by Diana Ames
“Don’t look at it as being used,” Damian said, cautiously taking a step toward her “I don’t normally—in fact, since I’ve been married, I never invite women to my personal room here.”
“Yeah, right,” she snorted. “And I’m a long-lost royal princess of Colania,” Alondra said with derision.
“Look,” Damian said, his patience for the whole thing at an end. “I lost my head for a moment. My wife and I just had a huge fight, and for a few minutes, it was easy to pretend and forget about all of it. I’m not a damn faithless cheater!”
“Sure, fine. Whatever,” Alondra said to end the argument. “Now that I know who you are, I have to wonder why Lynn sent me here to talk to you.”
“Lynn told me that you’re looking for information from the castle records department,” Damian said, trying to calm the fire raging inside of him. “I can help you with that,” he told her. “You can even skip all that bureaucratic red tape that can take forever to wade through.”
“Why would you help me do that?” Alondra asked suspiciously.
“For one, I think a comparison of our legal system and penal code with that of other countries would only help shed us in a favorable light,” he said. “Quite frankly, we’re a bit of an unknown country here. With the modernization we’d like to do, we’re going to need aid from bigger countries. The publicity could only help us.” Damian gave her his most charming smile. “Besides, I owe you after this debacle. If I help you with the article you came here for, maybe you could find a way to leave my personal problems out of the tabloids.”
Damian couldn’t care less what any newspaper, tabloid or otherwise, said about him personally. But he knew an article about what had just transpired would only hurt Sandra more.
If this reporter was really after an article on the Gilly scandal, as he suspected, he needed to make sure she didn’t get any more ammunition than she might have already dug up. Damian hadn’t managed to get anything out of her before Mellissandra and Anton had stormed into the room, but going on his gut and knowing she had sought out Jenalynn, he could only assume that was what she was really after.
The first thing he needed to do was actually get her away from Jenalynn. That woman had already been through too much.
“I can have you moved into an apartment in the castle tonight,” Damian told her. “I’ll take a few days off from the club and personally help you go through records or whatever it is you need.”
Alondra raised her eyebrows at him. “You’re going to move me into the castle? I just want to make it clear right now—I’m not going to sleep with you.”
“I know that, and I guarantee I will contain myself from this moment forward,” Damian told her.
Inwardly, he was laughing. The woman hadn’t even managed to get a twitch from his cock.
“What about your wife? How is she going to feel about you moving me in?” Alondra asked him.
“I’ll handle my wife,” he told her.
“I want to speak with her myself,” Alondra said. “I’m not going to put myself in harm’s way because you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar.”
“We can work out those details later,” Damian said. “Do you accept my offer or not?”
“I just need to collect my things from the boarding house.”
CHAPTER 14
Anton left the club through a side entrance, still carrying Mellissandra in his arms. He’d never felt the need to hurt someone so badly, but the woman sobbing into his chest cooled the anger and replaced it with a desperate need to make her better. He didn’t understand how Damian could be so stupid. If Mellissandra had been his, Anton wouldn’t have looked twice at another woman. Although if he were to be honest, the five-second glimpse of the black-haired witch’s face as Damian had teased her neck caused a response in him that he hadn’t felt in months.
“Anton,” came a small voice. “You can put me down now,” Mellissandra said.
Anton stopped walking and eased Mellissandra to her feet. He looked at her face and noted the swollen red eyes and puffy cheeks, but he was pleased to see that the tears had stopped.
“I don’t want to go home yet,” she told him. “Can we just walk for a bit?”
“Of course,” he told her. “Anything you want.”
Mellissandra slipped her heels off, and the two walked side by side down the sidewalk. All the shops were closed for the evening, and someone had lit the gas streetlamps. Had the circumstances been different, they could have been two lovers out for a romantic stroll.
“Is my marriage over, Anton?” Mellissandra asked quietly.
“I think you’re the only one who can answer that question, but I would urge you not to make any hasty decisions,” he replied. “Perhaps Damian has a good explanation for what was going on in that room.” Anton couldn’t imagine what that explanation would be, but he wasn’t going to voice that thought.
“Yeah, he wanted someone exciting instead of boring old me,” Mellissandra said bitterly.
“Hey,” Anton said, halting their walk. He turned to her and took her shoulders in his hands. “You listen to me, and you listen good because I’m never going to say this again so long as you are married to my brother. You are the most beautiful, amazing, intelligent, loving, kind, and exciting woman that I have ever met. I know you know that I am in love with you. But what you don’t know is how difficult it is for me every time I’m in your presence not to take you in my arms and kiss you and love you until you can only think of me. I want you more than I have wanted anyone else in my life. I respect you more than I have ever respected another human being.”
Even as Anton said the words, something felt off as they left his lips. He wasn’t sure he liked the doubt swirling through him. For over a year, he had been sure of his feelings for Mellissandra, and the flash of desire he’d felt for the black-haired beauty in the private room seemed like a betrayal.
Mellissandra’s eyes softened at his words until they were limpid pools of green swirling with an unspoken desire. Her lips parted as her breath came in soft pants. It was obvious no one had ever talked to her like that or made her feel important and worthy before, and he wasn’t going to say anything to take that feeling away from her.
“Anton,” she said in a breathy voice.
Their eyes locked for a few seconds longer before Anton pulled away. They stood motionless under the glow of the streetlamp without looking at each other, tension radiating between them.
“Do you really mean all of that?” she asked in a whisper.
“With everything that I am now, was in the past, or ever will be, I meant every single word,” he whispered back. He would give nothing away to indicate that this conversation was making him uneasy, nor would he say anything to damage her already wounded pride. “If by some unimaginable action do you and Damian split, I will be waiting should you ever decide you want me, too.”
With that last phrase, Anton took her by the hand and began the walk back to the castle. Mellissandra didn’t protest that it was too early or that she wasn’t ready to go home. They both knew that it was time to part company for the evening before anything was said or done that couldn’t be taken back.
When they reached the castle, Mellissandra turned to Anton. “I want to get a life, Anton,” she said. “I want something to do that is just about me, that makes me a complete person.”
“Like a job?” Anton asked with a confused look on his face.
“I’m a royal princess, aren’t I? What do they usually do? What can I do to help our country?” Mellissandra asked.
“Uh…” Anton said, scratching his chin in discomfort. “Well, we haven’t had any until you in my lifetime. I guess you could do anything you want. Is there any area you feel you could offer something?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” Mellissandra told him. “We have no public schools in this country, Anton. If parents don’t have time or enough education themselves to homeschool their children, then they don’t learn. I’d like to start an edu
cation program.”
“I think that sounds like a fantastic idea,” Anton told her with a smile. “Come to my office tomorrow afternoon. An education program will fit right in with bringing this country into the current century.”
Mellissandra stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Blushing, she pulled back and took off toward her apartment.
With a goofy grin on his face, Anton watched her race down the corridor. The evening had gotten stranger and stranger the longer it had gone on. He was almost afraid to come into contact with anyone else for fear of what the next crazy event would be.
When he got to his apartment, for the first time, he didn’t see Gilly bent over his overstuffed chair. When he entered his bedroom, he didn’t see her hovering beside his bed as he lay there, broken. The only thing in his mind as he drifted off to sleep was the feel of Mellissandra’s warm lips against his skin.
CHAPTER 15
Mellissandra lay in her bed, alone and brooding.
When she’d entered her apartment, Wally had demanded to know what she was doing home so early and where Damian was. Rehashing the incident had left Mellissandra feeling miserable once again.
Wally had wanted to go find Damian, so she could cut his balls off and stuff them down his lying throat. Mellissandra had truly been afraid for her husband when she saw the gleam in the older woman’s eyes. After nearly an hour of calming Wally down, Mellissandra had felt Damian was safe—at least for this night.
After Wally had agreed to come back the next day so that Mellissandra could meet with Anton, Mellissandra had pleaded a headache and exhaustion, and she had politely shoved Wally out of the apartment. At the door, Mellissandra had taken a few minutes to discuss some of her ideas for the education program with Wally, and she had felt the small bubble of excitement rise in her again.
When Wally had finally left, Mellissandra had gone to check on her children. Dominic had been sleeping peacefully, but Arabella had been wide-awake. Needing the comfort and connection, Mellissandra had decided that the sip of alcohol she’d had wouldn’t hurt, and she’d cuddled and nursed her daughter. By the time Arabella had been dozing off, Mellissandra had seen Dominic’s arms and legs waving from his crib. Sometime around midnight, Mellissandra had crawled into bed.
For as tired as she was, sleep seemed to be far, far away. The night’s events kept playing over and over in her head as though someone had hit a repeat button. She searched her memory for any possible sign that it wasn’t what it had looked like, that Damian hadn’t been unfaithful to her. But all she could see was her husband with that woman—his front pressed to her back, his arms holding her around her waist, and his lips caressing her neck. She heard his voice demanding to know why Anton had brought Mellissandra to the club, blaming Anton for her hurt and pain.
Then, she thought of Anton and how he’d swept her off her feet when she was too weak to carry her own weight, how he’d grabbed her by the arms and gazed into her eyes while telling her just how he felt about her. Mellissandra knew that Anton thought he was in love with her, but she hadn’t really believed it—until that one moment when he’d told her how difficult it was to see her and not touch her, not hold her, not kiss her. Now, she believed it.
Mellissandra hadn’t known how to respond to Anton’s feelings for her. She knew she cared for him, and there were times when her body had felt stirred by him. Do I love him? Am I in love with him? Is it possible to be in love with two men at the same time? Because she knew with certainty that Damian owned her heart and soul.
Frustrated and lonely, Mellissandra rolled over and stifled her screams in the fluffy white pillows. She wanted Damian to come home and tell her that it was all a mistake, that it was his evil twin with that woman and not him, or that he’d been drugged and he hadn’t acted of his own free will. But a glance at the clock, showing it was already past three in the morning, told her it was unlikely that Damian was coming home at all tonight.
When she finally drifted off to sleep, it was to dream of Damian in another woman’s arms, laughing at Mellissandra and saying she just hadn’t been enough to satisfy him.
***
Exhausted, Alondra collapsed on the sofa. She didn’t know what time it was, but from the way her body felt, she would guess it was close to dawn. Damian had just left after getting her settled into an apartment that would have fit her apartment in New York three times over. He would have left several hours ago, but the staff hadn’t stocked any food or drinks in the kitchen. As she wasn’t allowed to leave her apartment or call for room service unless she had a chaperone, food on hand was a necessity.
After the confrontation by his wife, Damian had led Alondra down to his office where they proceeded to negotiate the rules for her stay in the castle. Alondra had been a little stunned at just how fast his personality changed from seducer to ruthless businessman, but she had been glad for the switch. She knew how to handle a ruthless businessman, but a seducer she was actually attracted to would be another matter altogether.
His rules had been ridiculous and completely predictable. She wasn’t permitted to roam the castle. She couldn’t leave her apartment without an escort. She couldn’t speak to any of the servants or anyone else in the castle without his permission, and all questions had to be preapproved. She couldn’t take any photographs or make copies of any documents while in the castle. The way he’d kept adding rules and the stringency in his voice had led her to believe that this wasn’t standard operating procedure for visitors, but that he really had something to hide. She’d agreed to all his rules, of course, even though she had no intention of following them.
The only demand she’d made was to be able to speak to his wife before her things were moved into the castle. She’d lost the before part of her demand as she had known she would. There was no way she would have turned down a royally extended invitation into the belly of the beast, but she’d wanted to show reluctance and hesitancy. She’d learned early on to never show her cards so early in the hand. It would only make it easier for her opponent to surprise her with a trump.
Damian had promised he would set up a meeting with his wife the following day, and because Alondra had said she wanted to clear the air, she didn’t have to get questions approved. It was clear she couldn’t go in and start interrogating the woman. From what Alondra had seen earlier in the evening, the woman would rip her to shreds for her effort. But a few innocent yet probing questions strategically asked and maybe a glimpse at the babies shouldn’t be too difficult or dangerous.
It was after midnight when Damian had told her that her things had already been picked up from the boarding house and had been secured in the apartment in the castle. Alondra had been furious at his high-handedness at first. However, after some consideration, she’d decided that it wasn’t worth arguing about it. She had a feeling bigger battles were ahead, and she hadn’t wanted to use up any of his goodwill before the real war had even begun.
Rising to her feet, Alondra walked into the foyer to gather her bags. She did a quick inventory, and her eyes flashed with irritation. Her laptop bag was there, but the bulging pocket with the satellite phone was suspiciously flat. Alondra knew she had packed it into her laptop bag. She was always so careful with her only means of communication with the outside world. Not to mention, the newspaper would murder her if anything happened to the insanely expensive equipment.
Determined not to jump to conclusions, Alondra gathered her things and went into the bedroom. She desperately needed a shower, but she was sure she’d fall over and drown if she attempted it right now. Instead, she just stripped down to her panties and fell onto the large bed in the center of the room. She was sound asleep before she could even crawl under the blanket.
***
Damian had never been more nervous in his life. It was nearly five in the morning, and he was just dragging his ass home after his wife had caught him with another woman in his arms. He didn’t know what to expect. Is she waiting for me with a pair of
rusty scissors? Is she even there at all? Oh fuck, what if she told Wally? If Wally was waiting for him, Damian knew that he was as good as dead. He was just thankful Ryan hadn’t made an appearance at the castle yet, or he would have been beaten to a pulp before Wally killed him.
When Damian neared his door, he almost kept walking. He owed his brother an apology and an explanation, and that was definitely the safer choice. But Damian told himself to quit being such a coward. Mellissandra deserved the first shot.
Stiffening his shoulders, he unlocked his door and slipped inside. To Damian’s surprise, the apartment was dark and quiet. He kicked off his shoes and tried to step softly. If everyone was sleeping, he certainly didn’t want to wake them.
“So, you’ve finally decided to come home?” a voice said.
Damian jumped, startled to hear Mellissandra. He turned and made his way into their kitchen and flicked on the light. She was hunched over, sitting at their table. She looked beautiful but horrible. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen, and she looked like she hadn’t had any sleep.
“Was she good?” Mellissandra asked him in a cool voice.
“I didn’t fuck her,” Damian said vehemently. “I never intended to fuck her. Please let me explain.”
“Why should I, Damian?” she said, still cool. “You condemned me and Anton with less evidence. Perhaps that was your own guilty conscious talking, blaming me for what you’ve done.”
“I swear to you,” Damian said, sitting down across from her, “I swear on everything that we are, on our family, on our love, that I have never betrayed you.”
“She was in your arms, and you were practically making love to her neck, Damian,” Mellissandra said with derision. “If that’s not betrayal, then what is?”
“That was an interrogation technique I have used with success in the past,” he told her. “That woman is a reporter from New York City. She says she’s doing an article on prisons and crime rates, but she started asking questions about Jenalynn. I was trying to find out what the woman is really doing here.”
