by Leslie North
“The annulment papers,” he said. He stared at Macee waiting to see her reaction. She had wanted them and now she was getting them.
“Oh.”
“I thought you would be overjoyed.”
“Why?”
“Because that is what you wanted.” His tone changed.
“Then why are you snapping at me?” Macee asked. Surely, he would want the same thing, right? Prince Louis reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen. He placed it on the table. He stood up and walked back into the living room. Macee stood up and followed him. What was his deal?
“Louis!” she shouted. He stopped and faced her.
“It is, your highness, to you,” he said.
“Leave us,” Macee said to the maids. They all scrambled out of the room. “What has gotten into you?” she asked the prince.
“Just sign the papers and be done with it.”
“I know I wanted the annulment but not like this. I did not ask for any of this.”
“Yes, so you keep expressing.”
Macee walked over to the prince and stood right in front of him. He looked down at her. “Why does this make you so mad? Did you not say choosing between my sister and I was a case of bad or worse?” she asked him. If that was how he felt, then annulling the marriage should not bother him. It should be just another business transaction.
The prince touched the back of Macee's head and pulled her hair, forcing her face to tilt upwards. He planted a passionate kiss on her lips. This time it wasn’t slow or gentle. Macee kissed him back. She grabbed his shirt and stood on her toes as the prince squeezed her bottom and kissed her harder.
“Why don't you want me, ma cherie?” he whispered against her mouth.
“I do,” Macee whispered back and squeezed his biceps. He groaned and pulled her closer to him. He picked her up and carried her to her bed. He quickly removed her top as he kissed her breasts. He caressed her stomach and her arms. He couldn’t believe he was hearing her right and he had to be sure.
“Are you sure?” he asked her. Macee nodded. “Say it,” he needed to hear her say the words.
“Do it,” Macee whispered. She felt too shy to say what he wanted her to say.
“Do what?”
Macee grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her. “Louis, make love to me.” She sounded more aggressive than turned on. He was frustrating her, making her say it when he could already tell she wanted it. He laughed and kissed her.
He stood up to take off his shirt, as Macee followed him with her eyes. She smiled shyly as he made quick work of his clothes. He really was beautiful, she thought as she watched him climb naked back onto the bed. Sliding up, he balanced above her as he kissed her deeply. Kissing his way slowly down her body, “I’ve dreamt of these,” he told her as he licked and sucked her nipples. At Macee’s gasp of pleasure, he continued to kiss his way down her body, touching her everywhere. He had waited so long, he was going to enjoy every moment. Reaching for the clasp on her skirt, he drew the zipper slowly down. Lifting her hips, he drew her skirt and panties off and tossed them off the side of the bed.
Lifting her legs, he kissed her feet before working his way back up. As he reached the inside of her thighs, he licked her before pressing small kisses as he continued to work his way up. Macee let out a moan, as he rubbed her hips before lifting her to his mouth. Macee writhed beneath him as he tightened his grip. Licking up her slit, he found her clit and swirled his tongue around it as Macee bucked against him. Is that what I have been missing? she asked herself.
Macee felt paralysed with pleasure. She could only lay there and moan, as he touched her in places she had never been touched. Her insides were dancing around as Macee could feel pressure building inside her. Sliding one finger gently inside her, he pumped it slowly in and out, as Macee rocked her hips along with him. Satisfied that she was ready, he positioned himself in front of her.
“Look at me, wife,” he said. His voice had grown husky, as he waited for Macee to look at him. Adjusting her hips, he wrapped her legs around his waist as he leaned forward. Kissing her, he slowly plundered her mouth as he entered her. When he felt a barrier, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as he pushed forward. Macee opened her eyes at the sudden pain, but it was gone just as fast as it had come. Smiling down at her, he kissed her and he began to move in and out. As her body adjusted to his size, Macee felt that pressure inside her building to intensity. Tightening her legs around him, she encouraged him to move faster.
Macee's heart was beating faster and faster. She felt tension in her body build up. Her toes curled and she held onto his arms. She could not take it any longer as pleasure rocked her body. As she cried out his name, she arched against him, as she clenched around him. Continuing to stroke in and out, he tried to hold out longer, but her clenching was too much and he quickly reached his release as his body shuddered. He lay next to her holding her tight in his arms.
Macee put her head on his chest. “So that's what it’s like,” she said. Prince Louis laughed.
“Yes, ma cherie and it will be better,” he replied, he was still trying to catch his breath.
Moments later, one of Macee's maids rushed into the room calling for Macee. She picked up her top and covered her breasts as she sat up and asked what was the matter. The maid turned to give Macee her back. “I apologise for the intrusion but something just happened. Please turn on the news,” the maid rushed back out of the room.
“What now?” Macee complained. She grabbed the remote and switched on the news. She dropped the remote when she saw the headline.
“What is the matter?” Prince Louis asked. He heard the reporter say, “Another LeBlanc scandal.” He looked at the screen and listened to the reporter. This time they were talking about Liane. “The former intended crown princess is pregnant with another man’s child. That must be the reason why she did not marry Prince Louis,” the reporter added.
Prince Louis looked at Macee. She was standing there frozen as tears rolled down her cheeks. Not Annie too, she said to herself. He hugged her from the back and kissed her shoulder. “I will find out who is responsible,” he said.
Chapter 17
Macee and her parents were sitting with the royal family. The queen was livid. The fact that both their daughters had been in the headlines within the same week was a huge problem as the reputation of the royal family had taken a huge blow. How could one family cause that much damage?
“Who is the father of the baby?” Bridgette asked.
“That is not even important,” the queen said. “It is the lie that is an issue.”
“Your majesty, we have no excuse,” Colonel LeBlanc said.
“We need to take care of the annulment as soon as possible and restore the image of the royal family,” Bridgette said.
“I concur,” the queen said.
“That should be left to Macee and me to decide,” the prince said. “Besides, we still need to unveil the culprit,” he added. He was annoyed that Bridgette was rushing things along.
“This involves the whole royal family,” Bridgette said.
“I think we should find out if there is any truth to these stories first,” Princess Katherine said.
“Is Liane pregnant?” the queen asked.
“Yes, your majesty,” Colonel LeBlanc said.
“Is there some truth to Macee's past?”
“Absolutely not. She was a virgin before me and I can confirm that,” Prince Louis said. It was clear that he was angry as everyone looked at him. Bridgette raised her eyebrows. Macee looked down, as she couldn’t look at all those angry stares. Her only comfort was the tight hold the prince had on her hand.
“Well there is that,” Princess Katherine said.
“Besides, if Liane is pregnant, then let her be. What should it matter now?” Now that he was married to Macee, he could not picture being married to her sister. It was as if this was the way it was meant to be. Liane’s pregnancy was meaningless to him.
>
A maid walked in with Francesca who was holding a brown envelope. She looked furious. She curtsied and apologised for the intrusion but it was necessary as she had important information for the crown prince. She handed him the envelope.
“Could it not wait?” the queen asked her.
“I am afraid not, your majesty,” Francesca replied.
Prince Louis opened the envelope and took out the contents. He grew more and more angry as he read the file. He threw it down and banged his fist on the table. The queen gasped and placed her hand on her heart. “What is the matter?” she asked. Prince Louis looked at Bridgette.
“So all these leaked rumours were your doing?” he asked her. Bridgette's eyes flew open; she picked up the paperwork and read it.
As Francesca was trying to reveal the identity of the culprit, she ran into some roadblocks. The person had gone to great lengths to hide his or her identity.
“What?” The queen turned to look at her sister. That could not possibly be true.
“She made up rumours about my sister because she did not approve of her,” Francesca said.
“Macee is not suitable for this position,” Bridgette said.
“So you tarred her image and the image of the royal family to get what you want?” the king demanded.
“In addition, you leaked Liane's pregnancy instead of telling us,” the prince said. He was disappointed and disgusted by her.
“It is her family you need to direct your anger at,” Bridgette screamed. “They hid the pregnancy and lied about it.”
“I am disappointed in you, my own sister,” the queen said. She stood up and left the room.
“We will discuss this deception another day,” the king said as he dismissed the LeBlancs. The king left the room followed by Prince Louis, Macee and Katherine. Francesca was left in the room with Bridgette.
“How dare you!” Bridgette shouted at Francesca.
“No, how dare you try to ruin my family like this!” Francesca shouted back. Bridgette rose up from her seat and walked over to Francesca.
“You have no idea what you have done.”
“No, you have idea what you have done. The prince will probably have your head on a stick for drawing all this unwanted attention their way. Good luck with that,” Francesca replied as she turned on her heel and left the room.
Prince Louis and Macee went to the palace gardens, away from everyone. He stopped and looked at her. “I am sorry,” he said to her. He finally understood what she had gone through. She went from living a normal life to being a crown princess by force. Then she had her character tarred by his aunt. His family had turned her life upside down.
“For what?” Macee asked him.
“Because of my family, your life has been shaken up.”
“It's not your fault.”
“I played my part. I was the one who chose you to be my bride.” Macee could actually see that he felt bad. This was a new look for him. She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his chest.
“If you had married Francesca, this might be happening to her instead. There is nothing you could have done to change it; your aunt was determined to cause trouble.”
He kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. They had all gone through so much in the past week all because of one person. “I would understand if you still wanted an annulment,” he said. It hurt him to say it, but given everything that happened, he would not fault her for it. Maybe then, she could start over and be free from all the drama the royal family brought upon her.
“I don't want it,” Macee said. For a while, she had wanted it so badly that she was willing to do whatever it took. Now she had the opportunity to annul the marriage but she did not want it anymore.
“What?” Prince Louis took a step back and looked at her. “This is your chance to be free.”
“Are you kidding? I will never be free. Everyone will know me as the former crown princess that was dumped by the royal family. Louis we are stuck together.” His face dropped. He was sad for her and for himself. Macee stood on her toes and pressed a small kiss on his lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck. “For better or worse,” she said to him.
“Till death do us part.”
Macee smiled and nodded. That was the first time she smiled at him and it warmed him inside like nothing else. He felt happy. She could finally smile on his account. He was going to keep her in his life. “I have question though, you picked me to be your wife even after you had seen me looking a mess. Why?” she asked. The prince laughed when he remembered the first time he saw her.
“You were really messy that day.” Macee laughed. “I think I fell a bit in love with you from the moment I saw you all covered in paint.”
Macee raised her eyebrows. “You are in love with me?” The prince shrugged his shoulders.
“You can't help who you love.” Macee laughed.
“Well, Prince Louis, I am in love with you too,” she said and kissed him.
Epilogue
As the queen’s sister, Bridgette had been afforded more latitude than anyone else had, but she had gone too far. Despite her pleas for leniency, her dislike of the LeBlancs and actions created scandal for everyone that was proving time consuming to fix. She was ordered to leave the palace immediately.
The queen was not over the fact that Mrs LeBlanc went to such great lengths to hide Liane’s pregnancy and she was not going to let the LeBlancs get away with it. She needed to find out the identity of the baby's father, as both he and Liane were to be punished. She was spoken for when she slept with another man and not to just any ordinary man. She was spoken for by the crown prince. By sleeping with another man, it was the same as spitting on the royal family and for that, there were repercussions.
Macee and Prince Louis began to spend more time together. They realised how much they did not know about each other and they were enjoying finding these things out. Macee felt blessed that the prince had stood by her side the entire time. Despite everything that had gone on between them, he never once wavered in his belief in her innocence.
Prince Louis was happy that Macee refused the annulment. She was different from the type of woman his family would have wanted him to marry and he knew that from the start. The more he learned about her, the more he grew to appreciate her differences. He was glad that he married her instead of Francesca. Even his sister had warmed up to her and never missed an opportunity to spend time with her. Just as he never missed an opportunity to make love to her. He was happy he was the only man to have lain with her. It would drive him crazy to think of her with another man.
Macee was so grateful to Francesca for coming to her aid like that. Francesca apologised to her sister for her earlier behaviour and promised to be supportive. She realised that life in the palace was not going to be easy for Macee, so she wanted to be there for her sister. The two of them also wanted to be there for Liane. Everyone was dying to know who the father of the baby was. The truth was about to come out and it was going to cause a lot of drama. Soon, very soon they would all finally know that Liane was carrying Bridgette's grandson.
END OF PART ONE
PART TWO OUT OCTOBER 2014
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"Amir, we are going to be late," Soraya whispered against his mouth. He groaned in response and pressed a small kiss on her neck. Soraya sighed with pleasure and closed her eyes. He trailed kisses from her neck down to her chest. He caressed her back as his hands continued their languid caress around her hips before he cupped her bottom. He loved how firm it was. He slipped his hand under her dress and caressed her thighs.