by Tee, Marian
“My staff’s more than aware of what it means to work for me.”
Derek asked quietly, “And what about Fawn?”
“She’s Bennett’s girlfriend,” the prince said flatly. “As long as she belongs to someone else...she’ll be safe.”
****
When Fawn arrived back at the mansion and found out that the prince hadn’t yet returned, she was torn between relief and anxiety. Even now, she still didn’t know how to face the prince, much less what to say.
“Do you know what time he’ll be back, Igor?”
The older man shook his head. “However, he’s left you a message.”
She tensed. This was it. Fawn squared her shoulders, telling herself that whatever the prince had decided, she would accept it. She would not make a fuss. She would be cool and adult-like—-
“You are to clean the pool for the master’s use.”
Oh.
“Right.” That was unexpected. “Okay.” But on the other hand, it would give her something to do, and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was exactly what she needed. Flashing a bright smile at the prince’s right-hand man, she said, “Thanks, Igor. I’ll get on it right away. I just need to change into my uniform first.”
As Fawn turned around and headed up the stairs, Igor slowly shook his head. When the master had given his orders, he had a lot of misgivings about it, thinking that no girl would accept such a menial task after having her position in the household elevated.
But the master clearly knew Fawn far better than anyone else, Igor thought. He would never have imagined that such an order would place stars in the girl’s eyes, and yet it had.
In the months she had been working for the prince, she had only been tasked to clean the pool twice, and it used to be her least favorite backbreaking task. This time it was the opposite, and she threw herself into her work with full vigor, literally rolling up her sleeves as she worked on draining the pool and then scrubbing the tiles clean. She started with the walls first and after, she got down on her knees to scrub the tiled floor.
It was while she was meticulously checking grout lines for any signs of molding that memories slowly start trickling in—-
She rocked back on her heels and shook her head vehemently.
I don’t want to remember.
But still, faces she didn’t want to see began to crystallize in her mind.
No! Stop it! I don’t want to remember!
Desperate to stop herself from thinking, Fawn fumbled for her phone in her pocket and dialed the prince’s number.
The prince answered on the second ring. “Priscilla speaking.”
“Uh.” The unexpected greeting left her blinking, and all the words that had been about to roll past her lips diffused in a cloud of confusion.
A moment later, she heard the prince’s chuckle travel down the line, and recovering from her shock, she stammered accusingly, “You knew that would throw me off!”
“Of course I did.” The prince sighed. “There’s only one reason you’d call me first, after all.” Before she could ask what that was, the prince murmured pensively, “I thought having you clean the pool would be enough to keep your mind off things, but I guess not.”
Fawn was momentarily distracted by the prince’s revelation. That was the reason why he had her clean the pool? Was that his way of comforting her?
In spite of everything, the thought had a faint, rueful smile touching her lips. As expected, Fawn thought, from the Prince of Darkness. But even so, she was thankful—-
“Should I let you clean the dungeons next time?”
“Prince!” I take it back, Fawn thought with a grimace. She was not thankful at all.
“If it’s what it takes...” The prince deliberately let his voice trail off, thinking that an irritated-sounding Fawn was definitely better than one who sounded like she was about to shatter any moment.
Which was what he knew she would end up being, the prince thought grimly, if he had allowed her to have too much time on her hands.
“I’m never going to clean the dungeons,” Fawn was saying hotly. “It’s creepy as hell, you know.”
“Mm.” The prince was deliberately noncommittal, thinking that if it could get Fawn to react this way, then maybe the dungeons would indeed prove to be a necessary distraction next time.
“Prince!” When he didn’t answer, she warned darkly, “I’m serious. I won’t ever clean your haunted dungeons. Ever.”
“It’s not haunted,” he dismissed.
“It’s a dungeon. All dungeons are haunted.” And the way she was speaking, it was as if she couldn’t believe he had so little IQ not to understand that, making the prince’s lips twitch.
“I mean it, prince. I won’t ever—-”
“Fawn.” He wished he could continue arguing with her, but the prince knew doing so would only delay the inevitable.
The prince’s sober tone got to her, and Fawn quieted, sensing a sudden change in his mood.
“How are you feeling now?”
The prince’s tone was quiet but firm, and she knew it meant he wouldn’t stop until she gave him an answer. But even so, she couldn’t make herself speak.
“Fawn.” The prince’s tone became gentler. “You know we have to talk about it.”
She swallowed. “I don’t want to.” But even as she spoke, she knew it was too late. The part of her heart that still belonged to Grant began to crumble again, and she choked out, “Did you see how he looked at me? At you?”
“It was him being jealous and realizing that he had taken you for granted,” the prince explained calmly. “That’s all it was.”
“How can you be sure?” she whispered haltingly. “I saw the look in his eyes, and—-”
Again, memories tried to assault her mind.
And this time, they succeeded.
The scrub slipped from her fingers as she clutched her chest, feeling like it was about to collapse at the pain searing her heart.
Oh, Grant.
Why?
I loved you.
I loved you.
“You did nothing wrong, Fawn,” the prince said grimly. “You wouldn’t be in this position if Bennett hadn’t cheated on you first.” She didn’t answer, but the silence that stretched between them told him enough, and the prince’s fists clenched in frustration.
“Talk to me, parthena mou.”
“I don’t know what to say. I thought I’d feel vindicated, seeing him hurt...but I don’t. I just...”
She clutched her chest harder as more memories rushed in.
Will you be my girl, Fawn Cornwall?
You’re the only girl I’ve had eyes for.
And that’s how it will always be.
Fawn squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t forgive him, but I can’t make myself hate him. I thought I’d want him to hurt, but I don’t.”
“Because you love him.”
Did she? Maybe she did, but it was no longer the same, and it wasn’t just because Grant had cheated on her.
“You know what’s crazy?” Fawn whispered unevenly.
“Aside from the fact that you still have feelings for an asshole?”
A trembling laugh escaped her. “Oh, prince.”
“Forgive me,” the prince said half-seriously. “My ego isn’t used to having to listen to my woman talk about another man.”
“Oh, prince.” She couldn’t help smiling even as her eyes started to sting. “B-bear with me just a little bit. Please?”
“You ask far too much.”
“I’ll owe you a favor—-”
“Done,” the prince said so swiftly it left her blinking. “And I’ll have that favor returned tonight.”
“Umm.” Had she just been manipulated?
“Now...what you did you want to talk about?”
Her fingers tightened around her phone. “You’re going to think I’m an idiot, but...do you think she loves him?” When several moments passed and the prince hadn’
t yet answered, she prodded uncertainly, “Prince?”
“You’re right,” the prince said finally. “You are an idiot.” Ignoring her sputter of protest, he said cynically, “Your guilt’s wasted on that woman. I’m betting if I offer a million dollars on the spot, she’d let me fuck her in front of Bennett.”
“Prince!”
“She targeted Bennett because she considered him an easy mark.” The prince’s voice became hard. “And because he didn’t love you enough, he was. Despite telling you he loves you, he still fell for her hook, line, and sinker, so you should keep that in mind, too.”
****
It was a few minutes past eight by the time the prince returned home, and he went straight to the cabana by the pool to change into a pair of black shorts. He had just made himself comfortable on the shallow end of the water, stretching his arms against the edge of the pool, when he heard Igor murmur from behind, “Good evening, sir.”
He twisted halfway in time to see Igor bowed in greeting. Behind the older man, the prince glimpsed Fawn ascending the stairs, her body wrapped in a fluffy white robe.
“Thanks for bringing her here, Igor. You may leave us now.”
“Yes, sir.” Igor disappeared from view while Fawn continued on, making no attempt to hide the fact that she was dragging her feet. She stopped the moment her bare feet sank into a thin layer of powder-fine sand, and the prince was more amused than offended when she tightened the two sides of her robe over her body.
“Look up, parthena mou.”
I don’t want to, Fawn thought immediately, but since she knew going against the prince’s command was futile, she slowly raised her gaze to his—-
Oooooooh.
Fawn silently gulped at the sight of the prince’s ripped body, made sleeker by water glistening on his skin. Déjà vu, she thought dizzily, and her throat went dry.
Behind the prince, the sun had started to set, scattering a mix of fiery rays and shadows that crowned his dark head like a halo. He might be the Prince of Darkness, but even daylight loved him, turning him into a god who could make a girl’s heart beat madly with just a hooded glance.
Holy sweet Jesus, it wasn’t fair how sexy—-
The prince’s lips curving in an arrogant grin, he murmured huskily, “No need to limit yourself to staring, parthena mou.”
She turned red. “Gross!” Embarrassment finally allowed her to wrench her gaze off the prince, and she resisted the urge to cover her face, just to keep the prince from seeing her reddened cheeks.
She half-expected the prince to get mad, like he always did whenever she called him gross, but instead the prince simply asked, “Are you wearing it, parthena mou?”
“It” was the favor she owed him, a two-piece swimwear that couldn’t even be rightfully called a bikini. The top consisted of scraps of fabric just large enough to cover her nipples while the bikini bottom, possessing more strings than cloth, was a thong with a capital T.
“Yes,” she finally managed to croak out. “I am.” She shook her head. “And I can’t believe you actually asked me to do this—-”
“Why shouldn’t I?” the prince charged softly.
She threw her hands up in the air, thinking that the prince was really the biggest bully in town. “Because it’s not right! In fact, it’s positively indecent!”
A rich, dark chuckle slipped past the prince’s lips. “I never cared about being decent,” he said dulcetly, his rock-hard shoulders moving in a nonchalant shrug. And if wearing a skimpy bikini was her idea of indecent, the prince mused, then he was keen to hear what she’d think once she learned what he had planned for tonight.
“Prince...” When he looked up, she pleaded, “Can’t you just make me swallow a bucketful of sand instead? Please?”
Swallow what? The prince stared at Fawn in utter amazement. “How do you come up with these things?” And why was it that the more she made him laugh...the more he wanted to fuck her?
Fawn squirmed when she felt the prince’s gaze start to travel down her body. He was practically undressing her with his eyes, and dear God, instead of feeling disgusted or violated, she felt—-
“Stop staring at me.” She forced the words out, determined not to let herself succumb to the baser demands of her body, which was currently doing its best to drown her common sense so she could throw herself at the prince.
The prince shook his head. “You’re asking for the impossible.” And with the way his already-throbbing cock was trying to poke a hole out of his shorts, he knew, regardless of how enjoyable it was to tease and torment her—-
The prince had to have her now.
“It’s time, Fawn.”
She froze, knowing exactly what the prince meant. He had spelled it out very clearly, that favor he wanted of her, and dear God, wearing the bikini was just the first half of it, and the easier part at that.
The thought of what she had to do after disrobing made her faint headed, but it wasn’t just that.
If only it was just that.
Moisture pooled between her thighs, and she swallowed back a whimper as she desperately pressed her thighs together, hoping to stop her body from getting wetter.
“Take it off, Fawn.”
Aaaaaaah.
The prince was staring at her, and the look in his eyes was unmistakable. He wanted to devour her, and he would. It should have terrified her, but it didn’t. Instead, all she could think about was how beautiful and dangerous he was, and oh, that he could want her—-
“Now.”
Her fingers shook as she reached for the knot of her robe, and when she finally managed to untie the sash, she saw the prince’s nostrils flare—-
Oooh. Desire uncurled inside of her, and her panties became drenched with creamy wetness.
“Show me the rest,” the prince rasped.
And she did.
In seconds, the robe was completely off, falling softly to the ground, and she stood in front of him, her body naked except for the thinnest strings and tiniest pieces of cloth.
A low growl of arousal rose out from the prince’s throat, and Fawn whimpered as she felt it starting again, that overpowering sense of velvety menace that drugged her consciousness, dissolving her willpower until all that was left was a doll yearning to be under the prince’s authority.
I must be an idiot, Fawn thought in a daze as her feet slowly began to move.
Maybe it was hypnosis, insanity, or love – maybe it was all of the above. In the end, it didn’t matter. All she knew was that she had to be closer. She had to be with him.
Because with the prince—-
She ceased to think.
She could only feel.
When Fawn was within reach, the prince took hold of her hand and gently led her into the pool. Water danced around her ankles as she dipped one foot in after another, her body softening as warm air rising from the heated pool wrapped itself around her.
She had descended up to the third step, the water knee-deep, when the prince tightened his grip just before turning her around to face him. She saw his gaze slowly dip to her breasts, and her fingers curled into fists against her sides.
“P-prince...”
As the prince’s gaze continued to linger on her chest, Fawn was shocked and horrified to feel her breasts begin to swell and her nipples start to pucker against the fabric. Oh God, if this continued, it would only be a matter of time—-
Unable to help worrying, Fawn halted halfway and slowly looked down.
Ah!
She was right!
Her fully erect nipples had made the tiny pieces of fabric covering them fold and shrink, leaving the light pink areolas exposed. With a gasp of dismay, she started to cover herself—-
“No,” the prince growled.
Fawn froze.
“Put your hands down.”
Don’t do it, don’t do it, the sensible part of her screeched.
But the wanton part of her told her it was too late.
She was hypnotize
d.
Her arms went back to her side.
“Now,” the prince purred, “I need you to make a choice.” Reaching up to trace her lips, he murmured, “Do you want to come first?” He watched her intensely as she squirmed in front of him, thinking that her fear and nervousness would get the better of her. But again, she surprised him.
Her lips started to move against his fingers, words rolling down her tongue in a sexy little whisper.
“N-no. I want you to come first.”
Ah.
Desire burned through him as she sank to her knees in front of him. “Do you know what to do next?” he asked hoarsely.
“J-just enough.”
“Is that so?” He almost laughed, probably would have if he didn’t want to fuck her so badly. When she nodded, he said hoarsely, “Show me what you know then.” He watched her visibly hesitate before sinking to her knees and reaching for his shorts. He did nothing to stop her, only lifting himself up just enough to help her get rid of the single piece of clothing that kept him from being naked.
Do I stare or close my eyes? It wasn’t her first time to see the prince’s erection, but even so, she still couldn’t make herself used to how...how...
“Awe—-” She stopped abruptly when she realized what she had been about to say.
The prince’s brows shot up.
“W-what?” She winced at how defensive she sounded.
“You tell me,” the prince drawled. “A moment there, I thought you were about to describe my...conana—-”
She cringed at the hateful term.
“Awesome.”
Fawn turned red. “No! I! Did! Not!” But oh my God, why was she talking in exclamation points again?
The prince laughed. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, parthena mou. After all...” He suddenly reached for one of her hands. “It is yours to do whatever you want.” As he spoke, he brought her hand to his cock, and Fawn’s fingers instinctively tightened around the silky hardness of the prince’s erection.
The prince hissed, and thinking that she had done something wrong, Fawn released him with a cry—-
“No.” The prince swiftly caught hold of her hand and brought it back to his cock. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” He wanted to fuck more than ever now, but seeing her hurt expression, he managed a smile, saying roughly, “If you don’t believe me—-”
