Hail to the King

by May Sage

  "And so, you turned yourself around?" Ryn asked.

  Callum chuckled. "Oh, see, you're still turning me into some sort of a nice guy here. Sweet, naïve Katharina. No, what I did is tell her that if she slept with me, I'd give ten thousand to a charity of her choice."

  Ryn was speechless.

  "Tell me she kicked you in the nuts."

  He laughed. "I'm sure she was tempted. But no. She slept with me. Probably the best fuck of my life, come to think of it. I wasn’t used to working for it, so it made it sweeter. Then, she said she needed to disinfect her skin from my disgusting hands, and walked out. She never spoke to me again. Not then, not the next month when I bought my first business, a crumbling firm that was going to go bankrupt. I felt like saving a bunch of jobs might catch her attention. It didn't. She disappeared at the end of the semester. But it turned out, I happened to enjoy working, so I carried on."

  She couldn't reconcile the story he'd just shared with the focused workaholic in front of her, but people changed a lot in a decade.

  "Send my five thirty in when she gets here, would you?" he asked, heading to his office.

  "Of course. And Callum?"

  He looked back over his shoulder.

  "Where we were doesn't matter as much as where we are now. Where we're heading tomorrow. I want to believe that."

  He smiled. "Thank you, Katharina. I'm afraid that where I will be tomorrow won't be very different from where I was yesterday, however."

  17

  Magnetic

  Ryn's eyes widened when she recognized the woman walking into the office.

  "Lillie."

  Lillie was a tall beauty with jet-black hair down to her waist, olive skin, large doe eyes, and the most ridiculously sensual pouty mouth. Ryn had never exchanged more than a few words with her, but the woman had always had a kind smile for her in the past.

  Lillie was one of the employees working at The Tower. Ryn had only seen her dressed in black, with a gold tower pin on her chest. Today, she wore a long white coat over an elegant flowery dress. She almost seemed to belong in the office.

  "Sorry," she apologized, blushing. "I didn't expect.... You're here to see Callum?"

  Lillie smiled, evading the question. “Aren't you a sweet thing! You were Wallace's plaything, am I right?"

  Ryn made no reply.

  "Hm. Not very fond of the man, I take it."

  Ryn didn't like to think about The Tower if she could help it, but now that she had a reminder in front of her, it couldn’t be helped. She recalled that while Lillie had always seemed friendly to her, she hadn't particularly tried hard at making Wallace feel welcome, so she attempted a thin smile and replied. "No, I'm not."

  "Good. The man was a pig. I heard things over the years. And, yes, I'm here to see Callum. I have an appointment at five thirty."

  "Oh, he said to let you in."

  Lillie dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "I'm a little early, and in all honesty, I'd rather put off that ordeal as much as I can. Let us girl-talk for a little while. What was your name, again?"

  “Ryn.”

  “Short for Kathryn, I take it. I approve. It has character. Now, Ryn, sweet, I don't think I've seen you for a while. You should come back to The Tower. Pretty things like you brighten up the place, you know.”

  She shook her head. "I don't think I—"

  "Was your membership dependent on Wallace? We've revoked his, but I'll talk to the big man about adding you back in, if you'd like. You'll find that there are a lot more fish in the sea, sweet thing. Actual gentlemen." Lillie smiled wickedly. "And gentleladies, if you like to play both ways."

  How was this conversation even happening at work, and why was she getting flushed and blushing instead of saying, "no, thanks but no thanks, fuck off," exactly?

  "Lillie?" Callum's voice interrupted them. He must have heard them talking, because he was standing at his door, shaking his head. "Leave the poor woman alone and come talk to me."

  The beautiful woman sighed. "Work calls. Wish me luck."

  Ryn was dying to know what sort of work would have called a Tower employee to Callum King’s office, but she knew she was just being nosy.

  Callum left the door ajar, and she wondered if it was purposeful, to show that he wasn't Wallace, that he wasn't spending an hour banging the stunning woman.

  Not that it would have been her problem if he had, honestly. Wallace had forced Ryn into it. Lillie didn't look, act, or speak like she'd ever been forced to do anything against her will. Ryn couldn't help but admire the confidence the woman exuded.

  She was concentrating on replying to another exec's PA, but she couldn't keep herself from catching words here and there. Voices rose in the office, and she could hear everything now, try as she might to remain discreet. Should she put music on?

  "Come on, you've made exceptions before!"

  "I said no, Lillie. There is literally zero profit for us, and you can't even imagine the pile of shit I'd have to deal with if we were caught."

  "She needs help!"

  "So, help her."

  "She refuses to take charity, dammit. Come on, you and I both know it's doable. Please, boss. How often do I ever ask for anything?"

  Ryn didn't know what Lillie was asking, but she hoped she won. Helping someone who didn't want to take charity appealed to her right now.

  “Why didn’t you bring that mess to Desmond? He’s your boss, not me.”

  “Because you and I both know what Desmond would have said. Come on. How often do I ask for a favor? And I’ll owe you, Cal.”

  Finally, Callum sighed and said, "I'll think about it. Now, get out."

  "Thank you."

  "No promises."

  Lillie left the office with a huge smile on her lips, visibly feeling like she'd won the battle. Catching Ryn's eyes, she winked, and called back behind her.

  "Hey boss, how long are you keeping the pretty girl here? It's past six already. Can I steal her away?"

  "Go!" Callum barked. “Take her if you must.”

  Ryn was quick to refuse the offer, "No, I arrived late this morning. I'll stay a couple of hours to make up for it."

  Callum poked his head out of the office. "For heaven's sake, you arrive at least an hour early every day, and always stay late. Shoo. Go! I'm leaving, anyway."

  Lillie beamed. "Good! You don't have plans, do you, sweetheart? You're coming for drinks with me."

  Half an hour later, Ryn found herself at a bar, a pink cocktail in front of her. Lillie had ordered for her. She took a tentative sip. Delicious.

  "You're a Dom, aren't you?" she asked the woman who'd just burst into her life and taken direction like it was the most natural thing in the world.

  Lillie shook her head, "No, I'm a switch. Admittedly, I tend to like holding the whip, but changing the dynamic is a lot of fun."

  "Oh."

  She took another sip.

  "Go on. Ask your questions. I practically saw you dying of curiosity out there."

  Ryn blushed. "It's none of my business. I—”

  "All right, I'll do it for you! What was I doing at Callum’s office, when I work at The Tower? I know I take a hands-on approach to it, but I’m the CEO of The Tower. The only people with more authority than me are the Kings themselves, as they own the place without any shareholders. Now, don't get me wrong, they definitely do a lot of work, but it’s purely voluntary on their part. I'm in charge of most of the nitty-gritty. The Tower purchases lube, condoms, and hygienic stuff from King Pharmaceuticals. Occasionally, K.P. comes up with exciting new stuff and calls me to check it out. You know their admin side of things is on the first three floors of this building. I had an appointment downstairs this afternoon. I asked if Callum could meet me for a personal matter after."

  Ryn nodded, her inner cat glad to have its curiosity satisfied. Lillie watched her expectantly.

  "Well? Next question, little one."

  She was hardly ‘little’ in any sense of the term, at five foo
t seven and twenty-eight years old. Lillie couldn't be much older. But somehow, it sounded like a sweet endearment, without condescension, coming from her. Ryn couldn't decide if she liked it.

  "You said it was a personal matter, so I can't ask what you were talking to Callum about."

  Lillie rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be dull, poppet. Rule one. You can always ask. And if you'd like to know, I was begging Callum to include a friend of mine in the next auction. Have you attended a Tower auction, Ryn?"

  She shook her head.

  "Well, it's pretty simple. Men and women who sign up parade on a platform, in whatever garments they see fit, or in nothing at all, and people get to bid for a night with them. It's a lot of fun. Typically, all of the money goes to a cause of their choice; charity, you know. The Tower doesn't keep any of it. Anyway, my friend is in a bit of pickle right now. She's been kicked out of her fiancé's place after five years with the bastard, and she's staying on my couch for now. She needs a little bit of help. I'd front some cash, but she refused. I mentioned the auction, and said that once or twice, in the past, the Kings have very secretly let the prize keep the cash, instead of giving it to charity. But it's walking a thin line between harmless fun and prostitution, so Callum is saying no." Ryn's mouth had fallen open sometime over the last five minutes. Lillie laughed. "Hey, don't judge."

  She closed her trap, blushing again.

  "I'm not judging. I'm just—”

  Shocked that Lillie could speak about that sort of thing so openly, as though they were just discussing the weather. They were talking about someone selling themselves voluntarily for a night. Ryn couldn't wrap her head around it. She didn't know who shocked her more: those who gave the money to charity, or the woman who was considering keeping it.

  "You think Callum will say yes?" she prompted, remembering that Lillie had seemed satisfied with the outcome of the shouting match.

  Lillie smirked. "He said he'd think about it. He's a problem fixer. He'll come up with a solution, I know he will."

  Ryn thought about the story he’d shared earlier. He’d paid someone for sex before.

  These people were so odd to her. Their notion of right and wrong was completely different from hers.

  "I don't get it," she admitted. "The appeal of selling yourself like that. Or buying someone, for that matter."

  She grimaced. Lillie didn't seem offended.

  "Different strokes, different folks, and all that. Now, tell me all there is to know about you, sweetling."

  "You're calling me something else every other second."

  "I'm trying stuff out. I haven't pegged you yet. Now, spill. You seem interesting. And I want to know what the hell that pig had on you to make you dance to his tune."

  She froze. Lillie smiled. "Bingo."

  “How...? Did you hear—”

  "Nah, but I guessed the guy couldn't nail someone like you without resorting to blackmail. Besides, he's in prison and you got promoted to assistant to one of the Kings. I'm not stupid. Go on, tell me. My husband knows a guy, who knows a guy who can totally stab him in prison, if it helps."

  "I don't want him stabbed. I want him out of my life."

  And more importantly, she wanted the looming threat of that video resurfacing out of the blue off her shoulders.

  To her surprise, she started to talk. For the very first time, she talked, spilling almost all of it. She didn't get into the details of everything he'd done to her—she couldn't—but she mentioned her sisters, the psycho one and the sick one, the video, the blackmail, everything up until the day Desmond King opened the door of his Jaguar and told her she'd be free.

  At first, there was silence. Then Lillie said, "Oh boy. I think we need another drink."

  She lifted her elegant hand, and the busy bartender abandoned the drink he was pouring to rush.

  "Another round?"

  "Pretty please, Angelo. Make them each a double, would you?"

  She air kissed him when he gave her a thumbs-up and got to work.

  He had two more drinks ready in no time. Ryn attacked hers greedily.

  "Now, tell me how much of a crush you have on Desmond King, after that."

  She swallowed the next sip down the wrong way and coughed it up.

  "I don't...I wouldn't...No way..." she tried to say in between coughing fits.

  Lillie rolled her eyes.

  "Oh, come on. I have a crush on the King and he didn't come to my rescue in his Batman cape."

  "Seriously, I don't. He's...."

  What was he, exactly? Too attentive? The way his gray eyes followed her made her feel completely naked. Too caring? He might be harsh and cold on the outside, but everything he said and did was sweet. The paint. Telling her she should take some time off. Offering her the job in the first place.

  Ryn finally found truthful words to express what Desmond was. “Out of my league.”

  He was so fucking far out of her league she hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge the fact that she indeed had a monstrous crush on him. Now that Lillie had made her realize she did, she wanted to tuck that knowledge right back into her subconscious. It was fucking embarrassing.

  Lillie wasn’t making fun of her, at least.

  “Hey, you never know. My husband is completely out of my league, for example.”

  Lillie opened her phone and showed Ryn her background picture. Ryn’s eyes widened. She recognized the guy; anyone would. He was one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the moment.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Yep. Little old me, married to that man, for six years now. When it comes down to it, you don’t get to decide in which league you are. He does.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She didn’t know the other woman very well, but she was pretty certain that no one changed Lillie’s mind for her. Instead, she opted to shift the conversation to a different topic.

  “So, what does Luke Ryker think about your working at The Tower?”

  The woman giggled. “Where do you think we met? He doesn’t mind. We keep all of our stuff private, so I’m not on the press’s radar, but even if I was, it wouldn’t affect him. No one talks about what happens at The Tower. I mean, you’ve seen the NDA.” She had. It still gave her nightmares that someone would accuse her of breaking it, demand reparation, destroy her life. What was left of her life.

  “The Kings would fall on them with their armies of lawyers if anyone spoke,” Lillie said.

  Ryn didn’t doubt it.

  “So, Luke is…kinky. I’m never going to watch any of his movies the same way now.”

  “You have no idea. He and I are very well-suited. We have the same appetite.”

  Oh, my. Ryn felt a little hot under the collar just talking about it.

  “I’m not going to ask,” she stated, making Lillie laugh again.

  “Of course you aren’t. I found your nickname, by the way. Princess. It just suits.”

  Ryn tilted her head.

  “Soft, innocent, delicate, pretty. Plus, princesses tend to bag kings. I have a good feeling about you and Desmond, you know. Especially if I read you right.”

  “What does that even mean?”

  Lillie watched her attentively for a minute.

  “You know what? I’ll just leave it at that, princess. I’m sure you’ll work it out.”

  18

  Deception

  Four weeks ago

  She woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, and it took a while to realize where she was. She remembered everything about the previous evening immediately, her embarrassing meltdown included, but things didn't compute because the room around her wasn't white at all.

  One of the walls had been painted silver, and there was a nice dark purple wallpaper covering the other three. Her elegant rattan king-size bed was made of light oak, and her heavy comforter was gray and purple. Thick blue curtains fell to the floor, blocking out all light. There was an elaborate lamp on a Chinese lacquered bedside table to her right. It had been le
ft on a dim setting. Ryn sat up on the edge of the bed, her feet sinking in a plush rug. The rest of the room had wood flooring.

  Where was she?

  She went to the door, and was relieved to find it unlocked. She pushed it open. Everything was white on the other side. So, she was still in Desmond's home.

  Her head turned back to take in the room. It was so unlike the rest of the place, so cozy, however elegant it seemed.

  Ryn blushed, wondering if she'd ended up in his bedroom. Somehow, she doubted it. Walking to a silver chest of drawers, she opened it to find every drawer empty. A guest room, then.

  There was an en suite bathroom, fully equipped. To her relief, she found a toothbrush still in its packaging, as well as some freshly laundered towels. She brushed her teeth and took a shower, remaining under the hot jets a lot longer than usual. The water pressure was incredible on her sore, tense muscles. Eventually, she had to come back to reality. Reality was a black mini dress made to arouse men, bought by the man who'd owned her for three years. She reluctantly walked back into the room, to find a set of yoga pants and a long sleeve T-shirt on the bed, all new, with tags.

  She pressed the comfortable fabric against her chest.

  How had he known? That putting the dress back on would stress her out.

  I was you, once, he'd said.

  She had doubted it; how could a man like him, so confident, successful, claim to have been like her? He seemed to own the world, master all his emotions. And yet he knew just what she needed: distance, choices, comfort, and now the clothes.

  There were many hidden sides to Desmond King. Layers of red and black, concealed by coats of white paint.

  She removed the dress and put on the new clothes before heading out of the guest room.

  She was still on the first floor; her door had been concealed behind a wall panel next to the piano. The penthouse was even bigger than it had seemed at first.

  There was no one in the open space in front of her. Ryn headed to the kitchen area, needing a glass of water. She found a covered plate of food on the breakfast bar with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, and tomatoes. A hurried hand had written "Ryn" on a card and left it next to it, or on top of it, who knew. A small black cat was clawing at the plastic film protecting her breakfast, trying to get into it. The fluff ball could have moved the card.