When the Night Falls: A Day At Court

THEODORE

Protective: having or showing a strong wish to keep someone or something safe from harm.

I sat in the throne room, half-successfully shaking off thoughts of Jasmine, as our advisers and specialists informed everyone on the new decrees. It felt like the most pointless meeting in the world compared to what we’d just been doing.

I noticed my leg tapping, thoughts of my wife swirling about in my mind, and placed a hand over it to stop it. She always drove me crazy, but lingering on the edge so much recently, with so many distractions, felt unbearable.

I wanted to stop her from leaving, to pull her in, and continue fucking, but she had an important job. I stopped myself from overthinking about it too much, or I’d begin to feel bitter.

A surge of guilt went through me, and I pinched the skin between my eyebrows.

You have no right to feel bitter about this, I thought, ~she’s off doing important things that could change the country, and you’re here thinking about fucking her.~

I finally forced myself to tap back into the conversation at hand. It was business as usual, however it seemed that lately, there was more and more talk about the new Prime Minister, Hugo Marie.

He was nothing like our former Prime Minister, who I never thought I would say I missed. But Hugo Marie was a staunch pro-Republican. He had no idea what Jasmine and I stood for, or who we were, but he continuously lumped us in with the rest of my family.

“The Prime Minister would like to meet with you, soon, to introduce himself,” Michelle, my attache, told me.

“Oh, he would, would he?” I asked rhetorically. “Go ahead and schedule it,” I instructed her. She nodded, scribbling notes into her clipboard.

Though I found the idea of him and what he stood for rather annoying, I knew this was one of the obstacles Jasmine and I were anticipating. And it was up to us to make the people of our country feel safe and secure.

This was something Jasmine had been adamant about. She didn’t want conflict, and without being too idealistic about things, she was certain there could be a common understanding amongst the two sides.

I loved this about her. She brought so much hope and levity to everything, but always alongside determination and a keen focus for what we stood for.

Looking at the polling, it was still quite evident a quiet majority of French people still very much supported the monarchy— at least they seemed to be very fond of Jasmine. And I knew exactly why. She was a fresh face with an entirely new set of morals and values.

She walked the walk, and lived by her convictions. She began with small changes, and I knew her and Pierre had recently been drawing up plans for much larger ones.

The people of France were lucky to have her, as was I.

It was only a few bad apples that wanted to abolish the crown. I was irritated at the very idea of meeting with someone like Prime Minister Hugo Marie; I knew that our people didn’t want a republic.

Ripping me from my ruminating thoughts, I’d noticed the reading of the decrees had ceased, and that one of my men had his finger pressed to his ear, receiving information over his radio. Immediately, my blood began pumping, and something inside me told me it was about Jasmine.

“What’s going on?” I insisted.

Nodding his head, he turned to me, “Monsieur, we have just received an alert that a numerous pro-Republican protest group has surrounded the orphanage that Queen Jasmine is helping rebuild.”

Of course. These anti-crown assholes knew no boundaries. I stood from my throne, a deep sense of protectiveness and worry hurling through my body.

I knew she was smart and capable, but my instinct overcame me, and that didn’t matter.

“Get Jasmine out of there. I want her home. Now.”

JASMINE

I wondered what was so urgent that I needed to immediately whisk myself away from such a tense and potentially constructive moment. As we pulled into the palace drive, I saw Theo leaning against one of the marble columns, clearly awaiting my arrival.

He walked up to the limousine, opening the door himself, and I watched as a wave of relief washed over his face.

Though I didn’t know what he was relieved for, something about the sun beaming behind him made my stomach settle, too. He looked radiant. It was admittedly good to be back home and with him.

“Is everything okay?” I asked him, not realizing how much I had missed him.

“You tell me!” he chuckled when he noticed that I seemed totally fine. “We heard about the protestors showing up to the orphanage—did they do anything to you?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” I replied, seeing now that he must have thought all five bodyguards, the driver, the bulletproof glass of the limousine, and Pierre had all failed to protect me. I withheld my own chuckle; I knew it was only because he cared so much.

“Good,” he exhaled, pulling me into a hug, his big hands wrapped around my waist. “These pro-Republican people are dangerous. We have to fight back against them. They’re not going to get away with this.”

“I understand. I’m safe, my love. I think these protestors have misguided anger, for sure. But listen—” I said, kissing him on the cheek, “Pierre and I still have lots of work to do, since we were interrupted. I’ve got to figure out how we can get around these protestors.”

Theo kissed me on my forehead, and I could tell he was stifling a groan. The only thing that miffed him more than anti-crown protestors was the idea that I would ever be in harm’s way. But I knew what I was doing.

“I love you,” I told him, batting my eyelashes to ease his agitation. He visibly relaxed.

“I love you. Go get ‘em.”

I walked away with the sense that the issue at hand was a bit more convoluted than we’d maybe thought. I was in no way siding with the protestors, but a part of me couldn’t get rid of the thought that maybe they just thought that Theo and I were going to be the same as Queen Olympe and Prince Jacques.

But we were nothing like the old king and queen. I just had to show it.

***

A part of me wished to have stayed with Theodore for a bit longer, but the protestors had really thrown a wrench in things. Children with no roof over their heads proved to be quite urgent.

We swiftly made our way to our favorite meeting area; a room overlooking the gardens, with a long, oak conference table in the middle.

I took off my blazer, hanging it on the back of my chair, despite Pierre’s reaching for it so that he could hang it. Pierre was always reaching to place my belongings for me, still not used to my self-sufficiency, so he opted for pulling out my chair instead.

Despite him considerably chilling out over the years, I just had to let him have these things, sometimes, or I think he would simply implode.

I brainstormed for a moment as we were poured our afternoon tea. Stirring my cup, I had a realization.

“We’ve obviously got to figure out how to get our construction underway. I’m wondering if we just don’t put the royal name on the project. I can work in relative anonymity,” I suggested.

Pierre, likewise stirring his tea, raised an eyebrow as if to say, “say more.”

“Well,” I started, “I think they’re mostly at odds with the project because it is associated with the monarchy, right?”

“I think we can safely assume so.”

“But this isn’t really about us, is it? It’s about the children. They need homes, period. It’s quite simple.”

Pierre seemed to be following.

“So if it’s just about helping orphaned kids, the protests should stop, right?”

***

I was feeling confident about the meeting I’d had with Pierre and strode down the corridor, my mind racing with ideas for how we would progress. I guess I had been expecting a little more pushback from him, but he was quite agreeable, so I was going to get to turn in earlier.

Thoughts of Theodore flooded my insides as I got ready for bed. Maybe he’d gotten the chance to wrap up his meetings at a reasonable time, too, and we would be able to finish what we’d started this morning.

But as I pushed open the bedroom door, I found it empty. Theo must have gotten pulled into another meeting about the new Prime Minister. If I wasn’t longing to pick up where we left off, imagining his hands all over me, I’d have wished to be a fly on the wall in whatever decisions were currently being made.

My eyes washed over the lonely sight then I turned to hang my silk robe on the door. So much was keeping us so busy, but I was determined not to let this diminish my spirit. All things considered, I had made a great headway today.

I went to climb into bed, and my hands landed on something.

Beneath my manicured nails was a gorgeous set of black lingerie, laid out with rose petals.

Oh, now I see what’s going on.

The beautiful, deep colors and the long, silky ribbons streaming off of its pieces nearly took my breath away as I realized Theodore had been thinking what I was thinking. I blushed, though I knew I was alone.

At least, for now.

Before I was even undressed, butterflies erupted inside of me, and the familiar, excited warmth crept up between my thighs. A giggle escaped my lips as I considered his forethought and playfulness. It was as if he were a master at some kind of remote foreplay.

Every other thought of the day fled my mind as I imagined what Theo would do to me in this set.

There was something attractively masculine about his confidence in picking gifts like this out for me. Where many men would shy away from making their own selections, Theodore’s tastes and inclinations were a massive turn-on for me, and I relished in his generosity, thoughtfulness, and care.

I loved seeing myself through his mind’s eye. It made me feel ten times sexier. Imagining him, imagining me, sent waves of desire all throughout my deepest parts.

As if Theo were watching me, I slowly undressed, letting my breath slow to savor the moment of the surprise. There is a part about being a woman that makes us picture being beheld by a man in our private moments.

Our imaginations run wild, and the arousal of performance excites us deeply.

I lit some of our dark red taper candles, placing them around the room, inhaling their delicious, musky scent. I wanted to set the scene, both for me to wait in and for him to walk into.

I could almost feel his fingers pulling the straps into place, gently snapping them against my skin, as I climbed into bed. He wasn’t even here yet, and I could already feel inside of me a dam beginning to form, with waves just begging to crash over it.

I had no idea when he would be here, or if perhaps he already was. The anticipation was torturous. What if he was watching me now, from some secret hiding place? What if he was still in some meeting—was he thinking about me the way I was thinking about him? How was he even able to concentrate?

Before my mind could wander too far, I heard the familiar footsteps striding distantly down the corridor. Something stirred within me, and each click onto the marble floor sent a shiver down my spine. It had been years, but still, nothing titillated me the way he could.

The door to our bedroom slowly opened, and Theo’s large figure appeared. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. I guess when you’re King, no one can tell you that you have to wear clothes in your own castle. I almost lost my breath at the sight of his body and his gorgeous face in the candlelight.

I watched as his eyes took in every bit of me, enamored with the way I looked in the lingerie he had picked out. He softly bit his lower lip, as if preparing to consume me.

For a moment, I thought he planned to torture me further by waiting in the doorway, but he hastily made his way over to me, cupping my face into his hands and sending his lips soaring into mine.