“Mr. Bundy,” Veronica says. “Would you agree with Giles in his assessment that the princess is indeed alive at this time?”
“I would,” Fred answers with a nod. Turning to Giles, he mutters, “Okay, are we done here? Because I’m going to miss my chance to bring home the extra donuts if I don’t get back in there. And Eli brought Krispy Kreme this time.”
Veronica speaks up quickly. “Would that have been the donut Princess Arabella would have eaten?”
“One of them, yes,” Fred says.
Veronica makes atsking sound. “A donut with no princess to eat it. Could this story get any more tragic?”
22
Time to Say Goodbye … to Sexlandia
Will
The sun isout in full force this morning as I crawl out of the tent, and although everything looks bright and shiny, the world feels like a much darker place because, as much as I wish I could hold it off, we have to get back on our way. Arabella is up already and has gone to ‘pick berries,’ which is our euphemism for her needing to go to the loo. You can take the princess out of the palace, but you can’t take the palace out of the … okay, that was a crappy analogy, but you get the idea.
The last few days of being together flow through my mind, and even though I know it won't happen, I find myself wishing she and I could somehow make this work on a long-term basis. And believe me when I say that’s not something Ieverthought I’d entertain.Especiallynot with someone like her.
After I brush my teeth, I pull out the map again, feeling more than a little worried. We should have left twenty-four hours ago, but after a particularly wonderful round of wake-up sex, I calculated our estimated distance to Mbambole again, and decided we could squeeze in one more night. But because my calculations were done with a ratio of maximum sex to bonus money as the parameter, I’m now realizing I may have been overly optimistic. But what’s done is done, and believe me, it was done well.
As I pore over the map, I realize we must leave this morning. Anything beyond that will be disastrous. We’re already cutting it too close, because we’ve used up ninety-six of our two hundred-forty hours having wild monkey sex. Add that to the time it took to get to Sexlandia, and we’re only left with fifty-six hours until I have to kiss that sweet bonus andMatildagoodbye.
I’m just folding up the map when I hear Arabella humming happily. The sound squeezes my heart, knowing I have to put an end to the only precious few days of freedom she's had in her entire life. But as much as I want to give her a longer escape, I can’t. When she comes around the corner, she smiles at me, looking absolutely gorgeous in the early sunlight.
Well, maybe we could leave this afternoon…
She holds up the cooking pot. “I actually did pick berries this morning.”
Chuckling, I say, “I thought you royals didn’t talk about things like that.”
“We don’t.” Arabella grins and sets the pot down on the rock we’ve been using as a table. When she glances at the map in my hand, her smile fades. “I guess it’s time, right? I’ve kept you here too long already.”
Putting my arms around her waist, I give her a lingering kiss. “We really should get going, but if you promise to hike very fast, I think we can get away with another few hours in Sexlandia.”
She nods and forces a bright smile on her face, even though I can tell she doesn't mean it. “Brilliant. As wonderful as this has been, I am looking forward to a hot shower and a proper bed.”
“Are you sure you want to go back to your real life?” I ask, pretending I’m joking. “I thought maybe I'd converted you by now, and that you'd be keen to live out in the jungle for the rest of our lives eating fish and berries.”
“Don’t forget the grubs. There are plenty of those for both of us to live on for years.”
I lean in and kiss her again. “Don't tempt me. I just might burn the map.”
My stomach growls loudly, interrupting the moment.
Arabella pulls back and says, “I've got a cure for that.” She picks up the pot and puts it in my hands. “Dig in. I've already rinsed them,” she says proudly.
I look down at the berries for a second, then narrow my eyes and pick up the top few. “Black nightshade berries. Yum! Just to make sure, these were in bunches, right?”
“I thought the ones in bunches were the poisonous ones.”
“Nope, those are the singletons.”
“Damn.”
“You didn’t eat any, did you?”
Her cheeks flush, but she shakes her head. “Of course not.”
