Read Online High Stakes (The Kingdom Book 2) by Nikki Groom - Free Book Online Page A

fabrics. It’s all I ever wanted to do.”
    “Well, you seem very passionate about it. And, you’ll love working with Beth, she really is the best. She’ll take you places, be sure of that.”
    “I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
    “When are you due to start?”
    “I’m not sure now,” I say. “I should call her and find out, I was supposed to meet her, but … well, you know.”
    “I bet you’re excited! And you won’t have to worry about what to wear, as it’ll all be at your fingertips. God, what I’d do for a staff discount at Chique …”
    “I’ll see what I can do for you.”
    “Now you’re talking, my girl. See, we are going to get along just fine,” she says, popping another truffle into her mouth with a grin.
    I follow suit, and help myself to one more of the delicious little balls. They are heavenly, and coupled with coffee and good company, I smile inwardly. She’s right, I know I must have more belief in myself but when you’ve spent year upon year with it being beaten out of you, it’s hard to find that step up. Although Aaron didn’t continually beat me, I had suppressed my own personality, and adopted Natalie Jamesson to play a role. It wasn’t until the end that it all turned bad, but maybe it was never really good in the first place.
    “I think it’s great that you know what you’d like to do, Arianna. I never had a clue. I went from job to job, testing out different industries. Once, I had an apprenticeship in a hair salon. It was the most prestigious salon around and I couldn’t wait to get started. I always liked playing around with my friends’ hair, and was always experimenting with makeup. After months of doing nothing but making coffee, sweeping the floor and washing hair until my fingers were shriveled, I finally convinced my boss to let me try blow drying a client’s hair.” She looks at me with a raised brow and I’m sure she hasn’t got to the best bit of this story yet. “I felt like I owned the place, stupid naive teenager that I was. They got someone in that was willing to let me practice on, and I sat her in the chair and gowned her up. I really thought I was the bee’s knees, so I started blow-drying, flicking around the round brush that I was using, like I had seen the other stylists doing. They make it look so easy, you know?” I smile, encouraging her to continue. “Well, I waved that brush alright. I waved it into such a tangle that we couldn’t get it out. The client went home with a large chunk of hair missing where we had to cut the brush free. And I went home and never went back!”
    “Oh my goodness!”
    “I know! I decided being a hairdresser was far too risky for me, so I started working at clubs, behind the bar serving drinks. About the only thing that could go wrong then was pouring the wrong drink and even then if that happened, it wasn’t the end of the world. One of us would drink it to hide the evidence.” She smiles fondly at the memory.
    “Sounds fun.”
    “Yes, it was. That was where I met Carter. He gave me an abnormally large tip and had written his number on the bill. I told him he was obnoxious to think the money would win me over for a date, and he spent the next two weeks sitting at the end of the bar, scaring off any man who showed a little too much interest in me, and trying to convince me that I should let him take me out on a date.”
    “Aw, that’s sweet, and so romantic.”
    “Of course, I would have dated him anyway if he had just asked me properly in the first instance. I think he had me the minute his eyes locked with mine.” She drifts off dreamily before her eyes flash with sorrow and a subtle glaze appears over them. “Anyway, you don’t want to hear about me.” She bounces back quickly, smoothing her hands over her lap.
    “Oh no, I’m happy to listen. I suppose I always liked the thought of happily ever after, I just never knew it came true.” The sound of sorrow in my voice