Page 33 of Tempted By the Princess

“We explored it all right,” I said primly. “And it was…”

When I paused my sister supplied, “Disappointing? Mediocre?”

I burst out laughing. “Hotter than anything I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never come that much in my life.”

Angie made a show of fanning her face. “I’m so jealous. I’d like to have some orgasms that aren’t self-administered but if having a father who’s the king wasn’t enough of a cockblocker, being the most powerful woman in the country would do it.”

It was the first time my sister mentioned wanting more than the casual encounters I knew she enjoyed when she was out of the country.

“Seems like Mom and Dad should have found you a husband before they tried to pawn one off on me,” I said. “Maybe Hans is still available.”

My sister laughed. “That guy is so milquetoast he probably couldn’t find a clit with a diagram and verbal directions.”

We both started laughing uproariously. I brought the whiskey bottle over and poured us another shot.

“Let’s get back to you,” Angie said, throwing back more of her whiskey. “You had a lot of fun with this woman, you had the hottest sex of your life, and you fell for her fast and hard. Let’s assume for a minute she feels the same way about you, because I find it hard to believe that you’d not clue into it if she wasn’t, not with how astute you are about people. So what is she afraid of? What concerns would she have?”

I started counting reasons off on my fingers.

“I’m a wealthy princess and she’s a normal middle class American who lives simply.”

Angie shrugged. “That’s not insurmountable. Lots of royalty marry the so-called commoners, especially when they’re lesser royals. No offense. I mean, you’re second in the line of succession, but as soon as I pop out a kid, you get bumped.”

I wasn’t sad about that, truth be told. And my sister knew that. She wouldn’t say it so casually if she believed I would be upset about it.

“She hates pomp and circumstance.”

“So do you.”

“Plus she’s like twelve years older than me.”

Angie sat up straight and pointed at me. “Ding ding, we have a winner.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s one thing for you to be a wealthy royal, but you being so much younger than her also means she might think you don’t know your own mind yet. She’s probably thinking someday she’ll be this fifty-something menopausal crone, and you’ll still be young and pretty and rich.”

“Aww, you think I’m pretty?” I joked.

“Shut up. You know you’re gorgeous, don’t fish for compliments. What if we flew her out here to show her that she belongs in this world with you?”

“She would hate that,” I said. “Besides, Mom and Dad barely said two words to her when they were sitting in her kitchen and drinking her damned coffee.”

“They were upset about your disappearing act,” she reminded me. “It wasn’t your finest hour.”

“I know. I panicked. Then once I met Carrie, I was… distracted.”

“Oh you were distracted all right, but what you showed her and our parents was you running away from your problems like a wayward teen instead of facing things head on. If I were Carrie, I’d wonder if when things get hard in your relationship -- and things always get hard at some point, at least temporarily – if you’ll pick up and run.”

Angie was right of course. I’d had multiple opportunities to reach out to my parents while I’d been at Carrie’s, but I hadn’t. I knew that they’d be worried, despite my emailing my sister, and I also knew they’d be embarrassed by my disappearance from the event. Not that it excused their behavior either of course. But if I wanted my parents to treat me like the adult I was, I needed to act like one. A conversation was in order.

“You’ve already shown her you can at least get by in her world,” Angie said, drawing my attention back to her. “Maybe what you need to do is convince her to date you in Seattle on equal terms. Keep showing up for her, until she believes you won’t stop.”

“I’ve texted her a few times since I’ve been here,” I confessed. “She replies, but not right away. Her answers are brief.”

“You definitely need to go back to Seattle and get your woman.”

“What about Dad? He’s starting his treatment soon.”