by Tawny Amaya
“What? Oh, never mind. We are done here.”
I wasted no time walking to the door, breathing a sigh of relief as I exited the suite. It was going to be damn near impossible for me to hold my tongue throughout their stay. Maybe I should ask Grant to reassign them to someone else. With a frown, I walked to the elevator and jabbed at the button, ignoring the guards that lingered in the hall. We had cleared out the entire floor per their request, though I was sure any guests would hate to stay here with all these people milling around. At least they were paying us three times the amount we usually charged to cover the loss of revenue. Otherwise, I was inclined to tell them to shove it.
The elevator doors opened, and I entered the small space, pressing the lobby and leaning against the wall as the doors closed. It was worse than I would have imagined, though I did find it interesting that the uncle ran the show and the prince remained mostly silent. The duo reminded me of an overbearing mother and her child. Was it always like this or had we pissed him off so much that he was acting out? Whatever it was, I just hoped it dissipated before I saw any of them again.
The elevator doors opened, and Jeanie’s face came into view, a squeal leaving her as she pulled me out of the elevator. “Oh my god. Did you see him? He’s hot, isn’t he?”
“Yes, I saw him, no I didn’t pay attention to his looks.” I had, but I wasn’t going to let her know that. I shook out of her grip, straightening my suit jacket. “They are horrible Jeanie, completely and utterly horrible. Be glad you don’t have to deal with them.”
Her face fell, and I realized that my words came out harsh. But I wasn’t going to lie about it. I had four days, four days. I could do this.
Chapter 4: Erik
I threw the covers back on the bed and climbed out, running a hand through my hair roughly. It was well after midnight, but the sounds that normally lulled me to sleep was missing tonight. I was used to the waves crashing on the beach just outside my open doors, the peaceful sounds of another calm night.
Now I heard the incessant sounds of horns blaring. This really was the city that never slept.
With a frustrated noise, I slipped on a t-shirt and my running shoes, wondering if I could slip out for a good run to clear my head. Opening the door to my bedroom, I waved off the guards that were already rising out of their chairs. “I’m good. Just going for a run.”
“You know we can’t allow you to do that alone your highness,” one of them said, reaching for his walkie.
I held up my hand, giving them my best damn stare down. “I insist. I will be fine. Four years of military training will keep me safe.”
He frowned, glancing at my uncle’s closed bedroom door. “We were told to not let you out of our sight.”
I felt like a damn kid attempting to sneak out of the house. “Why don’t you just radio downstairs then. They can follow me if they must.” All I wanted was a few moments alone, and the last thing I needed for them to do was to alert my uncle.
He looked as if he was going to defy me but instead did as I asked and I walked out of the suite, contemplating between the stairs and the elevator. But then the doors opened, and I decided to take the easy way down. Jabbing the lobby button, I sighed as the doors closed. This trip had been my father’s idea, a chance for me to represent the country at a delegation meeting at the United Nation Headquarters. I knew he was just pawning it off on me since he was in no condition to travel, but it was fine. I would do anything for my father.
The elevator shuddered to a stop, and the doors opened, a woman hurrying in before she looked up. It was the same woman from earlier, the one that had stared down my uncle and taken his shit in stride. “Oh,” she said, looking around. “Where is your posse?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and just glared at her as the doors closed, wishing I had taken the stairs. She was too damn cocky for a woman. No one dared to talk to me like that or my uncle for that matter.
Why was I so intrigued by her as well?
She sniffed and jabbed at the already lit lobby button, tapping her foot as the doors closed. I watched her from behind, taking in her huge mess of dark hair that was escaping the knot at the nape of her neck, her shoulders sagging slightly as she ignored me. I couldn’t help but wonder how much strain my visit had put on her. No wonder she hated me. I would hate me.
The elevator shuddered again and then quit moving, eliciting a response from her. “Oh no, no,” she stated, jabbing at the button. “Not now. Please not now.”
I heard the panic in her voice and straightened. “What’s wrong?”
She muttered something else, pulling at a knob until it came off in her hand, the sound that came from her seconds later not making me feel any better. “I said, what’s wrong?”
She whirled around, shaking the red knob at me, her eyes blazing. “Why do you have to be so rude?”
“Why can’t you answer my question?” I countered.
She rolled her eyes, holding up the knob. “This is the emergency call light, okay?”
I swallowed. “Why would we need it?”
She groaned, apparently fed up with my questions. “Because the damn elevator quit working, that’s why.”
Not exactly what I wanted to hear. She turned back around and attempted to jab the button back into its hole, muttering to herself again. I looked around the elevator, looking for that arrow that pointed to safety but found none. It was an older lift, with no trap door that I could see. Fucking great. Not only was my run destroyed, but I was also stuck in an elevator with a crazy woman. My uncle was right. Maybe we should have moved when we had the chance.
But there was some fashion show or something like that in the city, and this had been the only hotel left that was willing to block their entire top floor so that my security team could secure it. “Can’t you call someone?”
She turned back around, and I could see the irritation written on her face. “With what? Do you have a cell?”
I shook my head. “Of course not. Don’t you?”
She patted her wrinkled suit as if to look for one. “Of course not. I was to be long gone by now but your security is scaring the other guests, and they wanted to see me so that I could explain. Why do you need so many guys anyway? Can’t you handle yourself?”
I thought about the conversation I had just had about that. But then I wasn’t being insulted. “You need to learn some manners.”
She laughed, throwing her hands up in the air. “Me? You and your uncle are the kings of no manners. Don’t they teach that in prince school?”
Chapter 5: Carrie
Okay, so I was completely goading him. I watched as his eyes narrowed and wanted to scream in frustration. I was tired, so very hungry, and wanted nothing more than to go home, but I had spent the better part of an hour explaining why there were all these suited men running around the hotel.
Because of him.
I was so over this royal visit, and it was only day one.
Still, the look on his face was priceless as I gave it back to him. It made me feel marginally better anyway.
He cleared his throat. “You should watch what you say.”
I burst into laughter at the seriousness of his tone. What was he going to do? Exile me? “I think you need to remember you aren’t in your little country, your highness. You can’t boss me around.”
His nostrils flared, and I knew I had crossed some line with him. So, what. I was probably getting fired over the way I was talking to him.
He took a step forward I was struck by how tall he was in this small space. I noticed a great deal about him, including the wave in his dark hair and the way his jaw worked as he decided what execution method he was going to have me killed with. Jeanie was right. He was pretty hot up close, and I wondered what he would be like if he were just a regular guy, stuck in an elevator with me. We would no doubt strike up a conversation about how stupid this is, get to know each other, and maybe grab a cup of coffee afterward as we laughed about it.
&nb
sp; But I wasn’t doing any of those things with the prince. I would be lucky to even see him after this incident.
“You Americans. Always thinking you run this world. There are others, you know, others that keep your little country going.”
I snorted. “That is your best comeback? Maybe you should have brought your uncle with you.” I looked back at the doors with a smirk. “He could have yelled the doors open then.” It looked like we were stuck and without the button to call for help, it was going to be the luck of the draw this time of night for someone to notice that the elevator was stuck. I had gotten stuck two weeks ago, but then the button didn’t just pull out of the wall.
To my surprise, he coughed, clearly attempting to cover up a laugh. Good lord, was there even a hint of a smile there? If Jeanie thought he was gorgeous serious as he was, she should see him smile. “Are you laughing?”
He shot me a look, and I turned back to the panel, a grin on my face. So, the prince did have a sense of humor at least. Why did I care? I didn’t, but it did make me feel a bit better that I might get out of here with my job intact. “Okay, I’ll admit that my words were harsh.”
He didn’t say anything as I worked pressing some buttons, knowing that it was futile. It wasn’t long before he came to stand next to me, his strong hands attempting to pull the doors apart. I looked up and watched him, wishing that his determination was enough to force them to open. It seemed that the prince was quite muscular as well, his arms bulging under the strain. He was dressed casually like he was going for a run and I wondered if he had slipped his detail to do so.
Yeah right, they were everywhere.
“I don’t think that’s going to work,” I said softly, leaning against the wall.
He rested his head against the closed doors briefly. “How long before help arrives?”
I swallowed. That was the million-dollar question. “I-I don’t know.”
He looked over at me, and I was surprised to see the slight panic in his eyes. “What do you mean?”
I held up my hand, counting off my fingers. “One, it’s the middle of the night. The elevator isn’t used as frequently and won’t be missed until someone tries to use it. Two, I’m not supposed to be here, so no one will notice me missing. Three, the emergency signal button is currently in my hand.”
He held up his hand. “Enough. I get it.”
I fell silent for a moment, watching as he rubbed a hand over his face. Heck, he looked just as tired as I felt. “Why are you by yourself anyway?”
“That is none of your business.”
Okay, well he had me there. “I was just curious. You don’t have to bite my head off.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and closed his eyes. “Listen, can we just, not talk to each other?”
I shrugged and slid to the floor, stretching my tired legs out in front of me. They were still sore from my sprint up the stairs earlier. “Suit yourself.”
The prince went back to working at the door, and I watched him, unable to keep my eyes off him. It was just the closeness we were being forced to experience. That was what he had to be. I was not, could not be attracted to this arrogant man. No, I would rather push him down the elevator shaft than to have any remote attraction to him. Now if Jeanie had been trapped in here, she would be over the moon, and the prince would be likely climbing the walls to get out. I loved my bestie, I really did, but she could be so annoying when she wanted to be. She was also going to shit a brick when I told her what happened tonight.
Why oh why was this happening to me?
Chapter 6: Erik
This could not be happening.
I wedged my fingers in the tiny crack between the doors, hoping that my work would soon be rewarded. I should have taken the stairs. Well, never again would I step foot in this elevator. With a growl, I stepped back from the doors, nearly tripping over the woman’s outstretched legs in the process. How could she be so calm during this, this emergency situation? She looked like she was waiting for an appointment, not stuck in an elevator.
I could feel my heart begin to race and tamped it down, knowing I could not have that happen right now. Not with her sitting there. I would rather the damn thing drop to the bottom than to have a panic attack.
“Are you alright? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“You don’t look fine. Are you claustrophobic?”
I scoffed, her question ringing very close to the truth. “Of course not. I’m a prince.”
She laughed. “You could be the King of England and still be afraid of small spaces.”
I held up my hand, silencing her. I didn’t need to be told I was in a small space. “I’m not afraid. I am just frustrated.” With the elevator and with her. I didn’t know which one was worse.
“Hey, it’s fine if you are,” she continued, clearly picking up on it now. “I don’t like clowns. They freak me out.”
“Just shut up.”
She blessedly went silent, and I started feeling the walls, sweat trickling down my back. I was claustrophobic, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. It had started back when I was five when I had gotten trapped in an abandoned well on the palace property. I had spent hours in that dark, damp place, barely big enough for my body to fit until I was found. Ever since then I couldn’t stand anywhere that I could not see out and avoided those areas the best I could. That was why I slept with the doors to the balcony open back home.
The wall swam before me, and I closed my eyes briefly, willing the feeling away. The last thing I wanted to do was break down or even pass out in front of her. I was a prince for Christ’s sake, not some wimp who couldn’t keep it together! No doubt it would be on the front page of the Times in the morning, along with pictures of me being carried out to a waiting ambulance. I could see my father’s face now. My uncle would be furious that I had yet again dodged security and if I didn’t get out of here soon, he was going to know I had done just that.
“Do you need to sit down, your highness?”
I blew out a breath, looking over at her. “Do you ever listen to anyone?”
She shrugged her eyes on her hands. “Not really, though my manager is the only one that typically gives me orders. Otherwise, I am my own person, and I don’t even listen to myself.”
I let out a half groan, half chuckle. “Of course, you wouldn’t.”
Her smile was fleeting, and I nearly smiled myself. She wasn’t a bad looking woman, her hair not her best feature. She had green eyes, eyes that reminded me of the sea that I stared at more often than I cared to admit lately. Her body was not thin, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. I didn’t have a type of woman, but I couldn’t stand feeling bones when I touched one. I liked some meat, something in my hands. Hell, I couldn’t remember the last time I had held a woman other than during a dance.
Realizing there was no way out of this elevator, I slid to the floor opposite her, stretching out my legs. My heart was racing, and I could feel the space getting smaller, though I knew it was a just a play of the mind.
“Tell me about your country.”
I looked at her to find her eyeing me with those intense eyes. “What?”
“You know, the place you are to rule one day? I looked it up on the internet, but I’m sure there’s more to it than what I found.”
I was surprised. “You researched me?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Well, not you specifically. Your country. I was curious.”
I grinned, unable to help it. “You researched me.”
She threw up her hands. “Fine. I researched you. You are quite boring on the internet if you must know. Why did you leave the military anyway?”
I cleared my throat. “Because the prince can’t serve truly. I did my training, but there was no way they were going to put me in the face of danger, so I got out.”
“Oh,” she answered, understanding in their depths. “That makes sense.”
I nodd
ed. It wasn’t something I had wanted to do, but both my uncle and my father made it clear that I wouldn't go any further than the training camp and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time any longer. “Maltan is a small province in the Adriatic Sea. We have a population of just under eight thousand people.”
“Wow,” she said, looking interested in what I was saying. “That’s not a small island at all.”
I shook my head. “It’s really not.” But those people were to be my subjects one day. I was responsible for their livelihood. I didn’t know all of them by heart, but I hoped to have a long reign that would allow for me to carry on my father’s legacy. I would have to become a people person to do that. I knew it was going to be part of my plan in the upcoming months if my father truly was going to hand over the title to me. When he did, I would be thrust into another era, one that I wasn’t so sure I was ready for.
Chapter 7: Carrie
At least he didn’t look as pale. I watched as the prince inwardly struggled with something, glad that I wasn’t dealing with a fainting man at the moment. When he had started to grow pale, I knew exactly what was wrong with him, which was surprising. I hadn’t lied about the clown thing. I really was deathly afraid of them.
But I did know I had to keep his mind off what was going on in this elevator, and the best way to do so was to keep him talking. “So,” I said after a moment. “Tell me about Maltan.”
His smile was back, and I could tell that he truly cared for his little island. That and I liked when he smiled. There was a dimple that appeared, and he looked a great deal less serious. “It’s surrounded by water, and everyone is taught from an early age how to swim and sail. Our main commerce is fishing, which we export to most of Europe. The weather is nice year-round, no cold wind like you have here.”
I smiled. “Yeah, well you haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait until winter.” Winters in New York could be pretty harsh.
