"You used to get me drunk and laugh at the consequences! You used to be fun!" June was saying. Rachel hid out on the other side of the bar, hoping they would take the argument elsewhere. After a few drinks they did and she was left with several business men discussing the latest financial issues, a beautifully groomed woman of about sixty five who drank Manhattans and read a newspaper, and a group of twenty-something's that Rachel's father had long since coined the term trust fund babies blues for.
She was kept busy all evening until her relief showed up and when she finally got off the clock and made it out to the bus stop her mind felt numbed by it all. She took out her phone and hit a search engine button. She hesitated, then typed in Prince Mathew. Instantly his face appeared, along with thousands upon thousands of article links. The first ones she saw were the headlines of his upcoming nuptials.
She stared at those words. Her heart ached but she had no idea why, he had promised her nothing, had offered her nothing. She had gone with him to his room willingly and had had a good time. A great time, she corrected herself. A hell of a great time.
Putting her phone away she took a long breath and blew it out. The night was cold and she wanted hot chocolate more than she wanted a ride home so she got up and walked a few blocks to a diner.
Matt stood inside the suite of rooms that had been his ever since he had returned from college. The palace was enormous and he could have gone years without seeing his mother and father, who lived on the other side of the rambling structure if he had chosen to simply stay away from that area. He didn't notice the opulent furnishings, the ornate surfaces and priceless works of art because his attention was focused on the desk and the papers that sat upon it.
He was tired, the overly long flight and the hectic schedule he had kept up since his return had worn him out. He had been kept busy at countless meetings to discuss the changes in the software arena, and he desperately needed rest.
There was a knock on the door and he pushed away the irritation and exhaustion and called, "Come in!"
Laura stepped inside, her platinum blond hair was artfully arranged and her ice blue gown was perfectly matched to her eyes. Everything about her was cold, hard and sharp. Her chin was severe, her cheekbones incredibly high and her manner flinty. He wondered if she would cut him to shreds when he touched her the night of their wedding.
"We need to talk."
"I'm aware that I'm going to be late for the opera." He said in an even voice.
"It's not that." Her slim pale hands came up and clasped each other, then wrung together. It was a gesture he had never seen her make and it caught his attention. "I...you see...I love..." her voice choked to a halt and, incredibly enough she began to weep. Not lady like tears either, harsh bitter sobs that echoed loudly in the chamber.
Stunned and surprised he did the only thing he knew to do, he went to her and wrapped his strong arms around her, "It's okay Laura. You aren't supposed to hate me."
"It's not you, I mean I don't hate you but I love...I love someone else!"
His mouth fell open. He was literally speechless for an instant. "You love somebody else?"
"Yes, and...and it's a woman. It's Hallie, my school friend. I don't want to marry you Matt, I want to live with Hallie and my parents are forcing me to marry..."
His laughter rang out clear and joyous. He tilted her tearstained face up and kissed her on her forehead. "Laura, you do what makes you happy no matter what. You should be with the person that makes you want to live, makes you feel good."
"My parents are going to be so angry." She whispered. "I'm scared."
"You could always blame me. Hell, go ahead, I don't really care." He took three steps toward the door, that huge smile still on his face. "Tell them that I called it off."
"Where are you going?" She called after him.
"To take my own advice!" Matt yelled back. "Paul! Paul, book a flight. I need to get back to America!"
Matt got to the hotel too late to see Rachel at the bar. Too keyed up to wait he had Paul bribe a bellhop to give him an address. He knew that the paparazzi were already waiting to catch him; the news that he had 'jilted' Laura had gone viral almost before his plane had taxied out of Heathrow. He didn't care about the cameras but he wasn't sure who Rachel would feel about them, or about the lie he had told her. The lie he intended to correct immediately.
He put on a dark coat and scarf, hid his head under a hat and went down the guests tunnel to where a cab sat. Jumping in he gave her address and sat impatiently looking out at the cityscape until they arrived in front of her apartment.
He knocked on the door and a tall man with sandy hair and a pair of far too loose cargo pants opened the door with a "Yeah?"
He had never asked if she were married or dating, he realized as he stared at the other man. Before he could think of anything to say Rachel appeared behind the man, her face paling in shock as she said, "You!"
"Yes, me." He tried to smile but the fact that there was another man there put a damper on his hopes.
Rachel looked at Kyle, at then at Matt. She slammed the door shut. He blinked and backed up and then the door banged back open. "You lied to me!"
"Yes, and I'm sorry."
"That's all? You're sorry?"
"Would you like to go get a drink and talk?"
Rachel bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to do. Seeing Matt again reminded her of the incredible, almost magnetic pull that he had on her, and as much as she wanted to stay strong she felt herself giving in.
"Give me a minute to grab my coat."
Walking to the closet she felt her heart racing in her chest. What explanation could he possibly have that would make it all okay? She was eager to find out. Pulling on her coat and scarf, she rushed back to the front entrance. Matt opened the door for her and stood to one side. When she stepped out he put his hand on the small of her back and her entire body tingled.
The weather was chilly but not yet the bone crushing cold that January and February often brought to the city. The wind boomed off the rooftops on Broadway but the throngs of people around them buffered them from the gusts. They stepped down a small side street, their footsteps clattering on the sidewalks. Windows showed amber light and the tantalizing smell of garlic wafted form a restaurant doorway.
Matt finally broke the silence. "I should introduce myself."
"I know who you are. June Whiles told me at the bar the next evening."
"I'm sorry that you had to find out the way you did," he stopped walking and turned to face her, putting his arm out to halt her. "I honestly didn't think I would see you again. I had no idea of how much I would want to, and need to."
"You know that guy back there in my apartment? He left me right before our wedding; you have no idea how much that hurt. You are engaged so what that says to me is that you either don't care about her and are going to walk out on your wedding, which makes you incredibly heartless and I don't want..."
"I'm not engaged anymore. That was never anything more than a business agreement between families. With you...with you Rachel, there's more. I feel more."
She stood there stunned. The meaning of his words filtered through and her heart gave a little flutter. The brisk wind ran against her cheeks and she shivered, he saw the movement and stepped forward, reaching his arms around her and drawing her close to shelter her from the wind. The heat of his body was irresistible and she slumped into him, smelling the expensive cologne on his neck. His chest was hard and his hands were steady as he held her.
She lifted her face and he kissed her, a soft little kiss that turned hard and demanding almost immediately. Her p**sy ached with need and she had to fight for breath. Her mouth opened in a soundless gasp as he bit her ear, then her neck.
"You feel the same," he panted and a wave of desire slammed into her.
"I don't know." She could barely squeeze the words out, her body on fire.
He leaned backward, only the gleam of his teeth and eyes readily discernible in the darkness. "You belong to me. Say it."
"I belong to you," she parroted. The words made her n**ples tighten painfully.
He undid the buttons on her coat slowly, not wanting to destroy another one. He opened her blouse and pulled her br**sts free from her bra, she wriggled against the wall, moaning from a mixture of cold and passion. His tongue licked at her n**ples and then he sucked them into his mouth, pulling hard on the tight buds as she braced her hands on the wall and tried not to fall down.
Matt pulled her skirt up and turned her around. She wore a set of scarlet boy shorts, the hem riding so high that he could see the lower halves of her firm ass cheeks. He pulled them down slightly, exposing her and the cold air hit her, making her painfully and acutely aware of how wet she was. The fingers of wind that ran over her were rude and painful, she gasped and shuddered as his fingers slid into her slick opening.
Matt wanted to f**k her right there but he knew it would be impossible, the cold would not allow it. Regretfully he withdrew his fingers and turned her around. He waited until her eyes opened and then he slid his fingers into his mouth, sucking her juices off of them. Her whimper rolled through the alley.
"Take your panties off." She did, without question. "Now we are going to hail a cab and go back to the hotel. You are going to keep your legs open the entire time, do you understand? You are going to walk with your thighs parted and sit that way as well. "
She didn't understand the reasoning but once she began to walk she did. Keeping her legs apart forced her to think about her p**sy. The cold wind ran up under her skirt and the feel of her skirt's material against her outer thighs was heightened. The fact of her p**sy was brought home, she could feel it, feel its heat and its wetness and its shape in a way she never had before.
Once at the hotel he took her up the tunnel to avoid the reporters who were lying in wait near the entrance, hoping for a glimpse of him. He didn't want anything to distract the two of them from that moment, tomorrow would come soon enough and they would have to deal with the media but tonight was theirs.
For the first time in her life Rachel actually stood still and appreciated the beauty of the Adams. It was almost impossible not to, the large penthouse demanded attention and appreciation with its massive floor to ceiling windows that took up one entire wall, deep leather furniture, stained glass skylights and gorgeous framed paintings. She felt apprehension start in her belly, how could he love her, want her? He was a Prince and she was...
Before she could let those thoughts ruin the moment he took her hand and pulled her to the windows. The entire skyline of the city spread out before them and she gasped at the sight. "Noone can see us up here; even helicopters aren't allowed to fly this close."
"It's beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you. I want you to take your clothes off and kneel on the floor for me."
The request was odd but she didn't think about it. If he wanted her to kneel she would. She stripped hastily, wanting to be nak*d in front of him, and knelt on the floor. Her knees sank into the carpet and her arms lay relaxed at her sides.
Matt took off his clothes. At the sight of his hard body she lost her breath. His c*ck stood hard and rigid from the nest of dark curls and his hand came down to it, lightly stroking the shaft of it while he watched her face. "Come here."