Finding My Prince Charming

J. S. Cooper

Prologue

There are the three things you should know about me:

1. I don’t believe in love.

2. Every night, I dream about finding my Prince Charming.

3. I’m a walking contradiction.

Chapter 1

I was flipping through my museum guide when I walked into him. It felt like I had walked into a brick wall, and I reached out and grabbed his arms to steady myself. “Sorry,” I muttered and looked up as I apologized.

My legs froze and my stomach did flip-flops as I stared at him. With his dark black hair, sparkling emerald-green eyes, and tall, muscular build, he looked like sex on legs.

“Sorry,” I muttered again and attempted a smile.

He looked back at me with an imperious expression. His eyes connected with mine for one glorious second before he looked at my hands still on his arms.

“Oh, sorry.” I stepped back and removed my hands from his body. My face was a deep shade of red and my fingers felt hot like fire.

“Watch where you’re going,” he said finally, and I stared at his lips in a daze. “Are you okay?” His voice was coarser and deeper this time, and I looked up at him and nodded.

“I’m fine. Sorry,” I mumbled again and blushed. Stop saying sorry, Lola!

“Good.” He nodded and then smiled. He looked even hotter when he smiled. I felt a secret thrill run through me as he looked me over slowly and sensuously.  “Have a good night.”

“You too.” I swallowed and fumbled with my guide.

His eyes caught mine again and he nodded before walking away. I stood there for a few moments, wishing I had said something else.

“Lola!” Anna ran up to me and grabbed my arm. “I just talked to the hottest guy I will ever see in my life.”

“Oh?” I answered her, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking around the crowded room to see if I could see the hot guy again.

“His name is Max and he’s absolutely gorgeous,” she continued. “I think we’re going to go back to his place and—”

“Wait, what?” I frowned at her and sighed. “You’re not going back to a strange guy’s apartment. You’re drunk, Anna.”

“What’s better than drunk hook-ups?” She grinned up at me and winked.

“No.” I shook my head. “No way, no how. Not going to happen.”

“You can come too. Please? I just want to kiss him.” She puckered her lips. “We’re in London. We’re here to have fun.”

“Anna, I don’t think—” I started, but she cut me off.

“I came to this boring show with you. Why can’t we just go and hang out with Max?”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes at her and then froze. My body had suddenly tensed up, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention.

A warm feeling rushed through me, and I turned around. The guy I had bumped into was standing there staring at me. I looked into his eyes and he looked over my body slowly and seductively. There was a small smile on his face, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back.

He looked like a sex god.  And I do not use those words lightly. He really did look like sex on legs. And all I could think was, Whoa, as I stared at him from across the room. And then he winked at me and my face went a deep red—the sort of deep red that you see in vials on True Blood. But it was when he smiled at me and licked his lips that I thought I was going to faint. The sex god is flirting with me.

I wanted to look around and make sure I was seeing correctly and that he was eyeing me and not some other girl. But I didn’t. I was cool, calm, and collected. Well, I pretended to be cool, calm, and collected. Inside I was a bundle of nerves, and I just wanted to scream or text someone. But I didn’t. Instead, I smiled back coyly and lowered my eyes like I’d seen the women do in James Bond movies. Then I looked back up and he was still smiling at me with the most devilish look. He slowly licked his lips again and his gaze fell to my breasts. I thought my panties were going to fall off then and there from his expression alone.

“Lola, are you listening to me?” Anna grabbed my arm, and I looked at her with an annoyed expression.

“Anna, can you just hold on a second?” I sighed. “I was kinda flirting with a guy,” I hissed.

“Ooh, who?” she giggled.

I turned around again to show her the sex god, but he was gone. I surveyed the room quickly and sighed.

“It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head, feeling disappointed. “Who’s the guy you’re talking about?”

“Oh, Max is absolutely delicious.” She grinned. “I’m so excited. He’s even got this cute little accent.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Who cares?” She giggled. “Kisslandia, I guess.”

“Kisslandia?”

“Yeah, the land where he can kiss me all day and night.”

“Anna,” I groaned. “That’s totally ridiculous.”

“What’s totally ridiculous?” a deep voice behind me said.

I turned around quickly with my heart beating fast. It was him.

“Nothing.” I gave him a small smile, not wanting to appear too eager.

“She’s talking about my new boyfriend.” Anna smiled widely, making it very obvious that she also found him attractive. “She thinks it’s ridiculous that we’re going to make out all day.”

“Anna, he’s not—” I started, but the man interrupted me.

“There’s nothing wrong with making out all day.” His voice was smooth. “Though making love is much more preferable.”

“I’ll say.” Anna grinned as my face turned a deep red.

“Enjoy your night, ladies.” He looked into my eyes and then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Though it would be more preferable to me if I were to see your face turning red because I was making you come rather than making you uncomfortable.” He pulled back and laughed as I gasped in shock.

I wasn’t sure whether I should slap him or shout at him, but he was gone before I could make a decision. I felt oddly disappointed that he had left so quickly. My body was burning up inside, and while I was disgusted by his vulgarity, I was also incredibly turned on.

“He was pretty hot, huh?” Anna grabbed my arm. “If I didn’t have Max, I might have gone for him.”

“You don’t have Max, Anna.” I rolled my eyes. “You can’t go around telling people that some guy you just met is your boyfriend.”

“Who cares?” She laughed.

“What if he hears you?”

“So what?” She laughed louder this time, and I frowned.

“Just how much have you had to drink?” I leaned down and looked into her eyes. “You’re so much drunker than I thought, aren’t you?”

“Stop ruining this for me, Lola.” She gave me a petulant look. “I need some fun. Shit, we both need some fun. Isn’t that why we came to London?”

“We came to study abroad.”

“We came to study abroad and expand our horizons. Shit, if we want the same boring lives we had in Florida, then we might as well have just stayed in Florida. Let’s have some fun. Let’s be wild and crazy.”

“I don’t know,” I sighed while surreptitiously looking around the room to see if I could see the sex god again.

“I’m going.” She shrugged and then stumbled as she walked away. “I don’t care what you say.”

“Anna.” I grabbed ahold of her arm. “This isn’t a good idea.”

“Hello. I’ve been waiting for you.” A tall man swooped in and grabbed Anna around the waist. “We should leave.” He looked around the room quickly and started walking.

“Okay, Max,” she giggled and leaned into him.

I felt annoyed that I was going to have to leave the exhibit before I even got to meet my professor and get to hear him give his talk.

“You owe me,” I hissed as I followed Anna and Max out of the room. I grabbed ahold of Anna’s arm and she smiled at me happily.

“Yay to a fun Lola.”

“I think we will have a lot of fun tonight.” Max’s eyes lit up as he realized I was coming with them.

I was pretty sure he thought he was in for some sort of threesome, but I didn’t bother to correct him. He’d find out soon enough that I had no interest in doing anything with him aside from punching him in the face if he tried anything on Anna. What sort of guy wanted to hook up with a drunk girl anyway?

Every guy, Lola, a voice in my head whispered, and I smiled to myself as I realized what a hypocrite I was. I wasn’t sure I would have said no if the sex god had tried to make a move on me. In fact, I was pretty sure I’d be in a back room somewhere, pulling up my skirt and hoping he’d have his wicked way with me. Not that I’d ever done that before, but what Anna had said was true. We’d come on this trip to live a little dangerously, and steamy sex with hot strangers qualified as dangerous. Not that I was sure I’d actually be able to go through with it. I wasn’t that type of girl.

I stared at my reflection in the big mirror in the foyer of the museum and took in my appearance. I looked the same as ever. Long, light brown hair, light brown eyes, slender-ish body—definitely not skinny. I’d never be skinny; I enjoyed sweet goods too much. My skirt and top looked plain and boring. Though, ultimately, I was happy with my reflection. My makeup had held up well. My eyes looked big and bright, thanks to the mascara and eyeliner, and my red lipstick was killer. I looked pretty, if not gorgeous. And I was fine with that. I wasn’t really one who liked to be the center of attention. Not normally.

Though, I wouldn’t have minded if the sex god had grabbed me and kissed me in front of everyone. That would have been hot and awesome.

I sighed to myself as I realized how pitiful I was being. Anna and her kookiness were rubbing off on me, though at least she had found someone. Even if that someone looked like a sleazeball.

“We shall take a cab.” He pushed Anna into the back seat and then grabbed my hand. “I’m glad you are coming as well.” He smiled down into my face and held my hand for longer than was polite. I shuddered as I realized that he was going to be even more annoying than I had anticipated.

“I’m coming for Anna.” I gave him a defiant look and he laughed.

“Sure you are.” He leaned down towards me and I felt his tongue in my ear.

I was about to push him away from me when I felt someone staring at me. I looked up and my eyes met those of the sex god. He gave me a hard look and shook his head as I stared back at him with wide eyes.

“Let’s go.” Max’s hands fell to my waist and he pushed me into the back of the cab before getting in quickly.

I closed my eyes in anger and embarrassment. Well, that was that. The sex god thought I was a tramp. Not that it mattered. I’d never see him again, but still, I felt empty inside, as if I’d ruined my reputation to him before I even knew him.

“Who’s ready to party?” Max looked at Anna and me in the back seat and grinned as I groaned.

I turned to look at Anna, but her eyes were closed. I resisted the urge to shake some sense into her. Tonight, I’d go along with her craziness, but tomorrow? Tomorrow, I was going to let her have it.

* * *

His View

I noticed her as soon as she walked into the room. There was a light about her that was fresh and bright. It didn’t hurt that she was beautiful. An innocent beauty as well. She looked around the room with an eagerness that captivated me and I could tell that she was here for the art. Unlike her friend. Her friend looked scatty and on the make. I saw her eyeing Max from the moment she entered the room. Her friend was cute as well, but not as beautiful as she was.

I smiled to myself as I watched them make their way around the room. There weren’t many women under forty who came to art exhibits on Friday night; especially to just see the art.

“Xavier, thank you for donating these pieces. We are blown away by your generosity.” The curator gushed in my ear and distracted me. He was a very wimpy man, small in stature and low in voice. His suit was ill fitting and obviously cheap.

“It was my pleasure.” I gave him a small smile, annoyed that he had made me lose the mysterious girl. “I’m glad to share art.”

“I bet you can’t wait to start your class on Monday. It seems like it will be right up your alley.”

“It should be a good experience.” I nodded and looked around the room quickly, bypassing the stares of the many women who were obviously interested in me. Aha. I felt a rush of excitement as I spotted her again. She was unassuming in a crowd with her brown hair and plain navy skirt and a boring top. Yet her eyes sparkled in excitement and her cheeks were flush from the warmth in the room. Her body was curvy in all the right places, and I admired the long expanse of leg that she had on display.

“So what do you think, Xavier?” The curator asked me eagerly and I frowned at him.

“Later, I have to talk to someone.” I left him standing there and walked across the room. The girl was standing by herself now. This was my opportunity to introduce myself and make my move.

I walked over to a painting about two feet away from her and waited for my opportunity to talk to her. I’d have fun showing her some of the paintings and then I’d take her back to my hotel room for the night. We’d spend the weekend together and then I’d go back to my house and she’d go back to wherever she came from. It would be a weekend of hot sex, and that was just how I liked it. I grinned to myself as I stood there waiting. It was going to be easy as pie.

Then she walked into me. I looked up in a daze as I felt her soft body hit mine. It was unexpected, and I was caught off guard.

“Sorry,” she muttered and gave me a wide smile. Her brown eyes looked embarrassed and they widened in awe as she gazed at me. I frowned at her. She was too guileless. Too innocent. Too beautiful. I didn’t speak.

“Sorry,” she whispered again. This time she looked unsure of herself. I stared at her pink lips and felt my stomach drop. I could imagine her soft lips on me, kissing me, bringing me to the brink of orgasm. Her face turned red and she stepped back. It was then I felt her hands on my arms. Intimate and soft in their touch.

“Oh, sorry.” She snatched her hands back and I wanted to grab them and hold them in mine. Instead, I muttered something, still frowning. She shouldn’t be here, in a room full of men. Men like me with one thought in their mind. Men who wanted to take her home and fuck her senseless. I walked away from her then, not liking the protective feeling I had felt when I’d made eye contact with her. She had an air of vitality and truth about her that I wasn’t accustomed to. I knew that she wasn’t a woman who would be happy with a weekend of sex and fun. I didn’t know if I’d be happy with a weekend of sex and fun. She would cling on to me and I would like it. I shuddered as I thought about that. It would be my worst nightmare. I was smart to walk away.

I tried to ignore the heat of my body as I made my rounds in the room. The girl I’d seen earlier had somehow ingrained herself in my mind and pants, and I was starting to feel frustrated. I watched Max flirting with her best friend and I sighed inwardly. Max was a predator and should know better. He wasn’t here to party. He was here for business. I was about to go and talk to him when a better idea struck me. I’d wait to see how it played out. I wasn’t to be disappointed. About thirty minutes later, I stood at the front of the museum and watched Max get into a cab with the two girls. I was about to go back into the museum when the girl looked at me. Her expression looked embarrassed and ashamed and she gave me a weak smile. I kept my expression hard as I stared at her. She definitely was not the girl to have a weekend fling with, but I wasn’t sure if I could convince my body of that fact.

Chapter 2

“Omg, Anna. I’m in a strange guy’s hotel room. You are in the bathroom puking. I’m sending you this so that when you are sober tomorrow you will remember why this was a bad idea.” I hit send quickly as I heard the door open.

“Are you okay?” Anna’s date Max walked towards me with a smooth stride.

I tried not to stare at his naked chest. “I’m fine,” I squeaked out, not really believing I was in this situation. I’d never been the girl to have a one-night stand, and I never would have come to this guy’s hotel room if I hadn’t been concerned about Anna.

“You don’t look very comfortable.” He stopped in front of me and frowned as he looked me over.

He had a slight accent I couldn’t quite place. He sounded slightly English, which would make sense because we were in London, but he also sounded French. I wasn’t sure if I was going crazy, because how could I not tell if he was English or French?

“I’m fine.” I smiled up at him and took a deep breath.

I wasn’t exactly sure what he expected me to do. I mean, I was pretty sure Anna and I had come back to his room so that they could hang out and maybe make out.  But now that Anna was in the bathroom puking, I wasn’t sure if he thought I was down to pick up where she left off. Part of me felt like I was in Pretty Woman, with the extravagant hotel room and hot guy. However, I wasn’t down with hooking up with him.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a prude, but I wasn’t about to hook up with a guy my best friend had come to hook up with. My stomach churned as I realized that he really didn’t care which of us he slept with tonight.

“You’re still dressed.” He sat down next to me, and I felt his warm thigh press against mine. I tried not to shiver as a feeling of displeasure coursed through me.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” I mumbled out. Damn it, Lola, I thought to myself. He’s going to think I’m the bumbling idiot that I am. “Why don’t we chat while we wait for Anna to come out of the bathroom?”

“Chat?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “What would you like to chat about?”

“Well, you know. Things.” I smiled at him, and he sat back with a puzzled look on his face. He reached a hand over and I felt his fingers tracing my collarbone before brushing my light brown hair back away from my face.

“You’re very beautiful.”

“Thanks.” I smiled weakly and he laughed.

“You are American, yes?” He smiled to himself as I nodded. “Let me guess. You are from a Midwestern state. Yes, somewhere in the country. Maybe a farm?”

“No,” I shook my head and laughed. “I’ve never even been to the Midwest. I’m from Florida.”

“No!” He shook his head in surprise. “You do not seem like you are from Florida.”

“I am.” It was my turn to frown. “What do you mean I don’t seem like I’m from Florida?”

“Nothing, mon cher.” He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. “Let us not talk of mundane things.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked stupidly and groaned inside, pulling my hand away quickly.

“What do you think?”

“I’m not really that sort of girl.” I swallowed as he leaned in towards me. His lips were mere inches from mine, and I froze in panic. I wanted to slap him and accuse him of being a dirty leech, but I was scared he would get mad and force me out of the room. There was no way I was going to leave without Anna.

BANG BANG BANG.

My eyes widened in shock at the loud banging, and I saw his eyes darken with anger before he jumped up and walked towards the door. I sat there, thanking God that we had been interrupted before he had made his first attempt to kiss me.

“Who is it?” he growled through the door.

“Maximillian, open up the door. It is Xavier.” The voice on the other side of the door sounded irritated and angry, and I sat up straight, my bones tingling.

The voice sounded vaguely familiar. I was hopeful that Max would let the other man into the room so that I could grab Anna and leave. I jumped up, about to walk to the bathroom, when Max looked back at me.

“Sorry.” Max shrugged as he looked at me, and he opened the door quickly. “I thought you were going to give your talk, sir.” He seemed to be apologizing to the man on the other side of the door, whom I couldn’t quite see.

“Don’t tell me you have another whore in here, Max.” The other guy cursed in another language. “I won’t accept this behavior. Not in my room.”

I stood still in shock as I realized that this Xavier guy thought I was the whore. I blushed, even though no one was looking, and grabbed my bag.

“I’m sorry, Xavier. I...” Max muttered, and I stuck my tongue out at his back. What a wimpy asshole he was turning out to be. I couldn’t believe he had no backbone after just trying to bed me and my best friend.

“No more excuses. Go to your room. I’ll deal with you in the morning.”

“Please, Xavier.” Max was practically begging now. He gave me a quick look and then ran out of the room.

I stopped still as I saw the man in front of me. It was the guy from the museum. Surprise and then anger flittered through his eyes as he stared at me with derision. He was glowering at me with a murderous look in his dark green eyes. He stood tall, muscular, and dark. He had an olive complexion and dark, almost-black hair, and he oozed power and sex appeal.

“Who are you?” His voice was as arrogant as the look on his face, and I felt an immediate dislike for this man who stared at me so disdainfully. He didn’t even look like he recognized me. There was no way he couldn’t recognize me, right?

“I’m Lola.” I attempted a smile even though my face was burning up in shame. “From the museum ...”

“Typical,” he sneered.

“Typical what?” I glared at him.

“Typical name for a girl like you.”

“Girl like me?”

“Bimbo,” he spat out, his eyes looking over my body in a way that caused me to shiver with excitement and annoyance.

“Excuse me?”

“Bimbo. B-I-M-B-O” he spelled out. “You are a bimbo.”

“You’re a jackass. Capital A-S-S.” I tried to push past him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him, his eyes glittering.

“How dare you talk to me like that? Do you know who I am?”

“More like, do I care?” I pulled away from him. “Excuse me. I’m leaving.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my home.” I bit my lip as I realized I didn’t know the address by heart and that Anna was still in the bathroom.

“I don’t think so.” He closed the door and grabbed my hand.

“What are you doing?” I stared at him with wide eyes and shivered as I watched his chest rise and fall angrily.

“I will not let you leave this hotel room at this hour.” He shook his head in disgust. “In my country, it is not becoming for a woman to walk around the streets by herself at night.”

“We’re not in your country.” I pulled my hand away from him, wanting to ask what country he was from but not wanting to be nosy and give him the satisfaction of knowing that I was interested.

“It’s a pity.” He laughed sardonically. “And lucky for you. If you were in my country right now, I’d ...” He paused and leaned towards me. I could feel his breath on my lips as he stared deep into my eyes.

I froze as I stared back at him in anticipation. Was he about to kiss me? I swallowed hard. This was the moment I’d been waiting for all night but not in these circumstances. At the museum, he’d seemed sexy and naughty. Now he just seemed like an arrogant prick. I knew I should slap him or something, but instead I closed my eyes and waited to feel his lips crush down on mine.

“Open your eyes.” His voice sounded like a growl, and I opened them reluctantly. His face was mere inches from mine, and his eyes sparkled into mine. I could feel his breath on my lips, and I swallowed nervously. “If I were to kiss you, your eyes would remain open because I would want to watch the pleasure dilating your pupils as my tongue sought out the secret spots in your mouth.” His voice was low and seductive as he spoke, and I trembled at his words. I had completely forgotten Max and Anna at this point. My mind went back to the museum and what he’d whispered in my ear then. My body felt hot and achy as I waited to see what he was going to do.

“I don’t want you to kiss me.” I pulled away from him sharply and lied. “I don’t date cocky bastards.”

“But I don’t think you came here for a date, mon cher,” he laughed sardonically. “Unless you considered a rendezvous in a hotel room a date?”

“I’m leaving.” I tried to push past him again to walk to the bathroom, and he grabbed my wrists and pushed me against the wall.

“You are not going anywhere right now.” All humor and light was gone from his dark eyes, and his features looked dark and controlled. “You will stay here tonight, and in the morning, you may leave.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.” I tried to push against his chest, but he was immobile. My strength did not compare to his, and I realized that there was nothing I could do to get away. “I’ll scream, you know. If you don’t let me leave, I’ll scream.”

“You won’t be the first bimbo who screams in the throes of passion.”

“But we’re not in the throes of passion.”

“And that disappoints you, does it not?” He cocked his head to the side and surveyed my heaving breasts. “I think right now you are disappointed that I don’t have you in my bed, caressing your—”

“Stop it.” I blushed at his words and looked away. There was no way I wanted him to know how very right he was. I was intensely attracted to him. My brain was fighting my body and just barely winning.

“Come now.” He stepped away from me. “Please spend the night and relax. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you no harm, beautiful Lola.”

I blushed as he complimented me. “I’m not beautiful.”

“Do not tell me you’re modest as well?”

“Well, you know. Some of us bimbos can be modest.” I winked at him and watched as his face transformed in laughter.

He stared at me for a moment and sighed as he stepped away from me. “You’re not English?”

“Disappointed?” I raised an eyebrow at him, not caring what he thought of me at this point. It was unlikely I’d ever see him again.

“No.” He shook his head. “English girls are polite. I like a girl with some bite in her.”

“All English girls aren’t polite. You shouldn’t make generalizations.”

He nodded his head. “You’re right, of course.”

“Where are you from?” I peered up at him curiously. I figured that he was Italian or something. His skin was too olive for him to be for him to not be from one of the Romance language countries.

“You will not know it.” He smiled and walked into the bedroom. “Would you like a drink?” He called back to me. He walked back to the door with a decanter of whiskey.

“No thanks.” I shook my head and then yawned.

“I bore you?”

“I’m just tired.”

“Five minutes ago, you were ready to make passionate love in my hotel room with my assistant. Now you want to go to sleep. I think I’m losing my touch.”

I shrugged my shoulders and looked away, not wanting him to see how every fiber of my being was hoping for him to touch me. I wanted to feel his warm, strong hands on my body, trailing a line of fire across my skin.

“I wasn’t about to make love to—”

“I know you want me, Lolita.” He cut me off as he sipped from his glass of whiskey and loosened his tie. “But I’m not a man that—”

“What’s your name?” I interrupted him.

“I’m Xavier.”

“Xavier?” I looked at him in surprise. It wasn’t a name I was familiar with.

“It means I last all night.” He paused, and my heart stopped beating as we stared at each other in silence.

“In what language?” I whispered, unable to stop myself from playing his game.

“In the language of love.” He moved towards me smoothly and before I knew it, his lips were crashing down on mine, softly and firmly. I melted against him, and my eyes widened as I felt his tongue doing things to mine that sent a sharp thrill down my body. His eyes twinkled as I gasped against him, and he pulled away from me and whispered in my ear.

“I told you my kiss alone could make you wet.”

I looked up at him with an incredulous expression, but he didn’t wait for me to respond. Instead, his lips came crashing down on mine again, and his hands found the crook of my back and pulled me in towards him hard. I reached my hands up and placed them around his neck, needing the support of his body to remain on my own two feet.

This time, his kiss wasn’t soft and sweet. It was hard and searching. His tongue explored my mouth while his teeth nibbled on my lip. But then he stopped, took my tongue in his mouth, and sucked, and it was all I could do to not cry out in surprise and pleasure. I had thought that he looked like a sex god, but this man—this Xavier—was sex himself.

“Shall we?” He took my hand and led me to the bedroom, pausing at the door with a question in his eyes.

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to say anything as I stared at the handsome man in front of me. All reason had left my mind, and all I could think about was being taken by this man, roughly and gently, all night long.

It was at that moment that Anna finally emerged from the bathroom. “I’m feeling better now, Max.” She twirled into the room and I tried not to groan.

“Who are you?” Xavier looked at her in shock.

“I’m Anna. Where is Max?” She looked at me in confusion.

“He left.” I shrugged.

“Oh, no?” She made a face. “Was I in the bathroom too long?”

“What’s going on here?” Xavier pulled away from me and eyed us both. “Don’t tell me you’re a pair of working girls?”

“No, we’re in grad school,” Anna responded, not really understanding his comment.

“You’re a jackass. We are not prostitutes.”

“Prostitutes?” Anna’s eyes widened. “What?”

“So you weren’t about to have a threesome with Max?”

“Hell no,” Anna responded. “I didn’t even want Lola to come back with me, but she said she wouldn’t let me leave with him unless she came.”

“Oh, she’s your watcher?” He gave me an assessing look as he spoke to Anna.

“No, I’m her friend.” I glared at him. I didn’t care how good looking he was. I wasn’t going to put up with his rudeness. “We were at the museum earlier,” I stated, trying to see if he remembered me. I knew he had to remember me. I just wanted him to acknowledge it. I wanted him to say that he’d thought I was hot from the first moment he’d seen me in the museum.

“I see.” His eyes darkened and he walked to the side of the room. “I will get you girls a room. You’ll stay here tonight. You’re too drunk to go anywhere now.”

“We don’t—” I started as Anna nodded eagerly.

“Thanks.” She held her stomach. “I’m still feeling a bit sick.”

I gave her a look. “I told you not to drink so much.”

“Oh, not now, Lola.” She made a face. “Save the lecturing for tomorrow.”

“I need a suite,” Xavier spoke into the phone. “Is the junior penthouse available? Good. Send someone up with the keys.” He hung up and walked back over to us. “You’ll have your room soon.”

“Thanks.” I sighed and stared at his lips.

“Next time, you girls need to be more careful. You never know who you’re going to end up with.”

“I was only coming to make sure she was okay.” My eyes narrowed at him as he lectured us.

“But it seemed to me that you were mere minutes away from joining me in bed.”

“What?” Anna looked at me. “No way.”

“You know that’s not true.” I looked at Anna.

“Oh, Lola.” She giggled and then looked back at Xavier. “He is hot. Wait a second.” Her eyes widened and she looked at me. “Isn’t he the—”

“Anna.” I grabbed her arm and walked to the door. “Let’s get ready to leave.”

“I’m interested in hearing what your friend was about to say.” Xavier’s eyes lit up, and he took a step in front of me.

“She’s drunk. She needs to rest.” I looked into his eyes. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh?” He smiled down at me and whispered into my ear, “You’ve been playing games with me all night, Lola. First the museum and now here. Next time, you will not be able to just disappear.”

“Next time, you’ll remember to be a lot nicer or you’ll find my hand across your cheek.” I smiled at him innocently and opened the door. “Goodnight, Xavier.”

“Goodnight, sugarlips,” he spoke softly as we walked out. “Don’t get too wet thinking about me tonight.”

I gasped at his words and looked back at him. He had a smug look on his face as he closed the door, and all I could think about was what would have happened if Anna hadn’t come out of the room at that precise moment.

* * *

His View

I watched the cab pull away and I felt angry. I was angry at the two girls for just going with Max. Didn’t they value their safety? They had no idea who he was or where he was taking them. I strode back into the museum and made my apologies for leaving early. There was no way that I was going to give Max enough time to try and convince either of them to stay the night. My blood boiled over at the thought of him trying to be with her. If anyone was going to have her, it was going to be me.

* * *

It took longer than I had hoped to get to the hotel and my nerves were shot as I got to the room. I tried to use my key to get into the door, but I couldn’t get it open.

BANG BANG BANG. I knocked on the door hard.

“Who is it?” Max’s voice was surly and I knew in that moment that I was going to have to send him back to Romerius.

“Maximillian, open up the door. It is Xavier.” I spoke in my authoritative tone. I knew that would freak him out. He opened the door quickly and I could see from his face that he was worried about his job. Good! I looked around the room and I said a little prayer when I saw the girl standing there, fully clothed.

“Go to your room.” I commanded Max without looking at him. He was of no importance to me right now. I needed to speak to this girl. I needed to tell her off for being stupid. I needed to get her out of my system. I frowned to myself at my thoughts. I didn’t even know her. I didn’t know why I cared. I didn’t even know her name.

I walked over to her and looked her up and down. “Who are you?” My voice sounded hoarse as I tried not to pull her into my arms.

“I’m Lola.” Her voice was light. Too light for the situation. Didn’t she understand how serious a position she was in? And what sort of name was Lola? Lola wasn’t a name for a nice girl. Lola was the name of a nymph. Lola was the name of someone who wanted to make love all night with reckless abandon. She didn’t look like the sort of girl who would make love with reckless abandon. I continued talking to her, but all I could think about was her body. What would she look like with her clothes off? What would she do if I reached over and lifted her skirt up? Or if I reached over and grazed her breasts? How wide would her eyes open if I did that? Would she gasp? Would her mouth make a circular shape? Would she slap me? I smiled to myself. I’d quite like to feel her hands on me again.

“Bimbo,” I said feeling annoyed, my eyes narrowed as I felt my pants tightening and I knew that I shouldn’t be here. I was surprised by her reaction, though. I’d thought she was going to look upset and retreat, but her eyes flashed at me in anger and her shoulders rounded. I looked at her considering. This Lola wasn’t the girl I thought she was, after all. She tried to push past me and I grabbed her. I could feel her heart beating as her face flushed in anger. I could almost imagine how feisty she’d be in bed. My fingers trembled slightly. I couldn’t lie to myself any more. I wanted her and I wanted her badly.

We bantered back and forth, and I tried hard to keep my face straight as she grew more and more incensed. Finally, I had had enough. I needed to feel her lips upon mine. I needed to feel if they were as soft as they looked.  I stepped towards her and grabbed her, whispering softly against her lips, knowing that I was affecting her. Her pupils dilated and I could see a tremor in her hands as she stared at me. I smiled to myself, knowing that she was feeling what I was feeling. The lust wasn’t hidden between us. She wanted me as badly as I wanted her. My lips pressed down on hers lightly. My brain screamed at me. One kiss was not going to be enough. I needed to touch and taste all of her.

I didn’t know her well, but what I knew, I liked. My brain was charmed by her and my body desired her. I pushed myself up against her so she could feel just how hard my cock had grown for her. I knew women liked to know the power they had over men. She stepped back awkwardly and something in my stomach growled. She wasn’t used to having one-night stands. I retreated, not knowing if I wanted to go down this road. But then she looked back at me and I could see the fire in her eyes. She wanted me and she wasn’t hiding it from me.

I grabbed her hand and made my way to the bedroom. All I could think about was having her and being inside of her.

“I’m feeling better now, Max.” A high-pitched voice called out into the room and I looked at her in shock in anger. It was Lola’s friend. I had forgotten about her.

“Who are you?” I frowned, feeling extremely annoyed and irritated. She talked to me, but all I could think about Lola. My Lola. The Lola I had nearly had in my bed. Now she was hovering over her friend and looking at me like I was a creep. She already was regretting what had nearly happened. I nearly laughed at her expression. Most women would have been dying to be in my bed. This girl, she looked like she was quite happy that we’d been interrupted. I had to admit, I was irritated by how intrigued I was by this girl. Too intrigued.

“Don’t tell me you’re a pair of working girls.” I spoke lightly, wanting to see her expression. Wanting to affect her. I knew she wasn’t a prostitute, but I also knew that that would push her buttons. I wanted to push her buttons. She was affecting me in a way I didn’t like.

“You’re a jackass,” she snapped at me, fire in her eyes again, and I smiled inwardly. There was the passion I was going to enjoy once I had her in bed. I’d let her spend the night with her friend in another room. I didn’t want to frighten her off. Then I’d spend the day with her, get to know her better. Then tomorrow night, I’d go in for the kill again. Only tomorrow night, I’d seal the deal.

Chapter 3

“Are you mad at me?” Anna rolled over in bed and groaned. “My head is killing me.”

“Next time, don’t drink so much.”

“I was so drunk.” She closed her eyes. “It’s so bright in here.”

“It’s called sunlight, Anna,” I laughed and sat up, looking around the room. “I can’t believe he got us a suite.”

“Who, Max?” She looked around. “Is he here?”

“Anna, Max left.” I stared down at her. “Did you forget?”

“I can’t really remember what happened.” She groaned again, much more melodramatically this time. “Did I sleep with him?”

“No.” I shook my head. “You were in the bathroom puking and he tried to make a move on me.”

“What?” Her eyes flew open. “Bastard.”

“Yes, he was. His boss came into the room and kicked him out him and then got us a room.”

“His boss?” She frowned and then her eyes lit up. “Wait, it was that hot guy from the museum, wasn’t it?”

“What hot guy?” I feigned ignorance.

“Don’t try and lie to me, Lola Franklin.” She shook her head. “I saw the looks you gave him.”

“Whatever.”

“Did you hook up with him?”

“No.” My face turned red.

“Oh my God, you did, didn’t you?”

“No!” I exclaimed sharply and then grinned. “Though he did kiss me.”

“No way!” she screamed and then made a face and rubbed her forehead. “It’s too early for this excitement.”

“What excitement?”

“You kissed a stranger!” she squealed. “I can’t believe it. Lola Franklin kissed a handsome stranger.”

“I almost did more.” I grinned and collapsed onto the bed next to her. “Oh, Anna, he was so sexy, but he was such an asshole.”

“You did not almost sleep with him?”

“I did.” I grinned. “I’m twenty-one, not eighty-one. I’m entitled to a life.”

“I do not believe it. You said you didn’t believe in casual sex.”

“When it’s once-in-a-lifetime casual sex, how can I say no?” I grinned. “I mean, isn’t that why we came here? To be different from our normal selves?”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She nodded. “Who would have thought it? Anna and Lola from Palm Bay, Florida, are living it up in London, England, like two little sluts.”

“Anna!” I gasped, and she giggled.

“What would you call us?”

“Modern girls.” I laughed. “We’re modern girls who know what we want.” I lay there and smiled as I thought of my kiss with Xavier. Even though he’d been an asshole, I still thought he was a sexy beast.

“Okay, then. We’re modern girls.” Anna rested her head on my shoulder. “I’m glad we came, by the way,” she spoke softly. “I think it’s just the change we needed.”

“Me too,” I whispered back at her. “Me too.

* * *

The knocking at the door awoke me, and I groaned. Anna and I must have fallen back asleep.

“Room service,” a voice called out, and I rolled out of the bed to open the door.

“I’m coming.” I yawned and opened the door. “Oh.” My eyes widened as I took in Xavier. He looked even more handsome in daylight. “I thought you were room service.”

“I am.” He grinned and held up his heads. He had two coffees and a bag of something.

“Oh, thanks.” I stood there awkwardly and groaned inwardly as I realized how I must have looked. I reached up and rubbed my eyes and then looked at my fingertips. They were smudged with black.

“Going to a fancy dress party today?” he asked me with a smile.

“Sorry, what?”

“I was wondering if there was a reason why you looked like a raccoon.”

“Excuse me?” My mouth dropped, and he laughed.

“Can I come in or am I not allowed past the front door?”

“Why do you want to come in?” I took a step back, and he ran his fingers to my face and down my cheek, holding everything in his other hand.

“Do not worry, Lola. It’s not to seduce you. Trust me.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes, but I felt hurt inside.

“Who’s that? Is it Max?” Anna called out eagerly.

“No,” I called back, and he stared at me curiously.

“Do you wish it were him?” he asked me softly.

“Why would I care if he was here?” I shook my head, annoyed.

“Just checking.” He walked into the hotel room and walked up to the bed. “Here’s a coffee and a cheese and onion pastry. It should make you feel better.” He handed both items to a shocked Anna.

She sat up in the bed, looking confused, and her eyes were wide with shock. I giggled as I stared at her. Her hair was all over the place, and she looked like a scarecrow.

“Thanks.” She took them tentatively and gave him a small smile.

“No problem.” He turned around and walked back to me. “And this is for you. The same thing. Though I got you a doughnut as well.”

“A doughnut?”

“To keep your lips sweet.” He smiled and looked at my lips for a few seconds.

“Oh.” I swallowed hard and sat down on the couch. “Thanks.”

“So how are you feeling today?” he asked me as he sat next to me.

“I’m fine.” I shrugged. “It was Anna who was drunk.”

“I see.” He looked over at her as she ate eagerly. “Max always seems to know how to pick them.”

“We were at the museum last night ...” I started and he nodded.

“I know.”

“Oh, well, last night you—” I started again, and he jumped up.

“How do you think I made it to the hotel so quickly?” He looked down at me with dark eyes. “I saw you get into the cab with him. I know Max well. I knew what he had planned.”

“He was coming back here for Anna,” I spoke up defensively.

“No offense to Anna, but he was coming back for both of you. I’m sure he thought it was his lucky night.”

“So you really thought I was going to sleep with him?”

He shrugged. “You wouldn’t be the first girl to fall for his act.”

“How rude—” I started to respond, but Anna responded.

“So you’re telling me I chose another loser?” She sighed and sipped her coffee. “Why do I always pick the assholes?”

“Maybe because you jump before you look.”

“Well, you were about to jump too.” She gave me a pointed look.

“Anna.” I gave her a direct and angry look.

“Yes, Lola?” She smiled innocently. “I’m just saying neither one of us is immune to sex gods.”

“Uh huh.” I turned away from her, and I could see Xavier staring at me with a curious expression. “Can I help you?” I asked him in irritation.

“Spend the day with me.”

“What?” I wasn’t sure how to feel by his request. It wasn’t something I had seen coming.

“You speak English, yes? Let’s spend the day together.”

“Why?” I frowned.

“So that tonight doesn’t feel like sex with a stranger,” he whispered in my ear and then laughed as I stared at him in shock. “Or did we get our signals mixed last night?”

“What did he say?” Anna shouted out. “I can’t hear.”

“Anna.” I shot her another look and she grinned back at me. “I think you should leave, Xavier.”

“So that’s a no to spending the day together?” He ran his hands through his damp, dark hair.

“What do you think?”

“I thought you were a girl who didn’t play games.” He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were a girl who would appreciate a fun weekend, no strings attached.”

“I see.”

“I guess I was wrong?”

I stared at him for a few seconds with my insides bubbling over. I didn’t know what to say. He was right, of course. I wasn’t the sort of girl who would spend a weekend with a strange guy. I’d never had a one-night stand. I’d only slept with one guy before. And he’d been my boyfriend for two years. He was someone I’d thought I’d loved. I’d thought I was going to marry him. Then I’d walked in on him sleeping with two girls from his political science class. He’d said that they wanted to have a threesome, and who was he to say no? I’d been devastated that he had been able to cheat and then act so nonchalant about it. It had made me question everything.

I was entitled to have a wild weekend. What was one wild weekend? Especially if it were with a guy like Xavier. He’d turned me on with a kiss more than my ex had done when we’d made love. It wasn’t like I’d ever see him again. It could be fun. I was entitled to fun after everything.

“Fine.” I licked my lips nervously. “We can hang out.”

“I’m guessing you don’t want me to be third wheel?” Anna spoke up, and I blushed as I remembered she was there. “I’m joking, Lola.” She jumped out of the bed. “I’m going in the shower, then I’m going to Oxford Circus to get some new clothes before Monday.”

“You don’t have to leave right now, Anna,” I called out to her, but she grinned and then winked before walking into the shower.

“I guess your friend wants you to get laid.” Xavier raised an eyebrow at me and my stomach flipped.

“You’re so crude.”

“Am I lying?” he asked softly and then pulled me towards him. “Part of you wishes I’d throw you on the bed right now and take you.”

“Excuse me?” I answered him breathlessly as my panties got wet. He was right, of course. Part of me wanted him to just take charge and take me.

“Your heart is racing.” His fingers pressed down on my wrist pulse. “You’re wondering if we can get away with it. The only thing making you pause is the fact that your friend is in the shower. If it were just us in here, we’d be in the bed already.”

“You wish.” I shook my head and took a step back.

His hands pulled my back towards him, and this time, he pushed me up against him. “I’m not the only one who wishes.” His green eyes glittered down at me as his hands moved to my ass. “I just make my wishes come true,” he muttered before his lips pressed down on mine.

His lips felt soft against mine as he kissed me, and I felt his tongue in my mouth, eagerly caressing mine. My hands found his hair and I kissed him back passionately. He responded by squeezing my butt cheeks with more pressure and pulling me into him. I felt his hardness pressed against me and gasped against his lips.

“Yes, my dear Lola. I’m very ready for tonight.” He grinned and winked at me. “I’m very ready.”

* * *

“What would you like to do today?” He smiled at me gently and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back at him.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged.

“You’re new to London. Yes?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Anna and I are both new.”

“Your friend Anna is lucky to have you. She is silly to have left with Max.” He shook his head.

“All’s well that ends well.”

“True.” His lips curled up at me. “At least we got to meet.”

“You think that’s a good thing?”

“You were eying me up in the museum, so I’m pretty sure you think it’s a good thing as well.”

“I wasn’t eyeing you up.” I shook my head, my face flushing.

“Okay, you were just admiring my fine physique.”

“I was trying to see if you were one of the artists.” I lied, and he laughed.

“Come, I’m going to take you to Oxford Street and then we can go to Soho and down Carnaby Street.”

“Where?”

“The places with the cute shops.” He grinned. “So you can buy whatever you desire.”

“Oh, I don’t need to shop.” I bit my lower lip. I was on a strict budget and I didn’t want to blow all my money during my first weeks in London.

“I don’t know many women who don’t like to shop.”

“I’m sure you don’t know many women with limited cash flow either.” I laughed and he gave me an odd look.

“Would you like me to take you on a shopping trip?”

“Oh God, no.” I cringed and shook my head vehemently. “I didn’t tell you I was poor for sympathy or anything.”

“I have money.” He pursed his lips together. “I can spend some on you if you wish.”

“No, no.” I stammered feeling embarrassed. “I don’t want you to spend your money on me at all.”

“Surprising.” He paused and turned around. I wanted to ask him what he meant, but frankly I was so excited to be spending the day with him that I ignored the warning bells going off in my head.

* * *

His View

I didn’t sleep well. All I could think about was Lola and the way she had kissed me back, so energetically and so sweetly. My dreams were filled with images of her in my bed. On top of me, besides me, underneath me with her legs wrapped around my waist. I woke up at about six a.m. with a hard-on and a scowl. I was annoyed that Lola had gotten to me. I never had dreams about women. I saw them, slept with them and went on with my day. I didn’t have time for games and I wasn’t interested in a relationship.

I knew that I should just go home. I had been staying at the hotel for the past couple of weeks while some renovations were being done on my house, but I knew that I couldn’t leave without seeing her. She had gotten under my skin already. I jumped out of bed and turned on the cold water, trying to ignore the urge to rub one out.

“Get it together, Xavier.” I scrubbed my skin and allowed the cold water to refresh me. I was not going to let this girl to get the better of me.

I left the hotel and went to the corner and bought some coffees and pastries for Lola and Anna. I was going to go to their room, give them some breakfast, get one last glance at Lola and then I was going to leave. I just needed one last glance at her. That was all. She was beautiful, but not the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I would be able to replace her easily. I could already think of ten other women who would be happy for my call.

I knocked on the door feeling good. Lola was no longer on my mind. And then she opened the door. She looked adorable with her messy hair and face full of makeup. We exchanged some words and I reached out to touch her face. I couldn’t stop myself from touching her. She looked surprised and taken aback by my touch. Her lower lip dropped slightly and I could imagine her taking me in her mouth. I immediately felt myself growing hard. Get it together, Xavier I muttered inwardly. I walked into the room and tried to avoid looking at Lola. Something in me reacted too eagerly to her when she looked at me. Her brown eyes were so honest with their emotions that it unnerved me.

I knew I should leave. I had to leave. “Let’s spend the day together.”

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I knew she was as surprised as I was. I knew it wasn’t a good idea. I didn’t want to spend the day with her. I wanted to take her back to my room. I wanted to rip her clothes off. I wanted her to scream out my name in the throes of passion and then I wanted to leave. I wanted to leave and forget her. She was nothing but trouble.  However, she didn’t look too happy at my request to spend the day together. Didn’t she know who I was? I wanted to glare at her.

I watched as her friend Anna walked to the shower and I stood up. I was ready to put my cards on the table. I didn’t care if she threw me out. I just needed to get it out there. I grabbed her arms and pulled her towards me.

“I guess your friend wants you to get laid.” I whispered and stared into her eyes. “I bet part of you wants me to throw you down on the bed right now and take you.” I studied her face and grinned. I was right. She wanted it as badly as I did. Her heart was racing and I pressed my fingers to her wrist and felt her pulse. I pulled her towards me so she could feel how hard I was. She gave me a look that showed me that she wasn’t completely taken by me, and that infuriated me. I grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard while squeezing her butt cheeks. I wanted to slip my hands in between her legs and I wanted to pull up her top and pull her bra straps down. I wanted to suck on her nipples so hard that she came from that action alone, but I didn’t.  She shifted against me and I pressed her into my hardness, so that I was pressed against her stomach. She gasped and her eyes widened at my bold move.

I pulled back from her and winked slowly, enjoying her red flush. I could already hear how loud she was going to scream when I fucked her. And it was making me very excited.

Chapter 4

“Thanks for a fun day,” I spoke softly as we walked into his hotel suite. “I’ve never been to the Tower of London before.”

“I’m glad you had a good time.” He walked towards the bar at the side of the room. “Would you like a drink?”

“No, thanks.” I shook my head and stood there, staring at him awkwardly.

The day had been fun, but he hadn’t touched me or kissed me since this morning. He’d been very polite and friendly, but he had acted like he was my tour guide, not my potential lover.

Now that we were back in his hotel room, I didn’t know what to expect. We hadn’t spoken about anything personal when we’d been out. He didn’t know anything more about me and I didn’t know any more about him. It was as if he were deliberately trying to keep his distance from me. I watched as he walked back to me and put his drink on a table.

“You’re very beautiful, Lola.” He stared at me. “Very sexy as well.”

“I guess I should say thanks?” I smiled weakly as I stared at him.

The mood had suddenly changed and there was sexual tension in the air. My bones seemed to freeze up as I stared at him as he loosened his tie.

“I want you to understand what this is and what this isn’t,” he spoke softly as he took another step towards me.

“Okay.” I nodded, feeling slightly clammy.

“Just so you know, this is one night and one night only. You will not see me again after tonight.” His fingers traced an invisible line along my collarbone, and I nodded without speaking.

He really was an asshole, but for some reason unknown to me, I couldn’t resist him.

“Answer me.” His voice was commanding, and he leaned into me. I could feel his hardness pressing against my leg. “Do you understand?”

“I understand.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “It’s not like I want to see you after tonight anyways, you arrogant asshole,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that?” His eyes narrowed at me. “Are you being impertinent ...?”

“Oh, shut up.” This time I took charge, grabbing ahold of his shirt and pulling him towards me. I tiptoed up and pressed my lips against his. He growled as I kissed him, and I could see the surprise in his eyes. I grinned to myself. He wasn’t expecting that. I pulled away from him slightly and ran towards the bedroom. He followed me with an expectant look in his eyes.

“I see you’re not as innocent as you tried to make out.” He walked towards me and I laughed and then pushed him towards the bed.

He fell back onto the mattress and I climbed on top of him before crushing my lips down on his. His eyes widened in surprise as I straddled him and pulled his tie off. I laughed as I started unbuttoning his shirt.

“We have one night. Let’s make the most of it.” I leaned down towards him and then squealed as he flipped me onto my back and pinned my arms down.

“Yes, Lolita, let’s make the most of it,” he growled down at me, and I squirmed as I felt his fingers making their way up my stomach.

My breathing was heavy, and I stilled as I waited to see what he was going to do next. I wanted to feel his fingers all over my body. I wanted to feel what it was like to be with a man as handsome as he was. I closed my eyes for a moment and screamed inside. I couldn’t believe that I, Lola Franklin, was about to have a one-night stand with a man who put all other men to shame. I shivered as I felt his tongue on my neck, and then I heard violins serenading our soon-to-be lovemaking experience. I opened my eyes slowly as I realized that Xavier had moved away from me.

“Your phone.” His eyes looked at me distantly, and I frowned as I jumped up and grabbed my phone. He really was so hot and cold.

“Hello?”

“Lola.” Anna sounded breathless. “Where are you?”

“I can’t really talk right now,” I whispered into the phone, not really wanting to tell her that I was back at the hotel and about to have sex with Xavier. I looked up and saw Xavier staring at me with interest in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“Lola, listen to me. You cannot have a one-night stand. I know he’s hot, but he’s a prick. Remember that. Last night, you saved me from making a fool of myself. I’m trying to help you. You deserve better,” she burst out. “I was thinking about it all day. Yes, he’s hot, but he seems like an asshole. You can do better.”

“There is no better.” I giggled slightly as I stared at Xavier as he leaned against the doorway. He looked dark, handsome, and slightly dangerous, and I was as turned on as I had ever been in my life. “Trust me.”

“Lola,” Anna giggled. “I can’t believe this. I know I should tell you to come home, but you do need to have fun. I had to call and try, but I trust your judgment. Where are you?”

“At the hotel,” I whispered and turned around. “I’m with Xavier and—”

“Oh my God, you’re not having a threesome!” Anna shrieked. “I know we said we were going to come out of our shells, but we never said anything about a threesome.”

“I’m not having a threesome!” I gasped loudly and then turned around to see if Xavier had heard me. There was a sly smile on his face as he smirked at me, and I realized that he had heard me. “Anna, I was just saying I’m with Xavier and we’re about to watch a movie.”

“Sure you are. I don’t know any movie that begins and ends with him on top of you.” She giggled again. “Come to my room as soon as you get home,” she demanded. “I mean it. I want details.”

“Okay.” I smiled into the phone. “Goodnight.”

“I would say sweet dreams, but I doubt you’ll be sleeping,” she sang as she hung up the phone. I took a deep breath to gain my composure and then looked back at Xavier.

“Sorry about that.”

“Who was that?” He raised an eyebrow. “Your boyfriend?”

“No.” I shook my head. “Of course not.” As if he didn’t know.

“Why of course not?”

“Why would I be here with you if I had a boyfriend?”

“Well, you were here with Max last night and then decided on sloppy seconds.”

“You know I wasn’t here to hook up with Max yesterday. I was here to make sure Anna was okay.” I could feel my blood boiling at the smirk on his face. “Whatever,” I sighed. You would never be anyone’s sloppy seconds either, I thought to myself, but there was no way in hell that I would give him a bigger head than he already had.

“Your vocabulary is quite expansive, isn’t it?” He stared at me with a glimmer of humor in his eyes, and I realized that he was attempting a joke. A pretty poor and ill-timed joke, but a joke all the same.

“I do wonder how a man like you gets women with your poor sense of humor and rude comments.” I played with my hair as I stared at him, determined that I was not going to let him kiss me or make love to me, no matter how much I wanted him to. I didn’t know what his problem was. Everything had been going fine until Anna had called.

“It’s a wonder, isn’t it?” He smiled. “I’m not sure what women see in me.”

“Neither am I.” I walked out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch. “I think I’ll just sleep here until the morning.” I lay back and closed my eyes. “Goodnight.”

There was silence for a moment, and I lay there pretending I was falling asleep before slowly opening my eyes to see if he had gone back to his room. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I saw his eyes peering down into mine.

“What are you doing?” I sputtered as I sat up.

“Coming to see if you were really sleeping.”

“Well, I am.” I glared at him again, trying to ignore the way his eyes crinkled when he was laughing inside.

“Shall we call it a truce?” He sat on the couch next to me.

“I suppose.” I shrugged and then looked over at him. “Though I’m not sleeping with you. That train has passed.”

“Well, that’s regretful.” He picked up the remote control. “Let’s just watch the movie. Then you can leave.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

“How did you like the art show yesterday?” He peered at me thoughtfully.

“It was fun. I enjoyed it a lot.”

“Oh, you like art?” His eyes were shining. “I don’t meet many girls who enjoy art.”

“Kinda,” I mumbled, not sure why I didn’t tell him that I was actually in London because I was taking an art history course as part of my college degree. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that I was still in college. He looked like he was in his late twenties or early thirties and I wasn’t sure that he would be interested in someone in her early twenties.

“Or were you there to find yourself a rich man?”

“Yeah, that’s it,” I huffed, annoyed that he had me out to be some sort of gold-digger. First, I was a prostitute and now I was a gold-digger. “I go to art shows to meet rich men for a night of hot sex.”

“Very funny, Lola.” He chuckled and sat back.

“Do you like art?” I looked at him curiously. I assumed he did because he had been at the show, but who knew why he’d really been there. Maybe he and Max went to art shows to pick up girls. “Or were you there to find a young impressionable girl to hook up with?”

“Touché.” He laughed and then paused. “I think that art is as important as the air we breathe.”

“Oh?” I looked at him in surprise. His voice had come alive as he’d spoken about the subject.

“I don’t suppose you would understand, but many do not understand what it is to live and breathe creativity.”

“Yeah, I suppose not.” I thought about Anna and how bored she looked when I talked about Monet and his Impressionist paintings.

“I can see I’m boring you.” He jumped up from the couch. “Let us watch a movie.”

“Okay, thanks.” I peered up at him and tried to avoid staring at his lips. I wasn’t sure why I lied about loving art. It just felt too personal and too intimate of a subject to discuss. I didn’t want to find out that we had things in common. This was just supposed to be a night of fun. I didn’t want to fall for him. “I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”

“Then I shall let you sleep.” He nodded and stood, looking at me with a blank expression.

I felt oddly disappointed and bereft as he left me alone, and I lay back and looked at the ceiling, wondering what on earth I was doing. I stared around the opulent room and couldn’t quite believe where I was. I was just a regular girl from Palm Bay, Florida.  I had never even been abroad before, yet here I was in London, with my best friend Anna, having the time of my life. And I had only been in London for a little over a week. Everything in my life seemed different and better, though there was still a dull ache and pain that throbbed through to the surface when it thought no one was paying attention.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture Xavier’s face. I didn’t want to think about what I had left back home; it wasn’t worth it. This was my life now—or at least it was for the next nine months. I was no longer Lola Franklin, nerd and boring girl next door. I was now Lola Franklin, ingénue and up for any and everything. Only maybe I hadn’t changed as much as I thought ... If I had, would I be sleeping on a couch in a hot guy’s hotel room? Wouldn’t I be in the bed with him? Yeah, so he was a bit of a jerk. What did that matter? Wasn’t I trying to do something different now?

“Night.” I looked at him and watched as he walked back to his bedroom. I closed my eyes and wondered what had gone so wrong so quickly. Part of me wanted to go into his room and pick up where we’d left off. The other part of me just wanted to leave and go home.

I froze as I heard Xavier’s door open and footsteps coming towards me. I counted to ten before opening my eyes, and I saw him standing by the wall watching me. I felt a bit creeped out but didn’t say anything. Finally, he walked towards me, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up off of the couch.

“Come. You must sleep in the bed. You’re my guest. I cannot have you sleeping on the couch. I will be a perfect gentleman and will not lay a finger on you.”

“Oh, no,” I stammered, blushing as my blood boiled in excitement. “There’s no need. I’ll be fine on the couch. It’s very comfortable.”

“I insist. You must sleep in the bed.” He pulled me into the bedroom with him and then picked something off the bed and handed it to me. “Put this on. It will be more comfortable to sleep in.”

“I, uh ... Thanks.” I nodded sheepishly. It was true. My skirt was feeling pretty uncomfortable. “I’ll just go change in the bathroom.”

I quickly walked into the bathroom and unfolded the t-shirt he had given me. It was big and long enough to cover my ass, but just barely. I pulled my skirt, top, and bra off and quickly pulled on the t-shirt. But then I stood there in the bathroom, unsure of what to do next. When I walked, the t-shirt rode up and showed my ass, and I realized that my nipples were poking through the thin white top. I thought about calling out and asking him to borrow some boxer shorts, but then I giggled to myself at my thoughts. My first night as a seductress and I was asking for boxer shorts and worried that I was revealing too much.

“Be confident, Lola. Own your sexuality.” I repeated the mantra of some self-help lady who’d had a free podcast on iTunes.

I shivered as I pictured Xavier staring at me with lust as I walked back into the room. He’d be so overcome with his attraction that he would fling me onto the bed and have his wicked way with me. I smiled at the thought of him wanting me so badly that he would beg me to kiss him and touch him.

I walked back into the room, practicing the sexy and sultry walk I had seen on a YouTube video, but my hopes and dreams had been for nothing. The lights were already off and Xavier was already in bed, and from the looks of it, he was fast asleep and snoring.

I gingerly climbed into the bed, lifting the covers carefully before sliding in next to him. I snuggled into the soft pillow and stretched out my limbs as I relaxed into the luxurious sheets. I took a deep breath and delighted in the masculine smell and warmth that surrounded me. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, feeling comfortable as I snuggled up to Xavier’s back. I figured I might as well enjoy as much of him as I could.

* * *

I was having the most wonderful dream. Xavier was kissing me all over and feeding me grapes and strawberries from his mouth. I purred against him, and then he poured champagne in the valley between my breasts before licking it up eagerly.

“You’re so beautiful, Lola. I am so lucky that you have given your body to me.”

“Thank you, Xavier.” I smiled up at him and closed my eyes as my toes curled in pleasure as he sucked on my nipples.

“You have breasts that rival the Venus de Milo. So supple and firm.” His fingers traced the curve of my breasts as he gazed at them admiringly. “Your body is a work of art.”

“Just make love to me, Xavier,” I groaned as I felt his hardness press in between my legs.

“Beg me, my love.”

“Make love to me, Xavier,” I moaned and pulled him down to me, crying out as he entered me slowly. “Yes, yes. That’s it.”

“Do you like how that feels, Lolita?” he whispered into my ear.

“Yes, yes,” I moaned and trembled as I felt his fingers playing with me.

I froze in my sleep as I realized that my dream was starting to feel real and confusing. If he was making love to me, how was he playing with me through my panties? My eyes fluttered open and I froze as I felt Xavier’s breath behind me.

“You wanted to tease me, didn’t you, Lolita?” He nibbled on the back of my neck as his fingers rubbed me gently over my panties.

I felt the warmth of his chest against me, and as I stretched, I felt something else protruding into my backside. I froze again as I realized that he was naked. Xavier was naked and I had an opportunity to make my dream a reality. I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the feelings of guilt that spread through my body as I enjoyed the feel of him against me.

All of my earlier courage was gone. I was no longer Lola Franklin, seductress and down for everything. I was once again back to Lola Franklin, interested in sex but too scared to do a damn thing about it.

Oh my God. Oh my God. What am I doing? Does he have a condom? Will I get pregnant? Does he have an STD? All sorts of thoughts were running through my mind as my inner angel and devil argued over whether I should let myself capitulate to the feelings running through my body.

However, Xavier wasn’t having any such doubts. I felt his fingers slip inside my panties and he rubbed my clit gently for a few seconds before I panicked and turned around to face him. He groaned as he was forced to withdraw his fingers from my panties.

“I want to make love to you, Lolita.” His fingers reached around my waist and pulled me towards him so that my body was crushed against his. “You can feel just how badly I want you, you tease.”

His lips crushed down on me, and I felt his hardness against my leg, but I was unsure of why he had used that word again. Why was he calling me a tease? I hadn’t done anything to him.

“You have been playing with me and teasing me all night,” he growled against my lips as he bit on my lower lip.

“Say what?” I blinked at him in surprise. “I’ve done what?”

“You do not know?” He pulled away from me with a dark look in his eyes. “You were dreaming?”

“I’m not sure,” I whispered. “What did I do?”

“Your fingers have been playing with me for the last twenty-five minutes. You have been driving me crazy. Moaning out my name and asking me to make love to you as you have caressed my—”

“Oh. Oh.” I cut him off and my face blushed a deep red. Oh, shit. Maybe I had gotten a bit carried away in my dreams. “I was dreaming, I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t realize.” He pulled back away from me. “It is I who should be sorry.”

“No, no.” I shook my head and moved closer to him. “Don’t be sorry.”

“I should not have—”

“Shh.” I looked into his eyes and leaned forward to kiss him. His hair looked tousled and sexy, and I ran my hands through it as I kissed him.

There was no way I was going to let this moment pass. I had never felt like this before. So sensual and turned on. And I’d never had a man do the things he had done to me and light my whole body on fire like he had in my dreams. I had to see if the feeling would be the same in real life.

“Make love to me, Xavier,” I mumbled against his lips, and his eyes widened as he realized what I had said.

He wasted no time. I felt his hands pull my top up and throw it on the floor. Before I knew it, I was on my back and he was on top of me. His warm chest crushed into my breasts as he kissed my face and my neck, and then he moved to the valley between my breasts. I trembled as his lips moved over to my breasts and he suckled on my nipples.

“Oh,” I cried out and scratched his back. I spread my legs and felt him hard against my panties, slithering in between my legs, seeking an entry. His fingers reached down and I felt him slipping my panties down my legs as he kissed down to my stomach and then to my throbbing womanhood. “Oooh,” I cried out as his mouth made contact and found my wetness. I squirmed against his face as his tongue worked his way inside of me and discovered all of my secrets.

“Is it okay?” He looked up at me as I trembled beneath him. I was so close to an orgasm that I thought I was going to scream out.

“Yes, yes!” I cried out in abandon, wanting to feel him inside me so bad that I was almost crying.

Xavier was swift, and I felt myself come as soon as he slipped his hard member inside me. He didn’t stop as he felt my insides tightening on him; instead, it seemed to turn him on. He grunted as he slid into me deep and hard, and our eyes connected as our bodies became one in that moment.

“You feel so tight,” he groaned as his mouth crushed down on mine. “Oh, Lolita, I’m not going to last long, I’m afraid. It’s too good. You were teasing me for too long.”

“It’s okay,” I moaned as he increased his pace. “Oooh, my God. I think I’m going to come again.”

“Come again for me.” His fingers squeezed my breasts, and I screamed as I felt myself experience the most intense orgasm of my life. “Yes, Lolita. Enjoy it.” He continued pounding into me and then he slowed. I felt his body shudder as he climaxed and then collapsed on top of me as he kissed my face and grunted.

He then rolled over onto his side and smiled as he ran his fingers over my lips. He stared at my face and I smiled at him shyly. I felt warm and cozy and full. I snuggled up next to him, wanting to feel and smell him next to me. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all. Any guy who could make me feel like this couldn’t be all that bad. I smiled at him with open and happy eyes, about to tell him that I thought I was wrong about him. I reached over and tenderly ran my fingers through his hair.

“That was worth every penny.” His eyes clouded over as he grinned at me, and I froze as I stared at him, not sure I had understood him properly.

“What?” I frowned.

“I don’t normally do this sort of thing, but I have to admit you were worth it. Do you take checks or is cash fine?”

My face flushed with anger and humiliation as I jumped up, horrified at his words. All thoughts of happiness and comfort disappeared right away. And then my stomach dropped when I realized that I didn’t know if he had worn a condom. Oh fuck, fuck, fuck. I wanted to scream and shout at myself. The one time I don’t listen to myself, I fuck up.

“Did you wear a condom?” I whispered as I pulled on the t-shirt on the floor.

“Of course not. You told me it was okay!” His eyes narrowed as he stared at me. “Or are you a gold-digging whore who is trying to trap me with a baby?”

“I’m not a whore and I never said I was ...” I paused as I thought back to the moment he’d finally entered me.

He had said something and I had said yes, but I’d thought he was asking permission to make love to me. Now I realized he must have been asking me if I was on birth control.  My body went cold as I realized that I had completely fucked up my first one-night stand.

“I’m leaving.”

“I can’t get seconds?” He jumped up and glared at me. “And what happened to your warm, loving ‘I just enjoyed every moment of you fucking me’ smile?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I ran into the bathroom to grab my clothes.

“Where are you going? You couldn’t get enough of me just a few minutes ago.”

“It’s morning.” I glared at him as I tried to brush back my disheveled hair. “I’m leaving now.”

“But I don’t even have cash.” He raised an arrogant eyebrow, and I wanted to slap him.

“Do you really think I’m a prostitute?” I stood there with arms folded and stared at him with a false casualness. “Not that I care, but do you really think that?”

“You were with your friend and my security guard last night in this room. You came back tonight with me. What am I supposed to think?”

“Whatever.” I shook my head and walked towards the door. “Think what you want. I don’t care. I’ll never see you again and I couldn’t be happier.” I ran out the door and kept going, even though he called out my name with an apologetic tone.

I felt like a damn fool. I always had bad luck picking guys, and it seemed like my cycle hadn’t ended just because I was now in Europe. I ran through the hotel lobby as quickly as possible. This time, I didn’t saunter through and eagerly stare at the opulent decorations and post-Modernist art. All I wanted to do was go home and cry and then eat some ice cream.

I stood in the high street and panicked for a moment, wondering how I had just let that happen. I took one last look at the hotel and shivered as I imagined Xavier looking down at me from one of the windows.

Never again, I told myself as I walked to the bus stop, shivering in the cold, even though it was late summer. I was never going to get drunk and attempt to have a one-night stand again. My self-esteem and self-respect were worth more than that. Even if it was with a man as sexy as Xavier. Especially if it’s with a man like Xavier, I thought to myself as I jumped onto the bus.

* * *

His View

There was something about Lola that was different from other girls. I’m not sure why I was surprised. I’d noticed a special quality in her from the moment I’d seen her enter the room at the museum. She had an air about her that made me want to get to know her better. There were several times in the day that I just found myself staring at her, wondering what her story was. Who she was? I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to know why she was at the museum. Did she love art as much as I did? I wanted to touch her and hold her. I enjoyed watching her. And I hated that I enjoyed it.

When we got back to the hotel, I was excited. More excited than I should have been. More excited than I normally was when it came to a weekend of debauchery. Then she gave me the look. The look that told me she was excited as well. The look that told me she trusted me. That she’d had a good day. The look that told me she thought that this could go somewhere. I felt my whole body go cold as I realized that the day had been too perfect.

I stood in front of her and ran my fingers along her collarbone. “Just so you know, this is one night and one night only. You will not see me again after tonight.” My words sounded harsh, even to myself, and I waited for her to run out of the room in tears. However, all she did was nod lightly. Her eyes darkened, but she remained there staring back at me, accepting my words. I grew angry. I wanted a response from her.

“Answer me.” I stared into her eyes and leaned into her. “Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Her voice sounded annoyed and I tried not to smile when I heard her mumble something about asshole. If she only knew how correct she was.

* * *

The sex was hotter than I thought it was going to be. Lola had given herself with abandon and she had really let go as I fucked her. My cock was still hard thinking about how wet her pussy had been as I entered her. I could still hear her whimpers in my ear, and I could still feel her fingernails as they scratched down my back.  I closed my eyes as I thought back to her touching me when she was sleeping. She had cried out my name and woken me up as her fingers squeezed and teased me. My body had reacted in one way and my brain had panicked. I’d been rude on purpose. I’d known she wouldn’t appreciate me insinuating she was a prostitute, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t want her to become attached to me, and I knew that women became attached after sex. I wanted her to know that I was off-limits. I wasn’t the good guy. I was just a virile man who wanted her. I had needed to convince her of that as badly as I’d needed to remind myself.

Chapter 5

“Lola, are you sure you’re okay?” Anna looked at me in concern as we made our way down Oxford Street. “We don’t have to go today, you know.”

“We have to go.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. I’m not in a unique position, you know. Many people have had disastrous one-night stands. It’s almost a rite of passage for women these days.”

“But he just sounds like a real jerk.”

“A jerk I’ll never see again.” A brief ripple of disappointment ran through me as I pictured Xavier’s face. I told you that I was stupid. Only a stupid idiot would regret the fact that they wouldn’t be seeing the guy who’d called her a prostitute again. “There’s no need for us to miss the pre-class meet-up with all our new classmates. Especially since I already missed the opening exhibit for my first class.” I bit my lip. “I’ve got a bad feeling that the professor is going to ask us about his talk and call on me and I’m going to have to come up with some lame excuse as to why I don’t know the answer.”

“Just tell him the truth.” Anna shrugged, and I gave her a crazy look.

“Really, Anna?” I rolled my eyes. “Excuse me, Professor, but I missed your talk on Impressionist art in Europe because my best friend drank too much alcohol and saw a hot guy and decided to have a one-night stand. And I was worried about her so I decided to go with her.  Only it didn’t go as planned, and the next night, I ended up sleeping with that guy’s even hotter friend. Oh, and the sex was great, but he called me a prostitute, and oh, we didn’t use protection, so I might be pregnant as well.”

“Well, maybe not.” Anna giggled. “Not when you put it like that.”

“Yeah. I don’t quite think he’s going to be impressed with that excuse.” I giggled as well. “Not unless he’s got a perverted sense of humor.”

“Well, maybe tell him you got sick or something.” Anna shrugged and looked at me. “Like morning sickness or something.” Her hand immediately flew to her mouth as she realized what she had said. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I groaned. “I’m not pregnant. I’m pretty sure I’m fine. I looked online and I wasn’t in a fertile period.” I groaned. “I can’t believe I just said fertile period.”

“Okay, good.”

I groaned at myself. “I can’t believe I didn’t ask him about a condom,” I sighed.

“I think your mind was on other things.”

“Yeah.” I shook my head. “I can’t deny it. He was so hot. And he had a way with his hands.”

“Oh, Lola, you’re so bad.”

“I know.” I laughed and fluffed my hair as we came to the restaurant we were meeting our new classmates at. “But that was the temporary new me. I’m back to being regular boring Lola now.”

“But we’ve only been in London for one week now,” Anna groaned. “You were only bad Lola for one night, and that was just last night.”

“Well, bad Lola’s already gotten into too much trouble.” I shivered as we walked into the restaurant. “I’d rather just enjoy our time here and the classes and have some innocent fun.”

“I’m totally going to get laid by some hot English guy.” Anna laughed and shook her shoulder-length blond hair. “That was the reason I came.”

“Oh, Anna,” I giggled, and we looked around to find our group.

Anna and I had talked about coming to Europe for years. But neither of us had ever thought it would happen. We just weren’t the sort of girls who got to travel to places like Europe. Tampa, yes. Miami, yes. Even New York City once. But international travel had never seemed like a real possibility. We’d both grown up in Palm Bay, Florida, and gone through elementary school and high school there, and then we’d both gone off to college at the University of Central Florida, which was less than two hours away in Orlando. The closest we’d gotten to international travel was when we went to Epcot at Disney World.

“There they are.” Anna’s voice was excited as we worked our way across the room to the large table of other excited students from across the world.

There was a huge poster on a stand next to the table that read “Welcome to London, students of the world!” I trembled with excitement as I surveyed the group. It wasn’t as large as I had thought it would be, but perhaps that was good. There were fifteen students there—ten girls and five boys.

“Oh my God, I’m in love,” Anna whispered to me. “That blond guy is to die for.”

I checked out the guys to see which one she was talking about and my eyes connected with another guy’s—a guy with a piercing gaze and smiling green eyes. He gave me a wide smile and I smiled back. He was very cute with his black hair, tan skin, and green eyes, and I wondered to myself if I had been too hasty in changing my rules back.

I quickly looked away from him to survey the other guys and to see who Anna was talking about. I didn’t want to give Green Eyes the wrong impression, and I felt a bit creeped out that he had a similar physical description to Xavier, even though they looked nothing alike.

I knew who Anna was talking about as soon as I saw him. He was tall, probably about six foot four, and he had a shocking amount of wavy white-blond hair. His eyes were bright and blue, and he had a golden tan that was definitely not from his hours in London.

“Isn’t he hot?” Anna pinched me. “I have to have him.”

“Anna, let’s say hello to everyone before you take him to the back alley,” I teased, and she blushed at my words. For all of her talk, Anna was as shy as I was when she was sober and not much of a femme fatale.

“Hey, girls. Are you part of the Study in London program?” A tall blonde smiled widely at us as we nodded. “Great, I’m Henrietta. I work at the university and I’ll be your liaison. What courses are you both taking?”

“I’m doing art history.” I smiled back at her. “And Anna’s doing British literature.”

“Welcome, welcome. You’re going to love the art history course. Did you catch the museum exhibit and talk on Friday? Wasn’t it fabulous? I’ve already got my Bachelor’s, but I’m signing up for the course again just for fun because Professor Van Romerius really knows his stuff. I mean, imagine learning about art from a man who owns most of the pieces he talks about. And he’s so gorgeous. I will not have trouble getting up in the morning to look at that face.” Henrietta rambled on and I bit my lip, worried she was going to ask me if I had attended. I tried to think about what I was going to say, but then she turned towards Anna. “And don’t feel bad, dear girl. The lit program’s good as well. I think you guys are going to get to spend a week in Stratford-upon-Avon, so that will be good fun.”

“Thanks.” Anna nodded and gave me a look. We both stifled a giggle as Henrietta took a large gulp from a pint glass she had in her hand.

“Well, here are some welcome packets. Tonight, we’re just going to have dinner, let everyone get to know each other. As you know, as part of the program, we’ll have about six different meet-ups this term.” She giggled. “Oops, I mean semester. I forget you Yanks don’t have terms.”

“Okay, thanks.”

We both took the packets and were about to go and introduce ourselves to the other students when Henrietta grabbed us both by the shoulders.

“Oh, I almost forgot to remind you. Classes start tomorrow, bright and early. Please know that attendance is monitored and you will fail if you don’t attend eighty percent of your classes.” She looked at us sternly, but it was hard to take her seriously as she was hiccupping. “Oh, yeah. There will be a ball at the end of the year, so start thinking about dresses and dates. You’re both pretty girls, so I don’t think you’ll have problems snagging a date.” She paused for a moment and looked at us thoughtfully. “Oh, and one more thing. I almost forgot. There are two professors overseeing the program this year. They will have two special get-togethers at their houses at some point during the term. Make sure you show up. It looks really bad if you don’t.”

“Okay, thanks.” I nodded and nudged Anna so that she would walk away. I was starting to feel overwhelmed with all the information Henrietta was giving us.

“See you later, girls.” She grinned at us and took another large gulp of the beer in her hands.

“Bye.” I waved at her and was about to whisper something to Anna when I looked up and realized that the green-eyed boy was standing in front of me and grinning.

“Hello.” He reached his hand out towards me. “I’m Sebastian.”

“Lola.” I shook his hand and was pleasantly surprised that he didn’t squeeze it too hard or too limply like most of the guys I knew back home did.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” He gave me a dazzling smile and I blushed and tried not to remember how Xavier had responded to my name. Lolita, indeed.

“Thank you.”

“Are you American?”

“Is it that obvious?” I laughed. “I’m starting to feel like the redheaded stepchild.”

“No.” He shook his head and his dark hair fell in his face. “I was just curious.”

“Are you English?” I looked at him in surprise. He definitely had an English accent, but I wasn’t sure why he would be in this program if he were from the country.

“No.” He made a face. “God, no.” He laughed again. “I’m from a small country near Belgium. But I was educated in English boarding schools.”

“Oh.” I still looked at him curiously.

“I suppose you wonder why I’m in this program?” He made a face. “My brother convinced my mother it would be good for me because I sort of played around a bit too much last year.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

“Not really.” His eyes sparkled at me. “I’m quite glad he played the overbearing bully this time.”

“Oh?” I laughed nervously as he leaned in towards me.

“Yes.”

“Lola, you coming?” Anna called back to me, and I nodded.

“Sorry, I have to go.” I smiled at Sebastian, and he looked at me in disappointment.

“What are you studying, Lola?”

“Art history.”

“Really?” His eyes gleamed and he shook his head. “I heard the professor’s an asshole.”

“Oh no,” I groaned. “Just my luck.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be in the class as well.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. This way my brother really gets to watch my every step.”

“Huh?” I looked at him in confusion, but then Anna grabbed my arm.

“Come on, Lola.” She nodded towards the tall, blond surfer-looking dude, and I gave Sebastian a quick smile.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, if not later again tonight,” I muttered quickly.

“I look forward to it.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a quick kiss before I was pulled away by Anna.

I glared at her. “I was just talking to that guy, you know.”

“Sorry, but I need to speak to the blond god before another girl gets her claws in him.” Anna gave me a frantic stare and nodded towards her new crush. He was standing there, eating what looked like a breadstick, and as far as I could tell, he was all alone.

“There’s no one there,” I sighed as we casually walked over to him.

“Shh!” She gave me a look. “Play it cool,” she whispered.

“I didn’t think I was playing it warm or hot,” I said, slightly irritated.

I had enjoyed talking to Sebastian. There was something about him that seemed fun as well as friendly. I wouldn’t mind making him my first male BFF. And it didn’t hurt that he was hot, either.

“Laugh,” Anna commanded me, and I gave her a look.

“Laugh at what?”

“Oh, Lola, you’re so funny.” Anna burst out laughing and played with her hair as she pretended to double over in a fit.  I stared at her in confusion, and she glared at me as she continued laughing.

“I am?”

“Oh, Lola.” Her laughter became even louder, and she took two steps backwards and bumped into the tall blond. “Oh my, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see where I was going.” She turned around and gave him a huge smile.

“No worries.” He smiled back at her and then looked over at me. “What’s the joke?”

“I’d like to know that my—” I started, and Anna started coughing.

“I’m Anna.” She batted her eyelids up at him. “I’m from Florida, which is in the United States of America, and this is my best friend, Lola.”

“Hi, girls. I’m Jason, from Brisbane, Australia. Not to be confused with Jason Donovan.”

“Who?” Anna and I both asked at the same time.

“Oh, sorry, mates. He’s an actor. I guess the Brits love him. All I keep hearing about is Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue. I’m like, I’m in my twenties. They ain’t popular where I’m from.”

“Oh.” Anna smiled at him again, and I looked at him blankly. I had no idea what he was talking about, and I could barely understand what he was saying.

“I know Florida, though. I’ve been surfing in Cocoa Beach. Went to a contest put on by Ron Jon’s Surf Shop.”

“Oh, awesome!” Anna flashed a brilliant smile at him. “Are you a surfer?”

“I used to be.” He shrugged and his blond hair fell in his face. “Now I play rugby.”

“I love rugby,” Anna lied. I knew for a fact that Anna was lying because we had had a conversation the previous year about sports that were sexy but that we didn’t understand and rugby was at the top of the list. “And cricket.”

“Cricket.” He nodded. “I used to play in school. I was plenty rubbish though.”

“Oh, that sucks.”

“That’s okay.” He shrugged. “Want a breadstick?” He handed us the plate, and I thought Anna was going to burst from happiness as she took a limp piece of bread from the offered plate.

“No, thanks.” I shook my head.

“You girls studying with the program?”

“That’s what the party’s for, right?” I mumbled, and Anna glared at me.

I figured she deserved my being a bitch for dragging me away from Sebastian. Not that I really cared about Sebastian. In the back of my mind, all I could think about was my night with Xavier and the way his lips had kissed me all over.

“What are you studying, Jason?” Anna asked him as if it were the most important question in the world.

“Art history.”

“Really?” I looked at him in shock. He didn’t look like the sort of guy who knew anything about art.

“Yeah. I want to own my own gallery when I grow up.”

“Wow, me too.” I looked at him consideringly. I had to stop judging people by their appearances. “I’m in the art history program as well.”

“That’s cool.”

“I’m in the literature program,” Anna sighed. “Though it seems like I may be in the minority.”

“No, there’s a cool dude in that program.” He pointed to a skinny guy who was sitting on a chair playing with his phone. “That dude. I forget his name—Mike or Paul or something. He’s in the lit program as well.”

Anna looked over at him. “Figures,” she muttered as she took in his nerdy appearance.

“I heard that they are going to make us all take a lit and art class this year, though.” He made a face. “They’re trying to expand the vision and learning experience of the program.”

“But what if we’re not interested in the other stuff?” I frowned, slightly upset at the news. I had come to learn about the great art pieces of Europe, not about books.

“They think it’s all connected. At least that’s what that professor said on Friday.” He shrugged. “He seemed like he was all about it. This way, art and books can infiltrate every part of our lives. They’ll be like the air we breathe. That’s what he said. Or maybe that’s what he hopes.” Jason shrugged. “Didn’t you hear him?”

“I kinda missed the actual talk.” My face flushed. Damn Anna and Max!

“Oh.” Jason grabbed another breadstick. “You didn’t miss much.”

“Yeah, just the fact that the whole program is changing.”

I turned away to look at the other people in the group. It looked like everyone had already formed their own cliques. There were a bunch of obviously rich girls. I could tell from their clothes that they didn’t shop at Target and Forever 21 like Anna and I did. There were some obviously nerdy girls, all wearing glasses and standing around, barely talking. Most of the guys were with the rich beautiful girls, aside from the nerdy lit guy, who was sitting down, and Sebastian, who was chatting with a very obviously drunk Henrietta.

“It’ll be cool, Lola. We’ll get to take classes together.” Anna smiled and then leaned towards me, whispering in my ear, “Now scat. You’re bringing down the mood.”

“Oh, now you don’t need me.” I rolled my eyes, and she laughed.

“Go find your Prince Charming.”

“I’m not looking for a Prince Charming,” I retorted and flushed as I thought of Xavier and how mad he had made me.

It had been a day since our night together, but I couldn’t stop thinking about our passionate lovemaking. I should hate him for the words he had said to me, but I’d always been a glutton for punishment. I wondered where he was at that very moment. Maybe he was on a date with a model or something. Only this time, he’d be whispering sweet nothings in her ear and telling her how beautiful she was. He wouldn’t be offering her money for her time.

“Ass,” I muttered to myself as I thought about him again.

“What?” Anna looked at me in confusion, and I shook my head.

“Nothing. I’m going to the bar to get a drink. Do you want anything?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m good.”

“Okay.” I walked away and wondered how long Anna was going to keep up her new no-drinking policy. I made my way to the bar and looked up at the list of beers and lagers they had available.

“What’s your poison?” a voice whispered in my ear, and I felt a warm hand on my back. I jumped and turned quickly to see who was being so familiar with me.

“Oh, hi, Sebastian.” I blushed as I looked into his handsome face. It really was unfair how beautiful he was, with his clear luminescent eyes and long lashes.

“I saw you come over for a drink. I figured I would come as well.”

“Oh, okay. That’s good.”

“I’m boring you, aren’t I?” He laughed heartily, and I wondered if he had issues since I had no idea what was so funny.

“Not really.” I smiled and turned back to look at the drink menu.

“Let me buy you a drink.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” I shook my head.

“But come on. I want to. What would you like?”

“I think I’ll have a Guinness.”

He looked at me in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“I didn’t know girls liked Guinness. I thought you all preferred the fruity drinks.”

“The fruity drinks? Really?” I smiled at him, hiding my annoyance well. What was with these guys in Europe?

“You know, Sex on the Beach, Cosmopolitans, Long Island Teas or whatever they’re called.”

“I think that I’m going to ignore that you said that.” I laughed.

“I put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I?” He looked mad at himself. “I know that I have the propensity to be an ass because my brother is the king of jackasses.” And then he smiled to himself.

“Oh?”

“Well, he’s a prince, but yes, he’s a jackass.”

“He’s a prince of jackasses or he’s a prince?” I asked, confused.

“Well, he—”

“Lola, there you are.” Anna came running up to me. “Jason just asked me out on a date. Oh, my God, can you believe it? I have a date already. A real date!”

“Anna, I’m talking.” I was astounded by how rude she was being tonight.

“I’m sorry.” She looked at Sebastian and smiled at me. “He’s cute.”

“Anna!”

“Sorry, but I didn’t want you to miss out.” She made a face. “Not after that ass from last night.”

“Anna, I think we should leave now.” I grabbed her arm and squeezed hard.

“No. We just got here.”

“You’re acting crazy,” I hissed.

“But I need to get to know Jason better.”

“I thought he already asked you out on a date?”

“Well, not really. He asked me if I wanted to go and smoke pot with him.” She paused and made a face. “Okay, maybe he really asked me if I had any pot to smoke with him.”

“Oh God, that is not a date.”

“I know,” she whined.

Sebastian interrupted us. “I know where to get some if you need some.”

I froze in embarrassment. I had completely forgotten he was there.

“Oh, no. We don’t smoke.” I turned back to him and gave him a small smile. “We’ve both got enough problems without adding drugs to the mix.”

“Weed is not drugs,” Anna stated, but I decided to ignore her. I was pretty sure she was only saying that because she had a crush on a guy who wanted to go and get high with her. Sometimes she became a real idiot when she had a crush on a guy.

“Is my Guinness almost here?” I smiled at Sebastian, and he grinned back at me in delight. I felt my stomach flip at the eagerness in his eyes. I hoped I wasn’t giving him the wrong impression. I mean, he was definitely cute, but I was still feeling pretty horrible about my encounter with Xavier, King of Assholes.

“What’s so funny?” Sebastian’s eyes twinkled at me and then he gave Anna a wide smile. “Would you like something to drink?”

“I’ll have a White Russian, please.” She smiled back at him and I gave her a look. “Hey, when in Rome.” She shrugged and looked back at the table. I was pretty sure she was checking to see if Jason was checking her out, which he wasn’t. She looked disappointed as she turned back to me.

“Your ‘no alcohol policy’ lasted for how long?” I shook my head.

She grinned at me and then looked back at Jason. “I don’t think I’m going to settle for Jason just yet.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, he’s hot, but what’s hot at the end of the day?”

I smiled to myself at her words. How quickly she had turned on and then off. She was like a guy like that, always wanting something or someone badly and then letting some small thing distract or annoy her and forgetting about it. I wasn’t sure how she was able to move on so quickly. I had the opposite problem; I tended to dwell on things for far too long.

“Maybe we should have stayed home and watched EastEnders.”

“Anna, we’ve watched that show once.” I laughed, thinking about the English soap opera that had enraptured us a few nights before. “We don’t even know who anyone is.”

“I just feel bad that I dragged you out.” She made a face, and I could see the disappointment in her eyes. This wasn’t about me, this was about her and the fact that Jason didn’t seem to be as interested as she had hoped.

“Excuse me please, Sebastian.” I gave him a small smile as he looked at us both in concern. “We’ll be back inside in a moment.”

“Take your time, ladies. I will have the drinks ready and waiting for you.”

“Thanks.” I grabbed Anna’s hand and dragged her outside with me. “Okay, you need to relax.”

“What?” She looked at me with a blank expression and red cheeks.

“Relax. We just got here. We’re just meeting this people. We have six months to get to know everyone. If Jason is the one, you’ll end up with him. Don’t stress out.”

“I really like him,” Anna sighed. “I just feel like a fool.”

“You were excited only five minutes ago. Literally five minutes ago, you said he asked you on a date.”

“Well, we both know that was a bit of an exaggeration.” Anna giggled and placed her arm through mine. “You know how I can get.” She sighed and then smiled at me widely. “I’m glad we decided to do this together, Lola. I’m not sure what I would have done if you hadn’t come too.”

“That’s what best friends are for.” I smiled back at her. “Now let’s go back inside and meet everyone else. Then we can leave early and go and pig out on ice cream.”

“That sounds like a plan.”

We walked back inside arm in arm, and I was glad that I had been able to calm her down before she’d gone crazy. I loved Anna like a sister, but she had one of those manic personalities when it came to guys. She just lost her mind and acted like a total psycho—many times after only one date. She was so obsessed with falling in love that she fell for every guy she thought was cute, and if he didn’t seem interested right away, she either fooled herself into believing he was or she fell into a deep funk. I was always having to talk her off of the edge. Which was fine, because I was the boring one.

I was almost the opposite of Anna. I had a hard time with relationships because it was hard for me to let my guard down. That was why last night had been so completely exhilarating and out of the ordinary for me. I’d never just met a guy and gone home with him. I tended to overanalyze too much. But I guessed the alcohol had lowered my inhibitions, and the fact that I’d wanted to just go crazy hadn’t helped. For just once in my life.

And it had felt magical. Even the sparring with Xavier had elevated everything in my body. I had felt like I was soaring, and the sex had been amazing. I felt like a masochist because a part of me wished that I could have one more night with him—even though he had been a jackass.

“Here are your drinks, girls.” Sebastian walked over to us with a huge grin. “I was scared that you weren’t going to come back in.”

“We’re here.” Anna grabbed her drink and took a huge gulp. She shrugged at me as she saw my look. The ‘no alcohol policy’ was definitely out for her today!

“Thanks, Sebastian.” I gave him a grateful smile, and he nodded his head briefly.

His odd little mannerisms were so noticeable that I wanted to ask him about them, but I figured that maybe that was how Europeans were brought up. He was a lot more polite than any guys I knew back home in the States. Shit, he could give lessons on how to treat a lady—lessons Xavier needed to sign up for.

“So do you?” Sebastian interrupted my thoughts and I looked up at him guiltily, annoyed that I was still thinking of the asshole.

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.” I made a face and looked around the restaurant lounge we were in. “It’s so noisy in here.”

“No apologies needed.” He bowed his head again and nodded towards the group table. “Shall we make our way back? I think Henrietta wants to make some announcements.”

“Oh, we can’t miss those.” Anna grinned and winked at me.

We walked back over to the table and sat down. I sat next to a girl I hadn’t met yet, Sebastian sat next to me, and Anna sat next to Sebastian. I heard him whisper something to her and she laughed. I smiled to myself as I noticed Jason staring at the two of them. Typical man! Always desiring a woman he thinks someone else likes.

“Okay, great. I think we have everyone here now,” Henrietta said loudly from her position at the end of the table. “Can everyone hear me?”

“No!” a bunch of drunk girls and Jason screamed out, and Henrietta smiled.

“Okay, let’s get started. Welcome to what is going to be the best six months of your life.” Henrietta looked around the table and made eye contact with all of us. “I want everyone at this table to get to know each other tonight. Many of you will be in classes together. Some of you may even sleep together.”

“What?” Anna gasped and looked at me with a shocked expression.

“Ignore her.” Sebastian laughed. “The English can be very blunt in their humor.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Where are you from then, Sebastian?” I asked him curiously, but Henrietta gave us a look before he could answer.

“Now, I want us to go around the table and introduce ourselves.”

“Boring!” Jason cried out and the girls next to him nodded in agreement.

It seemed as if Jason was going to be the big man of the group. I wasn’t sure why all the girls were flocking to him. Granted, he was blond and had the surfer look going on. But he also seemed like a big doofus, unlike Sebastian, who was handsome and polite. I couldn’t understand why more girls weren’t trying to flirt with him. I would be all over him if I weren’t still thinking about Xavier.

“Fine, fine. But I want to let everyone know we have a very special member in the group this year. In fact, I think you should all know that...”

“Hey, Henrietta. Why don’t we all just eat and drink and be merry?” Sebastian spoke up this time, and I looked at him in surprise. His voice sounded calm, but there was a hint of aggression there as well.

“But Sebastian, your brother will—”

“Henrietta.” He said her name firmly, and she shrugged before looking around the table with a tight smile.

“Well, that’s it for tonight, folks. Don’t forget, classes start bright and early on Monday morning. Your professors will not be impressed if you are late.”

“I can’t believe that classes are starting already,” Anna groaned and then froze as she saw Jason walking towards us. I gave her a bright smile as if to say, “I told you not to freak out already.”

“Hey, Lola.” He stopped in front of me and flashed his brilliant white teeth. “I was thinking we should be study partners.”

“Huh?” My jaw fell open in shock at his words. I also felt my skin burning up as I felt at least four girls, including Anna, staring at me in jealousy.

“You seem like a bright girl, and I’m going to need someone to go to museums with.” He leaned in closer to me. “Plus, you’re the only one who hasn’t mentioned my Australian accent tonight. I don’t want this year to revolve around my being from Oz. It’s not that exciting. I’m just—”

“Fine, fine, fine.” I nodded and stood up. “Sounds good. I’m sure Anna would love to join us.”

“I don’t know.” She made a face, and I could tell she was upset.

“The more the merrier, right?” Jason shrugged and grinned at Anna. “Maybe we can smoke out while we study.”

“Yeah, that would be cool.” She grinned up at him, and I felt my stomach settle down. Thank God. The last thing I needed was for Anna’s crush to have a crush on me.

* * *

His View

The rest of the weekend seemed to drag on. All I could think about was Lola and the distraught look on her face as she’d fled the hotel room. I felt uncomfortable inside. It wasn’t a feeling I appreciated. I went home and started preparing for the next week by looking at the applications I’d received for my assistant position. My mood changed as I read the applications again. Lola’s name stood out bright and shining. It had to be my Lola.  I had another chance with her. I needed to have one more night with her. And the next time I was going to get her out of my system. I smiled to myself as I thought about having her in my bed again. Maybe I’d give her a couple of days to rock my world this time.

Chapter 6

“Catch you for lunch?” Anna made a face as we paused outside the door to my class. “I better go or I’ll be late.”

“Sounds good.” I smiled. “Have a great day.”

“You too.” I watched her hurry off and breathed a sigh of relief.

We were finally back on the right track. I knew as soon as Jason had come up to me at the restaurant that we were going to have trouble. Even though Anna and I were best friends, she was still ridiculously insecure and slightly envious of me. I understood why, but it still hurt me whenever she started ignoring me because guys paid more attention to me than her. And it wasn’t that I was so much more gorgeous than she was. In fact, I thought that Anna was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever known, with her long black hair and intelligent hazel eyes. I felt very boring with my light brown hair and brown eyes. I was of average height and build, and I knew that Anna was slightly self-conscious because she had recently lost a lot of weight.

I slowly walked into the classroom, wanting to take in my surroundings. Everything was so different in London. The building itself was supposedly an old residence of some Lord and everything seemed so grand.

“Lola,” a voice called out to me, and I looked up and saw Sebastian grinning at me.

I walked over to him slowly but quite happily. He looked even more handsome than I had remembered. His green eyes shone at me like emeralds, and he was wearing a plaid shirt that seemed to emphasize the slight twinkles of brown.

“How are you?” He stood up as I reached his seat and pointed to the seat next to him. “Please.”

“Thanks.” I sat down and unbuttoned my jacket. “I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m tired.” He yawned slightly. “Excuse me. I was up all night going through the textbook.”

“Not the entire textbook?” I looked at him in amazement. He didn’t look like he was a nerd.

“My brother will expect no less of me,” he sighed. “And some of these paintings I should know already.”

“Oh, have you taken the class already?”

“No, we own some of them. Well, I don’t own any of them, but my family does.”

“Your family owns some of them?” I grinned at him. “What do you mean? Like prints?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I mean we have some Cezannes and Monets in our dining room.”

“Dining room?” My eyes widened. “You have world-class paintings in your dining room?”

“Well, really it’s the great hall, not the dining room.” He laughed. “And so I should really be top of this class. I’m sure I’m the only one who has grown up with art in their homes to this extent.”

“Hey,” I chided him, “we have some great paintings of dogs playing poker in my house.”

“Well now, I correct myself.” He smiled back at me. “You shall have to tell my brother that you also are an art connoisseur.”

“Your brother? He’s not going to be checking up with you after the class, is he?”

“No, not after the class.” He laughed. “My brother teaches the class.”

“Oh good God. That’s awful.” I rubbed his shoulder lightly. “I’m sorry about that.”

“What can I say?” He leaned towards me and looked directly into my eyes. “It’s not going to be the most fun of classes for me.”

“I bet.” I swallowed hard as I stared at him. He was so good-looking and there was something so familiar about his features. When I looked at him, I felt like I was connecting with someone wise. I didn’t feel a sexual chemistry with him exactly, but there was something about him that intrigued me greatly.

“But such is life. No one ever said it was going to be fun.”

“That’s true.” I nodded in agreement. “That is very true.”

“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to my art history class,” a loud accented voice called out, and I felt each individual hair on my back stand up. “I hope you are all ready for a term of surprises.”

I slowly turned to the front of the class and froze as I saw who the professor was. “Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath, waiting for him to recognize me.

“I am your professor. You may call me Xavier.”

He looked around the room, and I knew the moment that he saw me. His eyes dilated and I saw a flash of shock before it disappeared and he continued surveying the class. He then looked back at me and his eyes narrowed as he saw that I was sitting next to Sebastian.

“Fuck,” I mumbled again as I realized that Sebastian was his brother.

“You okay?” Sebastian whispered at me, and I nodded quickly and gave him a quick smile, hoping that my face hadn’t turned red.

“Let’s get started.” Xavier placed his laptop on the table and stood in the middle of the room. “Prostitutes. Yes, let’s start with prostitutes.”

My face burned a deep red as his eyes met mine and he gave me a cruel little smile. I wasn’t sure where he was going with his conversation, but I was scared.

“What is a prostitute?” his voice boomed, and I felt like everyone was staring at me. “Anyone?”

“A girl who sleeps with men for money,” a boy at the back of the class shouted out.

“But why does she sleep with a man for money?” he responded.

“Because she’s a whore,” the boy responded back and the class laughed.

“How do we know someone is a prostitute?”

A girl near the front spoke up timidly. “She stands on street corners.”

“Yes, some stand on street corners. But what about a woman on a corner symbolizes her as a prostitute?”

“Her clothing,” the guy at the back called out. “Whores usually dress like sluts.”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” a girl in front of me responded. “You can’t call a woman a slut because of her attire.”

“What do you think?” Xavier looked directly at me, and I stared back at him with a blank expression, not speaking. “No opinion?” he continued while staring at me. I shook my head slowly, and he looked at me in disappointment. “Folks, you cannot be shy in here if you wish to pass this class.” He looked away from me, and I looked down at the desk, my face burning in shame and embarrassment.

“Don’t let him get to you,” Sebastian whispered to me. “I told you he’s an asshole.”

“Thanks,” I whispered back, starting to feel annoyed. Who did Xavier think he was?

“I’m sure many of you are wondering why we are talking of prostitutes.” Xavier walked back to the desk at the front of the class. “And I will explain. As most of you know, we are studying Impressionism in this class. The era in art that transformed people’s opinions about the woman’s body as a whole. As most of you should know, Neoclassicism was popular in the second half the nineteenth century. This art was more solemn, classical, and it referred back to the Grecian way of life. The lines were severe, noble, stark, and precise. That is what artists and purveyors were used to, and then along came some upstarts with a new way of painting and portraying the beauty they saw around them. Can anyone name any of the forefathers of Impressionism?”

I stuck my hand up, not wanting him to think he could railroad me.

“Yes, you. What’s your name?” he sneered at me, and I felt my blood boiling over. What was his problem? Did he want everyone to know that we had a history?

“Lola. My name is Lola.”

“Were your parents fans of Nabokov?” he asked lightly.

“I’m not sure who that is.”

“Come now. You do not know who Vladimir Nabokov is?”

“No, Professor, I do not.”

“I said you can call me Xavier.” He bowed slightly. “In this class, there is no distinction between student and teacher. We shall all learn from one another. We are all adults, yes?”

“Can I answer the question now?” I spat out, knowing that I was sounding bitchy.

I could see some of the other students looking at me, wondering why I was being so rude. Especially to him. It hadn’t escaped my notice that several of the female students had brushed their fingers through their hair and even reapplied lipstick. Xavier looked handsomer than I remembered, with his dazzlingly sharp green eyes and jet-black hair. He stood tall and confident in his manhood and sexiness. I knew that several of the girls were swallowing hard and trying to ignore the buzz of lust that emanated when they stared at him. I knew that because I was one of them.

“You have not asked me the question yet.”

“What question?” I breathed, hoping he wasn’t going to turn out to be some crazy professor and publicly shame me.

“But, Lola, how quickly we forget?” He stared at me and licked his lips slowly. I watched the tip of his tongue and shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

“Who is Vladimir Nabokov then, Xavier?” Sebastian’s voice rang out next to me, and my heart sank as I realized that Xavier had been talking about the question he had asked me and not about our night of passion.

“You do not know, Sebastian?” Xavier tilted his head. “And before people ask questions—yes, Sebastian Van Romerius is my brother.”

“Unfortunately,” Sebastian spoke up and the class laughed—me included.

Xavier stared at me with narrowed eyes as I laughed, and I made sure to laugh loudly as I defiantly looked back at him.

“Lolita, seducer, nymph, whisperer of men’s fantasies, forbidden love, dark love, taboo.” Xavier’s voice boomed as he spoke, and I felt my skin going cold as I avoided his glance. “That is what Vladimir Nabokov wrote about when he wrote Lolita. But this is not a literature class.” He smiled widely as he laughed gently. “I do suggest to everyone to read the book, though. It’s a great piece of literature. But let us continue with the class. Lolita, you may answer the question now.” He grinned at me, and my face flushed.

“It’s Lola, not Lolita.”

“Ah, my dear, my apologies. I got caught up in the moment. Something I’m sure you know about?”

“Manet, Monet, Cezanne, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro. They are all Impressionist painters.” I ignored his earlier comment. “I can tell you some more if you want.”

“No, no.” His eyes flashed with something akin to respect. “I see you know your Impressionist painters. Good, good.” He turned away and turned on the projector at the front of the class, and all I could think about was what a patronizing jerk he was. He walked over to the wall and turned the lights off.

“Spooky,” someone called out when as the room went extremely dark right before the projector lights came on. An image of a painting was now on the front wall.

“Does anyone know the name of this painting or its significance to our conversation?”

“The lady in the painting is a ho,” a voice called out.

“Why do you say that?” Xavier responded back.

“She’s sitting there naked with two men.”

“If there had been one man, would she still be a whore?”

“Yes. She’s naked.”

“So then we equate nakedness with whores?”

“She’s naked in public.”

“So a woman who is naked in public is a whore? How many people agree with that?”

Several hands shot up, but I kept my arms at my side, not sure why we were talking about whores in an art history class.

“I see. What if she had been naked inside a hotel room?” He looked around the room. “With one man. But she didn’t know him. What would you think?”

“I’d want to know if she was hot and how much she costs” Jason called out, and a gaggle of girls around him laughed.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes, I wasn’t sure why Anna always seemed to be interested in the worst guys. Not that I had a better track record. Shit, the last guy I had slept with was in the front of the class about to publicly out me for something that wasn’t even true.

“Would you pay?” Xavier’s tone grew serious. “What would that make you if you were paying for sex?”

“A man who doesn’t want to be bothered with a girlfriend but still wants to get laid,” the kid retorted, and Xavier laughed.

“Touché.” He sat on the desk, stretched his long legs out, and looked out at all of us students.

Everyone in the room was staring at him in amazement. He certainly knew how to draw attention to himself. The only two people who didn’t seem completely captivated by him were Sebastian and myself.

“Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe, originally titled Le Bain, is considered one of Manet’s most shocking pieces of art or, I should say, it was considered a shocking piece of art when he exhibited it in 1863.” He pointed towards the screen at the back. “Can you imagine living in the 1800s and seeing this? The shock value of a nude woman sitting casually and lunching with two men was too much for many at the time, and it was rejected by the Salon jury, a rejection that Manet used to his advantage.”

I leaned forward, mesmerized by Xavier’s voice and obvious intellect when it came to art. When he spoke, the painting behind him seemed to come alive. I felt my body humming with excitement. This was why I had come to London—this feeling of really learning and being around others who loved art as much as I did. Even if the professor was someone I had never wanted to see again.

“‘Le dejeuner sur l’herbe’ means ‘the luncheon on the grass,’ so you can see that the title of the painting is quite literal.”

“So she’s not a ho?” the guy at the back of the class called out again, and everyone, including Xavier, laughed.

“But what is a whore?” Xavier smiled. “Many believe the park depicted in the painting is the Bois de Boulogne, a large park in the western outskirts of gay Paris. A park that is well known for illicit sex and prostitution.” His tongue darted out of his mouth again and he looked at me. “So what is to be believed? Is she a whore or is she not?”

“Why do we think she’s a whore?” I shouted out. “Why are we judging her when we don’t even know her?”

“She’s naked,” someone cried out. “She wants to get some.”

“Maybe she is just comfortable with her body, with her femininity. Why should she be ashamed of that? Even if she wanted to have sex with one or both of the guys, why would that make her a whore? Don’t guys do that all the time? If it were a naked guy with two girls, no one would be calling him a gigolo.” I huffed out.

“Such a visceral reaction, Lola.” Xavier’s expression changed to one of humor. “You talk as if you know the lady in the painting. You defend her as if she were family.”

“Maybe Lola just wants to have a threesome,” Justin called out and laughed.

I stared at him with disgust. “I don’t want to have a threesome, not that it’s any of your business. But look at the painting carefully. Her pose isn’t provocative. The men don’t look aroused or in lust. They all look as if they are they’re just enjoying a picnic and she just happens to be naked. She is beautiful and unashamed.”

Xavier nodded and then started talking. “She is so unashamed that she stares at the viewer as if to say, ‘And? And so what of my nakedness?’ But for many, it was not just the subject matter that turned them off of the painting. It was also the technique that Manet used. A technique that differed from the customary Neoclassicist lines. A technique that other artists admired. And Manet became their leader and carried them through the Impressionist revolution.”

“So Impressionism means that whores are no longer whores in paintings?” the boy at the back of the class called out again, and I could feel myself growing annoyed with him.

“Impressionism means that not only did we see a shift in the art that was created, we also saw a shift in the way we saw the world. Art is not just something to admire. It is something to breathe and learn from. It is our history and our future. It is our very essence captured and contained for the world and our ancestors to see.” Xavier’s eyes closed as his words flowed easily like a fine wine down the throat.

“As you can tell, he’s really into art,” Sebastian whispered to me.

“Yeah, he seems to be really into art.” I smiled back at him, noticing now that they did have the same green eyes, though Sebastian’s were open and happy while Xavier’s were closed off and full of distrust.

“Class, today I want you to think about what art means to you, what it has taught you. I want you all to present and talk about your favorite piece of art tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be Impressionist. Tomorrow, I want us all to get to know each other.” He smiled. “And now, you may go. This is the only day you will get to leave early.”

Students jumped up eagerly, and I saw one boy leaving the room before Xavier had even finished talking.

Sebastian packed up his things and looked down at me. “What are you up to now, Lola?”

“I’m probably going to go to the library.” I shrugged. “I’m meeting Anna for lunch so I need to stay around the building.”

“Perhaps we can go and get a coffee?”

“That sounds like it would be very nice.” I nodded at him.

“What would be very nice?” Xavier’s voice was right next to my ear, and I shivered.

“Lola and I are going to go for a coffee,” Sebastian said, answering his brother. “And how are you today, Xavier?”

“Fine.” His tone was clipped. “I’m afraid coffee is out. I need to talk to Lola.”

“About what?” I looked up at him finally, and his green eyes were full of mystery, revealing nothing to me about what he was feeling.

“You inquired about an assistant position?”

“I did?” I shook my head at him in denial. “I think you have the wrong person.”

“The admissions department forwarded me a list of names of students who were interested in becoming assistants to help save on tuition.”

“Oh, yeah.” I bit my lower lip as I remembered. “What about it?”

“I want to talk to you about becoming my assistant. See if you are suitable.”

“Suitable?” I made a face at him, and I saw Sebastian rolling his eyes.

“Yes, suitable.”

“Do you want to interview me or something?”

“Yes.” He stepped back. “I will be waiting.” He walked back to the front of the class, and Sebastian laughed.

“Sorry. He doesn’t really have a way with people.”

“You can say that again.”

“It’s what comes of having everything handed to you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” he laughed. “Though I can’t really talk.”

“I guess you are brothers.” I stood up and grabbed my bag. “I guess I better go before he threatens to fail me already or something.”

“Don’t worry too much. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His bark is worse than his bite.”

“If you say so.”

“Trust me. He is very smooth. He wouldn’t get half the women he does if he didn’t know when to pour on the charm.”

“Oh, he has a lot of women?” A surge of disappointment ran through me and I wanted to slap myself.

“It depends what you call a lot.” He laughed heartily. “Let’s just say that our mother is very worried that he will never get married and produce an heir to carry on the family name.”

“Oh.” That’s weird, I wanted to say, but I kept my mouth shut. Who was I to talk about crazy families? Maybe they were from a family or country where it was important to have people carry on their names. Maybe they were still stuck in the olden days? It did seem like they were rich if Sebastian had grown up with masterpieces in his home.

“But I will see you tomorrow, yes? I will save you a seat.”

“You’re not English or French, are you?” I blurted out.

“How did you guess?” His eyes twinkled at me as we walked to the front of the class.

“I think I kind of knew when we met the other night. Your mannerisms and your speech ... There’s just something a bit different.”

“You’re correct, of course. I did go to school here, but I still carry the tint of accent from my country.” I wondered if he remembered telling me that the other night and I cringed at how obvious I was being.

“What is the name of your country?”

“Sebastian, don’t you have things to be getting on with?” Xavier walked up to us and gave his brother a look. “Mother would be disappointed to know that you aren’t concentrating one hundred percent on your studies.”

“I’m just talking to a new friend, Xavier. It’s allowed, you know.”

“Maybe you should think about what is best for your country and not what is best for your bed, dear brother.”

“Xavier!” Sebastian’s voice was outraged, and I felt my heart sink into my stomach. This was it. Xavier was going to tell his brother that he knew me and then Sebastian was going to look at me in distaste.

“Run along, Sebastian. I don’t have all day and I do believe that Lola would like to get this interview out of the way as well.”

“Good luck, Lola. I apologize for my brother. This is his first time as a professor. I think he’s letting it go to his head.”

“That’s okay.” I smiled at him warmly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.” He smiled at me one last time before glaring at his brother and walking out of the room.

I stood there watching him and didn’t stop staring at the door, even after he had walked through it. I felt my heart rate increasing rapidly as I stood there waiting for Xavier to say something. But he remained as silent as I did. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer and turned to look at him. He was watching me with hawk eyes and pursed lips.

“What’s your problem?” I couldn’t resist saying the words that were in my mind. “You’re such an asshole. Do you know that?” I glared at him and noticed his lips twitching. “Are you going to answer me or not?”

“What do you want me to say, Lolita?” he finally spoke and raised an eyebrow at me. My stomach did flip-flops as I stared at him, unable to forget and ignore how attracted I was to him.

“My name is Lola, not Lolita.”

“And I suppose you’re going to tell me you’re not a prostitute either?”

“You’re a fucking asshole.” I grabbed my bag. “I’m out of here.”

“Running away again?” His voice was tight as he grabbed my shoulders to stop me.

“Don’t touch me.” I shook him off me, ignoring the tingles that ran through my body.

“Leave my brother alone.”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s young and impressionable, and I won’t let a gold-digger get her hooks into him.”

“A gold-digger?” My mouth fell open in shock. “Are you joking? You’re really going to stand there and start insulting me again?”

“I’m not insulting you. I’m just letting you know that I have your number.”

“You have my number?” I repeated, dumbfounded.

“I know what sort of girl you are, Lola Franklin,” he sneered, and he moved his face closer to mine. “I’ve got your number all right.”

“There is no way in hell I’m staying around to listen to you insult me, Professor Van Romerius.” I quickly turned around again and walked towards the door.

“Wait.” His voice was commanding, and I stopped involuntarily, a part of me hoping that he was about to apologize.

“What?” I watched as he walked up to me casually. He looked like a lion about to attack his prey. I swallowed hard as I realized I was the prey.

“I just wanted to do this.”

He stopped in front of me, and before I knew what was happening, his lips were crushing down on mine and his hands were on my lower back, bringing me into him. My breasts crushed against his chest and I felt as if my soul were leaving my body as his tongue consumed me roughly, as his hands caressed my back. My hands found their way to his head and I ran my fingers through his silky tresses, allowing myself to forget how much I hated him as my hunger took over.

He tasted so goddamn delicious—even better than I had remembered. His lips were sweeter somehow, plump and sweet like ripe grapes. My brain was screaming at me to pull away, to stop his invasion of my mouth, but I couldn’t. My body didn’t want to run away from his touch, even though my mind did. But Xavier did it for me. He broke off the kiss slowly and pulled away from me. I waited for him to say something scathing, something that would make me hate him again, but instead he lightly touched my lips with his fingers and stared at me consideringly.

“You really shouldn’t let strange men kiss you.”

“I don’t think I let you. You didn’t really ask.”

“No. You are right. I didn’t.” He nodded slightly and a harried expression crossed his face. “I do suppose you are right.”

“You shouldn’t be kissing your students.” I started getting angry, wanting to show him that I had some power as well. “I’m sure it could get you fired.”

“Perhaps.” He nodded and the humor was back in his eyes. “But I’d rather kiss you than have you try to trap my brother.”

“How do you know I wouldn’t be trying to trap you?” I snapped, annoyed again.

“You could never trap me.” He laughed, a slow, long, dry laugh. But there was no humor in his eyes. “I’m older and smarter than Sebastian. That is why I need to protect him.”

“And when you fucked me the other day, who were you protecting then?” I tried to keep my voice strong as hurt course through me.

“I fucked you because I wanted to feel myself inside of your sweet body,” he murmurred as he looked me over slowly. “No other reason.”

Our eyes stayed locked for a few minutes as we just stood there staring at each other, and I felt my knees start to tremble. It was almost too much. He was too much.

“I’ll leave your class.” I took a step back.

“And go where?”

“I can join the literature program.” I swallowed. “My friend Anna is in it. She told me they need more people.”

“You didn’t even know who Nabokov is,” he sneered. “I don’t think the literature program will be a good fit for you.”

“I can’t stay in this class if you’re going to insult me.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. My brain was starting to get cloudy from being so close to him.

“I didn’t know I had insulted you.”

“What?” I looked at him in disbelief. “You’ve basically called me a whore and a gold-digger, and you don’t know that you’ve insulted me?”

“Your skin is too thin.”

“Can I go?” I sighed and waited for his response. I didn’t want to deal with him. I needed time to think.

“I haven’t interviewed you for the position as yet.”

“Forget it.” I shrugged. “I don’t want it anymore.”

“Come, now. Surely that’s not true.”

“I don’t want to work for or with you.”

“I should be hurt.” He laughed, but his eyes were blank. “But I’m not.”

“I’m sure you’re not.”

“You start tomorrow at eight.”

“What?” I frowned, wondering if I had heard correctly. “What do you mean?”

“Was I not clear? You should come to my office tomorrow at eight a.m.”

“You haven’t even interviewed me yet.”

“You were the only applicant, so you win.”

“I didn’t win anything. I told you, I don’t want the position.”

“Are you scared, little Lolita?”

“Scared of what?” I took another step back as he took a step forward. I couldn’t allow him to touch me again. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from responding if he touched me again.

“Scared because I know who you are.”

“I don’t know what you think you know.” I looked him in the eye. “And I’d never be scared of an asshole like you. I accept the position.”

“Good.” He smiled and walked back to his desk as if nothing had just happened. He picked up his briefcase and pulled out his cell phone. “What’s your phone number?”

“Why do you want my number?”

“So I can text you my address.”

“Why do I need your address?”

“Because that is where my office is.”

“What? It’s not here?”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s in Knightsbridge.”

“Can’t I just meet you here?”

“No.”

I frowned. “But why were you in a hotel the other night—”

“What is your number, Lola?” He cut me off and handed me his phone. “Input it here, I’ll text you my address, and I’ll expect you in the morning. Don’t be late.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” I mumbled as I put my number into his phone.

“No need to say anything.” He took the phone back from me and put it in his pocket.

“What am I going to be doing for you?”

“We’ll discuss it tomorrow.”

“Oh God, you don’t expect me to be your assistant-slash-lover, do you?” I blurted out. “I’ve read books about this, you know. Man in power hires poor, innocent girl to be his assistant, but really she’s his sex toy to have sex at his whim. Just because I slept with you once doesn’t mean you can bend me over a desk at your will. Contrary to what you may think, I’m not a slut and I can’t be bought.” I took a deep breath and continued, ignoring the sudden light shining in his eyes. “You’re my professor. You can’t do this. I can get you fired. This is sexual harassment.”

“See, Lola,” he spoke quietly, “this is why you shouldn’t study literature.”

“What?” I frowned at him. That was his response to my entire diatribe?

“What kind of books are you reading?” He laughed. “I’ve never heard of any great literature with the premise of ‘easy girl becomes sex slave to powerful man.’ Put down the Harlequins and learn about real life, Lola. I neither want nor need you to do any sexual favors for me.”

“I ...” I mumbled, flabbergasted at his words. “I don’t read Harlequins.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want you to go getting any dreams in your head about this situation. I know how you girls are. You will never have a relationship with me or my brother.” His eyes flashed at me. “And while I admit you were good for a night, I’ve no need to repeat it.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, Lolita.”

And with that, he sauntered out of the room, leaving me standing there, wondering what the hell was going on.

* * *

His View

I was excited for the first day of class. I wanted to see her face when she realized I was going to be her professor. Would her face go red? Would she run out of the room? Maybe she’d pull me out of the classroom and argue with me. Maybe I’d push her against the wall and lift her up and press myself into her, so she could feel how much I’d missed her.

“Don’t be crazy, Xavier,” I lectured myself. I knew I was treading in murky waters. Lola was going to be my student. I was her professor. It was already pretty scandalous that we’d slept together. I’d be crazy to sleep with her again as her professor—but then, I liked crazy. I had only taken this job as a favor to the president of the university. And it was a study abroad program. I was sure that the rules weren’t as strict about professors and students dating. And it wasn’t like I was in it for the dating part anyways.

* * *

I walked into the classroom and called out my name. I saw Lola right away. I felt my cock hardening as soon as I saw her. She looked at me in shock and I tried not to grin. Then I saw my brother, Sebastian whispering in my ear and I felt a jolt of jealousy. Had she already moved on? I frowned as I watched them together. Their body language indicated that they already had some sort of friendship. I was furious inside. I couldn’t believe that she had already found my brother. I had been sitting at home all weekend, excited about the possibility of seeing her again, but she had already moved on.

“Prostitutes,” I shouted out to the class. “Yes, let’s start with prostitutes.” I looked directly at Lola and watched as she squirmed in her seat. Her face was bright red and her eyes were furious as she looked at me. My heart thudded as we made eye contact. There was beauty in her anger. There was satisfaction in her anger. I wanted to make her feel it. I wanted to make her worry. I was pissed that she was so cozy with Sebastian. He was my brother and I loved him, but he was not going to take my Lola.

Class seemed to drag on and it was all I could do to not end it early. I wanted to pull her into my arms and ask her if she missed me. Instead, I told her I needed to talk to her about being my assistant. I needed a reason to talk to her that didn’t show her how eager I was to spend more one-on-one time with her. I was Xavier, Prince of Romerius. I could have any girl I wanted. I wasn’t sprung on her. Hell, no!

* * *

The fire was in Lola’s eyes as soon as she started talking to me. She was still angry at me and she was embarrassed. I saw her staring at my chest furtively and I knew that she was remembering that night. I couldn’t resist the slight tremble of her lips as they beckoned me and I grabbed her and kissed her hard. Her lips felt supple beneath mine and I knew that the beginning of our sexual journey together was about to start when I felt her fingers running through my hair. Her breasts were crushed up against my chest and I wanted to turn her around and bend her over. I was about to grab her ass, when I stopped. This wasn’t the way I wanted this to go down, so I pulled back from her and stopped the kiss. She looked bewildered and lost, and I smiled. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby.

Chapter 7

“I can’t believe they went out for dinner,” Anna whispered from her position on my bed.

“I know. I thought it would never happen,” I whispered back, laughing. I felt almost delirious that we had the house to ourselves for the evening.

“I didn’t think it would be like this,” Anna sighed.

“It was all we could afford,” I mumbled, and we both stared at each other for a few seconds before lying back on the bed.

Anna and I were renting rooms from a family in an area called Streatham. It had been the only affordable option for us when we had decided to come and study abroad, but it certainly was a different experience.

“Why couldn’t we have been rich?” She turned and looked at me. “If Phillipa comes and asks me if I want to play tea party again, I may scream.”

“At least she doesn’t come and sleep in your room like Allison does,” I groaned, thinking of the little girl who spent as much time in my room as she did in hers.

“At least you didn’t find her lying on your bed, picking her nose.”

“You did not? Ewww,” I moaned in sympathy.

“It’s not the European experience I was looking forward to.” She laughed. “If I wanted someone else’s bodily waste in my bed, it certainly wouldn’t be a little girl’s bogeys.”

“Anna!”

“Well, you know.” She jumped off of the bed. “I want to be woken up by a guy who can’t keep his hands off me, not by someone’s mom screaming at them to get up for school.”

“We should say something.” I yawned. “I can’t deal with being woken up every morning like that.”

“If you want to say something—”Anna made a face “—please feel free.” She laughed and walked to the door. “I’m going to take advantage of the fact that we have the house to ourselves right now.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I smiled at her and grabbed my journal from the nightstand.

“You want to watch TV?” Anna stopped at my door. “Come Dine With Me is on tonight.”

I looked up from my journal. “I thought that was on Friday nights?”

“Oh, yeah. Maybe there will be some repeats on.”

“I think I’ll skip TV tonight.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead.

“You can’t let him do this to you, Lola.” Anna walked back into the room and climbed onto the bed next to me. “He’s using his power to control you. Go to the dean or complain to Henrietta. She’ll know what to do.”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to do that. Henrietta seems like she’s enamored with him.”

“Look. You had a one-night stand. It’s not illegal. It’s not right for him to talk to you like that.” Anna’s voice was passionate and loud. “Tell him to stuff his assistantship and to take it up with the school administration if he has a problem.”

“It’s not that easy.” I looked away from her, and I knew from her groan that she understood why.

“Oh, God, Lola. You don’t like him, do you?”

“No, I don’t like him.” My voice rose. “He’s a pompous asshole.”

“But?”

“Oh, Anna, I don’t know what it is, but when he looks at me, I feel like my insides are burning up and I’m going to catch on fire.”

“He was that good, huh?”

“It’s not that he’s hot. Or that he was good in bed. He’s just ... Oh, I don’t know how to explain it. He excites every part of me.”

“That’s called lust, Lola. And he’s your professor.” Anna made a face. “You could get into trouble.”

“He doesn’t seem concerned.” I shrugged.

“That’s even scarier. Why doesn’t he care?” She looked thoughtful. “We should ask Sebastian what his story is.”

“I’m not asking him about his brother. What if he asks why?” I shook my head. “No way do I want him knowing I slept with his brother.”

“Do you think he’s going to try and use his position to get you to do things?”

“Oh, Anna.” I laughed slightly, though I wasn’t really amused. “He wouldn’t have to use his position to get me to do anything. I can’t help myself when I’m around him. He’s so hot.”

“So just go for him, then.” She grinned wickedly at me. “Have a torrid affair with him.”

“He’s also an asshole.” I shook my head. “Not that makes much of a difference because it’s not really up to me. But he doesn’t want me anyways, and even if he did, it would only be for sex, because I can’t stand him.”

“You don’t like anything about him?”

“Well, he does seem intelligent and he does like art.” I sighed. “But let’s just say he’s no Prince Charming.”

“Oh, you’re still waiting for him, huh?” Anna smiled at me gently. She knew that all my life I had had a list of qualities I wanted in a man. In the man—the man who would become my Prince Charming. “He called a few hours ago. His horse broke down in the West End.”

“Tell him to hop on another horse then.” I laughed. “Tell him to forget the gentle white steed. He needs a stallion.”

“Yup. Let me call him now.” Anna grabbed my phone and pretended to make a call. “Hello, hello? Is that you, Prince Charming? Lola’s best friend Anna here. She’s waiting on you to arrive. And I’m waiting on your even handsomer cousin, Prince Even More Charming. We wanted to tell you both to get your asses off the slow white steeds and trade them in for some stallions. And don’t trot over to us. Please gallop. Crack that whip and gallop.” Anna’s voice rose dramatically as she got into the scene, and I started giggling. “We’re waiting here, kind of impatiently. My top’s about to fall off and Lola’s already on the bed waiting to welcome you.”

“I’m here! I’m here!” I fanned myself as I lay back. “Please hurry.”

“There.” Anna giggled as well. “That should do it. Both Prince Charmings should be on the way now.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“Do you think you’ll sleep with him again?” Anna blurted out, and I rolled my eyes.

“No way.”

“Are you excited for tomorrow?”

“No,” I lied.

“I can’t believe he lives in Knightsbridge. He must be rich.”

I shrugged. “I suppose.”

“I wonder if Sebastian lives with him?”

“God, I hope not.” I shuddered at the thought. “I can’t even believe that they are brothers. Sebastian is so sweet and polite, but Xavier is so rude and hateful.”

“Date Sebastian then.” Anna grinned. “That would show him. Imagine him telling you to stay away.”

“I suppose he doesn’t think I’m good enough.”

“Because you’re American?”

“No, because he thinks I’m a slut.” I stood up and stretched, letting my journal to fall to my bed. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about him anymore. Let’s go watch TV?”

“You done writing for the night?”

“No, but I’ll finish before bed.”

“I can’t believe you’ve kept up journaling all these years.” Anna linked her arm through mine as we walked to the living room in house we were living in in Streatham. It wasn’t the most fun living with a family, but we made do.

“It helps me to process my thoughts.”

We sat on the couch, and Anna turned the TV on. I looked around the room and smiled when I looked at the radiator in the corner, and it hit me once again that we were in London.

“OMG, Anna, can you believe it? We’re finally here.”

“It’s like a dream, isn’t it?” She sat back and pulled a blanket over her legs. “I do have to admit that I miss the Florida weather, but there’s nothing like being in London in the fall.”

“I know. This is so different from Palm Bay.”

“And Orlando.”

“Definitely.”

We both laughed, but then silence befell us both as we thought about what we had left behind. It was true that it had been both of our dreams to study in London—really, anywhere in Europe. We’d always wanted to explore the world, but neither of us had ever had the money. We didn’t really have it now either, but loans were our saving grace. That was why I’d applied for the assistant position.

Anna finally spoke up. “I wonder how my mom is.”

“We should get a phone card tomorrow and call.”

“Yeah.”

“How are you?” I squeezed her leg and gave her a look of concern.

“As good as I can be.” She shrugged and looked at the screen. “Now let’s see what’s on.”

“Okay.” I sat back, unsure of what to say next, so I didn’t say anything.

Anna’s father had recently lost his job and her parents were worried that they were going to lose their house. The stress had been really hard on Anna, and she had been working two jobs as well as going to school to help save the house. It had been a hard decision for her to come here, but her parents had been supportive of her coming over here with me. They knew how much she needed a break from all of the stress.

* * *

The next morning, I rang the doorbell with my heart in my mouth. I didn’t want to see Xavier again—or rather, I didn’t want to hear his insults.

“Good morning, Lola.” He opened the door and ushered me in with a gracious smile.

I looked at him in confusion. What was going on here? Why was he being nice?

“Morning, Xavier,” I replied slowly and uncertainly.

I looked around the entryway as I walked in, taking in his house with extreme curiosity. It wasn’t as I’d expected it to be. It seemed homey, with the small wooden console to the right and a coat stand next to it. There were letters on the console and some newspapers, all in a mess.

“Excuse the mess.” Xavier smiled as he noticed that I was looking at the console.

“Maid off today?”

“I don’t have a maid.”

“Oh.” I was surprised again. “What about a housekeeper?”

“No housekeeper.” He ushered me to follow him down the hallway, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t peek into any of the rooms because the doors were shut.

“You look surprised?” He smiled at me and I nodded. “This is my home, and I prefer for it to be just me. I have enough people trying to take care of me back in my country. While I’m in London, I like to live like a normal person.”

“Uh, okay.” I tried not to laugh. I had no idea what he was talking about. Like a normal person? Wow. He really did think he was something, didn’t he?

“Thank you for being on time. I find many people your age don’t seem to know how to read a clock.”

“Yeah, well, it’s my first day. I didn’t want to be late.”

“You look very chirpy this morning.”

“Chirpy?” I couldn’t resist giving him a look.

“Chirpy. Fresh. Beautiful.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I looked down and blushed.

“And this is my office.” He paused outside of a room with an open door. “I hope you don’t mind, but we’ll be working in the same room.”

“That’s fine.” Why was he being so nice?

“Have a seat and tell me about yourself.”

“What?” I yawned. “Oh, sorry about that.”

His eyes narrowed as he surveyed my face. “Late night?”

“No, not really. Not any later than usual.”

“On a date?” he asked casually.

“No.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “Sebastian hasn’t asked me out as yet.”

“Funny.” He sat back in his chair and just studied my face. “You’re a very funny girl, Lolita.”

“Like I told you, it’s Lola, and I’m not going to be doing stand up anytime soon.”

“So you like my brother?”

“Is this really how we’re going to start? Is that any of your business?” I leaned forward and stared him directly in the eyes. “I’m here to be your assistant, not your patient.”

“I like my assistants to be my friends.”

“I don’t really see that in the cards.” I lifted my nose up in the air and looked down at him. “For one, you’re my professor, and for two, you’re a pompous ass.” I bit my lower lip as I realized what I had just said. Fuck, I was going to get fired.

“You’re still mad at me because we slept together.” He stood up and walked over to me. “Stand up.”

“Huh?”

“Stand up.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me up.

I stumbled slightly and fell against him. His arms held me against him for a few seconds before letting go of me.

“What are you doing?” I gasped as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

“You are annoyed and upset because we had sex and I’ve seen you naked. You do not know how to act now because you are immature and unsure.”

“Not at all.” I glared at him as my heart raced. I could see the hair on his chest as he kept on unbuttoning his shirt, and I felt heat rising up from my belly.

“Are you scared to see me naked?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t care,” I mumbled. Please dear God, do not take your shirt off. I’m not sure if I will be able to keep my hands off you.

“Liar,” he whispered. “You want me as badly as I want you.”

“You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” I muttered as he stepped towards me, and he paused at my words and laughed.

“I’m a wolf?” He looked at me and ran a finger down my cheek. “Why do you say that, Lola?”

“Because you’re crazy. I come here this morning and you’re sweet as can be, and now you’re trying to get into my pants. And I’ve only been here for a few minutes.”

“I wanted to make sure when I greeted you that you were comfortable. Once I saw you were comfortable, I decided to get everything out in the open.”

“Get what out into the open, Professor?”

His eyes narrowed at my words, and he stepped back. I watched as he slowly did his shirt up and he gave me a short smile. “As you wish. I will not bring it up again.”

“I’m not a prostitute, you know,” I muttered, slightly disappointed that he had retreated so quickly.

“Of course I know that.” He walked back to his desk and sat down. “You’re just a young girl sowing her oats.”

“I’m not sowing any oats.”

“You’re in the habit of one-night stands?”

“It’s not like that,” I mumbled under my breath. “It is what it is. I made a decision. We had sex. Neither of us complained. Let’s just move on.” It doesn’t matter that I think about you every night.

“You didn’t look like you had moved on in class yesterday.”

“Narcissus,” I said quietly.

“What?” He frowned and looked slightly off-kilter at my change of topic.

“Narcissus,” I said again. “It’s a painting by Caravaggio, done in 1597. It illustrates the Greek myth of Narcissus.”

“What’s the myth?” His eyes stared into mine with a challenge.

“Narcissus was a man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.” I paused and gave him a pointed look. “I think it’s a fitting painting for a narcissist.”

“Is that your favorite painting?”

“No. No, it’s not. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it was yours.”

“I see.” He gave me a wide smile and chuckled. “I suppose you bring up this painting to tell me that I am the only one who has been dwelling on our night together. Because I’m the best lover you’ve ever had.”

“Yes, you are dwelling on it,” I mumbled as my face flushed. “And you’re not the best lover I’ve ever had.”

“I don’t believe you. You cannot have forgotten how you cried out my name as our bodies exploded in passion together.”

“It’s like I said, Xavier, you’re a narcissist.”

“Max will be here in a few hours. Perhaps you would like to spend some quality time with him instead?” He sat back angrily.

“Who?”

“Tell me you haven’t forgotten the man you seduced at the museum already.”

“Oh, Max.” I sighed. “I didn’t seduce him at all. You know he was trying to hook up with Anna. Why do you keep trying to make it seem like I was the one who was going to hook up with him?”

“It took little for him to convince you to go back to the room. Just a few drinks, I believe.”

“Whatever, asshole.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to talk about this anymore. You know I only went to accompany Anna. I only had one drink that night.”

“Fine. What painting have you chosen to discuss in class today?”

“You’ll hear about it in class.”

“No, I’d like to hear now.”

“I’d rather discuss it in class.”

He changed the subject. “How are you finding London?”

I watched as he picked up a fountain pen and dipped it in an inkwell. I was surprised to see him with such an old-fashioned piece of writing equipment.

“It’s fine.”

“Everything you hoped it would be?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Is the Victoria and Albert Museum as you expected it?”

“Huh?” I looked at him in confusion. How did he know I’d been waiting my whole life to go there? For some reason, it had been a lifelong dream for me to peruse the exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert and the British Museums, but I’d never really told anyone that. Just Anna and my journal.

“You wrote about it in your application essay. You said it was a lifelong dream of yours to walk through the museums in Europe and that you were dying to see the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the—”

“Okay, okay. I remember,” I said, cutting him off. “I didn’t know you read the essays.”

“Of course. I read the essays of all the students who were interested in being my assistant.”

“But I thought I was the only one.” I frowned.

“So have you been?” He ignored my question and I shook my head. “Then we must go this afternoon.”

“We have class.”

“We shall go after class.”

“That’s okay. I can go by myself.”

“No, you cannot appreciate and delight in your first experience by yourself.” His words were soft, light, and lyrical. His words made me think of losing my virginity and not going to a museum.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.” I smiled at him weakly.

“No, we shall go together. I happen to know the curator. I can show you some paintings that you wouldn’t get to see if you went by yourself.”

“I don’t want to take up your time.”

“You won’t be. It will be my pleasure.” He gave me the same odd little bow that his brother had given me the other night. “Did you know that many of the royal families in Europe are connected through Queen Victoria?”

“No, I don’t really follow the Royal Family much. All I really know is that Prince William just got married and had a baby.”

“I thought Americans were obsessed with all things royal?”

“Not me.” I shrugged. “I have a life.”

“Touché, Lola. Touché.”

“Did you just learn that word or something? You’re really using it a lot.”

“Did I just learn it?” He cocked back his head and laughed. He laughed so hard that his eyes were wet as he looked at me with his crinkly smile. “I like you, Lola. I think we will be friends. Ah!” He held his hand up. “Do not tell me again that we cannot be friends. I think I’d like to prove you wrong.”

“Why?” I asked him softly, my head swirling in confusion. It was hard to keep up with Xavier. I didn’t understand him or who he was, and because I didn’t understand him, I also didn’t understand how I felt.

“Because, dear Lola—” he leaned towards me “—there are things I want to show you, to teach you.”

“Oh?” I breathed slowly, waiting for his kiss.

“Yes.” I could feel his breath against my lips, and then he pulled back with sparkling eyes. “I think you should visit the National Gallery first.” He grinned at the perplexed look on my face. “If you want to see Impressionist art, you must visit the National Gallery and not the Victoria and Albert.”

“What?” I blinked at him.

“The Victoria and Albert is a fine museum but not the best museum.” He grinned to himself. “There are many things I have to teach you.”

“You can teach me all of that as my professor.” I stepped back, slightly embarrassed. I hoped he didn’t realize that I thought he was going to teach me about sex.

“But it would mean so much more if I were your friend.” He stared at me for a second and I looked down, not sure what to say. I didn’t understand why he cared about being my friend—especially after he had been such a jerk when we had slept together.

“Do you have anything else you need me to do or can I go now?”

“There are many things I want you to do.” He grinned at me. “Though I suppose I don’t need you to do them.”

“Why are you flirting with me?” I frowned.

“What are you talking about?” He stared at me, unblinking.

“I, uh, thought you were flirting with me.”

“Lola, I was going to suggest you file some of my papers.” He pointed at his desk. “I would like you to start them at some point but was going to say I don’t need you to do it now.”

“Oh.” I made an embarrassed face. “Well, I feel dumb.”

“But you aren’t dumb, are you?” He cocked his head and observed my face. I blushed as he stared at me intently, but I held his gaze firmly.

“Why do I feel like you’re unsure of the answer?”

“What happened to my timid Lola?” He laughed. “You’re talking back to me again.”

“You don’t intimidate me, Xavier.” I tried to keep my voice calm though I was shaking inside. “I’m not some silly, dumb girl who’s captivated by your handsome face and position.”

“You’re not?” He looked at me in amusement.

“No, I’m not.”

“That’s a pity.”

“Is there anything else you want me to do?” I folded my arms.

“Kiss me.”

“What?” My mouth dropped open. “You want me to what?”

“I want you to kiss me,” he repeated slowly. “I want to feel your soft lips against mine. I want to taste your tongue on my tongue. I want to hear your small whimper as I bite your lower lip.”

“Are you crazy?” I stared at him with wide eyes.

“Are you mad?”

“No, I’m not.”

“No,” he laughed. “An English girl would say, ‘Are you mad?’ and not, ‘Are you crazy?’ I figured now that you are in London, you should learn the local ways.”

“You really are crazy, aren’t you?” I shook my head, and his eyes twinkled at me.

“Perhaps.” He grabbed my upper arms and pulled me towards him before lowering his head and leaning down. “Perhaps you make me mad,” he whispered against my lips before kissing me.

My knees buckled at the touch of him, and I reached up instinctively and grabbed ahold of his arms. His tongue sought entrance to my mouth, and my fingers ran up to feel his hair as he attempted to conquer my mouth. I groaned as his tongue gently ran along my lower lip before his teeth nibbled quickly. His hands ran up the back of my top and caressed my naked back. His hands were warm and soft and I melted against him.

His fingers ran to the front of my body and played with my belly button. A sensation of lust sprang straight down from my stomach, and I took a step forward. I felt intoxicated by his touch. His eyes glittered as I stared up at him, and I wanted to pull away from him. Only I couldn’t.

My body argued with my brain and won. I closed my eyes and ran my hands down his back to his ass, squeezing his firm butt and enjoying the stilling of his body as he waited to see where I was going to touch next. I ran my hands to the front of his pants, but then Xavier quickly stepped back from me.

“You’re trying to seduce me.”

“Who, me?” I smiled up at him sweetly. “Why would I do that?”

“You’re playing with me?” He glared at me, and I shrugged.

“Never.” I laughed lightly and ran a finger down the front of his pants, making sure to press down on his hardness. “Though it seems like you may need to do some playing with yourself before class.”

I heard his sharp intake of breath and turned around quickly. Score one for me, I thought to myself, even though I was trembling inside.

“I’m going now. I’ll see you in class.” I walked quickly out of the house, praying that he didn’t catch up with me and kiss me again. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk away if he made one more attempt at getting me into bed.

* * *

“Lola, you look divine this morning.”

“Hello to you too, Sebastian.” I laughed and sat next to him. “How are you?”

“Tired.” He yawned and ran his fingers over his eyes.

“Late night?”

“You could say that.” He pulled out his books. “Though I was glad to come to class today to see you.”

“Aren’t you sweet?” I giggled and sat back. “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

“What have you heard?”

He gave me a look, and I laughed. “Oh, Sebastian.”

“I love your accent. It’s so sexy. Reminds me of Charlie’s Angels.”

“Really? I didn’t think I had an accent. Not like you and English people.”

“I didn’t think I had an accent, either.” He laughed. “Though I do sound slightly English. People who know me can hear the Romerian in my voice as well.”

“Romerius?” I questioned, slightly confused.

“The country I come from is called Romerius.”

“Oh, I’ve—”

“Never heard of it,” Sebastian said, finishing my sentence. “Don’t worry. No one else has heard of it, either.”

“Sorry.”

“Oh, don’t be. The people of Romerius are happy to be unknown. The people of Monaco envy us slightly.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“Because they are inundated with tourists now.”

“But doesn’t tourism bring you money?”

“Money is so crass.” Sebastian made a face and I laughed inside. Only someone with money would think that needing money was crass.

I thought back to my student loans and other bills and knew that I wouldn’t turn up my nose at any job or endeavor that was going to bring me money. But then I suppose that was why I was working for his brother. If I had money, there was no way I would stay at a job that made me compromise my own feelings—no matter how hot I thought the guy was.

I changed the subject. “So did you do the homework?”

“Of course. Do you think I want the wrath of my brother?”

“I guess not.” A chill ran through me at his words. I had nearly forgotten that Sebastian and Xavier were brothers.

“What painting did you choose?”

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

“No fair.” He shook his head. “Tell me.”

“Nope.”

“Tell me.” He grinned and reached over to tickle me.

“No!” I squealed as his fingers reached under my arms and tickled me. “Stop.” I giggled as he continued and I tried to pull away. My hair fell in front of my eyes, and Sebastian gently pushed it away.

“You have beautiful eyes, Lola.” He smiled gently and my heart skipped a beat. Was he flirting with me?

“Good morning, class.” Xavier walked into the room, his voice booming. I looked up at him, and he was glaring at me. “I do hope that people remember this is a classroom, a place we come to learn, and not a brothel, a place you go to pick up a whore.”

He stared right at me, and I gasped, shocked at his words and the cold look in his eyes. What was his problem? Was he upset because I’d left him with a hard-on in his house? What had he expected to happen this morning?

“Looks like big bro’s in a great mood again this morning,” Sebastian sighed. “He needs to just get laid or something.”

“He’s single, right?” I mumbled, trying to pretend like I didn’t care.

“Well—” Sebastian started and then stopped as Xavier stared at us again.

“Today, class, we will all be sharing our favorite paintings. I hope everyone has come prepared to discuss their favorite painting.” Xavier’s voice was harsh, and I could tell that he was staring at me in anger.

“My favorite painting is Sunflowers by Van Gogh,” I whispered to Sebastian, avoiding Xavier’s stare.

“That’s so funny. That’s my favorite painting as well.” Sebastian grinned at me. “I guess we must be soul mates.”

“Haha.” I laughed and smiled at him widely. Take that, Xavier, I thought to myself.

“If the two of you are done, can we continue with the class?” Xavier glared up at us. “And, Lola, I need to speak to you after class.”

“Yes, sir.” I tried not to roll my eyes.

“Sorry.” Sebastian made a face, and I shrugged.

“It’s fine. He hates me.”

“He probably wants to tell you that you have bad taste in paintings.”

“Sebastian.” Xavier’s voice was loud, and the class went quiet. “Please have some respect for the rest of the class and keep quiet.”

“Yes, Professor Van Romerius.” He rolled his eyes and then looked at the front of the class. “Who told me to take a class where my brother was the professor?” he whispered, and then we both sat back and listened to the other students talk about their favorite paintings before class ended.

* * *

“Sebastian, I need to talk to Lola privately.” Xavier stared down at his younger brother as we made our way out of the room at the end of class.

I couldn’t stop myself from comparing them. They were both incredibly handsome, though there was something darker and more masculine about Xavier. He had more of a presence about him. I supposed it was what made him a man and Sebastian a boy. I shivered as I stared at his hands as he pointed them towards the door. I was reminded of his fingers on my skin, and I wanted to reach over and grab ahold of them. Something about Xavier brought out a primal urge in me that I couldn’t resist. If he told me to bend over the desk and pull my pants down, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to say no.

“I’ll see you later, Lola.” Sebastian walked over to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Bye, Sebastian.” I smiled at him and tried not to blush at his kiss. “See ya tomorrow or something.”

“Out. Now.” Xavier’s voice was hard, and we both watched as his brother exited the room. “You’re playing with fire.” He turned to look at me.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re playing with fire, Lola.” He stepped towards me. “Do you really think I’m going to be okay with you flirting with my brother?”

“What?” My voice grew louder, but inside I was smiling. Was he jealous?

“Stay away from Sebastian.” His eyes looked at me in distaste.

“Sorry. What?” The color left my face as I surveyed him.

“You are not the sort of girl he should be with.”

“Are you joking?” I blinked at him, trying not to lose it.

“I don’t joke, Lola.” He stepped closer towards me and I stepped back.

“You can’t tell me to not see Sebastian.”

“He’ll never commit to you.” He shook his head. “You will never be the girl for him—and not just because you have had sex with me.”

“How dare you bring that up!” I gasped.

“I know you haven’t told him.” His eyes glowered. “You haven’t told him that you’ve known his brother intimately, have you? You haven’t told him that I have possessed your body. That I’ve had you screaming out my name in ecstasy as I’ve brought you to climax after climax.”

I stared at him silently, refusing to acknowledge his words. I shouted inwardly at my body as my stomach did flip-flops and I felt a light pressure building up in my panties.

“You don’t really think he’d be happy being with you if he knew that you have slept with his brother.”

“I’m not going to tell him,” I whispered.

“Do you like him?” he growled, and his face was suddenly next to mine. “Do you want to be with him?”

“No.” I pushed him away from me. “I don’t want to be with him, and I don’t want to be with you either.”

“Liar,” he whispered next to my ear. He grabbed my hand and placed it on the front of his pants. “You feel this,” he whispered as he pressed my hand into his hardness. My fingers squeezed gently, and he groaned as he grew harder in my hand. “You want me as badly as I want you.”

“I don’t want to be with a jerk.” I shook my head. “Just because we slept together once doesn’t mean anything. You’re such an asshole.” I walked away from him and put my hand in my pocket. It felt empty without him filling my palm.

“Where are you going now?”

“To lunch.”

“I will take you.”

“I don’t want you to take me.”

“Why do you always resist me, Lola?”

“Why don’t you get the hint?”

“You’re trying to make me pay for that first night, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“The money was a joke.”

“Sure.” I rolled my eyes.

“It was in poor taste.” His eyes searched mine. “Can we not start over?”

“I don’t think we can.”

“You’re a hard woman to please.”

“I think most women would be hard to please after you’ve called them a slut and warned them to stay away from your brother.”

He changed the subject. “How old are you, Lola?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

“Of course,” he groaned.

“How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-eight.”

“Can I go now?”

He grabbed my hands. “Stop flirting with my brother!”

“Why?” I looked into his eyes with my heart all aflutter.

“He will never marry you. He’s betrothed to someone else.”

“Betrothed?” I repeated dumbly.

“As a prince in Romerius, he has certain expectations.”

“He’s a prince?” My jaw dropped and then my eyes narrowed. “So wait ... Are you a prince as well?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“And you’re betrothed as well?” My heart stopped for a second.

“I’m never getting married.” He laughed. “Not anytime soon.”

“I see.” I looked away from him.

“They call me the playboy prince.”

“Hence your weekends of fun.” I nodded in understanding.

“Exactly. One weekend, no strings.” His fingers ran to my face. “Though sometimes I make exceptions.”

“Exceptions?” I looked at him then as his finger ran along my lower lip.

“Sometimes I give certain women a second weekend.” He pushed his finger into my mouth. I bit down on it softly, sucking it instinctively. Our eyes stayed connected as I sucked, and then I realized where I was and who I was with and bit down hard. “What the—” he exclaimed and pulled his finger out of my mouth.

“Next time, I’d be more careful who you chose to proposition.” I tilted my head up at him. “You never know when it’s going to turn rough.”

“I wouldn’t mind it being rough with you.” He leaned towards me. “I can be very rough.”

“What?” My cheeks warmed up as he licked my lips.

“I can be so, so rough that I’ll have you crying and begging me for more at the same time.”

“You’re a pervert.” I caught his tongue between my lips and sucked on it for a few seconds.

“It turns you on, doesn’t it?” he whispered against my lips. “You want me to take you right now.”

I gazed up into his eyes and wanted to scream out, “Yes! Yes, I want you to take me!” but I didn’t. The part of me that was still offended and upset by his words was having none of it.

“No.” I took a step back. “It doesn’t.”

“Liar,” he whispered.

“Can I go now?” I turned around so he couldn’t see how much he was affecting me.

“We’re going to the museum, remember?” His tone changed. “You’ll enjoy it.”

“I’d rather go by myself.”

“But there’s no joy in going by yourself. I have to take you. I have to show you all the pieces you would miss.”

“You don’t know what I would miss,” I muttered, annoyed at how excited I felt at spending the afternoon with him.

“Come now, Lola. Let us call a truce for the afternoon.” He pulled me towards him again. “Can we not spend an afternoon together as two friends enjoying art?”

“Fine,” I sighed. “But if you call me a prostitute or warn me away from Sebastian again—”

“Let’s go.” He grabbed my hand. “No more idle talk.”

“You’re the one who ...” I started but closed my mouth as I realized there was no point in my going on about it. I was only going to make myself angry again, and frankly, I didn’t want to think about how rude he was.

I wanted to spend the afternoon learning about art from someone who knew a lot about the subject. It didn’t hurt that I still had the hots for him. I groaned inside as I realized that I still really liked him. I knew it was a mistake to go with him. I couldn’t see this going well for me. I was no match for Prince Xavier Van Romerius.

* * *

His View

Lola had more spunk than I thought, and she was smarter than most of the girls I normally dated. First, the narcissist comment had surprised me and impressed me. It wasn’t every day that someone was able to teach me something, especially when it came to art.

However, I’d been even more surprised when she’d told me I didn’t intimidate her. She was stronger and braver than I’d thought she was. She was going to make the chase a lot more interesting and a lot more fun. I hadn’t been lying when I’d told her that was making me mad. I was barely able to think about anything other than touching her. It aggravated me that she was making it so hard. Normally, women were all over me. Lola was different. I knew she wanted me, but she was also standoffish. However, she couldn’t fake her reactions when I touched her and kissed her. The way her body trembled against mine told me that she craved me as much as I craved her. Her body’s reaction to me told me all her secrets.

She was too young for me, of course. Twenty-one was too young to know the ways of the world. Especially my world. But I couldn’t stop myself from wanting her. As a prince I was used to getting what I wanted. And I wanted her. I wanted her to submit to me fully.

Chapter 8

“You don’t mind walking?” Xavier gave me a quick smile.

“I’m not a complete fatass,” I shot back at him, though I think my comment wasn’t as strong as it could have been since I was panting a little bit. It wasn’t that I was totally out of shape, but I wasn’t in the habit of walking for miles.

“Do you want us to catch a cab or stop for a minute?” Xavier looked at me in concern and I could feel my insides flip-flopping. Why did he have to have those gorgeous green eyes?

“No, I’m fine,” I sputtered, though my calves were begging me to answer differently.

“Let’s grab a coffee.” He gave me a smile. “I could do with some caffeine.”

“Well, if you need it.” I shrugged and said a silent prayer as we walked into the small coffee shop.

“Would you like one?” he questioned me and then frowned.

“I didn’t realize that would upset you ...” I questioned his frown. “Don’t stop on my account.”

“No, it’s not you.” He looked out the window and sighed. “I just saw someone.”

“Oh, an ex?” I ignored the jab of jealousy that hit me.

“No.” He laughed then. “Not an ex.”

“Max?” I questioned again. “Where is Max, by the way? I haven’t seen him.”

“He’s gone back to my country.”

“That’s quite literally your country isn’t, it?

“Please tell me you’re not impressed by the fact that I’m a prince.”

“Okay, I’m not impressed.” I grinned and he laughed. “I guess they’re making anyone a prince these days.”

“I guess they are.” He stared at me with amusement in his eyes. “See, you’re not having such a bad time, are you?”

“I can’t say there’s no place I’d rather be than here.”

“Don’t spoil the afternoon by being petulant.”

“Fancy word for a fancy man.” I rolled my eyes and he grabbed my hands.

“Don’t make me kiss you and teach you a lesson.”

“How can you teach me a lesson by kissing me?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’ll show you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine tenderly. I was surprised by the lightness of his touch and then by the warmth of his tongue as it entered my mouth. He took my tongue in his lips and sucked on it gently before deepening the kiss.  I felt my head growing light as his fingers played with my hair. I reached out to grab his shoulders, but he slowly withdrew from me. I sat there panting slightly and feeling dazed.

“Now you understand.” He grinned and pulled out his wallet. “What do you want to drink?”

“You can choose.” I blushed and looked away, not wanting him to see how right he was. I really didn’t want to like him. Everything about this situation screamed heartbreak waiting to happen.

“I guess I’ll get two lattes, then.”

“I wouldn’t say no to some shortbread cookies as well.” I grinned and he laughed. “What’s so funny?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I don’t meet many girls that ask for cookies.”

“Oh, what, they ask for cupcakes? Are cookies too expensive?”

“They ask for salads normally.” He winked and me and walked away as I blushed. I wanted to call out to him, What sort of dumbasses are you dating that ask for salads at a coffee shop? but decided to keep my mouth shut. No point getting into a sparring match with him. I was pretty sure I’d lose.

* * *

“Thanks for the coffee.” I smiled at Xavier as we left the coffee shop. “It was good.”

“Do you feel like you have more energy now?”

“Oh, yes.” I lied, then yawned.

“Oh, Lola.” He grinned. “I guess the caffeine content wasn’t high enough for you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Why not?” His eyes narrowed.

“You know.”  I shrugged, not wanting him to know I’d been thinking of him all night.

“Did you have a date?” His voice grew hostile. “Were you in—”

“I didn’t have a date.” I cut him off. “Not that I couldn’t have if I wanted.”

“I told you my brother is not—”

“Oh, shut up, Xavier.” I sighed. “If I hang out with Sebastian, that’s between us. I’m fed up of hearing you try and warn me off every other day. It’s annoying.”

“I’m just trying to help ...” he began, and I could see from his expression that he was disgruntled.

“Don’t try to help me outside of class, Professor. It’s not wanted or needed. And it’s definitely not appreciated.”

“You’re not so timid anymore.” His lips twitched as he stared at my heated face.

“I was never timid.” I glared at him.

“That’s true.” He paused and licked his lips slowly. “You do like to give as good as you get, don’t you?”

“It’s not hard when it’s not very good.” I smiled at him sweetly and his eyes narrowed.

“Are you trying to rile me up, Lola? Do you want me to prove to you how good I am?”

“I don’t have all year.” I replied tartly and he laughed.

“Come, let’s go to the museum.” He grabbed my hand. “I want to see your face when you look at the art.”

“Why?”

“It will remind me of the look you make when you come.” He whispered in my ear. “The look of exquisite pleasure and raw emotion.”

I gasped at his words and pulled away from him. There was something so desperately inappropriate about Xavier, and while a part of me hated that about him, the other part of me absolutely loved it.

* * *

“Welcome to the National Gallery.” Xavier extended his arms as he pointed at the grand white building in front of us.

“It’s huge.” I looked up at the white building in awe and then ran up the steps and stood on the balcony overlooking the city.

“That’s Trafalgar Square.” Xavier ran up behind me and pointed to the enormous black lions in the center surrounding a tall statue of a man.

“It’s amazing. I’ve seen the photos before, but never imagined I’d see them in person.”

“Do you know who Trafalgar was?”

“Not really. I know he had something to do with Napoleon right?”

“Napoleon Bonaparte?” He looked at me with a straight face.

“I think so.” I bit my lower lip. “But Napoleon is French and we’re in London, so I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Tell me.”

“Well, my question was slightly tricky.” He laughed and grabbed my hand. “See the statue of the man? His name is Nelson. Lord Nelson. And the column was built for him for his success against the French during the Napoleonic wars at the battle of Trafalgar.”

“I knew it had something to do with Napoleon.” I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed.

“Indeed you did.” He leaned towards me and kissed my cheek. “Let’s go inside now so I can impress you with my knowledge of art.”

“You don’t need to impress me,” I said quietly, and he stopped and stared at me for a moment before smiling widely.

“And that’s why I want to impress you more than anything.” We stood there for a few minutes, my heart beating rapidly at his soft gaze. Part of me wondered if he was going to be sweet to me from now on. Maybe he’d stop with the barbs. Maybe he’d show me a sweeter and softer side. I knew that if he called me a whore or insinuated that I was a prostitute again, that I’d be likely to slap him so hard his cheek would be stinging for days.

“We shall go directly to the Impressionist room.” He grinned at me as we entered the museum. “We go up the steps and make our first right.” He strode ahead of me and then stopped. “We can go in the gift shop afterwards if you want.” He pointed to a store a little further up on the left.

“That would be nice.”

“I’m excited to hear your thoughts about each painting.” His eyes lit up and I realized just how into art he was. Part of me was impressed and the other part was scared. I didn’t want to sound like an idiot on front of him. I didn’t know how to speak very intellectually about art.

“Hopefully, I don’t sound like an idiot.” I grinned and he laughed.

“I don’t think you could ever sound like an idiot, Lola.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow at him and laughed. “You don’t think that at all?”

“Not at all. I think you’d be surprised to know what I think of you.”

“What do you think of me?” I stood there waiting on pins and needles for his response.

“You already know I’m attracted to you. You know that I want to teach you.” His fingers wrapped around my ear as he brushed some strands of hair away from my face.

“What do you want to teach me?” I watched as he moved his mouth closer to mine and closed my eyes.

“Excuse me, please,” a lady shouted at us. “That’s not a very smart place to stop.” She pushed past us with a big bag and five bored-looking kids.

“Sorry,” I made a face at her as she walked by. I was pissed that she had ruined the moment for me, but I knew the middle of the museum wasn’t the place to be getting down and dirty.

“Shall we go and join the philistines?” Xavier moved away from me and started walking towards the entryway.

“Let’s do it.” I nodded and he grinned.

“I was hoping you would say that.” He grinned mischievously and I ignored him. Xavier confused me with his hot and cold emotions.

“I want to show you one if my favorite Renoir paintings first.” He walked through the gallery as if he owned it, and I followed behind him quickly. He stopped in front of a painting and I read the name card. The painting was called At the Theatre and showed a young girl and her companion sitting down facing the stage. However, all the other people in the theater were staring at her.

“What do you think of it?” Xavier asked me after a few minutes.

“It’s a wonderful painting. It’s so ornate and rich.” I spoke timidly, not knowing what he wanted me to say.

“What does it make you think?”

“I don’t know.” I mumbled and stared at the painting again. It was weird to me that everyone was staring at the girl. “I guess it makes me wonder who she is.” I spoke again. “Why is everyone staring at her? Why is she the focal point of the painting? Why is she so important?”

“Exactement.” Xavier grinned. “And past that, I want to know how she feels about being the center of attention. I want to know if she can handle it. From all appearances, she seems as if she were made for the role, but then we don’t know what’s on the inside, do we?”

“She looks uncomfortable.” I stared at her face and then her blue outfit. “But that could be her outfit. It looks so stuffy.”

“That was the appropriate outfit.” He looked me in the eyes. “When I am in Romerius, I have to wear my royal garb. It is heavy and itchy, but it is tradition.”

“I suppose you do what you have to do.”

“My wife, if I ever take one, will be faced with a lot of scrutiny. She will also have to wear the traditional garb and she will be subjected to a lot of talk.”

“Poor lady.”

“Most women would love to become princess of Romerius.”

“Good for you and good for them.” I looked away from him. Was he deliberately trying to irritate me and make me jealous?

“I don’t see myself getting married anytime soon.” He gave me a sharp look.

“I didn’t propose, so no skin off my back.” I snapped at him, and he laughed. His green eyes seemed to jump with humor and joy and his classically handsome face looked boyish and young. For a moment he looked like Sebastian.

“You remind me of Sebastian when you laugh.” I smiled at him, and he frowned.

“You love to bring up my brother.”

“He’s my friend.”

“Just make sure of that.” His lips curled up and I felt my stomach sink.

“I’m sorry you don’t think I’m good enough for your brother.”

“You’re only good enough for me.” His eyes flashed at me and my eyes widened. Was he jealous? “Let us look at the Monets now.”

“I love Monet.” I nodded, happy to change the subject.

“Claude Monet was an artist’s artist.” He grabbed my hand and we walked to the other side of the room. I gasped as I saw the selection of paintings, each one more beautiful than the next. I rushed over and stood in front of the painting that attracted me the most. It depicted a bridge over a water lily pond. I laughed when I saw the name of the painting was The Water Lily Pond. Such an accurate name.

“You like this one?”

“Yes, it’s so calm and colorful and full of nature. It makes me want to close eyes and find myself in that setting.”

“It is beautiful.” He nodded. “Monet has many paintings of lilies. He seemed to find something in them that was beautiful. Something that made him want to tell their story over and over again.”

“He was so talented.”

“This was painted in his own water garden in 1899. The bridge is Japanese.”

“It’s awesome.” I stared at the painting, but all I could think about was how close he was to me. My fingers were still tingling from where he had grabbed them. Part of me longed to grab his hand and stand there as if we were a couple. I stared at his profile for a couple of seconds and swallowed hard. He had such a perfect Roman nose. And his hair was so soft and silky. I wanted to reach over and run my fingers through his hair and down his face. I wanted to touch him. I shivered as I remembered the first time we’d met and the night we’d spent together. It had seemed surreal. Magical almost. This whole situation was like a movie. I was standing here with a handsome prince. I froze for a moment as I remembered he was also my professor and my boss. And he was also older than me. Not that I cared.

“So what do you think, Lola?” Xavier’s voice interrupted my thoughts and I nodded eagerly.

“Yes, I agree.” I smiled at him hoping that my answer made sense.

“You agree, do you?” He licked his lips and moved in closer to me.

“Uh yes.” My smile fell a little.

“So you’re willing to go into the restroom with me and bend over?”

“Wait, what?” My eyes nearly popped out as my voice rose. I saw the woman from earlier giving me a dirty look as she tried to get her rowdy kids to pay attention to her little speech.

“I said, are you ready to ...” Xavier whispered in my ear and I pulled away from him quickly.

“Pervert,” I hissed at him and walked to the other side of the room, my face flushed and red. I could hear Xavier laughing behind me and I closed my eyes for a brief second. I knew that I was going to have to keep my distance from him. Even though I didn’t want to, I was starting to fall for Xavier. He had a way of making me feel special. But I knew I couldn’t allow myself to fall under his spell. He might be a prince, but he was definitely no Prince Charming.

* * *

His View

I froze as I looked out of the window. There was my ex-fiancée standing looking in the window with a sly look on her face. Shit, what was she doing here? I frowned to myself as I saw Viola. Viola de Haviland was the woman my parents had intended me to marry. The woman whose heart I had broken. The woman who had made me distrust all relationships.

As soon as she saw me, she walked away, but I knew that she knew that I’d seen her. I stared at Lola and frowned slightly. All of a sudden, a plan came into my mind and I laughed. My plan was perfect. I’d be able to have my fill of Lola and I’d be able to finally get Viola out of my life forever. I just hoped that everything went according to plan or I was going to find myself in more trouble than I was now. Lola wasn’t the perfect woman to carry out my plan, but she was the one I wanted. Now all I needed to do was put the plan into action.

Chapter 9

“We’re going to go to Giverny.” He stopped by my desk and handed me a credit card. “Make the bookings.”

“What bookings?” I took the card in confusion. “Where’s Giverny?”

“France, of course.”

“Why are we going to France?”

“To see Monet’s gardens and make preparations for the class trip.”

“What class trip?” I repeated, feeling very much like a dummy.

“The one we’re going to plan.”

“But I’ve never heard of a class trip before...”

“Lola, are we going to go back and forth all day?” He frowned. “Please just make the booking.”

“Fine.” I frowned annoyed. “So nice of you to ask politely.”

“I was very polite.”

“What exactly so you want me to book?” I sighed and stared at the black American Express card in my hand. Of course he’d have a black American Express card!

“The trains, the hotels, whatever.” He walked to the door.

“When are we going? And who else is going? Is Sebastian going?” I asked hopefully.

“We’re going this weekend and no, Sebastian is not going.” He paused and looked back at me. “It will just be us.”

“Oh, yay.” I said flatly, though I was actually pretty excited inside.

“I have to go out right now.” He looked at his Rolex and then back at me. “Call me if you have any questions.”

“Yes, sir,” I muttered, annoyed at myself for being disappointed that he was leaving the office.

“That’s what I like to hear.” He laughed and walked back into the room and toward me desk.

“What are you doing?”

“Something I’ve wanted to do since this morning.” He grinned and then leaned down to kiss me. His lips were warm and firm against mine and I parted my lips waiting to feel his tongue inside my mouth. His eyes laughed into my disappointed ones as he pulled away from me. “Have a good day, my dear.”

“You too,” I mumbled, too stunned to feel annoyed or snap at him. I watched him walk out of the door and listened to his footsteps as he made his way to the front of the house. I released my breath when I heard the front door close behind him and rested my head on the table and groaned.

“Argh.” I moaned as I lay there feeling sorry for myself. I was so confused and I didn’t know what to think. “This is why you don’t sleep with men the same weekend you meet them,” I muttered to myself as I remembered the feel of his lips against mine. If I sniffed gently, I could also smell his cologne. And if I concentrated really hard, I could still feel the warmth of his palms on my skin as he made love to me. I groaned again as I remembered the feel of him. Why wasn’t he as affected as me? I felt like a bumbling idiot around him, yet he continued to act cool, calm and collected. I suppose it helped that he was a handsome, rich prince and he had the world at his disposal. He could get any girl he wanted with his title alone. Add to that his athletic body, handsome face and sparkling green eyes ... He wasn’t known as one of the most eligible bachelors in Europe for nothing.

I clicked back on the computer screen and brought up the page I had just been reading before he’d walked by and given me his credit card.

* * *

“Have you booked the hotel yet?”

“What hotel?” I frowned at him as he walked back into the room.

“The hotel in Paris.”

“Uh, yeah. I’m doing it now.” I quickly pulled up a website and clicked through without looking properly.

“I expected you to do it as soon as I left.”

“I expected you to be gone for a longer amount of time.”

“Why do you talk back to me, Lola?”

“Why do you treat me like your slave?” I snapped back. Xavier had a way of getting under my skin.

“I don’t think you should throw that word around.” He gave me a solemn frown and I felt very much like he was telling me off. “However, I think I can forgive you if you want to bend over and give me a little show.” His lips twitched and my eyes narrowed.

“Excuse me?”

“For what am I excusing you?”

“You’re a pig.”

“Is that higher up or lower than an ass?” He smirked.

“Can I go now?” I quickly typed in his credit card information and grabbed my bag and stood up. “My boss just told me I have to go on a last-minute trip for work and I’d like to go home and pack.”

“What if your boyfriend decided to take you on a last-minute trip? Would that have been better? Would you have been more excited?”

I stared at him for a moment, not sure if he was asking me to be his girlfriend or what. A feeling of hope surged through me, and I was about to answer when his expression changed to a look of horror.

“Oh shit, I don’t mean if I was your boyfriend and asked you. I just meant if you had a boyfriend and he asked you. General random boyfriend, not me boyfriend.”

“None of your business.” I turned to the table and sorted out some papers so he couldn’t see the embarrassment burning on my face. Trust Xavier to get my hopes up for a minute. Not that I wanted him to be my boyfriend. He’d make an insufferable boyfriend. He was someone I had no interested in dating. Not at all. Not even if he paid me one million dollars. Okay, maybe if he paid me a million dollars. Or even ten thousand. Or even if he didn’t pay me. I sighed inwardly. I was falling for Xavier. I couldn’t help it and I didn’t want to. He was such a pig. But he was so handsome and so funny when he wanted to be.

“So what do you say?” Xavier’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Huh?” I turned around feeling flustered, not knowing what he’d just said.

“I asked if you wanted me to take you shopping, Pretty Woman-style?” He cocked his head and laughed gently.

“Is that meant to be funny?”

“Lola, you do know that I’m joking with you, do you not?”

“I don’t think it’s a joke.” My eyes narrowed. “How many times are you going to suggest I’m a prostitute?”

“I would never even suggest that. High-class escort at worst.”

“I guess you’ve dated a lot of them.”

“One doesn’t date an escort.”

“One doesn’t screw an asshole.” I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. Then I turned around and smiled at him sweetly and continued, “A second time. Smart girls learn from their mistakes.” I walked to the front of the house and out of the door with a smug smile on my face. I pretended to ignore his loud laughter as I walked out. I preferred to believe I’d stuck a knife in where it hurt, even if that wasn’t the case.

* * *

“You’re so lucky.” Anna sat on my bed as she watched my pack. “I wish I was going to France.”

“We can go when I get back.”

“With what money?” She sighed melodramatically and leaned back on my bed. “Why does nothing awesome ever happen to me?”

“Anna, we’re in London. Something awesome has already happened. Plus, if we stop eating out so much, we can definitely go to France. The train tickets weren’t that expensive.”

“Oh, I wish I was going on the Eurotrain.” She sighed again. “And to Paris. Gay Paris, where have you been all my life?”

“I’m going to work.” I rolled my eyes at her as I packed my underwear.

“With your lover, who’s a prince?” Anna sat up on my bed and grabbed the underwear out of the bag. “You cannot take these granny panties. Take some pretty things.”

“First off, we slept together once, that doesn’t make him my lover. Secondly, I’m not taking a thong with me to Paris.”

“You do not want to get down and dirty with a prince in granny panties.” Anna threw them on the floor. “No way am I letting you go to Paris with grey and green striped panties.”

“There’s nothing wrong with them.” I bent down and picked them up.

“There’s nothing right with them either.” She grinned and looked at me. “Okay, fine, answer me this question. If Xavier makes a move on you and sneaks into your bedroom for some midnight fun, what would you say?”

“I would say ‘hell no, it’s time to go.’” I grinned, pleased at my little rhyme.

“Really?” Anna raised an eyebrow at me.

“Well ...” It was my turn to sigh. “I would say that at first, but if he decided not to leave I wouldn’t make him.”

“Exactly.” She grinned. “What if he pushes you down on the bed and rips your PJs off and then he sees your panties. You’d be so embarrassed.”

“That’s not going to happen.” I shook my head, but I did go back to my wardrobe and pull out three black silky thongs.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” She grinned and lay back down on the bed. “This sucks. What am I supposed to do this weekend?”

“Why don’t you hang out with Jason?”

“I wish.” She made a face.

“What about Sebastian?”

“Who?”

“You know, Sebastian that we met at the pub. Xavier’s brother?”

“Oh, him.” She made a face. “He’s not really my cup of tea.”

“But at least he’d be someone to hang out with.”

“I suppose I could hang out with him if he really needed someone to chill with.”

“I don’t think ...”

“Fine, fine, tell him I’m willing to spend time with him on Saturday. He can take me to lunch or something.”

“Anna, I don’t even know if he’s free on Saturday.”

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll be free.” She jumped off of my bed and laughed. “Okay, I’m going to go and have a Jammie Dodger, want one?”

“No thanks.” I laughed. “You’re addicted to those cookies.”

“You mean ‘biscuits.’” She faked a British accent and we both laughed.

“You’ll be okay this weekend, right?” I gave her a small smile as she left the room and she nodded.

“I’ll be fine.” She smiled back at me. “I’m a big girl. I’ll find something to do.”

“I’ll buy you something nice in France.”

“Just bring me back a hot French man who knows how to French kiss and make pastries.”

“Sure, I’ll bring one for me and one for you.”

“You don’t need one. You have Xavier.”

“Anna, I don’t have anyone, let alone Xavier.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Plus, I don’t want him. He’s an ass.”

“An ass that’s good in bed.”

“Well, he wasn’t that good.”

“So you’d say no to seconds?”

“I don’t know.” I giggled and gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to miss you this weekend.”

“I’ll miss you too, but I expect you to have lots of fun and to tell me all about it. Even the orgasms.”

“Anna!” I exclaimed, shocked, and she just laughed. I sat down on the edge of my bed and closed my eyes. I had no idea why I had agreed to the trip so easily, but I did know that I was excited. I enjoyed spending time with Xavier and I was hopeful that this weekend would see us growing closer. I wanted to get to know the real him. The man behind the mask.

* * *

His View

I hung up the phone with the hotel and grinned to myself. Everything was going according to plan. All I needed to do now was call the press. I groaned as I thought about what I was doing. When did I ever call the press to alert them where I was going to be? But desperate times called for desperate measures. I needed the paparazzi to be there, if my plan was going to work.

“Max,” I spoke into the phone slowly wanting to make sure that he understood exactly what I was going to say.

“Prince Xavier, I wanted to apologize once again about what happened.” He began but I cut him off.

“I need you to get in contact with the press. I’m going to France. I’m staying at a small hotel in Giverny. I need you to make sure the paparazzi are there on Friday night.”

“Prince Xavier?” He sounded shocked. “Are you sure?”

“I’m not out of my mind, Max.” I closed my eyes and Lola’s face appeared. “At least, I don’t think I am.” I groaned.

“So you want me to call the press?”

“Yes.” I paused and took a deep breath. “And I need another favor.”

“Yes, sir?”

“I need you to get someone to barge into the room on Saturday morning. They need to pretend they are room service and they need to have a camera.”

“Sir?”

“Don’t question me, just do it.”

“Yes, Prince Xavier. Anything else?”

“That’s it for now.” I smiled as I hung up the phone. If everything went according to plan, I’d have Lola in Romerius before she knew it. Then I’d finally be able to get her out of my system. All I needed was a week. One week and I could go back to the way my life was before she came into it.

Chapter 10

“So this will be your first time on a train?” Xavier was surprisingly jovial when he picked me up on Saturday morning.

“On the Eurostar, not a train, period.”

“This will be my first time on the Eurostar as well.” He winked at me as we got on and took our seats.

“You’ve never been on the Eurostar before?” I looked at him in surprise.

“Oh, of course I’ve travelled on it before. This will be my first time having sex on it.”

“Sex?” My jaw dropped and I noticed an older lady giving me a disapproving look.

“Don’t advertise it to the world, Lola.” Xavier winked at me as we settled in.

“Advertise what?” I hissed at him.

“That this will be our first time.”

“I’m not having sex on the train with you.”

“Oh?” He leaned over and ran his fingers down my arm. “I thought that’s what we were talking about.”

“You are so inappropriate.” I shook my head at him. “You are my professor and my boss. You should not be making such comments.”

“What comments?”

“Comments suggesting that we’re going to have sex on the train.”

“Don’t you want to?” His fingers moved to my leg and I stilled.

“No, I don’t.” I whispered.

“I’ve always thought it would be an exhilarating experience to make love on a train.”

“Xavier!” I exclaimed loudly as his fingers ran up and down my thigh.

“Relax,” he laughed and pulled his fingers back. “We shall not break our train-ride cherries today.”

“You’re disgusting.” I shook my head at him. “And wildly inappropriate.”

“I’m just a man who likes to have fun.” He smiled at me. “And we’re not in the classroom now.” He winked at me and leaned back in his seat. “I think I’ll have a light nap. Wake me up if you change your mind.”

* * *

“The hotel looks ...” Xavier paused and looked around the lobby of the hotel we’d just entered, “... nice.”

I cringed at his sentence. The hotel looked like a dump and I knew it. The wallpaper was peeling and the floors were dirty and old. This wasn’t the place for a prince, and I wasn’t sure that I would have stayed here either.

“It’s fine, you can say it’s a dump. I can look for somewhere else if you want.” I asked hopefully.

“It’s fine.” He shook his head. “We won’t die from a little shabbiness.” He walked up to the front desk. “I’m here to check into the Presidential Suite.”

“The what, monsieur?” The man behind the desk frowned slightly as he spoke in a heavily accented voice.

“My assistant here booked a suite?”

I bit my lower lip as Xavier spoke to the front desk clerk. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to what I’d been clicking when I’d made the reservation. It had been in French and I hadn’t had time to look at a translator to make sense of what the website had said.

“You made a reservation, right, Lola?” Xavier questioned me and I nodded indignantly.

“Yes, for two rooms.” I handed him the paper I had printed out. He then read it and handed it to the front desk clerk, who nodded. They then spoke rapidly in French, and I didn’t understand the conversation until Xavier said ‘merci.’ I knew that meant ‘thank you.’

“Merci beaucoup.” I beamed at the front desk clerk as Xavier and I left the lobby. I felt proud of my accent, even though that was one of only a couple of phrases I knew in the language.

“Did we get a suite then?” I frowned as I followed Xavier to the elevator.

“No.”

“Why do we have one key for two bedrooms?” I stared at the card in his hands.

“Because we have one bedroom.”

“Oh no, did I get one room with two beds instead of two bedrooms?”

“No.” He stopped outside of the door and looked at me.

“What do you mean no?” I frowned at him as he opened the bedroom door and my jaw dropped as I looked in the room and saw the single bed. And it wasn’t even a king. “You need to go and tell them that we need another room.” I gasped.

“They’re booked for the weekend.”

“They don’t have one extra room?” I looked at him and frowned.

“No.”

“What about another hotel?”

“The whole town is booked this weekend. There is some event.”

“Oh.” I bit my lower lip and looked at the bed again. “What are we going to do?”

“We’ve shared a bed before, Lola. Tell me you’re not scared of me?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re innocent.”

“I’m the big bad wolf?” He grinned, his teeth showing and making me shiver.

“You could be.”

“Are you a piggy or a girl in a red hood?”

“Which one would be safer with you?” I whispered.

“Neither.” His eyes laughed at me and he put his bag down. “Come now, Lola. We’re here to work. I shall not touch you, if you do not wish me to.”

“I don’t wish or want you to touch me.”

“That’s fine then.” He bowed his head. “Shall we go and look for some food? I’m feeling quite hungry.”

“Sounds good to me.” I replied as my stomach growled. “I’m really hungry.”

“What would you like? Escargot? Frog legs? Caviar?”

“Um, a steak would do fine.” I paused as I tried to think of my French. “Le beouf?”

“Boeuf?” He smiled at me and I rolled my eyes.

“You know what I mean. A big fat juicy steak.” I grabbed the door handle and opened it. “With pomme frites.”

“Yes, Lola. I’ll find you a nice piece of meat to chew on.” His voice was light as he followed me and I looked at him to see if he was teasing me. I tried to ignore the excitement roaring in my stomach at the thought of sleeping in the same bed as him. It would be delicious and it would be hard to keep my hands off of him. I really hoped that he didn’t sleep naked. Oh my God! What would I do if he slept in the nude? What if I felt him next to me? Would I be able to say no? I could still remember that it had felt like the first time we’d made love. It had been so passionate and intense. I could still remember what he felt like inside if me if I closed my eyes and concentrated hard. I let out a small sigh as I realized that I was in trouble.

“What’s wrong?” Xavier’s hands caressed my back and I froze.

“Nothing. Why?”

“You look troubled.”

“I’m fine.”

“Good, good.” He grabbed my hand and escorted me through the lobby of the hotel. “Tonight we shall eat and drink, and then tomorrow we shall go to Monet’s gardens.”

“Then what?”

“Then we can go to Mont St. Michel.”

“What’s that?”

“An old abbey.” He grinned. “I think you would like it.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you seem to be a girl that appreciates history and things of beauty.”

“Oh, thanks.” I answered slightly breathlessly, touched by his seemingly kind comments.

“Now let’s eat.”

“Mange.” I grinned at him and he laughed.

* * *

“Dinner was so delicious.” I grinned at him as we made our way back to the hotel.

“You seemed to enjoy the wine as well.” He held onto my arm tightly.

“It was superb.” I giggled, feeling slightly drunk in the night air.

“You should not have drunk so much.” He frowned as he escorted me to the hotel.

“Why?” I hiccupped. “I feel good.”

“I just don’t think—” His words were cut off by a crowd of photographers who started screaming as soon as we made our way to the entrance of the hotel. I looked up in a daze as lights started flashing in my face.

“Crown Prince Van Romerius, who is your companion?”

“Xavier, are you now engaged?”

“Prince, does your mother know you are dating a commoner?”

“Xavier, what are your intentions with this lady?”

The men kept shouting and flashing bright lights at us and I clung into Xavier’s arm as tightly as I could.

“What’s going on?” I whispered into his ear.

He looked back at me and frowned as I stumbled alongside him. Before I knew what was happening he’d grabbed me up into his arms and hurried into the hotel, muttering something under his breath.

“What’s going on?” I giggled as he carried me into the bedroom and placed me down on the ground.

“Did you not see the photographers, Lola?” He stood there staring at me with narrowed eyes.

“I see you in front of me.” I reached out to grab his shirt. “But I only see you.” I touched his chest and ran my fingers all the way to his waist. “I see a very hot you, but no photographers.”

“Lola, I think it’s time for you to go to bed.”

“You want to take me to bed?” I wiggled an eyebrow at him and then sighed as he took a step away from me.

“Don’t try and seduce me,” I giggled as I attempted to pull my shirt off.

“Dios mio, Lola.” Xavier sighed as he sat on the bed and stared at me. “You’re really drunk.”

“That’s not French,” I stumbled as I pointed at him.

“Do you need help?” His face was serious as he walked over to me.

“Help with what?”

“Undressing.”

“You just want me to take my clothes off.”

“I don’t seduce drunk women.” He frowned and grabbed my hands. “Come, let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help.” I pouted childishly and pushed him away. “Who were all those people taking my photo?”

“Your photo?” He cocked his head and smiled.

“Yes, there was like a hundred different men calling at me.” My hands flew to my forehead. “All those lights.”

“They were paparazzi,” Xavier frowned. “I have no idea how they know we are here.”

“I have no idea why the paparazzi are interested in me.” I shook my head and sat on the bed. “I’m not famous or anything.”

“They were there for me, Lola.” Xavier made a face and I frowned.

“Oh?”

“I’m a prince, remember?  I’m one of the most eligible bachelor princes in Europe.”

“Oh, yeah.” I made a face. “I almost forgot.” I lay back on the bed. “I just remembered that you were an inappropriate professor. I forgot you were an inappropriate prince as well.” I started laughing then. “I can’t believe you’re a prince.” I looked up at him and laughed.

“Why’s that?” He had a half smile on his face.

“You’re such as ass.” I laughed. “You have no people skills.”

“And you have so many, don’t you Lola?” He gave me a pointed look.

“Yes, I do.” I rolled over on my side and closed my eyes. “I’m a people person.”

“Hold on, sleepy. Let’s get you in your PJs.”

“You just want to touch me.” I mumbled sleepily as he pulled my top off.

“If that makes you feel better.” He reached for my pants and unzipped them.

“You just want to make love to me.” I mumbled as he pulled my pants down.

“Then you’re lucky you’re drunk.” His voice was serious.

“Hmm, your fingers feel soft.” I sighed as I felt his fingertips on my legs.

“Lola.” He groaned.

“Kiss me.” I moaned, my eyes closed. I was imagining myself entwined in his arms. “I want to feel you.”

“Where are your PJs, Lola?” He pulled away from me and I sighed.

“I’m cold. Touch me.”

“Lola, you’re sleeping. I guess they must be in your suitcase.”

“No, don’t go in.” I groaned thinking of the thongs.

“You can’t sleep in your underwear.” His voice was silky. “I’m not sure I can keep my hands off of you if you just have your underwear on.”

“It’s fine.” I mumbled, feeling myself start to drift off.

“I’ll let you sleep in my shirt.”

“Hmm.” I opened my eyes and saw him taking his shirt off, but I wasn’t able to keep them open for more than a few seconds.

“Put this on.” He pulled me up and put my arms into his shirt. I sighed contentedly and snuggled back into the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

I felt snug as a bug as I awoke. I was warm and fuzzy and I stretched languorously until I hit my hands hit something warm. I froze as I opened my eyes slowly. Oh God, Lola, what did you do? I tried to recall the previous evening, but all I could remember were the five courses we’d eaten and the copious amounts of wine.

I stared at Xavier’s sleeping face and his naked chest for a few seconds before checking to see what I was wearing. I looked down and saw that I was in his shirt, but I only sighed in relief when I felt my bra and panties on underneath. Phew.

“I could have taken them off if you’d wanted me to.” Xavier’s voice made me jump and I looked over at him with a flush.

“I didn’t want,” I snapped.

“I’m guessing drunk, happy Lola is gone?” He smiled at me as he stretched, and I tried not to stare at his pecs.

“I wasn’t drunk.” I pulled the sheet up to my waist and he laughed.

“Whatever you say.” His fingers reached over to me and ran down my cheek. “You look very beautiful in the morning.”

“Thank you,” I swallowed hard at stared at his face. His morning stubble was sexy as hell and his hair was unruly. I wanted to reach over and pat it down, but I didn’t.

“I could really kiss those juicy lips of yours right now.” He moved closer to me, and I found myself staring straight into his bright green irises.

“Please don’t,” I whispered as his lips crushed down on mine. He tasted warm and sweet and I melted against him. His fingers ran through my hair and I wrapped my arms around his waist. His tongue entered my mouth and I sucked it eagerly. All thoughts of him being an ass and this being an inappropriate moment fled my mind. When Xavier kissed me I felt like I was soaring in the air. There was no dislike or care about his superior attitude. All I felt was warmth and lust burning through to my soul. I needed to consume and be consumed by this man. I wanted to taste every inch of him. I wanted to feel every particle of skin. I wanted him to touch me all over until the shivering of my body erupted in a sea of emotion and pleasure.

I ran my fingers down his back and he groaned and pushed me back and rolled over on top of me. “You taste so sweet in the morning,” he growled against my lips.

“I didn’t brush my teeth yet.” I tried to pull back, but he was having none of it.

“Your skin is so sweet and silky. I want to taste you.” His lips fled to my neck.

I lay back and ran my fingers through his silky locks, enjoying the way he groaned against my neck as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

“What are you doing to me?” He kissed further down my neck and undid the first few buttons on his shirt before kissing the valley between my breasts. “You taste like warm sunshine and sex.” He grunted as his fingers ripped apart more buttons until the shirt was gaping open.

“I’ve never tasted something so sweet.”

“What about chocolate?” I smiled at him and he looked at me with a bright light in his eyes.

“Chocolate pales in comparison,” he licked my belly button and then kissed back up my stomach. I sat forward as his fingers reached behind my back and undid my bra. He pulled off the shirt and then threw my bra to the floor. His lips immediately fell to my breast and he took my nipple in his mouth gingerly and sucked hard. I cried out as a dart of pure pleasure ran through me.

“Oh,” I cried out as his fingers pinched my other nipple.

His mouth swapped places with his fingers and he started to gently suck on my other nipple. My brain felt hazy and all I could think about was the pleasure swelling in my stomach. I ran my fingers down his back and he bit down on my nipple and tugged.

“Oh,” I cried out and my nails dug into his skin deeper.

“There’s nothing like morning sex,” he whispered against my skin, and I knew I should pull away from him, but I couldn’t resist his touch. His lips left my skin tingling and my whole body was on fire. I was scorching inside and out and only he could put out the flames. “I wanted to take your panties off so badly last night,” he groaned as he kissed down to the tops of my panties.

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I didn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of you. I wanted our love making to be one-hundred percent consensual.” His teeth bit into my panties and he tugged. “And I wanted to make sure you remembered every second of it.”

“Is it only going to last seconds?” I looked down at him and then held my breath.

“What do you think?”

“I think that it might last minutes.” I stared at him and grinned.

“I’ll give you minutes.” He growled and pulled my panties all the way down.

“What are you doing?”  I moaned as I felt his lips kissing up my thighs.

“I’m going to make you wish you never played with me.”

“I didn’t play with you.” I gasped as his lips moved to my core. I felt his tongue run down the length of me and then he sucked down on my clit. “Ooh!” I cried out as his tongued licked the folds of my pussy. “Xavier,” I groaned as his tongue dipped inside of me and licked my clit again.

“I told you that I’m not going to stop until I’m sure you’re going to remember every second of being with me.”

“Please,” I groaned as he sucked on my clit again. I ran my fingers to his back and closed my eyes. I spread my legs wider hoping his tongue would enter me again.

Knock, knock.

“Room service,” a man called out.

“Argh,” Xavier looked up with an annoyed expression, and I sighed. His tongue had felt marvelous against me.

“Room service.” The man knocked on the door again.

“I’m coming.” Xavier called out and then grinned at me. He once again buried his face in my pussy and sucked on my clit. My fingers grabbed the sheets and I closed my eyes. The feeling was so heady and wonderful.

Then we heard the door open; it happened so fast that neither one of us was able to react quickly enough.

“Where would sir like the tray?” The man walked into the room with a tray and gaped at us. I blushed as I realized the sight we made. Me naked on the bed with Xavier’s head between my legs.

“What are you doing?” Xavier jumped up angrily and I grabbed the sheet over my body.

“You said come in.” The man stared at us with wide eyes.

“I said I’m coming.” Xavier’s voice rose and he glared at the man. “Get out.”

“Yes, sir.” The room service attendant stuttered and gave me one last glance before retreating.

“I’m sorry about that.” Xavier walked back to the bed. “I’m sorry we were interrupted.”

“That’s okay.” I stared at him with a bright red face. “Maybe we should just get ready.”

“What?” He frowned.

“This was a mistake. Let’s just shower and head out.” I avoided his stare. I wasn’t sure why I had changed my mind. Maybe it was seeing he look of shock on the attendant’s face. Maybe it was because I knew I was starting to fall for Xavier and I knew casual sex wasn’t something I could do without starting to grow attached.

“I want to make love to you, Lola.” His arms pulled me towards him and I swallowed hard and the look of unbridled lust in his eyes.

“Not now.” I shook my head and rushed into the shower. I could feel his eyes on my back and I knew that he was frustrated. Part of me wanted to run back to him because I was frustrated as well, but I knew that I couldn’t just give in to him.

* * *

“That was my brother on the phone.” Xavier stared at me with an angry expression as I walked out of the bathroom in a pair of shorts and t-shirt.

“Sebastian?” I ignored his anger as I wasn’t sure if he was still upset I’d changed my mind. I knew all it would take was one kiss and touch and I’d be back in his bed.

“Who else?” he snapped.

“I don’t know if you have another brother.” I turned away from him.

“We’re in the papers.”

“Huh?” I turned back around and frowned. “What papers?”

“We’re front page news in all the tabloids.” He sighed. “Remember all the paparazzi last night?”

“I guess.” I shrugged. “What did they say?”

“They said the playboy prince has found a new love,” he spat out.

“Oh, my.” I made a face at him.

“One says, ‘weekend tryst for the playboy Prince of Europe.’”

“But this isn’t a tryst,” I cried out, ignoring the fact that we had nearly made love again. “We came for a class project.”

“They don’t know that.” He frowned.

“We should tell them.”

“How do we explain the fact that we’re staying in the same room? How do we explain that the room service came in as I was pleasuring you?”

“Oh,” I bit my lower lip. “We’re screwed.”

“I can’t have another scandal like this,” he sighed. “My parents are not happy. They think I’m shining a bad light on Romerius.”

“I guess that’s what happens when you’re a man whore.” I shrugged.

“We’ll have to pretend we’re dating.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “No way.”

“It’s the only way we both come out unscathed!” He stood up and walked to the window and pulled the curtain to the side. “There must be at least thirty paparazzi out there waiting for us.”

“Oh my gosh.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t believe this.”

“We’ll go to Romerius tomorrow.”

“What?” My jaw dropped. “We have to go back to London! We have class on Monday.”

“My mother is insistent. This is an international incident. We have to go to show my parents and the country that we are in a relationship.”

“But we are not in a relationship.”

“I need you to give me a week.” He looked at me. “One week and then we can break up. Doesn’t that sound fair to you?”

“No, it doesn’t!” I jumped up. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Would you rather be known as the American floozie who went to Paris with her professor for a weekend of hot sex?” He paused and then smiled, a small evil smile. “Or would you rather be known as the American that went on a romantic trip with her boyfriend and went to meet his family?”

“I’d rather not be known at all.” I made a face and then groaned. “How did this happen?”

“You got drunk and held onto my arm last night. Then this morning we started kissing because we could no longer resist our passion and ...”

“I don’t need an explanation as to what happened.” I jumped up and pointed at him. “This is all your fault.” I groaned. “And what does Sebastian think?” I buried my face in my hands. “He must think I’m a tart.”

“Why do you care what he thinks?” He stepped towards me and frowned. “Do you wish you were with him?”

“Of course not.” I looked away from him. “Though he is preferable to you.”

“Really?” He grabbed my arms and pulled me towards him. “Shall I show you how much pleasure I can give you?” His lips pressed against mine as his hands circled my waist. “Do I need to have you screaming my name for you to know what I can do to you?”

“Xavier.” I breathed out slowly. “Don’t.” I groaned as his fingers ran along my ass. “This isn’t the time.”

“Then when is the time?”

“I just want to ...” He cut me off by pushing his tongue into my mouth. I sucked on his tongue instinctively. I couldn’t get enough of his taste. I wanted to feel him inside of me, but he was such an ass that part of me felt like I’d be letting him win if I made love to him again. I pulled away then and started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” He looked down at me with narrowed eyes.

“You.” I pointed at him. “Most women dream of meeting their Prince Charming and you’re an actual prince, but there isn’t a charming bone in your body.”

“You don’t think I’m charming?” He cocked his head and ran his finger down my cheek.

“You heard me correctly.” I stared back at him, not backing down. “No one could ever call you charming.”

“I’ll have to fix that then.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I can’t have you coming to Romerius thinking and acting like you think I’m an ass.”

“Uh huh.” I laughed. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea for us to go, is it?”

“We’re going.” The smile left his face. “You have no choice.”

“But class!”

“I’ll assign a museum assignment for next week.” He shrugged. “The students will be happy to step away from the theoretical.”

“But Anna will ...”

“What about her? I’m sure she will be excited for you. She seems the sort that would be happy to join me for a week.” He shrugged. “I’m sure she’d be packed already.”

“Whatever.” I tried not to grin. He knew Anna well. She wouldn’t hesitate twice, if she was in my shoes.

“She can come over next weekend with Sebastian, if you want.”

“I don’t want to go myself.” I frowned.

“Well, the offer is on the table if you want her to come.”

“I thought this was for one week?”

“It will be.” He nodded. “You can leave at the end of the weekend with Anna, in a heat of rage. I’ll have to leave the class, of course, but that’s a small price to pay to save your reputation.”

“Save my reputation? What about your reputation?” I gasped indignantly.

“I’ll get over it.” He laughed. “Trust me.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“Just like I’ll get over you.” His words were soft, and I looked up at him with a frown.

“Excuse me?”

“For what?”

“What did you just say?”

“I said, are you ready to visit Monet’s gardens?” He turned away from me. “I’ll think you’ll like seeing the lily ponds in person. It adds a whole new dimension to the paintings.”

“That’s not what you said.” I sighed. Why did he need to get over me? What was going on here? What was his problem?

“Don’t be difficult, Lola.”

“What?” My voice rose. “I know you’re not calling me difficult.”

“Would you rather me call you easy?” His voice dropped and we had a stare off.

“Let’s go.” I grabbed a cardigan from my bag.

“Want to get breakfast first?”

“I am human.” I rolled my eyes. “I need food to survive,” I paused and held my hand up, “but wait, don’t tell me. Your supermodel girlfriends eat air for breakfast.” My face grew red as I continued talking. I could see the smirk on his face, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Wait, don’t tell me. Air for breakfast and a side helping of a celery if they get hungry.”

“They don’t get hungry,” he answered with a wide smile.

“Of course they don’t,” I rolled my eyes. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not a supermodel. I’d like bacon, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and a baguette please.”

“And some pastries, no?” He grinned at me.

“Yup, chocolate croissants and coffee. And I have milk and three sugars in my coffee.”

“Only three?” He tilted his head and I glared at him.

“Fine, more like five.” I responded and he burst out laughing.

“Come, Lola. I think we’ll have a great day.”

“Even with the paparazzi following us?” I made a face.

“You’ll soon forget them in the beauty of the day.” He smiled gently and took my arm. “Wait until you see the gardens, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back in time. You’ll feel like you’re standing next to Monet himself.”

“It sounds magical.” I couldn’t keep the excitement out if my voice.

“It will be.” He held my hands and his face turned serious. “Thank you for being so good about this. I want to apologize for turning your world upside down like this. Most people would not have been able to handle it.”

“It’s okay, you can’t help being a prince,” I shrugged. He laughed so hard that I could see tears in his eyes.

“You’re so refreshing, Lola. Most women love that the most about me.”

* * *

“Are you full?” Xavier gave me a small smile as I finished eating my chocolate croissant.

“Yes, or should I say, oui.” I licked my lips and then took a sip of my coffee.

“I’m excited to show you the gardens.”

“I’m excited to see them. I had no idea we were going to come on a class trip here.”

“Okay, I think I need to let you in on a little something.”

“Oh?”

“There will be no class trip to Giverny.”

“What?” I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I told you a little porky pie.” He placed some money on the table and stood up. “After I saw how excited you were about Monet’s water lily painting, I knew I had to bring you here.”

“You lied to me.” I could hear the shock in my voice.

“I wanted you to see the pond and bridge in person.” He looked at me intently. “I thought you’d appreciate seeing exactly what Claude saw when he painted.”

“I don’t know what to say.” My heart thudded at his words. “That was so thoughtful of you, yet I don’t know why you lied.”

“Would you have come if I had told you I wanted to take you somewhere personally?”

“Maybe not.” I made a face.

“Exactly,” he shrugged. “I know that it has been slightly awkward between us, so I wanted to show you that I can be a thoughtful man.”

“Or you just wanted to seduce me.”

“You booked the rooms, Lola. Did you want to seduce me?”

“No.” I blushed. “That was a mistake.”

“I like mistakes.” He smiled gently. “But now let us go look in the gardens.” He pointed ahead of us and I saw a man waiting with an expensive looking car.

“You got a car?”

“Normally Max drives me around, but ...” He stopped talking and shrugged. “Now I have a chauffeur.”

“You didn’t need to do that.”

“Oh, but I did.” He nodded to the right and I followed his movement. “The paparazzi will be waiting for us all day and night. This will make it easier for us.”

“It’s crazy how they hound you.”

“It comes with my position.”

“It must be nice, being the playboy prince of Europe.”

“It has its advantages and disadvantages.” He shrugged. “It is what it is.”

“It is what it is,” I mumbled under my breath and made a face behind him. He was always so blasé about everything.

* * *

“Where is everyone else?” I looked around as we got to the gardens.

“It will just be us today.” He walked ahead of me. “I wanted you to enjoy and explore and feel like you can be one with nature.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.” I looked around me, and my breath caught in my throat as I saw how beautiful our surroundings were. I’d never seen so many different shades of green in one place before. The grass and the trees all seemed to be positively thriving in the setting and the flowers were all so bright and beautiful. I half expected to see some animals dancing on the grass and having a picnic. As soon as I saw the pond, I started running. It looked just as I remembered it from Monet’s paintings. It was magnificent. I ran hard and fast, and I felt my hair flapping against my back. The sun warmed my face and I gazed at the pond and green bridge in awe. There were purple flowers hanging overhead, and I just stared at the picture in front of me, my eyes taking in every color and flower.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Xavier’s voice whispered into my ear as he stood next to me.

“It’s just like the paintings. He captured the essence so brilliantly.” I nodded, not looking away. “Look at the lily pads.” I pointed into the pond. “It feels almost magical being here after seeing the photos so many times.”

“Being with you feels magical.” His arm slid around my waist and we just stood there taking it all in.

“Thank you for bringing me here, even if it was due to a lie.” I smiled up at him. “This is really wonderful. And I’m sorry about the paparazzi. I’m sorry they got the wrong impression of us.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He grabbed my face and tilted it up to look at him. “Everything happens for a reason.” He leaned down and kissed me hard and I kissed him back. I lifted my arms up as he pulled my t-shirt off and then we fell to the ground. He undid my bra and I grabbed the front of his shirt.

“I’m going to make love to you in the fields.” He groaned as he kissed down my neck. “Are you okay with that?”

“I don’t have any ...” I gasped as his teeth bit down on my nipple.

“I have protection.” He grinned at me as he looked up and switched over to the other nipple. He bit down again and I cried out. His lips moved quickly to my shorts and he pulled them down swiftly. I felt the cool breeze against my naked skin and shivered. “I’ll keep you warm, Lola.” Xavier sat up and pulled his shirt off and then his pants. I stared at his manhood, hard and bulging and then reached out and grabbed him.

“I’m looking forward to you keeping me warm.” I laughed as he groaned and pushed me back down on the grass. His face immediately fell between my legs and his tongue explored my folds while he lips sucked on my clit. I felt my wetness against his face and I squirmed beneath him.

“What are you doing?” I moaned as he lifted my legs up and his tongue slid from my clit down to my other hole.

“Relax.” He groaned as he licked my anus. I felt the tip of his tongue enter me slightly and I bucked against his face in shock. “Close your eyes and relax.” He chuckled, still holding my legs up as he tongue moved back to my clit. I groaned as his tongue entered me and moved back and forth inside of me. I felt my orgasm come hard and fast and he licked me up eagerly as I came.

“Get on your knees,” he groaned and pulled me up. He then pushed my arms forward so that my ass was up in the air. I felt him up against me and the tip of his cock was at my entry. “Have you ever done anal?” He moved his cock up and my body stilled.

“No.” My voice was shocked and I reached behind me to push him away.

“Don’t worry,” he laughed. “All my lessons don’t come in one day.” He moved his cock back down and slowly entered me. “Oh fuck, you feel good.” He groaned as he entered me. I fell forward slightly as he started moving faster and faster. “You’re so wet, Lola. You’ve been dying for me to fill you up since this morning, haven’t you?”

I moaned as I felt his cock inside of me, hard and deep. This time wasn’t for my pleasure. This time was for him. I could feel it with every thrust and the way his hands gripped my hips. Xavier was ready to come, and even though he was rougher than before, I loved it. I closed my eyes and gripped the grass beneath me as he fucked me senseless.

“Oh shit,” he groaned. “I’m going to come.” He pulled my butt back into him hard and I felt his whole body trembling against me as he erupted inside of me. He pulled out after a few seconds and I watched as he flung the semen-filled condom on the ground.

We lay back in the grass, naked and hot under the midday sun. My body was still trembling from our passionate lovemaking, and I stared at him as he played with the grass.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” he asked softly, his expression impenetrable.

“It was definitely an experience.” I nodded, unsure of what to say.

“I want to give you more experiences like this. I want to take you on journeys that you’ve never been on before. I want to learn the landscape of your body inch by inch, so that I could paint you from memory.” He leaned down and kissed my breasts softly.

“Do you think that Monet ever made love out here?” I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of being wanted.

“I don’t know, but if he didn’t, he sure missed out.” Xavier’s voice was hoarse and I opened my eyes and looked down at him. He was staring at me with such a strange expression that I didn’t know what to think. “Let’s get our clothes on,” he pulled me up off of the ground. “We should leave now.”

“I was having fun.” I sighed, sad that we were leaving already.

“We shouldn’t allow this to become more than it is.” He spoke to me, but I felt like he was really talking to himself.

* * *

“I thought Paris was the other way?” I frowned as I stared out of the window and looked at the green fields as we drove past them in the back of the Bentley Xavier had conjured up out of thin air.

“We’re going to the airport.”

“Why?”

“We’re flying to Romerius.” He shrugged.

“Oh. I didn’t know. I could have booked the flights.”

“The royal plane will take us.”

“You have your own plane?”

“Doesn’t every royal family?” His eyes were light with mischief. “Try not to be overwhelmed.”

“That’s not going to be easy.”

“Try not to look too eager, either. That will turn my parents off.”

“Look too eager?” I repeated confused.

“Don’t look too impressed,” he said slowly. “Don’t look like you want to go and pawn the silver and the gold.”

“Pawn the silver!” My jaw dropped and my eyes narrowed. “How dare you?”

“I’m not saying you will,” he paused and looked over at me, “but if you do get that idea, try and hide it.”

“You’re such a jerk.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t care less about a couple pieces of silver cutlery.” I shifted my body away from him and frowned. He was such a jerk. He always knew how to get my back up, just as I thought we were getting along.

I took a couple of deep breaths to stop myself from starting an argument and looked out the window. The French countryside was lush and green, and we passed field after field of beautiful flowers. I tried to tell myself that the trip was going to be fine, though a part of me had no idea what I was doing. A part of me was scared that I was making the biggest mistake of my life. If I was honest with myself, I knew that I was falling for Xavier. How could I not? He was handsome, sexy, and he was interested in me. Plain old me. I was a nobody, yet he seemed to have some attraction to me. It felt wrong and it felt crazy, but ultimately it felt amazing. Being with Xavier set my heart on fire. He made me feel like I was a sexy hot woman, and aside from some of his comments, I loved the power that I felt inside of me when I was with him.

* * *

The sky was a gorgeous hue of orange as we landed in Romerius. I stared out of the window eagerly, wanting to see everything I could of his country as early as I could. From what I could tell, it was pretty small and it was very green.

“What’s the capital of Romerius?” I turned to look at Xavier, who was reading a newspaper.

“Atlantis.” He looked up at me.

“Oh, wow.” I was taken aback by the expression in his green eyes.

“Not that exciting, is it?” His eyes crinkled and he smiled, the serious expression gone.

“No, just unexpected.”

“We’ll likely be put up in the same room,” he started, and I interrupted him.

“That’s terribly progressive of your parents, isn’t it?” I frowned. “I don’t know that many families would allow two non-wed people to share a room.”

“We’re a couple, aren’t we?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but still ...” I paused as I stared at the front of his paper. I grabbed it from his hands and I could feel my face turning white. “What’s this?” My voice rose as I read an article announcing our engagement. “We’re not engaged.”

“Keep your voice down, Lola.” He frowned at me, his eyes narrowed.

“What’s going on here?” I could feel my heart beating from a million miles away. “Why does the newspaper say we’re engaged?”

“For this week, we are.” He shrugged and reached down to his suitcase.

“But we’re not engaged.” I exclaimed again, unable to get over my shock.

“This week you are mine, Lola.” He reached forward and grabbed my hands. “You will do as I say and please.”

“Are you crazy?” I shook my head. “You can’t make me do anything.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, my dear.” His lips curled up and his face moved closer to mine. “I can do whatever I want. We’re in my country now.”

“What are you going to do?” I whispered against his lips, my throat dry and my heart beating fast.”

“Whatever I want.” His eyes glittered like gems before he kissed me, hard, and I melted against him, running my hands through his hair as he sucked on my tongue. The plane came to a stop, but he continued to kiss me hard and fast. My heart was racing and I was starting to feel giddy inside. A part of me was flying high inside. Maybe he really did like me? Maybe he really was my Prince Charming. I didn’t know what was going to end up happening.

“What do you want?” I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes, searching for an answer. I held my breath as I waited for him to respond. I was hoping that he was going to say something romantic, something sweet, something that would let me know it was okay that I was falling in love with him.

“I want to possess your body. I want to own you. I want every inch of you to want every inch of me.” His voice was soft and precise as he looked at me with intense eyes and ran a finger down my neck. “And then, that will be enough. I will have had my fill of you. Then you can leave, my dear Lola. I will have had enough of you then.”

* * *

His View

Her eyes showed her hurt and shock at my words. I also knew she was in awe. She knew my power now. I wasn’t somebody to be toyed with. Whether she was doing it on purpose or not, she had injected herself into my body like a virus. I knew that the only way for me to rid myself of her was to consume her, to take so much of her into me that I no longer craved her. Even now, with my fingers on her soft skin, I wanted more. I needed more. I felt feverish touching her. I needed to have my fill of her. Then everything would be fine in my world again. I’d enjoyed my life before. The power, the women, the ability to do what I wanted, when I wanted. I didn’t want to think about her. I had to have her and then leave her. I ignored the tingle inside of me as I looked down at the newspaper. Lola was my fiancée for a week. I smiled to myself at the thought. She was my fiancée to do what I wanted with. I was going to enjoy every second of making her mine. I ignored the warning bells that went off in my head. The game I was playing was starting to feel dangerously real, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the beginning of the end or the beginning of ever after.

The End

Lola and Xavier’s story will continue in the second and last book, Taming My Prince Charming.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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Content

Finding My Prince Charming
J. S. Cooper

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10