Mistress to the Prince (12 page)
Read Mistress to the Prince Online
Authors: Elizabeth Lennox
Her empty stomach now filled up with alcohol loosened her tongue. “You terrify me,” she said and smiled gratefully at the new waiter. “And this isn’t the most professional dress I’ve worn,” she said and pulled the spaghetti strap back up onto her shoulder after it slipped down
her arm.
“I like the dress,” he chuckled. “I think we should get you some food,” he said and took her third empty glass. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink more than half a glass of champagne in one night.”
“Well, you’ve never seen my date leave me by myself before, have you?” she said and rolled her eyes.
“Were you really interested in him?” he asked
, wondering if he’d completely misread the signs her body was giving him earlier in the evening
. “He doesn’t really seem like your type.”
Tara
laughed but there was sarcasm in her tone. “What’s my type?” she asked, walking beside him as he led her through to the dining area and handed her a plate. “I mean, I haven’t had a date in months but in the past week I’ve had two. One of which I fall asleep during and the next, the man leaves with someone else. And a blond at that!”
Max laughed as he piled pasta and roast beef onto her plate. “What’s wrong with blonds?”
“Nothi
ng in a strict sense, I suppose
,” she replied and
wave
d her plate in the air, almost toppling the food onto the floor. “Except when they leave with my date.”
“I can see how that might be an issue,” Max laughed and expertly took her plate from her flaying arms. He guided her over to a table and pushed her into a chair. “Eat,” he ordered.
Tara
quickly stood up and picked up another glass of champagne as it passed by.
“No, you don’t,” Max laughed and took the glass from her, placing the fork in her hand instead.
Tara
took the fork and glared at Max. “This is silly. I don’t overindulge,” she explained and stabbed a piece of pasta in a creamy seafood sauce. “Oh, this is delicious,” she said, taking another bite. “Have you eaten tonight?”
“No. But if you’ll be good, I’ll go get myself a plate,” he said and looked at her with a meaningful expression.
“Have I ever disobeyed an order from you?” she smiled sweetly.
Max shook his head as he laughed. “No, but there’s always a first time,”
he said but stood up and headed back to the buffet table.
Tara
watched him walk away and enjoyed the sight of his tall, incredibly handsome body as he moved through the crowd
toward
the food. He was so gorgeous, she thought
, ignoring her plate of food
. Why couldn’t he look at her the way a man looks at a woman?
Tara
sighed and took the glass of champagne he’d moved away from her a few minutes ago. “Tara, old girl. Face it. You were made for a career and not for a man,” she said and drained her fourth glass.
Max came back to the table with his own plate of food and noticed two more empty glass of champagne.
Tara
was not eating. S
h
e was sitting back in her chair with a sixth glass in her hand. Thankfully, she was only sipping this one instead of drinking it quickly.
Tara
didn’t bother to look at him as she asked her next question, feeling very warm and cozy now that the alcohol had hit her system.
“What’s wrong with me, Max? Why can’t I attract and keep a normal man?”
Max had a bite of roast beef halfway to his mouth. But he stopped and looked at her, astonished. “What was that?”
Tara
’s eyes were glazed over and her words were starting to slur but she could remember her question. “Really. Tell me what is wrong with me that men are just not attracted to me? I have plenty of male friends. And all the men at the office are very friendly to me. But none of them look at me sexually,” she explained.
Max didn’t like what he was hearing.
His fork clattered onto his plate and his steely eyes turned to look at her.
“What men in the office are friendly with you?” he demanded, knowing that the friendliness was probably a guise to stop by her desk and bask in her smile or just admire her beauty for a few minutes. He did it often enough, so he could understand their reactions, but wouldn’t condone it. If anyone was going to get
Tara
’s smiles, it was going to be him!
“Oh, you know. Everyone is very nice.”
“Name
s
, Tara. I want the names,” he demanded again.
She looked over at him with a smile, “Are you going to run them away as well?
You’re very good at that, you know. If there’s someone who is irritating you, with a few simple words from you, they just disappear.
”
“Of course,” he said sternly.
“
W
ell, then I’m not going to tell you their names,’ she said and turned away from him. “I know you don’t want me, but I want to be married and have children some day. So if you don’t want me, then I can’t allow you to push them away. All future mates,” she said and pointed a finger in his general direction as if she were explaining something important to him.
“What makes you think I don’t want you?”
Tara
laughed, letting her head drop back as she glanced up at the ceiling. “Oh, be real Max. I know the kinds of women you see socially and I see myself in the mirror. There isn’t any real comparison,” she said.
Max looked at her lovely neck and his eyes traveled down her beautiful, slim figure. “I agree,” he said softly.
Tara
heard his words and looked at him as if he’d just slapped her. “What can I do to be more attractive?” she asked. “
Maybe if I dye my hair blond? Would that be more interesting to men?”
Max almost laughed but the frustration was too intense.
“
Tara
, don’t you dare dye your hair,” he said, wanting to run his fingers through her thick, curly brown hair that had tickled his hands all night. He’d never seen it down before
her date earlier in the week
and it only made her look
more incredibly beautiful
. He loved it.
Max dropped his fork and stood up. “Okay. I think you’ve had enough to drink,’ he said and took the glass from her fingers. “Let’s get you home,” he said.
Tara
sighed but stood up with him. “Yes. Please make me go home to my tiny little house that has no one else in it. That’s exactly what I need,” she said and swayed slightly as she started walking.
Max sensed her falling and put his arm around her waist to guide her out of the party. He loved the way she leaned against him and relied on him completely. If nothing else, she definitely trusted him. That was something, he told himself.
He got her down to the parking garage where his limousine was parked.
Unfortunately, by this time, she was almost asleep. Her head was leaning heavily against his chest and her eyes were closed.
He signaled to his driver who was always nearby. “We need to get her home. Do you have any idea where she lives?”
“No,
Your Highness
,” Jimmy said.
“I know where I live,”
Tara
interrupted
sleepily
. “Of course I know where I live,” she repeated and smiled at the two men.
After a few
moments
, Max chuckled. “Were you going to share that information with us?”
Tara
rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to know where I live. What a silly question,” she said and leaned her head against his shoulder. “You certainly are tall. And strong,” she said, reaching up with one had to rub his bulging bicep.
Max stared down at her, his body instantly reacting to her touch and he had to grit his teeth to keep from turning her into his arms and kissing her. Instead, he turned back to Jimmy. “You’d better call up to security and get the information from them.”
Jimmy immediately left and walked to an office to call the security office. He came out a moment later shaking his head. “I’m sorry,
Your Highness
. They don’t have it on file. We’d have to wake someone from personnel who can retrieve it.”
“Why in the world would security not have the information?” he demanded. When Jimmy started to answer, he shook his head. “Never mind. Go home to bed. I’ll put her to bed up in one of the guest bedrooms,” he said.
Max started walking but
Tara
almost fell onto the pavement. Max looked down at her and realized she’d basically
fallen
asleep standing up. He smiled and lifted her easily into his arms. “Can you get the elevator, Jimmy?” he asked.
A few minutes later, Max was in a quandary. He had no idea which of the guest rooms were occupied. He knew that several people were staying at the palace as guests. And since it was
one o’clock
in the morning, there wasn’t a servant around he could ask.
“There’s only one solution,” he said to the woman curled up in his arms. “I hope you don’t mind sleeping in my bed,” Max said. He liked the idea immensely.
He shouldered his way through his private suite of rooms, laying her carefully on one side of his enormous bed. Max pulled her strappy shoes off her feet and watched as she curled up onto her side, sighing deeply.
He had to work carefully to get her dress off but almost groaned when he’d finished, seeing her in sexy black lace underwear and strapless bra. Pulling the sheet and blanket over her was possibly the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. All he really wanted to do was stare at her incredibly alluring body instead of being the gentleman.
Max laid his tuxedo jacket and shirt over a chair, took off his shoes and sock
s
but left his pants on for her modesty. He knew she wouldn’t remember much of the last part of the night so he didn’t want her nervous when she woke up in the morning to find a completely naked man
in
bed with her.
He pulled the covers over her, the
n
slipped in on the other side. Right after he turned off the ligh
t, he heard her sigh. “Your H
ighness?” she said in the darkness.
“Call me Max,” he said and heard her moving in the sheets. A moment later, he sucked in his breath when he felt her hands on his bare chest.
“Why don’t you like me
,
Your Highness
?”
she asked sleepily, ignoring his order that she call him by his given name instead of his title.
Max groaned when he felt her lips against his neck. “I like you,” he said and pulled her hands away from his skin. He liked that way too much.
“Kiss me,” she demanded softly.
Max’s eyes had adjusted to the dim light and noted that her eyes were open and staring up at him. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself with her lips and body but knew she wasn’t thinking clearly. “No, Tara. You’ve had too much to drink and don’t know what your asking me to do,” he said. “Go to sleep.”
“I knew it,” she said and sniffed as if she were about to cry. “You don’t want me either.”
Max could deal with a lot, but tears from Tara, strong, dependable, beautiful
Tara
, his body wouldn’t be able to endure that. “Don’t, swe
e
theart,” he said quickly
and put his hands in her silky hair and pulled her close. “Please don’t cry,” he repeated and his lips touched hers. “I know you won’t remember this in the morning, but I want you more than any woman I’ve ever met,” he said harshly.
He kissed her gently, intending to only touch his lips to hers and then leave her alone. But she had other ideas. She put her hands on his cheeks which immobilized him. Her lips took over the kiss and deepened it, pulling him in deeper to the kiss and the magic of her touch. Her body also moved closer and within moments, they were kissing passionately, their legs tangled and their bodies touching from head to toe. Max groaned and pulled her harder against his length, his tongue touching her lips and asking permission to enter. When he was granted that permission, his tongue delved inside, touching hers, tasting her mouth and feeling the softness of her mouth.
Max pulled way, his breathing harsh and his body rock hard and ready to enter her softness. She was not herself, he reminded himself and pulled her hands off his chest. “Go to sleep,” he grated out. The next moment, she was sound asleep again, snuggled against his left side and Max stared up at the ceiling,
willing his body to calm down while his mind worked through ways to get her back in this same position, but without the inebriation clouding her mind.