Page 8 of King

He fits in with the group but he also sticks out like a sore thumb. A black sheep. Something I’m all too used to being.

“Jo.” Willow’s hand comes to my chest. Is she that worried about these idiots? “We’re new and we’re from The Grove. We’re likely already on their hit list. Please don’t do anything stupid.”

Kings, huh? Willow forgets that we’ve dealt with their kind before. Okay, I’ve dealt with their kind before and these guys can’t be any different.

“Jo?” Willow asks, her hands out as if she’s taming a wild bear.

I look down at her and wink. “Always better to befriend the enemy right?” With a glance their way I throw the beige smock over my head, tightening it at the waist. Grabbing a notepad from the counter, I force a smile. “My shift begins.”

Three

My heart thuds with every step as I make my way over to Damien’s table.

Getting close, the air becomes thick with musky cologne and sweet perfume.

When Damien realizes where I’m headed, he moves back in his seat, like he’s waiting for a movie to begin. With his eyes on me, he spins the coin between his index and thumb.

When I get in front of the table, their chatter quiets.

“Hey, I’m Jo!” I try my best to force a smile to my eyes, feeling the stretch in my cheeks.

The brunette crosses her arms, small eyes narrow as they trail up my body. A smile appears on her face but it seems more smug than friendly. The expression of the wavy-haired blonde next to her takes the cake. She blinks, her lip moving to her nose in what looks like sheer disgust.

Damien’s eyes land on my forearms. Notepad in hand, I place my hand over my tattoo, unsure if he’s looking at the tall evergreen or the scar. I clear my throat, causing his eyes to land back on mine, but he doesn’t look fazed. His eyes don’t tell me much at all.

Brunette follows his gaze before she sits up in her seat. She rests a hand on Damien's shoulder. “A Skinny Hazelnut Macchiato. Double shot. Nonfat. Extra whip. Extra hot."

Shiny Curls winks a brown eye. “And four large half-caf lattes."

“Uh—” I freeze, unsure if they’re speaking English. “You sure you don’t want anything a little simpler? I’m new here. Still getting used to the place.”

He leans his elbow on the table with a way-too-perfect smile. He’s got cinnamon skin, droopy almond eyes. His stare tells me he’s already half in the bag but his royal blue sports jacket tells me he’s too rich to care. His gold watch catches the light as he curls his fingers under his chin, his eyes falling to my chest.

I wrinkle my nose as the boy at the end gives him a shove. He glances up at me, green eyes sparkling, a wide smile showing off teeth fit for an advertisement.

Green Eyes shakes his head with a chuckle. “Don’t mind Isaac, I’m not even sure what he’s on today.”

This one’s a charmer, and he’s not too bad to look at either. The boys where I’m from don’t look like Hollister models. His square jawline encases pouty lips. Thick eyebrows under shaggy brown hair. To top it all off he’s actually being friendly instead of giving me rude looks. Or outright ignoring me like the rest of his crew.

He leans forward. “I’m Christian, and Lea’s a monster without her Hazelnut Macchiato.”

“I understand.” I return his smile. “So is my boss.”

Christian winces, sitting back in his seat. He looks down at his floral shirt while the brunette scoffs, “Excuse me?”

“Yeah, she totally made me start right away without any warning or training,” I ramble. “This place is gorgeous but I’m not sure she knows how to run it.”

No one says anything. They all stare at me like I’m not from this planet.

After what seems like hours, Damien sits up. “If you’re done running your trap, be a good girl and fetch us that order.” Goosebumps crawl up my skin at the first sound of his voice. It’s as deep as I remember. Smooth and bassy. “Or do I have to tell Lea’s mom the help is already slacking?”

Fuck. “Wait, what?”

The clicking of heels behind me makes me turn my attention to Cindy Huang in the middle of the room. She waves with a set of keys in her hand, ring looped around her thumb. “Hi, sweetie! I’m going to have to cancel our weekend spa trip. Victoria has her grand opening in the Acres and you know how she gets. You understand right?”

I turn around to see Lea waving back and I want to melt into the floor. She flashes a strained smile. “Of course. What about my piano recital on Monday?”

“You’re right, better cancel that too. See you at home sweetie!” Cindy leaves through the doors and I’ve frozen again. Shit.

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