Carla’s Prince

You can read Carla’s Prince free below.

Blurb:

A BWWM, billionaire, royal romance novel. Carla Gibson’s life as a private investigator is nothing short of ordinary… But when she crosses paths with Cristoff Benedict, the Prince of Denmark, her world is about to take a royal turn. Cristoff believes Carla is the perfect choice to unravel the mystery of theft plaguing the royal treasury.

But from the moment they meet, an undeniable magnetic force draws them together, paving the way for misunderstanding and drama that neither of them suspects… And soon doubt creeps in, leaving Carla questioning whether Cristoff’s affections are genuine, or if she’s setting herself up for heartbreak.

As their worlds collide and their differences threaten to create a divide, can love triumph over the obstacles they face? Or will their whirlwind romance become yet another casualty of circumstance? Get answers in this royalty romance book by J A Fielding.

Chapter 1

Thursdays were probably the worst days as far as Carla Gibson was concerned. It was a day so close to the weekend you could almost smell it but still far enough to remind you of everything you hated about Monday. In addition, every bad thing always seemed to happen on Thursdays. There was almost nothing good on TV and it was the one day she seemed to encounter every bad thing she had worked her entire life to avoid.

She stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. She raised an eyebrow as she ran her hands down the sides of her body as she shook her head. Somehow, the pants and shirt she had on were just not doing it for her. That was the other thing about Thursday, nothing seemed to look good on her. She took off the black pants she had on and pulled out a pair of light blue ones. She thought that maybe a brighter color was going to make her feel a little better about herself… and it did.

“That’s more like it,” she said to herself as she pulled up the zipper of her high waist pants. She pulled on a white vest and tucked into her jeans before putting on a pair of flat-sole ankle boots. Her straightened hair was held up in a loose bun, which was her go-to hairstyle for work. She got a black jacket and put it on before she looked at her reflection again. “Kicking Thursday’s butt,” she said, smiling.

She had a spring in her step as she made her way out of her room. She inhaled deeply and a smile played on her mouth. She had not realized it until that moment, but the apartment smelled like a Starbucks. Perhaps it was all the product she had been using but it did not matter at that moment. All she cared about was what she was having for breakfast.

“Oh damn, that smells good,” she thought as she made her way into the living room to find her roommate Brenda’s boyfriend Pete standing over the stove.

“Oh, just in time,” he said, smiling. “Just made a fresh pot of real coffee, not that stuff you have at work.”

“Arabica?” she asked.

“Yup. Dark roast Arabica coffee.”

“And is that extra crispy bacon?” Carla asked, smiling. Pete nodded as he took a casserole dish out of the oven.

“Have a seat. Brenda is still getting ready,” he said.

“Let me guess, hair?” Carla asked as she walked over to the table.

Pete nodded.

“If we were rich, and I am talking stupid rich, like Richard Branson rich or maybe royal family rich, Brenda’s obsession with her hair would be considered eccentric but since we are just ordinary people, she is just coo-coo pants.”

Carla smiled.

“Her hair should have its own space in this apartment.”

Pete laughed as he cut off a slice of the fresh frittata.

“Yeah, and pay rent too.”

Carla nodded.

“Totally.”

Brenda Haus, Carla’s friend and roommate, was ridiculously obsessed with her hair which paid off because the woman had lustrous hair that would put Kim Kardashian to shame but it was always interesting to make fun of how much time she spent on her hair every morning. Matter of fact, Carla and Pete always gave Brenda a one-hour head start because it was the only way she would ever be on time even though that plan was also not working so well for them.

“Spinach and pepper frittata with a side of extra crispy turkey bacon,” Pete said, placing a delicious looking plate in front of her. “Bon appétit.”

She smiled.

“Even though turkey bacon is not actually bacon, this still looks great, Pete. Thank you.”

“Well, it is healthier for you. That’s all that matters and you’re welcome,” he said as she took a bite of her frittata.

“What you said might be the most offensive thing to meat lovers all over the world but the taste of this frittata has me blinded.” She was closing her eyes as she took another bite. “If you mess up this thing with Brenda, I am going to go all Hannibal Lecter on you and get you all tied up in my basement.”

Pete laughed as he served the other two plates.

“You want to eat me?” he asked and she shook her head.

“No, I would have you tied up in the basement so that you can be my personal chef for life,” Carla said matter of factly and Pete shook his head as he set a place for Brenda before he sat down.

“One, Hannibal Lecter was a cannibal so your analogy is way off and two, you don’t have a basement.”

“I’ll have one when you and Brenda get a townhouse together,” she said when she bit into a piece of bacon just as Brenda walked into the room.

“What is this about staying in a basement?” she asked.

“Your best friend is going to stay with us forever, apparently,” Pete said.

“Yeah, he got me to eat bacon that is actually not bacon. Next thing, I will be eating quinoa salad and actually bragging about it,” Carla pointed out as Brenda sat down.

“Quinoa is actually not that bad,” Pete said as he took a bite of his own food.

Brenda and Carla shot him a dirty look.

“You are a chef. You are supposed to say that,” Brenda pointed out. “Yeah, just like I am supposed to swear by facial ice baths because I work at a fashion magazine or Carla swearing by stun guns.”

 Carla nodded.

“Preach,” she said in a soft voice before biting into another piece of bacon.

Brenda was a junior editor at a local up and coming fashion magazine while Pete was a chef at an Italian restaurant in town. The two had met at the magazine launch party and while Carla had always been a little skeptical about the kind of men Brenda dated, she was pleasantly excited about their relationship. Pete was not the typical kind of person Brenda usually dated. He was not a rich asshole who only cared about himself. Instead, he was a sweet person who was moderately comfortable as far as finances were concerned and what was even better about him, he was crazy about downsizing. He had actually helped both Brenda and Carla cut back on monthly expenses since they got together. They were having more meals at home rather than spending a fortune eating out and for once, Brenda was not rushing out to every sale that came on. She had actually found a way to be content with her closet which was actually bigger than most celebrities’ were. Carla was surprised how she managed her clothing storage in an apartment shared by two people and very recently, three people.

“So, Miss Gibson, you are looking especially awesome today. Anything we should know about?” Brenda asked and Carla shrugged.

“I am literally wearing a shirt and jeans. This.” She waved her hand over her body. “This is literally my everyday style.”

“It’s a compliment, Carla. Just take it and move on from this,” Pete whispered to Carla.

“You do realize that I am sitting right here, right?” Brenda asked. “I can hear you.”

Carla smiled and Pete laughed.

“Yeah, that was kind of the point, babe.”

Carla took a bite of her frittata and took a sip of her coffee.

“Well, not that it makes any difference but I just finished this case, the usual cheating spouse bull and I am just happy not to take photos of secret rendezvous.”

“Amen to that,” Pete said. “I mean, I hate cheating altogether but I am kind of excited that you don’t have to do that for a while.”

“Well, I am not sure about the next assignment. I mean, private investigation has a whole lot to do with marriages breaking. Cheating wives and husbands are kind of our bread and butter,” Carla explained. “I have no idea if I will be going after another marriage on the rocks or hunting down a person of interest in a case but this last one was just harder than I ever thought possible.”

“Kids involved?” Brenda asked in a low voice and Carla nodded.

“Yeah, two little kids. Four years and fifteen months.”

“Are you kidding me?” Pete asked. “That man is a son of a bi*ch…I mean, two kids who don’t even know what is going on?”

Carla took a sip of her coffee and shook her head.

“Actually, it was the wife, believe it or not.”

Pete and Brenda exchanged a look before they turned their attention to Carla.

“What?” Brenda said in a soft voice.