A Royal Amnesia Scandal

She was the absolute best assistant he’d ever had. Her parents still worked for his parents, so hiring Kate had been an easy decision.

A decision he questioned every single time his hormones shot into overdrive when she neared.

He never mingled with staff. He and his parents always kept their personal and professional relationships separate, so as not to create bad press or scandal. It was a rule they felt very strongly about after a scandal generations ago. Rumor had it the family was quite the center of gossip for a while after an assistant let out family secrets best left behind closed doors.

So once Luc had become engaged to Alana, he’d put his attraction to Kate out of his mind.

For the past three months, he’d been ready to say “I do” for two very valid reasons: his ex had claimed to be expecting his child, and he needed to marry to secure his crown to reign over Ilha Beleza.

Now Alana was gone and he was trying like hell to hang on to the title, even though he had just a few months to find a wife. And the second he was in charge, he’d be changing that archaic law. Just because a man was nearing thirty-five didn’t mean he had to be tied down, and Luc wanted nothing to do with holy matrimony...especially now that he’d been played.

“You’re frowning,” Kate called as he passed right by her. “Being angry isn’t helping your red face.”

There were times he admired the fact she didn’t treat him as if he was royalty, but just a regular man. This wasn’t one of those times.

Before climbing the steps to the outdoor living area, Luc turned. “Did you cancel the interview with that journalist from the States?”

Kate settled back into her relaxed position, dropping her arm to her side and closing her eyes as the sun continued to kiss all that exposed skin.

“I took care of canceling all media interviews you had scheduled regarding the upcoming wedding, or anything to do with Alana,” she told him. “I rescheduled your one-on-one interviews for later in the year, after you gain the title. By then I’m positive you’ll have everything sorted out and will be at the top of your game.”

Luc swallowed. Not only was Kate his right-hand woman, she was his biggest supporter and advocate. She made him look good to the media, occasionally embellishing the truth to further boost his family’s name.

“I simply told each of the media outlets that this was a difficult time for you, playing up the faux miscarriage, and your family’s request for privacy.”

Kate lifted a knee, causing a little roll of skin to ease over her bikini bottoms. Luc’s eyes instantly went to that region of her body and he found himself wanting to drop to his knees and explore her with more than his eyes.

“If you’re done staring at me, you need to either go inside or put on sunscreen,” she added, without opening her eyes.

“If you’d cover up, I wouldn’t stare.”

Her soft laugh, drifting on an ocean breeze, hit him square in the gut. “If I covered up, I wouldn’t get a tan. Be glad I’m at least wearing this. I do hate those tan lines.”

Gritting his teeth, Luc tried but failed at keeping that mental image from his mind. Kate sunbathing in the nude would surely have any man down on his knees begging. Forcing back a groan, Luc headed up the steps and into the main house. She was purposely baiting him, and he was letting her, because he was at a weak spot in his life right now. He also couldn’t hide the fact that his assistant turned him inside out in ways she shouldn’t. He’d been engaged, for pity’s sake, yet before and after the engagement, he’d wanted to bed Kate.

Sleeping with an employee was beyond tacky, and he wasn’t going to be so predictable as to fall into that cliché. Besides, the house rule of no fraternizing with employees was something he stood behind wholeheartedly.

He and Kate were of like minds, and they needed to remain in a professional relationship. Period. Kate stood up for him, stood by him, no matter what, and he refused to risk that by jumping into bed with her.

She had been just as shocked as he was when Alana’s deception had been revealed. For once, Kate hadn’t made a snarky comment, hadn’t tried to be cute or funny. She’d instantly intervened, taking all calls, offering up reasons why the engagement had been called off.

In fact, it was Kate’s brilliant plan that had saved his pride. She’d informed the media that Alana had miscarried, and the couple had opted to part ways as friends. At first he’d wanted to just come out with the truth, but he’d been so hurt by the personal nature of the lie, he’d gone along with the farce to save face.

So, for all the times Kate got under his skin with their verbal sparring and her torturous body, he couldn’t manage this situation without her.

There were times, even before the fiancée debacle, that he’d just wished he had a place to run to and escape all the chaos of being royalty. Purchasing this home—even though it needed some updating—was like a gift to himself. The view had sold him immediately. With the infinity pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the lush gardens, the previous owners obviously had to have been outdoor enthusiasts. At least Luc had a dock for his Jet Ski and his boat.

Too bad he’d had to come here before all the remodeling was complete. Kate had informed the workers they would have the next two weeks off because the house would be in use. The contractors had managed to get a few of the rooms fully renovated, and thankfully, Luc’s master suite was one of them.

He stripped off his wet trunks and stepped into his glass-enclosed shower, which gave the illusion of being outside, but in fact was surrounded by lush tropical plants. The shower was an addition to the master suite and one of his favorite features in the house. He loved having the feeling of being outdoors while being ensured of the privacy he craved. That had been his top priority when he’d bought the house.

An image of sharing this spacious shower with Kate slammed into his mind, and Luc had to focus on something else. Such as the fact she was ten years younger than him, and when he’d been learning to drive, she’d been going to kindergarten and losing her first tooth. There. That should make him feel ridiculous about having such carnal thoughts toward his assistant...shouldn’t it?

Water sluiced over his body as he braced his hands against the glass wall and leaned forward. Dropping his head, he contemplated all the reasons why bedding his assistant was wrong. Not only would things be awkward between them, but any bad press could threaten his ascension to the throne. Not to mention the no-fraternization rule, which had been implemented for a reason. He didn’t want to be the cause for a black mark on his family’s name. One major issue was all he could handle right now. Unfortunately, the one and only reason for wanting to claim her kept trumping all the mounting negatives. He had to find a way to keep her at arm’s length, because if he kept seeing her parading around in that skimpy gear, he’d never make it through these next two weeks alone with her.

* * *

Scrolling through the upcoming schedule, Kate jotted down the important things she needed to follow up on once she was back at the Land of the Internet, aka the palace. Even though Luc was taking a break from life, she had no such luxury, with or without cyberspace. He might be reeling from the embarrassment of the breakup, and dodging the media’s speculations, but she still had to stay one step ahead of the game in order to keep him pristine in the eyes of the people once the dust cloud of humiliation settled. Damage control had moved to the top of her priorities in her role as assistant.

Being the assistant to a member of the royal family hadn’t been her childhood aspiration. Granted, he wasn’t just any member of the royal family, but the next king of Ilha Beleza, but still.

At one time Kate had had notions of being a dress designer. She’d watched her mother, the royal seamstress, often enough, and admired how she could be so creative and still enjoy her work. But Kate’s aspirations hit the wall of reality when she’d discovered she excelled at organizing, being in the thick of business and playing the peacemaker. The job appealed to the do-gooder in her, too, as she felt she could make a real difference in the lives of others.

Once she’d received her degree, Kate knew she wanted to work with the royal family she’d known her entire life. She loved them, loved what they stood for, and she wanted to continue to be in that inner circle.

Kate had first met Luc when she was six and he was sixteen. After that, she’d seen him at random times when she’d go to work with her parents. As Kate grew older and well into her teens, Luc had become more and more appealing to her on every level a woman starts to recognize. Of course, with the age gap, he’d paid her no mind, and she would watch as he’d parade women in and out of the palace.

She’d never thought he would settle down, but as his coronation fast approached, with his thirty-fifth birthday closing in, the timing of Alana’s “pregnancy” couldn’t have been better.

Too bad the spoiled debutante had had her hopes of being a queen shattered, tarnishing the tiara she would never wear. Alana had tricked Luc into believing she was expecting their child, which was absurd, because there’s only so long that lie could go on. Alana hadn’t planned on Luc being a hands-on type of father, so when he’d accompanied her to a doctor’s appointment, he’d been stunned to realize there was no baby.

At least now Kate wouldn’t have to field calls for “Lukey” when he was in meetings and unable to talk. Kate was glad Miss D Cup was out of the picture...not that there was room in the picture for Kate herself, but having that woman around had seriously kept her in a bad mood for the past several months.

As she glanced over Luc’s schedule after this two-week hiatus, all she saw was meetings with dignitaries, meetings with his staff, the wedding ceremony and the ball to celebrate the nuptials of his best friend, Mikos Alexander, and a few outings that were just “spontaneous” enough for the media to snap pictures but not get close enough to question Luc. A quick wave as he entered a building, a flash of that dimpled grin to the camera, and the paparazzi would be foaming at the mouth to post the shots with whatever captions they chose.

For the past year Kate had tried to get him to take on charity projects, not for the media hype, but because he had the power to make things happen. Good things, things that would make a difference in people’s lives. What good was power and money if they weren’t used to help those less fortunate?

But Luc’s focus had always been on the crown, on the bigger prize, on his country and what it would take to rule. He wasn’t a jerk, but his focus was not on the little guys, which occasionally made Kate’s job of making him look like a knight in shining armor a little harder.

Still, working for a royal family had its perks, and she would have to be dead to ignore how sexy her boss was. Luc would make any woman smile with a fantasy-style sigh. But no matter how attractive the man was, Kate prided herself on remaining professional.

She may have daydreamed about kissing him once. Okay, fine. Once a day, but still. Acting on her attraction would be a colossal mistake. Everyone knew the royal family’s rules about not fraternizing with staff. The consequences could mean not only her job, but also her parents’. A risk Kate couldn’t take, no matter what she ached for.

With a sigh, Kate rose to her feet and set her day planner aside. Luc had warned her that she’d be “roughing it” at this guesthouse, but she sort of liked the basic charm of the place. The rooms were pretty much bare, the scarred hardwood floors desperately in need of refinishing and the kitchen was at least thirty years out of date, if not more. But she was in her own space and had water, electric power and a beach. She wasn’t working nearly as much as she had been at the palace in the midst of wedding-planning chaos. All of those media interviews had been canceled or rescheduled, and she was on a secluded island with her hunky boss. So roughing it wasn’t so “rough” in her opinion.

Kate headed out her back door, breathing in the fresh scent of the salty ocean breeze. Following the stone path lined with overgrown bushes and lush plants, which led to the main house, she was glad she’d come along even if the circumstances made Luc only edgier, grouchier and, well, difficult. He had every right to be furious and hurt, though he’d never admit to the pain. Luc always put up a strong front, hiding behind that tough-guy persona.

Kate knew better, but she still chose to refrain from discussing the incident too much. Keeping things more professional than personal was the only way she could continue to work for him and not get swept away by lustful feelings.

When Kate had first started working for Luc, they’d had a heated discussion that led to a near kiss before he’d pulled back. He’d informed her right then that under no circumstances did he bed, date or get involved with employees.

Still, long nights spent working together, trips abroad and even the close quarters of his office had led to heated glances and accidental brushes against each other. The attraction most definitely wasn’t one-sided.

Then he’d started dating Miss D Cup, and the obvious physical attraction between boss and employee had faded...at least on Luc’s side. Typical playboy behavior. Kate had chided herself for even thinking they would eventually give in to that underlying passion.

Yet here they were again, both single and utterly alone. So now more than ever she needed to exercise this ability to remain professional. In reality, she’d love nothing more than to rip those designer clothes off him and see if he had any hidden tan lines or tattoos, because that one on his back that scrolled across his taut muscles and up onto his left shoulder was enough to have her lady parts standing at attention each time he took his shirt off.

As tempted as she was to give in to her desires, too much was at stake: her job, her parents’ jobs, the reputation she’d carry of seducing her boss. That wouldn’t look good on a résumé.