“Please. Feel free to join.” Pierre stood and rearranged the table so we had another stool.
He looked over my shoulder and pulled up another stool, and then another. I closed my eyes briefly. We’d officially been invaded by the prince and his posse. I wondered if I should stand up and excuse myself now. It seemed like a good time to do that. I’d wait though. For Pierre, because he seemed at a loss and I didn’t want to do that to him.
“So, you’re old friends,” I said, once Prince Elias and the two men he was with sat around the table.
Pierre and I were still across from each other. Prince Elias was beside me on one side, one of the men who hadn’t yet introduced himself, but looked like he was a friend, not security was on my other side, and another wearing all black was beside Pierre.
“We are,” Prince Elias said. “Pierre’s older brother and I served together.”
“Oh.” I raised my eyebrows. I may have my reservations about the Crown, but I had enormous respect for the military. I looked at Pierre. “Are you close to your brother?”
“I am. He’s retired now. Lives a quiet life not too far from here.” He smiled. “Lots of nieces and nephews.”
“Define lots.” I matched his smile.
“Four girls, two boys.”
“Holy . . . wow. Lots, indeed.” I laughed, taking a sip of my beer.
“How did you two meet?” The man beside me asked. “I’m Charles, by the way.”
“Adeline.” I smiled. “We met—”
“She’s part of the local staff. She brings my baskets every night,” Prince Elias said.
Part of the local staff. I didn’t agree with it, but I wasn’t going to argue with him about it in front of everyone. I raised my beer to that explanation instead and hoped he understood I meant it as a big fuck you.
“She’s . . . ” Pierre started, then stopped. We shared a look and I knew what he was going to say and I was eternally grateful that he hadn’t. I didn’t want anyone at this table to know who my father was. The next wave of shame hit me and felt like a whip on my hand. “She’s the prettiest girl in town,” Pierre said, smiling.
“She is, indeed,” Prince Elias agreed.
I felt my chest expand with his words, but controlled the emotion on my face. I wouldn’t let myself be controlled by the handsome soon-to-be king. I wouldn’t let myself go down the same road so many of the women in this town had gone down before. I was already a notch in his bedpost. I didn’t want to add another.
“You should come back to the villa. Have some drinks with us,” Charles said beside me. “Let your guard down. Let your inhibitions run wild.”
“I can’t afford to let my guard down.” I drank the rest of my beer and set it down on the table as I pushed my seat back and hopped off the stool. I walked around the table and stood beside Pierre, leaning in so only he could hear me. “Thank you for the lovely evening. We should do this again sometime. In private.”
“I’m sorry.” He sighed. “Would you like me to go with you?”
“That’s okay. I’m just going up the road anyway.” I leaned up, pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I really did have a good time with you.”
“Can I . . . I would say call, but the cellphone reception is shit.” He laughed quietly.
“Just pass by my villa. Any time.” I flashed him one last smile before turning to address the rest of the table. My breath caught when I found Prince Elias watching me closely. “Good night, gentlemen.”
With that, I grabbed my things and left. I’d parked the golf cart up the street and when I looked over to where it was, I noticed two similar golf carts beside it. Property of the Crown. I wondered if Prince Elias had spotted it and decided to go inside. I assumed so. He probably thought it was Pierre’s and not mine.
“Adeline.”
My head whipped toward the sound of my name and I saw Pierre walking toward me. I smiled at him.
“Did you get bored?”
“No.” He smiled. “I figured I should join you on the drive up the hill though.” He paused. “And the prince needs a few things for his party.”
“You mean the party he’s not even attending?” I rolled my eyes.
“I know he comes off as . . . arrogant, but he is a good man.” Pierre signaled for us to start walking across the street.
“You said that already.” I shrugged. “I’m sure he’s a lovely human.”
“He is.” Pierre laughed.
“It doesn’t matter. It genuinely makes no difference to me.”
“He’s taken an interest in you.”
His statement gave me pause. I started the golf cart and sat there for a second, waiting for Pierre to sit in the passenger seat.
“Interest how?”
“I’m sure you can imagine how many people are constantly throwing themselves at him. Everyone wants to be the one to make the most eligible bachelor, notorious playboy, next king, settle.” He glanced over at me. “You don’t do that. Therefore, you’re interesting.”
“I’m not interested in the monarchy.”
“I’m not either, but you’d be surprised at how many are. You’d be surprised at the lengths they’d go through for even one night with Eli.”
“You call him Eli.” I stopped at the crossway and looked at him. “Why does he have you work outside his house? Securing the door?”
“I chose that job. He keeps offering me to be his private secretary, so I’ll move into that role eventually. He didn’t want to bring too many of the personnel, so I guard the door sometimes.” Pierre flashed me a sad smile. “It didn’t end very well for the last guy.”
“What happened to the last guy?”
“He tried to kill the prince, and well . . . ” Pierre shrugged. “It ended badly for him.”
“I heard about that,” I whispered. “The man was killed shortly afterward.”
I started driving again. When we reached the prince’s villa, I could see colorful lights and hear loud music coming from inside. It looked like an actual nightclub from out here. Pierre signaled me to stop beside it.
“He wasn’t. The prince intervened and the guard was sentenced to life in prison.”
“Why not death?” I asked. If someone had tried to kill me, I’d probably want them dead.
“Eli is not a vengeful man. He doesn’t believe in an eye for an eye.”
My brows rose. “His father does.”
“His father does.” Pierre nodded. “His father ultimately had the guard killed.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“I know you don’t agree with the way the king does things, but you can’t hold the entire family accountable for the actions of one man.” He set his hand over mine. “Think about what that would mean for you if people held you accountable for your father’s actions or him for yours.”
“They already do,” I said sadly. “Besides, I’m not holding him accountable for those things, I’m holding him accountable for his poor attitude.”
Pierre got out of the car. “Maybe we can do this again sometime.”