Dirty Prince

by Vanessa Waltz

  Suddenly, I remembered what it was that we were doing and that his father would almost certainly see photos of Luke fighting with the West Ham fan. I sobered instantly and squeezed Luke’s hand.

  “Alright, well, I’ll let you get patched up and maybe later we can meet up.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  I stood up and took Brandon’s hand. I wished that he would stop looking at me with that calculating look. “See you later.”

  “It was lovely meeting you.”

  He gave me a swift smile and then he swept from the room. I didn’t move until I heard the elevator door chime.

  My bare feet turned on the slick marble floor and I gazed around at the stunning suite. I had to suppress a wide grin as I took it all in. We might’ve hit a snag at the football match, but so what? It was the most exciting day of my life. All day I walked around sightseeing and I was having the best time of my life, but Luke wasn’t.

  “I’m glad that you think this is funny,” he said in a dour voice.

  My face fell as I noticed his face flushed with humiliation and anger. “I’m not laughing at you. I’m just really happy here. I really want to thank you so much for everything.”

  He didn’t say anything, but his eyes softened slightly.

  I rejoined Luke on the white leather couch. He was still holding the icepack on his face. His hand was white with cold and a wave of sympathy rippled through me.

  “Here, let me take it,” I said, placing my hand on his icepack. The goose bumps on my arm were raised as I inched closer to him. Our faces were close and he was looking at me with his hard, blue eyes that always made me feel vulnerable. “Your friend doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

  “He’s just suspicious. Usually the girls I’m with are gold diggers.”

  That took me aback. “Do I look like a gold digger?”

  His shoulder shrugged under my hand. “No. You don’t act like one, either. That’s probably why he’s confused.”

  “He’s going to figure this out. He’s going to realize it’s all a sham.” There was a sharp, painful feeling in my chest as I said it. None of this felt fake. I looked at his face, trying to register his feelings. I wanted him to say something.

  Before I could stop myself, my hand flew to his hair and I began to brush the dark strands off his forehead. He closed his eyes and sighed, his neck craning over the couch as his shoulder sagged. “I’m worried about my father. He’s going to get the wrong idea from those photos because I used to get into fights at football matches.”

  The fact that poised, dignified Luke would do something so pedestrian made me want to laugh. The two images clashed horribly. It didn’t make sense. It was like seeing the Queen of England throwing back a pint at a dive bar. “Maybe you should call him now and explain it all before it’s in the papers.”

  Luke made a dissenting sound. “It’ll just make it worse if I bring attention to it.” His eyes opened and blazed with intensity. “I don’t have to explain myself to him.”

  I just kept stroking his hair, dragging my fingertips across his scalp. “I’m going to take the icepack off for a few minutes.” I set the icepack on the coffee table and smiled at Luke’s grumpy expression. I leaned in slightly, my hair falling like a curtain between our faces as I gave him a kiss on his frozen cheek. His skin was so cold that it burned my lips. The blue eyes watched me carefully as I leaned back and resumed my stroking of his hair.

  “Why are you doing this?” His voice was as cold as his skin.

  “You know, not everyone has an ulterior motive revolving around screwing you over.”

  “Not in my world.” He shook his head. “Do you know how rare it is for someone to approach me without expecting something in return?”

  I would, I thought fervently as a dull longing throbbed inside my chest. I would never take advantage of you, ever. “You don’t give people a chance.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Luke, the first night we met you shoved a NDA in my face.”

  He looked bewildered. “So?”

  “So, if you do that with everyone you meet, you’re never going to be able to trust anyone. Sometimes, you have to take a risk to get what you want.” I spoke more about myself than him. My cheeks went a bit pink as Luke gave me a shrewd look. “I was always afraid of men. Well, ever since my childhood. Being alone with men made me panic, so I never dated. I never had boyfriends. I just avoided the whole thing, even though a part of me was desperately lonely. Even though it wasn’t reasonable.” I looked at him directly. “Just like it’s not reasonable to make everyone you know sign a NDA.”

  He sighed and waved me off. “For all I know, this is just part of your con.”

  “You’re the one who interviewed my foster parents,” I said in a shaking voice. “I’m not lying about that. I’ve had a lot of bad experiences, Luke. They warped my perception of people, just like yours have. A part of me knows that they ruined me.”

  Heat flushed under my skin and my hand fell from Luke’s neck to clench into a fist at my side. I hated what they had done to me. They did ruin me. Look at me. I’m with this gorgeous man because he’s paying me, because I’m too fucked in the head to find something real. I couldn’t look at Luke anymore and I dropped my face into my hands. My face was screwed up in pain, fighting against the pressure building up behind my eyes.

  His thigh bumped against my leg as he slid closer to me and began rubbing my back. “Sometimes, I feel like that, too. Whenever he’d visit, he never had anything to say to me that wasn’t a criticism.”

  I cringed against the heat in his voice, even though it wasn’t directed towards me.

  “Even now, he calls me up to complain about everything: from the women I date to my management style to whatever the hell he notices in the press. It’s his fault that my mother killed herself. You’re not ruined, Jessica. You can’t think of yourself as a victim. It’s not healthy.”

  His hand on my back reminded me that there were people in the world who cared about me, and the fact that his voice wasn’t full of pity made me feel a bit better. His hands curled around my shoulders and I allowed myself to be lifted up. He steered me into his arms and I collapsed into his warm strength, allowing myself to feel better. I still felt a pang of self-pity. No matter how genuine Luke seemed, I was just a means to an end. He needed me to protect his money. Maybe he felt something for me, but he would never trust me.

  “I am really lonely.” I said it in such a low voice that I didn’t think he would hear. My chest tightened with this embarrassing admission, but I had already told him things that I had never told anyone before. Why? I tried to search for an answer, but all I could come up with was that we both seemed to be running away from things in our past. Even though we were from two completely different worlds, I had a lot in common with him. When I pressed myself against his chest and felt his heart pounding against mine, it was easy to forget that this was an arrangement.

  “Me too.”

  I was startled at the emotion cracking through his voice. I looked up and he seized my head, almost forcing his lips over mine. I fell backwards onto the couch and gasped as his heavy weight fell over me. I was registering nothing but shock. Holy crap, what’s happening? My heart was pounding somewhere in my throat, all of my ills forgotten. All I could focus on was the sharp contours of Luke’s body over mine, his mouth hungrily devouring every inch of my flesh as he kissed a hot trail down my throat.

  I heard myself murmur a small oath as his lips and tongue brushed hotly over the top of my breast. A small moan ripped through me as he teased the delicate flesh, sending sharp, electrical signals down my body. I was amazed at how strong the response was in my body; it was jarring. My fingers were tangled in his dark head, roaming up and down his lean back.

  He let out a small moan as he pulled back from my body, teasing the buttons of my blouse out of their holes one by one. “God, you are incredible.”

  I said nothing. I couldn’t speak
—I was confused. Desire and fear were mingling together in a whirlwind of emotion, crashing against my ribcage like an animal clawing to get out. I want him, but am I ready for this? An impatient voice inside me told me to shut the hell up.

  His face had that sort of drowsy look, infused with lust. I sat up and allowed my shirt to roll off my shoulders. Every sound was amplified and it dropped to the ground with a harsh whisper. I shivered slightly in the cold, wanting and not wanting him. I felt the bulge of his erection livid against my thigh. The roar of my blood pounding in my ears was deafening. I wanted him to go further. I wanted to feel his hands all over my naked flesh. I thought of his hands moving inside the waistband of my jeans and his fingers curving into my wetness and my stomach trembled. My legs moved on either side of his waist.

  He groaned and leaned forward, his lips plucking at my breast and his fingers scraping my shoulders, the thin bra straps falling down my arms. With every kiss, I was being healed. It was as though Luke was reaching inside my core and mending my pieces back together. Why did I wait this long? This feels so good.

  “Dammit,” he hissed as pulled back from me as though he was burned. “This isn’t right.”

  It was like falling into an ice bath, and the wonderful, euphoric feeling dissipated like gas. “What?”

  His face was hot and bothered, his lips still slightly swollen. He held my face in his hands very gently and stroked my cheek with his thumb. “I really, really want to, Jessica. But it’s not right. You’re an employee.”

  “To hell with that! I want this, too.”

  He shook his head resignedly and moved away from me. I think he wanted to distance himself as much as possible. “I need to do something—”

  He leapt up from the couch, clearly terrified by how close he had come to losing control. Luke dashed out of sight and I was left with the searing heat of his hands all over my flesh, slowly fading away.

  LUKE PARDINI CAUGHT IN FOOTBALL MATCH BRAWL

  Under the bold headline was a rather impressive photo of Luke clocking the West Ham supporter with a terrific right hook.

  Years of boozing finally seems to be catching up to young Luke Pardini, as he was caught fighting a West Ham supporter earlier today at Boleyn Ground.

  Not wanting to read anymore, I set down Brandon’s smart phone. Luke leaned back into his chair and his cheeks filled with air, looking like he was past caring about anything at all. A small bruise bloomed on his cheek, but I managed to cover most of the damage using my makeup.

  I didn’t forget about what happened earlier. I could barely pay attention to the conversation; my mind kept obsessing over how amazing Luke’s tongue had felt and how close we had come towards really hot sex. I felt my chest burn in precisely the same area where his lips had sucked my breast. I clenched my fists under the table.

  Luke gave no impression that he was thinking of the same thing. He raised an eyebrow at me, probably wondering why I was staring at him.

  “Whatever happens, happens,” he said dully as the waiter set down three dripping mugs of cider in front of us.

  “Cheers,” Brandon said to the waiter. He swiveled his concerned gaze to Luke, who picked up his mug and gulped it down.

  I looked down at the golden liquid and took a sip. It was wonderfully crisp and light, like apple juice but not as sweet, with a slight kick of alcohol. This will go great with the pie. We were in a tavern in London that apparently made great savory pies. I had the impression that this was one of Luke’s favorite spots to eat in London, and that Brandon was on a mission to cheer him up.

  It’s time to change tack. “How did you two become friends?”

  A slow smile spread across Brandon’s face. “Well, we went to the same boarding school. We were in the same year and both of us had an affinity for Pokémon cards. We used to play all the time.”

  I snorted into my cider and even Luke smiled apologetically. “That’s so weird. I did the same thing with my best friend, Natalie. We didn’t have the cards, though. We just played on our Gameboys.”

  “We also played Dungeons and Dragons.”

  This time, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “Oh my God. That’s so nerdy.” I gave Luke a playful swat on his leg. “This is the kind of juicy gossip I would expect on a tabloid. It’s a lot more shocking than reading about you punching out someone. Dungeons and Dragons!”

  He gave me a thin smile and zeroed in on me. “How did you both meet?”

  My insides froze as I tried not to glance at Luke. Well, shit. We had never come up with a rehearsed plan and my brain moved rapidly, trying to think of a quick, believable lie. Fuck!

  “It was a support group,” I blurted. “F—for people with abusive parents.”

  A stunned silence followed my words and my face radiated heat. Oh, God. Why did I say that? I clutched Luke’s hand under the table and winced at the force of his fingers wrapped around my palm. I desperately hoped that my utter fear would be seen as humiliation from admitting something so private. Luke’s going to kill me.

  Brandon was a gentleman to his core. If he felt any sort of stunned disbelief, he kept it to himself. Nothing showed on his face except polite interest. “That’s really, well—”

  “Yeah,” I said too quickly. “We just started talking and we realized that we had so much in common.” I gave Luke a quick glance. He wore an expression appropriate to being clubbed over the head. “I’m sorry, baby. I know you like to keep these things private, but I figured that since Brandon was an old friend, it would be fine.”

  “It is fine,” he said in a voice that implied otherwise.

  I grimaced at Brandon, who almost looked sorry for me. “I just don’t know what to tell people when they ask, you know? I’m just a normal person from the Bay Area. Lots of people look at me and him and they don’t really get it.”

  Luke stood up abruptly and my hand slipped from his grasp. He gave me one look of extreme disapproval before announcing that he was going to the loo.

  “Oh, shit,” I whispered as Luke stormed from the table and I hid myself in my hands. “He’s going to be so mad at me.”

  Brandon awkwardly patted me on the back, but when I looked up his face was full of sympathy for me. The pain twisting my guts loosened slightly.

  “Luke’s a pretty private person, but I’m really glad he’s going to this support group with you. He really needs it. Don’t tell him I said that,” he added.

  “No, of course not.” Guilt squirmed inside me. Even his friends could see how badly his father was tormenting him.

  “He’s always been a great friend, but he’s never really been very happy. It’s hard to when you have a dad like his.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should be talking to Brandon like this, but I couldn’t resist. “Maybe it runs in the family,” I said, thinking of his mother’s suicide.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just glad he has someone who has gone through the same thing. He’s my best mate and I want him to be happy. I’m sorry if I came off a bit standoffish when we first met; I wasn’t sure about you. A lot of girls are usually only with him for the money, but you’re not like any of the girls he’s been with.”

  The guilty feeling in my stomach doubled and I half-heartedly returned his beaming smile. I am with him for the money—sort of. I didn’t like lying to him, and I battled an overwhelming urge to confess and tell him the whole truth. He wouldn’t tell anyone. My fingers moved restlessly around the glass mug. Luke would be very upset. I stamped down on my urge to tell Brandon and looked down. For the first time, I felt really guilty about this whole arrangement. How many people would I have to lie to? I hoped that they weren’t as nice as Brandon.

  “What’s his father like?”

  “I’ve only seen him a few times, really. To me, he seemed polite. Maybe a bit cold. That’s quite normal, though. I know everything about him through what Luke has told me, and he has told me some terrible things. It’s not just him, though. It’s the cousins and his uncle. The
y all want a piece of Luke’s inheritance and they’ll do anything to get it.”

  My fingers were white around the handle of the mug. “Can’t he get power of attorney over his father?”

  Brandon shook his head.

  What a mess, I thought. Part of me wondered whether it would be such a horrible thing if Luke’s father wrote him out of his will. Sure, he’d lose his inheritance, but didn’t he have a great deal of money in his bank account already? Didn’t he have millions of dollars worth of property? How many millions does one need, anyways? At least he’d be out of his father’s influence for good, and he would never have to stress about his family trying to usurp his inheritance.

  “Would it be the worst thing in the world if he lost it? Wouldn’t it be good to be out of his father’s hair once and for all?”

  He stared at me with a shocked expression as if I had suggested that we boil Luke’s head. “What—give up his legacy? Are you mad?”

  I shrugged and my face went a bit pink. “It’s just—I would be happy with a million dollars. Why does anyone really need that much money?”

  “It’s not about the money.”

  Bullshit. I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s totally about the money. Look, I understand. Losing that kind of money would make anyone crazy.”

  “It’s not about the money. It’s his inheritance. He deserves it. He’s earned it. The money might go to people who don’t deserve it, who aren’t even affiliated with the company at all.”

  Despite his assurances to the opposite, I still didn’t think Luke would be as motivated if his inheritance was a few thousand dollars. How does one earn five billion dollars? You can’t. Mr. Pardini could do whatever he wanted with his money. Still, it was an asshole move to deliberately shove your only son out, especially when he had worked so hard his whole life for his father’s approval.

  Hell, who am I kidding? He does deserve it. Luke worked his whole life expecting to take his father’s mantle. To have it ripped out of his hands when this line of work was the only one he knew would be downright cruel.