Acting Royal #Wattys2017

23

ZAYN

She was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. His imagination had not done her the slightest bit of justice. And he had been thinking about her a lot.

Their eyes met when she was halfway down the stairs. He lit up, as if a switch had been turned on inside him.

"You look incredible." He walked up to her as she reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Thank you." Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, making her even more beautiful.

"I see you're wearing my birthday present." He adjusted the necklace, as the clasp had worked its way around to the front. "But are you wearing my other birthday present." His heart beat rose just thinking about it.

"You'll just have to wait and see." She teased him with a wink.

"I don't like waiting for anything." He had his hand on her back now and was rubbing it, looking for telltale signs of the corset. Suddenly, he felt it through her dress and it excited him beyond belief. To know that under that dress she was wearing the lingerie he'd had bought her, only for him to take it off later, was enough to drive him wild.

He had no idea how he was going to keep his hands off her for the duration of the party. He only hoped they would be able to get away early, and not have to stand around talking boring politics, or stock markets for too long. He hated these kinds of affairs. However, he could acknowledge that they were probably necessary; they kept the coffers full, and the political landscape healthy. And when he was King, he would have to do a lot of this. But he would never inflict it upon his children, no, they would have whatever messy, bright, sugary, non-catered birthday party their hearts desired. He wouldn't rob them of their childhoods, like he'd been robbed of his. He'd let them go to school, make friends, experience first kisses and dates and teenage heartbreaks- all the things children growing up were entitled to. But right now he had a duty to perform.

"We're going to have to mingle..." He said to Jenny, although he hated the thought of having to share her with anyone, even for a second. He grabbed a canapé from a butlers tray as it floated by and popped it into his mouth.

"Well you are the guest of honor." Jenny said wiping a crumb away from the corner of his mouth. It was so intimate and he smiled at her. He could get very, very used to this.

JENNY

Jenny couldn't remember half the people she met. But she suspected that she'd kissed the cheeks of some of the most powerful people in the world. She had recognized one as a politician from someone (she wasn't very up-to-date with world politics) She recognized someone else too... wasn't he the guy that was always getting into trouble for racing his Ferraris and Lamborghinis up and down the street?

And she definitely recognized her. Jenny knew she was a member of some European royal family, don't ask her which country though. But she'd definitely seen the woman's face on the front cover of some kind of gossip magazine. She was absolutely gorgeous, but she was also staring at Jenny in a way that made her suspect she'd had something with Zayn. Jenny knew that look she was wearing on her face. It was the same look that she'd once given to her best friend the day she'd discovered she was sleeping with the man she loved.

She walked around trying not to wonder how many of the woman at this party had slept with Zayn because it was making her feel jealous and possessive in ways she'd never experienced. Not that Zayn was hers to posses, but the thought of him sleeping with so many woman, didn't make her feel great. And the thought of him sleeping with many more after her, made her feel even worse.

But she continued to walk and smile and talk and be polite. She showed off her ring to at least a dozen women who gasped and then began talking all about the three C's of diamonds; color, cut and clarity. She knew nothing of these things. They all then proceeded to tell her about the latest diamonds they'd all made their husbands buy them. She nodded. She laughed a lot at really bad jokes and nodded diligently when it seemed like someone was trying to say something important.

Finally, they reached the other end of the room. They'd greeted and chatted to all the people Zayn had needed to, and it had taken over an hour and a half until they were finally alone and able to sit down together. Her face felt sore from smiling and she was thirsty. At least she could see a cure for her thirst, and she reached for the bottle of spring water in front of her.

This was the first real chance she'd had to look around the ballroom. It was spectacular. Long tables, draped in colorful table clothes had been placed around the floor, creating a dance floor in the middle. A full orchestra sat on a raised platform and the whole place was drenched in candlelight. Hundreds and hundreds of candles helped to drown the palace in a soft warm light. Some were tall and freestanding, others were tiny and floating in large glass bowls of water. She was admiring the arrangement of flowers on the table in front of her when she felt a hand on her leg. It wasn't the casual feeling of a hand coming to rest on a leg either, but it was the feeling of a hand that wanted to do things to her.

She looked to Zayn and their eyes locked. She could see exactly what he was thinking and what he wanted. She held her breath as she felt his hand climb higher and higher, under her dress.

Surly he wasn't going to do this now? Here?

But clearly he was.