King of Sloth (Kings of Sin, 4)

Operation Perry Wilson went into full effect that Saturday at Dante and Vivian’s annual holiday gala.

Before Josephine was born, they’d hosted it at their house, but since they didn’t want to disturb the newborn, they rented out the Valhalla Club’s ballroom for an “intimate” gathering featuring three hundred of Manhattan’s richest and most powerful.

One of those three hundred was Kai Young.

“I know that look,” he said when I approached him at the bar. I’d brought Xavier as my date, but we’d split to take care of our respective businesses first—me with Kai, him with Dante. “Who are you planning to destroy?”

Next to him, Isabella gave me a grin and a thumbs-up when he wasn’t looking. She’d offered to broach the subject with Kai, but I’d declined. This was my fight, and she’d already gone above and beyond.

“I think you know,” I said. “He’s a mutual thorn in our sides.”

“Let me guess.” Kai glanced at his fiancée, who quickly averted her gaze and pretended to study her drink. “Initials PW?”

“Yes.”

“He’s a disreputable blogger. I know you’re upset about recent posts he’s published”—Kai’s tone indicated Isabella had ranted to him about it on more than one occasion—“but as the CEO of a media company, I can’t get involved in my friends’ personal fights.”

“This isn’t personal,” I said. “He may be a disreputable blogger, but you’ve been battling him for web traffic and clicks for years. Plus, you despise the man. He’s everything that’s wrong with journalism.”

“What he does isn’t journalism,” Kai said immediately. I arched an eyebrow, and after a small beat, he shook his head with a wry smile. “Point taken.”

For someone like Kai, who operated by the rules and an innate sense of honor, Perry’s sleazy methods were akin to smearing shit all over the business the Youngs had spent decades building. One bad apple could ruin the entire bunch.

“What if I told you there was a way you can beat him and make sure he won’t be a problem in the future?”

“I’d say if something sounds too good to be true, it is.” Kai finished his drink and set it down. “But I’m listening.”

I told him my plan. He listened without interruption, but when I finished, he shook his head.

“He won’t agree to that,” he said. “He won’t have a choice.”

“Amendment: Why would I agree to that? I want to be less associated with him, not more.”

“Because it won’t be him. It’ll be his property, but the man himself will be gone.” My voice turned coaxing. “Think of how great a story that would be: Kai Young transforms popular but controversial gossip blog into a shining beacon of respect in the dirty celebrity-news industry. No one else would even attempt to clean up the blog’s reputation. You pull it off, and you’ll be a legend.”

Kai studied me in that quiet, thoughtful way of his. Isabella’s face popped up over his shoulder again; this time, she gave me a double thumbs-up.

Nailed it, she mouthed.

“Isa, love, stop talking to Sloane behind my back,” he said without turning around.

Her face fell. “How do you always know? I swear you’re not human,” she grumbled. “But fine, I’ll hang out with Ále until you’re done. She and Dom better not be hooking up in the library again…”

She kissed him on the cheek and wandered off. Kai’s gaze followed her affectionately for a second before it returned to me.

“Between this and Xavier’s club, you know how to sell a pitch,” he said.

“That’s my job.” I inclined my head. “Thank you for helping him, by the way. Your list has been incredibly helpful.”

“I merely gave him my contacts. It was up to him to close the deals, which he did. Securing Vuk Markovic as a business partner is no small feat.” A smile flickered over Kai’s mouth. “I should’ve known not to underestimate him after Spain.”

My senses went on high alert. “What do you mean?”

“The blog post about you in Spain,” he said. “He reached out after it was posted and asked if I could throttle its reach. I didn’t know him well, but he was quite insistent. Obviously, I couldn’t guarantee anything since the Young Corporation doesn’t own Perry’s blog, but I could stop our outlets from picking up individual posts.”

What he didn’t say was that his company owned almost every major news website and media outlet. By suppressing pickup, he’d effectively killed the post. People could share it on social media, of course, but the story hadn’t been juicy enough for that. Without oxygen, the embers died a quiet death.

Xavier hadn’t said a thing about it. I’d assumed people weren’t interested in the personal lives of publicists, even if Xavier was involved. Maybe that was true, or maybe it had become a nonstory because of what he’d done before we even started dating.

Emotions swelled in my chest, and I fought to marshal them into some semblance of order.

“As for your proposal, it’s an intriguing one, but I can’t commit to it quite yet,” Kai said, oblivious to the chaos his casual statement had incited. “I’ll have to discuss it with my team.”

That was what I’d expected, and it was better than an outright no. I was confident his team would see things my way after they weighed the pros and cons because the pros far outweighed the cons.

After Kai left to find Isabella, I ordered a double shot of whiskey and let it burn away the tingly lightheadedness that accompanied any thoughts of Xavier.

Now was not the time to blush and swoon over him. I had a revenge plan to finish enacting.

Armed with fresh determination and a stomach full of hard liquor, I sauntered over to the gift table where Tilly Denman and her friends were giggling over something. I’d bet my color-coordinated closet that Tilly had already swiped one of the gifts, but I wasn’t here to police her kleptomaniac tendencies.

In our world, Tilly and Co. spread gossip faster than a wildfire through dry brush, and I was counting on them to do exactly that when I turned my back to them and pretended to take a call.

“Hi, Soraya…what’s wrong?” I paused for dramatic effect. “Calm down. Tell me what’s wrong.”

The giggles behind me immediately dwindled to silence.

Soraya (one name only) was one of the biggest influencers on the planet. Famous for her chatty vlogs, sexy outfits, and striking good looks, she had over 150 million followers across her platforms, and they were rabid. As in, someone once paid two thousand dollars for a napkin she’d used at the Met Gala.

Anything she did was news, and any scandal she was involved in was big news.

“No, listen to me. You can’t go to his house. He’s married.” I lowered my voice enough to make eavesdroppers think I was discussing confidential matters but not enough that they couldn’t hear me. “If people find out you and Bryce…” I walked away, suppressing a smile at the cliff-hanger I’d dangled in front of Tilly and Co.

Bryce was another influencer with a rabid fanbase. He’d recently gotten married in a splashy wedding, every second of which was documented on his YouTube channel, but there’d been rumors about him and Soraya for years.

My friends had stoked those rumors through various channels leading back to Perry, and it was only a matter of minutes before “confirmation” of Bryce’s alleged affair with Soraya reached the blogger’s ears.

A rational person would ask why an experienced publicist would discuss sensitive client matters in the middle of the season’s biggest party, but Tilly and her friends didn’t care about logic. They simply wanted drama and gossip.

I’d done my part. Now I just had to sit back and watch Perry take the bait.

Since my work for the night was finished, I did a quick lap around the room to say hi to clients and important players before meeting up with Vivian. Xavier and I had agreed to reconvene at the bar when we were done with our tasks; since he wasn’t there, I assumed he was still talking to Dante.

“Great party, as usual,” I said, handing Vivian a glass of champagne. She was the city’s most coveted luxury-event planner, so I hadn’t expected anything less. “You outdid yourself.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, faint lines of exhaustion fanning across her face. Nevertheless, she glowed in a red gown and jewels that would make the late queen of England jealous. “I’m just glad the planning is over and done with. Remind me never to host a gala months after giving birth again. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Vivian and Dante could afford plenty of help with Josie, but they preferred to be more hands-on with the parenting. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t have a kid, so what did I know?

“Done,” I said. I glanced around the room. “Where’s Isa and Ále?”

“Isa and Kai disappeared somewhere. I figured it was better not to ask. Ále wasn’t feeling well, so Dom took her home early.”

“By not feeling well…”

Vivian arched a perfectly shaped brow. “Right,” I said with a small smirk.

Good for them.

Alessandra and Dominic’s marriage had gone through a long rocky stretch due to Dominic’s workaholism and neglect. They even briefly divorced last year after he missed a major anniversary, but after some time apart and major remorse and lifestyle changes on his part, they’d worked things out and were stronger than ever. “Speaking of couples…” Vivian glanced over my shoulder.

“Incoming.”

My pulse tripped when a warm hand rested on the small of my back. I didn’t have to look to know who it was. The shape and feel of Xavier’s touch was so ingrained in me, I could pick it out while blindfolded.

“Hey, Vivian,” he said easily. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I steal Sloane away for a minute?”

“Not at all.” Her eyes glinted with amusement. “I assume my husband is now free to talk?”

He responded with a grin that was all charm and a hint of bashfulness. “He’s all yours. Sorry for hogging him all evening. We had quite a lot to discuss.”

“I imagine you did.” Vivian winked at me on her way past. “Enjoy the rest of the party.”

“You are such a kiss-ass,” I said when she left.

“Me?” Xavier placed a hand over his heart. “I prefer to think of it as being charming.”

“A charming kiss-ass.”

“I’m simply trying to ingratiate myself with your friends,” he said. “Unfortunately, Alessandra left before I could work my magic on her, and I’m not sure where Isabella went. I think Vivian likes me though.”

“Not after you monopolized Dante’s attention all evening,” I quipped, swallowing a bubble of laughter. “Speaking of which, how did the conversation with him go?”

“It went.” Some of Xavier’s good humor slipped. “He was vague about why my father named him in his will. Just said that they respected each other as businessmen, and my father trusted his judgment. He did give me an earful about the time I got Luca arrested though.”

“So he didn’t answer,” I surmised. “Basically.”

It wasn’t like Dante to be so evasive. Perhaps he didn’t know why Alberto had put him on the committee either.

I would ask Vivian to do some digging for us—if Dante was honest with anyone, it was his wife—but this wasn’t her problem, and she was busy enough with Josie and work. I didn’t want to add to her plate.

“I guess it doesn’t really matter except to slake my curiosity. He’s a judge whether or not I know the reason,” Xavier said. “How did your talk with Kai go?”

I filled him in as we meandered toward the exit. We hadn’t planned on leaving early, but Vivian and Dante were busy entertaining guests, and an unspoken understanding drew us away from the crowd and into the quiet hall next to the ballroom.

“So it went a lot better than mine,” Xavier quipped when I finished. “You think he’ll say yes?”

“I’m ninety percent sure he will.” Kai was a businessman, and my proposal made perfect business sense.

However, my Perry plan wasn’t the takeaway from that conversation.

The blog post about you in Spain. He reached out after it was posted and asked if I could throttle its reach.

The tingles from earlier returned in full force, especially now that Xavier was standing right there, looking more delicious than any man had a right to look with his tuxedo and rumpled hair. He’d eschewed a tie, breaking dress code, but it worked on him.

Everything worked on him. He was the epitome of effortless charm.

His eyebrows shot up when I grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him into the nearest bathroom.

Like everything else at Valhalla, it was spotless. Marble floors, gleaming mirrors, custom-made scents piped through hidden diffusers—it resembled a celebrity dressing room more than it did a public facility, and it would do just fine for what I had in mind. “Remember our office meeting the other week?” I locked the door behind us. “The one we had right after Ayana left.”

Xavier leaned against the counter, his gaze darkening around the edges as he realized why I’d brought us here.

The air shifted, growing heavier, denser, hotter.

“I might recall a thing or two about it.” Desire strung taut beneath his languid drawl. He didn’t move, but his eyes tracked me like a predator’s, dark and hungry, as I slunk toward him.

“Well…” I stopped in front of Xavier, the toes of my heels kissing the tips of his dress shoes. I hooked my fingers through the loops of his belt and pulled him an inch closer. “I thought tonight might be the right night to return the favor.”

My husky whisper didn’t sound like me, but dragging someone into a bathroom so I could have my way with them didn’t feel like me, so it was a night of firsts.

Xavier’s breath quickened, but still, he didn’t move when I undid his belt and dragged the teeth of his zipper down. Electric anticipation hummed in my veins, but I didn’t rush.

I wanted to savor this, and there was something so arousing about the wait—about the ravenousness of his gaze and the subtle tightening of his muscles, like it took all his willpower not to bend me over and take me any way he wanted me.

Heat ignited between my thighs at the thought.

I sank to my knees as I peeled his pants and briefs down, my mouth watering when I saw the thick, throbbing erection waiting for me. He was so fucking big, and hard enough to make my pulse spike. Beads of pre-cum dripped from the tip, and when I flicked my tongue out for a taste, a whole-body shudder rippled through him.

That was all the encouragement I needed.

I sealed my mouth around the head of his cock and sucked, teasing the sensitive underside with my tongue while I stroked his length with both hands.

“Fuck.” Xavier let out a hiss, his head falling back as I worked my mouth down to where my hands were.

I was technically giving him pleasure, but my skin flamed like I was the one being teased. Every suck went straight to my clit, every twist and stroke coiled tight in my belly until I moaned with need.

I took him deeper, hoping it would satiate my gnawing hunger. The wet, sloppy sounds of the blowjob mingled with his loud groans as he grasped fistfuls of my hair to steady himself while he panted and bucked against my mouth.

The gentle tug against my scalp sent goosebumps scattering across my skin. My nipples hardened to painful points, but I didn’t get a chance to relish the sensation before his cock hit the back of my throat.

I gagged, my eyes watering and drool leaking from the corners of my mouth as I struggled to take him all the way.

Xavier’s hands gentled, but my whimper of protest had them tightening again. Rough amusement laced his chuckle.

“You like that, don’t you?” He tugged, bringing my gaze to his. Lust carved grooves beneath his cheekbones and etched lines of tension between his brows. “Fuck, Luna, you look so good on your knees, choking on my cock.”

My thighs clenched at his filthy words. Tiny flutters disrupted my stomach as he held my head and pushed the final inch down my throat. I choked again, his cock so deep that my nose grazed his stomach, and just as little pinpricks danced across my vision, he pulled out until only the tip rested on my tongue.

I managed to suck in a gasp of air before he drove into me again, and again, and again, harder and faster each time, until the brutal rhythm matched the painful pounding of my heart.

The knot of need in my stomach coiled tighter. I was so flushed, I was sure water would steam if it touched my skin, and despite the rawness of my throat, I couldn’t stop one hand from drifting between my legs.

“Not with your hand.” Xavier’s harsh command stopped me a second before I made contact. I let out another whimper of protest, but this time, he was unrelenting. His body shifted, but he didn’t let go of my hair as he nudged his shoe between my legs. He ground the tip against my most sensitive spot, eliciting a muffled yelp.

I was so desperate for more friction I didn’t think. I simply did as he asked, and straddled his shoe. I spread my legs wider, the beautiful pressure and rub of leather against silk and tender, sensitive flesh making me ache all over.

My moans built in intensity as I picked up speed, grinding shamelessly against his shoe while he fucked my mouth.

I didn’t care how obscene this was or whether there were people on the other side of the door; I was too lost in a haze of sensation.

The bumps and ridges of the laces scraped against my swollen clit and sent sharp lightning bolts of pleasure through my body. I couldn’t believe how wet I was; I was dripping all over the floor, like this was the first time I’d ever come close to orgasm.

Still, it wasn’t enough. I wanted, I needed more friction, and I held on to his thigh to steady myself as I sucked and ground harder. His face fucking picked up speed to match mine, and my mind went fuzzy, my hips jerking, my movements frantic as the need built and built and—

The pressure inside me exploded at the same time warm, thick ropes of cum splashed down my throat. Xavier’s loud, guttural groan mixed with my strangled cries as the fuzziness fully blanked into a haze of white.

Shudder after shudder racked my body while I rode out my orgasm mindlessly. Everything was so warm and slick and nice, and when the haze finally cleared and Xavier’s fingers unknotted from my hair, I slumped against his leg, too exhausted to stand.

Strong hands unwound my arms from his thigh and picked me up. Xavier set me on the counter, his movements smooth and fluid as he cleaned me up.

After he finished, he straightened my dress, his eyes gleaming with amusement and lingering desire.

“Well,” he drawled, his voice husky. “If you need another favor, anything at all, I’m right here and willing.”

My laugh melted into a smile when he kissed me.

I’d ruined my dress, underwear, and makeup as well as his shoes and pants, and I didn’t know how we would get out of here without people knowing exactly what we’d been up to, but I didn’t care.

I was too sated and content, and for tonight, at least, none of my worries could touch me.