Page 8 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

“Are you scared of the prince?”

“No. Yes. I mean, I don’t know. He’s just different.”

“From your beloved Grant?”

“No one’s like Grant.” And this time, Fawn’s tone was proud and happy.

The prince gritted his teeth.

When Noah came back up, he took one look at his young employer and burst out laughing. Most other employees of the prince wouldn’t have the courage to do so, but like Igor, he had been with the prince for a long time. Plus, he was old, which allowed him certain privileges.

The prince said in exasperation, “I can still fire you, you know.”

“But then I would have to tell Fawn you did so unreasonably,” Noah pointed out, “and she’d be even more terrified of you.”

The prince stared at him stonily.

“She’s a good girl, Fawn. It’s a pity she’s already taken.”

The prince decided it was time to change the subject. “What’s that about her getting her first client?”

“She wants to start an accounting firm when she graduates,” he explained. “You didn’t know?”

“I didn’t care to check.”

Because he was lying to himself, Noah realized.

“What’s that look for?” the prince snapped.

“I was thinking the girl’s right. You’re different from the great Grant Bennett. He’s got balls to say what he feels, and that’s why he’s got the girl, too. Sir.”

ON HER THIRD WEEK IN, Igor announced she was being temporarily promoted, saying she could now work at the third floor, too.

She looked at Igor doubtfully, thinking it seemed more like a fancier way of getting her to fill in for Paula, who had called in sick.

“You’ll get paid extra for it,” Igor hinted.

She brightened. “On my way up.”It should be okay, anyway, she thought. The party had just started for the night, so it should keep the prince out of the way while she worked.

Upstairs, it took her a shorter time than usual to sweep and dust. Unlike the other floors, the third story was the prince’s exclusive territory. As it was off-limits to most guests and employees, there were no cigarette butts or empty bottles to clean out, no vomit or spilled drinks to wipe clean.

Seeing that she had finished half an hour earlier than she should, Fawn headed to the third-floor balcony to enjoy a breath of fresh air. Here, the air smelled clean instead of reeking of smoke and alcohol. It was almost peaceful, if one pretended not to hear the groans and sounds of slapping bodies from below.

She checked her watch.Time’s up,Fawn thought. She was about to emerge from the third-floor balcony when she heard the sound of feminine laughter.

Without thinking, she stepped back from the balcony doors and hid herself behind the curtains, hoping that whoever it was would leave the hallway right away.

Fawn bit her lip. Or maybe she should report it? This was for the prince’s exclusive use, after all.

When she heard the girl start to emit lewd gasps, Fawn cautiously took a peek—-

Oh.

It was the prince, carrying a girl in his arms, her legs locked around his waist while their mouths were fused in an open-mouthed kiss.

Oh.

In the three weeks she had seen couples doing things – well, okay, there were often threesomes, too, and occasionally foursomes as well – Fawn had been more embarrassed than anything else. It wasn’t that she had never dreamed of making love before. She had.Butthe way they seemed to do it, with more passion than emotion, it made them look more like animals to her.

---