“I can’t do it. I’ve agreed to a marriage—”
“Miss Cartwright,” she said, turning formal again, “the terms of our agreement were clear regarding entering into other relationships.”
“I’ve never even met him.”
“Please elaborate.”
“You know my situation.” I twisted my fingers. “I hadn’t heard anything from Infidelity, so I was forced to accept an alternate proposal. I have obligations…”
“Yes,” she said, letting annoyance show in her speech, “you mentioned your brother.”
I’d listed two hard limits, as Patrick had called them. The first weekend of each month—today as a matter of fact—I’d insisted on being allowed to visit Freddy. He only allowed visitors on the first Saturday of every month. If I didn’t show up, it would set him into a tailspin. If I arrived any other day, it would upset him even more. Henry had graciously paid for a plane ticket the last two months, facilitating my visit. I had a ticket waiting, a later flight headed out, and a rental car arranged. My monthly sojourn to Savannah wasn’t something I could miss.
“I’m really sorry,” I said, “but I hope this won’t take long. I have a flight to catch.”
“You have more than that,” she said. “You have a client to meet.”
I shook my head. “This is Freddy’s weekend, and I’m sorry, but—”
She crossed her arms. “I’m going to be exceptionally frank with you, Miss Cartwright, and I hope you listen to what I have to say in the manner in which it is meant to be heard.”
I didn’t want to hear anything, but what choice did I have?
She continued, “You’re broke and burdened with seeing to the long-term care of your brother. This brought you to Infidelity. Unfortunately, it takes time to find compatible matches. In your case, several months; however, we have found a match, one I think will be to your benefit.”
“But—”
“Please, let me continue. You need a time-limited engagement that will meet your financial goals. One that guarantees two things…” She arched a brow and counted, using her fingers. “One, you have the freedom to see your brother as you’ve requested.”
I would have that with Brent Parker.
“Two,” she continued, “and I want you to really think about this because you do not have this with your arranged marriage.”
“How do you know about the details of that agreement?”
My question was met with another arching of her brow. “We’re paid very well to know details of our employees, especially when it places our network or clients at risk. It helps to mitigate disasters.”
That was a fair response. The ability to protect their clients demanded a thorough intelligence network. This came as no surprise, but it did make me squirm, knowing someone had intimate knowledge of my life, and the agreement drawn up by Henry and Brent Parker.
“Your second request was to ensure your continued attendance and eventual graduation from Pratt. Infidelity will ensure this requirement is met. It’s my understanding you’ll lose this with the other arrangement.”
That was true. I would lose everything. Brent Parker wasn’t going to pay twenty thousand a month, but he was going to buy my loyalty and steal my dreams.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said.
“Our client is waiting,” she said. “He insisted on meeting you today, and if I understand correctly, he will be accompanying you on your visit to see your brother. As I mentioned, this is a relationship we’re facilitating. What’s important to you will be important to him. His desire is for your liaison to be viewed as a relationship despite how the two of you were brought together.”
“He wants to come with me?”
“He will accompany you. There’s one other thing you need to be aware of.”
I hadn’t yet agreed to meet with their client, but Karen continued on, as if it were a done deal. One thing repeated in my head. Whoever this man was, if I stayed with Infidelity, I could graduate from Pratt. One year and two hundred forty thousand dollars later, and I could walk away. Maybe even two years, if we liked each other. It worked for Patrick and Cyrus. Freddy would be set. I didn’t have that with Brent, and Karen knew this.
“Rowan,” Karen said, drawing me from my thoughts, “there is the matter of compensation and discretion to discuss before you meet.”
“I’m aware of the compensation package.” There were so many ways I could invest that money to pay for Freddy’s care.
The car pulled away from the curb and headed into traffic. We headed toward LaGuardia, and my stomach did another flip.
“This is a high-profile, international client. While you’ve signed our standard nondisclosure clause, there will be another more stringent agreement you’ll need to sign. He will provide that to you.”
“Does he have a name?”
“His name is Richard,” she said, “and your compensation will be increased to meet his need for discretion and a certain amount of compliance.”
“Compliance?”
“Yes,” she said, “you’ll be required to agree to abide by certain conditions.”
“Why?”
“Because of who he is.”
“And who is he?”
“First,” she said, “your compensation will be double our standard package. You’ll be required to obtain a passport, if you don’t already have one. All living expenses and personal needs will be paid by him.”
“Doubled?”
There was no need to do quick math. Double their standard package meant nearly half a million at the end of a year. With Henry’s team, I could invest and fund everything Freddy would need for life. Two choices faced me. One year with a stranger, followed by freedom, or a lifetime with a stranger who intended to keep me in a gilded cage. Whore or not, my path was clear.
“The second piece is something you must agree to unconditionally,” she said.
“And that is?”
“The terms of your agreement are that you submit to his authority. Our psychological tests reveal this is within the limits of what you would find acceptable.”
“Excuse me?” He wants what? “I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’m agreeing to that.”
“You simply don’t have a choice,” she said.
“I can always say no.”
There was much more I could do. Exposing Infidelity came to mind, but I’d read the contract. My father had taught me never to sign something I didn’t understand. I’d sold my soul to Infidelity the moment I scrawled my signature on that bottom line. From the look on Karen’s face, she understood the turmoil going on inside my head.
She reached out. “It sounds worse than it is, but once you understand who he is—”
“Who the hell is he? Because, if he’s any sort of Dom, he’d never make that demand.” There was little I knew about the lifestyle, but I understood the basics.
“That’s not why the request was made,” she said.
“Then, why? It makes no sense.”
“His Royal Highness, Prince Richard of Wales is the man to whom you’ve been matched.” She arched a brow, as if that name meant anything to me.
“And?”
She fluttered her lids and glanced up at the ceiling of the car. “You’ve been paired with His Royal Highness, Prince Richard of Wales, second in line to the throne of England.”
“What the ever-loving hell?” I stared at her, mouth agape and heart racing a thousand beats a minute.
Chapter 14: Meeting
Richard
I’d never flown commercial. Yet here I was, sitting in first-class, with an empty seat beside me. A seat that would soon be filled by the woman I was paying to call mine.
That messed with my mind.
Does it make me desperate to pay for companionship? Or a monster because I expect sex? Once I realized who Infidelity had paired me with, I added in the clause about submission. Did it make some twisted sense, or was I the twisted one? Infidelity assured me the match
would be well received, but I wondered if I was playing too heavy of a hand.
Privilege allowed me to purchase whatever I wanted. In this case, I used privilege to buy companionship and demand submission. Where are the lines of consent drawn in a situation such as this? That question bothered me. What had happened in Club Infinity shaped us, but by the very fact that I was now paying for her time, how much consent could be freely given? This made my gut twist and had me considering canceling the entire agreement.
What thoughts tangled in her head? Did doubts fill her like they did me, or was she comfortable with selling herself for a year? More importantly, what would she think when she realized who I was? That we’d not only met before, but had also taken our first steps down a very definite path?
For hours, I agonized how our first meeting should go, especially considering this was anything but our first meeting. I’d had my fingers on her pussy and my tongue down her throat. She had willingly given me her submission and then ripped it away.
How cliché that night had turned out—a prince holding out a slipper as the girl ran away.
My mind dredged up any number of ways to introduce myself to Miss Rowan Cartwright. Such a lovely and unusual name, it spoke of a wildness of spirit. From the moment Ms. Flores had forwarded Rowan’s picture, my heart hadn’t stopped racing. I’d considered picking Rowan up in a limousine and laying down the tenets of our relationship. I’d imagined a dinner looking over the skyline of New York as the sun dipped below the horizon, passing her a list of rules. I’d even gone as far as booking a penthouse suite, determined to pursue an evening of decadent pleasure.
Infidelity had said she was mine, and I had every intention of staking that claim.
They’d also said there were conditions. I could’ve waited to meet her after her visit with her brother, or I could join her, not knowing how my presence might be received. Dick move or not, we would explore what had begun between us at Club Infinity. That meant, moving forward with strength and purpose.
Compassion ruled my heart, even as lust surged in my veins. Her dedication to family, an autistic brother who’d been institutionalized, intrigued me. Edmund and I had thin fraternal bonds. We gathered when state events required it, but otherwise, we led separate lives. Rowan went out of her way to visit her brother. That spoke volumes to the values she held. It fascinated me because I desperately wanted to know what had brought her to Infidelity’s doors.
Infidelity had assured me they’d completed a thorough investigation, but they wouldn’t share her reasons for seeking employment. That would be something I had to discover myself. A simple Internet search revealed the fall of her family. It hadn’t been difficult to connect the dots from there. Her insistence on completing her degree made sense, but it was the tie to her brother that held my interest.
Meeting her in such a public place ensured the beginning of our relationship would be circumspect. My fantasies revolved around placing her at my feet, forcing her to bow to my desires, filling my bed with her naked body, and listening to moans of desire as I ravished her without mercy, but the reality of our situation weighed heavily on my mind.
For one year, she would be mine. My intent was to explore the darker desires swirling in my blood. It would be the only time in my life where I could safely live out my fantasies and not have it leaked to the press. But I wasn’t a dick.
I chose not to take advantage of the precious power entrusted to my hands. That decision had come after intense soul-searching because it wasn’t what I craved at all. I wanted her on her knees, mouth open and welcoming, as I shoved myself between her crimson lips. I jacked off every night to images of Rowan on her knees, on her back, bent over the couch, and shoved against the wall. With those thoughts in my head, I met her gaze as she stepped onto the plane.
Instantly, I was hard for her, needing her and wanting to do a dozen inappropriate things to her. I sat in the aisle seat, a position that placed me where I could protect her from others. She immediately recognized me and placed a hand over her belly. I didn’t know if that meant she was about to get sick or if my presence excited her, but I needed to put her at ease. Without a word, I stood, barely covering my hardness, and gestured for her to take her seat by the window.
She paused, eyes full of worry, wonder, and an intensity I found shocking.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said as the flight attendant observed our interaction.
I took Rowan’s hands, giving the slightest squeeze. Most of what happened here would find its way back to my mother, back to the Crown, and splashed across front-page news.
I primly kissed her on her cheek. “It’s nice to see you,” I said. “I’m looking forward to this trip.”
She opened her mouth, but I gave a quick shake of my head. To my relief, she followed my command and silenced whatever she’d been about to say. These first moments would set the tone for the year, and there was no way I would mess this up.
Rowan glided into the seat beside the window and lowered herself down. Her doe eyes stared up at me, wide, unblinking, and wet with tears.
My conversations with Infidelity had been frank and honest once I was assured confidentiality. They knew what I craved, and I had faith they’d delivered on their promises, but Rowan wasn’t a thing to use as I chose. She was a beautiful and amazing woman, one trapped by circumstance and forced into an arrangement she likely hated. I respected that, more than she would ever know. I also craved what Infidelity could bring into my life. In short, I wanted it all. To my delight, she remained compliant and silent, obeying my unvoiced command.
A flight attendant approached. “May I get you something to drink?”
I glanced at Rowan and gave a nod. “Two glasses of champagne. We’re celebrating our anniversary.”
She glanced at Rowan. “Congratulations.”
As the flight attendant departed, I whispered, “Breathe. Just breathe.”
“But you’re—”
I grabbed her hand and folded my fingers around her tiny bones. “I’m delighted to see you. Thrilled in fact, but you look terrified. I need you to relax.”
Her eyes locked on mine, and my heart swelled with the trust she placed in me. The tremors in her hand eased. The pulse jumping in her neck slowed. Her breaths, which had been on the verge of hyperventilation, evened out. Impossible to say if I had that effect on her, but I took it as a sign that everything would be okay.
The flight attendant returned with our drinks.
“Thank you,” I said, lifting them off her tray. Dismissing the woman, I turned to Rowan and handed her a glass. “To a year of possibilities, adventure, and mutual exploration.”
Her eyes widened at this, perhaps understanding my resolve. I tipped the glass to my lips and paused until she mirrored my movement. Making a show of it, I took a sip and watched as she downed the entire glass.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“I think this is where the pilot says, Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.”
Her smile set off an explosion in my chest, a rattling of nerves I hadn’t realized was there.
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
I whispered in her ear, “Whatever you want. However far you wish to go. It’s just you and me and whatever we decide.”
She drew back, but I refused to allow her retreat.
“We’ve much to discuss but plenty of time to sort things out. I’m looking forward to finishing what we started.” There, I’d set the tone. There was no way she could misunderstand my goals.
Her gaze cast around the empty cabin. I’d planned for this. Delving into the specifics of our relationship wasn’t something I desired, not in such a public place, although I did have a surprise planned for later. I reached into my breast pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Our flight would last a little over two hours, plenty of time for her to ponder what I’d written down.
“Read this,” I said, handing it over.
She took the
paper with trembling fingers.
I’d poured out my deepest fantasies last night, spewing them onto that fragile sheet. According to Infidelity, she had no ability to refuse. I disagreed. The next step belonged firmly in her hands, and I would respect whatever decision she made.
For a year, we were a couple in every sense of the word. She would come willingly, exploring mutual fantasies, or not at all. Either way, I would honor my commitment.
Chapter 15: Game
Rowan
Is it possible to die from a racing heart? This question burned at the forefront of my mind because there was no escape from Richard’s penetrating gaze. My limbs trembled. My breaths pulsed in and out, moving much too fast to keep up with my need for oxygen. I couldn’t string two thoughts together. Out of all the men on the planet, why did Infidelity pair me with him?
My current state?
Mortified.
Terrified.
Speechless.
Minimally aroused?
Okay, slightly aroused.
Hell, my entire body lit up like a firecracker.
It was him!
I pinched myself, hoping this was a dream. The man was a prince who had bought my discretion, my companionship, and maybe something more for the entirety of a year.
Dear Lord, save me because I could barely look at him. He knew my deepest, darkest fantasies and shared them. That gave him an unfair advantage because there was no way to hide the things I’d said, what I’d let him do, or ignore what we craved.
The problem? I’d only pretended…I think. With my nose buried in books, submissive desires had taken root in my heart, but I never acted on them—until that night at Club Infinity. To him, I’d exposed everything.
Sure as hell, I knew nothing about being submissive, and this was a man who exuded dominance. Those had been the words tossed between us during that indescribable night, words I wished to take back and secrets I wished he knew nothing about. In the heat of the moment, I’d been protected by the assurance that whatever I did would only be for the span of one night. But to spend a year with a man who knew my darkest cravings? There would be no way to hide from it. What am I going to do?
The Fidelity World_Nondisclosure Page 8
