Page 91 of My Five Daddies

His grin gets even bigger. “What did youhear?”

“Just that you’re a… a player,” Isay.

“Prince Player,” he says, laughing. “I actually like thatnickname.”

“But your father doesn’t approve,” Isay.

“Exactly. He wants someone with a family, with children. Someone he feels is more respectable, even though I’m the right man to take over thecrown.”

I nod but don’t say anything. The complexities of this are way over my head and I don’t want to get involved. If he needs a sounding board to complain to, I can be that person. It’s not so bad listening to him talk, to be honest. I love his accent. And I love the mouth that his words are coming out of. He’s very pleasant to look at, to say theleast.

“So now I have a choice. I can continue living as I always have, or I can change and earn what’s rightfully mine. What would you do, if you were me?” heasks.

I hesitate. “I couldn’t imagine,” I admit. “It’s a hardchoice.”

“Yes, it is,” he says. “But I think I have a solution. And you play a pretty big part init.”

I stare at him, a little taken off guard. “What do you mean?” Iask.

“I have a proposal for you. Think of it as a businessarrangement.”

I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and yet my heart starts hammering quickly. “What do youmean?”

“I want to marry you, Hazel,” he says. “If you agree to become my wife and to have my child, I will pay you half a million dollars every year for the rest of your life. And I will make sure your child is raised and taken careof.”

I stare at him for a second before bursting out laughing. “Are you insane?” I askhim.

He grins at me. “Maybe. But this arrangement isn’t without precedent in my country, yousee.”

“This is insane. You want to marry me and knock meup?”

“Pretty much, yes,” he says, not backingdown.

I laugh again, but the thought of actually being married to him seems not that horrible. I mean, I’d be a princess, after all. And I can’t help but imagine what it would be like having the prince try and get me pregnant. I’m sure we’d do it the old fashioned way, his hard body against mine, his thick royal scepter deep between mylegs…

“No way,” I say to him. “That’s too insane.” I put my glass down and turnaway.

“Wait,” he says. “Hear me out. You can live wherever you want, do whatever you want. This will give you financial freedom. All you have to do is come back to Polovia twice a year for ceremonial occasions. You can live here as well, if you want, and you can be as active in this child’s life as youchoose.”

I back away from him, heading toward the door. “No way,” I sayagain.

“Half a million per year,” he says, coming toward me. “It’s freedom, Hazel. I’m offering you freedom. All you have to do is marry me and let me get youpregnant.”

“I’ll be a prisoner,” I say to him. “I don’t even knowyou.”

“Not a prisoner. You’ll be a princess. And maybe one day, aqueen.”

I hit my back smack into the door of his room. “I can’t,” I repeat, mindreeling.

“You can and you will,” he says, smiling a maddening, arrogant smile. “I suspect you’d do it for free, if I really wanted to. Getting you pregnant will be the highlight of your trip to Europe, I can guaranteeit.”

“You’re crazy. You don’t know me. I’m not going to just become some… some… baby-maker for you.” I shake my head wildly. “I have togo.”

“Go ahead, leave,” he says. “But think about this offer. I can take care of you for the rest of your life, and you’ll be free to do as you choose. Marry again for all I care, it won’t matter. As long as you give me a baby and some legitimacy, you can do as youplease.”

I stare at him, at his handsome face, and I don’t know what to do. This plan is absolutely crazy, definitely the most insane thing I’ve ever heard, and yet I still haven’t left yet. I can’t help myself. I keep picturing him pressed against me, kissing me deeply, calling me princess, fucking me, getting me pregnant. I want to feel every inch of him thrusting inside of me as his strong arms wrap around my body and pull me tight against him. I want to feel alive and good as he takes me, and I know he can doit.

But I don’t know him. I don’t know this country. I’m a foreigner, a stranger, and this is all toomuch.

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