“Why don’t you let Rory take the next set?” Evie cast him a hopeful glance.
“Because I don’t want a riot on my hands. The men pay to see pussy, not dick.”
To ease the disappointment in her eyes, he motioned for Henry to get one of his brands of expensive whiskey to pour her a glass. He had started having to keep his exclusive brands in his security room. Evie could drink like a fish, and she had developed a taste for his most costly labels. The bartenders had proven ineffective at keeping her to a limit when she would give them one of her seductive smiles.
Henry set her favorite down on the table. King poured her a drink, watching her eyes light up in appreciation as she took a sip. It bought him enough time to finish the figures he was adding.
When she reached for the bottle, he forestalled her.
“One more.”
King shook his head at her, stacking his papers together. “I have something better in mind.”
“I doubt it.” Evie’s wistful look at the whiskey had him chuckling as he rose from the table, taking her hand.
“Come on, let’s see if I can find something to keep you occupied.”
He led her up the staircase to the VIP room, but instead of taking her inside, he walked down the hallway, coming to another door. Keying in his security code, he opened the door when the audible click sounded. King watched her reaction as she took in the elegantly furnished gaming room. He had spared no expense in setting up this room for the wealthy to spend a relaxing night pursing their pleasure.
Several pool tables were spaced evenly against one side of the room while card tables took the other half. A circular bar separated the two where a bartender and several of his bar girls kept the men plied with any drink they wanted. The bar girls weren’t of the same caliber as the others in his club. No, these girls were exquisite, of exceptional beauty with bodies to match. It wasn’t uncommon for them to leave after a night’s work with several thousand dollars in their pockets, earned from serving the men drinks or on their backs in the rooms discreetly hidden at the end this one.
“Wow.”
King smiled, pleased at her reaction.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” she accused.
He took her to the bar, helping her slide onto one of the stools.
“I see this is where you keep Rory hidden.” Evie nodded toward a back booth where the attractive man sat next to an older woman. She was clearly enraptured by the man, who oozed sex appeal.
“Evie, why is it I’m beginning to feel as jealous over Rory as The Last Riders?” His eyes narrowed on her.
Evie’s unrepentant grin had his cock thickening. This woman was a handful. He had never met a woman who unashamedly enjoyed sex and made no pretenses about it. He found it refreshing and honest because he was usually surrounded with women who had become adept at feigning their responses. When Evie came on his cock, he knew she was experiencing a true orgasm, not play-acting to achieve whatever reward she desired.
“Can I play?” At first his temper began to soar, thinking she was talking about Rory, but then he realized she was now focused on a card game going on at one of the tables. Desmond, the mayor, and Tony Reid were playing.
“Afraid not. Choose another table. That’s an Executive Game. It’s by invitation only and the stakes are high.”
“You don’t think I can afford it?” Evie tilted her head to the side, studying his reaction.
“Can you?”
“Yes.”
King hid his surprise. He was aware she was well set financially, but not to the extent she was insinuating. Then it dawned on him that The Last Riders must have given her the same financial stake they had given the original members, as she had been one of the first in the club. The patents The Last Riders held were worth a fortune. King had discovered the highly coveted patents when he had checked them out. He refused to acknowledge even to himself that it was a gesture that showed they were protective of her.
As if reading his mind, Evie gave him a wry smile. “The Last Riders have made sure that I can buy any purse I want. Money is not an issue for me. I also have an inheritance from my father’s family. They were one of Atlanta’s wealthiest families. I grew up surrounded by old money and snobs. I can tell you the type of caviar by looking at it, and the year of a wine from the taste.” Evie shuddered. “I’ve attended dinner parties for two different Presidents and traveled to countries most people only dream about.”
King leaned against the bar. It was the first personal information she had revealed about her family.
“You’re not close to your family now?”
“That’s putting it mildly. My father and mother divorced right before I graduated high school.”
“That must have been difficult,” King surmised.
Evie shrugged. “I don’t miss the parties or the people, and I sure as fuck don’t miss the wine. I joined the service when I graduated and didn’t look back.”
“Wade, give me a tray of chips.”
When the bartender set down a tray of chips on the bar, King slid them toward Evie.
“You want me to sign a note?” She looked at him questioningly.
“I think you’re good for it.” He touched the tray. “A hundred thousand enough?”
“To start with.” Evie slid down from the stool.
King watched as she went to Desmond’s table, asking to join. Desmond’s eyes met his, and King gave an imperceptible nod. Consequently, Desmond got up from the table, pulling out a chair for Evie.
At first, the men dealt with her in a patronizing manner, thinking it was a joke until she won the first two games. King noticed a change come over the table as, one by one, they discerned they were dealing with a skilled player.
“They don’t look too happy right now,” Wade said.
“Give me a drink. I’m going to enjoy this.” King settled on one of the stools as Evie meticulously and without mercy began to fleece his friends. The mayor lasted an hour before he threw in his hand, leaving with a frustrated expression.
“The girls aren’t going to be happy,” Wade commented as they watched the mayor leave without a backward glance.
The mayor would always pick one of the women to spend an hour with before he went home to his wife, often leaving a five thousand dollar chip for the banging session.
“He’ll be back tomorrow night. He has to have his weekly fuck session to put up with his icicle of a wife.”
The game continued with Evie winning. Desmond nor Reid were patronizing her any longer; both had a steely gaze that had King tensing on his stool.
Evie held her own throughout the night, winning and losing in equal turns with the men before she won the last game, pulling her chips to her and gracefully excusing herself from the game. Neither man looked pleased at her departure with their money, however.
He had watched her closely. She had played fair, and Desmond and Reid couldn’t say otherwise. It must be a hard pill to swallow seeing her feminine ass walk away from the table with a large chunk of their money without having to blow them for it.
Evie came to stand next to him at the bar, sliding her original stake back to him.
“Wade, cash her out,” King ordered.
Wade took her chips before going into the security room and coming back minutes later with a plain envelope of cash for her.
Evie opened the envelope and then pulled out a hundred and handed it to Wade.
“Can I buy you a drink?” Her seductive voice had King’s hand curving around her waist, pulling her closer to his side.
“You can buy me the bottle.”
Rory came to stand at the bar on the other side of Evie. “Two mojitos, Wade.”
King watched as Evie turned at his employee’s masculine voice.
“She’s only buying you a mojito? You’re getting fucked before your clothes are off.” King almost spit out his cigar at her remark. Rory, on the other hand, whose face held the seductively masculine look he had perfected,
lowered his guard enough to actually smile at her.
“It’s better than what I had to drink last night.”
“What was that? Mai Tai.” Evie winced, looking at him in pity.
King gritted his teeth, seeing Rory’s customer begin to develop a frown. It wasn’t a good look. The old bitch already looked like a hag.
“How much she giving you for tonight?”
“Evie.” His sharp voice didn’t stop Rory from answering.
“Ten thousand for the whole night.”
“Take the night off.” After Evie slid the envelope in her hand in front of him, Rory picked the envelope up, looking inside. He raised a brow at her.
“Are you sure you don’t need any company tonight?”
I am seriously going to beat her when I get her back to my apartment, King thought.
“I already have my night taken care of, but thanks anyway. Maybe another night.”
“I can’t take your money without giving you something in return.” Rory took a step forward, and before King could stop him, he swept Evie in a kiss that had King ready to punch him as Rory’s client stormed from the room.
Rory lifted his head, breaking the passionate kiss. “If you change your mind, call me.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to her. King noticed Evie was slow in taking the card, still befuddled by the kiss.
“King?” Rory’s eyes met his.
“Beat it. I’ll call her and make it up to her.” Although, both silently acknowledged it would be Rory kissing her ass to make amends.
“Thanks…?” Her breathy voice had King debating strangling her while everyone watched.
“Evie,” King growled.
“Thanks, Evie. I’ll see you around.”
“Yes, you will.” Evie leaned heavily against the bar as Rory left to enjoy his impromptu night off.
“King?” Evie sighed.
“What?” he snapped.
“You don’t charge enough for him.”
* * *
King stared down at Evie in the bed, the bedside lamp giving the room a muted glow. She lay sprawled out, naked on the mattress, her skin still bearing the imprint of his hand. He reached out, tracing the curve of her silky breast, noticing the gold chain around her neck.
His hand reached down, picking the thick locket up, fiddling with it and seeing a tiny button on the side. Pressing it with the tip of his nail, the top flipped back. A ring lay inside. King lifted it closer to see it better. It was a diamond ring. The diamond was small, but the ring probably cost a couple thousand. King wanted to rip the necklace from her then wake her up and fuck her again.
“It’s not nice to snoop.” Her soft recrimination had his eyes lifting to her drowsy ones.
“Who gave it to you?”
She lowered her eyelashes, her hand taking the necklace from him. “Levi, my high school sweetheart, gave it to me the day we graduated high school. He had saved his money up, working part-time for a year and a half.” Her hand tightened on the ring.
“He was worried that the diamond would be too small. I told him I didn’t even need a ring. I wanted to go to the court house and get married, but he talked me into waiting. He wanted to make sure he was what I wanted.
“He was afraid because we had grown up together that I couldn’t be sure he was the one. His mother was our housekeeper. No matter how much I told him it didn’t matter, though, he always felt the money between us.”
“Was he right?”
King saw the hurt before she concealed it.
“Not about the money, about him being the one,” King clarified his question.
“Oh.” She took a moment, staring down at the ring. “No, I knew I loved him from then until the day he died. I still love him.”
The answer to his question struck him inexplicably in the chest. Evie rolled over, lying on his chest. “I’m not an eighteen-year-old virgin anymore.”
No, she wasn’t. With her whiskey colored eyes and tumbled hair, she was a seductress. No shy virgin would be so confident as to press her nipples against his chest or slide her leg intimately between his thighs. A virgin wouldn’t slide her hand down his stomach until she reached his cock, sliding her thumb over the crest.
When the tip of her tongue traced her bottom lip, his hand curled against the nape of her neck, tugging her down to him. His tongue invaded her mouth, taking control and enticing her by tracing the tender flesh behind her bottom lip before tangling their tongues together. She broke free, taking deep breaths.
“The list keeps growing. The Last Riders, Rory, and now Levi.” King rolled until she was under him. Sliding between her thighs, he thrust his cock inside of her without any foreplay. “A man likes to know he’s the only one in his woman’s bed.”
Evie’s thighs gripped his hips while she put her hands in his hair, tugging him down to stare in his eyes.
“I am loyal to The Last Riders. I was teasing you with Rory. And Levi…” her voice broke, but she went on, “is not coming home. The eighteen-year-old Evie still loves him, but time doesn’t freeze for anyone, and I’m not the same woman. I lost a part of her when those men raped me, another when Levi died, and the rest a piece each time I fucked someone.”
King kept moving over her, imprinting his body on hers.
“If you want someone who’s going to pretend you’re her only one, then you’re fucking the wrong woman,”
“I am not fucking the wrong woman.” His hand tangled in her hair, driving his cock into her in hard strokes, dominating her body with his. “If you want to tell yourself that there is no part of that old Evie left, then go ahead, but I see her in you all the time.”
Evie began to struggle against him as he took the necklace off, placing it on the bedside table. “You haven’t worn this necklace since I met you. What’s wrong? Am I getting too close?”
“No!”
“I think I am.” King surged inside of her, driving past her defenses, making sure she was unable to hold her response back from him. Her fists quit hitting at him, circling his shoulders instead, her hips thrusting back against his. “You wanted to remind yourself that you belong to Levi. That’s why you wore that ring to my bed. If you think I’m going to let you put a barrier between us, then you’re fucking the wrong man.”
“King!” Evie screamed as she came, sending him into his own climax.
King slid to her side, pulling the coverlet over her trembling body. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.
“I can’t love someone like that again.”
“Evie, I didn’t want to love anyone, either, but the one thing I’ve learned in my line of work is, you can’t stop a bullet once you’ve pulled the trigger.”
Chapter 16
Evie sat at the table in the back, looking for the man she was there to meet. He was always late; that was how he had gotten the nickname Rabbit when they were in the service. She was about to order another drink when she saw him come in the restaurant door.
His eyes looked around the popular restaurant until he saw her. As he drew closer to the table, Evie smiled in greeting.
“It’s been a long time, Evie.”
“Too long. You should come for a visit. I told you we would show you a good time.”
“Jewell still there?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll pass,” he said, shuddering.
Evie couldn’t help but laugh. Jewell and Rabbit had, at one time, been a couple. They had broken up when Jewell had caught him in bed with another woman, though. She had refused to talk to or about him ever since.
“I don’t know why you’re holding a grudge; you’re the one who fucked around.”
They sat down at her table. “She nearly killed me. Believe me, several states between us is for the best.”
“How are you doing since you’ve been out?”
“Making a living.”
“Doing better than that, from what I hear.” In her search for information on King, she had di
scovered Rabbit had been gradually building his reputation as a middle man for transactions involving illegal commodities. He would make the buys and pay for what was wanted then deliver the goods to whoever had purchased his services. It was dangerous as shit, and she hoped he knew what he was doing. Some of the men he was dealing with made the hair on the back of her neck rise.
“You got what I need?”
Rabbit handed her a flash drive. “It’s all there.”
“Thanks. I put your money in the account number you gave me.”
“I saw it before I came through the door.” Rabbit had always been out for himself; that was why he and Jewell had never been good as a couple and he had ended up breaking her heart.
“Anything else I should know?”
“No. Everything else, I’ve already told you. King’s been slowly turning control over to Ice, although Desmond Hart will be the one in charge as a silent partner. He’s even transferring ownership of his strip club to Henry. He’s getting out of the business as fast and clean as possible, and without ruffling any feathers.”
That was the same information she had found out from two other sources. It was now obvious he was trying to keep Lily safe by giving up a business he had worked most of his life to build.
“He only has one little hiccup left and he’ll be free.”
Evie’s hand froze in lifting her glass of iced tea. This was the first time she had heard this piece of news in the almost two months she had been in Queen City. It had taken her that long to dig through years of the filth he had fought his way out of to make sure there was nothing in his past or present to touch Lily. She had found, instead, that King was cleaning his own messes. She had been waiting for this report, ready to go back to Kentucky if it came back clean.
She ignored the ache at the thought of leaving King. She tried to tell herself it was just because she had shared his bed every night, not because she was developing feelings for him.
“What’s the hiccup?” she asked, already dreading the answer from the look on Rabbit’s face.
“There is a deal going down this weekend with Ramos. It’s big.”
“Is King buying or selling?”