The Prince’s Forbidden Lover(8)

And yes, Joline was tired. She worked from early each morning until after dinner time, then pull on one of Shantra’s nightclubbing designs so she could meet up with Keith at whatever social event he’d determined would give Shantra’s dresses the most visibility. She’d stay out with Keith as late as possible, then start the whole process over again the following day.

She was growing to hate the weekends because they meant late nights. While most people hated Mondays, she preferred them lately because Keith didn’t have as many social events at which Joline needed to wear one of the dresses. Oh, and the ridiculously high heels that he insisted were perfect for each design. Shantra had no idea if they were “perfect” or not, but they made her feet ache after just five minutes in them.

Keith looked at Joline and tsked. “I think our friend here needs to crash into bed. She’s been up partying too much lately,” he teased.

Joline rolled her eyes at his comment. “Only because you are a slave driver,” she came right back. But she was truly grateful for Keith’s social skills.

He lifted his hands into the air. “Hey! I offered to wear the gowns. But my boobs didn’t fill out the bodice as well as yours do,” he pointedly looked down at Joline’s cleavage.

Both women laughed, shaking their heads. “I’d like to see you in one of my gowns,” Shantra commented as she stood up.

“Bring it on, woman!” he laughed and leaned back in his chair.

Both women only rolled their eyes. “Hide all this stuff and I’ll call the kitchens to ask them if they could bring us some dinner.” Shantra pulled all of her drawings together and handed them off to Joline. “Take care of them!”

Joline laughed. “You know I will!”





Chapter 2




Joline woke up still feeling a little exhausted but details were running through her mind so she knew that she’d be unable to sleep any longer.

The room Shantra had readied for her was fabulous, with rich fabrics and a bathroom so luxurious, she hesitated to touch anything. It was all marble and shiny surfaces and was larger than her tiny apartment back in New York. Shantra might have to hide her work from her brothers, but boy did she have a great place to hide!

“Coffee,” she sighed and stepped into the shower, trying to revive herself enough to look presentable. She suspected that searching for the dining room wearing only a camisole and pajama shorts in the Kilar palace wouldn’t be smiled upon.

After her shower, she pulled on a pair of slacks and simple cotton shirt, unable to do more at this point. But she did take a moment to add a bit of makeup to conceal the dark circles under her eyes. Shantra and Keith were already on her case about her working too much. Joline wasn’t going to give them any extra ammunition. She didn’t want to let them down, she told herself as she dabbed on a bit more makeup in the hopes of looking more awake.

When she was finished, she knew that she looked much better, less zombie-like and nodded to her reflection in the mirror. She pulled her hair into a simple bun and thought it would be good enough for the servants. She doubted she would run into anyone else at this hour. The sun was just barely coming up over the horizon so the early morning staff were probably the only ones milling about.

If one handsome, crazy-tall man popped into her mind, she excused her inability to stop thinking about the man as she headed out of the bedroom. It wasn’t a problem, she told herself. She’d dreamed about the man so it was only natural that she might wonder what he slept in and what he might be like first thing in the morning. Was he grouchy or energetic? Or was he…she blushed at the image that came to mind.

Besides, she knew there were many gossip sites on the Internet that speculated on what celebrities slept in or wore when lounging around their massive houses. She was fairly sure that princes qualified for that kind of speculation as well. She couldn’t be the only one who was wondering.

Oh my, what if he slept in nothing at all? She shivered at that idea, wondering what it would be like to sleep in the buff. Would it be nice? Or creepy? She suspected she’d be too aware of the fact that she was naked to sleep at all.

Shaking her head, she peered to the right and then down to the left of the long, empty hallway, not sure which way to go to find the dining room. This place was enormous. Even the private quarters for the royal family, where she was staying, were like a labyrinth of hallways.

“Need some help?” a deep voice asked from her right.

Joline turned and her breath caught in her throat when she spotted the man of her dreams, literally, she reminded herself, coming down the hallway towards her.