Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

At half past five in the afternoon, Damien, Katherine, and Alianna were at a cafe. They were at a low round table and sat in comfy armchairs facing it. He had been busy with work lately that going out and meeting the two important women in his life was a breather. Mondays were always busy at Crown Resort Group, and while Katherine helped him with some work, she was mostly out on the first day of the week. 

They went over Alianna's plans for her wedding which would be in three months. Most of the things had been taken care of by her and Caleb except for a few other stuff that could be put off until later. Alianna turned to Katherine, the mirth of excitement brightening her expression as she said, "So...how's the bachelorette party plan going? I know I shouldn't ask because it's meant to be a surprise, but God, I can't wait! I'm so excited!"

"I had been going over a few stuff with Emma last week. I still have things I need to look for, but everything's good so far." Katherine smiled. Over the holidays, she had introduced Emma and Alianna, and the two became really close so fast, it felt like they had been friends for years. Emma had been helping Katherine plan the party, and the latter surprisingly found it fun.

"I'm not pressuring you or anything, maybe just a little, but it has to be the best night. You can't let Damien outdo your task with his. We should have more fun than the boys!" Alianna held up her drink and smirked as she squinted her eyes at her cousin.

"What task? What's your task?" Katherine threw Damien a glance who unnaturally avoided meeting her stare. She narrowed her eyes.

"If you must know, Caleb put him in charge for that night—his bachelor party, I mean. They're going to celebrate it the weekend we are." Alianna beamed, looking like she enjoyed making her cousin uncomfortable under Katherine's scrutiny. "So he'll be your competitor. He's a master planner, Katherine. Don't let it get to you, but you need to make sure we win."

Was this a competition? Katherine didn't quite understand the rivalry, but whatever it was, it sounded like fun. She got to compete with Damien? Heck yeah, she was down for it!

"So, you're in charge, huh?" She gently brushed imaginary lint off Damien's shoulder while he kept his gaze cool, casually looking around the cafe—anywhere but her. "And where are you going to take the boys, Damien? Hm?"

He swallowed, took a sip of his black coffee, put it back down on the table, and then he shifted his gaze to her, a small smile dancing on his lips. It seemed as though he was taking his time to gather his thoughts. She wasn't being sly—or at least, she wasn't trying to, but she could sense when Damien gets a little nervous about something.

Alianna spoke before he could, "You wouldn't bring him to your own strip club—The Gentlemen's Club—are you?"

Folding her arms across her chest, Katherine tilted her head as she stared at him without giving away her thoughts. "So you're going to a strip club?"

"Oh, I bet he'll fly their friends to Las Vegas...I told Caleb that's where I wanted to go on that weekend, and he seemed to be considering the thought too. What is it, Damien? Where do you plan to take your troop? I promise I won't tell Caleb you blabbered."

Katherine arched a brow at the information. "Really… If you're going to Vegas on your plane, then we could probably ride with you. I'm sure there's a lot of room for all of us...unless you're planning to bring other people on the plane to party with you guys on the way to Vegas?"

Alianna gasped exaggeratedly, not giving Damien a chance to answer. "You're bringing strippers on your plane?"

A crease formed between his brows as he looked at the two women trying to work on him. Then he shook his head and took another sip of his coffee, appealing calm and carefree as he responded, "We're probably just going to Caleb's family's cabin for a quiet boy's night."

"That's a five-hour drive from here," said Alianna.

"So? A road trip is fun."

Katherine and Alianna exchanged looks. They didn't speak, but they seemed like they didn't buy what Damien was telling them.

"So…" he started. "You girls are also going to have a quiet night? I'll sponsor your suites, send some bottles of champagne and a grazing table."

"Awww… You're very sweet," Katherine cooed, brushing his arm ever so lovingly.

"Of course, I want you girls to have fun, too."

"Thank you, Damien. That would be a nice prelude before the main event."

He snapped his eyes at Katherine, cocking a brow when he heard 'main event'. Angling his body so he was facing Katherine. He mimicked her stance and folded his arms in front of him too. "What main event?"

"Didn't I tell you? Ali wants the whole thing. Hot men strippers and all." Katherine smiled teasingly.

Damien's left brow twitched at whatever image he had in his head. He hesitantly opened his mouth and glanced at his cousin whose face was shining so brightly with excitement. "You don't want that…"

"Of course, I do, silly. I've been looking forward to it!" exclaimed Alianna so proudly. "And Katherine's going to take care of everything for me, right, love?"

Katherine smiled at Alianna and chuckled.

A loud crash on the other side of the room caused their heads to turn. There appeared to be a racket going on by some patrons in the cafe. They looked over, craning their necks while they remained seated, and saw a couple arguing. A shattered mug and a saucer were on the floor, colored liquid spilling from the broken mug, and a slice of smashed cake dirtied the floor.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at the two, only noticing that she knew who the female was.

Damien placed his hand over hers as he questioned, "Isn't that Caroline?"

It was indeed her cousin, Aunt Deborah's daughter. What was she doing here, and why was she in a fight with that guy? Before Katherine knew it, she was already on her feet and walking towards the commotion. She wasn't close to her cousin, but nevertheless, she was still her family.