Page 25 of The King's Maiden
“Here.” She laughed, taking the crumpled ball of fabric from me and turning my body toward the mirror. “It’s a garter belt. My ex used to go crazy over them.”
Dropping to her knee, she held it open at my feet and signaled for me to step into it. She pulled it up to my waist, spinning it around so the little buttons I’d been examining were at the back. Once she had it secured, she fastened the straps hanging from the belt to my stockings.
“Voila!”
My eyes widened at my reflection. While I’d never worn anything this risqué before, I looked sexy, and I felt it, too. I certainly saw the appeal.
“You look perfect.” She smiled, patting my side before facing her mirror again.
I captured her elbow, turning her back to me. “Thank you.”
She offered me a genuine smile. “Maidens should probably stick together, right?”
I had no idea, honestly, but it couldn’t hurt, so I held out my hand. “Right. I’m Quinn.”
“I’m Elaine.”
When she sat back down to put the finishing touches on her makeup, I followed her lead. Other Maidens milled about near the door, and as I reapplied my lipstick, I couldn’t help but watch them.
“Everyone seems so excited. Am I the only one who feels like they have no idea what they signed up for?” My grip tightened on the small tube of lipstick to keep my hand in front of me instead of reaching for my hair.
Elaine’s head tilted as she blotted her lips. “You’ve been to Camelot Court parties before, right? Met the guys?”
“No, never.”
Her eyes widened. “Oh! Well, yeah, in that case, I’m not surprised you’re nervous.” She glanced at my hands clutching the lipstick before nodding to the other girls. “Most of us know each other from boarding school. Or parties over the last few years. Hell, I could probably place bets on who some will end up with, just based on which Knight hit on them at the last party.”
“Wait. Some girls know who their Knight will be?”
She shook her head. “No one finds out if they’re selected before Kingston reads the list. But a few of the usuals with the obvious hots for each other ended up being paired. That’s Izzy Gold.” She pointed to a blonde girl with brilliant green eyes. “Five bucks says her Knight is Tristan Léon.”
“Oh! The hot puppy.” I nodded, pleased with myself for knowing who someone was. “My roommate told me about him.”
Elaine laughed. “Oh my god. He really is like a hot puppy. Crazy loyal. But I was a little surprised she applied since she’s supposed to be getting engaged to the Senator’s son.”
“Wait. Senator Cornwall was a part of Camelot Court?”
“Yep. And Mark, her fiancé, was a Knight two years ago when he was a junior.Aftertheir parents announced the match, Mark selected a Maiden for The Quest.” Elaine lowered her voice. “It wasn’t Izzy.”
“Ugh.” I eyed the girl in question from across the room. “So, what happened? They called it off when he graduated, and she decided to apply again?”
“I guess she decided to apply because he graduated. But as far as I’ve heard, their engagement is still happening.”
My eyebrows rose. “And one of the Knights this year still picked her? Not that I disagree with it. But there’s a bro code, right? Isn’t the Knights’ Code like that?”
“On steroids.” She dropped her voice. “So, Tristan, or whoever picked her, has got it bad. Going against the Knights’ Code for a girl?”
“A real life love story?”
She snorted. “Or a tragedy.”
Izzy Gold fiddled with the ends of her blonde hair, eyeing her reflection in the mirror before smiling to herself. She looked happy and hopeful. Most of the other girls talked excitedly together while I bordered on the edge of anxiety—clearly the exception and not the rule.
I turned back to my mirror. I hadn’t come here to find love, and maybe that made me the outlier in the group, but we could still find common ground.
At the very least, I shared their feelings on all the orgasms.
Grabbing a tissue off my vanity, I wiped a smudge of my lipstick. “Any other predictions?”
