People certainly didn’t make life easy for him. But at least now he had hope of where to find her; he just didn’t know if or when he would be able to make it back to the restaurant. It was hard enough getting away from William as it was. He knew William was going to watch him like a hawk the rest of the trip.
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and quickly wrote down a note, briefly explaining that he was looking for someone. He then grabbed three more hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and slipped it in with the note, turning from the bar with a new idea.
The waitress he had spoken with already was busy wiping down one of the tables, but he knew she wouldn’t mind passing along his message if he were to pay the right price. If there was one thing he’d learned about people in this line of work, it was that they were willing to do just about anything to make an extra dollar. Even those with billions in their pockets already didn’t shy away from the chance to make more money.
It was just a matter of knowing how to play your cards right, and who to play them with. He adjusted his jacket and straightened his tie, then walked confidently over to the table. She didn’t look up, keeping her eyes on the dark wood in front of her. He knew she’d learned quickly not to get involved in anything that was going on within the restaurant, but he needed her help, and he was going to make it well worth her while to agree to the idea.
“Listen, I need you to get this to Candy, a girl I’m told works in the back. If you can do that for me, this is yours.” He handed her the note first, then the money, and she looked at it in surprise. She glanced up at him for a moment, then took the note and put it in one pocket, and the money in another.
“No guarantees it’s going to lead to anything, but I’ll give her the note,” she muttered.
“Thank you,” Royce said as he turned and strode out of the club. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and it did bring him that much closer to finding Paige.
He just had to talk to her again.
Chapter 16
Paige sighed as she walked through the door. The day had been long at the bank, and she was glad it was now done and over with. Though she had just spent the one night with Royce, she couldn’t shake the heavy feeling that had settled over her since William basically kicked her out.
It didn’t make sense, and as much as she hated what happened, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed and she saw Candy’s name flash across the screen. She hadn’t spoken to Candy much since last night, but she opened the message anyway, and her heart nearly stopped.
I thought you might want to see this.
It was a photo of Royce’s name and number—the very thing she’d hoped to get before she left. She shot her friend a quick thank you text, then she called Royce.
“Hello?” His voice sounded so refreshing coming through the phone.
“Royce? It’s Paige…from last night. A friend of mine sent me a message with your name and number,” she replied.
“Paige! Thank God! I’ve been trying to hunt you down since you left! Why did you just run off without a goodbye?” Royce asked.
“I thought that’s what you wanted,” she replied, confused and hurt. “You are a duke and all, and I didn’t want to get in the way of your important meetings.” Her heart raced. Perhaps he didn’t want her to just leave after all.
“Where the hell did you get an idea like that? I thought you were waiting for me in the room, but when I came out of the shower, you were gone and my advisor was there,” he said. She could hear in his voice he was clearly holding back. There had to be more to the story than what he was telling her.
“Well...he came through the door and told me I had to get out. Something about how you’re too busy to entertain people like me or something,” she replied, biting her lip. Her face burned as she recalled the humiliating moment. Paige didn’t want to go into too many details. The moment had been so rushed, she didn’t remember exactly what was said, and it made her nervous to think of dealing with people as powerful as William.
“William is always more about the business of why we are here than anything else. I’m apologizing for his behavior. But I don’t understand why you didn’t leave your number or anything. Didn’t you have fun? I mean, I thought we’d be able to see each other again before I left, but William told me that you left without a word,” he said.
“I left my name and number on a piece of paper and he promised he’d give it to you! I thought when I didn’t hear from you that you didn’t want to see me again, so I’ve just been doing my best to move on!” Paige exclaimed. “Why the hell would he do something like that?”
Royce sighed audibly into the phone. “I told you, he’s all about business. Perhaps he saw how well we hit it off the other night and thought I was going to be too distracted to take care of things here. He’s my advisor, and he’s always overstepping like that,” Royce said dryly. “There’s times I feel like he thinks he’s my babysitter more than someone who’s working for me.”
“Why don’t you fire him? I mean, that’s just low, and if you wanted to see me again, he should have told you that I left the note,” Paige angrily replied. She felt outraged and embarrassed. How dare that man practically lie to Royce after he threw her out into the hall wearing next to nothing?
It was embarrassing, and it was frustrating. If Royce was a duke, surely there were plenty of people who would want to apply for the job of being his advisor. There was little doubt in her mind that he’d be able to replace the man in a week and replace him with someone who was worth having.
“Honestly, Paige, it’s not as simple as that. William…he’s been with us for almost ten years. When you’re living the life I live, you need people who have certain skills and level of discretion. Besides, for all intents and purposes I may be a duke, but I do have parents I need to keep happy. They’re always sending him on trips with me because they feel that he does a good job as my advisor. I can’t just fire him without reason,” Royce replied. “What he did was horrid, and I will be speaking to him about this, but I don’t have the power to fire him, Paige, I’m sorry.”
“But this is a reason! Tell them that he interfered with your personal life, and you don’t want him as your advisor anymore. Tell them that he ruined something that could have been great!” Paige retorted.
“I’m sorry, Paige, I really wish I could do something more, but my parents would never take my side on this one. And besides, I hope that what we had wasn’t ruined. I really want to see you again before I leave, please?” Royce pleaded. Paige calmed down a little, though she was still furious.
“When are you leaving?” she finally asked, resigned.
“In just a few days. This wasn’t supposed to be a long trip, and I know he’s going to be pressing for me to get back home. I’ve got to report back to my parents,” Royce replied.
Paige’s heart sank traitorously. She didn’t want to admit, even to herself, how much she liked Royce already, and she hated how upset she was at the fact that he was leaving soon. She was scheduled for work the next morning, and it had been a nightmare getting through the day as it was. She was exhausted after her wonderful night out with Royce, and she had been looking forward to catching up on her sleep.
But this was her only chance to be with a duke, one that was kind and funny and handsome, and she was going to make the most of it. One more night out wouldn’t kill her. It might make work difficult the next day, but she’d get through it.
Paige decided to let her anger go. She would not allow William to dictate how she felt, especially if this was her last time seeing Royce.
“How about tonight?” she asked. She heard him breathe into the phone and realized he must have been holding his breath. She smiled to herself.
“Great!” he said. “It’s a date.”
Chapter 17
“You’ve completed your job on this trip, and it’s time for you to go home,” Royce said. William looked at the plane ticke
t in his hand, then back at Royce. He’d just been told that he was leaving that night, and Royce clearly wasn’t in the mood to negotiate.
“You realize your father is going to be furious?” he remarked with raised eyebrows, but Royce brushed off the comment with a shrug.
“Father is going to want to hear how things went, and you’re going to tell him about the new partnerships we were able to gain. That’s what he wanted from you, and you’ve done it. I’ve got a few more things planned in the States, and I’ll return home within a few days,” Royce said.
William shook his head. “You’re making a mistake, Royce.”
“That’s for me to decide,” Royce replied shortly. “You’ve already done enough. Now pack your things.”
William gave him another look, then walked out of the room. Royce knew William was right; his father wasn’t going to like him sending his advisor home early. But he didn’t care. He was furious with the man for hiding the note from him, and he wanted to make things right with Paige.
He had it all planned out. They would go to a fancy dinner, and he’d treat her to another night on the town. She was beautiful, and she deserved at least that much from him. Sure, she might not come from royalty, and she wasn’t the kind of girl he could plan to be with long term, but he wanted to see her at least once more, and this was the way to do it.
William would fly out of the country that night, and Royce would deal with his father when he got back home. Tonight, he was going to forget all about politics and his position in the world, and he was going to have a good time with a beautiful woman.
It would be magical.
“Penguins? Why penguins?” Royce asked with a laugh. Paige gave him a look, but it broke into laughter, too.
“Because penguins are amazing! Can you imagine living a life with your legs pretty much strapped together, wings you can’t use to fly, and living in a place that’s cold as fuck in the winter, and everything wants to eat you? It’s crazy!” Paige said with another grin. Royce shook his head.
“I don’t know what to say to that. I would have thought you’d choose something with a little more majesty, I guess,” he replied. They were seated in one of the fanciest restaurants in town and had just given the waiter their order. Wanting to make small talk, Royce had asked Paige to tell him something random about herself.
He wanted to get to know her. It was strange for him to feel that way about a woman. Normally, he’d have wanted to sleep with her and forget about it, but with Paige, he wanted to actually know what she was like as a person. Something about their first interaction rattled him; no woman had held her own like that so boldly and independently. It intrigued him. Sitting with her at this moment felt like such a treat, like she was a glass filled to brim and he had only taken a sip. He wanted to drink her in completely and know everything about her. But he didn’t expect her to tell him about having a fascination for penguins.
“Well, if you think about it, there are emperor penguins, and you really can’t get any more majestic than that,” she said with a smirk. She sipped on her water and Royce laughed once more.
“Have you seen emperor penguins? They’re like the clumsiest of them all!” he retorted. Paige rolled her eyes.
“Okay, okay, I can see that you aren’t going to come around to have the same appreciation for the wonderful creatures as I do, but that’s not my problem. If you want to be so close-minded that you think you should like something dumb like a horse or a camel, that’s on you, not me!” she teased.
“We don’t even have camels in Luxembourg! They’re definitely not my favorite animal,” Royce said, shaking his head.
“I don’t know, I’m not from Antarctica, and I still like penguins the best,” she replied with a toss of her hair. “You can love things that don’t come from the same place you do, you know.”
Like how I feel about you, Royce thought. He pushed it out of his mind. He had to keep his head on straight, especially around this girl. It was going to be hard enough going home without her, he didn’t want to let himself get too attached. There was no way in hell his father would even consider the possibility of them two together in a long-term capacity. Tonight was all they had, and he knew it.
“Well, if you must know, it’s a lion,” he said, and Paige rolled her eyes.
“The duke loves lions, how cliché!” she teased with an endearing smile that warmed his heart. He shook his head and smiled at her. What was he going to do with her?
The waiter brought their food, and they continued to laugh and chat throughout dinner. They got along so well, Royce didn’t think they would ever run out of things to talk about. It was as though he’d met his perfect match, and he’d become addicted.
“Come back to my suite?” he asked when they’d finished dinner. “There’s no one there to kick you out in the morning.”
Paige gave him a look, but understood he was teasing. She tapped her chin as if she was thinking hard about it. “Oh, alright.”
“Oh, and I got you this,” Royce said with another teasing grin, flourishing a penguin plush doll.
“A penguin?” Paige said with a laugh. She’d wondered why it’d taken him so long to go to the bathroom. He’d taken the chance to duck into one of the tourist shops next door and purchase her a small stuffed toy.
“If that’s what you think is best, that’s what you shall have,” he said. He put his hand on her lower back as they walked toward a cab. “Now let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 18
Royce looked up at the ceiling, his thoughts spinning. Paige had reluctantly gotten up and left for work, and he was alone for the first time in a while. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was falling in love with this girl, but there was a part of him that couldn’t help it. She was perfection in the form of a woman, everything he’d ever wanted.
There was a knock at the door and he reluctantly got up himself, his head still groggy from the drinks they’d had the night before. It had been an even better time than the first, but he was still feeling the effects of it.
When he opened the door, his jaw dropped in shock. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to go home!” he sputtered, stepping back. William stood in front of him, and neither of the men cared the entire hall could hear them.
“I told you your father wouldn’t like that. At the end of the day, I work for him, not you, and until you take the throne, you’re just going to have to get used to that,” William replied in an even tone.
“Get out!” Royce growled, but stopped when he saw what was in William’s hand.
“What’s that?” he asked, and William gave him a look.
“That’s exactly what I want to know,” he replied. He handed Royce the newspaper, and Royce quickly scanned the headline. It was a tabloid called US Juice—trashy yet known for being reliable.
“’Looks like the Duke of Luxembourg likes to live it up with hired girls while in America’?” he read aloud from the article.
“Looks like the two of you weren’t alone last night. I’ve told you a million times that the paparazzi is all over this place, and they are just looking to make a quick dollar. Do you know how this could blow up into a huge scandal with your parents? Royce, you know they are going to be beyond angry when they see this!” William said as he walked around the room.
“Oh, and that’s not everything,” he added as he walked up to Royce. “I managed to get a shot of this from my hotel room. It’s not like the two of you felt the need to be discreet or anything.”
Royce took the phone. On the screen was a picture of him and Paige in bed, both still clearly drunk and naked. It wasn’t the clearest photo, but it was obvious it was the two of them. Anyone who knew who Royce was would be able to tell it was him.
“If I was able to get that from my room, it’s clearly not going to be hard for someone who makes a living snapping photos of celebrities to get what they wanted from you,” William continued.
“I don’t a
ppreciate the fact you spied on me again,” Royce snapped as he handed the phone back. He looked down at the tabloid. The cover photo was of him and Paige at one of the clubs, both obviously drunk. They looked like they were having a good time. Too good of a time. He winced once more. His father was going to be livid when he got the news.
“I can make it all go away,” William said in a soothing voice. “I can make sure your father doesn’t get wind of this, and you won’t have to deal with the consequences.”
“How are you going to do that?” Royce asked suspiciously.
“You know if your father finds out, you’re going to get the phone call from hell,” William replied. “Let me call your father, and we’ll work something out. I can assure him if he does see the photo that I was there with you the entire night, and you weren’t inappropriate in the slightest. He trusts me, and he’d take me at my word.”
“And what do you want in return? I know you’re not going to do that just because you don’t want me to get into a scandal,” Royce argued. “You’ve been pissed at me for no reason throughout this whole trip.” He knew that there had to be some ulterior motive. William didn’t do that kind of thing to be nice. He always looked for a way he could gain further from being Royce’s advisor.
“Pretend that it’s my job to do all the talking from now on. You can’t get yourself into trouble if you don’t open your mouth. I’ll keep a better eye on you and we’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again. I mean, think about it, Royce, you are the duke, the heir to the throne. Do you really think this is what the public back home is going to want to see when the time comes for you to take charge?” William asked. Royce sighed. He knew his advisor had a point, even if he couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
But he was also sick and tired of his father controlling his every move. Things hadn’t gotten out of hand the night before. He wasn’t going to let them, either. At the same time, the photo that was on the cover of the tabloid seemed to tell a very different story, and there was no doubt in his mind his father would take the photo as proof over his word. A picture was worth a thousand words, after all.
Relentless: A Royal Secret Baby Romance (The Alabaster Club) Page 6