Princely Passions: A Royal Romance Page 6

  I'm in a taxi and it's pulling up to Columbus Circle right now, so I tell Mike I'm getting ready to get out.

  "Be careful, kiddo," are his last words before we hang up.

  It's a nice summer evening and I'm glad I decided to wear a slightly tight, shimmering black dress. I have some heels to go along with it, and I had my hair done for the night.

  What? Don't look at me like that, okay? It's my job to make sure Derrick keeps thinking of me as this stupid, little, stripper-girl. Is it the right thing to do? I don't really think so. But it's my career that's on the line. And for what? To publish the truth about a horrible human being whose been mean to me in the past, remember? It's not like I'm making anything up here. And this is for the man that either tormented me as a child or ignored me as I grew older. So I don't see the harm in what I'm doing, okay?

  Plus, I have to try to look good if I want him to open up to me. I mean, the other day when he asked me to dinner, I was still skeeved out from the strip club, but my heart was racing. Whether it was because I had just gotten off stage after doing something I'd never thought I'd do, or because I was so close to him. I mean, despite his flaws, the guy has the body of a god. He's tall, handsome, and you can see his muscles no matter what he's wearing. And I don't know if it was because it was on television, but I snuck a couple glances at his crotch - there is definitely so much pleasure swinging from his legs. Don't tell him, or anyone for that matter, but just talking to him, it was a giant struggle to stay mad at him when he was looking at me. I was just getting wet. Really wet. Oh my God. Does that make me a bad person?

  And then when he said he remembered who I was, I don't know why I pretended it wasn't me - Alicia. I don't know. It was like the look he had in his eyes when he mentioned me. It didn’t match his actions towards me in the past. But I couldn't tell him I worked for a tabloid newspaper - he'd go on guard around me.

  I'm so confused! When I'm around Derrick, he doesn't seem that bad. I mean, he seems overpowering, sure - but in a good way. But the guy has a reputation that goes on for miles. And the only reason he's not in jail right now according to the DA is that diplomatic immunity that he carries around.

  Derrick had told me to meet him at Per Se, which is on the fourth floor of the Shoppes at Time Warner. Per Se is like the most expensive restaurant in New York, and the only one in the city to be awarded 3 Michelin stars. So I'm a bit nervous by the time the escalator takes me outside Per Se.

  Oh yeah, guess who called twice tonight?

  Give up? Jake the Asshole Ex-Boyfriend.

  He called once while I was on the phone with Mike and once as I go up the escalator. I sent it to voicemail both times. I have nothing to say to the guy.

  The thing is, he’s called a couple more times this week. Whatever.

  I’m not even mad at him. I just don’t think of him.

  How is that even possible is probably what you’re wondering. Well, it’s empty when I walk in, but Derrick is standing right there in the center of the room and all thoughts of Jake vanish. And that’s why I’m not thinking of Jake at all. Derrick Blaine - dressed in a tuxedo. He cleans up really nice. Oh, my. Jake is an insect compared to this man.

  Not that I’m thinking anything, or whatever you might be thinking.

  I hate Derrick! Remember?

  He looks at me and there's a glint in his eye, followed by a look - what kind of look is that? Like he remembers me from somewhere?

  "I cleared the restaurant, love," he says as he walks up to me and places a hand on my back, guiding me to a table placed in the center of the dining room. "I wanted us to have this space to ourselves," he says.

  Okay, I'm seriously impressed. People make reservations a month in advance and generally they don't let them go easily. For Derrick to have done this in three days meant contacting each of the people with reservations and giving them something else in exchange. The restaurant would never do that. Even for a Prince. They had too much to lose.

  But all I ask is, "Do you do this for all your women?"

  Derrick laughs as a waiter pours some sparkling water and brings a tray with two flutes of champagne.

  "No, love," he smirks. "This is only for you," he says as he smirks at me again.

  I can feel my cheeks blush and I look down for the menu to hide my eyes. But there's no menu yet. The waiters are just bringing out food.

  "I hope you realize we're not ordering anything tonight," Derrick says, reading my mind. He grins, "We're signed up for the full Per Se tasting menu."

  "What if I'm allergic?" I ask.

  "I don't think you are, but let me know, love," he says, that smirk still on his face, as if he's enjoying this. "If you were, it would have been the first thing you'd have said and you would have thought about the menu before anything else. You were too busy instead looking into my eyes."

  How cocky of him! But, I blush again. I can't keep doing this! I need to steer the conversation around!

  "How do I know this isn't what you do with all your women?" I ask the first thing that comes to mind.

  Derrick's face keeps its smirk, but I can tell he's leaving it on there. After a pause, he softens his gaze and looks into my eyes, "Because, love, I don't ever fucking take girls out to dinner. It gets in the way of fucking."

  I roll my eyes. There's the Prince Sin I know and hate.

  "So why me?" I ask.

  "Because when I saw you on stage, I had to meet you," he says, almost immediately. No hesitation. "How long have you been dancing?"

  I've always danced. Oh, wait! He means how long have I been stripping!

  Somehow I never thought that we'd end up talking about me! I quickly think of the best answer I can come up with. "I've only just started auditioning," I say. "I just need a way to pay my student loans now that I'm out of school."

  Hey, it's actually pretty close to the truth. Want to know how much money I picked up from the bills that were being thrown at me that night where I auditioned for two minutes? $187. That's right. For two minutes. You do the math and figure how much I could make.

  Also, for what it's worth, this dress was bought with some of those stripper-bucks.

  "You can't keep stripping, love," Derrick tells me, looking in my eyes. I look at him and almost melt. He's so hot. His eyes are so soulful when they want to be. I'm ready to nod and agree to end my fake-stripping career right there - I want to do anything he says.

  But my brain stops myself at the last minute.

  "I need the money," I say, able to meet his gaze because it's closer to the truth. More than anything else I've said tonight.

  "I know," he says back to me. "And I have a solution for that."

  I'm curious and I ask him what he means.

  But the first of the plates come. "Eat first," he says, and I can't help but listen. The food is so delectable and amazing. Yay! I'm eating at Per Se!

  Over the next hour and a half, I try to dig into his past. His mom died when he was thirteen. I knew that. But he doesn't go into more detail. He blames his dad and I find out the two aren’t close.

  Okay, by itself might not mean much, but maybe a story there.

  He moved to New York after Afghanistan. And before that he went to the Military Academy.

  None of this will sell papers.

  "What was your idea for me to quit dancing?" I finally ask as a waiter takes the remains of lamb skewers braised with black pepper and turmeric sauce and replaces it with small delectable bites of shrimp and lobster sausages with a garlic aioli drip.

  "Be my girlfriend," he says and I nearly drop my fork. "For the public. Help me rehabilitate my image. We'll do some photo ops. I'll even pay you if you want."

  Oh. My. God.

  For a second there I was falling back and enjoying this evening. It was almost becoming magical. I was having a good time.

  But then he decided that because he saw me as a stripper, he could treat me like a whore.

  Career or no career, I'm not taking this.


  I put my fork down and use the napkin to wipe my mouth. Then I look at him.

  “You know, Prince Blaine, maybe instead of hiring me and doing some photo ops, you should, you know, be a nicer person,” I say with clenched teeth. “Did it ever occur to you that pretending to be a nicer person doesn’t actually make you one? Or are you too much of an overgrown and spoiled baby to realize that?”

  Derrick is sitting there looking like I just hit him with a cold fish. I don’t know if anyone has ever spoken to him like that before.

  "Thank you for a lovely meal," I say calmly as I get up from the table and walk towards the exit.

  At first, I know Derrick's stunned. I take the elevator to the ground floor. It's past 9 pm now, and the mall is emptying out. But Derrick who ran down the escalators catches up to me.

  "See, love," he says, as he opens the door for me. "You have your self-respect."

  I look towards him sharply.

  He continues. "If you were really into the money and wanted to strip for dollars, you'd have asked me how much per hour." His eyes glint at me. "Don't you see; you want to do this?"

  I'm still angry, and my brain is processing what he's saying. Of course I have my self-respect! I'm not a real stripper!

  "And, I really need your help, love," he says. "I'll pay whatever you would make were you still stripping, but I need someone like you that the public will love."

  I think for a long moment. This could have potential. And it might help me smooth out my story a bit more. I'm about to say yes until I realize that I have to ask Mike first.

  I want to say yes. I want to see what this bad boy prince has to offer.

  Instead, I write my number down on a napkin in my purse and hand it to him.

  "Call me tomorrow," I say to him. "I'll have your answer."

  Derrick smiles. I smile back slightly.

  "And thank you, truly, for dinner," I say. "It tasted wonderful."

  He looks at me like he wants to kiss me. Okay, if he does kiss me, I wouldn't mind, you know? Like, I'm not going to reach over, but just saying if he did, it wouldn't be the worst thing.

  Instead, he asks me, "What do I call you till then, love?"

  I'm a bit started and he smirks. "We can't keep calling you Misty. I know that’s not your real name.” Oh crap! He figured it out! I knew this wasn’t going to work!

  “I’ve been around a lot of strippers to know Misty is your stage name, love,” he says with a wink. “What’s your real name?”

  Just as fast as my heart sped up, it starts to come back down to normal. He doesn’t know I’m his Alicia Bayer. He doesn’t know anything about me.

  I can be anyone I want to be.

  I pause to think. A giant MAC truck from Daphne Furnishings drives by.

  "My name is Daphne," I tell him. "You can call me Daphne."

  "Daphne it is then, love," he says, smiling and showing me his gorgeous teeth. "Would you have a last name?"

  "Yeah," I say, my mind scrambling. "Daphne Apple."

  Daphne Apple?

  Oh my God.

  It only fazes him for a second.

  "Okay, Daphne Apple," he says as he walks me to the line of waiting taxicabs. "I don't suppose you're coming home with me, so I'll just call you tomorrow."

  I turn to him one last time and genuinely smile at him as I get into the cab. Even if he is a major asshole, I feel kind of bad for lying to him the way I am.

  But that's my assignment. Dig until I find something juicy on the billionaire bad boy prince.

  Even if it breaks my heart in the process.

  8

  Abby Adams: A Sinful Sweetheart?

  I’m Abigail Adams, and here’s what Abby’s hearing...

  Looks like New York City’s very own Prince Sin has found someone he can spend an entire evening with. Our spies tell us that the young lady – and she was young – met the Prince at the fabulous Per Se restaurant at the Time Warner Center. They had cocktails and proceeded to enjoy a 14 course tasting menu put together by Executive Chef Jolan Tru.

  But all is not well in Camelot. Sources in the restaurant confirm for Abby that the Prince pulled out all the stops. He booked the entire restaurant, and left it empty. Meaning that he and his special love were the only ones there that night. But witnesses saw the pair get into an argument – we’re still trying to figure out about what. The last thing people saw was the lovely lady running out of the restaurant before the Prince caught up to her.

  Was it a successful night for the billionaire playboy? Apparently not, because the lady in question was seen hailing a cab off Columbus Circle, while the Prince was picked up by his own car. Woe to us for not getting a picture of the duo – especially when it means that Prince Sin struck out…

  And for you skeptics there that think the Prince may have hightailed it back to the lady’s apartment, Abby has full confirmation that he was in fact spotted in the Meatpacking District. We lost sight of him after that. Oh well, we’re sure our bad boy Prince of Sin is going to show up sooner rather than later. Until then, here’s a recap on our brooding hero.

  The District Attorney is still weighing charges to be filed against our wayward Prince. Should he be indicted, we are now almost certain with our legal experts, that the Prince will lose his residency visa and be deported from the country.

  The Press Secretary for St. Livy, Samantha Bayer, gave no comment to the Prince’s condition, only referring to the ongoing trade talks between the Kingdom of St. Livy and the US, stating that that was the overriding concern of the King at the moment.

  One things for sure, if Derrick Blaine is kicked out of the country, there’s probably a legion of women prepared to follow Prince Sin and his gorgeous body and enormous appendage to wherever he settles next.

  Stay with us for daily coverage on this breaking news situation. Until then, I’m Abby signing out. Keep your ears open, New York City…

  9

  Derrick

  Fuck me. I’m going fucking mental thinking about Daphne.

  But she’s not fucking here, is she?

  Don’t fucking roll you’re eyes at me. I know what you’re thinking. That I’m a fucking wanker and I don’t fucking deserve her.

  But I know she’s so much more than a fucking stripper. I know she’s got so much potential.

  I’m actually fucking glad she didn’t act like all the other fucking girls and try to jump on my enormous cock right away. I want this to be right. I want to deserve this woman. I want to be worthy of her.

  Then why the fuck am I in my Bentley with my mates not two hours after she and I parted ways?

  Fuck me. I can’t give you a reason. All I know is that I needed to go out. I needed to clear my fucking head. So I called them up. They’re always down for a night out. Sons of fucking Wall Street titans and Senators and the lot.

  I look out the window of the Bentley as it's driving down the street, and see that the line to the fucking club goes nearly one fucking city block.

  Jesus Christ, I think. This many people on a Friday night want to go to this spot. Are there that many lonely fucking people out in the world?

  It's not like I want to come here. But it gets me out with my mates. It’s a chance to clear my head, like I said, remember? A way to unwind. A place to pick up the sluts so I don't have to do a lot of work to figure out who I'm going to fuck for the night.

  That’s right. I’m going to clear my head the only fucking way I know. I’m going to drink and fuck it out.

  After all – if that cunt DA presses charges and gets an indictment, this is all gone, isn’t it?

  A part of me can’t say I blame the DA for fucking me up the ass like that.

  I know I sound like a cocky, arrogant bastard, and I guess if you called me that, I'd look you in the face and tell you that you were absolutely right.

  Then, if you were a bloke, I'd beat the shit out of you.

  But guess what? Nothing would happen to me.

  Because I'm the fucking prin
ce. My father, no matter how much of a wanker he is, is still a head of fucking state. Which means I have something known as diplomatic immunity. There are certain crimes I can commit and there’s very little the police can do about it, because I’m a foreign dignitary.

  It's good to be the son of the fucking King. But it’s made me into an asshole. I’m realizing this the more I think about Daphne.

  "Stop the car, here," my mate Max instructs the driver.

  "Oh come on, mate," I say out loud. "What's the fucking point of having a car drop you off if we're walking the whole fucking block to get to the club?"

  Max hems and haws but I know the reason all the blokes are going on with this stupid plan.

  It's so we can walk by and have our pick of the ladies.

  If these boys were just any old boys, I'd be gone faster than a Thai hooker once she's got your money. But they're my best mates. If we were at war, they'd be having my backs. I'd be having theirs.

  I sigh and go along with their plan.

  We exit our black stretch-Bentley and the five of us immediately draw looks. People take out their phones to take pictures of us.

  That's right. They're taking pictures of me.

  My 6 foot plus frame.

  The way my jeans are draped down my legs and, with my shirt untucked and unbuttoned, showing off a part of my chest.

  I know I have a cut fucking body. The sluts just fucking love to run their hands along my chiseled abs and fucking ripped pecs. They love to run their tongue all over that shit. I don't stop them at all.

  I know they're staring at me right now. The way my shirt is tightly wrapped around my ripped body, highlighting what needs to be highlighted. I know they can see the bulge in my pants. The 11 inches of thick cock that I have swinging between my legs. Ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice to fuck the stray female of the herd that crosses my sights.