THAYER
I’m doomed.
The moment I stepped out of the family jet, I only had one goal—to prove to my father that he was wrong. I knew my birthright, and I had a huge shoe to fill in, but I’d been molded since birth to take his place one day.
At the black-tinted limousine, I glanced at Lud and Ash. They’d been briefing me since we took off. I raised my hand to stop them from repeating what had been stuck in my head since I learned how to talk. I knew the protocol, but they were just doing their jobs. Aside from working for my family, they were also my closest friends, and they would surely take the bullet for me even if they were not in my family payroll, and so did I to them.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lud asked warily. He was tall, stuffed with pure muscles with a strong jaw, and dark seated eyes.
“If you’ll ask me one more time, you’re going home.” I looked out of the window. This was not my first time to be in New York—the city never really sleeps. Unlike from where I came from—less polluted, not overpopulated, and less crime. Thanks to our men in uniform.
“If he said it’s a good idea, meaning, he got through with it a hundred times. You know him.” Ash was more mature than Lud, the one-nighter.
“I just don’t want him to home empty-handed and end up—”
“Man, you can’t just shut up, can you? As soon as he settles in the hotel, you can go gallivanting in the nightclub. I got you covered.”
“No way. He’s my job. And I don’t wanna be jobless because I shagged a pretty woman’s brain’s out.”
“Jeez.” Ash winced, shaking his head.
“We already talked about this. I don’t care what you do with your life for the whole two weeks. Do whatever you like. Just leave me alone.”
The car halted in front of the hotel. As we’d discuss, no grand entrance or convoy. We were just tourists like other tourists. And that was what we were doing. Of course, Lud and Ash were on their duties while I was with them. Their eyes were like hawks as they scanned for risk and potential that someone might recognize me.
My security details took two weeks to canvas this hotel for previous and possible guests. And I just lost two weeks of my time instead of looking for her.
I changed to white crisp shirts and pants after a quick shower. I was used to having someone prepare what I wore, but I was also taught how to be flexible and efficient.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I loved my long dark copper hair, but I had to cut it short to get into my disguised look. I hated wearing contacts, so it didn’t matter if my eyes were forest green. Not that it was uncommon in millions of people in this city.
A soft knock before the door opened.
“She’s here,” Ash informed.
I took a deep breath before I faced my aunt Alessia. She always looked radiant and composed. New York did well on her.
“No, no, no.” She shook her head violently. “What did you do to your hair, your high—Thayer?”
“You should practice a little more.” My smile broke. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her into a hug. “I missed you, Aunt Alessia.” She was emailed ahead, including some details before my arrival.
“I missed you too, honey. How did you manage to come here unnoticed? Your disguise is poor.” She chuckled.
“I beg to disagree, Ma’am. Maybe, it’s because you know, you—”
“One more mistake, you’re both fired!” I raised my voice. They looked down and shut their mouth. “You’re not going to—what American used to say? Screw this up for me. I only have two weeks left, Ash, Ludovic.”
“I apologize, Thayer.” Lud eased.
“I’m sorry, Thay,” Ash followed.
“Anyway, what’s this is all about? You did not run away from your father or your duty, did you, honey?” She held my arms, tilting her neck. Aunt Alessia was taller for a woman, but I was also taller than the two wankers.
I slightly shook my head. “No. I would never do that and put you in trouble. And United States should be the last place I choose. Timbuktu or Maldives. I love beaches.” I grinned.
“You’re installing.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why did you cut your hair? I know you loved it. That was why you kept it long.” She knew me well.
“You should stay and be with your family, Auntie. We need you there.”
She chuckled. “You’re lying. I don’t have a place there, Thayer.”
“That’s not true.”
She sighed. “I love my job here. And bastard daughter will forever be a bastard in the eye of your people. My life here is great, and this is where I belong.”
My chest ached for here. Even if she was my grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, my father and I had never treated her as a commoner.
“We should go.” She walked past me.
“You two would not follow me,” I warned them. They may be here because of me, but my family was still their employer.
“We’ll check the coffee shop I saw on our way.” Lud’s excuse was poor, but I let it go when Aunt Alessia was out of the room.
I found her waiting in the lobby.
“What’s going on, Thayer?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t had any idea until now.” I walked beside her towards the black Mercedes waiting for us in front of the hotel.
“I have a few ideas, but you’re miles away from home.”
“I love it when you called it home.”
“Can’t deny half of my DNA is running through yours. But I won’t pry. Sure, I’ll figure it out myself.” We stuffed at the backseat of the car.
“When was the last time you pay him a visit?”
“Sunday. And he’s deteriorating —”
I squeezed her hand. “So, I’ve heard.”
“Now I understand why you’re here.”
She had no idea.
***
The last thing I wanted to be in was a publishing house or any media in any form. I just hoped my disguise would work before the end of the day.
“Don’t worry, if anyone recognizes you, I have my lawyer for NDA,” she said as we entered her private elevator. She must have noticed my sudden discomfort.
I knew she was also aware that my father had someone to keep a tab on her.
“I don’t belong to a British Royalty, Auntie.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Don’t be too confident, Thayer. We have vast coverage in social media.”
As she did a brief announcement with her staff, I checked out the stuff in her office. She built her empire without her blood influence. That was why I admired her so much. I stared out of the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that showcased the skyscrapers surrounding us. Magnificent.
We just had like this in my country, but mostly, modern classic architectural buildings.
I was still standing at the corner of her office when she entered, my gaze focusing on the building at the center.
My skin crawled up with goosebumps as soon as the door shut closed. The room was not even close to the coldness I was used to, but it felt like an icy wind was blowing my skin. Then my heart beat a little bit faster as if I dawn more caffeine.
I wasn’t aware we were not alone until Aunt Alessia started talking.
I kept my stance, hoping her guest would not see me. But then, it was hard to ignore when she kept on taunting the poor woman.
“Thank you.” Her voice was soft, melodic like a symphony at the Opera. Two words. Just two words, yet she caught my attention. It was clear in her voice the anticipation of good news.
I wanted her to talk more—to hear her voice. She suddenly intrigued me.
I turned my head to look at the woman with such an alluring and melodic voice. I could only see the side of her face with her honey blonde hair cascading down her shoulder. Her porcelain skin looked so creamy and soft.
From my vantage point, I swore she had sky blue eyes. She had high cheekbones with a small and straight nose. Her lips were full, painted in red lipstick. Right now, she was biting the bottom.
Damn.
I wanted to trace the rest of my lips with my tongue until she opened them for me to plunge it inside her mouth and taste her sweetness.
Jesus Christ.
My gaze traveled down her fitted blouse, which unbuttoned down her chest, revealing her well-rounded breasts. The hem of her deep red miniskirt ran up an inch higher half of her thighs, showing her well-toned legs.
I blinked my eyes to make sure my sight was not playing a trick on me.
So striking. Gorgeous.
This couldn’t be her.
My American Girl.
No fucking way.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Alessia. Just get to the point.”
KENNEDY Oh, my God! Startling in my seat, I was on my feet as fast as lightning. My hand was on my chest. I thought I was alone with Alessia. Then a deep rich masculine voice just boomed in the office. The tone of authority was strong in his words. I nearly lost my footing. The tall man—taller like the skyscraper outside the window in a curly dark copper hair touching the collar of his crisp white shirt fitted perfectly on his muscular but not too stuffy figure. His clean-shaven masculine jawline could cut the silence deafening in the room. But his eyes—damn, the color of a forest. I cleared my throat. “Hi. I didn’t notice Alessia was not alone.” Thank God. I got back my footing. He met me in the middle. His lips were full, gorgeous, and red, spreading into a smile.God, his smile. His whole face lit up like brilliant lights. “Thayer.” He held his hand
THAYERI felt drained after we visited my grandfather. He’d been in the private hospital for months. My country was praying for his recovery, but after I spoke to his doctors, I wasn’t sure if our prayers were heard. He’d been in a coma for almost three months, and they had not seen any improvements.My family wanted to keep this bad news, but the people in the country needed to know. Despite that, they still had to keep a few details from the press.I could see the struggle from Aunt Alessia as she joined me inside her father’s room. No one knew, except my family and the advisors, on which country my grandfather was admitted. It was for his security and privacy.We had the best hospitals and doctors, but it was best to keep him away from media exposure. It had tight security. The staff was under indisputable NDA so that they wouldn’t leak crucial information to anyone outside this floor.I’d known
KENNEDY I stopped dead in my tracks. My breathing held as we stared at each other for the second time. I was gripping my robe against my chest as if it would fall willingly as his gaze burned on me. My pulse quickened. I didn’t know how long I was there standing in front of him, and I couldn’t utter a word of my purpose. His lips were so full, slightly parted. I wanted to feel the softness against my finger, against my lips. I squirmed. I was tingling all over and between my thighs. I was so attractive to this man, even if I didn’t even know his full name. I couldn’t deny his physical beauty and my attraction to him. I just broke up with my ex, yet I was drawn to Thayer like I was never with any men—I was like a moth to his flame. His throat bobbed up and down. “Kennedy, what a surprise?” I gulped. My throat dried. My cheeks were burning as he waited for me to talk.
THAYER Everything about Kennedy was sexy. The way she drunk the water was sexy. The way she talked and when she blushed. And damn if it wasn’t sexy on how she bit her bottom lip, and it seemed that she didn’t have any idea what she was doing to me. An irrational surge of jealousy coursed through me. It was new to me, and I didn’t know how to handle it. I almost broke out of my disguise. And who would have thought that the first person I would see in the morning was the woman who kept me awake last night? Then she came to me only wearing a fucking robe, and she wasn’t wearing underwear beneath. Kennedy was driving me insane, and she wasn’t even aware of it. I left her in the room to take some breaths. I was jealous of Ash earlier—the way he easily handled the awkward silence in the room. I should be thanking him. Instead, I almost commanded him in front of Kennedy. “Is everything okay?” It was Ash. “No
KENNEDY One thing I was sure of, Thayer was freaking rich. If Alessia was his relative from his father’s side, then they were filthy rich. I was in his bathroom as I stared at, at least twelve paper bags from a known brand—from underwear, shoes, dress, belt, coat, and even makeup. I didn’t know which one I should try first. But of course, I should start wearing my underwear. Then I put on the peach long-sleeve mini dress, which made me surprise with the size that it was perfectly fit for me, and also the size of Follies pumps by Louboutin. I put a little make on my face. I was not ashamed to show off the freckles on the top of my nose. Then I brushed my hair and applied the nude lipstick on my lips. Once I was done, I
THAYER Damn it! What was I thinking? I was better than that. I twisted and turned in bed. The urge to knock on Kennedy’s door and pick up what we left off at the rooftop made me vibrate in anticipation. The fact that my raging hard-on in my pants jerked at the thought of those perk breasts and those plumped red lips, I was already fully awake. Fuck. I let out a frustrated sigh as I forced myself to erect to sit in my empty bed. A few seconds later, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Ash. Ash: Tea? T:Turn off the fucking feeds. I hit the send button. His reply popped up. Ash:Sparring? T:Not interested. Ash:Just knock on her door. What’s so hard about it? She’s American. T: Not gonna happen. S
KENNEDY He kissed me.Thayer kissed me. The word fuck escaped his mouth shocked me. He’d been trying hard to control whatever this lust and attraction we both felt. Then he finally gave in. Last night, I didn’t sleep a blink—that was why I drowned myself in caffeine. I’d kissed a lot of men, but damn, his kiss made me squirm and me wet. That kiss wasn’t gentle, and that was exactly what I wanted to overwhelm myself. And god, if his scent didn’t turn me on—the smell of rich and masculine that I could sniff him all day. Even his breathing fanning me right now made my toe curl. He was driving me insane, driving me mad with lust and unsatisfied hunger. And I definitely looked forward to his promise. I stepped out of the car with weak knees, his large hand on the small of my back. Despite the red minidress I was wearing, a tingle of heat radiated the spot where he touched me. I knew this w
THAYER My self-discipline is legendary. I was born with privilege—with a golden spoon. Since birth, I was molded to be a man with dignity, with class. I was taught how to act, how to smile, how to behave, and how to speak. Everything. But here I was glaring at the asshole who broke my Kennedy’s heart while I was fighting the urge to yank her head and devour her mouth for a raw kiss. Pride swelled in my chest as she remained calm, throwing curses at her ex. A woman cursing in front of people was not quite impressive. With an exemption of my woman. And watching her stand against that son of a bitch was even a turn-on. For the next couple of minutes, I leisurely observed her even though I may have fucked up in the head. I dutifully inspect the apartment she shared with that scuzzball. My chest constricted in jealousy. Then I realized what a class A asshole