Page 14 of A Curvy Girl for the Prince
“Martha’s just a nickname I use sometimes. Give me a sec, Albert. I’ll be right back, I promise.” Then, she smiles prettily at me, although those brown eyes are shooting sparks. “A word, my prince?”
I grasp her elbow, leading the curvy girl away.
“What the fuck is going on?” I hiss beneath my breath. “Why are you hanging out with this limp-dicked loser?”
She’s just as angry, trembling beneath my touch as I hustle her into the clubhouse. From there, we make a left into the private quarters reserved for my family, and I slam the door behind us. We’re in an elegant lounge with a chandelier in the sitting room, luxe furniture, and plenty of golf equipment for the royal family to use. None of it interests me, however. Instead, I turn to the beautiful woman.
“And what’s this thing about Matilda? I thought your name was Martha.”
She rolls her eyes at me.
“Not everyone uses their real name, you know,” Matilda spits. “Being a whore isn’t exactly something you want the world to know about. I’m surprised you even thought Martha was my real name.”
I stare at her.
“Most whores I know use names like Candy or Jewel in my experience, so yeah, I thought Martha was your real name.”
The beautiful brunette has the temerity to roll her eyes at me again.
“Well, myrealname is Matilda, although it’s none of your business. Just FYI, I have an actual life outside of the House of Silk, so I’m not a full-time whore. Besides, what are you doing here? I’m not on the clock right now!”
I stare at her.
“Nerilda told me you were with a client.”
Matilda rolls here eyes again with exasperation.
“She lied. Albert isn’t a client, he’s arealdate. He’s a family friend, in fact, and he’s probably wondering why the heir apparent just hustled me off without another word. I need to get back to him. Remind me to talk with Nerilda too. That woman must have spies everywhere, and I don’t appreciate being monitored in my real life.”
Matilda makes for the door, but I move quickly to stand in front of her, blocking the way with my huge form.
“Not so fast,” I rasp, blue eyes burning. “You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
Matilda’s brown eyes flash.
“Haakon, what is your problem? I don’t owe you anything. Our dalliance was a one-time thing, and you’ve already paid the fee, so we’refinito. A service was provided, money exchanged, and it’s a done deal.”
That makes me see red, and like a crude bastard, I reach for my wallet before throwing dozens of hundred dollar bills at her feet.
“Here,” I rasp. “This should make it worth your while.”
But Matilda shakes her head.
“No,” she grinds out through clenched teeth, watching the money flutter to the floor. “Like I’m said, I’m not on the clock right now, and being a whore isn’t even my real job. For your information, I work at the palace most days. I bet you didn’t expect that.”
I reel back, amazed. No wonder Matilda looked familiar.
“As what?” I ask. “Doing what?”
“As a lady in waiting!” she flings back in my face.
I scrunch my expression in disbelief.
“Really? For my mom? My cousin, Annabelle? Which lady do you serve?”
Matilda rolls her eyes again, and to be honest, I’m getting sick of her insouciance.
“I’m notthatkind of lady in waiting,” she huffs. “I’m the kind of lady in waiting who’s more of a maid slash secretary slash Girl Friday. ‘Lady in waiting’ is just a euphemism because they have me doing all sorts of drudgery. Hell, I’ve even been asked to scrub the privy floors before, in addition to serving at the royal table.”