Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“Met her last week during a night out.”
“Met her at a bar or a brothel?”
“You think I’d bring a prostitute for a date?” he asked incredulously.
I shrugged. “I’ve done it.”
He gave a shake of his head like I was ridiculous. “Does Fleur know that?”
“I told her.” Not that I’d taken a whore to a party, but that some of the women in my bed had been paid to be there.
“She was cool with it?”
“Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Remember Cynthia?” He stepped forward when we moved farther up the line. “She lost her shit when I told her.”
“Sounds judgmental.”
He shrugged. “She was just one of those jealous psychos.”
“Good thing it didn’t work out.”
He smirked then took another step forward. “The guys told me you took Fleur to the warehouse.”
“Taught her how to shoot.”
“Why?”
“Because she needs to know this stuff if she’s gonna be around.”
“Fleur doesn’t seem like the shooting type.”
“Well, she is, and she’s pretty good at it,” I said with pride. “She said the rifle is her favorite.”
He looked like he was about to chuckle. “I can picture that. Sounds like it’s gotten more serious…” He didn’t outright ask me if anything had progressed, but he definitely dropped a line to see if I would take a bite.
“It has.” I smiled.
He studied my expression before his smile mirrored it. “Happy for you, man.”
“Thanks. That means a lot.” I wasn’t the kind of man to have a best friend because that was pussy shit, but if I did, it would be Luca.
“She’s a good woman.”
“She is.”
Luca made it to the front and ordered drinks for him and Amelia.
I did the same, getting myself a stiff drink and Fleur a glass of wine.
Luca walked with me back to the table. “And she really is a good woman if she’s willing to learn all that, especially after what happened.”
“She’s braver than most men I’ve met.”
“Damn right, she is,” he said. “Too bad she doesn’t have a sister.”
I chuckled then let the conversation die because we’d returned to the table. I took my seat beside Fleur then dropped my arm over the back of her chair, making it clear to the room that she was mine.
She drank from her wineglass, smearing her lipstick on the rim just the way she did when her lips were around my dick.
I stared at her harder than I should in public, and then some of the guys came over and disturbed the moment. I knew a lot of people at the wedding so I was sure it would turn into an unofficial meeting when we should be relaxing for once.
Rudy sat directly beside me. “First Regis and then Oscar…it’s been a rough couple months for you.”
“Just doing my job.” I’d known this would be a boring night for Fleur, just sitting there with her hand on my thigh, drinking her wine, while she was pretty much ignored. But she was my girl, and she was the one I wanted beside me. I wanted her to be a part of my world, for the guys to know who I shared my life with.
“The Aristocrats have always been a bunch of cult freaks,” he said. “But dangerous cult freaks.”
“I’m not worried about it.”
“Word on the street is you should be worried.”
I smiled like it was nothing to be concerned about. “I’ll handle it.” I was aware there would be some kind of retaliation for Oscar’s death. Even though their organization was sizable, they still didn’t have enough power to challenge me.
“I’m sure you will, Butcher.” He raised his glass to me then took a drink.
I talked with the other guys, and it was more of the same, talk about Oscar and business. I never told anyone how Oscar had crossed me. Didn’t want to mention what had happened to Fleur because it was still too raw to talk about—and it was too raw for her to hear.
Music blared over the speakers, appetizers were passed around along with flutes of champagne, and the ballroom had nearly four hundred guests at round tables. I’d never been to a wedding that wasn’t big and grand, that didn’t include nearly the same guest list as the last one.
But there was one guest that I didn’t expect.
I felt his stare long before I saw him.
He was far across the room, a beautiful woman at his side whispering in his ear.
He gave a nod like he was listening, but his stare was focused on me. He grabbed his glass of champagne and took a drink, eyes still connected to mine.
This was the first time we’d crossed paths in public because he avoided my presence as much as possible. But now, he didn’t seem to care so much.
That could be bad—or good.
“I’ll be back, sweetheart.” I kissed her before I finished off my scotch and left the table. She was surrounded by people she didn’t know, and everyone would be too afraid to talk to her, but she had Luca there if she needed a friendly face.