Royal Arrangement #3

by Casey, Ember

  Justine

  We’re well hidden behind the tablecloth, which reaches all the way to the floor. I struggle to get myself put back together, and William just lies there for a moment, apparently struggling to breathe.

  “At least zip up your pants.” My tone is hushed—it sounds like the fire brigade is on the other side of the room, but it’s hard to be sure. I don’t really want them seeing me here at all, and I certainly don’t want them seeing the two of us here in our current state of undress.

  He blinks at me a few times before he finally pulls his pants to his waist, zipping them up and fastening the button.

  We wait there for what seems an eternity. Someone walks past us several times, but no one ever looks under the tablecloth.

  “I don’t think we have a fire here,” a man says. “It looks like someone might have pulled an alarm. We’ll have to see if anyone was filming. Maybe we can catch the bastard who caused all this water damage.”

  Another person makes a sound of agreement and they both walk in the direction of the exit.

  We wait another five minutes or so before I finally poke my head from beneath the cloth. I turn back to William. “They’re gone.”

  “Good.” He takes my hand in his and helps me get out from under the table. As soon as we’ve stood, he pulls me into his arms again. “Now, I believe we had some business we need to finish.”

  I shake my head. “Not here, we don’t.”

  “You didn’t seem so opposed a few minutes ago.”

  “That was a few minutes ago. I’m definitely opposed now.” In fact, I have no idea what’s come over me. I’ve never even considered having sex in public before—and certainly not in a place this public.

  “Then we should return to our suite and finish what we started.” The grin on his face almost makes me acquiesce.

  It’s difficult to hide my own grin. “Well, as delightful as that sounds, we first have to finish what we started before that.”

  His eyebrows draw together for a moment as if he doesn’t understand what I’m saying.

  “The conference, William. I can’t just leave—”

  “The conference will be fine without you, Justine. And if I find you’ve even spoken to that man—”

  “Pardon me?” I place my hands on my hips. “Are you threatening me?”

  “Not at all. Just warning you that if you should choose to engage with that man again, I’ll not be held responsible for my actions. I do believe I’m capable of a lot more than setting off some sprinklers.”

  I can’t help but smile. Even though his actions are a little misguided, I know he’s doing everything because of his feelings for me.

  But I still shake my head. “I do not understand you at all, Your Highness. I just made love to you in a conference hall—”

  “I would hardly call that lovemaking, Princess.” He snickers. “That was a good, old-fashioned fucking—”

  My smile falls instantly away. “I give up.” I throw my hands in the air as I head for the exit.

  “Princess, wait.” He jogs after me. “I was kidding. Just…kidding.”

  “And once again, your jokes are funny only to you.” I roll my eyes. “Perhaps you should keep your jokes out of the bedroom, Your Highness.”

  “I should point out, we are not in a bedroom—”

  “You are not scoring any points right now, William.” I frown at him. “Why does everything have to be such a joke to you?”

  “I’m sorry.” He reaches out and takes me by the hand. “I am. Truly. I don’t…I don’t know what comes over me when I’m with you.”

  I can’t help but feel a rush of…something at his words. “Some need to make an ass of yourself?”

  He nods. “Yes. That’s exactly it. I’m just not certain what it is or why I’m doing it.”

  “I see. Well, maybe you need to do the opposite of whatever it is in your head telling you to say the ridiculous things you say.” I also can’t help but think of what Sophia said to me last night. He’s in love with you.

  “That might not be such a bad idea.” He grins again. “Because right now, my mind is saying that I need to tell you that I know there’s a restroom just through those doors.” He points to the exit just ahead of us. “And that I believe I’d like to bend you over the counter and have you watch in the mirror as I fuck you from behind.”

  Heat rushes straight to my center and it’s all I can do not to jump into his arms and allow him to do whatever he pleases with me.

  I stare at him for a few moments instead, another smile forming on my lips. “I wouldn’t be opposed to that. But I’d prefer it if we did it in our own suite and not in a public restroom.”

  His cheeks turn a shade of red I can’t name. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes.” I stare at him again for a second. “Does that surprise you?”

  “I… Yes.” The goofy grin has fallen from his face, replaced by an expression I don’t recognize. “Justine…”

  “I enjoy sex more than you might imagine, Your Highness. And like I told you earlier, I haven’t had any in a long while.”

  “Yes.” He falls silent for a long moment. “You did tell me.”

  I nod. “You’re very good at it.”

  “And you…” He clears his throat. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about where you…learned certain things.”

  I sigh. “Do you honestly believe I want to think about where you learned certain things?” I shake my head. “Can’t we be adults about this? You had sex with other women before I knew you.”

  “Yes. Women being the operative word in your sentence. Multiple women. Not…not one.”

  My gaze narrows. “It really bothers you that much that I’ve only had sex with one man?”

  He nods. “I suppose it does.”

  “You’re going to have to get over it. Unless you want me to fuck someone else now. Which I’m guessing by our earlier conversation that you do not.”

  “No. No, I do not.” His face flushes again. “It’s just…I’m having a difficult time imagining you with that man—”

  “Why are you imagining me with him at all?” My lip curls with my disgust. “I have no desire in the world to imagine you with anyone but me. I can’t believe you would feel any differently.”

  “You…” He grins. “You imagine me with you?”

  My face begins to burn. “Yes, Your Highness. I imagine you with me. Is that so wrong? To fantasize about my husband?”

  “What is it you fantasize about?”

  I shake my head, but again, I can’t help but smile at his words. “Not here. Not now. Not after the stunt you just pulled.” I motion to the wall where he’d been standing during James’s speech. “What you just pulled.”

  “I’ll pay for the damage to the hall—”

  “That isn’t necessary. You know that.” I frown at him again. “But this jealousy thing needs to stop.”

  He nods. “I know. I know. And it will. As soon as James Camden is far, far from Rosvalia, I promise you’ll never hear another word about it again.”

  I stare at him for another long moment before giving him a curt nod.

  He takes me by the elbow and begins to lead me out the door.

  Many of the conference attendees have gathered near the sidewalk, but it also appears many of them have called it a day and have gone back to their rooms. We’re barely off the path from the conference hall when I feel a hand on my shoulder.

  I turn, expecting it to be James, but it isn’t. It’s Carter, my friend from college. He grins as he runs a hand through his sandy hair, his green eyes gazing down at me as he gives me a huge grin.

  Without thinking, I jump into his arms, giving him a huge hug. This is the man who saved my life—perhaps not literally, but he certainly saved me from myself. I finally pull away from him after several seconds.

  “You’re wet,” Carter says.

  And apparently also without thinking, William plants a fist in
the man’s jaw not a moment later.

  William

  It’s like someone else has taken over my body.

  I thought I was fine, that I had myself under control. But when Justine practically throws herself into the arms of a strange man, something comes over me. I’m not even aware of making the decision, let alone moving. One moment I’m watching my wife throw her arms around some random guy, and the next he’s on the ground—and my fist is throbbing. I’ve punched him.

  And Justine looks furious.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she demands.

  It’s the same thing she asked me when I attacked James Camden, only this time, she has a point. When I punched James, I knew who he was and how he’d treated her—he deserved it. But this man…

  I take a closer look at the man on the ground. He’s propping himself up and rubbing his face. I recognize him—I think he introduced himself to me at the opening reception. I was a little distracted at the time, but I believe he said he was one of Justine’s friends from university.

  Must have been a very good friend, for her to throw herself at him the way she did now. Anger still simmers in my chest. Justine may have only slept with James Camden, but there was an intimacy to the way she hugged this man. How many other men like this are in her past? Am I going to spend the rest of my life waiting for them to show up and try to claim her again? I’m going to go mad.

  You’re already mad, if you’re attacking every man that interacts with her, a voice in my mind says. You’ve just made everything worse.

  Justine is helping the man to his feet, but she’s glaring daggers at me.

  “You’re insane,” she tells me. “Forget everything I said before. It’s clear you don’t have yourself under control after all.” She glances around, as if suddenly remembering we have an audience, then lowers her voice. “You had your chance, William. And you blew it.”

  Shame washes through me. “Justine—”

  “Enough.” She looks at the man beside her. “Are you all right? I should take you to the physician.”

  “I’m fine,’ he says. “Just…stunned.” He glances over at me. “I take it this is your new husband?”

  “He’s a madman,” Justine mutters. “Come on—I’m taking you to the physician right now.”

  I start to follow. “Justine—”

  “Leave us.”

  I try to follow them through the crowd, but a hand grabs my arm. When I turn, I find my sister beside me.

  “Don’t make this worse,” she says. “You’ve already caused a scene. You’re lucky it happened too fast for people to take videos or pictures, because otherwise it’d be all over the internet by dinner time. What did that guy do?”

  Honestly, I don’t know how to answer that question—I don’t even know the fellow’s name. But I also know I don’t want him anywhere near my wife.

  “Justine hasn’t exactly been the most…forthcoming about her past,” I say finally. “Which wouldn’t be an issue, except she apparently has no problem inviting those men back into her life. I’m doing everything to make this marriage work, and she keeps…” I sigh. “Even now, I couldn’t tell you if she’s committed to this or not.”

  Sophia releases me and crosses her arms. “So this is all about jealousy? Are you serious?”

  “It’s about more than jealousy,” I insist. “It’s about commitment, and trust, and—”

  “And you punched that guy for giving her a hug.” Sophia rolls her eyes. “Forgive me, Brother, but I’m on her side in this one. You’re acting crazy.”

  “I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect—”

  “To expect her to never see any of these ‘men of her past’ ever again? Actually, that’s insanely unreasonable. Seriously, William—if you brought her to any major event in Montovia, there’d probably be one of your old flames there. What would you do if she attacked one of them on sight?”

  In spite of everything, the image of that makes me smile. “Actually I might enjoy watching that…”

  “Ugh, men.” Sophia rolls her eyes again. “Seriously, though—you have to calm down. Recognize what’s going on for what it is. You’re jealous and insecure.”

  “I’m most certainly not insecure—”

  “Uh, yes, you most certainly are. And maybe that’s natural. You guys didn’t really know each other before you got married. You made this commitment blindly. Maybe you expected her to be loyal, maybe you didn’t—it didn’t really matter as much then. But now that you’ve gotten to know her, now that you realize there could be something more here…things are different. You have something to lose.”

  I pause, considering this. I never expected to be getting relationship advice from my little sister—hell, only a short time ago, I was the one giving relationship advice to my brother Andrew—but she may be right. I do have something to lose now.

  “All men turn into idiots when they fall in love,” Sophia is muttering. “It’s so predictable it’s not even funny.”

  “I should go find her,” I say. “I should—”

  “No. What you need to do is give her some space. Show her you can be a normal, rational human being. You have to learn to trust her. You’re going to have a miserable time in this marriage if you don’t. Honestly, what has she done to betray that trust? Besides talk to men she may or may not have dated in her past? Do you honestly believe she’s going to start an affair with one of them? Or run away into the sunset with her ex-lover?”

  I admit that I may have jumped to conclusions when I heard a woman in James Camden’s room. But now I find myself thinking about that acceptance letter to Yale I discovered on her desk. She might be trying to run away.

  No. If I stop and think about it, I know, deep down, that Yale is about herself, not some man. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more I realize it does seem absurdly unlikely that Justine will run off with someone else. She’s been hurt too badly to make such a reckless, life-altering decision for a man.

  “She’s committed to this marriage, trust me,” Sophia says.

  “And how would you know that?”

  “I told you—I talked to her last night.”

  “One conversation doesn’t make you an expert on Justine. Or on marriages.”

  “No, but I’ve watched enough of my siblings make fools of themselves to learn a few things.” She smiles. “Just trust me on this one, okay? Justine’s not going anywhere. The moment she runs off with some guy from her past is the moment I check myself into a convent, because obviously everything I know about love is wrong.”

  It’s the second time she’s mentioned love in this conversation, and the word sits with me, bringing forth a flood of emotions I’m not sure I have the energy to sift through. Instead, I widen my smile.

  “And that’s why you’re my favorite sister,” I tell her.

  She grins right back. “And you’re my favorite brother. Don’t tell the others.”

  “You say that to all of us, don’t you?”

  “Only when you’re not being ignorant, pigheaded idiots.”

  I laugh, then glance around. “Speaking of brothers, where is Nicholas? Why don’t the three of us go get some lunch? There’s a delicious place around the corner from here—I went there three times last week when I was helping with the bridge.”

  “Let’s go find him,” Sophia says, hooking her arm through mine. She smiles up at me. “Don’t worry, William. Things are going to turn out fine between you and Justine. I have a good feeling.”

  I hope you’re right, I think, squeezing her hand. God, I don’t know what I’ll do if you aren’t.

  Justine

  I lead Carter back in the direction of the palace, but he stops as soon as we’re away from William.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you to the palace physician—I already told you. I—”

  “No, I mean with him.” He shakes his head. “I thought you’d had enough of the dictatorial jealous freaks when we were back at Harvar
d.”

  “I…” I can’t argue with him. Carter had been one of my few friends in those days, and James had done all he could to drive a wedge between us. Something about men being unable to be friends with women or some such thing. But Carter had been a true friend. He supported me when James wouldn’t—when I most needed it.

  He shakes his head again. “What were you thinking? You didn’t even invite me to the wedding—”

  “The wedding was small. And it was in Montovia. It was only family…” My heart twists in my chest at my words. He should have been invited, but after seeing how William has responded to my even having friends, I can’t say I’m sorry he wasn’t. “I didn’t want it to be a spectacle.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. I remember you telling me how you never wanted a big royal wedding.” He pauses, tilting his head. “It still doesn’t answer my original question, though. What are you doing with him?”

  I sigh. “I thought I already explained that to you. He and my father came up with an arrangement to settle the dispute over the Amhurst Valley. I—”

  “You cannot be serious. I know you, Justine. I know how you feel about your family.”

  “Maybe you don’t know how I feel about my country. I didn’t want a war—”

  “Do you really believe your father would have allowed a war to start? Or that some arranged marriage would stop it if a war was going to start? Hasn’t that dispute between your countries been going on for decades?”

  My cheeks start to burn. “Yes. Almost a century—”

  “So…” He pauses, his eyes widening as though he wants me to draw whatever conclusion it is he’s come up with. “So was there suddenly some reason there was going to be a war? Were the people revolting or something?”

  “No.” My face feels like it’s caught fire. “I… That is to say that William…”

  “Oh. Right.” He shakes his head slowly. “You got played.”

  “I did not get played. I…I found myself—how do you say it?—between a rock and a hard place.”