by Rye Hart
His eyes burned into mine with a smoldering glare. “There’s nothing ugly about you. You had every right to stand up for yourself.” His remark took me by surprise, and so did the way he looked at me.
“Thank you. You’re not so bad, yourself.” He laughed and leaned in over the counter. His cologne was intoxicating, and his proximity made me swoon.
“How would you like to grab a cup of coffee later?”
I thought about how messy I was and realized that by the time I finished, it would be late. “It’s going to be early morning before I get out of here. Maybe around two a.m. I couldn’t ask you to wait around for me, and besides, I’m beat.” I hated to turn down the offer, but it looked like I’d have no choice.
But then he shrugged. “I’m okay with that.”
I couldn’t let him wait that long for me, especially knowing how tired I was. The fact that Selena was crushing on him was another reason I wasn’t so sure about it. If she saw us together my job could be on the line again and next time, who’s to say that the prince would save me.
“Really, I can’t.” About that time, I saw a man across the room. I’d seen him before around town taking pictures. “Do you know that man?” I nodded in his direction, and Enzo turned his head to see.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll take care of this.” He turned and headed over, and instead of the man getting scared and running away, he got more aggressive and in Enzo’s face.
“Tell me who the new love interest is, Prince Enzo. Fifteen minutes for an exclusive.” He got the words out before Patrick came around the counter across the room and put himself between them.
“Get out of my kitchen.” He put his hand in the man’s face, and another guy grabbed his phone. The guy ran after him as he opened the back door and tossed the phone out into the back alley.
“I’m sorry about that,” said Enzo. “The guy is always on me.” He turned to Patrick. “Thanks for that.”
Patrick nodded. “Anytime.” He walked back to his counter, but I knew it was only to keep an eye on me. Patrick was always very protective.
“So, how about that coffee? I really don’t mind hanging around.”
About that time, Emily came through the door and headed to the counter where Patrick was working and naturally, Selena was right behind her.
She didn’t notice us at first, but I looked up and saw her and shook my head. “I’m sure you’re used to getting your way, but you keep pushing, and you’re going to get me fired.” I nodded toward Selena, and as if the gesture caught her attention, she glanced up then did a double-take.
I turned my back and busied myself in the sink just feet away and left Enzo standing there as she crossed the room.
“Prince Enzo! I didn’t see you come back here. If had known, I’d come to see you. It’s not too late to take me up on that sit-down. We could go back out of the floor and talk until they close this place down if you like. Perhaps take a nightcap across town at my place?” I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Enzo squirm.
“That sounds like a lovely offer, but you see, I’m in town with my daughter and so I really should be getting back to see her.”
Daughter? The prince had a daughter, so what of the girl’s mother?
“I see. Another time, perhaps.” Selena’s tone was harsh, and then I heard her footsteps as she walked away in her noisy heels.
I turned to see her take her sister by the hand and lead her off into the main room and Enzo came around the counter to stand beside me. I looked up into his eyes and shook my head as a slow smile spread across my face. “You don’t give up, do you?” I let out a long breath.
“No, I don’t. May I have your number? Maybe we could get together some other time.”
“I think Selena has a crush on you. I don’t think she’d like it if we saw each other.”
“I am not interested in Selena. I’m interested in you.”
“Why is that? I mean, you’re a prince, and you can have any woman you want. Besides, you don’t even know me.”
“But I want to know you. I don’t see why that’s so hard to understand. I suppose it’s me following an instinct.” He stepped closer and put his arm on the counter beside me.
The heat between us was intense, warming me in all the right places, and for a moment, I thought he might kiss me as he reached up and brushed a fallen strand of hair from my face.
His phone rang, and he let out a breath as he got a strange look on his face. “I have to take this; it’s my daughter.” He stepped back and turned toward the counter. “Hello?” He was silent for a moment. “What? Are you sure, Margarite?” His tone had me alert, and I could tell by it, and the fact that his eyes had widened and his face grew pale, that something was terribly wrong. “I’m on my way!”
He shoved the phone in his pocket. “I have to go, I’m so sorry.” He turned and ran out to the front without looking back.
CHAPTER SEVEN - ENZO
I ran out of the kitchen so fast that everything around me was a blur as I beelined for Lucas. He stood with a few women, and though I hated to ruin his party, I needed his help. His eyes widened as he saw the horror on my face. “What’s wrong?”
“We have to go!”
“Is it your father?” He grabbed my arm, but I shook my head and caught my breath.
“No, it’s Esme, she’s missing. Margarite called and said she’s searched the house from top to bottom and can’t find her.”
We hurried out the front door and to my car which was parked to the side. The driver was inside talking on the phone as I ran up to the window. “Get us home fast!” I opened the door and jumped in back, and Lucas piled in with me.
“Where could she have gone? Do you think she’s been kidnapped?” Horror went through me as I considered all of the possibilities. If anyone harmed her, I’d kill them. There was not a single doubt in my mind that I’d do it with my bare hands.
The trip across the city was the longest of my life, and I swore if I ever found her, I’d never leave Aramis again. I found myself making all sorts of bargains in those minutes and then, as we pulled up at the house, Margarite was standing on the stoop with her arms pulled tight around her. She looked so panicked that I knew I couldn’t be too hard on her.
“Have you found her?” She shook her head and about that time, Esme’s voice sounded in the distance. I turned to see her skipping up the street from the corner.
“Daddy!” She ran up to me and hugged my waist, her small face pressed against my hip.
I knelt and pulled her into my arms as Lucas let out a sigh behind me. I held her there the for the longest time, but finally, I pulled away. “Where were you, Esme!”
She winced at my tone and then she glanced around to Lucas and Margarite, both who were about as happy as I was with the situation. She slumped into her shoulders. “I came outside to wait on you, and decided to walk down and sit on the corner so I could see you coming.”
“Why on earth would you do that!” I snapped. She’d never wandered off alone, and she should have known better at her age. She should know that the world is not a nice place and that she isn’t safe out on the streets at night. I suddenly felt like the worst parent in the world.
“I missed you, Daddy. I wanted to be waiting.”
“You should be in bed,” said Margarite.
She turned her head to Margarite and curled her lip. “You said we’d do something. I wanted to watch a double feature.” Her mouth turned down in a pouty frown.
I wasn’t going to let her put this off on her nanny. She’d slipped out of the house after Margarite had put her to bed and retired to her room. “Someone could have taken you! Do you understand that? You can’t leave the house by yourself, not even to wait for me!”
Her face scrunched tight as big tears splashed her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Daddy!” She fell against me, and I lifted her up into my arms and held her tight.
“I’m sorry for yelling, but you scared me. What would I do i
f something happened to you?”
“I’ll take full responsibility, Your Royal Highness. I should not have left her side.” Margarite bowed her head.
“You’ll do no such thing. She’s nine, not five, and when you tell her to something, she’ll do it. You listen to Margarite from now on.” I walked past the woman who was still in a half-bow and entered the house. “Let’s get you up to bed.”
After I tucked her in and had a long talk with her, I found Lucas in the front room.
“That was intense.” He let out a long breath and took a sip from his whiskey glass.
“Yeah. I don’t think she’ll ever do that again.” I went to the bar and poured myself a drink. “I want to go back.”
He nodded and held up his glass. “I’ll make arrangements for us to fly out first thing in the morning.”
“What? No, I don’t mean leave New York. I want to go back to the gala.” I looked at the clock on the wall, and I had a feeling Cindy might still be there if I were lucky.
“Do you think she’s there?” He made a disapproving sound and rose up in his seat.
“I know there’s only one way to find out. Besides, I don’t have her number, and I don’t know anything about her. She thinks that Selena will be upset.”
“Why does it matter?” Lucas shrugged. “Selena is her boss, not her mother.”
“No, she thinks Selena wants me.”
“Oh, I see. Well, good luck with that. Are you going to bring her home to the queen?”
“If she’ll let me, I would.” I joked with him. “She’s a charming girl; she might impress the Queen.” The look on his face made it clear he thought I was nuts, and I couldn’t blame him. “Lucas I know this is all very sudden and seems crazy that I could be so enamored by a woman I’ve only just met. Something tells me I should at least find out more about her and there’s only way I can do that.”
He nodded his head and gestured his left arm out as if to say ‘Go ahead’.
I went out to my car and had the driver head back across town.
As we approached, I noticed there weren’t many cars in the parking lot. I decided to go to the building’s back door that led into the kitchen, so the driver drove me around to the alley.
I walked into the kitchen and expected to see Cindy or her friend, the guy who had run off the reporter. If Cindy wasn’t around maybe he’d give me her number.
“I knew you’d come back.” Selena sauntered up from the corner of the room.
“I’m sorry. I was hoping someone was here. I seemed to have lost my tie pin.” I couldn’t think of a better excuse, and her face paled as her brows grew heavy.
“I’ll check the lost and found.”
“I could have lost it earlier tonight when that girl—what’s her name? Cindy? She might have seen it. Do you happen to know how I can get in touch with her?”
“I don’t have her number on me, but I could call her tomorrow and give you a call back if you’d like to give me yours.” She was a sly one, and I didn’t want to cause problems again for Cindy.
“Well, that’s not necessary. Perhaps I could ask her about it at the next gala. Surely your company is working the entire series?”
“Of course. We put all of our competitors out of business.” Her pointed look let me know that she wasn’t the type to give up or back down. I wondered if she really did see Cindy as competition and what I should take from that remark.
“Well, that’s good for you. I’m sure you’ll do well.” At least I knew I could count on seeing Cindy at the next event, and then, I wasn’t letting her get away without at least getting her number.
“I always do. Have a drink with me?” She headed for the bag on the table which had a bottle of wine with a big bow tied around it. “This is from a friend. I was going to take it home and partake, but I think it would taste much better if I shared it with you.” She uncorked the bottle like a pro and poured me a drink in one of the wine glasses sitting in the top box of a stack of others.
“Thank you.” I brought the wine to my lips, and it tasted like swill.
She downed the drink and then poured another. “So, where are you staying?
“I own a house here. My daughter and I have come in for the gala season.”
“I’m surprised you don’t remember me from last year. We shared a dance at the premier ball.” I looked down at her and tried to remember. She seemed familiar, but the woman had so much work done to her face, that I’d be hard-pressed to find any semblance of what she used to look like.
“I’m sorry. I can’t say I recall.” I sipped my wine and looked away. I had to try and find my escape and wished I’d get a call from Lucas.
“It’s okay. I’ve grown up a lot since then.” She leaned in and before I knew it, her lips were against mine.
I pulled away not at all sure what to do with her. Not the slightest. “I’m sorry. I’m not interested.” I placed the wine glass on the table and walked away.
What the hell was her deal?
CHAPTER EIGHT - CINDY
“There’s the old pro. How are things going tonight?” Patrick’s tone was light, and I’d noticed that he was in a good mood considering how busy we’d been with the second gala of the season.
As I stopped next to him, I checked to see how much liquor had been served and so far, we were right on track. “Much better than I thought it would be. There have been little to no problems. I just need to keep that record going, and Selena will have nothing to bitch about.” She’d lit into me good over the glass spilling incident, and I still don’t know how I could have been so clumsy. It was as if I didn’t know how to control parts of my bodily functions around Enzo.
“I was looking for Mr. Royal Hotness earlier when I was out front. I wonder if he’ll show.”
I knew better than to let the smile spread my lips at the mention of Enzo, so I pulled them into a tight line and continued to peruse the list.
“Don’t pretend you’re not interested, miss thing. I saw the way the two of you looked at each other. You are going to have to get a better poker face if you want me to think you’re not into him.”
“I barely know him. He did ask for my number though, but then he got a call and had to rush out. I think it was something to do with his daughter. Whatever it was, he looked worried and left without saying goodbye.”
“I’m sure it was something important. He’s the prince of Aramis. He’s bound to have lots of important things happening back home.”
“Which is just another reason I don’t think it’s realistic to read so far into things. I mean, we’re worlds apart. I’ve never even heard of Aramis.”
“There’s plenty to have in common. I’d start with sex; I’m sure it’s a safe bet you’d both like it.” He leaned over and whispered jokingly “Even if you’ve yet to have your cherry popped. All these years of me protecting you from immature losers led to you saving your goods for Prince Charming. If only I’d known that was the key. Maybe I wouldn’t have been around town so much myself.”
I laughed uncontrollably and gave him a nudge. I could always count on Patrick to make me laugh like a mad woman. “I can’t just sleep with him. I’d be nervous enough about losing my virginity, let alone having sex with a prince!”
“Why not? I would. ” He walked off and went to the preparation area to check on the food, leaving me to think.
I wondered if Enzo would be at the event and decided that if he was, I’d give him my number. They way he’d rushed out the last time I’d seen him was a clear indication of how much he loved his little girl. He couldn’t be all that bad.
I was just about to prep another drink tray when one of my servers, Annie came in looking for me.
“Cindy, there’s a man out front who would like to speak to my manager.” She had a dreamy look on her face, and I had a hunch that I knew who had put it there.
“Who is it, Annie?” Suddenly, my nerves were frazzled.
“I’ll take you out.” She put down
her tray and led me to the door.
As we walked out and approached his table, I smiled. “Already causing trouble, I see.” I stopped next to this table between him and the adorable little girl sitting with him.
“Just enough to find a reason to talk to you.” He gave me a wink. “This is Esme. Esme, this is Cindy.”
“Nice to meet you, Esme. That’s a beautiful name. Is it short for something?”
She shook her head. “No, but sometimes my daddy calls me Essie.”
He smiled and cleared his throat. “I wanted to ask if there is any shellfish on the menu. My daughter has an allergy.”
He had called a manager over for a legitimate reason and I wondered if he’d really expected me at all. I turned to see that Annie was still lingering by, starry-eyed for Enzo.
“Annie, please get Patrick from the kitchen.” I turned back to Enzo who had leaned in and was whispering to his daughter across the small, table for four.
“You should ask her, Essie.” He sat up straight, and then his daughter tugged on my apron.
“Would you sit with us please?” Her smile was so warm and friendly that I couldn’t tell her no.
“Maybe for a bit, until my friend Patrick comes out.”
“You have a friend named Patrick? Is he handsome?”
“Quite handsome, actually. He’s my best friend.” I glanced to Enzo who narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure that one out.
“I’ve known him since college.”
“I like your necklace. Daddy bought me one like it for passing my lessons last year.
I clutched my necklace knowing it had cost fifteen hundred dollars and thinking how that was an awful lot of money for a little girl to spend on a necklace. I thought of all the payments I’d made and how I’d even gotten mine on sale. “Well, you’re a very lucky girl. I’m sure your daddy treats you like a princess.” I caught myself the moment it hit me, and my face burned red with embarrassment.
“I am a princess.” She giggled and her father, who must have seen my embarrassment, gave me a sympathetic smile.
