Hollywood Prince (Hollywood Royalty 3)

I inhale a deep breath and then look at him. “I get it but Montana for two weeks? What if I can’t control him?”

“We will talk daily, and the minute you say the word or he crosses the line, I will pull you out,” he says to me, and I look down and then up again. I’m about to say something when Sylvia joins us.

“Sorry to break this up”—she looks at Ryan and then me—“but the waiter is going to be back in two minutes.”

“I’ll be right there,” I say, turning and going into the bathroom. I sit on the bench in the bathroom, the attendant in there waiting to offer me either hairspray or soap, and lean my head back and close my eyes for a moment. I make my way back to the table, sliding back onto the bench and putting the white linen napkin on my lap. The waiter comes back, and I can honestly say I have no idea what is discussed at dinner.

“So are you excited about Montana?” Carter asks me when everyone is eating, and Jeff, Sylvia, and Ryan are talking about politics.

“No,” I say, not looking up at him as I eat my fish.

“That’s too bad. It’s beautiful there. It’s called Big Sky Country for a reason. I think you’ll love it there,” he says, and I look up at him. He picks up his glass and brings it to his lips, trying to hide the smirk. “I’ll show you around.” I look down at my food without answering, and the rest of the meal drags by. When I can finally make my exit, I do.

“If you guys will excuse me,” I say, getting up, “I have another engagement I have to get to.”

Carter gets up, tossing his napkin on the table.

“I’ll walk you out,” he says. “I was leaving anyway.” He shakes everyone’s hand and then turns to walk with me out of the restaurant. “Did you drive here?”

“No,” I say as I walk, and I feel his hand on my lower back. “I’m going to grab a cab.” Walking out of the hotel, I see the valet.

“We need a car and driver,” Carter says, and I stand there holding my purse in front of me. “I’ll drop you off and then go home.”

I don’t stand next to him as we wait for the car. The flashes are going off, and they are all screaming his name for him to turn around to them, but he looks down at his phone instead. After the black town car pulls up and the valet opens the back door, I step into it while Carter walks around the car and gets in beside me. I give the driver my address, and he takes off.

“Why are you so angry?” he says, and I turn toward him, my back against the door.

“You just blindsided me in front of my boss by requesting I come with you to fucking Montana,” I finally say.

“I just thought it would make everyone happy,” he says. His body mimics my position except he stretches out one arm around the back of the seat. “Remember, this arrangement is huge for both of us.”

“Isn’t having me there going to be, um, me cock blocking you?” I ask him, and I don’t wait for him to answer. “We are going to be living with each other for fourteen days, and the thought of walking in on you in one of your compromising positions when I’m there to do my fucking job isn’t high on my list of must-see sights in Montana.”

“It’s a nice house,” he says, not even answering the first part of my question or responding to my vitriol about me being there to do a job.

“Tell me something, Mr. Straight and Narrow, what’s the longest you’ve gone without sex in days . . . or hours, whichever is the longest?” I fold my arms over my chest, not even sure I want to know or why I asked this question but needing to know what I’m truly up against.

He shakes his head. “I’ll be fine celibate, no worries. And to answer your question, fifteen years is the longest, but the minute I lost my virginity, it was game on.” That fucking smirk is back. He starts tapping the seat with his finger. “Besides, what are you going to tell the boyfriend?” I don’t have to answer him because the car comes to a stop. “I’ll pick you up Monday morning at nine. The plane takes off at ten. It’s a three-hour flight.” I grab the handle of the car door to open it, and his hand falls on my other hand that is still on the seat.

“I promise you that I’ll be on my best behavior, and I won’t let you regret it.” I look down at his hand on mine, his whole hand covering my small one, and I just nod at him. The driver walks around to open the door for me, and I get out and walk to my condo without looking back. I feel his eyes on me; I feel him following me until I am in the safety of my apartment. I don’t turn on the lights as I make my way into my bedroom. Undressing, I enter the bathroom and wash off the light makeup that I put on and then turn to get into bed. I don’t bother with any pjs. I toss and turn most of the night, thinking. Finally giving up, I grab my robe and make my way to the kitchen where I make myself a cup of coffee and go to the couch, flipping the television on. I grab my phone to see the Google alerts going off about Carter, and I open my mouth when I see the first picture that comes up of me and him walking out and getting in the same car.