Page 6 of The Queen's Denial

He looks at me like I’m an adorable little kitten. Which, to be fair, is a description others have used to describe me on more than one occasion.

“Sure thing… Chee-chee.” I simmer a bit but say nothing. The truth, as unsettling as it may be, is that I don’t hate his little nickname.

“Anyway, it’s more like I saved your life. But who’s keeping track?” I hate and love that smirk he gives me, every time.

“Oh please. Just because you escorted me to the car after I got a bump on my head?” I’m basically asking him to tell me what actually happened, but since I know he probably won’t give me all the details, I’ll have to hurt his pride a little to get it all.

He breathes out a heavy sigh as I lean back to wait for the rest of the story. I feel content to crash now as I sink down into the lumpy mattress. It feels a lot better than it did a moment ago.

And it works. “Well, when I realized you were in trouble, I shot the guy with a tranq dart. He was definitely going to take you and do God knows what with you. You had a huge gash on the side of your head. You were trying so hard not to cry, and you were stumbling all over the place, so no, I didn’t escort you to the car. I carried you to it.

I hate how much hotter Andy has become with just this tidbit of information he’s bragging about. I try to act cool, like this has definitely happened to me before. My other guards would do that for me, wouldn’t they? Then, I realize a moment later, They would never have taken you in the first place. They would have never allowed you to help or be a part of it at all.

Suddenly, a memory pops up in my head: Andy holding my hand, looking at me with an endless worry that I couldn’t process or appreciate at the time. Which is probably why he showed me that in the first place; because he thought I wouldn’t remember. A guy who wants to just fuck you doesn’t look at you like that, a voice in the back of my mind whispers, even though that line of thinking won’t do anyone any good.

But it doesn’t matter, because now I’m tired and fixating on the memory. Despite myself… I love that he did it.

“You held my hand.” I cock my head to the side, like I’m asking a question. “You kept telling me I’d be okay.”

He gives me what must be a genuine smile; I’m certain of it. “Sure, because I knew you’d be fine. You’re stronger than a bump on the head.”

“But…” I swallow past the dryness in my throat. “But you were so nice. You didn’t have to be so nice.”

“Should I have been mean?” he says with a heartbreaking grin.

“No, stop, you know what I mean. I mean,...” I try to collect my thoughts, but I’m just so tired, and I know sleep is coming for me any second now. “But guys are never just nice without a reason. No one ever is, unless they love you.” I don’t even mean to say the last words of that sentence; they just slip out. But it’s true. In the wise words of Frenchy in Grease: “The only man a girl can depend on is her daddy.”Andy’s perpetual smirk falters a bit, and he looks at me with just a touch too much intensity. I realize I’ve said my thoughts out loud a moment later.

I don’t expect him to say anything after my accidental proclamation, but he does. Maybe it’s because he thinks I’m basically asleep anyway. Maybe it’s because he can’t say no to a challenge. But for whatever reason, he responds. “I’m going to have to prove you wrong about that, Chee-chee.”

Chapter 3

Andy

Today is finally the day we can get the hell out of here.

I’ve wanted Chi to stay in the hospital until she was well enough to leave, and I’ve held up that part of the bargain. Now I have a new bargain, made with no one but myself: make sure Chi is okay for the next few weeks at home. I intend to make sure that the girl that got hurt on my watch is getting better.Plus, I won’t deny that the need to fuck her five ways to Sunday is growing by the day. I see the way she looks at me. I know she wants to. It’s just a matter of time now.

I’m not trying to trick Chi or anything; I want things to progress naturally, even if I am a little impatient. I think she wants the same. Things will happen eventually; sometimes you just have to play the long game. Unfortunately, I let her get hurt, and now I have to get her back to where she needs to be so that I can take what I want from her without feeling guilty or attached.

Chi is smart, funny, and beautiful, which always makes sex, foreplay, and all the fun in between far better. Her father likes me and uses me as head of security, so I’ll be able to be around her without raising any suspicion. And a new challenge gives me a rush of adrenaline every time I think about it.

Chi wakes up and winces as she moves around in this foreign bed she’s been sleeping in for days. I know she hates being here. This is what I expected, though: a high maintenance chick who has a hard time adapting to changing circumstances. But I had to make sure she was 100% clear to go home.

I flag down a nurse and tell them to bring some breakfast, and it’s here within minutes. Chi doesn’t realize it, but we get amazing service at this hospital. Not everyone who gets treated here has special sheets and fancy coffee.

“I’m not going to miss this,” she says, even as she chews an enormous chunk of cinnamon roll and washes it down with the coffee I had brought in just for her.

I roll my eyes. “Those beans are Arabica shipped straight from Ethiopia. I’ll grind them by hand for you next time.”

She sighs, her mouth still full of food. “I guess a hospital doesn’t have its own grinder. That’s why it doesn’t taste as fresh.”

I chuckle and she side-eyes me, her cheeks turning pink. “Hey. I’m just used to it, okay? Ever since I started drinking coffee, this is the way I’ve had it. It’s not my fault.”

I consider that for a moment. She’s always had tons of money, but I know what it is to live a normal, upper middle-class life with normal, upper middle-class things. With parents that sometimes made the choice to get fast food for dinner.

“Okay, well maybe you can slow down then. You’re going to choke.”

“I want to get out of here,” she says again with her mouth full. “I can’t wait to get home. My followers are clamoring for a post, and someone wouldn’t let me post from the hospital.”

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