Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 192810 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 964(@200wpm)___ 771(@250wpm)___ 643(@300wpm)
“Night, casual, elegant, windswept, sophisticated, stylish, dinner date,” I shared, poking the control panel with my finger, trying to find my sheer blushy top, because I was thinking Gayle was onto something.
“Holy Lilith. And the mane-mate didn’t short circuit? I never put that many settings in,” Cat remarked.
“Oh, queen, you have to load ’em up,” Monique educated. “The more challenges you give them, the more the algorithm works for you, if you don’t put it back on and change it right away.”
“Really?” Cat asked.
“Totally,” Monique replied.
I put the top and the skirt on up and down valet rails, setting the red sandals on the floor under them, stepped back, took one look, and shrieked, “Eureka! Perfection!”
Nova slunk to the shoes, sniffed one, then, starting with her ear, rubbed most of her body along it before she collapsed on both.
Nova approved too.
“I cannot believe you’re going out on a date with Prince Aleksei,” Monique said.
“I can’t believe he brought you Captain Jacques’s,” Gayle said.
“I can totally believe both, because, look at her,” Cat demanded.
The three holograms looked at me.
“Mm-hmm, he read you like a book,” Monique declared. “That Captain Jacques move was so smooth, CJ should make it a sauce. Their flybys would be jammed, north to south, east to west, sea to sea.”
“I’m still recovering from it, and it didn’t even happen to me,” Gayle put in.
But I had my eyes on Cat. “What do you mean, look at me?”
I got three identical eyerolls.
“Here we go again,” Gayle mumbled to Cat.
“Totally not going there,” Cat replied.
I turned fully to them. “I’m learning how to curtsy then going to see troll skin, something I never thought I’d touch in my life. It’s the enchanted moonstone of the textile world. And I’m eating dinner with a guy who doesn’t have an M and R in front of his name, but an HRH. And he might kiss me.”
Gods, I hoped he kissed me.
And Gods, I was terrified of the same thing.
“So humor me,” I finished. “What did you mean?”
Cat stood.
Gayle reached out to her, even if she couldn’t touch her ’gram.
Cat shook her head. “Nope. No. Not gonna do it,” she said irately, then bent her head, stabbed at her Palm, kept stabbing at her Palm, Monique, Gayle and I exchanged a variety of glances, and then Mr. Truelock’s tall, straight body blinked into my closet.
Eek!
Well, good thing I’d put on my robe.
“Hello, my lovely,” he said to me. Then he turned to Monique and Gayle. “And my other lovelies.”
Lilith, but I loved this male.
“Hey, Mr. Truelock,” Gayle and Monique singsonged in unison.
He smiled at them and came back to me. “Cat shared last night, and I’m absolutely delighted, but in no way surprised you turned the True Heir’s eye.”
Oh boy.
“Mr. Truelock—” I began.
“Quiet, darling,” he said gently.
I shut up.
He moved to me and lifted his slightly-brighter-than-normal, just-that-teeniest-bit-see-through hand as if he would cup my jaw.
He couldn’t, but I felt the warmth anyway.
“I would ruin them, if you’d just say the word,” he whispered.
I knew who he was referring to, so I turned my head away.
But I took note, because, man, could Catla stab at a Palm, summoning Mammon Truelock like that.
“Your heart is too kind, but they deserve it,” he continued.
I pulled breath into my nose and looked back at him.
“You’re the best, Mr. Truelock.”
“I’m actually not. I’m just a male. And a father. I know what they did to you…here.” He moved as if he was touching my forehead, and then he dropped his hand. “It isn’t real, Laura. You are beautiful. You are kind. You are immensely talented. You’re not my daughter by blood, but I claim you by right, and I’m immensely proud of you. Set aside what they left you, and know, Aleksei is no fool. He sees what I see.” He swept an arm out to indicate the females behind him. “What we all see, it’s only you who doesn’t see it.”
“I think he just needs a break from all the super-celebrities,” I shared.
“No one on this planet ever needs a break from basking in the best there is to have, and as such, he is not doing that.”
Oh. My. Gods.
I dug Mr. Truelock so much.
But I couldn’t do this now. He was going to make me lose it.
“Don’t make me cry,” I warned. “My mask gave me the perfect look.”
He shot me a fatherly smile, something he did a lot, and something that never failed to move me, and then he pulled his Palm out his pocket, said, “Enjoy tonight, Laura,” and he turned to the gals, “Ladies.”
“Bye, Mr. Truelock,” Gayle said.
“Always good to see you, Mr. Truelock,” Monique said.
“See you later, Daddy,” Cat said. “And thank you, you’re mega.”
Mr. Truelock winked at his daughter.
“Disengage,” he said, and blinked out.
“That was dirty dealing,” I told Cat the instant he was gone.