turned back toward the five women and checked them in.
The hostess crossed her name off the list, handed them all raffle tickets, and pointed toward the open bar.
The pretty woman from Charles’s office stood beside her. Evagaline Valliere.
Sandi flipped her long curly red hair, styled to a shine. “Evagaline, thank you for arranging the limo to get everyone here. It's good to meet you, now that I’m a normal-looking person again.”
The physically perfect thin brunette nodded and took her hands like they were old friends as she said, “Thank you for inviting me. I had no idea Mr. Esposito was in need of a wife, though the laws of Avce are well-known. I’m well-versed in ensuring he has whatever he needs at work, including limos.”
The laws. Sandi had done a quick search on Charles Esposito the night she’d met him in person. The facts she'd discovered were why she'd gone to a salon to ensure her makeup was on properly.
Sure, she could have put eyeliner on herself, but a professional was best after her last encounter with him, where she'd worn whiskers. She checked her hair was straight and not frizzing behind her as she said, “Maybe he just needs to see you out of the office to realize that you’re perfect for him.”
Evagaline glanced around the room like she was assessing her competition. “I’m glad to be here, but I don’t understand one thing.”
She'd made the rules clear. Everyone would take a few moments and welcome Charles. And each lady would respect that he had two minutes with every woman with no one interrupting them. Sandi crossed her arms, ready to re-explain. “What’s that?”
Evagaline stared at her with big eyes, like a famous French actress from years ago. “Why don’t you want to marry him? I thought your parents procured a deal where you were to be his bride. He’s handsome, rich, and would provide you with an easy life.”
Sandi’s face felt hot. She was probably the only woman in the world who didn’t want to marry a rich titled lord.
Or maybe she wasn’t. There were always stories where love mattered far more than cash.
Hopefully those tales were true because she’d never lived without material comfort.
But if she had to, she’d start.
A life without the hope of happily-ever-after seemed sad, hard, and scary. All the things she wasn’t able to be, not that Evagaline had a lens into her soul. Sandi said, “Because I want to make the choice in who I marry.”
Evagaline’s eyes narrowed. Sandi realized that the secretary had redirected her attention toward a tall, rather lanky, brown-haired man with glasses. Evagaline asked, “Are you in love with someone else then?”
Maybe that was Evagaline's ex or something. Sandi’s gaze went across the room, toward Charles.
He was way more muscular, in all the right places, compared to the man Evagaline had focused on.
Sandi glanced away so she wouldn't stare directly at Charles. “No. I mean I was, but he was all wrong for me. I just want the option one day.”
Evagaline’s blush of recognition only made her cuter. Sandi wished she too blushed a pretty pink but unfortunately her cheeks made her resemble a crab in a mermaid movie. Evagaline asked, “And you can’t take a chance on a rich, titled, very handsome Avcean who looks like one of the ancient gods come to life?”
Sandi’s nose wrinkled as a waiter passed them. She and Evagaline each took a champagne flute while Sandi shook her head. “He’s too nice-looking to be a god. I don’t see snakes or anything evil about him.”
Evagaline laughed and her shoulders dropped. “The bad ones weren’t my reference. We definitely should be friends though.”
Friends would be nice. Hers had started to disappear when her car and money began to dissipate and her circle grew smaller as time passed. Sandi sipped her champagne. A sophisticated smart friend would be a welcome change. “Well, I do agree that he’s handsome, which is another reason Charles and I would never suit.”
Evagaline pushed her hair behind her ear, small strands falling elegantly forward. She studied Sandi. Once again Sandi felt like an alien who'd been caught pretending to be human. Her new friend asked, “So you want an ugly m
an?”
She lifted her warm face and her gaze met Charles's.
He was perfection personified.
Hot. Single. Smart. Rich. Seriously, he didn’t have one crooked tooth that might take away from his perfect ten score as he said, “Go on… answer.”
In movies, this was the part where the embarrassed heroine wished she could disappear in a puff of smoke.
Sandi couldn’t even look away as her body was frozen the moment Charles caught her attention with his brown hues that bored right through her.
She hadn't realized that the bunny outfit had been protective armor.
Without it she felt absolutely naked. Her cheeks were on fire. She sipped the champagne but that only made her hotter. “No, I don’t want an ugly man," she finally said. "I just want someone who might love me back.”
He shrugged, in total control while she was not. “You’ll fit into Avce then.”
Evagaline waved and left them to talk to the tall Frenchman with the short curly hair.
The other four women she’d brought also headed into the party to circulate like they were on the guest list and out to mingle.
Now Sandi was alone with Charles and her palms were damp. “I wasn't planning a trip to Avce.”
He eyed her up and down and it was like he saw through her and knew she was really just cotton candy with no substance on the inside. “It should be. It sounds like you and the royals have a lot of in common.”
Wearing a ball gown where she danced under a glittering chandelier crossed her mind but knowing her, she’d slip and fall, tearing the dress, and knocking Charles off his feet. Disaster. She shook her head and laughed. “Doubtful. Princes and castles and getting whatever you want… that’s a whole other life I have no idea about.”
He followed her gaze into the crowd of men and women there to support the charity auction. He studied a well-dressed couple with security guards nearby as they just stood next to the window. “Me, too, if we’re honest.”
Her mind tried to identify the couple but she didn’t know their names.
And she didn’t ask as people might see her as a clueless idiot--maybe she could ask Charles when there weren't so many guests buzzing around them.
Maybe. That would depend if they were ever alone.
Charles pressed his hand to her arm, causing goosebumps, and her heart thundered in a different way.
Drat. She glanced up at him and said, “I’d prefer us to be truthful. So, what do you think of Evagaline and the others?”
He pointed toward Evagaline, who laughed with the man she’d waved at earlier. “Evagaline works for me already, right?”
Sandi put her empty glass down, not taking another to maintain control of her senses. “Yes. I met her at your office the other day.”
He shrugged--they each watched the man hug Evagaline’s side. “I don’t tend to date the staff.”
She had no right to be so attracted to a smoking-sexy man like Charles anyhow. They’d never work out. “Well, you didn’t tell me your preferences.”
Then her mind clicked on the answer--the couple near the window was the Crown Prince and Princess of Avce.
Charles must know them as his intensity this evening seemed… focused. Alert.
He brushed against her arm and her hair stood on end. In the past, desire had never stayed this strong within her for a man she knew she’d never have. He said in an almost interested tone, “I didn’t know what you looked like under the bunny suit.”
Drat. The very air between them pulled at her skin--she wished she was the type of girl a man like him kissed. She parted her lips, imagining how he’d taste. Stop. Sandi checked her diamond studs her grandmother had given her on her sixteenth birthday. “Just a regular girl, nothing extraordinary.”
“Well, I did wonder.” He winked.
She blushed. Awkward was her middle name. Her reactions to situations were never normal. Sandi let out a sigh, hoping to relieve her attraction. “We both know you didn’t think about me for more than two seconds after we made our deal.”
He stepped close enough to brush his side against hers. Maybe the attraction wasn't one-sided? Huskily he said, “Tonight I’ll wonder how to get my matchmaker into my bed.”
Bed. Sex. Right. Sandi was way out of her league, and somehow that knowledge that he was a charmer allowed her to find her calm. It wasn't personal on his part. “I knew you were a playboy.”
He pressed his hand to his heart as if she’d stabbed him and said, “I’m…" He stopped, pale. "That’s Sheena.”
“Who?” Sandi turned around and saw a tall man and blonde woman with long hair down to her shoulders enter the ballroom, about a foot from them.
Charles whispered in her ear like they were a team. “The woman who broke my heart.”
“You had a heart to break?” she asked, but her eyes grew bigger. The fact that she'd been able to banter with him meant that she'd lost her shyness. He was just a man under all that hotness.
His smile showed his dimples. “And here I thought I had a clean slate with you.”
Sheena, the polished and pretty lady near the door, flinched as she met Charles’s gaze.
Strange. There was a story there.
Maybe her heart was broken too though the woman kept her arm tucked into her husband’s.
Sandi reached up and brushed his falsely-smooth cheek. “You technically do, personally. It’s your type that I don’t trust.”
“My type?” He took her hand off his face but held it.
She went onto her tiptoes and leaned close so not everyone near them heard her when she said, “Handsome, wealthy men who can get anything they want and know it. Your type typically doesn’t want what I want.”
“Are you judging me based on someone else’s bad behavior?”
“Maybe I am.” She tightened her spine. “I thought Reza was my one and only, and we’d have it all. But he… didn’t love me back.”
“Rich, wealthy, foolish man, then.”
She hadn’t thought about the guy in a while now. “No, not foolish. He was a doctor. Very level-headed. He just wasn’t in love with me and said I didn’t fit in his life.”
“That’s hard.” He pocketed his hand in his black tux pants and flexed strong ab muscles that she could see beneath his fitted white silk shirt. “What do you want?”
“To be more successful and not an utter f--- mess up.” She used her hip to move without moving and give her a bit more space from him. At least she'd stopped a swear word from flying out of her lips. And what’s funny was that she never swore which meant she was nervous.
His full mouth thinned as he said, “That’s interesting but vague.”
His ex, Sheena, and her husband walked toward them.
Her heart raced. Should she leave Charles alone with his ex? The woman’s husband was coming too. She’d never felt this hollow for someone else as she said, “Fair. But since you asked and it will drive you back into the arms of the women I brought here, I’ll tell you-”
He bowed, interrupting her as he said, “In one minute. Sheena. Matteo.”
She shifted uncomfortably. So much for blabbing the truth where she told him how she just wasn’t wasting her time with playboys because she had her own dreams.
Sheena's pretty face was pinched as she released her husband’s arm. “Charles," she said. "I didn’t know you’d be here. Who's this?”
Not his date. No one. Sandi coughed to clear her throat and spoke first. “My name is Sandi Smith.”
“You’re the Sandi Smith,” Sheena’s husband said.
Huh? Her eyes widened as she glanced up at the extra tall man and asked, “How am I a ‘the'?”
Sheena patted her husband’s arm and shook her head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. If you’re ever in Avce, please call upon me. I’d love to talk to you more.”
Her husband then led her farther into the room full of well-dressed men in tuxes and women in formal dresses, and right toward the prince and princess.
Charles quickly said to their backs, “Good to see you, Sheena. Matteo.”
Sheena was cute and adorable and clearly physically close to her husband.
Sandi wasn’t sure she'd been that close to anyone, ever. Once they were gone, she made sure that her rose necklace was still facing forward and said, “That seemed awkward. Are you two still in love or something?”
Charles’s shoulders drooped and she guessed he was with Sheena. “She loves her husband. And you were going to tell me something that would scare me away from you?”
The love life of European nobility was not something that intrigued her. She straightened and said, “I’m a total failure in business and the worst person you might marry to help establish La Belle Epoque on the US markets.”
He brushed his cheeks with his fingers. “How does that push me toward other women?”
Because she’d not be safe from a playboy. No time for frivolousness, in any form. She picked up a second flute of champagne as the waiter walked past. “I’m way too busy for you and for focused men.”
“That doesn’t add up, but I’m good at puzzles.” He took a flute as well. “So you want to marry a doctor and escape business deals all together?”
Even her parents hadn’t believed she’d help them out of the messes she’d continually created for their business when her grandfather skipped over her father leaving the business to her, she’d been entrusted her with ensuring their survival, and now they just decided to find a husband for her. “I don’t want to marry at all.”
Charles clinked glasses with her. “You surprise me Sandi, but in a good way.”
Being alone with him was a bad idea. She’d never do this again, even if they were in the middle of a crowd. She motioned toward the bar where the other four women, who were all nice and well-dressed, had stayed this whole time to wait their turn to speak with Charles. “So you’ll go talk to the women now?”
“Only if afterward I get to talk to you again.”
Bad idea. Entirely. Sandi stepped forward, and Charles stayed at her side. “You’re confusing to me.” Was his broken heart in the way of his finding his own wife?
Forbidden Bastard: Opposites Attract Matchmaker Romance (Princes of Avce Book 10) Page 3