by Violet Paige
I ran down the list. Liam had a dinner with the Chinese ambassador. Trade was the number one topic. Klein was on the west coast for the opening of a data research center. Galona tax payers had funded the project.
I held my breath when I saw Dominic’s assignment. Sending him to represent the crown was always a risk. He had a late morning engagement at the hospital in the city. I groaned. As long as Kenley stayed close by, we should be able to avoid a scandal this morning.
I glanced at my aunts’ and uncles’ locations for the day. My cousins were also scattered. Nothing related to official crown business on the list. I folded the page and began to read the diplomatic situation with Morovina. I exhaled. I hated tiptoeing around the fucking obvious.
“Hi.” Molly tapped on the door.
I looked up from my notes, closing the royal briefing with a click.
I stood from my desk. She was wearing the clothes I requested. A slim black skirt that showed off miles of legs and a sleeveless silk shirt. She looked edible. And I knew exactly how sweet she tasted. My cock twitched. Fuck, she had thrown me off my game.
“Are you busy? Should I come back?” she offered.
“No. I was going over today’s agenda. I can look at it later.” I walked to the front of the desk, taking her palm and dragging her toward me.
My hand slid along her jaw, twisting her hair through my fingers. Her lips parted and I couldn’t resist. My kiss wasn’t gentle or romantic. My tongue plunged into her mouth, coaxing a moan from her throat.
I gripped her ass with my other hand.
“Ready to see the royal library, Molly Washington?” I teased.
She dragged her lips over mine. “Mmmhmm.”
“Let’s go.”
I straightened my jacket, positioning my cufflinks so that the family crest was upright. I pressed the button on the elevator.
Molly seemed to have more time to take in her surroundings. “Are there other people here?” she asked.
I cocked my head toward her. “You’ll have to elaborate. My staff is nearly 200.”
“Oh.” She fidgeted nervously. “Visitors? Tourists perhaps?”
I nodded. “Not in this part of the palace. There is a limited route. I try never to intercept them. It causes a security nightmare in the palace if the tourists see me.”
“This place is enormous. What do you do with all the rooms?”
The doors retracted and we stepped into the foyer. Last night’s security had been replaced with two fresh faces. They stared straight ahead as I guided Molly along the corridor.
“You’ve seen the king’s residence.” I winked. “I do share my roof with three princes and a princess. It can get crowded.”
“Your brothers and sister?”
“Yes. We all have apartments. The first two floors are reserved for official state business. Meetings, balls, state dinners, field trips for children. The living quarters for some of the staff and the kitchens. Then there are the art galleries, the gardens, and the recreational areas.”
“Holy shit, this is insane. It’s a city inside a city.”
I laughed at her language. Rules changed outside my residence. Decorum mattered.
“You’ll watch that dirty mouth.” I eyed her. “Save that for my bed, Sapphire.”
Her mouth opened in shock. Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry.” She sucked in her bottom lip. “And you can’t call me that,” she scolded playfully. I liked how easily she fell into banter.
“Don’t apologize. Just watch what you say. You’re in a royal household. I’ll call you what I want.”
I saw her back stiffen. Her heels clacked against the marble floor. It took everything in me not to smack her ass firmly and press her up against the wall next to the coat of arms. The knight could watch me fuck her. Watch her come hard as I defiled the family heirlooms.
“Here.” I pressed the small of her back. “The library.”
Her gasp was worth everything. She stood at the entrance. I’d never thought about what this room would look like through the veil of someone else’s eyes. But Molly gave me that glimpse. Her awe was palpable.
She walked toward the shelves, careful not to touch any of the volumes. Her fingers hovered just short of the spines.
“These are amazing. I can’t believe this collection. There are books in here that must be over a hundred years old. I-I’m speechless.”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “You can touch the books, Molly.”
She shook her head. “No. I couldn’t. They’re too precious. The history of these texts is priceless.”
I walked toward her. I wrapped my arms around her back, sliding my fingers through hers. She sighed into my chest. “Like this.” I reached our hands forward, gliding over a crumbling hardback.
She gasped slightly when she saw the cover, then giggled. “You would pick Cantar de mio Cid. Such a classic rebel.”
“Not breaking any literary laws I take it?”
“Not with this one. I can’t believe this is real.” She leaned into me as she scanned the shelves upward toward the ceiling. It formed a stained-glass dome.
I couldn’t remember the last time I looked up in this room. I couldn’t remember when I gave a shit about ancient texts or what was in here. How many copies of Shakespeare were there? Did we have Keats and Kipling? How extensive were our American authors?
I straightened her shoulders so that she was standing upright.
“I have lunch with the prime minister.” I don’t know why I felt like I needed to explain my absence. I didn’t share my schedule with anyone. I never had.
“Oh.”
“But stay.” I turned for the door. “And touch the books, Molly.”
She grinned slyly. It was the first glimpse of the girl in my bed this morning. “Maybe. If you think it would be ok.”
“I expect it.”
I closed the door behind me.
Twelve
Molly
I got lost in the books. Hours passed. It could have been days. I didn’t stop to find anything to eat or drink. I was mesmerized by Damon’s family collection. I had questions. Who put it together? Were there records on where each book was acquired? How did they catalog it? Was there a palace librarian?
I thumbed through a tattered copy of Le Petit Prince. I guessed it was worth more than my apartment. My neck and shoulders were sore. I had my own research to complete. And I hadn’t checked in on Brooklyn.
There was no way to know when Damon would finish with the prime minister. I had no idea which prime minister was here. It was surreal to think I was in the same building as world leaders. I returned the book to the shelf and ventured out of the library. The halls were quiet. I remembered which direction we had walked this morning.
The elevator was at the end of this corridor.
I arrived, smiling at the guards.
“Hi.”
The one on the right broke his staring contest with the wall and cut a glance at me.
“I’d like to go upstairs.” I knew my voice wasn’t confident. I didn’t know the protocol or what to say. If he would scoot, I could hop on the elevator.
“His Royal Highness has not given instructions, mademoiselle.”
“Well, I—I’m visiting.” I tried to think of how to put our arrangement in suitable terms. I had already been warned once about my word choice. “His Royal Highness asked me to stay.” It sounded funny referring to him that way. I knew he was the king, but I don’t think the weight of his position had hit me yet. After last night I felt things were as personal as they could be between us.
The men didn’t budge. “There are no instructions,” he repeated.
I crossed my arms. What in the hell was I going to do? I couldn’t wander aimlessly around the palace. They weren’t going to let me upstairs. I was starving. And I needed to get home to check on my best friend.
I was going to make one more attempt to plead for their compassion when an older gentleman appeared fro
m a side room. He was thin with a silvery mustache.
“What is this? Are you lost, madam?”
“Oh no.” I shook my head. “I’m visiting the king and wanted to return to the royal residence,” I explained.
“Master Sutcliffe, we don’t have her on the royal roster and there are no instructions from the king,” the guard informed him.
“I see.” He glanced at me. I could tell from the way he looked at me, he wasn’t going to take pity on me. “You’re sure you didn’t get separated from a tour group?”
“I’m not on a tour of the palace. I’ve been with Damon.”
His eyes widened at the use of the king’s first name.
“I was in the royal library, studying texts. And now I’d like to go upstairs.”
He folded his hands behind his back. “I’m afraid that is impossible. Do you have some form of identification?”
I had nothing on me. It was against all the rules of The Titan.
“No.”
“Then, I’m going to ask you to leave.” He turned to the security officer. “If this becomes a problem, please call me.”
“Yes, sir.”
He stormed off down the corridor toward the library.
I sighed. “Is Georgan here?” I asked. “The driver?”
“Yes.”
“Would he be able to take me home?”
The officers looked at each other.
“He brought me here last night. I’m not a tourist.” I was getting irritated with the royal treatment.
They finally seemed to be convinced by some part of my story. “Outside, mademoiselle. His car is parked in the tunnel.”
“All right. If you see D—” I corrected myself. “His Royal Highness, will you please tell him for me that I went home?”
“Certainly.”
“Thank you.” I felt this innate need to curtsy, but stopped before I reached the hem of my skirt. I turned for the door and walked outside. I recognized the car from last night. Georgan polished the eagle on the hood.
“Bonjour.” I smiled. Maybe talking to the driver wouldn’t be as awkward. “Hola.” I didn’t know what to say.
He looked up from the hood ornament.
“Oui?”
It was hard constantly bouncing between French and Spanish. “I was wondering if you would be able to drive me home?”
“Of course.” He rounded the engine and met me at the rear door.
I looked at the palace over my shoulder. Something told me I should stay. Camp out next to the king’s security, no matter how they glared at me. But the fantasy had to end at some point. It couldn’t last forever. I knew how this worked.
“Merci.” I nodded as Georgan closed the door behind me.
It was strange to be in the same car from last night. It didn’t feel the same without Damon. He had consumed the air around us. Now, it just felt like an empty back seat.
Georgan called through the speaker, “Do you have the address, mademoiselle?”
“Oh yes. It’s 1408 Rue de Santa Lucia.”
I settled into the seat as he pulled from the curb and drove us through the tunnel. We exited on the other side of the entrance. The palace grounds were immaculate. The flowers whizzed past me. We turned outside the gate and I wondered if I would ever be back here.
Would I see the king again? Or had I just made the stupidest decision of my life?
My notecards were exactly where I had left them fanned out across the living room floor.
“Brooklyn?”
“In here.”
I walked to her bedroom. We shared a comfortable two-bedroom apartment. It was one of the perks of the city. Freychon wasn’t as expensive as other European hubs.
“Hey.”
“I’m so glad you’re here. I was getting worried.”
“I’m sorry.” I sat on the edge of her bed. “No phone, remember? I couldn’t call you.”
“But I was back by nine. Where have you been? I thought something happened.”
Shit. I didn’t mean to scare her. And I didn’t know what I could or should say without revealing more than I was allowed. It was strange how yesterday, I felt like Brooklyn and I were the ones who shared the secret—we shared the bond of going through the Titan experience, but that had shifted overnight. I had some sort of weird allegiance to Damon. He was the one I felt I shared the experience with. I didn’t want to share it with her. I didn’t know if that was selfish or naïve, but it seemed like something I needed to keep private.
“I-I was looking at a special collection.”
“You worked? After last night?” Her eyes bulged.
Lying didn’t feel like the right thing. My stomach twisted, but I continued to protect the truth.
“It was a rare collection,” I explained. “I thought this might be my only chance to see it.”
She sighed. “Only you would do something like that.” She eyed me suspiciously. “What outfit is that?”
I bit my lip. “Oh, it’s something D—I mean, he gave it to me.”
“Really? You look so elegant. Sexy and proper at the same time.” She winked.
I wondered if that’s what Damon had thought. I blushed, remembering our walk to the royal library. I wondered if he had discovered by now I had left. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed. He had world leaders to entertain. The house manager had made that clear.
“How was your night?” I asked.
She sighed, throwing herself back on her pillows. “Amazing.”
“That good?”
She nodded. “It was more than amazing. I wish I could relive it. Or that I had a picture. Something to remember it. Anything.”
I saw the way she looked at my clothes. I hadn’t thought of them as a souvenir, but in her eyes, they were. Proof that I had spent the night at the palace.
“I’m sorry. But you had a good time? That’s what counts, right? You checked it off your Galona bucket list.”
I wished I had something to give her. A coin from The Titan. A cocktail napkin. Something that said we had been there.
“I did. More than once.” She giggled. The curiosity was killing me. I wanted to know who it was, but unless she volunteered I couldn’t ask. I also realized that would open me up to more sharing, and I didn’t want to trade stories. “Now that you’re home safely, I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m kind of exhausted.” She smiled sweetly.
I paused in her doorway. “Brooklyn?”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks for talking me into it.” I closed the door behind me and left her to her nap.
Thirteen
Damon
It was dark. My tie draped around my neck. We had been at it for hours.
I motioned for the server to walk over.
“Your majesty?”
“Please bring dinner. Whatever the chef recommends,” I instructed.
“Yes, sir.” He bowed and disappeared through one of the service doors that led to a tunnel system. It wound throughout the palace, connecting rooms where no one would have imagined a link.
“Paul.” I exhaled. “We are down to three points. Let’s have a drink while we wait for dinner to arrive. We can cut one of these things during that time.”
My patience had run out. I was fucking tired of his stalling. I removed my cufflinks, shoved them in my pocket, and rolled my sleeves to my forearms. My muscles strained against the starched shirt.
I rose and walked to the standing bar, waving off one of the servants.
“Bourbon?” I offered, holding up my favorite decanter.
Paul leaned in his chair. “I remember you were a bourbon man. I seemed to remember it’s American bourbons you prefer?”
“Yes.” I lifted the crystal lid. “I consider them steeped in something a little darker than our Scottish friends can provide.”
Maybe a few drinks would loosen his hold on the trade negotiations. He refused wine at lunch. Ignored cocktail hour. Now we were into dinner. Something had to give.
I placed it in front of the prime minister.
His mustache lifted when he smiled. “This is a good bourbon.”
I held the growl in. Of course it was. I didn’t serve cheap piss, and I never drank it. These were the moments when it was hard to be diplomatic. The bastard wanted to be courted and seduced. His chain of islands was dependent on my ports. The problem was, Galona was just as dependent on the revenue from the island cargo.
We were at a fucking impasse.
“Paul, our taxes are lower than anything the French or Spanish will give you. You know that.”
He nodded, drinking my bourbon. “Portugal has made an offer,” he stated.
“What? Since when have they been a player in this?” I felt the anger breaking through my calm exterior. I was ready to crush the glass in my hand. He had been fucking with me all day.
“I can’t ignore an opportunity.”
“We have had a long-standing agreement. And our trade goes well beyond financial gains. We are allies in many ways.”
He raised his eyebrows. “We are. We have history.”
“I also expect that to mean we have a future. You don’t have that with Portugal.”
“They are extending pearl activity.”
I scoffed. “Pearls? That’s what this is about? You want access to our oyster reefs.”
He nodded. “You know the situation in the islands. They’ve been over-harvested. It’s going to take decades to reclaim the oyster beds. We have dedicated funds going to science, but I don’t know that we have that kind of time. We’re known for our pearls.”
I scratched the back of my head. It was a slippery slope. Allowing the Bostiques into our waters would require heavy regulation. I’d need to speak to our own environmental team. Consult our conservationists. I wouldn’t destroy Galona just to keep a shipping contract.
Just then the service entry opened and a waiter appeared with a cart of food. He rolled toward us, presenting the trays.
