Page 13 of Nothing to the Wedding
ROUX RADLEY-ROURKE was one of her favorite people.Sure, she had a lot of favorite people, but Roux was up there as the queen of badass and sass.Rourke, so-called “man of the house,” was the kind of guy who played up to irritating everyone.He didn’t shy from antagonizing people, from saying the controversial thing.These days, a lot of that skill was directed at his wife, Roux.For the couple, every word was foreplay in action.Hmm, she could identify with that.
The couple had a custom-built house on a large compound that also contained two businesses and Zane Dyce’s house.The place was like a retreat—with every comfort known to man.
“We should probably just give it back,” Roxie said, the rogue tablet on the kitchen island next to their bottle of wine.“That would be the polite thing to do.”
“Who gives a fuck about polite?”Roux asked.
“I didn’t plan to rake through the whole thing.Would like to prove he rounded up this Anjelica woman though.I can’t stand the thought of someone exploiting a person like that.”
“Reeve Crosby is an asshole.He deserves it.Tripp will drag Hotshot back here and we’ll dig in deep.Could be all kinds of embarrassing stuff on there.Wonder if Crosby would like to be the subject of his own news bonanza.”
“You think the world would care?”
“As much about his private life as yours?No.They’re smarter than that.That doesn’t mean putting it out wouldn’t be embarrassing.”And it does help that we have access to the CollCom microphone.”Roux picked up her wine.“Or you do.I promised Knox I’d never call him again unless Rourke was dying.”
“If you needed an alibi?Girl, you call me if you need a witness to get on the stand.”
“The promise was less about the dead and more about the not calling him.”
Roxie raised her wine glass.“Here’s to our humiliation eclipsing theirs.”
The affinity they’d always share.
“You’d think Knox would be smarter than to fall for that shit.”
“Right?”Roxie asked as Roux’s glass tinged on hers.
As they drank, their eyes met.Knox Collier was instrumental to both of their relationships being on their current courses.Knox accommodated both of their reunions with the men in their lives, the men they loved.And, thinking about it, he didn’t actually get anything in return.
Until now.Satisfaction came with their cunning plan.Yeah, she and Knox drew glares off each other whenever they got the chance, but she loved him, like a brother.They were family.
Giving Jane her special day might be the main objective, but Knox deserved his happily ever after too.And, damn him, so much of his happiness came from seeing Jane’s that Roxie couldn’t honestly dislike him.Had she told him that?No.Should she?
“I’m not going to ask if you’re nervous about the wedding because I know you better than that,” Roux said, topping off their glasses.Finally someone got it.“Doesn’t the wedding feel like this big… thing?”
“A spectacle?I’m okay with that.It’s Zairn Lomond for crying out loud, I have to break hearts across the world or those hos might think they have a chance with him.”
“Who’s to say they don’t?”Roux asked.“I’d lease Rourke out for the right price.”
“You have access to his bank account, you don’t need money,” Roxie said.“So barter?Or do you mean if he pisses you off too much?”
“He pisses me off every day and I have yet to find any takers.We’ll never know.”
“You ever sorry you did it the way you did?”
“Getting married?No.Not even a little bit.Shit, Rourke and I are not the ‘stand up in front of people’ types.We would, it’s not like we’re short of confidence, but you know how he likes to show off.”
“And you like to bait him.”
“That too.”Roux gestured with her glass.“We’d be up there all day trying to one up each other.”Or they’d go at it right there.One would push the other until… “It would be an endurance marathon.We’d have to pay people to show up, provide hydration and power bars.No way am I spending that much of my kids’ inheritance.”
Of every couple in their group, Roux and Rourke were the only ones to state they didn’t want kids.Was that decision permanent?Who knew?Though they did get pretty wrapped up in each other.Could be that the kids would be forgotten in particular moments, the ones that got the couple hot.DCFS tended to look down on neglect in deference to sex, or so she’d assume.
Although… they could pay for a nanny, a squad of them.Pay?Yes.But would it be enough?They’d need a new road straight from their house to court, or a helipad on the roof.With the couple’s penchant for exhibitionism, they’d probably end up hopping from one sexual harassment suit to another.Would anyone ever be touched or coerced?No, only husband to wife and vice versa.
The tablet flashed, then the screen went blank.Damnit, had Crosby disabled the thing from afar?If he could do that, what took him so long?
Words leaped to the screen.
