Page 27 of Taken By The Vampire King

I shook my head as I nibbled the inside of my cheek, trying to decide whether to ask Sabine for another card. Sixteen wasn’t high, but it felt risky. Especially given I was playing with Nicolas’s money.

“No, it’s just me and Dad. What about you?” I was grateful for the distraction from the numbers.

Jason shrugged. “Not as far as I know?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Your dad…” I hesitated. Was I really about to ask if this guy thought his dad was a cheater? But how else would he not know if he had brothers or sisters? “Uh, was he unreliable?”

He coughed a laugh. “Not as far as I know. Pretty stand-up guy, actually.”

“And Nicolas, does he have siblings?” I tried to drop my question in and still remain casual about it, but Jason’s smile told me I wasn’t as surreptitious as I thought.

“Yeah. He has… I think five, but they’re all ma—” He broke off abruptly. “Adopted, I mean. None of them are his birth siblings.” He looked away.

“Yeah, I know what adopted means.”

Sabine laughed.

“Things with one of his brothers, Sebastian, can get quite…competitive. Nic’s the oldest of all of them, though,” Jason continued. “And he’s… Shit. I don’t know how old. Old, though.”

I laughed as Sabine pushed more chips toward me. “Old? He can’t be that old.”

Jason’s laugh was awkward. “Well, yeah. I meant compared to me. Everyone’s old compared to me.”

I glanced at him and shook my head. “Thanks. You’re making me feel ancient.”

“Who’s ancient?” Nicolas’s tone was light as he joined us, and I stiffened more from his hand on my shoulder than the hard glare he sent Jason’s way.

“Me, apparently,” I said. “Jason’s been telling me how young he is.”

“Scintillating, Jason.” Nicolas’s laugh washed over me, and I closed my eyes as the low sound seemed to vibrate deep inside my body. “Miss Boucher, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to dinner tonight?”

I glanced at my outfit. “I didn’t really dress to go anywhere else.” At Nicolas’s smile, I amended my statement. “I didn’t really dress to come here, I suppose.”

But he shook his head. “There’s no dress code at La Petite Mort. However, I can help you out with your dilemma. Come with me. Jason, cash in Miss Boucher’s chips.”

Flustered again, I turned to him as I looked at the small pile I’d amassed. “Oh, but they’re not mine.”

“Yes, they are.” His tone brooked no argument, yet I tried.

“But the house always wins, right?”

He smiled, although it was more of a smirk, and he lowered his voice as he leaned toward me. “Sometimes I play a very long game.”

My cheeks heated as Nicolas held out his hand. Sabine had busied herself preparing a new deck of cards, and Jason had already left the table.

“I’ve made an appointment for you at the boutique next door. And also the hair salon, if you wish.” He spoke as if this was all part of our arrangement, and maybe looking the part was.

“Arm candy?” My question came out sharper than I intended.

“If you wish,” he repeated. His tone was cool in response. “I do have an image to maintain when I’m seen in public.”

Shit. I’d offended him. But what had I wanted him to say? That he wanted to spoil me? That I deserved some luxury in life? Fuck, no. This was a business arrangement, and I’d do best to remember that.

When I could keep my lips from his, anyway.

I lifted my chin and followed him from the casino. The boutique next door was a high-end one I wouldn’t usually dream of going in. The women greeted Nicolas with air kisses before casting friendly smiles at me.

“Oh, she’s perfect,” one of them trilled. “What a dream to style.” She turned to the other woman. “Should we go with the red? It will look gorgeous with her dark hair.”

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