Page 24 of His Kingdom

“It would be my luck to find someone like you and then have you disappear,” she murmurs before quickly adding, “Shit. Not that I intend to keep you or anything. Or that this is, well, more.”

“It could be more,” I tell her.

What the fuck am I doing?I should kick her out and erase this fucking fixation I have with her. She’s going to be a liability. Everyone in my line of work knows you don’t keep anyone around you can’t afford to lose. It’s why I’ve never been the relationship type of guy.

“You don’t even know me, and as you’ve seen, I’m a mess.” Charlotte turns towards the window, walking over and staring down at the city below us. “Is it always this busy here?”

“Always,” I say, standing next to her, my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching out to touch her. I need to slow down, for her sake. I’m not usually a patient man. I don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks.

I have a feeling that method isn’t going to work with Charlotte, though. And I don’t know if this fascination is going to wear off. Or just get worse. It’s almost like an illness. The more time I spend with her, the more I want her.

“It’s nothing like home,” Charlotte says.

“What’s home like?” I turn to look at her. I wonder if she’s homesick already.

“Suffocating,” she says on a long exhale. “Here, I don’t feel trapped. There’s something freeing about just being part of the crowd, you know.”

“I’ve only ever lived here,” I admit.

“Oh, are your parents here too?” she asks me.

“My parents are dead.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” Charlotte’s face drops, sympathy written all over it.

“Don’t be. I don’t remember them,” I lie. I don’t remembermy father. I never knew who he was. But I remember my mother. That’s not something I want to talk about right now, though. Or burden Charlotte with.

“I’m sorry. So you don’t have any family?”

“I have Sammie and Carlo. They’re about as close to family as I need,” I explain.

“Well, maybe one day you’ll have your own family,” Charlotte suggests.

The memory of the empty pill packet left on the counter in her room flickers through my mind. Guess that family won’t be starting just yet.

“Maybe,” I say at the same time the doorbell rings through the penthouse. “That’ll be dinner. Come sit down.” I take Charlotte’s hand and lead her over to the table before going and opening the door.

“Sir.” The waiter nods at me. “Where would you like it?”

“Dining room. Thanks.” I pull a hundred out of my pocket.

I treat my staff well. I make sure they’re paid decent and I always make an effort to be polite. I find they stay loyal when they’re treated well. Don’t get me wrong, there’s also a healthy amount of fear that I make sure remains firmly in place amongst the staff. They know who I am. They know what I’m capable of.

Once the waiter leaves, I start taking the silver domes off the plates. “Are you expecting more people?” Charlotte questions.

“I have you here. Why the fuck would I need anyone else?” I ask her.

“This is a lot of food, Louie.” She laughs.

I pause my movements and look at her, listening to the sound of her laugh. “I didn’t know what you’d like,” I tell her when she looks up at me.

“Okay, next time, maybe ask? Because there’s no way we’re going to be able to eat it all. It seems wasteful,” she says.

It is, but when you’ve come from not having any food, it’s always a good thing to have too much. I don’t say that, though.

“Okay, next time, I’ll ask.” I sit down across from her.

“Am I taking you away from your work? I really am okay now. I know I was… Well, before I was… I just wasn’t expecting you to come back. If I’d known, I would have tried harder to keep my shit together.”

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