Protecting Her: A Romance Bundle

by Mia Ford

  “Pretty much, yes,” I said, realizing her way of explaining was much less complicated. “Although, technically, you will be actual royalty. There’s nothing fake about that.”

  “Would I get a partial payment up front?” she asked.

  I could see she was thinking about something, but I wasn’t sure what it was.

  “We can do that,” I replied. “We could do five thousand after the first month, and every month after, with a lump sum of the remainder paid at the end.”

  “What about sex? Do I have to have sex with you?”

  “Again, I do not pay for sex,” I said. “Nor would I expect you to accept payment for sex. It will be completely up to you. Although with the passion we felt last night, I wouldn’t mind exploring that further.”

  “What about my expenses while I am there? Surely, I cannot afford the royal lifestyle.”

  “Of course,” I replied. “Everything will be taken care of, from your clothing to your wing of the house, and down to the expenses of the wedding.”

  “The wedding,” she sighed. “We would have to have a full-out, royal wedding, wouldn’t we? And what about your mother? Surely, she would see right through this.”

  “Leave my mother to me,” I replied. “She may be quick, but she knows it will bring a queen to the kingdom, and that is all she cares about. And yes, to the wedding. It is a tradition. That being said, you would be the future queen. Everything would be taken care of for you.”

  “All of this is absolutely insane,” she said. She pushed out her chair and walked over to the floor to ceiling windows. “How do I get myself into these situations? I mean, you’re a good-looking man who happens to be obscenely rich and a member of royalty. Don’t you have some duchess or something that you can get hitched to, instead of a British stripper vagabond?”

  “Sure, but I am looking for a business arrangement,” I responded honestly. “I don’t want the drama and headache of a serious relationship. Most girls want the fairy tale, and I am not Prince Charming.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said under her breath.

  I watched as she stared out over the city, the look on her face showing she was giving it some serious thought. I took a sip of my coffee and waited a moment before pressing her. I had to remember that while this was a saving grace for me, this was a lot to ask of another person, especially a woman with no aspirations for the throne.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  “I think I need a minute,” she said over her shoulder. “You just dropped some big news on me. How many times in a woman’s life do you think a prince asks her to fake a marriage with him? This isn’t really in the lessons they teach you as a little girl.”

  I smiled to myself, looking back at the breakfast left abandoned on the table. I didn’t want to push Adriana, but I was pretty taken back by her mastery of negotiation. I had a feeling she wasn’t done yet. I knew as soon as the papers hit the stand at home, my mother would be calling me, wondering why I jumped on a plane and got the hell out of the kingdom.

  I was pretty sure the media had snapped pictures of me, not only getting tossed out of the two clubs last night, but staggering into the strip club, which was not going to please my mother at all. Luckily, Caspian did a really good job at not allowing press or cameras in the club. So I knew no one was going to see me tossing money at Adriana, but they may have gotten some pictures as we entered my parents’ hotel. That was easily fixable, though. No matter how much of a playboy I am, no one would really think that I proposed to a stripper from Prague.

  I looked over at the window and saw the sunlight shining on Adriana’s blonde locks. Her dark roots peeked out in the bright daylight, and I realized she was just a girl. She was just as beautiful now as she was when I saw her dancing on the stage last night, and I knew, with a little care and some new clothes, she would pass for royalty in a heartbeat. The only problem was, I didn’t know if she was going to say yes or no.

  I had assumed that because of her career choice, it would be easy to wave some money in front of her and watch her jump at the opportunity. Adriana wasn’t that kind of girl. She held on to her moral compass like it was her life. Still, no one else last night even slightly caught my eye, and this girl completely blew me away. She took command of the stage like a queen on her throne, and that is exactly the persona I needed to take back home with me, minus the red lights and gold bodysuit. Although, I wouldn’t mind her wearing that to bed every night. As she stood there, tapping her bare foot and biting her nails nervously, I wondered just what was running through her hot little mind.

  7

  Adriana

  I couldn’t even believe I was standing here, thinking about accepting this guy’s proposal. He wanted me to basically throw any morals I had out of the window and fake a marriage to him, ultimately lying to the queen, the kingdom, and everyone I knew. Not to mention the fact that I was pimping out my own hand in marriage, and for what? For 100,000 pounds and a cool, year-long vacation in a country I didn’t know, with a queen I was already terrified of?

  On the other hand, I had just spent a really hot, sensual night with a real live prince, and he was offering me more money than I would ever see in a year, especially working for that douche bag, tight-fisted boss, Reg. Could I really spend an entire year in a country I had never heard of?

  I mean, this guy was a prince, and more than charming. He was handsome, funny, and caring, but I wasn’t in love with him. This arrangement would force me to act like I was. I would be a real, but fake, princess. Who else could even start to say they had an opportunity like that?

  I had always been such a great judge of character, but this hit me out of nowhere. This guy had something going on that he wasn’t telling me about, and it was making me really uneasy. What if he was a crazy person, hidden from the public by the royal guards? I shook my head, realizing I was getting a bit extreme here, but my mind was racing, and I just didn’t know what to do or say. I heard him behind me, tapping on the table, trying to be patient, and waiting for my answer. I took a deep breath and turned around to face him. He looked up and smiled his charming grin at me.

  “Three,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.

  “Three?” He looked confused.

  “Pay me three hundred thousand pounds, and I will do it,” I said, and then held my breath.

  When I had gotten to Prague, my naivety kicked my ass, and Reg took complete advantage of me. That was definitely not something I was going to let happen here. My fake marriage and a year of my life was worth way more than a hundred thousand, and he knew that. I watched his brow furrow, and he picked up his phone, scanning through different apps and counting things in his head. He shook his head and smirked, looking up at me.

  “I’ll give you two hundred and fifty, but that is my final offer,” he said. “And I have to double check that with my attorney.”

  I stood looking at him for a few seconds, not sure whether to jump on it or hold out. Unfortunately, prince or not, I was pretty sure he wasn’t going to budge any further. I walked over to him and stuck out my hand.

  “Deal,” I said sternly, completely blown away that I had actually accepted his offer.

  “Yes,” he said, jumping from the chair and hugging me tightly.

  He let go just as the smell of his skin started to overwhelm me. I watched as he dialed his phone. His demeanor and tone of voice changed from charming to business in two seconds. He was talking to his attorney about the money, and I held my breath until he looked over and gave me thumbs up.

  Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Holy Shit. I could pay off the mess my mother got herself into and still have plenty left over to set myself up really nice when I went back home to Liverpool. I’d love to continue my trip, but it seemed my trip had changed direction. Now, I was facing marriage and a kingdom to rule. Well at least, I’d watch Milos rule.

  I looked up and realized I was sitting alone at the breakfast table with only the light banter of Milos
conducting business in the background. I went from having breakfast with a prince to being completely cut out of the conversation, like I was nothing more than a business investment. I was educated, but the kind of legal jargon he was discussing was over my head. I took a deep breath and grabbed a croissant, wondering what came next.

  At least I would have an amazing bed and an entire palace to roam around in. It shouldn’t be too boring, trying on all those fancy clothes and riding horses out into the country. I think I might find that palace life suits me. On the other hand, it may be more Marie Antoinette and less Cinderella. I could find myself tried for treason and beheaded on the steps of the palace. I laughed to myself as I pictured me wearing a giant gown, which of course they didn’t wear anymore, and a powdered wig, which hadn’t been in fashion for hundreds of years.

  Milos walked from the back room, slipping on his shoes and walking swiftly across the suite. His face had completely changed, and I really didn’t recognize this man. He picked up his cell phone and called down to have his car pulled around. He breathed deeply and looked over at me, as if he had forgotten I was here at all.

  “Oh,” he said, shaking his head. “Get dressed. The car will be downstairs in five minutes. The driver will take you to gather your things and then bring you over to the lawyer's office. I’ll meet you there, and we’ll get the contracts signed.”

  “That’s very romantic,” I said, chuckling.

  But his face didn’t change. In fact, I don’t even think he heard me at all.

  I walked into the bedroom and scrounged around until I found my dress, figuring I should probably put my shoes on as to not look so suspicious. I did happen to notice the few people standing outside of the hotel the night before, snapping pictures as we entered, but he rushed me by so fast I didn’t have time to ask. At that moment, it all started to make sense.

  Milos packed his bags and talked to someone on the other end of the line about his proposal. He wasn’t paying attention to me. I left the suite and went downstairs. As I walked into the large marble waiting area, I smiled at the girls behind the desk. They whispered to each other and stared. This was more than a little awkward. As soon as I hit the curb, I jumped into the town car parked out front, and we sped off to the Caspian. The driver was a nice, older gentleman, and he helped me out of the car.

  “I’ll be waiting right here for you,” he said with a kind look in his eye.

  “Thank you,” I replied, patting his hand and walking into the side door that led up to the apartments.

  It was the middle of the day, so most of the girls were out and about, doing what they do, and the rest were down covering the day shift at the club. It was insane how many men staggered into the Caspian in the middle of the day, looking for their next lap dance. Sometimes, I wondered what these guys did with their lives besides pay strippers and put on nice suits. As I walked through the hallway, I paused at Sveta’s door, wondering if I should seek my best friend’s advice. Either way, I couldn’t just leave without saying goodbye. I knocked on the door and peeked inside. She was sitting on her bed listening to music and sketching, something she liked to do in her spare time.

  “Hey, girl,” she said, looking up from her book and pulling her headphones off. “I saw you didn’t come home last night. Mister dark and handsome took you right out of the club.”

  “I know,” I said, letting out a huge breath and plopping down on the edge of the bed. “It has been nuts, and I don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Is he waiting for you?” She looked excited as she pulled the curtain back and looked down at the street. “Fancy town car, you coming to the apartment to get things, a frazzled look on your face. What’s going on?”

  “This guy was not who I thought he was,” I said, trying to explain quickly. “It turns out he is a prince. Like a real prince. He is getting ready to take over as king of this small country, Silesia.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Sveta said, nodding her head. “I’ve been there before. It’s really beautiful.”

  “Here’s the kicker,” I said, taking her hands. “He wants me to marry him and fake our whole relationship for an entire year.”

  “What?!”

  “Yeah, and when it’s done, he’ll pay me two hundred fifty thousand pounds,” I said dramatically.

  “Holy shit,” she said, her mouth gaping. “Well, what the hell are you doing here?”

  “I came to get my stuff,” I said as I looked down at my hands. “I don’t know. It all sounds so wrong. Lying to everyone. Faking a marriage. There’s just something weird about it to me.”

  “You are being insane,” Sveta said, slapping my hand. “Do you know how many girls dream of living in a castle and being a princess? Hell, I still dream about that happening. You have been through so much. You owe this to yourself. Live the dream, girl. Be a motherfucking princess.”

  “You know what? Maybe you're right. Maybe I am overthinking this. So what if I have to pretend to love this guy? He is handsome, sexy, and really great in bed. So it shouldn’t be that hard. And the rest of the time, I get to live like royalty.” I smiled big at Sveta, thankful for her confidence.

  “You get to live as royalty,” Sveta corrected me.

  “Thank you, girl,” I said. I leaned forward and hugged her tightly.

  “Oh, I’m going to miss you,” she whined, squeezing me tight. “You have to write me and send me pictures.”

  “I promise,” I replied, feeling a bit emotional about leaving this life behind.

  I said goodbye one more time, then jogged down to my room and pulled out my backpack and dusted it off. I went through my drawers and stuffed my clothes and shoes into my bag. Then I grabbed the three thousand pounds of lingerie I had hanging in my closet, and tossing it out on the counter in the main area for the girls to pick over. They were waiting for me at the lawyer’s office, and the last thing I wanted to do was get stuck talking to Reg, trying to explain why I was quitting and where I was going.

  I pulled the envelope of cash from my drawer that I had been saving, took a couple thousand pounds out, and shoved it in my pocket. The rest, I sealed up and walked to Sveta’s door, smiling as she sang loudly to herself. I pulled my backpack up on my back and slid the envelope under her door, before walking to the exit and taking one last look around. It was crazy that a drunk mom and a crazy backpacking trip brought me here with these people, and now, a real prince and a crazy marriage was taking me out. I wasn’t sad in the least to be leaving the red lights and loud music behind, but the experience was definitely something I would never forget. I kissed my hand and pressed it against the door before closing it and jogging down the steps.

  When the bright sunlight hit me in the face, I took in a deep breath, knowing I was about to do something that would change my life for the better. I handed my bag to the driver and looked at the front of the Caspian. Let’s just hope that this new choice would be for the better, with none of the worse.

  8

  Milos

  “Is she upstairs?”

  “Yes, sir,” the driver said on the other end of the phone. “She is in her apartment gathering her things, and I am down here waiting for her.”

  “Good,” I said. “When you are done, bring her to the lawyer’s office.”

  “Yes, sir,” the driver responded.

  “Oh, and make sure she changes her clothes,” I said, before hanging up the phone, looking around the suite, and hopping into the elevator.

  I had set up an impromptu meeting with the attorneys who were drawing up the paperwork while I was making my way to their office. There were a lot of things to cover, from the amount settled upon and her obligations, to what she couldn’t do while sitting as the princess of Silesia. She would never make it to queen, since her blood was not royal and by the time my mother died, Adriana will be long gone. Either way, I didn’t want to take any chances for confusion. It was important that I handled this meeting completely professionally, showing the attorneys I was serious and showing
Adriana that this was a business agreement, not a romantic tryst or a game to be played. As I walked through the lobby, I held up my hand at the flash from a camera. I looked over at the desk and pointed.

  “You,” I shouted. “No media in the building.”

  The girl jumped and ran around the desk, shooting the reporter from the premises. I stood inside, waiting until I saw the car pull up, before jogging out and jumping inside, quickly shutting the door. We were only three blocks from the attorneys’ office, but I didn’t want the press following me. So I took the car instead of walking. When I arrived, I was greeted by the head attorney, who sat me down inside a conference room made of glass walls, boasting a large screen television and huge mahogany table in the center. I looked at the secretary. She smiled at me and poured me a cup of coffee. Her legs were long, but her hips were nowhere near as curvy and sexy as the stripper’s.

  I looked up as someone walked into the lobby, and I saw that it was Adriana. She smiled, dressed in a plain black dress that came below her knees and tall black heels. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the leftover ringlets from the night before cascaded down her back. She actually looked like a professional, and a sexy one at that. I held the door open for her, watching her ass jiggle as she walked past and had a seat at the table. She looked nervous, but I kept my professional demeanor.

  “Miss Jones,” the attorney said as he walked through the doors. “So good to meet you. This won’t take long, and then you two can get on your way.”

  The lawyer sat a huge stack of papers down in front of us, and I watched Adriana take in a deep breath, trying to pay attention to what he was saying. As he went over every section, she would stop him, asking specific questions about terminology and definitions. Though I could see his weariness, I actually found it kind of cute. However, by page forty, her eyes had glazed over, and she had resorted to just sticking her hand out and sloppily plopping her name or initial on the line he pointed to. I didn’t blame her, though. This was boring as hell but vital to protecting her, me, and my kingdom. The signed copy would be sealed in their vault and would be the only copy in existence. When the year was over, and she was paid, the contract would be destroyed, allowing me to keep my secrecy.