The Playboy's Princess Read Online Free Page B

come.
    Drew Malik
    aka “The Asshole”
    She stared at the letter and re-read it three times before she gave up trying to understand it. The letter didn’t confirm if he was Aaron Malik’s son, but one thing was for sure—this was the same Drew she’d written that letter to two weeks ago. Jade didn’t know whether to believe he’d had nothing to do with the ad. And she certainly couldn’t think of a reason why it would be advantageous for him to have a wife.
    But he was right about one thing: she was curious.

Chapter Three
    The Proposal
    T ONIGHT W AS T HE N IGHT . Jade still hadn’t decided if she was going to meet Drew or not. He’d said he’d be waiting for her, which in a way made her feel like she should go. She knew how bad it felt to be stood up. But did she really want to face a guy who thought of marriage as a joke? On the plus side, if he pissed her off, she could throw her coffee in his face—she’d always wanted to try that.
    Would she or wouldn’t she? Should she or shouldn’t she?
    Her mind was made up when she got home and stood naked in her bathroom for nearly ten minutes, waiting for the shower to get hot. Eventually she gave up and settled for a freezing cold shower. She couldn’t live like this anymore.
    As she toweled herself dry, her stomach rumbled loudly, and she sighed, knowing she didn’t have any food in the cupboard. She worked full time, but the majority of her wages paid her rent and tuition loans. There wasn’t a lot left over for luxuries like food. In his letter, Drew had said his proposition would benefit them both . Could she interpret that to mean that she would get some kind of payment for helping him?
    She changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater that didn’t have any holes and ran out the door before she changed her mind. She wasn’t sure if it made her a prostitute for offering a service for payment. It felt wrong. But she shook her head to clear the thoughts; she didn’t even know what he wanted from her. Surely it wasn’t sex. And she knew she wouldn’t do that anyway. She would rather starve.
    Her car door creaked as she opened it, and her heart clenched in the daily routine of would or wouldn’t the car start? She buckled her seat belt and rubbed her hands on the steering wheel.
    “Come on, Gertrude, you can do it,” she said as she turned the key.
    The car sputtered but came to life. Jade quickly put it into gear and pulled onto the street before the engine stalled.
    “Good girl!” She found it helped to encourage the car.
    Her mind raced the whole way to the Griddle Café. She’d heard of the place but never actually eaten there. There was a long line of people standing outside in small groups, chatting as they waited for a table. She checked in, giving her name, and followed the balding man as he led her into the tiny, crowded space, ignoring the grumbles of the other people in line. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of pancakes and coffee as she squeezed her way through the tables.
    She realized she didn’t even know who she was looking for. She scanned the room and saw several teenagers, some couples, an older man reading a book, and one guy sitting on his own who was about her own age. He looked familiar, the way a radio personality did…You’d seen their faces on billboards, but you didn’t know them personally. It was Drew Malik…the actor’s son. Shit!
    Slowly, she started to walk toward his booth while trying to casually smooth her hair. As she got closer, he smiled and stood up.
    “Are you Jade?” he asked.
    She nodded and sat down, in shock. She hadn’t actually expected the Drew Malik from the letter to be Drew Malik . What was she going to say to him?
    “I’m Drew,” he said, smiling, and held his hand out for her to shake.
    Jade moved her hand forward, almost hesitant to touch him. Drew was handsome, and not just normal guy-in-the-street-that-you-look-at-as-he-walks-by handsome. He was movie star handsome. His blue eyes