Page 67 of Nothing to No One

“He brought her up. You know damn well Sway’s better off without him. Bambi would be too. Guy needs to get himself in order. You know…” When Tripp shifted to the edge of his chair to dump his glass on the table, the tension pounced a few notches. Except he wasn’t getting up. Just adjusting his position. “You used to be okay, Roman. Back in the day. Way, way, back in the day. You always thought too much of yourself. Though arrogance isn’t short in our crowd, could be contagious.

“But, Sway, the way you treated her. They way you are now, the way you were on the island, and since rehab. You’re losing your grip, man. This isn’t even the addiction.”

“I’m clean,” Roman asserted.

“Maybe that’s the problem. Because whatever’s going on with you, it’s not about Sway or Bambi. You have a chance at getting your career back. All you have to do is show up and do your job. That’s it. Struan’s doing all the heavy lifting. Just make the faces and say the lines. That’s all they need you to do. Why are you still so hooked up on Sway? Why can’t you let her go?”

“Because she’s mine,” he barked. “You don’t understand, you don’t get it. She’s my soulmate.”

“Then you’ve spent too long in this town. Because happy ever after is a rare thing. Even rarer when it’s unrequited. Sway is moving on with her life. Take a breath. Go to some Thai spa retreat, whatever it is you need because you’re putting too much on her.”

“You’re only saying this because you want her for yourself. What did you do to her? You don’t screw around on a woman like Sway Sheridan, stick your dick in her and then take it to the next ‘ho at the party.”

“Sway is not a whore,” Roxie stated, clear, concise, and extremely unimpressed. “I’d go so far as to say no woman is. There’s no such thing. If males are so rarely held to that standard, why should women be?”

Roman scoffed out a snicker. “Guess your guy’s got his work cut out for him. All those late nights in the club, how many guys you take hard and fast in those dark corners? Do you even know their names? Shit, I’d be surprised if you even looked at their faces. You take any guy who’d bend you over and ram his cock inside you.”

“I wouldn’t take you,” Roxie said, cheerier. “Not in a million years. In fact, when it comes to you and me, I’m the exact opposite of a whore. You can consider me a goddamn nun. I’m Mother Teresa. I’m the Virgin Mary. That goes for me and all my girls, which I’m sorry to say for you, includes Sway.”

Roman pounced a stride toward the blonde. “You have no right!”

Struan rose in a half crouch, ready to move, but Magnus got in front of the actor.

Roxie laughed. “Until you work on your boundaries, this conversation is over.” When the beauty slammed her glass onthe table and stood up, she took Bambi right along with her. “Tripp.”

He got up a flash before Struan.

“What the fuck is happening?” Roman asked.

Tripp came around the back of the couch to close in on her other side. His long arm encompassed both her and Roxie as they beat a path toward the front door.

“We’re getting out of here.”

“No, no, I don’t fucking think so,” Roman said, rushing to put himself in their way. “She stays fucking here.”

“If she wants to go, she goes.” Struan’s voice—firm, a little impatient, and a lot resolute—brought them all around. “Get out of her way, Roman.”

“You’re going to let these fuckers take my fucking fiancée?”

“She’s not your fiancée and she’s put up with enough shit from you this week.”

“We had an agreement—”

“No one’s cancelling anything,” Roxie cut Magnus off. “We’re taking her to a safe place to be surrounded by people who actually give a damn about her needs.” Roxie showed Struan her hand. “And I don’t give a down how many times you felt her up or stuck your tongue down her throat. The fact that she’s still here and he’s still standing means you prioritize your brother. Which means she’s not as safe here as she should be. I will not leave a woman in jeopardy. You can let this happen quietly. We’ll walk out the door without incident and go from one private driveway to the next where no one knows who’s getting in or out the car. No one’s busting open your secret, or tarnishing your so-hard-won reputation that you clearly care so much about.” Not. “But if you want to make this difficult, we can do that too. I’ll call Ballard. It’s no trouble, I have him on speed dial.”

“I’ll call Ax,” Tripp said.

“What’s your brother going to do?” Roman snickered with ridicule. “He’s in New York.”

“He’s not, actually, but his location doesn’t make any difference. You don’t think he has agents everywhere?”

“So which is it to be?” Roxie asked, finding the diplomacy Bambi hadn’t been able to muster. “We walk out. Everybody’s smiling. Or we bring a goddamn army and half the world’s press? You know I have the Colliers.”

“You know I have the Wheys,” Roman countered only to be startled by Roxie’s laugh. “What the fuck?”

“Oh, you think Ricardo Whey’s going to save your ass? He cares about his own far more, darling, believe me. The shit I know about that man. That Knox Collier knows about that man, that Caspian Collier knows… Want to play fast and loose? Shake those dice? Place your bets. Let’s just see. If you light the fuse, I’m more than happy for the dynamite to blast your pathetic little life to shit.”

“Roxie…” Struan again.

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