The Prince's Forbidden Lover (The Samara Royal Family #3) (3 page)

The third member of their group wasn’t so quiet.  Keith kept turning his head, trying to get another glimpse of Rais but the doors were closed and he was thwarted in his efforts.  “That was your brother?  Why didn’t you tell me he was so hot?” Keith asked with speculation in his eyes.  “Is he…?”

“Very much so,” Shantra replied, knowing exactly where Keith’s mind was moving.  “Possibly too much so.”

Keith sighed with disappointment.  “Too bad.  He would be…” he blew a kiss into the air.  “Yes.  He would have been fantastic!”

Shantra rolled her eyes.  “Sorry.  He’s more interested in Jo than in you.”

Jo stopped in mid-stride, not liking what her best friend was implying.  “What are you talking about?  Who is interested in me?”  Before Shantra said her next word, Jo knew what her friend was going to say.  And no matter how hard she willed Shantra to stop the words, they came anyway, making her stomach tighten with fear. 

Shantra grinned from ear to ear, her eyes lighting up with hope and excitement.  “Oh, he’s hot for you, honey!” she replied.  “And from the look he gave you, maybe we should just…”

“Stop!” Joline said, shaking her head.  “I don’t want to hear things like that.”

Keith and Shantra stopped and looked at Joline.  “What’s wrong with my brother?” Shantra asked, confused but knowing that Joline rarely dated for some reason even though many men panted after her, only to be shot down time and again.

“Nothing,” Keith mumbled with fervor, even fanning himself as if the man were too hot to handle.  “But I’m willing to try and find out.”

Shantra laughed, but kept her focus on Joline. 

Joline shook her head, already worried about insulting Shantra who was the nicest person she’d ever met.  Shantra was sweet and kind and generous and…well a genius really.  “I’m sure he’s a great guy.  But you know my position on dating.”

“You don’t do it,” Shantra replied, crossing her arms across her chest and tilting her head slightly. 

Joline swallowed past the lump in her throat.  “Exactly.”

Keith’s eyes changed from teasing to serious, understanding that there was something going on between his two good friends.  “Why is that?” Keith asked.

Shantra watched as Joline struggled to answer.  And then realization fell into place, the puzzle finally formed a picture.  A vivid one!  “Because of her mother,” Shantra explained, her eyes softening with the knowledge and comprehension.

Joline looked down at her toes, wishing that she could just bury her past.  Her mother was…well, one of a kind.  It was embarrassing, but there wasn’t anything Joline could do. “Exactly,” Joline replied.  “Can we get to work?”

Keith looked like he was going to argue, but the women moved down the hallway and he had no choice but to follow.  Keith and Shantra were the only two people in the world that Joline had confided in.  And since they were her good friends, they both understood what was going on inside of her mind at the moment.  Neither pressed her to say anything more and the subject was dropped. 

When they got to Shantra’s private apartment, the three of them turned serious.  Joline pulled out her computer while Shantra dug through her drawers to find her latest drawings.  Keith, as the resource expert, was the man who sought out the best fabrics to use for each season’s designs. He pulled the samples out of his bag and laid them all on the table. 

For the next several hours, the three of them brainstormed about the next season’s release of House of Jesek designs.  Jesek was really just an acronym for Joline, Shantra and Keith with the Es between each of the consonants.  The Es meant nothing, but it helped to throw off anyone curious enough to try and figure out who the actual designer was, a question that was being asked more and more often lately as word of their designs started to gain traction in the fashion world. 

Well past midnight, all three of them were dragging and their ideas were becoming sillier.  “Okay,” Joline said, rubbing her eyes and smothering yet another yawn.  “We have the New York store up and running.  Plans for the London salon are almost ready and, once we get your designs, Shantra, Keith can make all the arrangements for the fabrics to be delivered to the factory in Pennsylvania.”

Shantra and Keith nodded their heads.  “So what are we missing?” Keith finally asked.

Joline propped her chin up on the palm of her hand, exhaustion, jet lag and punchiness making her eyes burn.  “We don’t have enough staff to fill all the time slots in the New York space, the factory in Pennsylvania probably won’t be able to keep up with any additional demand so you’re going to have to find another factory, the insurance company called last week asking questions and requesting an interview, payroll was almost late last month, profits are up dramatically, but expenses are rising as well.  Customers are coming into the shop complaining that they can’t get the designs because we’ve run out of stock and…”

“Okay!  Okay!” Shantra replied, covering her ears with her hands.  “But these are all good problems, right?”

Joline smiled despite her exhaustion and jet lag.  “Yes.  Definitely good problems.  I’d rather have these problems than the other kind.”

Keith started shifting papers around on the table.  “I can help with searching out new factories,” Keith volunteered.  “And what else can I take on?  You’re working yourself ragged lately, Jo.  Give more to me.”

Joline was truly grateful for his help.  He’d come on board with them only as a part-time person but he’d quickly become indispensable with his sense of style and his ability to network with the people who mattered.  His connections had made many of the problems they’d started to encounter much easier to resolve because Keith knew the right people in the industry. 

And yes, Joline was tired.  She worked from early each morning until after dinner time, then pull on one of Shantra’s nightclubbing designs so she could meet up with Keith at whatever social event he’d determined would give Shantra’s dresses the most visibility.  She’d stay out with Keith as late as possible, then start the whole process over again the following day. 

She was growing to hate the weekends because they meant late nights.  While most people hated Mondays, she preferred them lately because Keith didn’t have as many social events at which Joline needed to wear one of the dresses.  Oh, and the ridiculously high heels that he insisted were perfect for each design.  Shantra had no idea if they were “perfect” or not, but they made her feet ache after just five minutes in them. 

Keith looked at Joline and tsked.  “I think our friend here needs to crash into bed.  She’s been up partying too much lately,” he teased.

Joline rolled her eyes at his comment.  “Only because you are a slave driver,” she came right back.  But she was truly grateful for Keith’s social skills. 

He lifted his hands into the air.  “Hey!  I offered to wear the gowns.  But my boobs didn’t fill out the bodice as well as yours do,” he pointedly looked down at Joline’s cleavage. 

Both women laughed, shaking their heads.  “I’d like to see you in one of my gowns,” Shantra commented as she stood up. 

“Bring it on, woman!” he laughed and leaned back in his chair. 

Both women only rolled their eyes.  “Hide all this stuff and I’ll call the kitchens to ask them if they could bring us some dinner.”  Shantra pulled all of her drawings together and handed them off to Joline.  “Take care of them!”

Joline laughed.  “You know I will!”

Joline woke up still feeling a little exhausted but details were running through her mind so she knew that she’d be unable to sleep any longer. 

The room Shantra had readied for her was fabulous, with rich fabrics and a bathroom so luxurious, she hesitated to touch anything.  It was all marble and shiny surfaces and was larger than her tiny apartment back in New York.  Shantra might have to hide her work from her brothers, but boy did she have a great place to hide! 

“Coffee,” she sighed and stepped into the shower, trying to revive herself enough to look presentable.  She suspected that searching for the dining room wearing only a camisole and pajama shorts in the Kilar palace wouldn’t be smiled upon.

After her shower, she pulled on a pair of slacks and simple cotton shirt, unable to do more at this point.  But she did take a moment to add a bit of makeup to conceal the dark circles under her eyes.  Shantra and Keith were already on her case about her working too much.  Joline wasn’t going to give them any extra ammunition.  She didn’t want to let them down, she told herself as she dabbed on a bit more makeup in the hopes of looking more awake. 

When she was finished, she knew that she looked much better, less zombie-like and nodded to her reflection in the mirror.  She pulled her hair into a simple bun and thought it would be good enough for the servants.  She doubted she would run into anyone else at this hour.  The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon so the early morning staff were probably the only ones milling about.

If one handsome, crazy-tall man popped into her mind, she excused her inability to stop thinking about the man as she headed out of the bedroom.  It wasn’t a problem, she told herself.  She’d dreamed about the man so it was only natural that she might wonder what he slept in and what he might be like first thing in the morning.  Was he grouchy or energetic?  Or was he…she blushed at the image that came to mind. 

Besides, she knew there were many gossip sites on the Internet that speculated on what celebrities slept in or wore when lounging around their massive houses.  She was fairly sure that princes qualified for that kind of speculation as well.  She couldn’t be the only one who was wondering. 

Oh my, what if he slept in nothing at all?  She shivered at that idea, wondering what it would be like to sleep in the buff.  Would it be nice?  Or creepy?  She suspected she’d be too aware of the fact that she was naked to sleep at all. 

Shaking her head, she peered to the right and then down to the left of the long, empty hallway, not sure which way to go to find the dining room.  This place was enormous.  Even the private quarters for the royal family, where she was staying, were like a labyrinth of hallways.

“Need some help?” a deep voice asked from her right.

Joline turned and her breath caught in her throat when she spotted the man of her dreams, literally, she reminded herself, coming down the hallway towards her. 

Stepping back, she wanted to slam the bedroom door shut once again and hide from him.  He was too large, too male and…she paused when he was standing in front of her…smelled too good!  Looking up, she realized that his hair was still damp but he looked wonderful. 

She grabbed behind her, her fingers clutching the doorknob for help when her knees went all wobbly.  “I didn’t think anyone else would be up at this hour,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

“I’ve been awake for a couple of hours,” he told her, stepping closer. 

Joline inched backwards and he stepped closer.  “What are you doing?” she asked nervously. 

“I can’t tell you,” he commented and lifted a hand, his finger running down her neck.

Joline froze with that touch. Her body’s reaction was to once again start that annoying and very revealing trembling. 

“You’re beautiful,” he commented, noting that her hazel eyes were once again more green this morning and her skin was softer than he could have imagined.  “Do I make you nervous?” he asked. 

Joline shivered when his finger moved lower, the pad of his thumb resting on the pulse beating rapidly at the base of her throat.  “No.  You’re making me angry.”

His only response was a smile.  “Is that so?  Why would I make you angry?” he asked as if they were sitting in a board meeting discussing business, not standing in an elegant hallway while his thumb moved lower, grazing across her collar bone. 

She tried to back away, hoping to dislodge that disturbing touch but she was already back against the door and she couldn’t move to the left or right.  “You’re invading my space.  And I don’t like it!”  Joline tried to add heat to her voice, but suspected she was failing miserably when his thumb started a downward trek towards…

“Stop,” she whispered, grabbing his wrist with her free hand.  Her eyes were glaring up at him but he didn’t seem to be getting the message.  Maybe her look wasn’t fierce enough, she thought.  It was hard to be fierce when all she wanted was for this man’s hand to move lower.  Her body was aching to feel his touch on her breast, to know if his hand would be soft and gentle or hard and demanding. 

“Release my hand, Joline,” he commanded softly. 

She was shocked when her fingers actually eased from his wrist for a moment.  But then she realized what she was doing and her grip tightened.  “Please don’t touch me,” she whispered, wishing she could find that “fierce” tone that seemed to have escaped from her repertoire at the moment. 

“You don’t really want me to stop,” he commented and moved closer. 

Joline started to panic.  This man was just too much for her.  And he was everything she didn’t want in a man.  He was everything her mother would drool over and that made him so very wrong!

She was still trembling but she forced her chin higher, defying his words.  “I do.  I sincerely want you to move back and give me some space.”

“Why is that?”

Joline opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t admit that the real reason they couldn’t see each other was that her mother was a gold digger with five marriages and dozens of affairs under her belt.  Each marriage had made her wealthier, and even more rapacious for more money!  Joline refused to follow in her mother’s footsteps. 

Nor would this man appreciate being subjected to the ridicule of marrying into Joline’s family.  If the press ever got word that she was dating a man like Prince Rais, they would slice both her and his integrity to shreds.  She’d seen it happen to a few of her mother’s lovers.  Her mother let the criticism slide off her back like water on a duck but Joline wasn’t that strong.  She wasn’t as tough.  Nor could her fledgling business withstand that kind of bad press at this point in its existence.  No, this could never have a happy ending. 

Besides, Joline had plans, things she wanted to do with her life.  She loved her job, enjoyed solving all of the problems that came with starting up a small and growing business.  Every day she was excited to see what might happen, what crisis could occur that she could smooth out or what business adventure might step in her path. 

From what Joline knew of Shantra’s brothers, and this one in particular, they didn’t even think women should work.  What an antiquated idea!  Shantra hated the way her brothers would pat her on the head whenever she tried to branch out of the traditional role they’d stuck her in.  Joline could never live that kind of an existence. 

So no, any sort of relationship with this man was completely out of the question. 

“It is just the way it has to be.”  And with that, she slipped away from him and moved on down the hallway.  She had no idea where she was heading, but it was away from him and that was her goal. 

“You’re going the wrong way,” Rais commented, taking her upper arm and pulling her back towards the dining room.  “You need coffee I suspect.  I’ll show you the way.”

Joline didn’t like that offer.  It kept this enticing man too close.  “If you could just give me directions, I can find it on my own.  I don’t want to disrupt your day.”

“Too late for that, isn’t it?” he suggested, looking down into her pretty, hazel eyes.  “Anyway, I am eager to continue our discussion.  And I’d love to hear more about how you and my little sister know each other.  I don’t think there are two people so completely opposite than you and my flighty little sister.”

Joline bristled at his characterization of his sister as flighty!  “You really don’t know your sister very well if you think of her in that way.  She’s actually a…” Joline stopped herself.  She was about to explain how brilliant Shantra was, but that might reveal her friend’s secret and that could be dangerous.  “She’s sweet and kind and wonderful to everyone she meets.”  Goodness, Joline just described a dog!  Shantra wasn’t anything like that. 

“Of course she is.  But she’s not exactly the go-getter like you, is she?”

Joline had no idea how to defend Shantra who had purposely cultivated that kind of impression in her brothers’ minds over the years in order to throw them off of what she was really like.  “You’d be surprised,” was all she would say.  “She’s extremely intelligent and…”

“Dining room,” he pointed out.  He held the door for her, then walked in after her. 

“You don’t need to…”

“Coffee,” he told her.  “From the dark circles under your beautiful eyes, the priority is coffee, I’m suspecting,” and picked up a delicate china cup, filling it with fragrant coffee from an enormous silver urn.  “Cream or sugar?” he asked.

“Just black,” Joline replied weakly.  She’d have to take that cup of coffee from him.  But what if their fingers touched? 

She accomplished the transfer with minimal fuss but it was iffy for a moment.  Joline glanced up into his eyes and realized that he knew exactly what she’d been trying to do. 

Turning away from him so that he couldn’t see her blush, she walked over to one of the chairs, sitting down before she fell down.  “Shantra mentioned you most likely wouldn’t be here during this weekend.  You’re normally out traveling the world.”

“That’s true,” he agreed, bringing his own coffee over to the seat right next to her.  “But I’m here this weekend.  I have some state business to attend to.”

That was news.  “I thought you were in charge of all financial matters for the family.”

“I am, but I also am the Minister of Finance.  That takes me all over the world, ensuring that Kilar’s financial interests are protected, but it also brings me home quite often.”

Joline absorbed that additional information, wishing she could ask him questions.  There were so many financial questions that she encountered every day and this man’s experience could be invaluable.  But there was no way she could impose on him.  That would be rude.

“Ask me,” he coaxed. 

Joline’s eyes moved back up to his dark gaze and she held her breath as she looked up at the man.  “Ask?”

He leaned back against the plush cushions of the dining room chair.  “You obviously want to ask me something, but are holding back.  Feel free,” he encouraged, taking a sip of his coffee.

Joline opened her mouth, more than ready to take him up on his offer.  But then she stopped herself.  This man was a prince!  He was a real live, genuine prince of a hugely powerful country!  She shouldn’t even be sitting next to him.  Not with her history! 

“I’m fine,” she finally replied, waving her hand to dismiss his permission and feign disinterest.  She then turned and held onto her cup with both hands, afraid that if she didn’t hold on, she might just explode with questions. 

He laughed softly, surprised by her reticence to ask him business questions.  Most people didn’t even hesitate, trying to trick him into revealing his investment strategies, future business plans or, for those who were a bit more crass, ask him how much he was truly worth. 

“We’ll save that conversation for pillow talk then,” he announced and stood up.  “How about some breakfast?” he offered.  “The palace chef is excellent.”  He didn’t wait for her agreement, but took two plates and started filling them up from the silver chafing dishes.  “What do you like to eat for breakfast?” he asked, looking over her shoulder.

Joline shook her head, trying to stop him but he had his back to her at the moment.  “I don’t usually have time for breakfast,” she told him. 

“Nonsense.  It is the most important meal of the day.  Besides, you’ll need to learn to eat breakfast.  Our nights together are going to be very…” he looked over his shoulder at her again, “vigorous.  You’ll be famished in the morning.”

Joline was trembling with the image that came into her head with his words.  “We’re not…I’m not…”

He set a plate filled with eggs, fruit and several tiny muffins in front of her.  “Of course we are.”  He sat down beside her, turning slightly so that he could look down into her eyes.  “And it is going to be incredible,” he promised.

Joline could barely breathe with that promise.  She wasn’t even sure how to deny his words.  His absolute conviction terrified her!

“I can’t.”

“We will,” he assured her quietly, but with equal conviction.  “An attraction this strong can only lead to one thing, Joline.  But it will be okay.  I’ll take care of you.”

With that, he pulled back and picked up his fork.  “Now eat.  You look like you haven’t eaten for days.  You are a beautiful woman, but you’re tired, probably from lack of sleep and inadequate protein.”