by Alexis Angel
"Don’t stop! Oh, baby!" I moan, wrapping my arms and legs tightly around him, pulling into me with every thrust.
"Yeah, baby! Ungh!" he growls, his face now in my neck.
Tugging at my earlobe, I lose it, screaming his name as I fall into a climactic ecstasy, my body recklessly surging toward him, my greedy pussy begging for more pounding. To my surprise, Thomas doesn’t stop, or even slow. Instead, his body rages faster and stronger as my weak limbs struggle to hold onto his flexed muscles.
"Oh, fuck! Nicole! Baby!" He growls, and I tug at his ear, the sound that falls from his lips makes my sex clench as the aftershocks of my orgasm rock through me.
"Give it to me, baby! I want to feel you!" I yell, tugging at his hair.
"Nicole! Baby! Fuck! It’s yours!" He growls, his hands holding my hips so I can’t even move to meet him as he plunges into me.
"Yes! Baby! Ahh, Thomas," I’m moaning now, my lips on his neck as I rub my nose against his skin.
"Fuck! Fuck! I can’t…" He fades out, his voice turning to a growl as he punishes my pussy with reckless thrusts.
After a few more harsh pumps, his pace slows and I feel his cock twitch and spasm, knowing he’s finally let loose, but he doesn’t stop. Rocking into me slowly, he roars so loudly it shocks me, as he releases inside of me. I’ve never felt him this intense, or heard him make such noises. It’s beyond sexy and satisfying, and then he finally slows to a still.
Wrapping my limbs tightly, around him, I rub my hand over his back as he holds me tightly, his face still pressed tightly against my neck. We’re both panting and drenched in sweat, our bodies folding together like they were made for each other.
"What are you doing to me?" He finally mutters, lifting so we’re face to face.
"I’m trying to drive you as crazy as you drive me," I smirk, leaning up to offer my lips, but Thomas doesn’t move, instead he just stares at me with an emotion I can’t read clouding his eyes. There’s no more lust, just this look of awe and a shadow of a smirk, and then he leans down and presses his lips against mine softly.
"You’re definitely driving me crazy, Nicole," he says softly, using my name like he does whenever he’s serious about something.
"Welcome to the club." I smile, leaning up to kiss him once more before he collapses between my legs, his body obviously exhausted and slippery with a blend of our sweat. With our bodies still connected, our limbs intertwined, we hold each other until our breathing syncs and sleep sweeps over us.
Thomas
"I’ve been trying to get a hold of you," my dad says when I finally answer his call. He’s been trying to call me, but I've been busy with Nicole most of the time. The rest of the time, I just didn’t answer, but he doesn't need to know any of that.
"I’m sorry," I say. "You’ve got me on the line, now."
I've been dreading this conversation with my father. There are four days left before my return. I can't imagine any other reason he'd call than to arrange what needs to be done. My father never calls just to catch up.
"I've booked the plane for you," he says. "Hermann will be there on Monday morning to pick you up. I expect you to be at the airfield at six, sharp. I don’t want Hermann to go out of his way to get you, and then you’re late."
I roll my eyes. We pay Hermann to go out of his way, to wait, to do whatever it is that's expected of him. He works for us. I don't work for him.
"I’ll be there," I say. "Can’t afford to miss that flight, right?"
"Are you trying to make a joke?" my father asks.
I sigh. "Of course, not."
After a moment of silence, where I can imagine my father’s irritated look, he carries on.
"I’ve also arranged for someone to take care of your furniture. They will move it and sell it off."
I sit down on the edge of my bed and lean my elbows on my knees.
"Why are you organizing everything for me?" I ask. "I can take care of it."
"I know you can. But like you said, you’re very busy. And I don’t want you taking any chances. I know you’ll try to extend your stay any way you can. I need you back here doing your duties. I’m making sure everything goes according to plan."
Right, the plan where I have to serve my country for the rest of my life. The bit of freedom I've experienced here, the person I’ve become, has just been an illusion. I've never belonged to myself, no matter how much I’d entertained the idea. I would never belong to anything other than Elanda.
"What you will do while you’re waiting for the plane to take you home is take care of whatever business you have left there. You will come to Elanda with no loose ends. I have a strict schedule lined up for you, and you will not have time to return to the States any time soon."
I know what he's trying to say. Say my goodbyes. End all relationships.
"I can’t travel?" I ask.
"You will be traveling. A lot. We have many meetings to attend with other world leaders. It’s important they get used to your face. America is not our most pressing concern, though. We will get there in due time."
I listen to my father ramble on about politics. It's the only thing he can ever discuss with me. Nicole had mentioned that I never spoke about them. It's hard speaking about people I don't know. She’d said that I was hard to read, that I was difficult to get to know without asking questions outright.
The truth is, I'm not sure what there is to get to know anymore. I'm a product of my circumstances now. What do I have to offer her that's unique and my own, not influenced by who I'm supposed to become?
Not much, I suspect, so far. And not much at all when the time comes for me to take my rightful place as leader of a country.
"Don’t disappoint me, Thomas," my father says. "You are the only heir to the throne. If you don’t step in, we will have to hand over our country to distant family in Poland, and it will mean nothing. Everything we have done will be for nothing."
I sigh. I had learned about the distant family when I was young. I was encouraged to dislike them due to their heritage. If something were to happen to me before I have an heir, they'd become the leaders of something that's been in our family for centuries.
"You have made it clear how serious this is," I say. "I know I have to come back. I made a deal with you, and I will honor it. You don’t need to treat me like a child."
"We’ll make a king of you yet," my father says. "For now, you are just a prince. I will see you on Tuesday morning after you have refreshed yourself."
The line goes dead. I stare at my phone’s screen. This is my future. This is what waits for me on the other side.
Great.
I don't have many loose ends to tie up. I have a few friends and little else now that I'm done with my studies.
It's only Nicole left in my life now. I'll have to lose her, though. I won't tell her who I am. I can't take her with me. There's no way she'll give up her life for me, and I wouldn’t ask her to do that. It's her independence that has drawn me to her, among so many other things that I’ve fallen for.
Yes, I’ve fallen for her. Fallen in love. I've never cared about any of the women in my life, and God knows there's been a lot of them. But just as my life here in America is coming to an end, I've come across the one woman I would have liked to spend more time with.
I hate the fact that I’ve fallen in love. She's everything a woman should be, kind, generous, and compassionate, but completely herself, too. And I have to lose her. Why couldn’t she just have been a booty call? Why did we meet at all? When I’d looked into her gray eyes, eyes that had reminded me of the sea, I should just have kept walking.
I’d been arrogant, though. Arrogant and confident. I was sure I could make her my own. And instead, she had stolen my heart. Was this punishment for all the women I’d messed with? All the one-night stands? All the times I hadn’t cared?
It feels like it.
I drop my head into my hands. I should've told her what was going on. Maybe not the part about me being a prince. That's a bi
tter pill to swallow. Maybe not for her, but for me, and that's enough. But I could've told her that I was leaving. I'd be gone in four days’ time, and she doesn't even know about it.
A pang of guilt shoots through my chest. I don't even know how to do it. How can I break it to her that I’ve known for a while that I'm leaving? That I’d known before I’d really pursued her, in fact? How can I tell her that and still let her down easy?
She'll be upset with me. Hell, I'm upset with me.
I rub my hands down my face. There's no way I can do that to her. Not now. I'll wait until the very end before I tell her. I can't ruin what we have now. It's all I have left of a life I'm about to lose. I want it to be perfect until the end.
It's going to hurt her. I know that. I'm a dick for thinking of doing this to her. But I'm also selfish, and I’ve never been in love before. I don't want to suffer through heartbreak until it's completely necessary.
Am I doing it wrong? Probably. But I haven't done a lot of things right, and I don't know how to fix it.
I'm torn. I know I have to go back. Deep down inside, a very small part of me is patriotic, and I care about what becomes of my country. I don't want it to fall into the hands of distant relatives who don't care what happens to my people. I have only recently realized I feel that way about it, right around the time Nicole pointed it out, in fact.
Until then, home has just felt like a punishment. I can't stay here. I can't ditch my parents and my people like that. But I want Nicole. I want to be with her, and not just for a couple of booty calls, either. With her, I see something long term. I've never thought I would get to this stage, but there it is.
And now I'm about to lose everything but my country.
At least that's something.
Nicole
"That was great," I say as we walk out of the movie theater. I hold onto Thomas’s hand. "Thank you."
He smiles at me. He’d taken me to an artsy movie, the kind that I loved so much. He’d paid attention when he’d worked through my stack of DVDs. The movie had been fantastic, and Thomas was the perfect boyfriend.
We aren't official, yet. I don't know if he'll ask me, or if we'll carry on the way we do without labels. A part of me feels like we don't need them. I know where I stand with him and how I feel about him. Every day, he shows me how he feels about me.
It's not just the sex, either. Of course, that part of our relationship is great, too. Taking that next step has been amazing, and I feel like I'm connected to him in a way I've never felt with anyone. But Thomas is just a great guy, overall. Attentive and caring, and he listens when I speak. How many guys do that?
"Are you okay?" I ask when we walk to the car. My arm is looped through his and our sides are pressed against each other, our strides matching.
"Why?" he asks.
"You’re quiet, a little distant."
He nods. "Sorry. My dad called, and we never get along very well. Sometimes I think the only reason we get along at all is because we’re in different countries."
"I’m sorry to hear that," I say. I'm starting to learn that Thomas isn't in a very good place with his parents at all. He never says much. It's more in what he doesn't say that I figure it out. Still, it helps to know what's bothering him.
"Don’t worry about it, though," he says and kisses me. "Come home with me? Distract me."
I smile and nod. He kisses me again, and we stand by the car, making out for a short while.
"Is it helping?" I ask.
Thomas nods. "A bit. It'll work even better if you take off your clothes."
I smile. Heat washes through my body and pools between my legs. The feeling is all too familiar to me now. I want him. Making love in his apartment is just that much better than in mine. It feels like when he’d taken me there, he’d let me in all the way, and it's a treat whenever he does it again.
We get into the car, and Thomas turns the ignition. The car purrs to life, and we pull off.
"You know," I say. "I think we should go away for a bit before the summer ends and I have to go back to class. What do you think? I’ll pay for my half and everything."
Thomas smiles. "You don’t have to do that."
I shake my head. "I want to, though. I think it'll be fun."
"It will be," he says. I look at him. A dark cloud seems to hang over him. He barely smiles, and we haven't talked about much since we’d met up today. I’ve been doing most of the talking, and even though he responds to me, he doesn't offer up much conversation of his own.
"How can I make it better?" I ask. I hate seeing him like this.
Thomas shakes his head and puts his hand on my thigh. "I’ll get over it. Don’t worry. You just focus on what we’re going to do when we get home. I have all sorts of dirty things planned out."
He grins, and it's his usual naughty grin. When we park the car and get into the elevator to his penthouse, I'm already turned on beyond belief. I want him. The first time we’d been in this elevator flashed in my mind’s eye, and I kiss Thomas.
When the elevator door opens and we step out, a woman sits on the floor. She gets up when she sees us. She has red hair and freckles. She's wearing a beige coat and high heels, and she has the rich sheen some of the people in these parts have.
"Thomas," she says, walking to him. She puts her arms around his neck and presses her lips against his.
"Hey," I say, but it comes out more as a question.
Thomas pushes her away from him.
"Jessica," he says. He glances at me before turning his attention back to her. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I came to see you. You’re always avoiding my calls. I didn’t know what else to do."
Thomas shakes his head. I'm dumbfounded. What's going on? It's clear that Thomas knows this woman. An uncomfortable feeling settles in my chest.
"Who are you?" I ask her.
She looks at me, sliding her eyes down and back up my body as if she's sizing me up. She doesn't even look apologetic about kissing Thomas when he’d brought me up with him.
"Oh, you’re another one," she says.
Another one? She sounds bored when she says it.
"Jessica, you need to leave now," Thomas says.
Jessica shakes her head. "Don’t push me away again. I can’t stand it when we don’t talk."
I frown at Thomas.
"Who is she?" I ask him. Maybe he'll answer me. Thomas opens his mouth to say something, but Jessica answers for him.
"Another one of his women," she says.
Okay, maybe not the answer I want to hear.
"What?" I ask numbly.
"Don’t you know? Honey, you ought to have known. You’re not the only one. Thomas never has only one woman."
Thomas shakes his head. "That’s a lie."
"Isn’t it?" Jessica asks him. She looks at me. "Ask him if it’s true."
I look at Thomas. I don't want to believe Jessica. She looks like a past lover, scorned. But suddenly, I really need to know.
"Is it true?" I ask Thomas in a voice that's barely a whisper.
Thomas hesitates. That's already answer enough. "It used to be," he says, confirming it. "But it’s not like that anymore. Not since I met you."
Jessica laughs. "Do you think she’ll believe you? Admittedly, I did, but I didn’t have anyone to warn me." She looks at me. "Trust me on this, honey, he’s going to fuck you and leave you. He’ll keep you around just as long as he’s having fun. He’ll make you feel like you’re everything. When he gets bored, that’s when he’ll dump you, and you’ll be left to wonder what the hell you did wrong."
I shake my head. I don't want to believe her. But Jessica clearly knows Thomas. And he's getting paler and paler as she carries on talking.
His jaw clenches tightly. "It’s not like that," he says through gritted teeth. "It’s different with you, Nicole."
Jessica shakes her head. "Did you tell her about your money, your kingdom?"
Thomas looks angry. "Shut your fucking mout
h," he hisses at her.
Jessica smiles, aware that she’s struck a nerve. "He told you he’s a business person, didn’t he? That he has to take over the family business, right?"
I nod. I don't know what to believe anymore.
"Did he tell you that the family business is running the country? That he’s the crown prince of Elanda?"
I'm confused. My head swims like I’ve been drinking too much. I open my mouth to speak but I can't find the words.
"I was going to tell you," Thomas says, but he doesn't sound as confident as usual.
"Were you?" Jessica asks before I can answer. "Or were you just going to leave back to Elanda after the weekend and never see her again?"
Thomas is furious now. "Where the hell did you hear that?" he asks.
"What?" The news hits me like a freight train. "You’re leaving?"
Thomas starts shaking his head, but he stops himself and nods instead.
I cover my mouth with my hand. "It’s all true, then, isn’t it?" I ask. "Everything she just said? Even about the women? And her? You slept with her, didn’t you?"
"Everywhere you can imagine," Jessica answers. I'm starting to get irritated with her answering for Thomas all the time. "Even the elevator."
That's it. It's enough to break me.
"I can’t believe you," I snap at Thomas. Suddenly, out of nowhere, tears spill over my cheeks. "I trusted you! I loved you."
I don't know what else to say. I do the only thing I can think of.
I flee.
The elevator door opens just as I press the button, thank God. I can't imagine anything worse than having to wait for it with Thomas and Jessica right there. I step into the elevator and press the button for the lobby.
"Nicole, don’t go," Thomas says and rushes toward me. The doors close, cutting off his voice and takes me away from him.
Thomas