Free The Cinderella Princess by Melissa McClone

potential lover category. Her above-the-knee skirt emphasized her long, toned legs. She didn’t seem the type to hang out in a gym, but he imagined she power walked the hallways of her office.
    Luc stepped onto the terrace. No one seemed to notice him. Not surprising. As a child, he would have thought himself invisible, if not for his mother and the palace staff.
    Emily pointed at the monitor. “You captured the vibe of the villages around the lake.”
    Conrad—a cameraman with a shock of red hair—smiled. “Thanks, Emily.”
    “I like the camera angle you used here,” she added.
    Wes, the other cameraman, stood taller. “That’s my shot.”
    She patted his arm. “These will make great travelogues to go between the dating scenes.”
    “Vignettes like this are all we’ve really got.” Brad Hammond, the show’s producer and on-camera host, looked more like a surfer in his board shorts, tropical shirt and flip-flops. His bleached blond hair matched his whitened toothpaste-ad teeth. “Eating dinner in silence or discussing polo doesn’t make for must-see TV.”
    Her face scrunched. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
    The collar of Luc’s shirt tightened. He’d told them no respectable royal would open up on camera, but the crew hadn’t listened.
    “Let’s just say the princess wooing lacks a certain pizzazz,” Wes admitted.
    Conrad nodded. “And no kissing, either.”
    Emily looked at the two cameramen. “You’ve been filming for a month. Surely there’s been something going on.”
    Luc’s stomach twisted. Princesses weren’t going to do anything to risk their reputations unless they were willing to see this through to the end. None had wanted a second date. That meant no kissing him or touching or…
    “He’s kissed a few hands,” Conrad said.
    Wes nodded. “Escorted them by the arm.”
    Brad rubbed his chin. “Too bad we didn’t dress them in Regency period clothing, and use a Jane Austen slant. There’s a niche market for her fans.”
    “If you want skin and scandal, don’t forget we have cellphone video from the strip poker game,” Dylan said. “One of the women left her phone behind. All we’d have to do is enhance the film.”
    “Let’s hope she was the only person taping. Make sure that footage disappears forever.” Emily’s voice hardened. “All we need is for that to wind up on the Internet.”
    Guilt stuck in Luc’s mouth like peanut butter. He shouldn’t be thinking about Emily as a potential or former lover. She was here to help, and her protectiveness made him feel not so alone. Bodyguards were paid to look out for him. The crew wanted only a hit show. That left no one in his corner. No one except Emily.
    “Show me the date footage.” Her tone was curt, but professional. “We need to figure a way to salvage this before I leave on Tuesday.”
    That was only a few days from now. Luc moved closer.
    Conrad typed on a keyboard. “You’d better have lots of coffee nearby or you’ll fall asleep. We’re talking b-o-r-i-n-g.”
    “Whose fault is that?”
    Emily’s pointed question to the crew surprised Luc. Unexpected warmth flowed through him. Few, less than a handful, had ever taken his side. The only person he could count on was his mother, but his father constrained her actions.
    “Being on a reality TV show doesn’t come with an instruction manual, yet you expect Luc to know what to do instinctually. He’s a prince looking for a wife, not a frat boy looking to hook up for the night.”
    Each word she spoke in Luc’s defense made him feel as if he’d found a new friend. Friends were…rare. Most others were acquaintances and hanger-ons.
    She squared her shoulders. “Did he watch dating reality shows before starring in one?”
    No, Luc hadn’t, but he kept his mouth closed. Emily could handle this.
    The crew looked at each other as if confused.
    “Your silence says he didn’t.” Her tone reminded him of a former tutor when he hadn’t studied hard enough.