Jo drank, and I stared in disbelief. How could she be so nonchalant? So flippant?
“Jo! Why didn’t you at least talk it over with someone first?”
She wiped her mouth on her shoulder. “I did. My roommate Stella.”
“You guys hated each other.”
“At least we found something we could agree on.”
I closed my eyes, massaging my temples. “I meant why didn’t you talk it over with someone like me? Or Mom or Dad? Or even a goddamn guidance counselor or something?”
Jo dumped the rest of her water and placed the glass in the sink. She turned to me, folding her arms and staring with a resolute expression.
“I’ve been living by someone else’s rules all my life,” she said. “I’m tired of it.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I flung my hands in the air in exasperation.
“Because you’re a child, Jo!” I yelled. “When you grow up a little you’re going to have more responsibilities than you ever thought possible, but you’re not there yet. You dropping out of school on a whim and running off to another country to hide only proves that!”
Jo took a long breath, staring at me with something akin to hatred in her eyes. Finally, she shook her head.
“I’m not going to stand here and take this,” she said, grabbing her bag and keys from the counter.
“You’re not going anywhere! We’re going to call your school and see if they’ll still let you sit the rest of your exams!”
Jo didn’t listen. She stormed for the door, hauling it open angrily and whipping her head around to glare back at me. “I came here because I thought you’d understand,” she said. “But you’re just like Mom and Dad!”
Jo slammed the door, vibrations echoing through my apartment. I considered going after her, but decided we could both use a little space.
With a hefty sigh, I collapsed onto the couch.
Chapter 11
Alexander
“What do you think, Sir Hank?” I asked, adjusting my bow-tie in the mirror.
Hank slapped his tail against the floor at the mention of his name. His ears perked up, expecting a treat, and I chuckled.
“Always thinking about food.”
I grabbed some freeze-dried chicken from his treat bag and tossed it to him, and he greedily devoured it. Afterward he trotted over to lick my palm and dropped a load of hair onto my black trousers in the process. The pest.
I moved over to the closet to grab my jacket, and Hank turned in a circle on his bed, lying down with a gravelly sigh. Our long walk after dinner had tired us out, and the thought of my own bed was more than a little tempting. Still, Teddy and I hadn’t been out in a while and I owed him at least this after his help with my date a few days ago. Besides, when did I become the type of person to turn down a little fun?
Someone knocked on my door and Hank’s ears perked up. He was too tired to go investigate.
I tore off the bow-tie I’d just agonized over tying and snatched a book out of my bookcase, cracking it open to a random page and hopping onto my bed.
“Come in!” I called.
I heard the front door open and footsteps on the carpet, and a few seconds later Edward appeared in the open doorway of my bedroom, straight-backed and dignified even in his striped pajamas.
“Did you come all the way from the cottage dressed like that?” I asked.
Edward looked down at his attire like he was noticing it for the first time. “I just had my bath,” he explained. “Decided to treat myself and use the big tub.”
I laughed. “Sounds like you’re having a wild night.”
Edward took a bath almost every night, said it was how he unwound after a long day. The tub in the main suites was the best bathtub in the entire kingdom, according to him, and his greatest regret about moving to the cottage was distancing himself from it.
Edward nodded to the book in my hands. “No wilder than yours, it would seem.”
He either didn’t notice that I’d changed since supper or didn’t find it suspicious. Good.
“Hank and I are exhausted,” I told him.
“I can see.” He walked over to Hank’s bed and patted his head. Hank’s tail stirred and he lazily craned his head to the side for Ed to scratch behind his ear. “Not too tired for a little chat, I hope?”
I set the book down beside me. “I think I can manage it. What’s up?”
Edward came to stand by the bed. “Svetlana’s family have been in touch,” he said. “They registered their interest in supporting your initiative. Discussing it with Svetlana was a smart move. They’re an extremely wealthy family.”
“The only move I was trying to make was getting you to look it over,” I said.
“Well, you accomplished that as well.” Edward smiled. “I looked everything over, and it seems like a brilliant plan. I think you’ve done a great job.”
I received little praise from my brother, and couldn’t help but feel good about this tidbit, even if I wished he would get out of my apartment and leave me to sneak out.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” I said.
Ed’s mouth pulled to one side in a half-smile. “In all fairness, I can never tell with you. It’s been some time since you’ve taken an interest in royal affairs.”
I couldn’t argue with him. I changed the topic instead.
“We should make some time this week to sit down and discuss it in more detail,” I said.
Edward nodded. “I’ll have our marketing team start work on a news release and we can strategize on when the best time to announce it will be. After the pregnancy announcement, of course.” His brow wrinkled. “It could take some time to get this off the ground.”
I nodded. “I understand.”
He relaxed, and the smile returned. “In the meantime, it would be a good idea to cozy up to Svetlana a little more. Having such a powerful backer even before we launch the project is invaluable. She would make an excellent political ally.”
“And a personal one?” I fished.
Edward chuckled. “You can’t blame me for trying. If I weren’t madly in love with my wife, I would consider Svetlana an ideal match.”
“You would,” I pointed out. “She’s a princess. I’m not going to marry a princess.”
I could tell Edward was trying not to pick a fight with me, especially since he’d already had his bath. It wouldn’t do to be getting uppity in his pajamas. He ironed out his expression and held in the sigh threatening to burst through his lips.
“At least spend some time with her.” His tone was more pleading than usual. “If this project means as much to you as you’ve let on, I know you’ll do whatever you can to ensure its success.”
I readied to fire a retort but stamped it out at the last second. Edward was right. As much as I didn’t like being shuffled closer and closer to the Swedish princess, having her on board at such an early stage was advantageous. Plus, it was my fault she was involved in the first place. The least I could do was see it through.
“I will extend all royal courtesy toward our Swedish friend and do my best to ensure a positive relationship,” I said.
“And you’ll be nice?”
I blinked. “That’s what I bloody said, isn’t it?”
Edward laughed. That was twice tonight I’d made him laugh, which was more than I’d done for weeks. Either he was in a better mood these days or I was growing unexpectedly hilarious.
“I’ll leave you to your book,” Edward said, making for the door. “I’m proud of you, Alex. I sense great things for you on the horizon.”
I wrinkled my nose at his back. “Thanks.”
Ed let himself out and I sighed, sitting up on the bed. Hank’s collar jingled as he lifted his head, watching me.
“Don’t you get judgmental on me now,” I muttered. “I said I would go out and I’m going to go out.”
Hank snuffled back down into his bed.
* * *
Lights, colors, sounds. The club thu
mped with a bass line beat and whirled with moving bodies and shapes. Teddy cut through the crowd, grinning widely, and plonked next to me in the booth.
“I just met the most fabulous sprite,” he yelled over the music. “Your type, too. Quite limber. Think she might fancy me, though.”
I laughed. “She’s in for a shock, then.”
“I thought the gold kaftan made it obvious.” He looked down at his robes, smoothing the luxurious material over his belly. “One must truly exhaust oneself in the pursuit of flamboyant fashion in these modern times.”
“It’s a hard-knock life, isn’t it Theodore?” I winked.
Teddy scowled and stuck out his tongue at my use of his full name. Only his parents ever called him Theodore.
He picked up his drink and took a dainty sip, eyes scanning the crowd for his next flavor of the week.
A dark-haired woman with long, tanned legs sashayed up to our booth, towing behind her a nervous looking blonde. Both were clad in skin-tight party dresses that left little to the imagination, and makeup done to the nines.
“Here she is,” Teddy announced.
They were beautiful, though I wasn’t sure which Teddy considered my type. Neither sparked an interest.
“Oh my god,” the brunette mouthed, eyes latching onto me. She sat down and scooted next to me. “You’re Prince Alexander? For real?”
“No, but I play him on TV.”
Her brow creased in confusion. The blonde, clearly more interested in Teddy despite his famous friend, slid down next to him and started up a conversation. I was on my own.
I decided to give the poor girl a break. “Yes. I’m Prince Alexander.” I extended my hand. “Lovely to meet you.”
She shook it enthusiastically, eyes glowing. “I’ve always wanted to meet a prince!” She batted her eyes and lowered her voice so I could barely hear her over the music. “Among other things...”
Oh, brother.
I couldn’t help compare her to Tamara in my head. Not in appearance, but in behavior. She’d been horrified to learn I was a prince at first, and still wasn’t comfortable with it. This girl likely wouldn’t care if I was hideously inbred as long as she got to feel like a princess for a night.
I tried talking to her for another few minutes, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t want to sleep with her, but the least I could do was to be pleasant. I wondered if I would have felt differently a couple weeks earlier, before I met Tamara. If not, I would likely have been too drunk to care either way. I used to live for partying and excitement. How was it already starting to taste so stale?
“Would you excuse me for a moment?” I asked.
The girl nodded. I hadn’t even caught her name.
I turned to tell Teddy I was off to make a call and found him making out furiously with the blonde. He did that when he was drunk sometimes. I figured it was best to leave him to it.
I moved through the mob of writhing dancers until I found the door, and the doorman nodded to me on my way out. I kept my head down and walked down the street, pulling into a quiet alley as I fished my phone from my pocket.
I couldn’t help it. I needed to hear her voice. It would be even better if I could find a way to see her tonight, but at the very least I needed to hear that beautiful American twang.
Tamara picked up groggily after a few rings. “Hello?”
“Are you in bed?” I asked. “What on Earth are you doing in bed on a Saturday night?”
Tamara laughed. “I have what most people would refer to as a job, your majesty.”
“It’s your royal highness.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re going to use titles, darling, you’d best use the appropriate one. Your majesty is how you would address my father.”
I leaned back against the brick, running my free hand over its gritty surface. The night air was warm on my face, carrying with it the oily aroma of late-night takeaways and petrol.
“Sometimes you’re a royal pain in my ass,” she muttered.
“Speaking of, I’ve been thinking a good deal about your ass this evening,” I replied. “Perhaps I could come relieve that pain myself.”
“Am I being booty called by a prince?”
“Call it what you will. I want to see you.”
My heart thumped with anticipation. I could be in a cab and on my way to her flat in no time at all. The idea was infinitely more appetizing than the thought of going back into the club.
“I’m sorry, your royal highness, but I have an early shoot in the morning,” she said with a note of disappointment. “I’ve got a couple of days off coming up, though. Tuesday and Wednesday.”
“Surely I can see you before Tuesday,” I reasoned.
“I’m afraid not. I’m working pretty much nonstop until then.”
I frowned, disappointment twisting my gut. Still, I understood, and I respected her for not falling at my feet at the expense of her career.
“Then I shall see you on Tuesday,” I said.
“Sure. See you then.”
“Goodnight, Kitty Kat. Sleep well.”
She laughed. “Goodnight, Alex.”
I ended the call and loitered in the alley for another minute or so before finally making my way back to Teddy. I found him with an arm around each of the girls, talking into the blonde’s ear while the other snuck sips of his drink.
“Alexander!” he cried when he saw me, shooting to his feet. Teddy waddled over and grabbed me by the lapels. “We’re going to an after party.”
I couldn’t remember a time when I’d wanted to do something less. The two girls stared at me hopefully, almost as hopefully as Teddy, but I shook my head with a polite smile.
“Not tonight,” I said.
Teddy pouted. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I just don’t feel like it.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. More babes for me.”
“Teddy, you like men.”
He wrinkled his nose. “I know. But boobs...boobs are great.”
I couldn’t disagree with him.
I saw Teddy and his two friends into a cab, and they zoomed off into the night. Hopefully Teddy would find someone more to his tastes at the next party, which was always easier to do when I wasn’t around.
As for me? I started for home.
Chapter 12
Tamara
Tuesday morning.
No alarm, no morning rush, no responsibilities.
I woke just after nine-thirty, tucked snugly under my duvet, sunlight spilling over my face. I didn’t open my eyes for a while, enjoying a quiet doze as I thought about what I was going to do for the day.
First of all, coffee. A big mug of it. Maybe then I’d sit on the couch and watch something mindless for a while, really soak in the lazy atmosphere of the day.
Alex said we would hang out today, but he was drunk at the time and I hadn’t heard from him since. If I didn’t hear from him by the afternoon I’d give him a call, I decided, but until then I’d leave it in his court.
The main thing I had to do today, and something I’d been dreading, was talk to my sister. We’d barely spoken since our confrontation a few days ago, except for a few passing comments. We needed a good, deep chat. Only problem was, I still didn’t know what to say to her. I was furious that she’d dropped out of school without so much as a care, and I struggled with the temptation to kick her out of my flat and send her packing back off to America. I wouldn’t, though, even though that was what my mom suggested I do when I called to tell her what I’d learned. I wasn’t that cruel.
After nearly half an hour of resting and waking up, my phone rang. Alexander’s name filled the screen and my heart jumped. I couldn’t answer fast enough.
“Good morning,” I chirped.
“Good morning,” he replied. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
I laughed. “This time, no.”
“Jolly good. Anyway, pack an overnight bag, will you? I’m just w
aiting outside.”
I shot up in bed. “What?”
“An overnight bag,” he repeated. “With clothes and toiletries and other such things.”
I growled. “No, I figured out that much. Why am I packing one? What do you mean you’re outside?”
“I’m taking you away for the night. I thought that much would be obvious.”
Visions of Alex and I spending the night together somewhere other than my cramped apartment flashed in my mind. I had no idea what kind of place a prince might go for a night away, but I bet it was worth seeing. A second later I remembered my plans for the day and the bubble of happiness popped.
“I can’t go,” I said. “There’s this thing going on with my sister and me.”
“What kind of thing?”
“We had a big fight,” I said, not sure how to sum up the situation. “We’ve barely talked since.”
“She’ll still be there when you come back,” he reasoned. “Whatever’s going on with you guys could probably benefit from a little time apart. Besides, this is going to be worth your while. You’ve been working hard recently and you deserve a break.”
He had a point. And hell, I did deserve a break. Things had been tense on set between Michael and me, which made work more stressful than usual. Plus, I’d been looking forward to seeing Alex today, and getting a whole night with him was beyond what I could have hoped for.
“Okay,” I said. “Give me ten minutes to get some stuff together.”
“Wonderful. We’ll be here.”
“Wait, we?”
Alex hung up, and I grunted in frustration and chucked my phone to the end of the bed. Now I wasn’t so sure whether this was a good idea. Who would he bring along on a night away? Was I going to meet someone in his family? I shelved that thought, since it was too stressful to dwell on, and packed a bag as quickly as possible.
I knocked on Jo’s door on my way out.
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