by Jessica Ashe
“You can’t. And that’s okay. I don’t mind any more. Being a princess is probably overrated anyway. It’s like what you were saying about being a prince; you don’t have any say over your life and spend your entire time cutting ribbons.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” George said slowly. “Maybe it won’t be that bad. The royal family isn’t as important these days, so I’ll have more freedom, and I can raise tons of money for charity. It might even be enough to make a difference one day.”
“That’s great,” I replied weakly. “So you want to be a prince?”
“I thought that’s what you wanted? You thought I was crazy for giving it up.”
“I know. And I’m glad you’re considering it. Just promise you’ll think about it before making a decision.”
“I will. Speaking of being blue-blooded and all that, I have to go get a DNA test today. Why don’t you hang out with your friends?”
“They’re back up in York.”
“Actually, they’re in London, and they’re going to be meeting you for lunch at the top of the Shard in an hour.”
“They are?”
“Yep. Do you have the best husband or what?”
“Thank you.” I kissed him on the cheek and then jumped out of bed to get showered and dressed.
Meeting the girls was just what I needed right now. My head was a mess, and I could rely on them to set me straight. Brutal honesty over an expensive lunch was just what the doctor ordered.
“I can’t work out why you’re so glum,” Ellie said as she poured through the wine list. I knew for a fact she was just looking for the most expensive one, but I would have done the same thing.
“Yeah,” Dani agreed. “It seems like you’re living the dream. George wants to accept his role as a prince. I never really paid much attention to all that Kings and Queens stuff in school, but I’m pretty sure that would make you a princess. I even saw an article the other day that said you and George should already be King and Queen. Sounds good in my book.”
I looked around to make sure there was no risk of our conversation being overheard. We were relatively safe. Not only had George reserved us a table, he’d also paid for every other table in the near vicinity to be taken out of commission. Other than watching out for waiters approaching, we could talk as we pleased.
“It’s not a real marriage, remember,” I reminded the girls. “We just signed a piece of paper and always planned to get divorced once the marriage was no longer necessary.”
“Sounds like a real marriage to me,” Dani said. “That’s how my parents did it.”
“You two are getting on okay though?” Ellie asked. “In all the photos, you two look like a real couple. Anyone would think you really were sleeping together.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. The red blush spreading across my face told the whole story.
“You dirty girl,” Dani said far too loudly. “I’m so proud of you right now.”
“What was it like?” Ellie asked.
“What do you mean ‘what was it like?’”
“I don’t know. Was it different being with a prince?”
“He didn’t wear a crown while we did it. Although…”
“Spill the beans,” Dani insisted.
“He was a lot… larger than any other man I’ve been with.”
Ellie and Dani both purred with pleasure, before the waiter came and snapped them out of it.
“I’ll have a chicken salad,” I said to the waiter once the girls were done ordering their food and enough drink to last all day.
“Would you like the lunch version, or a large dinner plate?” the waiter asked.
“Large, please,” I replied.
“Yeah, she’s all about the large portions these days,” Dani said, as she giggled with Ellie.
“Come on then,” Ellie said. “What’s the problem? He’s a prince, he has a big dick, and he wants you to be his princess. I’m not about to do a charity fun-run for you at this rate.”
Ellie had a point. No one would have any sympathy for me. All the public would see was some American girl who had come in and bagged herself a prince. When the pictures of me came out, some people would pretend to feel bad for me, but really they’d all be loving it. I’d be getting brought back down to Earth.
The only people I could count on for sympathy were Ellie and Dani.
“Have either of you two ever sexted with guys?” I asked.
“Well, yeah,” Ellie replied. “Of course.”
“I sent one a minute ago while you were ordering food,” Dani said. Her phone vibrated shortly after as if to prove the point. “See.”
Someone called Mike had replied with a paragraph of sexual excitement.
I want to take my fingers out of your pussy, and slide them into your mouth so you can taste your juices. Then I’m going to slide my tongue inside—
“Okay, I don’t need to read any more of that. Does he know you’re at lunch?”
“No, he thinks I’m naked in bed fingering myself something stupid.”
“Do you want help crafting a sexy message for George?” Ellie asked.
“God no,” I replied. “There’s no shortage of dirty stuff in my brain. What about photos and things like that. Have you ever sent them?”
“Yeah,” Ellie said. “Although I wish I hadn’t. I hate knowing they’re out there.”
“I’ve never done that,” Dani said.
“You haven’t?” I asked in surprise. “I mean, I’m glad you didn’t send one of them while we were ordering food, but I have to admit, I’m surprised.”
“I’m not sending nude photos to a guy. If they want to see it, they can come and get it.”
“Well I sent some,” I said. “And not to George.”
I told the girls how I’d sent photos to Stan and how he had a few video clips of us in compromising positions. Then I mentioned the email.
“That little sod,” Ellie cursed. “I can’t believe he would do that.”
“Yeah, well you don’t know him.”
“How were you ever engaged to such a creep?” Dani asked.
“I was young. Didn’t know any better. I would have married him if I didn’t find out on my wedding day that he’d cheated on me with my best friend. And quite a few of my other friends as well.”
“Fucking hell,” Ellie cursed again. “So if George decides to formally become a prince, you’ll have to pay Stan off?”
“That’s about the gist of it,” I said.
“Could you get the police involved?” Ellie asked.
“I guess. But I’m sure the pictures will leak if I do that.”
For once the girls were silent. They had no suggestions or easy ways to get out of the problem, but at least they didn’t blame me for the mess I’d gotten myself into.
“You have to tell George,” Ellie said eventually. “He needs to know. This affects him almost as much as it does you, and he’ll want to help.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“You need to trust him.”
It was trust that had gotten me into this problem in the first place. Trust in a fiancé who ended up betraying me.
Now I had to take that step again.
I trusted George, but he’d been acting strangely lately. I knew he cared for me, but he also cared about his sister and nephew. If I got in the way of them… well, I knew who he would put first.
The only good thing to come from my relationship with Stan was that it had forced me to move to England where I’d met George. Now I had to face the reality that I might once again be abandoned by the man I loved.
The first time had nearly broken my heart. If George abandoned me now, it might just deal the fatal blow.
Chapter Twenty-Four
George
So far, thanks to Harry’s efforts, the mainstream media had given me space outside of the official public appearances, but I didn’t know how long that would continue. I also knew that certa
in outlets were prone to taking extreme steps to get scoops, and frankly it was best not to trust any of them. That meant not using my phone for any conversation I hoped to keep private.
I picked up a pre-paid phone from a newsagent, loaded it with enough credit to make a long international call, and then dialed the number for Tabitha. She wouldn’t answer, but I could leave a message and—
“Hello?”
“You’re not supposed to answer calls from unknown numbers,” I scolded.
“Oh give over,” she replied. “I’m quite capable of hanging up if a reporter calls. Stop panicking.”
How could I not panic? If anything happened to them, it would all be my fault.
“I’ve seen you on the television,” Tabitha said. “A lot. I thought you were going to keep a low profile.”
“I was.” But then I got tempted by the dark side. “We decided to go out in public together, and then the rest just sort of… happened.”
“You both look the part. I’d never know the relationship was fake. It is still fake, right?”
“The marriage is fake,” I replied.
“Hmm… interesting choice of words.” I really needed to become a better liar. “You still plan to get divorced soon?”
“At some point, yes.”
How could I ever divorce Sophia? Pre-planned or not, it felt like one of the stupidest things a human could do. When you convinced a woman like Sophia to marry you—regards of the circumstances—you didn’t just go and get a divorce. You clung on for dear life and rode out the wave for as long as possible.
“You’re going to break her heart,” Tabitha said solemnly.
“I’d never do that.”
“You might not realize you’re doing it, but that’s what’s going to happen.”
“This has all been planned since—”
“I don’t care about your plan, George, and neither does she. I see the way she looks at you when you two are together. She’s either one hell of an actress, or she’s not playing your little game.”
“It’s not a game,” I snapped. “This is serious, and we both know it. In fact, I’ve been thinking about ignoring the inheritance and becoming a prince.”
“What? Why?”
“I can raise a small fortune for charity as a prince, and I’m sure I can work out a way to funnel money to you and Liam for any therapy you need. In the long run, that has to be better than claiming my inheritance.”
“Is Sophia okay with that?”
“Yeah, I’m sure she will be.”
“So you haven’t asked her?”
“She’d be a princess. Who wouldn’t want that? That’s what she deserves.”
“Just promise me you’ll check with her first, before you go storming off and making all the decisions. You’ve brought her into this mess. It’s the least you can do.”
“Okay, I promise. Now put Liam on. I haven’t spoken to that little scamp in ages.”
I’d hoped that organizing lunch for Sophia and her friends would cheer her up a bit, but it hadn’t helped much. She’d been different these last few days; distant, as if she always had something else on her mind. I kept trying to talk to her about the future, but all I ever got in response was a series of polite nods and murmured ‘okays.’
We went back to York, and Sophia decided to attend classes as normal. No doubt she’d attained some degree of celebrity status in the past week, but for every person who stared at her, two more would pretend she didn’t exist. University students were far too cool for that kind of thing, or so they thought.
Miraculously, I managed to get a degree of privacy in the coffee shop on campus. Admittedly, I sat in a dark corner and hid behind my computer, but I still kept expecting reporters to burst in at any minute. If there was one thing that could be said for students, they did tend to move on quickly. It was no longer ‘cool’ to be obsessed over Sophia and me, so they acted like I wasn’t there. That was just fine with me.
I’d been avoiding the online press as much as possible since this whole thing started, but when I finally looked at the media coverage, I realized why Sophia had been feeling a bit despondent.
There were hundreds of pictures on her online with me, but she was always referred to in a way that made her seem secondary to proceedings. The only detailed articles written about her went into exhaustive detail on her fashion choices, and the opinion pieces weren’t always that kind.
No wonder she didn’t want me to become a prince. The spotlight hadn’t been kind to her so far, and I hadn’t done anything to help.
“I always wondered how Clark Kent managed it, but apparently it’s possible to be incognito in public with just a pair of glasses.”
I looked up and saw Ellie standing over me with a fresh cup of coffee which she placed down in front of me.
“Thanks,” I replied. “I’m going to need that. Sophia doesn’t get out of class for another hour. Any idea how things have been for her today?”
“No,” Ellie replied with a shrug. “But I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“She’s been a little down lately.”
Ellie looked away awkwardly. She knew something. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“It’s about the pictures, isn’t it?” I asked.
Ellie breathed a loud sigh of relief. “I’m so glad she told you about them. I knew you’d understand. Everyone does the sexting thing these days, and she was engaged to the guy at the time.”
I nodded along, teeth gritted tightly, and the blood boiling in my veins, as Ellie kept talking about how unfair it was for women to get such a hard time for sending nude photos even though everyone did it.
Once Ellie went back to work, I finished the coffee—even though it was the last thing I needed—and patiently waited for Sophia to meet me.
Her and I needed to have a little talk.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sophia
I only had an hour until my next class, but as far as George was concerned, that was more than enough time to sneak back to my dorm for a “quick shag” as he would probably describe it.
From the intensity on his face, you’d think it had been a month not a day since we’d last had sex. He practically dragged me up to my room as if his life depending on being inside me.
I wasn’t about to complain.
“What’s this about sex pictures?” George yelled the second the door was shut.
Well that quickly put a dampener on proceedings. How did he know? He’d either been through my email or…
“Which one of them told you?”
“Ellie. It’s not her fault. She thought I knew. Now tell me what the hell is going on.”
For Stan’s sake, I was glad he was in another country, because George looked about ready to kill someone right now. I knew he’d be mad, but I hadn’t expected this.
“My ex-fiancé has pictures—and short video clips—of me. Naked. And doing… stuff.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.”
“He’s threatening to release them and demanding money.”
I wanted to cry, but I had to stay as calm as possible. One of us needed to or this would all blow out of control.
“Have you responded?” George asked.
“No, I’ve just ignored it. It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? How exactly is this not a big deal?”
“He doesn’t know about your inheritance, so he’s only expecting money if you become a prince, which you’re not going to do.”
George paced up and down the small dorm room rubbing his head with his hands and groaning loudly. He looked about ready to punch the wall, and knowing how thin they were, he’d likely go right through it.
Why was he so worked up by this? They were pictures of me not him, and if he wasn’t going to become a prince…
“You’re considering it, aren’t you?” I asked. “You want to become a prince?”
“I could make a difference,” he replied. “We could make a difference. Or at le
ast, we could have done. Fucking hell, Sophia, what were you thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what were you doing sharing naked photos of yourself in the first place?”
“He was my fiancé,” I replied defensively. “Why shouldn’t I? Believe it or not, at the time, I hadn’t planned to leave him at the altar and hook up with a fucking prince.”
“This is going to mess everything up. You shouldn’t have done it.”
“Excuse me? What right do you have to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do with my body? It’s not like your moral code is perfect. You married me for an inheritance remember, so save the fucking lecture.”
George clenched his fists, and kept pacing until he finally calmed down.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arm around me and brought me in for the hug I desperately needed. I could hear his heart still beating fast, but at least he was trying to calm down. “I didn’t mean that. Send me the email and let me deal with it.”
“No,” I replied, keeping my head pressed against his chest. “I don’t want you getting involved.”
He put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me away from his chest, before looking deep into my eyes. “If you think I’m going to let someone threaten you like that and get away with it, then I guess you don’t know me that well.”
“And if you think I’m going to let you incriminate yourself in all this then I guess you don’t know me that well either.”
“It seems we’re at a standoff, Mrs. Whittemore.”
George smiled, but it was a smile covering layers of anxiety, and wasn’t in the least bit reassuring.
“This might all go away,” I said.
“You know Stan. Do you think he’ll drop it?”
I paused, but then shook my head. “Only if you drop out of the limelight. I don’t think he’ll release them for the sake of it, because they are embarrassing for him as well.”
“How so?”
“He wasn’t quite so well-endowed as you, let’s just leave it at that.”
George grinned, and this time it looked like he meant it. You could always make a man happy by complementing his penis. I should remember that.