I dreamt about him all night. The things he could do to me. The things I wanted to do to him. I remember some of the girls at Gstaad talking about their trysts with boys. My mind was spinning with ideas for how to make him mine. I wanted to kiss him again, and keep kissing him. Kiss down and down, along his chest and abs until I wrapped my mouth around his thick cock and sucked as deep as I could. I wanted to be breathless by the time he pulled me up and bent me over the bed. He could spank me for ordering takeout and shove his cock deep inside me. I wanted to feel the warmth of his cum in me. Oh God, it also seemed too perfect.
I was roused out of my stupor by the sound of a thud coming from below. It was a hard crash, and my instincts told me exactly who was behind it.
I shot out of bed and grabbed my knife. Barefoot, I ran down the hall to the stairwell and flew down the stairs until I reached the first floor.
Of course it was everything I didn’t want it to be but knew it would. Two men cowered under Branch. He had one in a chokehold and the other was frozen behind the gun Branch pointed at his forehead.
“WHO SENT YOU! YOU CAN’T LIE TO ME.” It was the same voice as that first night, when he rescued me from death in the summer rain.
And the man shaking with a gun at his head was the same man who charged me with a butcher knife.
“Please you don’t understand” the man in the chokehold gasped the words out, he was struggling to breathe so hard.
“It’s not what you think,” the man behind the gun sputtered. “I’m sorry, my family, we are poor. My daughter sick. A man, he come and offer me money. For to kidnap the princess. I never mean kill her. I just needed the money so bad. Knife was only for to scare…”. He trailed off.
I was shaking. He was emaciated, and he was covered in bruises from the scrabble the other night. It wasn’t hard to imagine that he was just a desperate father, trying to protect his family and in over his head.
“Branch, please.” I tried to keep my voice steady. I was shaking, my heart pounding. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears.
Branch mustn’t have heard me at all. He twisted the man’s neck.
“She might fall for that bullshit, but I don’t. Not with everything else that has been happening. Now tell me the truth.” His voice was lowered, but no less full of malice. He snarled the words.
“Branch please don’t kill them! Let them go. We can leave here!” I felt tears well in my eyes. The last time I cried he had wiped my tears so gently, how could this be the same man?
“Go upstairs Fara! You don’t need to see this! I’m protecting you!”
“NO YOU’RE NOT!” I snapped. “YOU WANT TO HURT THEM.”
“No I don’t, princess. But you think life is all sunshine and rainbows and photo shoots in the garden? Some of us had to do terrible things to get where we are. These motherfuckers are doing it too. Just not as well as me. Now go upstairs, and don’t watch.”
He couldn’t be serious. I opened up to him, I felt a burden lifted off my shoulders when he pressed down and rubbed them. Now he was throwing it in my face. Well, I can throw it back. I cleared my throat and wiped my tear streaked cheeks.
“AS PRINCESS OF DENMARK I COMMAND YOU, MY GUARD, TO LET THESE MEN GO.” It took every ounce of strength I had to keep my voice steady.
“I don’t work for you,” he grumbled. “I work for Larz. And Larz told you to listen to me. Now do as I say and go upstairs.”
So that was that. “Fine,” I spat the words at him, and turned and walked slowly back upstairs.
* * *
I wanted to leave as soon as I stepped back into the apartment, but where would I go? Clearly these men were following my every move. But maybe it didn’t matter. They couldn’t be any more cunning than the royal guards I spent my whole life eluding. If I’m going to escape, I have to play it cool. When he gets back, I’ll lay in bed and just give him the cold shoulder. Let him think I’m pissed but resigned. Once he’s asleep I can slip out and figure out a way back to the palace.
And give Larz a little talk about his boarding school friend.
I was so sure of my plan, but once he walked through the door I just couldn’t keep it in.