Royal Engagement

by Chance Carter

  “I can’t believe you let me eat that sorbet,” Casey said. “I’m stuffed!”

  I squeezed her hand in mine as I parked down the street from her apartment. “But wasn’t it just as delicious as I said it would be?”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  The tone of Casey’s voice made me smile. There was just something about it that made me certain she was feeling as comfortable with me as I felt with her. This night was going even more smoothly than I’d anticipated—once I remembered that Casey was carrying my child.

  Walking into the building, the moonlight hit Casey’s face in a way that made her absolutely glow. She was beautiful. “Listen,” I said. “I know it’s only the first date, so we can say good night here, if you’d like.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Casey said. “Come in!”

  I grinned. “I hoped you would say that!” I followed Casey up the stairs and stood patiently as she fidgeted with the keys. Upon first glance, her apartment was much smaller than I had expected. Not that I’d imagined it before, but I just assumed that the apartments in this building were as big on the inside as they appeared from the outside.

  “I know it’s small,” Casey said in an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry.”

  I put my palm gently on Casey’s cheek. “Stop apologizing for who you are! It’s a gorgeous apartment for a gorgeous girl.” I wasn’t lying when I told her the apartment was gorgeous. It had admittedly been a while since I’d been to a woman’s home, but they were always such a step up from my house and my buddies’ apartments. Sure, my living room was as big as her apartment. But my walls were bare, my furniture was mismatched, and my décor was nonexistent.

  Casey had everything meticulously in place. Even though the apartment was a studio, she had arranged it in such a way that the bedroom area and living area had a clear division. The walls were covered—but not too covered—in different watercolor paintings, and an intricately-carved shelving unit lined the walls. A woman’s touch made everything better.

  “Got that at a flea market,” Casey said, noticing me admiring one of the paintings. “Right when I saw it, I knew it would fit in perfectly with my apartment. The artist was only sixteen years old when she painted it.”

  “Wow,” I said. “It’s lovely.”

  “Do you want a cup of coffee or something?”

  “No thanks,” I said. “If I drink coffee past dinnertime, I’ll be up all night.”

  “That can be arranged either way,” Casey said, pulling me in for a deep, delicate kiss. She walked over to the bed and signaled me to follow. “Let me give you the grand tour. This is the bed. It’s where I sleep and…do other things.”

  “Oh yeah?” I said.

  “That’s right.”

  Before I knew what was happening, Casey pulled me on top of her. I moved into her, and we kissed and kissed until my lips were numb. Through my slacks, Casey gave me a strong squeeze where I was already hard. Then, she gently pushed me off of her and directed me to stand up. After stripping her clothes from her body in silence, she pulled down my pants and boxers. She ran her finger around my swollen cock and pressed her lips against it. I felt myself stiffen as she slid her tongue around and bit ever so slightly on the tip.

  The sensation drove me wild. I thrust forward, into her mouth, and before I knew it, my cock was all the way into the back of her throat. I pulled back out and she grabbed my ass cheeks and pulled me back into her mouth, taking me so far in I was amazed she wasn’t gagging.

  Her mouth moved up and down my shaft as her nails dug into my butt, causing an irresistible mix of pleasure and pain.

  I thrust into her mouth, over and over, my hands gripping her hair. She ran her tongue along my shaft with such skill it drove me wild.

  Then my vision blurred and a surge of pleasure pulsed through me, sending me over the edge. My cock poured cum into her mouth and she swallowed every drop. Then she licked my shaft and my head, looking up at me with a wickedly naughty grin as she did so.

  Casey kissed her way up my body and caught my mouth with hers as I teased her stiffened nipples. The taste of my cum on her lips made my cock hard again.

  “I have something you might like,” she whispered. “I’ll be right back.” She gave me a squeeze as she walked across the apartment and dug through a drawer. As if out of one of my greatest fantasies, she strolled back with a pair of pink faux-fur handcuffs.

  “Wow,” I said. It was all I could muster.

  Casey squeezed my cock, coaxing it back to full erection, and said, “Thought we might have a little fun, if you’re up for it.”

  “Hmm…”

  “Lucky for you, I have an old-fashioned headboard.”

  That was all it took. My tongue found hers as we kissed our way over to the bed. I was glad, in the heat of the moment, that Casey was pregnant. That meant we didn’t have to put a pause on the heat to figure out protection.

  Straddling Casey, I placed the cuffs on each hand. My lips tugged gently on her nipple as I ran my hands down her silky skin. She let out soft, slow moans and pulled my lips into hers.

  I lifted her hips into my stiff body and drove into her, caressing her rounded breasts. Pulsating rhythmically, my tongue moved between her intoxicating lips and her neck. I focused on making her feel as good as she made me feel.

  Between moans, sounds of Casey’s breathless gasps filled my ears. Our bodies moved in sync as I pushed harder and harder toward the very core of her body. I lifted her body back and forth and squeezed her plump behind, until I finally exploded again, cumming so hard inside her it made her scream.

  Now it was her turn. Her entire body stiffened and flexed as her orgasm overpowered her. She bucked, driving herself even further onto my cock as surge after surge of pleasure washed through her body.

  Then she went limp, letting out a laugh of relief and pleasure as her body recovered from the ecstasy.

  Naked and gasping for air, I removed the handcuffs as we fell into one another. We lay in silence, save for our labored breathing. I looked Casey up and down, taking note of every curve and crevice on her gorgeous body. She ran her finger up and down my arm, kissing my chest every so often.

  “What are you thinking about at this very moment?” she asked.

  “You,” I said.

  She shot me a smile. “What about me?”

  “You’re perfect,” I said. “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” Casey cupped my face in her hand and gave me a slight kiss on the lips. “And I’ve had a great time with you tonight.”

  “Is that my cue to leave?” I asked.

  “No,” Casey said. “Why don’t you stay the night?”

  While there was maybe a small part of me that hoped that this sleepover meant another round of lovemaking, what Casey had in store was just as wonderful. We spent hours—naked— talking about our favorite movies, and our tastes in books, and our respective interests. It felt like we had known each other for years, and Casey listened with a rare intensity that so greatly intrigued me.

  By the time we were halfway through Grease, which she insisted we watch as soon as I revealed I’d never seen it, Casey was fast asleep. I sat there, wide awake, deeply aware that I was falling for this girl.

  Chapter 9

  Casey

  Alexander lay curled up under the covers and unclothed beside me. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a man stay the night, but I could say with certainty that this was the best first date—could I even call it that? – that I’d ever been on. I sat up and tiptoed over to the bathroom, trying my best not to wake Alexander. He looked absolutely perfect, even when he was sleeping.

  There was something about Alexander that made me feel adventurous. He made me feel sexy in a way that no other man had before him. I knew it was probably bad to be considering getting involved with my sperm donor, or whatever he was, but I couldn’t help myself. This hunk had been coming into the clinic month after month, and I didn’t hav
e the slightest clue how great we could be together.

  Don’t get ahead of yourself, I told myself. It was only one date. After my first year in foster care, I learned to never get my hopes up until something was a sure thing. Every time I thought a family would be my permanent placement, something happened, and the rug was pulled out from under me. I didn’t want to have that same feeling with Alexander—or with the baby.

  “Good morning,” I heard from across the apartment as I exited the bathroom.

  “Hey there.” I walked over to Alexander, who greeted me with a hungry kiss. It was amazing to me how natural everything felt with him. We kissed like we’d been dating for months, and we had conversations like we’d known each other for years.

  “What time do you have to be at the clinic today?” Alexander asked, looking at his watch.

  “I actually have today off,” I said. “I’m working Saturday this week to cover the other admin assistant’s shift.”

  Alexander grinned. “What a coincidence. I have it off too!”

  “Don’t be silly,” I said, fake-shoving Alexander. “You’re the CEO!”

  “Exactly. And I’m playing hooky today.” He paused. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

  Like a giddy schoolgirl, I sat and listened as Alexander called into the office and told them he wouldn’t be coming in.

  “Got anything in mind?” I asked.

  “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Alexander said. “What were your plans today if this date had not gone so well?” A subtle wink only added to the adorable tone of his voice.

  I sat down on the bed beside him. “I was thinking of heading over to Centennial Olympic Park to walk around a bit. I know it’s sort of cheesy, but—”

  “It’s gorgeous there,” Alexander said. “Sounds perfect.”

  Alexander decided that he didn’t want to do the walk of shame, walking around Atlanta in the same outfit he’d worn the day before, so we made plans to meet up in an hour at the park. As soon as I closed the door behind him, I pranced around my apartment the same way I had after my first date years earlier.

  This guy had me smitten. I couldn’t think of one thing I didn’t love about Alexander—except, of course, the whole baby issue. I had to talk to someone about this. I needed some perspective.

  “Hello?” Liana said through the phone.

  I immediately regretted dialing, but it was too late. “Hey, Li!”

  “What’s up?”

  “I had a date last night… and this morning.”

  “Shut up!” Liana exclaimed. “Tell me everything.” I told Liana everything—ok, not about the handcuffs—from the moment Alexander arrived at my door, to the moment he left a few minutes earlier. The one detail I couldn’t bear to tell her about was the pregnancy. I knew Liana would be completely shocked and confused by it, but maybe if this relationship with Alexander did blossom, it would soften the blow.

  Liana was my best friend, but she didn’t hold back her opinion. Most of the time, this was a great trait that worked out in my favor. This time, I didn’t want her to burst my bubble before it inevitably burst itself.

  “Case, this guy sounds amazing,” Liana said. “So, what’s the problem?”

  “What do you mean?”

  I could just picture Liana, wherever she was, smirking. “You only call to tell me about guys if something’s wrong with them.”

  “You caught me,” I said. “The problem is that I can’t find a single damn thing wrong with him!”

  I must’ve caught Liana in a sensitive mood, because she went on a five-minute rant about how I deserved the best and that fairytale guys did exist and that everything would work out. I thanked Liana for her well-meaning, albeit odd, advice and hung up the phone. I knew she couldn’t give accurate input on the situation without knowing that I was dating my sperm donor. I decided to wait and see how things went with Alexander the rest of the day before telling Liana anything else.

  My watch revealed to me that Liana had taken up fifteen of the forty minutes I had before I had to leave for Centennial Olympic Park. Damn. I hurried over to my wardrobe and shuffled through my outfits. Nothing seemed good enough. I wanted an outfit that said “I’m interested” without saying “Come and get it, right here, right now.” It proved to be a surprisingly difficult task.

  I tried on two sundresses before deciding dresses probably weren’t the way to go if we were going to be doing a lot of walking. After deciding on the perfect pair of comfortable yet chic jeans, I tried on three shirts before settling. It was a black top with a crystal design, showing a bit of cleavage without looking trashy. It was the best I could do.

  I had to make a choice between putting on makeup and being five minutes late to meet Alexander, and I decided on the latter. I was lucky that most of my makeup had stayed on overnight, so he didn’t see me bare-faced. I wasn’t ready just yet for him to see me without concealer or eyebrow pencil. I quickly went through my routine—concealer, powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss—and grabbed my sunglasses from my nightstand. With a flick of the light switch and turn of the lock, I headed toward my car.

  I found Alexander sitting on a bench near the parking lot ten minutes after we were supposed to meet. “I’m so sorry,” I said. “I had to make the choice between being on time and putting on makeup.”

  “Well, you look great, so it was worth the wait,” Alexander said as he smiled. “Lead the way!”

  I took Alexander down my favorite walking path and couldn’t help but get butterflies in my stomach when he intertwined his fingers with mine. We made our way around the fountains and watched as parents and children ran through the splash pad and rings of water. For a split second, I imagined it being me and Alexander with our child someday. This was the first time I really thought of the baby inside me as our child. I quickly shook the thought from my head. It was too soon to be thinking like that.

  As we strolled through the gardens, my stomach let out a loud grumbling sound. I was absolutely mortified, but Alexander didn’t comment on it at all. He simply said, “I’m hungry. Want to go grab a bite to eat?”.

  We stopped at a local café and were seated at a table in the corner of the small restaurant. As we dined on soup and sandwiches, Alexander gave me a detailed critique of Grease, which I’d fallen asleep during the night before. He knew how much I loved the movie, so having him take the time to give me the commentary I’d missed was just the sweetest thing. I loved that he didn’t take himself too seriously. I also loved that he seemed to take me seriously.

  As we finished our last few bites, Alexander’s cell phone vibrated on the table. “Sorry about that,” he said.

  I offered him an understanding nod.

  “Don’t worry about it! Answer it! I’ve had you all to myself since last night.”

  Alexander glanced down at his phone, a frown appearing on his face.

  “I’m sorry, Casey,” he said. “There’s an important meeting at the company in an hour that I completely forgot about.”

  I immediately felt terrible for taking him away from his work. Sure, he had called out willingly, but I didn’t want to be the kind of girl to tell her boyfriend—or whatever he was—what he could or couldn’t do.

  “Duty calls,” I said. “But thanks for halfway playing hooky with me!”

  “I’m really sorry,” Alexander said. “I was looking forward to spending the rest of the day with you.”

  I leaned over and offered him a kiss as a way of showing him that I wasn’t upset about him cutting out early. This had already been the longest—and best—date of my life.

  “I’ll just have to take a rain check.”

  Alexander stood up from his chair and turned toward the door.

  “You can count on it.”

  The love songs on the car ride home made me wonder where this relationship was heading. Was it even a relationship? I put my hand on my barely-pregnant stomach, hoping it would hold the answers I was searching for. No such luck. I
t had been such a whirlwind eighteen hours that I nearly forgot I was pregnant. I was on an incredible date with an equally incredible man.

  Now, as I wiped the raindrops that had begun to fall from my windshield, I questioned everything I knew. I finally had what I had been craving for so long, but it didn’t feel quite like I thought it would. I felt confused and excited and nervous and nauseous. I wondered if this was the universe’s plan for me all along. I wondered if Alexander felt the same way I was feeling. Most of all, I wondered what the etiquette was for dating your sperm donor.

  Chapter 10

  Alexander

  I counted down the minutes until it was time to leave for my monthly appointment at the clinic, unsure if it was because I was dreading it or excited for it. Of course I was excited to see Casey, but I was also nervous about being back at the clinic for a reason I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe I was worried things were going too well with me and Casey and going back to the clinic would mess it up. Or maybe it was that I was worried the doctors would find out about my relationship with Casey. What did it matter? There was nothing wrong with it.

  I sat in on a meeting with the accounting department of the company, hoping it would help the time pass. Truthfully, I didn’t care much about budgets or profits at that moment—or really at all. That was the entire point of having a VP of Finance. Unfortunately for me, the VP of Finance had a stomach bug, so I offered to take his place in the meeting.

  The other two meetings I had scheduled for the day—one in person and one via conference call— dragged on until 2:30 finally hit. I made my way over to the clinic, doing a quick check in my car mirror to make sure I looked ok. I had never felt this way about anyone before. I was falling for Casey, and I was about to go into her place of employment and masturbate. Our situation was as strange as it sounded.

  My plan to act as nonchalant as possible lasted less than a minute, when I caught my shoe on the rug in the entryway and stumbled. I looked up at Casey, who buried the bottom half of her face in the sleeve of her sweater, clearly trying her best not to smile or laugh. I walked up to the counter and wrote my name on the sign-in sheet.