Page 46 of The Fiancée Farce
Uncle Sterling cleared his throat, his stern expression smoothing into a smile that looked out of place on his face. Forced. “Gemma, running a company, any company, let alone one of this magnitude... it’s an undertaking. It’ll be like having the weight of the world on your shoulders.” He dipped his chin, staring down at her, voice dripping with condescension. “You don’t want that responsibility.”
Gemma set her jaw. “I don’t, do I?”
Sterling chuckled. “You can’t honestly tell me you do.”
She crossed her arms. “And what if I do? What then?”
“Why?” Tucker spit out.
“I don’t know.” She crossed her arms and shrugged. “Sounds like fun to me.”
She didn’t owe Tucker an explanation. She didn’t owe him anything.
“Fun?” Tucker sneered.
“Well, sure.” She smothered a smile at how easy it was to push his buttons. “Where else am I supposed to wear my fetching pantsuits and pencil skirts if not a boardroom?”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Tucker said, agitation growing. “You don’t even want it for the right reasons.”
“Theright reasons.” Gemma laughed. “Whatright reasonsare there? Grandpa left the company to me. What other reason should I possibly need for wanting it other than that it’s mine?”
“Are you all hearing this?” Tucker threw his hands up. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation.”
“Stop the presses! Something we actually agree on,” she said.
“Come on, Gemma, be realistic,” Sterling chided. “You can’t honestly believe that your...skill setqualifies you to run a company, can you?”
“What skill set would that be?” she asked, temper rising, agitation making her foot jiggle.
Everyone in this godforsaken family was always underestimating her; she’d prove them wrong. But God, wouldn’t it be nice to not have to? Why didTuckeralways get a free pass? She had to work twice as hard as everyone else for half the fucking credit, and she was used to it, and far from surprised, butGod, she was sick to death of it. Sick of it all.
“Let’s see... drunk and disorderly conduct.” Sterling held out a hand, raising his thumb, ready to recount her shortcomings one by one. “Public indecency.”
“Trust me.” Gemma tossed her hair over her shoulder. “There was nothingindecentabout it.”
“Lewd and lascivious behavior.” Bitsie sniffed.
“Say you’re a bigot without saying your bigot,” Brooks said, draining his drink.
Bitsie gasped. “How dare you?”
“Come off it, Bitsie.” Brooks rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you exhausted of clutching your pearls and acting scandalized when Sterling’s out there sticking his dick in anyone who’ll stay still long enough for the Cialis to kick in?”
Sterling sneered. “Screwed any supermodels lately, Brooks?”
“Ooh, good burn, brother.”
Sterling flipped Brooks off before turning back to Gemma. “You got kicked out of Andover.”
“I wasn’t kicked out. I was strongly encouraged to transfer.”
“Of course there’s also your illustrious career in porn.” Tucker tucked his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels.
Porn? Ohplease.
“You’re acting like I was on Brazzers with my tits out. I was on a few book covers.”
They were tasteful—and hell, even if they hadn’t been, what she did with her body was no one’s business but her own.
