9:45am
I suddenly lift my head from his neck and clamp my legs together.
"I've got to go to work, lover. Seriously. Playtime is over."
He releases me and exaggerates a groan like he's in some sort of real physical pain.
"Ever since you quit your full time gig, I feel like you've been working more than you ever did. I'm seriously not understanding the point of it all."
I pick up my cell phone from the side table and send my client a brief but apologetic text.
He's in rare form today. This is going to take at least another fifteen minutes.
CUTTER
"What is this the 1950's?"
I worship the ground that this long-legged, beautiful woman walks on, but right now I'd like to stuff a gag in her mouth, tie her to our bed, and fuck her well into the night. That would be my idea of a happy ending to this conversation. Alas, that would be entirely too easy.
Sloan has never been easy.
"No, princess. Neither of us were even born in the fifties," I deadpan.
"Exactly!" she says emphatically. "I know you're rich as sin, but I'm not like any of those little brats I grew up with in private school or the hoards of spoiled models and actresses you've slept with. I like to work. I want to work."
"And I want you to work, babe."
"But only if it isn't an inconvenience for you."
"I never said that."
Where the hell is my ball gag?
"You basically did."
"You're starting a fight for no reason other than to prove that you're right."
"I am right."
"No, babe, you're not."
"Do I say anything when you stroll in here at four or five am after you've been bouncing between the Tapas Lounge and the club all night? Smelling like smoke and minions."
Is she serious right now?
"No, but maybe that's because you can't say anything. You're right in there with me too, shaking your ass in the club every night."
"I'm in there some nights, because when I'm there I'm supporting your business," she says. Pointing her well manicured finger at me for emphasis. "Like a good girlfriend should."
"Let's face it. My fiancee is there for two reasons only." I make it a point to correct her. She is my fiancee, not my girlfriend, yet she continues to use the term a lot and it irritates the fuck out of me. "To keep an eye on me and the minions, and for the free drinks my bartenders keep comping you."
I actually love that Sloan is jealous. When we first met, she tried really hard to remain unaffected by everyone and everything. I suppose it was some sort of coping mechanism or a control thing. Like she had seen it and done it all. Seen one man, you've seen them all type of attitude. But that's no who my fireball is at all.
Sloan is territorial.
Sloan is jealous.
Sloan is possessive.
Sloan is my life.
"I'm sleeping with the owner." She mischievously grins. "Of course my drinks should be free."
"It doesn't seem like you're too interested in sleeping with the owner right now." I pout.
"Cutter freakin' King. I can't believe you. I'm an entrepreneur. Something which you encouraged me to pursue by the way. I cannot simply bail on a meeting whenever I feel like it. My interior design business is new, and it's basically a twenty-four hour hustle to get it off the ground. You should understand that. You're the greatest entrepreneur known to mankind right? God knows you never stop claiming that you are."
"Obviously I know what it takes to build a successful business," I say with restrained annoyance, “but your design work is second nature to you. It's your passion. Why do you have to spend hours holding meetings to convince these rich bastards to hire you? Your portfolio speaks for itself. I've told you a million times I can throw you a couple of clients that will keep you busy all year. No groveling necessary."
"I'm not groveling, and I rather book my own clients thank you very much."
Why does she have to make everything so difficult?
"What the hell for?" I gripe. "This business of yours is feeling too much like a job when it's supposed to be fun."
"I'm having loads of fun!"
"Well you seem to be the only fucking one."
"You're so spoiled. I swear. Why do I bother with you?”
Sloan tries to end the conversation by attempting to maneuver herself out of my grip, but she should know better. She can get up when I'm ready for her to get up.
"Obviously, I'm spoiled, darlin'. I'm a king."
"You're delusional."
"And hot."
"Puh-lease...and ridiculous."
"And the love of your life."
"Maybe,” she teases.
"Maybe?" I grab her left hand. "This ice on your finger definitely confirms it."
"This?" she says indifferently.
Sloan stops trying to free herself from my grasp and holds her hand up to playfully glower at her engagement ring as if it's not much. It rubs me completely the wrong way, but I put faith in the fact that I know my girl.
"Yes– that." I playfully tickle her sides to lighten the mood.
"I hope that you realize that the size of this diamond is not some sort of accurate measure of our feelings or our commitment for each other. It's just a ring."
I raise a curious eyebrow at that last statement.
Just a ring?
What the fuck is she talking about.
Sloan's poor choice of words seem to hang like a heavy funk in the air around us. We both are silent for what seems like an eternity, until I decide to diffuse the situation like I always do– with humor and sex.
"The size of this diamond might not be an indicator, but the volume of your orgasms are. You must love me lots because they grow louder every time I'm inside of your pretty ass. Why don't we find out just how loud they can get right now?"
Then I pull out the big guns and tickle her under her arms.
SLOAN
"They are not loud!" I protest. Gasping for breath in between laughter. He's tickling me to death.
"My princess is a screamer."
"Stop!" I plead as I grab a hold of my tormenter's wrists and hold them down above his head on the bed (or rather he permits me to).
"Stop tickling me you neanderthal. You know I can't stand it," I say breathing heavily.
"Wait until you see what happens at the next tenant meeting. Watch the looks that you get from sweet old Mrs. Mason. She can hear you through the walls even when she turns up the television."
"You look positively thrilled about that."
"I don't mind everyone in the building knowing that I know how to keep my woman satisfied. In fact, I'm actually surprised that Kyle has never mentioned how good you're getting it. Isn't his bedroom on the other side of our living room wall?"
"This is not our living room wall. It's yours."
Cutter's face hardens.
This isn't our first conversation about our living arrangement or lack thereof.
"A fact which can easily be remedied by you giving me the ok to rent out your apartment. You're never in it."
"You know how I feel about that."
"You feel things entirely too much. Let's be practical about it instead."
I release his wrists and sit up.
"You're talking to me about being practical? That's unbelievable seeing as how you bought this entire building just to harrass me."
"Correction, impress you."
"What's impressive or practical about buying a piece of real estate that you didn't need nor want."
"It's called being romantic, Miss Pearson, and romance always trumps practicality. Any other woman–"
"Any other woman what?!" I interrupt defiantly.
"Any other woman would see what I meant by the gesture. Would be moved by the gesture. Would be creaming in her panties because of the gesture."
"Buying this building was over the top." I motion my hands around the room.
"I'
m fucking over the top, Sloan! Why are you acting like you don't know who I am. Who I've always been. Who you fell in love with."
"You're right, I shouldn't have said that."
"That's right, you shouldn't have. As a matter of fact there's a lot of things you shouldn't have said today, but I'm going to chalk that up to you not being a morning person."
I don't respond to that and simply roll my eyes at him.
"I bought you a ring and you said yes. We spend most of our time in this apartment. We're getting married this summer. There's no reason why you shouldn't just move in here officially. Especially because your unit could bring us in extra income. Fiscally it makes all the sense in the world."
"I'm not trying sound pretentious or anything, but you and I both know that you can afford to keep that apartment vacant for the next twenty years and it wouldn't affect your bottom line. You don't need the money. You're loaded."
"And good business decisions will help keep it that way."
I slap him playfully in his abs and move to get off of him and out of the bed. I'm finished with all this discussion of moving in together. Things are fine just the way they are. I like knowing that I have my own apartment just in case I need or want my space, and I'm not budging on that until we get married.
"Stay where you are, Mrs. King."
Cutter pulls me tenderly by the wrist and back down into his rock hard body.
"It's still Miss Pearson. I'm not your wife quite yet."
I kiss him softly on the cheek, and partially on the corner of his mouth. I love how his eyes close when I do this. As if my kiss is a soothing balm for his soul. As if my kiss is everything.
"That's why our friends are throwing us an engagement versus an anniversary party tonight," I tell him. "A party which you better be at on time. No excuses."
"Why do we have to pretend like this is a surprise again?"
"Because I'm sure that Elizabeth didn't anticipate that your brother and your best friend would gossip to you about the party like two little ten year olds. It'll ruin everything if we don't act like we're surprised. She worked so hard."
"It was kind of silly for her to think that she could keep anything a surprise from me. Cam is my brother and my best friend. He tells me everything. Everybody knows that."
"Umm, well he doesn't tell you everything."
"Like what?"
"Oh how soon we forget," I taunt. "You practically disowned your beloved older brother when you found out that he didn't tell you about Stone."
"The rumor of Stone's existence. He didn't know for sure."
"Tomato, Tamato."
"That's not funny, Princess. Why are you bringing that old shit up."
"I'm not trying to be funny, and it's not that old. It literally just happened."
"It's over."
"Okay, I'm just saying...your brother doesn't tell you everything."
"You said that shit already."
"Sheesh, your touchy. I thought you'd come to terms with the fact that he knew about your long lost brother before you did."
"Like I said, Camden didn't actually know anything. It's over and I have come to terms with it. Speaking of Stone, was he invited to this engagement party of ours tonight?" he asks in an almost accusatory tone as if Stone would be left out on purpose.
"Of course he was."
"How do you know that he was if the party is a secret."
"No one is leaving Stone out of anything, Cutter. Relax. Elizabeth wouldn't do that."
"I just want to make sure that he feels included."
"You mean you want me to make sure that I include the man that was lying and stealing from one of my best friends?"
"That's bullshit and you know it. There were extenuating circumstances."
"Tiny threw him out of her house."
"And now they live in another house together."
"I'll never understand it."
"If she's figured out a way to forgive him, so can you."
"Well that goes both ways. Tonight is going to be a great night for you to bond with Tiny. So please be on your best behavior."
"What do you mean bond with her?"
"You know very well that she's one of my best friends, and is in love with new brother, yet you've only exchanged about ten words with her."
"That's not true."
"It's totally true."
"It's not my fault she doesn't talk."
"No one can get a word in edgewise when you're in the room."
"Yet, it's amazing how you always seem to have plenty to say." Cutter grins.
"Just figure it out, wise ass, because if Tiny doesn't give you the best friend seal of approval, I may have to reconsider marrying you."
CUTTER
"Is that a threat?"
I ask giving Sloan a careful glance. With every semi-fucked up thing she's said this morning, I'm not completely sure whether or not we're still playing around.
"It's a promise," she says with mischief in her eyes.
Okay, we're still playing.
That's more like it.
"So if I agree to win her over tonight will you be nicer to me right now?" I ask suggestively.
"You know I'd love to but seriously I can't." She kisses me dismissively on the lips. "I've already texted my client the hugest lie ever as an excuse for pushing back the meeting."
"Who are you meeting with again?"
"A lawyer named Edward Prentis. This is actually our second meeting."
"You mean Eddie lazy eye Prentis?"
Sloan sighs with exasperation.
"Don't tell me you know him."
"He's a partner over at Provident Law Group right?"
"Oh my god! Do you know every man under forty-years-old on this planet?"
"Not everyone, darlin', but I definitely know everyone in Philadelphia, and within a fifty mile radius of it. This is my town. Camden and I practically raised ourselves in these streets, and we've met a lot more people as fixers."
"So in other words, you know Mr. Prentis, and there's something about him that you don't particularly care for."
I hate that Sloan calls Prentis mister anything. He doesn't deserve the respect. This is exactly why I wish she would just take my referrals. I know of several businesses that would hire her strictly for her commercial design skills. Not just to get into her panties. Which is Prentis’s total MO.
"Yeah, I don't particularly care for the fact that he's a dick."
"Well I'm never going to get any work if I have to avoid every man who you think is a dick."
Eh, maybe she's right.
"Just work for women then," I suggest.
"That's a terribly ignorant thing to say."
"You're right. I bet there's a shit ton of women who'd like to sleep with you too given the chance. So how about you just redecorate the club then? Only work for me. That'll keep things super simple."
"You're certifiable. You know that right?"
Powerful pheromones are flying all over the room. The scent of me all over Sloan is wafting inside of my nostrils, making me want her again in the most primal sort of way. I just want to pull her back into bed and make love to her for another hour.
And another.
And another.
Good thing I'm marrying this woman because I'm definitely addicted to being inside of her. It's my favorite place on earth.
"I know, darlin'. That's why you love me."
"I can't redesign the club. It was just redecorated."
"Yeah– but I bet you could make it look even sexier."
I began to knead the muscles of her thighs. Hoping she'll finally break down and ditch the meeting with lazy eye Prentis.
"I bet I could," I say smiling. "But that's not the point. That would be a total waste of your money. Plus that's just your way of keeping an eye on me. Why you think every man in the world wants to sleep with me is beyond me."
She's so stinking cute.
Sloan is all woman. She likes to put on makeup a
nd a nice dress when she goes out, but truly has no idea how totally stunning she is. I haven't met a man yet that hasn't given her a second look or a third when she walks in a room. Sometimes they look so hard at her that they make my eyelid twitch which is never a good thing. It means that I'm probably getting ready to beat somebody's ass.
"You have thousands of Instagram followers, and a huge percentage of them are men. Men who like every post and reply with weird fucking emojis. They're probably jacking off to your pictures right now."
"Well first of all, it's weird that you've been stalking my Instagram account, so stop it. Second of all, you know many of those guys follow me because they're intrigued with anything having to do with my father."
"They're not liking pictures of your long legs and big ass in a short dress because of your father."
"Oh, stop it. It's not like I ever met a man through social media. The truth is I hadn't been on a decent date in months, before I started seeing you."
I prop myself half up in the bed with a pillow and position her straddled across my lap.
“Do you really think that was because the dating gods had it out for you?" I chuckle.
"Probably."
Like I said.
She's so stinking cute.
"No, my love. You're not that unlucky. That was completely all of my handiwork."
"Wait...what?"
SLOAN
My mouth forms the most perfect round o shape.
I'm shocked.
I'm engaged to a saboteur.
Elizabeth's fiance (Roman) mentioned something about this to me a long time ago, but I dismissed it, because I thought he was messing with my head. The two of us kind of have a love-hate relationship with each other.
Plus I didn't think it was possible for anyone to interfere in my love life like that, nor did I understand what Cutter's motivation would be. I always believed that he thought of me as strictly Elizabeth's best friend and nothing more.
He never showed any interest in me. In fact he barely said two words to me when I would go to the club. He was too busy holding court with all of his other women, or as I (not so) fondly call them his mindless minions.
The King Brothers Boxed Set Page 55