The Prince and The Escort

Marilyn Cruise

Once his breathing has turned slow and rhythmic
in deep sleep, I slip out of the bed, pull on my jeans and
shirt, and quietly open the front door. Anders and the
two other security guards nod as I step into the hallway.
I feel my cheeks warm. Do they know what transpired in
there? God, I hope not.

“Will you be needing an escort back to your room,
or somewhere else?” Anders asks with a bow.

When he says the word “escort,” I near about have
a panic attack.

“Uh...er… I just need to check my email downstairs
in the lobby. You really don’t need to come.”

“Since you are Prince Erik’s guest, it is my
responsibility to ensure your safety,” Anders says.

Fuck.
With Anders in tow, I scurry down the hallway
toward the elevators, then take the elevator down to the
lobby and approach the concierge.
“Excuse me,” I say. “Is there a computer I can use
with an Internet connection?”
He points me in the right direction. Once I see that
Anders is keeping his distance to give me some privacy, I
quickly sit down and log into my Escorts and Lovers
account. After I delete all my photos and my profile, I sit
back with a sigh.
I feel the weight of the world dropping from off my
shoulders. Let’s just hope Victoria didn’t already do her
snooping on me, and that she doesn’t know my secret,

The Prince and The Escort

like she claims she does. This is one instance where I
hope she’s lying.

I head back to my suite and dress in one of the silk
pajamas that hang in the closet. I get into bed, and try to
sleep. God, everything with Erik was sheer perfection.
His smell… His sounds… His words… The way he touched
me. The way our bodies moved together, like a seamless
dance. Like our Tango, in perfect synchronicity. I never
imagined that being with a man could be so utterly
amazing. And now, lying her by myself, I realize how
much I miss him.

So very much.
Which is not good.
Shit. I knew this would happen. That I’d grow more
attached to him. I turn onto my side and clutch my pillow.
Was it stupid of me to get caught up in my
emotions? To let it go this far—all the way? So very
stupid. What was I thinking? There’s no chance in hell he
wants the real me, the ‘me’ that is so desperate for
money that she nearly prostitutes herself.
And when he finds out who I really am, which he
will, he’ll hate me for it. I should just come clean. The
sooner the better.
I’ll do it. No matter the consequences. Tomorrow.
And he will see me for who I really am. Will he still
want me then?

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The Prince and The Escort

CHAPTER 11

Erik is only the second man I’ve been with, but
when I wake up the next morning, all I can think about is
how much I hope he will be the only man I will sleep with
moving forward.

My ex dirtbag boyfriend was definitely not skilled
in the bedroom department, always leaving me wanting
more, and only interested in getting himself off. Having
sex with Erik was completely different. God, his hands….
All over me, inside me, caressing, grabbing, massaging…
As I lie in bed, I feel my body awaken to the memory of
his touch… It makes me wet just thinking about it.

He took the time to ensure I came, that I felt
comfortable, and the way he caressed and touched me
after sex made me feel like he wasn’t just using me for
sex. He wanted me. Jennifer. The woman. Not just the act.
He made me feel things, magical things, I’ve never felt
before.

I have to come clean with him. And I will. Today.
This will take all the courage I have.
I glance over at the clock and note the time. 6:34
a.m. Damn. I wish I could sleep in now that I have the
change.
Yawning, I drag myself out of bed, dress in the jeans
and shirt from last night, and starving, I decide to head
down to the restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning,” he replies.

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“Where’s Anders?” I ask.
“We rotate.”
“And you are?” I ask.
“Knut,” he says.
“Anders usually lets me roam around the hotel by
myself,” I lie.
“I’m not Anders. I follow His Majesty’s rules, which
is to provide safety and security for you at all times at all
costs.”
Dammit. I huff and head down the hallway, Knut
three steps behind me.
The restaurant is packed, but to my surprise, I see
Erik sitting at one of the tables. He must be starving, too.
I giggle to myself. So many calories were burned last
night.
With my heartbeat in my mouth, excitement and
dread racing through my veins, I start to make my way
toward his table. This will be the most difficult
conversation I have ever had in my life, and holy hell how
my heart is racing. But I have to do it. For me. For him.
For us.
But I come to a screeching halt when a woman
approaches him and he offers her to sit. At first I can’t see
who the woman is—she has her back to me and is
wearing a black wide brim hat that matches her black
dress—but when she turns around and takes a seat, I see
that it’s Victoria.
Shit. What the hell is she doing here? And why did
he offer her to sit?

The Prince and The Escort

I don’t want her to see me! I jump behind a huge
bushy plant. For a moment, I watch them.

What the hell should I do? I simply cannot go up to
them. There’s no way in hell I’m talking to that witch
again.

Erik places a hand on Victoria’s shoulder, and I
notice that there’s a look of sadness on her face. Even so,
I want to claw her eyes out. She leans closer to him, then
closer still. She whispers something to him, and she’s
clearly distressed about something, her eyes swollen, her
expression dejected. Is this about her mother, too? She’s
wearing black. She’s crying. Her mother must have died.
My heart squeezes for her even though I don’t like her
any more than I did a second ago.

Erik strokes her cheek and a tear rolls down her
face. Then she leans in and they share a brief kiss.

I feel all the blood drain from my face and my head
starts to spin.

She leans back, and then she slides her cell phone
over to Erik. He stiffens where he sits, and she places a
hand over his. He doesn’t withdraw his hand.

I feel like I’ve just been punched in the gut. Several
times.

My gaze slides to the phone’s screen. I can’t quite
tell, but I think I see a picture of me on the screen. Shit.
Did she screenshot my Escorts and Lovers profile?

Oh, God.
Without really thinking things through, I sprint
back to the elevator, jump in with the elevatory attendant
just as the doors are closing, and press the button with

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the number “23” on it before he even probably has
registered fully I’m there. As if by some miracle, I’m able
to ditch the bodyguard dude, Knut. My blood is boiling,
and I feel the tears press behind my eyes. Are Victoria
and Erik back together? Was it like Queen Maud said?
Was Erik just using me to get back with Victoria?

If I can just get the hell out of here before the
bodyguard catches up with me, leaving will be so much
less complicated. I can’t face Erik, for several obvious and
humiliating reasons. Not after what I saw down there.

Goddamn elevator is too slow! I press the button
with the “23” on it again and again, frantically. I know full
well it won’t make the elevator go in the least bit any
faster, but I don’t fucking care. It’s making me feel as if it
will somehow speed things up.

“In a hurry?” the young elevator attendant says
with a faint smile.

I stop obsessively pressing the button and move
into the corner.

“Yeah, sometimes I wish these elevators had a
hyper-drive button, too,” he says, holding his hands in
front of his hips.

I nod, but his comment and relaxed demeanor does
nothing to get my out of my head.

What was I thinking? I got sucked into a fairytale
land I swore I wouldn’t get sucked into. Deep down, I
knew this would never work. Deep down, I knew he
didn’t want me.

And it’s all my fault. I threw caution to the wind
when I knew, I KNEW it would come back and bite me.

The Prince and The Escort

I can’t do this another second. I won’t!
The instant the elevator doors open at my floor, I
dash to my door. With shaking hands, I insert the keycard
into the slot. The second I’m inside the room, I grab my
purse and phone, then head into the hallway. To avoid
any potential uncomfortable confrontations meeting
Prince Erik or Bodyguard Knut, I take the stairwell. I
reach the bottom floor and dash outside through the exit
door. As if I have the devil himself on my heels, I run as
fast as I can away from the hotel. Once out on the street, I
hail a taxi.
“To Miami airport,” I say as I hop into the back seat,
and the taxi driver takes off.
The adrenaline quickly wears off and it’s then that
the sadness hits me.
Tear after tear falls down my cheeks; I can’t seem
to whisk them away fast enough. This is so stupid. I’m to
blame for this, and dammit, I’m going to own it!
At the airport, I quickly locate an ATM to see if I
might have enough money for my plane ticket home. I
insert my debit card into the machine and enter my PIN.
It’s hard to see the screen clearly, my eyes so swollen
from crying so much. But when I finally realize what my
balance is, I gasp.

Balance: $9,143.65

Holy shit.
Ben paid me already. Escorts and Lovers takes 10
percent, so the $9,000 deposit is my portion. Having a

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healthy balance on my bank account almost feels surreal.
And it dulls the ache in my heart just a smidgen. Good
things are finally coming my way. I’ll be able to pay all my
bills and start saving for Gabby’s prosthetics.

I might not have gotten everything I want—what I
want is the fairytale with Erik. But at least I got what I
needed. And isn’t that all a girl like me can expect in life?

I purchase the first available ticket home and get
on the plane feeling the numbness set in. I’m able to keep
my emotions at bay the entire flight by refusing to think
about anything that has to do with Erik.

Once I get home, I spend some time with Gabby. I
tell her of bits and pieces of my weekend “training.”

After I have put her to bed, I lock myself in my
room and throw myself on the bed. I’ll allow myself to
grieve one night. And then I’ll never think about Erik
again. I sob for what feels like hours. I’m the one who
screwed this up, all because I wasn’t able to be honest.
But maybe it’s better this way. A prince and an escort
could never work things out anyway. He needs a princess,
and I need a man who accepts me for who I am, whose
family accepts me for who I am. Maybe he’s realizing the
impossibility of our situation now that he knows the
truth. Maybe he will get back with Victoria like his
mother said. Maybe he’s already back together with her
and they’re fucking right now.

That thought makes me cry even more.
But still, the circumstances forced me to make the
right decision. I needed to choose Gabby and her well-

The Prince and The Escort

being. And being an escort will guarantee that I’ll be able
to get her prosthetics.

And isn’t that what I really want? To give her what
she really needs?

Then why does my heart feel like it’s been
shattered into a million pieces?

Perhaps it’s because I have finally realized who I
am and where I belong. I belong with my sister, my family.

And I am an escort.
THE END

Book 2 in the series, A Scandalous Royal Fairytale
Coming Oct. 15, 2018

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Did you enjoy reading this book? If so, please consider
leaving a positive review on the website you purchased

the book so others may find this book. If there was
anything you think should be changed, please email me

at marilyncruise75@gmail.com

Also by Marilyn Cruise
The Chapel Series
The Black Chapel

The Prince and The Escort

The White Chapel
The Everlasting Chapel

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