Page 144 of Vengeful Princess

“Camilla’s joining us for breakfast in the morning,” he told me, looking smug, before putting his phone away.

“Lovely.” My jaw clenched with anger.

“I knew that would make you happy,” he chuckled gleefully. The bastard had done it deliberately because I refused to join him while he explored his perverted desires. It was his way of punishing me. Each time I pushed back, he found a new way to fuck with me.

Still, it could have been worse. He could have invited Camilla to join us for dinner, which would have meant I was stuck with her for the entire night.

At least he wasn’t forcing me to go to whatever club he’d decided on visiting. Now he was leaving, I could wait for Landon while scrolling social media, which made for a far more relaxing experience.

Father slapped me on the back before heading off with Donald and Marvin, his two bodyguards trailing behind. Once they were out of sight, I exhaled a sigh of relief and then headed upstairs to the Rivoli Bar.

77

Landon

The hum of conversation filled the room. Feminine giggles interspersed with deeper male voices. A small ensemble played light jazz while people enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and cocktails.

Elaine’s hand rested on my thigh as she leaned in. The perfume she wore nearly knocked me dead. Heavy with floral woody notes. I was half-inclined to think she’d showered in the damn stuff.

I noted the saggy skin on her neck, the telltale scars around her ears fromtweakments, as women of a certain age called them. Her toned arms spoke of hours in the gym, with her surgically enhanced breasts high and firm in her fitted bandage dress.

For a woman approaching 50, she was in good shape. Maybe before Thea, I might have relished the idea of bedding her. Of letting her teach me a thing or two. Indeed, I had done in the past, and she was both experienced and enthusiastic: both desirable attributes in a bed partner.

But she did nothing for me now. Not so much as a twitch below the belt.

“Such a handsome boy,” she cooed before licking her red lips. I tried not to focus on the way her lipstick had bled into the fine lines around her mouth.

Smokers’ lines, my mom called them. Did Elaine smoke? I couldn’t remember. Couldn’t recall anything about her. It had been 12 months since we last met and I’d slept with a lot of women since then.

What was it Kyril once said?Oh yes. All cats look gray in the dark.

Even if she did smoke, I assumed she’d switched to vaping. Most people vaped these days. Including me when I was stressed.

Now would be a good time to head outside for a vape. This whole evening was stressing me out. I didn’t want to be here with Elaine, making pointless small talk while she eye-fucked me and groped my leg. In her eyes, there was only one way this evening ended. At least I assumed that was the arrangement once again. Dad had been vague as usual.

“Show her a good time, son. We need her vote.”

God, I hated him. What kind of father pimped his own son out?

I turned on the charm and smiled at her. “So how long are you in London for? Are your family joining you?”

Rather than answering immediately, Elaine sat back, offering me some respite from her overpowering perfume. When she raised her arm, an attentive server appeared at our table.

“Can I take your order, ma’am?”

“A gin and tonic. The Botanist, if you have it.”

The server nodded. “And for your son?” Much to my amusement, Elaine’s lip curled with annoyance, her feathers well and truly ruffled by the server’s suggestion she was oldenough to be my mother. I fought back a grin. Now was not the time to piss her off.

“A Scotch, neat, please.”

He dipped his head and left to fetch our drinks while Elaine turned back to me.

“My family hasn’t accompanied me this time. I have back-to-back meetings for the next few days.” Her hand slid up my leg again, out of sight beneath the table. “But I may be able to squeeze in some time for sight-seeing if you are available? It would be nice to spend some more time in youragreeablecompany.”

A small sigh fell from my lips and I pouted regretfully while at a nearby table, a woman giggled as glasses chinked. The man she was with was old enough to be her grandfather. Maybe we should swap dates.

“Ah, what a shame. I’m heading back to college tomorrow. We have exams next week.”

---