Page 52 of Risky Match
“They’re wonderful parents. That’s one reason I work so hard. I don’t want to disappoint them. I never want them to have regrets or think they wasted their money on me.”
That explains Blake’s reputation for being laser focused on his game. He’s trying to honor his parents’ sacrifices. If he cares so much about them being proud of him, why would he put that at risk by doing anything illegal?
There’s only one reason I can think of. Maybe he needs more money to take care of his family after he lost so much in the bad investment.
Deciding to test my theory, I say, “I’m sure you’ve more than made it up to them since you’ve had so much success.”
“I’ve tried. I bought them a home and insisted they retire early.”
“They must be grateful for your generosity.”
“They are. They deserve so much more though.”
“Do they come to any of your tennis tournaments?”
“Yes. They want to be here now, but I’ve asked them not to come unless I make it to the finals.”
“I can understand that. My parents won’t be here either unless we somehow end up in the finals for mixed doubles. Can you imagine the tabloids if our parents were to meet then? They would have us married before the end of the match.”
“Good god. The tabloids are horrible. But from what you said the night we ...umm ...”
“Wait a minute. Why are we both being so awkward about that night? We fucked. Let’s own it. It was fantastic—at least for me—but it’s not something we have to dance around. Can we agree on that?”
“Agreed. I just wasn’t sure if you had regrets or were trying to avoid the F-word since you’re a princess,” he says.
“I’m not a porcelain doll from the 1800s. Please treat me like a normal person, at least when we’re alone.”
He releases my hand and wraps his arm around my shoulder, pulling me even closer. Being near Blake has a soothing effect.Without thinking, I lean my head against his shoulder and absorb more of the peaceful feeling.
“Your wish is my command. Now back to my question. The night we ...umm ... fucked, all you would tell me was that we couldn’t let the tabloids find us together. Why would that have been such a big deal? Was it because I’m a commoner?”
“Of course, not. My brothers both married commoners. That’s not a big deal in my country. But a princess having a one-night stand is.”
“Didn’t your brothers have a number of—what should I call them—short-term girlfriends?”
“They did, but there’s a double standard when it comes to women. A prince is seen as showing off his prowess or doing what men do. However, the tabloids christened me the ‘Promiscuous Princess’ when I was seen leaving a man’s room in the middle of the night.”
“That’s not fair. I’d have thought in today’s world we would have moved past such demeaning comments.”
“We should have. The real stinger is that I hadn’t even slept with the man. I was merely helping a friend with a project. We lost track of time, so I didn’t leave until the middle of the night. If I was going to take the wrath of the press, I should have at least gotten the benefit of the deal.” I laugh.
“Is there no way to stop them from printing lies?” he asks, as his free hand pushes a lock of hair off my face.
“Not when you can’t prove what they printed was false. It was better to let the story die over time. There was no way to prove that nothing happened, and regardless, it was none of their business even if it had.”
“I see. So that’s why you’re so careful about the press.”
“That’s one reason. After that instance, they took to following me and making up ridiculous tales of myadventures—very littleof what they printed was true. More recently, I’ve avoided being seen alone with men.”
“Will staying at this rental house with me cause problems?”
The concern in his voice is sincere.
“Since they don’t know about our prior night together and there are so many people here, it should be okay. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if they start saying we’re dating. If that’s all they print, I’ll be happy.”
“Or we could give them something to talk about,” he says as his toes brush mine under the water.
“What are you doing?”
