Kingsley, instead of answering, turns to me. “Luna? I’d actually trust your opinion over these gentlemen’s.”
I give them a benign smile and just shrug and say, “Well, if all I wanted to taste was un-cooked-off wine and lumpy suet, I guess either of those options would be fine. But I’d eat a stranger’s leftovers of the beef and marrow pie at Harlot and Co.,out of the trash, any day over those other two pretentious excuses for a pie.”
Everyone stares at me, mute, for a second, and then Cal bursts out laughing, rubbing his rotund stomach. “Ah, so she’s more than just a pretty girl. She’s got brains too. She’s going to give you a run for your money, Baxter.”
Kingsley gives me a wink, his hand featherlight against my back. “It’s your money you should be keeping an eye on, Cal. I’ve got plenty of money to spare.”
“You little shit.” Cal grins good-naturedly.
Kingsley makes small talk for a few minutes and then excuses us. “I’m going to get Luna a drink. She’s going to need it to keep you all at bay tonight, I think,” Kingsley says with a polite nod tothe group. He gestures toward the bar running along the length of the room, and we step away. “How are you feeling?” he asks when we’re out of earshot.
“Better now. That wasn’t so hard.”
“None of this is going to be too hard. You’ll run circles around them.”
I give him an exasperated look. “Because I’m a ‘pretty girl’?”
His hand heats up against my back, and I push against it as lightly as I can so that he doesn’t notice and pull away.
“You’re a beautiful woman, yes. But that’s not why. They’re used to that here. What they’re not used to is beautiful women telling them what they think. Don’t ever change.”
“Based on our interactions, Kingsley, how much chance do you think there is of that happening?”
Apparently that warrants a laugh from him. “I’m just holding out hope, Luna.”
Our banter helps burn away some of the nervousness, and I start to relax.
He orders us drinks and leads me to an empty table, pointing out the people scattered around the room.
I recognize one and almost squeal out of excitement. “That’s Kimberly Mizera, she’s the COO of MoveIt&LoseIt! I see their health activewear all over social media.”
Kingsley nods. “Yes, she was a big part of taking them into the online space and to a younger demographic.”
Staring at her in awe, she looks even more gorgeous in person. “Well, it worked. I heard the last drop of their Christmas line pretty much broke the internet.”
“She’s a piranha though, so watch your purse around her. And your man.”
“I don’t have either. I’ll be safe.”
He opens his mouth as if about to respond, when the piranha in question makes her way over to us.
“Kingsley Baxter, you sexy, sly dog. Where have you been? I haven’t seen or heard from you in a month.”
He sidesteps her questions and instead introduces us, his hand falling away from my back as he gestures to each of us in turn. “Kimberly Mizera, I’d like you to meet Luna Pham.”
“Well, hello. Aren’t you a cute little thing,” she coos, her eyes glaciers as they flick back and forth between me and Kingsley. “You must be new here. We should go to lunch sometime.”
I blink, unsure if she’s mocking me or not. I just answer as I would if anyone else asked me to lunch. “Sure. Do you like sushi?”
Kimberly lets out an empty laugh and runs her fingers along Kingsley’s arm. “Oh darling, where did you find her? She’s utterly precious. Luna, dear, I would not fit into this dress if sushi rice ever came close to this mouth. This mouth is for activities much more fun than eating carbs.” Then she winks at Kingsley and leans in, whispering something to him.
He pulls away discretely and simply answers, “We’ll see. I think I’m going to be busy with Luna for a while. She’s new to London.”
Her face turns ugly, just for a second, and then she shrugs and slinks away.
I wait for his explanation after she leaves, but he just goes back to watching the people moving around the room.
Curiosity gets the better of me. “What was that about? Don’t be refusing dates on my account.”
