Page 15 of Coldhearted King

I take a sip of my coffee as she comes over and sits opposite me. “So, have you found somewhere for you guys to live yet?” I ask. Alex has started looking for an apartment for her and Jaxson to move into, since Alex isn’t keen on moving into the bachelor pad he lives in with his bandmates. The thought of her moving out makes my chest feel a little hollow.

Alex and I are close friends, despite being opposites in just about every way. When I’m not working late, I’m either reading a good book or binge-watching cheesy television shows, while she loves going out to clubs and socializing. Despite our differences, we bonded over our shared interest in design during our internship at Elite Architecture. When we were offered permanent positions after graduation, we decided to share an apartment. That was almost a year and a half ago. I’ll miss living with her, but I’m happy that she’s happy.

“No,” she says. “To be honest, I’m not looking too hard. There’s a lot going on with the band at the moment. They’re talking about permanently moving to the West Coast now. Not much point in finding somewhere here if they have to move.”

My eyebrows shoot up. “What will you do if that happens?”

She bites her bottom lip. “There’s Elite’s LA office. That might be an option. Or Jaxson and I can do the long-distance thing until we figure out what’s going on.”

“Mmm,” I say, noncommittally. Alex and Jaxson’s relationship seems to be super strong, but long-distance isn’t easy, especially for a newly engaged couple. Hopefully it will all work out.

“Paul called just before,” I say, to change the topic.

“Oh yeah?” She eyes me over her coffee cup, and I wince internally. She isn’t exactly a fan of Paul. Then again, he isn’t a fan of her either. I try to keep them apart as much as I can. Still, after a week of bad-mouthing Paul when we broke up, she made sure not to make too many comments about him when we got back together. But what I have to say isn’t about Paul, anyway. It’s about his news.

“Yes, and guess what? We got the King Group job!”

“That’s fantastic, Dee!” She puts down her coffee cup and half stands to reach across and give me a hug. “Not that I’m surprised. You worked so hard on it. And wow, it’s going to be amazing for your résumé.”

“I know.” The thought sends a thrill through me all over again. I worked long hours and multiple weekends, helping to perfect the proposal. Now all that hard work is going to pay off with...more hard work. But it’s what I love doing, so I’m more than happy.

“When do you start?” Alex asks.

“Monday. We’ll be moving into King Plaza for the duration. And Cole...I mean, Mr. King, wants to meet with us all individually, too.”

She nods. “Makes sense to welcome you and make you all feel like part of the same team.”

“Yeah, um, there’s only one thing...” I’d told Alex about losing my virginity after my breakup with Paul, but I never told her Cole King was the man I slept with. Maybe because I’m still trying to wrap my head around it myself. But now I could use some advice. “I’ve met Mr. King before. About a month ago.”

Alex cocks her head to the side. “Okay. So, you’ve met before. What’s the big deal?”

I take a deep breath. “It was when Paul and I had broken up. The night we broke up, actually.”

Her brows hike skyward and her mouth drops open. “Are you saying you lost your virginity to Cole King? One of the King Group Kings? Billionaire and basically your new boss?”

I cringe. “Yes. I didn’t know at the time, though.”

“Holy shit,” she breathes. “I can’t believe it.” Then she laughs, her big brown eyes tearing up. “Oh my god, Dee. When you finally decide to let your hair down, you go full throttle and hook up with one of the richest, most eligible bachelors in the country.”

“Stop laughing. It’s going to be so awkward. Particularly during our one-on-one meeting.”

She wiggles her eyebrows. “Maybe it will turn into a literal one-on-one meeting.”

The sip of coffee I’ve just taken almost chokes me. “Paul and I are back together. Plus I work for him, so that would be completely inappropriate.” I think back to Cole’s icy expression during our last meeting. “Not to mention, I’m pretty sure he has no interest in a repeat performance.”

“From the minimal juicy details you gave of that night, it sounds like it was pretty intense. Why wouldn’t he want to repeat that? He’s a man, isn’t he?”

“You should have seen the way he was glaring at me. He wasnothappy to see me.”

“Hmm.” She purses her lips. “Could he be worried you’ll tell everyone you screwed the boss?”

“When we have our meeting, I should probably let him know I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“Have you considered pretending you don’t recognize him?” She lets out a laugh. “I’m sure that would drive him nuts.”

A smile tugs at my lips, but I shake my head. “I’m pretty sure he knows I recognized him.”

Alex taps her nails on the table. “Take this with a grain of salt, since I’ve never been in this situation, but I wouldn’t say anything unless he raises the topic. You don’t want to make it out to be a bigger deal than it was, and if you say nothing and act completely professional, you’ll show him you’re only interested in doing the job he’s hiring you for.”

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