Sleeping With The Billionaire - A Standalone Royal Alpha Billionaire Prince Romance (New York City Billionaires - Book #2)

by Alexa Davis

  Oh, God, Maddie!

  I didn’t know if I should tell Marcus about Maddie and the fact that she knew who he was. I didn’t ever want him to think that information came from me, but I also didn’t want him to freak out and run. Maybe I just needed to finally tell my best friend the truth about my relationship and beg her to keep this to herself.

  Our friendship was more important than her career, surely?

  “I don’t know, I guess I just want to check. I don’t want you to see me any differently.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t,” I stammered, my face heating up as I realized that I had lost track on what we were talking about. “I still just see you as my Marcus.”

  His whole body relaxed as I said those words, and he leaned over to kiss me lightly on the top of my head. Clearly, it was important that I didn’t think too much about his life in England, which I could respect. I didn’t want this to be too affected by my past, either... Not that my past was anything like his.

  “Your Marcus, I like that,” he told me happily. “I wouldn’t mind being your Marcus.”

  That was almost him asking me to be his girlfriend. My heart flip flopped in my chest at the idea. It was all I wanted, and since my heart was tumbling into love it felt like the next logical step, even if no one knew about us yet.

  “Once everyone knows about us, it’ll be so much easier,” I promised him, while my fingers gently ran up and down his chest. “Then everything will be different.”

  Marcus didn’t say anything. He didn’t really have to; we both knew it was the case. He simply held me.

  As I drifted off into a wonderfully calm sleep, I started to picture our future as I wanted it to be. I saw us combining our lives in America, everyone being ridiculously happy for us. I even saw wedding bells, a big white dress, children running by our feet. I could even imagine growing old together, going gray and still being in love. There was just such a deep connection there, it was actually possible.

  I hadn’t ever felt confident enough in a relationship before to think about that sort of stuff, yet now it was all that I could think about.

  If that didn’t mean something, I didn’t know what did. The “L” word was coming soon, I could just feel it. Maybe it was already there in the pit of my heart, I just couldn’t be the first one to vocalize it.

  Who would have ever thought it? Me, in love with a prince!

  Chapter 29 – Marcus – Monday

  Was this the right sort of clothing to wear for golf? Were American golf courses as strict about what people were allowed to wear as English ones? I had a crisp white polo shirt on and plain black pants, but I still wasn’t totally sure that I looked nice enough.

  I was so looking forward to a day of fun with Cameron. It felt like it’d been a while now. Of course, there was still an elephant in the room, one that I couldn’t address, but hopefully, that wouldn’t get in the way. I hoped we could just have a laugh and enjoy the nice weather; it was much needed for the both of us.

  I smiled to myself as I thought about Blair and how wonderful she was. I’d never quite met anyone like her, and I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. Not only was she sexy without being arrogant about it, she was sweet, funny, and really kind. She made my heart beat faster and warmth to spread across my chest – I felt like I was falling for her...

  When I ran away to America, I was determined to make it last forever. All I wanted was to be as far away from England as possible, but now I had another reason to stay. Love. I’d never expected it. I always thought I was about as likely as Cameron to find someone to settle down with, yet here I was tumbling headfirst into my most serious relationship ever – and happily, too.

  “Hey, Marcus, how’s it going?” Cameron burst through the door with a massive grin on his lips. I instantly sighed with relief as I saw him dressed in a very similar outfit to mine, proving that I’d gotten it right, after all. “All ready to have your ass whipped on the golf course? You know I’m like a total pro, right?”

  “Oh, my God, you would not be saying that if you met my golf teacher.”

  “You had a golf teacher? How sad is that?” He laughed so loudly his head fell back with mirth, causing me to join in. That sort of laughter was absolutely catching.

  “I was like six years old, or something. Of course, I had a golf teacher.”

  “Well, I shall be expecting big things from you then.” He stood up and patted his knees. “It’s just me and you today, I hope that’s okay.”

  “No worries, then we can focus on the golfing. We don’t have to get distracted by booze.” I was glad. Tex sounded like a nightmare. I didn’t need any of that today. “And also, I can destroy you without totally humiliating you in front of all your friends.”

  “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see.”

  As we walked out of my apartment, happiness exploded in me. This was exactly what I needed: a drama free day with my friend. “So, how did things go with the girl from the gym the other day?” I wanted to stick to the safe topics, and Cameron could discuss his sex life the whole day long.

  “Good, we hooked up, it was fun.” He shrugged, uncaring about her now. “I don’t know, maybe the life of constantly sleeping with a different woman every night isn’t what I need anymore.” I turned to stare at him, wide-eyed and shocked. Was he serious? Yes, I was changing, but I didn’t think Cameron ever would. He seemed far too happy having fun for that. “Or maybe not, I don’t know.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that, it was a little too much for me, but it did almost make me want to confess everything about Blair. Even though Cameron and I hadn’t ever lived in the same country until now, we’d always been good friends. I hated lying to him, especially when he was opening up to me.

  But I couldn’t.

  This wasn’t the time and the place for any of that. Patience wasn’t my strongest point, but luckily, being closed off was.

  Ugh, this is a nightmare.

  ***

  “Are you not talking to me?” I asked Cameron teasingly. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to destroy you quite so embarrassingly out there.”

  Things had really gone my way out on the golf course, and while Cam was taking it well, I had a sneaky suspicion that he did feel a bit put out by it all. “Next time, I’ll let you win.”

  “Don’t be such an asshole.” He shook his head and dropped his golf bag on the floor of the club room. “Now buy me a drink – the first round has to be on you.”

  He went to take a seat, leaving me to make my way up to the bar. As I walked, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I was being watched. It was a sensation that I was incredibly used to, but it felt weird here in America. I’d managed to go under the radar without being noticed for my status here. I really didn’t want to have to go back to watching my every move.

  I slyly glanced from side to side, confirming exactly what I’d been scared about. There were eyes on me and hushed whispers... I was being talked about again. I couldn’t escape it, however far I ran. Where would I go next to get away from my name and my title? China? Japan? Australia? Would anywhere ever be far enough away?

  My chest grew tight as I considered the implications. My heart hammered, and I could barely breathe. All I wanted to do was escape, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want Cameron to think I was a freak.

  “What can I get you?” the gruff bartender demanded.

  My eyes traveled up to meet his, half expecting the worst. If there was even a scrap of recognition in his gaze, then I might have hot footed out of there without even thinking about it, but luckily for me there wasn’t. He was staring at me as if I bored him just as much as everyone else.

  “Two pints, please.” I coughed awkwardly. “Thanks.”

  “English?” he asked, in a very non-conversational way. I had to assume it was in his job description to be at least a little bit chatty because this seemed to be such a strain for him.

  “Erm, yes.” I didn’t think there was a hidden motivation, but I was t
rying to be cautious, anyway.

  “On vacation?”

  “Visiting a friend.” Lying was easier, the truth was too complex.

  We both sighed with relief as he handed me the drinks, ending our terrible attempt at small talk. That was unbearable, but it did help to distract me from everyone talking about me. I didn’t even think about it again until I sat back down.

  “Man,” Cameron hissed at me. “Let’s just drink this one and go. I don’t know about you, but it feels like there’s a really weird vibe in here.”

  My heart sunk. He had seen it, too, which meant it was something to be worried about. “Yeah, okay, let’s do that.”

  The golf scores were forgotten as we both drank as quickly as we could, without being obvious that was what we were doing, then we grabbed our belongings to get the hell out of there. Cameron shot me a side glance as we burst through the doors, which made me laugh like an idiotic child. Even though the situation was awful, there was something hilarious about it, something so silly coursing through my veins.

  “Oh, my God, that was so weird,” Cameron exploded. “What the fuck was going on in there?”

  I didn’t want to be a buzz kill by stating that it was my fault things were so odd, so I simply shrugged instead. “I don’t know – it’s you Americans. You’re all so weird!”

  “Ha ha, very funny. That’s hilarious coming from you, the crazy English prince.”

  I flicked my eyes everywhere, paranoia bursting through me. Cam knew that I didn’t want people to know who I was, which was why he kept comments like that between only us. But today, I was far more wired that usual. I felt like I was going insane.

  “Shh, stop it, will you?”

  “Oh, God, shut up.” He glanced down at his watch and slapped his palm against his forehead. “I better get going before I’m late. I’m supposed to be helping my dad out with some stuff this afternoon.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you soon.”

  As Cam took off, I walked down the street toward my home, inhaling the scent of New York. I couldn’t believe that I’d allowed myself to get despondent, that was ridiculous. This was the best place on the planet!

  “It’s him.”

  Oh, God... There it was again: the horrifying sensation that I was being watched. I ducked my head lower and fixed my eyes on the ground, keeping moving as quickly as possible. This wasn’t fair at all – I hated this.

  “Yeah, look here he is.”

  Why is this suddenly happening now? Something had to have happened. I’d been here for a while, it wasn’t like I’d just landed. So why was I suddenly center frame now? I forced my eyes to look upward, and from side to side, trying to work out what I was so clearly missing. There had to be something...

  And then I saw it... in a store window. A picture of my face on the front of some stupid celebrity gossip magazine, accompanied by the title See Prince Marcus as You’ve Never Seen Him Before!

  My brain swam, my heart ached, and I desperately needed to know more. Without even thinking about the consequences of my actions, I moved my feet forward, I walked inside, and I grabbed the nearest magazine to flick through.

  Oh... My... God...

  I hadn’t realized when I saw the image outside, it hadn’t even registered, but the background of the picture was a place I knew very well. It was Blair’s bedsheets, her apartment, her bed... her pictures...

  Yep, there they were, alongside some bullshit story. The pictures of me naked, the photographs that were for “Blair’s eyes only.” The ones I allowed her to take for fun.

  Fuck!

  “Once everyone knows about us, it’ll be so much easier.”

  “Then everything will be different.”

  Blair’s words swam through my mind. Was this what she wanted? Was this why she wasn’t willing to tell Cameron? Because she wanted things to come out in this way? I didn’t think she was like that, but it was possible I was incredibly wrong. Maybe I was blinded by love, maybe because she was the first woman I’d ever really felt anything for, I allowed myself to believe what I wanted to.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck!

  I’d been falling in love. I was ready to betray my best friend for this woman, and this was how she repaid me. Now I was going to lose Cameron, Blair, my anonymous life here in America... Everything was gone.

  And for what? Was this how Blair really wanted to progress her career? Was I a pawn in her game? Did I never mean anything?

  “Did you want to buy that one, Sir?” The woman smirked at me. She knew that it was me, and she could probably tell that I was shocked. I felt pale and sick, like I wanted to throw up and pass out all at once.

  “N... no, thank you.” I staggered out the shop, trying to calm myself down with the cool, fresh air, but it did nothing to dull the shitty way I was feeling inside.

  Blair had betrayed me...

  Chapter 30 – Blair – Monday

  “Is this light better?” I wearily asked the editor for the magazine. “Does this work better for you?”

  This was another really difficult shoot, one where I was having my creativity snipped. It didn’t happen very often, but when it did, it made me feel more like a camera monkey than a creative visionary.

  These were the times I wanted to move on from this, but I felt stuck. It wasn’t like I needed the money from these jobs, but I did need the recognition to move into other areas.

  “Yes, the moonlight works better.” She pushed her glasses further up her nose and sneered, riling me up even further. “Especially with it at that angle.”

  I rolled my eyes and clamped my lips tightly together, refusing to let my temper out. It was almost midnight; the moonlight wasn’t getting any better than this. “Okay, let’s get going then.”

  The models were at awkward angles, not the way I would’ve had them standing, and they looked as weary and pissed off as I felt. I needed to get this done as soon as possible if we were going to get out of this alive. I clicked the shutter down repeatedly, moving as much as I could manage without catching the attention of the editor.

  Sleep was creeping up on me. I was desperately tired and needed to get home before I went nuts.

  Ring, ring... Ring, ring...

  My phone had been ringing for hours, I’d been doing my best to ignore it, but now it was late enough for me to worry. Maybe it was Cameron, maybe it was Dad. I had to find out before I freaked myself out, thinking the worst.

  “Okay, guys, I think I have what I need,” I half lied. “Let’s leave it now.”

  The editor bristled up to my side, but I held out a finger to shut her down. I’d given her enough of my time – this was for me.

  “Hello?” I didn’t even look at the screen before I picked up, which made the voice speaking on the other end spike even deeper into my heart.

  “Blair, finally.”

  “Marcus? Sorry, I’ve been at work...” He sounded pissed off, which made my mind reel, trying to work out what he could be so worked up about. What did he tell me he was doing today? Didn’t he say he was hanging out with Cameron... Oh, God, had he told him? I wasn’t ready for that. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, fucking wonderful. I just hope that it was worth it. I know you’ve had a shitty time at work recently, but to try and change your career through me is very low.”

  “Whoa, wait – you said I could take some pictures in your apartment. I haven’t even used them for anything.” I could not work out what happening here.

  “What the hell do you mean? They’re all over the magazine. I saw it, I picked up Mischievous today, and there I was – totally naked.”

  Mischievous was the magazine Maddie worked for. Something about all of this was adding up... I just couldn’t quite work out where all the jigsaw pieces exactly went yet. Naked. The naked pictures I took of him were still safe at home, on my flash drive...

  Fuck!

  “No, Marcus, it isn’t – ” I tried to defend myself, but he wasn’t about to let me get a word
in edgewise.

  “I didn’t think you were like that. I thought you were better. I assumed that we had something real. I just cannot believe that I allowed you to use me.”

  “I didn’t...” His bubbling temper had tears pricking my eyes. I wanted to explain. I needed him to listen, but nothing was going through. “It isn’t like that...”

  “Don’t you ever contact me again. I never want to hear from you.”

  And then he was gone.

  I tried to call him back, more than once, but he didn’t pick up. Eventually, I started getting through to his voicemail, which meant he’d turned his phone off. I already knew there was no point in trying to leave him a message because it would never get listened to.

  I needed to see him, but it was past midnight. There was no chance in hell that he’d let me in.

  My heart sunk. I felt like utter shit, and I wanted a hole to open up in the ground to swallow me whole. This was horrific – a dreadful, unexpected situation that was totally out of my control. I hadn’t done anything wrong, yet I was going to suffer forever for it.

  Maybe this was my karma.

  I grabbed my stuff, occasionally brushing a stray tear off my face, and made my way toward the exit. The editor kept trying to grab me, to talk to me, but there was no way I could discuss this job any further. I needed to get out of here before I totally lost my shit.

  And then I saw it. A copy of Mischievous sitting by the female model’s bag. See Prince Marcus as You’ve Never Seen Him Before! Marcus, laying across my bed.

  His bits weren’t on show on the front cover of the magazine, but I could guarantee that they were inside. My worst fears were confirmed: Maddie had taken the one flash drive that I didn’t want her to, and she’d used the photographs to make her own life better.

  Fuck... I needed to confront her.

  With my head down and my temper boiling, I stomped all the way toward Maddie’s home. She didn’t live too near the studio, and it was probably too late to be wandering around by myself with my expensive equipment slung over my shoulder, but I didn’t give a shit. Anyone who tried to rob me right now would feel the wrath of my temper, anyway.