Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Partners. That was how she’d decided to look at this. They were partners. And if she ended up governing the kingdom while he was out fucking around with supermodels, she wouldn’t get her heart broken.
Just humiliated.
Yes, they needed a talk and perhaps a contract.
“I enjoyed the meal very much. The company left something to be desired, but I suspect I’ll get used to dining with windbag politicians.” She turned back to the balcony, leaning against it. The view from here was spectacular. Beyond that, it was soothing in a way.
“Yes, Mother told me they’re giving you trouble.” He joined her, leaning beside her, their bodies so close but not touching. “I’ll talk to them, ensure you have your funding.”
“Don’t. It can wait a few weeks. I need to go back to them and introduce myself as their new queen.” She wasn’t about to let them think she sent her husband in. If he behaved as he so often did, he wouldn’t be around much and it would be up to her to keep everyone in line.
“Is that why you agreed to this arrangement? Because you wanted power?”
“I agreed because I care about this country. I’ve spent the last ten years of my life working here and trying to ensure that our children get what they need to make it out in the world. I agreed because your mother is excellent at putting one in a corner. I agreed because someone has to and I wasn’t sure who you would bring home if given the chance.” She shuddered at the idea of some brainless model attempting to be a role model for Loa Malian girls.
“Ah, you don’t think I have good taste in women.”
“I think you have an unquenchable appetite for them, Your Majesty, and that is something we should talk about.”
“Ah, the wifely lectures begin,” he said with a sigh. “Please proceed. I’m anxious to get this over with so I can be properly chastened.”
“I only ask that you attempt some discretion, Kashmir. I don’t expect you to be faithful in any way, but I do expect you to not humiliate me.”
He turned, frowning a bit as though she’d surprised him. “You don’t expect me to be faithful?”
It was time for some honesty. “I don’t think you can be. How long have you kept a single woman? A month? Three?”
“Six,” he replied. “I was with Tasha Reynolds for six months before we went our separate ways.”
“And were you faithful to her?” She already knew the answer to that question.
“We had an agreement.” He frowned as though the conversation wasn’t going at all as he’d expected. “She was on set much of the time. She knew I had a highly stressful job, so she was understanding. I gave her the same options.”
“Excellent, then let’s be fair with each other. As long as we’re both discreet, this marriage of ours doesn’t have to mean the end of our lives.”
“You have a man?”
“No, but I do have a life and I can’t imagine never sleeping with someone again.”
He stopped, his body going still for a moment. “What is that supposed to mean? I’ll be your husband. You’ll sleep with me. I know biology wasn’t your field of study, but do I have to explain how babies are made? That’s what my mother is doing. She’s buying your womb.”
So he wasn’t as sanguine about the marriage as he’d seemed earlier. That was another thing she needed to know. “There are many ways to make a baby, several of which don’t involve sex.”
He frowned. “You can’t be serious. We’re going to be married. We’re going to have sex.”
“When I decide I’m ready, we’ll talk about it.” This brought her to the place she needed to be. “I think we need to negotiate our own private marriage contract. I would feel much better if we understood the parameters. It would help us both to know how to act and what our roles are.”
“Your role is as my wife, and part of that is sleeping with me,” Kash insisted.
“Not until you’ve had an STD test and I’m certain I want to sleep with you. I’ve already confirmed that it’s traditional for the king and queen to keep separate rooms.”
“There’s nothing traditional about this.”
She had to laugh. “I think it’s quite traditional.”
“Not for my family. My father was deeply in love with my mother. He met her at a ball in Bombay. Her father was the king of a small South Pacific island. I was told they danced all night and he went to her father the next day and demanded her hand in marriage or there would be war. As neither country had much of a standing army, they chose wedding.”
She’d never heard the story. “That’s sweet, but it’s not how most royals wed.”
“My grandfather selected his own bride as well. I’m the first in a hundred years to be arranged by someone else. I suppose my mother thinks I’m incapable of selecting a proper bride.”