Page 59 of King of Temptation

“Did he give you money?” Kendall asks.

“Of course, he did,” Chandra answers, before she turns to me. “What did he give it to you for?”

“He’s just paying me for sex,” I answer, before I stomp off to my room. I thought coming here would give me space outside of Leo’s world to think but Chandra sprints after me.

“That’s bullshit. He was all possessive about where you were going to live yesterday.”

I stop because she’s right. Turning back to her, I cock my head to the side, as I ask, “If you were me, what would you think?”

“He’s way into you,” Kendall volunteers. “I mean the way he touched your face. That’s like some Ryan Gosling shit right there,” she says as she sighs. “How is he in bed?”

I blink at the juxtaposition, but I don’t answer. The last thing I need to tell Kendall is that he makes my eyes roll back in my head on the regular. She’d stick to him like a fly to paper.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Chandra asks.

“I don’t know,” I shrug. “It’s complicated.”

“The best ones are,” Chandra sighs as she leans her back against the wall. But then she stiffens again. “Hey. By the way…you know Melissa at the club?”

“Yeah,” I shake my head because with Chandra conversations always just kind of bounce from topic to topic.

“She was talking about you last night before you came in and it was weird.”

“Weird how?” My stomach twists as I remember Melissa telling me that Leo wanted to talk to me.

“She was on the phone, and she was telling someone what time you came in and that you were dating Mr. Kincaid.”

My brows draw together. That is weird…

My head totally full, I go into my room and change into a dress and then head out for my lunch with Charlotte. I’m early but I could use some time to just meander.

I think about texting Leo and telling him about the Melissa thing but honestly, compared to everything else, it seems small. And I’m tired of sharing problems with Leo.

I think back to that guy on the plane who called me a hot mess. Maybe I am…my life is more of a mess than ever.

But I push those thoughts aside as I enter the restaurant.

It’s a cute little French Bistro and Charlotte is glowing with happiness as she sits down, a few shopping bags in hand.

She pulls out a wrapped package from one. “For you.”

I open the crisp white paper, finding a picture of myself inside a beautiful silver frame. I’m outside but I’m in a plié, the desert stretching out behind me. It’s not the first picture Charlotte has taken of me, in fact she snaps them pretty often, but in this photo I’m different. I look really happy. Maybe that’s not the right word. I look…serene. “When did you even take this?” Charlotte’s pictures always have an emotional depth to them, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen myself like this. I’m always worried, always striving.

“It was out by the Las Vegas sign. I can’t remember why we went. But I do remember that this little girl was trying to do a plié and you showed her how.”

I blink at the picture remembering. It feels like a lifetime ago and yet I can still hear her laugh as she bent and lifted her little hand.

“Do you think you’ll teach dance someday?”

“What?”

Charlotte gives me a smile. “I know you love to dance, but you always seem happiest when you’re helping other people.”

I look down at the picture. She isn’t wrong. I loved teaching in my mom’s studio in high school, not that it paid much. No one knows that better than my mom, that teaching dance is no way to make money. “Maybe.”

“So…” Charlotte smiles, changing the subject. “Before I start gushing about married life, you have to tell me what is going on between you and Leo. Mason says that Leo is moving you into this new building.”

“What?” I can feel my heartbeat accelerate. “When did Leo say that?”

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