by Thorne, Gigi
I breeze into the hotel lobby and check in, thinking only of the luxury bed I’m about to toss myself into. The bellhop straps my bag onto the cart, then heads past the massive water fountain in the middle of the overly ornate lobby. The foghorn sound I assigned to Alex blares from my phone. I’m tempted to ignore it, go straight to my room, and climb into bed to sleep off some of this jet-lag. But I don’t. I pull my phone from my carryon, dropping a half-rolled tube of toothpaste and my makeup compact onto the floor. After I swipe over the lock screen, I groan.
Alex: I’ve lost my room key.
Me: Come to the front desk and get a new one.
Alex: My passport is in my room. They wouldn't give it to me.
Me: You’re the fucking Prince of England.
Alex: They didn’t believe me.
Me: Where is Meredith?
Alex: I don't know. I’m not her keeper.
Great. I huff as I gather up my dropped belongs and shove them into the bag. Alex has been here for three hours and he’s already lost her. Or she's already quit. I contemplate that option but realize no matter how terrible he is, that girl is so thirsty for his dick she’ll wade it out until she either fucks him or realizes there’s no chance in hell. Shit. Maybe he’s already fucked her. A twinge of jealousy swells inside me, and I roll my eyes. Grow up, Lily. You are not a fourteen-year-old.
I hurry through the lobby to catch the bellhop. “I have to go handle something.” I toss the carryon to the top of the luggage in exchange for my purse. “Would you mind dropping it in my room?”
I hand the man my spare room key and a fifty-dollar bill, not waiting for a response as I scurry back to the concierge desk where I chastise the clerk for not giving Alex another key. Swearing under my breath, I forge on to the casino. I catch sight of my reflection when I pass through the mirrored doors. I’m in the same sweats and ratty T-shirt I wore on the plane. What little makeup I had on didn’t make it through my mid-flight nap. I attempt to erase some of the smudged mascara with my thumb before I give up and go into the gaming room.
The electronic cha-ching of the slot machines. The flashing lights. The smoke-filled rooms. It’s sensory overload. An elderly woman sits nestled up to one of the penny slots, an army of rubber penises lined on top of the game. She rubs one with her fingertips before yanking down the lever and whispering, “Come on. Jackpot.”
I’m just about to text Alex when I spot him at the high stakes poker table with a woman I’m certain is a prostitute on his lap. Her dress is skin-tight with zebra print, and she has on enough bangle bracelets to make any 80s’ MTV star envious.
With my game face firmly in place, I cross the room. The brunette on his lap glances up when I stop beside him. She smacks on gum.
“I’m not giving you the room key until she goes,” I say.
“You must excuse her. She’s celibate and angry.” He pinches Hooker Girl’s side.
She grins then blows a pink bubble through her slut-red lips. “Who are you, tuts?”
I don’t have time to diddle-dawdle with this bullshit, so I dole out the line that would make most women hate a man. Royalty or not. “The mother to the child he refuses to claim.” I frown. “I may only be a commoner, but my womb was good enough to carry his royal lineage. And now he denies him. He doesn’t want the throne tainted by his own flesh and blood.”
She gasps, lifting off his lap. Her bracelets clink together when she digs both fists into her hips. “Men like you…” She shakes her head then spins on her heel, patting my shoulder. “Fuck him up, girl.” She pops her gum, winks at me, then struts off, weaving between the slot machines.
Alex’s jaw is slack, his eyes narrowed. Bless him. He’s shocked. “You’re evil,” he says.
I hand his room key to him. “No, I just know how to work smarter, not harder.” Alex tosses several hundred-dollar bills onto the game table and the dealer shuffles the deck. “So Meredith just disappeared?” I ask.
“Something like that.” Both corners of his mouth curl. I know there’s more to this than he’s letting on.
“What did you do?"
He gathers his cards from the table, then places them facedown before tossing in some chips. “She's most likely in New York by now.”
“What!”
“There may have been some confusion with her layover.”
“Confusion is missing a flight, not ending up on the opposite side of a continent.”
The dealer flips over a card and goes around the table. Alex raises his bet. “I switched her tickets.”
All I can do is close my eyes and shake my head. “Why would you do that?”
“Because, I wanted to be here with you. Alone.”
My eyes flash open. I expect to be met with a sinister grin, but Alex isn't looking at me. He's staring at the cards on the table. He shoves every last stack of his chips toward the dealer.
“Why would you want to be here with only me?”
“All in or nothing, huh?” Then he winks at me.
My cheeks are on fire. My pulse clangs in my ears while my head swims in a sea of confusion. A waitress passes by in a short skirt, and I snag a random drink from the tray.
“Hey!” She glares at me, but I already have the glass to my lips, chugging what tastes to be watered-down bourbon. With a roll of her eyes, she shakes her head and disappears amongst the crowd. By the time I’m wiping the remnants of the drink from my mouth, Alex is collecting an insane payout.
“What in the…”
“I’m good at poker. Evidently.” He shrugs, polishes off his drink, then cashes out. When he stands, he wraps an arm around my shoulder, and I let him. Possibly because I’m tired; possibly because I’m confused. “Why do you think these people come here?” he asks.
“Same reason you do. Entertainment.”
He points at the lady with the rubber cocks stuck to her machine. “What about her?”
I shrug. He releases me and walks over to the lady. I watch as he gently places his hand on her shoulder and says something. She nods. He grins—a sincere smile. After a few minutes, he hands her his ticket. She holds it in her palm, staring before she leaps to her feet and throws her arms around his neck, leaving a bright pink lipstick mark on his cheek when she kisses him.
He starts toward me and she frantically collects her penis collection and peels off, nearly trampling people on her way to the prize counter.
I’m paralyzed with shock, wondering if maybe the jet lag has made me hallucinate. Alex’s arm comes back around me.
“Did you just give her all your money?”
“She wasn't here for entertainment. She’s trying to win money to cover her husband's dialysis treatments.”
My chest goes tight. I feel as though I'm tumbling down the rabbit hole after the White Rabbit. “You gave her your money."
“She needs it. I don't.”
To say I'm speechless is an understatement. Maybe Karen was right, maybe the assholes are the nice guys after all.
We leave the casino and head up to our rooms. Nerves fire through me at full speed when we stop at my door. I’m going to invite him in, and I'm going to fuck him and hate myself tomorrow because of it. Just when I go to open my mouth, he sticks his room key into the slot. The little light flashes green and the lock clicks.
With a sly grin, he shoves the door open. The moment I’m inside, he grabs my waist and pins me to the wall. His lips crash over mine, hard and brutal. Demanding. If I had any strength left at all to deny him, this kiss would break it in two.
I paw at his shirt, snapping buttons loose. His tongue brushes mine. The kiss deepens and our teeth clash against each other. When he grabs the waist of my sweatpants, he pauses. “Let me have you. Please”
My answer: placing my hands over his and shoving my sweats down in one fluid movement. With a growl, he sinks to his knees, wrenching my legs apart.
The second his warm, wet mouth touches my clit, my legs feel weak. I thread my fingers through his hair, tugging
and pulling as his lips work over me, ratcheting my need for him higher and higher. Back and forth, round and round his tongue flicks over me. I’m like a bomb ready to detonate at any moment.
My muscles tense. I’m ready to fall over that edge, and then he stops. Alex pushes to his feet, wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, and I'm left plastered to the door and panting, my pussy throbbing. He closes the small gap between us, reaching down to pinch my swollen clit between his fingers, and I gasp at the painful release.
“Are you going to let me fuck this pretty, pink pussy?” He leans down to my neck and gently nips at my skin.
“Only if you make me come now.”
Chuckling, he squeezes my clit again, rolling it between the pads of his fingers. “Oh, I’ll make you come, kitten.” He nips at my ear. “But not until my cock is buried to the hilt in you.”
My stomach flutters when he grabs behind both my knees and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around him, his hard cock evident through his jeans. I can't help but grind over it, seeking release.
Alex’s fingers dig into my ass. “Don’t you dare come.”
“I’m about to." I smile and circle my hips. I’m right on that brink again, the hot sensations of my pending orgasm forming in the pit of my stomach.
We make it three steps before he lays me down. The cold glass of the coffee table presses against my ass at the same time as his lips covers mine. I feel him reach between us, unfastening his pants, and then seconds later, his tip is right at my entrance. Hot and hard and nudging.
My thighs fall apart. I grab his ass, pulling him toward me, but he won't budge any closer. “Alex. Please.” I breathe against his lips, and I feel the bastard smile.
"Please what, Lily?"
"Fuck me like a dirty whore."
“I thought you'd never ask.” With that, he slams into me. My breath catches in my lungs from the sudden brute force, the feel of him pushing into me. Stretching me to fit only him. With each hard thrust, he dominates me, coaxing soft mewling sounds I'm ashamed I’m even making.
“Do you like the way I fuck you, Lily?”
I squeeze my eyes shut and throw my head back while he pounds into me. “God yes.”
“I like the way your pussy feels gripping my cock." He picks up his pace like he's desperate for release. “Squeeze me.”
I tighten my muscles, moaning when the head of his dick rubs the perfect spot. “Are you on the pill?” he asks, pushing deeper and harder.
“Yes.”
“Fuck,” he bites at the crook of my neck.
The tension inside releases like a coiled spring, snapping and buzzing through me like a wildfire through a forest. It consumes me. He consumes me, until I find myself panting for air. Just when the pleasure morphs to pain, Alex goes rigid on top of me. His expression grows hard, his brow furrows, and his mouth forms the perfect O when he groans. “Shit.”
He collapses on top of me and we both lay here, breathless and silent. I’m wondering what the hell I just did. I screwed him—well, he screwed me—and I work for him, covering up sordid little trysts just like this. The irony is about to kill me.
One would hope getting the sexual frustration out of the way would clear the air, but the second he rolls off me and stands, he lends me his hand and I’m afraid nothing’s going to get better.
I wince as I follow him into the master suite. Through the window, the Vegas strip sparkles against the dark sky, the looming hills in the distance mere shadows.
Alex flops onto the bed, his hair tousled and messy. When he grins at me, I don’t see an arrogant prince; I see the guy who gave a stranger his winnings. I see the part of Alex he tries to hide.
He stretches out on the bed. “Come lay with me. Please.”
The little tug I just felt in my chest tells me I’m more than screwed. I hesitate. But when his eyes go soft and he pats the empty sheet beside him, I can't help but cave.
I crawl onto the mattress and snuggle into his chest, and instead of focusing on how good it feels to be so close to him, I concentrate on how this can never happen again.
9
Alex
Lily’s head rests comfortably on my chest, and I can’t help but comb my fingers through her hair. Something about her feels so right that it terrifies me. To her, I’m just a guy she expects very little from when the rest of the world expects everything. I wonder what her life was like before I met her. What it was like to grow up in a world without PR managers and expected traditions.
“What's it like to go out in public and have no one recognize you?” I ask.
She lifts her hand to my chest and draws tiny circles over my skin. “Normal.”
“I don't know what normal is."
“That's sad.”
“Come on," I say. “You've had to think about that before."
"I haven’t.” The path of her fingers halts. “You hate it, don't you? Being a celebrity of sorts.”
“I despise it. Maybe everyone else dreams of having a life like mine, but all I ever wanted was to own my life.”
“You do own your life, Alex."
“I don't. Every day, they try to plan for me. I’m to fit in this perfect little box, and when I don't, every snide comment, every mistake is deemed to be detrimental.” I huff. “I have no identity besides that stupid fucking crown.”
She takes my chin in her hand and turns my face toward hers. Her gaze drifts from my eyes to my lips. “Trust me, you have an identity, all right. One that I think isn't exactly true.”
I smirk. “And how so?”
“You pretend to be an asshole, but really, deep down inside, I think you’re very charming and kind."
I scoff at that. “I don't know that anyone has ever called me kind.”
"It's because you try to hide it behind that asshole exterior.”
“Women like assholes.”
“Women like to fuck guys who are assholes.” Sighing, she rolls over. Just as she brings the sheets over her chest, she gasps. “Oh my God. This is your room!”
“Yes, it is.”
“Why was my stuff in here?” Her brow furrows. I’m just waiting on her nostrils to flare.
“Because I took the liberty to cancel your room.” I grab her face and drag her to me, her nipples pebbling when her bare breasts press against my chest. “All in or nothing.” And I kiss her, hard and claiming, like I could love her if she'd allow it.
10
Lily - Three Weeks Later
What happens in Vegas. Right?
Wrong.
Some things don’t stay in Vegas. One of those things would be screwing a guy you see day in and day out. One who is technically, in a roundabout way, your employer. That shit does not stay in Vegas. You fuck a hot prince once. You’ll fuck him again. And again. And again.
In the banquet hall. The gardens. The broom closet at a charity event…
Alex slams me against the wall, his mouth greedy and pressed to mine. There’s a loud clatter when the collection of brooms and mops fall to the floor.
I shove his face away and attempt to button my blouse. “This is ridiculous.” I go to move and trip over a mop bucket. “In a broom closet at Westminster.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t like this.” Alex steps behind me and shoves my skirt around my waist, teasing my wet slit with his finger. “Do you really want to open that door?”
“No…”
That's all he needs. He slams his cock inside me in a single drive. My cheek presses to the door, the noise from the people outside barely audible.
Alex grabs my hair, yanking my head back to kiss me and I whimper, giving in to his wants and my needs. He takes me from behind, hard and angry, but he kisses me the way the prince kisses the princess in a fairy tale, like she’s all he needs.
Each brutal thrust brings me closer to coming undone until I'm scratching at the door and pushing against him in an attempt to bury him deeper.
“Your pussy’s so tight,” he whispers.
&
nbsp; He reaches around and grabs my clit, rolling it between his thick fingers and sending me over the edge. My muscles clench, my breath catches, and I succumb to the relaxing bliss that washes over me like a wave.
Before I come down, he’s panting, repeating the word fuck over and over in a guttural groan. He stiffens behind me, his fingers digging into my hips before his head drops to the crook of my neck. “I love fucking you,” he breathes. “You’re my dirty little secret.”
And just like that, my stomach bottoms out. I’m no better than any of the other girls before me. I’m just a plaything to a dirty royal.
He pulls out and I clench my jaw, waiting for the emotions I let seep into my heart to subside, hoping that the sting caused by his words will go away.
I used to think people could only hurt you when you gave them the power, but somehow, Alex just took it without asking.
I tug my skirt back into place and smooth out the wrinkles. Alex runs a hand over my hair to help it look less freshly fucked.
His hand trails to my jaw and I pull away from his touch. His brow wrinkles. “Don’t do that.” He goes to kiss me, but it’s too much. I’ve always prided myself with keeping my emotions in check, but for some reason, they’re bubbling over like a pot of boiling water. Tears sting my eyes, and I panic, swatting at the them before the spill down my cheek.
“Lily.” He goes to touch me again.
Without thinking, I yank open the door. Several people in the hallway glance in our direction and Alex shoves his cock back into his slacks, his cheeks reddening as he adjusts his belt.
I take off down the hall, crying like an emotional wreck.
“What are you doing?” His dress shoes click over the stone floor.
