Courting His Royal Highness (6 page)

“Chloe, I didn’t know you were hostess of this reality show. They told me they’d selected a lovely woman whom I would meet today. I promise I didn’t know,” he whispered. He reached for her again. His fingers lightly brushed the back of her hand.

She shook her head and sank further back into the chair, managing a small smile. She looked over at Antonia. “The audience will love it. They’ll tune in every week to watch Prince Max and his hopeful princesses-in-waiting.”

“I know!” cried out Antonia with overzealous enthusiasm, completely oblivious to what was transpiring between her two stars. “Isn’t it fabulous? It will be the biggest event in television history! Don’t you agree?”

Max’s heart ached as he watched the emotions flit across Chloe’s face. He had hurt her. He had hurt her deeply. Yes, they had not made a commitment to each other. But he couldn’t convince himself their night of passion meant nothing. It did mean something—he just didn’t know what. And he doubted he would get a chance to figure it out, thanks to this ridiculous television show.

For the first time since he’d signed the contract with EVE, Max was filled with regret.

How could he work with Chloe every day for the next six weeks and not hold her and kiss her and be intimate with her? How could he date fifteen other women and think about marrying one of them, when all he could think about was the pretty American girl sitting next to him? She was lovely, with snowy skin and dark hair and even darker eyes. Her smile caused his heart to trip.

He couldn’t. But he knew he had to.

What he wanted to do was pursue the strong feelings he had for Chloe. But that was out of the question. He was under contract, and so was she. And they wouldn’t get a chance to be alone. For the next six weeks, other women, camera crews, producers, directors, and the hundreds of other people it took to make a television show would surround Chloe and him.

What had he gotten himself into?

Heartbreak. That was what. And a whole lot of it.

Her job was to help him find a wife, his princess, and eventually his queen. This seemed above and beyond hostess duty. She was actually going to help him select his bride.

This couldn’t be happening. She was physically and emotionally attracted to Mr. Prince Charming. And she had no chance with him. Absolutely zilch. She felt sad, betrayed, and just a little bit angry. The handsome man at her side, the man with whom she had shared a most erotic night, was off limits to her. Completely.

Chloe busied herself with studying the red folder in front of her. The show title’s letters were purple, the color of royalty, and a golden bejeweled crown tilted at an angle off the H of Highness. She kept her head lowered, hoping no one would see the tears in her eyes. But Max had seen them. She couldn’t hide her feelings from him. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to will the tears away, but they lingered, burning behind her lids, threatening to fall at any moment and embarrass her in front of her new employers.

Why did she feel this way? Why? She barely knew the guy. In fact, she didn’t really know him at all. She knew his body. She recalled the heat of his skin against hers, the way his muscular form covered hers, the way he held her close to him with his strong arms. Her heart flip-flopped.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He flashed a dimpled smile at her, and her pulse fluttered. She looked away. Her friends would never believe this one. Not in a million-zillion years.

Antonia rambled on about demographics and ratings to a room filled with people who would be working on the show, but Chloe wasn’t listening at all. Her interest in the show faded in comparison to the interest in the man—correction, prince—who sat beside her in his double-breasted suit. His leg kept brushing against hers under the table and he smelled clean, of soap and shampoo. She gathered her courage to look at him again and was relieved he had turned his attention from her to his assistant, who was loudly and forcefully voicing the concerns of the infamous royal family of Romalia.

She nearly sighed at Max’s beauty. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Heck, Disney would be smart to design all their fairy tale princes after Prince Maximilian Radborne. His dark hair curled over the tops of his ears and against his temples, reminding her of Patrick Dempsey. She liked it a little long. Images of tangling her fingers through his hair flamed bright in her mind, and heat coursed through her. She felt her cheeks turn pink; in fact, her entire body turned pink.

Egad, but this man did things to her. He made her feel totally out of control—and she didn’t know whether to like that or not. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. She knew nothing about him, except that he was an expert in the bedroom. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so turned on, her orgasm so shattering. Their intimate night together had proved Prince Max was no stranger to women. He knew what they wanted and knew how to please.

A twinge of jealousy gripped her, and she was surprised by it. After all, she had nothing to be jealous about. She had no claim to Max. They had promised no commitments to each other. It had been one utterly amazing, incredible, fulfilling night—and that was all that would ever exist between them.

Sadness replaced the jealousy.

What if Max was the man of her dreams, the man of her heart, and she couldn’t have him?

It was too horrible to contemplate.

“Chloe?”

She jolted out of her thoughts at Antonia’s voice. She looked up and found the entire room gazing at her.

“Are you all right, dear?”

“Um, yes, I’m fine,” Chloe said softly, trying hard not to look at Max. “I’m sorry. I guess I zoned out for a minute. It won’t happen again.”

Antonia’s smile was kind. “Even I have a tendency to daydream now and then. We all do.”

“I don’t blame you for tuning us out. Once Eric starts talking, it can get boring.” Max chuckled. “You don’t need to concern yourself one bit about my overprotective family. They’re bent out of shape about the whole show. I sort of did this on my own without telling them or getting approval. They aren’t very happy with me at the moment.”

“Max, they have every right to be concerned,” Eric scolded from across the table. “They only have your best interests at heart, as do I. You have an image to uphold.”

Max rolled his eyes heavenward. Chloe swallowed a giggle. She could tell by their interaction the two were more than merely advisor and prince. They were friends.

“Mr. Von Stratton, I promise we will discuss the royal family’s concerns at a later time in a more private setting,”

Antonia said. “Perhaps we could meet at the beginning of next week. I would be more than happy to talk with you.”

Eric snapped his expensive briefcase shut. “I look forward to the meeting. I have a long list.”

Max rolled his eyes towards the ceiling again. Chloe and Eric were the only two who noticed. Eric glared at Max while Chloe fought back a spontaneous giggle. He was sexy and funny, a marvelous combination. He didn’t fit into the classic stereotype of a stuffy, arrogant monarch. Instead, he was relaxed and jovial, with his lazy smile and sparkling blue-blue eyes.

“I’ll have Karen arrange something immediately. She knows more about my schedule than I do.” Antonia laughed. “Honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without that girl.”

“Karen’s a gem,” agreed Lester. He gathered his papers, organizing them into one neat pile. “There is just one more thing to tell Chloe and Max.”

Max leaned forward at the same time she did. Her arm touched his, and she could feel the ripple of his muscles beneath the designer suit. His magnetic blue eyes looked into hers.

“I hope you two don’t have any plans for this weekend.”

“Well, I was looking forward to relaxing by the pool,” Max said with a lopsided grin.

He was adorable. Handsome. Charming. Charismatic. What woman in her right mind could resist him? Chloe knew she couldn’t. Spending the next few weeks in seclusion with him at an eighty-acre estate in ritzy Scottsdale was going to send her hormones into overdrive. Big time.

“Your pool lounging will have to wait.”

“And why is that, Lester?”

“Well, Max, you and Chloe are booked first-class on a flight to Phoenix tonight.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. What? She was heading to Phoenix today, and with the Prince of Romalia as her companion? She wasn’t opposed to traveling, but she definitely wasn’t ready for this. She felt the heat of Max’s gaze, but refused to look in his direction.

“Is there a problem, Chloe?”

“No problem. I’m just surprised,” she whispered softly.

She wasn’t about to complain. This show promised to be her big break into the business, but she couldn’t help but be a little irritated. After all, it would’ve been nice to have some time to pack and make arrangements for her cat. It had never occurred to her she would be leaving so soon. In fact, it had never occurred to her that she would leave California. She supposed she should’ve been prepared for the possibility. But she was new to this whole thing. And she had a feeling the surprises were just beginning.

“This should be interesting,” Max chuckled as he reached for the electronic ticket Lester handed him.

Chloe grabbed her own. “Why is that?”

He shrugged, tucking the ticket into the inside pocket of his jacket. “I’ve never flown commercial.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “Never?”

“Nope.”

“Miss Tanner, the prince has his own private jet,” explained Eric, “which is undergoing some repairs at the moment.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the annoying man. He was treating her like a five-year-old, and she didn’t appreciate it.

“It’ll be fun, Eric.”

Eric shook his head. “I must object to this. He cannot travel this way. The repairs on Romalia One will be completed in a couple of days. They can go then.”

Riding in a private jet sounded too good to be true to Chloe. So did first-class. She had never flown first-class before. Heck, she barely could afford a coach seat. The last time she’d traveled, really gone on vacation, was at the age of sixteen, when her entire family splurged and went to Walt Disney World. That had been a magical trip. She still remembered her first glimpse of Cinderella Castle. It still filled her with awe. She wondered if Max lived in a castle like that.

Max held up a hand to ward off Eric’s objections. “Eric, you can fly out to Arizona on the jet when the repairs are fixed.”

Eric opened his mouth, but Max stopped him before another word escaped.

“No, Eric,” he said firmly. “The conversation is over.”

Eric crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his employer. “Your family wouldn’t approve. I don’t approve.”

Max sighed. “Let’s not go there, Eric. Drop it, okay?”

Chloe sympathized with Max. Sometimes she wished her family participated more in her life. She missed them dreadfully and had thought about moving back to Minnesota many times; however, she enjoyed her freedom, her independence, and the ability to make decisions for herself. It sounded as if Max didn’t get to make his own decisions and had to have the constant approval from his advisor-friend Eric and his blue-blood family. Jeez, that sucked.

Chloe made a mental note to call home before she left for Arizona to thank her parents for having enough confidence in her to let her be an adult, regardless of how many foolish mistakes she made. And she had made plenty, but she had learned a whole lot in the last ten years. And she’d learned it all on her own. It had not been an easy road, but it had been hers and hers alone.

“A limo will be waiting for you Sky Harbor Internatioanl. It’ll take you to my friend’s estate and will be at your beck and call throughout your stay.”

Max winked at Chloe. “Sounds like fun.”

It did sound like fun. It sounded like a romantic getaway for two people in love. But that wasn’t the case. They weren’t in love. And they didn’t have a chance of falling in love, of being together, because she was not one of the fifteen beautiful women who would soon do battle for his affections.

Chloe swallowed nervously. A feeling of impending doom washed over her. She had feelings for Max. She couldn’t deny it. One didn’t share an extraordinary night with a man and simply not experience some emotional upheaval.

But she couldn’t act on those feelings. To do so would jeopardize her career and burn some serious bridges in Hollywood. Making Antonia and Lester angry would be the death of her dreams of a successful acting career. She couldn’t afford to do that.

She wasn’t sure how this would work. She was going to be alone with him for two days. Oh, heavens, no! Just looking at him made her heart somersault and her palms sweat.

Somehow she found her voice. “When do we leave?”

“The flight leaves L.A. at six tonight. I’ve instructed the driver to take you and Max to one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. You’ll simply love it,” Antonia said with a bright smile. “You’ll have one night alone together before the contestants arrive tomorrow night. I hope you’ll become good friends.”

Chloe thought Antonia looked rather pleased with herself. Sort of like the cat who stole the milk. She wondered if there was something she didn’t know about this reality show. But it was more likely Antonia was thrilled the show was finally going to start production. Chloe decided not to dwell on it or become paranoid. She had a tendency to do that. She needed to stop worrying so much and let herself enjoy things as they came instead of psychoanalyzing everything. Not everyone had an agenda. And Antonia only had good intentions; after all, she wanted the show to succeed.

The doors to the boardroom flew open and in walked a slew of waitresses and waiters, dressed in pristine white, with trays and serving carts laden down with delicious luncheon goodies.

“Lunch is on EVE today.” Antonia beamed. “We want to thank you all in advance for the fabulous show you’re going to create. Lester and I know it’ll be a smash hit, definitely the type of show everyone will be talking about around the water coolers at work. It will revive the popularity of reality television.”