I watched in amazement as he pulled out his wallet and quickly counted through the euros he had inside. With a sigh, he handed the contents to me and smiled. “That should get you on the right track.”
Doing my best to maintain a nonchalant attitude, I took the money and slipped it inside my clutch. I wasn’t sure if I ought to count it out right in front of him, but I quickly decided to play it cool and deal with it later. If there was a problem, he’d already made it clear that I could get a hold of him and ask for more funds.
“Excuse me, I hate to ask, but I do like to keep in touch with my clients throughout the entire process, so do you mind if I were to get your cell number so I can get a hold of you if need be?” I again tried to maintain a carefree attitude as I asked the gorgeous man for his number, but a part of me couldn’t help but reveal the schoolgirl who was eagerly waiting to see what it was.
Antonio flashed one of his stunning smiles at me and scrawled his number on the back of a receipt he still had in his wallet. He handed it to me with the same level of dignity he had given me the wad of bills he pulled out of his wallet, and I felt my cheeks flush red. I sheepishly took the receipt and this time glanced down at it, feigning more interest in the paper than I truly had.
“I’ll shoot you a text with my number later this afternoon so you can get hold of me too,” I said in my businesslike tone. I knew I was going to enjoy texting him a little too much, and felt it best that I be the one in control of initiating contact, at least for a while. After all, though this man had told me he was engaged, part of me could sense that he was feeling a level of attraction for me as well.
My mind was spinning, and I chided myself for even letting it go in that direction. But, at the same time, I couldn’t help it. Sure, I was used to getting hit on by groomsmen and other guests who attended the weddings I planned, but it was rare for me to feel as though the groom himself found me attractive.
The Prince stopped and ran his hand through his black hair. I felt my heart flutter as he slowly let his shaggy waves fall back into place, and I fought the urge to reach out and touch them myself. He flashed a grin and looked down at his watch—a moment I took to glance into the open flap of his shirt as the wind moved it at the most opportune time.
“I should really be going. There are a few things I have yet to do today, and though I feel that I have tended to what is likely the most important of all, I should get to my other duties as well.” He spoke with a regal air that made my knees go weak, and my heart pounded in spite of how inappropriate my feelings were.
“I suppose I ought to be, too,” I said with a teasing look in my eye. He chuckled as he looked down at me and I was quick to continue, “I really need to make those changes in my hotel before they give my room to someone else.”
He chuckled. “As I said, if you have any trouble at all, please don’t hesitate to get hold of me. I’ll have my people on it right away, and we’ll get it taken care of, okay?”
I nodded. I thanked him once again for retrieving my shoe, and he grinned as he told me not to worry about it. He extended his hand once more and lifted my fingers to his lips. The light flush on my cheeks made me feel both warm and embarrassed, and I smiled as I took my hand back and brushed my hair behind my ear. Antonio lingered for a moment, and I felt he wanted to say something else, but instead, he turned away, walking back into the direction from which we had come.
The sea breeze continued to blow gently across the beach, and I could feel it carry my hair to the side of my face. Though I hardly knew the man, I felt like a heroine from a romance watching the love of her life walk away while choosing to pursue my own dreams—I had always dreamed the feeling would be far more romantic than it really was.
My heart skipped a beat when he suddenly stopped and turned, and my active imagination swiftly wondered if he was going to profess his interest in me. Though half of me hoped that was about to happen, the more sensible side of me whispered that it would never work, and I would have to turn him down.
“I forgot to mention, I’m flying to the UK tomorrow morning, so I may not be as available to chat as I would like. If you happen to call me and can’t get through, just leave a message and I will return your call as soon as I can!” He wasn’t too far from me, but he did have to raise his voice for me to hear him.
I lifted my hand to show that I heard, though my heart sank as I did so. How was I supposed to plan a royal wedding in only two weeks if he was going to be out of the country? It was going to be difficult enough without having much time to consult with both him and his bride, but now, I was going to have to do it without either one of them!
Antonio didn’t look back as he continued along the beach, and I told myself he was likely thinking of his fiancée, not me. With a sigh, I finished the rest of my now-cold latte and turned my attention back to the city. I had only reserved my hotel for the previous two nights, and I had no idea what their policies were for extended stay. Since I wasn’t in the States, my phone wasn’t working as reliably as I would have preferred, but I knew I would be able to manage.
My plan was to hurry to the hotel and see if I could keep the same room. If I couldn’t, I would do my best to book another room. Antonio seemed confident that I wouldn’t have any issues if he had to get involved, but I secretly hoped that I wouldn’t need to ask for his help.
I wanted to give him the impression that I was capable, and that I knew what I was doing. Though he didn’t ask, he had to wonder why I was in Italy alone—why I had chosen to take a vacation without inviting anyone to come along with me. Had he asked, I would have been happy to tell him it was because I didn’t need or want anyone else. I was comfortable in my own skin, and capable of handling life alone, thank you very much.
It didn’t take me long to walk to the hotel. My thoughts were consumed with the idea of planning a royal wedding, and I was having a difficult enough time trying to keep them all in order without also thinking of conversing with the locals I met along the street.
Try as I might, I couldn’t get Antonio out of my head. I tried to keep it as professional as possible, but my mind kept drifting to his eyes, his hair, his smile. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he looked at me, or how I felt when he touched my hand. When he raised my fingers to his lips, I’d felt more magic run through my body than I had thought possible.
But I had to force him out of my mind—at least for a few minutes as I worked out my situation with the hotel. Of course, they’d already given my room to someone else, but it didn’t take long before I was able to get another room in the same venue for the next couple weeks, at a discounted price due to my extended stay.
After an hour of inconvenience and moving my things around, I finally sat down on the bed in my new room. It was then that a thought suddenly struck me—Antonio had asked me to plan the wedding without even consulting with his fiancée! And he hadn’t so much as texted her to see if she would be ready to get married so soon. In fact, all he had done was tell me that he would be ready in the two weeks, and he hoped that I—me, of all people—would be the one who would be ready for it!
I shook my head, doing my best to make sense of it all. Perhaps things were different in Italian culture, or at least in royal circles. I wouldn’t know—my last boyfriend had been the manager of a fast food chain whose name I hated to admit, even to myself.
Then, another thought entered my mind. I suddenly remembered the money Antonio had given me. I reached for my clutch and quickly pulled the bills out, thumbing my way through them.
There was over 8,000 euros—roughly ten thousand dollars! I almost dropped the money on the bed I was so surprised. Though I had been a wedding planner for quite some time, I had never had anyone give me so much money at once before, and the sight of it made my imagination go wild.
With that kind of money to start, my possibilities were endless, and I could throw a wedding that was fit for, well, a king. I smiled as I let myself fall back on the bed, torn between the happiness I
felt in my newfound contract and the temptation to fantasize about Antonio further. I picked up the bills and flipped through them once more, thinking about what it would be like to have so much money, you could just hand thousands of euros over to a stranger.
I sighed as I sat up and threw my feet over the side of the bed. I certainly wouldn’t ever know what that felt like.
I wasn’t the fiancée of a prince.
Chapter 5
Antonio
I stared out the window as the jet made its descent. I had told Sasha I would be flying out of Italy the next morning, but among other things, that had been a stretch of the truth. It wasn’t that I cared too much that she knew what time I was leaving the country—it was that I didn’t trust myself.
Ever since the moment I turned and walked away from the girl, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Her curves. Her features. The way she looked at me, the way she laughed when I said something funny. Everything about her was so captivating I simply could not get her out of my mind. But I was in London on a different matter, and I knew I had to go through with what I went there to do.
Travel by private jet was much faster than by commercial airline, but it certainly wasn’t as fast as I would have liked. I knew my impatience largely came from the agitation I felt about my journey, but I didn’t care what the cause of it was—I was frustrated with how slow everyone around me was moving, and I wanted to get this over with.
London boasted many beautiful hotels, but I wasn’t there to see the city. I was there to see a person—a girl. I chose the most luxurious room available and spent the night tossing and turning as I debated on what I was going to say the next day. I did my best not to think of the blond American I had met on the beach, and instead focused my energy on my upcoming wedding—a wedding for which I didn’t have a bride.
Though I did everything in my power to fall asleep, I ended up spending most of the night staring at the ceiling and forming my proposal in my mind. I knew it would be pointless to try to bring in any romance. I felt nothing for this woman. She was shallow, uninteresting, and only cared about money and appearances.
Sophia Beckenham-Huxtable was her name, and becoming the mistress of some grand estate was the game she played. I had to admit, if there was anyone my parents would approve of as my wife, it would be this woman. She came from blue blood and knew how to carry herself with the most exquisite of the elite.
She was perfect company when she was in the presence of anyone of power or influence, and she knew what it meant to put on a show for those who were watching.
I had called the day before to let her know that I wanted to speak with her in person. Sophia had insisted that she send someone to meet me when I got off the plane and I spend the night at her mansion, but I had declined, not wanting anything to happen between us before I got the chance to talk to her.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t control myself around her, but she and I did have somewhat of a history together, and I knew there would be no way I could discourage her advances without pissing her off and making it less likely she would agree to my proposal.
Then again, I did know that her family had taken several financial hits over the years, and their wealth was virtually gone. Of course, Sophia did her best to keep up appearances: continuing to go to parties and hang off the arms of those who were rich and successful, playing the part of the rich girl who just couldn’t seem to pay for anything—even going so far as to claim she was in the process of buying more land to add to her estate.
I didn’t care about any of that. Really, I didn’t. Sophia and I only really saw each other when we bumped into each other at parties, and even then, I didn’t spend much time talking to her if I could help it. When I did so, it was only a matter of time before I’d end up stuck there for hours, listening to her talk about herself—and only herself.
Politely, I would ask her how she was doing, and rudely, she would never return the favor. By the end of any excursion, I would know everything she wanted me to know and wished I would believe, but she knew next to nothing about me. Everything she knew about me was the result of some kind of gossip she gleaned from any source she felt was reliable, though whether the source was truly reliable or not was left up to the judgement of the listener.
After hours of staring up at the ceiling, I finally fell asleep. It was a fitful night as I tried to find a comfortable position on the hotel bed, but I knew that I was going to need my rest. If there was one thing Sophia knew how to do, it was play a field until she got exactly what she wanted. I knew if I was going to approach this woman and come out on top, I was going to have to be well rested.
Sophia knew what she wanted in life, but not in an ambitious kind of way. No—she was looking for someone to sink her claws into, and a checkbook that would finance the rest.
Chapter 6
Antonio
The butler opened the door and gave me a look that clearly said two things. First of all, he knew exactly who I was, and secondly, he wasn’t at all impressed that I was standing outside his door. I gave him a warm smile, though I intentionally added a condescending flare to the look, hoping to convey my own message.
He gave a curt nod as he invited me into the house, leading me to the sitting room and assuring me I wouldn’t be alone for long. Though I told him to take his time, I hoped he would hurry.
When Sophia finally appeared, I gave her the warmest welcome I could manage in spite of the sick feeling I had in the pit of my stomach. All I could think about was when we’d met at boarding school in Switzerland. Of course, neither of us were Swiss, but that didn’t stop our parents from sending us to what they believed to be the best school in the entire northern hemisphere.
She teased me relentlessly in any way she could—always surrounded by her friends and admirers, each one willing to jump in and make fun of me in whatever way she deemed to be appropriate at the time. I swallowed my pride, however, and gave her a kiss on each of her cheeks.
“It’s good to see you,” I said in a tone that was flatter than I intended it to be. She gave me an equally graceless greeting, and I knew she was wondering what it was that I came for.
“Antonio, what a surprise to see you here in England. What brings you over this way? Certainly not my family. I thought you had forgotten us after you were officially promised the throne.” She spoke in a tone that sounded nearly sadistic in a way, and I couldn’t help but give her an uneasy smile. She walked up to me and put her arms around my neck, draping her hands over each other.
“I trust you are here for reasons that have nothing to do with the Swedish incident,” she said with a wink. I put my hands on her wrists and gently removed them from behind my back and looked down at her. It was difficult for me to be cordial, but I knew this was my chance at getting the throne.
“Could we go to the garden? There’s something I wish to discuss with you.” I looked into her eyes, but there was no passion in my gaze, nor was there any in hers as she held my stare. She hesitated a moment, as though she were trying to decide if her chances of being seductive were better inside than they were out. Evidently deciding in favor of the gardens, she motioned for me to follow her.
Once we were outside, I cut right to the chase.
“I know that we haven’t always had the closest of relationships, Sophia, but I have come to you with a proposition,” I said, letting my words linger in the air. She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued but not wanting to admit it.
“Oh?” she asked, and I was quick to nod.
“Yes, in fact, it is such a proposition, it is a proposal itself,” I said with pride in my voice. I knew it was unromantic, but I could see by the immediate cock of her head that she was interested in hearing what I had to say.
“I am hoping to inherit the throne one day soon, and Mother and Father have discussed the same topic with me just recently. I have expressed my desires, and they both agree that the time is right, provided that I take the throne with a queen by my side.” Again, I
didn’t do anything to add romance to the situation. I didn’t feel anything for this woman, and I wasn’t going to act as though I did.
“What’s in it for me?” she asked in a tone that was all too close to the movies. I smiled a pained smile, doing my best to hide it under charm.
“Why, you would have all the freedom and benefits of being my wife.”
“You mean all I have to do is marry you, and I’m going to automatically be the Queen? I hope you know that means I am going to require being treated like the Queen, and being respected like the Queen.” She let her voice linger, and I could feel a knot forming once again in the pit of my stomach. I forced a smile.
“Of course, I know what it means and you are the one who I have decided to ask. You aren’t my only choice, Sophia, but you are my first choice and I can imagine you are going to be one of the only people my parents would be comfortable handing the throne over to.” I waited, and she smiled, though there was something in her smile I didn’t particularly care for.
“Your parents have always loved me, and I have to admit, I’m glad you decided to ask me first. I don’t know that you could have done any better with anyone else.” She winked as she spoke and turned to go back inside the mansion.
“Oh, and how do you plan to work out the details of the wedding?” I called after her. She paused and turned slightly. I could see in her face a form of happiness that made me uncomfortable, but I ignored the feeling.
“I’m going to leave that to you,” she said with another smile. Within minutes, I was alone in the garden, surrounded by the bees and butterflies. I allowed my head to fall to my chest and sighed. It wasn’t that this woman could get the best of me, but she could certainly try—and that wasn’t want I wanted to deal with.
Come on, Antonio, you can handle her. Nothing can stand in the way of you and your throne now. Marry this girl, and your problems will be solved.
Marry her and forget about her. It’s what you want, and it’s what you’ll get.
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