King:Las Vegas Bad Boys(11)

"Yeah, I'm not sure what time yet. Does leaving," I point to Sophia's head, "make me an awful person?"

"You're not an awful person, Mama," Sophia says with her mouth full of donut.

"No, your Mama is a perfect person. And she deserves to be happy. To smile. And she gets to go on a vacation with her friend."

I breathe a huge sigh of relief at her words. My mom is able to make me  leaving as un-dramatic as possible, and I appreciate it. I was about to  make it this huge ordeal that neither of us would recover from.

"Mama doesn't have friends," Sophia says, laughing. "She just has us."

I finish the braid and pat the top of her head, trying to not let her  words hit me too hard in the chest. Mom watches me sadly, probably able  to use X-ray vision to see the lump that seems to have formed in my  throat, the tears insisting on springing to my eyes. She's mentioned  plenty of times that I'm too protective, too private. That I need to  bring my friends around and let them into my life.

The thing is, if I let people in, they might hurt me. And I don't want  that, I don't think I can even handle that. Not after everything with  Sophia's dad.

So I keep people at arm's length. That way no one can hurt Sophia or me.

But it seems that if I'm going to do this job, Landon and I might end up getting a lot more personal than I'm used to.

The paycheck would make it worth it. And still, I can get personal without telling him about my daughter.

"Well," I tell Sophia. "I think I do have a new friend. And Gram is right, I'm going on a trip with him."

"Good," Sophia says, patting my arm. "Mrs. Nightingale says having  friends help us share and practice being nice, and makes our lives  better."

"Sounds like your teacher is pretty smart," my mom says. "And it looks  like your mom's trip will help her learn all sorts of things."

Looking at the clock on the microwave, I realize it's time to go. My mom  hands me the already assembled school snack. I get the backpack. Sophia  finds her windbreaker. All three of us head for the door.

We are a unit, a family that works together, seamlessly. My life  wouldn't work without the two of them, and I think that us being here  has kept my mom happy since my dad died.

Sophia runs out the door, and I pause before following.

"You'll be okay for a week with Sophia?" I ask.

"Honey, I think you need to remember what it means to have a friend."

"Landon isn't a friend-friend. He just needs my help."

"Call it what you like, but he's offered you a trip to the place you've  wanted to go your entire life. Remember those waltz lessons and those  embroidered pillows you used to make? Our whole house was filled with  them. Go play, be happy."

I help Sophia buckle up in her booster seat, and then I get in the car  and leave the condo parking lot. Looking in the rearview mirror, I watch  Sophia.

Leaving her will be hard, but maybe Mom is right. Maybe it's time I learn how to live.





Landon


After Claire leaves the suite I feel like the fucking King I know I can  be. The King I want to be. No one in my family expects shit from me, but  just this once I'm going to show up and prove them all wrong.

I may be a cocky prick, but I'm not going down without a fight. Geoffrey  thinks he can take this company because he's plays the part of a  fucking puppet to our father? Well, just wait until I show up, and start  fighting for something I never knew I wanted.

The hardest part about this trip will be the distraction that Claire is.  But thankfully she doesn't seem as timid as she was last night. This  morning, before the job opportunity flashed through my mind, we had  amazing sex again.

And I intend to have more of it. Hell, she is my fiancée, after all.

Of course there will be no requirements on sex this week. She can do  what she wants with her body-but now that she's tasted me, felt me, been  filled by me, no way in hell will she deny me.

After falling back asleep for several hours-because that woman woke me  at an ungodly hour-I shower. Then I pull out my laptop, ready to book  the tickets. Before I click purchase, I realize I should confirm with  Claire that she is 100% in on this.

"Hello," she says on the third ring. Her voice seems distracted, but I  don't ask questions. I may be taking her home as my bride-to-be, but we  aren't exactly old chums. Asking about her emotional well-being seems a  bit  …  I don't know, intimate.

"It's Landon. I wanted to be sure you were one hundred percent committed  before I bought the tickets. I don't want to ... presume."







"You don't want to presume that I'm the sort of girl who likes to cheat  and lie to people's parents in an effort to make lots of money?"

"Exactly."

"Well, don't worry about my moral code. I'm all in." I hear music  playing that reminds me of an old Disney movie, and I swear a child is  crying.

"Fantastic," I tell her. "Is everything all right? It seems loud?"

"No, it's fine. Just busy. Running errands. So when do we leave?" she asks. "I need to get my ducks in a row."

I smile, knowing phrases like ducks in a row is the exact reason I am taking her home, and not some flighty girl.

"Tomorrow," I say, checking my computer screen for the flight times.  "Ten in the morning. I'll send a car around; just text me your address."

"Okay. So I'll just pack and ... I don't actually know what I should  pack. Is it like a jeans and sweater weekend or like ... actually,  that's basically all I have."

"You know what," I tell her, grimacing at the thought of her at the  Hertfordshire estate in those worn boots. "Why don't you swing back  round to the hotel and get a credit card from me to purchase some new  items for your wardrobe. Less shabby chic and more ... I don't know ...  Princess Kate."

"This is starting to feel like Pretty Woman or something." She  half-laughs, then whispers into the phone as if she doesn't want someone  to overhear. "Just to be clear, there was no sex involved in the job  offer."

"Of course not-but, you know, it isn't off the table."

"Just not included in the handling fees."

"Exactly," I tell her. "Any sex had will not be a part of the job. It will be only for pleasure."

"I think you should maybe hold off on the sexpectations a bit. For me,  this really is a job. Sex is not the priority. Getting your family to  believe we are a couple is."

"What, you don't want to sleep with me again?" I ask her, a bit  surprised. Claire's hard to read. Sometimes she seems all in, and other  times ... it's like her mind is somewhere else entirely. In all honesty,  I'm not used to this reaction from a woman. Most women are dying to  have my full attention.

"Fuck. Shit. Sorry, I have to go. I'll call you back," she says. The  call ends and I stare at my phone confused. What the hell is going on  with her?

What the hell is going on with her?

Then I shrug it off-not my business-and go back to my computer screen to book the tickets.





Chapter Ten





Claire



After kindergarten drop-off I come home, do laundry, clean the condo,  and sit online paying bills. The three hours zoom by and the next thing I  know I'm picking Sophia up from her half day.

Standing outside the classroom with the other kinder-moms, I can't help  but notice how different we are. They hold to-go cups of coffee, and  with their hair pulled back they show off giant diamond earrings. I  always notice details like this-but today I realize that if all goes  perfectly with Landon's family, in a week I could be like them.

I could be wearing cute yoga pants, having just returned from a workout  and coffee date. I could be stress-free and smiling. Not looking  frazzled, still unshowered, and hungry, like I am most days. Like I am  right now.

"Hi-it's Claire, right?" asks a woman I've run into a few times at pick-up.

"Yeah, that's right. And you're JoJo, Hardy's aunt, right?"

JoJo is super in shape and super gorgeous, with flaming red hair.

"Yep," she says. "I help my sister with him as much as I can. She's a solo parent, and I'm glad I can help."

"That's awesome. I'm a single mom, too." I blink, wondering why the hell  I can tell this stranger the state of my family affairs, but not my  best friends.

"Well, I don't know how often you can get out, but a group of my friends  and I are going to a show at Spades Royalle in a few nights. Would you  like to come? I mean, it's the all-male revue but should be fun? I'm  actually kinda into one of the guys in the show and want to check him  out. Which, I know, over-share much?"

Knowing firsthand how hot McQueen is, I have no doubt she's into one of  the guys in the show with him. They're all gorgeous and ripped. Heck,  the guy she has the hots for very well could be McQueen.

Instead of asking about McQueen, I stick to the facts.

"I wish I could, but I'm going to be out of town next week."

"Oh, really? Work or pleasure?"







I bite my lip, knowing it's both, and knowing that the moment I agreed  to Landon's job offer my life became an episode of some Bravo! TV show.