Page 107 of American Royalty

She slid him a look. “Judging by the number of female glances I’m getting, I think you’re going to be too busy.”

Lester appeared by her side, inserting himself back into their conversation. “I heard your latest single. Is the video coming soon?”

“I filmed it a couple of months ago. It went up last week.”

“The video won’t be the only thing coming when he sees it,” Liam said under his voice.

She elbowed him in the side.

But she had to admit she was grateful when someone else claimed Lester’s attention.

“Looks like the money they used to renovate the place paid off,” Kay said, taking a sip from her drink and glancing around.

“You’ve been here before?” Dani asked.

“Plenty of times. Especially when Prince John was alive. He was a great guy. Smart as a whip. And sensitive. He really cared about the environment way before it was popular to say so. That’s why I was happy to participate when they asked me.”

“Things were definitely different back then,” Bobby said, joining their conversation.

“He didn’t mind being in the background. And he was all about the children. None of that fragile male ego bullshit,” Kay said.

Dani loved her for saying that and for the fact that she said it not even caring that most of the people they were currently talking to were men.

“I don’t know what he would do about Julian and Bettina,” Bobby said. “It’s not like they were angels, but they knew better than to act out in the press like this.”

Kay nodded. “They’re too old for this shit. John wouldn’t have stood for it.”

A woman who’d been standing next to another musician—Mona maybe?—said, “I heard the queen was even considering passing over Julian in favor of abdicating to Catherine.”

“That’s why they were desperate to do this,” Bobby said. “This is probably the most consistent, best piece of press the Firm has gotten in a long time.”

“The Firm?” Dani asked.

Bobby nodded, a hint of condescension on his face. “It’s the little name they’ve given themselves. Only for those in the know.”

“Smart of her to have Jameson front and center,” Mona said, a blush breaking through her heavily made up and contoured cheeks.

When she heard Jameson mentioned, Dani’s heart began to beat in her chest.

“If it was one of the others, the press would be too busy asking questions about their numerous scandals,” Kay said. “They’d never be able to focus on the prince’s good works and all of his causes.”

“And this new one is so fresh I can see the dew on his skin,” Bobby said, definite interest in his voice.

It was like thatSeinfeldepisode. Her worlds were colliding.

Dani suddenly realized that though she knew who he was, she’d been thinking about him as hers. Her smart, sexy, funny professor, who just happened to be a member of the royal family. But he wasn’t just hers.

God, she was selfish. She’d been thinking about this event and how it would affect her. What it was going to do to her life. But what about his life? She knew how he felt about the spotlight. Now he would be soaked in it. And it would only get more intense this week. Suddenly, she worried about him.

She knew why he was doing this. But did he know what he was getting himself into?

An actual trumpet blared before a string quartet, set up on a dais she hadn’t noticed earlier, began to play.

“Speak of,” Mona murmured.

A man wearing black and white garb straight out of a historical novel appeared in front of a microphone and stand.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales...”