Royal Rock: A Bad Boy Royal Romance

by B. B. Hamel

  Downstairs, the family was sitting down to breakfast. It didn’t look like anything had just happened from the outside, but I could tell by the way that Claire studiously ignored me that she was still thinking about what it’d feel like to lower her body slowly down onto my stiff dick.

  “Good morning, Nathan,” Lucille said.

  “Morning,” I grunted as I grabbed a plate. The staff had cooked some eggs, bacon, and a bunch of other stuff and laid it out buffet-style. I could get used to this shit.

  I loaded up my plate and sat down next to Claire. We ate in silence for a minute, Jonathan reading his newspaper and my mother looking at her phone. Claire was looking at her phone, too, but I could tell she was distracted.

  “So,” Jonathan said suddenly. “Nate, did you talk to Claire about that job?”

  I shook my head no. “Not yet.”

  “What job?” she asked.

  “Well, honey,” Jonathan said, “I want you to work on one of my tour boats this summer.”

  “I don’t know anything about working on a boat,” she said incredulously.

  “I know that. Nate here is going to show you the ropes.”

  She stared at me and I gave her my best smile. “That’s right, sis. It’ll be fun. Instill some Navy discipline in you.”

  “No, thanks,” she said and went back to her phone.

  “Claire,” her father said sternly. “This wasn’t a request.”

  She looked back up, frowning. “Why, Dad? You’ve never made me work before.”

  “I believe you’re becoming a little lax in your studies. I want you to learn the value of hard work.”

  She sighed heavily. “I work very hard, Dad. I know you don’t see it, but I do.”

  “That may be true. Prove it to me this summer.”

  “I’ll go easy on you,” I said to her.

  She gave me a look. “And if I refuse?” she asked her dad.

  “You won’t refuse,” he said sternly.

  Clearly Jonathan was the type of man that wasn’t used to hearing the word “no.” And Claire wasn’t the type of daughter to put up a fight. She was little miss too-good, the perfect girl. No way she’d disappoint daddy dearest.

  “Fine,” she said. “Whatever you want, Dad.”

  He smiled. “Great. See, our family is getting along already.”

  We went back to eating in silence, but inwardly I was laughing. Jonathan was totally oblivious to everything going on around him. I was trying to get in his daughter’s pants, my mother was a raging psychopath, and he was pushing everyone too hard. Meanwhile, Claire was too busy thinking about fucking me to really bother rebelling against her dad.

  It was going to be a fun first few days, I guessed, out there on the boat. I had no clue what I’d really got myself into, but it couldn’t be any worse than my real job.

  CLAIRE

  I didn’t know anything about working on a stupid boat. I didn’t even like boats. They were floating death traps, and the only thing between you and the big stinking salty ocean water was some metal and wood. I had no interest in becoming a sailor.

  But that was probably my dad’s intention. He wanted to throw me into some situation I wasn’t nearly prepared enough for just to teach me some kind of lesson. This time it was to teach me “Navy discipline,” or whatever that was supposed to be.

  As far as I could tell, “Navy discipline” was code for Nathan sitting in the captain’s chair, drinking beers and telling me what to do.

  “Grab that line,” he said, nodding his head. “Untie it so we can cast off.”

  The boat wasn’t small by any means, though smaller than my dad’s yacht. The guy that usually ran the tour, an older man named Tommy, was busy setting up the clients while Nate and I started getting the boat into position.

  Which basically meant I was doing all the work.

  “You can help, you know,” I said to him.

  “Nah. You need to learn the value of hard work.”

  I gave him a look, and he was grinning ear to ear.

  “Don’t start that,” I said.

  “Just repeating what your dad said. I need to live up to his expectations.”

  “You don’t care about his expectations. You just want to boss me around.”

  He looked at me silently for a second. “You’re damn right I do.”

  I sighed and finished untying the boat and then hopped up on deck. I wouldn’t have even known where to look just a few hours earlier, but luckily, Tommy gave us both a quick rundown on our duties and the boat itself. Nate mostly ignored him the whole time, of course, but I paid close enough attention that I felt pretty confident moving around.

  The boat’s engine kicked to life, and Nate began to sail the boat out of the harbor, heading along our planned route. I climbed up the ladder and met him in the pilot’s room, sitting down in the copilot’s chair.

  “How do you know where you’re going?”

  He pointed at a little GPS screen. “There’s a route programmed in there. Any idiot could do this.”

  “Fortunately we have the best idiot of all.”

  “Keep that up and I’ll throw you overboard.”

  “I’d love to see you try.”

  He laughed and nodded down at where Tommy was making the customers put their life vests on. “What do you think of them?”

  “The customers? They seem fine.”

  “Bunch of rich assholes, if you ask me.”

  “Everybody around here is a rich asshole, Nate.”

  He grunted. “Yeah, except me.”

  “No. You’re just an asshole.”

  We rode in silence while Tommy gave the group his speech, something about the area’s history and other nautical facts. I didn’t care at all, and I was sure Nate would have fallen asleep if he’d had to listen, and so we drove the boat together in silence, heading along the preplanned route.

  “How are things with your friend?” Nate asked suddenly.

  “She’s fine. Haven’t really talked to her since we went out on the yacht.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “That was a few days ago. Nothing wrong there?”

  “No. She just got a job as a waitress at one of the bars in town, so she’s been busy.”

  “Good for her. Probably shouldn’t be working at a bar, though.”

  “She’s perfect for it.”

  “She probably gets plenty of tips.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, nothing.”

  I glared at him but didn’t say anything else, getting annoyed already. It’d barely been an hour and he was pushing my buttons hard.

  Things had been strained between the two of us ever since we’d gotten off the yacht. The image of his naked body, his huge, hard cock standing erect in front of me, kept coming back over and over. As soon as I’d gotten back into my room, breathless and soaking wet, I’d had to touch myself until I came. I’d had to get that image out of my head.

  But that didn’t help. Most of the time, Nate was either lying around drinking beer by the pool or going for long, crazy runs. He was practically never wearing a shirt, which made it so much harder than it had to be. He was my stepbrother and that was all there was to it.

  Besides, my dad was stepping up his dating pressure. I didn’t know why, but he really wanted me to meet a bunch of young, eligible men he knew, probably because he didn’t think that I was capable of meeting and marrying the proper guy.

  I was sick of him pushing the same lame investment banker onto me over and over. Okay, it wasn’t literally the same guy, but I had used the wrong name more than once, to everyone’s embarrassment. They were all named Chet or Michael, and they all loved boats as much as my dad did, and they all loved cocaine most of all.

  That was pretty much all you needed to know.

  And yet, despite Dad bringing around eligible men all the time, the only guy I couldn’t get off my mind was so supremely not-eligible that it made my skin crawl. He was rude and crude and
muscular and serious and loved to make fun of me, and he was also my stepbrother.

  Nate began to slow the boat down and brought it to a stop.

  “Why are we stopping?” I asked him.

  “Map says to.”

  “Okay, any clue why the map says to?”

  He shrugged. “Nope. We should probably go down and help Tommy out, though.”

  I stood up and rolled my eyes at him while he dropped the anchor. I walked down onto the deck and leaned up against the railing as Tommy began to pass out fishing rods. He showed everyone where the bait was and where the beer was and basically stepped back to let the men cast out and teach their women how to do it. It was all pretty old fashioned, but I didn’t mind.

  “Does it usually go like this?” I asked Tommy once he joined me.

  “More or less. It’s an easy job.”

  “Ever have any problems?”

  He sighed and looked off into the distance. “No, but I’ve heard rumors.”

  “Rumors about what?”

  “Pirates.”

  I stared at him for a second and then burst out laughing. “Like with eye patches and peg legs?”

  “No. Pirates with speedboats and machine guns.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “They’re rumors, but sometimes rumors are true. Apparently, there are some pirates that patrol these waters and like to board boats and steal everything they have.” He paused, looking away. “Sometimes they steal the women, too.”

  I gaped at him. “There’s no way that’s true. What about the coast guard?”

  “It’s a big coast. They can’t be everywhere.”

  I opened my mouth to reply, but suddenly I heard my name called out.

  I looked over and spotted two guys in their mid- to late twenties. One was smiling at me and the other was busy casting his line out over the edge.

  “Friends?” Tommy asked me.

  “Never met them before in my life.”

  The one guy waved me over, and I reluctantly pushed off the railing and walked over to him.

  “Hi,” I said. “Do I know you?”

  “No, you don’t know me.”

  “How do you know my name then?”

  “Well, this is a little awkward, but your father invited us out on this trip. He said you’d be here. I assumed that was you based on his description.”

  I nodded and smiled at him. That made sense. These were probably two more of his young business associates, and he probably thought I’d like to meet them. Maybe have their babies.

  “Well, I’m Claire, but you know that already.”

  “Claire, I’m Joshua.” He held out his hand and we shook. I noticed a small red tattoo on his wrist in the shape of a broken heart with a dagger in the top. It was tiny, barely noticeable, and it disappeared under the sleeve of his dress shirt as soon as he pulled his hand away.

  “So what brings you out here?” I asked him.

  “We’re investing in your father’s new club.” Joshua looked at his friend. “My rude business partner here is Alfonse.”

  Alfonse glanced at me. “Call me Al.”

  “Okay, Al. Nice to meet you.”

  He nodded once and went back to fishing.

  “Sorry, he’s not very friendly,” Joshua said, wearing a winning smile.

  I was taken aback at how straight his teeth were. He was handsome in a conventional way, like every guy Dad brought around. And like every guy, I wasn’t really interested in him at all, but I knew I had to play nice, otherwise I’d get a stern lecture.

  Besides, these were his business partners. I needed to put on a good face and help Dad out by making them happy. That was my unspoken job every time he had clients around.

  “That’s okay, so long as he’s having a good time.”

  Al grunted and Joshua laughed. “He seems pretty content. Anyway, do you work on boats often, Claire?”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “Not at all. Honestly, my dad just wanted me to get some good work experience this summer, and so here I am.”

  “Ah, I’m not surprised. Your father seems like a tough one.”

  “He definitely is. But he’s also a really good guy, or at least everyone says so.”

  “What do you say?”

  I smiled, looking out over the ocean. “He’s my dad. He’s the best.”

  Joshua grabbed a beer from the cooler and offered me one. I declined and he returned it, cracking his open.

  “I have to admit, I was surprised when I first saw you.”

  “Surprised?”

  “Yes. Over how attractive you are.”

  I smiled but inwardly cringed. Was this guy for real? I was the daughter of a business associate, and he was hitting on me?

  “Well, thank you.”

  “No, thank you. I’m glad your father decided to introduce me to you.”

  “What else do you have planned for this weekend?”

  “Oh, nothing special, just looking in on some assets I have.”

  “Assets?”

  “Properties. Businesses.” He paused to sip his beer. “Things of that nature.”

  “Sounds exciting.”

  “Oh, it is very exciting. I live a very exciting life.” He stood very close to me, his breath coming heavily.

  “I hope you’re having a good time while you’re in town,” I said lamely.

  “I would if you agreed to spend some time with me.”

  I turned white and looked around, suddenly wishing someone would give me an out, but everyone was too busy fishing to pay me any attention. Where the hell is Nate? I thought to myself.

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  “Say yes. I will show you an incredible time. It would make me very, very happy, and I’m sure it would please your father as well.”

  I didn’t know what to do. The idea of going out with this guy repulsed me, or maybe that was just the motion of the boat. Either way, I had absolutely zero desire in seeing him ever again.

  But I couldn’t just say no. That would be rude and would make my father look bad. If this was an investor in his new business, then I had to at least make an effort to make him happy.

  “What did you have in mind?” I said slowly.

  “You, me, and the beach,” he said softly. “I’ll bring the wine. You just bring your pretty face. We’ll see what happens from there.”

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. Joshua looked up, and a strange look came over his face for half a second.

  “This guy bothering you?” Nate grunted.

  I turned around. “Oh, Nate. This is Joshua, one of my dad’s business associates. Joshua, this is my new stepbrother, Nate.”

  Nate and Joshua shook hands, and Nate held on for half a second longer than was normal, looking Joshua right in the eye. There was a strained tension between the two men. Nate was clearly the larger of the two, taller and broader, with muscles like crazy. Joshua was smaller and wore an expensive suit, his hair gelled up and styled.

  “Good to meet you,” Joshua said.

  “Likewise.”

  “Joshua here was just inviting me out. I’m sure you’d like to come too, Nate.”

  Joshua gaped for a second before composing himself. “Uh, yes. I’m sure that’d be great.”

  Nate stared at Joshua for another second, his body imposing and serious. “I’ll think about it.”

  “Great,” Joshua said, “just great. I’ll let you two get back to work.” He quickly turned away, returning to Al.

  “Creep,” I muttered.

  Fortunately, though, I was almost positive we would never hear from Joshua again, or at least about that little trip he wanted to take me on.

  “That guy bother you?” Nate asked me.

  “Just another banker asshole my dad is trying to set me up with.”

  “He do that a lot?”

  “Yeah,” I said, “he really does.”

  Nate frowned at Joshua for a sec
ond and then looked back at me. “You have any issues with guys like him, you come find me. Understand?”

  “Okay,” I said softly.

  “Seriously, Claire. Any issues, you find me. I’ll handle it.”

  I nodded quickly, my heart skipping a beat. “Okay. I will.”

  He leaned back against the railing. “So, interested in that guy?”

  “No, not at all,” I said quickly.

  Too quickly, clearly, because Nate’s face lit up in a huge grin.

  “Defensive?”

  “No,” I muttered.

  “Seems like you’re a little embarrassed to be caught getting hit on.”

  “Its not my fault my dad wants me to marry some proper investment banker just like him.”

  “It’s weird he’s doing that. Isn’t that usually a mom’s job?”

  “Yeah, well, ever since my mom died, my dad took up the slack.”

  “Shit. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s okay.”

  “If it helps, my mom gave up trying to set me up a long time ago.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Apparently proper ladies are intimidated by me.” He stood up and moved close to me. “Truth is, though, they usually ended up throwing their panties at me and begging for it. But Mom doesn’t know that.”

  “I’m sure you obliged.”

  “I’m a gentleman, after all.”

  The day went like that for another few hours. Nate and I went around helping people and serving lunch while Tommy answered questions about the area. Finally, our time was up, and we helped everyone pack away their rods and their catches, though nobody got much of anything.

  Back up in the pilot’s room, Nate began to sail the boat back toward the harbor. I felt relieved to be hidden up away from everyone. Joshua and his associate, Al, kept giving me looks all afternoon, but whenever Nate got too close they would instantly look away.

  Part of me was thrilled to see that. Part of me loved that Nate could scare other men away simply by being near me. I loved that he was powerful and masculine enough that he didn’t even have to try. And yet part of me was afraid of him and how easily he could posses me.