Page 9 of Cheeky Prince
“Wow. This one’s got your balls, huh? OK. I get it, but make sure you know exactly who she is before you let her meet the family. Otherwise, you’re best leaving her as the whore she is.”
“She’s not a whore,” I grunt, pegging my cell as hard as I can into the distance. It lands in the surf with a plonk, and I instantly regret giving in to my temper. “Shit.”
Kissing the thing goodbye, I let out a sigh and turn back toward the house. I haven’t heard back from my security yet, but I think it’s time for Jill and me to have a conversation to get some of our facts straight.
The moment I step inside, it’s the quiet that hits me. When someone is in your home, it feels different from when you’re alone. This feels painfully alone.
My eyes move to where I was preparing her breakfast, finding things moved or missing. Then I look to where her bag was and find a vacant piece of floor. “No.”
Rushing to the room, I call out her name, searching the house like an idiot when I know exactly where she is. She’s gone. But why? I claimed her. She’s mine. There’s no reason for her to go.
Unless…
I move into the kitchen where the roll is missing from the breakfast tray. If she was standing here eating, she would have heard my side of the conversation. She would have heard that I thought she was an escort when she got here. And after realizing that Stefan never sent me a call girl, I have to think that this is one huge misunderstanding.
I run outside to the street, looking up and down and calling out her name. But she’s nowhere to be seen. I’ve lost her. “Fuck!” I yell to the heavens. I need her back. I don’t even know where to start looking.
Jill
After tracking Belinda down, I crashed the party for two she and Tony were having with my boy—well,man—drama. I’m so embarrassed by what happened that I broke down and told her everything. Including the part where I was a virgin, and he thought I was selling myself to him. I hiccupped most of my words out, but somehow she managed to understand me and say all the things that best friends are supposed to say in these situations.
By the time morning comes, the tour group is packing up to head back to the ship. I’m too emotionally exhausted to do anything but follow along.
In my own personal depression, I forgot about Craig and his beady-eyed sniffling. He sidles in alongside me when we’re in line to re-board the ship.
“Why are you avoiding me, Jill?” he demands.
“Not now, Craig,” I say, my eyes puffy and sore, my head achy and throbbing. “I’m not in the mood.”
“You’re never in the mood,” he snaps. “I’m aniceguy, Jill. I’m trying to be patient, but you’re making this very hard for me.”
“Hard for you? Why is it so hard for you to leave me alone?” I yell, losing my temper. “I don’t want you, yet you can’t seem to take no as an answer. I’m saying no, Craig.No!”
He gasps. “You don’t need to get all snippy.”
“You heard her,” Martin appears beside us, flanked by Tony and a couple of other guys. “She’s not interested. Stay away from her.”
“I didn’t touch her,” Craig spits. “All you women are the same. Sending mixed signals, then crying foul. I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire.” He stomps off, but not before ship security stops him and has a quiet word to him. He comes out of it looking furious, but I’m too tired and dejected to care. I just want to get back into my cabin and sleep until we make it back home.
“Nice to see you return to us,” the captain says when I’m on deck. “Was the accommodation to your liking?”
My lip wobbles. “It was fine. Your friend was…kind,” I manage.
“Kind?” He frowns before seeming to understand. “Oh, for letting you use his apartment?”
“Apartment? It was a big beach house.”
Stephen frowns again. “No. I sent you to an apartment building in the city. Actually, you can see it from here.” He points into the distance where several high rises jut into the skyline. “That’s where you went, right?”
My heart thumps in my ears.I went to the wrong address?“What’s your friend’s name?” I practically whisper.
“Lucien.”
“Lucien,” I repeat. “So, not Dominic?”Oh my god. I went to the wrong address!No wonder the code didn’t work.
He laughs and shakes his head. “No. The only Dominic I know of is the crown prince. He’s on the island, if I remember correctly. I saw something in the news about an industrial dispute that he’s handling.”
“Dominic is a prince?”
