Page 18 of Royally F*cked

Chapter 7

Jude

“I’ll do it. But, I have some requirements of my own.”

Surely I heard her wrong.

“You’ll do it?” I try to hide my shock.

Charlie takes a seat in one of the wingback chairs in front of my desk and crosses her legs. “Grab a pen and some paper.”

I reach into one of my desk drawers and pull out a legal pad and uncap my favorite pen. “Let’s hear it.”

“First thing’s first. You’ll see to it that my parents are taken care of.” Her voice cracks and I can see the raw emotion written on her face. “My mother, she’s having some health issues and her treatment is costly. They can’t afford to lose any income, including mine.”

That’s easy enough and was already part of my plan, even if she’d said no to my proposal. “Done.”

“Write it down,” she points to the notepad.

I scribble on the paper. Wilsons get a raise and continued income. Medical expenses covered.

“I want a proper courtship. With the option to walk away, without any risk to agreement number one, should either of us decide that we’re not, in fact, compatible.”

“I’m afraid we’ve got no time for a proper courtship. My grandfather expects that I shall be married in six months’ time,” I tell her. “I must announce to the world that we are engaged so that we can begin planning our wedding.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was.”

“When you said we would make an announcement, I assumed that you would announce our courtship. Then we’d actually spend time getting to know each other. You know, courting.”

“I’m sorry it cannot be that way. Time is of the essence. I need you to be all in.”

Charlie bites her lip and contemplates what I’ve just told her. “Then you’ll agree to court me during our engagement. I deserve that much. I deserve to know the man I have to marry.”

Proper courtship during engagement. “I can agree to that,” I tell her once I’ve written it down.

“No late nights. No being photographed with other women. Ever. I understand that you may choose to have your needs taken care of elsewhere, but you will do so with the utmost discretion. Should you… “

“Let me stop you right there,” I hold up one hand. “Once we’ve come to an agreement, there will be no other women for me. And I expect there will be no other men for you as well. As my wife, you will take care of my needs, as you put it. In return, I will see to it that your needs are met as well. Are we clear?” I’ll be damned if my wife is going to seek out anyone else to take care of her.

“You mean. . . You will. . . I. . . You and me. . .” she stumbles over her words.

“Yes, Charlie. You and me. There will be sex. We will be intimate with one another and consummate our marriage. Is that going to be a problem?”

“You want to have sex with me?” Her face flushes at the thought.

I can only hope that she’s picturing the two of us together. My cock sliding in and out of her while she screams my name. Do I want to have sex with her? “Yes, Charlie. I want to have sex with you. I will not take anything from you that you’re not willing to give, but I promise you, you’ll want it. Often. I’ll see to it.”

“You’re sure about this.”

“Is that so hard to believe? A man should want the woman he’s married to, am I wrong?” That’s the whole reason she’s here right now, because she is the woman I’ve wanted for a long time.

I’ve spent countless nights thinking of what it would be like to have her in my bed, yet I’ve never acted on it because I knew my grandfather would never approve.

“But I thought this was just all for show. I’ll marry you and in a few years, once you’ve settled into your new role, we’ll divorce and go our separate ways. Right?”

She can’t possibly be serious right now. Rexfords don’t believe in divorce and the monarchy forbids it. “I wouldn’t say it’s all for show. I have every intention of making our relationship real. And Charlie, there is no such thing as divorce when you’re a royal. Our marriage is meant to be forever.” Even if divorce was an option, I have no intentions of ever letting her go.

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