by Bella Grant
“I see my dinner has arrived.” He sat back in his chair to allow the waiter to place his plate of fish and seasoned vegetables in front of him before setting her plate before her. “We ordered the same.” He laughed.
She looked at his plate then back to hers. “So we did.” She grinned.
The conversation moved steadily from their dinners to his work. Bernardo owned several small fishing boats that provided the local restaurants with their daily catch. He pointed out that the carp they were enjoying most likely came from one of his boats that morning. It felt good to talk with a man who could hold a conversation without gazing at her breasts, and at the same time, make her feel wanted. His hand brushed hers on the table several times throughout their conversations, and his eyes sparkled when he laughed.
Before she knew it, two hours had passed and the restaurant was beginning to wind down. He insisted on paying for her meal, even though she argued that since he bought her drink she should return the favor. He laughed and completely ignored her while waving to their waiter and telling him to put the whole thing on his tab.
When they walked out into the street, they found it to be busting with people leaving a concert hall nearby. “It must be late.” She looked at her watch and sighed. Past eleven o’clock. “And it is. Thank you, Bernardo, for a wonderful evening.” She waved for a cab. The royal driver hadn’t waited for her, and she didn’t know how to call him back.
“I should thank you. I expected another dull evening. Would you care to join me for dinner again tomorrow evening?” He put a hand out to stop a cab before it passed them. The car pulled to the curb for him as though he’d called to it specifically.
“I’m not sure of my schedule tomorrow. This was pretty impromptu tonight.” She pulled out her phone. “Would you be willing to give me your number, and I can let you know tomorrow?”
“Only if you’ll agree to give yours.” Grinning, he pulled her phone from her fingers and entered his information in her contact list for her and called his phone with it to capture her number. “There you are.” He slid the phone back into her open purse for her and opened the car door.
“Thanks again.” She settled into the seat and watched him fade into the distance as the car pulled out into traffic. When she told the driver where to drop her off, he gave her a surprised look through the rearview mirror but didn’t say anything.
It would be close to midnight by the time she made it back to the estate. She wondered if the prince had even noticed she’d been gone.
RAPHAEL
Where the hell was she?
Raphael paced through his room for the tenth time before stalking to his door and deciding not to send a search party out for her. He’d repeated the same action over and over again for the past hour.
When the clock struck midnight in the hallway and the chimes began to play, his temper increased with each note.
Missing dinner was one thing. He had calmed himself after he read the note she left outside her door by reminding himself she was an employee and not required to eat all of her meals with him and his family. When he settled into the dining room, he realized disappointment had replaced his irritation. Without her present, the conversation in the room felt stilted.
Carmen answered questions he asked or Isabella threw at her, but other than that, she remained quiet and closed off. Antonio did his best to strike up a conversation with Isabella, who did everything to put him off except physically turning her chair around to give him her back. It had been the most entertaining part of the evening, actually. The colder the shoulder she gave Antonio, the warmer his smile became. His little sister had finally found a man she couldn’t control with a wink and a smile. Raphael enjoyed that part of dinner immensely.
Deciding he would better relax in his office where he could put his mind to work, he headed down the stairs toward it. Just as he reached the main floor, he heard the front doors opening and heeled feet walking through the entranceway. He waited at the bottom of the stairs to make sure it was Victoria. To release his worry, he told himself.
“Oh! Your Highness.” She clutched her chest when she turned the corner and found him standing there.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he muttered but made no move toward her.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone to be up. I mean, well… you. I didn’t think you’d be up. It’s a good thing some of your staff were. Otherwise I’d be sitting outside the gate until morning.” The corner of her mouth tugged upward into a half smile while her hands fidgeted with her purse.
“It is morning.” He looked at his watch. “Did you enjoy your evening out?” He tried to sound pleasant. After all, she was under his employ, not under his power. If she were his—the way his body wanted to make her his—she would have more than a little explaining to do.
“I did. Yes.” She nodded and looked behind him toward the staircase. “It’s really late—or early. Either way, I’ll head up to bed now. I believe we have a ten o’clock scheduled tomorrow to go over the exact budget.”
“I will see you then.” He gave her a slight bow and moved out of the way of the stairs to let her pass. He watched her move up the staircase, her ass swaying from side to side, shown all too well in the pants she wore.
He grumbled to himself all the way to his office. Too distracted now to work, he decided to put on an old movie. Something with a horrible love story that would surely put him to sleep and get rid of the idea of holding that perfectly round ass in his hands.
“Carmen.” Raphael stared at his betrothed across his desk after breakfast. She’d taken her meal in her room, stating she had woken up with a headache. He had more belief that she was avoiding him. For whatever reason, the woman seemed near to terrified of him, and he needed to know why. If he was to find a way to spend the rest of his life with this woman, and only this woman, he needed to clear the air. “How is your headache?”
She looked at him with a confused look and quickly ran her hand over her wrinkled forehead. “Much better, thank you.”
“I missed you at breakfast.” He dropped his pen onto the table. “I’m going to be blunt with you, Carmen.” He rose and moved to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. He felt her muscles tense at his touch, and he sighed. “You are obviously afraid of me.”
“No,” she objected immediately with a sharp shake of her head.
He ignored her denial. “I need to know why so that I may soothe whatever worry you have.”
She looked into his eyes, and he could easily see the concern lingering there. “You won’t be angry with me?”
“How can I be angry with you if you tell me the truth?” He gave her what he hoped was a warm smile, meant to comfort her.
“I’ve heard things,” she whispered. “About you. Things that you like in your women, and things that I’m not sure would be proper between a husband and a wife.”
His interest peaked. Finally, the woman said something to capture his attention. “What have you heard?” he asked, but he had a pretty good idea. He was never open-mouthed about the women he’d taken to bed, but he couldn’t give the same guarantee that they themselves didn’t talk behind his back.
“You tie women to the bed posts, whip them, and punish them when they don’t obey you.” She gave her confession while staring at her lap. Even through the veil of hair hiding her face, he could see the deep crimson shade cross her cheek.
“Well, that’s not entirely the truth of it.” He gave her hand a little squeeze. “I had thought we would have this conversation after the wedding, but if it would put your mind at ease, we can have it now.”
“You want to do those things to me?” Her eyes snapped up to meet his, raw fear lingering in her expression.
If he were to be honest, he didn’t want to do any of those things with her. In his mind, he imagined showing her one of his favorite floggers, and her promptly losing consciousness and crumbling to the floor. It would have been comical, except he had a fairly strong feeling the realit
y wouldn’t be too far from his imagination.
“I would never do anything with you that you did not consent to. Yes, I like to play with some pain, with giving it. Spanking, flogging, and some bondage when the mood strikes me, but never would I do these things with you if you did not wish it.” Her face paled as he spoke, and he gripped her hand a bit harder, hoping to send some of his strength in her direction.
“And what about punishments… Would you ever punish me?” Again, she looked away from him.
The door to his office opened, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Victoria enter. Noticing their proximity to each other, she turned to leave, but he managed to catch her eye and gave her a firm shake of his head. She remained where she was.
“That is yet another thing you would need to be okay with. As my wife, and my queen, it would be your duty to obey me. As your husband, I do wish for full obedience in all things.” When Carmen wouldn’t look at him, he glanced at Victoria. Her cheeks had reddened almost as much as his fiancée’s. “But agreeing to accept punishments for disobedience won’t be forced on you. I know it sounds barbaric, but I promise you I would never abuse the trust you place in me when you give me such power.”
Again, he glanced at Victoria, gauging her reaction. Her bottom lip had been sucked into her mouth, and she gripped her notebook to her chest so tightly her knuckles had turned white. His fiancée’s reaction did not have such promising results.
“As your wife, I will always do my duty, but I don’t understand why you want to spank me for fun, or punish me like an errant child. If I truly do not have to participate in those things, then I would rather not.”
“It’s not that simple, Carmen.” He focused on her, scooting his chair closer to her and lowering his voice. “This is something we should discuss later, perhaps after we have gotten to know each other better. But I promise you, you have nothing to fear from me. I will never do anything to harm you or insult you or your honor.”
She looked up at him, a hard look in her eyes. “I will never want to do those things, my prince. Perhaps you would be happier if you took a mistress.”
He sat back from her as though she had just slapped him. “I would never do such a thing,” he vowed. “We can discuss this later. Victoria is here for our meeting.” She nodded and pulled her hands from his before settling herself back in her chair, her regal appearance back in place.
He watched her transform from the scared girl to the royal princess she was with some irritation. Another cold woman among the ranks of royalty. He never suspected she would be interested in his bedroom desires. However, he hadn’t been prepared for her abrupt solution either. She cared so little for him that she couldn’t care less if he bedded another woman? With her knowledge and consent?
“Victoria, please, join us.” He waved her over as he stood from his chair, offering it to her. He watched her move as she walked slowly toward them, her eyes downcast as she made her way to the seat he offered. Even with her head slightly bowed, he could see the pink tint to her cheeks. When she approached him and looked up, her dilated eyes told him everything he needed to know.
He stepped out of her way and walked around his desk to sit in his seat. The two women greeted each other warmly and jumped into business. He tried to pay attention to the conversation, but Carmen seemed to have a handle on whatever they were discussing.
Carmen would be willing to tolerate him having a mistress. He knew the idea was not unheard of among royalty, or even among politicians in non-monarchal countries, but he had not seen a woman so open to the idea. He witnessed the pain in his mother’s eyes whenever she was confronted with one of his father’s mistresses, or at the mere mention of the woman’s name, and vowed he would never subject his wife to those feelings. Nothing his mother did would have been enough for his father. The king seemed to enjoy having a small harem of women in the wings. But his mother still felt inadequate and embarrassed that her husband sought the attentions of other women. Though she never showed those feelings to anyone outright, he could always see it in her eyes.
On the other hand, Victoria’s reaction to what she heard not only pleased him but gave him more of a reason to believe his relationship with Carmen would not be a life full of happiness. Pleasantries, yes. They would be kind and civil, and she would most likely bear him several children, but the deep-rooted connection he would find with a woman that submitted to him not only in the bedroom, but in all things, would not be possible with her. Her submission in the bedroom would only go so far as having a sexual relationship with him. Sometimes, he cursed the royal upbringing. They taught the women to do what their husbands said, give him children, and be polite, but the warmth he sought wasn’t expected. And it couldn’t be taught.
Victoria wouldn’t need to be taught. He could imagine her kneeling at his feet, beside his bed, her hands bound behind her back and her mouth open, ready to accept either his cock or his gag, whichever he chose. Moving in his seat, he adjusted his erection. Don’t go there!
Not only would taking Victoria as a mistress be disrespectful to Carmen, it wouldn’t be the least bit fair to Victoria. She deserved to have everything. A man who would treat her with the utmost respect and worship her. A man who would hold her accountable, stretch her limits and test her boundaries. And if he was married to Carmen, she would only ever be a sex toy. No true relationship could ever form. There would be no morning discussions over breakfast. She could never openly bear him children, and the idea of seeing her swollen with his child only made his dick harder.
“Raphael? What do you think about these numbers?” Carmen’s voice interrupted his thoughts. He straightened in his chair and took the piece of paper she handed him, the budget for their wedding. He couldn’t care less about the wedding or the festivities. It only symbolized the beginning of the end for him. A life full of civilities, pleasantries, and cold nights.
He felt Victoria’s gaze on him and looked up at her. Averting her eyes the moment his gaze touched hers, she became extremely interested in the hem of her skirt. He wanted to ask her where she had been the night before and who she had spent her time with, but he remained silent. It wasn’t his business. As long as she continued to do her job, he had no right to ask her anything personal. Although he had taken it upon himself to chastise the driver who had left her in town without a way back to the estate.
He gave strict instructions she was never to be dropped off again. If she wanted to go into town, they were to take her where she wanted to go and wait for her to be ready to return. Never again was she to take a cab back to the estate. Although his country boasted low crime, it was not free of all crime. There were still those that would take advantage of a guest at the royal estates, and her requesting a ride back to the estate could put her in unnecessary danger.
“Do the numbers look all right to you, Your Highness?” Victoria asked, keeping her eyes slightly to the left of his gaze.
“Can you cut this by ten percent?” he asked, placing the paper on his desk.
“I think that’s possible. We may need to revisit a few things, and this is just a rough estimate. I’ll know more concrete numbers once I work with Carmen on finalizing a few details.”
“Carmen, how long will you be with us?” He turned his stare on his fiancée, who had become engrossed with her phone.
“I will be here for two more days. But I’m sure we can make a lot of decisions. I had hoped to get your sister to pin down some of the designs for the festival costumes, but she’s been whisked away by my brother. They have taken out a boat for the afternoon.”
“Together?” Raphael had no concern that Antonio wouldn’t treat his little sister with the respect due her title and station, but he knew Isabella well enough to know she didn’t like being told what to do. He wondered how Antonio had managed to get his errant sister on the boat with him.
She glanced at her phone and nodded. “It would appear so. I had hoped to get her opinion about a few fabrics, but I suppose I can see
if she has time tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. His sister’s schedule was completely open every day of the week, save for social events. Most of those were in the evening. It would do her some good to deal with a man like Antonio for a little bit. “I’m sure she’ll have the time.”
“I will get these ideas put into place. I should be able to head back to New York by the end of the week. Perhaps we could schedule a meeting every month or so to go over details and things, but the majority of the work can be done from my home office.” Victoria began gathering her books together.
“I assumed you would stay here while the plans took shape.” Raphael’s spine tensed at the idea of her flying away.
“For six months? Although this event will need my undivided attention closer to the time of the ceremony, for now, it’s not entirely necessary.” Victoria gave him a tense smile. He got the impression from the darkening of her eyes and the crease in her forehead that there was more to the reason for her going home so quickly.
“Well, whatever Raphael decides is fine with me.” Carmen stood and gave them both a brilliant smile. “I hate to run off, but my mother’s childhood friend is on the island for a visit with her daughter. I’m scheduled to have lunch with them.” She whisked out of the room. Raphael noticed the tension in his chest ease with her departure.
“I’ll book myself a flight then,” Victoria announced as she rose from her seat. A small notebook slipped from the pile and landed on his desk. She bent over to retrieve it, and he noticed the button she’d missed on her blouse. The gentle swell of her breasts was easily seen through the small gap in the shirt, and he quickly tried to avert his stare. No need to tease himself with desires he could never act on.
“That won’t be necessary.” He picked up the book for her when she couldn’t quite grab it without spilling the rest of her bundle. He walked around the desk and took the remaining bulk from her hands and started walking toward the door, feeling her walking behind him as he moved. “I would like you to stay for an additional week or so, just to hammer out as many details as we can before you fly back to the states.”
