The Royal’s Pretend Wife (9 page)

Apolo frowned. “You think you were sabotaged?”

Trinity thought for a moment because it was a fairly serious accusation to make, but then she nodded. “I do.”

Apolo scowled, standing up to pace through the room. “Who should we talk to about this? If someone is sabotaging you…”

“We're not going to do anything about it,” she said with a decisive shake of her head. “The truth is that when it comes to reality television, no one is on your side. It could have been Serafina, or it could have been Carolina. It might have been Antonio, sneaking back in to do some mischief, or it might even be the producers themselves, who want to see a little drama.”

He turned a stormy glance to her. “You certainly can't mean that we are simply going to take it,” he said, and she nodded.

“Absolutely. That's exactly what I mean. Today, what the audience got was a piece about what happens when a powerful woman manages to fall flat on her face in front of her husband. Honestly, if I was going to fall over, there are worse times to do it than when the stakes are so low. I think we handled it well, and moving forward, I will just try to be more cautious.”

Apolo, when he saw that she wasn't going to be budged on the matter, simply sighed, coming back to lie down next to her.

“I would like to say that I do not care for this. If someone is trying to harm you, it is my responsibility as your husband to put a stop to all of that nonsense.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, squeezing his hand companionably.

“Did you get a little lost in your role?” she asked teasingly. “That sounds like something a husband would say.”

Apolo smiled a little, but there was still something serious in his eyes.

“For the time being, I am your husband, and that means that of course I am going to be a little protective. If someone wants to hurt you, that is completely unacceptable. Just keep me informed of what is going on. The producers seem intent on keeping us apart, and I want to know what is being planned.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” she said, rolling over on one side. When he came to press himself against her back, one hand thrown companionably over her waist, she sighed with pleasure.

The desire for him was dying down a little, she thought with relief. That was good. Last night, she had come awake intermittently, aware of the maleness of his body and how much she wanted it. It seemed as if tonight was going to be easier.

At least, that's what she thought until his arm tightened around her, and his lips brushed against her earlobe. “Goodnight, beautiful gata. Dream of good things.”

The desire rushed back as if it had never been gone, and she bit her lip to stifle a groan. It was all she could do not to grind herself against him, because that would be unfairly teasing both of them.

Just three weeks,
she thought to herself.
After that…everything will get back to normal.

When she had that thought, however, her stomach sank. She knew what would happen in three weeks. The show would end, and she and Apolo would go their separate ways

Trinity tried to think about the money that would mean, but if she were honest with herself, that had stopped being a real worry a long time ago. Right now, if he had told her that she wasn't getting a cent, she still would have stayed. She might have said that it was a matter of professional pride, but deep down, she knew the truth.

Quietly, her hand stole down to cover his, squeezing it gently. Desire and something else had come to be mixed inside her, and right now, all she knew was that she was the happiest she had ever been. She pushed away the thought of what would happen when she lost him.

I will cross that bridge when I come to it,
she thought firmly.
After all, three weeks is a very long time.

Chapter Seven

The days seemed to fly by, and before she quite knew what was happening, Trinity realized that two weeks had finished up. Their days were kept surprisingly full. Once the couples were taken to a public beach and sent to vacation “just like everyone else.” Serafina and Jozef had managed to find something to fight about, and though Antonio and Carolina were quieter, there was some kind of tension there that seemed to be getting thicker as things went on. For their part, Apolo and Trinity enjoyed themselves, buying each other small presents from the vendors on the pier.

Another time, they had ended up at the Tower of London playing tourist. Surprisingly, none of them had been there before, and it proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable experience. They were new to both the glory of the Crown Jewels as well as the darkness of the Tower's history, and she, Serafina, and Carolina had had an excellent time trying to make one of the beefeater guards smile. Though they failed, that day was one where there hadn't been any quarreling at all.

That was not to say that the show was without its dramas.

One day, after a shopping trip in London's fashion district, a distraught Carolina had confessed that she had been the one who had salted Trinity's fajitas on the first night.

“But why would you do that?” Trinity had asked, befuddled. Somehow, she found herself in the position of patting the upset young woman's back, trying to soothe her sobs.

“Oh because you were perfect!” Carolina cried. “You and Apolo, you're amazing together, and everyone knows it. I don't know, I just got so…so mad, and before I knew it….”

She burst into fresh sobs, and Serafina came to sit on her other side. The other woman was surprisingly sensitive, stroking Carolina's hair.

“Well, that was a ridiculously bitchy thing to do, but you know, she has a point.”

Trinity blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You and Apolo. You're the golden couple, and if you two weren't so damned likeable, I'd want to throw some salt in your food too.”

“We're not perfect,” Trinity murmured, but she knew better than the other women why they looked that way.

It was easy to be perfect when you were on the job. She didn't have to live with someone who was bitter about the world, like Jozef, or who was cheerful but clueless on so many things, like Antonio. She had never hitched her life to anyone and decided that he was right for forever. Instead, she and Apolo only had to be perfect for three weeks, and in some ways, that made it easier.

Trinity was amused that the show was having them be as normal as possible and trying to see what was going to frighten or shock them. If she fell into her days as a rich billionaire's daughter, she could remember her shock and disgust, but now it came with a layer of hilarity. She felt that her crowning moment was brokering a moment of peace for all six of the show's subjects with flavored ice. It was difficult to be angry with someone when you had a flavored ice, she now firmly believed.

The days would never settle into a rhythm because after all, there wasn't one. That was fine, however. Even the surprises were things she could handle, mostly with her dignity intact.

No, if she had any problems with the job, it was the nights.

Trinity had thought that if they slept together without actually doing anything, the desire they had for one another would die down. Now, two weeks later, she realized that it had not. At all. Not for her at any rate.

Apolo had always been a tough read, but now he was harder. Once or twice, she caught him watching her, his eyes as dark as the flames of hell. Then he would turn to face her directly, his expression pleased to see her and mild, and she would convince herself that it was all in her head. Sometimes it felt as if he must desire her as much as she desired him. Other times, it was as if he thought that this was a job like any other.

Every night, when she lay down next to him, she was plagued with thoughts of what they might be doing to one another. Even if she managed to fall asleep, her dreams would be full of his mouth and his touch. She remembered with aching clarity how he had created that well of desire in her that night in Spain, how he had filled it higher and higher until she had thought she would go insane.

Of course, her sleeplessness didn't go unnoticed. Even when she hid the dark circles under her eyes with expertly applied makeup and made sure that she drank plenty of coffee, the others commented on it. Serafina seemed to feel that it was her duty to mention how much “exercise” Trinity must be getting, while Antonio seemed simply impressed with Apolo's supposed prowess. It would have been hilarious if it wasn't so very, very frustrating.

Thursday started out like any other morning. There was breakfast, and the six of them chatted as they ate. Yesterday had been an easy day of shopping in Soho, so the general guess was that today was going to be a bit harder. Trinity privately thought that the show was a little dull. She wasn't sure if she would still be watching if she were just a viewer.

Just as they were finishing up, the host breezed in with his wide grin and easy manner. The six of them quieted to see what he had to say, and he beamed at all of them as if he were their fond schoolteacher.

“One of the reasons why we have brought you onto
Real Royals
is see how you do with your spouses,” he started. “The public has always been eager to know how those above them live and love, and you have certainly shown us that.

“Today, however, we are going to see what happens when we put a little bit of a wedge between you. Today, we are breaking you off into pairs that do not include your spouse and sending you off to spare the day together.”

Trinity blinked. That was original at least. Serafina and Jozef were already loudly proclaiming that it couldn't be too soon, while Antonio soothed Carolina, telling her it would be just for one day. Apolo simply looked thoughtful.

“What do you think of this?” she asked, nudging his elbow quietly.

He shrugged. She wondered suddenly if he looked tired. Whenever Trinity had been up at night, she had simply thought that he was asleep, but from the dark smudges under his eyes, she now wasn't so sure.

“Ought to be interesting,” he said. “We
have
been spending a lot of time with each other, after all.”

Trinity was an actress, and that usually meant that she knew exactly what her face was doing at any given point. She knew how to keep still, and she knew when to emote surprise or shock. Something about what he had said caught her completely unaware, however, and her eyes widened.

“I…that is…”

Serafina's laugh was as raucous as a crow's.

“Is the honeymoon period over at last, little cat?” she jeered. At some point, she had heard Apolo's nickname for Trinity, and now she used it at every opportunity.

Trinity was saved from answering by the host.

“Well, I'll give you your assignments and we can figure out who has a honeymoon later, yes? Let's see, we'll start by pairing Jozef with Carolina, Apolo with Serafina, and Antonio with our very own Trinity! Collect your new dates for the day, and head down to the cars for an enjoyable day out.”

While Trinity was relieved to avoid spending time with the bitter Jozef, she didn't quite know how to feel about Antonio. He was a good looking man a few years younger than Apolo. He was an excellent soccer player, and from what she had found out, he would have been a professional at the sport if he hadn't happened to have been born noble. He was looking at her now with green eyes that were lively and friendly. When he offered her his arm gallantly, she took it without thinking.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Apolo's slight frown even as he did the same for Carolina.

Well, you were saying we had been spending so much time together,
she thought mutinously, and inwardly she reined herself in. She really wasn't a jealous wife, after all. It was just that some of these emotions came so easily to her.

In the limousine, she sat across from Antonio instead of next to him. He didn't seem offended, simply offering her a glass of sparkling ginger ale.

“This is a little awkward,” she said with a laugh. “I don't know if we have exchanged two words this whole time.”

“Well, I think you asked me to pass the vindaloo the night we went to the curry place,” he said. “And at some point, I'm sure I asked you if you knew what the latest scores were.”

“Not a lot to build a date off of, but I think we can still have a good time.”

Antonio did a quick exaggerated glance around for cameras before whispering loudly, “I am simply glad that you are not Serafina.”

Trinity laughed with surprise. “I ought not be saying this, but I'm pretty pleased that you are not Jozef, either. They do not seem like very happy people.”

“If I were that unhappy, I might chew my own leg off to get out of the situation,” he said cheerfully.

“You don't look like you have much patience with unhappiness,” she commented, and he shook his head with a grin.

“Not me. I like to have fun. Carolina worries sometimes that I cannot be as serious as things demand. There is time though. When my mother passes the crown on to me, I will be serious then. Until then, well, there's reality television and sports.”

Trinity laughed at his honesty, shaking her head. “That sounds like a good philosophy. I wish Apolo had more time to play. Even now I know that he's thinking he should get back to work.”

“Ah, well then, it is your job to teach him how to play, no? You help though, everyone can see it. When he looks at you, he does not think of work or Greece or the cameras.”

Then he's doing a better job than I thought he was,
Trinity thought. She should have felt pleased that Apolo was doing such a good job, but something about it made her feel oddly unsteady. Some of it must have showed on her face because Antonio reached across the space between them to take her hand.

“But today is about reaching outside of our little couples, yes? Let's simply get to know each other today, and tomorrow we can go back to being good spouses.”

“Careful,” she said with a slight smile. “That's the line of a man who doesn't really mind stepping all over his vows.”

“Ah, well, I would never step over my vows. I love Carolina too much for that, but perhaps I might walk up to them?”