by Rye Hart
“It’s a party, everyone should be dancing.” He stood and took my hand and led me to the floor as Esme watched from a distance.
His arm fell heavy around my waist and pulled me closer. “I’d like to call on you, Cindy.”
“Are you sure? I’m just an average girl, though you do make me feel like one of those fairytale princesses.”
“I’m positive, but you know, you’d be a more fitting queen.” He nestled close, and before I knew it, he kissed my cheek and then whispered in my ear. “We have a captive audience.”
I glanced back over to the table and caught Esme watching us. Her smile had lit her face and brightened her eyes with such happiness.
“She likes you.”
“She seems like the kind of girl who liked everyone.” I didn’t want to belittle his remark, but I didn’t want him reaching for straws either.
“She is. So, let’s not disappoint her.”
“What about my boss?” He gestured across the room, and I looked over to see Selena flirting with another man. She had already come out of the kitchen, and she was not hurting for attention.
“I’m not interested in Selena White. Shouldn’t I have a say in who I want to date?” He wanted to date me. I couldn’t help but think of what Patrick had said.
“Fine. In that case, I’d love to.” I let out a long sigh as I finally gave in and hoped that Selena wouldn’t retaliate too much.
CHAPTER NINE - ENZO
I had been so excited about my progress with Cindy that I found myself humming the song we’d danced to in the shower the next morning. Not only had I secured her phone number, but I’d gotten a promise for a future first date. I couldn’t help but think about how much Esme had really liked her.
I was out of the shower and drying off when Lucas came into the room. “Excuse me, Your Royal Highness, but it seems Greg Levinas is up to his old tricks again.” He held out his phone and glanced at the screen while wrapping the towel around myself.
There were several pictures of Cindy and me, all from the gala events and the most recent had been last night’s dance. “That son of a bitch!”
“Yeah, and the headline: Future King Slums in the US and the article goes on to call her your common girlfriend, asking the burning question: ‘Is it true love for Enzo?’”
“I can’t wait until my mother sees this, I’m sure the hounds are already on it.” There was no way one of her advisors hadn’t seen that. Greg Levinas, while a low-life piece of shit, was famous for selling his created stories. And because of his infatuation with my family, my mother had hired a crew to keep her abreast. “Don’t let Esme see it. She’ll get her hopes up. She likes Cindy.”
“I told you that would never work, and that was before Levinas sabotaged it.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Have you called Cindy? Has she seen it?” Lucas was on edge, and I had a feeling he was feeling a bit guilty. It was his job to keep this stuff away from me. Despite being his friend, I had never made his job any easier.
“No, I better call her. And I’m calling that low-life Levinas too. If he doesn’t retract that story, I’m going to be all over him.”
“It’s on the internet, and it’s already been picked up by four others major sites.”
“Then I’ll sue his ass.”
“And what would you sue him for? Telling the truth?” As my eyes narrowed, he held up a defensive hand. “I’m just saying; he’s accusing you of having a relationship with someone you’re trying to have a relationship with. He’s not reporting anything too inaccurate. And in another day or two, it could be the truth.”
“It’s insulting to me and even more so to Cindy.”
“If she’s going to hang around with the future King of Aramis, then she should be ready for scrutiny and learn how to handle it. If you end up with her, it will only get worse.” He was right, and I hated it, but I was not giving up on Cindy, not unless she wanted me to.
I took my phone off the table beside my bed and learned I’d missed two missed calls from my mother. “Shit. Mother knows. I’ll call Cindy first.”
I dialed her number, but there was no answer, and before I could hang up and dial again, my mother called me back. “Hello, Mother.”
“Don’t you ‘hello mother’ me! How long has this been going on? Is this why you brought Esme with you? So that she could meet her future mother?”
“No, I brought her because you make it painfully obvious that you have no love for her.” I found my voice carrying too loudly and toned it down. “She loves the galas, and she had a good time. And as for Cindy, I haven’t been dating her. I met her at the last gala and—”
“And she’s part of the staff!” Mother’s voice was practically a hiss.
“She is the manager of the event company and a very nice person.”
“I want you to end it.”
“It hasn’t begun! But it will, and there’s not a damned thing you can do about it, Mother. I’m the one going to be King, not you. I know you think when the times comes you’ll want to use my rule as a way to get what you want, but I’m not going to let that happen.”
“Are you threatening me, dear son?”
“It’s no threat, Mother, it’s a promise.”
I slammed down the phone and knew that I’d pay for it later. “Mother knows. I’ve got to go talk to Cindy. Before I left last night, I promised her a simple lunch date. Now, look what’s happened.”
“You aren’t going to be here to deal with her when she calls back are you?” Lucas gave me an exhausted look. “I need hazard pay to put up with her.”
“Yes, you do. Take Esme to the theater and watch that double-feature. If she calls back just pacify her with an excuse. I’m not talking to her again until I get home.” I hurried off to go get dressed.
An hour later, I was on my way to Cindy’s place, and she still wasn’t answering her phone. I called Greg Levinas after and the sneaky bastard answered on one ring.
“Greg Levinas speaking.” He sounded like he had a smile in his voice and a spring in his step.
“Retract the story, Greg. It’s inaccurate.”
“Well, well, Prince Enzo of Aramis, to what do I owe the honor?”
“You know damned well what you’ve done. Those comments are not only untrue, but they are insulting for an innocent woman who doesn’t need her life disrupted.”
“Well, if that’s the case, dating a royal prince who is soon to take the throne as a king might be a bit much for her.”
I hated that the guy already knew about my father’s stepping down and wondered how. There had to be a leak with one of the trustees or advisors, and it wouldn’t have been the first time.
I made a mental note to flush out all of the moles in the house as my first order of business when I got back home.
“Take it down or you are going to see a very ugly side of me.” I hung up the phone as my car arrived at Cindy’s house.
The neighborhood wasn’t the greatest, but with her being a single woman in the city, it could have been worse. I walked up to the door expecting a buzzer, but there was no security of any kind to get inside her building.
I thought of how I needed to put her someplace safer as I walked down the hall toward her door and rang the bell.
She threw the door open. “Have you seen this?”
“I’ve been calling. I’m sorry. I guess I should have warned you about the paparazzo. He’s been following me every time I come into the city. I didn’t think he’d stoop this low. He had to know there’s nothing been going on.”
“Well, he spins a good story, so maybe he believes his own bullshit.” Her tone and language surprised me. “But that’s not even the worst of it. Thanks to your friend, I’m on probation at work. One more incident with you or any other guest, and I can kiss my job goodbye, and all of this too.” She waved her hand around to her apartment, and I felt horrible knowing how much the place must mean to her.
“I can assure you that you’ll have a place. I�
��ll make arrangements, so you don’t lose your home over this.”
She let out a long breath and shook her head. “You’re too much. I want to work for what I have. I’ve not been given everything I want or need.”
I tried not to be offended by the remark. “I’m sorry. If you would rather I leave—”
“I didn’t say that. Look, I’m sorry. You can’t help who you are any more than I can. Some of us just got luckier than others.”
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. “I’m not giving up on us. I like you, Cindy. I want to get to know you, and I want to date you. Now I can’t promise that this Levinas sleazebag won’t follow us, and torment us, but I’d like to spend time together. What do you say? Are you up for it?”
“I don’t know. You make it all sound so appealing.” She gave a breathy chuckle, and I pulled her into my arms. As she looked up at me, I brought my mouth down to hers for a nice slow kiss.
I pulled away and looked deeply into her eyes. “Trust me, Cindy.”
CHAPTER TEN - CINDY
I wasn’t happy that dating Enzo had gotten off on the wrong foot, but at least once our date got underway, things were much easier. We had a light lunch and then took a trip to the museums and then went to a different restaurant for the most delicious dessert I’d ever eaten. The huge plate of strawberry cheesecake was big enough for two, so we’d shared. But then, after we were done, he ordered two more slices to go.
“That’s a lot of cheesecake.” I stared down at the large bag figuring our date was coming to an end. Surely, he’d be headed home, with the two huge slices. But after he paid and we walked back down to the car, he sent the driver across town to deliver the desserts to his house for Esme and Lucas while we took a walk through another museum. We even stopped and painted a small canvas in their interactive exhibit.
When we went back out, the car was parked there waiting. “What would you like to do now? I’m sure we can find something with a little more action.” He looked deep into my eyes and squeezed my hand.
“I don’t have much to offer. We could go back to my place and have pizza later if you want.” I shrugged knowing he probably wouldn’t be for it. He had all the money in the world, I’m sure my offer wasn’t all that appealing.
“That sounds amazing, and I have to disagree, I think you have a lot to offer.”
My heart raced as he leaned in and kissed me; his fingers wove through my hair, and his thumb brushed softly against my cheek. He left me breathless, and though it was all amazing and dream-like, I had to wonder if it wasn’t too perfect. This couldn’t be the perfect fairy tale complete with a prince who would fall in love and whisk me off to his castle. Things like that only happened in books.
We went back to my apartment, and I offered him a seat on my worn-out sofa. His royal ass didn’t seem to mind one bit as he lowered it. “You have a nice place. Are you just moving in?”
I walked to the bedroom and took off my heels and replaced them with my slippers before joining him. “Thanks, and yes. I had a much nicer one I shared with my friend, but she decided she wanted to move in with her boyfriend and left me with the rent. I had to downsize, and unfortunately, this is the best place I could find.”
He nodded but looked as if he had something on his mind. “It might not be a good time to bring this up, but I couldn’t help but notice the lack of security out front. I’m not sure it makes me feel comfortable.”
“I doubt anyone is going to come in and assassinate you.” I let out a laugh, and his eyes met mine with a blank stare.
“No. Not me. I meant you.” He reached out and took my hand.
“Nothing’s going to happen to me. This is a fairly decent part of town, and the neighbors are all good people. There haven’t been any problems since I moved in.”
“I see.” He let out a long breath and looked toward the door. “I guess it helps you have two deadbolts.”
“They came standard, lucky me.” I laughed, and he leaned back as if trying to relax. Then he put his arm around me and pulled me closer. I hovered over him and kissed him deeply as his hand came up and around my waist. It was all happening so fast, and I felt like I was headed for a brick wall at full speed.
I thought about how I probably shouldn’t be doing what I was about to do. It wasn’t often I threw caution to the wind on a whim, but he had me so worked up, I couldn’t help myself. My body ached for him to be near me, inside me. And his body, a picture of male perfection, was irresistible.
I reached for his buttons as we kissed and worked them open. Then I ran my hands across his chest and pushed it off his shoulders. His chest was well-defined with thick cords of muscle rippling beneath his warm flesh. And just as quickly as I had his shirt off, he was working on mine, slipping it up and over my head.
He stared at my breasts a moment and then met my eyes as he cupped them through my white lacy bra and thumbed my nipples. “You’re so sexy, Cindy. I want to be inside you.”
In response, I reached down and undid his pants. No going back now. He raised up on his elbows and I slipped them down, leaning down to tug them, nearly putting my face in his crotch. I caught a peek at his erection and gave an audible gasp. His length was impressive, and I had a feeling from what I could see, that he was thick too. My mouth watered.
He pushed his thumb into my mouth, and I sucked it, rolling it around gently across my lips and tongue. “Take it off.” He glanced down at my skirt, and I stood up and unzipped the side, letting it fall to the floor. It landed in a puddle at my feet, and I stepped out of it and kicked it away.
In my panties and bra, I felt naked before him, and he licked his lips and leaned forward and kissed my firm tummy as his hand came up and cupped my sex. I shuddered, and chills went through me. His mouth was so close, and I wanted him to kiss me there, to keep going down until his mouth was against me and his tongue was in me. Instead, he slipped one of his fingers into my panties and found my center, sinking it deep. He stroked me good and then pulled out his finger and gave it a taste before kissing me. Then he went back down and brought his mouth down on me, his perfectly full lips pressing against my slick mound as his hand gripped my ass and pulled me forward.
“You taste delicious,” he said with his warm breath right against me. “And you’re bare. How old are you, Cindy?”
“Twenty-three,” I said, with a quivering chin.
He rubbed my bare mound and then gave it a slap. “I love this. Don’t ever change it.”
I loved him spanking it, but only because his next move was to soothe it with his tongue and it made me so hot that I orgasmed. The wave of pleasure washed over me so fast that I gripped his head and held him pressed against me. He moaned, and once I sagged a bit, he scooped me up and kissed my mouth as he carried me to my bedroom.
He lay me back gently across my bed and gripped my ankles to rest them on his shoulders. Then he centered himself against me. I panicked. “Wait.”
“What?” He backed his hips up and searched my eyes.
“I’m a virgin.”
His eyes lit with surprise. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? We don’t have to go all the way right now if you’re not ready.” He moved my legs off his shoulders and sat down beside me.
I sat up and covered my breasts with my arm. “No, it’s okay. I know I want to. I feel like it’s time. But, I’m scared.” I knew that first time would hurt. “You’re really big.”
He reached over and stroked my cheek. “Are you sure? This is a big deal, and while I want it to be me, I don’t want to take that from someone you find special.”
“There is no one else, and yes, I’m sure.” I hadn’t had anyone interested in me since college and then it was just a bunch of horny boys pawing at me. I knew he was special and I wanted it to be him.
He lay me back and stretched out beside me, kissing my lips and working his way down to my breasts. He stopped and looked up at me. “I’m going to make you feel good, Cindy.”
; Then he moved down between my legs and parted my thighs, licking and probing my sex with his tongue until I was floating on a wave of ecstasy.
“You’re ready, Cindy.” He rose up and centered himself again, this time checking for any signs of hesitation, and when there were none, he pushed his head into my tight hole, stretching me around his cock, until he hit resistance.
His thrust hit me deep, breaking my barriers and demolishing all evidence of my virginity. I winced at the slicing pain as he gently rocked back and forth, and with each stroke, the searing pain ebbed, and all that was left was a delicious ache of pleasure.
CHAPTER ELEVEN - ENZO
Her slick hole hugged my thick cock as I thrust deeper and I couldn’t believe she’d given me her virginity. I glanced down, seeing the pleasure on her face, the blood between her legs, and the glistening juices of our sex mixing with it.
I’d been lied to before, told tales of how I’d been their first, only to never have the proof as I did now. I knew she would be sore, so I took it easy on her, but part of me couldn’t wait to pound her tight pussy hard and fast.
I wanted to dip my cock deep and make her come, and then I wanted to fill her up with my royal seed. I knew it was a dangerous thought, but if she’d let me, I was going all in.
I lay across her and rolled us over, putting her on top of me. “Ride me to your comfort, Cindy..” She smiled and urged herself down further, gripping and milking my cock like a pro.
“It feels so good, Enzo. I think I’m going to come.”
Her words and actions had me worked up, and I wasn’t holding back. “You’re going to make me come, and I don’t want to do that until you do.” I had to get her there.
“Please, don’t stop.” she moaned and her tight walls clenched as her orgasm shuddered through her and as my balls tightened I knew it was time to pull out.
“No! Don’t pull out.” She held my cock in place in by holding me with her thighs.
“I’m going to come, Cindy.” I tried to lift her off of me, but she wouldn’t budge, and I couldn’t hold it any longer.
