“Meaning what? There shouldn’t be banks? Everyone should bury gold bullion in their backyards?”
“No, just… you know what I mean. Eat the wealthy.”
“And how would you suggest we execute that? By actually cooking and eating bankers? Or imposing new taxes? Or what?”
Her scowl intensified. That was another annoying thing about Toby Tennant—he was hard to derail. Even when they’d been mates, he did this annoying lawyer thing, repeating her words back to her and trying to make her explain the dumbass things she said.
“Screw you. I know we’re all guilty under capitalism or whatever, but I’m allowed to think you’re a wang.”
“You are, but you can’t act like my job is professional kitten stomping either. Just because I work in finance?—”
“Congratulations.”
“—I’m not involved in predatory lending, or NFTs, or things that take advantage of the uneducated?—”
“And if the whole system takes advantage of the uneducated? Relies on profiting from a lack of financial education and fair access to resources?”
“Then I understand that must be frustrating, and sometimes I feel frustrated about those kinds of things myself?—”
“Gee, thanks, I’ll let the other plebs know you feel the occasional twinge of guilt. That’ll fix the subprime mortgage crisis.”
“Tabitha,” Toby said conversationally. “Do you actually want to discuss the subprime mortgage crisis, or is this about you ear-bashing me for hooking up with Olive and Lily at the Village Belle?”
Tabby almost dropped the tattoo gun. “What the fuck? I don’t care about your gross public gangbang!”
“Oh really?”
“Christ, you’re a douche!”
“I’m not.”
“You absolutely are. I bet you jerk off in airplane bathrooms and leave cum all over the mirrors.”
“I don’t. But I did once buy a girl a jet ski because she almost drowned giving me head in a hot spring.”
Tabby turned off her tattoo gun. She stared up at the smirking cunt that was Toby, feeling like her brain was about to come out of her ears. “You bought a jet ski? Like an on-water fuckhead-mobile for a woman because?—”
“She was blowing me underwater and refused to surface until I came and almost died? Yeah. I did.”
“What the fuckingfuck?”
Toby didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed. “Shit happens. Makes a good story though, don’t you think?”
She glared at him. “You really wanna know what I think? I think you should put a plastic bag on your head and duct tape your neck.”
Toby stopped smirking. “Sorry?”
“You almost killed a woman trying to nut in what I assume is a public hot spring, then you paid her off with a jet ski, and now you’re back-door bragging about it? How is that not cooked to you, bro?”
“Three things.” Toby held up three fingers. “I’m front-door bragging. It was a private hot spring. And she was the one who wouldn’t come up for air.”
Tabby could just picture it, Toby, with his arms sprawled over the edge of a hot pool like a king, another perfect blonde’s head bobbing in the water before him. She pressed her thighs together, unsure whether she was more disgusted by him or mad at herself for getting turned on. “Whatever, Tobias. You still almost committed manslaughter.”
The arrogant smile returned. “You are jealous, aren’t you?”
“Jealous because you almost flat-murdered a girl, then extorted her into silence with the world’s most obnoxious water-based vehicle?”
He shrugged. “She was sexy. I could afford it. No one got hurt.”
