Dirty Princes (Hot Candy 3)

PART I

Once upon a time, there lived Princess Brylee who had a cat and a good job, and her eye on a charming prince called Ryan…

But Prince Ryan wasn’t putting out, and Brylee was upset.

So she set out to conquer his heart with her love, persistence, and her amazing culinary talent.

Hopefully without burning the kitchen down.

Not again…

Chapter One

Crazy Cookie

Brylee

It’s a stake-out.

Totally secret undercover operation.

It’s on, baby.

“Here he comes!” Simone whisper-shouts to be heard over the din of the packed gym, slowing the pace of her stationary bike.

“Where?” I crane my neck to see.

We’ve been waiting for three hours for him to come in. Had to swap gyms, in fact, from my usual small corner gym to this large and loud one, just for that.

He’s worth it.

Ryan walks between the machines, a duffel bag thrown over one strong shoulder, fair hair tucked behind his ears, a light swagger in his step that makes my mind go blank.

Aaaand….he doesn’t notice me.

Not that it’s anything new. He never does.

Simone leans sideways on her bike until I’m afraid she’ll topple over, her pink, puffy pigtails sticking up like Minnie Mouse’s ears. “Wow. That’s a great ass.”

Yeah. “He’s perfect,” I say dreamily.

What? He totally is.

Where to start? Beautiful face, leaf-green eyes, soft, floppy hair that glints like pale gold, wide shoulders. And Simone is right, his exercise leggings cling to muscular legs and an ass you can bounce quarters off of, and that broad back narrowing down to slim hips looks made for red nails to scratch down on.

Not my nails, for the record. Mine are currently a bright pink, like Simone’s hair.

Also, I have no experience with scratching my nails down anything, except maybe behind my cat’s ears.

Doesn’t count.

“Oh, oh. Jacket removal alert!” Simone seems just as excited about seeing Ryan as I am. “Look at that.”

I am looking. This is what I came here for.

And to set in motion Phase One of my new secret plan, of course. Plan “Conquer Ryan Prince.”

Which is his name, by the way. His given name. I happened to see it on an envelope on his desk once, at the company where we work together.

Ryan Prince Dawson.

Isn’t it perfect? The whole set-up. He has a good job, comes from a good family with a father in the military, no siblings to vie for his attention, and he’s oh so sexy…

“Didn’t I tell you?” I lick my lips and reach for my water bottle. “Score.”

So this is the gym he frequents. Following him the other day wasn’t easy while driving and in disguise—those sunglasses were too big and kept getting fogged up—but I was sure I saw him enter here.

“So how come he isn’t dating anyone?” Simone wipes her face on her small red towel. “A catch like him has to have lines of women waiting patiently for a chance to jump his bones.”

That’s a good question, one I’ve kind of avoided, because… because it’s fate, right? We’re meant to be together. That’s why he’s single. That’s why he’s so hard to get.

It takes someone like me, with my perseverance and optimism to wear him down.

And here I am. Ready to go, dressed in my favorite rainbow unicorn leggings, low-cut top, AND my sparkly tiara headband.

Be very afraid, Ryan Prince. I’m stoked and ready to go.

Time to launch the first offensive.

***

The first offensive is easy. Simple. After all, it’s only a test. I’m just feeling out the terrain.

Okay, not sure that’s a military term, but whatevs. I’m not the one with the parents in the military. I’m sure there’s a word though, what was it…?

Ah, yes. Reconnaissance.

With a wink at Simone, I get up from my bike and grab my towel, then make my way toward him.

This is a huge gym, recently renovated, the machines gleaming, the people dressed in trendy

exercise clothes, their MP3 players flashing as they move. Strong, lithe bodies, with barely any hint of sweat.

Self-consciously I adjust my top. It’s like everyone passed an exam to enter. It makes me wonder how Simone and I made the cut.

Not that I don’t take care of my body. I sure do, and I even drag my best friend Candy along when she’s not too busy having wild sex with her two boyfriends.

Two. Boyfriends. Did you catch that?