Page 49 of His Kingdom

“Stop! Don’t you dare make me cry!” I warn as I finally release my grip to look my friend up and down.

She’s wearing a denim dress. It’s fitted, her breasts popping out of the neckline, and she’s paired it with white converse high-tops. Sounds casual, but Evie makes even the most-casual outfit look elegant. She’s slightly taller than I am, and thinner too. My friend is a beauty queen, like alegitbeauty queen. She’s won pageant after pageant. Her mother forced her into competing until Evie turned twenty and decided to say no more. Her long strawberry-blonde hair hangs in curls down to her waist and her face is perfectly made up.

Evie might have left the pageant world behind, but some habits neverlefther. Like refusing to go out without being perfectly put together. She’s just flown across the country, and you wouldn’t know it. I glance down at my cutoff denim shorts and the black t-shirt I borrowed from Louie’s closet. I look like shit in comparison.

“You look amazing, as always,” I tell Evie.

“And you look like you’ve just had sex.” She raises her eyebrows at me. “Oh my god!” She covers her mouth and squeals. “You just had sex.”

“Shhh!” I clamp a palm over her face. “I don’t need all of Nevada to hear what a crappy person I am,” I tell her.

I drop my hand and Evie shakes her head. “Why on earth would having sex make you a crappy person?”

“Because I was supposed to be married, remember? Runaway bride.” I point to myself. “And here I am, shacking up with some guy I just met.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the man you’re shacking up with and he’s not justsome guy.” Evie smirks. “He’s some insanely hot, tall, dark, sexy, and dangerous guy.” Her eyebrows waggle up and down. “Besides, you and Owen were over well before you walked out on the wedding. And we both know it.”

She’s not wrong. I guess I was in some kind of denial for months, if not a full year before the wedding. “It doesn’t matter. I was still engaged not even a week ago.”

“Pfft… no one cares,” Evie says. “Now, are we going to stand here all day and argue about whether or not you should or should not be having sex, or should we go and stash my bag somewhere and then find a bar?”

“Come on.” I grab Evie’s suitcase from the ground. And as soon as I do, a man in a suit steps up and takes it from me.

“Miss, Mr. Giuliani sent me to help you with your bags,” he says.

“It’s one bag,” I tell him. “I think we can manage.”

“All the same, ma’am, it’s my pleasure to help.” The guy nods. Turns and starts towards the elevator.

“Talk about service,” Evie says, linking her arm with mine. “Guess there are perks to sleeping with the owner.”

“Shh.” I elbow her in the side. “The orgasms are perks enough, believe me,” I tell her quietly.

Once the bellman leaves—after refusing to accept my tip, mind you—I show Evie around before escorting her to the suite where she’ll be staying.

“This is nice, like really nice,” she says. “Okay, this…” Her hand waves up and down my body. “…isn’t going to cut it.” She smiles.

“No.” I shake my head. I know exactly what she’s thinking. She wants to make me over. It’s one of her favorite things to do. As much as she hated the pageant world, Evie loved the glam of it.

“Yes,” she says with a big smile, while the sound of the door opening has my eyes widening. There is literally only one person who could be walking in right now. Louie.

“Wait here,” I tell Evie as I rush towards the entrance. Only to stop dead in my tracks.Okay, so maybe there’s more than one person who is able to help themselves into this room.“Babysitting duties again?”

“Something like that. Boss has made reservations for you and your friend at Olives,” Sammie tells me.

“Olives?”

“It’s a bar downstairs,” he says.

“Oh, cool. Tell the boss I saidthanks.” I go to turn back to the room when I run into Evie.

“Hey, I’m Evie, and you are?” She holds out a hand to Sammie.

“Sammie.” He takes her palm with a glint in his eye. “Pleasure to meet you.”

I look between the two of them before asking, “WhereisLouie?”

“Ah, he had a meeting,” Sammie tells me.

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