My Royal Sin / Playing Dirty. Lauren Hawkeye

reassuring. Somehow I know that whatever happens today, X is on my side. Still, I need to set the record straight.

      “I get it,” I say. “I’m here to do a job. And I might not be entirely proud of what I need to do to earn a living right now, but I’m not ashamed of the way I look.” It’s a half-truth. Even if this wasn’t always me, I look and feel sexy in these clothes—in the boots. I just wish I was wearing it all for me and not as a means to an end.

      His brows draw together, and his jaw tightens. When he looks at me, it is as if he wants to say many things but holds himself back. “If my comment elicited shame, miss, then again, my sincerest apologies. I am your ally. I do hope you see me as such.”

      I swipe away a tear. “Thank you, X. And can we please cut it with the ‘miss’?”

      He smiles. “Of course, Ruby. You remind me of Princess Kate.”

      With that, he turns back to his steering wheel and leads us away from the palace grounds.

      * * *

      Belladonna Square is not unfamiliar to me. I’ve driven past it. Walked through it. But never have I stepped foot into one of the shops. It was nothing more than a tourist attraction the few times I’d been in these parts.

      “You know,” I say as the car rolls to a stop, “even when things were good, they were never great. My father died when Jasper was fifteen and I was only twelve. Jasper grew up and found work doing research at the art museum and I—Well, there aren’t many jobs out there for a girl who likes to paint.” Especially when her résumé basically reads like a telenovela.

      X nods.

      “I don’t know why I’m telling you this,” I add. “I guess I’m just a bit overwhelmed is all.”

      He exits the vehicle and opens my door, offering a hand as I climb out. Then he holds out a black credit card.

      “You’re not coming with me?” I ask, eyes wide.

      He offers a soft smile and nods toward the closest boutique, a place called Cheri Cheri. “I called ahead and had them put aside all their Monique Mantissa pieces for you. Just go in and tell them who you are, and they will take care of you. This is your day, not mine. Go enjoy.”

      I can’t help but grin, a giddy electricity pumping through my veins. I reach for my bag and realize in all the excitement that I forgot it in the cottage, so I slip the credit card into the cleavage of my bustier.

      X chuckles, and I shrug.

      “Here goes nothing!” I say and let my confidence buoy me in the direction of the store.

      As I enter, my boot heels click on marble floors, and the place smells of jasmine. I close my eyes and inhale, a smile spreading across my face when I’m greeted by a soft, lilting voice.

      “May I...help you?”

      My eyes open, and there she is, a tall, lithe woman with a chic pixie cut, her ebony hair shining like satin.

      “Everything in here is Monique Mantissa,” I say, stating the obvious.

      She looks me up and down, her painted-on smile morphing into something more like a sneer.

      “Are you lost, miss? The Mantissa knockoffs are on Market Street. This is Belladonna Square.”

      Heat seeps into my veins.

      “I know where I am,” I insist, trying to still the tremble in my voice. “I’m here to shop.” I pull the credit card from my top and brandish it at her. “See?” I say, the volume of my voice escalating. “I have money to spend. On...on Mantissa. On whatever the hell I want.”

      She backs toward a marble counter, which must be where the transactions take place. “Miss, you have fifteen seconds to leave before I press the security button. After that, you’ll have just as long before the Edenvale Police arrive.”

      My eyes widen. “You’re serious. Aren’t you?” I ask incredulously.

      She snakes behind the counter. “You’re down to five seconds, miss.” Her eyes narrow. “Four...three...”

      I stumble back through the door and bolt to where X dropped me off, pulling at the handle of the door. It’s locked. Tears stream down my face as I yank at the door again and again until I feel strong hands grip my shoulders.

      I scream as X spins me to face him.

       He is my ally. He is my ally. He is my ally.

      “I’m done shopping,” I gasp between sobs. “I want to go home.”

      He nods and unlocks the door, helping me inside. When he is back behind the driver’s seat, he speaks in a calm, soothing voice.

      “When you’re ready, Ruby, I want you to tell me what happened.”

      But I shake my head.

      “I will fix this,” he adds, and then he picks up a mobile phone. He doesn’t close the partition between us, so I hear every word.

      “Your Highness, something unexpected has occurred.” Pause. “Yes, I did exactly as we’d discussed.” Pause. “No, she is too upset to speak. But I know how to make things right. Miss Mantissa owes me a favor. If she is in town, I can have her bring over a collection of samples.” Another pause. “Yes, Highness. To the cottage this evening. It shall be done.”

      The call ends, and X pulls away from Belladonna Square, his eyes focused on the road.

      “They treated you poorly in the store, yes?” Rage is clear in his voice.

      I sniffle. “Yes.”

      “You told them I had called ahead, that you were on official palace business?”

      “She didn’t give me a chance.” My tone is biting. “Maybe you didn’t mean to shame me, X. But she did. I had money to spend, and her only intention was to make me feel worthless.”

      His jaw tightens. The muscle flexes at some deep, hidden emotion.

      “I am deeply sorry, Ruby. You of all people did not deserve such treatment. I did not think...” He sighs. “Prince Benedict will join you this evening in the cottage for a private shopping spree of sorts.”

      I force a smile at this while wondering what he means by me of all people.

      “It’s okay,” I say. “If she’s not in town or whatever. I have other clothes back at my place...” My voice trails off. Because I was looking forward to this, to being a princess for a day.

      But it took only seconds for that woman to remind me that she saw me as nothing more than a whore.

      “You deserve better than what happened just now,” X says in his mysterious tone.

      I used to think that, too, but it’s getting harder and harder to believe.

       CHAPTER FOUR

       Benedict

      THE LAST RAYS of the sun blaze across the western horizon as I pad across the palace grounds, ignoring the royal pond with the swan-shaped pleasure boats, the marble fountains filled with ancient Greek and Roman statuary, and the lush hedges clipped into geometric shapes.

      Earlier, X filled me in on Ruby’s disastrous visit to Belladonna Square, and I’m still pissed. She was judged on an excursion meant to bring her innocent pleasure.

      Acid gnaws at my core from my hypocrisy. After all, she’s an escort on my payroll, which makes no part of our relationship innocent even if my motives are pure.

      The first star appears as I enter the maze. Left. Left. Straight. Right. My footsteps are unerring, the result of a childhood spent chasing Nikolai through these twists and turns, and later both of us running from our youngest