by J. S. Cooper
“But everything comes right in the end,” Casper said with a smirk on his face. “I am surprised to see you here, Xavier, but quite pleased.”
“I’m sure you are.”
“May the best man win,” Casper said as he bowed his head and then looked at me. “To the victor go the spoils.”
“You know, there is a painting by Rembrandt called Night Watch,” Xavier said softly and deliberately as he held my hand.
“And?” Casper looked bored.
“It’s called Night Watch because it depicts a city guard moving his troops out of the city,” Xavier said and paused, smiling at everyone as he spoke. It was almost like he was in class again and talking about paintings to his students.
“Sounds boring.” Casper yawned, but his eyes narrowed as he waited for Xavier to continue.
“The painting was covered with a dark varnish and that is why it had been called Night Watch,” Xavier continued. “However, that varnish was removed and art collectors realized that the scene wasn’t depicted at night at all.” Xavier smiled. “So what was once seen as a guard leaving a city at night with his tail between his legs was really not accurate. The fact of the matter is that Night Watch wasn’t a night watch at all.” He looked at me then and I felt as if his words were directed at me only. “What we think we know and see is not always correct. And the winner isn’t always the one that speaks the loudest or the most aggressively.”
“I understand.” I nodded at him and I could see Violeta frowning bitterly.
“Nice educational fable,” Casper said and chuckled. “It’s a pity that life isn’t as simplistic as pictures, isn’t it?”
“Paintings.” Xavier frowned.
“Whatever.” Casper shrugged and grabbed Violeta’s hand. “Let’s go back inside. The event is about to start.”
“Let us go.” She nodded and squared her shoulders back. “I’m ready.”
“Good luck, my brother.” Casper nodded at Xavier. “Here’s to another successful Society of Brothers event.”
“Yes, here’s to another successful event,” Xavier said, and I watched as Casper and Violeta went back inside. I turned to Xavier and gazed at his face with a question.
“What’s going on here, Xavier?” I touched his shoulder. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“To be a leader, one must have control.” His voice was tight. “One must have control and command over everything.”
“What does that mean?”
“We can’t talk now.” He shook his head. “We need to go inside. Come, we can’t miss the beginning.” He grabbed my hand and escorted me down the hallways into a huge ballroom. I gasped at the crystal chandeliers hanging in the middle of the elegant room. There were about forty other couples there. The men were all dressed in tuxedos and the women were all in ball gowns. Each ball gown looked sexier than the last one and I no longer felt self-conscious in my skin-tight black gown, with the wide V-neck at the chest. The V was so low that the tops and sides of my breasts were exposed and pushed up. The material covering my nipples felt flimsy, and I’d been uncomfortable leaving the palace with Xavier in the dress, but now I felt conservative. Breasts seemed to be on display everywhere. Many of the dresses were so flimsy that they did nothing to cover the assets of most of the women in the room. I stood there feeling awkward as I looked around, and was about to say something to Xavier when the lights dimmed.
"Welcome, everyone," a tall, dark-haired man said from the front of the room. His voice was heavily accented and charismatic, and I stared at him in wonder. Who was this man who seemed to command the attention of everyone in the room?
"Who is that?" I asked Xavier curiously and he smiled at my dazed expression.
"Prince Stephan of Germany."
"Germany?" I said, surprised. “Really?”
"Not everyone in Germany is blond," Xavier said with a smirk.
"That wasn't why I was surprised. I didn't even know they had a royal family." I explained.
"Aww, I see. That's not surprising. You're American."
"You say that so patronizingly." I glared at him.
"Don't be sensitive." He grinned. "Now pay attention. Stephan's talk isn't to be missed." His eyes narrowed and he looked back to the front of the room.
"Whatever." I turned away from him and stared at the German prince on the stage in front of me. He was handsome—more handsome than Casper with his deceiving boyish good looks, and more roguish than Xavier. He looked like a Hollywood hunk, a rebel, a man who could command attention from everyone he encountered.
"I'm so glad that everyone could join us this weekend." He looked out at the crowd with a wide, genuine smile. His blue eyes were dazzling, and for a second his eyes met mine and he smiled, a wide welcoming smile, and I responded back automatically. In that moment I felt like we were the only two people in the room and my breath was taken away. "It brings me joy to see so many beautiful women in the room," he said, his eyes never leaving mine, and I felt myself blushing.
"I see my dear Lola isn't turned off by flattery," Xavier said in a dry voice, and I looked over at him. He had a wry smile on his face, but his eyes were anything but humored.
"He didn't say anything specifically to me," I said hurriedly, embarrassed at how easily I'd given myself away. Yes, I loved Xavier, but I wasn't immune to attention from a hot man.
"You're right." Xavier nodded. "His comment was directed to me and not to you."
"To you?" I frowned in confusion.
"It was a challenge." His eyes looked thoughtful.
“A challenge?”
“Do you know who runs the world?” Xavier asked me, his eyes serious.
“The presidents of the Western world?”
“No.” He had a wry smile on his face. “They are figureheads. Interchangeable. They mean nothing. We run the world. The men in this room run the world.”
“Oh.” I waited for him to continue, as I wasn’t quite sure what he was saying.
“And do you know what runs the world?” he whispered as Stephan continued to talk at the front of the room.
“No, what?” I shook my head.
“It’s not money. It’s not power. It’s not sex. There is no power of the pussy.” He grinned and then looked down toward my crotch. “Though pussy has a lot of power.”
“Xavier!” I blushed.
“What runs the world, you ask?” he continued. “What runs the world is fearlessness. He who dares will always win. He who has no fear. He who can conquer and lead in any battle will always be on top.”
“Battle?” I frowned.
“Battles don’t mean war. Battles don’t mean games. The most dangerous battles are the ones that happen behind closed doors. The ones that the everyday public don’t see.”
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about,” I said with a whisper.
“The Society of Brothers is made up of royalty from all over the world. We have Arab sheikhs, African tribesmen, and Britishlords—anyone who is anyone. And we only have one leader and we have an inner circle. To make it into the inner circle one must completely trust their allies. When you control the world, nothing and no one can be more important than your trust in your fellow brothers.”
“But you don’t trust Casper, do you?”
“I need to make it into the inner circle.” His eyes sought mine. “That is why we are here.”
“What do you have to do to get into the inner circle?”
“I have to pass the test.” He looked away from me. “It’s all a game, Lola. It’s a game to test my resolve. My patience. My power. My ability to assume authority.”
“So how do they test it? What’s the game?”
“You’re a part of the game.” His eyes burned into mine intensely. “They are going to test me by using you.”
“Using me?”
“We’re surrounded by beauty and riches. Money means nothing to anyone here. The most prized possession we all have is the woman by our side.”
“You mean I’m your most prized possession?” I grinned. “And by the way, I’m not your possession, but I’m going to ignore that for now.”
“This isn’t a joking matter, Lola.” His face looked grave. “These men, these men are powerful and calculated. They will say and do anything.”
“You mean like Violeta?” I asked softly. “She’s not a man, though.”
“Everyone here is capable of things you wouldn’t want to tell your children at night.”
“What are they going to do to me?”
“That’s completely up to you,” he said, and then turned away and started applauding with the rest of the crowd as Stephan had stopped speaking. “I’m going to go and get us some wine, okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded, but I didn’t really want him to go. I wanted him to explain to me what he was talking about. I wanted to know what these men wanted of me or from me. I stood there for a few seconds just studying my hands. I could barely believe that I was in this situation. It was surreal and also exhilarating.
“Hello.” A deep sensual voice spoke from in front of me and I looked up. It was Prince Stephan, and his blue eyes looked warm and inviting.
“Hello,” I said almost shyly as I stood there. Why had he come up to talk to me? I looked to see if Xavier was close by, but he had disappeared into the crowd.
“Can I show you around?”
“Around?”
“My palace.” He smiled and placed his hand in front of me. “I can show you the rooms that no one else gets to see.”
“I shouldn’t. I’m waiting on someone.”
“It won’t take long.” He cocked his head. “I think you’ll find it quite exciting.”
“I… I guess, sure,” I said and bit my lower lip as I immediately regretted agreeing to go with this man I’d just met.
“Good.” He smiled and his hand was warm and soft as it grazed my arm. “Let me show you around. I like to make sure all my guests are well taken care of.” His eyes fell to my breasts and he licked his lips slightly as he looked back into my face. My heart skipped a beat at the expression of lust in his eyes. I followed behind him like a lamb, not sure what I was doing, but feeling like I was being led to my slaughter.
Chapter Seven
Xavier
I heard a couple of the local girls whispering and giggling behind me as I waited to collect the two glasses of wine. One of them was a bit more confident than the rest and she whispered a little bit louder, hoping I would hear her and turn around. I knew the deal and I wasn’t interested. I didn’t have any interest in checking out any of their goods. I didn’t have time for a fling. Not this time. And I didn’t want one, either. The only woman I wanted was Lola. Though I knew they didn’t care about that. In fact, they would see it as an even bigger challenge. Sleeping with a prince was one thing, but sleeping with a prince who was in love with another sweetened the deal to these women. It was another part of my world that I found distasteful.
“He’s so dreamy,” one of the girls sighed to her friend, and I hid a smile as I looked back and made eye contact with the girl: a cute redhead. If she only knew the truth. I was anything but dreamy. I turned back around and frowned to myself as I realized that I’d lost sight of Lola. I’d allowed myself to get distracted at the wrong time. I didn’t know where she was. Who was after her? Who would be the first one to test her? I wanted to slam my fist against the wall. The games had started and already they had the upper hand. I looked around the room quickly to see if I could find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. And then I saw Stephan, hurrying up the stairs with a smile on his face, and I knew. It had started. And suddenly I was afraid. I was afraid that I was going to lose, and in that moment I wished that I’d never brought Lola here with me.
Chapter Eight
Lola
Heart beating fast. Check.
Temperature rising. Check.
Sexy man in front of me. Check.
Mind racing in fear. Check.
And then he said my name: slowly, deeply, softly, enjoying the taste of it as it slipped from his lips.
“Lola.” He said my name again and I froze.
This prince—this stranger—knew my name. I knew his name was Stephan because he’d been speaking to everyone at the front of the room. He was obviously the man of the night. He’d not been introduced to me, though. We’d not even been in the same vicinity until this moment. He hadn’t even glanced at me, except for that one moment when he was speaking. That one moment that Xavier had said was a direct challenge to him. I shivered in the cool room. My resolve was leaving me. I wasn’t sure that I was ready for this game that had seemed so easy when arriving at the palace. Xavier had tried to warn me that it wouldn’t be easy. That this was a dark world. I hadn’t realized what he meant, but now I did. It wasn’t just dark because of the people I was with. It was dark because of my feelings as well. Stephan smiled at me, his eyes looking at my lips for a few seconds before looking back into my eyes.
“Lola is such a beautiful name,” he said in his beautiful, melodic voice, his German accent somehow sounding more sexy than guttural.
I froze as I stared at him, wondering what was going to happen next. Who was this man? I’d never met him before this night, but he knew my name and his eyes were staring into mine with a fiery, passionate look. I swallowed hard as I wondered what he knew, how he knew, if he knew everything that was going on. Even more worrying to me was the wonder of what he wanted. I took a step back, wanting to leave, and then he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me toward him.
“Kiss me,” he commanded, and this time his words were hard and impatient. I shivered as I felt his body pressed against mine intimately. He was turned on and that made me happy and powerful, for some inexplicable reason. I closed my eyes and leaned forward, ready to taste him, wanting to know who he was, but then I pulled back, my brain overcoming the shroud of lust that filled me every time I gazed at him. He was too handsome for his own good. Too sexy. He had too much charm and I shook my head slightly, feeling embarrassed that I’d gotten caught up in the moment so easily.
“How do you know my name?” I stared up at him with wide eyes. And I knew my expression showed my surprise when he chuckled.
“What don’t I know about you, Lola?” His eyes darkened for a second before he leaned down and kissed me softly. His lips tasted like salted cherries and I was unprepared for the shock that ran through me as his tongue entered my mouth, smooth and steady. I reached up and grabbed his neck to stop from falling to the ground as my legs started shaking. His eyes laughed into mine as he continued kissing me. I didn’t kiss him back, but I wasn’t able to stop him. In that moment I couldn’t think or act or do anything. I didn’t care who he was or what he wanted. All I could think about was the fact that his lips were on mine and burning a deep desire down into my soul, and then he pulled away. I groaned involuntarily and he laughed as he studied my red face.
“I want to know everything about you, Lola.” His fingers traced a line down my face as he stared at me intently. “I’m not going to let you leave until I know everything.”
And that’s when the ground beneath me felt like it was shaking, like some sort of earthquake had hit. Suddenly, I was afraid and totally aware of my environment. I wanted to cry out in shame as I realized what I’d just done and felt. I’d let him kiss me, intimately. And for a split second I’d enjoyed it. For a split second his intensity had overwhelmed me. And that is when my body started trembling uncontrollably. Suddenly, it struck me that this man might be the one person that Xavier had been trying to warn me about. Maybe Prince Stephan was the one I should have been worried about. Maybe Casper was nothing but an innocent distraction. Maybe Stephan was the top dog. Maybe that was why Casper and Violeta had not stopped Xavier from attending tonight. Maybe they were nothing but pawns to be ignored and discarded.
“Tell me your deepest desire and I’ll create your darkest fantasy,” Stephan said, and I didn’t know
how to respond. I didn’t want to respond, but my imagination was running wild. Was he propositioning me?
“Wh-What are you talking about?” I stuttered, my eyes wide. I didn’t anticipate his swift reply or how quickly he would pull me into his arms again.
“Spend one week with me. Let me pleasure you and show you how I can make your fantasies come to life.” His blue eyes looked dark with desire as he stared at me with such intensity that I wouldn’t have been surprised if bolts of fire had emanated from him. All of a sudden I was taken back to what Casper had said to me in the room in Delmar when he tried to convince me to have a threesome. Hadn’t he said something similar? Hadn’t he also wanted to take me on a sexual journey? And then I realized that this was the game. They were trying to get me. I was the prize. Or rather, I wasn’t the prize, but the goal. Whoever ended up with me was the winner, even though I wasn’t important to Casper or Stephan. They were trying to usurp Xavier. Xavier had brought me here for a reason. He trusted me. He trusted that I could play the game and not fall under Casper or Stephan’s spell. Unlike Violeta. Violeta had fallen for Casper and then gotten pregnant. Only she had been discarded by all of them because Xavier had never really cared for her. Not like he cared for me. He’d been right. This world was dark and scary. And I wasn’t sure that I was prepared to play the game. I was attracted to Stephan in a way I hadn’t been attracted to Casper. It was easy for me to say no to Casper, but I knew it would be harder with Stephan, even though I didn’t want him mentally. There was just something about him physically that drew me in and mesmerized me. Something that made time stand still and made me forget exactly who I was and what I was doing. And that scared me. I’d never been so inexplicably drawn to a man. Not even Xavier, though I’d thought of him as a sex god the first time I’d seen him.
“What do I have to do during that week?” I asked softly, my voice a whisper as I answered him. I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. Or rather, I couldn’t believe that I was having this conversation with him. I couldn’t believe I was playing this game, letting him think that I was actually entertaining the idea of spending a week with him.