Page 56 of Brighter Than Gold

But it wasn’t fucking fine, and I knew I couldn’t convince her of that.

“Well hello, beautiful…” Walton purred behind me. He tilted his head taking Reyah in. “Where haveyoubeen?” He reached across me towards Reyah’s loose hair. I snatched his wrist and turned to him menacingly.

“She’s reserved, unfortunately for you.” I felt instantly guilty insinuating that Reyah worked here, but Walton knew I wasn’t married, and he’d laugh if I told him she was my wife. His eyebrows rose with a look of surprise on his face, and I needed to shut him up before he said something stupid.

“You’re here with Warrick? What does that little prick want?” I asked him.

“Easy big dog! You’re acting like it doesn’t benefit you to overlook some of the things our esteemed King does.” I was enraged that so many of my men were under Warrick’s grimy thumb, the fucking traitors.

“Come have a drink with the boys, Briggs. We still can’t believe you’re here. Thought you were as straight as they come.” He laughed. “Well, you know what I mean.”

“I’m not in the mood Walton, I—”

“Come on, it’s one fucking drink! Then you can go get your dick wet.” He winked at Reyah as he tugged me back towards his group, and I motioned for Reyah to follow us. She lingered a moment at the bar, speaking quickly with the bartender who handed her something, then she turned and gave me a smile as she caught up with us.

My teeth hurt with how hard I clenched my jaw. How long before Lazio came out again? How long until Walton let it slip that I was a general? How the fuck was I going to navigate this nightmare?

When we got to the table Reyah brushed past me and right to Kindra. The men began to grow excited when she lifted a hand up to Kindra’s cheek and caressed her, whispering something into her ear before laying a slow, lingering kiss on the woman’s lips. The men were so concentrated on their kiss that they’d missed Reyah dropping something small into her hand, whatever the barman had given her. Then she turned back to me, and Kindra sauntered over to Walton.

I pulled Reyah into my lap. “What was that?”

“Something to help the guard sleep tonight,” she said with a knowing look.

“Allnight?” I asked.

“And into tomorrow.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. The barman, he just…”

“It’s a non-violent way of dealing with unruly guests,” she said with a wink.

“One drink and I’ll get you out of here. I’m so sorry,” I whispered to her.

Reyah nodded and leaned in against me. I took the heavy-handed pour Walton offered me and clinked my glass against his. Kindra climbed onto him, straddling him in his seat. He leaned back and watched as she traced her fingertips over the swells of her breasts. I kept watching from my peripherals until the moment Kindra reached out over his glass, and dropped a tiny white tablet inside. It was so smooth I’d barely caught it myself. Then she unlaced the front of her dress and freed her breasts, Walton hungrily squeezing them between his hands.

It was suddenly glaringly obvious that Reyah wasn’t like these women. What fucking position had I just put her in?

“Briggs, you formal prick, what’s wrong with you?” Walton smacked Kindra’s ass and she jolted.

“It’s fine,” Reyah said, turning in my lap and lowering her lips to mine tantalizingly. Her breath smelled sweet and cool. “Just finish your drink before I have to take anything off…”

“I don’t—”

“I know, Callan. I know.”

She adjusted herself over top of me gracefully. I was so uncomfortable with her having to put on this display, but I watched her, smooth long limbs, delicate, willowy motions, and realized she was perfectly comfortable with the situation.

I looked up at her perplexed. “This isn’t bothering you in the least, is it?”

She coquettishly tried to hide her smile as she shook her head. What new layer of her was I discovering today?

Reyah pushed the heavy coat off my shoulders and unlaced the top of the tunic. Her fingernails brushed through the curls on my chest, and I felt my body heating. I took a swig of the drink in my hand. My cock gave a lazy pulse and I twisted in my seat, trying to relieve the tautness my trousers were causing me.

“Already?” she crooned, and I gave her a warning look.

The soft voice she spoke in, the way her lips brushed against my cheek or how her fingertips danced along my neck, Reyah was a master of seduction. She was right, she certainlycouldhandle herself in a place like this.Iwas the fish out of water here.

She shifted in my lap, inconspicuously over my half-hard cock. She batted her lashes at me as she dragged her ass over my cock once again. It was impossible not to be turned on, by this point there was a veritable sex circus going on all around us. Everywhere you looked there was some deliciously sinful act being committed, the sounds of rough grunts from the men and the silky squeals of the women filled the room. The air was charged and heavy, it smelled of sex and alcohol and created a heady aroma that was unavoidably erotic.

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