The Royal Contract

Honestly, she was slightly envious, but who would not be after witnessing such a love story? She bet every single lady in this room wanted to have a man like him. She guessed it would be the same for the men out there, looking at her new friend, Jacky.

“Congratulations!” She shouted together with the other guests, genuinely happy to see another couple in love find their soul mate.

She did not know much about them except for the stories that Haley told her. But from what she had gathered, it had not always been full of flowers and butterflies when they had started.

But somehow, they managed to make their differences work. Marcus changed his lifestyle so he could become a better man for Jacky.

It suddenly made her wonder if the same thing could happen in her situation if she took a chance with a playboy like Evan. Would he change for her, or would it be a temporary fix until he returned to his old ways?

“Do you mind if I have this dance?” Suddenly a voice penetrated her thoughts, sending a shiver down her spine. Of course, she recognized his tone, and her body sensed his warmth as he stood behind her.

.....

Then, she realized that many had already gone to the dance floor while the couple was still busy being congratulated by their family and friends. Music blared around the room, emphasizing the merriment of the last part of the program.

But smiling was the last thing she wished to do under her circumstances. When the man moved to stand before her, all she wanted to do was to run away.

It was him again.

“Sorry, Tony, but I already promised my boyfriend I would be dancing with him.” She had to stop him from his obsession with her, even if she had to lie.

She had enough of this man following her around wherever she went. She felt concerned that his obsession might escalate if he kept believing he had a chance with her. Better end his delusion now while it was not too late.

“Boyfriend?” Tony appeared surprised by her admission. Of course, he would be since she had never introduced anyone as her boyfriend, nor had she shown up at this party with a date.

The look on his face and the smile on his lips told her he did not believe her. He pointed his finger at her and chuckled. “That is a nice joke, but not funny.” He said, which only concerned her more. “Come on. I am a good dancer.”

Then, his hands wrapped around her risk, a little tighter than she would want, causing discomfort on her skin. It happened so fast that she did not have time to react yet. But before he could pull her away, somebody stopped him.

A hand suddenly pulled her other risk in the other direction. Now, she suddenly discovered what the rope felt like in a game of tug of war. The two pulled her in opposing directions.

“She already told you she was saving the dance for me.” Again, he came to save her from this horrible man. Although Tony had not done anything untoward to her, she could feel that he was not far from thinking he had a chance with her despite her subtle rejections.

She did not want to be rude by outright telling him she did not like him. But it seemed she should have been, so it did not have come to this. Tony would not have assumed he had a chance with her.

“Are you saying that you are the boyfriend?” Tony’s eyes sharpened on his opponent as if he was ready to fight a battle right then and there.

“Yes, that is what I am saying.” He responded. “I am Evan. And Amelia is my girlfriend.” He confidently claimed as if he had every right to do so.

Amelia did not like how Evan returned Tony’s angry stare as if Evan was about to punch him in the face. The last thing Amelia wanted was to cause any trouble or make a scene.

This remaining night was supposed to be a glorious affair. She did not want a brawl to ruin that, especially not because of her.

“Not because you won the auction did not give you the right to claim her as your girlfriend.” Tony still did not let go of her hand as he continued to argue with him.

“Enough!” She had enough of the two men showing off their macho egos. She knew she started her story with a lie, but she did not like that it was escalating to something worse.

She could only think of one solution to end this. She was unsure if it was the right thing to do, but she was running out of options. She pulled her hand away from Tony with force. It hurt her a little, but she had to do it.

Then, she wrapped her arms around Evan, pulling him forcefully until he lowered his head to her level. Without warning, she kissed him. She touched her lips to his.

“Evan is telling the truth. He is my boyfriend.” That kiss should have proven her point, slightly pulling away from his nearness.

But she was not expecting what happened next. Evan suddenly pulled her again with another kiss. This time, it was not a mere touching of the lips. Suddenly, she was losing control as his lips became more demanding.

She got lost in his embrace. This time, she knew she would not recover. She could not deny how much she craved for him. She did not want to deny him anymore.

She was not even aware that Tony had finally left them alone, probably having enough of the scene before him. He walked away without even looking back, leaving them alone in each other’s arms.

“Am I?” He suddenly asked when he came up for air.

She was suddenly confused by his question, still dazed from the mind-blowing kiss she had recently experienced. “What?” Still unable to fathom what he was asking her.

“Am I your boyfriend now because I want to be?” That was a straightforward question, demanding a direct answer.

“YES!”