Page 7 of His Kingdom

“Now.” I cut the call as I enter the elevator. When I walk into my own suite, Sammie is waiting for me. Nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. “Why the fuck are you naked in my apartment?” I ask him.

“Because some grouchy fucker pushed my ass into the pool.” He points at me.

“You deserved it.” Walking past him, I head for the wet bar by the window. The penthouse has views over the strip, the floor-to-ceiling glass now lit up with activity. I’ve always loved the hustle of this city.

“So, Charlotte? Where’d she come from and why are you hiding her?” Sammie asks.

“She’s nobody, and I’m not hiding anyone.” I turn and stare out the window.

“Nobody, huh? You never cared if I looked at an almost-nakednobodybefore,” he counters.

“I was being respectful. You should try it sometime.” My glass reaches my lips as Sammie’s laugh echoes off the walls.

“Yeah, respectful, good one. When have you ever wanted to be respectful to a woman?” His hand slaps my shoulder.

“Don’t touch me when you’re fucking naked.” I shove him aside, turn back to the wet bar, and refill my glass.

“I wouldn’t be naked if I didn’t get pushed in the fucking pool,” he grunts.

“Is there an actual reason you’re here?” I ask him.

“Yeah, asshole, it’s called being a friend.You should try it sometime,” he snaps.

If anyone else spoke to me like that, they’d have a bullet in their head before they could blink. Lucky for Sammie, he’s one of the few people I actually tolerate.

“I’ve heard it’s overrated,” I tell him.

“Yeah, sure. Are you going to mope around here all night or come out?”

“I’m not moping, and I’m also not going out tonight,” I say.

“Suit yourself.” Sammie shrugs, and I think he’s finally giving up and going to leave me in peace. “So, where’d Charlotte come from?”

My brows draw down at him. “Why are you so interested in Charlotte?”

“Because you are, so where’d you meet her?”

“Downstairs. She was sitting at the bar alone. I talked to her and she wanted to go swimming. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal? Okay, so you’re just going around talking to random patrons and taking them swimming now?”

“It’s my pool. If I want to let someone in it, I will. I also don’t answer to you.” I point a finger at him as the whiskey in my glass sloshes against the side of the crystal tumbler.

“Again, it’s called being a friend.” Sammie shakes his head. “I’m borrowing some clothes, since you destroyed mine.” He walks off towards my bedroom, while I make my way into my office.

I don’t know who this Charlotte is, but I’m intrigued enough to find out. So I fire up my laptop, log in to the guest details, and locate her reservation. It’s easy to dig up information on people, but it’s even easier when you have their full name, their date of birth, and their home address at your fingertips.

ChapterFour

Three blissful seconds. That’s how long of a reprieve I got when I woke up. For three short seconds, I forgot where I was. I forgot why I’m here, and I forgot the image of my fiancé fucking my sister on the eve of our wedding.

My eyes burn with tears I refuse to let out. I will not let him reduce me to that girl. I’m going to take the weekend, and then I’ll go home with my head held high.

Maybe… Or running away to Canada is always an option.

In a way, I should be grateful to Owen. He made my decision to call off the wedding not seem so selfish. I really thought I’d be breaking his heart as well as the hearts of our family and friends who’ve supported us throughout our relationship. A relationship that I now know was nothing but a lie.

How long has he been sleeping with Melanie? And why did he have to pickher? My sister. Of all the women in our town, he chose my sister to cheat on me with. The last person I thought would ever do anything to hurt me. I can’t remember a time where it wasn’t Melanie and me against the world. We were as close as two sisters could get. Ride or die. Or at least I thought we were…

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