Page 75 of Slay King

A crooked grin curled his lips. “Thanks.”

It was the truth. He was an attractive man, and I was sure he was well aware of it. Seeing him like this made me anxious about seeing King. He’d be dressed in one too. Remembering how he looked in a tux made my heart flutter. Scotlin would be clinging to him, and that was going to be painful, but I would be the one he came home to.

“You’re ready then?” he asked.

“Yes. Might as well get this over with.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

He stood back so that I could lead the way. Maeme was standing at the bottom of the stairs as we descended, and a big, bright smile lit her face when she saw me. She was dressed in a pale blue satin dress that hung to the floor. Maeme was a beautiful woman, but seeing her like this had me awestruck.

“Good Lord, you are a sight. I knew that green would match your eyes. You are breathtaking.”

I started to thank her when Sebastian spoke up.

“No shit. I thought you loved me, Maeme. King is gonna lose his shit when he sees her, and I’m the one he’s gonna murder when he does.”

Maeme rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. If she has to go watch King pretend to be engaged to Scotlin May, then she needs to feel confident, beautiful, and know she’s the one he can’t stop looking at.”

“Tonight, he needs to be looking at Scotlin and be on alert in case the stalker is there.”

Maeme shrugged. “He will do his job. Besides, there is so much security there that no one is going to be stupid enough to make a move.”

“We need them to. This fake shit with Scotlin has to end soon. Especially with Rumor pregnant. King has become more unhinged. He can’t keep this up.”

Maeme nodded. “Yes, I know. I’m going to speak with Stellan about it.”

“Oh, he fucking knows,” Sebastian drawled behind me.

When I reached the bottom step, Maeme hugged me, then took my clutch. “I have something for you.”

She put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small wand-like thing.

“Maeme, seriously?” Sebastian said beside me.

I glanced up at him, seeing his brows drawn together. He didn’t look like he agreed with whatever that was she’d put in there.

“I can’t give her a gun yet. We gotta teach her how to handle one first.”

“If someone gets close enough that she needs to use that, then King’s gonna gut him anyway.”

She shrugged, handing me my purse back, then patted my cheek. “It’s a Taser. An illegal one. Very effective. It’ll have a grown man three times your size on the ground in less than a second. Use it if needed. At any time you feel threatened or unsure about your safety, get it out and have it ready.”

All I heard was illegal. She’d put something illegal in my purse.

“We should go. Don’t want to be late,” she said, turning for the door.

I followed her with Sebastian coming out last and locking up behind us. The limo that was parked in the driveway shouldn’t have been surprising. A tall man with wide shoulders and an intimidating expression stood beside the vehicle. He opened the door as we approached, and Maeme said something to him that caused a small smile to tug at his lips before she climbed inside. I just hoped tonight went the way they all wanted it to and that I never had to use the illegal Taser in my purse.

The Kingstons’ home was even more lovely at night, all lit up. I felt as if I had stepped back in time and was walking into a party among the elite in the deep South. Maeme turned to us as we approached the steps to the entrance.

“You’re her date,” she scolded Sebastian. “Give her your arm, for goodness’ sake, boy.”

Sebastian glanced down at me and smirked, then held out his arm for me to take. “I’m about to die, and she doesn’t give a shit,” he whispered, causing me to press my lips together to keep from laughing.

We stepped inside the house behind Maeme, and the man standing just inside, greeting people, I had never met in person, but I knew his face. All of Georgia knew his face. Jefferson May. And his wife, Marigold, stood beside him. They were the solid, church-going Republican family of the South. There had never been a tarnish on their name. People adored them. I wondered what all the folks of Georgia would think if they knew he was connected to the Mafia.

“Maeme Salazar.” Jefferson May beamed with a big smile on his face. “It’s been too long.”

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