Santina's Scandalous Princess(3)

‘Still,' he said. ‘You should volunteer.' He didn't really mean it, of  course. The thought of the princess swanning through his office,  disrupting his efficient staff and generating all kinds of speculative  publicity was definitely not something he wanted. Yet he couldn't keep  from baiting her.

‘Thank you for the suggestion,' she told him sweetly, ‘but I'm afraid I'll have to decline.'

Now annoyance prickled under his skin, even though he knew he was being  unreasonable. As unreasonable as the princess, refusing to even consider  such a thing. ‘It's so beneath you?' he enquired silkily.

Her chin lifted and her eyes glittered. ‘You seem to think so.'

‘I think it could be good for you.'

‘Teach me a lesson? Thank you, but no. Go ahead and do your little pet  project, make yourself feel better, but leave me out of it.'

Annoyance turned to anger. Ben knew he was reacting emotionally to this  woman's taunts, yet he couldn't keep himself from it, from feeling the  anger surge through him at the way she'd dismissed not just him, but  something that was so important to him. Already she was turning away.  ‘I'll make you a wager,' he told her in steely challenge, and she  stilled.                      
      
          



      

‘A wager? I don't gamble, Mr Jackson.'

‘Please, call me Ben.' She smiled frostily and said nothing. He took a  step closer to her. ‘This isn't exactly a gamble, Your Highness. More a  test of your mettle.' Her expression turned stony, and Ben knew what he  wanted. He could handle the princess's theatrics, and even the  publicity. Besides, with so much going on with the royal family, were  the tabloids really going to jump on Princess Natalia for going to an  office every day? And the thought of seeing her taken down a notch or  two, or even learning something, was very attractive indeed.

As was she …  For a second Ben questioned just why he was doing this. Then  he thrust the thought aside, and dipped his head so he could inhale her  surprising, citrusy scent, feel the feminine warmth of her only inches  away. ‘I'll bet,' Ben whispered, ‘that I could convince your father to  make you volunteer.'

She stiffened, half turned to face him, and if Ben had moved at all,  their lips would have touched. He felt a jolt of lust, the depth and  strength of his attraction surprising him, alarming him even. Too much.  He could tell she wanted to take a step backwards, but she refused. She  angled her head so she was looking up at him, and he could see the  golden flecks in her eyes, a tiny mole at the corner of her mouth.

‘Convince my father? I hardly think so.'

‘Then you'll take the bet?'

Natalia eyed him coldly, and he knew she was torn between proving  herself and staying safe. As was he …  Just what was he thinking, inviting  Natalia into his office, his life? Yet as her lashes swept downwards,  hiding any emotion revealed in her eyes, he realised he didn't care. He  wanted this.

‘I didn't say that,' she finally said.

‘Scared, Your Highness?'

Natalia drew herself up. ‘You take the most appalling liberties, Ben.  And no, I'm not scared. I'm just not interested. And I highly doubt my  father would so much as grant you an audience, much less listen to your  argument.'

Her resistance just made him want to push more. ‘Then why not take the bet?'

‘Why should I?'

‘Of course. Something has to be in it for you.'

‘Is there something in it for me?' she enquired sweetly. ‘Such as you  printing a public apology to me for your rude behavior in every tabloid  newspaper from here to London?'

He laughed softly. ‘What an odd thing to request. It's not as if anyone has overheard our conversation.'

‘I'd still like to see you grovel.'

‘I bet you would.'

Her eyes flashed and attraction sparked between them again, threatening  to ignite to flame. Ben knew Natalia could feel it. He certainly could.  Should he let her off the hook, keep them both from getting burned? He'd  wanted to keep a low profile on Santina, and being involved in any way  with Natalia would surely put paid to that. Besides the princess was  exactly the kind of woman he couldn't stand. Yet still he said nothing,  didn't move.

‘You really are a betting man,' Natalia finally drawled. She shrugged as  if she hadn't a care in the world. ‘All right, go ahead and attempt to  convince my father. You won't get very far. And if I win, and he refuses  to grant your request … ' She paused, and Ben waited, adrenalin coursing  through him as if he were on the football pitch. This certainly was an  even match. He couldn't wait to hear what she wanted from him. ‘Then you  are mine to command for a day.' Command … ? Provocative images blazed  through Ben's mind. Natalia smiled. ‘Fair?'

‘And if I win?' he murmured, his gaze heavy and intent on hers.

‘Then I volunteer,' she answered with a shrug. ‘And you get to command me anyway.'

She spoke without innuendo, yet it was there anyway. Desire pulsed in  his blood, fired through him. He could handle it, Ben told himself. He  could handle her. ‘I look forward to it,' he murmured, and put out his  hand for her to shake. He wanted to touch her. ‘So we're agreed?'

Defiantly Natalia took his hand, and Ben saw her react to the touch of  his fingers enfolding hers, saw it in the flaring of her eyes, that  little hitch of breath. Then she smiled as if she hadn't a care in the  world. ‘It's a deal.'





CHAPTER TWO

‘WHAT?' Natalia heard the outraged screech of  her own voice echo  against the walls of her father's audience chamber. He did  too,  obviously, for he winced slightly even as he lifted a paper from an  ornate  end table and scanned it with seemingly little interest.                      
      
          



      

‘Please lower your voice, Natalia, and conduct yourself as a  princess.'

Natalia nearly shook with disbelief-and anger. ‘And  princesses,' she  asked, ‘spend their days coaching football for the ragtag  children  of-'

‘These children,' King Eduardo reminded her coldly, ‘are the  citizens of your country. You have a duty to them.'

‘A duty to teach them football?' Natalia was quite sure her  father  and mother's duty did not extend much beyond the palazzo walls, unless  it  was making a speech or giving a little royal wave.

King Eduardo sighed and dropped the paper, turning to Natalia  as if  she were really rather wearying. It had already irritated her that he'd   called her to him in this audience chamber, an ancient and ornate  room that was  meant for commoners to present their petitions to  their king, not conversations  within the family. Standing in front  of him, the royal throne decked out in gold  leaf between them, she  felt at a distinct disadvantage. Still, she hadn't  expected this.

‘Natalia, the truth of the matter is, I think volunteering  could be beneficial for you-'

 ‘Beneficial-'

‘Let me speak,' Eduardo said sharply, and Natalia, chastened,  fell  silent. She could not afford to anger her father now. ‘You have been   running around for far too long, living an inappropriate and  extravagant  lifestyle. I was willing to overlook it because of your  impending marriage to  Prince Michel, but since he has broken the  engagement-causing some significant  humiliation to our family-I see  that other measures need to be taken.'

Natalia bit her lip, hard, to keep from speaking. She knew  she'd  been pushing the boundaries of her parents' acceptance with her  partying.  Of course, the tabloids exaggerated everything, but in her  parents' world  frequenting a nightclub was already skirting the  perimeter of propriety. Yet  what was she supposed to do? She didn't  have a  decent education, she couldn't work and she didn't fancy  spending her days the  way her mother did, dressing up for lunch,  taking tea at a certain hour and  waving at the masses from the  balcony. And at least when she went out with a  wilder crowd, she  knew that was what the press would  focus on. Nothing else.

‘In any case,' her father continued, his tone utterly  implacable,  ‘it has come to my attention that a bit of positive publicity could   be very good for you, as well as this family. When I consider Sophia-'

‘Sophia?' Natalia repeated, unable to hold her tongue any  longer.  ‘What has Sophia done?' Sophia never did anything wrong. The press loved   her, and her father had announced her engagement to Prince  Rodriguez last night  at Alex and Allegra's engagement party, to much  acclaim. Unlike Natalia, Sophia  was doing everything right. Wasn't  she?