Playing Dirty (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)

by Avery Wilde

  “Yes, your Highness.” His expression did not change and his voice remained flat, but perhaps, somewhere in those grey eyes, there was a flicker of compassion.

  I stood up and cleared my throat. “Probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway,” I said, although I didn’t mean a single word of it.

  “Almost certainly not, your Highness,” said Rogers. “These things seldom do.”

  “Do you think we put too much importance on class in this country, Rogers?”

  Rogers’ left eyebrow flicked up a half inch. “No, your Highness. Perhaps at one point we did, but these days I rather think that we have reached a point where we respect it, but do not consider it the measure of a man. A man may be nobly born and yet devoid of humanity and worth, or he may be born without a penny to his name and yet filled with decency and honor. And, of course vice versa.”

  I nodded, wondering just how much more intelligent than me Rogers was. I turned to leave.

  “Your Highness?”

  I turned back.

  Rogers was silent for a final beat of consideration before speaking. “Valencia was not dismissed, but nor did she quit.”

  “But that must mean that she’s still here, and she’s not on the board.”

  “I fear you must make the last step on your own,” he replied.

  I left the office and headed for my room, wracking my brain. She hadn’t been fired, she hadn’t quit, and yet she wasn’t here. Then where the hell was she? She couldn’t have been reassigned. She’d been reassigned once before but her name remained on the board, as with all the staff in this house…wait. That was it! In this house.

  My direction changed and I sped up. There were times when I truly despaired of my own lack of intelligence, but at least I got there in the end.

  ***

  It was a long drive from Richmond to Wellington Castle, but to me, it seemed an interminable one. I’d decided to drive myself because it invited fewer questions, but I soon found that this had been a mistake. My natural instinct was to put the pedal to the metal to get me to my destination as fast as possible, and I was then forced to rein myself in as I realized that one thing guaranteed to make a bad situation worse was a bunch of headlines about the reckless prince getting a speeding ticket. That would hardly put my mother in the right frame of mind for me dropping other bombshells on her.

  There was also the problem that I found it hard to focus on driving because my mind kept going to other places. Once I’d realized that Keira had been reassigned to one of the other royal houses, it’d taken only a few quick phone calls to find out which and my problem seemed to have been solved. But the question remained: why had she asked for this reassignment? The long drive was made longer by the possibilities that kept digging knife-like into my brain.

  Arriving at the Castle, much to the terror of its staff, who hadn’t expected a royal visit today, I quickly set about finding Keira, and I discovered her making beds on the third floor.

  “Hi.”

  Keira started a little at the voice from behind her and then nearly jumped out of her skin as she saw who it belonged to.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Well,” I said with a shrug, “I do actually live here, you know. As well. And other places too. I know it’s confusing—and I guess a little extravagant—but there it is.”

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  Shit, she really didn’t seem pleased to see me.

  “I figured it out.”

  “That doesn’t seem at all likely.”

  “Hey, I’m smarter than you give me credit for.”

  “Are you?” she asked, her voice filled with unmasked disdain.

  “Well, maybe not book smart. But street smart.”

  A half-smile flickered across Keira’s face at that, though she tried hard to suppress it. “You really aren’t street smart.”

  “Would you like to hear me rap?”

  “Oh dear god, no.”

  I crossed the room towards her but she moved away, putting the bed between us. A few days ago that bed would have been an irresistible temptation; now it just seemed like it was taunting me.

  “Keira, what happened?” I asked. “I thought we had something.”

  “We did,” she replied. “We had sex.”

  “We had more than that. I know we did.” I was sure of it and, despite Keira’s actions, I was sure that it was mutual.

  Keira met my gaze and I could see tears starting to swell in the corners of her eyes. “I thought that too. But then I heard you and your mother having a little chat about your upcoming wedding.”

  She practically spat out the last word, and the bottom seemed to fall out of my stomach as I heard her.

  Fuck.

  She’d overheard us yesterday, and now she really had the wrong idea.

  Shit, shit, shit, I should’ve told her about my mother’s ludicrous plan, and I shouldn’t have bothered playing along with my mother to avoid a big dramatic argument yesterday. I should’ve just acted like a man and told her the truth—that it bloody well wasn’t happening, and that was that. I’d been trying to avoid conflict by completely avoiding the issue and waiting for it to blow over like it usually did, but all I’d done was create more conflict.

  “Keira, let me expl—”

  “A Swedish princess?” Keira interrupted, trying and failing to sound blasé. “And a pretty one too. I Googled her. She sounds ideal for you. I hope the two of you will be very happy together.”

  “Look, it was my mother’s idea.” I knew how pathetic it sounded. “She told me about it a while ago. Of course I was never going to go through with it. I was just humoring her during that chat yesterday. No one can tell me who the hell to marry, so she needs to mind her own damn business.”

  “That may be true, but you didn’t even respect me enough to tell me about it. You’ve had ages to tell me. I heard her say you’ve known for months. Seems kinda suspicious that you haven’t brought it up at all, right?”

  I sighed, holding my palms up in defeat as she glared daggers at me. “Yes, but I thought it didn’t matter. It doesn’t. She doesn’t. This is what happens in royal families: these things get set up and they fall through. My mother was worrying because I hadn’t settled down yet, so she went and made arrangements behind my back to try and make me worry about settling down, that’s all. She’s done it three other times before now, and it’s never worked out because I didn’t want it and neither did the other girl. I assumed that’s what would happen with Alexandra,” I said before pausing for a deep breath. “But now none of that matters anyway, because I’ve found someone I really want to be with. And it’s not Alexandra, believe me. It’s you. You’re the only person who matters in my life, and you know that.”

  Keira rounded on me. “I know nothing of the kind! All I know is what I heard, and when you’re sitting around basically making plans with your mother to marry someone else behind the back of the woman you supposedly care about, then—news flash—you don’t really care!”

  I sagged. It was hard to argue against someone who was right, and everything Keira said was true—except that I did care. I cared with all my heart. Unfortunately, I’d done a really stupid thing and made her not trust me. This whole situation was thirty shades of fucked up, and I could see exactly why she was so mad at me.

  It was all my fault.

  “You’re just upset now because you can’t get what you want,” Keira snapped, little veins pulsing at her temples. “Someone took away your plaything. Your little whore, as your brother said.”

  “No!”

  “Yes! That’s all I ever was to you!” Tears now streamed down Keira’s face as emotion poured out of her. “You used me! You used me and you left me with…” She seemed to have more to say, but for some reason she bit it back. “I want nothing to do with you.”

  With that whispered parting shot, Keira ran out the door, leaving me devastated in her wake, but also confused. However much our time t
ogether had been largely focused on sex, we’d also talked a lot, and I’d gotten to know Keira very well. We’d chatted about nearly every subject under the sun, and I found reading her as easy and natural as breathing. I didn’t doubt that she meant every word she’d just yelled at me, but I was also sure that there was something more, something that she was keeping back, which held the real reason for her over-the-top reaction.

  I was going to find out just what the hell that reason was….and then I was going to get her back.

  Chapter 16

  Keira

  Working at Wellington Castle was very different to working at Richmond Palace. For starters they were very different places; Richmond was kind of like a country estate that just so happened to be in the center of London, whereas Wellington was on the outskirts of London, just between Heathrow airport and Lego Land. It was a tourist destination, constantly filled with garishly-dressed groups, taking pictures of everything. Its grounds did not bear comparison with those of Richmond. It was still a pretty nice place to live, but I could easily understand why the royal family preferred Richmond and made that their base.

  Following my twin discoveries that Andrew was engaged to be married (or arranged to be engaged to be married, or however the hell this ridiculous system worked) and that I was pregnant, my first thought was to quit. But that didn’t appeal to me for a number of reasons.

  Firstly, I had a contract, and while I was sure I could get out of it if I explained things, I had no desire whatsoever to explain things. Secondly, I needed the money—if I quit, I would have to get another job anyway, and that would take time and seemed a bit pointless as I already had a job. Thirdly, while I didn’t feel cut out by nature to be a maid, the job did have its perks. There was the access to works of art of course, that I would hardly get in another job, but there was also something I found oddly and unexpectedly appealing about being part of this grand old English tradition. I was hardly a monarchist, but there was something intoxicating about the world and it was fun being around it. Fourthly, and this was perhaps the deciding factor, I was strong, and I would not be driven out of my job by this.

  I wouldn’t conveniently disappear as the mothers of royal bastards are supposed to do.

  That said, I did want to go somewhere. For all my determination not to be driven away, I also didn’t want to be around Andrew while I was figuring out what the hell to do about my pregnancy. Though I hated myself for the emotion, whenever I thought of him I couldn’t help doing so with tenderness. That tenderness was mixed up with anger and feelings of betrayal, but it was still there. Love didn’t go away overnight because you told it to, or even if the undeserving recipient of your love turned out to be a prick.

  When I spoke to Rogers, asking for reassignment to another house, I was discreet as to the actual reasons for my desire to move, but I got the impression that he already knew. Rogers was an astute observer; he’d been in the house for decades and had perhaps seen similar things occur.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” he’d asked at the time.

  I shook my head.

  “You know where I am, Valencia.”

  I nodded. “Thank you. If…if anyone asks.”

  Rogers had inclined his head and that had been enough for me. He knew who I meant, and I knew that my secret was safe with him.

  Even when Andrew tracked me down, I didn’t suspect Rogers. There was something about the man—a lifetime in service perhaps—that radiated trustworthiness and discretion. But, however Andrew had found out, the fact remained that he had, and so I was now in pretty much the same position that I would’ve been if I’d stayed at Richmond. Part of me burned to tell Andrew about the baby, but I wasn’t sure how he’d react and, in all honesty, I didn’t think that any reaction he might have would please me. Of course, he might do the honorable thing and propose to me instead of this Alexandra woman—but I didn’t want a husband who was only with me because he thought it was the right thing to do.

  The bottom line was that anything he did would be influenced by his knowledge of the baby’s existence, and I wanted him to make his decisions because of me. And it seemed he’d already made that decision when he decided not to tell me about Princess Alexandra. He had followed me to Wellington Castle, but I was convinced that was simply in pursuit of his lost toy, not through any genuine feelings he had, except perhaps a feeling of desire.

  It upset me to even think of Andrew—I wished it didn’t, but it did—and so, when he elected to remain at Wellington for the time being, I did my best to avoid him. In a large castle, that ought to have been easy, but Andrew was determined not to make it so, hunting me down and leaving notes for me. This was further proof of my theory: he was like a little boy who didn’t want a toy unless it was missing, at which point it became important again. As long as I ignored him, he would do everything he could to get me back, but once he had me back, he would most likely return his attentions to his bride-to-be. He hadn’t treated me with the respect I deserved when he had the chance, and it was too late now.

  I wasn’t going to be anyone’s damned toy anymore. Never again.

  Fortunately, for all Andrew’s attempts to get in touch, I found it relatively easy to keep away from him simply because I was very busy. All the servants were busy right now, preparing for an upcoming state dinner, which would mean multiple, high-profile guests staying at the Castle. It was a somewhat double-edged sword for me, as the preparations kept me occupied and allowed me to avoid Andrew, but the Friday dinner was a reception for the visiting Princess of Sweden, and the weekend would climax with the announcement of her engagement to Prince Andrew.

  This wasn’t public knowledge yet, but talk of it was all around the servants. I hated to admit how much the thought upset me, and I’d taken a real dislike to this Swedish princess even though I’d never even met her. Along with the rest of the staff, I’d spent an afternoon receiving detailed instructions on how to greet the princess and treat her with the proper respect due to visiting royalty, but lord, I didn’t want to.

  The days passed. Each night I returned to the new apartment where I was now staying (apartments were made available to royal staff, close to whichever of the royal residences they were working at), kicked off my shoes, and told myself that all of this was going to get easier, and that I would stop missing Andrew eventually. The only thing that seemed initially different about this particular night was that I was irritated to discover that I’d left the living room light on, which was strange because I wasn’t sure I’d even turned it on at all earlier this morning.

  I’d just closed the door and gone through my usual ritual of kicking off my shoes and slumping into a chair when a voice came from behind me, in the direction of the kitchen.

  “Don’t be alarmed.”

  No one in history who’s said the words ‘don’t be alarmed’ has been met by anything other than an alarmed person. If you were in a position to say ‘don’t be alarmed’, then the person to whom you were saying it would inevitably be freaked out because it instantly implied that there was definitely something to be alarmed about, and the person saying it would rather you didn’t scream. Honestly, there are no scarier three words in the English language.

  My reaction was typical and entirely appropriate; I yelped in terror and jumped, simultaneously out of my seat and my skin.

  “I did say ‘don’t be alarmed’,” Andrew said as he emerged from the kitchen.

  “So what? Those are probably the last words heard by the victims of every serial killer! What the hell are you doing in my apartment?”

  Of course, technically, the apartment was owned by the royal family and so arguably it was more Andrew’s apartment than mine, but right now that didn’t seem to matter, and Andrew certainly wasn’t about to open it up for debate.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “You wouldn’t answer my calls or my texts and I get the feeling you’re avoiding me at the castle.”

  “So the next logical step was brea
king and entering?”

  Andrew stopped to consider this. “I suppose ‘logical’ might be stretching it a bit, but I didn’t feel like I had any choice—you wouldn’t speak to me.”

  “And you couldn’t have just taken the hint?”

  “I wanted to speak to you.”

  “Oh, I see,” I snapped sarcastically. “His mighty Majesty…”

  “Highness.”

  “Oh, shut up. His nit-picking Highness Prince Andrew wants to speak to me, and god forbid my feelings on the matter. I’m just a servant after all; I don’t deserve privacy or to have my desires matter at all!”

  “It’s not like that,” Andrew said, his eyes darkening.

  “In what way is it not like that?”

  His face indicated that he was trying to come up with some explanation for his actions that didn’t seem wildly selfish and was really struggling to do it.

  “Look,” he finally said, “maybe I am taking advantage of my position a bit by using the master key to get into your apartment. But it seemed the only way to get you to listen to my side of this and…well, if you don’t take advantage of your position when it will do you some good, then what’s the point of having it in the first place? I just want you to hear my side.”

  I put my hands on my hips and gave him a defiant glare. “I don’t want to hear your side of the story. I already heard it, and I told you, I think it’s a load of crap. Alexandra is still coming to visit from Sweden, and I hear your mother is still keen on an engagement announcement.”

  “Well, I’m not leaving until you hear my side of the story again,” he replied. “Or until you call the police.”

  I considered the option. “I’d really like to see the looks on their faces when they discover they’re here to arrest Prince Andrew.”