I pounded at her viciously. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought about her comment regarding my downstairs neighbor … now I realized it wasn’t a joke.
I knew the exact moment she came. She made a guttural groan as her legs began to tremble underneath me, and I could feel her pulsating around my cock. It was as if she was milking me.
That was all that I could handle. Watching her pleasure pushed me over the edge, and I felt myself come into her. My balls tensed up and released as I shot rope after rope into her tight pussy.
When I’d finished, I pulled myself out and collapsed on the bed next to her.
We didn’t say anything for a while. I took that to be a good thing. Generally, I liked to leave a woman both speechless and breathless. She seemed to still be catching hers as was I.
Eventually, she rolled over to face me. Even after just coming, I couldn’t stop myself from being amazed by her naked body.
“That was truly fantastic,” she whispered.
“For me too.” I smiled at her.
“You are clearly, uh, very experienced with women…”
“I like to think so.”
I didn’t care if I sounded too full of myself. In that moment, I was full of myself. I’d just made the most beautiful woman I’d ever met orgasm. I was feeling damn good.
She stretched out a bit then sighed.
“I suppose I should get going.”
“Wait? What? Why?” I asked, suddenly shocked.
“Well, I mean, we did do what I came here to do, right?”
She wasn’t kidding when she said she didn’t come here for romance.
This was unusual to me. I didn’t usually sleep with women who were eager to run out the door. On the contrary, they usually overstayed their welcome, sleeping over and then wanting to eat breakfast the next morning.
Oddly enough, though, I wouldn’t mind that with Maggie. Her presence really put me at ease. I was hoping she’d consider staying the night with me. She was someone I’d be happy to eat breakfast with the next day. Hell, I could even take her to work.
“I mean, you don’t have to rush off or anything. I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you out the door.”
She sat up and then got off the bed.
“I don’t feel that way,” she assured me.
“Uh, okay, I guess. Really, feel free to stay as long as you want.”
“Ahh … I see now.” She grinned at me.
“What?” I asked, entirely clueless to her implication.
“You were hoping you’d be able to get in a round two tonight, huh?”
“No, I really was not—"
“Well, I hate to break it to you, but one mind-blowing orgasm is about all I can handle. But thank you. It was fantastic.” She walked over to her dress and slipped it on.
Although, even clothed, all I could think of now was her naked body. I hoped that wasn’t something that would continue. I didn’t want to be eye-balling her as she worked.
“At least let my driver take you home?” I asked.
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll get a car, I do it all the time.”
She grabbed her cell phone and before I could protest anymore, it was clear that she had already requested a car.
“Okay, well … thank you for coming over.”
“Of course. Bye, Edward.”
“Bye, Maggie.”
I listened intently as she walked away from my bedroom. With every step, I considered calling out to her, asking her to consider staying with me. I chickened out.
When I heard her open and shut my penthouse door, I was more than a little disappointed.
I sighed as I threw my hands behind my head and tried to process what had just happened.
I looked over at the other side of my bed and couldn’t help but think about how nice it would be if Maggie was sleeping there.
I thought that sleeping with her would finally get her out of my system but evidently not.
Damn, I had it bad for this one.
Chapter 9
Maggie
I woke up the next morning completely and utterly embarrassed.
I felt like I’d made a fool of myself the night before.
I couldn’t say I necessarily regretted what had happened. The sex was phenomenal, and Edward was amazing.
I didn’t expect for the sex to come with so many … feelings.
If I thought that I was actually going to be attracted to Edward in a way that wasn’t simply physical, I never would have done it. I should have known not to do it anyway. I’d never been great at separating sex from emotion.
I was especially bad at it with this man.
I was attached, and I knew it. Which meant everything we did was a really bad idea because, well, there was no way Prince Edward felt the same.
I wouldn’t expect him to. He made his feelings very clear. We wanted a one-night stand. He was looking for some fun. Those were the conditions I’d agreed to. There was no going back on it in retrospect. I made the choice knowing that it was nothing serious.
Now I wished I hadn’t made it.
I couldn’t be Edward’s fling. I had decided that already. If he ever wanted to hook up again then it was most certainly going to be a no. That much I knew.
Even so, I dreaded going back to work knowing I would have to see him. Just another reason that agreeing to have sex with him was an awful idea. He was basically my boss! I had to see him every day at work!
Work was, up until just recently, a sanctuary for me. I shouldn’t have tainted it by getting too caught up in all my feelings.
Well, nothing I could do about it now. It wasn’t as if I was going to quit. No way. This was my dream job. I just had to power through it for now and hope that Edward would move on quickly as well.
Actually, maybe he already had. I mean, he did make it seem like I was just this craving he wanted to get out of his system. We’d had sex, so maybe he’d done that.
That would be ideal because if he was over me, he’d leave me alone and let me do my job.
Even as I thought it, I hoped it wasn’t true. It broke my heart to think that Edward could push me aside so quickly after having sex. I certainly couldn’t do the same to him.
If he was able to push me aside, though, and if there was never going to be anything between us, then I’d rather be left alone. I was sure that in a few weeks I’d be over the whole thing, work would become my sanctuary again, and I could focus on the kids and not on Edward. As long as he let me be, this would all be fine.
***
I had decided to have an alternative lesson plan today. I’d called Ms. Mitchell and asked if I could get permission to take Abigail and Drew to the Museum of London. That way we could learn outside of the palace while also avoiding Edward. It seemed perfect.
Ms. Mitchell told me that she would have to run it by the Queen, and she wasn’t sure because it was such short notice. Ultimately, she called back about forty-five minutes later to inform me that we could go to the museum and guards were on standby for our departure. Guards. That was something I still hadn’t adapted to, but I understood the necessity for safety of the royals.
I didn’t care who tagged along on our trip as long as it wasn’t Edward.
The field trip served a double purpose for me. I was relieved that I wasn’t going to have to see Edward today, and at the same time, I was distracted by how excited I was to tell the kids that we’d actually be going on a field trip. I knew Abigail would be delighted because she was always happy to go on any new adventure, and Drew would be excited because he loved museums. He loved anything that helped him gain knowledge. He was such a sweet boy.
I went into work feeling like I could handle the day. No Edward, a little joy with the kids … it was going to be alright.
I met the kids in our usual room with a smile on my face. Abigail immediately knew something was up.
“What? What is it?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve got
something a little unusual planned for us today. I thought we could take our tutoring lesson over to the Museum of London. How would you guys feel about that?”
“Awesome!” Drew grinned.
“Okay, great! So, Ms. Mitchell has a ride arranged for us. Go ahead and leave all your books here, and we’ll be on our way!”
Abigail slammed her books down onto the table before sprinting out of the room and down the stairs excitedly. Drew moved a lot slower, though he seemed no less excited.
I followed them downstairs, but when we reached the bottom of the staircase, there was a fluttering in my stomach.
Edward was there, leaning against the banister and smiling at me.
“Hey there, Maggie.”
“Oh, uh, hi. Sorry, no time too really talk right now … gotta get the kids to their lesson.”
“We’re going to the Museum of London!” Drew said excitedly.
“You are?” Edward gleamed. “Well, I happen to adore the Museum of London. Mind if I tag along?”
“Um … what?” I asked, stunned.
This wasn’t how I was hoping this would go. I didn’t even plan to see Edward today, and I certainly didn’t anticipate that I’d have to be trapped in a car with him and subsequently stuck for an entire museum trip.
Well, this plan really backfired.
“I, uh—” I couldn’t think of a good reason he shouldn’t come.
“Yay! Edward is coming!” Abigail cheered. Now I really couldn’t turn him away.
Edward smiled. “Perfect! I’m excited to be tagging along.”
I forced a smile, but it was entirely fake. I had a feeling Edward knew it too because he looked at me curiously.
If he knew I was uncomfortable, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from coming along.
The car ride was, as I expected, sufficiently awkward. It did help that the kids were chattering nonstop. If it wasn’t for them, there would have probably be a very uncomfortable silence.
I told myself that I could do this today, especially with the kids here. They’d create the conversation, and Edward and I would never truly be alone, which meant we would never have to talk about last night.
Though anytime he caught the children’s attention elsewhere, Edward kept making eyes at me. I knew those eyes. He was giving me the ‘I’ve seen you naked’ eyes. I hated it.
He inched a closer to me in the car, his hand brushing against my thigh. I reacted by moving further away from him. For a moment he seemed confused, then subsequently amused. I looked out the window instead of at him.
Things became a lot easier once we arrived at the museum. Ms. Mitchell had set us up with a guided tour, and two bodyguards were following us around the museum. It felt a bit crowded and certainly didn’t leave any room for Edward to speak to me or ask me anything.
Just like Drew, I loved museums. I loved seeing history up close in front of me.
I loved the London Before London exhibit. Seeing this land before civilization had begun was so humbling to me. It was a reminder that I was so small, just a speck of dust in this planet’s timeline, not even slightly important to the world.
This might bother some people, but it didn’t bother me. In fact, I found it comforting. Within all of life’s great stresses, I liked to know that nothing I did really mattered. Whatever was stressing me out, it was insignificant when you looked at the grand scheme of things. Knowing that took a lot of weight off of me.
“I have to go to the bathroom!” Abigail nearly shouted.
“I can take her!” Drew said eagerly. “I know where they are!”
I looked up at our guards, who both nodded.
“Okay, they’ll take you both. We’ll stay here,” I told them.
They ran off to the restrooms, which, unfortunately, left me and Edward awkwardly alone.
“I enjoyed our evening, and I hated for it to come to an end,” Edward said as he leaned closer into me.
I felt a chill go down my spine at his close proximity. I hated how much he affected me. I couldn’t resist this man.
Which was why I wanted to stay away from him in the first place.
I pretended I didn’t hear him. “Oh, what? Sorry. I’m just really fixated on this exhibit.”
He looked at me curiously. “Have you ever been to the Museum of London?”
“Just once before,” I told him. “This exhibit was my favorite then too.”
He didn’t take his eyes off me. “Really? It kind of bothers me.”
“Why?” I asked. “I’d think if anything it would really appeal to someone like you.”
“How so?”
“Well, it’s kind of a reminder to me that all of our decisions are pointless, really. We’re so insignificant to the world, even more insignificant to the universe. It’s a freeing thought.”
“I don’t find it freeing,” he said as he turned toward the exhibit. “I find it anxiety-inducing. All my life I’ve been told I have this important role to play. That my decisions matter. Then I look at this, and it doesn’t feel that way.”
“Wouldn’t you like that?” I asked. “I mean, you said you don’t want that responsibility, don’t want that weight. So, wouldn’t you appreciate that weight feeling lifted?”
He looked at me curiously. “I hadn’t thought about it like that before.”
I looked into his eyes, he looked into mine, and I felt our chemistry once again.
It was electric.
Chapter 10
Edward
It was obvious to me that Maggie was avoiding me. In a way, I found it kind of cute. I was also very confused about why.
I thought we had a great time together. Although she did rush out a bit after we hooked up, I didn’t give it much thought.
I had assumed that once I finally had her, I’d relax, and she wouldn’t consume my thoughts so much. But the exact opposite had happened.
I thought of her even more now. I specifically came to the palace today just to see her, just to interact. So I was excited when I heard they were going to the museum. I thought it would be my opportunity to spend some time with her.
Now I could see that, for her, it was an opportunity to avoid me.
Still, I would not be deterred. I didn’t know why I still wanted to spend time with her, but I knew that nothing was going to stop me from doing so. I liked her, really liked her, and I would do whatever it took to keep seeing her.
I had never felt this way about a woman. There’d been plenty of women I’d dated, plenty of women I’d spent adequate time with whom I enjoyed. At the end of the day, I could take them or leave them. I didn’t feel like I needed to spend significant time with any of them.
I needed to spend time with Maggie. Craved every moment that she was near.
“When you are dealing with the stresses associated with your father’s illness, is this the kind of thinking that calms you?” I asked her, referring to the exhibit and the way it made her feel insignificant.
“Actually, yeah. When the medical bills were piling up and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make it, when I thought of the rising debt and my credit score being ruined, I thought of how silly that all was. Money, debt, credit scores … all things man made up to feel like they had some control over the world. We don’t have control of the world at all, do we? It’s always done as it pleased, and it always will.”
I was so enthralled by her every word. She thought in a way that I never had before, though we did walk down two very different paths in life, and although I had no desire to struggle or feel the angst and suffering she’d spoke up, it gave me a newfound respect for her, for her family, for never giving up and working harder simply in the name of love.
Though I hated thinking about her struggle with her father. It didn’t seem fair to me that someone like her should have to struggle so much. She was so kind, so smart, so wonderfully beautiful… I wished I could take away all of her hardships.
“The kids will be back any moment, you know,” I t
old her.
“Can’t wait.” She smiled but said it bitingly. She was making it clear she didn’t want to be alone with me.
Why? Perhaps she didn’t trust herself in my presence.
“You don’t enjoy spending time together?” I asked.
“No, uh, I do…” she muttered.
“So … what is it then?”
“I’m just not so sure it’s a good idea,” she told me.
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just … you’re my boss, you know?”
Oh, so that was what this was about.
“Maggie, I’m not your boss. Not really. Have I ever felt like a boss to you?”
“Not really…” she said quietly.
“Well, then, what’s the harm?”
Before she could argue, I clasped her face within my hands and leaned in to kiss her. I wasn’t sure if she’d pull away, but I had to risk rejection while the opportunity was present. She surprised me in the best way. The kiss was soft, gentle—romantic. Exactly what she promised she didn’t want, didn’t need. Completely opposite, however, where I was concerned.
She never pulled back, though. In fact, she put her hand on my cheek as she leaned forward.
I savored the taste of her lips on my own. She was delicious… I had flashbacks of our night together.
Then, suddenly, she took her lips from mine.
“I, uh, don’t want the kids to see,” she muttered.
“Right,” I agreed, not all that eager for my younger siblings to catch me making out with their tutor either. “Then meet me later tonight? After you finish work?”
“Like … meet you at the palace? After work hours?”
“Yes,” I said seriously.
She once again seemed hesitant. “I don’t know… I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Well, I am,” I told her. “I’m positive it’s a damn good idea. I want to see you again… No, I absolutely have to see you again.”
Her eyes widened a bit. “You … have to?”
“I insist,” I repeated.
She sighed. “Okay … sure. Yes, I’ll meet you later.”
I smiled. “Perfect.”
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