Page 58 of Lethal King

“We’ll see,” I complain. Still, I stand up beside him, lowering my dress a tad at the sight of what’s coming.

Leander Onasis is easy to spot through the crowd of old men and women. And it’s not just because he’s joined by a half-dozen bodyguards.

His impeccable beige-colored suit floats through a sea of black and white. His smooth olive skin, tanned golden, contrasts the wrinkled gazes that have been leering at me. His understated jewelry glimmers beneath the chandeliers.

I can see the blue of his eyes before he’s even halfway across the room. His beard is well manicured. His hair looks like it was cut five minutes ago.

He is absolutely not my type.

If he had been on time, then maybe I’d have tried to hide my disdain for a bit. But the bastard is late. And I’m sick of all these old men staring at me like I’m the reason for their next divorce.

I give one particularly bold pensioner a look of pure death before turning my frustration back on the approaching billionaire.

“So sorry I’m late,” Leander offers when he arrives at our table.

His bejeweled hand reaches out in greeting. Tytus takes it. I only look at the jewels he’s carrying.

The old street rat in me wonders how much I could sell those puppies for. They’d definitely be easy pickings.

“Bad traffic?” Tytus asks, gesturing for Leander to sit down across from us.

“Bad business,” he replies, looking over at me. I provide a curt nod in response. Nothing more. “Had to ax a few of my subsidiaries this morning. They weren’t performing as well as I had hoped.”

“Let’s hope we never have to say the same about our partnership,” Tytus says.

“Yeah, let’s hope,” I finally join in, my words laced with venom.

But my attitude only makes Leander smile. Those greedy blue eyes slowly crawl over my body before jumping back to my face.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Ms. Dorn,” Leander says, reaching his hand out to me.

“Sit down,” I respond, taking a seat to show him how it’s done. “You’re late.”

“My apologies,” Leander nods, retracting his hand. Looking back over his shoulder, he gives another short nod. His security team quickly disperses into the background. “You two must know how much work it takes to run an empire.”

“That’s why we like to get our work done on time,” Tytus explains, subtly jumping to my defense. “It saves a lot of pain.”

He’s better at being passive-aggressive.

“Of course. It won’t happen again. Perhaps a gift will excuse my tardiness.” Lifting a hand to his ear, Leander motions for someone to approach.

From over his shoulder, I see one of his beefy security guards take the cue.

I immediately tense up.

“No surprises,” I warn our guest.

“Not even pleasant ones?” he smirks in response.

Before I can answer, a strange sensation pulses up from between my legs. A flash vibration that seems to be coming from somewhere deep inside of me.

It’s completely unexpected… as is the strange warmth that follows it.

“Is everything alright, Roz?” Tytus asks.

The shock must be evident on my face, because both men at my table are glaring at me.

“I’m fine,” I assure him, trying to keep my brows from furrowing.