Dealing Him In (The Kings: Royal Flush #1)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

I t was one hell of a party.

Instrumental versions of popular songs filled the air as elegantly dressed guests conversed and laughed, a glass of champagne, cocktail, or spirit in hand.

The weather was ideal, thanks to the lack of stifling humidity, and a cool, salty breeze came in from the ocean, sweeping through palm fronds and monstera leaves.

Tables with white tea lights and colorful floral centerpieces had been set up on one side of the pool to give guests plenty of room to gather as they waited for the guest of honor.

The outdoor space was expansive, with three decorative stone columns on each side, the wooden beams they held up decorated with strings of tiny white lights and twisting ivy, simple yet classy.

The venue was packed, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

So why did Saint feel unsettled?

He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it bugged him.

Then again, he wasn’t a fan of open venues, especially ones that overlooked a public beach.

They were a nightmare to secure. Their people had made a risk assessment beforehand, and multiple sweeps were done inside and out before any guests arrived.

Typically, Saint didn’t work this type of event. He was mainly EP—executive protection—but his boss had personally asked him to work tonight, so here he was. Saint wasn’t as concerned by the number of guests as he was about which guests were in attendance tonight.

The luxury hotel’s outdoor event space, “The Veranda,” was filled to the brim with state and county officials, their families, and high-profile associates, including the Kings and Wild Cards—owners of Four Kings Security—and their men, two of whom were extremely wealthy businessmen and philanthropists—oh, and one service dog.

Next to Gio, Cookie sat dutifully and cheerfully, sporting his red service vest and a snazzy bow tie around his neck.

It made Saint smile every time he saw the Golden Retriever.

Usually, wherever Gio’s boyfriend Joker went, Joker’s best boy Chip was with him, but since Joker and the other guys were here, Chip was with King’s sister Bibi.

A toddler, a baby, and a sassy Belgian Malinois under the same roof. Saint did not envy her one bit.

Four Kings Security had been hired for tonight’s celebration, but the Kings and their silent partners were here due to their long-standing relationship with the guest of honor, the about-to-be retired fire chief, Valentino Serrano.

After twenty years of service, Val was passing his fire ax on to the next fire chief.

Saint wasn’t surprised by the turnout. Val had created one hell of a reputation for himself.

People respected him even if they didn’t like him, and many people didn’t like him.

For one, he was an openly gay man in a high-profile position.

Saint had learned from a friend how the city had tried to get rid of Val years ago when he first came out.

Instead of going quietly into the night, Val had gone to war. He took them to court, and his lawyers wiped the floor with them. Val had impressive connections and wasn’t afraid to call on them. One of those connections was here tonight.

Frank Ramirez was Val’s best friend, a former firefighter who’d been part of the same firehouse as Val for years before an injury ended his career.

To say that Frank was doing pretty well for himself these days would be an understatement.

The guy owned Sapphire Sands, one of the most exclusive members-only gay nightclubs in the state.

Being gay and the company he kept weren’t the only reasons Val rubbed people the wrong way.

Apparently, Val had never been one to play the politics game.

He made decisions based on what he thought was best for his people and the citizens they served.

Not that Saint was interested in Val or kept up to date on the guy.

They traveled in the same circles and knew many of the same people, so it made sense that Saint would have heard things.

Val was best friends with Frank, whose boyfriend Joshua was Colton’s executive assistant, and Colton was married to Ace, who worked in executive protection with Saint.

Ace was also the biggest gossip at the company, next to his cousin Lucky.

Between the two of them, they knew everything about everyone.

“Do you think he’s a boxers or briefs guy?”

Saint didn’t move from his position near the huge terracotta pot housing some tropical fan palm, something else that made security at the venue a pain in the ass.

A whole host of greenery and shrubbery surrounded The Veranda. Everything from palm trees and bushes to flowers in giant pots were placed around the expansive space. Then there were the trees and hedges surrounding the venue, providing ample shadows for someone to hide in, particularly at night.

Ryden hummed, and Saint side-eyed his friend. Here we go .

“What are you talking about?” What was Ryden even doing here? He worked risk assessment with Red, so his job had ended long before tonight.

“The sexy fire chief,” Ryden replied, wriggling his eyebrows. “Or rather, the sexy, newly retired fire chief. I bet he’s a boxer briefs kind of guy.” Ryden shimmied his shoulders a little, and Saint did his best not to laugh.

Over the last few years, Saint’s friendship with Ryden had grown unexpectedly. They’d become close, spending a lot of time together on and off the job. The guy was a Marine, but Saint didn’t hold it against him.

It had been rough for Ryden when he’d first joined Four Kings Security, but working for a company made up primarily of former military personnel, Ryden had plenty of support. Once he stopped being so damned stubborn about accepting help, he started to settle in.

“You’re an ass,” Saint grumbled. “I don’t know. And I don’t care.” He didn’t. Why would he? Casting another glance at Ryden, Saint groaned. Why was his friend so annoying? “What? And what are you doing here?”

“King wanted a little extra support tonight. Mostly I’m here to back up your ass. You didn’t answer my question.”

“Because it’s a ridiculous question,” Saint grumbled. “I don’t—”

The crowd broke off into cheers, whistles, and catcalls as everyone turned toward the doorway leading inside the hotel out onto The Veranda. Val appeared, wearing his black dress uniform with his white bell cap under his arm.

Something inexplicable slammed into Saint, stealing his breath away. A shiver went through him, and he swallowed hard. What the hell just happened?

Fuck.

What was it about Val that made him feel so off-kilter?

Saint had found men handsome before. Not a big deal.

He was secure enough in his masculinity to admit when a guy was good-looking, and sure, on occasion, he might have admired a little longer than necessary and…

wondered, but he’d never felt… this . He’d never closed his eyes and imagined what another man might smell like, taste like… feel like.

Until Val.

The frustrating part was that Saint didn’t know what this was. Never had he been fixated by another man’s square jaw or stubble, yet Saint could not take his eyes off the ruggedly handsome fire chief.

Val was a big guy, tall, broad-shouldered, and solid. A patch of silver ran through the right side of his thick dark hair, and his eyes were a beautiful silver, but his smile did the most damage to Saint.

Ryden slowly leaned into Saint until he was pressed against his shoulder. “Yeah,” he drawled, “You don’t care at all.”

Saint’s face heated, and he cleared his throat. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

“I’m going with boxer briefs. Bet they fit nice and snug around that firm, round ass. I mean, look at it. It’s just there, in your face. All perky. Must be from sliding down all those poles.”

Saint gritted his teeth. “If you don’t go somewhere else, I will shove you into this planter.” A wicked grin came onto his face. “Better yet, I’ll tell Jay you were the one who put that rubber mouse in his desk drawer.”

Like Jay didn’t know exactly who the culprit was. The only one Ryden was fooling with his “loathing” of Jay was himself, and he was playing a very dangerous game. No one messed with King’s executive assistant.

Ryden snorted. “The only thing scary about Jay is his bow tie collection.”

“And King,” Saint replied, smiling at how Ryden’s eyes went huge.

Jay might not be scary, but he was looked after by King, who very much was.

It also didn’t help that Ryden had accepted a bet made by Joker and walked into King’s office to call him “daddy.” Worse than taking the bet in the first place was the fact that King had been on the phone with a client at the time.

King had sent them all to the mats shortly after and kicked their asses.

Val moved through the crowd, and all thoughts of Ryden vanished.

Saint did his best to avoid following Val’s movement as he stopped to greet guests, offering thanks as he shook hands or bowed his head.

Saint’s efforts were for shit because, as if sensing he was being watched, Val lifted his gaze, and their eyes met.

Everything around him seemed to fade away, and Saint couldn’t stop the sharp inhale of breath.

He could have sworn Val’s smile got a little brighter.

A “pop” startled Saint, and he cursed under his breath. Thankfully, it had just been a champagne bottle being uncorked. Shaking himself out of it, he turned to face forward and caught Val’s eye again. And the knowing smile.

“I’m going to make my rounds,” Saint grumbled, ignoring Ryden’s amused laugh.

Thank goodness it was still early enough in the year that being booted and suited didn’t have him feeling like he was about to combust. For these events especially, security needed to blend in with the crowd.

As far as the guests were concerned, Saint and his team weren’t even there.