Acting Royal #Wattys2017

Chapter 4a

"Uh... so, okay..." Jenny stuttered, still looking at the ground. "I've read through the document and I think I'm as prepared as I can be, under the circumstances."

"Good." Zayn said, sounding pleased with himself.

"What about you?" Jenny felt another sting of anger she couldn't hold back. "Shouldn't you have also been reading up on me and getting to know me, your fake fiancé? Instead of sleeping the entire flight away." It had bothered her that he'd slept. How could someone sleep under the circumstances, clearly he had no conscious, because what he was doing was something that would keep her awake at night. She looked him square in the face and although his dark glasses kept his eyes out of sight, she could feel them boring into her.

"Probably." Zayne said with a smirk.

"Probably? Probably? Probably?" She repeated the word a few times for added effect. "You should really consider doing your side of things too, if this is going to work. It's irresponsible of you not to."

Zayn's smile grew, her sarcasm and anger seemed to have the opposite effect on him. It was highly infuriating. He took a step closer. He pulled the glasses from his face and the sight of those green eyes stopped her dead in her tracks. They locked onto her and the green haze was back. The floating feeling she got when looking into them. The feeling of being able to get lost in them and never finding herself again, was all back.

"Besides," Zayn moved towards her like a predator, "I've got plenty of time to get to know you." His voiced oozed with sex and charm it was a very, very dangerous combination.

Jenny shook her head and stepped away from him. "No. No Outside of this job, you and I are not sitting around having chats with each other like some kind of long lost friends. I will stand by your side and smile and do what I need to do, but that's it."

"That's very professional of you." Zayne's voice had a teasing quality to it. She didn't like it.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just glad I hired a professional for this job. That's all."

"Had I known what this job was, I would never have taken it. Trust me. There's nowhere I would rather not be that here...With you." Her words came out laced with venom.

At that, Zayne's shoulders tensed and his demeanor changed completely. "Well, you did take the job, Jenny, and I happen to be paying you a hell of a lot of money to do it. And now that you are here, you better take it very, very seriously!" His words came out cold and harsh and they frightened Jenny. But she was also offended by his implications.

"Hey! I take all my jobs very, very seriously." She spat. "I never go to an audition without researching the character and knowing exactly what I'm going to do. I always do my research and I do whatever it takes to get it right and make it believable, even if I don't like the role or my character. And that's why I need to do this..."

ZAYN

Suddenly and unexpectedly, she kissed him. It was only a small peck on the lips, but it was more than he could handle.

She pulled away and he touched his stinging lips that now tasted of her. "What was that for?"

"If we're going to be convincing as a couple, we need to have at least done that. Otherwise when we do, it'll look awkward and our cover could be blown."

"Well in that case..." without any more hesitation, he grabbed Jenny's face in his hands and pulled her towards him. His lips were burning for hers and he needed more. She had simply teased him with a taste, a small starter, now he needed his main course and his dessert.

He kissed her and it felt right. Every fiber in his body screamed for her, and best of all... she didn't resist. At first their lips locked in a gentle embrace, but soon his hunger overcame him and he parted her lips with his tongue, forcing his way inside. He ravenously pulled her closer, pressing his body against hers not caring that he was rock hard. She let out a little breathy whimper against his mouth that drove him mad and suddenly he felt her hands on his arms, her fingers digging into them. He deepened his kiss, until there was no space between them at all, but then...

He felt the sting of a hand across his face.

"Don't you dare." She shouted while backing away from him. "Don't you dare think you can take advantage of this situation. Just because you're paying me, doesn't mean you can do what you like with me. If you ever touch me like that again—"

"Hey, you kissed me first, and then you kissed me back." He was holding his stinging cheek, not entirely an unfamiliar sensation. Woman had slapped him before. Normally he found it vaguely amusing, but this time he didn't for some reason.

"No I didn't!" she snapped back at him going red in the face.

"I suppose I imaged that little moan then."

"I didn't moan." She fired back, going even redder in the face.

"Say whatever you like, Jenny. You kissed me back. You wanted that as much as I did. Admit it."

"I admit to no such thing."

"So you were just acting then your tongue was in my mouth and your fingers were digging into my arms?" he knew she was lying, but he was enjoying teasing her. That red-faced, deer in the headlights, panicked look she had going on right now was driving him mad and it made him want her even more.

"Are you always like this?" she asked with a tremor in her voice.

"Like what?"

"So awful." She spat the words at him with total disdain and they hurt more than he could explain.

"Did you know that striking a member of the royal family is a criminal offence, I could have you arrested for this." He saw the fear well up in her pretty blue eyes and he regretted saying it the second the words were out his mouth. Why the hell had he said that?

Jenny's manner changed. Her jaw tensed, her blue eyes narrowed and a deadpan look washed over her once animated face. "Please accept my sincere apology, Your Majesty." She turned away from him and climbed into the car.

He'd never heard those words "Your Majesty" spoken with such disdain. And it cut him to the quick.