Royal Playboy: The Prince's Choice Read online

  Royal Playboy

  The Prince’s Choice #1

  By: Leila Haven

  Published by Smutpire Press

  Copyright 2016 All Rights reserved

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  Chapter 1

  Richard

  ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉

  These women all wanted me. Whether they would admit it or not, they did. Their made up faces, their heavy perfume, their dresses that pushed their half exposed tits up to their neck… they were all little things hoping to grab my attention.

  What they didn’t realize was that I wanted someone different.

  If my parents wanted to demand that I marry, the least they could do would be to provide me with women that I could actually like.

  “You need to make a decision soon,” my mother said as we walked through the dancing crowd. The women all keeping an eye on me to see if I happened a glance in their direction so they could preen accordingly.

  “I don’t see what the rush is, Mother. It’s not like the crown will be on my head anytime soon.”

  “Sooner than you think.” She slapped at my arm playfully. “The crown needs an heir too, do you think that happens overnight? We have to get these things underway, otherwise instability will creep into the palace and we all know that we can’t have that.”

  She made a pointed look at my father, sitting on his throne while he oversaw the ball. His illness showed on his face even though he tried to hide it. There was paleness in his sallow cheeks that wasn’t there just months ago.

  He would be lucky to see the year out.

  Then the crown of the Kingdom of Illium would pass to me and I would become King. It wasn’t something I’d ever wanted and the walls were starting to press in on me. At first it was just taking on extra duties to lighten my father’s load. Then it was making more public appearances. The latest was this ridiculous quest for a wife.

  But, that was with good reason.

  The laws stated that I must have a wife in order to take the crown. If my father died and I was still single, my uncle would step in and accept the position. The man was a fool, there was no way any of us wanted that to happen.

  I didn’t want to be burdened with a wife either. And I certainly didn’t want to continue on with these infernal social gatherings so the women could prance about and throw themselves at me.

  It’s not like it was difficult getting women as a prince, especially around the kingdom. But I could always just leave after I’d had my fun. Staying until the morning was something I had never done before.

  Just the thought of being married was enough to make my cock soft. Sticking with the same woman was definitely not my thing. Unfortunately, this kingdom didn’t tolerate adultery so having a mistress – or several – was not permitted. If they caught a whiff of scandal, the people would stop supporting us and our reign would be over.

  “Mingle,” my mother said like it was a warning. “Speak to as many as you can tonight and make a decision. Otherwise, I will make it for you and you probably won’t like my selection.”

  Mother’s idea of a wife and mine were completely different. She was right, I wouldn’t agree with her decision. She would choose for long term and I could barely see past tomorrow.

  Looking around at all the beautiful faces watching me discreetly, I just couldn’t believe that I would have to marry one of them. I could have easily taken any of them to bed. If I had some more to drink, I would be able to take all of them to bed.

  Choosing just one didn’t seem fair.

  Our walk ended when we reached the two thrones lined side by side at the top of a small platform. I helped my mother into the vacant one. There was no throne for me tonight, I was expected to walk around for the entire night as I continued my search for the one.

  Mother pulled me in close before I could escape. She whispered in my ear, “Start dancing or the night is going to be gone before we know it. Don’t forget what is at stake here, Richard.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  She patted my hand before letting it go. I surveyed the room and tried to find a good hiding spot. How was a man supposed to pick one in a single evening? What if she turned out to be a bitch beneath a smiling face? Or worse, what if she didn’t know how to fuck me properly? Unfortunately, every inch of the ballroom was filled with smiling people. I needed a drink.

  And a cigarette.

  And a naked woman who didn’t care about marriage.

  Anything to get me out of this room and out of the spotlight. The collar of my tuxedo was too tight, a physical manifestation of the noose I felt around my neck.

  Fuck this.

  I was in no mood to find a wife tonight and I was quickly losing patience with the whole thing. What were the chances I would find happiness with one of these women, anyway? All they wanted was the crown, the money, and the fame. I doubted any of them wanted anything further that I could personally give to them.

  My feet started to head toward the door and I was powerless to stop them. If I timed it right, my parents wouldn’t notice where I’d gone and assume I was speaking with a Potential in the corner.

  I was almost at the door when I had to stop quickly before I ran into someone. My eyes went from the floor and up her blue dress, over the curve of her breasts, and up further until I reached her startled eyes. Her dark hair was upswept and to the side, framing her gorgeous face.

  “My apologies,” I said politely, even though she was equally at fault for the near-collision.

  “No harm done,” she replied before hitching up her long dress and moving out of my way. She didn’t give me a second glance as she walked off.

  It had been a long time since someone had so blatantly disregarded me like that. With the booze and cigarette forgotten, I turned and scanned the room for the woman.

  Her dark hair bobbed amongst all the others, standing out for some reason that I couldn’t fathom. She was slightly smaller than most of the other women, yet my gaze stuck with her anyway.

  That was different.

  I hurried after her, wondering how she could move so quickly when she was so small. My legs were much longer than hers, I should have easily been able to catch up to her.

  Finally, she stopped to type on her cellphone and I was able to reach her. “I don’t think I introduced myself,” I started, holding out my hand to her. “I’m Richard. But please call me Rick.”

  She looked from my face to my hand before she shook it. “Melody. And I know who you are. It’s a bit hard not to know you. Not when I’ve seen you on the news every day for my whole life.”

  “And somehow this has made you angry?” I was trying to lighten the mood and cheer her up from whatever was taking her down, but I doubt it worked. She frowned.

  “Yeah, actually it does.” The crinkle in her nose told me she wasn’t joking. I supposed this was one of those people that didn’t appreciate the royal goings-on.

  I wasn’t sure what to say to that. People didn’t really speak to me like she was. It had been a long time since someone had verbally put me into my place.

  A glance back at my parents showed they were watching me with great intent. The queen made a waving gesture to urge me on. She obviously thought this conversation was going much better than it was.

  I turned to the woman, so absolutely gorgeous and mean all at the same time. My lips quirked into a forced smile. “Would you care to dance?”

  She once again looked at my extended hand before she replied. “Am I allowed to say no or would that be considered treason?”

/>   “Treason, of course. With a mandatory jail sentence, I believe.” For some reason, the more she tried to pull away from me, the more I wanted to dance with her.

  Go figure.

  “I guess I have no choice then. Let’s get this over and done with.” She took my hand and allowed me to lead her onto the dance floor.

  Because it was a ball, we were expected to stick with one of the classic dances. A waltz would have been acceptable, but I’d never cared for it. The foxtrot was much more my style.

  I waited for a beat in the music and then commenced, bringing Melody closer into my hold than would normally have been appropriate.

  Up close, I could see the brown flecks in her gray eyes. They were glittering with some kind of emotion that I couldn’t quite read. It was probably anger or annoyance but I couldn’t be entirely sure.

  For now, we were dancing and my parents were watching, so at least I was scoring some points with them. That was one thing accomplished, at least.

  “I’m sensing you really don’t want to be here tonight,” I said as we moved around the ballroom floor. She danced very well for someone that wasn’t raised royalty. All the princesses I’d been forced to dance with over my lifetime had always been the same – perfect down to the last beat. We were all taught from an early age how to dance.

  Her eyes flicked up to meet mine and they would have shot lasers at me if she had a super power. “No, I don’t want to be here tonight. But I didn’t really have a choice, did I?”

  “You could have said no.”

  “When all the single women in the kingdom were summoned tonight? I didn’t see the part on the invitation that allowed me to say no on the RSVP.”

  I had not been involved in any of that process, but she probably didn’t want to hear that. Instead of fighting her, it was better if I just agreed. It was how I was feeling anyway, after all.

  “You’re not alone with not wanting to be here. This whole this is ridiculous.”

  “Are you kidding? You should love all this. Every single woman here wants to get in your pants and have your babies. That’s a guy’s version of paradise.”

  “Maybe not the babies part,” I said. Finally, I made her smile, even if it was only a small one. I would take that and run with it. “Do I get points if I admit that I wish to have a relationship that wasn’t so… superficial?”

  She looked at me with disbelief all over her face. “Yeah right, you’re looking for a soul mate?”

  I dipped her backwards as I noticed at least a dozen people watching us intently. I pulled her even closer this time. “I’d like someone that wants more than to just hold a title and bank balance.”

  She was quiet after that confession. Somehow I had managed to render her speechless. I was used to that with other women, but this time it felt exceptionally satisfying.

  We continued to dance, swaying around the dancefloor like we owned it. It was so crowded that moving was difficult and elbows collided with others more often than not. My mother really had made sure to invite half the country to the ball.

  “So why don’t you just not get married,” Melody said, breaking our silence. “You’re a prince, it’s not like you can get arrested for staying single or anything.”

  It was possible to count on one hand how many people knew about the situation at the palace. My father’s quickly declining health and the law that would prevent me from inheriting the crown, were both covered up with the maximum amount of secrecy.

  For anyone watching on the outside, this great wife hunt probably seemed ludicrous. Still, I couldn’t admit that. “I’m thirty-two-years-old. You know how parents get when they don’t have grandchildren yet with a son my age. Being a prince makes that even worse.”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  She didn’t believe me.

  But the song ended and we were interrupted while we applauded the orchestra that played in the corner. Only a moment later I looked around to ask her to continue dancing with me.

  She was gone.

  No matter how much I looked, I could not see her dark hair bobbing in the crowd as she tried to get away from me.

  Melody was absolutely nowhere to be seen.

  Another woman stepped in my way, all white teeth and desperate eyes. “Could we dance, Prince Richard? Please?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer as she wrapped herself around me and sunk her claws in.

  I wondered what I said that made Melody run off like that. It was probably the first time in my life that I wasn’t the one running away. This was definitely different.

  Chapter 2

  Melody

  ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉

  Thank goodness I had gotten away from him. I may have been forced to come to this ridiculous ball, but they couldn’t make me dance with him too.

  I’d done my duty, I’d met him. Now, I would be able to forget about the prince and return to my normal life. Getting out of the city and away from all this glitz and glamor couldn’t happen quickly enough.

  I headed toward the gates, having to hold my long dress up so it didn’t drag on the cobbled ground. It was borrowed from my aunt and I didn’t want to return it with any damage. If my aunt had just been that little bit shorter, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

  The hotel room with its soft bed and warm furnishings were beckoning to me and I couldn’t wait to throw these ridiculous heels on the ground and relax. When I returned, I could take a hot shower and slip into my comfortable pajamas.

  Then tomorrow I could go home.

  As I approached the gates, I noticed a pair of uniformed men standing guard. The king and queen seriously had a warped view of what constituted voluntary. I guessed that to ensure all the ladies remained at the palace, the gates surrounding it were barred shut.

  I shuffled over to them as quickly as I could. “I’d like to leave, please.”

  The guard was dressed in a perfectly fitted red suit, complete with his black dress helmet. “The gates will be opened at midnight. Until then, I suggest you enjoy the prince’s company.”

  He smiled and I wanted to hit him.

  You didn’t argue with a King’s Guard so there was nothing more for me to do except return to the ballroom. Although, sitting out in the courtyard in silent protest sure sounded good too.

  Until the guard shooed me away.

  I wished for better shoes as I trudged all the way back to where I had come from only minutes earlier. My brow was starting to sweat from the effort but I didn’t care if anyone else noticed.

  Midnight seemed a hell of a long way away.

  I didn’t even look for the prince when I entered the ballroom. All I wanted was a chair to sit on and count down the minutes until I could go.

  Thankfully, a row of them were by the wall on one side. The decadent food was laid out on the opposite side. I went by that table first, grabbing a few bites to eat while I waited. If I had to be bored, at least being bored with food was slightly more bearable.

  There were so many single women in the room and the desperation reeking from them was like an overbearing perfume. Everybody wanted the prince to choose them. I mean, why not? A life of being adored by the public, unlimited cash, pushing out a royal heir, and the prince wasn’t bad looking.

  Everybody back home said I was extremely lucky to be in the pool of possible princesses. I didn’t see it that way. When you receive a letter stating that you must interrupt your normal life to attend what was essentially a great big speed date for the prince, you tend to think it would be better not to be on that list.

  I had a job, a life. I wasn’t planning on leaving all that to be a baby basket for the heir. I had better things to do with my life than be a showpiece.

  Although, watching the prince as he danced with a redhead, I could see the attraction to him. Rick, the reluctant king-in-waiting, had charisma that oozed from his pores. When he smiled, you felt special, even if it was through a photographer’s lens and printed in a magazine.

  And those
eyes.

  They could melt steel.

  One glance into those piercing baby blues and you could get lost in them. As hard as it was to admit, he affected me in physical ways that made me at least a little curious what was under that nicely fit tux.

  The smile he was giving the woman he was dancing with wasn’t all that convincing. He wasn’t doing a very good job of faking it this time. Perhaps he was tired, perhaps he was being honest when he said he didn’t want to be here.

  But, come on. Hundreds of women, all ready to submit to him in an instant. How could he not be enjoying himself? He wouldn’t be a guy if he wasn’t.