by Susan Meier
"Then it looks like you'll have to get her to break the engagement since hers is the lesser of the two promises."
"I don't want her to break the commitment. My country needs this alliance."
"Then you're more stuck than you think. Because your country needs this alliance, and I don't want my godchild unhappily married, you need to figure out a way to make this marriage happy."
Alexander shook his head as if amused. "Arranged marriages aren't supposed to be happy. In our case, there's even less chance."
"Why?"
"Because your godchild is a selfish spoiled brat."
Lissa unexpectedly brightened. "Not anymore. Seven years away have completely changed Princess Meredith."
He eyed her skeptically. "I doubt it."
"Oh, Alexander, you don't have to believe me. All you have to do is spend some time with her and you'll see that she's not the princess who stormed out on everyone seven years ago."
Alexander snorted. "As if she'd be honest in front of me."
"From what I saw at that meeting, she's very honest with you."
"You mean she's honest in front of her boss."
"And you are her boss. So she's honest with you!"
He frowned and fell to his black leather chair. Though it was true that Princess Merry had treated him with an honesty of sorts, it was also true that she'd thrown herself at him a few days ago by the pool. Of course, he wasn't about to tell Lissa that. "This is preposterous."
"Not really." Lissa sat on the corner of the sofa beside Alexander's chair and placed her hand on his forearm. "You have an opportunity with your betrothed that most couples in arranged marriages don't have. The chance to get to know each other without your impending marriage hanging over your heads. Princess Merry doesn't have a clue who you are. If you play your cards right for the next two and a half weeks, not only can you see her real personality, but also you can show her your real self."
"I don't want any part of a charade."
"Unless you and Merry strike some kind of deal right now, the rest of your life is going to be a charade. At state dinners and royal events, you're going to have to pretend to like her." Lissa paused, then smiled at Alexander. "Why not see if you really do like her?"
"I don't."
"She's changed."
"No one can change that much."
Lissa slapped both of her hands on her knees, then rose. "Merry has. And you have a chance to let her prove it to you, even as you prove to her that you're not the backward young prince she left behind seven years ago." She walked to the door. "Your choice. Call her into your office today, lay your cards on the table and have the stiff, impersonal marriage you seem to think is your destiny. Or give her a chance to show you she's different." She smiled at him. "Better yet, give yourself a chance to show her you're different. You're not the boy she pushed around at her coming-out ball, Prince Alec," she said, using his royal name and shoving him into the role of monarch whether he wanted to be there or not. "Maybe she needs a chance to see that for herself."
Lissa left and Alexander sighed heavily. He didn't like games. But Lissa had a point. He might not think it worth his time to give Merry an opportunity to prove she'd changed, but there was merit to showing his betrothed that he wasn't the pushover she'd left behind. He was the director of an empire, and she didn't have a clue what she would be getting into when she married him. Forget about his newfound wealth. Forget about his better looks. He was now a man of confidence and power. A man who could best her in a fight because he could bring his own power to bear against her family's throne. They weren't unevenly matched anymore.
He supposed it would save everybody time and theatrics if Princess Meredith saw his new station in life as an objective observer rather than as his betrothed—or his wife. Because he intended to marry her. His country needed this alliance.
Standing by the door of her villa at ten minutes past midnight, Merry glanced at her white lace cover-up, but decided against taking it. She opened the door and stepped out into the warm night, heading up the cobblestone path to the Oasis pool. She wore a brand new "tankini" that she'd bought when she tossed her thong bikini into the trash. The sexy bottoms were cut high, and the accompanying top met their waist. It was sexy, but still respectable.
The suit was the perfect attire for a resort manager to wear when she joined the guests who couldn't sleep. Tonight Merry planned to mingle and hopefully put a single person or two together to prevent any more guests from checking out early. If it killed her, she would show Alexander she could do the job while she looked for a permanent replacement. She no longer planned to seduce him. The man didn't like her. He was attracted to her. He found her pretty and sexy and might even want to sleep with her. But he wasn't going to do anything about it because he didn't like her—and she knew why.
From a few slipped sentences in their argument before the staff meeting that morning, she realized he believed she had taken her "Aunt Merry" away from him and was now keeping her away. In a sense, he was correct. Because she couldn't turn into a crone again, she couldn't bring Merry Montrose back to La Torchere. But Alexander liked the efficient old crone. He liked the job she had done for him. And he wanted her to work for him again.
Which was sweet, but made Princess Meredith's situation impossible. She couldn't explain that there was no Aunt Merry. She would have to get him to accept a replacement. But without her matchmaking magic, she couldn't seem to do the job of resort Cupid that she'd done as a cursed crone. Unwittingly, she was giving him the impression only Merry Montrose could manage this resort.
When she reached the Oasis patio, moonlight glistened off the water of the Olympic-size pool. The sound of the waterfall hummed around her. Lush tropical gardens welcomed her. Unfortunately, there wasn't a guest in sight.
"All by yourself."
Hearing Alexander Rochelle's voice, Merry spun around. Standing on the edge of a cluster of palm trees and hibiscus, he was partially hidden by shadows created when moonlight hit the palms. But his masculine voice was enough to send a shiver of feminine pleasure through her. She had no idea why he'd chosen to swim in one of the public pools when he had a private pool, but she wasn't about to say anything that might remind him of her embarrassing failed seduction of a few nights ago.
"I had hoped I wouldn't be. This was one of my best places for matchmaking."
"One of your best places?"
She barely stopped a gasp at her own stupidity. That was a slip she shouldn't have made. "I meant my aunt Merry's. She told me she introduced a lot of couples here. I was hoping to do the same, so no one else checked out early."
"Oh," he said, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Soft-looking tufts of pale hair covered his chest. His arms were well shaped and muscular. Black swim trunks, like boxers, revealed tanned thighs. His feet were bare. "It seems your plan failed. It's just you and me tonight."
The sensual timbre of Alexander's voice sent quivers of of awareness cascading through Merry. Though she knew Alexander hadn't intended to sound seductive, with moonlight spilling around them, bathing him in an ethereal glow, everything seemed sensual. The atmosphere was charged with a sizzle that hummed along her skin. The fact that Alexander was wearing one measly piece of clothing didn't help.
Of course, since La Torchere's owner had made it clear that he didn't like her. Merry knew any romance she might be feeling was all in her imagination. She swallowed and took a pace back. "Yeah. Just you and me."
He gave her a curious look. "Are you afraid of me?"
She laughed. "Of course I'm afraid of you. You're my boss. You could fire me."
"But you said today that you couldn't stay for more than the time you promised your dad. There's no reason to be concerned about a job that you'll be leaving in eighteen days."
"There is if I want to do it well." She paused and caught his gaze to convey her sincerity. "And I do."
He smiled, then shook his head. "I would have never guessed that."
She glanced up sharply. Sexual tension aside, this man hadn't liked her from their first meeting at the hotel desk. And she knew that was because he wanted Merry Montrose back. If she didn't force him to see her as competent, it wouldn't matter who she hired. He would never accept that person, and he would spend the rest of his life looking for a manager who didn't exist. He might even follow her to Silestia where he could stir up a real hornet's nest of trouble.
"You know what your problem is? You jump to conclusions. You met me three days ago and instantly decided you didn't like me. You didn't even try to get to know me."
"We can fix that. We're here now. And alone. We can get to know each other very well."
That wasn't the response Princess Meredith was expecting. Worse, his voice sounded sexy and seductive again. She took another step back. "I don't think so."
He frowned. "You just said I wasn't being fair to you. So I'm giving you a chance to fix that. But you don't want it?"
"Most bosses don't get to know their employees at secluded pools."
"I don't see why not." He glanced around. "If nothing else, we have plenty of privacy."
Merry had no idea what he thought he was doing. Up to this point, he hadn't wanted anything to do with her, yet tonight he suddenly found her at a pool and suggested they talk. It didn't make any sense…
Unless he'd changed his mind about the affair she'd tried to initiate. If he had, he was in for a big disappointment. If he only wanted to pursue their sexual attraction, she wasn't interested. All along she'd wanted romance from this guy, not a quick tryst.
And even if he wanted the romance, it was too late. If she took up with him now when everybody knew she was failing at her job, all the employees would gossip that she had only stayed employed by sleeping with the boss.
"I think I should get going."
"Why?"
She gaped at him. "What part of 'you're my boss' don't you understand?"
"My being your boss didn't bother you three days ago."
"Three days ago early departure numbers weren't up. Today they are. I don't want people to think I'd use a persona! relationship to be excused for my poor performance."
Alexander only stared at her. Either Lissa was correct in saying that Merry had changed, or Merry was one heck of an actress. "What if I promise to be a perfect gentleman tonight, and promise never to mention this conversation to anyone? There isn't anybody to witness it, so unless you tell, there'll be no speculation about your work performance."
She drew a breath that expanded her chest, directing Alexander's attention to the fact that tonight's bathing suit was totally different from the little string number she'd been wearing the night he'd found her in his private pool. He didn't fully comprehend what was going on with Merry, but he did finally see that his betrothed was different.
And he also finally understood what Lissa had tried to explain that afternoon about why it was important for him to get to know the "new" Merry. From holding this one short, reasonable conversation with his betrothed, he'd learned she could actually argue without throwing a temper tantrum. She also didn't buckle under to pressure. God knew what other skills she'd acquired in the past seven years. If he was going to keep the upper hand with her, deal with her, negotiate with her after they were married, he'd have to understand all of her newfound abilities long before she knew she should be hiding them.
"You want to talk as boss and employee." She caught his gaze. "Nothing else."
Already they were negotiating. Alexander was smart enough to realize that he'd have to let her win this one. "Yes."
She sighed heavily. "Okay."
"Okay."
She drew a quick, nervous breath and glanced around. "So what do you want to talk about?"
"First, what do you say we find a place to sit?"
"There are tables," she began, pointing to the right where groups of tables were lit by track lighting along the fence.
But Alexander interrupted her. "Too bright. Besides, the chairs are uncomfortable. We buy them that way deliberately so people will gravitate to the pool."
"Chaise lounge…"
He shook his head. "It's hard to talk face-to-face when your chair has you pointed skyward. Let's get a blanket, sit on the ground and just relax."
"That sounds a little too personal."
"I already promised to be a gentleman," he said, striding to the white chest beyond the tables she'd suggested. He grabbed a resort blanket and walked to the soft grass some sunbathers preferred. Laying it out on the ground he said. "Go ahead. Pick something for us to talk about."
Still nervous, she glanced around again. "How about the resort?"
"The resort's a great choice," Alexander said, lowering himself onto the blanket. He knew she'd chosen that topic so they would talk business, but she'd unwittingly opened the door to the heart of who he was. He would be a fool to let it pass.
"There's a lot of money to be made in pampering people and I had…insider knowledge about some great spas and resorts in Europe. So I brought that knowledge here and, voila, I made money."
"That's great," Merry said, easing over to the blanket, though slowly.
He patted the space across from him, encouraging her to sit as he continued to explain himself to the woman who would someday be his wife. "I don't think I'm great. I think I have common sense. I matched my existing knowledge with a need. It's a formula as old as the caveman."
She took a few more shaky steps. "It's an old formula, but I don't think it's that old."
Alexander almost laughed. He never realized nervousness made her picky. "Okay, how about as old as the steel industry?"
She stared at him. "Why are you selling yourself short?"
What? "Excuse me?"
"It's very clear to me that you worked hard to make this place a success." Angry with him, she absently sat on the blanket. "I'm guessing you worked equally hard on your other ventures because you like what you do. Success is a source of pleasure for you. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve everything you have, Alexander."
Alexander only stared at her, suddenly seeing he had been misinterpreting her. She wasn't nervous as much as she seemed to be getting frustrated with him for giving her such a flippant rundown of his life. Particularly, when she appeared to know the truth. The depth of her understanding of his personality stunned him into silence. She "got" him. She knew liking his work didn't diminish his efforts. She recognized he deserved what he had. He didn't have to convince her of anything, prove anything… Hell, he didn't have to say anything! There was no need to explain his other financial holdings. He didn't have to tell her he had influence—or power. The woman who was to be his wife understood him.
He swallowed, overwhelmed with the feelings she must have been having all along. Without a clear-cut conversation plan, they were simply two scantily clad people alone at a beautiful pool. And, sitting cross-legged as she was, her knee was about two inches from his thigh.
He scooted away from her.
She glanced up at the sky. "You rarely see a cloud." Her voice was soft, breathless, as if she were totally in awe of what he had built on La Torchere. The appreciation in her voice turned the comment into a compliment and it flowed over him like the warm tropical breezes off the bay.
"Do you know that in some cities there's so much light you can't see stars? Yet here the stars go on forever. You were brilliant to choose an island far enough away from the mainland that it's unaffected by it."
He didn't want to be so pleased by her, but she was the first person who seemed to understand how discriminating he had been when he'd chosen this island, and he couldn't stop the current of pride that sizzled through him at her continued praise.
"You've got to be proud of yourself for preserving this little piece of heaven."
"I am."
"Legend has it you started with nothing."
"I did."
She laughed, "And for a guy who insisted we talk, you're very quiet!" She pl
ayfully punched his arm.
Alexander felt the slight touch resonate through him. Not only did she understand more about him and La Torchere than he had expected, but also his Princess Meredith never would have joked. Yet this woman did. This Meredith—Merry as she had the staff call her— joked a lot. She laughed a lot. And he suddenly understood she was probably the reason the resort employees had been so cheerful lately.
"Come on, Alexander! Say something more than a two-word sentence!"
Knowing he had to really talk to her since he had initiated this conversation, he turned until he was facing her on the blanket. Bathed in moonlight, her skin was radiant, enriching the violet-blue of her eyes. Her plump lips were curled upward into a warm smile.
"What else do you want to know?" He intended for the question to be strong and firm, instead it came out soft, sensual, the question of a man to his lover.
Her smile grew. "Everything. Anything." She shrugged. "I don't care."
He swallowed and fought to remember why he wasn't supposed to want to kiss that sweet mouth. She was nothing like the spoiled princess he remembered.
She was pretty, sweet, funny and his. So why couldn't he kiss her?
He caught her gaze and he could see she was thinking the same thing—or, if not the same thing, something very close. Her bedroom eyes called to him and made his fingers itch to skim along her smooth skin. He felt bewitched and remembered the rumors of magical powers held by the royal family of Silestia. He didn't believe in magic, but even if he did, he didn't think Merry was using anything but her natural charm to entice him.
She placed her fingertips on his cheek, almost as if she couldn't help herself, and Alexander stretched across the blanket and touched his lips to hers. Sensation after sensation buffeted him. Soft and airy, the kisses she placed on his lips weren't meant to seduce, but to show emotion. And Alexander realized something that astounded him. She liked him. She wasn't simply attracted to him. She liked him.
Confused, Alexander pulled back. She couldn't like him. She didn't know he was Prince Alec, and she had only talked to Alexander Rochelle three times. Not enough to have any kind of real feelings for him.
