But I don’t mind. The pay is great, and I get to do what I love. They’re giving me free rein on the fabrics and anything else I need. Nothing is too expensive, which is like a designer’s dream come true.
By the time we’ve gone through it all, I’m giddy to get started. When we get up, she says, “Okay then. Let me introduce you to your client.”
Mrs. Adallah walks me through the corridors and up a flight of stairs. Then through what feels like endless halls alongside beautiful gardens until we stop at a huge door with a guard standing on each side.
I clutch my bag close to my body and bite the inside of my cheek, wondering who’s going to be wearing the clothes I make. If it’s a man or a woman, what their status is, their size … all of it changes what clothes I need to make.
“Is he ready?” Mrs. Adallah asks the guards.
One of them knocks on the door, and yells, “Your visitors have arrived.”
There’s a voice that echoes behind it. “Come in.”
The guards step aside, and Mrs. Adallah opens the door, hesitantly stepping inside. I follow her, but I can’t see a thing other than her back while she speaks up.
“Your Highness? Are you ready?”
Your Highness? What?
I’m stunned, and even though I open my mouth, nothing rolls off my tongue except soft mumbles. I’m going to actually design clothes for a royal?
“It’s time for your appointment with the designer,” Mrs. Adallah says. “She’s here to take your measurements and talk through a couple of ideas.”
She grabs my arm and pulls me forward into the room.
My eyes are immediately drawn toward a man sitting in a giant square bath, naked.
Females around him pour water on him, washing him.
And when he turns his head, all the blood drains from my face.
Amir.
Chapter 4
Amir
The moment our eyes lock, my whole body goes cold, despite the fact I’m in a scorching hot bath. It’s her. The girl from the club. And from the looks of it, she’s noticed it’s me too.
Fuck.
What is she doing here?
One of the women tries to rub my skin with a washcloth, but I push her away. “Not now.”
“Sorry, Your Highness,” she says, backing away.
“Bath time is over,” I tell the women, who immediately leave, still wearing their bikinis. They’ll dress somewhere else, as always.
I wasn’t expecting Mrs. Adallah to come in with company. And that it’d be … Maya.
“Maya?” I mumble, still shocked about seeing her in the flesh.
Her eyes widen, and her face turns strawberry red, so I’m guessing it really is her. Wow. What a coincidence. And here I thought I wouldn’t ever see her again.
“Your Highness?” Mrs. Adallah says, raising her brow. “It’s time for your appointment with the designer, remember?”
“She’s the designer?” I ask, my brows drawing together. When neither of them responds, I burst out into laughter. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence.”
“Do you two … know each other?” Mrs. Adallah asks, her eyes shifting back and forth between me and Maya.
“Oh, yes,” I say, biting my lip, thinking about all the kisses we shared … and the way I banged her against the bathroom counter.
God, I was planning to do so much more to that beautiful girl. I wanted to take her back to my hotel room and lick her entire body before claiming it again and again. Too bad someone recognized me, forcing me to leave before anyone else found out.
When the silence becomes awkward, Mrs. Adallah places a few documents on my desk and smiles. “Well … I’ll leave you two to it then,” Mrs. Adallah says, then she turns around and leaves.
Maya stays put right in front of the door, her body practically frozen to the ground.
I don’t blame her. Discovering the guy you fucked at a local club is the actual prince must be hard to swallow. Not as hard as something else I would’ve made her swallow … if I’d had the chance.
I rub my chin. I might still get that chance after all.
I step out of the floor bathtub, and her eyes immediately follow down toward my V-line, and probably beyond.
“Towel,” she mutters, shutting her eyes.
I look down and laugh. Crap. I completely forgot I’m naked.
I quickly grab a towel, and say, “Sorry.”
“Jesus …” she adds, making me laugh even more.
It’s not like she hasn’t had it inside her before. She just hadn’t seen me yet because I fucked her so fast and immediately zipped up afterward. I smirk. Well, she has now.
With my towel curled around my waist, I dry myself off with another one and then saunter off toward my closet. “It’s safe to look now,” I say, wondering if she’s thinking about my cock.
“Right,” she says sarcastically. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”
She sure has sass. “I promise I won’t moon you.”
“But you couldn’t wait to show me your dick,” she scoffs. As if she’s actually mad.
“Hey now,” I say, putting on some underwear and pants. “That was a mistake.”
“Really? You forgot you were naked? In bath? With a bunch of … girls?”
I laugh again. “For the record, those are professional washing ladies.”
She cringes. “TMI, Amir. TMI.”
“What? Jealous?” I raise a brow. Maybe she has thought about me.
Her face scrunches up. “You wish.”
Oh, so feisty. I love it. Still, I get that she may have been offended by what she saw. Finding out the random guy you fucked is a prince, and then discovering him in the tub with his washing ladies probably isn’t a great memory to add to the collection.
“I apologize for the way this introduction has gone,” I say. “But let me make it up to you.”
I put on a purple shirt and close my closet, walking toward her. “I’m ready for whatever you need me to do.”
She slowly opens her eyes, revealing those beautiful irises again that continue to draw in my complete attention. “As long as you’re not naked.”
“Oh c’mon, I’m sure you liked what you saw. Besides, it’s not as if you didn’t like it when I gave it to you,” I jest, taking a long sketchbook from her hand. “What’s this?”
She tries to snatch it back from me, but I turn away and walk toward my desk.
“Those are my drawings,” she says, approaching me. “Give that back, please.”
I open it and flip through pages and pages of beautiful sketches and outlines of amazing dresses, skirts, tops, pants, and pretty much anything else you can wear.
Suddenly, her fast fingers grasp it, and she takes it away from me. “Those are personal.”
“They’re amazing,” I say. “Love it.”
She blushes again. It looks good on her. So good, it makes me want to keep pushing her, so I can see those red cheeks again and again.
“Thanks, I guess.” She swallows when I catch her looking at me, and then she immediately looks away. “Anyway, let’s get started then.”
“Right … because that’s what you’re here for. To design clothes.” I clear my throat as I sit down behind my desk. “I didn’t know you were the one they hired.”
“As if I knew.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning.
“No one told me I’d be working directly for the royals,” she says.
“Really? I’m surprised it wasn’t mentioned,” I reply.
“They only said I’d be working in the palace.”
Interesting. I’ll definitely have to speak to Mrs. Adallah about that.
I point at the chair in front of the desk, and say, “Sit, sit.”
She grabs the chair, slowly turns it, and carefully sits down as if she’s afraid to break the thing or something. That, or her ass is made of porcelain. Honestly, it makes me want to laugh.
“What? What’s so funny?” sh
e asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “It’s just so extraordinary …” I gaze up at her from under my eyelashes. “To see you again.”
She licks her lips, and for some reason, I imagine it’s me licking them instead. “It was quite a surprise to me too, actually.” She makes a face. “Especially with the whole … bathing scene.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sorry. If I’d known Mrs. Adallah was going to immediately let you in, I would’ve been dressed already.”
“Hmm … right.” She gazes down at her sketchbook, almost as if she’s thinking about something else right now. I wonder what’s on her mind.
“Is that … Those women …” Her lips are still parted, but she doesn’t finish her sentence. “Never mind.”
I smile, and say, “You mean the ladies who washed me? That’s normal, yes.”
She nods, clearly confused. “Right … Because you’re a royal and all.”
“Exactly.” Why do I get the feeling they don’t do that where she’s from?
And why, when I look into her eyes, do I sense a slight hint of jealousy?
“If you’re curious, I don’t do anything with them. Physically. They just wash me. That’s it.”
“I didn’t ask.” Her voice is blunt, almost as if she’s embarrassed.
“But you wanted to know, so now you have the answer,” I reply with a grin.
She seems even angrier now, and I love how it looks on her.
“No, I was just confused, that’s all,” she says, clearing her throat. “Anyway, let’s begin.”
Chapter 5
Maya
I don’t think anything as remotely uncomfortable as this has happened in my life.
Like catching him while he’s naked. Watching a bunch of girls bathe him.
Not to mention the fact this is the same dude I hooked up with at the club mere hours ago.
I’m starting to wonder if I should doubt my sanity right now. I mean, if this isn’t otherworldly, I don’t know what is.
Especially the women touching him like that, both outside the palace and in the bath … it gave me the itches. Made me want to rinse myself off and tear my hair out. But why? Why am I so upset when I don’t even know this man? At least not beyond the quick kiss and fuck we shared.
Part of me feels a little deceived because he could’ve told me he was the prince before he hooked up with me. Though, I’m not even sure whether that would’ve stopped me from jumping his bones. Because damn … was I horny last night.
Still, I can’t help but feel a bit begrudged over what I just witnessed. And not just that, but how the hell did this guy go from flaunting his expensive car outside the palace to taking a nude bath with a bunch of women? Apparently, my conversation with Mrs. Adallah took a lot of time. There’s no other explanation.
That, or I’m losing my mind.
I try not to make it awkward as I run my ribbon around his waist and chest, determining the sizes I need. Even though I’m sweating profusely just from being so close to him, I refuse to acknowledge any effect he may have on me.
When I catch him staring at me as I come around to the front, my entire face turns warm. A sinful grin spreads on his lips that reminds me of last night. And what I saw when he came out of that deep floor tub … a long, juicy, dangling cock.
God. I didn’t even see his dick at the club. It had all happened so fast. One moment, we were kissing, and the next, I was bent over the counter being fucked in the pussy. I loved how it felt, and I knew he was big.
I just didn’t know he was that big.
Fuck.
I look away and sigh. Why can’t I get these images out of my mind?
He’s the prince, for God’s sake. He’s unattainable. And an ass, judging by the way he dismisses girls as though they’re disposable. Plus, he ditched me at the club without any explanation whatsoever. He could’ve said he had important business to attend to. Or lied. Whatever. Anything would’ve been better than how he just vanished.
“So … you’re an expat then?” he suddenly asks, probably trying to break the ice.
I roll up the tape and place it on the table. “I’m just here temporarily for business purposes.”
“Right …” He licks his lips as I hold up a few patches of fabric I brought to see which one matches his skin.
“So do you dress royalty often?”
“No. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” I reply.
His frown intensifies. “That’d be a shame.”
“Why?” I ask, then shove the fabric that looks good into his hand. “Hold this, please.”
“Because you’d probably make a lot of royalty happy with your designs.”
I pause as his words repeat in my head. Did he just give me a compliment?
“Your drawings are very good,” he adds.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing more fabrics to pair with it.
“I mean it,” he says.
I pause again and take a deep breath. “Okay, what’s this about?”
He shrugs. “Nothing. I’m just saying the truth.”
I raise a brow. “Right. Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to make me feel good?”
He flinches. “Would that make things all right between us?”
I step back and place both fabrics on the table. My lips part, but I find it hard to form the words I need. What in God’s name does he want me to say to that? So instead of replying, I grab my sketchbook and start sketching his figure so I can work on some designs. At least those aren’t ambiguous.
“Is that normal in your country?” he asks.
“What?” I ask, quickly penciling him down.
“Not answering a question a prince asks you.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying not to get angry, but boy, does this guy piss me off.
“Where I come from, there are no princes. Or kings, for that matter.”
“USA, right?” he asks. “President then.”
“He’s still a person, just like I am. I don’t have to answer him when I don’t want to.”
“Interesting …” He mulls it over for a few seconds as I continue drawing. “So you really aren’t afraid to speak your mind around here?”
I cock my head. “No. Unless it can get me thrown into jail, then yes.” I cross my legs as his eyes dip down and go over my body as though he wants to ravish it. “Is that what you’re aiming for? Please, let me know now, so I can get out of here in time.”
He smiles. “No, of course not. I would never,” he says. “Besides, you’re way too cute for jail.”
I roll my eyes. “Don’t try to woo me; it won’t work.”
“Who says I am?” He cheekily raises his brow, but then follows it with a wink, embarrassing me even more.
“This is strictly business,” I say, pointing at my work.
“Of course, it is …”
Why do I get the sense he’s not being serious at all right now?
I sigh. “Look, if you wanna do this another time, we—”
“No, no. Now is good. Now is perfect. I like this.” He glances at me awkwardly. “Should I stay still?”
“Yes, please. I’m trying to finish the drawing.”
“What comes after that?”
“I buy fabrics. I create the clothes. I give them to Mrs. Adallah.”
He looks taken aback. “Wait. Are you telling me this is the only time I’m seeing you?”
“According to the terms laid out in this contract, yes.” I point at the document on the desk.
“I didn’t agree to that,” he says, losing posture to read the fine print. “I’ll have to speak with Mrs. Adallah about this.”
I lean back and stare at him, confused. “Why?”
“Because I want to see you again, of course.” He grins. “Why else?”
I don’t even know what to do with that statement. But my body does because it goes from hot to cold, then back to hot in a flash.
I don’t know why, but I have the sudden urge to flee, s
o I do. I grab all my things and attempt to put them away, but the moment I reach for the contract, he grabs my wrist instead.
“Wait. Don’t go.” He glances at my wrist, then immediately releases me when he realizes he’s keeping me locked in place. “Sorry, I just …” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I wanted to apologize for the way I left you alone at the club. It was just that someone almost recognized me, and I didn’t want to risk it. The press is always following me everywhere.”
I nod. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have done anything with you if I’d known you were royalty.” That’s probably a lie, but admitting the truth could get me in a world of trouble I don’t wanna be in right now.
He makes a face. “Really? Because I could’ve sworn you were enjoying yourself thoroughly in the bathroom … and that you’re still angry I left you hanging.” He comes closer. So close, I can smell his intoxicating cologne. The same cologne he wore that night at the club. The memories of our lips and bodies melding together come rushing back. And oh boy, what I wouldn’t give for another kiss … and for his cock to fill me up again. But that would be wrong … so wrong.
He’s the prince, and I’m his designer. It’s forbidden. Explicitly. It says so right in the contract. I’m not supposed to enter into a relationship with any royal whatsoever. Just work-related talk, and that’s it.
I swallow away the lump in my throat. “I’m not angry.”
“Of course, you aren’t,” he says with a smug smile. “But I still wanted you to know that I’m sorry for leaving so abruptly, and that I intend to make it up to you.” He grabs my hand and kisses the top. “Miss Maya.”
Unprofessional Bad Boys - Boxed Set (Contemporary Romance) Page 45
