Royal Romance: Mr Right's Playbook (Bad Boy Romance, Billionaire Romance) (4 page)

Chapter 7

"What did I do wrong? I did everything you told me to," Daniel said as he sat on Chris's couch. He loosened the tie around his neck and undid the top button of his shirt. He had a long day at work and he felt most of it had to do with Josie suddenly breaking up with him a few nights ago. Something he still couldn't wrap his head around. Everything was going so well, so what exactly went wrong? 

Chris joined him on the couch a moment later and offered him a plate of the Chinese takeout they ordered, slightly surprising Daniel. The man never did anything for another person without reason. Not that he was selfish. He was just a very narrow-minded person. "Did she find out you lied?" 

"I didn't lie about anything," Daniel stated then corrected, "Except about my job." 

"A lie is a lie." 

Daniel glared at the man in between taking a bite of his food. "You told me to lie. That freaking book you gave me told me to lie too." 

Chris paused in his eating as well and frowned. "I did, didn't I? Well, maybe it's just you. My little black book is gold for me." 

Daniel resisted the urge to throttle his friend as he tried to think of a way to get Josie back. She hadn't answered any of his calls today and when he went to her café for lunch she hadn't been working. It was like the world was going against him just because he decided to take a different route in approaching a woman he liked. Not that the original route saw any success.  

Maybe love just wasn’t for him. Yet Daniel couldn't agree with the notion. Maybe he would have given up on another woman, but he couldn't give up on Josie. Getting his courage up to ask her out on a date had been the best decision he made in a long time. She was even better than the fantasy he built up of her in his head. They fit each other so well. No, more than well. She made him feel worth more than the money he had. To be truthful, he could already picture them married, not that he ever admit it to anyone. 

"Don't you have to plan for that interview you have tomorrow?" Chris asked as he filled his plate with food once more. The man inhaled food like it was air. 

Yes, he already knew everything he was going to say, as he had been notified weeks in advance about the interview, but he truly no longer wanted to do it. But what much was a prince who couldn't keep his promises. 

Josie couldn't shake the permanent storm cloud hanging over her mood as she slipped her apron on, preparing for another morning at work with a heavy heart. It had been a couple weeks since she broke up with Daniel, and despite the fact that she had been the one to cut it off, she missed him. He had called her for about a week, apologizing, begging to talk to her, and she had dodged all the calls. Hell, she even took a few days off of work just so she wouldn't run into him. But then, he stopped calling, and she hadn't heard a peep from him since.  

That shockingly had her even more upset, the thought that he had given up. Maybe it was for the best, but still she ached to be around him. She missed him terribly, and the more each day passed the more her feelings grew. Finally, she came back to work in the hopes she could distract herself but...Here, where they had met, it was even more apparent. Had she been too hasty? Too harsh? But she couldn't take lies, couldn't sit there and let him lie to her face like he had. 

She made her bed...time to lie in it.  

Sighing, she pulled her curls back into a tiny ponytail, already planning on making herself a huge cup of iced coffee to drown her sorrows in. And maybe a big glass of wine later. With the morning rush that was sure to come, and the long day y ahead of her she was sure she would need it later. 

"Holy shit, Josie!"

She suddenly heard Laura yell, running into the break room waving a magazine around wildly, "You scored the jackpot with that boyfriend of yours!" 

Josie stared blankly at her, confusion hitting her from all sides. What was she talking about? One minute she had been calmly sitting in the café reading her magazine before the store opened, then she was running in the room screaming. 

"What are you going on about?" She sighed, not really in the mood for Laura's shenanigans that particular morning.  

"Look!" Laura practically shoved the magazine in her face. 

Josie had to take the magazine from the other woman's hands for her to be able to read it. The picture on the left page had her gasping. Daniel? She glanced over to the right and began read the words.  

This year's top billionaire bachelor: Daniel de Ruiz 

Daniel is the heir to the Estines throne. His net worth is approximately $300 billion. Being a young thirty years of age, he's the youngest out of the top ten bachelors picked. He's here to give us all the things one could ever wish to know about the life of a prince, everything from his life at home to what he looks for in a woman. So he agreed to meet us at a nice Italian restaurant of his choice for the interview. Out of all the information I heard from all the men, his was by far the most interesting, and touching. 

So what do you look for in a woman? 

(D): I don't have many expectations. Someone who sees me for me is all that I care about. Many women just see a price tag on my head and it makes dating difficult. 

Have you ever met someone like that? 
 

(D): I did. (Brief laugh. He paused and look out the window. After taking a moment he looked back with a sad smile.) She was in every way perfect to me. Funny, sweet, charming, intelligent. She honestly took my breath away.  

Does the lucky lady have a name? 

(D): Josie (He said softly then he spoke a little louder) Josie Alice. I was so nervous when I asked her out (he laughed again) I even went to my best friend for advice. He gave me this stupid little book to follow to "win the girl" as he says.  

And did you win her? 

(D): Maybe I would have if I simply been myself. I was so obsessed with being the perfect guy for her, I didn't let her see the real me. That is what I most regret. 

Do you think you'll be willing to try again with another? 

(D): (He shook his head and gave a small smile) Josie is definitely it for me. I don't plan on giving up on her just yet. Only a fool would give up on the one they love easily. 

He loved her. Daniel loved her. And he was a freaking prince. Josie felt her head spinning in circles, leaning up against the table beside her as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat. Here this whole time he had been acting like a normal guy, when he was in fact so rich he could buy her the world and more. But that wasn't what rattled her the most—his sweet words absolutely slayed her. Her eyes burned with tears desperate to be shed, though she refused to let them fall.  

Why didn't he just tell her the truth right off the bat? She didn't care about his money, about any of that. Whether the dates would have been simple or extravagant, that didn't matter. All that mattered was his smile, and the way he made her feel. Yet had any of that been real? Who was the real Daniel? The prince, or the awkward, adorable man from the café who had been nervous to ask her out on a date? 

She was desperate to know. 

Laura frowned at her, taking back the magazine, "What happened between you two? I thought things were going well between you two." 

Josie wiped her eyes, emotions battling inside her, "I...it was but...I knew he was lying and I broke it off." 

Laura nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, "I figured that was the case. Lucky for you, I'm here to fix all your mistakes," She tossed her a grin, "I called him for you." 

"You what?" Josie squeaked, shock flashing across her face, "How? I never gave you his number." 

"I know a guy," Laura shrugged, pushing her toward the break room door, "I told him to meet us here." 

"Wh-what?" Josie sputtered, feeling incredibly overwhelmed as Laura pulled the door open and tugged her through the kitchen, "Laura I don't know if I can do this—" 

"Nonsense!" She replied with a grin, opening the door into the main area of the cafe.  

Josie froze as her eyes met Daniel's. He stood just inside the front door of the restaurant, dressed in his usual three piece suit, at least it had been the usual before they started dating. He looked just as handsome as ever, standing there looking just as nervous as Josie felt.  

At the sight of him she didn't know if she should run into his arms, punch him in the face or dash back through the kitchen door. The choice was taken from her as he approached her. He held her complete focus as he moved, Laura forgotten. 

"I wanted to apologize for not doing this the right way the first time," he said once he was only a few feet from her. He took a deep breath before saying, "My name is Danielde Ruiz. I'm the prince of the small nation, Estines. I grew up in a castle with three brothers and a sister. I attended a private school my whole life and I honestly don't know what life is like to live paycheck to paycheck. I guess you could call me a spoiled brat." 

Josie couldn't help but smile at his sentiment.  

"Despite living my whole life with a silver spoon in my mouth, I wanted to find a real love like my parents had. And you, Josie, you are the most amazing woman I ever met. My heart beats furiously at the sight of you and aches at the thought of you not being in my life. I know I messed up trying to be the perfect guy, but if you give me a chance again, I would like to be just Daniel to you." 

Josie couldn't hold it back any longer. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. How exactly was she was supposed to ignore a man that said such sweet words? She couldn't not forgive him. No one had tried so hard just to smile as he had. Or make her happy. Nor had anyone taken such lengths just to make her fall in love with them. It was seriously impossible not to love this man. 

Daniel's arms wrapped around her, drawing her into a tight embrace. "You weren't supposed to cry. What did I do wrong? I'm sorry. Gosh, I really suck at this. This is exactly why I followed a book for advice. I'm really sorry Josie." He loosed his hold enough to wipe away her tears 

Giggling at his obvious distress, brushed away the stray tears he missed and smiled. "It's nice to meet you Daniel. My name is Josie." 

Conclusion

The following months went by even better than Josie could have imagined. Dating Daniel with no secrets between them somehow made them even closer and better than before, despite the month of happiness they already shared. Daniel was spoiling her rotten, which she chastised him for. But it made him happy to finally be himself, so she let him have his way. Horseback riding, fancy dinners, finally taking her to his family home where she met his parents and siblings. Nothing made her as nervous as meeting a literal king and queen. 

She kept her job at the cafe, going through each day with a smile. Shockingly enough, Laura too had found herself a man--Chris, of all people. Daniel's player best friend. They had hit it off shockingly well, conspiring to help push along her relationship with Daniel behind the scenes. Josie was grateful.  

Months after their dating continued, Daniel proposed to her in the most romantic way, them surrounded by candles and rose petals. Nothing could have made Josie happier, and their wedding was everything she could have ever wanted.  

It was on their honeymoon, when she was unloading their bags for a two week trip to the Bahamas, that she found a little black book in with his luggage. Curious, she picked it up, flipping through the pages, only to giggle uncontrollably at what she read. 

"What's so funny, babe?" Daniel came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of the book, "Oh. That. I was hoping we could burn it, you know. A ceremonial thing." 

She grinned, turning around so she could kiss him lightly on the lips, "Nah. I think I'll keep it, just so I can whip it out and keep you humble. It'll certainly be a funny story for our future kids." 

He stared at her with a horrified expression, "Please don't ever let our offspring read the garbage in there." 

Josie laughed, tucking the book back in their luggage with a smirk, "Hey, it did work in your favor. Kind of."  

Daniel smiled, pulling her toward the bed and flopping back, causing her to squeak and laugh. "In a way it did. I followed its advice, and still got the girl," He kissed her passionately, "So in a way, it did just what Chris said it would." 

Josie smiled, cupping his face with one hand. "Even if it did go off track, it sure did."