“Don’t tempt me. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes; I’ve got to go. I’ll send Henry back for you. He’ll be downstairs when you’re ready.”
“Okay.”
King’s mouth kissed her lips briefly before he rose from the bed.
“King?”
“Yes?”
“Next time, leave me a note. Don’t wake me up.” She rolled over, sitting up in bed and rubbing her bleary eyes.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do that.” She plopped backwards on the bed, pulling the pillow back over her face. “I’m on vacation, dammit.”
His laughter followed him out the door as he slammed it behind him.
“Mother-fucker.” She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.
Taking her dress and underwear, she went into the bathroom where she showered and washed her hair; it didn’t take long. Evie then stepped out of the shower, dressing quickly. Brushing her hair, she blow-dried it only long enough to take the wetness out, leaving it still damp.
Evie went into the bedroom, taking a deep breath and pushing the guilt down as she began her search.
* * *
“You want me to send Henry to get her?”
“No, leave her alone.” King watched the security camera with his head of security. Taking a puff of his cigar, he stared at Evie as she searched through his drawers and closet. She even searched under his bed and mattress before going into the other room. The other room was treated the same before she put on her shoes and purse, going out the door without a backward glance.
“Call Henry and tell him she’s on the way down, and put one of Jackal's men on her. I want her watched twenty-four hours unless she is with me.”
“Got it.”
King went out of the security room that was next-door to his office. Going to his desk, he opened the folder waiting for him; Jackal had handed it to him at their meeting. King drank his coffee while he read. When he finished, he sat back smoking his cigar. He should have checked her out before when he first realized he was attracted to her. He refused to feel guilty over some of the things he had said to her, though. How was he supposed to know she had been dealt a shitty hand?
King began wavering in his outright judgment on Shade, as well. It was hard to judge them when his own life was much dirtier than theirs, and some of the things they had done were to right wrongs done to them.
Evie had been dealt with the worst. She had downplayed the viciousness she had suffered after her rape by the commanding officer. She had been a damn good Corpsman, and the Navy had lost a woman who’d had dreams of making the military a home. She had easily transferred her loyalty to The Last Riders, and King couldn’t blame her.
He switched focus, bringing his mind back to work. He began making phone calls and taking appointments from those needing to be discreet. He also set up an important meeting with Ice. It took him the better part of the day before he could even take time to eat, and afterwards, before he went back to work, he called Evie.
“Hello?”
“Evie.”
“How did you get my number?”
“I looked on your phone before I left.”
“The phone was in my purse.”
“Yes, it was.” King couldn’t hide the smile in his voice.
“Haven’t you heard it’s bad manners to snoop?” King thought that was hilarious coming from the woman who had searched through his underwear drawer.
“Sorry.” He wasn’t, just as he was sure she felt no recrimination for searching his apartment.
“What do you want?”
“Have dinner with me at the club.”
“You want me to eat with you while women are on the stage naked?”
“Yes.”
“Sounds like fun. What time?”
“Eight.”
When she hung the phone up on him before he could say anything else, it actually made him smile. She was the first woman he could truly admit he liked. However, he would see her long enough to find out a weakness of The Last Riders then cut her loose like he did the rest of his women before she became entrenched in his life too deeply. He could fuck her and remain detached; he couldn’t let her get too close because his life was too dangerous until he could talk Desmond into taking over completely. He didn’t want to see her hurt; she had her own demons in her life to deal with without taking his.
He went back to work, stopping only when it became dark. He headed over to the shower in his adjoining bathroom and dressed in a clean suit for the night ahead.
Going downstairs, he sat in his booth, facing the door instead of the stage. When she came through the door, she was wearing a black leather miniskirt that barely covered her ass with heels that made her walk sexy as hell. Her top was a leather vest with tiny cutouts, and you could see her flesh underneath. Her black bra had a tiny amount of lace showing at the top. She slid into the booth across from him.
“What are you doing?” King asked.
She tilted her head at him inquisitively.
“Get your ass over here.”
As Evie slid back out of the booth, King stood up, bending down t
o kiss her mouth. She opened to him immediately, letting his tongue in. When he found himself tempted to tongue fuck her, he broke away and guided her into the booth on his side before sliding in next to her.
“You’re busy tonight.”
“We’re always busy.”
“Is that Sherri on the stage?”
“Yes.” Sherri was wearing a wig and mask tonight. She was always experimenting with costumes to see which would get her bigger tips.
“Ask if I can borrow that costume sometime. It looks like fun.”
“No, it doesn’t.” She was dressed as a dominatrix.
“You’re no fun. Don’t you enjoy playing it kinky sometimes?”
“Not when it involves me being the one flogged.”
“Don’t tell me, you can dish it out but can’t take it.”
“I’ve never used a flogger on a woman in my life.”
“Want to?” Her question created images of her bent over his desk with her naked ass presented to him in the perfect position.
King laughed, shaking his head before he admitted, “I have laughed more in the last two days than I have over the last two years.”
“You’re too serious; you need to lighten up.”
His private chef brought out two plates of food, setting them down on the table. Evie uncovered her plate, staring down at the burger and fries.
“Thank you, God. If I had to choke down one more pretentious meal, I was going to hit the nearest McDonalds on the way home.”
“I could tell you weren’t thrilled with last night’s cuisine.”
“Sorry, I’m just a plain woman with simple tastes.”
“There’s nothing plain about you, Evie.”
She smiled up at him before digging into her plate of food, and they ate while Sherri danced. Evie watched the skills the woman used to entice the men. Hell, she was doing a pretty good job of enticing her.
“You into women, too?”
“No, but I can appreciate them. I like to snack, but when I eat dinner, I like a good steak.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”