Page 72 of To Claim A King
“Nope, we’re headed to work.” I tossed a nod toward Kellan as the steamy espresso hit the bottom of my coffee cup with a satisfying hiss. “Maybe you can taste Aaron’s banana.”
Aaron’s face crinkled into one of disgust. “Please do not refer to my manhood as a banana.” His beautifully pouty lips pursed, rich and pink against the dark stubble along his jawline. “I am a jackfruit, at the very least.”
Lucky burst into laughter, and I held back a snicker when Kellan stood from his place at the dining table, trying, and failing, to hold back his own amusement.
“Enough cock talk,” he ordered, ever the commander. “We’re taking the plane into Manila, and headed to Bangkok. Should be a short assignment. Do you guys need anything while we’re there?”
We’d purchased a small biplane to island hop quicker than the boat, and we’d all gotten our licenses to fly it, but Kellan enjoyed it the most. Since we’d taken on a few side jobs, the plane was our most useful tool for travel.
Our other two men didn’t miss a beat. Their assignments were likely waiting for them in their inbox.
“Ooooh, some Red Rubies, please.” Lucky smacked his lips for emphasis, his love for the Thai treats on full display.
“I will take some chai tea,compañero.” Aaron answered thoughtfully. “And some more soap. They are pretty.”
My tender, romantic killing machine. My heart.
I poured the steamed milk into the waiting espresso and made myself a pretty picture of a heart before downing thehot liquid in three large pulls. Kellan was right. We had a busy day ahead of us, and time was not on our side.
Placing the mug in the sink, I strode over to Aaron’s still-seated form and kissed him hard. “I love you,caballero oscuro. See you soon.”
“Be safe,Mi Reina. I will love you when you return.”
“Love you, Blondie.” Lucky smiled at me when I came over to give him his farewell kiss. “Give them hell.”
“Always.” He kissed me gently this time, a slow promise of what was to come when I returned. When he pulled back, I was breathless and disheveled, just as he’d intended.
“Brat,” Kellan admonished, standing behind me to claim his own kiss from Lucky. “She can’t be thinking of you when she’s pretending to be married to me.” He leaned down and took the lead on his goodbye kiss, leaving Lucky gasping for air and palming down his half hard cock when he pulled away.
“I’ll see you later.” He smirked victoriously before stalking off to the bedroom to grab our packs for the trip.
“See you…” Lucky stared dumbly after him, bested at his own game. Aaron and I indulged him, but Kellan enjoyed his power over his pet more days than not.
I followed him to get myself ready. It was time to become a Queen.
The plane ride from Manila to Bangkok felt shorter this time. It was only our third assignment, and our second to Bangkok, but each trip spiked my adrenaline and rehydrated my thirst for blood.
Several months ago, the four of us had been struggling to adapt to our new lifestyle. After years of holding powerful roles of authority and living lives filled with stress and activity, the island life hadn’t sat well with any of us—at least, not the way we’d been living it. The peace was abeautiful change of pace, but it had lost its meaning when we had nothing to contrast it with.
Lucky had finally admitted it one night under a star-filled sky as we all lay on the beach after a fantastic foursome session: “I’m a miserable feck for saying I’m a bit bored, aren’t I?”
Turns out, we all were a bit bored—a bittoosecure. That admission turned into a strategy session. What was it the four of us could do, and do well, while still maintaining our tiny plot of paradise?
Aaron and I didn’t want to run Fortune 500 companies anymore, and the thought of opening a small business in a foreign country hadn’t appealed to either of us. Lucky’s skills in software engineering could garner him a job somewhere, but the man would never commit to a 9-5 anything. Kellan had only known two jobs in his lifetime: law enforcement and cartel enforcer.
Serendipitously, one of his Interpol contacts reached out to him a few weeks later, asking for his consultation on a human trafficking case out of Southeast Asia. We’d all jumped at the opportunity to help, and our insight had been so effective he was asked to consult on another one in Cambodia, then another one in Vietnam. Our proximity to the hot-bed of human trafficking in the world lent itself to some in-person missions, and after several successful consultations, Kellan was asked to “bring his team in” for a chat.
We didn’t work directly for Interpol. We’d formed a subcontracting unit they discreetly hired for specific jobs, and we took on the assignments we could manage. We all took different roles on rotation, and tonight, Kellan and I were the contractors of choice.
So, here we were, attending a high-profile fashion event in the heart of Thailand. Interpol had received a tip-off several people would be trafficked here under the Royal Thai Police’s nose, and we were here to intercept the badguys by acting as a rich American couple in need of Thai silks and Tibetan lamb furs.
I’d been true to my word. I wasn’t getting married again in this lifetime. Besides, how could I choose which person to marry of my three men? Our commitment to each other was stronger than a ring or a promise in a church. We were blood bonded. Bonded through our histories of trauma. No other single soul in the universe could capture my attention like Aaron, Lucky, and Kellan. They were all I wanted, and all I needed. I slipped on the fake wedding band to go with our costume, anyway. Playing dress-up was fun, at least.
“Ready?” Kellan draped his arm around me as we stood at the entrance of the Siam Paragon. He was dressed in a navy fitted suit and crisp white shirt with his hair tied back in a loose bun, looking every bit the handsome Viking King.
“Ready,” I repeated, my silk pink mermaid dress trailing behind me as I walked up the red-carpeted stairs, donning a brilliant smile to play the part.
Tonight, evil would meet its match once again, and its match was me. The board was set, the players were ready. A King and Queen ready to be crowned the victors against the worst kinds of sins.
“Somchai,” my handsome companion called over the din of the crowd, beckoning our contact over. “Allow me to introduce you to my wife…”
Game on.
