by Katz, Avery
“You two are freaking adorbs,” Hannah gushed. “And you and Quin are just perfect together. I’m so glad you finally put an end to your “will they or won’t they“ drama.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, change the subject already,” Louisa complained from her seat. “Hannah, come over here and show me how to charge this iPad of yours.”
Quin’s lovely sister gave me an apologetic look and returned to her window seat. Getting her stamp of approval was great. She was such a sweetheart. I made sure Adley was safe and secure in her baby chair before adjusting my seat into a reclining position. My hubby suddenly got up and cleared his throat. His eyes met mine for a brief second. It was enough for me to figure out what he wanted. Joining the mile-high club was on his bucket list. He wanted to have sex on my private jet, and I was more than happy to oblige him.
“I’m off to the lavatory.”
“Don’t take too long.” I winked at him and slapped his ass.
My cock throbbed in anticipation while I sat there and waited for him to give me the signal. He knocked twice on the door, loud enough for me to hear, and then unlocked it. I got up from my seat and asked Hannah to hold Adley for me. She was getting antsy and grumpy. It was almost time for her afternoon nap.
“Don’t make too much noise, or Mom will throw herself out of this jet,” she whispered in my ear.
“Copy that.” I grinned before rushing towards the front of the plane.
I knocked twice on the toilet door. “Open sesame.”
Quin pulled me inside by the collar of my shirt and pinned me against the sink. His pants and boxers were already around his ankles. He was panting with excitement and his cock was ready for takeoff. “Whoa. Fuck me sideways.”
He devoured my lips and quickly unzipped me. His eager touch awakened my inner horny teen. He reached down between us and coated my shaft in lube. “Where did you get that?”
“I stole your mini lube bottle from your back pocket this morning.”
“How sneaky of you.”
“Fuck me.” His deep blue eyes gazed deep into mine. I saw so much love and passion in those passionate orbs of his. “Seriously. Just bend me over and make me an official member of the mile-high club.”
“With pleasure.” I sealed the deal with a bruising kiss that made him go weak in the knees. He turned around and held onto the sink while I prepped my cock. I could see his eager face in the mirror. He was desperate for a good fuck. “Are you ready?”
“Less yapping, more touching, please.”
I entered him in one swift thrust. He covered his mouth with one hand and closed his eyes. My hand flew to his cock. I used the leftover lube to make him cum all over the sink. His cum splashed the mirror and drenched my fingers. His flushed face reflected his orgasm. He bit into his hand to stop himself from crying out and clenched his butt cheeks around my cock. I smacked his ass, leaving a red handprint on his muscular flesh. He moaned and arched his back.
I fucked him harder and faster, eager to get us both off. “Oh, shit.”
Watching the ecstasy on his face and hearing his quiet moans was sensory overload in this small and stuffy lavatory. I closed my eyes and moved my hips faster, rutting into him like a wild animal. The tension in my spine traveled all the way to my balls. They tightened in anticipation of my release. “Fuck.”
I stood on my tiptoes and emptied myself inside him. He leaned against the sink and tried to contain his sexy groans. I hugged him from behind. Aftershocks of my orgasm coursed through my boneless body. “Welcome to the club.”
“Thanks. It was so worth the wait.”
23
Quin
“Holy guacamole! Raplen is gorgeous! It reminds me of Scotland, only with better weather,” my sister gushed the second we left the airport. It was safe to say that we were all tired yet excited. Jet lag was starting to kick in, especially after spending the past five hours watching the Will and Grace revival on her majesty’s private jet. The show’s new episodes were simply hilarious. Greg watched MindHunter on Netflix. In-flight wi-fi was the best thing about flying on board a G5. Hannah, Greg, and I played video games as well. We scared ourselves shitless playing Outlast and competed against each other in Mortal Kombat. It was mostly nostalgia that prompted us to play such games. I was a professional gamer once upon a time. I used to compete in tournaments in San Jose. Hannah and Leah used to drive me there on weekends to practice.
Greg’s cousin Tommy picked us up from the airport. He was in a sour mood as usual. It was so typical of him. His constant brooding was not a good look. He had a sleek red Mercedes Benz with a surprisingly spacious backseat. Mom was oddly quiet, but her eyes took in everything, from the custom leather seats to the polished wood. The interior was clean and comfy. “How come your Tesla is always in miserable condition? You could learn a thing or two about cleanliness from this gentleman.”
“Welcome to Raplen, Mom.” I ignored her remark and kissed her cheek. She was somewhat tolerable during the long twelve-hour flight. She spent the majority of her time binge-watching Modern Family in an attempt to understand gay marriage. Ever since she saw Greg naked, she’d been acting weird. She mostly kept to herself and babysat Adley while we were at work. Her arm was still in a cast which was signed by all of us, including her friends. My husband tried to buy her affection by gifting her a Louis Vuitton scarf to wrap around the cast. She wore it today, just not around her arm. It graced her neck and matched her dress perfectly.
I stared out the window, taking in the magnificent sights. Raplen was breathtaking. It was a hybrid of Monaco and Spain. Pine trees lined the highway on our way to Lockridge Palace. The landscape was lush and vibrant. Gorgeous Mediterranean and Spanish-style houses sat perched on emerald-green hills. There were hardly any high-rise buildings. We spotted a wealth of medieval ruins and old castles amidst the quaint, suburban area.
“Tommy, why the sour mood?” Greg asked.
“Your grandmother, the Queen, is a traitor.” he said.
“What?”
His cousin switched lanes and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “She invited none other than Evan Spencer to the palace!”
Greg burst out laughing. “Is that so?”
Tommy glared at him. Sparks flew out of his eyes. He was such a drama queen. “Great. All my family members have officially lost their marbles and turned on me,” he muttered.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” my husband said.
“I’m not fucking dramatic,” Tommy protested.
“Language, cousin! We have a baby on board, so kindly choose your words carefully.”
“Shit. Sorry. I meant, crap!” he muttered. “This is fudging unacceptable. First, I get cheated out of displaying my artwork in Florence; then grandmother Traitor-leen decides to screw me over by inviting him to the fudging palace. When did my life become a parody? This poop situation is getting to me,” he ranted. “It’s just one big pile of never-ending poop.”
“Oh, dear. I changed my mind. You’re perfect, son,” mom said from beside me.
Tommy’s phone rang all of a sudden. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. “Motherfucker!”
“Tommy!” we all yelled in unison.
Lockridge Palace was made out of some kind of alabaster stone. The smooth surface of its magnificent walls reflected the sun. It shone like a beacon in the middle of the forest. We were all dazzled by its unique architecture. I often traveled to Europe and the Far East for business, but I had never encountered such surreal beauty. It belonged to a fantasy novel. The curtain wall was adorned with bronze horse statues and other wild animals. The Mercedes drove past a gatehouse where guards in black uniforms stood watching over the castle.
“Corn! Corn!” Adley pointed a tiny finger in the direction of a life-size bronze horse. The intricate details on the statue were fascinating. We passed by more guards in medieval armor. Greg told us that the armor itself was designed for comfort without losing its authenticity. The palace grounds were equally
impressive. A stunning mermaid fountain greeted us at the main entrance. Hannah took at least a dozen pictures of the royal garden. The shrubs and topiary were trimmed to perfection.
Mom was blown away by the majestic palace. She took selfies in front of everything.
I smiled in amusement and followed Greg up the marble steps. My stomach did somersaults on the way up. Up close, the palace was intimidating and awe-inspiring. I was looking forward to meeting the rest of Greg’s family, but my nerves were getting the best of me. Adley clapped her hands and waved at all the statues we encountered along the way. Hannah almost tripped and fell from looking up at the frescoes on the ceiling. Tommy walked ahead of us with a permanent frown on his face. He was an odd duck for sure.
“How old is this place?” my sister asked.
“Lockridge Palace was built in 1608. It underwent several renovations, including a recent facelift, so to speak. As you can see, Queen Emmeline is fond of tulips. She added a much-needed feminine touch to this palace.”
He was right. The corridors were decorated with an assortment of tulip-related artifacts. The red flowers brightened up the ivory walls. The arched doorways and crystal chandeliers seemed to go on forever. It took us around ten minutes to reach the great hall. Greg showed us the throne room and a bunch of other staterooms before escorting us to the drawing room. I suddenly felt like I was in the middle of a period piece. I expected Jane Austen to show up from behind a curtain to blow me a kiss.
“Are we there yet?” Hannah asked. “My feet are killing me.”
“Floridians are such couch potatoes,” Greg teased her. He linked his arm through mine and motioned for Mom and Hannah to follow us. The lush hallway carpet led to a bright airy room with lime-green wallpaper and vintage furniture. Two enormous guards greeted us at the doorway. They were scary big. “Sorry for making you walk all this way. We’re still trying to figure out a way to drive a golf cart around the palace without ruining the ancient hardwood floors.”
“No worries. We’re just happy to be here.”
“Yeah. Welcome to the traitor’s den,” Tommy said in a heavy, sarcastic tone.
“Please ignore him.” Greg ushered us into the room.
Queen Emmeline was kind enough to greet us with hugs and kisses. She was warm and charismatic. I was blown away by her kindness and sense of humor. “Quin, how nice it is to finally meet you. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.”
“Me too,” I blurted out. “Your Majesty. I’m honored to be in your presence.”
“Oh, hush now. You’re family. There’s no need for formalities.”
24
Quin
Greg introduced me to his cousins and parents. His aunt Edith stood out the most, but in a negative way. She was stuck up and judgmental. She made me uncomfortable right off the bat. Queen Emmeline invited us to feast on an array of homemade sandwiches, smoked foie gras, and Instagram-worthy salad dishes.
Mom sat down next to Lady Edith who loudly complained to her about gay men. She was worse than Tommy. “Did Greg tell you about his fellow gay cousins?” She clucked her tongue in disapproval. “Yes. All of the princes are gay.”
“What?” Mom froze midbite and fainted all of a sudden.
Prince Theodore, who was basically a carbon copy of Greg, rushed to her rescue. He lightly patted her cheeks and checked her pulse. I dropped my sandwich and hurried to her side.
“Hurry. Get me some cologne.”
“Now that is a proper reaction if I ever saw one.” Lady Edith said with plenty of smugness in her voice. I wanted to reach out and strangle her. She gave off this negative vibe that made me want to leave the room. “Everyone acts like it’s normal when it’s obvious that the men in our family are cursed.”
“Now is not the time for such talk, Edith,” Danny said. “We have guests in our midst.”
“Oh, dear. Is she alright?” Queen Emmeline handed Prince Theodore a bottle of perfume. It was made out of glass and embellished with diamonds.
“Yes. She’s slowly regaining consciousness.”
Mom opened her eyes and apologized for fainting in front of everyone. “My blood sugar must be low.” She blushed and reached for the grapes.
I sighed with relief and rubbed her shoulders. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. I just suffered a momentary dose of culture shock.”
“Our family will die out from lack of children being born. Mark my words.” Lady Edith continued her inappropriate rant. The queen finally intervened and asked her to shut up.
Greg picked up Adley, making her giggle. “Nonsense. We’ve got Miss Adley over here.”
Edith scowled. “The child is not your blood.”
My husband glared daggers at her. “Who cares? She’s mine through and through.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. My eyes were filled with so much love and affection for him. He caught me staring at him, so I quickly looked away and stuffed more foie gras into my mouth.
“You should all get some rest for your dinner party later,” Queen Emmeline proposed. “I’m throwing a soirée to commemorate Greg’s marriage to Quin. I advise you all to take a nap because I’m expecting plenty of dancing and drinking tonight.”
“Yay!” Hannah cheered from beside me.
Yay indeed.
25
Quin
“So, when are you going to tell your grandmother that our marriage is fake?” I asked Greg while helping him with his navy blue tie. It had Raplen’s coat of arms on it. They loved horses with a passion here, especially gambling on said horses. They had one of the largest racecourses in central Europe.
Greg simply shrugged and said nothing. It was hard not to ogle him when he was dressed from head to toe in Hugo Boss. His Prussian-blue suit was tailored to perfection. He took out his silver cufflinks from their box and examined his reflection in the mirror.
“Wendy is strangely off the radar. I guess throwing a tantrum in my house and threatening to take Adley was all just smoke and mirrors. I don’t think she’s going to do anything after all,” I said while removing my charcoal jacket from its hanger. “When we return to San Francisco, we can start the paperwork for our divorce and get it over with.”
He gave a noncommittal grunt in reply. “So you’ll sleep next to me every night and allow me to make love to you, but still you’ll talk about a divorce?”
I shrugged and put on my jacket. “So what? I’ve always been a friend with benefits to you.”
Greg stiffened but didn’t say anything. He finished putting on his cufflinks and stood by the door. Our bedroom was more of a suite. The walls were a light shade of peach and the furniture was elegant and modern. The painting above the bed was one of Tommy’s creations. Funnily enough, it featured a young boy with a sour attitude painting a canvas with angry strokes. Art did imitate life here in Raplen.
“I’ll be heading down to the ballroom. You should come along when you’re ready.”
I watched him disappear down the endless corridor. The palace was insanely big. The east wing alone had thirty rooms. Mom and Hannah were given the choice between three bedrooms. They took a page out of Goldilocks and the Three bears and tried every single bed, couch, and balcony until they settled for a sunset room with chocolate parquet floors. Mom recovered nicely from her fainting spell and sent me a gazillion pictures of her suite. Hannah even took a photo of her in the clawfoot bathtub. I finished getting dressed, combed my hair, and grabbed the palace map from the dressing table.
Guests often lost their way around the confusing structure, so the Queen ordered her finest map maker to create a map of the palace and its vast grounds. Yes. They had their very own map maker who descended from a long line of esteemed map makers. It was quite fascinating. The entire history of the country was intriguing. I held the map open and ventured outside the bedroom. The two-page guide reminded me of the 1989 Prince of Persia video game. All of the corridors looked the same, but they were labeled differently. T
here were two ballrooms, one in the east and one in the west. The dinner party was supposed to take place in the west wing.
I encountered plenty of staff on my way to the nursery. According to the guide, there were around two hundred employees who worked full time at Lockridge Palace. Staff positions included butlers, curators, and even a team in charge of clock maintenance. The staterooms were well preserved and showcased a variety of antiques and expensive items that were gifted to the Queen on her Jubilee. My phone vibrated with more photos from Mom. She was fully dressed for the party and drinking tea on the terrace. I smiled and continued my journey down the eastern corridor. The golden chinoise wallpaper and crimson tulips added a splash of color to the decadent hallway.
Adley was already fast asleep when I reached the nursery. Her fluffy unicorn was tucked under her arm and covered with the blanket too. My little baby had enough excitement for one day. I greeted the nanny and gave her my number just in case my daughter woke up in the middle of the night. “How long have you worked here?”
“Five years and counting,” She replied. “I used to work at Buckingham Palace, but the salary was laughable compared to what I make here. The Lockridge family poached me from Prince William and his wife. They treat the staff exceptionally well here. We even get bonuses on Christmas.”
“Great.” I nodded. “As you can see, I’m kind of freaking out about leaving Adley here for the night. Please keep an eye on her. She’s a very special kid.”
She touched my arm and told me not to worry in a sweet, syrupy voice. I thanked her and left the room. I could hear classical music in the distance, so I followed the sound and ended up in this beautiful room with mirrors of all shapes and sizes hanging from the walls. I checked the map and discovered that I was holding it upside down. “Shit.”
I checked my reflection in the mirrors, admiring my new Tom Ford suit. It made me look less of a tech nerd and more of a sophisticated James Bond sidekick. I ran my hand down my tie, smoothing it against my chest. “Looking good, Hampton.”
