Free Going Royal 01 - Some Like It Royal by Heather Long Page B

by then, and set it up so all I had to do was update it with new tables for new equipment during game updates. But after I sold it to them, they charged a subscription fee to use it. That kind of annoyed me, because the work was done and the players already paid to play the game. But I learned from that error in judgment. The next time I built something like that I made it free and I didn’t take a gaming company’s offer to buy it out.” It also gave him the drive to look into computer degrees and programming design in high school. By his senior year, he’d finished three college-level courses and had gotten a full scholarship to CalTech.
    “That’s really cool.”
    “What about you? Why acting?” He regretted the question the moment he asked it. The cheerful gleam in her eyes shuttered behind a more guarded expression. She retreated from the easy intimacy of the chat and he was left to wonder why.
    “That’s a long story for another night.” She finished the cup and rinsed it out, setting it on the counter. “I think I’ll try to get some sleep now.”
    He wanted to pursue the issue, but she walked away and the stiffness returned to her posture. “I think I’ll do some work. Be up in a bit.”
    “Night,” she called back.
    Blowing out a long breath he looked down at his still-semierect cock pressing against the front of his shorts. He definitely needed to focus on software for a bit or he would never get any sleep. Alyx was an employee—he needed to keep that straight in his head. Yes, he didn’t want her sleeping in her car, but he’d hired her for a specific task. It helped no one to let lust override his judgment.

Chapter Eight
    Alyx trailed her fingers down the length of fabric. The pure silk glided against her skin in sensuous invitation, but one look at the price tag and she moved on to the next dress on the rack. Victor cut in front of her and pointed to the dress. “What’s wrong with that one?”
    His six-foot-two-inch frame was more than a roadblock and she sighed. “Nothing’s wrong with it, exactly, but it’s not what I’m looking for.”
    “Hmm. And what are you looking for? We need at least four cocktail dresses, two evening gowns, a dozen daytime suits and changes. Specifically, you need a change of clothes for each meal.” He consulted the data tablet he carried everywhere. “Then there will be the shoes.”
    Lips pursed, she swallowed back laughter. In his button-down steel-gray suit and hundred dollar shoes, he looked more suited to an executive office—his tense expression said “secret service, stay away.” He constantly seemed to scan their surroundings, aware of everything. Often enough for her to notice. The behavior disconcerted her, but his persistence in encouraging her to shop was too funny.
    “They’re expensive.” She lowered her voice, keeping her expression calm and the intonation smooth. Two people could have a knock-down-drag-out verbal match and no one would notice if their voices didn’t raise and their tone didn’t change. “There’s a Goodwill in Santa Barbara that has some spectacular gowns for a twelfth the price—if that.” She could feed herself for a month on real meals for the price of the decadently soft silk dress.
    Her escort tapped his fingers against the rack. “You don’t look at the price tags.”
    “What?”
    “You never look at the price tag. The price is irrelevant. You are shopping for clothing, to costume the platform you will be performing from. Money isn’t the issue, nor is the price. You look only at color, fabric and effect.” Like her, he never raised his voice, but the hair on her body prickled at the low command. “A princess doesn’t shop at Goodwill.”
    Which is the most ridiculous thing ever. How many articles hit the papers about the expenses of the royal families in Europe? When Prince William and his bride visited the United States, comments were made about the number of outfits Kate was photographed in and