Immune To His Indifference

The prince was not with them today. He had sent one of his drivers to pick her up. It was for the best. Perhaps he had reevaluated their situationship and saw that he had to build a chasm between them.

Without Kain in the car, she had the chance to meditate without feeling uneasy. Thinking about her mother's mission with him close to her always made her uneasy and guilty. She deserved it. She knew this one. 

She was done with her mother's plan. She was simply living her life now. She was going to have to lie to her mother about her progress. But then what would she do to Ravina, her mother's spy? The car pulled into the mini way that led into Price And Prize's complex. The driver rounded the driveway twice before parking because guest cars had parked their cars awkwardly, blocking any chance to reverse in the parking lot.

Why were there so many cars than usual today? The owners of the cars were not far, they formed a round circle, leaving only a small space for whoever it was that was talking. 

Esmeralda wasn't bothered, she just didn't like their looks. They had bald heads like Western pornstars and mustaches like drug barons.

The driver opened the car for her and she got out quickly, wanting to settle down at her desk as soon as possible. Just then she saw Ravina. They both stared at each other. Ravina was the first to look away. She was just coming to work at the time too.

The circle of bald men dispersed as soon as they saw Esmeralda. The spokesman who had been standing in the middle ran up to Esmeralda. He was certainly not a staff member in Price And Prize.

"Do you mind if we-"

Esmeralda was not sure if what he wanted to do was anything near professional, but she didn't want the prince watching them from his office and thinking she was flirting. She didn't owe him an explanation, but it always seemed to bother him.

"Just a minute-" The man pleaded, flashing her a patronizing smile. He even touched her arm, which made her skin crawl. 

"We can talk while we walk. How can I help you?" She asked, without stopping for him.

He fell into step beside her. 

"Do you work here?" 

Esmeralda stopped in her tracks to give him a thorough once over.

"Do you seriously think I have the time to do this with you? See you around." 

The man put his hands on his waist as he watched her walk on. She was in a hurry, he figured. He went back to his mates dejectedly and they booed him. 

He had been the one to place the bet that he would go on a date with the first woman that walked into the complex.

He had been forced to do this because his mates thought him to be a wimp who had zero skills in wooing women. Just then their bise drove into the compound and they jogged up to receive him. They were from Fashion Igloo, the new prospective fashion house requesting for a collaboration with Price And Prize. 

Kain watched as the man put his hand on Esmeralda's arm. There were several men outside, and he was waiting for the right time to send his orderlies to throw them out. They were all dressed uniformly, like escorts. If they were orderlies, who was their master then?

He saw his personal assistant stop to talk to the man before walking away. Did she know him? Was he a friend? Perhaps she knew him. Either way he didn't like the idea of another man touching Esmeralda.

A car drove into the complex. A black Mercedes. The men ran up to the car and they divided themselves into two groups to hold out the door of the car for the occupant to come out. Kain waited, watching to see whoever it was. Was he royalty like Kain? Another thought hit him. The man who stopped Esmeralda was an escort. 

He heard the door next to his office open. Esmeralda had reached her office. He left his office immediately to go to hers. The door was open. Her back was turned to him, and she had no idea he had slipped in.

"How did you find the ride?" 

She screamed out loud in surprise, just last time when she had bumped into him in front of her office.

"Why do you scream so much?" He asked. 

"Which answer do you want?" She asked in return. Her green eyes shone like small pearls.

She was wearing a black leather dress that clung to her body and soft curves like a second skin.

"Answer both." His voice reminded her of the dirty dream she had of them the day before. 

She blushed beetle red and looked away, unable to look at him in the face.

"Why are you blushing?" The prince asked.

"I loved the ride, thank you."

He nodded, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants to keep his hands to himself. He was fighting the urge to touch her.

"The second question."

She swept her hands down her dress, and the movement shook her bag on the table. It fell off the table and its contents spilled all over the floor.

"You sneaked up on me and startled me. Screaming is not something I would do intentionally."

She bent to the ground to pack up her bag, giving prince Kain a generous view of her breasts.

"Nice view." The prince commented.

She mistook his statement to mean the view of the outside of the building's complex from her office.

"I agree. Very beautiful and inviting. It holds you glued to it." 

If only she knew she had just followed his drift without even knowing.

Not for long, because when she rose back up on her feet, the prince's eyes were plastered to her chest area and they followed her up as she rose to her full breasts.

"You weren't talking about the outside view of our complex, were you?" 

Esmeralda wanted him to leave. Their proximity always lowered her defenses. Images from her dream were stuck in her head at the moment and the object of her fantasy was standing right before her.

"You let that lowly man touch you." 

But he had been cool with her a few seconds ago. His switch of character confused her.

"He is not lowly. You don't even know him." 

She was angry at his arrogance and the way he had just insulted a random stranger.

"You didn't know him and you let him touch you like that."

"I don't owe you any apologies, sir."

"And you didn't tell him off. Men take advantage of silence." 

"Well, if you had been watching, you would have seen me walk away because I wanted to be early enough to update your schedule." 

She didn't even know when he moved to stand in front of her. Now her back was pressed against her desk.

"How many times do you update my schedule, Esmeralda?"

His eyes were on her lips. The heat radiating from him was melting her defenses. Dissolving her plans to move away from him.

He towered over her, bent to her level and kissed her jaw and neck.

"You want me to touch you, don't you? You want me to kiss you. You want me to push you over this desk and take you hard and fast. You want me to claim you, don't you?"

His words reawakened the ache in her core. Yes, she wanted it. He was throwing the truth on her face like iced water.

"No. I don't want any of that." Her subconscious must have taken control of the reins. 

He trailed ghost kisses down her neck.

He wanted to suppress the caveman urge to brand his name on her skin. He wanted her more than she wanted him. Every inch of her belonged to him. He wanted to own her.

Her perky breasts betrayed her. The puckered nubs poked the prince's shirt.

"A part of you does not agree with you." 

"No, we can't do this." She turned her head away when he brought his lips down to kiss her.

Just then the door opened and Esmeralda prayed it wouldn't be Ravina. 

Thankfully, it wasn't Ravina. It was Dana, the receptionist at the front desk. What was she doing here anyway?

She looked embarrassed, seeing the prince and his personal assistant together like that.

"You don't ring my desk anymore? Why are you up here?" The prince growled. 

Esmeralda slipped out of his hold on her desk.

"We have been ringing your desk for the past ten minutes, sir. I was sent to get your personal assistant when you didn't pick up."

There was silence. The prince had been too busy trying to get into the loins of his personal assistant. 

"I was sent to notify you that McCormick is here, your highness." Dana announced.

Esmeralda was too ashamed to look at the receptionist. She had failed womanhood. The receptionist's view of her would no longer be the same.

"Keep them in the lounge. Entertain them, they're very important guests. We'll be down shortly." The prince's voice was too professional, for someone who had been trying to seduce his personal assistant a few seconds ago.

The receptionist gave him a bow before leaving.

As soon as the receptionist was gone, Kain cleared his throat.

"Get your things ready. We have a meeting in fifteen minutes. McCormick is the son of McKinney, CEO of Fashion Igloo. Our prospective partner."

Esmeralda bit on her lip. She wasn't sure which side of the prince she liked. But there was one thing she had mentally noted to herself; so long as she kept her guards up and never lowered them, she would be immune to his indifference.