Maxon's PoV
We stay there for a while. On the floor, America in my arms. She said I should go to my meetings. That I shouldn't waist my time on her. I almost laughed when she said that.
After a while she falls asleep so I pick her up and carry her to her bed. I go to the balcony doors and lock them then leave her a note telling her I'd be back tonight, kissed her forehead and left quickly.
I head straight to my fathers office, trying to come up with a way to get America to her family. When I finally reach his door I knock proudly. A knock he'd be proud of. Might as well start with getting on his good side.
"Come in," I hear from the other side of the door.
I go in and sit down at the seat in front of the desk he's sitting at.
"Ahh. Maxon. What can I do for you. Did you get those draft plans done?"
"Yes father. I actually came to talk to you about the selection."
He suddenly looks very interested. After a minute he says, "Well, go on."
"Well I've been thinking. I would really like to chose my wife soon," He nods. "But I feel like I should get to know the girls a little better first."
I pause to let that sink in.
"I was thinking, well maybe it would be a good idea for me to spend a week in each of their hometowns to meet there familys. With them of course."
My father sits there for a minute, thinking. Finally he says, "I don't see why not. Starting next week you will go to lady Celeste's house, followed by lady Elise's house and ending with lady America's house." He seems to wince at America's name. "You will only return to the castle to drop off one lady and pick up another."
"Thank you sir," I say, trying to stay calm.
He nods. "We will announce it on the report on Friday."
I nod. Then I turn to go, eager to tell America.
When I get back to America's room she is sitting by the doors to the balcony, looking out longingly.
"Would you like to go out'?" I ask and she turns around.
She smiles when she sees me and nods.
"I can't believe you locked me in," She says once we're sitting outside.
"I'm sorry," I say. "But can you honestly tell me you didn't try to go out alone?"
She looks down guiltily.
"Maxon I need my fresh air. Especially now."
I nod and put an arm around her. "I know. But would it kill you to have a guard watching while you're out there?"
"Yes!" She cries. "I don't need a guard watching my every move!"
I laugh. "Oh but I think I have something that will make up for my rules."
"Yeah right." She mumbles.
"Alright fine. I won't tell you then."
"No Maxon please! I'm sorry."
I laugh and then say,"You can't tell anyone I told you because all the other girls are only finding out Friday but... I'm going to your home town with you for a week."
"Maxon really?" She cries, throwing her arms around me.
"Yeah!" I say, wrapping her in a hug.
"Maxon you're the best!" She says, pressing her lips to mine. "I can't believe you would do that for me!" She says pulling back. "I love you so much right now!"
"I love you too America. Of course I'd do that for you. Hell I'd jump off a cliff if it meant you didn't have too!"
She laughs and kisses me again. "I love you so, so much, when do I get to go?" She asks.
"You're the last one to go. My father's idea, not mine. I leave next Monday, so Four days from today and spend a week with Celeste then a week with Elise and then I'm all yours."
Her smile drops. "Do you think my dad'll last... that long?"
I put my arm around her again and she leans her head on my shoulder. "To see you? He'll hold out."
She looks up at me. "Thank you Maxon. For being here."
"I'll always be here."
The next few days are pretty much uneventful. Full of meetings, meetings and more meetings. I'm heading to my room to get ready for the report this afternoon when I run into Celeste. She's wearing a red dress that is skin tight and has a slit going up to about three inches below the top of her leg. It has a v-neck that dips extremely low. Not to mention the top is completely lace so you can see 75% of her skin.
"Hey Maxon," She says seductively.
"Lady Celeste," I nod.
"Oh Maxon dear. You know how I hate the formalities!" I'm tempted to roll my eyes at her lie.
"I apologize," I say.
She giggles and says, "I hear there's some big news coming up," She puts her mouth by my ear. "Care to give me a little spoiler?" She whispers.
"Afraid I can't," I say trying my hardest to stay calm.
"Oh come on," She traces my jaw line with her nose. "Please?"
"Sorry dear," I say.
"Maybe you need a bit of persuasion?" She says into my neck. The before I realize what's going on She presses her lips to mine. She puts her hands on my shoulders and pushes me against the wall. Her fingers trail down to my coat buttons and she undoes them fast, pushing the jacket from my shoulders. Thankfully we're in a pretty unused hallway.
I try to push her back lightly but she just leaves a trail of wet, open mouth kisses from my mouth to my ear. "Come on Maxon. Don't be this way." Then she brings her mouth back to mine and starts undoing my shirt buttons. She has me pressed against the wall so I cant really move as she finishes the last button and runs her hands along my bare chest. She runs her tongue along my bottom lip but I don't want to open my mouth. I don't want to do this with her. I don't love her.
Some how she manages to get my mouth open and she shoves her tongue in, exploring my mouth. With a sudden jerk of her shoulder one strap of her dress falls off her shoulder so one half of her chest is almost completely uncovered. The she sticks her leg out of the slit in her dress and wraps it around me so the slit in her dress rides up to the top of her leg and up over her lacy underwear.
She still has my back against the wall and has one hand tangled in my hair with the other rubbing up and down my chest. I turn my head to the side. Half because I don't want to kiss her and half because I need to breath.
"Celeste dear," I say. "We can't do this here." I want to say we can't do this, period, but the selection is still going on.
"Then let's go to my room," She whispers in my ear. Then she nibbles on the end of it slightly and says, "Or yours."
"I'm afraid I must get ready for the report now." That's a lie. I'm going to see America. I promised to meet her in the gardens before the report today.
She groans slightly but looks up at me and smiles seductively. "Maybe I'll see you later?"
I smile just to please her. "We'll have to see."
She untangles herself from me and then kisses me again, only stopping when we hear the rebel alarm. I quickly do up my shirt and throw on my jacket.
"Come on dear!" I say. "We must go."
We run down the hallway and when we reach the end I hit a few stones in the wall and the secrete door opens. We run down the cold, stone corridor until we reach the door to the safe room. The guard standing there lets us in and we sprint inside. Elise, my mother and my father are all there. America is nowhere in sight.
"Has anyone seen America?" I ask.
"I saw her go out to the gardens maybe twenty minutes ago," Elise says worriedly.
The gardens. Of course. I said I would meet her there and then I didn't and now she's outside with the rebels. Alone. She doesn't know where any of the entrances to the safe rooms outside are. I'm so stupid. She didn't even have a guard with her because I would be there. I can only hope a guard found her and got her to safety.
I go out and stand by the door with the guard, still hoping to see America, running down the corridor with her bright red hair flying behind her. God she's so beautiful. Why did I have to be so stupid and let her go out alone?
The attack lasts three and a half hours. America never showed. As soon as they let us out I send guards to check all the smaller safe rooms and take a group of guards with me to search the gardens.
We run outside and the first place I go is our bench because I know that's where she would have been. Been waiting for me. God! I'm so bloody stupid!
I get to the bench but she's not there. Not that I expected her to be really. There was just a little hope in my mind that she'd be waiting here for me. No such luck.
I crouch down and start to look around beside and under the bench for any signs that she may have been here. I'm about to give up when, to my horror, I see the bracelet I gave her. On the ground. Splattered with blood.
"I found something!" I yell and a few guards come rushing over. "She was definitely out here. Keep searching."
I continue looking when two guards come up to me.
"Sir," One says. "I was outside when the rebels attacked. Lady America was out here too. I remember her coming out. When the rebels attacked I heard her scream but it was cut off, almost as if someone had covered her mouth. I didn't see her after that. No matter how hard I searched. She was no where."
That's it. That's the proof I needed. She was captured. My America was captured by the Southern rebels and it's all my fault. It's all my fault.
"Okay. Everyone keep looking," I yell. I run inside and run to my father's office. I barge in without knocking. "Father, Lady America has been captured by the rebels."
He nods. "So I heard."
"Well we have to do something!" I cry.
"I already have. We know they're Southern rebels by all the trouble they caused so I've sent out a search group to find her." I'm completely taken aback. "I may not approve of that five, but how would it look to the public if I did nothing?"
I nod. "Thank you father."
"Now go," He says. "I have work to do and so do you."
