KING: Las Vegas Bad Boys Read Online Free PDF Page A

King’s Diamond is more than a jewelry store, how it’s an opportunity to be a part of the greatest moments of someone’s life.
    He’s still talking, and I try to concentrate, mostly hung up on the fact that he’s considering me as his successor. Is he serious?
    “You know how much I want you to succeed,” he says. “I want you to put some real heart into your life. Well, I need you to come home and show me what sort of man you are.”
    I’m grateful that my father hasn’t learned what Face Time is, or he’d see my aggressive eye roll, notice the way my fingers grip the steering wheel.
    Is this is motherfucking joke?
    “Do you know me at all, father?” I snort.
    “I do, Landon. At least, I know what sort of boy you were, before this mess. Before your stint in rehab, before you ran off with that dancer. Before you landed in Vegas for the past several years drinking and gambling away my money.”
    The call goes silent. My jaw clenches as I listen to his recounting of my early twenties. I don’t need him reminding me of my past.
    “But I don’t think that’s who you are anymore. Or, at least, I believe in you, son. Now, I want you to come home and show me what sort of man you are.”
    I don’t want to fight with him. He isn’t that macho-aggressive sort of man, the kind who bullies and pushes to get what he wants. My father is a good man, and he seems to see something in me.
    But I don’t know why.
    “Look, I’ll think about, but things are busy here, I don’t know if leaving in a few days is gonna work,” I tell him. The last thing I want to do is show up in Hertfordshire and remind everyone what a fucking failure I am.

    * * *
    I n the gym , sweat runs down my back. McQueen’s personal trainer JoJo has given me a run for my fucking money.
    Throwing the boxing gloves on a bench, I grab a towel.
    “You’re a beast. You know that, right?” I ask her.
    “That’s what all the boys say,” she teases. Her long, red hair is wild and free, and from the body in her tight little shorts, I can tell she’s strong. Fierce. I won’t mess with a woman like her.
    McQueen though, doesn’t know what’s good for him.
    “So, you wanna come to a poker game tonight?” he asks her.
    “Hey,” I say, punching him in the shoulder. “What the fuck? That’s a men-only game.”
    “But JoJo is one of the guys,” he says, shrugging.
    I see JoJo stiffen at the assessment, and I try to read the silent language going on between them. I can’t tell who wants whom.
    “JoJo is most certainly not one of the guys.” And she’s not. Her little tits are perky and her ass is tight.
    “Fine.” McQueen smiles coyly. “We’ll hit it a different night, JoJo. Maybe you can come over and teach me some new moves.”
    “We’ll see about that, won’t we?” she says, laughing, waving us off toward the locker rooms.
    “What the hell was that?” I ask him, as I open the locker where my things are stashed.
    “The hell was what?”
    “Do you have a thing for JoJo?” I ask. “She’s not your type, at all.”
    “What the fuck do you know about my type?”
    “I know you usually go out with women you meet at your shows. Not girls like JoJo.”
    McQueen is a male dancer and DDs aren’t even on his radar. He likes big, plastic, and usually more than one at a time.
    “I’m just teasing JoJo, and she knows it.”
    “Alright.” I shrug.
    We split up to get showered. After I change quickly, I sling my bag over my shoulder. McQueen comes over, ready to go, and tosses me a bottle of water.
    “You hear from Ace today?” I ask. “The game still on for tonight?
    “Yeah, he and Emmy got home last night from Tahiti. Lucky bastard.”
    We leave the gym, and head to our cars in the parking lot.
    “What, you want to go to Tahiti? You should fucking go,” I tell him. Living in the moment is my motto.
    “Naw, he’s lucky he has Emmy. I don’t know. Maybe I’m done being a fucking asshole in this town. Maybe it’s time to find