Kinged

by B. B. Hamel

  “I know. Probably a coincidence, but still weird,” Amy said, still whispering.

  I laughed. “Are we dating the same guy?”

  “I hope not, since he hasn’t left my sight all night.”

  “Oh gross, I don’t need to hear that.”

  Amy laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Whatever kiddo. I’m going to bed.”

  “Alright. Sleep tight, Darce. See you tomorrow.”

  “Night, Amy,” I said then hung up.

  I turned away from the mirror and plopped down on the couch. For the most part, I was lucky. I had a relatively easy childhood, and I was blessed with decent looks. I had been with my fair share of guys over the years. But of all those men, I had never been in a relationship that lasted longer than a few months, and I was beginning to crave more long-term companionship. Maybe making out with a dangerous stranger in a bathroom stall wasn’t the best way to fall in love, but at least I was trying.

  I turned on the television, wrapped myself in a blanket, and spaced out in front of some crappy reality show. I thought about Rex, his muscles, and the way his hands roamed my body. I hoped he would call, though I wasn’t sure why. He probably wasn’t the serious relationship type, but I wanted to find out.

  The next morning, I felt like shit. I stayed up too late and drank too much, and I was paying for it in spades at work. I huddled down in my chair and tried to act invisible as Marissa droned on about wildlife preserves or something. I was way beyond hung over to even try and deal with her.

  Rex hadn’t messaged me, although I didn’t expect him to. There was something strange about him in those last few minutes, as if he were afraid of something. I could tell his mind was elsewhere, even if my mind was firmly locked on his chiseled body. In fact, my mind had been firmly locked on his full lips ever since I left him. He definitely was an arrogant, quiet asshole, but I found myself powerfully attracted to him.

  Before I could get too lost in daydreams, my phone rang. I groaned at the noise, and then answered.

  “Darcy Thatcher speaking.” I hoped it was Amy offering a magical cure to my headache.

  “Darcy, it’s Janice. Got a few minutes to meet with Shane?” Janice was Shane Green’s personal assistant and all-around awesome lady. They apparently were good friends, at least according to Amy, but nobody knew that and they didn’t act like anything other than business associates at work.

  “Sure thing, when?”

  “Right now, if you’re available.”

  “I’ll be right over.”

  “Thanks, he’s expecting you.” She hung up.

  I hadn’t been invited into Shane’s office since I first started at Adstringo. Most new hires at least got to meet Shane once, despite how notoriously private he was. He rarely engaged in any non-work associated conversations, and nobody knew much about his personal life. Whenever I tried to pry anything about him from Amy, she would tell me that he prefers it if people didn’t know details about his life and drops it. He was frustratingly enigmatic, but also cold and distant. I understood what Amy saw in him, but he wasn’t exactly my type.

  I was more into the hot-blooded, asshole wild man, apparently.

  I closed down my laptop, unplugged it, and carried it over to Shane’s office. I wasn’t sure what he wanted, so I figured it was good to be prepared. As I got closer, Janice smiled and gave me a wave from her desk outside of Shane’s office.

  “Head on in,” she said.

  “Thanks,” I said, and pushed open the door.

  Inside, his office was simple. I was surprised all over again at how clean and empty it felt. There was a table with chairs, shelves with books, filing cabinets, and Shane’s desk. As I entered, he gestured for me to sit in a chair facing him. For a billionaire, he was shockingly Spartan in his tastes.

  “Hey, Mr. Green,” I said, and smiled.

  “Hi, Darcy, how are you?”

  “I’m pretty good.” I sat down and looked at him expectantly.

  He cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. “Well, Darcy, this isn’t exactly a business meeting. So call me Shane for now, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure, Shane. What’s going on? Is something up with Amy?”

  He looked a little surprised. “No, Amy is fine. It’s actually you I want to talk about.”

  That was surprising. Even though he was engaged to my best friend, he had barely shown any interest in me beyond what was expected. Amy said he was just difficult to get to know, but I had a feeling he was just too busy.

  “Okay, spit it out. What’s up?”

  He looked uncomfortable again. “Are you seeing a man named Rex?”

  I laughed. “I guess, sort of. Not exactly seeing him. I take it Amy told you.”

  He nodded. “Yes, she told me. Does Rex spend time at a certain bar called Drake’s?”

  That gave me pause. It wasn’t unusual for him to know the name Rex, but how did he know about Drake’s? I remembered then how awkward and strange Rex had acted when I mentioned Shane’s name the other night.

  “Yeah, he does. Do you know each other?” I didn’t see how they could, but it was the only explanation I had.

  “We do, in a sense.” He looked incredibly pained, as if the conversation were causing his actual physical discomfort.

  “Wow, that’s a crazy coincidence.” I didn’t know what else to say. I waited for him to continue.

  “Darcy, you shouldn’t see him. Rex Latour is bad news. Very bad news. He’s not the kind of man you want to get involved with.” Shane looked serious as he spoke, his eyes clear and wide.

  My eyes narrowed. Was Shane Green giving me dating advice?

  “I’m not really sure how that’s any of your business,” I said slowly.

  “It isn’t. And I would never have this conversation if you weren’t an important person to Amy. I’m only looking out for you here, I hope you believe me.” He held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

  “I understand your intentions are good, but I’m an adult, Shane. I make my own choices.”

  “Of course. Of course. But, and this is the last thing I’ll say, I know Rex Latour. He was a friend of my brother’s, back when my brother was involved in some pretty awful things. Rex has a violent reputation. I think you should stay away from him.”

  What did he mean, a violent reputation? I saw the way he fought those guys, but other than that he seemed harmless. I supposed it was pretty intense the way he took those two guys down, but something about that drew me toward him. I had the distinct feeling that Rex may have been dangerous, but he wasn’t dangerous to me.

  “I appreciate your concern, Shane.” I could tell this conversation was difficult for him. It was the most we had spoken without Amy around since I moved to the city, I realized. I didn’t go out with Amy and Shane, mostly because they didn’t go out at all, as far as I knew. He avoided public attention to an insane degree, and hated talking about his personal life. I realized I hadn’t known he even had a brother, let alone a brother that was involved in illegal activities. I doubted anyone knew that beyond his closest friends and family. I mentally made a note to cut him a little more slack in the future. He clearly loved Amy, and was going outside of his comfort zone to try and protect someone she cared about.

  He nodded. “That’s all I wanted to say.”

  “Tell Amy I said thanks for her concern.” I stood up to go.

  “I will tell her that,” he said, and smiled. I could tell he was relieved.

  I grinned back, and then left the office. Janice was talking on the phone as I passed, but she gave me a slight nod. I walked quickly to my desk, my head buzzing with conflicting thoughts and ideas. I was hung over and barely holding myself together, and certainly not in any state to process all of that information. I buried my head in my heads as Marissa launched back into whatever story she had been telling before I stood up and left. It was going to be a long day.

  Chapter Six

  Two days later, Saturda
y afternoon, and I was spending the day on the couch. My conversation with Shane kept replaying in my mind, over and over. He seemed genuinely worried about me, although incredibly uncomfortable. I didn’t really know Shane, and suspected nobody but Amy really did, but his warning seemed heartfelt and kept ringing in my ears. Rex Latour is a violent man. Stay away from Rex Latour. I sighed and looked out the window.

  Before I could fall too deep into another daydream, my phone rang. I swiped right and held it up to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Darce, it’s Amy. What’s up?”

  “Not much, kiddo, how are you?”

  “I’m fine. I heard Shane talked to you.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, he gave me a stern talking to.”

  “I’m sorry. Seriously, I didn’t tell him to do that. I only found out about it today.”

  “Yeah, well, I would have told you earlier, but you’ve been MIA at work lately.”

  Amy sighed. “I know. I’ve been swamped with the new app launch, I haven’t had time for anyone.”

  “Anyone but Shane.”

  “I know, I’ve been a crappy friend. Let’s get dinner tonight?”

  Lately, my relationship with Amy had been strained. We were best friends, sisters even, but her job and her new relationship were all consuming, and we barely had time to see each other. That worked fine when I lived in a different city, but we had no excuse anymore not to see each other. I knew how busy she was because I worked on her app, but I also knew she could have been delegating some of the responsibility. Amy was a very particular person, and liked to micromanage as much as possible.

  “Yeah, definitely,” I said. I needed to be more understanding, and she was definitely trying at least.

  “I’ll pick you up at like seven. My treat,” she said.

  “Free food? Sounds good to me.”

  She laughed. “I thought you’d say that. Anyway, tell me more about this Rex guy.”

  “Not much else to say, I guess. He’s not really my normal type.”

  “Oh no? No backwards hat and popped collar? No trust fund?”

  I laughed, picturing my last boyfriend. He was a typical, snobby New Yorker asshole. He came from a wealthy background, like I did, but his parents never lost their money. It didn’t last very long.

  “Not at all like that. He’s tall, lots of muscles, rugged. Covered in tattoos. A little scary actually.”

  There was a pause at the other end. “A lot scary, according to Shane,” Amy said.

  “Don’t start with me. You know I can handle myself.”

  She sighed. “I know you can. Just be careful.”

  “He’s a big puppy. All bark and no bite. But god, those muscles.”

  “I understand that,” Amy said, laughing.

  That was probably the most comfortable conversation we’d had in weeks. I missed her, if I was honest with myself. I hadn’t moved to Philadelphia to be closer to her, but that definitely was a huge bonus. I didn’t have any other good friends in the city, and her distance made things hard. Eventually, our conversation wrapped up, and I promised I’d see her later that night.

  I lounged back on the couch again and looked back at the TV. I had on some reality show about female wrestlers, and I couldn’t help but reflect how time in front of a camera can turn a perfectly normal person insane. Amy was going through something like that. Her rich and famous boyfriend was reclusive, but there were still paparazzi hounding their every move. I knew I couldn’t judge her too harshly. There was no real way for me to understand what she was going through, and a lot of it she couldn’t talk about because of Shane’s obsessive privacy. I knew he was good to her, but sometimes I thought he was a straight up asshole. He was pretty controlling, although Amy said she didn’t mind it one bit.

  As some red-haired amazon girl got into the ring with a pale British chick, my phone buzzed again. I checked the screen, and it was a text from a number I didn’t recognize. Curious, I pull it up and read it.

  hey spoiled girl, come to drake’s tonight was all it said. But I knew exactly who it was from. A thrill ran through my stomach and up my spine as the memory of him came roaring back: dangerous Rex Latour and his dreamy green eyes.

  Did I really want to see him again? Shane and Amy both seemed to think I should stay away from him, and there was the small matter of him beating the crap out of two guys the first night we met. Still, that second time, he was calm and kind, if a little brooding and quiet. There was also the little matter of how fucking hot he was, and how badly I wanted to run my tongue along his abs. And maybe I needed a violent, dangerous man in my life. At least he was something new.

  I bit my lower lip then typed back. Maybe I will. I hit send. I didn’t know what else to say.

  Too good for me now, I get it, he sent back. I smiled to myself, and realized I hadn’t felt this excited texting someone in a long time.

  I’ve always been too good for you, I sent back.

  Not how you seemed in the bathroom. The memory of his body pressed against mine, of his huge stiff rod straining against his shorts, made my breath come heavy.

  Moment of weakness.

  Your call. I’ll be there if you change your mind.

  I left our texting there. I felt a thrill run through me. I knew I had plans with Amy, but she was always canceling on me. I had every right to push our little date back a night or two if I wanted to. Plus, he was coming after me.

  How could I say no?

  Amy didn’t seem upset when I told her I had to postpone our date. We rescheduled for brunch the next day, and I prepped myself to see Rex. I had no idea what to expect; we had already made out in a bathroom stall, but I still barely knew him. I put on short, high-waisted jean shorts, and an old band T-shirt. I didn’t want to dress up too much, but I also didn’t want him to think I was purposefully dressing down or something, even though I was. I finished the outfit with gladiator sandals.

  I could barely contain how excited I was as I made my way toward Drake’s. I grabbed a cab outside of my apartment, and had them drop me off two blocks away from the bar. I didn’t want Rex to see me climbing out of a cab and have more ammo for his “spoiled girl” jokes.

  The night was cool, but comfortable. I pushed my hands into my pockets as I walked, and pictured what I was getting myself into. Rex’s muscles came to mind immediately, his strong jaw and eyes, and the way he grunted at questions he didn’t feel like answering. There was something magnetic about him that I couldn’t explain.

  There was nobody hanging around outside Drake’s, but music spilled from the dim windows. It was some old country song I didn’t recognize, and I laughed to myself at how cliché it was for this bar to play crappy country. I pushed open the door and let the warmer indoor air run over me.

  Inside, the place was as dim and smoky as the last time. It was somewhat crowded, although it was still only nine on a Saturday night. I scanned the pool tables and booths, until I spotted Rex sitting alone at the bar in the same seat I had sat in last time.

  I crossed the room and came up behind him

  “Hey, stranger,” I said over the music.

  Rex was wearing another tight black T-shirt and the same cutoff shorts. He turned back to look at me, and his face broke out into a devilish smile. I let out a small gasp when I saw his black eye and the fresh red cut along his right brow.

  “Hi there, spoiled chick,” he said.

  I wanted to reach out and touch his face, but I restrained myself.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  His smile turned into a grin. “What, this? Fell down some stairs.”

  “Seriously, that looks bad. Are you okay?”

  He waved his hand, dismissing my worry. “I’m fine. Sit down,” he said, and turned back toward his drink. I took the seat next to him as he ordered me a whiskey and Coke from the bartender. I was impressed that he remembered.

  “Seriously, that eye looks bad. What happened?” I felt bad pressing him, but he looked
seriously hurt. I noticed both of his hands were wrapped in white bandages.

  “It’s nothing. Part of my job.”

  “I thought you worked here, at the bar?”

  He gave me a sideways look that I couldn’t read. “I do, in a way.”

  “Quit being so mysterious.”

  He broke out his wicked grin again. “Can’t help it. Drink your drink.” The bartender placed the glass in front of me and nodded at Rex.

  I lifted the glass to my lips and sipped it. He downed his beer and gestured for another.

  “What’s your job, then? Stopping cars with your face?”

  “Not cars. Trucks. It’s tough, but it pays well.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, doesn’t look worth it though.”

  He didn’t respond as his new beer was placed in front of him. He picked it up and drank half in two big gulps. There was a short lull in our conversation as my mind ran through the possibilities. Did he get in another fight since I last saw him? Maybe he really was too dangerous for me, too violent. I had to admit that the black eye and busted fists terrified, but also thrilled me.

  He gave me another look. “Do you play pool?”

  I had an ex who played pretty well, and he tried to teach me once. I was awful.

  “Yeah, better than you, I bet.”

  “Oh, you think so? Want to make it interesting, then?”

  I shrugged, playing it cool. “What did you have in mind?”

  He thought for a second. “Winner gets to ask the loser for one favor.”

  “What kind of favor?”

  “Any kind of favor they want.”

  My mind buzzed at the possibilities. “Alright then, you’re on.”

  Rex smiled, grabbed his beer, and then stood. I picked up my drink and followed him. We wound our way through the small crowd, back toward the pool tables, and we put our drinks down on a side ledge built into the wall. He picked out two cues, and racked the balls. I watched him, and was impressed by how precise and smooth his movements were. I knew I was about to lose, but I didn’t care. I noticed he was favoring his one side, as if his ribs were bothering him, and I wondered then what other injuries he had that I couldn’t see, and what had happened to him.