Royal Academy

by McKenna James

  When I casually asked him about Poppy, he told me that their families had been friends for generations, and there was nothing to worry about. So why was I worried? Because it seemed too good to be true that a Prince could or would actually be interested in me.

  ***

  I spent most of that night flip-flopping back and forth from euphoria over myself and Drew, to angst at the thought of him just using me to see what being with a poor girl felt like. After all, he did mention to me that he and Clayton had discussed my financial situation and the fact that I wasn’t wealthy. It stung me like a thousand bees when he told me what Clayton had said about me. I had to remember that not everyone got to choose their lot in life; that some things were just dealt to them and they had to make the best of a not so great situation. Besides, I was at university so that I could get a good education and live a different kind of life than that in which I had been brought up. I was going to make something of myself, and I was going to earn a living by actually doing something good for the world, not by exploiting others, like my father had done. No, I was going to make a difference with my life's work.

  ***

  When my alarm went off, I was both excited at the thought of seeing Drew in Professor Haddish's class and irritated that I had to get up and get ready to spend another day in boring classes when I'd rather been in bed, sleeping. I was always like that in the mornings lately. I wasn't resting well due to the fact that all I could seem to think about was the Prince or how I was seeming to fall behind on my studies. It worried me because I knew that if I got bad grades I would definitely lose my scholarships, and that was unthinkable to me. I couldn't fathom not being there at Whitby and not being part of Drew's life.

  Looking into the mirror, I realized that I had changed. I wasn’t the same girl who had moved here one month ago with big dreams and big plans to study hard and ace everything.

  “Eliza Noble, straighten yourself up!” I said to my reflection. “You must get your mind back in the game. You don't have a trust fund to fall back on. You only have yourself to depend on, and no one else is going to take care of you. Now, young lady, get it together!”

  ***

  My pep talk served me well that morning, so much so that when we were in Haddish's class, I fully paid attention for the first time in three weeks. I took notes, tried to catch up on things I knew I had missed, and kept my recorder on so that I could replay his lecture. I couldn't say that I didn't look back at Drew a couple of times, because I did. He barely smiled; I figured mostly because of Clayton's constant eye being on us. But the few times we did make contact, it gave me the reassurance I seemed to be needing.

  “And with that class,” I heard Professor Haddish say, “I bid you goodbye until next week. Have a good weekend, and don't forget to work on those projects. I don't want anyone coming to me the day before they are due and telling me that they didn't have enough time to complete them.”

  I was super happy when he said that we must work on the project because that was the subtle reminder I’d needed to encourage Drew to come over tonight Even though we were “together” secretly, I didn’t want to appear desperate for his time. I smiled as I made my way to him.

  “Hey, you,” I said as I looked into his gorgeous eyes.

  “Hey, I guess you heard what Haddish said?” he winked as he spoke.

  I knew exactly he was getting at, and my heart leaped for joy. I had come to love spending time with him, even if we had to discuss Anthropology.

  “Yes, and I'll be waiting for you. Is there anything special you'd like?” I asked him slyly. I was talking about dinner and/or me.

  He grinned mischievously as if he’d read my mind. “Yes, actually, there is, but I am trying to be good where you're concerned.”

  I giggled a bit. “I will see you at seven then?”

  “Of course,” he said before pausing. “God, I wish I could kiss you right here. You look so beautiful today.”

  “Go ahead then. There's no one stopping you. I certainly wouldn't dream of it.”

  He moved toward, seemingly contemplating the thought, before Clayton's big mouth rang out.

  “Drew! My boy,” he said as he slapped Andrew on the back and gave him a fist bump.

  “Are we on for rugby practice tonight?”

  Drew was hesitant before he answered. “Uh, no. I have to meet with Ms. Noble and work on our project this evening.”

  Clayton looked at me with disgust and sneered. It was clear that he didn’t like me. He turned to Drew. “Don't spend too much time on that side of town. I heard it gets really rough over there, and you never know when a photo may turn up in the tabloids.”

  His disdain for me was apparent, and it hurt, I'd admit. Clayton didn't matter to me because he was a pompous ass whom I would never give the time of day.

  Drew was speechless as Clayton walked away. I could see the hurt in his eyes, but I didn't say anything to try to make it better. He needed to see his best friend for who he really was—a snooty rich jerk with no regard for others.

  “Hey, I'm sorry about that,” Drew said.

  I smiled. “Don't worry about it. You can't help it that he's an ass.”

  He laughed as he threw his head back. “You're absolutely right. I'll see you at seven.”

  ***

  After an hour of studying and getting as far as we could on the project, I put the notebook down and turned toward Drew. He was sitting in his usual spot beside of me on the couch.

  “Well, I guess we're finished for the night,” I said with a sly grin.

  “I suppose we are.”

  “Now what?” I questioned.

  Before I realized what was going on, he had taken my face in both of his hands, and his soft lips pressed to mine. I didn't have to wonder anymore what we would do with the rest of the evening. Drew and I had been making out for the last couple of weeks, and I was loving every minute of it. I had feelings throughout my entire body that I didn't know were even possible to have. I was aching in places that I didn't know existed. Plain and simple, I wanted to be with him, to make love to him.

  “Oh God, you taste so sweet,” he said as he continued to kiss me.

  Hearing those words while our tongues were still intertwined made it even sexier. It was as if he wanted to speak, but he couldn't part from me.

  “You too,” I said while I tried to pull loose from him.

  “Oh no you don't,” he said. “You're not going anywhere.”

  I moved my hand to his chest and rubbed his pecs. He was muscular without being overly bulky. I knew that he worked out every day, and it showed. Bringing my other hand up to his chest, I started to unbutton his shirt, which he didn't seem to mind. I slid both my hands inside and felt his smooth skin.

  Oh God, he felt so good.

  I could feel every ripple and muscle, where each ended and the next began. I allowed my hand to travel down his rock-hard stomach as he plunged his tongue deeper into my mouth. His hands were freely roaming my body, and things were definitely getting hot. I slowly moved down to his crotch where I had a rather huge surprise waiting for me.

  “Mmm,” I moaned as I felt it for the first time.

  Drew gasped. “Oh damn, that feels so good,” he said.

  He finally pulled his hungry mouth from mine and brought his hands to the bottom of my shirt. Lifting it up, he left my bra exposed with all my cleavage spilling out.

  He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again to gaze at me. “Damn, I knew they were going to be beautiful.”

  I smiled. “I'm glad you like them.”

  “Like them? I fucking love them!”

  I reached for the button on his pants when he caught my hand. “NO! We can't,” he said suddenly and quite sternly.

  I was confused. I thought he wanted me as much as I wanted him. “What? Why?”

  He stood quickly and started pacing the floor frantically.

  “You don’t want to be with me?”

  His face contort
ed in disbelief, and I looked down and suddenly realized how ridiculous my question was. Judging by the size of his rather large, hard dick sticking up inside his khakis, his desire for me was obvious. I couldn’t understand why he’d decided to refrain.

  “Does it look like I’m uninterested, Eliza?” He nearly shouted with his arms thrust outward in annoyance.

  He walked over and sat in the chair at my desk, his eyes pinched closed as he took slow and steady breaths. God, he was even more gorgeous than I had imagined he would be. His chest and abs were extremely defined, and his biceps were just the right size. They were perfect; he was perfect.

  “Well, come on then,” I said as I stood and reached behind me to undo the clasp of my bra.

  Just as I was about to release them from their prison, Drew’s eyes popped open, and the ferocious glare he pinned me screamed with painful agony.

  “Eliza,” he said in a pleading tone, “if you go that far, I might not be able to stop myself.”

  He stood and picked up his shirt from the floor in front of me. Turning around so that his back was to me, he spoke in a breathless tone. “Please clasp your bra and get your shirt back on.”

  I did as he asked. I was hurt and confused as I sat on the couch.

  He remained standing, keeping his distance. “Please don't be upset with me.”

  “I don't understand, Drew. It's like you want me, but then again, you don't want me. Does this have anything to do with Clayton?”

  “Of course not! Why would you even think that what is going on here has anything to do with him?”

  I dropped my head. “I’m aware that he doesn't approve of me, and that puts you in a bad spot with him.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed in annoyance. “Listen, Clayton gives me his opinion, and I hear him out, but I do not allow him to rule my life. I don't care who he approves of and whom he doesn't. This is between you and me.”

  He was right. It was between us, just Drew and myself; no one else mattered.

  “Then please explain to me what just happened. I thought it was all going so well.”

  He smiled slightly, and my heart melted. He took the chance to sit beside me, not nearly as close as I preferred, and he turned to face me as he spoke. I looked into my eyes and was almost mesmerized by him.

  “Eliza, I have told you before that I don’t want to rush into anything. We've only known each other for about a month now, and I just don't think we're ready for this.”

  I knew what he was trying to say, but my body was craving his, and I didn't know how to handle it.

  “I know, but I want you so badly, Drew. I'm feeling things in places that I didn't even know I had.”

  He leaned back slightly and wrinkled his brow. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I've never felt things like this before.”

  He brought both of his hands up to his face and rubbed it, slowly bringing them away. “Fuck, Eliza. Are you telling me that you've never been with anyone before?”

  I thought he knew. But then, how could he? I had never mentioned it, and he'd never asked, so there was no way he would know.

  “No, I haven't. I'm a virgin, Drew. I have never even fooled around with anyone before.”

  The look of shock on his face had me puzzled and scared. Would he not want to touch me anymore now that he knew? Would he think I was a prude because I hadn't wanted anyone to touch the most private areas of my body?

  He let out a couple of sighs as if he had just heard the most incredulous news ever.

  “I had no idea. I mean, you're fucking gorgeous as hell. You have the most beautiful breasts that I've ever seen,” he said with a giggle. “You have an ass that would cause a man to go off on himself just by looking at it. Trust me, I know whereof I speak because it almost happened to me one night.”

  I loved hearing him talk about me that way. Hearing him confirm his attraction to me boosted my confidence. Nothing was going as I’d imagined it, but his admission had alleviated my concern. “Then what is stopping you,” I said as I moved closer and ran my hand up the length of his jean-clad crotch.

  He quickly brushed my hand away and stood, once again putting more distance between us. “Eliza, I really can’t … You're a fucking virgin!”

  “So what? I want to be with you,” I pleaded. I couldn’t understand his reluctance. “I didn't think that having sex was going to be this hard,” I said with disbelief. “I mean, if I am as hot as you say I am, then why would you not want to be with me?”

  “That is precisely why I can't be with you.”

  He grabbed his coat from the closet and slide his arms inside. “Do you know how precious that gift is that you have? The man of your dreams is going to truly appreciate it one day.”

  I was speechless, truly mortified and unable to voice a response. “I can't take such a special gift from you until you're truly ready to give it to me.”

  “Drew, you can’t be serious.”

  He turned back to me, his eyes pleading for me to understand. “There aren’t many women left in this world who have that kind of gift to give to their husbands when they marry.”

  “If you want to wait, then we will wait, but I’m ready to be with you.” I smiled at him as he bent down to kiss me. “This is going to be so hard,” I mumbled against his lips.

  He chuckled. “You don't have to tell me how hard it's going to be. I've already been experiencing that each night that I come over and then leave without being with you.”

  I was elated that he wanted to be with me, even though he wasn’t ready to accept my virtue.

  He bent down and gave me a long, soft kiss.

  “You see, this is precisely why I must go,” he said as he pointed to his engorged pants again. He pinched my chin then turned and left.

  I smiled as I closed the door behind him.

  Chapter 11

  Drew

  I took a deep breath as I climbed behind the steering wheel of the Rover. The brisk, cold air had assisted in the general softening, and I was relieved. I’d have to go home and jack off just to get a release.

  Eliza was the sexiest woman I had ever seen, and every part of me was screaming for her. With the added news of her being a virgin, I would have to be more careful when I was with her.

  I had almost let things go too far tonight. She was even more special to me after hearing that she was untouched. It was so hot knowing that she had never allowed anyone to touch her or have her. I was going to be the first to explore all of her and that turned me on, big time. But the timing would have to be perfect. Not just because we both got horny on her couch and decided to fuck right then and there. No, it had to be the most romantic night that a woman could ever dream of.

  I looked down at my phone and noticed that I had sixteen unread text messages. I hadn't heard it ding because I always silenced the ringer when I studied with Eliza. I didn't want anything or anyone interrupting our time together.

  “What the hell?” I said, shocked to see it. “Who has been texting so much?”

  I swiped the screen to see that it was Clayton.

  >>Bro, call me. It's urgent.

  >>Hey, man. Where are you? Call me.

  They were all pretty much the same, just him telling me to call him. The last one was what struck me as odd, given its intensity and strong wording.

  >>Hey, Drew, you little shit. Call me. I have news that you don't want to miss. Where the hell are you?

  What could Clayton possibly have to tell me that was important enough to cause him to text me sixteen times in a three hour period? I knew there was no real family emergency because one of the security guards would have knocked on the door and told me himself.

  He probably wanted to tell me something about him and Antonia and how they screwed in some weird place. They were always trying to outdo themselves and their last spot. He had told me once how he fucked her in the locker room at the country club while her father and his chumps were playing cricket. Another time, t
hey screwed out on the deck of her family's yacht while the staff was on board. Clayton loved shit like that. The excitement and danger of them getting caught made him horny and easier to get him off. Antonia was just as nasty as he was with that shit, and she was always up for anything. I had lost a lot of respect for him when he started dating her; I just didn't tell him.

  Instead of texting him, I called. After two rings, he answered without a greeting. “Where the hell have you been?”

  He was callous, I'd give him that.

  “Hey, man, what is going on?” I returned.

  “Drew, why the hell didn't you answer me? I've fucking texted you all damn night!!”

  “First off, I'm not your bitch that you can just control and tell me when to pick up my phone!” I was angry as hell. No way was that prick going to talk to me like he owned me.

  “Whatever, man. I bet you were with the pauper again. Did you at least get a piece of that?”

  I could feel my blood boiling. I hated that he called her that, but I didn’t feel like getting into an argument with him after I'd had the most amazing night with her.

  “Clayton, fuck off,” I said calmly.

  I knew that our relationship was going to cause a lot of tension with not only Clayton but with my other friends as well. Clayton was sort of the ringleader of the group; whatever he said, seemed to be what the group followed. So if he didn't approve of Eliza, then no one would.