by Fawn Bailey
Rich Man’s Toy
A Dark Royal Romance
Fawn Bailey
Copyright © 2018 by Fawn Bailey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Arijana Karcic of Cover It Designs
Contents
Foreword
1. Amber
2. Amber
3. Olivier
4. Amber
5. Olivier
6. Amber
Also by Fawn Bailey
Writing as Isabella Starling
Foreword
Fawn Bailey is the dark romance pen name of USA Today best-selling author Isabella Starling.
To every girl who wants to feel like a princess…
* * *
P.S. This prequel is inspired by “Promesses” by Tchami and Kaleem Taylor.
Amber
When I was a little girl, before everything changed, my mother used to tell me fairytales every night.
I would lie in bed, the threadbare duvet pulled up to my chin, my eyes wide open as I listened to the enchanting sound of her voice lulling me to sleep with stories that made me feel like a real princess, and always included a lesson to teach me something.
The most important lesson came on a snowy December evening, when the apartment was freezing cold and not even the blanket - threadbare as it was - could stop me from shaking.
“Little girls aren’t meant to trust strangers,” my mother told me. “They’re only going to be trouble.”
Since then, I had learned just how right my mother had been.
My life had been turned upside down by a chain of events I hadn’t been anticipating. Meeting Harlow Granger changed my life forever, and as I lay awake, nineteen years old and broken in too many ways to count, Harlow’s bed so much more comfortable than the one from my childhood, I wondered whether I’d made a mistake following in Harlow’s footsteps.
But there was something deep down inside me, something I’d tried to hide from myself and the whole wide world for a very long time.
There was a feeling of loneliness.
The need to submit.
The fact that I hadn’t felt complete in my life, not once, not ever.
And I was starting to realize what was missing... Except it was a hard truth to take, and not an easy one to admit to anyone.
There was someone I could be honest with. The girl who’d gotten me into the whole mess, yet I still followed her blindly as if she were my queen. The woman whose life I craved, now more than ever.
My bare feet slid along the marble hallway, the stone cold under them and waking me up sharply.
It was early in the morning in Harlow and Rueben’s new home, and I was restless, needing to get my thoughts out.
I found her in the winter garden, the early morning light pouring in through the window as Harlow watered the most luscious red roses I’d ever seen.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked me without turning around to face me.
I sighed, sitting down on a wicker chair and folding my legs under my body.
“No,” I admitted. “Thinking too much again.”
Harlow nodded, setting down the watering can and coming to join me at the small table in the room where two cups of tea sat steaming one by another. It was as if she knew I was coming. Sometimes, the girl was wise beyond her years.
But lately I felt like we had lost the closeness we used to feel. We used to be like sisters... Sharing anything and everything. While I’d usually been the one to pull away, this time I attributed it to Harlow - she wasn’t telling me something.
I knew the time wasn’t right to pry into her personal matters, though. Harlow had always been the kind of person who revealed what was on her mind at her own pace, and I didn’t want to rush her.
“Talk to me,” she said, giving me an easy smile. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”
I looked at her timidly. Yes, I knew I could tell her anything after everything we’d gone through together.
I’d become entangled in a web of lies which moved me from my home and family to the Mansion, then back to London to live with a cruel, wicked older man, and then, after his death, once again to Rose and Thorn’s, in their new estate.
Several times, they had told me I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted. Thorn felt guilty for putting me in cruel Van Acker’s care and wanted the chance to make it up to me. They wrapped me up in cotton wool, making sure I was always safe. But now, I was ready to step outside the boundaries they’d unknowingly set for me.
I wanted to spread my wings.
I wanted to fly.
“Come on, Amber,” Harlow said gently. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
“You've helped me enough,” I said heavily. “You’ve done so much for me.”
She reached forward, taking my hand in hers, her eyes connecting with mine.
“If it weren’t for me,” she whispered. “You wouldn’t even be in this mess to begin with. And for that, Amber, I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”
I chewed my bottom lip nervously, not wanting to give her the answer she so desperately wanted to hear. I never wanted to disappoint Harlow. I’d always looked up to her, strived to be like her. But now, it seemed as if I’d messed up my chances. I was going to end up alone, with nobody to love me the way Rueben loved Harlow. Nobody would ever call me his Rose... and nobody would look at me the way he looked at her.
Feeling tears well in my eyes, I looked down at my hands clasped in my lap. Harlow got up from her chair and knelt in front of me, making me look down at her.
“Amber,” she said. “You’ve been my dearest friend for years. Will you please let me help you?”
“Okay,” I managed to get out through the tears now freely falling down my cheeks. “But promise not to get mad, okay?”
“Okay,” she promised, sitting back down and giving me an encouraging smile. “Whatever it is, darling, I’m not going to judge you - but I will do my very best to help.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, wiping my eyes. “Do you ever just feel like...”
I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to find the right word.
“Like you don’t have a place in the world?” I finally managed, giving her a curious look. “Like you don’t belong.”
“I used to,” she replied. “Until I found ballet. And then once again, when I found Thorn.”
We smiled at each other, but her confession only made me more anxious.
I’d never had Harlow’s talent for dancing. Sure, I was talented, but I was mostly dancing because I felt like it was the only talent I had. But I wanted so much more.
“I want to belong,” I admitted. “I want to give up control... I want someone to make the best decisions for me. I want somebody to help guide me. I want to please... I want to do as I’m told.”
Once I was done with my speech, I kept my eyes firmly fixed on my lap, too afraid to look at Harlow. Surely, she knew what I meant? Surely, she knew what I was speaking of was a part of my submissiveness, a desperate need to belong to a man who would take care of me properly, not abuse me like Van Acker had.
“Really, Amber?” she asked me gently, and I raised my fearful gaze to hers.
Blue eyes met hazel ones, and we stared at one another, trying to make sense of the mess we were in.
“I know,” I laughed cynically. “The situation I’ve just been saved from... The abuse, the horrible way he
treated me. And I want it back. I want to kneel for someone. I want to belong.”
“I didn’t know you were...” she started, and I stared into her eyes, wondering what she was going to say. “Like me.”
She surprised me by grinning widely, coming closer to me yet again and taking my hands in hers.
“Oh, Amber,” she said, the excitement plain in her voice. “I’ve been dying to speak to someone who understood. Someone who got the lifestyle. But because of what you’ve been through, I’ve just convinced myself you hated it, that you wanted out of it and as far away from a dominant relationship as possible.”
“I don’t think so,” I shook my head slowly. “I think it’s what I need... It’s definitely what I crave.”
“I can help you,” Harlow said quickly. “And Thorn can. Together, we can figure out what to do.”
“Wait, Harlow,” I said. “I’m honestly... I don’t think I’m up for another relationship just yet. You don’t think... You don’t think it would be possible to just have some fun?”
For a moment, she just stared blankly at me, and then a wicked little smile lit up her beautiful face.
“Oh, we can have some fun alright,” she giggled. “I’m going to make sure you have all the fun you can have.”
She seemed so devious I couldn’t help but laugh, and she got up, rubbing her hands together in excitement.
“Let me put together a party for you,” she said, and I found myself nodding. “It’s going to be incredible. I’ll invite everybody. You might meet someone... but don’t go in expecting that. Try to just have fun.”
“I will,” I promised, nodding.
Somehow, the promise of a party sounded like the best thing in the world. Maybe this was exactly what I needed.
Maybe this was exactly what would fix all my problems.
But maybe I would learn not to trust strangers after all...
Amber
I had underestimated Harlow’s abilities to plan a party.
What she had created in the beautiful estate she lived in with Thorn was nothing short of amazing. The whole property was kitted out in only the best, and it looked breathtaking. All of it in my honor.
Thorn had been supportive of the idea and loved how into planning the party both of us had gotten. It was also a busy time for him at work, with Christmas coming up in a few months and plenty of people wanting his Eternal Roses.
He had pretty much left us to our own devices, with his credit cards at our disposal. And we used them well.
Harlow had decided the party would be opulent, rich and decadent down to the very last detail. The invitations went out only to people with money - people she and Thorn knew or moved in the same circles. She told me there would be around fifty guests in attendance, which made me nervous as hell, because she’d also made sure to make the party all about me.
Even the invites had my name of them, inscribed in beautiful golden calligraphy done by hand. Harlow said it was a party to honor her best friend and set it on the night of my twentieth birthday.
On the day, the house was bustling and full of people making sure everything looked perfect, with Harlow darting from one end of the house to the other, making sure everything was as she’d envisioned it.
As I watched the decorations came up, I was rendered speechless by the beauty of what she’d organized.
The tables were adorned with Thorn’s roses, thick and plump, juicy and heavily scented, in red and white. The tablecloths were heavy gold-and-white brocade, and the curtains were thick white satin. The food was just as opulent with a menu straight off a royal’s table in the previous century. She even had peacocks strolling the grounds outside.
“Harlow!” I called out when I found her poring over the menu. “I can’t believe what you’ve done. It’s absolutely incredible!”
She gave me a conspiratorial smile and linked her arm in mine.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she said mysteriously. “Our outfits are waiting upstairs. Do you want to go get ready?”
I nodded, and we ran up the stairs together, passing Thorn on the way to the boudoir.
“What’s the rush?” he asked, reaching for Harlow. “Where are my little Rose and her confidante rushing?”
Harlow giggled, letting go of me to fall into his arms. I glanced away when they kissed, jealousy eating me up from the inside.
Would I ever feel like this myself? Would I ever find someone who would love me the way they loved one another? Absolutely unconditionally... With everything they had to give.
“I’ll see you ladies at the party,” Thorn finally said, pulling away from Harlow and winking at me.
Before I could think about it for another second, Harlow had pulled me up the stairs again, and we giggled as we ran into the boudoir.
“I’m going to do your hair and makeup,” Harlow said. “And you can do mine.”
“That sounds like fun!” I giggled, suddenly feeling my age again. “This is so amazing. I’m really happy you did it.”
“It’s great,” she gushed. “You know, it’s exactly what this house needed. Some life in it... Well, some more life.”
She blushed, and I stared at her, cocking my head to the side.
“Harlow, you’re not...” I whispered, and she raised her eyes to mine, her gaze bright and hopeful. “Oh my god, you are!”
She nodded shyly, and I hugged her, laughing against her golden hair.
“I can’t believe it!” I told her. “And you kept it from me!”
“It was so hard,” she admitted. “But today, the third trimester is up, and I can’t keep it to myself anymore. I am... I’m pregnant.”
I kissed her cheeks. Everything made sense now - how overprotective Thorn had been of her, how I felt like she’d been hiding things from me. But I was truly happy for her, thrilled. I knew a baby was the only thing missing from their relationship, and I also knew just how badly Thorn wanted one. This was going to be incredible for them, and it couldn’t have happened to a better suited couple. They were going to be caring, loving parents.
“I’m so happy for you,” I told her honestly. “You’re going to be the best mother. And Reuben must be ecstatic.”
“He is,” she admitted. “Our family will finally be complete.”
We sat down in front of the large mirror covering the wall with makeup laid out on a table before it. Harlow chatted about baby things while I prepped her face with moisturizer and started applying makeup - barely there but beautiful. Her skin had a natural glow I didn’t want to hide.
Harlow had always been a beauty, unlike me.
I’d grown up as a bit of an ugly duckling - long limbs, scrawny body and something between short and tall. Painfully average in all aspects. Though I’d never resented Harlow for being more beautiful than me.
However, since my first move to the States, back when I moved to the Mansion, I started to grow into my body, filling out in all the right places. My features filled out and suddenly I wasn’t an awkward, gangly little girl anymore. I was a woman, with thick hips and large breasts, but a small waist to offset them. My red hair, which had been the butt of jokes most of my life, was now a sharp contrast to my pale skin, and my freckles were celebrated instead of being shamed.
I felt beautiful, even more so when Harlow sat me down in front of the mirror. I stared at my own reflection as she expertly started applying makeup. A thin layer of powder, so as not to cover up my freckles. Rouge on the cheeks and on the lips, with mascara coating my thick black lashes. I looked radiant, and though Harlow would always be the most gorgeous woman in the room to Thorn, I dreamt that someone that night would pick me as the most beautiful girl there.
It was time to get dressed, and nerves fluttered in my stomach as Harlow lead me to the dressing room.
“Now, you don’t get to say no,” she said with a devilish smile. “I had it made especially for you, and I don’t want to hear any protests. But let me show you mine first...”
She p
ulled out a stunning dress from the rack and I gasped as she laid it out for me. It was a gorgeous, single layer of midnight blue silk, with slits that went up the thighs, all the way into the waist. It was a daring, revealing dress, with a low-cut front and back, but I had no doubt it would look amazing on my friend.
“It’s fabulous,” I told her honestly. “Thorn will love you in that dress.”
“I hope so,” she giggled nervously. “I hope he likes it as much as you do. Let me show you yours now. But like I said - no protests!”
“Alright,” I giggled. “No protests.”
“Promise?” she winked at me.
“Promise,” I nodded solemnly.
She shuffled some things on the rack and finally pulled out a hanger with a barely-there piece of fabric. My eyes widened at the sight, and I gasped at the beauty of the garment. It was made of tulle, overlaid with gorgeous crystals, and completely see-through.
“I don’t want you wearing anything under it,” Rose told me wickedly. “Except maybe a garter, just for fun.”
“It’s absolutely stunning...” I started, but she held up a finger in the air before I could go on.
“I don’t want to hear any buts,” she told me. “It’s going to look incredible on you, I already know it. I had it made especially for you. With your coloring, it will look stunning.”
“But what about the guests?” I wondered aloud. “Won’t they be... You know...”
“Shocked?” she laughed. “Look, everybody knows what kind of relationship I have with Thorn. The people who are coming tonight are in the same lifestyle. This is the reason we’re having this party - to find someone who can satisfy you in the way you’re craving so badly.”
“I know,” I whispered. “I’m just... afraid.”
