His Royal Prize by Katherine Garbera

couldn’t make herself use those abbreviations.
    The cabbie pulled up in front of the office and she stepped out of the car. As the cab pulled away, she caught a glimpse of herself in the plate-glass doors of Everest Air offices. She thought she looked very nice today, if she did say so herself. She hoped Geoff would think so, too.
    She slung her Coach bag over her shoulder and walkedtoward the building. The door opened as she approached and a tall, blond man walked out.
    “Hello.”
    She smiled at him. “Hi.”
    “Can I help you?” he asked.
    “I’m here to see Geoff Devonshire.”
    “Just my luck. I’m Grant, Geoff’s second-in-command,” he said, holding his hand out to her.
    “Amelia Munroe,” she said, taking off her glasses and taking his hand.
    “You are even prettier in person than you are in your pictures.”
    “I won’t keep you,” she said graciously. He had that look in his eyes—the one that made her suspect he’d seen her YouTube video.
    “I’ll show you up to Geoff’s office,” Grant offered.
    She couldn’t think of a polite way to decline so she went into the building. The security guard, however, came to her aid.
    “I’ll need some ID, please, and to confirm your appointment with Mr. Devonshire.”
    “She’s with me, Will,” Grant said to the security guard. “This is Ms. Amelia Munroe.”
    “There are no exceptions, Grant. You know that.”
    Grant looked at his watch and then smiled at Amelia. “I’ll leave you in Will’s hands. It was very nice to meet you.”
    Grant left and Amelia was relieved to see him go. Being the woman that she was, Grant’s reaction was one she was used to. But now that she was trying to keep a low profile for Geoff’s sake, it had made her feel a bit odd to have a man staring at her like that.
    “I’m not sure if I’m on his calendar yet. We spoke this morning,” she said to the guard.
    “You are in fact expected. But I need to see your ID and verify that he is in before I send you up.”
    She nodded and handed him her photo ID, thinking about the conversation she and Geoff were about to have. She had sent a message to Auggie this morning telling him that she was going to explain his absence by saying he was on a research trip to check out some of the newer Munroe Hotels. He had yet to get back to her, but she knew her brother would be more than happy to travel to the latest hotel opening and report back on its success.
    She thought that moving him out of the executive offices and into a public role would be the best solution to Auggie’s boredom and the board’s impatience with him.
    Now she just had to figure out how to convince them both that the solution she’d come up with would work. But she was confident she could do it, especially if she and Geoff could work out a partnership deal. The board would be ecstatic at the thought of a joint venture with an Everest company. It was a win-win situation.
    “Here you go, Ms. Munroe,” Will said, handing back her ID. She tucked it into her wallet while he called Geoff’s office. And it was then that she realized she didn’t know his numbers—any of them. He knew her address, but that was it.
    She’d spent the night with him and she had no idea where he lived or how to get in touch with him. And that was a very weird feeling.
    How was she going to ask for his number without appearing clingy?
    This was uncharted territory for her and she had absolutely no idea how to react. What was it she was supposed to do?
    “You are cleared to go up, Ms. Munroe,” Will said. He pushed a button under his desk and the glass door leading into the elevator area buzzed. She walked over to it and opened it.
    She went to the elevator, reminding herself that Geoff had suggested this. He wanted to see her. She knew he’d be thrilled that she wanted to pursue the partnership. She just had to relax and enjoy being with him. But in the back of her mind was that fear—that it wouldn’t last.
     
    Geoff looked