CHAPTER FOUR
I F IT WERE up to Magnus, he would have kept Lexi in his bed indefinitely, but it was never up to him.
Resentment was a wasted emotion, though. He had wallowed in buckets of it through those early years of learning who he was, but it hadn’t retrieved any of what he’d lost. The man he had believed was his father was still firmly gone, turning his back in a way that still tightened Magnus’s chest.
His siblings hadn’t known whose side to take and Magnus had been needed here so there’d been a wedge there, too. His brother and sister were strangers to him now. There was nothing left of their childhood camaraderie. He’d even lost his mother, to some extent. While he had come to understand and accept her reasons for hiding his paternity, he’d lost a measure of trust in her that could never be regained.
But sacrifice to the crown was not just expected or desired. It was required. Becoming a king meant he couldn’t indulge the man within him.
Or keep the woman who had given that man more pleasure than he could stand.
Steeling himself against the ire and bitterness over what felt like yet another theft from his life, he finished dressing and went back into the shadowy bedroom where he sat on the edge of the bed.
Lexi’s neck was warm and soft. Her shift into wakefulness stirred his desire to crawl back into those sheets and lose himself again, but he made himself pull his hand away before she had finished fluttering her eyelids.
She tried to get her bearings by glancing at the clock and the place where daylight was coming through the cracks in the drapes.
“I let you sleep as long as I could. Ulmer is running a bath in the guest room. Your clothes are there. Vijay will be here shortly.”
He leaned to snap on a lamp, flooding the room with more harsh reality that made her wince. He made himself stand and lift the robe off the foot of the bed, holding it ready for her, catching a flash of stunned hurt on her expression before she schooled it.
He didn’t allow it to move him. This was his life. There was no changing it.
“Ulmer has your gown. He’ll make arrangements for its return.”
She said a small “Thank you” before she started to sit up. A strangled groan left her.
“That’s why the bath,” he said drily. He had felt as though he’d been hit by a truck when he rose. There was a certain euphoria in the ache of his sore muscles, though. He liked it.
With another muted whimper, she rose to thread her arms into the robe, hurrying to close it and fumbling with the belt, head ducked.
It was a bit late for shyness or embarrassment. It wasn’t shame, was it? That thought bothered him, but she hurried out and he could hear Vijay arriving so he went to the lounge.
Vijay Sahir was second in command at TecSec, a world-renowned private security firm. Vijay always wore a calm demeanor along with an exceptionally nice suit. Not flashy, but reassuringly authoritative. His wife and her twin were fashion designers. They knew how to make an impression and Vijay always made a quiet yet powerful one.
After a brief handshake, he accepted a coffee and told Magnus he had forwarded a report on Lexi and the various threats against her. And, because he was very good at his job, the report summarized the threats Lexi posed to Magnus.
While sipping his own coffee, Magnus read through them.
Her reputation was top of the list, obviously. It was sullied enough that their dance would have a knock-on effect to his own, but associating with him gave her social cache she badly needed. Was that why she had invaded the breakout room last night and come up here with him?
Magnus didn’t want to believe it, but the state of her finances was listed as a potential threat. She had alluded to financial strain and a need to find work. The report didn’t outright accuse her of looking for a bailout or a sugar daddy, but the implication was there.
As for threats against her, Vijay had identified possible malfeasance by the agency that her brother ran, but he couldn’t rule out their colluding on those things.
Damn. Given his position, Magnus could not afford to be anything less than suspicious of her. Last night began to seem more calculated on Lexi’s part. She was an actress, after all.
Her had already resigned himself to having to distance from her, but now it became imperative.
Lexi didn’t linger in the tub of lavender-scented water, even though she was completely disoriented by all that had happened and really needed time alone to put it all in perspective.
She was most especially disturbed by the remoteness that had come over Magnus after their intimate, passionate night. He couldn’t have made it more clear that their night was over. She had known it wasn’t the start of anything long-lasting, but she hadn’t expected him to turn off like a light switch.
His businesslike demeanor had made her feel self-conscious about her nudity and a sense of being too naked had her rising abruptly from the water without washing her hair.
She dressed in the dark purple suit with an oyster-colored blouse that Ulmer had brought for her. His attention to detail meant she had everything: underwear, shoes, even a small toiletry bag with her hairbrush and makeup to hide the shadows beneath her eyes.
When she left the bedroom, she looked as professional as she would on a press junket, but she felt horribly exposed as she entered the lounge.
A man of South Asian descent rose from the sofa.
Magnus stayed seated. He set aside a tablet and lifted his incisive gaze to her, making her hyperaware of herself. She had to concentrate on not letting her ankles wobble or her smile falter.
“You must be Vijay.” She offered her hand. “Good morning.”
“Ms. Alexander. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My children have discovered reruns of your show. The theme song is embedded in my ears.”
“I didn’t write it, but I always feel I owe parents an apology for it.” She took a seat on the sofa opposite Vijay. “Do you live here in Paris? I hope I didn’t tear you away from vacation.”
“My wife’s family is here and we have an office here. It’s very normal that I have business when we visit. Shall we get to it? I have some concerns.”
“Oh?”
Vijay didn’t look at Magnus, but she felt the prince’s gaze on her. She had the very strong sense she was about to learn something Magnus already knew.
“The X-Calibur Entertainment Agency. Your father started it?”
“Yes, but why is that relevant?” Why was her body suddenly buzzing with adrenaline?
“I like a big picture view. It allows me to see patterns. You have a silent stake in the company. Is that correct?”
“I’m a client, so I don’t have anything to do with the day-to-day running. That could raise conflicts of interest.” Accusations that she was given opportunities based on nepotism, as opposed to merit.
“But you receive a share of profits.”
“I do.” She was starting to feel like Swiss cheese, given all the holes that Magnus was drilling into her with his gaze.
“X-Calibur manages all aspects of your career? Contracts, PR, legal.”
“All aspects of my life, really. Everything down to the guy who delivers my groceries. My father always had a ‘keep it in the family’ attitude.”
“Which means you trust the agency?”
“Completely.” She said it with confidence, but had the strangest sensation that the floor tilted beneath her couch. “Why? Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
Vijay briefly cocked his head, and she felt totally thrown off-balance.
“X-Calibur has a hundred clients,” she rushed to say, as though it proved something. “It exists because of me and my early career. They wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my ability to make them money.” It was cold-blooded, but it was the way it had always been.
“I think it’s how they make that money that deserves a second look,” Vijay said in a neutral tone.
Her heart took a dip. “What do you mean?”
“You pay them to protect you, but I don’t see an incentive for them to actually do that. Not when bad publicity and court cases generate so much revenue for them.”
“The incentive is that I’m a creative asset. I make them money by acting .”
“Do you?” Magnus asked.
His simple question was a harsh one-two slap, both of them awful. No, she wasn’t getting acting jobs lately, and he didn’t have to rub her nose in it, thanks. But as she met his iced-over gaze, she heard the darker side of his question. The suspicion. Was she acting now ? Had she been acting last night?
“You’re accusing me of staging all of this?” She waved at her presence in his suite. “I didn’t even know who you were yesterday. You asked me to dance. You brought me up here. I wish I could get men to do what I want just by thinking about it,” she added in a mutter. “I’d rule the damned world.”
Magnus only stroked his hand over his beard while he continued to watch her.
Whatever delicate threads of connection had formed between them overnight snapped, leaving her feeling adrift in the cold vacuum of space, but she was used to that. It was happening on more than one level, in real time, as she absorbed that her family was not looking after her best interest, content to line their pockets at her expense.
“Are you suggesting it’s no accident that my bodyguard was underqualified and my stalker knew where to find me?” she asked Vijay.
“If it’s not deliberate sabotage, it’s gross incompetence.”
She rose to take a few agitated steps, mind exploding under this new perspective on her relationship with her brother and sister.
There had always been petty jealousies from that quarter. Lexi had been a hot property as a child. The more involved her father was in her life and career, the more rights he had had to the money she generated. His legitimate children had resented her taking his attention and gaining his approval even as her work paid for their vacations and electronics and other frills.
Lexi had always believed that those frills were enough to keep them on her side. They wouldn’t shoot down the rocket that was taking them to the moon, would they?
An old suspicion tickled at her. She had always wondered if Hadley had set her up with those drugs. Her father had refused to hear it, but Hadley had been a little too happy that she’d lost that superhero role. Then, after their father died, he had talked her into that reality series, constantly pushing an image of her as a sexpot, spoiling her chances at roles with more substance.
She began to shake with a mix of fury and fear, incensed with herself for being blind to what seemed obvious, now that it was pointed out to her. She was also daunted by the fight ahead of her, but her gut told her she had to cut ties with X-Calibur and Hadley and Janet along with it.
“Firing them will be a nightmare.” She was thinking aloud. “They have the machine in place to destroy me before I could pull myself free. I would need resources I don’t have.”
“Vijay also has a machine.” Magnus broke into her thoughts, making her heart lurch. “One that caters to clients with more to lose than an acting career. I’ll cover whatever expenses exceed your budget.”
Ulmer cleared his throat, registering his disapproval.
It was demoralizing enough that Magnus was learning how badly her family treated her—and was offering to give her money . It was even worse that the judgmental Ulmer was witnessing all of it.
She gathered what little dignity she had left and said, “That’s not necessary. I’ll figure it out.”
“I have a vested interested in keeping my name out of it,” Magnus stated, turning the knife. To Vijay, he said, “Whatever it costs to tidy this up is fine.”
You bastard , Lexi thought, fighting the heat that rose behind her eyes. Last night, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Today he would pay any amount to have his hands washed clean of her.
“Once I sell my share in the agency, I’ll have ample funds to pay you back.” She would sell her soul to ensure she cleared any debt she incurred with him. “Why don’t we take this to my room so we can hammer out an action plan?” she said to Vijay.
Magnus rose as Vijay did.
Did Magnus think he was invited? Hell, no.
“Vijay can keep you updated,” she said, channeling the most haughty of daytime soap divas. “To reassure you that none of this will splash back on you. Thank you for your assistance, Your Royal Highness. I feel I’m in better hands already.”
Did her comment border on bitchy? Yes. But she was feeling stung and cheapened and paid for .
The glint of cynical amusement in Magnus’s eye told her the remark landed, which gave her no satisfaction. She only felt obvious in her disgrace.
“Your things have already been returned to your room, Ms. Alexander.” Ulmer moved to the door. “Any future communication may go through Mr. Sahir.”
It was an ultra-polite I hope we never hear from you again .
As she walked out the door, she flickered him a dour look that said, Same .