LukeTheir controlling nature was one reason I wanted to leave the palace. Did they honestly think I wanted to go back there and live out the legacy that they chose for themselves?“Yes, he did,” Mother said. “If you want to talk about it—”“I don’t,” I said.“No need to be rude,” she said after a pause. She had a hell of a temper behind the scenes, and even from hundreds of miles away, I felt her silent fury.“I’m sorry, Mother. I don’t intend to be rude. I only wish to be given the time that Father allowed. It was a surprise to have him show up. I need the time to think about it if I’m going to leave the life I’ve known for a while.”“I see,” she said, although I knew she didn’t. Neither of them did.“You will be the first to know when I make my decision, either way.”She made a small disapproving sound.I could almost see her face, her lips pursed and her eyes accusing. Neither of them saw our family’s place in the kingdom as optional, but I did. Being king was sort of my birthrigh
SophiaI dreaded the “check-in” phone call that Mr. Fraser scheduled on Monday afternoon. I had nothing to give him, but I couldn’t lie. If I told him I had the story, he’d want to see at least a rough draft before sending me home right away. I bet the hotel wasn’t cheap and keeping me here when I was “finished” wouldn’t help the company’s bottom line.I had to tell him the truth, no matter how hard it would be.My eyes darted between the phone and the small digital clock on the side of the bed. I wished it would just ring. I didn’t think I had enough fingernails to last me the next few minutes. I placed my hands on my lap, pressing them against my thighs. Bleeding from the fingers wasn’t going to help me write a story.I had spent the majority of the day on Sunday, and earlier that day, researching more about Luke Walters. If he wasn’t going to allow me to interview him, the least I could do was start my article with some background. I hated using other sources when the center of my
SophiaI cringed at the idea of stalking him to his house, but what other choice did I have? All he had to do was answer some stupid questions. None of them were particularly revealing, at least in my opinion. Why did he care so much? Did he enjoy playing games?I shoved my phone into my bag and tugged on my scarf and jacket. Mr. Luke Walters wasn’t going to prevent me from getting the promotion that I deserved. I would sit in his office building all week and really pester him if that was what I needed to do.With Mr. Fraser’s insistence that I get the work done no matter what, maybe he wouldn’t be too upset if I ended up in jail for trespassing, if Mr. Walters became too upset with me.Though I had a feeling he’d never do that. In the short conversation we had the night before when we were getting to know each other, there was something different about his demeanor. He wasn’t as agitated with me. He seemed almost amused.Did he like me? Had I put on enough charm for him to change his
Luke“Do you have a car?” I asked Sophia.“No, I don’t,” Sophia said. “I’ve been taking taxis.”“Good,” I said. “I’ll drive.”Finding Sophia in the lobby was exactly what I had hoped for after speaking with Mother the day before. The plan had formed almost immediately. Sophia was an intelligent woman that wanted something from me, just as much as I wanted something from her.Earlier that morning, I’d informed Victoria to covertly alert me if and when Sophia came to the office again. Giving Sophia a little time to wait allowed me to prepare for what I was going to say to her. I was used to being ahead of any business deal, and I knew we’d both benefit mutually from this, as long as I could convince her to go along with it.A weight had been lifted when I received Victoria’s phone call. A small part of me was afraid that Sophia would give up after what I’d done at the end of our dinner on Saturday.I planned to agree to the interview as long she pretended to be my girlfriend for the ban
Luke“I never claimed to be a secret spy,” she said. “I’m here to write a story about your Father stepping down from the throne. And you as the heir.”I clasped my hands in front of me and glanced at the menu, even though I’d already memorized it some time ago. “And I’m willing to give you that story.”“You will?”“Yes, but I’m not giving it away for free.”“You want me to pay you?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. It was sexy as hell. I loved getting a rise out of this woman.“No, I need you to do me a favor,” I said.“What kind of favor?” she asked, leaning forward. Her breasts pressed against the table, and I wanted to be that slab of wood that separated the two of us.“I need you to be my girlfriend,” I said.She made a choking sound and shook her head furiously. “What?”“For the weekend,” I clarified.“Is this some kinky stuff you’ve dreamed up to send me packing? Because I can’t leave without this story, but I’m not just going to screw you—”“Please,” I said, holding my hand up. “
SophiaThe meeting with Luke had not gone as I expected when I agreed to speak with him. It made up for the quick exit he made at the mention of his father at the fancy restaurant. At least at the very end of it, I would have my story and, hopefully, the promotion to go along with it. He was right; we were both benefiting from this arrangement, even though getting this interview hadn’t been at all the way I imagined.Now, all I had to do was travel to a Middle Eastern country and make it appear as if I was in a relationship with the crown prince.It all seemed simple enough, but the moment he dropped me off at my hotel, a flurry of nervous jitters shot up my arms and down my legs. Could I do this? Could I fool a king? Luke seemed more worried about his mother, though. Should I be more worried?I took a calming breath.This was my job, and my promotion was all about getting this interview. I couldn’t let my nerves get the best of me. I was used to doing whatever it took to get my story
SophiaNo pressure then.I paced around the room several times before swiping my finger over my phone screen. I needed to unload some of the tension in my body.I dialed Matt, wanting more of a friendly conversation where I could work through my anxiety about this assignment. Luke’s proposition had upped it a notch, and I needed encouragement instead of pressure.I had almost a week to prepare, but I imagined failing miserably, letting down Luke, Mr. Fraser, and worst of all, myself.There was my pessimism again. If only my optimistic friend would answer his damn phone.The call went to voicemail, and the food from dinner churned in my stomach. I needed to relax. A bath would do.As I started to undress, my phone rang.I grabbed it and swiped at the screen, briefly seeing Matt’s smiling face before the call connected.“Sorry about that,” he said. “I was in the middle of another call.”“No big deal,” I said.“It sounds like a big deal. What’s up, Soph?”I raked my hand through my hair,
LukeWaking up on Tuesday morning, I wasn’t filled with the same sinking sensation of dread in my stomach. Sophia had agreed to pretend to be my girlfriend. I couldn’t believe that everything had fallen into place like pieces of a puzzle. If I’d never met Sophia, I would have been subjected to Mother and her attempts to set me up again.I didn’t plan on marrying Sophia, but our “relationship” would get Mother off my back for a little while. I doubted I could convince Sophia to come back to the UK or even Qatar once she returned to Dallas, so I would be living on borrowed time.That was if we could convince everyone that our relationship was real in the first place.My feelings for Sophia were strictly platonic, but she was my type. Without dating anyone for some time, I didn’t think I had a type. But the way that she always said what she wanted and made me laugh made me excited to see her again. Of course, she was beautiful. That made it easier for what I intended to do. I didn’t mind