by Sophia Lynn
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, and you are the first woman I thought of. He's looking for a high society type, and well, sweetie, that's you. I can understand your misgivings. It's not real acting work, but it's going to pay the bills. It shouldn't hurt your career, because it's in reality television and you want to be in movies, and I've heard the guy isn't bad. So, in or out? Unfortunately, there's no time to think about it. If I can't tell him something in the next half hour or so, he's going to move on.”
Trinity chewed her lip. It absolutely wasn't what she had wanted to do when she came to Hollywood, but with that amount of money, it meant that she could live without working at a diner for a year or more.
“All right,” she said. “I'm in.”
Chapter Two
The private air strip in Spain was warm and windy, tugging playfully at Apolo's hair even as he scowled at the clear sky. He had had business to conclude in Madrid, and he still wore his tailored black suit, though it was perhaps a little less crisp than it had been when he first walked out this morning.
I really don't have time for this, he thought dismally.
The plan that he had come up with was the best they had on short notice. He would meet his loving “wife” in Spain and bring her back to the country estate a few hours outside of Barcelona. Over the weekend, she could be trained up as someone who had known him for at least a year, and who would act the way a wife acted.
Apolo was grimly prepared for the worst. The actress—he wasn’t sure he’d even bothered to read her name when he’d looked at the file—was American, and when he thought of the American actresses he had known, the impression was not favorable. He was fully expecting to deal with a bubble-headed girl who simpered and clung and who had a hard lesson in front of her regarding what it meant to represent the royalty of Greece. Of course he had seen a picture of her, but he knew full well that headshots said nothing about a person’s personality or attitude, or even what she really looked like. That blond hair might be red now, and her makeup for the photoshoot, let alone the Photoshop work afterward, could be covering a multitude of flaws. God knew if she had any sense of style or decorum at all.
The small plane appeared, descending quickly. Apolo took a deep breath, ready for a brightly dressed, high-voiced young girl to come bouncing down the stairs that were being pulled up the plane.
Instead, the woman that appeared at the top of the stairs had more in common with a classic film star than she did with a Hollywood wannabe.
From what Apolo could see, she was a tall woman with her platinum blond hair—the same color as in the picture—pulled back elegantly in a French braid. Dark glasses concealed her eyes, but her tastefully tailored black dress showed off a body that was lean and elegant. She smiled at the attendant who came to hand her down off the plane, and Apolo couldn't help but notice how shapely her legs were as she stood on the pavement.
For a moment, the actress simply looked around, but then she caught sight of him. Her gorgeous red lips curled into a smile that was at once happy and intimate, and she walked across the tarmac towards him.
“Thank you for coming out to meet me,” she said as she approached. “Are we heading home now?”
“Yes,” he said after a stunned moment. “Yes, we are.”
Without thinking, Apolo offered her his arm, and she tucked her hand into with a soft laugh.
“So gentlemanly,” she teased.
There was something about this woman that grabbed his attention and held it. He felt like a knight of old, attending the beautiful queen at court. There was a kind of presence to this woman that made him want…
He shut his mind against the thought.
She was an actress, though an amazingly beautiful and skilled one. He knew that he needed to keep his wits about him if he wasn't going to make a complete fool of himself.
“I trust your flight was comfortable?” he asked guardedly.
She shrugged, sighing just a little.
“Just fine,” she said. “Everyone treated me wonderfully. It was only a little long.”
Apolo wondered if it was his imagination that she stepped a little closer, leaning against him for support. He felt her squeeze his arm a little, and even that small motion sent a tingle through him.
I might be in trouble, he thought.
Prince Apolo was a surprise. She had read the dossier that Tonya had given her, and though she had seen his picture, Trinity was still startled by how handsome he was. In the scattered photographs she had seen of him, he was good-looking, but she was also used to the camera tricks that were used on the rich and famous to trick others into thinking that the rich were always beautiful. On top of that, she had been living in Los Angeles, where the girl who bussed the tables might easily be a beauty of epic standards.
When she had scanned the tarmac, she recognized Apolo easily, but she hadn't expected her heart to thump quite so hard. The man was intensely handsome, but more than that, there was a kind of grace to him that took her breath away. He moved like a dancer, and when he spoke, there was a resonance to his voice that made her think of warm velvet.
“He needs to be impressed with you right away,” Tonya had said. “I've talked to his assistant, and he's a notoriously picky man. If he sees you and you don't suit, he'll put you back on the plane and send you right back where you came from.”
“Harsh,” Trinity had said, taken aback. “What do you recommend?”
“If it were me? Start before you even get off the plane. This isn't exactly a real acting gig, sweetie, but you can bet your life on the fact that you'll be performing. Live and breathe being his wife. Show him you are serious and that you can hit the ground running.”
She had taken Tonya's advice to heart. Over the full day that she spent traveling, she had read over the dossier and come up with the persona she wanted to present. Of course she knew that over the weekend, she would refine it, or perhaps have to throw it out altogether before the cameras rolled, but it was good to get started.
Trinity had studied the pictures of Apolo, wondering what kind of wife he might have. He wasn't smiling in any of his photographs, making her wonder if he was a serious or cold man. In that case, she thought he might perhaps be drawn to a warm woman, someone easygoing who loved to laugh. Perhaps he was looking for someone who took her life seriously, but who always let him in on the joke. That was what she started with, and from there, she went on to flesh it out a bit.
When she walked towards him, she took advantage of her dark glasses to scan him carefully. Something about her startled him, but he hid it well. He was feeling cautious about her, perhaps doubting the wisdom of the entire affair. It was her job to keep him from deciding to send her home.
Acting had always been a revelation for her. Until she started, she had never known how wonderful it was to slip into someone else's skin to be someone who didn't have her worries or her cares. They had their own worries and cares, of course, but because they weren't hers, they felt refreshing, even fun.
She slipped into the persona of Trinity Phillips, wife of one of the most mysterious royals in Europe, and she smiled a perfect smile.
He was a gentleman—she could tell that right away. He opened the door of his midnight blue Mercedes for her, handing her in with a courtly grace. She smiled, but she did not allow herself to look impressed. After all, she was a rich woman who knew her own worth, and who had come to expect this kind of treatment.
Apolo got in and started the car. For a few minutes, she simply relaxed against the buttery leather seats, watching the beautiful countryside go by. She knew now that it was a waiting game, and he didn't disappoint her.
“You aren't what I expected,” he said, his voice uncertain.
“Oh really?” she asked lightly. “What did you expect?”
He frowned at the road unspooling in front of them.
“I do not know. Someone…more like an actress, maybe. Someone flighty, more eage
r.”
Trinity laughed a little.
“I got on a plane at three a.m. in Los Angeles,” she teased. “You don't think that makes me eager?”
That won at least a small smile from him. Trinity thought that perhaps he was not a man who smiled very often.
“I don't know,” he admitted. “But you walked off that plane, you walked towards me, and you were…”
He broke off, and she risked guessing.
“I was perfect?”
He let out a long breath.
“Yes. As if you knew what I was expecting and what I wanted to see.”
“You can give my agent Tonya some of the credit there,” she said lightly. “I have a dossier on who you are, and I read it cover to cover.”
He shot her a narrow look, and suddenly Trinity wondered if he knew how much work she had put in.
“It didn't give you everything you need to know,” he said shortly. “We're meeting with a trusted therapist tomorrow who will help us build what we need to build.”
She tilted her head, watching him through her dark glasses. Though her body was perfectly relaxed, Trinity was completely alert.
“Is there anything about me that you would like to change?” she asked, and he narrowed his eyes.
“Doesn't this seem a little strange to you?” he snapped. “I have essentially rented you to pretend to be my wife, the woman that I love and cherish above all others. Does it bother you to think that we are going to be molding you to create something palatable for a television audience and that won't embarrass my family?”
Why yes, yes it does, she could have said. When you put it like that, it sounds just a bare step away from something truly unsavory.
“You think that I'm doing all the work,” she said instead. “Are you aware that you are going to be doing the same?”
She was gratified when Apolo looked a little startled at that.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, it isn't going to work at all if I'm a loving and devoted wife, but you are bristling whenever I touch you or watching me as if you think I might steal something.”
A slightly guilty look crossed his face as he realized he had been doing exactly that, but she continued.
“From what Tonya told me, the therapist will be helping us get used to each other, not just having me get used to you. If you want people to believe that we care about each other, we need a flow, a kind of energy that is apparent even if you can't define it. Because of that, I'm afraid that you are going to be working at least as hard as I am.”
For a moment, she wondered if she had oversold her ability. He was utterly still in the driver's seat. She wondered if she had tipped him over the edge and that he was going to call the whole thing off.
Then he shook his head, a wry grin on his face.
“Well said, little actress,” he said. “I'll try to keep your professional advice in mind.”
“If you are really planning to, may I offer another piece?”
“Of course.”
“Don't call me 'little actress.' You should always start as you intend to carry on.”
“What should I call you instead?”
“Trinity,” she said promptly. “You can shorten it if you like, but I've never found a shorter version I liked.”
“Trinity,” he said experimentally. He rolled her name over his tongue as if it were a fine piece of candy, making a strange shiver roll up her spine. “I like it. Can I call you anything else?”
She blinked.
“I'd…rather you didn't rename me, if that's what you're asking.”
“No, no, nothing so demeaning. I meant pet names, endearments. Honey, sweetheart, princess…”
She laughed a little. “I'll admit I don't like those names…”
“How about gata?”
There was something about the way he said that word that brought her up short. Somehow, she felt a strange warmth fill her up, and she could feel a blush spread over her cheeks. To Trinity's relief, he didn't seem to notice.
“I don't hate that,” she admitted. “What does it mean?”
“It's Spanish for cat, but it also means a beautiful woman,” he said. “I don't know, there's just something about it that suits you.”
“I think that will be fine,” she said, smiling a little. Her reaction to the word was stronger than it had any right to be, but perhaps that just meant that she was getting more into her role.
“You're very agreeable,” he said. “Perhaps now you would like to say my name.”
As light as his voice was, Trinity wondered if she detected some kind of challenge in it. Well, never it be said that she backed down from any challenge, artistic or otherwise.
She scooted closer to him, leaning across the seat so that she was a breath away from touching him. She heard him take a breath at her sudden nearness, and she pulled her sunglasses off. His gaze flickered at her bright eyes, and she smiled with all the charm she could manage.
“Apolo,” she murmured, letting her tongue caress each syllable.
Then she pulled back, and watched with some satisfaction as he took a deep breath and looked even harder at the road.
“Do me a favor,” he said abruptly.
“Yes?”
“While we're shooting, don't say my name like that unless you expect things to get a lot more adult than we bargained for.”
Something about the way he said it made her laugh, and then he was laughing as well, shaking his head.
This is going to be all right, she thought. This is going to be just fine.
Chapter Three
He had described the villa as one of his family's more modest homes, and though Trinity had definitely seen homes that were larger and more luxurious, she had never felt the sudden sense of peace and happiness that she felt upon seeing this one.
It was a gorgeous structure that had roots dating back to the time of the Romans. The walls were pure white, while the green clay tile roof recalled dark forest moss. Inside, the rooms were tall and spare, while the red tile floors were covered with woven rugs from all over the world.
“Oh, it's beautiful,” she breathed, walking through the house. Though she could easily see the modern accessories and conveniences, there was an old world touch to the villa, something that made her think of a kinder, slower time.
“It is that,” he said proudly, coming up behind her.
“Did you spend any time here when you grew up?” she asked. “This must have been an amazing place to be a child…”
He laughed a little. “We did. My entire family would come here sometimes so that we could swim in the lake, eat, connect. We have a few places like this in Greece that we go to, but there's something special about this villa. My father asked my mother to marry him here.”
The sun was starting to set, throwing rays of golden light through the tall windows. It gave everything a warm glow that made Trinity smile.
“Do you think that's how you asked me?” she wondered.
She meant for it to be a joke, but he looked serious for a moment.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I dismissed the staff for the weekend, but I made sure that there would be plenty of food in the house.”
She started to say no, but then her belly betrayed her by growling loudly. She laughed helplessly.
“I guess I am. Let's see what's available.”
As it turned out, the enormous double-door fridge was stocked with plenty of food. Eagerly, the two of them put together a tray of olives and cheese. While she sliced up a small baguette, Apolo cut pieces of spiced sausage for the tray.
When they sat down to eat, Trinity realized how hungry she really was and dug in. She had almost forgotten her question before Apolo spoke up.
“All right. I'll admit that I like the circularity of asking you to marry me here. Perhaps we had spent the day swimming in the lake, just the two of us. My family might have been vi
siting, but they left for Barcelona, leaving just the two of us here.”
She pictured the day the way he described it. She could see herself in a demure one-piece, perhaps a little retiring but perfect for conservative relatives.
“I've been having a wonderful time all day,” she said, her eyes half-lidded. “I've been playing with your cousins' kids and chatting with your aunts and your mother. I'm spending less time with you than I want, but it feels good to chat with the women in your family, the ones who have raised you and loved you…”
Apolo looked startled at that, but nodded.
“When they leave at sunset, we're a bit relieved. Suddenly, it's completely quiet.”
Trinity laughed a little.
“It makes me feel a little shy,” she admitted. “Somehow, even though we've been seeing each other for almost nine months, it feels like I'm getting to know you all over again.”
“I never thought you would be shy,” he said, his voice soft and warm. “I have the ring in my pocket, and I know that I'm going to give it to you tonight.”
“Do…do you think I'm going to say yes?”
He thought for a moment.
“I hope,” he said at last. “I don't know anything when it comes to this. That is one reason why you have captivated me. You are perfectly natural, perfectly yourself. Sometimes that is hard to predict. I am startled when I realize that I don't have to predict you. I only want to offer you what is in my heart, whether you accept it or not.”
Trinity unexpectedly found herself swallowing down a lump in her throat. She knew how this story was going to go, but she felt oddly tense, as if it were totally real.
“I start to say that we've had a long day…”
“I ask you to walk out on the terrace with me,” he continued. “Where we can see the lake. The first stars are coming out.”
“Something's going to change,” Trinity breathed. “I don't know what. You're hard for me to predict too. Sometimes, you go so quiet and still, it is hard to imagine what is going on in your head. I'm a little scared.”
