Read Online KING: Las Vegas Bad Boys by Frankie Love - Free Book Online
Authors: Frankie Love
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money. I need it. What I don’t need is to dredge up an ugly past that would cost me this job. So I’ll just have to win his brother over so he doesn’t start looking into my past.
I smile, realizing that I’m finally catching a break. And even though this job is straight up deceitful … it’s his relationship with his parents, not mine. All I need to do is smile and keep my mouth shut for one single week.
And then I can give Sophia the life I always dreamed of for her.
“So,” I say. “Looks like I’ll need an engagement ring.”
* * *
“ M orning , sweet pea,” I say, sitting on the edge of our bed, waking Sophia up from her slumber.
“Morning, Mama,” she says, snuggling deeper into the blankets.
I always hear these horror stories of children waking up at the crack of dawn, but that’s never been my Sophia. She sleeps hard and long.
“You gotta get up and get ready for school.” I kiss her soft cheek. “I brought you a special breakfast. It’s in the kitchen and you can have it once you’re dressed and your teeth are brushed.”
That gets her upright. “Is it my favorite?” she asks.
“You’ll have to wait and see.” I raise my eyebrows, teasing her. “Hustle, okay, so I can braid your hair.”
Sophia is a mini-me. She doesn’t take after her father, not a lick. She has my narrow frame, cornsilk-blonde hair, and bright green eyes. But she also has a hopefulness, a curiosity and wonder about her that I lost a long time ago.
“Okay, Mama.” She kisses me and I wrap my arms around her, squeezing tight.
I told Landon yes to the job when I left his suite, and I came up with a solid lie for my mom on my way back to the condo. The money isn’t something I can walk away from, but I don’t know if every one else will understand.
Lying to Landon’s family isn’t the hard part for me ... lying to Mom and Sophia is a little trickier.
Also, I’ll have to be apart from my little girl. The job will be over a week, when I factor in travel times, and we’ve never been apart for longer than one day.
But this isn’t about the lie right now, this is about our forever.
When Sophia heads to the bathroom, I make my way into the kitchen where Mom is pouring us coffee.
“No, thanks,” I tell her, sitting on a barstool at the island. “I had enough this morning.”
“You’ve been up for awhile?” she asks, adding cream to her mug.
“You know me. I’m an early riser.” I reach into my purse and pull out a to-go bag. “I brought donuts from the hotel.”
“So you stayed at Emmy’s last night?” Mom asks.
I immediately feel heat on my cheeks. One thing about being blonde and fair-skinned is that my face constantly betrayed me.
“What aren’t you saying, Claire?” Mom asks, leaning on the island counter.
“Mom, don’t be awkward. Of course I was with Emmy and Tess.”
Mom raises her hands in defeat. “Okay, honey, I’ll mind my own business. I take it the night was ho-hum, then—no man asked you out and swept you off your feet?”
“I don’t believe in getting swept off my feet for one, and two, Sophia is down the hall. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t think you falling in love is the worst idea, Claire.”
“Love? Nobody is talking about love.” I scoff, remembering my exchange earlier with Landon, when he admitted he is a jaded pessimist. Knowing that I am too.
“Okay, so you didn’t fall in love. What did you girls do?”
Knowing Sophia would walk in the room any moment, but also wanting to tell Mom about the job, I talk a hyper-speed.
“Okay,” I tell her. “Dinner was fine. But what happened next is a little crazy. While we were at the hotel, I was offered a one-week trip to England.”
“What?” Mom asks, confused.
I fill her in on who Landon is—not the we-had-sex part, the friend of Ace’s part. “He needs to go home for work, his father owns The King’s Diamond—very fancy stuff—and he needs a plus one at the
I smile, realizing that I’m finally catching a break. And even though this job is straight up deceitful … it’s his relationship with his parents, not mine. All I need to do is smile and keep my mouth shut for one single week.
And then I can give Sophia the life I always dreamed of for her.
“So,” I say. “Looks like I’ll need an engagement ring.”
* * *
“ M orning , sweet pea,” I say, sitting on the edge of our bed, waking Sophia up from her slumber.
“Morning, Mama,” she says, snuggling deeper into the blankets.
I always hear these horror stories of children waking up at the crack of dawn, but that’s never been my Sophia. She sleeps hard and long.
“You gotta get up and get ready for school.” I kiss her soft cheek. “I brought you a special breakfast. It’s in the kitchen and you can have it once you’re dressed and your teeth are brushed.”
That gets her upright. “Is it my favorite?” she asks.
“You’ll have to wait and see.” I raise my eyebrows, teasing her. “Hustle, okay, so I can braid your hair.”
Sophia is a mini-me. She doesn’t take after her father, not a lick. She has my narrow frame, cornsilk-blonde hair, and bright green eyes. But she also has a hopefulness, a curiosity and wonder about her that I lost a long time ago.
“Okay, Mama.” She kisses me and I wrap my arms around her, squeezing tight.
I told Landon yes to the job when I left his suite, and I came up with a solid lie for my mom on my way back to the condo. The money isn’t something I can walk away from, but I don’t know if every one else will understand.
Lying to Landon’s family isn’t the hard part for me ... lying to Mom and Sophia is a little trickier.
Also, I’ll have to be apart from my little girl. The job will be over a week, when I factor in travel times, and we’ve never been apart for longer than one day.
But this isn’t about the lie right now, this is about our forever.
When Sophia heads to the bathroom, I make my way into the kitchen where Mom is pouring us coffee.
“No, thanks,” I tell her, sitting on a barstool at the island. “I had enough this morning.”
“You’ve been up for awhile?” she asks, adding cream to her mug.
“You know me. I’m an early riser.” I reach into my purse and pull out a to-go bag. “I brought donuts from the hotel.”
“So you stayed at Emmy’s last night?” Mom asks.
I immediately feel heat on my cheeks. One thing about being blonde and fair-skinned is that my face constantly betrayed me.
“What aren’t you saying, Claire?” Mom asks, leaning on the island counter.
“Mom, don’t be awkward. Of course I was with Emmy and Tess.”
Mom raises her hands in defeat. “Okay, honey, I’ll mind my own business. I take it the night was ho-hum, then—no man asked you out and swept you off your feet?”
“I don’t believe in getting swept off my feet for one, and two, Sophia is down the hall. I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t think you falling in love is the worst idea, Claire.”
“Love? Nobody is talking about love.” I scoff, remembering my exchange earlier with Landon, when he admitted he is a jaded pessimist. Knowing that I am too.
“Okay, so you didn’t fall in love. What did you girls do?”
Knowing Sophia would walk in the room any moment, but also wanting to tell Mom about the job, I talk a hyper-speed.
“Okay,” I tell her. “Dinner was fine. But what happened next is a little crazy. While we were at the hotel, I was offered a one-week trip to England.”
“What?” Mom asks, confused.
I fill her in on who Landon is—not the we-had-sex part, the friend of Ace’s part. “He needs to go home for work, his father owns The King’s Diamond—very fancy stuff—and he needs a plus one at the
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