Royal S.O.B. (A Bad Boy Romance) (25 page)

Addie
was happy.

This
was a dream she had carried in her bosom for far too long. Of course, her
becoming a royal was a recent event, but she always wanted to do something for
her simple countrymen and women.

It
was in her upbringing – charity. Though they did have their hand-to-mouth days,
Addie and her mother lived a life of contentment. And part of that joy came
from sharing what little they had. It was common for her mum to dedicate a part
of her income – which was not much to begin with – to the church. She routinely
contributed to causes dear to her heart, ranging from destitute people on the
street to orphan children to the unwanted elderly. As a child growing up in
this generous environment, Addie imbibed a lot of that.

Now
she was Princess Adelaide. She had the power and influence to implement
whatever she wanted. And she did just that.

*****

Fresh
from the scars of her encounter with Kenrick, she was lost. But she could not
afford to be that way – exams were now at her doorstep. So Addie dug deep into
the depths of her own fortitude and resilience. It was something she did when
desperate. And this time she was.

She
shut herself – physically and figuratively. When Cate called, she suggested
that they study separately; it would be in the best interests of both. Then she
withdrew into her study, instructing Mrs. Bradford to bring her breakfast, lunch
and dinner inside at the appropriate times. The next few days or so would be
spent only with her books.

Then
Addie did something that only she could: Compartmentalize her mind. She opened
a couple of drawers (much like you'd open new files on your computer, or new
tabs on your browser). In one of them, she deposited everything Kenrick. In
another she placed everything pertaining to their big lovemaking scene – for
her it was lovemaking, not raw sex. Then she shut both the cabinets, locked
them, and hid the key at a place where she could find it later, if she wanted
to.

She
knew her heart was raging and her mind was in turmoil. But now was not the time
to attend to that. Now was the time to focus, to channelize every ounce of her
energy towards her studies. Later, when this pressure was over, she would go
back to those temporarily closed recesses of her mind, open their doors,
revisit them with a calm approach, analyze them, and deal with them as she
deemed appropriate.

Only
Addie could do it.

She
plunged headlong into her studies. For several days straight, she was
inaccessible to anyone – including her mother. The only conduit to reach her
was Mrs. Bradford, and the old lady was under strict instructions to not let
anyone bother her, whomever it was.

When
exams got over, Addie breathed relief. She was glad her will was strong still.
And it did not sway even once, or lead her into realms unknown and tempting.
Her unwavering mind was her strength; well, one of her strengths.

But
there was another problem. In the absence of anything to engage in deeply now,
her mind started its old pattern on being restless, and not letting her sleep.
She had to find something, anything, to rein her mind back, to give it enough
activity, to keep it occupied twenty-four by seven.

That
was when she remembered something she had stored in one of the other recesses
in her mind: Her concern for her fellow citizens. Truth to tell, when she had
opened this recess in her mind, back when she was just a child, she had no idea
what form it would take. It was merely a hopeful wish back then. But now, with
all the might of royalty behind her, she could give it concrete shape. And that
was how her charity was born.

She'd
roped Cate in. In an initiative as mammoth as this, she needed help. They sat
up nights and worked out the details. She got the assistance of her staff in
taking care of the legalities and organizing a low-key launch event – quite
quickly, too.

Her
determination, Cate's being with her throughout, and her efficient staff
ensured that her charity took off in a matter of days. It was a perfect
testimony to single-mindedness and working together as a team.

But
what was more heartening for Addie was the unconditional participation of the
common folk, for whom the charity was set up in the first place. She was
planning to use her Royal Endowment Fund for the charity's expenses, but was
pleasantly surprised when commoners started donating whatever they could. This
further cemented her belief in the middle class, and her heart went out for
them even more.
 

The
poetic justice of the whole endeavor was not lost on her, either. Here was a
commoner, who had found herself amidst royalty and had become a royal herself,
working for the commoners. And the funds for it were earmarked from the Royal
Treasury – to which was added the small pennies of the hardworking middle and
lower classes. How wonderful was that!

It's time they got
their due from the royals
, Addie said to herself.

Kenrick's
stay in France had promptly turned into a disaster. Not only was he in a foul
mood, he was also sulking with Pat. Finally, at the end of the first week,
Kenrick decided to return; spurred, no doubt, by the disturbing news about
Addie.

"She
and her peasants!" thundered Kenrick later that evening after Pat had
shown him the newspaper report.

Pat
said nothing, and Kenrick suspected that his friend's sympathies were indeed
with the peasant-turned-philanthropist. Now that Pat had rekindled his friendship
with Cate (who seemed like Addie's twin to Kenrick), all of them seemed to form
one group, and he was the outsider. Of course, he cared two hoots for their
'peasant gang' – these middle class folk preferred other middle class folk for
company. You could lay them up in royal accommodations for all you care, but in
the morning they wake up and go right back to their ramshackle dwellings.
 

On
his return to the palace, he was greeted with the news that the queen mother
had endorsed the princess's charity initiative.
Big deal.

"And
why not?!" he barked at Pat.

"Mother
and daughter are from the same middle class stable, are they not?"

Pat
maintained a studied silence.

"Why
don't you answer me, you bastard?!" yelled Kenrick.

"Or
do you prefer to join them, all middle class morons, the lot of you?"

Pat
was about to react, but he bit his tongue. Inside he was seething in anger, but
it was not in him to counter and create a scene. Let the dog bark as much as he
wanted; once he was done, he would shut up and curl his tail between his legs.
Best was to get going from the place he was unwelcome in.

*****

Meanwhile
Kenrick's woes with regard to Addie continued. Whether he had love for her or
not, his ego was bruised by her steady progress in the royal circles. The
mother-daughter duo she had going wanted to garner everyone's support and make
him irrelevant.

That'll never happen,
you bitches!
he said to himself.

*****

With
each passing day, two things happened. Addie's charity grew from strength to
strength. And so did his obsession with her. Waking, sleeping, eating,
drinking, Addie was his constant companion – but only in his thoughts, in his
mind. He even wondered if he would lose his mind.

And
he kept going back to that wild sex scene in the Gallery. He played it over and
over again in his head, like a video on playback.

What
a fabulous session it had been! His loins tingled at the very thought. Now,
looking back, all his other conquests paled in comparison. Addie was his
hottest catch thus far, this much was true. And it was unlikely that anyone
would surpass her in the future. She was so, so special.

And
she had been a virgin!
How sweeter could
it get?
The woman he loved, whom he considered the sexiest, had been there
for his taking, and no man had ever enjoyed her before. He was the first! My
god my god, what had he done to deserve her?

What
added more thrill to the proceedings was her own participation. Unlike what he
had imagined, she was not this shy little middle class girl. And though she was
not experienced in the art of having sex, she was open to adventure. And she'd
tried it all. She even wanted to hold his cock in the end and caress it!

That
he never let her touch it was another matter.

He
was needlessly rude to her, he realized. Whatever said and done, she was not
like other women, not by a long shot.

For
one, she was this perfect goddess endowed with every quality, mental and
physical. Such a sample was hard to find. That itself qualified for the highest
grade in his system.

On
top of that, she was a royal. By birth or by relation, she was part of his
nobility. That should put her high up on the rung of desirability.

Kenrick
desired her. Badly, desperately. He wanted her again, he craved to take her
once more. Even once would be enough. At least once.

Suddenly
he felt terribly alone. Pat had left him the day after they returned; he was
lost in thought all the time, anyway. And the only other person he could talk
to – he felt a deep connection with – was Addie herself.

Surprising.
But for Kenrick, she was out of reach.

*****

Let me think like Pat
, the prince said to
himself. What would he have come up with in a situation like this?

Kenrick
sat there, all alone in his chambers, and started putting his mind to it.
Let me be like Pat
, he thought. Surely
that would throw up something.

"So
that's the problem, Phantom. You like her so much, or you lust after her so
much, that you want to get into her panties again. And, going by the last
encounter, there's no way she would let you come near her. Do I read it
right?"

Right
, Kenrick said to
himself, in response to the points raised by himself as Pat.

"For
that, Phantom, you'll have to do something to impress her, to get into her good
books. What can you do to achieve that?"

Mmm, I don't know.
She's seen through me, she knows all my tricks.

"Oh?
So no hope there."

No.

"What's
she up to these days? She's running a charity… Wait, hold on! She loves helping
her own folk, the commoners, the poor, the downtrodden. So why don't you run a
charity as well, for the middle class? Now that's an idea, Phantom. In fact,
that is THE idea!"

Really?

Really.
If charities were her weakness, he would start one of his own. And he would
make it unique, something unheard of, in the whole world. That would capture
the imagination of the public, of the media, and there was bound to be hype
about it. He would be everywhere, on the television, in the newspapers, on the
Internet, on social media, and there would be no way for her to escape him.

Then
he would gradually creep into her mind once again, his charm taking over, and
this time he would make sure to stay put in there. He would not get out and
vacate his place in her heart; this time he was forever.

That
sounded like a real good, workable idea to him. He would also have something to
do, and would kill his time. Plus, he would have the avenue open to meet and
interact with her, and continuous meetings and interactions were bound to open
more opportunities and possibilities.

I want you back in my
bed, Addie
,
said Kenrick to himself.

Whatever it takes.

Addie
was thrilled with her mother, the queen's, endorsement to her charity.

She
had sent her dear mum a message thanking her, to which she replied with a short
and sweet message:

My Dearest Addie,

It feels weird to write
to you like this, but we must respect the new situation we're in. I may not
meet you often but please remember that you're always in my thoughts. Not a day
passes without my mind running to my little darling. And I'm especially glad
that my Addie is still grounded, and this new charity of yours is proof of
that.

All my wishes are with
you, my darling, and I know that you'll take good care of yourself.

When you can, call on
me. I haven't seen you in exactly three months!

Hugs and kisses,

Mom

It
meant a lot. Granted, her mother was not in touch with her on a day-to-day
basis, but she knew that it was because of her unending engagements as the
queen. And she was missing her mum, too, it went without saying.

*****

It
was a week after the charity had been set up. Now they were getting donations
from around the world through its e-commerce portal. This, added to her royal
endowment, would add up to quite a sum. And they were chalking out programs on
where and how to spend the money.

One
afternoon, Addie was sitting at her desk in the study working when Mrs.
Bradford walked in with a small envelope.

"An
invite for you, my child," she said simply, placing it in front of her.

Addie
was stunned. It had the insignia of Prince Kenrick. It looked official.

She
used the paper knife and opened it.

It
was a printed invitation, with her name handwritten on top. It did not look
like Kenrick wrote it.

Her Royal Highness
Princess Adelaide Royce,

It is my honor and
privilege to invite you to the launch of my CHARITY PROGRAM, an initiative
aimed at the disadvantaged citizens of our great country, under the auspices of
the Prince Kenrick Trust.

I request your august
presence at the launch.

In gratitude,

Prince Kenrick Royce
the First

There
was another card attached, which had the date and venue details. She returned
the invitation to the table and fell into deep thought.

What
was this now? Why was he doing it, to spite her? Would it not be odd, that in
weeks of the princess launching a charity, the prince did the same?

She
was sure that the tabloids would go to town with this one. They would even
speculate a rift in the royal family, and the cause would be cited as this
Johnny-come-lately – this middle class girl who became a princess overnight.
Surely she might have thrown a spanner in the works, or else why would the
prince duplicate her efforts?

The
more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that Kenrick was doing it
to get back at her. Either to steal her thunder – maybe he was jealous of the
strides she was making – or to also create a goody 'crusader' image for
himself.

Whatever
it was, it did not portend well.

*****

The
next day, another envelope came from Prince Kenrick. Mrs. Bradford was a tad
amused by her déjà vu feeling.

This
one was a personal note from Kenrick.

My dear Addie,

I trust you're doing
well.

The official invitation
must have come to you, but I wanted to personally invite you to the launch of
my charity.

The credit for this
initiative of mine goes to you. You and your charity were the only inspiration
behind my humble effort. It shamed me that at your level you're attempting
something, and at my level I'm not doing anything at all.

I believe in giving
credit where credit is due. Since it was inspired by you in the first place,
I'm planning to dedicate this charity program to you – in public.

This will happen at the
launch with the world witnessing it, and I want you to be present when it
happens.

Because, for me, you
are special.

Kenrick

Addie
sat for a few minutes in silence.
She did not know what to make of this memo. Since when was she special to
Kenrick, the man of a million women? And since when did she start inspiring him
to do something worthwhile with his life?

She was 'special' to
him?
Was that why he used her and discarded her like a soiled towel, crumpled and
bundled up?
 

Why
the sudden change of heart? What was cooking inside that scheming head of his?
She smelt something vicious in the whole thing.

What
was his charity about, anyway? That was not clear – just a charity for
charity's sake? Or to counter her efforts? He was derisive of her and her
social status anyway. How come he was suddenly taking up cudgels for the same
social strata; how was it that he'd become a paragon of all virtues overnight?

When
Cate came over as usual, to discuss charity work, she showed her both the
mails.

"That's
a very touching note, Addie," Cate began.

"It
sounds like he's known you for years."

Addie
said nothing. She had not yet shared with Cate what had transpired with Kenrick
at the Royal Gallery – she was too ashamed. So her friend was justly surprised
at the intimate tone in the letter.

"It
seems he's nuts over you," Cate noted.

*****

Addie
turned into a workaholic. She was completely immersed in her charity, putting
in fourteen to sixteen hours a day. Her consumption of food turned irregular.
She was neither resting enough, nor getting enough nutrition. It was getting
alarming, and Mrs. Bradford was worried.

Then
she fell ill.

The
governess panicked and summoned the Royal Physician. Not very long ago, Kenrick
had joked about calling the doctor for her – now it had become a reality.

The
physician attended to Addie and pronounced the predictable: She was exhausted
from overwork.
And, perhaps, something
else was amiss that he couldn't quite place.
He prescribed some energy
booster tonics and medication, advising complete bedrest for seven days.

The
next day was Kenrick's launch. And there was no way Addie was up for it.

She'd
been undecided about attending it, anyway.