“No need.” At the prince’s nod, he told Fawn, “I’ll come down.”
The prince continued to listen to the conversation below.
“These are good. Where did you get them?”
“A girl from my statistics class. I told her I’d help with her business plan if she ever thinks of selling them.”
“She could be your first client then.”
“You know me too well, Noah. That’s exactly what I told her,” the prince heard Fawn say with a faint giggle. “Anyway, I gotta go. I also have some for Igor and the others.”
Knowing that the prince was still listening in, Noah asked, “And the prince?”
Silence.
Then Fawn whispered uneasily, “But he’s always sleeping in the mornings. I don’t have to give him any.”
“Are you scared of the prince?”
“No. Yes. I mean, I don’t know. He’s just different.”
“From your beloved Grant?”
“No one’s like Grant.” And this time, Fawn’s tone was proud and happy.
The prince gritted his teeth.
When Noah came back up, he took one look at his young employer and burst out laughing. Most other employees of the prince wouldn’t have the courage to do so, but like Igor, he had been with the prince for a long time. Plus, he was old, which allowed him certain privileges.
The prince said in exasperation, “I can still fire you, you know.”
“But then I would have to tell Fawn you did so unreasonably,” Noah pointed out, “and she’d be even more terrified of you.”
The prince stared at him stonily.
“She’s a good girl, Fawn. It’s a pity she’s already taken.”
The prince decided it was time to change the subject. “What’s that about her getting her first client?”
“She wants to start an accounting firm when she graduates,” he explained. “You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t care to check.”
Because he was lying to himself, Noah realized.
“What’s that look for?” the prince snapped.
“I was thinking the girl’s right. You’re different from the great Grant Bennett. He’s got balls to say what he feels, and that’s why he’s got the girl, too. Sir.”
ON HER THIRD WEEK IN, Igor announced she was being temporarily promoted, saying she could now work at the third floor, too.
She looked at Igor doubtfully, thinking it seemed more like a fancier way of getting her to fill in for Paula, who had called in sick.
“You’ll get paid extra for it,” Igor hinted.
She brightened. “On my way up.” It should be okay, anyway, she thought. The party had just started for the night, so it should keep the prince out of the way while she worked.
Upstairs, it took her a shorter time than usual to sweep and dust. Unlike the other floors, the third story was the prince’s exclusive territory. As it was off-limits to most guests and employees, there were no cigarette butts or empty bottles to clean out, no vomit or spilled drinks to wipe clean.
Seeing that she had finished half an hour earlier than she should, Fawn headed to the third-floor balcony to enjoy a breath of fresh air. Here, the air smelled clean instead of reeking of smoke and alcohol. It was almost peaceful, if one pretended not to hear the groans and sounds of slapping bodies from below.
She checked her watch. Time’s up, Fawn thought. She was about to emerge from the third-floor balcony when she heard the sound of feminine laughter.
Without thinking, she stepped back from the balcony doors and hid herself behind the curtains, hoping that whoever it was would leave the hallway right away.
Fawn bit her lip. Or maybe she should report it? This was for the prince’s exclusive use, after all.
When she heard the girl start to emit lewd gasps, Fawn cautiously took a peek—-
Oh.
It was the prince, carrying a girl in his arms, her legs locked around his waist while their mouths were fused in an open-mouthed kiss.
Oh.
In the three weeks she had seen couples doing things – well, okay, there were often threesomes, too, and occasionally foursomes as well – Fawn had been more embarrassed than anything else. It wasn’t that she had never dreamed of making love before. She had. But the way they seemed to do it, with more passion than emotion, it made them look more like animals to her.
But right now—-
She shifted on her feet uncomfortably, knowing she should either stop watching or start making noises so the prince would know they weren’t alone. But…she could do neither, couldn’t even peel her gaze from the way the girl was suddenly and frantically tearing the shirt off the prince’s body.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she heard the prince purr in dark amusement. Pulling away, he let the girl slide to her feet while unbuttoning his shirt and throwing it to the floor.
Fawn gulped as she saw the blonde rake her nails down the prince’s naked back, and her throat went dry as she saw the prince’s muscular body ripple in reaction. And then they were kissing again, the prince suddenly pushing the girl against the wall, his mouth slanting open over the girl’s mouth. She saw his tongue slip inside the girl’s mouth, and she thought about Grant kissing her that way.