“A little over a year ago. Since I tried to kill Wesley.”
She talked about it like it was nothing. Just an everyday occurrence. “Did you do any time for that?”
Her brows furrowed. “You mean like jail?”
“Yeah. That’s usually where people go for attempted murder.” I knew first hand.
A smile ghosted her lips. “Wesley would never turn me in. That would make him look even weaker. And if he tried, our parents would never go for it.”
Nothing like rich white privilege. Julia had probably never suffered a consequence in her life until her peers turned on her, but that one time had changed her. It made her turn her back on everything and everyone she knew. It made her want to be a better person.
And that made her even more beautiful.
Her gaze darted to the dance floor, landing on something, or someone, that made her lip curl. Before I could follow her line of sight and figure out what she’d seen, she pointed the opposite direction. “The bathroom’s there. I’m going to need a stiffer drink.”
She’d already had two glasses of champagne, but they didn’t seem to be affecting her. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“It’s necessary. Want me to order you something?”
A drink sounded like a good idea, but none of that pink shit they were serving. “A beer. Something dark. A stout or a porter.”
“You got it. I’ll meet you at the bar.”
The words had barely left her mouth before she walked past the ladies’ room and turned the corner. After I came out of the restroom, I found Julia sitting at the bar with her sexy back toward me. Damn, I loved that dress, and based on the way every man in the bar was checking her out, I wasn’t the only one. Before I could cross the room, Wesley took the stool beside her. Hair gelled, face clean-shaven, hands in the pockets of his suit jacket, he looked every bit the spoon-fed asshole she made him out to be. Her shoulders tensed at his proximity, but she did not back down.
Torn between the need to protect her, and the knowledge that she needed to handle this shit for herself, I got close enough to listen in on their conversation and jump in if I was needed.
“…good together. A power team. What we had was great. It’ll take some work, but we can get there again.”
“You mean that fantastic relationship where I’m at home playing wife, organizing your schmooze-fests, and destroying your enemies while you were sleeping with mine?” Julia asked. “Because that wasn’t all that rewarding for me.”
“Don’t be so dramatic.” He pulled a hand out of his pocket to stroke her bare arm with the back of his fingers. “We shared many good times.”
She shied away from his touch, leaning closer to the bar to take another drink.
“Yep. My favorite was that time I shot your cheating ass. Heard you needed stitches. That had to hurt.”
“I managed. And yes, I screwed around, but you always had my heart, Julia.”
She snorted. “What heart?”
He spread his hands out, nodding. “Exactly why we’re perfect together. None of those messy feelings to get in the way of what’s really important.”
“That’s where you’re losing me. We don’t value the same things anymore, Wesley. I value loyalty, and you… you value your penis.”
He closed the distance between them. “You used to value my penis, too, remember?”
She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away. “I was young and naïve. You told me you were huge, and I believed you. I didn’t know what else was out there.”
“You still don’t.”
“Are you so certain?” She took another big gulp.
“I do keep tabs on you, Julia. I protect all of my investments.”
“Creepy. Perhaps you should focus less on me and more on stringing along your date and pretending you’re trying to replace me before she finds someone richer and hotter to bang?”
He glanced over his shoulder to the skinny brunette leaning against the wall like a puppy on a leash. “She knows her place. It’s your date I’m worried about.” Wesley’s gaze cut to me for a second before his attention returned to Julia. “You know he ruined the Kinlans, right?”
