21. Rip
Rip
In Kingsley’s doorway, I lean against the frame like I own the room, but he hasn’t noticed me. When I knock, he whirls around.
“I have something for you.”
Realizing it’s me, he faces the mirror again and continues fixing his classy attire. “Who let you in?”
I close the door, hiding the box in my hands behind my back. “Odette and Paul.”
“I don’t remember agreeing to all these unannounced visits,” he says flatly. “I could be naked right now.”
“I wish. Do you want the gift or not?”
The glint in his eyes shows that he’s finally given in. King pulls my arm, wanting to see what’s in the small, green Christmas-wrapped box. The wrapping job isn’t as good as Santa’s elves’, but considering I’ve only wrapped a gift a handful of times in my life, I’d say it’s decent.
He shakes it, and the item clunks inside. “I can’t believe you bought me something.”
I smile. “I’m full of surprises. Open it.”
He drops to the floor and unwraps it without an ounce of delicacy, totally ignoring how long I took to wrap it, and reveals a plain black box.
Kingsley bites on the tape and rips it off with his teeth, and I swear, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen him do.
Well, right beside the way his big, watery eyes look up at me when my dick is down his throat.
He pulls out the small, sleek bullet and stares in awe. “Uh… is this…?”
“A butt plug,” I respond cheekily. “If you couldn’t tell.”
He does that thing where he gets quiet instead of answering. Does he not like it? I know it’s a little on the nose…
But his blank stare morphs into an enticing grin. “Best gift ever, darling.”
“Only for you.” My dick twitches in my slacks as I take the toy from him, eager to use it to its full potential. “Pull your pants down.”
“We’re about to go to a very public gala with very public people,” he says. “I can’t hold up a persona with a toy up my ass.”
All I hear are excuses. “Don’t be boring, King.”
Rolling his eyes, Kingsley turns to the mirror and continues fixing his tie. He always looks sharp in suits, and the way his black slacks fit his thighs and ass right makes me want to take him right here, right now.
I come up behind him, wrap my arms around his waist, and press my chest against his back. Kingsley continues tying, pretending to be unbothered, but as I press soft kisses into the crook of his neck, he snickers.
I want to press soft kisses on his lips, too.
“Kingy, if you can get through the entire gala with a bullet in your arsehole, then I’ll know you can handle it,” I whisper in his ear. His hand stills on his tie as he stares at me through the mirror, confused. So I elaborate. “My cock.”
Kingsley’s teeth graze over his lip, and he bites down hard. “This is coercion.”
My fingers brush over his crotch, then rest there. “It’s not coercion if you know you want it.”
He doesn’t spare a second to think before he nods. Kingsley pulls his pants down, and I’m quick to help him get the boxers off.
I grip his plump ass cheek. “Fuck, you’re beautiful.”
“If you keep calling me beautiful, I might think you aren’t as straight as you say you are,” he jokes.
My hand hits his cheek with a smack, and it shuts him up. That’s a conversation for when I’m not about to stretch his hole with my gift.
But Kingsley is definitely beautiful.
After drenching it in lube, I insert the toy slowly and carefully. It slides easier than I expected, his pink, puckered hole clenching around it perfectly. My dick pulses, wishing it were in there instead of the toy. Not yet.
I help him pull his pants up. “How’s it feel?”
He shifts his stance, face contorting. “Not bad.”
“Good.” Because it’s about to feel so much better than he knows.
On our way downstairs, I force images of old naked women into my mind. Anything to get this boner down. Based on the pained look on Kingsey’s face, he’s doing the same.
We meet up with Tommy and Shawn, who are already impatiently waiting for us. With the four of us in the car, the driver takes us to the gala on the other side of town.
When Kingsley invited Thomas and me to the art gala, I immediately agreed. He thought he’d have to do some convincing, but whatever Kingsley says, I do it like a robot taking commands. It should concern me—I bloody hate taking orders from others, but King isn’t others.
At least I can spin it as me doing whatever it takes to get closer to Kingsley. Because that’s what this is. That is all this is. My plan wasn’t to seduce the prince for the Requiem’s intel, but that’s what happened, and there’s no going back now, no matter the pain.
Toying with someone’s heart is crueler than a knife to the throat. The thing is, it’s not just Kingsley’s heart on the line here. It’s my own.
The second we’re out of Kingsley’s car, it’s a circus of cameras and shouting reporters, and Shawn ushers us through the mob like a bodyguard.
The gala is in a grand ballroom adorned with marble and priceless artwork, filled with a crowd so ostentatious it’s nauseating. We’re greeted by dozens before we make it into the building.
If there is one thing I haven’t missed in the two months I’ve been away from home, it’s the showy events. I’m always happy to show off my body in my suit and tie, but I dread the small talk. No, Brenda, I don’t want to hear about how your son got into Stanford and your daughter is getting married.
I get a glass of wine from the guy circulating, and I notice Kingsley’s holding one as well. Not sure if he’s drinking that or holding it, but his dull expression proves these events aren’t only a snoozefest for me.
A man and woman approach, roughly the same age as us. It’s obvious the jewelry alone costs more than some people’s car notes, and their formal wear doesn’t have a speck of wear in it.
The brunette woman goes in for a kiss on Kingsley’s cheek, and the man shakes his hand. They do the same to Shawn, but merely spare Thomas and me a swift glance.
“Kingsley, Shawn, it’s been so long!” the girl gushes. “How are you?”
“Making it through,” Shawn answers.
“Oh, I bet. With the gossip around Aralynn floating around, I’m sure you have had a lot on your plate,” she places a hand to her chest as she sympathizes. “They need to release her; it’s obviously all a big misunderstanding!”
Kingsley takes a sip of his drink, silent. Shawn nods for both of them. “Xavier and Mya are working on it with the lawyers. Aralynn is innocent.”
Her eyes soften at Kingsley. “I know dealing with the questions about her on top of everything else can’t be easy. If you ever need to talk to anyone, don’t forget about me. Okay, King?”
For someone I’ve never seen around Kingsley before, she sure talks like they’ve been best friends for years. If they have, then she should know getting him to talk about anything is harder than punching through a brick wall. Unless you’re me.
As their conversation lulls, the couple makes eye contact with Thomas and me for the first time. It’s not like we’ve been stuck here awkwardly waiting for them to stop jabbering…
“This is Rip, and that’s Thomas.” Shawn points to both of us. “Friends of ours.”
Friends of Kingsley’s, I want to correct. Nothing about Shawn makes me want to call him my friend—I wouldn’t even call him my enemy. Not only because he clearly has a problem with me, but something about his face irks my soul. I can’t put my finger on it.
She reaches out for a handshake. “I’m Lila, and that’s my fiancé, Tanner.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Thomas responds.
That’s all the attention Tommy and I get before Tanner brings up his new business.
They spend what feels like forever talking about it, and Thomas even joins in at one point, not wanting to be left out anymore.
We’re at an art gala; we should be looking at the boring artwork, not listening to this mundane conversation.
But then I remember I’ve got something to keep me busy. Keep us busy.
Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I open my freshly downloaded app and hold back a snicker. Will Kingsley kill me for this? He may try, but there won’t be much he can do when his new toy is vibrating inside of him.
I hope he doesn’t hate me.
Kingsley is in the middle of drinking his barely sipped wine when I press and hold the “on” button.
His pupils dilate like black holes, and a choked gasp escapes him as he spits liquid back into the cup he’s holding so tightly I worry it’ll shatter into tiny pieces.
I let go of the button as wide, startled eyes turn his way.
Lila blinks. “Are you okay?”
Looking as if he’s been electrocuted, King licks his lips and nods as convincingly as he can. I have to force the coolness of the oddly cheap wine down my throat to keep my lips from turning upwards.
Everyone moves on and brings up whatever they were talking about before. My eyes crinkle with mischief, while Kingsley’s are wide with disbelief and a hint of embarrassment. Neither of those is anger, so that’s a win for me. He pulls out his phone.
Kingsley
I’ll kill you
Rip
Aw it’s cute that you think so
We’re getting a tour of the gala from Lila and Tanner because it turns out Lila is hosting this event.
We’ve been here for a while, and besides the initial inquiries when people arrived, no one has come by with a camera or bombarded Kingsley with an abundance of questions.
I know it’s a private event, but people always find a way to get close if they want to.
Did the sharks take the night off or something?
“This is the one we’re buying,” Tanner points to a colorful painting of a rainbow that looks like a toddler created in finger-painting class. “Lila fell in love with it the moment she saw it.”
“It’s stunning,” I say, my phone still in my hand, ready to push the trigger when needed. “I think it’s Kingsley’s taste too. Right, King?”
Looking my way, a tight line forms between his brows, and I throw my hand over my mouth. I can’t laugh, not yet.
“Do you like it, Kingsley?” Lila asks. “I wasn’t sure that it would fit in the color scheme of our house, but if you think it’s nice too, I’m sold.”