Royally Bad (Royally Wrong Book 1)
good... I’ll wear the glasses.”I head to the suite Evans commandeered for an office. The head of security stalks over when I walk in, looming over me.
“Everything good? I haven’t had time to check my phone—” I stop talking when I see his face.
“I hired you to fix the problem. Not make it worse,” He throws a stack of paper in my face. They fall in heavy whipping sounds, not paper at all. Huge glossy photographs. Of Theo. Of me. The pool, and us the railing. The kiss in the light of the fireworks. Theo’s arms are wrapped around me, but it’s obvious I’m not wearing a shirt.
Shit.
“It’s all over the news. Theo caught with his pants down, again. That’s not all,” his face is so red it’s almost purple. “They’re saying you used to be an escort. That you did it all through college.”
“What?” I whisper, gathering up the glossies and holding them to my chest, a very fragile armor.
“Is it true? Who the hell are you, Vesper Smith?”
“I can fix this,” I say shakily. I go to push my glasses up my face, but they’re gone.
“I don’t wanna hear it. You’re fucking fired.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Get out,” Evans hisses. “Get your things and get out.”
The walk back to Theo’s room is the longest of my life. My phone shakes with Google alerts. “Crown prince caught with escort.” The scenario is happening, resurrected from my nightmares. Everything I tried to fix. Everything I tried to hide. Out in the open.
Even when I was an escort I never felt shame like this. Back then, I was so focused. Each client brought me closer to becoming a college graduate. A business woman. Someone Miss Mavery would be proud of.
I got my degree and the contacts to launch my career, but it came at a price. I thought I paid it.
Turns out I still owed, and it would cost me everything I’d built. But if I was very, very lucky, it wouldn’t cost me the man I was falling in love with.
I open the door to the penthouse and walked in without really seeing anything. “Theo, I—”
I stop at the giggle. Theo stood there, with blondie. She’s dressed in a tight grey skirt, blouse and jacket, laughing as she fixes Theo’s shirt collar.
Long legs, blonde hair. Grey suit.
Guess I’ve been replaced.
“Vesper?” Theo says. The blonde goes to touch him and he jerks away.
A little too late. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I blurt.
Blondie smirks at me. “Theo,” she reaches for him, and though he pushes her away, my stomach churns with betrayal.
“Never mind. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I interrupted. I’m sorry—for everything.” I turn for the door. This time I don’t see my way clearly because my vision fills with tears.
“Vesper,” Theo shouts this time, but I pick up my pace, and flee.
7
“I’m sorry,” Mina says, the regret in her voice clear even through the phone. “I thought I’d buried it deep enough.”
“It’s okay. Secrets always come out,” I say wearily. It’s a sentiment I tell my clients, and it chafes my ears. “I wonder who talked?” I throw my things in the suitcase.
“I’ve done some digging. Rumor has it one of Theo’s hang arounds is an escort too.”
“Of course. Betrayed by one of my own.”
“You’re not—” Mina makes a noise in frustrated. “Look, you were an escort. So what? It’s perfectly legal.”
“What I did in hotel rooms was not,” I said.
“It put you through school,” she continues. Mina is nothing if not stubborn. “It’s not something to be ashamed of.”
“Yet, here I am,” I say, weary. “Ashamed. The first guy I’ve liked in years, and I ruined it.”
Mina says nothing. I hear her struggling to think of something nice to say, and then she gives up. “Shit.”
“Yeah.” I throw the last of my things into my suitcase and zip it up. The hotel room is pristine. Once I leave, it’ll be like I was never even here.
The hickey on my neck throbs. I want to mark you. And he did. My pussy still aches for him.
Oh Vesper, you sure can pick ‘em.
“Shit,” Mina repeats.
“I know, I really fucked things up—”
“No, not that. I mean, you did, but—”
“Well, thanks. Next time you want to make me feel better, just don’t—”
“He’s on TV,” Mina interrupts.
“What?”
“He’s standing outside the hotel and talking to the press.” She squeals. “Oh my god! You have to see this. Channel 108.”
I rush to turn on the TV. Theo stands in front of his hotel, painted by camera flashes.
“I know my reputation isn’t at its best,” he says. His hair is mussed and his shirt rumpled, the stark white setting off his tanned skin. He looks dashing. “For too long I’ve put off my responsibilities. I have a lot to make right. But, a few days ago, I met someone.” He pauses, a faraway smile on his face. “She showed me I’m more than my reputation. She challenged me to be more. If she’s listening now, I’d like to make her a promise. I will clean up my act. Vesper, if you’ll come back to me, I’ll make it right.”
“Oh fuck,” I say, as Theo nods and leaves, the press still shouting for more.
“Oh fuck!” Mina squeals. “Isn’t that the most romantic shit you ever saw? Maybe I won’t form an investor group to short his company’s stock and send it into a death spiral.”
She blathers on about her plans of revenge which, knowing her, are barely legal.
“Mina!” I finally interrupt.
“What?”
“Where is he?”
“How would I know?”
“Mina.”
“Heh, you’re right. I hacked his phone, as soon as I knew you were hot for him. You know he’s gotten some texts from Pepper Spice? He blocked her number.”
“Mina, where is he?”
“One sec.” There’s a long pause and I rub my forehead. Not even vodka and Valium will touch this headache. “He’s still at the hotel.”
“You sure?” The clock reads almost ten. “He should be on his way to his interview by now.”
“Well, I only can tell you