Page 20 of Royal Player
I swirl the remaining drink in my hand. “Scotch.”
“I’ve never tried it. May I?”
I hand it to her. She takes a sip and nearly spits it out. “Blech! That tastes vile! Like the cough syrup Marge shoved down my throat when I was a child.”
I bite back a smile. “Okay, maybe not scotch, then. What do you feel like?”
She runs her hands down her sides and does a little wiggle. “I feel fabulous.”
I stifle a laugh. Not touching that one, literally or flirt-wise. “How about some wine? Chablis? Chardonnay?”
“Your French is very good.” She switches to French, assuming my pronunciation of wine is enough to understand her. Fortunately, I do. I’m bilingual like all of my family. She’s telling me about her chaperone, Marge, and how guilty she feels for being so happy here in Monte Carlo while Marge is back in Villroy feeling so awful.
I speak in French back to her. “She’s where she needs to be, and there’s nothing wrong with you enjoying yourself in the meantime. You’re a grown woman, and a chaperone is overkill. It’s too bad she doesn’t take a break once in a while and enjoy herself too. Then you could have fun on your own without the guilt.”
“Yes! That’s exactly why I bribed Lina to have a good time. I mean, for me to have a good time, and her too. We both can. She’s so hot for Louis. Personally, I think his neck is too thick.”
My lips twitch, and I pass on another flirty opening.Thick can be good in the right places.See, I can be friendly without crossing the line. “You bribed Lina?”
She sighs and steps up to the bartender. “I’ll have your specialty.”
He turns to me in question.
“Glass of Chablis, please.” I turn to Polly. “Why’re you bribing Lina? She’s on payroll.”
“She’s onyourpayroll. I need her on mine. Marge threatened—” she takes her drink “—thank you!”
We step away and head back to the mingling guests. “Threatened what?”
“To bring down the wrath of my kingdom if Lina left me unchaperoned.” She lifts her glass. “But guess who’s in charge of the kingdom?”
“You?”
She frowns. “Almost. After I marry.” She takes a long swallow of wine. “Oscar, I don’t want to talk about my kingdom in French or in English. Especially not in French. That’s my home language, and it just reminds me of the noose around my neck with stupid Peter.”
I refrain from mentioning she’s the one who started speaking in French, because I hate that she feels like she has a noose around her neck. She’s a free spirit who should be allowed to live on her own terms. I switch back to English. “What’s wrong with Peter?”
She finishes her wine in one long chug and holds up the glass. “I think I’ll have another.”
I watch as she orders another glass. If she wants to get drunk, that’s fine. I’ll keep her safe. She needs this break from all the pressure on her.
After she gets her drink, I steer her toward a quiet corner of the room. She leans against the wall with a sigh. “Alice has such a dirty imagination.”
I stand across from her, careful to keep my distance. “I heard her stories are pretty racy. Did you read them?”
“No, but I plan to. Though maybe that’s a bad idea because…” She looks at the ceiling, seeming deep in thought, before meeting my eyes again. “Expectations. Got to keep them low.” She gestures wildly with one hand. “Guess you heard about the virgin thing.”
I step closer. “Keep your voice down.”
“Why?” she asks loudly. “Everybody knows! Anna blabbermouthed and Lucas blabbermouthed.” She jabs a finger in my face. “I know that’s how you know.”
I keep my voice low, hoping she’ll follow my example. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does!” Her eyes are huge and glassy. “I want it on my terms. My virginity, my adventure. Maybe tonight!”
I whisper to her, desperate for her to quiet down. I’m sure people have recognized her, and this won’t help her reputation. “How’s that wine? Can you taste it, or are you too drunk to notice?”
She tips up her glass, thrusting her tongue in the glass to taste. My God, everything she does tempts me. I tear my gaze away. I’m going to have to ask Alice to take Polly back to her room if she gets too out there.
