Chapter 7
In her desperate flight, she almost mowed down two maids coming down the hall and did not notice their astonished expressions or the fact that they were calling out to her.
If she stopped to think, she would have realized that she looked wild and edgy with her hair streaming behind her and her haste to get to the front door.
She didn't think about any of it, her only thought to jump in the car she had left at the base of the garage. Her only intent was to get away, as far away as she could, and think about what just happened. What she just allowed to happen. And the awful consequences.
She maneuvered the narrow roads with mindless skills and had to blink the tears away several times to clear her vision. It certainly would not help if she compounded her crimes by mowing down innocent pedestrians or plowing into some unsuspecting driver. Or getting herself killed.
Veering off the main road, she found herself on a dirt road leading to a small chapel. Bringing the vehicle to a stop, she shut it off and just sat behind the wheel. She had let Prince Tomas kiss her and had enjoyed every minute of it. Let's face it, the man was an expert. Hadn't she read in countless magazines his philandering lifestyle throughout the years? The numerouswomen he had been with, screwed, used, and discarded? So of course he was an expert who knew what buttons to push.
And she was the idiot! She slammed her hands on the steering wheel and actually relished the jarring pain. She was the idiot who had just stood there enjoying his kisses. Just stood there almost begging for his lips. The man had tumbled out of some European princess's bed. And she had been willing to let him tumble her on the carpet in his mother's office.
The queen!
"Oh God," she whispered hoarsely. She was bound to be fired. Irrationally, she wondered if that had been his plan all along. Ionie had warned her that they had had to get rid of the other assistants because they had started pursuing the prince. He had tried to get her fired and when that did not take, he decided to take matters into his own hands, to prove to his mother that she was yet another willing flesh, another woman who was into him.
She was going to lose her job after being here for less than a week. A very nice man had shown interest in her, but oh no! She had to have things the hard way. She had no difficulty turning Luther away, but with the prince, she had practically begged him to take her.
His cologne was still on her clothes. One hand flew to her mouth, pressing against her lips. They still throbbed from the pressure; she could still taste him. Feel him. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the seat. And she had left her job in the middle of the day. Phones were probably ringing off the hook. She had dashed off without her cell phone. But she could not go back, not while he was there. She would just sit here for a while and go back to learn her fate.
*****
"What on earth is going on?"
Tomas whirled around at his mother's voice. "Where is Antoinette? Lucia said she went tearing from the house and drove away. And I had several people calling me while I was in the middle of the meeting to say that no one was answering the phone." Peeling off her gloves, she went to her desk to pick up the phone.
"Well?" she asked, replacing the receiver. "What's going on?"
"Have you tried calling her mobile?"
"I did." Sofia sat at her desk and eyed her son. "What did you say to her, Tomas?"
He shrugged his shoulders restlessly. "I went looking for her. I could not find her anywhere."
"What happened?"
"We had an argument."
A frown pleated her brow. "I thought the idea was to apologize."
"I tried." He spread his hands wide. "She was infuriating as usual. We came to blows and I..." He closed his eyes briefly. "I told you to get rid of her."
"We're not doing that again. What happened?"
He walked jerkily towards the window to stare out blindly. He could still feel her voluptuous curves on his body. The taste of her was still on his lips and oh bloody hell, he wanted her so much, he was insane with it.
"We kissed," he said tonelessly. "I kissed her and I..." Lifting a hand, he raked his fingers through his hair. "I shouldn't have. It's not acceptable. She pissed me off and I just wanted to shut her up."
"You kissed her."
"Yes!" He whirled around, eyes blazing. "I thought going away for the week would do the trick. I thought I would get her off my mind. But it didn't work. As soon as I saw her... I could... I could go away again. I could... you could send her away..."
"You have feelings for her."
Her quiet and collected tone had him settling down. "I shouldn't. It's not proper."
She almost smiled at his reasoning. If she knew her son, he was going to try and fight the emotions as hard as he could. And he would think that running was his best option. "That's your father talking."
