Dirty Prince

by Vanessa Waltz

  He leaned in so that I could feel his breath whistling in my ear. “Jessica, relax.” He patted my arm. “Sorry, but I need to do some work.”

  I left him alone for the rest of the flight. Aside from a few bouts of turbulence, the rest of the ride was uneventful. I was excited for the three-course meal, but frowned at the small pile of minuscule black balls with the tiniest spoon I ever saw. Next to it was a stack of crackers. I peered at the menu. Caviar.

  My first thought as I tasted it was: This is supposed to be a delicacy? It tastes like fishy salt.

  The next item on the menu was much better. Maine lobster and butternut squash sauce. I devoured the cheery, orange-red lobster and sauce, marveling how buttery it tasted. Mentally, I was taking notes for the soup kitchen. Getting approval for lobster would be next to impossible. I looked at the menu eagerly for the third course: Princess cake with navel orange marmalade. What the hell was a Princess cake? Was it blessed by an actual princess or something?

  I had fun taking pictures of all the courses with my phone, scribbling down in my journal what each one tasted like. Luke barely touched his plates, occasionally looking over to see what I was doing, and perhaps wondering why I got so excited over food.

  Now that my anxiety over flying was mostly over, my brain boiled over how I would eventually be confronted with Luke’s friends and family. He counted on me to make this work, and to convince his father that this romance was real. I felt a rush of warmth in my cheeks as Luke looked up from his laptop and smiled at me. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he held me in his arms, his eager mouth and hard body. When he smiled at me, my heartbeat galloped ahead. It’s a little bit too real. I had to keep reminding myself to not get attached. When this was over, Luke and I would go our separate ways. Get a grip.

  Luke returned to sit beside me when we started to land. “Why?” I asked.

  “Landings are worse.”

  Sure enough, the horrible free-falling motion made my guts clench. I clutched Luke’s hand and squeezed when the plane dropped. He snorted with laughter whenever I let out a high-pitched squeal.

  “I’m glad you find my fear so amusing,” I hissed. “Didn’t you take an ethics class to become a proper gentleman?”

  He tried to force his mouth into a neutral line, but failed. “No.”

  I cringed as we plummeted what seemed to be a hundred more feet, bristling as Luke guffawed at my terror. As the plane made a right turn, London sprawled underneath us in a series of yellow lights. I’m really here.

  After we landed, a Rolls Royce whisked us off the airplane and dropped us at Heathrow’s main terminal. A gaggle of paparazzi stood in the lobby, elbowing each other as soon as they saw us. Luke’s guards fended them off, but this time the camera’s bright flashes exploded all around me. Clutching Luke’s arm, I walked out of Heathrow and inhaled my first breath of London.

  I noticed the differences right away: the tiny cars, the black Hackney taxis, and a barrage of languages and English accents. I couldn’t wait to see it all.

  Once the paparazzi cleared away, we entered into our car and sped towards our hotel. Luke’s hotel. We exited the car in a location that had an uncanny resemblance to New York City’s Times Square. I stared at the screen that wrapped around a building in the middle of two streets, flashing colorful advertisements as a slew of people jostled me down the street. Luke tugged my arm and I looked up, staring at the giant letters over the hotel lit up like golden candles: PARDINI.

  We entered the hotel, the beige marble floors polished so well that I could see my own reflection.

  “Good evening, Mr. Pardini.”

  The receptionists obviously knew him by name. Luke inclined his head and continued to the elevators. Oh, right. He doesn’t need to check in. Duh. I followed him into the elevator as the bellhop rolled our luggage inside.

  The elevator stopped on the twelfth floor, and opened directly into the suite. My jaw dropped as we walked inside. There was a fully stocked stainless steel kitchen, a spa and indoor pool, a gym, and everything you could ever need. The king sized bed stood on a dais surrounded by glass, which overlooked the whole city. It was incredible.

  Luke tipped the bellhop, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets with an air of uncertainty once we were alone.

  “It’s a beautiful room, Luke. I can’t believe this.”

  “I’m glad you like it.” He rubbed his neck and swept back his hair. “I’m pretty tired, so I think I’ll go to bed now. I’ll just sleep on a couch and you can have the bed.”

  “No way,” I protested. “It’s your place. I’d feel guilty making you do that. I should get the couch.”

  He smiled wryly and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

  Arguing this with him was fruitless. He refused to violate his gentlemanly code of ethics.

  “Well, maybe we could share the bed. It’s big enough for both of us.” My face grew hot at the idea of sleeping next to his inescapable heat. Maybe he would only wear boxers. Maybe he would be naked. A shudder ran through my body at the thought.

  “As much as I’d like to sleep with you, I don’t think it’s such a good idea.”

  The sound of his strained voice and the inevitable flicker of his eyes down my body made my toes curl in pleasure. I wanted this man more than anything in my life. My heart raced as his hand lifted to my face and pulled a stray strand of blonde hair behind my ears.

  “Goodnight, Jessica.”

  I tossed and turned on the too large bed as though constant movement might dislodge the burning feeling of Luke’s hands and lips from my mind. I was alone with no one real to talk to. Is this what he feels like? Am I just another one of his paid employees?

  My eyes stung from being awake too long, I flipped open my phone and texted a message to Natalie: I got here OK. Have a great holiday. xoxo Jessica

  Chapter 6

  My eyelids cracked open to an unfamiliar ceiling and it took a few minutes for me to remember where the hell I was. Oh, yeah. I’m in London.

  I leapt to my feet and gazed at the surrounding glass walls to my right. The city sprawled underneath. I never felt so young and alive. Soon I would descend to its depths and explore the city until my legs stopped working. I couldn’t recall a time when I experienced such bliss that I couldn’t stop grinning. Well, that wasn’t true. Some of the happiest times of my life were when Natalie and I hung out during summer vacation. I biked down State Street to her house every day so we could play in her big backyard and explore the woods behind it. There was an inexplicable joy that came with freedom from parents or school, with exploring the world on our bikes until the sun dipped below the horizon. I felt it now. My eyes misted as I remembered how wonderful it had been—I had completely forgotten about it until now.

  It was five in the morning and a slow stream of cars and taxis were making their way down the streets. I squinted and tried to locate Big Ben or the Tower of London, but I couldn’t recognize anything.

  After a moment of hesitation, I decided to find Luke. It was extremely early, but maybe he was awake. I found a robe with his name in the armoire and walked around the cool tiles barefoot. I wandered into the silent kitchen, looking outside to gaze at the panorama of the city. Was every inch of this hotel room bordered by glass? I continued walking forward, not really paying attention to where I was going.

  BAM! My head smacked right into something solid and damp. A pair of hands took my arms and I saw Luke looking incredibly contrite, dressed only in a towel wrapped around his waist.

  “Jessica!” He released my arms. “Are you alright?”

  My nose was stinging a bit. Holy crap, I thought as I studied his perfectly carved chest and arms. My chest felt feverish and I was very aware of how hot my face and neck were. His damp hair flattened against his neck. “Uh—wow. You’re in really good shape.”

  Ugh. Once again, I was at the mercy of my exhausted brain.

  “Oh,” he smiled and briefly looked down at himself.
“Well, I try.”

  Please tell me there will be some public event in the future that will require him to take his clothes off. My hand flew to my hair absentmindedly and I twirled a strand around my finger. “Suddenly, I feel like I should work out. I mean—I’m sorry for bumping into you. I was distracted.”

  The smell of his body wash hung like a musky cloud around him; it was intoxicating. He looked down at me with a seductive, shit-eating grin as he crossed his arms over his chest and studied me. The bastard knew how hot he was and he wasn’t ashamed of flaunting it. A guy like him—how did he keep his ego in check?

  Stop twirling your hair, idiot! I immediately snapped my arm to my side and resolved to keep my hands still. It was incredibly hard to keep my gaze fixed on his eyes; they wanted to wander down his chest to the towel precariously wrapped around his waist, revealing trim abs and a sprinkling of dark hair that led straight to his—

  Luke cleared his throat. Mortified, I glanced back to his widening grin. He definitely noticed me checking him out.

  “I was thinking that we could explore London today. I have meetings in the afternoon, but I could meet you afterwards.”

  I can’t hear you when your clothes are off. Somehow, though, my brain picked up on “explore London” and “today.” The excitement seared through my veins like caffeine. I couldn’t wait to go out there. “Sure, I’d love that.”

  “It’s a bit early to go out, but why don’t you get yourself ready while I answer some emails?”

  “Okay.”

  He walked around me with a small smile playing on his lips. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to add something but he changed his mind at the last second and shook his head, laughing a bit to himself.

  Beaming, I practically skipped to the bathroom, which was more the size of a locker room. The tiles were heated and I sighed in pleasure as I walked bare-footed, gazing at the gleaming porcelain sinks and the glass shower, which still had a sprinkling of water on the walls. I could imagine Luke showering in a fog of steam, his rippled body hanging out briefly to grab the powder-white towel on the rail. For a brief moment, I envisioned us showering together and I nearly gasped out loud. My legs were wrapped around his powerful waist as he held me up in his arms and drove into me, my back against the shower wall. I could feel the stab of pleasure radiating up my thigh, glowing in the warmth between my legs.

  The shower heated in seconds and I stepped into the hot blast of water, the knots in my shoulder melting away. It was already stocked with a myriad of products. I lathered myself up in a perfumed steam and imagined Luke’s hands gripping my waist, his neck bending down to kiss my naked flesh.

  A thrill of exhilaration and fear rippled through my body. It was hard to think about sex without thinking about my trauma. Sex still frightened me as much as it enticed me. I shook my blonde head violently. It didn’t matter right now. I wasn’t going to be having sex with Luke, even if we had amazing chemistry.

  As I toweled myself off, I realized that the bathroom didn’t come equipped with hairbrushes. I had to return to my suitcase. I let my wet hair cascade down my shoulders and left the bathroom dressed in nothing but a towel wrapped firmly around my body. Anxiety stabbed my chest as I peeked around the corner and saw him in the living room. Let’s see him react to me.

  Luke was sitting on the couch with his laptop, fully dressed. A phone was against his ear. I walked across his vision and inwardly smiled when I noticed a lull in his speech. I glanced back casually and saw that Luke was staring directly at me unabashedly. Naked desire shone all over his face, in the way that his mouth hung half-open and the white-knuckled fingers clutched his phone. A moment later, Luke snapped back to his conversation.

  “Yes, sorry. As I was saying…”

  I walked towards the bathroom with my toiletry bag in my hand and felt his eyes following me back. I smirked to myself in the mirror as I applied my makeup in the bathroom. He thinks he’s so great. He was great. Maybe I am, too.

  “Ahem.”

  The eyeliner flew out of my hand as a face suddenly materialized in my mirror. I glanced to my right and screamed, knocking several tins of makeup off the sink. Luke was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and a frown plastered over his face.

  “What are you doing?” I shrieked as I bent over to pick them up. “I could have been naked!”

  “Yes, how horrible that would be,” he drawled.

  Something had changed between us. I didn’t like the accusatory stare in his eyes or the aggressive way he blocked my exit.

  “I know what you’re trying to do and I don’t like it,” he continued.

  A small shock rippled through my body. He thinks I’m up to something? I looked around the room, searching for evidence that I had done something wrong. Had I used his hair products against his permission? Bewildered, I threw my hands up. “I have no idea what you’re—”

  “If you get me to do something with you, you could sue for sexual harassment.”

  The accusation stunned me for a moment, then I threw back my head and laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. Luke flinched at my laughter echoing in the tiled room. “That’s the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard. You’re already paying me ten grand a month. Why would I get greedy? That’s stupid.”

  Still shaking with laughter, I shook my head and returned to the mirror to apply my makeup. Luke’s frown reflected in the mirror. Did he seriously believe that I had an ulterior motive?

  “C’mon, Jessica. You just walked around the apartment half-naked. Don’t tell me you didn’t expect me to notice that.”

  I hung my head, my hair falling like a curtain around my face. He was right, of course. But I didn’t do it so I could screw him over!

  “Who was the one who did it first?” I turned around to gaze into Luke’s wide eyes. “I just did the same thing you’ve been doing to me all this time. Admit it. You like the attention.”

  Now it was his turn to look surprised. His hand flew to his hair. “What? I didn’t—”

  I knew I should drop it, but I didn’t. “You’ve been playing with me. Maybe because you like me, but mostly because you like messing around with women. You get off on it.” I didn’t know why I was saying all of this, or why I was suddenly so angry. His wide-eyed refusal to take responsibility rubbed me the wrong way.

  “That’s not true,” he said with an edge in his voice. “Though, I’ll admit that the lines can become a little blurred for me.”

  Luke looked ashamed. I bit my lip. He’s done so much for me.

  “Well, me too,” I said in a thick voice. My cheeks flamed again and I felt frustrated with how little control I had over my body. “I’m not faking any of this.”

  His eyes gleamed. “Yes, that’s why I picked you. I don’t know why, but I almost believe you when you say that you wouldn’t sue me.”

  Even with his sad smile, I couldn’t get over how handsome he looked. I longed to run my fingers through his thick dark hair, and kiss that vein that jumped in his throat. I put my makeup down and faced him. “Isn’t it exhausting to constantly be on guard with people?”

  “Jessica, I’ve been hurt so many times by people I thought I trusted. Virtually everyone has sold a story about me to the press.”

  He couldn’t or wouldn’t trust me, but I couldn’t hold it against him even though it hurt. I didn’t know what it was like to be him. “Can I ask you something personal?” Without waiting for a response, I asked it anyways: “Are you lonely?”

  He opened his mouth and closed it. He didn’t have to answer; I saw the truth in his eyes. “Yes,” he said. “I suppose I’ve always been.”

  Me too. Something expanded in my chest and I wanted to reach forward and touch him, but Luke backed from the doorway and shut the door.

  “Can we use the Tube?”

  He looked at me with suppressed annoyance. “We’ll be mobbed if we use the Tube.”

  “No, we won’t!”

  We were already being follow
ed by a silent, creepy group of paparazzi. I held Luke’s hand and practically skipped down the streets of London. The sky looked like a thick gray blanket that dropped icy sheets of rain on our heads. Luke did his best to keep us dry with his umbrella. The rain didn’t dampen my spirits. I’d probably never get the chance to do walk London’s streets again.

  “Oh, come on. Let’s just use it once.” I was dying to experience the city like a real Londoner.

  Luke sighed in resignation. “Well, fine.”

  We quickly descended the steps into the Piccadilly tube station. Luke shook some change out of his pocket and dumped it into the ticket machine. I took one of the two pieces of paper the machine spat out, then walked through the barrier to the trains. Luke took a quick glance at the tube map before pulling me to the right towards the Bakerloo line.

  A slew of tourists and people commuting to work crowded the brick-lined underground. Luke smiled to himself as he bounced on his soles.

  “What is it?”

  He shook his head, still smiling. “Nothing, this just brings back memories.”

  Across the station, a man photographed us. I casually leaned against Luke, who wrapped his arm around my waist automatically. I laid my head against his chest and smiled sweetly as he kissed my head.

  “Later tonight, I might meet up with an old friend. You’re welcome to come, of course.”

  An old friend? Sounds interesting. “Yeah, I’d like to.” I lifted my head towards his voice and caught his bottom lip. He squeezed my back so that my breasts were flattened against his chest and I could feel his steady heartbeat, while mine raced. I felt the irritating rush of heat in my chest and I couldn’t understand how he could remain so calm. We broke our faces apart, but Luke still held me against him, looking at me as though I was the only girl in the universe.

  “Does he know about me?”

  “He knows that I’m dating someone. I haven’t told anyone about our arrangement, and I plan on keeping it that way.”

  I nodded as a rush of wind soared through the tunnel, whipping my hair around. I unglued myself from Luke’s chest, and we walked over a line of yellow that demanded we Mind The Gap. The train was packed with people and we were sandwiched together. I couldn’t help but laugh a little at the discomfort on Luke’s face.