Recklessly Royal (2 page)

“What you need to do is find someone that doesn’t care about your title.” Jess narrowed her eyes.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” I leaned back in my seat. “Hand out surveys?”

“You need to find someone that isn’t impressed by your tiara.” Jess leaned forward eagerly. “Someone that maybe even hates your title.”

“Oh. That’s a great idea.” I sat up. “Hi, I’m a princess. I heard you hate royalty. Want to go have sex?”

Sam laughed but Jess seemed unfazed.

“Why not? Take away the title and what are you left with?” Jess asked.

“A sexy blonde with a great sense of humor.” Sam wiggled her eyebrows. “It could work.”

“Right.” I spun the wine in my glass. I had contemplated a one-night stand before, but I hadn’t found anyone that inspired that kind of lust. I didn’t want it to happen and not enjoy it. That seemed pointless. But I was getting tired of waiting for the right guy to come along . . .

“I’m just saying that if someone happened to show up that was really hot and didn’t care for royalty, you should go for it.” Jess shot Sam a look.

“What?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Nothing. I’m just saying you need to live a little.” Jess smiled.

“You do need to have some fun.” Sam popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. “You haven’t done anything spontaneous or fun since . . .”

Her voice quieted, but I knew what she meant. I hadn’t been to a club or party since the night Sam found out her father was dying. It had been such a scary night for everyone. That had been over a year ago, though. I hadn’t done anything but go to school and family functions in that time. Other than my movie nights with Sam and Jess’s bachelorette party. But that didn’t really count.

“Okay. We need to find you a hottie.” Jess leaned on the counter and pursed her lips. “I have a friend studying to be a neurologist. He’s cute and driven.”

“Um, no. I do not want to be set up with anyone. That’s just weird.” I shook my head. “No, no, no.”

“Why not?” Sam poured more wine into her glass. “We’re cool people. We know cool people.”

“Yes, because cool people often need to tell people that.” I laughed.

Sam snorted. “C’mon. A neurologist? Some people would think that was a serious catch.”

“I always thought I wanted someone like Jess’s friend, but I don’t know anymore. I just . . .” I pursed my lips. “Maybe you’re right. I should just find someone to have fun. Stop worrying about the long term.”

“That’s not—”

“Exactly!” Jess cut Sam off. “Have some fun! Cut loose!”

“We’ll see.” I took a sip of my drink before going to rinse my glass and setting it in the sink. “Ready for your massages?”

“Hell yeah!” Sam drank the rest of the wine in her glass. “Time to relax.”

“Then come on!” I forced a large smile. Thinking about my love life, or rather the lack of my love life, was depressing. The chances of finding someone who would love me for me were so slim, they practically didn’t exist. What Alex had found with Sam was a miracle. I’d be lucky if I found someone who didn’t make me want to puke when I saw them.

“W
HEN
I
SAID
I wanted to do something crazy, I didn’t mean I wanted to become a stripper.” Sam stood in the large formal living room, looking at the silver poles in front of her. “Be honest. Did Alex put you up to this?”

“No, but he’s going to owe me.” I snickered and sat down on the floor to stretch.

“You didn’t hire a stripper, did you? That guy in the spandex, currently sitting in my kitchen, is not going to shake his man-pickle in my face, right?” Sam grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured us all a glass. “Because if you did, I’m going to need a lot more to drink. He looks like Gene Simmons on steroids.”

I chuckled loudly. “No. I didn’t hire a stripper.”

“Damn.” Jess winked at me.

“I thought this would be fun! Crazy and silly, and not out at clubs or at bars where people could see us.” I accepted my flute from Sam and took a swallow.

“This is going to be awesome. Can you imagine Bert’s face when I tell him what we did tonight?” Jess bounced on her toes a little. Her new husband would probably be thrilled.

“Did you see the teacher? He could kill us with one punch! This is going to be work! And hard.” Sam narrowed her eyes.

“It’s a fun class, I made sure.” I leaned over, touching my head to my knee. When I sat back up Sam was glaring at me. “What?”

“Okay, Miss I-Can-Touch-My-Head-to-My-Leg. I’m sure this will be a blast.” Sam laughed. “If I have a heart attack, tell Alex I loved him.”

“Will do.” I stretched out over the opposite leg.

“Is it just going to be us?” Jess sat down on the floor and started her own stretches.

“Nope. We have a few more people coming.” I leaned forward and brushed the floor with my fingertips.

“Who else?” Sam dropped to the floor next to me.

“Friends.” The doorbell rang and I hopped up off the floor. “I’ll get it.”

I could hear voices through the door and my smile grew. Yanking open the double doors, I threw myself at my cousin, Daniel, my face breaking into a smile. Laughing, he spun me in a circle.

“Cathy!” He kissed my cheek before setting me back on the ground. We’d become very close over the last couple of years.

“Why don’t you twirl with me like that?” Chadwick, Sam’s loyal assistant, asked. They’d been openly dating for a year now, and I loved seeing them both so happy.

“Because you don’t have all that blond hair to spin around.” Daniel made a tsking noise. “You keep cutting it too short.”

“Not to mention it’s red.” Chadwick rolled his eyes. “And I look like a Muppet if I don’t cut it.” He leaned forward and kissed my cheek.

“You look great.” I led them back into the house. “And dapper as always. I’m loving the tie.” I flicked the pink plaid silk with my fingers. Chadwick was my favorite shopping buddy.

“I thought you were with the guys!” Sam stood up and hugged Daniel before glaring at Chadwick. “You lied!”

“I most certainly didn’t.” Chadwick rolled his eyes. “We were there and now we’re here.”

“Yes. Too much testosterone.” Daniel laughed.

“Cathy asked us to come to this first, but there was no way I was going to be here while Sam got waxed.” Chadwick shuddered. “Did she hurt anyone?”

“She was very well behaved.” I winked at him.

“Oh my. So you were serious about the pole dancing?” Daniel walked around one of the poles, a hand on his chin. “This could be interesting.”

“Very serious. Now go change!” The doorbell rang again. “Got it.”

The guest list wasn’t very long, but I’d made sure the important people would be there. Sam’s surrogate mother, Patricia, arrived with Lady Adriane and Heather, the Duchess of Marion. It might seem weird to invite Adriane, one of my brother’s exes, but she and Samantha got along well.

Opening the door, I threw my head back and laughed. All three of them were wearing feathered boas in bright colors.

“We brought one for everybody!” Patricia held up a bag.

“You have no idea just how perfect that is.” I hugged them each before leading them back to the room. I pulled a bright pink boa out of the bag and wrapped it around my shoulders. Our instructor had turned up the music and was doing hip gyrations near one of the poles. He totally did look like Gene Simmons, minus the creepy face paint.

“Oh my.” Patricia put a hand up to her heart.

“Oh my doesn’t cover it.” Heather cocked her head to the side. “I think I’ve been married for too long. I don’t remember ever seeing a man move like that.”

“You didn’t go to the right places.” Adriane wiggled her eyebrows before heading for the center of the room and stretching. I’d told everyone to bring workout clothes so there wouldn’t be any wardrobe crisis, and it seemed that constant nagging and list making was paying off. Everyone had brought what they needed for the night.

“Let’s get ready to shake this house!” The instructor clapped his hands together, his French accent making it hard to understand him. “Loosen up! Get your blood pumping!”

“What did he say we’re going to do to my house?” Samantha leaned toward me.

“Just move!” The music filled the room, making the windows shake. I’d forgotten how much I loved to dance. It didn’t take long before I was letting go of Princess Catherine and dancing like Cathy—and it felt good. Free and fun. I bumped butts with Patricia, wrapped a boa around Chadwick, and laughed as Daniel did the YMCA.

I downed another glass of champagne while joking with Jess about the wedding and the new moves we were learning. Tonight was my one chance to relax and have a good time, so I wasn’t going to play it safe. There were no reporters or photographers to catch me in a bad light. It was liberating. I could already feel a nice buzz from the alcohol and was enjoying myself more than I had in years. Good friends and fun would do that for a person.

Samantha was watching Patricia wiggle and shake while trying not to laugh, and almost knocked over the table with the snacks and drinks. I saved the bottle of champagne while Jess grabbed the tray of cheese. Deciding it would be better to consume the alcohol than risk it being wasted on the floor, I poured the rest of the bottle into my glass before going back to the dance floor.

Once we were all loosened up, the instructor started teaching us simple swings on the pole. He made sure we put our hands in the right place and were ready to hold our weight. He adjusted my leg before rushing off to help at the pole next to mine. Giggles fought to escape my mouth as I watched Chadwick and Daniel try to push Patricia up the pole. Chadwick’s normally perfectly coifed hair was mussed as he tried to coach her into wrapping her legs around the metal shaft. Daniel was making obscene faces while he propped her up with his back.

“I can’t do it! I can’t do it!” Her voice was high as she gripped the pole tightly. “Stop trying to bend me in
unnatural
ways!”

I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me as I watched the three of them crash back to the ground. Hurrying to their sides, I helped untangle their limbs before helping them off the ground. Patricia was red-cheeked, and Daniel, who had borne the brunt of her weight, made a beeline for the drinks.

“Well, that was the first time I’ve been under a woman.” He took a large gulp of his drink before turning to whisper loudly to Samantha, “And I think it will be the last time too.”

Patricia decided to watch the rest of the class while shouting jokes, but the instructor didn’t let the rest of us escape. He wasn’t a difficult teacher, but he did try to teach us some of the moves instead of letting us just swing around on the pole. I gripped the cold metal firmly in my hands and lifted myself from the ground before leaning backward and letting go so that only my legs were holding my weight.

Sam whistled and I gave her a thumbs-up that was actually a thumbs-down because of the way I was hanging. The thought made me laugh and my grip on the pole loosened, letting me slide down closer to the floor.

“Don’t distract me! I’m upside down.” I giggled.

“You’re also drunk.” Sam tilted a little, unsteady on her feet.

“You’re just jealous that I can pole dance.” I stuck my tongue out at her, which made her laugh.

I was a bit sloshed, but I wasn’t going to tell Sam that. My legs slipped and I slid the rest of the way to the ground, my head stopping my fall. Maybe I was drunker than I thought. The doorbell rang as I scrambled up from my spot on the floor.

“I’ve got it!” Chadwick took off to the front door, his steps a little too loud.

Backing away from the pole, I took a running jump and grabbed directly in the middle. I used my momentum to swing my legs high in the air. Making sure I had a good grip on the pole, I spread my legs into a split.

“Wow.” A deep voice broke into my thoughts and I looked up. A man was standing next to Chadwick, wearing a backpack and carrying a large duffel bag. His dark eyes ran over my body and I shivered, which was a bad thing. My hands slipped and I fell, crashing to the floor with a loud
oof
.

“Are you okay?” Sam ran over and helped me stand up, but I wasn’t feeling any pain. In fact, I was feeling awesome. Looking past Sam’s shoulder, I smiled at the hottie and waved. He was perfection, from his messy dark hair down to his scuffed boots. And exactly what we needed to end the night with a bang.

“Heeey yooou. I don’t remember hiring a stripper, but boy am I glad you showed up.” I let Sam help me up to my feet and wondered why she was making a choking sound. I slapped her on the back, worried. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Fine!” Sam barked a laugh. “That’s not—”

“Good! Because it looks like I outdid myself!” I turned her around with a flourish to look at the delicious man standing on the stairs. His shirt strained across his chest as he shifted his feet and I found myself thinking about tracing my fingers across those hard lines. I let my eyes run over him instead, taking in the tight plaid shirt, worn jeans, and work boots. There was nothing polished or metropolitan about him. Everything screamed outdoors. And I liked it.

“Cathy,” Sam tried to stop me, but I shrugged her off and skipped up the steps.

“What are you supposed to be? A lost lumberjack?” I pulled the heavy bag out of his hands and set it on the ground. “We’ll, c’mon! Someone start some music.” I gyrated my hips a little and wiggled my eyebrows. “Take it off, bab-ay!”

“If you insist, gorgeous.” His American accent gave me pause as a dim memory tried to fight through the fog in my brain, but it didn’t last long. His eyes stayed locked on mine as his calloused fingers worked the top couple of his buttons free. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, or just his deep brown eyes, but I was entranced. I didn’t even notice when Sam climbed the stairs.

I couldn’t look away from him as he slowly unbuttoned his shirt and exposed the skin underneath. The need to touch that tantalizing bit of flesh raced through me, and my fingers twitched. Hypnotized by the color of melted chocolate, I leaned forward. One corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk and it only added to his charm. Where it might have been a turn- off in another man, it simply added to this stripper’s appeal. I smiled in response, eager for him to continue.