Oliver
I stare at the many diamonds that make the bracelet which Josephine left in my pocket on purpose. Rays of rainbow light fill my tiny ten square metre sized room. I only have space for a bed and a clothing rack. Really, if I didn't have this bracelet, I probably would have thought I dreamt yesterday. That Argentine Tango was something I've never experienced before. It was completely in sync, it was full of passion... and most of all, it was danced to no music. As with the salsa we danced to our very own music in the soup kitchen, using our synchronised heartbeats.
Josephine is the most amazing woman on earth! She blew me away with her looks and her mind... and her sharp tongue. She can control the whole room just by being in the room. Whenever she looks at me, I'm under her spell.
She demands. She doesn't ask.
And she demanded that date yesterday evening after our tango. She demanded a date. With me!
It still feels surreal. I wanted to ask her out but instead she demanded a date with me. She took control of the situation before I could even think of it.
This woman makes my head spin!
My alarm goes off next to me. It's time for me to head to my day job at Luigi's as it's a Sunday.
I guess we both won't be going to the soup kitchen this evening.
Because we have a date together.
A date!
Josephine
I turn on the rain shower head in my white marbled shower and let the water wash away last night. I still can't believe everything that happened. I danced a tango with Jacques. I saved a man's life.
I danced an Argentine tango with Oliver - a real, passionate Argentine tango like never before! With Oliver, who happened to work as a waiter on the event last night. What a coincidence!
And on top of that I snapped and asked him to meet me at the Ritz tonight again.
What was I thinking?!
Right, I wasn't thinking at all. I was full of adrenaline from saving Richard's life, full of passion from our dance and then his smell started filling my nostrils - and my brain stopped working! Instead, I started feeling so weird. My knees started to get weak and turn into jelly and my pussy was wet immediately when he looked at me with his sea foam eyes... I swear, these eyes do something with me.
Flashback
I am breathless after our dance. The heat is everywhere. Inside of me, coming from him and surrounding us - it's too much! It's like standing in a steam sauna with no escape. It's so wonderful, so soothing and so bloody humid!
But I don't want it to stop. I don't want to go. Instead, I crave more. More of this heat, of this passion, of his smell, of his touch... of him.
I'm so close to him that I could kiss him. This need, this desire is eating up my whole existence. It's too much.
"Tomorrow. Ritz Hotel." I finally give in. I need him between my legs. I need to feel this fire even more. I need a night with him.
He stares back at me with his sea foam coloured eyes. They make my legs turn into jelly and my heart skip a beat.
I let go of him before I do anything stupid like drag him into a room and fuck him then and there. "Be punctual." I say before turning on my heel and rushing away from him. As I lift my black velvet Armani dress I notice that I've somehow lost my diamond bracelet. I must've left it in the powder room but I can't turn back now and get it. Because I'd be facing Oliver again and I feel so weak in my willpower that things could take a very wrong turn once I'm standing across him again.
Hopefully the cleaning staff will have some fun with it. At a worth of four million pounds, they sure as hell could buy themselves a nice flat here in London.
I turn the corner and stop in my tracks as I nearly bump into my uncle. Shit!
"Ry..." I breathe out shocked. Did he see me?! No he probably didn't. He just made sure the press would write publish good stories tomorrow about today. Monégasque Prince saves a man's life at the Bolton Foundation Charity! Prince Jacques is not only good looking but also a hero! We all need a little Jacques in our lives - the Prince of Monaco doesn't gesture to perform first aid! The headlines are already spinning in my head.
"I saw that." My uncle destroys all of my hopes with three words.
"I'm sorry?" I ask him, acting confused.
"That tango. I saw that! It was bloody hot! The whole Ritz went up in flames! Who is that man, Jo? I didn't know you knew the staff working here tonight."
"I don't." I quickly answer. Really, I don't know Oliver at all - so I'm not completely lying to my uncle.
He narrows his crystal blue eyes at me, "Josephine,"
"It's the truth. I don't know him. What you saw was all in your head. Nothing happened."
"Hm, yeah right and I'm the next King of England."
"No, that's George."
"After William." He corrects me and rolls with his eyes, "Fine if you don't want to talk, then you don't have to. I won't push you into anything. This evening has been eventful enough."
I bloody love my uncle! He's not like Dad or Wlad or Della - they push you until it hurts so badly that you have to give in and tell the truth.
I can do that as well, but I prefer to use that skill in my meetings and not in my private life.
"Are you okay?" He asks me, changing the subject.
I nod, "Yes, I'm fine. Just still a bit shaken up."
"From this dance or from saving Richard's life?" He asks me and I narrow my eyes at him in response. "Right, sorry. Do you need a ride home?"
"No, I'll just catch myself a cabbie. I'm good."
"I said I won't push you any further. We could drive you home."
"While you might be able to drop the subject, Kelsi won't. And although the drive takes only 10 minutes to my home, I'd rather spend those ten minutes in peace."
"We're Just looking out for you."
"I'm 23 years old. I can look out for myself. It's the way I've been raised."
My blonde uncle sighs before pulling me into a hug, "Stop talking like your Dad and start talking like your Mom again. I don't like you all cool and strict."
End of Flashback
His eyes, his aura and his smell made me demand that meeting. A meeting in which I will set the record straight and make my demand crystal clear.
I can't wait!
Oliver
Luigi's cafe is bursting with people this morning. I haven't had a moment to myself in five hours, but I don't mind it at all. The pastries have nearly sold out but I don't even mind that. Babies are crying, people are yelling and inpatient but I don't mind that at all.
Because tonight I finally get to have a date with Josephine!
Normally, I would wonder if she's going to come in today like last week when she said she would come by on a Sunday morning. But by this week. Because we have a date! A date!
Nothing rains on my parade today.
Josephine
I scan the huge backyard that's behind Frogmore House. It's a glorious mid March day. The sun is out and the sky is cloudless. Even the temperature starts to increase slowly. Rory and George have really transformed this place and made it their own. They turned the tourist magnet into an actual home with a backyard better than nirvana.
There's a herb garden behind the kitchen with mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, parsley, dill, basil, cilantro, fennel, lavender, chamomile, French tarragon, catnip, chives, St. John's wort, bay leaves, culantro, chervil, Winter Savory, peppermint, lemon grass, bergamots and even stevia! There are huge Aloe Vera plants which will only grow over the years and get some good use. Behind the herbs are different berries bushes: Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries, elderflower - they really grow their own produce.
The culinary garden is full of different veggies and lettuce! There is a big collection of cherry, lemon, peaches and apple trees. A rose garden that was inspired by the one we have in Richmond has been planted and is already blossoming. Hundreds of pink peonies and other roses are sparkling in the sun. A seating area is surrounded by the different coloured roses.
The lake is embraced by blossoming deep purple lavender. Bees and butterflies are flying there along with dragonflies. Rory and George even have a set up a bee station for honey bees behind the rose garden and I'm sure they'll have honey soon. The birds are tweeting and flying over the lake. There's a stone bridge that leads to the little chapel and the mausoleum. It's a huge property!
It's so beautiful!
"What do you think?" Rory asks me.
I turn around and look at my little sister. She's wearing maternity jeans and a huge striped long sleeve shirt. She looks gigantic but also bursts with happiness. I've never seen her like this. It almost makes me want to have children as well - but only if they come with that backyard. "It's stunning. A real gem. The girls will love growing up here."
"I think so, too. We had to add a pool because the lake is not healthy enough to swim in yet but maybe one day we can jump in like in the old days."
"I don't see a pool. Where is it?"
"Down the hill. There's a guest house and a tennis court as well as a soccer field. But don't worry, we don't plan on building a water park."
I chuckle at her words. Daddy really went crazy with the water park. "They can enjoy that at their grandparents' house."
"Crazy, hun?" She asks as she places her hands on he huge bump. "If all goes well we get to meet them in May... and Mummy and Daddy will be grandparents again. I'll be a mother..."
"Are you scared?" I ask her softly.
To my surprise she shakes her head, "I'm excited. It feels just like on our wedding day. I was never scared or afraid of anything but excited. Truly excited. Because this feels right. I am so at peace... so calm... Jo, I really hope you get to experience this as well."
I sigh, not this again. Everyone in my family seems to think the key to happiness is a ring on your finger paired with sticky fingers and stinking poop running around. "Rory, I told you I don't want the two Ms. I'm good with my life as it is right now."
"And one day your life is going to be amazing in a way you could have never imagined."
"I don't know about that."
"But I do." She says with a genuine smile on her lips before grabbing my left hand and placing it on her belly.
I gasp as I feel my nieces kicking inside the womb of their mother. I've never even felt them kicking through her whole pregnancy. "They're strong!" I breathe out in amazement.
My little sister nods, "They've got that from Daddy and Mummy... and Della... and Ana... and you." Rory says to me before brushing through my hair, "You're one of the strongest women I know. But even the strongest women need a shoulder to lean on to every once in a while."
"I've got a lot of shoulders to lean on to in my life." I ensure her. She's sounding like Mummy and I guess that's because she is a Mummy herself now.
Suddenly loud noises start filling the silence. Trucks are driving by the house on the other side. We're only hearing them because the French doors that lead to the backyard are open. Other than that the house is completely soundproof, which is very much welcomed due to the many planes flying over here.
"That's for Adelaide Cottage." Rory informs me. Adelaide Cottage is a picturesque grade II listed cottage that's nestled in the heart of the Home Park in Windsor. Because it's a grade II listed building it has special architectural or historic interest, and is considered to be of national importance. Therefore, it cannot be demolished and is protected by law. Frogmore House is grade I listed which means it is of exceptional interest. Frogmore Cottage is a grade II listed building as well. There's another cottage, that's called Mulberry Cottage, in the Home Park but that has been untouched for almost a century.
Adelaide Cottage was originally built for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, in 1831, using building materials from the Royal Lodge. The royal retreat has been used by a number of monarchs: Queen Victoria often visited the cottage for breakfast or tea. Another famous resident was Peter Townsend, who famously had a love affair with Princess Margaret. The cottage underwent a renovation in 2015 and has some seriously elaborate decorations. When it was first built, the house was described as "chastely elegant" and having two rooms, in addition to a retiring room for the Queen, and a pages' room, as well as furnishings from the former royal lodge and a marble fireplace mantel in the regency Graeco-Egyptian style. However it needs to go under a new renovation for its new home owners. But I'm sure Char and Nate will keep the marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace and the seven gated entrances and exits to Windsor Castle so that the newlyweds can come and go without worrying about being photographed. There's even a fountain in the centre of the garden that is surrounded by 'Hardenburg' baskets: circular flower beds ringed with metal hoops or tiles. The Adelaide Lodge, as it was called in the early days of its existence, is surrounded by big old oak trees and bushes which offer a natural fence and protection to the Victorian mansion.
It's the perfect hideaway for Char and Nate.
Adelaide Cottage is just 800 meters away from Frogmore House. Frogmore House is only 400 meters away from Frogmore Cottage, the house where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live. Frogmore Cottage on the other hand is about one kilometre away from Adelaide Cottage. That little triangle in the Home Park behind the safe protective walls of Windsor Castle has become the media's latest obsession.
Because in Frogmore Cottage live the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. In Frogmore House live the second in line to the throne with his wife and unborn triplet girls. And in Adelaide Cottage will live Princess Charlotte with her husband.
It's a hotspot not even Hollywood could have come up with.
"How are they coming along with the renovations?" I ask Rory.
"Good. I think they're going to be done just before the wedding. The cottage has been kept in a pretty good shape anyway, so unlike with Frogmore House, there's not a lot that needs to be done. Some new tubes, a new garden with a pool, a few solar panels on the roof... and some new interior designs. I guess Char wants new bathrooms made out of marble and Nate wants to repaint the whole interior of the house. They want a new kitchen as well and new floors everywhere. But that's really not a lot. In a month, maybe a bit more, everything is going to be ready so they can move in straight after the wedding."
"That sounds good. And nurseries?"
"Oh yeah, those are getting build as well. It's exciting. I'll be living next door to them!"
I return her smile, "I'll be visiting you guys more often then."
"You know, Mulberry Cottage is still free..."
I shake my head, "Nice try. But I love London and I'm not into Louis at all. Or Archie."
"You don't have to be married to a Royal to be living here, I think. I'm pretty sure the King would grant you a loan for a good amount of time. Wouldn't that be cool? You, Nate and me all living next door to each other? It would be kind of like Le Rosey or Oxford all over again."
She's getting too excited about this. I can already see how her mind wanders and she redecorates that house I drove by as I drove to Frogmore House. "Rory, while I love you to death and I have to admit this place has something peaceful, magical even, it's not the kind of place I want to live in. Not under the prying eyes of the media."
"Like you aren't living under the prying eyes of the media already." She starts arguing. "Come on, it would be so cool! And we'd have a huge backyard. Our kids could play together-"
"I won't have kids." I interrupt her.
"Jo, I know you. You love kids."
"I do but that doesn't mean I want to destroy my body just to breed them for ten months and then take care of them for the rest of my life."
"Do Della and Mummy's bodies look destroyed to you?!" She asks while raising one perfectly shaped brow at me.
"Well, no but they're the exception."
"Look, I get that you're in a totally different place of your life right now but that doesn't mean you will never get there."
"It's not what I want. I don't have motherhood in my blood. I don't have marriage on my agenda. Rory, it's not what I want."
"You'll change your mind." She says confidently, sounding just like our Daddy.
I sigh and decide to drop the subject. "Are Nate and Char coming over today?"
"No. They're busy planning the wedding. I think he'll update us next week on our dinner here."
"I bet you're happy they're giving you guys a break from the media frenzy." I say with a chuckle
Rory shrugs, "I am on maternity leave anyway so it's only George that gets chased whenever he steps out of the safe walls of Windsor Castle. But he has dealt with them his whole life, so he's a professional. And Nate and Char are doing quite well with the press as well. They're ignoring most of the headlines and focus on their wedding and more importantly Char's pregnancy."
She's almost five weeks along today. I still can't believe my best friend is pregnant with twins - and my brother's the father! "The press is definitely going to put Louis and me together. Or Archie and me. It's going to be some mad months."
"I know..."
That's going to make my life harder, for sure.
Oliver
After a long morning and noon at Luigi's, I finally walk home to get ready for my date with Josephine. It's a sunny day here in London with a cloudless bright blue sky. I've fallen in love with the city even more in the last months. I've always loved the winters but spring... spring is the season of renewal.
Of a new start.
I turn the corner in one of the streets that filled with the famous old Victorian in Kings Cross and stop in my tracks as I see a beautiful brunette walking out of a gated courtyard. The courtyard belongs to the Powers Hall Academy, one of London's leading schools for deaf people - and Josephine just walked out of there! She's dressed in a simple pair of jeans, a navy baseball cap with a white L embroidered on it, a lumberjack shirt that's similar to mine and white sneakers. Her chestnut hair is open and wavy. She's not wearing a drop of makeup.
And she looks stunning.
My heart skips a beat at her image and for a moment I want to walk over to her to greet her. But then a child runs over to her and taps her on the left shoulder. Josephine turns around and starts talking to him with just her hands. It's absolutely fascinating to watch. The teenage boy responds before embracing her quickly. Then the little boy runs back into the beige stoned building. Josephine closes the gates behind her and strikes out her left hand to catch herself a black cabbie.
Within the blink of an eye three black cabbies stop. She gets into the one close to her and the driver drives off.
Could I find that woman even more amazing? She can speak the sign language!
Josephine
I finish off my blow dried hair with a hair serum before taking one last look in the mirror in my bathroom. I'm wearing a tight white dress with shirt sleeves by Karen Millen and black LK Bennett stilettos. My black leather jacket is laying on the white quilted ottoman behind me. I've chosen a winged eyeliner and dark red lips with a little blush.
Oliver doesn't know this side of me. Only a few men do and those who know don't talk about it because I made them sign a NDA. But Oliver... he's different.
It's why I'm actually nervous about tonight.
But he gave me no choice. Especially after that tango yesterday evening. I have to do this. I have to present him this option. I grab my leather jacket and walk into my study that's kept tidy and clean like the rest of my apartment. Just like the rest of my penthouse, there are floor to ceiling windows that make up an entire wall so there's enough lightning during the day and the view from so high is the best about my home. I can see the London Eye from my study and Big Ben from my bedroom as I have a 360 degree view of my hometown.
I stop at my glass desk and sit down in my beige leathered office chair. I open my cupboard and place my thumb on the sensor of my safe. After a second the heavy locks open and the door swings open. I pull out a white thin folder that sits on top of the many other documents that contain sensitive information.
I shut the door of the safe and place the white thin folder on my glass desk. I open the folder and stare at a pretty basic NDA.
It's standard for whoever I decide to fuck with.
But for the first time I am nervous about presenting it to a man. Because this man could shake up the perfectly divided areas of my life. This would be the first time I mix the social world of my life with the pleasure part of my life. And although my head doesn't like the idea at all, my pussy can't wait to get some action again. Especially after all those dreams I had.
I'll present him the facts and see how he's going to react.
He's going to sign it or not.
Either way, I'll finally be able to move on.
I enter the famous Ritz hotel with the NDA in my black Chanel purse. The Ritz is my usual spot for when I am in the mood for sex. The bar is where I meet the man for tonight so I head straight there. Soft piano tunes fill the marbled bar that bursts with people enjoying a drink on this Friday evening. Big chandeliers hang from the ceiling, creating a luxurious ambience with the dark walnuts of the tables and beige padded chairs. The bartender smiles at me as soon as he spots me rushing by. The staff knows me well.
"Scotch?" The blonde bartender with a megawatt smile asks me. His name is Jess and he knows my drinking habits well enough.
"Martini. I'm in one of the private rooms tonight."
He nods, "I'll have Claire bring it to you."
I walk past the bar and feel how the eyes follow my body. I was gone for almost two years, but it seems like that doesn't matter as far as the interest in me goes. My little sister is going to be the next Queen of England, so naturally people want to know everything about her and her family. And then there are my two older sisters, Adaline and Anastasia. Della has shaken up the medical
world with finding a way to heal Parkinson's and Anastasia is a wonder child as well but once she married Sasha, she became royalty herself because he's the only official heir of the Romanov bloodline.
Everyone in my family has found its way. Except me. I am still looking for my place.
But for tonight, I put that aside as I concentrate on the right now instead of what my life is going to be like in five years.
I walk down the wide hallway until I reach the last door of the private dining rooms. I open the black wooden door and walk into the luxurious private dining room. There's a big round marble table with two red velvet chairs in the middle and artwork on the left and right. Framed black and white photos of the Ritz hotel in the 20s.
I place my handbag on the floor and take a seat.
And then I wait.
Oliver
I slide into my jacket and look at myself in the mirror one last time. The grey suit was the right choice. It looks good. Especially with the dark green tie that matches my eyes. Josephine told me once that she doesn't date so considering she asked me to meet her tonight at the Ritz has to mean something.
This woman is an enigma. She obviously deeply cares about other people, she serves in a soup kitchen and builds homeless shelters all over England. But she's also highly arrogant and painfully direct. If she was a man I'd call her a dick.
She drinks like a man, that's for sure.
I get out of my little flat in Nottingham and pull out my arm to catch myself a cabbie. She asked me to be there at eight but I figured being a little early wouldn't hurt.
Not that thirty minutes are a little.
Normally, I would walk but a 45 minute walk to the Ritz seems pointless. Especially in a suit. It's the only suit I own but I hope tonight I can shake off the bad memories I have with it and instead form new ones. If I only get a smile from Josephine than that's enough for the emotional hustle I had to go through when I put that suit on.
I get into the cabbie and tell the driver my destination. The Ritz hotel. One of the most expensive hotels London has to offer. The driver nods before navigating through the traffic with ease. I haven't lived in London long enough so every little glimpse of the city's beauty is still new to me. I stare out of the window and allow my eyes to get lost as we drive past the famous Harrods building. It's not pouring rain for the first time in what feels like forever. The springs are definitely different than the ones in Brazil.
After a ten minute drive we reach the pompous hotel and I pay the driver before getting out. Tourists rush by me as I stare at the impressive building. Booking a room here must cost a fortune! Something I will never be able to afford.
I walk into the Ritz and look around for a moment. Pure luxury surrounds me, the kind that reminds me of the King that's living in Clarence House not too far away from here. I haven't had a chance to visit Buckingham Palace yet but ever since they turned it into a museum a few years ago I always wanted to visit.
I'd like to feel like a tourist in the city I live in every once in a while.
"Sir, how can I help you?" A porter asks me in a black suit. "You seem a bit lost."
I'll always look lost in places like these. Because they're definitely out of my prize rage. "I'm meeting a woman named Josephine. She told me to head to the bar?" I ask, feeling slightly embarrassed for not knowing Josephine's last name. She never told me and I never asked. I didn't feel the need to.
Until now.
The bright blue eyes of the grey haired porter light up, "Miss Bolton is waiting for you in a private dining room, Sir."
Miss Bolton? Is Bolton her last name? "I see. Where can I find her?"
He points behind me, "Down the hall. You'll enter the bar. Walk past the bar and turn left. Down the narrow hallway and she's in the last room on the left."
"She's already here?" I ask confused.
"Yes, sir. Arrived just shortly before you. Enjoy your evening."
I nod before walking away from him, following his directions. A few hotel guests in big fur coats walk past me. Women who wear jewellery that's worth more than I will ever earn smile at me as they make their way out. This is a world I don't belong in.
A world I will never belong in.
I have no idea why Josephine wanted to meet me here instead of a small cafe in Nottingham. As far as I know she can't afford those kind of places as well.
I walk down the hallway before I enter a luxury bar, where a drink costs more than my weekly rent that's for sure. Couples seem to enjoy their evening here as they sip on drinks that most of the world won't ever afford to pay for. Soft piano music drowns out the quite chatter that's filling the large bar. The seating areas are fully taken. Not one of those beige leathered chairs is empty. Only the silver barstools are empty. A brown haired man behind the bar notices me immediately. Probably because I stand out so much with all these thousand pounds worth suits.
Suddenly, I forget the directions from the porter as I am too stunned by the luxury surrounding me.
"What can I get you?"
I turn my head to the side and look at the bartender. "I'm here to meet someone in one of the private dining rooms."
He nods as if I gave him some secret code. "Around the bar, last door on the left."
"Thank you." I tell him before walking around the massive curved steel bar until I get greeted by a long hallway with white marble on the floor. I count nine black wooden doors until I reach the last on the left.
I brush through my hair and am surprised when there's nothing to run my fingers through once more. I just finally could cut off my chin long blonde hair that was part of a bet I lost two years ago in Brazil. I even shaved for tonight.
I shaved for Josephine.
The woman that's an enigma but somehow I like it. I like the challenges she provides me. She's interesting, I hang on every word that comes from her full lips.
And she's gorgeous even if she's hiding her face behind baseball caps all the time.
I inhale deeply before opening the door. I stop in my tracks as I see a stunning woman sitting in one of the two red velvet chairs that are around a round marble table. She's sipping on her martini with her back on me because she looks out of the window that shows a stunning backyard with an illuminated empty pool. The woman is dressed in a white tight dress with short sleeves and sky high black heels. She has long chestnut coloured waves that remind me of old Hollywood. My Mum always used to watch movies from Hollywood that were still in black and white. And this... this woman right here looks exactly the same.
She's screaming confidence and glamour.
This can't be Josephine.
I stare at her, not able to let go of the doorknob. I surely must've walked into the wrong room.
But then she turns around and I stare at her stunning face. Her breathtaking sky blue eyes are lined with a black liner and she's wearing the same shade of red on her full lips as the chair she is sitting on.
Damn, this is Josephine.
"I think you can let go of the door now." She says as her blue eyes notice my hand that's still on the door handle.
I let go, my body following her orders like always.
"Close the door. I ordered a scotch for you." Her angelic voice rings in my ears for a moment before I close the door and walk over to her. She has compelled me completely from the day she paid for my cappuccino in Battersea. But when we met again she was such an arrogant brat that I wanted to shake her until she turned into the genuine woman she was when we first met.
And now this.
I have no idea what to think of this.
That femme fatale.
I sit down across her and hear how the chair cracks a little under my weight. "You're early." I breathe out as my eyes dance over her face. She's wearing makeup today. I've never seen her wear makeup like this. I didn't think she could look even more beautiful but to my surprise she does. She looks stunning.
She looks like she belongs to a place like this.
"Yes because I had to make some last minute preparations." She answers and shows me a small grin. "But from what I see you decided to come early as well." She picks up her martini glass and I notice the red golden ring on her right middle finger. It has three diamonds that sparkle from the dimmed light in here. She never wore that ring before.
"I thought we would have dinner somewhere else." I breathe out. I have no idea how to pay for tonight. My salary from this month hasn't arrived yet and I nearly spent all of my money in the last week.
"Oliver, this is not a date."
I love the way she says my name. Os and Rs have never sounded sexier to me. "Then why am I here?" I ask her confused.
She nods towards the scotch that's standing on the table, "Drink."
I lift the glass and take a sip. The amber coloured liquor runs down my throat without barely a burning sensation. "That's good."
"You bet it is. That's a 150 year old scotch." She informs me with a grin on her lips, "It's my go to when I have a bad day."
She goes here often? "I see. That means today is a good day since you're drinking a martini."
Her lips curl into a wonderful grin before she leans forward, "No. I drink martinis when I want to get laid and tonight it's your lucky day."
"I'm sorry?"
"I want you between my legs and this," She reaches down and pulls out a thin white folder, "will ensure me that."
I frown as I look at the white folder. Did she find what I think she did? "What's this?" I ask before opening the folder. A huge stone lifts from my chest when I don't discover secret-revealing photos or documents. It's just a NDA.
"A NDA. I need you sign this before we get started."
What the fuck?! "You mean before I can get cosy between your legs."
She smirks again, "Yes."
Is she serious?! Why does she need an NDA? I lean back, "No."
"I'm sorry?"
"I won't sign this. It takes more to take a woman to bed. I like the process of seducing, the dinners at candle light, long walks through the parks-"
"You're into that fairytale shit ?!" She interrupts me.
I chuckle, "Yes, because unlike you I actually enjoy the process of dating."
"I don't think you understand. This is a once in a lifetime chance for you."
I lean forward, "See, that's the problem. I want a lifetime not a night."
"I'm not material for a lifetime, Oliver."
"Maybe. But you'll never figure it out if you don't try. We have a chemistry. You know it and I know it as well. We can dance around each other for another six months but I know I'm the man you're fantasising about when you fuck some other dick." Because she's the woman I'm fantasising about whenever I fuck another pussy.
"Okay, then we're done here." She says before stuffing the folder back into her purse. Then she gets up from the chair.
"Wait, you're leaving?" I ask her as she suddenly walks away from the table.
"You and I cannot seem to find an agreement we're both happy with, so yes."
"You mean, an agreement you are happy with." I counter. "I'm asking for a chance here while you just want a night with me."
She turns around, "I don't give away chances. I fuck and that's it."
"Wow, your life must be lonely."
"Actually, it's not." She says before walking back to me. "My life is pretty awesome but I don't mix pleasure with other aspects of my life."
"Other aspects of your life?" I ask her confused.
"Yes but you..." she shakes her head, moving her chestnut waves. "You just showed up and suddenly everything is getting mixed up."
She's a control freak. I lean back in the chair as the realisation hits me. "I'm messing with your head?"
"No, you're just messing with my pussy!" She hisses back at me before turning on her heel again.
I grab her by the wrist and suddenly feel a joint of electricity running through me. It's so strong, that I let go of her immediately. When I look into her eyes I know she felt it, too. "You felt that as well, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit!"
"What is bullshit, is you wanting more."
"Because of this!" I hiss at her. "We have a god damn connection that goes beyond the obvious sexual attraction."
She shakes her head, "I don't date."
"We don't have to date. But I'd like to get to know you first before we have sex. I don't do one-night stands."
"If you want to know something about me, just type my name into google. It'll provide you all the information and more that you need to know. But all the burning questions won't be answered."
"Like what?"
"You won't read there how amazingly well I can kiss or how unforgettable a night with me is. Because all of the men who had the privilege to find that out signed a NDA."
"And let me guess. They never saw you again."
"Of course not!"
"But you and I will continue to see each other even after tonight."
She sits down across me, "No, we won't. I can always work in a different soup kitchen once a month."
At least now I have her attention back. "Josephine,"
"Sign this shit so I can finally fuck you." It bursts out of her.
"Now, we're talking." I tell her not being able to hide the grin on my lips. "So, here's the deal I can offer you. We will have at least one date a week until we know each other and then, whenever I feel like I know enough, I will fuck you and rock your world. How does that sound?"
"Like a pussy."
I chuckle at her words. "I just want more from you than sex."
"Too bad, I won't give you more."
Oh, I think she will. She just doesn't know it yet. "Okay. Then we're done here." I finish my scotch before rising from the chair. Then I pull out the diamond bracelet she left in my pocket. "That's yours. You forgot that yesterday after our dance."
"Wait, what? You're leaving?"
I shrug, "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
"I won't change my mind." She hisses before picking up the bracelet and stuffing it into her black purse like it's trash.
"And I won't either."
"This deal is not negotiable." She says before leaving me alone in the private dining room.
She walked out on me!
That never happened to me before.
I unlock the door of my flat in the colourful neighbourhood that's Notting Hill and walk inside. This night didn't turn out as I expected it to. I can see my roommate already lounging on the couch, drinking his beer.
"Hey, mate. You're here early! Weren't you suppose to go on a hot date tonight?" My roommate, Finn, asks me. Even with a roommate I can barely afford to live here. I may have to get another roommate in my two bedroom and one bathroom flat.
I get out of my shoes before throwing myself next to him on the couch. "Turns out she and I want different things." The understatement of the century.
"You cleaned up well." His deep brown eyes dance down my body. "It's different from the usual lumberjack shirt and jeans."
It's the only suit I own. The last time I wore it, I attended my father's funeral. Now, here in London, I thought it was time for new memories with the suit. But I guess I was wrong. "Don't get used to it. Tomorrow I'll be back in my lumberjack shirts and jeans again."
"You must really like her if you cleaned up so well."
"I didn't or did... I'm not so sure anymore."
"Is she a bitch?"
No, an asshole. "No she's just... unique I guess."
"Was that the one who works with you in the soup kitchen?"
"Yes." I say before taking a sip of his beer. I usually don't talk about the women in my life but Josephine makes it impossible to say silent about her. "Why aren't you out on a Friday night?"
"I'm getting my pay check on Monday. Until then it's beer and crackers."
The same goes for me. Minus the beer.
Josephine
He said no. I can't believe he said no! No one has ever said no to me! No one!
I stare at the ceiling of my bedroom, unable to find any sleep because tonight is still too vivid in my mind. He wants more. He wants to get to know me. One date per week - fucking dinners with candlelight and movie nights where we share a bowl of popcorn or fucking evening walks along the Thames! No, thank you!
I don't do this shit! I don't want to know anything about my sexual partner. I fuck him and that's it. I don't need to know what his favourite colour is or anything about his family really. I don't want to get to know the man I will fuck. It's useless because I most probably won't see him again.
And that's very welcomed by me.
But Oliver... this bloody man is ripping me my much needed sleep! I can't stop thinking about him. From his grey suit to his short cut blonde hair... He looked handsome as fuck! I really wanted this work. I really, really did. Damn it, I should have kissed him! I should have at least kissed him! Maybe then my dreams would stop. Maybe then I could concentrate on work again.
But he turned me down! Why did he do that! We could have had a brilliant night and then went on with our lives. But he wants bloody more! More - from which universe is he?! No one wants more nowadays! Take it or leave it - that's my motto.
Well, he won't get anything now.
Oliver
The next few weeks are divided between work at the soup kitchen, the souvenir shop I work at from Monday to Friday that sells stuff about the King and the other royals and Luigi's. Tourists, mainly Chinese and Japanese get lost in the souvenir shop in Greenwich. I've never seen someone from my home country here.
I miss talking in my mother tongue.
But I know my future is better than it ever could be in Brazil. Still, when I closed the little souvenir shop tonight and a flyer clashes against my feet, I picked it up and saw that there's a club called Last Nights of Havana in Tobacco Dock. I didn't hesitate before deciding to go there tonight. Maybe London has a piece of home anyway.
It's a five minute walk from Shadwell to the club and my roommate Finn seems to be just as excited.
"I can feel it. Tonight will be our night." Finn says as we stop across the old warehouse that has been transformed into a club.
Typically London, there's a long line at the entrance. It's full of English women dressed in dresses that are just as short as they are in my home country. I'm wearing my only white Oxford shirt along with a pair of dark washed jeans. I'm not looking to find someone for the night, I just want to let go a little. Finn on the other side, is definitely looking to get laid tonight. The line is long so it's going to take a while before we get in. I just hope it won't start raining.
"There are some hot girls here." Finn says, looking ahead of us. Most British women are already drunk. "I need you to be my wingman tonight."
"I'm sorry?" I ask him confused.
"Come on, look at you! You look like Chris Hemsworth with your muscles but now that you cut your hair and shaved your beard off, maybe more like Alex Pettyfer."
I have no idea who either of these men are. "Who?"
Finn rolls his dark blue eyes at me. He took off his black framed glasses today and exchanged them for contact lenses. "You had television in Brazil, didn't you?"
"I did but I didn't watch it." I answer as I was busy raising my little brothers. I had no time to watch TV and cook food. Fast forward 15 years and I'm still supporting them only now from the distance. Every penny I make I send back home so they can have water, go to the doctors whenever they need to and have electricity. Maybe one day I'm going to be able to buy them a house with an actual roof over their heads. Until then they had to live where I grew up.
In the slums of Brazil.
"You're weird."
"You want me to leave you alone tonight?" I challenge him with one raised eyebrow.
"No." His blue eyes look behind me and I watch them widen. "Sweet Jesus, those women are hot!"
I turn around only to see a girl squad of four women walking over to us. They're wearing short dresses but somehow they look elegant and not cheap. Two of them are black haired and look like Latinas. One of them is blonde with bright green eyes and the other one has chestnut hair and sky blue eyes.
Josephine.
I'd recognise her anywhere.
"Josephine," I breathe out her name as they walk pass us.
She stops and looks at me. "Oliver?" She asks me confused. Her chestnut waves are sparkling like diamonds.
The three ladies continue to walk to the entry while Josephine stares at me. Her sky blue eyes are stunning.
I haven't seen her since the night in the Ritz hotel. "Hi."
"Hello, Oliver." She looks at Finn. "And you are?"
"Finn, nice to meet you."
She nods before looking back at me. "Come on, I'll get you guys in."
"What? Really?" Finn asks her surprised.
"You don't have to do that."
"I know. But I want to." She says into my eyes. She's so different from the women I saw at the Ritz last.
"Wicked!" Finn says before stepping out of the line.
"I don't need your alms."
She almost rolls her eyes at me, "You can buy me a drink. Does that sound like a deal?"
"Is it scotch or martini?" I ask her back with a raised eyebrow.
She shrugs, "I'll let you know. Maybe it's a bottle of champagne."
I definitely can't afford a 200 pound bottle of sparkling alcohol.
"I'm just messing with you. I can buy me my own bottle of champagne. Now come on, your friend is waiting for you." She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the line. The jolt of electricity that I felt the last time we touched runs through my veins again. She lets go of my hand, clearly feeling the same before walking ahead of me.
I watch how her hips swing in the tight red dress with ruffles. They swing in the air and I must say she looks damn hot tonight. She looked hot in the white dress I saw last but this... this is a million times hotter. We stop at her groups of friend that are already chatting with her girlfriends. The bouncer moves to the side and holds the door open for her.
"Miss Bolton," the dark haired bouncer says with a nod. Her girlfriends walk in first before Finn follows them like a lost puppy.
"Put him on the list. Oliver and Finn." Josephine tells he bouncer who takes another look at me.
"Alright. Are you Oliver or Finn?"
"Oliver."
He nods before Josephine and I walk past him and into the club. There's a fully stocked bar and the dance floor is crowded. There is amazing live cuban jazz mixed with some of London's top DJs, dancers and amazing cocktails here. It might not be Brazil but it feels a bit like home.
"Alright, see ya!" Josephine says before turning on her heel.
I grab her wrist, "I don't think my roommate is going to leave your friends alone any time soon."
She untwists her wrist before meeting my eyes with anger. What did I do wrong now? "Roommate?"
"Yes, we live together."
"Where?"
"Notting Hill."
She nods, "Follow me." She says before walking by the bar, slicing through the crowd like a knife through soft butter. The crowd parts for her like she's the Queen of England. But she's not the monarch since the monarch is a man.
King Charles.
We stop on an elevated area of the warehouse that has been transformed into a gigantic club. Finn as well as Josephine's girlfriends are already sitting at a round table. We're in a VIP lounge, I know that right away.
"Jo," a brunette cries out before pulling Josephine towards her.
I never heard someone call her by a nickname before. I was tempted to googling her but then decided against it because I didn't expect to see her again. She didn't go to the soup kitchen this month so I figured she found another homeless shelter to help out.
I thought our ways had parted. Until tonight.
Josephine talks to her girlfriend while the blonde with the green eyes stares at me.
"I'm Oliver." I introduce myself and shake her hand.
"Anastasia." She says in a soft voice and a smile on her lips. "Very nice to meet you."
"Do you know each other?" I ask confused. She looks oddly familiar.
"No, but we will." She says with another smile on her lips.
"Are you a friend of Josephine?"
Anastasia shakes her head. "No, I'm her big sister."
Josephine has a big sister? Maybe she can explain to me why Josephine is such an enigma. Suddenly, I notice how a few people start taking photos of us. I turn around and see a brunette snapping photos with her smartphone. What the hell does she think she's doing?!
I walk up to her and see how she shrinks underneath me. "Erase those photos."
The brunette with a little black dress gulps before deleting the photos immediately.
"Good. Don't take any photos of us again, understood?! We aren't public property but human beings."
The brunette gulps before nodding.
"Now fuck off." I hiss at her.
She moves quicker than I can blink.
I walk back to Anastasia, Josephine, Finn and two other brunettes. The table has been filled with scotch, Martinis and champagne while I was gone.
Josephine wasn't kidding when she mentioned the bottle of champagne.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Josephine hisses at me.
"Jo," Anastasia calls her by her nickname as well. Her older sister stares at her before slowly shaking her head. "He was just trying to help."
"That won't help and you know it!" She hisses at her before looking at me again. "You just made the headlines of tomorrow. Congratulations!"
"I'm sorry?" I ask her confused. "I just told the girl to stop taking photos of us."
"Yeah, sure. You roared at her like an angry lion and chased her off! Now she's going to write a bad post about us and within the snap of a finger the whole internet starts discussing you, my sister and me - and our connection."
"Jo, really it's fine."
"For you. Because you are married. No one questions you, Your Royal Highness. It's me they will drag through the mud again!" She hisses at Anastasia.
"Well, it's done. There's nothing you can do. You can't control the internet."
Josephine lifts her sky blue eyes off of her sister before looking at me. "You are coming with me."
The brunettes as well as Finn suddenly look at me.
Josephine looks livid. And hot as hell.
She turns on her heel and walks away from the table. Like always my body listens to her commands although my mind wants to protest. I follow her away from the table and over to a wall of mirrors. She stops in front of the mirror on the far left and pushes against the it. Until the door opens. There's a secret room up here!
I follow her inside and notice a fully stocked bar with an L shaped bench behind a square table.
"Close the door." She demands as she walks over to the bar.
I shut the door and watch how she gets out two crystal glasses and a bottle of scotch. She pours the amber liquid into the two glasses and hands me one.
"You are un-fucking-believable!" She hisses at me before sitting down on the bench.
"What the hell did I wrong?" I ask her confused.
"That's not a real question, is it?!" She asks me back.
"Yes. Ever since we met I can't seem to make one thing right!"
"Oliver, let me ask you something. Do you know who I am?"
"You're Josephine." I answer with a shrug.
"That means no." She leans back on the bench and crosses her long legs that look endless in this dress. "My name is Josephine Ophelia Elise Bolton. I am the daughter of Troy and Gabriella Bolton, the CEOs of Bolton's Enterprises and the Bolton Foundation. My oldest sister is named Dr. Adaline Bolton, she's the one who won a Nobel prize for finding a cure to Parkinson's at the age of 22. The one out there is Princess Anastasia Elizabeth Grace of Romanov, she is married to the only official heir of the Romanov bloodline. Prince Sasha of Romanov is my brother in law. My older brother Nathanial won silver at the Olympics in Paris when he was 16 and is engaged to Princess Charlotte of Wales. My younger sister is-"
"Lorelai." I breathe out as the penny drops. "The Duchess of Oxford." I am selling fucking souvenirs of the Royal Family at one of my three jobs! How did I not make the connection between her and the Duchess? Even though the Duke and Duchess of Oxford got married over half a year ago, the wedding photos of them still sell very well. But I only sell photos of them not of the Duchess's family. Perhaps that's why I didn't make the connection. But looking at her now, I can definitely see the connection.
They're twin sisters after all. And while they might not be identical twins, they still look alike.
"Yes. Her husband is the heir to the throne." Josephine explains. "You see, this is why I don't mix business with pleasure or pleasure with my social work. I keep my family separated by all means. It's why I wanted you to sign the NDA. It's why I need it."
I sit down next to her, "You could have just said that. You could have told me that you do this to protect your family."
"Would have it changed anything?"
"Yes. I would have signed it."
"Would you?"
I wouldn't talk with anyone about her anyway. Besides Finn, I don't have any friends but I can keep my mouth shut towards him - and the rest of the world. "Yes."
She empties her scotch in one go. I swear, this woman drinks like a man. "Then we can go to your place and you'll sign it later."
"Woah, hold on. I still want more. Now, I want to get to know you even more."
"Because my sister is part of the Royal Family."
"No, because your family get-togethers must be epic."
She chuckles. The sound makes my heart stop beating for a second. There's no way in hell I won't agree to anything less. "They are definitely unforgettable." She agrees with me before her face turns serious out of the sudden. "But I stand by my offer. I can't give you more, I'm sorry."
Did she just really apologise to me? "I'm not asking to meet them. I just want to get to know you. I'd like to know how you drink your coffee in the morning or what wine you prefer at night. I want to know if you still read the newspaper on paper or online like the rest of the world. I want to know-"
"Too much." She stops me. "I can give you a night. That's all."
"You won't be satisfied after a night with me."
"Maybe but that's something I have to deal with afterwards."
"You and I are looking for different things in life."
"I'm not looking to settle down and have kids. Actually, I'd prefer to not have any kids."
"Ever?"
"Ever." She says with a firm nod. "I like my life just how it is, Oliver. And I thought you could enrich it for a night but I guess that's not enough for you."
"Then we're just going to continue to see each other at the soup kitchen once a month. That's fine by me. I may even see you in the tube one day."
She chuckles again, "I don't use public transport. Never have."
I frown, "Never? What about a bus or a plane?"
She shakes her head, "Not in London. But in the States and I must say I'm not a fan of it."
"Then how do you get around?"
"I have a driver and if I decide I want to sit behind the wheel and have some fun, I choose to race against my brother on Silverstone in my Aston Martin, though Char kind of put her food down the last time we did that..."
She owns a bloody Aston Martin?! How rich is she?
Suddenly she rises from the bench and walks around the table, "It's a shame you don't agree to my arrangement. It would have been fun."
"It's not enough for me."
"As I've said, I can't give you more."
"You also said I'd run when I get to know you. Do you see me running yet?"
"What I told you is all over the internet. I'm sure it's also going to inform you about the wine I choose when I have a steak at dinner or how I read the newspaper if I really read the newspaper."
"Well then how about this: What's fucked you up so badly? If your family so-"
"Don't you dare say anything against my family!" She hisses before rushing over to me. Her scent washes over me. She smells of roses and lavender tonight. My dick awakes in record time.
Her family is her soft spot. Should have known. "We're wired differently but I still want to know if this could work."
"If what could work?"
"You and me."
The colour fades out of her face, "You want a relationship?"
If that wasn't clear by now it certainly is now. "Yes, Josephine. I want to go on long walks through the park and go to the movies together. I want to take you out for dinner and share a bowl of spaghetti." But first I'd have to save enough money for a dinner with her.
"I can't do that."
"No, you don't want to. We've met for a reason, Josephine. I am mixing up your carefully divided worlds for a reason. It won't stop just because you say no now." I tell her and notice the tiny sprinkles of navy in her sky blue orbs for the first time tonight. Her eyes are even more fascinating now. She is attracted to me. She feels the connection, too.
"Goodbye, Oliver." She leans back and walks away from me.
I didn't expect her to say this. "Wait,"
She turns around at the door and looks at me. "I don't know why you're being such a pussy. I'm offering you an unforgettable night with me. Trust me, I'm worth much more than one night! It's a privilege; not lots of men can say they enjoyed that."
I lean over to her, "It's why I want more. You're worth a lifetime."
"First you're asking for a relationship and now marriage?! The next time I see you, you have probably made plans about kids, too, huh?!"
I chuckle, "Josephine, why can't you just give into me?"
"You know why."
"I don't kiss and tell. And I definitely don't fuck and tell either." I promise her and lean further forward until her smell starts filling my nostrils again.
"I won't offer you more."
"I've already gotten under your skin. You can fuck every man in this club tonight, yet the only one you truly want to fuck is standing right across you." I tell her bluntly. "But I'm not one for a night because I am worth much more as well. The next woman I wanted to sleep with should be the last. I want a relationship that evolves into a marriage. And I want children. Very much."
She gulps, "You won't have that with me."
"I think otherwise." I disagree and press my forehead against hers. The jolt of electricity turns into a soft prickling sensation that spreads from my forehead down to the rest of my body. My Mom once told me that she felt that way with my Dad. She told me when I will feel these sensations I should marry that woman the next day because it doesn't get any better than this.
But with Josephine I have a feeling this is only the start.
Her breath against my face is warm and soft. Up close, she's even more beautiful. I know she feels it, too. I know this feeling is mutual. But I don't know why she won't give into it.
"Josephine,"
She seals her lips over mine before I can say another word. Her soft and plump lips move against mine for a moment before I recognise what's really going on. I kiss her back with more force and tongue. As our tongues start dancing together I feel an explosion in my chest that's so strong that I push her against the mirrored wall, just to prove my point.
This right here is good. It's real.
It deserves far more than a night.
After minutes of kissing, she's the one who needs to let go first. "Take the deal." her voice is hoarse and she touches her swollen lips with her slim fingers.
My lips are swollen from that hot kiss as well. "It's not a deal, it's an offer. You don't want a deal with me. Trust me, I have far more too offer than that breathtaking kiss."
She runs her tongue over her plump lips, "A weekend."
Now, we're finally starting talking. "No. One date per week."
She shakes her head softly, "A weekend is all I can offer you."
"You've said that before about one night and now we're already at three. I want one date per week for... let's say three months."
She laughs, "No, definitely not. Like I said, take it or leave it. But I'm not bending or worse breaking for you."
I push my hip against her, well aware that she's feeling my big cock digging into her firm stomach right now. "I'm giving you this week to decide. Toss and turn during the night, dream of me and then reevaluate your decision. I'll see you at the soup kitchen." I take a step back and walk out of the room, leaving her and her thoughts alone.
Josephine thinks she can play games with me.
Well, it takes two to tango.
Thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!
Now that the ball is in Jo's court, do you think she's going to agree to three months with Oliver?
Did you expect Oliver's reaction to Jo's offer?
Please review. :)
In gratitude,
Nicole
P.S.: For those interested in my other story My Shadow: I'm still working on the chapter. About half of it is done. I'll upload it as soon as it's finished. I'm just really focused on this story as well as A Million Times More right now but that doesn't mean I forgot about Della and Wlad. Their story is far from being over.