Royal Playboy: The Prince's Choice Read online

  One thing I’d learned lately: Do not say no to Anna. She had the power to make my life very miserable so it was best to keep her happy.

  “Yes, of course,” I said to her before addressing Mother and Melody. “Please excuse me for a moment.”

  The group of women Anna took me to were nothing special. They quickly lost my interest – mainly because I saw Melody leave my mother and find new women to speak with.

  My cock throbbed between my legs.

  Chapter 4

  Melody

  ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉

  First he presents this ridiculous agreement.

  Then he introduces me to the frickin’ Queen without any kind of warning.

  His Royal Highness, Prince Richard, was a dick. A heartless, thoughtless, annoying, dick. It was no wonder he wasn’t married, he wouldn’t be able to fool a woman that he was worth it for as long as an engagement entailed. Just a few weeks would be his limit.

  A few minutes was my limit.

  He was infuriating.

  But I was stuck here as one of the women eligible for marriage. I couldn’t leave so his deal was actually quite handy. I had a purpose now, something to focus on instead of being bored out of my mind by all these events.

  He wouldn’t give me the million dollars, of course. It was just another one of his ruses to make me do his dirty work. I would do it, but I never expected to be useful or receive compensation.

  Maybe, for some fun, I should steer him toward some women he would hate. At least then he would know how I really felt about him.

  I spotted a woman I hadn’t spoken with and headed in her direction. She was blond and beautiful, standing alone with a cupcake in her hand. I made sure to pick one up along the way.

  “Hi, I’m Melody.”

  She seemed a little shocked that someone was talking to her. “I’m Amy.”

  “The food is good here, isn’t it?” Making conversation wasn’t something I was exceedingly good at. But at least it wasn’t a lie.

  “It’s too dry for me. They needed to put more butter in. For a palace, you’d think they had a better caterer. I hate to think what they’re giving us for dinner tonight.”

  “I thought we’d be able to go home after the garden party?” It was what I assumed, and God, did I hope I was right and she was wrong. I needed to tell Helen about the deal, she was going to laugh her head off.

  “For some of us, there is a formal dinner. But only a few will be invited, I hear. I have already been asked, that’s how I know about it. The prince had chosen me as someone he’d like to know more.” She said it so haughtily that I wanted to take her down a few levels. If I wasn’t so polite, I might have done just that.

  I probably shouldn’t have said what I did next. “I have already spent time alone with Rick so I guess my invitation will come shortly.”

  She arched one eyebrow at me. “Alone time?”

  “Yeah, we had a very intimate chat earlier.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t really care.” I left her standing there with an open mouth.

  It was really mean of me, I knew that. But something had poked at the bitch in me. The way she was acting like Prince Richard was all hers was annoying. There was no way I would be recommending her when I reported back to him.

  When I turned I practically ran into the woman who had whispered in Rick’s ear earlier before he quickly left me standing alone with the Queen. She was dressed in a skirt suit, her hair pulled back into a tight bun. This woman was all business.

  “May I speak with you alone, Miss Parker?” she said very politely.

  “Sure,” I replied, as if the choice was mine.

  She led me inside the palace but didn’t speak another word. If she was another woman vying for Rick’s heart, she may be leading me to a trap. Perhaps the other girls had seen us emerge from the maze earlier and wanted to make sure I was no longer in the running.

  Nothing would surprise me here.

  Inside, the palace was beautiful. High arched ceilings, sumptuous tapestries on the wall, and thick rugs underfoot. It was everything I could have asked of a royal palace.

  The woman stopped at a door. “This way please, Miss Parker.” She gestured for me to go inside and closed the door after us, trapping me in. “My name is Anna Wilkinson and I have been tasked with assisting His Royal Highness in finding a life partner. I am working very closely with him to keep him on track and focused on the task at hand. I would like to ask you a few questions.”

  She sat behind a desk and gestured for me to do the same in the seat across from her. I did, taking in the room. It wasn’t like the palace on the other side of the door. It was a working office, decorated for business and nothing else. It could have been an office in any building in the country.

  I realized too late that I hadn’t answered her. She was staring at me expectantly. “Yes, of course. Questions are fine.”

  “Good. Let’s start with your sexual past.”

  I almost choked on my tongue. “What do you want to know?”

  “How many partners have you had?”

  “Uh, two.”

  “Have you ever done drugs?”

  “No.”

  “Do you have a problem with alcohol?”

  “No.”

  “How strongly do you feel about your career?”

  “I only just finished university, I haven’t been able to get suitable employment yet.”

  “What did you study?”

  “I majored in humanitarian issues.” I felt like I was on a game show and was terrified of saying the wrong thing. Anna was scary with her bird-like gaze and constant tapping on her keyboard. She was taking notes as we spoke.

  She laughed when she heard my college major. “So you’d like a career in international affairs, while in the country?”

  “I was hoping for a job with a charitable organization or something similar.”

  “Right.” She typed really fast then, entering details into her computer with furious speed. “Do you want children?”

  “I guess, someday. I haven’t really given it much thought.”

  “You are twenty-three years old, correct?”

  “Correct.”

  “And you’ve never considered children?”

  It felt like I’d done something wrong. If Anna didn’t like me, I would be out of the running to be the next princess and then I wouldn’t be able to continue with my deal with Rick.

  Being sent home was suddenly something I didn’t want to do. For reasons I wasn’t entirely sure of in the moment.

  I needed to start saying the right things. “I’m sure I will be very blessed to have children. As many as possible.”

  Anna actually smiled. “Are you a discreet person?”

  “I’d like to think so.”

  “I have checked your social media profiles and you don’t post very often.”

  “I’m private. I don’t feel the need to post selfies every five seconds. I mainly only have the accounts so I can keep up with my friends and family.”

  “Have there been any scandals in your family?”

  “No.” Unless you counted Uncle Ray dressing his naked body in tinsel and running through the center of town when he got drunk last Christmas. It wasn’t like it made the newspapers.

  “Okay, I think we are done here. Thank you for your time, Miss Parker.”

  “Did I pass?”

  “Pass what?”

  “Never mind.” She probably would have to study the data intensely before she could answer anyway. At least I was now able to get out of her clutches.

  I had made it all the way to the door when her voice stopped me. “Please join us for dinner tonight at seven. Dress formally.”

  So I was invited to the secret dinner party. I shouldn’t have been excited about that fact, but I was. It meant I had passed her test.

  The garden party was all but over when I rejoined the others. I caught a glimpse of Rick speakin
g with the blond woman and it was enough to make me want to leave.

  Hopefully the gates would be open.

  I grabbed another cupcake and started toward the exit, wishing the palace wasn’t so damn big so I could disappear quicker. I needed a shower and to get dressed for the dinner, it would take a while to make myself presentable enough.

  The garden gave way to a large courtyard. All I had to do was cross it and then I would be back on normal, common, land.

  A light touch to my back stopped me. I spun around quickly to see Rick there. “Where are you going?”

  “Back to my hotel.”

  “Could I interest you in something I think you might like?” He was so goddamn charming, and he knew how devastating his smile was.

  Ugh. I wanted to say no, I really did. But my mouth still said something different. “I suppose so.”

  “Great! Come with me.”

  Chapter 5

  Melody

  ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉ ҉

  I followed Rick back into the palace. I couldn’t help staring at everything we passed. Full suits of armor lined one of the corridors and if you looked away from them, you could swear they moved.

  “This is the oldest part of the palace. It was built in the fourteen hundreds,” Rick explained. The next King of Illium was actually giving me a tour of his home.

  Me.

  He was giving it to me.

  He took me through so many rooms and down so many ancient, cobbled staircases that I quickly lost track of where we were. Looking at the palace from the outside, I knew it was massive. But inside was like a labyrinth. I would need a map to get through it again and find the exit.

  “Does it feel weird that this is your home?” I asked, unable to maintain my manners and only speak when spoken to. Rick had a way of making me feel equal to him, free to speak as I liked.

  “Sometimes. But this is all I know. If I were to live in a regular house, it would feel weird.”

  “What about when you went to boarding school?”

  “It was just as large and old as this place. I felt quite at home there.” He flashed me a cheeky smile. “I quickly found all the secret tunnels and shortcuts to get around.”

  “Does this place have secret tunnels?”

  “It certainly does. Would you like to see one?” I nodded eagerly. “Follow me.”

  Again, we wound through rooms and Rick told me fascinating facts about the paintings or the rug. Even the candlesticks had stories. How he remembered it all, I didn’t know.

  We reached what could only be described as a library when Rick stopped in front of a bookcase. “Now here’s the secret.” He pushed the bookcase aside, revealing a secret tunnel hidden behind it.

  It was smaller than I expected, it only had enough room for me to walk comfortably; Rick had to crouch slightly. But the lack of cobwebs told me that it probably wasn’t as secret as Rick would have liked me to believe.

  The light in the tunnel came from skylights outside. Some were little more than slits, others were the size of small windows. A flashlight would have come in handy down there.

  Rick stayed close, either because he wanted me to be that way, or he didn’t want me getting lost in the winding tunnel. I couldn’t read him well enough to know.

  The tunnel eventually came to a halt at a wall.

  Or, what appeared to be a wall.

  Rick pushed on it and it gave way easily, revealing a room behind it. I was glad to be out of the enclosed tunnel. He may have grown up in a cave but I preferred wide open nature.

  The room was large – no surprises there. It also had a four-poster bed sitting in the middle of it, draped with curtains. It was unmade, the sheets splayed everywhere.

  “Welcome to my room,” Rick announced.

  “That makes sense.”

  “What does?”

  “The tunnel looked well trafficked. The fact that it ends in your bedroom explains it all – you use it to bring up all your conquests so your parents don’t keep count.”

  “You think you know me so well,” he said.

  “I’ve seen the tabloids.”

  Rick laughed. “And they are known for their accuracy. How about you do me a favor and forget all your prejudices and just start to get to know me? Me, as I am.”

  I instantly felt bad about the comment. Perhaps I had misjudged him. He did have a point about the tabloids. “Fine,” I said somewhat sarcastically. “It’s all wiped.”

  “Good. Now, I don’t know about you but I am tired from all that walking.” He stalked over to the bed and flopped onto it. I followed, standing next to the huge piece of furniture.

  “Don’t you have someone to make your bed for you?”

  “I like the messy look.”

  I couldn’t stop my eyes from rolling. “Sure you do.”

  He patted the space next to him. “Why don’t you join me?”

  I shouldn’t have.

  My instincts said not to.

  But I did it anyway. I laid next to him, the huge bed allowing plenty of space between us. I half-expected a mirror on the ceiling, but there was a wood carving that covered the roof instead. It was actually quite tasteful.

  “I bet this bed could tell many tales,” I said.

  Rick rolled over to face me, leaning on his elbow to prop up his head. “So much for starting fresh I guess.”

  I shrugged nonchalantly. “I just call it the way I see it.”

  “Oh, so you’ve seen me fucking all these women then?”

  “I’ve seen the footage.” And what interesting shots they were. His Royal Highness, Prince Richard III had his own sex tape circulating on the internet. It was dark and grainy but you could still see the naked royal ass cross by the screen a few times.

  “That’s not me in the video.”

  “That’s what they all say.”

  “I’m serious.”

  He seemed genuine and I didn’t want to argue with him so I let it drop. “Whatever. I think you’re a very big playboy, my prince.”

  “And what’s your secret sexy past?” he asked, making the question seem salacious. Perhaps it was.

  “Not you too.”

  His brows furrowed. “Someone else has been enquiring about your sexy past?”

  “Yeah, that woman, Anna.”

  “She questioned you?” I nodded. “Why?”

  “I don’t know. If anyone should have the answers, I would have thought it was you.”

  “I know nothing about it. But nicely done, changing the topic.” He smirked, clearly not interested in Anna’s interrogation.

  “I don’t have a secret sexy past. Unlike you.”

  He studied me for a few moments before his lips quirked into a smile that made him look like he had a terribly mischievous plan in mind. “Do you want to know how I make love?”

  “How you fuck?”

  “No, how I make love. There is a very big difference.” He paused before continuing on unbidden. “I take my time, never rushing the process. People think you should get naked as quickly as possible but I don’t agree with them. Disrobing one another should be a cherished ritual, after all, it’s something being shared that no others get to.”

  “Except with the next woman you sleep with,” I added to his little story and earned a dirty look for my comment.

  “I like starting with the top, taking each button in turn and kissing the skin as it becomes exposed. Just one kiss with each button. By the time I reach the last one I am at her stomach and I love watching it flutter as I tickle it with kisses.”

  It was starting to get hot in his room. I looked around but there was no air conditioning. I really needed some coolness for my burning skin.

  I push her blouse off her shoulders, kissing the delicate skin along her collarbone. The way the fabric falls away skims along her skin and gives its own caress. My arms go around her, pulling her into a hug so I can smell her perfume and she can smell my cologne. It’s a treat for the senses. Gently, I lower her backwards until
she is comfortably lying down. I don’t move on straight away, I take the time to work down her body.