Page 4 of Vicious Kingdom

We chatted about a few upcoming events. She was clearly fishing, wanting to know if I would be attending and making hints that her patronage of me at such society functions would be a laureate to her already premium title.

But it felt like insects crawled under my suit jacket.

This woman wanted husband number two. And at her age, a younger model no doubt held more appeal.

For the thousandth time, I envied my older brother ruling our empire from the shadows. Sacrificing my name and distancing myself from our family seemed such an easy price to pay as an eager lad. I willingly took the job of businessman, the front that we put in place to hide our less savory deals.

Yet living in the ivory tower was not all it was cracked up to be.

“And do you have any interest in attending the Midsummer’s Eve Ball?” Mrs. Lawson hedged.

The mating ritual put on by the matrons to match their children? That was a hard pass. Every girl who attended expected a diamond the next day while their mothers prepped engagement announcements months in advance, leaving the area of the bachelor blank until their daughter found an escort to the prestigious event.

“I’ll be out of town,” I responded.

“Pity.” Mrs. Lawson clutched my forearm as we began to descend the stone steps.

A hard-working waiter balancing a tray of small bites shuffled behind us. I paused to let the poor fellow head down the groups seated near the waterfall. A flicker of envy shot through my heart. How much simpler his life seemed. So long as he didn’t drop the tray, he had no other responsibilities at his job. To give him room, I disentangled myself, slid my hands into my pockets where they were safe, and let Mrs. Lawson move in front of me.

Almost there.

Cazzo! Why did older women wear the most cloying perfumes on the market? It was poison compared to the fresh scent of pine and the blooming flowers strategically planted about the landscaping.

A rustle in the bushes down the main path to the lake caught my attention. From this vantage point, I peered into the gloom as the widow once again assured me that I would have the one and only thing I came here tonight to take.

It can’t be….

It was. There was only one creature in this mess of society who was crazy enough to crouch behind a bush instead of fluttering around the mass of peers upstairs.

I knew she was back in town….

I knew we would eventually run into one another at some function or another….

But here she was. Today was the day.

Feelings, violent and suffocating, tangled in my chest. Five years wasn’t long enough to bury the betrayal. She came into my life and made me feel things I swore didn’t exist, only for me to find out it was all a lie. No amount of time was long enough to erase the memory of being played.

Or to heal the wound in my chest.

It tore open now.

My feet seemed to float down the steps and across the main path. Mercifully, we stopped just before the bush. I didn’t think I could walk past andnotglance her way.

Already, her presence was messing with my head. Distracting me in the worst way! I found myself inadvertently manipulated into a game of golf. I fucking hated golf. It was one thing I wasn’t good at, and I found the whole experience a waste of time. Grinding my molars, I shifted. My hands fisted at my sides.

Mrs. Lawson leaned forward. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. Oh, mio dio, she was laying it on thick. There was no way in hell I was kissing this cougar. It would be twice as hard removing her claws if she got a taste for blood.

But kissing someone in front of the little liar….

That could send a powerful message.

If it had been anyone else puckering their painted lips, I would have done it.

After bidding the widow goodnight, I focused on her retreating figure for a few heartbeats, trying and failing to calm my racingheart. I could escape upstairs. I should walk past the bushes. Leaving this area was the smart thing.

I have to face her eventually.Might as well get that over with.

“You can come out now, little spy,” I menaced. Whatever her game was, I wasn’t playing.