“Haj,” I greet her.
Her eyes tighten on my face. Then she actually curtsies, a tiny smirk on her perfectly pouty lips. “Your highness.”
For some reason, that throws me off balance. I frown. “I take it you survived the media vultures that circled you, looking for any little scrap of information?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah. I mean, they drove me out of New York City, if that’s what you mean bysurvived.” She tilts her head, her eerily blue eyes pinning me. “It would’ve been better if the whole situation hadn’t ever happened though.”
I push my tongue out into my cheek. Part of me wants to apologize for everything that happened. But the wiser part of me insists on being thorny. She won’t get close if I am just a complete jerk to her.
“Ja, it would’ve been better. I like to keep my private life exactly that… private.”
She turns to me, folding her arms across her chest. “You threw me to the wolves, Stellan. You packed up and fled New York and then I was just there, unable to leave my house.” Her expression turns sour. “I guess that will teach me to go home with people who I don’t know anything about.”
She’s right. Absolutely, completely right. But I’ve decided to go this direction, to throw up my walls. There is no stopping now.
I heave a silent sigh, my eyes wandering to the rest of the people at the factory. “I’m sorry. I did try to warn you…”
A laugh bubbles up from her chest. “Yeah, once themedia already knew about me. You could’ve told me who you were when I met you.”
A cold smile curls the corners of my mouth. “And you could’ve asked. But you didn’t. And I had no choice but to turn tail and run. The paparazzi in your city are merciless. At least now that you are here, you are getting something in return for spending the night with me,ja?”
Her eyes widen and her mouth opens. “Are you serious? It’s not like I did this for any kind of fame! And to accuse me of… of riding your coattails… it’s ridiculous!” Her voice drops as she leans closer. “I made the best of a verybadsituation. That’s it.”
My voice lowers. “Well, you signed a nondisclosure agreement. Which basically means that the royal family has complete control of anything you write and anything you say about me.” I smirk. “So I would suggest that you keep it professional, okay?”
“Ugh!” she says, looking offended. “As if I would write about our…fling. You are so… so…. arrogant! And spoiled! And full of yourself to boot.”
Drawing myself up to my full height, I scowl at her words. I’m not a monster, though of course she can’t know that. But still… the fact that I have some sort of feelings for her only makes her barbs all the sharper.
I cock a brow, throwing it right back at her. “Ja?I bet you would do anything to get your name in the papers again.”
Margot draws herself up to her full height, which isn’t very tall at all. “You wish. I bet you have entirefantasiesabout being one of my conquests again.”
She honestly has no idea how many fantasies I have that involve her.
Erik is approaching, so I just shake my head. “Keepdreaming big, Margot. That’s the only way you’ll ever see me naked again.”
Margot’s murderous expression is priceless. Turning away, I move toward Erik and raise my hands. “I think I’m ready to go. Can you have the car brought around?”
“Sure,” Erik responds, his gaze sliding between me and Margot. “Come on.”
Throwing a smirk over my shoulder at Margot, I stride off of the factory floor.
Chapter Six
Margot
The next morning I’m in the newsroom, leafing through the huge pile of documents the royal press secretary sent me. I signed my name to a simple two page nondisclosure agreement already, but I arrived this morning and found a whole stack of other documents and agreements on my desk.
Pippa peeks her head into my cubicle around lunch, scrunching her face up. “Hey Mags.”
I shoot her a look. Mags is my nickname that only she is allowed to use; only Pippa is charming enough to outweigh the awfulness of that name. In return, I started calling her Pips, which she doesn’t seem to mind a bit.
“Hey,” I say.
“Almost done? I’m thinking of grabbing a kebab from the cart down the street.”
I make a face at the pile of documents. Careful to dog ear at the page that I’m on, I set the papers down on top of my keyboard. “I’m not actually sure where I’m at. I think I should stay here and keep plowing through these documents, just to make sure I’m not signing my name toanything insane. Would you mind bringing me a kebab back?”
