Page 25 of Royal Hottie
He closes the shirt and then flashes a pec. Someone screams like they’re a teen at a rock concert. The women are crazy to have him, hollering out bids and his name.
He gestures for more bidding and, when he gets it, flashes his abs.
He closes his shirt and blows us a kiss. Then his hands go to his belt buckle. The crowd gasps before a flurry of excited bidding. He’s trained them to bid and get a flash. He won’t really do it, though, will he? I can’t look away.
Someone screams, “Twenty thousand!” And that crazy woman rushes the stage to claim her prize.
The pack of women are hot on her heels, screaming more bids at Lucas as security closes in.
He just stands there, grinning.
Chapter Seven
Phillip
There’s a brief intermission after my show-off brother caused a riot. Lucas was immediately hauled backstage while the sixteen sloshed horny women were escorted back to their seats. Ruby remained in her seat, staying above the fray. Thank God she’s here. Gabriel stormed backstage too, as I predicted. He does not suffer fools, and Lucas took it too far. Anna has the women in the back of the room, where appetizers are waiting on a long table. She’s talking to them in a loud voice, but I can’t make out the words. I hope she’s telling them I won’t be stepping foot on stage if they can’t behave themselves.
Lucas is unrepentant while Gabriel rips him a new one. It’s not the same as being chastised by our father. Gabriel is still the big brother, who protected him from harsher truths his whole life. In any case, I know Lucas did it to win the bet and, if I don’t top twenty thousand, he’ll win the pool. My brothers didn’t even bet a lot of money, just a couple of hundred euros. It’s the principle of the thing. Sibling rivalry lives on in the Rourke family, at least among the men. My sisters are quite proper since my mother kept them on a tight leash. My father indulged us boys (besides Gabriel the heir) for the most part, seeing himself in us as the younger brother. But when my mother put her foot down on our antics, my father would step in, and his stern dictates felt extra sharp after so much casual indulgence. All of us would straighten up fast when my father got serious.
I doubt I’ll top Lucas’s bid. I won’t be doing a striptease. Whatever the highest bid is, I’ll give Anna the signal and have her top it by a small amount so Ruby can win me.
Gabriel storms offstage, muttering about “mob mentality.”
The volume increases as the women get comfortable again, the music blasting from the DJ, probably to keep the energy high.
Adrian appears by my side. “Maybe show a little skin up there.” He’s still hoping to win the betting pool, and he bet on me.
“Princes don’t strip for entertainment.”
Adrian points at me. “You’re already entertainment as the royal hottie. Give them something to make them crazy to buy you.”
I’m beginning to hate that royal hottie title. I’m more than that. “I’m not for sale at any price.”
One side of his mouth curls up. “Today you are. It’s for a good cause, right? So give it your all. I have faith in you.”
“You have a bet on me. There’s a difference.”
“Semantics.”
“Wimp,” Lucas says.
“Let him lose,” Oscar says.
“Could you at least do some hip thrusts?” Adrian asks. “I know you could win if you tried.”
My little brother urging me to do hip thrusts. Bizarre. “No.”
Anna appears backstage. “Okay, guys, Gabriel is not happy.” She takes in a deep breath. “To put it mildly. Lucas, I can’t believe you were going to take off your pants.”
Lucas is matter-of-fact. “I wanted to get them excited and bid high. And I didn’t take them off. I merely hinted at it. It worked, didn’t it?”
Anna gestures wildly. “I told you yesterday to keep it clean! If I wanted butt cheeks on display, I would’ve handed out G-strings!”
My brothers chuckle.
“There were no butt cheeks on display,” Lucas says solemnly.
My brothers laugh out loud.
