Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
“No, I’m not. My brothers are. I’m just the princess who lives in their shadows.”
“That’s not true.” He frowned. His thick, dark eyebrows made him look menacing to others when he did this, but it always made me smile because Amir was the biggest sweetheart. “What’s your question?”
“My question.” I took a deep breath. “So, let’s say you really like a professional athlete, a really famous one, and he or she finally asked you out—”
“She,” he said.
“For the love of God, Amir, stop getting tripped up on the details.”
“Okay.” He chuckled. “Continue.”
“So, she or he asks you out, and you have the best time. Then, you see each other again, and have an even better time. Only this person just so happens to be friends with your brothers—”
“Let’s pause there,” Amir said. “I feel like this is an important detail since your brothers will likely kill him when they find out.”
“Well, then, it’s a good thing they’re not going to find out. And it’s another good thing they don’t have a reason to kill him.” I flashed my please-shut-up-now smile at him, and he continued eating. “So, you really like this person, but you’re fully aware that you don’t know much about them. Do you continue seeing them and start asking real questions to get to know them, or do you just enjoy your time and have fun and take it for what it is?”
“What is it?”
“What is what?”
“You said take it for what it is. What is it?”
“Oh.” I frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should find out before you decide whether or not to ask more questions or lay off.”
“I guess.”
“Benjamin Drake seems like a good guy, despite all of the tabloid rumors about him being a playboy.”
“Oh my God, Amir. This is all hypothetical!”
“Sure. Maybe it can be hypothetical with someone who’s not with you twenty-four-seven.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
I groaned and shook my head. Amir had been sworn to secrecy, but so had all of the other guards and house workers, and they loved to gossip more than the rags. I could already hear the whispers, and they hadn’t even started. Part of me was amused by it. The other part wished I could call a house meeting and get all of their takes on the matter. Because I honestly had no idea what I was doing. Men were kind of a mystery to me, but Ben Drake was completely uncharted waters.
CHAPTER 11
Pilar
I looked at the tabloid headline again.
“Princess Pilar Following in Brothers’ Footsteps.”
It was accompanied by a photograph of me in my bikini and barely there coverup on my balcony. It must have been taken right after Ben had left because it was clear as day that I’d just gotten screwed. Literally and figuratively, apparently.
“I thought paparazzi weren’t allowed on this part of the island.” I looked up at Amir.
“Which means, it wasn’t a paparazzo who took this.”
“This is so embarrassing.” I covered my face. “What will Eli say?”
“I spoke to him. He doesn’t want you to worry.”
“I look…” I dropped my hand from my face and peered at the grainy photograph of myself. At least it was grainy. Still, you could make out my expression. “I look like a porn star.”
Amir flinched. “Please don’t say that.”
“I’m just saying what everyone else is probably thinking.” I set the magazine down with a sigh. “I know Aramis won’t yell at me for this because that would be hypocritical, but Eli? I don’t even want to face him.”
“I already told you, I spoke to him. He doesn’t seem upset. He wants you to have fun, you know?”
“Having fun is one thing, but at what cost to the Crown?”
“You having fun or doing things like this is perfectly normal, Pilar. You’re twenty-four not eighty-five. And quite frankly, you’ve never stepped out of line. This hardly constitutes something you should be ashamed of. It’s not like you’re spitting in babies’ faces.”
I felt myself laugh. “Well, you’re the most by-the-book person I know, so I guess if you’re not judging me, I should calm down.”
“Exactly.”
“I just don’t understand. Who would take this photo and sell it?”
“Who knows.” He shrugged. “We’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen again though.”
Amir walked away like a man on a mission, and I was sure he’d make good on that promise. My mind went back to the woman I’d met outside of the Indian restaurant. Could it have been her? I shook my head. No. I doubted it. People who took photographs like these and sold them were usually in the gossip mill industry. I decided to let it go. It was the only thing I could do right now. I stood, tossed the tabloid into the trash, and went to my room to call Joss. She was my personal secretary and in charge of keeping gossip at a minimum. If anyone would know what to do right now, it was her.