Love For Hire

Kinsley stood at the table with Nicholas and his siblings as his parents entered the dining room. Once the King and Queen were seated, everyone else took their seats. Kinsley thanked the maid that placed her meal on the table before her. Everyone began to eat, but as usual, Nicholas sat at the table calm and relaxed, not touching his meal but drinking his wine and refilling his glass.

“Are you not eating?” Naya asked when she noticed her son had not so much as picked up his fork.

“I am not hungry,” he said. Kinsley had been at the palace with Nichols for nearly two weeks, and she had only seen him pick at his food, only eating a few mouthfuls occasionally. In all honesty, she had no idea how he managed to get through every day without fainting or experiencing weakness.

“You must eat to keep up your strength,” Naya lectured. Kinsley had to agree with his mother to a point. She would feel better if he ate more.

“I am strong enough,” he muttered, lifting his wine to his lips.

“I insist you eat,” Naya ordered.

“I must regretfully defy your insistence, Mother.”

“Nicholas…” She snarled his name.

“Nauseous Mother,” he snapped back, harshly, instantly silencing her. “Nauseous… I am always nauseated. The medications you insist on have Octavius force on me turns my stomach, and the only reason I am not on my knees bent over the toilet violently vomiting all day every day is I do not eat. So, do me the courtesy of getting off my back,” he hissed.

The whole room went quiet, and Kinsley felt awkward being witness to the royal family’s discontent. “So, Kinsley,” Teegan piped up, ending the uncomfortable silence that hung in the air, “how long have you and Nickolas been seeing each other?”

“Long enough,” Nicholas answered for her.

“Well, how did you two meet?” Teegan asked, addressing Kinsley once more.

then smiled. “I thought she was utterly enchanting and knew I had to have her. Besides, when I recently lost my vision, she stayed when she

wealth of a nation and the blood of royalty in your veins. After all, it is not like women seduce men with wealth and power just to get ahead in life,” Samuel drawled

at the table. The worse part was neither Nicholas nor she could refute his accusation that Kinsley was only with him for the money. Though she was quickly developing feelings for Nicholas, it had

no one corrected him, the King placed his glass down on the table. “That is what I thought. Well then, let us put all the cards out on the table,” he said, turning his gaze to Kinsley. “You are a pauper, a common unimpressive peasant, who is below my son’s station and breeding. He is so far out of your league you two are not even in the same universe. Let me debunk the fantasies swirling in

to be King. If you think he will leave you anything in his will after he passes, you are sorely mistaken because everything he has is mine. My kingdom, my palace, my wealth; when he dies, you will return to the streets penniless and

the only reason I am willing to so much as even tolerate your existence is that I love my son, and you make him happy; at this point in his brief life, he has so very little to be happy

her meal and realized she had

ground, it is MY home, and out of everyone at this table, Kinsley was invited… you were not. So, do me the courtesy that the next time you have an opinion, keep it to yourself,” he snarled, and then he left the room, dragging Kinsley behind him. He whistled, and Brutus jumped up and rushed over to him. Nicholas grabbed his harness in the hall, and they made their way up

leaving dinner. I just could not…” He turned and took her face

well, but they are arrogant. The

“Nicholas…”

stay, given the circumstances not many women would,” his hand caressed her face affectionately. “He was right about one thing. You do make me happy. When my world has been nothing but black and dark for so long,

her well. It meant he could not see the tears she was trying so hard not to let fall. His words were touching. She was happy to hear he was happy

the King had said. She had feelings for Nicholas; she did not want anything between them to ever make him question those feelings. She reached up and

brows drew together questioningly. “What?” He

“The rent, the debt, the million dollars; I do not

his face confirmed he could not fathom why she would not take the money. His hands fell away, and he took a step back, looking worried and tortured. “Are you reneging on our deal?” His voice choked. “Are you leaving

you let me. But I do not want to be your employee. I want to be your girlfriend,

for the money, what do you get out of

“You.”