The Royal Contract

After half an hour of catching her breath, sitting on the couch, she explored the apartment. She had been in this place before but never had the chance to look around more closely.

Luckily, the landlord remembered her. After an elaborate explanation of her situation, she let her inside the room.

"I still got it." She muttered to herself as she remembered the scene with the old lady.

Of course, she had to use her skills in acting to convince her to give her the keys to this place. But she never lied about her reason.

She walked to the kitchen, wondering if he had what she needed to prepare them a decent meal. She planned to surprise him with a nice dinner with candlelight.

"Ummm! What do you have here?" She scanned the fridge for its contents.

She knew he was more responsible than her. He knew his way around the kitchen. Truthfully, he was a better cook than her.

Lately, she had been busy practicing her cooking skills. So far, she had done well. She was confident that she could prepare them something that would make this night special and romantic.

"Oh! Crap!" She shouted when she accidentally bumped into a jar on the counter while inspecting the cabinets for what else she needed.

Crash!

She heard the loud sound of glass crashing to the floor. When she looked down, broken glasses scattered around her.

Luckily, she was unhurt in the accident. No glass shards hit her. The last thing she needed was a trip to the emergency room. That would kill her excitement.

"Ok. You got this." She prepped herself up, not wanting the little incident to ruin her mood.

She cleaned the mess she had made. Then, she checked her watch for the time. It was still early. She still had ample time for a quick stop at a store, creating a mental note of the few things she had to buy.

Then, she was out of the apartment, wearing her disguise, and into the busy street. She was confident that no one would recognize her with her outfit.

"Just get what you need." She whispered to herself once she was outside the small convenient store.

She had done this before. She knew she could pull this off again without anyone determining who she was. Besides, the store barely had customers inside.

She lowered her head and moved forward, entering the establishment. She went straight to the center, scanning the shelves for the ingredients.

Fortunately, she needed just a few. Then, she would be out of there in no time. She quickly grabbed each item on her list and paid for it.

"Have a good day." The nice middle-aged man told her after he handed her the bag.

She smiled at the friendly face and immediately walked to the apartment, feeling giddy and more alive than ever.

She had never felt more free than she did today. She did not doubt that this was the best decision she had made in her entire life.

"Now, what to do first?" She asked herself, dumping all the ingredients on the table.

She knew she had to cut some vegetables and marinate the meat. But first, she had to chill the wine in the fridge, putting the bottle in the chiller.

An hour later, she had everything under control. The meat was resting on the counter. She had prepared all the rest of the food.

She had already set the flowers on the table. The only thing missing was her date. She looked at her watch, counting the minutes until her Prince charming arrived.

"Any minute now." She thought, remembering his usual schedule.

She could call her brother to verify if he was still in the office. But that might ruin her surprise. She guessed she was better off waiting for him to come home.

She busied herself in putting the final touches on her plans. She placed the long candle she found in the store in the center, making it her centerpiece.

"Perfect!" She uttered after fixing the flowers on a vase. She believed everything was where it should be.

Now, all she could do was wait for him to show up. But that was not a problem since this was his apartment. He was bound to go home. The only question would be, what time?

She took a final look at her work, deciding that there was nothing else to do but sit down. She finally felt her fatigue after the long flight and the preparation.

"I will just take a nap." She told herself, believing she still had time.

She lay down, stretching her body on the length of the couch. She had to adjust a few times as she got comfortable.

Nevertheless, in just a few more minutes, she had dozed off. Her exhaustion finally took a toll on her body, not minding the mild discomfort.

"Uhhmmm." She moaned as a tingling sensation spread to her body when she felt something pressing on her lips.

Then, her hands automatically moved, holding onto firm, muscular arms. She did not need to open her eyes to know who it was.

She immediately recognized his freshly woody-shaven scent. Then, when her fingers explored his face, she felt his strong square jaw and patrician nose.

Even with her eyes closed, she could tell he was a very handsome man. She still could not fathom how she could be so lucky to find such a perfect man.

"Am I dreaming?" She heard him whisper near her ears as his lips explored the other part of her skin.

She believed she should be the one asking that question. Because until now, she could not believe she was here with this amazing man.

"No. But I am." She responded, thrilled to feel his body close to her as he leaned even closer.

She guessed she longed for more as her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him until he had to move on top of her, covering her body.

"What are you doing here?" He finally asked, curiosity laced in his voice. "Not that I am complaining. I am just surprised." He quickly added, not wanting her to think she was not welcome in his home.

"Why did you not tell me that you are arriving today?" She guessed he already saw her luggage by the door. "And how did you get in?" He added, slightly pulling away to stare into her eyes.

He shifted in his position, reversing their place, probably not wanting her to get squashed with his weight.

"You know I have my ways." She did not elaborate on how she managed to enter his apartment. "And why would I tell you? That would ruin the surprise."

She leaned on her arms, pushing herself up on his chest to look directly into his face. She finally saw the dark circles in his eyes, indicating that he had not slept much.

"It is a nice surprise." He acknowledged, showing off his adorable boyish smile. "So, should I assume that you are back for good?"

He stared deeply into her eyes as if he was searching for something. She guessed he must be trying to read her thoughts, not wanting to assume anything. .net

Instead of answering, she moved downward until her lips covered his. She never thought that kissing could be this sweet.

She had kissed many guys before, but she never felt like this. She felt giddy and lively, like a schoolgirl on her first kiss.

"I can kiss you all day." He responded when she finally came up for air. "But you still have not answered my question."

Was she here for good? She also had asked herself that question. However, finding the correct answer was not that easy.

She wished she could truthfully say she was, but her fear still held her back from giving a definitive response.

"Can we just say I am here to give us a shot?" It was the most she could promise him.

She did not want to lie to him or give him false promises. But she was willing to do everything to make this relationship work.

"That is good enough for me." He nodded in approval. Then he abruptly sat up, bringing her with him.

Without another word, he attacked her with his lips while his hands found their way through every inch and curve of her body.

Soon, he had reversed their position again, with her lying under him. She did not mind as long as she could feel his warmth against her skin.

"Oh, that feels so great." She mumbled as he moved from one portion of her body to another, creating sensations she only dreamt of these past few days since he left her.

She knew she was floating on cloud nine as the intensity built up inside her core. She knew she yearned for more.

However, something interrupted her as something sharp poked her side. It was creating a piercing pain on her skin.

Immediately, she stopped moving as her fingers tried to find the offending object. "Ouch!" She screeched when the sharp material hit her backside again.

"Damn! What is that?" She asked as her fingers patted the leather couch, looking for it, opening her eyes to the dark room around her.

She quickly sat up from the couch, realizing what had just happened. It was just a dream as she scanned the dimly lit empty room.

She noticed the only source of light came from the windows. Other than that, she could barely see her fingers before her.

"What is it?" She suddenly remembered the offending object that woke her up from her captivating dream.

Her fingers felt for anything unusual until she found something stuck in the crevice on the couch. It must have fallen and pushed on the crack.

Looking closely at it in the dark, she determined it might be an identification card, but she could only see a blurry image.

But she had an odd feeling about it as she stared at it. The image on the card did not look like Adam but someone else.

A girl? No. A woman.