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The waiter’s cheeks flush a deep red and he mumbles his apologies whilst trying not to spill the wine all over the damn table cloth. Picking up the glass, she takes a sip, watching the King over the rim of her glass.
“Aren’t you a little young to be taking on such responsibility? Surely there are far more interesting things that you should be concerning yourself with. A beauty like yourself would make the perfect queen for the right man.”
Without even thinking about what I’m doing, my fingers wrap around the handle of the knife resting on the table. No one but Kate appears to notice, and beneath the table she rests her hand on my thigh, squeezing it gently. It does the fucking trick and stills my hand.
“Mr King, not only am I old enough to runanybusiness I set my sights on, but I’m also fully capable of becoming queen without the need of a man. In fact, I’m certain I could take on the title of king too,” she replies sweetly, but there’s no mistaking the fire or the warning in her eyes.
Her dad snaps his gaze to her. It’s a not so sly dig to him as well, and I can’t help but feel a well of pride bloom in my chest. She might not have shot Saxon in the head, but she sure as fuck is showing that she means business.
That’s my girl.
Mygirl? I shove that thought to the back of my head. I can’t afford any more distractions tonight. Carter clears his throat, casting his gaze from Kate to the King, a nerve ticking in his eyelid. I’ve rarely seen him get nervous, but right now he’s shitting a brick and I want to know why.
“Yes, Kate has her uses.”
Uses?
My teeth grind together so hard that the sound is unmistakable. Next to me Kate flinches as though slapped, but to her credit that’s the only physical reaction to her dad’s disparaging remark that she reveals.
“That’s good to know,” the King replies with a smirk that I want to wipe off his face. “But women have no place in business, especially not the kind of business we deal in.”
“Says the fuck who…You?” I ask, unable to stop myself.
The King turns his attention to me as Carter squirms in his seat. I can’t help but imagine grabbing both their heads and slamming them together for being such fucking pricks. The King because he’s clearly a hater of women, particularly those who’re smarter than him, and Carter for not stepping in and putting a stop to this bullshit or reeling his own neck in.
“Do you disagree?” the King asks me.
“You bet your fucking—”
“Beast, could you pour me a glass of water?” Kate interjects, giving my leg another squeeze. I barely register her touch over the fucking rage fizzing through my blood right now. “Beast?” she prompts, firmer this time.
My fingers release from around the knife handle because as much as I want to slit this motherfucker’s throat, I’m also all too aware that there’s some deeper shit at play here and I need to keep my head to find out exactly what that is. Kate’s picked up on it too, and she’s playing the long game. I need to take a leaf out of her book.
“Apologies, no offence meant. I’m what you callold school. I appreciate the value of a good woman running a household and bearing my children. That is far more impressive than running a business in my humble opinion,” the King says, smiling in what I assume he believes is a charming way, but only makes him look more like the slimy snake he is.
“Itisimpressive, you’re right,” Kate replies, her finger tapping against the table top, the only tell that she’s losing her patience too. “Bringing up children and running a household is underestimated by most men, but I disagree that women have no place in business. It’s an archaic and, frankly, misogynistic view of the world. Tell me, Mr King, how does your wife feel about such matters?”
Kate’s gaze rests on the wedding ring the King wears before raising her brows. Carter looks as though he’s either about to lose his shit or hide under the table, neither of which are appropriate responses for how well Kate is handling herself right now. He should be stepping in and backing her instead of allowing this horseshit to continue.
“Soon to be ex-wife,” the King replies, twisting the band on his finger.
“And yet you’re still wearing your wedding ring.”
“Force of habit,” the King shrugs, removing the ring and pocketing it. “That better?”
Kate keeps her expression blank. “For her, I imagine it is.”
I snort, biting down the laugh that threatens to erupt. The King’s eyes narrow and Carter’s face pales but we’re all saved by the waiter who delivers our food. I look down at my plate, eyes wide.
“What the fuck is this?” I bark out, causing the waiter to jump and almost drop the tray he’s holding.
Kate laughs, the sound is light and carefree despite the evening’s events and the smouldering look the King is giving her for insulting him so eloquently. “You ordered escargot…Snails,” she adds when I snatch my head around to look at her.
“And you didn’t think to tell me I was going to get a plate full of garden munchers?”
“Garden munchers?” Kate snorts with laughter then quickly straightens her expression.
“Would you rather I call them snot balls?”
“Escargot is a delicacy in France. Try something new, you might like it,” she replies, the innuendo not lost on me as she flashes a smile that has my cock jumping.
“I would advise against that,” the King says, watching our exchange as he carves into the barely dead slab of meat in front of him. “In my experience it’s better to stick with what you know rather than indulge in something that could disagree with you, don’t you think?”
I narrow my eyes at him, pick up the weird-shaped fork the waiter set down for me and pull out the snail from its shell, popping it in my mouth. Chewing, I swallow, surprised by how tasty it is. “You know what, Princess, you’re right, I do like it. Trying new things ain’t so bad after all. I could go as far as saying that it’s pretty fucking tempting.”
She grins. “Told you.”
The King chews on his steak, focusing his gaze on Kate as he swallows. “Isn’t temptation man’s greatest downfall?”
Kate dabs her mouth with her napkin before responding. “I think that depends on the man, don’t you?”
