Going Royal 02 - Some Like It Scandalous Read Free Page A

one damn knee to you.”
    A knock at the door interrupted any response he might have made. She started forward and a man in an all black suit that screamed security glanced in. “Forgive the interruption, Your Highness. We wanted to make sure everything was all right.” The guard didn’t look at the prince, though, his steely expression rested on her.
    “We are having a mild disagreement, Nelson. Thank you, that will be all.” The dismissal satisfied the guard and after one last hard look at her, he closed the door again.
    Security had to be standing right outside the door—how else could they have heard her?
    Would they keep her from leaving?
    “Anna. Five minutes. Please.” His voice wrapped lovingly around her name, a sensuous caress, and she halted, closing her eyes. The third please doused the flames of irritation.
    Five minutes.
    “Fine.” She turned and set her bag down on the floor again. Glancing at her watch, she fought to remain impassive. The hell she would cry in front of him, no matter how raw and battered her heart. “You have five minutes.”
    He stood next to the chair he’d sat in, but didn’t try to approach her. Honestly, he didn’t have to. She couldn’t look away. “I have read your résumé and your letters of recommendation. I know why others believe you to be so qualified. But the success of this enterprise is extremely important to my cousin. Thus, it is important to me. You know she was in the foster care system—she benefited from scholarship programs—and she desperately wants to help others like herself.”
    Deeper emotion clouded those words—pride and regret. The latter sank a hook into her heart. “She explained. She’s an amazing woman.”
    For the first time since she’d walked into the room, the prince smiled—truly smiled—and the warmth in it kindled heat in her belly. “She is. My only regret is the family did not know about her before the last several months. She holds no grudge against us, though I do. She believes you are a fantastic asset—her exact word was ‘perfect.’”
    His giving voice to someone else’s compliment shouldn’t have filled her with such an irrational sense of joy, but the swell of it punctured the outrage that fueled her earlier flight. “Mrs. Voldakov and I spent several hours chatting about her hopes for the project. I agree with her sentiment. It’s a worthy cause and it provides a much-needed boost for those who might have to forgo further education because of financial hardship. I am intimately acquainted with the struggles of low-income families and those struggles are only magnified for foster children who lack the basic support structure for success.”
    If not for her own scholarships, she would likely be working in the same diner as her mother or the mechanic shop with her father. One of six children, Anna knew her parents’ resources had been stretched to the breaking point. She’d saved her family money and still managed to chase her dreams.
    Well , some of them...
    “You worked hard for your scholarships. You pushed away personal commitments to achieve the grades you needed...” The prince stepped toward her.
    “Thank you.” All the moisture in her mouth dried up. “I had support. This scholarship—the foundation it can become—can provide that support to so many others. I know what it means to need.”
    He stopped at the edge of his desk and put a hand on the wooden edge. “You weren’t recruited for this position. You applied. Why leave the organization you worked for to come to this one?”
    The question puzzled her. Directors of large corporations moved around frequently. “It’s an excellent opportunity.”
    “It is hours of intensive labor, compliance restrictions and paperwork. Your previous project, Hart’s House, provided support for abuse victims, educational and relocation opportunities, and you opened over fifty different establishments in major cities across the United States in the last five