Mistress to the Prince (17 page)

Tara
stared for only a moment.  “Of course,” she repeated. 

“Good.  The dress is formal again but unfortuna
tely, since I’ve sprung this on
you at the last moment, you won’t be able to
meet
with the palace designer for a dress.  I’ll have my assistant find something appropriate for you to wear.  Can you be here at the palace
Saturday
at
four o’clock
?  She’ll have several dresses that you can choose from.  I’ll also have a hair dresser here to help with your hair.”

Tara
nodded in agreement. 
“I’d be honored to help in anyway I can,” she said. 

“Wonderful.  Listen, I have to run but thank you so much for spending some time with me.  There might be other situations where I’ll need your help but I’ll try and give you as much notice as possible.”  She stopped on her way out the door, “Perhaps you should check in with the designer on Monday so she can get your measurements.  That way, she can start working on some dresses for you
just in case there’s a need for an urgent evening.  Would you mind terribly?” she asked.

“That would be fine,”
Tara
said, standing next to the lunch table.

“Thank you
Tara
.”  With those words, the queen was gone. 

Tara
looked around the lovely room filled with fragrant flowers and wondered what had just happened.  She was obviously working tomorrow night.  How would Max treat her on a working date?  It was an interesting, if overwhelming, idea. 

Back in the office, she was just sitting down at her desk when Max appeared in front of her. “You had lunch with my mother?” he demanded. 

“
Yes
.
”

His face had no expression when he asked,
“What did she
talk about
?”

“Nothing in particular.  She asked me to accompany you tomorrow night,” she said and picked up her note pad, prepared to take notes.  “Want to fill me in on the important project that you’re working on so I’ll be prepared?”

Max stared at her blankly. Then his face crinkled up into laughter.  He threw back his head and laughed, the noise filling up the office space. 

“I don’t get the joke,”
Tara
said, still holding her pen in anticipation of his instructions. 

His laughter finally subsided and he looked down at her, the humor still in his eyes.  “Don’t worry,” he said.  “I’ll fill you in later.  About tomorrow night, there aren’t any notes you can take to prepare yourself for the evening. I’m afraid we’re just going to have to wing it as the night progresses,” he explained. 

Tara
bit her lip at his words.  “I’m afraid I’m not very good at that,” she
said, looking worriedly at her computer screen.

“Don’t worry about it.  I know you’ll get through tomorrow ni
g
ht beautifully.  I’ll have a driver pick you up so you don’t have to worry about getting home,” he said and winked at her before walking into his office. 

The afternoon flew by and she was still typing up some information into a spreadsheet when Max walked up behind her.  “Time to close down the shop,” he said and reached around her to hit the save key. 

Tara
’s body instantly reacted to his nearness but she didn’t want to give in to the feelings.  Something was different about him tonight and it made her more nervous than usual.  She kept typing as she said,
“I’ll be done in just a few more minutes.  This budget has to get out first thing Monday morning.”

“It can wait,” he said and pulled her chair back. 

Tara
’s hands were shaking as he pulled her out of her chair.  “Why are you so nervous around me tonight?” he asked. 

“I don’t know.  Perhaps because it is Friday night,” she replied, reluctantly letting him lead her out of the office. 

“I know.  And it also means that you don’t have to get home early.  So I can keep you here and ravish you, can’t I?” he said, then laughed when she pulled her hands out of his.  “Tara, you
’re so transparent,”
he said when he’d finished laughing and took her hands in his again.  “Trust me,” he said.  “It has been a long week.  I know you’re tired.  Just come watch a movie with me.  I ordered pizza for dinner with extra cheese, just like you like it.”

“How do you know what k
ind of pizza I like?” she asked as he led her down the hallway to the screening room. 

He walked to a hidden console and pressed several buttons.  The lights dimmed and the screen scrolled silently out of the ceiling. 
“You told me, a long time ago.”

“I did?”

He turned around to face her now. 
“Yes.  You did.  Now take off your jacket,” he said when he guided her into a soft leather chair in the screening room.  He bent down and took off her shoes.  “What kind of movie are you interested in?” he asked.

She tried to reach for her shoes again but he tossed them into the corner.  “I think I’m going to institute jeans Fridays so you’ll be more comfortable next week.  What do you think?”

“Don’t do it on my account,” she said, and tucked her stocking clad feet underneath her as she sat back n
ervously in the leather chair, her hands demurely placed over her knees. 

“You wouldn’t wear them no matter what I order, will you?”

“I don’t own a pair of jeans,” she said, laughing at his charming face. 

“You’re kidding,” he said.

“Yes,
”
she replied, a smile growing across her face. 

Max sighed deeply.  “Thank goodness.  I’ve imagined your incredible legs in jeans several times and we’d have to leave
right now if you were serious.”

“Leave now for what?” she asked, watching curiously to see what he was doing.  He was pressing buttons and suddenly,
the movie started playing.  It was the opening music, no irritating previews for royal versions of movies obviously. 

“To buy you some jeans,” he said as if that were the most obvious answer in the world. 

Tara
laughed at his deadpan expression.  “You’re kidding, right?”
she asked, tossing his phrase right back at him. 

“Absolutely not.  With your legs?  It would be a shame not to show them off in a pair of jeans.  And several other outfits I can think of right off the top of my head,” he said and took her hands in his to pull her to a standing position.  Once standing, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly, then when she was completely flustered, he walked over to the leather sofa and pulled her down next to him.  “This is better,” he said. 

“Why?” she asked after he pulled her down beside him and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 

“Because now I can make out with you during the movie,” he said against her ear.

Every muscle in
Tara
’s body tensed and she turned her face
toward
him to determine if he was kidding again.  He looked absolutely serious. 

“I’ll wait until after the pizza comes,” he said and turned to watch the movie.

“The pizza is being delivered?”

“Of course,” he said and picked up the remote, just holding it in his hands. 

Tara
had to laugh at the picture of the crown prince holding a remote control just like any other man.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, smiling at her laughing face. 

“I’ve just never pictured you being normal.  But now that I see you with the remote in your hand, I guess you are just as hard wired for remotes as other men are,” she said and relaxed against his shoulder, tucking her feet underneath her.

“Of course I’m normal.  What man would ever allow a woman control of the remote?” he said and sat back to watch the movie.

A servant arrived about fifteen minutes into the movie to deliver the pizza and a bottle of red wine.  The movie was so interesting that neither of them wanted to stop the movie just to get a piece of pizza.  The servant placed it on a table in front of them, then disappeared.  The two of them munched on pizza and sipped delicious red wine while watching the romantic comedy that was filled with adventure and action. 

When the credits started rolling along the screen,
Tara
was completely relaxed against Max’s side, her head resting on his shoulder.  The closing music reminded her of Max’s statement before the movie about making out and she immediately jumped up and started looking for her shoes. 

“That was a great movie,” she said and found her shoes in the front of the room.  She then looked around for her jacket.  “And the pizza was the best.  I can’t believe I ate so much,” she said and victoriously picked up her jacket that had slid onto the floor.  “I’d better be getting home.  Tomorrow’s another work day.  You’re mother asked me to be here by the
late
afternoon,” she said and started walking out of the room.

Max caught her hand gently and stopped her.  “What’s wrong?” he asked and carefully pulled her back to a sitting position
on the sofa
. 

She wouldn’t look at him. 
“I need to get home,” she whispered.

“No you don’t.  You’re not even tired and it is only
nine o’clock
.  You’re usually here until ten or eleven.”

“
Y
es, but then you walk me to my car, kiss me sens
e
less and then I drive home in a daze,” she admitted.  “I need to pay more attention to the drive or I’m going to cause an accident.”

“All the more reason to spend the night here with me,” he said.  His fingers were making circles on the palm of her hands, creating havoc with her concentration and determination.

“No.  We have to stop that.  I can’t live like that anymore
.  I can’t see you like that anymore.”

“Why not?  I know you enjoy kissing me just as much as I like kissing you.  What’s the problem?”

Tara
pulled her hand out from his and stood up.  “The problem is that you’re the crown prince and you need to get married, have little princes and princesses and rule a country.  I’m in the same boat, but without the political pressures behind my marriage.  I want to fall in love, get married and have children.  If I continue down this road, I’ll never fall out of…”
Tara
looked at him quickly and turned around.  “I’ll never find someone to fall in love with.”

Max stood up and came behind her.  “What were you going to say?” he asked. 

“Nothing.  You’re a very dynamic and attractive man.  Knowing you tends to alter my expectations of other men.  Going down this road, I don’t
see any ending that will make my
‘
happily ever after
’
nor will it ease the pressures your parents are putting on you to get married.”

“I think I have a solution to that, but I’ll probably have to prove a few more things to you before I raise that issue,” he said and tugged her back down onto his lap.  “The first of which is that you don’t need to be afraid of me,” he said and his mouth gently touched hers. 

And just as it had happened every night this week, at the first touch of their lips, the fire exploded between them. 
Tara
stopped thinking and her arms curled around his neck, pulling him closer, her lips begging for more than just a taste of him.  S
h
e told herself to pull away and run as fast as she could, but her body only leaned closer to his, eager to feel the sensations his touch could ignite within her.