Royal Rebel

by Jenny Frame

  George smiled slyly and whispered in her ear, “What if someone catches us. Catches their Queen Consort being fucked up against the wall?”

  Bea immediately groaned. “Yes, yes.”

  George pressed two fingers deep inside her. Bea’s hips started to buck and she tried to push George’s hand deeper.

  “Oh, you’d like that,” George continued to whisper, and Bea’s breathing got faster. “You’d love one of our footmen to walk in and see what a bad girl you are.”

  Bea’s orgasm wasn’t far away when the footsteps returned outside the hall doorway, and there was a knock at the door.

  Bea tried to stop, but George kept going. “Someone is going to see how bad you are.”

  Again there was a knock at the door, and Bea’s hips began to take on a life of their own. All she could think about was being caught with George inside her.

  She grasped onto George’s neck and cried, “I’m going to come, I’m going to come.”

  George bit and kissed Bea’s ear, before whispering, “The door handle’s moving, they’re coming in.”

  That was all she needed. Bea’s orgasm exploded in her sex and waved down her legs. If she hadn’t had George holding her, she would have fallen to the ground.

  “Oh God. I can’t breathe,” Bea said hoarsely.

  George chuckled and eased her fingers from Bea’s depths.

  “That was a new one—” Bea was transfixed by watching George suck clean the fingers that had just been inside her.

  George pulled them out of her mouth with a pop and said, “Remember that when you’re watching Story St. John on the big screen.”

  Bea laughed and said, “I love you, Bully.”

  *

  Bea met Roza and walked her to the palace cinema. When they walked through the door, Lali, Holly, and Greta were lined up and all gave her and Roza an exaggerated curtsy.

  “Very funny, girls.” Bea turned to Roza. “They do this because they know how much I hate it. Girls, meet Princess Roza. Roza this is Holly and Greta and you know Lali.”

  “Hi, nice to meet you all.”

  They all gave Roza another curtsy and Holly said, “Come in, come and get a drink. We’ve got the new Story St. John film.”

  Greta butted in, “Who Holly has a girl crush on even though she’s straight.”

  Lali and Greta laughed as Holly gave them an indignant look. “I do not.”

  Roza had never had girlfriends like this before, who laughed and teased but really cared for one another. She had thought Cressida, her now former lady-in-waiting, was her friend, but really she was a friend for hire. Cressie was happy if she was riding the coat-tails, sharing in her VIP treatment, but not this, sitting together in a relaxed setting sharing popcorn and drinks.

  Bea took Roza’s hand and guided her over to the leather cinema seats. “Sit down and tell me how you’re getting on at Timmy’s, while they fight it out.”

  Roza immediately thought of Lex and the simple kindness she had shown her today by bringing her chocolates. “I like it a lot. I love working with Lex, although sometimes she can be a bit too serious.”

  Bea laughed. “She is a serious person. Very conscientious, and determined to make Timmy’s the best it can be, but she’s also very caring.”

  Roza looked down at her hands in her lap and said out of the blue, “She bought me chocolates today.”

  “She did?” Bea said with surprise.

  “Yes, and I never thought she even noticed me,” Roza said sadly.

  Bea was silent for a moment as the other women took their seats, waiting for the film to start. “Do you want her to notice you?”

  Roza nodded. “She’s got this icy, stoic façade and keeps all her emotions and reactions under wraps, but sometimes I can see more in her eyes.”

  The girls erupted into applause when two footmen came in with cocktails, juice, and bags of popcorn.

  “Mojito, Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness?” Sam offered from the drinks tray to Bea and Roza.

  “Eh, no. Just orange juice for me. Thank you, Sam. Roza?”

  Roza gladly took one of the delicious looking cocktails. Lali looked back from her seat in the row in front and said, “Are you ready, Bea?”

  Greta piped in, “Yeah, Holls is getting desperate for some Story St. John.”

  “Yeah, go ahead.” The lights went down and the titles started to roll.

  “You have wonderful friends, Bea,” Roza whispered.

  Bea took a sip of her drink and put it back in the cup holder. “They are the best friends I could hope to have. We all met at university, and have been inseparable since. I’m lucky Lali and Holly agreed to work with me. It keeps me sane having them around in this goldfish bowl.”

  “That is lucky. I’ve never had friends like that.”

  Bea lifted up two bags of popcorn and offered one to Roza. “Chocolate covered popcorn?”

  “Oh God, yes. Chocolate popcorn and Story St. John? Perfect. Thanks for inviting me, Bea.”

  Bea patted her hand. “You know, you’re always welcome with us, Roza. I want you to know you’re not only family, you’re a friend, and welcome to my group of friends.”

  Roza felt a bit emotional at Bea’s words. The Buckingham side of her family were so kind, so loving, and so very different to how she had been brought up. “Thank you. I really appreciate it, and thank you for giving me the chance to work at Timmy’s. I’m having a great time.”

  The film started with an action shot of Story St. John running through a jungle in army fatigues with a rifle strapped to her back.

  Greta, Holly, and Lali all wolf whistled at the screen.

  “You would think they’d never seen a good-looking woman in their life,” Bea joked.

  Without thinking, Roza said, “I’ve met Story a few times, and she is good looking, but she’s not as hot as Lex.” Oh God! Why did I say that?

  Bea turned around to face her with a smile on her face. “You like Lex?”

  Should she try and cover up her attraction or just come clean? She popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth and nodded. “Yes, I do. I like her a lot.”

  “What about Lex? How does she feel?”

  “I think she likes me, but I get the impression she’s scared, not of me, but of being attracted. If you know what I mean.”

  “I do. Lex is a deep, complex person. Give her time and I’m sure she’ll warm up.”

  Something in what Bea had said nagged at Roza. “Do you know something, Bea? Something about her life?”

  Bea turned her attention back to the screen. “No, I don’t think so.” Then she clammed up.

  Bea knew something, Roza was sure of it.

  Chapter Ten

  Roza finally got her reply from the media mogul and was ready to show Lex her super-secret project. She got into work nice and early and excitedly waited for Lex to be done with her staff meeting before getting her on her own. Roza emailed her the project folder and walked over to her desk.

  “Lex? I sent you the project I’ve been working on. Could you take a look at it?”

  Lex gave her a big smile. “Of course I will. Sit down.”

  Roza took a seat at her desk and eagerly awaited while Lex scanned her work. Her silence and faltering smile started to worry Roza. “Is everything okay? I’ve worked my way through all my contacts, and as you can see they all have really large numbers next to them. I’ve used my status for good and made a lot of money. The charity auction I’ve made plans for will be packed with rich people who’ll pay a fortune to have dinner with a royal.”

  Lex’s continued silence worried her. She so wanted Lex’s approval, in fact she craved it. After all her excitement, she was now starting to worry. Surely she couldn’t have her numbers wrong?

  Finally Lex glanced up from the report with a look of annoyance. “Is this really what you think charity is? Persuading other rich and influential people to part with money they probably wouldn’t even miss?”

  Roza struggled to
find her words and she stumbled. “Well, charity is about making money for others, so we can make their lives better. Isn’t it?”

  Lex sighed, walked away from her desk, and gazed out the window. “I haven’t told you this before, but I was a stockbroker in the city and dealt with billions of pounds every day. I used to think money was what was important in life. Money was the endgame—but not any more.”

  Roza was surprised. Lex didn’t seem the cutthroat money-making type. She was extremely businesslike and professional, but she couldn’t imagine her caring about making money for money’s sake. She was too caring for that.

  “I could make a call right now and get donations of a million pounds or more. That is not the point. Charity is about more than that, and if you think the world’s problems can be helped with charity champagne receptions and celebrity auctions, then I obviously haven’t been teaching you correctly. Give me a minute.”

  Lex walked out of the office and left Roza confused, angry, and unappreciated. She thought she had done something to be proud of at last, and yet someone still found fault.

  Eventually Lex came back in and said, “Grab your coat. We’re going out. I’ve cleared it with Major Ravn.”

  *

  Lex and Roza sat in the back of the Denbourg state car, and were driving in a convoy to the address she had given to Major Ravn. Roza sat at the very far end of the seat, clearly wanting to put a distance between them. Roza never said a word to her and continually stared out the window.

  She felt bad about hurting Roza’s feelings, but she had to if she was serious about learning the business and what it took to run a charity. Lex had to teach her it wasn’t as simple as picking up a phone and getting money from your rich friends.

  Ten minutes into their journey, Roza finally asked sharply, “Where are we going?”

  “We’re going to one of our newly completed Timmy’s play centres. I try to come once or twice a week.”

  They pulled into a car park and stopped in front of the entrance. Lex got out, and Ravn opened the door for Roza.

  “I called ahead to let them know we were coming.” Lex walked through the front door of the centre, and was met by a nervous-looking manager and play supervisor. Lex noticed that as soon as Roza saw them, she immediately dispensed with her moody look and smiled brightly, and it warmed Lex’s heart.

  “Princess Rozala? May I introduce the play centre manager, Kristen Davis, and play supervisor, Donna Gordon.”

  Roza shook hands with the two surprised women and said, “Thank you for allowing me to visit. I’m working with Ms. King at the moment”—Roza gave her a pointed look—“and she thought it would be beneficial for me to see how everything works here.”

  Roza never failed to both surprise and impress Lex. Despite her protestations to the contrary, Roza handled royal life with great ease, and made those that met her feel comfortable and relaxed. If you had to define being royal as a job, Roza was an expert at it, although she so often tried to hide it.

  Both staff members curtsied, and Kristen said, “We’re so happy to meet you, Your Royal Highness.”

  “Carry on as normal—we’ll show ourselves around,” Lex told them.

  Lex led them off down a corridor, with only Ravn following them. The rest of the agents were placed around the perimeter of the building.

  As they walked Lex said, “Thank you for being so nice to them. I know you were annoyed with me.”

  Roza shook her head. “Again you think the worst of me. Just because I’m annoyed with you doesn’t mean I would take it out on the people I meet.”

  “I suppose that’s fair, but I’m not trying to upset you—I’m trying to teach you and show you a different perspective.”

  Roza stopped and looked back to Ravn, who had stopped and looked away discreetly, placed her hand on Lex’s chest, and moved inches from her lips to whisper, “Teach me everything you know then, Lex. I am your willing pupil.” Roza gave her a cheeky smile and started to walk off as Lex tried to control the bolt of lust that hit her low and hard.

  Lex took a couple of breaths and tried to calm her body and regain her ever important control. Every instinct was telling her to take Roza in her arms and kiss her until she begged for more. That was what the old Lex would do, but the new Lex used everything in her power not to give in to that. Apart from her own problems, she knew Roza deserved so much more than a quick encounter, but it was becoming harder and harder not to touch her. She wanted Roza so much, she could almost taste her.

  She hurried to catch up with her and Roza asked, “So what is this place? It’s not like the other hospice centres.”

  “No, they are a relatively new addition. With the Queen’s and then the Queen Consort’s patronage, we got a huge injection of cash—”

  “So money is important?” Roza said.

  “Of course it’s important, but there are some things worth more than money and that’s what I’m here to show you. Anyway the Queen Consort wanted the charity to diversify into new areas, not only hospices, but facilities for children with special needs, as well as children coping with illness.”

  “That was a good idea.” As they passed some more nervous members of staff, Roza smiled sweetly at them, which was good as the staff looked terrified of Ravn, who walked behind them.

  “They have various areas to help children of different ages. A mini movie theatre for the older kids, a games room for all the latest video games, rooms full of state-of-the-art play and sensory equipment.”

  They approached a pair of double doors, and Lex whispered as they walked into a large open room. “There is a theatre group in this morning, so we need to be quiet.”

  A group of actors dressed in brightly coloured clothing were dancing and singing for a group of children who were laughing and shouting along with the show. The lights in the hall were down low, so only a few of the play workers noticed their arrival, but the children remained oblivious as they stood by the back wall.

  Roza watched the little show intently, and started to laugh along with the children. “This is a great idea.”

  “It’s important to get the kids laughing,” Lex whispered. “They have such a hard time during treatment, and other difficulties they have to endure, but laughing for an hour or so can really make their lives so much brighter.”

  “I can imagine that.”

  Roza asked all about the centres—how many were there, and were they going to build more? The whole program was inspiring to hear about and she was moved to watch the little kids so happy.

  When the show wound up, one of the girls in the audience, dressed in a pink tutu and fairy wings, noticed Lex and came hurrying over. “Lexie! Lexie!”

  Lex immediately dropped down to her knees and opened her arms to scoop up the little girl. “There’s my Princess Summer.”

  Roza was awed as she saw an entirely different side of Lennox King. She noticed the discreet medical paraphernalia attached to the girl, and her heart ached for her.

  Lex said to the girl, “I brought a special friend to meet you today, Princess.”

  Summer smiled at Roza. “This lady, Lexie?”

  “Yep, this lady is a real princess, Summer, and she’s from a country called Denbourg, where her daddy is the King.”

  When Roza saw the awe and nervousness come over the child, she knelt down beside her and held out her hand. “Hi, Summer. My name is Roza.”

  “Wow! You’re a real princess?”

  “I am. You look like a beautiful princess too. I love your fairy wings.”

  “Lexie brought them for us,” Summer said happily.

  Roza turned her gaze to a bashful looking Lex, and her heart gave a great big thud, like it was hit with a sledgehammer. If she hadn’t been on her knees she was sure she would have swooned.

  I might be falling for you. The thought came straight from her heart and shocked her with its intensity. She knew she cared for Lex, and was so attracted to her, but this was the first time she thought she might be
falling into something deeper.

  Lex must’ve noticed something because she put her hand on the small of her back. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded quickly and wasn’t given any time to dwell on her feelings as Summer asked, “How did you learn to be a princess?”

  Roza straightened the little girl’s toy tiara. “I’ve not been the best princess to be honest, but…” She looked at Lex and said sincerely, “I’m trying to be better.”

  The smile Lex gave her made those infuriating butterflies flap a million tiny wings in her stomach. She wanted to kiss Lex so badly. This feeling was so, so different from what she’d felt for Thea. It didn’t feel wrong or rebellious, or give her the constant sense of anxiety she felt with Thea. This was right and good.

  Summer’s mother joined them, as well as some of the other children.

  Roza talked to Summer’s mother about her condition and the problems it imposed on all their lives. It opened up her eyes and she thought she understood why Lex brought her here.

  As they were leaving, Summer asked, “Will you come back with Lexie and teach us princess stuff?”

  “I’d love to.”

  *

  On the journey back to the office, Roza was quiet. Lex hoped their visit had made her think.

  Once they walked into Lex’s office, Roza said, “I think I know what you meant earlier.”

  Lex sat at her desk and leaned back in her seat. “Oh? What was that?”

  “You can’t simply throw money at charity. You have to actually take part. Give your time, your dedication, your service to others.”

  Lex smiled. “You’ve got it in one, Princess.”

  Roza’s cheeks went bright pink, and she lowered her eyes demurely.

  God, you’re beautiful.

  “I was thinking,” Roza said. “Could I go back and spend time with Summer and her friends, maybe give them princess lessons?”

  She could clearly see the excitement Roza had at the idea. But what would happen when she lost interest, or left as she would inevitably have to? “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. If you start something like that, you can’t just not turn up because you have a cocktail party, or a book launch to attend. Summer isn’t a pet.”