“That’s the reason he gave? Do you believe it?”
“Oh, I believe he’s spending money faster than it’s coming in. He said he has a few settlements he’ll get payment for that are ten times what he’s asking. Which was a quarter mil from me.”
“Geez,” she said. “That’s a lot of money.”
He laughed. “Not to me and he knows it. I don’t mean to be a dick about it.”
She had to remember what his worth was.
To her, he was the same kid back in college that was sweet to her.
Made her laugh.
Brought her out of the shell she’d closed tight and wouldn’t let anyone prior open but him.
“Remember the family I’m from, though I don’t have that wealth.”
“I told him no. My grandmother told me a month ago that my father had just bought a new boat. He’s got a twenty-thousand-dollar watch on that I haven’t seen before. Brandi’s tits had to be close to ten thousand.”
She coughed on the drink she had to her lips. “He paid for her boob job? How do you know that?”
“Because my mother let it slip. No, not slip. Made a point of saying my father was now covering medical enhancements for his whores. Her words.”
Good Lord, even the Bond family didn’t have drama quite like this. Or not that she knew of.
“Okay then,” she said.
“You should see your face. I told you to buckle up.”
“I’ve heard and seen much worse in my job. Remember, I’m around wealthy entitled people all the time.”
“Ohhhh,” he said, laughing. “I can’t believe you just insulted guests in your hotel.”
She rolled her eyes. He always had her slipping. “It’s not an insult, just a fact. Wealthy people feel more entitled than the everyday blue-collar worker as a whole.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and nudged her close. “Don’t get prim and proper on me now. I like the side of you that slips out of the cracks.”
“Only you seem to bring it out.”
“Even better,” he said, smacking his lips to hers.
One server came around and she snagged a glass of wine. She was desperate for something to take the edge off the fire he was stoking inside her. Every look, every word ignited a hunger in her body that left her trembling, aching, and embarrassingly almost coming undone.
“How long do you think they will take pictures?”
It’d been almost an hour now. It wasn’t a large party and there weren’t a lot of places on the grounds. She’d seen a lot of pictures taken prior to the ceremony also.
“I hope not much longer. These little bites of food aren’t doing it for me.”
He lifted his arm for the server with some of those bites to come closer, him snatching a few to put on his plate. Natalie did the same since she was getting hungry.
Sophie returned. “They are running out of most of the appetizers and the caterer went to find Courtney’s mother to say they were going to set the food up for the buffet in twenty minutes, for them to get the reception started.”
“Are they running behind?”
“Seems it to me. These are things a wedding planner would have taken care of. The sooner this show is on the road, the faster everyone gets the hell off my property.”
“Grandma,” he said. “That’s mean and you know it. It’s your grandson. Would you say that about me?”
