Can't Buy Me Love

by Abigail Drake

  “And will our meeting be private, or a media side show?” I asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

  She gave me a cheeky grin. “A side show. Of course. We’ve given this exclusive to Dirk Deacon of NBC. He’s your favorite.”

  I put a hand over my heart. “He is my favorite.” Dirk had a cleft in his chin as deep as the Grand Canyon and he rivaled the prince in the blond-god category. I nibbled on my lower lip. Norah had it all planned out, but was I doing the right thing? Each step I took felt like one I couldn’t retrace, and once I started on this path, it would be impossible to turn back.

  I heard a noise outside my bedroom, the sound of my father pushing his wheelchair down the hall. The only time he moved from his post by the window in the living room was to use the bathroom or go to bed at night. He didn’t speak. He barely ate. He hardly ever acknowledged us. Unless we got him some help, and quickly, I doubted he’d live much longer. How could a person survive when each moment seemed to be pure agony?

  I imagined him wasting away, a like a dried-up, colorless leaf in the autumn, until one day he simply blew away in the wind. The thought made me ill. His once-full life had become a mockery of its former self. It was bad enough Ella had to grow up without a mother. I needed to do whatever I could to guarantee she had at least one parent around, even if it meant doing something which felt morally ambiguous and a bit sneaky.

  I sat up straighter, and gave Norah a nod. “Go. I’ll do my research here. By the time I’m done, I’ll know more about Prince Alexander than anyone.”

  “Good luck with that,” said Norah with a snort. “The man has his own fan club, and those women are obsessed. They will always know more about him than you.”

  I gave her a challenging look. “Don’t bet on it.”

  ~

  If there was one thing I excelled at, it was research. By the time Ella got home from school, I knew all there was to know about Prince Alexander and his lovely family. His mom looked like a stick in the mud, but his dad didn’t. A charming, balding, slightly paunchy version of Prince Alexander, he seemed like a bit of a playboy.

  Ella grabbed the magazine from my hands and stared at Prince Alexander’s face. “He’s not like his dad, you know.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s a nice guy. A humanitarian. He was here to talk about ways to provide better education to children in remote villages all over the world. He builds libraries.”

  “Ohhhh.” I couldn’t help the little zing piercing my heart.

  Ella smiled, knowingly, aware of my weaknesses. “His platform is literacy, as well as education.”

  I put a hand over my heart. “I bet he has his own fantastic personal library, like in Beauty and the Beast.”

  “I’m sure he does,” said Ella, with a little chortle. She climbed into my bed and curled up next to me, like she did when she was small. I kissed her head. I’d been wishing for a long time I could do better for her. Now, I finally had my chance. I had to grab this opportunity while I could. For her, not for me.

  “I love you, kid. You know that, right?”

  “Of course I do,” she said with a yawn. “We’re stronger together.”

  Fortis solum simul fortior. Strong alone, stronger together. Our family motto.

  Ella fell asleep, still wearing her too tight school uniform. I stayed up much later, trying to figure out what to do. In the end, I knew I had few options open to me. In order to save Ella, I had to sacrifice part of myself. The part which had refused to be corrupted or bowed by all I’d been through. The part that had enabled me to hold my head up high, even through the worst of it.

  “Stronger together,” I whispered against her hair.

  I knew I could do this. But, I also knew I had no choice.

  As I fell asleep, I pictured Nico’s face, judging me. For some reason, his opinion meant something, but I didn’t have the luxury of such an indulgence at the moment. I had to think only of the girl, curled up in my arms, fast asleep.

  Ella was all that mattered. She was all that ever mattered. And I had to do right by her. No one else ever had.

  ~

  We were supposed to meet for the first time on live TV, but Prince Alexander, it seemed, had other ideas.

  “Ladies,” said Nico, who’d been waiting in the lobby of our apartment for Norah and me. “May I escort you both to the hotel?”

  Norah had a large bag slung over her shoulder and a clipboard in her hands. She had her glasses on, which meant she took this seriously. I put my arm through hers, more for emotional support than physical at the moment.

  “Yes,” I said, and he gave me a formal bow.

  Quite a feat. It’s hard to be formal with someone when you’ve touched their nearly naked bottom Not that there had been anything romantic about the first time we’d met. He’d been giving me first aid that day, after all. But when I imagined him putting those big, rough hands on my bare skin in a different way, a sensual way, I broke out in a sweat.

  “Are you alright?” he asked. “You look a bit…flushed.”

  “Fine and dandy. And you?”

  “As well as can be expected.” He seemed a little ticked off, but I had no idea what I’d done to deserve his anger.

  “You don’t have to escort us to the hotel. Norah and I can make it on our own.”

  I smoothed down the winter-white long sleeved dress Norah had chosen for me to wear today. It fit perfectly, and provided the ideal neckline for my mother’s antique pearl choker, one of the few remaining pieces of jewelry we’d managed to keep. With my red hair falling down my back in soft waves, and my make-up once again flawless, thanks to Ella’s magic touch, I felt in control and ready to take on the world. I didn’t need Nico’s negativity to bring me down.

  “But I must. The prince commands it.”

  “It’s next door. I think we can make it on our own.”

  “Obviously, he disagrees. I shall accompany you, and it will be a short and yet ever so enjoyable journey.” His smile was tight and his voice positively dripped with sarcasm. Either Nico was not a morning person, or he was seriously annoyed about something.

  “Okay,” I said. “Escort away.”

  When we walked into the hotel, instead of going to the suite we’d been assigned, Nico took us to a different area of the hotel altogether. “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  “The prince requests to see you in private prior to your televised appearance. Would you be amenable to his request?”

  “Uh, sure.” I held back a giggle as I watched Norah’s face, knowing she struggled to remember what “amenable” meant.

  I stopped laughing, however, when the prince opened the door. “Ms. Burkhart. At last. I’m so pleased to make your acquaintance. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”

  He extended his hand and I shook it. Holy moly. The man was even better looking in real life than he was in magazines.

  Maybe I had a thing for Latovian men. First, Nico had made my heart beat faster, and now the prince. Truth be told, the prince was more the sort of person I’d been attracted to in the past-- handsome, friendly, and polite. No grumbling, snarling, or dark, moody glances, and the twinkle in his bright blue eyes made me like him instantly. If I didn’t feel the same surge of lust for him I did for Nico, did it matter? He was extremely appealing, although Nico looked a bit like he might want to throttle him at the moment, and I wondered why.

  “I’m happy to meet you again, too,” I said. “Under better circumstances this time.”

  “Indeed.” He let go of my hand and turned to Norah. “You must be Ms. Knowles.”

  Norah extended her hand, wide-eyed and a bit flustered. She had on a black mini skirt, tights, and chunky heels, and her crazy blond hair danced in curls around her face. “Your Royal Hotness. I mean Highness. Oops. Did I say that out loud?” She froze, looking completely mortified.

  He beamed at her, still holding her hand. “I like it. I think I shall make it a new title and require Nico call me it
every single day.”

  Nico muttered something under his breath, making the prince laugh. Although I didn’t speak Latovian, I had a feeling whatever he said wasn’t complimentary.

  We walked into the elegant suite, and the prince indicated we should sit opposite him, on a plush red velvet couch. Norah sat down and pulled out her notebook. Nico stood in the corner, near the window. I lowered myself gingerly, still mindful of the stitches in my bottom. They’d be out in a few days. I couldn’t wait.

  The prince noticed my discomfort. “I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

  “It’s okay. It was worth it,” I said with a smile.

  A muscle worked in his jaw. “The police tell me if you hadn’t knocked me down at that precise moment, the bullet which pierced your…” He looked a bit uncomfortable as he tried to find a nice way to phrase it. He went the safe route. “…person would have hit me right in the heart. I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude, Miss Burkhart.”

  “You’re welcome, and please call me Chloe. I think we’ve moved past formalities, haven’t we?”

  He grinned. “I suppose we have. And you may call me Alexander. Or, better yet, Alex. It’s what Nico calls me, when he isn’t calling me something worse.”

  I had to laugh at his comment. “Yes, I’m sure he does. He’s probably called me a few things, too.”

  Nico shot me the stink eye, and Alex gave me a long, appraising look. “I like you, Chloe. What a lovely surprise.”

  “I like you, too, Alex.”

  He poured tea from the silver set on the coffee table in the center of the room, and handed a cup to each of us. Nico wasn’t interested in having tea. He chose to glower in the corner instead, a large, grumpy, Latovian bear. Alex’s face grew serious.

  “May I speak openly with you for a moment?”

  I took a sip of the tea. “Of course.”

  “I normally wouldn’t agree to a televised interview, not like this, but I have ulterior motives. I’m in New York on a personal mission. I’m scheduled to speak at the United Nations in a few days about my foundation.”

  “The literacy initiative?” asked Norah.

  The prince’s eyes locked on her face and Norah, who’d never had a shy or awkward moment in her entire life, blushed a deep scarlet and dropped her pen. The prince’s ability to fluster women was remarkable. No wonder he had a fan club.

  He picked up Norah’s pen and handed it to her. “Exactly. Well done. You’ve done your research, haven’t you? I’m impressed.”

  “It’s important work you’re doing. I’m the one who’s impressed.” Norah seemed to have gotten control over herself, but her cheeks were still bright red.

  “Thank you,” said Alex. “We’ve been reaching out to children living in remote villages all over the world, providing both internet access as well as building schools and libraries for them. It’s my passion, my calling, if you will, and I’m close to getting it implemented on a global scale. Any sort of positive media buzz I could create would be most beneficial to my cause.”

  Norah had a calculating look in her eye. “Like the kind this whole incident has created?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Although the assassination attempt was a horrible thing, the outcome has not been completely negative. People seem to respond warmly to the idea of a beautiful, young American woman saving my life. Word about my foundation has spread, and we’ve had a huge increase in both donations and in pledges of support. I was wondering…”

  He paused, acting a bit unsure. It made me curious about where this was going exactly. “You were wondering what?”

  He leaned close. “Would you be willing to accompany me to a few social events over the next few weeks? I know it’s a strange request, but I think it would benefit both of us. My foundation would remain in the news, and you would remain safely guarded.”

  I shot Norah a look, trying not to giveaway too much with my expression, and saw her stifle a giggle. Accompanying a handsome prince as he attended parties and galas and other fun events? Uh, hello. Sign me up. But there was one thing that concerned me.

  “Do you have any idea who this man is? The one who tried to kill you?”

  He shook his head. “There is always someone out there who wants to hurt me, and usually their reasons are either political, historical, or utterly insane. Most have nothing at all to do with me, but it’s hard not to take it personally.”

  “I can imagine. Then why were you walking around New York? Wouldn’t it have been safer to drive? And where were all the secret service guys and agents when you were getting shot at?”

  He ducked his head, embarrassed. “I used to live in New York when I was a college student, and I loved the anonymity I experienced here. I missed being able to walk around on my own. I insisted on going for a short walk. I thought it would be perfectly safe. Nico disagreed, and, of course he was right. We brought several men with us, but it wasn’t enough. Now he’s the one who looks bad, even though none of it was his fault.”

  Nico glared at him. “Alex. Do we have to discuss this?

  Now I was curious. “He looks bad? What do you mean?”

  Alex took a sip of tea. “Well, it happened on his watch, unfortunately. My father, the king, is most displeased. Eventually he’ll calm down, but right now he’s not listening to reason.”

  I frowned. “But none of it was Nico’s fault.”

  Nico’s jaw tightened. “It was. I should never have allowed it. But that isn’t the only problem. People are also wondering how you were able to stop the assassination attempt when I could not. And they want to know how I let the man get away so easily.”

  I frowned. “Because you were keeping me from bleeding to death at the time.”

  “Exactly,” said Alex, nodding. “I said the same thing. And there is another benefit to being together as much as possible while I’m in New York. It might give Nico just the opportunity he needs to catch the guy who tried to kill me.”

  “And he could save face?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  Nico shot me a dark look. I could tell this whole idea greatly disturbed him, but I had to admit the prince made a good point. “So by hanging out with you, I’d be helping Nico, too?”

  “You would,” said Alex.

  I didn’t have to look at Nico to know he continued to glare at me. His gaze nearly had a physical force, but I ignored him.

  “If it’ll help Nico, of course I’ll do it. I kind of owe him one.”

  “No, you don’t,” said Nico.

  “Yes, I do,” I replied through tightly clenched teeth. Why did he have to be so difficult? I turned my attention back to Alex. “Just let me know which events you’d like for me to attend, and I’ll be there.”

  “That will be lovely,” said Alex.

  “But it’s not enough,” said Norah, as she chewed on the end of her pen. She leaned toward Alex, her grey eyes intense. “It’s nice if you hang out together, and you’ll generate a certain amount of media attention, but in order to get the kind of buzz you need for your foundation, you’ll have to take it a step further.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “You need to pretend you’re dating. Romantically involved. A couple. Who wouldn’t be interested in that story? You’ll have more media attention than you could ever imagine.”

  Alex nodded. “It’s a brilliant idea, but I’d hate to put Chloe in the position of having to feign interest in me.”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Norah jumped in. “How hard could it be? You’re perfect. She won’t have to feign a thing.”

  “I’m not sure about this…” I began. Nico interrupted me. He stomped over to where we were sitting, his face a mask of fury.

  “That has to be the most ludicrous, horrible idea I’ve ever heard.”

  “Why?” asked Alex. “Norah thinks it’s a good idea, and I agree.”

  Nico’s face darkened. “You barely know them, and yet you are willing to trust them? They could go to the media and
sell this story. Profit from your stupidity. You cannot do this.”

  I wasn’t so keen on the whole idea myself, but now Nico pissed me off, and I found myself arguing for it as well. “I would never do anything to betray Alex or anyone else,” I said, getting heated myself. “I’m not that kind of person.”

  “What kind of person are you? A woman willing to lie about something like this, is a woman willing to lie about other things, too.”

  I stared at him, flabbergasted, but he was kind of right. Norah stepped in and saved me. “What if we signed a contract? If Chloe breaks it, which she will not, you can toss her in one of your Latovian dungeons or something.”

  “Norah,” I said, shocked.

  The prince laughed. “We do have quite a few dungeons. I think it would work.”

  “It goes both ways,” said Norah. “If you break the contract, we get to lock you up in the basement of Chloe’s apartment building.”

  “That sounds fair,” said Alex.

  “None of you is taking this seriously,” said Nico. “This could be a disaster. For all of us.”

  “It’ll only be a rumor,” I said. “Nothing more. Neither of us will substantiate it. We’ll be purposefully vague. And, when you two return to Latovia, it will simply fade away.”

  “But once rumors start, it’s hard to make them stop. And it would be very easy to believe the prince could fall for you. You’re gorgeous and funny and smart….” His voice trailed off when he realized we were all starting at him. He cleared his throat. “My question is, why would you agree to do this?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I have my reasons.”

  He gave me a snide look. “You want your fifteen minutes of fame. I see. Rather shallow of you, don’t you think?”

  My cheeks got hot. “You can believe anything you want, Mr. Mercia. My reasons are my own, and they are none of your business.”

  “She’s right. Stop badgering her, Nico. It’s most annoying.” Alex reached for my hand. “Will you do it, Chloe? Would you help me?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It would be my pleasure.”

  ~