I pulled away after a moment, ignoring the surprised faces of the women and the seething expression on my brother’s face. I was done playing games.
Let the competition go on. Let the girls eat themselves up, trying to impress me.
In the end, Amber would be mine. And I would relish the feeling of taking her from my brother.
“The court presents a new challenge,” Fleur told the girls the next day while I stood off to the side. “An old-fashioned tradition that is usually done at weddings. We call it
“What does that mean?” Zara piped up, and I grinned before stepping forward, taking center stage.
“The groom – in this case, me, will be blindfolded,” I explained. “I’ll sit in the middle of the room while Fleur sends you up to me one by one. You’ll each have to kiss me. After that, I will eliminate two girls without ever seeing who they were.”
A murmur went through the crowd of women and there were some worried looks, but also some excited giggles. It put a smile on my face, and my eyes sought out Amber. She was jealous, I could tell. Her golden eyes were glowing like embers in a fire. I smirked at her.
“If you please, your Majesty,” Fleur said, leading me to the chair in the middle of the room.
I sat down on the armchair, placing my hands on the arm rests while she tied a blindfold around my eyes. She firmly attached it into place. I couldn’t see a thing through it, and I found myself more than a little excited about the prospect of toying with Amber’s emotions.
My cruel side was coming out. Maybe it was Bruno, maybe it was my mother pissing me off. But I was done fighting off the instincts that begged me to hurt somebody.
I listened to the girls shuffling as Fleur put them into a line. I really had no idea who I’d get first, and I listened to the maid explaining the rules while I made myself comfortable in my seat.
“You’ll each have two minutes,” Fleur said. “Please begin.”
The chatter died down and I felt someone approaching me, the ghost of a hand against my chest, the scent of roses filling my nostrils. I had no idea who she was, but she smelled fucking good.
She surprised me by sitting on my lap, but I kept my hands on the armrest, letting her do whatever she wanted. Her lips were on me in a second. She tasted sweet, so fucking sweet. She kissed me almost desperately, clumsily. She wasn’t experienced, but she was fucking eager.
After a few seconds, I groaned, my hands going to her, wrapping around her waist and positioning her on my lap the way I needed her. Her ass was on my cock and I hoped she felt that she’d made me hard. I kissed her back, enjoying every second of her little butt grinding on me.
“Time’s up.”
I cursed out loud as the girl slid off my lap. My cock craved her back in her spot, but a moment later, her seat was taken by another girl. This one kissed me like she was angry, nipping at my mouth and refusing to give me her essence that I craved after one taste of her lips.
Soon enough, Fleur’s voice became a wake-up call.
Girls changed on my lap and I kissed them all, recognizing only a few. The first one I knew instantly was Amber.
She didn’t sit on my lap. Instead, she went behind me, kissing my neck and taunting me with her closeness, always just an inch away from brushing her lips against mine. In the two minutes she had, she never kissed me on the mouth once, but she undid the top three buttons on my shirt, raining kisses over my neck. I was turned on as hell by the time she was done, managing to not touch her once during her playtime but vowing to punish her for making me rock hard once we were alone.
After Amber, her complete opposite took her spot. Where Amber was hot raging fire, this girl was ice, a cold burn soothing my flamed-up wounds.
She kissed coyly, a smile playing on her lips as she parted my knees and took her spot between my legs. She was a royal, bred to hold back but so fucking eager for more.
Freya.
Once I was sure it was the ice queen, I grinned, letting her work me with her tight, slender body. She pulled back after two minutes and once again was replaced with another girl.
This went on and on until they’d all had a turn.
By the end, I was eager to fuck. Needing release, I ripped off my blindfold the moment Fleur announced the challenge was over, joining her at the front of the room.
“Now Prince Olivier will send two of you home,” she said, giving me two small brass bowls. In one, circles of amethyst covered the bottom, and in the other, small and beautifully polished pearls waited to be inserted in the girls’ collars. “The floor is yours, Prince Olivier.”
I was supposed to call out the girls with their numbers, and I racked my brain trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this mess. But in the end, I decided to trust my instincts. If there was no chemistry between me and the girl I’d been kissing, there was no point in keeping them around. And after all, I knew who I wanted to keep, and I knew which one Amber had been.
“Number one,” I called out first, curiously examining the women in front of me to see which one would emerge as the passionate first kiss of the challenge.
My eyes widened as Zara stepped forward, a sly smile playing on her face as she walked up to me.
“Thank you, Your Highness,” she purred, and I grinned at her before placing both stones on her collar. “I was hoping you’d know it was me.”
I hadn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell her as much. I merely smiled and showed her to the side, curious thoughts filling my head. If she kissed like that, she must be eager to learn more… and after all, I’d always been a good teacher.
I called three more numbers, welcoming Monica, Asya and Camellia to the front.
Next up was the girl I’d recognized as Amber. As I called her number and she stepped forward, I grinned to myself, pleased that I’d been right.
She’ll make a fine Queen, I thought to myself, placing the stones in her collar. A fine Queen indeed. I winked at her as she stepped to the side, pleased to see only the smallest sliver of jealousy in her eyes. I had a feeling the whole thing had turned her on.
After fire there was ice, and I called out the next number. Just as I’d suspected, Freya stepped forward triumphantly, walking up to me and never taking her eyes off mine as I added the stones to her collar.
I fought the urge to rip her sheer, glittery white dress of that sinful body. It was the first reaction I’d had to another woman since Amber had come along. Interesting.
The number of women dwindled as I called out number after number. The final girl I chose was Violetta, leaving Kendy and Eva standing alone.
“I’m so sorry, ladies,” Fleur piped up apologetically. “Please say your goodbyes. We’ll provide transportation for you after you pack your belongings.”
The girls had a teary goodbye. Eva didn’t even come up to me, and a part of me was upset I’d sent her home. But in the end, she wasn’t the right woman for me. She would make a fine partner to a man far better than I ever could be. In a way, she was getting off lucky.
Kendy approached me with a regal smile and bowed before me, a motion which I returned. After all, she was a princess, too.
“Thank you for the opportunity,” she said, shaking my head.
On an impulse, I pulled her in for a hug. Her body was tight, rigid. In that one embrace I understood how much weight she carried as she made her way through the world, and I felt guilty for dismissing her because of her chaste kiss. She was special, and she was more than her touch revealed. It was a decision I regretted, sending her home.