I hooked a finger through Brendon's belt loop to get his attention. He touched both sides of my face, brought his head down, and kissed me ferociously. This was too formidable. He hoisted me up to get my back against the wooden interior of the house he called his secret place. It was a property located in his vast land, a barnyard not too far away.
I wrapped my legs around his waist for support. He pulled my upper lip and then did the same to my lower lip. My neck attained kisses and that made me act out of control. I breathed hard. "Your Majesty, I'm breathless."
Brendon groaned. "Let me put that sexy ass on the kitchen counter." He traveled to the kitchen and got my sexy ass on the counter. This counter and wall kissing thing was cutting-edge. I've never done that with any other guy.
He mischievously pulled up my dress. Yikes. When he took off that bra like an expert to please my stiff, dark nipples, I screamed.
He kissed the middle of my breasts and moved his mouth downward. After doing so, he went back up and took my hand in his. "Take off my shirt to play with me," he demanded. "Kiss me like you mean it, beautiful."
I pulled up his shirt hastily and smooched his chest like I meant it. "Do not be afraid to leave marks on my skin. Scratch me, bite me. Do whatever you want to do with me."
"Anything huh."
"Do not bite my pecker." He laughed. "I can press charges."
"Who says I'm going down there?" I waggled my pointed finger at his crotch. "You can give me that when you choose me. I'll be ready for it on your bed. I'm good with my mouth."
Brendon's long eyebrows went up, an unmistakable flush on his cheeks. "You're giving me some reasons to choose you, my lady." He and I came to a halt when we saw a wide-eyed Mildred looking at us.
"I knew it," she said with a cold stare. She must have spied on us. "She has her bra off and you have your shirt off, Brendon. You're sleeping with that twat." Mildred became tearful, her voice growing thick. "She wants everything. I hope you cry on the day of elimination. I'll make sure to spit on your face."
She looked hurt. Brendon picked up his shirt from the floor and shrugged into it. I climbed down to put my bra on as well as my dress. This was an invasion of privacy. I would have never done that to her.
"Mildred, get out," he shouted. He glared at that girl and slammed his hand on the counter. "I'm sick of you whining all the time. Go back to the castle. You will spend some time with me tomorrow. Today is not the day."
"This is why you're spending more time with her. You are screwing that cow."
"Get out Mildred."
Her next words were vicious and they never affected me that much. I was accustomed to the terrible things she'd said before.
"Isn't that a little too much, you dirty king? Sleeping with the girl you will be eliminated in less than three weeks is very desperate." She smacked her derriere and left the house. Brendon looked up at the ceiling, his hand moving down his hair and his face.
I didn't know what to say to this. It was so odd. Mildred was confident about my elimination and I thought something was off-putting. Repeating 'eliminating' continuously to get at me proof she knew a Black girl was not supposed to be a queen consort in this kingdom. Even if the king liked me, and I supposed he did, he wouldn't be able to wed me. This was what I believe. I could be wrong on so many levels. "I have to go."
"Karyn," he said weakly.
"You should spend the day with her. Pick flowers in the garden or something. Make your time with her worthwhile. I will find something to do."
"Let me take you out. Talk over a glass of wine in one of the most expensive restaurants in town." He was pleading with me. I guessed we had to do that together.
"Take me there." I said meow.
"Girl I love it when you that. Are you sure you're not a feline? You know the witch of the north is good with transformation." Huh, what?
"Witch of the north. What are you talking about Brendon? I'm more familiar with the witch of the East."
"Like in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. You're right. I think I meant the east."
We laughed in unison.
◇◇◇
Twenty miles from the castle
City: Berxley
Known for: Hot boutiques and their alcohol.
"Voila," I said. I came out of the dressing room to show him how I looked with the red lingerie he chose for me. We were at a private luxurious boutique in a city called Berxley, that sold gorgeous items for a woman's body. Everything came in lots of sizes. For the thin, the average, the fit, and the busty. Welcome, you beautiful sexy women of all sizes.
I liked that I had the freedom to choose whatever size I wanted. I was one hundred and fifty pounds and had a 36D breast size so sometimes getting something that fits well can be a burden.
Brendon with two fingers touching his chin said, "I love that one on you. Get it and the black one. Can you try the plum one?" He was sitting down on a chair, his messenger bag at his feet. He was helping me out like an expert.
I got that and a couple more items and hit the streets with him again, his hand holding mine. He took me to other places and I enjoyed it so much. I'd never shopped for anything luxurious back home. Yup, there was a first time for everything.
Hanging out in a bar with him was different. Back home, you had to be twenty-one and older. There, eighteen was just fine. "Let us choose the drinks wisely," he said. Yeah, we had to control what we drank. Brendon drinking in a public bar concerned me because any evil person could mess up his drink. But I guessed, there was a safety protocol that the people of this place had to follow when a royal was present.
I drank a glass of some wine I'd never heard before. Some of it landed on an expensive red dress I purchased at a store.
"Oops," I said.
Brendon wiped it off with a napkin for me. "It is an accident. Do not worry. You'll get plenty of dresses." He kissed me on my lips. "Your lips taste marvelous by the way."
"Thank you. Yours too."
To hug me, he moved his stool closer to mine. I was given a lot of affection in this place. It made me feel like he was my boyfriend. At some point, Brendon moved his hand down one of my thighs. Just like that. There weren't any guests in the bar. The only other people in the bar were the bodyguards. So he did whatever he wanted to do.
We were renting a room at a hotel so we went back there after drinking a few drinks. I enjoyed my day with him. "We should get all your things in that suitcase," he said. He was packing up my things. "I want to take you to one of my properties. You'll love it." He zipped up the suitcase and dived on top of the bed.
I settled myself beside him and we both stared at the ceiling. Brendon held my hand. "Do you believe in true love?" I asked him.
"I do. I think there's someone out there for everyone. True love exists." He turned himself over, kissing my cheek.
"I hope I find it one day," I said.
"You will." He took my hand in his and kissed the top of it. "Are you calling your family often?"
"I call them occasionally."
"Good girl. You always have to keep in touch with them. That is why I gave you the phone. To connect with the people who love you." He kissed the top of my hand again. "I'm worried about them too, Karyn. To give them some peace, I am helping them financially. I haven't told you anything because it was my secret."
"What?"
"They will do well." Brendon wired my family money without my knowledge. I thought this was sweet of him. Before we came to this country, he had a written copy of my address, my mom's place of work, and her telephone number. So he must have called my mother's telephone. He had to keep in touch with my mother.
"Thank you."
"I told Mommy, the elimination is close. She said I should choose you and she gave me a reason. Mommy said you are the definition of an outstanding daughter. As outstanding as you are, you will make a great mother to your children one day. And a great wife." Awe, he said mommy. Brendon was perfect for me.
♤♤♤
Mildred was spending some time with Brendon at one of his properties. This never bothered me because I wasn't the only one competing. I had fun with him. It was hers now. After all, she could be the lucky one in two weeks.
Around three in the afternoon, I accidentally passed by Madame Mills' office, a spot where they held several meetings. There, I overheard Madame Mills and Orla in a conversation. I was at the perfect place at the right time. Eavesdropping was amazing.
"Queen Mona will meet the girls soon. She wants to get acquainted with them before the ceremony," Madame Mills said. So there was a surprise visit. "She is concerned about her son's wellbeing. I told her he is not unhappy."
"The Black one needs to be eliminated," Orla said. "The king is sending the wrong message to his people. Choosing the negro will change tradition. He can't take her as his wife. It does not look appropriate." I closed my eyes and opened it back again. There was still hope for me.
Madame Mills spoke. "I dislike Mildred's behavior. She will bring dishonor to us all. He should not choose her. Orla, you may not like the Black girl and it is a matter of opinion. But to me, Karyn Mays is the best choice. Karyn and our young king have chemistry."
"Chemistry?" Orla said angrily with venom in her voice. "Brendon has no intention of marrying that one. She is and will be his temporary entertainment. I hope his mother does her job. She needs to let our king know that the Black one will never satisfy him."
"Orla she can't make her son's decisions. It is his choice. We have to wait to find out. Meanwhile, keep your opinions to yourself. Let us plan the ceremony. Shall we?"
It was not enough.
"Brendon should not choose Karyn Mays. She is not the right fit for him. We can't keep our opinions to ourselves. Later today, we will hold a meeting with the others of the court. In that meeting, we should figure out a way to let Brendon know, she isn't the right fit."
"He is his decision."
"He will be bedding a Black woman. She will bear half-breeds and that legacy will be demolished. We have to do something. This is absurd. She should look for a man of her kind, not our king." I wanted Orla gone if I became queen consort. There was no second thoughts.
I left my spot and returned to my room.
♧♧♧
Brendon was a wild boy when he was younger. But as time went by, his wild side calmed down drastically. As he was a royal, women would get crazy around him, doing anything to spend a night with him. The woman he decided on would get the perfect night of her life until she was wasted. Brendon, being charitable as usual would spoil her the following day with a luxurious gift and a sweet goodbye.
It may not seemed like a sweet goodbye to the woman when she wanted a man like that. A life with luxurious crowns, clothing, jewelry, and purses was what she ever wanted. And there was the most handsome man she'd ever laid her eyes on. He was King Brendon Loui Harland Quentin. Yeah, Brendon had a couple of middle names that didn't matter that much. But I loved them.
I took my mind off that. There was a difficult situation.
Brendon was the most wanted. And women wanted him. Lots of them. There was an outrage. Many of the people wanted him to marry a woman from here instead of an American. And hell broke loose.
People took their anger in the streets with them. Anger was in every city. Why did it take them so long? I thought Orla, one of the king's veteran advisors was behind it. She had acted very sus when I decided to mark her every damn move for a week. The countless number of letters she'd written conspicuously would come back and haunt her. I kept that to myself.
"Ladies, you should ignore the dilemma," Brendon said. He had taken Mildred and I to his chamber. Appearing on his television screen was one of the most popular news stations in the country. There was news of the outrage that made Brendon angry. He turned off the television after observing our behavior.
He continued. "Let us focus on my mother's visit instead. She will be there in an hour." He looked at his watch. "By three. And I'll need you girls to put on a dress with stockings. Be modest, ladies. I will take you to the ballroom in an hour."
I was extremely nervous.