“It is.”
“How do I get there?” I climbed out of bed and headed into the living room where I'd left my laptop on the table.
“I've included those instructions in your email as well, Sir,” Louis said. “I took the liberty of finding several flight possibilities.”
“Thank you, Louis,” I said, sincerely grateful. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“No problem,” he said. There was a pause, and then he spoke again. “You're not coming back are you, Mr. Stirling?”
“No.” I didn't want it to become public knowledge yet, but I owed Louis at least this much. “Are the Atwoods treating people well?”
“Yes,” he answered. “But you are missed, Sir.”
“I'm not your boss anymore,” I said as I turned on my laptop. “Call me Reed.”
“This is good-bye then.”
“It is,” I said. “If you ever need anything, you call me. Money, a reference, a call to some connection. Anything.” I fully intended to send him a nice check for the work he'd done, but I wasn't going to tell him that. He'd argue.
“I'll do that.”
I could almost hear the smile.
“Good luck with your young lady, Mr. Stir – Reed.”
“Thank you, Louis.”
I had a lump in my throat when I ended the call. Louis and I hadn't been close friends, but he'd been one of the few people I'd always been able to count on. I hadn't realized just how much until now. I'd already made my peace with leaving my family, but saying good-bye to Louis somehow made things seem more final.
I pulled up the email he'd sent and opened the attachment. My heart did a strange twist when I saw her. She was dressed formally, but there was no doubt in my mind who she was. “Princess Namisa returns from European vacation.” The caption put the picture as having been taken shortly after she'd left me. She had a smile on her face, but even in a picture, I could tell it was forced. I'd smiled like that before, after all. I'd worn it for my engagement announcement. My wedding. Pretty much every public appearance with Britni. I could tell Nami was miserable.
I tore myself away from the picture and scrolled down to the travel information Louis had sent. It seemed there were only three airports in the entire world that flew to Saja and none of them were in the US. The one in Italy had the shortest flight time, but there were also flights out of an airport in India and one in Switzerland. Louis had already made calls and, if I was lucky, I could get on a flight to the Swiss airport today, then fly out of Switzerland and make it to Saja by tomorrow evening.
It wasn't even a question.
I called the airline and made the arrangements as I grabbed something to eat from the kitchen. It was going to be a long flight and airplane food wasn't exactly my favorite thing in the world.
Once I finished, I collected my laptop and went into my bedroom to pack. Two suitcases and a carry-on were all I planned on taking with me, which meant anything I left behind, I wouldn't see again. Fortunately, I'd already figured out which things I wanted and what I could live without, which turned out to be almost everything.
I quickly packed what clothes I could into the suitcases, then put my laptop in my carry-on with a few other necessities as well as the paperwork I'd done yesterday. Everything was set up, but I wanted to have the papers with me in case some question came up. I'd been serious when I'd said that I wasn't planning on coming back.
I looked at the clock once I'd finished. Twenty minutes before I needed to leave. I could've called my parents or sister, let them know I was leaving, but I had no way of knowing the conversation would end when I needed it to. Better to send off an email right before I got onto the plane. After that, I could turn off my cell phone and not have to worry about returning their calls until I was waiting for my plane in Switzerland.
I picked up my bags and headed out to the town car I'd called. No point in leaving a car at the airport when my ticket was one-way. Plus, I'd already sold mine. As I got into the car, I looked up at the house, expecting to feel a twinge of regret or of sadness. Instead, all I felt was exhilaration. I was going to see Nami and start a new life. The old life fell away and I didn't look back as the town car pulled away from the house. Out with the old and in with the new. No matter what happened from here on out, my life at least would be driven by what I wanted rather than my parents. My life was mine again.
Chapter 9
Reed
I wasn't entirely sure what I'd been expecting when I walked out of the tiny airport, but I was positive it hadn't been this. The sun was on its way down, but the air was still warm for the first week in June. Saja didn't look like Sicily or any of the other European tourist islands I'd been to over the years. It didn't look like Hawaii either, despite the beach I could see from where I stood.
Taxi cabs lined the space in front of the airport and I quickly grabbed one. The driver accepted the Euro I gave him, then shot me a sharp look when I asked him to take me to the palace.
“Why you want to go there?” His English was more heavily accented than Nami's had been, but I could immediately tell they were the same.
I gave him my best charming smile. “I'm an American tourist. We don't have palaces in America.”
That seemed to ease his suspicions, but I still got the impression that he wasn't sure how he felt about my request. They didn't seem to have many visitors here, I observed as we drove into the capital. I hesitated to call it a city. I'd grown up in Philadelphia, spent a lot of time in New York and DC for business, traveled to LA, Dallas, Chicago and Miami. Those were cities. This looked more like a town.
Still, it was a nice little place. I saw businesses that had signs in both English and the native language. A couple bookstores and electronics stores. One or two furniture places. Half a dozen clothing stores. I even saw a law firm and a hospital. Granted, they were a fraction of the size of anything in Philly, but it seemed that the little I'd been able to find on Saja had been right. They were fairly self-sufficient.
The car pulled up in front of a pair of massive iron gates. Beyond them, nearly hidden from view by trees, was a massive house that couldn't be anything but the palace. I paid the driver and told him not to wait. It wasn't until I had my suitcases and carry-on on the sidewalk next to me that I realized I hadn't entirely thought this out.
I couldn't exactly walk up to the gate, knock and ask for Nami. Aside from the fact that what I was about to do was most likely against royal protocol, I doubted she'd told her parents anything about me. If I showed up saying that I'd met Nami in Paris, I could get her in trouble, and I still didn't know for certain what that would mean. Saja seemed like a fairly modern place, but when it came to things like the princess's virginity, I wasn't about to take any chances. Not with Nami.
I needed to figure out a way inside without attracting attention. I was at least lucky that I didn't stand out physically from the people of Saja. While the majority of the people seemed to have darker complexions and hair, there had been enough people with fair skin and lighter hair that I didn't stick out like a sore thumb. Passing for a native, or at least a resident, however, wouldn't be enough.
I took my luggage and headed down the sidewalk, circling around the side of the massive fence as soon as it curved away from the sidewalk. The path next to the fence was worn, as if walked often. The fence was overgrown with something that resembled ivy, shielding the view, but it also provided me a place to hide my suitcases and bag.
I felt like an idiot, but I knew I had to see Nami before her parents met me, and that meant I needed to sneak in and find her. I couldn't do that while carrying my things around and I didn't want to waste my time checking into a hotel. It'd be night before I'd be able to make it back here. I couldn't wait that long. The need I'd had for Nami had gotten stronger the closer I'd gotten to her. I had to see her, needed to know that she'd missed me as badly as I'd missed her, that she still wanted me.
I covered my things and looked around to make sure I'd be able to find them again. Satisfied that I'd recognize the hiding spot again, I walked a little further down the path, looking for a place I could sneak in. I had a vague recollection of making fun of the scene in
Romeo and Juliet
where he snuck into the Capulet garden to see Juliet, and smiled to myself. I was probably too old to be making romantic gestures like that, but I was considering this to be more practical than romantic. Or at least that was what I told myself as I found a place where the ivy was thinner, offering me a better look at the grounds.
I was near some sort of service entrance and, as I watched, a smaller gate swung open and a small cart pulled out. I flattened myself against the fence and hoped the ivy would cover me. The cart went the opposite way and I decided to take a chance and quickly slipped through the gate just before it closed behind me.
I could hear people laughing and carrying on inside. The smell of dinner made my stomach growl. I ignored it and moved to the back of the palace. I had absolutely no clue where I was going, a fact that was made abundantly clear when I looked up at the three story building sprawled across several acres. My heart fell. There was no way I'd be able to find Nami before someone spotted me and I got kicked out, or arrested for trespassing.
I could hear Piper's voice in the back of my mind telling me not to give up, but I argued back that she hadn't foreseen this. I'd almost convinced myself to turn around and sneak back out when I heard something. Or rather, someone.
Nami.
“I'm fine, Halea.” Her voice was tired, but I knew it. “Go back to your room and get some sleep. You have your English lesson tomorrow.”
I followed the sound, arriving in time to see a girl walking out of a door. She was in her teens, with light brown hair, a fair complexion and a petite build. She had only the faintest resemblance to Nami, but I had no doubt this was Nami's sixteen year-old sister, Halea.
I waited until the girl was out of sight before I walked to the door. I didn't want to open it in case there was an alarm, but I wasn't sure knocking was the best idea either. Unfortunately, I had to do one or the other unless I turned around and left.
I knocked.
I heard Nami talking, “Halea, I told you...”
Her voice trailed off as she opened the door and saw me. Her eyes widened, her face going pale. She recovered quickly, holding a finger to her lips as she shifted so she could partially close the door.
“Gentlemen,” she spoke to someone behind her without taking her eyes off me. “My sister and I need to speak in private.”
“We're under orders not to leave you.”
I recognized Kai's voice.
“I want to talk to my sister without you thugs hovering over me,” she snapped. “Run and tell my parents if you want to, but get the hell away from me.”
I knew the moment they left because she grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me towards her, going up on her tiptoes to press her lips against mine. I was so surprised that it took me a moment to respond, but when I did, my arms went around her waist, my mouth opening to let my tongue tease against her lips. She made a sound, crushing her body against mine so that I could feel her full breasts, soft against my chest.
When she finally broke away, she put her hand on my cheek. “What are you doing here?”
“I came for you.” I ran my thumb along her bottom lip.
She glanced over her shoulder. “I don't know how long they'll give me, but it should be enough.”
I barely had a moment to register the hallway she pulled me down, but then we were at a door.
“This is the quarters where my personal maid usually stays, but she’s not there yet. Walk through the bedroom. There will be a small kitchen and living space. On the other side is another door. It's usually kept locked, but I have the key. It leads into my room.” She put her hand on my chest over my heart. “Will you come to me?”
I brushed my lips across hers. “Always.”
Her fingers flexed against my chest, and then she turned and hurried away. I opened the door and went inside. It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust, but I was standing in a small alcove. Based on the coat rack, I assumed this was where the maid would've left her shoes and coat before going further into her quarters. I followed Nami's instructions, my body thrumming in anticipation. Waiting until I heard the key turn in the lock was pure torture, but then the door opened and she was there.
I didn't remember closing the door behind me or taking off my shirt, but then her warm hands were on me, fingers tracing over my chest, nails lightly scraping my nipples. I made a sound in the back of my throat as I slid my tongue into her mouth, thoroughly exploring the familiar territory, relearning it.
My hands moved across her back, then down to cup her ass, pulling her tight against me. She moaned into my mouth as she ran her hands around to my back and then down to my ass. I kept one hand on the firm flesh and the other pulled up the back of her shirt, giving my fingers access to her soft skin.
As we tumbled onto the bed, our mouths came apart. Her face was flushed, hair mussed, full lips swollen, and she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Before I could rid her of her clothes, she pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. She wore a strapless bra that barely contained her ample breasts and, as I watched, she reached behind her and undid the clasps, sending the bra to the floor with her shirt.