Page 15 of Nothing to the Wedding

“‘Cause it breaks her heart to witness it.We don’t like to talk about how she struggles to satisfy me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you the guy who lays on top of me at night?Most of the time I don’t even know you’re present.I’m too busy getting myself there, picturing hot guys, really any guy—any other guy.”Crossing her legs slowly, Roux licked her lips while looking past her to Tripp behind.“You look like you’d be a lot of fun, Little Breckenridge.”

“Not so little, so I’ve heard.”Rourke squeezed his wife to sway with her.“You keep him busy, I’ll get the wallet.”

“Hey, you don’t want to joke about that,” Roxie said.“This scrounging Breckenridge will move in and eat you out of house and home, him and his cronies.”

“Don’t worry, Rox Out.”Tripp’s arm came around her shoulders from behind.“They don’t live in a nightclub like you, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Oh, please, please go,” she said through her smile.

Tripp kissed the back of her head.

Roux posed a question.“Why isn’t Zairn with you?”

“First bachelor party is in New York.”Rourke wasn’t the one Roux had been talking to.“Guy’s got to prepare.”

“Is this the Gramercy thing?”Roux asked, completely glossing over her husband’s words.“Still?Is Kinloch there?”

“Not yet.He’s traveling to New York for the—I don’t know, Kinloch says Gramercy’s nothing to do with him anymore.”

“I guess that’s true…” Roux sipped her wine.“He sold the company to extricate himself from it, he can’t really show up in the boardroom now and start throwing down rules and ultimatums.The time for that has passed.”

She inhaled through her nose.“Except the legacy boys might listen more to him than they do the new management team.”

Rourke leaned in to rest his lips on his wife’s hair.“I told you all this in New York.”

“I wasn’t listening.I never listen to you, Hotshot, haven’t you figured that out yet?Anyway, during that particular period, a younger man had my attention.”

A much younger man… if she was talking about Zay-Jay.With Roux and Rourke, their meaning wasn’t always clear.

“Kintyre’s gone for that kid, man, I don’t know if we’ll ever get him back.”Straightening, Rourke glanced around.“Got no business brains in the room, who the hell am I supposed to talk to?”

“I don’t remember being invited to your week of bachelorette parties, Rox,” Roux said.“Should I be offended?”

“We’re doing LA, the night before the wedding,” she said.“Nothing crazy.Every other day of my life is crazy, this one will be just the girls.No raucous, just us.”

“We’ll have strippers though, right?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure, we’ll have strippers, that goes without saying.”

“Might have to swing by myself…” Rourke’s arm went around Roux again.It wasn’t an embrace exactly.It was, but the woman was also his leaning post.“Join the party.”

“Male strippers, Hotshot.”

“Hey, if he wants to come shake his ass and take his clothes off, don’t break his spirit.”

“I live for breaking his spirit.”Without shame, Roux’s shoulders moved in a partial strut.“I’m getting really good at it.”

Rourke kissed her head.“You’ll never take me alive.”

“That’s the point, sweetheart.Imagine what I’ll do with all your money.”

“Too bad for you I’m leaving it to all my mistresses.”Rourke quickly laid faux contrition on her.“Is it too painful for me to say that, Rox?”

Though her lips curled, she just shook her head.

“He just likes to pretend he’s popular.It’s all an act.Ignore him.”