by B. B. Hamel
“Your Highness.”
I looked up from my breakfast. Max was standing by the door. I didn’t bother trying to correct him about my name, since I knew he wasn’t going to listen no matter how many times I commanded him to call me Trip.
“What’s up, Max?”
“You have a cabinet meeting at ten and a meeting with Lynette at eleven.”
“Cancel them.”
“Sir, they’re important meetings.”
“Clear my morning, Max. I have more pressing matters to attend to.”
He sighed. “The girl, I assume.”
“That’s right. I have two weeks to make her my queen.”
“Is that wise, Your Majesty?”
“I don’t know. Since when did I worry about what’s wise and what isn’t?”
“Since you became king.”
“Fair point, but there’s something about her.”
“The people are impressed.”
“Yeah, well, Starkish people would love a woman who slaps their king, especially since he isn’t the king they really wanted.”
“They will come around. Give the people time.”
I shrugged, sipping my coffee. “Doesn’t matter. I’m what they fucking have, right?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Besides, Bryce might be good for Starkland. Get an outside perspective.”
“Is that what you need?”
“Possibly. I never know what I need until I have it.”
Max nodded. “Sir, might I speak freely?”
“This isn’t the military, Max. Say what you want.”
“I’m worried about this girl. She doesn’t seem very fond of you.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Maybe it would be better to marry a Starkish woman. One who actually cares about you?”
“You might be right, Max.”
“But I take it from your tone that you don’t agree.”
I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head and smiling. “Listen, Max, ever since I took the throne, this whole damn job has been one crisis after the next. It’s the rebels, it’s my successor, it’s the economy. This is the first thing I’ve been excited about.”
“You haven’t been king long, Your Highness. And nobody said ruling was easy or fun.”
“You’re very right, Max, which is why maybe finding my queen should be those things.”
He sighed. “Very well. I see your point.”
“Clear my morning.”
“As you wish.”
I stood up, grinning at him. “I have important business to attend to.”
He sighed, shook his head, and left my room.
I walked down the halls shadowed by my usual guard detail.
“Al,” I called out. He stepped up next to me.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“What do you think of our guest?”
“Which guest, sir?”
“The girl. Bryce.”
“She seems nice, sir.”
I laughed. “You wouldn’t say otherwise, though, would you?”
“I would be honest with my king.”
“Of course.” I laughed again. “And what do the people think of her?”
“I’ve heard mixed opinions.” He cleared his throat. “Men seem to respect her. Women seemed to be jealous of her.”
“Good. I can work with that.” I dismissed him with a wave as we approached her door.
I took a deep breath. I couldn’t help but imagine her answering the door wearing nothing but the boxing gloves and the panties. I knocked once, hoping she would, and hoping the guards had enough sense to stand back.
She opened after a second. I felt a little disappointed to note that she was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a gray hooded sweatshirt.
“Your Majesty,” she said, although it sounded sarcastic.
“Good morning, Bryce,” I said.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’d like to give you that tour.”
She sighed. “Do I have much choice?”
“You always have a choice. You can sit here in your room all day, bored, or you can come spend the morning with the most interesting king in the world.”
She cracked a smile, but it was quickly gone. “Okay, fine. Let me get my shoes on.”
She walked back into her room and went over to her shoes.
“I’ll show you the throne room first,” I said.
“Throne room? You actually have a throne?”
“Of course. We don’t really use it anymore, though. Turns out a King sitting on a throne doesn’t really play that well anymore.”
She laughed slightly as she bent over to tie her shoes. As she did, her sweatshirt rode up her back slightly and her pants pulled down a hair, revealing the top of her panties.
They were black and lace.
The pair I had sent her last night.
My cock was instantly hard as my heart started to hammer in my chest. She was wearing the panties I’d sent her. I couldn’t help but picture her sliding them up her skin, slowly brushing them against her legs, only to end up against her already wet pussy.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, turning to look at me, and as our eyes met, I knew she knew.
She’d done it on purpose. The whole shoes thing was just her way of showing me she was wearing them.
A huge grin broke out across my face. “Sorry. I’m easily distracted by pretty things.”
She smiled back. “I bet it’s hard to be the king then.” She finished tying her shoes and then straightened up. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.” We headed out of the room together, and I felt like I was flying high.
Bryce was a fascinating creature. I couldn’t put those panties out of my head, even for a second. I knew she liked to pretend she hated me, and yet she still wore them. Maybe just to taunt me, but still.
I was willing to bet they were dripping wet and ruined already.
9
Bryce
I loved the look on his face as I straightened up. He was completely surprised and thrown off guard, and I couldn’t help but smile at it.
If he was going to play games, then I could play too. He sent me those panties probably assuming they would get me fired up, and at first, they did.
But I quickly realized that if I was going to get through the next weeks, then I couldn’t give into his provocations. I had to try to keep it cool and even play the game right back if possible.
So wearing the panties and conveniently needing to get my shoes on in front of him was all part of my plans. King asshole wanted to play games, but he didn’t know what I had in store for him.
We walked together out of my room and headed down the hallway. The security detail, three big, nondescript men, one of which I recognized as Al from the night before, followed at a respectful distance but still close.
“Are they always following you around?” I asked Trip.
“More or less,” he said. “But we can lose them if you want.”
“That’s probably a bad idea.”
“Maybe, but if you want me to find out just how ruined those panties are, we’ll need a little privacy.”
I blushed. “These panties are fine.”
“I’m sure,” he murmured, smiling. “Well, here we are.”
He pushed open a large oak door and we stepped inside.
The throne room was long and wide with antique fireplaces lining the hall. It wasn’t as big as the banquet hall from the night before, but it was definitely older. Everything was original; all the stonework and the decorations were faded and worn, but still magnificent.
“Like I said, it doesn’t get much use except for tours,” he said as we walked down the hall, “but it’s still pretty impressive, I think. Over seven hundred years old. It’s part of the original structure.”
“Wow,” I said, genuinely impressed. “This is pretty amazing.”
“And here we are. The thrones.”
The thrones were two gold chairs with deep seats and high backs, but I had to admit that I was a little let down. They were plain, with only the minimum of decorations.
“Simple,” I said.
He laughed. “That’s right. Starkish Kings were known for their seriousness and their frugality back in the old days. These are supposed to be a symbol of our simple might.”
I smiled. “I like them then.”
“Go ahead. Take a seat.”
I stared at him. “Seriously?”
“Go ahead. Trust me, you won’t break it.”
I slowly sat down in the king’s throne. Trip stood behind me and bent down, his lips near my ear.
“What do you think?” he said softly.
“I can understand why people like this.”
“You look perfect in that chair,” he said.
I pictured ruling over a country from this chair. I couldn’t imagine how many edicts and lives had been changed from the very spot I was sitting. Probably countless.
I stood up, shaking my head. I couldn’t get too seduced by all this. “Come on,” I said. “Show me something else. Really try to impress me.”
“Not impressed enough?” he asked, laughing.
“Not yet.”
“Good. I’ve got a lot more.”
We went back down the long hall and out into the main part of the castle. We walked side by side, heading through the maze-like passages.
“Do you know where we are right now?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No clue, honestly.”
“Good. You’re not supposed to. This castle was built like a maze to confuse everyone but the royal family.”
“That makes sense. Get a lot of assassins these days?”
He laughed. “Not really, no.”
“Did you grow up here?”
“I did,” he said, nodding. “I know these halls better than anyone alive right now. Except for maybe Max.”
“Maximillian?”
He nodded. “I grew up with Max. He was my caretaker when I was a child, and he’s my closest advisor now.”
“That’s nice,” I said, “though I can’t imagine growing up with servants.”
“You get used to it, like anything else.” We finally stopped in front of another large oak door. “I think you’ll like this.”
He pushed the doors open and we stepped inside. My breath caught in my chest.
It was like something from a dream. With two floors and oak desks in the middle, the library looked like it was straight out of a Renaissance painting. It was gorgeous, all polished oak and real stone floors. The shelves were packed with books.
“Okay,” I said, walking inside, “now I’m impressed.”
“Good,” he said, laughing.
“What are all these books?”
He shrugged. “They’re mostly in Starklandian. Lots of them are pretty old.” He walked over to one shelf and pulled out a thick, heavy-looking tome. “I think this one is handwritten. Probably as old as this castle.”
I shook my head, amazed. “There’s so much history in here.”
“You’re right. Sometimes I forget about that.”
“You have other worries.”
“The luxury of you non-royals. You get to think about things like history while I’m stuck ruling a country.”
I moved through the shelves and he walked behind me, giving me space to browse. I couldn’t read the majority of the books, but they were old and they were beautiful.
I couldn’t imagine being in a place like this back in America. The oldest books were a couple hundred years old there. But here, the oldest spanned back much, much further.
“Come on,” he said finally. “I’ve got lots more to get through.”
I nodded, looking back at him. He was smirking at me, and I couldn’t help but feel my heart beating fast in my chest.
This man had grown up around all of this. He had it in his blood. His family was powerful and ran an entire country, and now he wanted me to be a part of that. I couldn’t even begin to fathom all of the things he knew and the responsibilities he had.
He turned and I followed him. The guards shut the library behind us and fell in at a respectful distance as he took me on the rest of the tour.
He showed me antique arms and armor and even let me hold a sword. It was way heavier than I would have guessed. Next he showed me a room filled with art, another room filled with musical instruments, and another room dedicated solely to sculptures. There was even a garden courtyard at the very center of the castle.
As we walked, I had to appreciate how complex the castle was. It was far larger than I would have guessed, and I had been absolutely lost the second we’d left my room. I wouldn’t have known where to go if it weren’t for Trip leading the way.
Finally, we ended up at a pair of glass doors. “This is my favorite spot in the castle,” he said.
“What is it?” I asked,
He pushed the doors open and we walked into a thick, muggy heat. I laughed, shaking my head. “Really? A pool?”
“I like to swim,” he said, grinning. “I come here most nights. I’ll swim until I’m tired. It’s a good stress reliever.”
There wasn’t much special about the pool, but that in itself was impressive. It looked like any other indoor pool, no special paintings lining the walls or something like that.
“It’s just so plain,” I said.
“I like it that way. Not everything needs to be covered in gold in this place.”
“I thought that was part of being royal. You needed to look royal.”
“Only in front of the peasants,” he said, grinning at me. “But I do appreciate how appearances can matter.”
“I can tell.”
“You seem to appreciate it, too. You wore those panties for me after all.”
I blushed. “Not exactly for you.”
“Maybe, but you only succeeded in making me want to strip your jeans off that much more.”
“Careful. I’ll push you into the pool.”
He smirked. “You think that can mask how wet you already are?” He stepped closer to me, and I felt my breath catch in my throat.
He was a cocky asshole, and his guards were standing twenty feet away.
And yet if he put his hands in my panties, he’d find out just how soaking wet he really made me.
“Your Highness.”
We both looked over. Standing in the doorway was a woman I recognized.
“Lynette,” he said. “I’m busy at the moment.”
“Yes, I see that, Your Highness,” she said, her lips pursed. “But we have a meeting.”
Trip sighed. “It can wait.”
“Please, sir. It won’t take long.”
“Very well.” He looked at me. “To be continued then, Bryce. Al will return you to your rooms.”
“Okay,” I said. “Have fun ruling.”
“I’ll do my best.” He smirked at me and then turned and left.
I watched him disappear behind the woman, and for a second I wanted him to come back. I felt bad that he couldn’t have any time to himself and was getting pulled into important meetings all the time.
It was probably pretty hard to have a normal life when you were a king, which was all the more reason to stay far, far away from getting involved with Trip.
As I followed Al back to my room, I kept thinking about the castle, about the history and the splendor. It was a beautiful life, even if it was a complicated one.
I was starting to see how a normal life could be a little overrated.
10
Trip
“This better be good,” I said to Lynette. “I canceled our meeting for a reason.”
She nodded, her face completely blank. “Yes. I saw your reason.”
Lynette was a no-nonsense person, and she was loyal, which were two traits I liked in a person. But she was also prone to overstepping her position, and that could sometimes annoy the hell out of me.
Still, she wouldn’t pull me away from something unless it was important. Part of being a good ruler was knowing when you needed to listen and when you needed to rule. When Lynette pulled me for a meeting, I knew it was time to listen, even if I didn’t always want to hear what she had to say.
“What’s so pressing, Lynette?”
“It’s about the girl, sir.”
We walked side by side back toward the west wing and the official cabinet meetings.
“What about her?”
“Sir, I think we should scrap the marriage idea.”
I frowned at her. “Max tells me the people like her.”
“They do, but not for the right reason. They’re just happy someone slapped you in the face.”
I clenched my jaw. “That’s not how Max put it.”
“To be frank, Your Majesty, I’d know better than Max. Sir, I believe the girl would do more harm than good at this point.”
“That’s disappointing,” I said.
“I think we should send them off to a resort, let them have a nice time, and forget about all of this. Concentrate on the rebellion. Maybe find you a good Starkish girl.”
I pursed my lips. This was exactly what I had been afraid of. Lynette was forever doing opinion polls and testing. She was obsessed with public opinion, and for good reason: A King couldn’t effectively rule people who hated him.
But there was a line. I could only care what the people thought so much. I couldn’t make every decision based on what was popular. Sometimes I did the unpopular thing because it was the right thing.
“No. The Koch family stays,” I said.
“Sir,” she said gently, “there is a large population of people that still miss your brother.”
“I miss my brother,” I snapped at her.
“I understand. But many people believe you should marry Victoria.”
I stopped walking, forcing Lynette to turn and face me.
Victoria had been my brother’s fiancée. They never actually got married, and truthfully they barely knew each other, but she had been promised to him. She was a beautiful woman and very well liked among the people, but we all thought it would be strange for me to marry her.