Page 6 of King of Players

“One-hundred thousand.”

More glances from Kaira. More whispers from my lips into her ears as we passed her by. With every little victory my blonde partner and I made, I could see that Kaira’s indifference was slowly morphing into curiosity. Interest, even. Until Miss Goldie had to use the bathroom, and Kaira was alone for a moment.

It was as though the stars had finally aligned.

three

Surprises

Kaira

Finally, I had a moment alone. I had greeted all of my guests and exchanged small talk, while slipping messages into each conversation that would encourage them to want to make a contribution.

And now, I could disconnect and recharge for a few minutes.

Knowing that I shouldn’t leave my own party for too long, I practically floated—trying to remain invisible—toward the stairs. As I went up, my eyes roamed over the party to make sure nobody was searching for me. I had my phone in my hand, in case the planners or caterers needed to reach me.

Upstairs, I slipped into the study and closed the door. Blessed was my grandfather for soundproofing the room, since my grandmother had hosted hundreds of parties and he—just like me—needed his quiet time every now and then.

Taking off my heels, I left them by the door and walked through the room barefoot. I approached the window and gazed out, the garden looking beautiful as always under the moonlight.

But then I heard a knock on the door. Letting out a brief exhale, I hollered, “Come in.”

As I turned around, I saw Chad materialize through the widening crack of the door as he pushed it open. He smiled and stepped in. “Hiding from your own charity endeavor, huh?”

Blinking quickly, I couldn’t hide my surprise at his audacity to follow me upstairs. “Is there something I can help you with?”

His eyes lingered on my grandfather’s antique chess set on its custom table. “I came to tell you that we’re on fire down there. Bet you never thought we’d raise so much.”

My gaze joined his in examining the set. “That’s wonderful. I’m really grateful for all your efforts. And your girlfriend’s, of course.”

Without asking permission, he pulled a chair and sat down by the set, narrowing his eyes at the crystal pieces. “I don’t even know her name.”

“Well…” I took a step closer, secretly worried that he would damage the priceless antique. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

His fingers lingered over a piece, and my heart stopped. Without looking up at me, he asked, “Do you play?”

“Um—I do, yes. Just not with this.”

His hand froze in a hovering position while his eyes shot up at me. “I shouldn’t touch it, should I?”

A nervous titter escaped my lips. “It’s just that it’s—”

“A really expensive collector’s edition,” he interrupted me. Nodding, he stood up and slid his hands into his pockets. “I’m aware.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I gave him an apologetic look, wringing my hands. “It’s just that it belonged to my late grandparents.”

“They taught you?”

“My grandfather did.”

“And grandma?”

I grinned, shaking my head. “He would wait for me to beat her first, to play against him.”

He chuckled. “Poor grandma!”

“Oh, no. She didn’t care. It was more his thing, anyway.” Resigning to the fact that I clearly wasn’t going to get my break, I marched toward my shoes, putting them on. “Well, I think I’ve ignored my guests for long enough.” Standing by the door, I rested my hand against the frame. “Shall we?”

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