Page 53 of Hers to Rule

The murmurs of conversation around them gradually resumed, and she knew without a doubt that she’d held the attention of every eye in the room.

Rio sat back on his heels and gently set her clothes right. He turned his head and kissed the boot over his shoulder, then winked at her. She tugged him up by his collar and kissed him, taking the time to taste herself in every crevice of his mouth and run her tongue over the sharp tips of his fangs.

When she finally pulled back, she held his face between her palms and stared into his golden eyes. “None of this would be possible without you.”

Rio leaned forward, pressing his forehead to her collarbone, and sighed deeply, his satisfaction evident.

Mari pulled him up next to her on the seat and wrapped her arm around him, cuddling him close. She turned to where Cisco sat. “How was that?”

Cisco shook his head. “Fucking perfect. No notes.”

After a few minutes, Esmé wandered over and set down a drink for Mari. “I’ve never felt anything like that. You broadcast more powerfully than any sex witch I know.” She grinned toothily. “You probably just did more for our bottom line than anything I could do.”

Mari nodded, feeling overwhelmed by the praise. “If I can do anything to fix the mess my father made of this city, I’ll try.”

“Coming back once in a while to spread the good vibes will do a lot to help.”

Mari didn’t mind the thought as much as she would have expected to. “We’ll have to discuss it, but I think that sounds fine.”

Esmé glanced toward Cisco, clearly trying to figure out what her chances were with him.

“Whatever the queen says goes,” Cisco said with finality.

“Oh, so we’re going with queen now? Should I put out a memo?”

Cisco chuckled. “I doubt you need to after that performance.”

Esmé snorted with laughter. “You’re probably right. It’s all anyone will be talking about in the morning.”

Mari couldn’t decide if she was mortified or proud as she glared at both of them. Rio nuzzled into the side of her neck when he felt her tense, and she was glad for the momentary distraction so she didn’t have to think about it more.

After Esmé left, Cisco said, “Did you see Nova up there? I haven’t seen her on the floor tonight.”

Rio turned to look at him. “No, I asked and she hasn’t been around.”

Cisco took an irritated gulp of his drink. “I don’t know if that’s something we should worry about or not.”

“Willow said a few of the submissives didn’t show up for work today, but they weren’t sure if that was just them keeping their heads low or something else. We’re going to have dinner tomorrow to talk about it.”

The name Nova was familiar, and as they were talking Mari turned it over a few times to figure out where she knew the name from. The connection came to her suddenly, and she blushed as the memory filled her mind. Nova was the curvy medusa with copper snakes that Rio and Cisco and a few other guards had shared the night she watched them.

When Cisco picked up on her change in posture, he chuckled. “Oh. That was the night you watched us at the barracks.” He winked. “That was a good one.”

She nodded, embarrassed all over again, and tried to change the subject. “And Kima isn’t here either?”

“I haven’t seen her,” Rio said, glancing around. “But she wouldn’t have been upstairs with the submissives.”

“Definitely not,” Cisco added. “But it is weird that she isn’t here. I’ll make some calls about it tomorrow.”

They spent the rest of the evening chatting idly between drinks and letting themselves be seen enjoying a night of leisure by the denizens of the Las Vegas underworld. All in all, Mari thought the night went well. It was definitely draining for her, but she also knew now that she could handle the attention. And, if she was honest with herself, she very much liked it.

Chapter 17

Mari pushed up on her toes and pressed her body to Rio’s as they stood together in the entry. “Are you sure you don’t want to duck in somewhere for a quickie to get me through the long, cold hours without you?”

Rio chuckled, his eyes drinking her in as if he was planning on being gone longer than a few hours. “It’s just dinner with Willow to go over club things. I’ll be back before Cisco is even done with his storias.”

She groaned in frustration. “He won’t pay me any attention at all. You know how he gets.”

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