by Rye Hart
“It’s just an expression; I’m so sorry.” I closed my eyes and wanted to die.
“It’s fine, and I do treat her as such when I can. She’s away at school so often.”
Patrick walked up and gave me a sideward glance. “May I help you, Sir?” He gave Enzo his biggest, flirtiest grin.
Enzo shifted in his chair. “I was wondering if there was any shellfish on tonight’s menu.”
“We have a shrimp alfredo, but the shrimp is grilled separately if you’d like to order that. I can prepare the plate myself.”
“How’s that Esme?” Enzo lifted a brow to his daughter.
“Does it come with garlic bread?”
“If you’d like, it can,” Patrick said.
“Then yes, please.” Esme turned back to me as Patrick hurried into the kitchen. “You’re pretty.”
“Thank you. You’re a beautiful girl, too.” I wasn’t used to compliments, especially from royal princesses.
“You know, Esme, I asked Cindy for her phone number so I could keep in touch and maybe take her out for a cup of coffee and she didn’t know if she should give it to me.” I turned my head, and he stared at me with a sly grin.
Esme bounced in her seat. “Oh, you have to! Daddy is a lot of fun. Did you know that he’ll be king soon? My grandfather is sick and—”
He cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Esme, that’s a little too much information for Cindy, we don’t want to bore her with family stories.” The weight in his expression was heartbreaking.
I leaned forward and took his hand. “I’m so sorry about your father.”
“Excuse me? What’s going on here?” I looked up as Selena stopped beside the table and glared down at me.
Enzo stood from the table. “This young lady was just helping my daughter with possible life-threatening issue. You know, Selena, you should have twenty like this one. She’s incredibly helpful and isn’t afraid to do what it takes to make the guests feel welcome.”
Her eyes widened, and she glared down at Esme.
“Cindy’s the best, and we’re new friends.” She smiled up at Selena even though the woman’s face was contorted with anger.
“That’s lovely dear. You’re needed in the kitchen, Cindy.” She turned and stormed away, and I decided it was time to excuse myself.
“I must get back to work. But thank you. It was lovely to meet you, Esme. Good to see you too, Enzo.”
I started around the table, but he put his hand on my arm to stop me. “How about that phone number?” There he was with his smoldering looks, warming me up from the core. It was almost too much to bare.
“Better yet, the kitchen can wait. Dance with me?”
I looked toward the kitchen knowing that was where Selena had gone, and I wondered if she was in there waiting for me. I took a deep breath and looked over to Esme’s hopeful eyes. “Okay, but just for a moment. I’m not supposed to be dancing.”
“It’s a party, everyone should be dancing.” He stood and took my hand and led me to the floor as Esme watched from a distance.
His arm fell heavy around my waist and pulled me closer. “I’d like to call on you, Cindy.”
“Are you sure? I think you’ve got your hands quite full as it is, and besides I’m a part of the help, remember?” I said with a half grin.
“I’m positive, but you know, you’d be a more fitting queen.” He nestled close, and before I knew it, he kissed my cheek and then whispered in my ear. “We have a captive audience.”
I glanced back over to the table and caught Esme watching us. Her smile had lit her face and brightened her eyes with such happiness.
“She likes you.”
“She seems like the kind of girl who likes everyone.” I didn’t want to belittle his remark, but I didn’t want him reaching for straws either.
“She is. So, let’s not disappoint her.”
“What about my boss?”
He gestured across the room, and I looked over to see Selena flirting with another man. She had already come out of the kitchen, and she was not hurting for attention.
“I’m not interested in Selena White. Shouldn’t I have a say in who I want to date?” He wanted to date me. I couldn’t help but think of what Patrick said to me a little earlier.
“Fine. In that case, show me what you’ve got Prince Charming.” I let out a long sigh as I finally gave in and hoped that Selena wouldn’t retaliate too much.
CHAPTER NINE - ENZO
I had been so excited about my progress with Cindy that I found myself humming the song we’d danced to in the shower the next morning. Not only had I secured her phone number, but I’d gotten a promise for a future first date. I couldn’t help but think about how much Esme had really liked her.
I was out of the shower and drying off when Lucas came into the room. “Excuse me, Your Royal Highness, but it seems Greg Levinas is up to his old tricks again.” He held out his phone and glanced at the screen while wrapping the towel around myself.
There were several pictures of Cindy and me, all from the gala events and the most recent had been last night’s dance. “That son of a bitch!”
“Yeah, and the headline: Future King Slums in the US and the article goes on to call her your common girlfriend, asking the burning question: ‘Is it true love for Enzo?’”
“I can’t wait until my mother sees this, I’m sure the hounds are already on it.” There was no way one of her advisors hadn’t seen that. Greg Levinas, while a low-life piece of shit, was famous for selling his created stories. And because of his infatuation with my family, my mother had hired a crew to keep her abreast. “Don’t let Esme see it. She’ll get her hopes up. She likes Cindy.”
“I told you that would never work, and that was before Levinas sabotaged it.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Have you called Cindy? Has she seen it?” Lucas was on edge, and I had a feeling he was feeling a bit guilty. It was his job to keep this stuff away from me. Despite being his friend, I had never made his job any easier.
“No, I better call her. And I’m calling that low-life Levinas too. If he doesn’t retract that story, I’m going to be all over him.”
“It’s on the internet, and it’s already been picked up by four others major sites.”
“Then I’ll sue his ass.”
“And what would you sue him for? Telling the truth?” As my eyes narrowed, he held up a defensive hand. “I’m just saying; he’s accusing you of having a relationship with someone you’re trying to have a relationship with. He’s not reporting anything too inaccurate. And in another day or two, it could be the truth.”
“It’s insulting to me and even more so to Cindy.”
“If she’s going to hang around with the future King of Aramis, then she should be ready for scrutiny and learn how to handle it. If you end up with her, it will only get worse.” He was right, and I hated it, but I was not giving up on Cindy, not unless she wanted me to.
I took my phone off the table beside my bed and learned I had two missed calls from my mother. “Shit. Mother knows. I’ll call Cindy first.”
I dialed her number, but there was no answer, and before I could hang up and dial again, my mother called me back.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Don’t you ‘hello mother’ me! How long has this been going on? Is this why you brought Esme with you? So that she could meet her future mother?”
“No, I brought her because you make it painfully obvious that you have no love for her.” I found my voice carrying too loudly and toned it down. “She loves the galas, and she had a good time. And as for Cindy, I haven’t been dating her. I met her at the last gala and—”
“And she’s part of the staff!” Mother’s voice was practically a hiss.
“She is the manager of the event company and a very nice person.”
“I want you to end it.”
“It hasn’t begun! But it will. I’d never disrespect you, although I know you think otherwise. But I need to make o
ne thing clear and that is you can’t control who I chose to be with. I’m the one who will be King. I know you think when the times comes you’ll want to use my rule as a way to get what you want, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
“Are you threatening me, dear son?”
“It’s no threat, Mother, it’s a promise.”
I slammed down the phone and knew that I’d pay for it later. “Mother knows. I’ve got to go talk to Cindy. Before I left last night, I promised her a simple lunch date. Now, look what’s happened.”
“You aren’t going to be here to deal with her when she calls back are you?” Lucas gave me an exhausted look. “I need hazard pay to put up with your mother.”
“Yes, you do. Take Esme to the theater and watch that double-feature. If she calls back just pacify her with an excuse. I’m not talking to her again until I get home.” I hurried off to go get dressed.
An hour later, I was on my way to Cindy’s place, and she still wasn’t answering her phone. I called Greg Levinas after and the sneaky bastard answered on one ring.
“Greg Levinas speaking.” He sounded like he had a smile in his voice and a spring in his step.
“Retract the story, Greg. It’s inaccurate.”
“Well, well, Prince Enzo of Aramis, to what do I owe the honor?”
“You know damned well what you’ve done. Those comments are not only untrue, but they are insulting for an innocent woman who doesn’t need her life disrupted.”
“Well, if that’s the case, dating a royal prince who is soon to take the throne as a king might be a bit much for her.”
I hated that the guy already knew about my father’s stepping down and wondered how. There had to be a leak with one of the trustees or advisors, and it wouldn’t have been the first time.
I made a mental note to flush out all of the moles in the house as my first order of business when I got back home.
“Take it down or you are going to see a very ugly side of me.” I hung up the phone as my car arrived at Cindy’s house.
The neighborhood wasn’t the greatest, but with her being a single woman in the city, it could have been worse. I walked up to the door expecting a buzzer, but there was no security of any kind to get inside her building.
I thought of how I needed to put her someplace safer as I walked down the hall toward her door and rang the bell.
She threw the door open with a newspaper in her hand. “Have you seen this?”
“I’ve been calling. I’m sorry. I guess I should have warned you about the paparazzo. He’s been following me every time I come into the city. I didn’t think he’d stoop this low.”
“Well, he spins a good story, so maybe he believes his own bullshit.” Her tone and language surprised me. “But that’s not even the worst of it. Thanks to him, I’m on probation at work. One more incident and I can kiss my job goodbye, and all of this too.” She waved her hand around to her apartment, and I felt horrible knowing how much the place must mean to her.
“I can assure you that you’ll have a place. I’ll make arrangements, so you don’t lose your home over this.”
She let out a long breath and shook her head. “You’re too much. I’ve earned this place and that’s the reason I’d hate for it to be taken away from me. I’ve not been given everything I want or need.”
I tried not to be offended by the remark. “I’m sorry. If you would rather I leave—”
“I didn’t say that. Look, I’m sorry. You can’t help who you are any more than I can. I’ve just had a rough week.”
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. “I’m not giving up on us. I like you, Cindy. I want to get to know you, and I want to date you. Now I can’t promise that this Levinas sleazebag won’t follow us, and torment us, but I’d like to spend time together. What do you say? Are you up for it?”
“I don’t know. You make it all sound so appealing.” She gave a breathy chuckle, and I pulled her into my arms. As she looked up at me, I brought my mouth down to hers for a nice slow kiss.
I pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes.
“Trust me, Cindy.”
CHAPTER TEN - CINDY
I wasn’t happy that dating Enzo had gotten off on the wrong foot, but at least once our date got underway, things were much easier. We had a light lunch and then took a trip to the museums then went to a different restaurant for the most delicious dessert I’d ever eaten. The huge plate of strawberry cheesecake was big enough for two, so we shared. But then, after we were done, he ordered two more slices to go.
“That’s a lot of cheesecake.” I stared down at the large bag figuring our date was coming to an end. Surely, he’d be headed home, with the two huge slices. But after he paid and we walked back down to the car, he sent the driver across town to deliver the desserts to his house for Esme and Lucas while we took a walk through another museum. We even stopped and painted a small canvas in their interactive exhibit.
When we went back out, the car was parked there waiting. “What would you like to do now? I’m sure we can find something with a little more action.” He looked deep into my eyes and squeezed my hand.
“I don’t have much to offer. We could go back to my place and have pizza later if you want.” I shrugged knowing he probably wouldn’t be up for it. He had all the money in the world, I’m sure my offer wasn’t all that appealing.
“That sounds amazing, and I have to disagree, I think you have a lot to offer. I can’t tell you how much I’ve craved a normal night out with nothing but good company.”
My heart raced as he leaned in and kissed me; his fingers wove through my hair, and his thumb brushed softly against my cheek. He left me breathless, and though it was all amazing and dream-like, I had to wonder if it wasn’t too perfect. This couldn’t be the perfect fairy tale complete with a prince who would fall in love and whisk me off to his castle. Things like that only happened in books.
We went back to my apartment, and I offered him a seat on my worn-out sofa. His royal ass didn’t seem to mind one bit as he lowered it. “You have a nice place. Are you just moving in?”
I walked to the bedroom and took off my heels and replaced them with my slippers before joining him. “Thanks, and yes. I had a much nicer one I shared with my friend, but she decided she wanted to move in with her boyfriend and left me with the rent. I had to downsize, and unfortunately, this is the best place I could find.”
He nodded but looked as if he had something on his mind. “It might not be a good time to bring this up, but I couldn’t help but notice the lack of security out front. I’m not sure it makes me feel comfortable.”
“I doubt anyone is going to come in and assassinate you.” I let out a laugh, and his eyes met mine with a blank stare.
“No. Not me. I meant you.” He reached out and took my hand.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. This is a fairly decent part of town, and the neighbors are all good people. There haven’t been any problems since I moved in.”
“I see.” He let out a long breath and looked toward the door. “I guess it helps you have two deadbolts.”
“They came standard, lucky me.” I laughed, and he leaned back as if trying to relax. Then he put his arm around me and pulled me closer. I hovered over him and kissed him deeply as his hand came up and around my waist. It was all happening so fast, and I felt like I was headed for a brick wall at full speed.
I thought about how I probably shouldn’t be doing what I was about to do. It wasn’t often I threw caution to the wind on a whim, but he had me so worked up, I couldn’t help myself. I convinced myself that I wanted Enzo to be my first. My body ached for him to be near me, inside me, whatever that felt like. And his body, a picture of male perfection, was irresistible.
I reached for his buttons as we kissed and worked them open. Then I ran my hands across his chest and pushed it off his shoulders. His chest was well-defined with thick cords of muscle rippling beneath his warm flesh. And just as quickly as I
had his shirt off, he was working on mine, slipping it up and over my head. Suddenly I grew increasing self-conscious and nervous.
He stared at my breasts a moment and then met my eyes as he cupped them through my white lacy bra and thumbed my nipples. “You’re so sexy, Cindy. I want to be inside you.”
In response, I reached down and undid his pants. No going back now. He raised up on his elbows and I slipped them down, leaning down to tug them, nearly putting my face in his crotch. I caught a peek at his erection and gave an audible gasp. His length was impressive, and I had a feeling from what I could see, that he was thick too. My mouth watered.
He pushed his thumb into my mouth, and I sucked it, rolling it around gently across my lips and tongue. “Take it off.” He glanced down at my skirt, and I stood up and unzipped the side, letting it fall to the floor. It landed in a puddle at my feet, and I stepped out of it and kicked it away.
In my panties and bra, I felt naked before him, and he licked his lips and leaned forward and kissed my firm tummy as his hand came up and cupped my sex. I shuddered, and chills went through me. His mouth was so close, and I wanted him to kiss me there, to keep going down until his mouth was against me and his tongue was in me. Instead, he slipped one of his fingers into my panties and found my center, sinking it deep. He stroked me good and then pulled out his finger and gave it a taste.
“You taste incredible.”
Then he went back down and brought his mouth down on me, his perfectly full lips pressing against my slick mound as his hand gripped my ass and pulled me forward.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said with his warm breath right against me. “And you’re bare.
He rubbed my bare mound and then gave it a slap. “I love this. Don’t ever change it.”
I loved him spanking it, but only because his next move was to soothe it with his tongue and it made me so hot that I began to orgasm. The wave of pleasure washed over me so powerfully that I gripped his head and held him pressed against me. He moaned, and once I sagged a bit, he scooped me up and kissed my mouth as he carried me to my bedroom.