The Darkest King

BOOK ONE –––––––– JULIETTE N. BANKS Table of Contents Title Page COPYRIGHT ABOUT THE AUTHOR ALSO BY JULIETTE N. BANKS 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 EPILOGUE THE RUTHLESS KING ALSO BY JULIETTE N. BANKS LET’S STAY IN TOUCH COPYRIGHT Copyright © 2023 by Juliette N. Banks. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a review. This book is a work of fiction and imagination. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely one of coincidence. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products and music referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and/or use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Author: Juliette N. Banks Editor: Lyndsey Smith, Cozy Nook Editing Cover design by: EmCat Designs ABOUT THE AUTHOR Juliette is an indie romance author who has taken the romance genre by storm with her popular bestselling series The Moretti Blood Brothers and The Dufort Dynasty. Juliette has a vast background in consumer marketing and was previously published by Random House. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with Tilly, her Mainecoon kitty, and all her book boyfriends. Official Juliette N. Banks website: www.juliettebanks.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/juliettebanksauthor Facebook: www.facebook.com/juliettenbanks www.facebook.com/groups/authorjuliettebanksreaders TikTok: @juliettebanksauthor ALSO BY JULIETTE N. BANKS The Dark Kings of NYC – NEW SERIES! The Darkest King The Ruthless King COMING SOON COMING SOON –––––––– The Dufort Dynasty Steamy billionaire romance Sinful Duty (FREE) Forbidden Touch Total Possession Desire Unbound Dark Surrender –––––––– The Moretti Blood Brothers Steamy paranormal romance The Vampire Prince (FREE) The Vampire Protector The Vampire Spy The Vampire’s Christmas The Vampire Assassin The Vampire Awoken The Vampire Lover The Vampire Wolf The Vampire Warrior The Vampire’s Oath The Vampire’s Fate –––––––– The Moretti Blood Wolves Steamy paranormal shifter romance The Claimed Wolf The Alpha Wolf The Unbound Wolf – coming 2024! –––––––– Realm of the Immortals Steamy paranormal fantasy romance The Archangels Battle The Archangel’s Heart The Archangel’s Star 1 ______________ CONNOR –––––––– Here we fucking go again. Another gala event. Another speech. Another night spent with strangers who schmooze me for my money and power. It’s all part of the charade I’m playing, I remind myself, tugging on the sleeve of my Armani jacket and adjusting my cufflinks before leaning back into the soft leather seats of my limousine. Nothing to prepare. My finance manager arranged the transfer of funds this afternoon, and my scriptwriter emailed me the same cut-and-paste version of the speech I’ve already given at least five times this year. Only the name changes, with a modified reason why the cause is so important to Barrett Enterprises. Except this one is important to me...personally. The We Are Family Foundation is committed to the care of orphans in the U.S. and around the world—a cause I deem important. No one should be alone because they don’t have parents or a family. There are eight fucking billion people on the planet. Few of them with the sort of money I have to contribute, to make a difference. Still, I’d rather have sent a check and sat at home, sipping on my Macallan Gold, watching porn, and jacking off. Or rather, ordering in. I don’t mean Chinese food. Truth is, I don’t watch porn. I have no need for it. If I want a woman spread before me, I can have one at any time. I’m Connor Barrett, one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in New York City. Yet, I’m not who I say I am. I’m both a ghost and, ironically, one of the most visible men in America. Why hide in the shadows when you can hide out in the open? The opposite of what they trained me to do in the marines. Even more ironic—I have skilled security protecting me, which even they know is unnecessary. I’m six foot four, broad and muscular. And I’ve been trained to kill. I have killed. Still, I can’t look over my shoulder while running a billion-dollar empire, doing deals with politicians and untrustworthy businessmen who would love nothing more than to see me fail. That happens when people owe you favors. They know I’ll come knocking, and when I do, they won’t say no. No one says no. I’m the founder and CEO of Barrett Enterprises. Entrepreneur, philanthropist, investor, and prolific businessman. Men want to destroy me. Women want to fuck me. I reach for the crystal cut glass filled with whiskey in the console beside me and bring it to my lips, remembering the last woman who slid down my black silk sheets and wrapped her red-stained mouth around my cock. God, I could do with round two. It’s been weeks since I’ve had a good release without using my fist. I should’ve booked someone for this evening, but I didn’t think ahead. Booked? Yes. They’re not prostitutes—I’m paying for their discretion. I’m paying for control. Something I never give away. But I’m careful about the women I fuck. By the time they enter my penthouse, they’ve accepted payment and signed a confidentiality agreement—one no lawyer would ever let their client sign—which demands their silence and agreement to the terms of our time together. One, should they break, that would destroy their lives. So, not prostitutes, but they are escorts. They’re instructed to undress and blindfold themselves in my private elevator. I’m not fucking Batman—everyone in NYC knows