FOUR #2
Roux posed a question. “Why isn’t Zairn with you?”
“First bachelor party is in New York.” Rourke wasn’t the one Roux had been talking to. “Guy’s got to prepare.”
“Is this the Gramercy thing?” Roux asked, completely glossing over her husband’s words. “Still? Is Kinloch there?”
“Not yet. He’s traveling to New York for the—I don’t know, Kinloch says Gramercy’s nothing to do with him anymore.”
“I guess that’s true…” Roux sipped her wine. “He sold the company to extricate himself from it, he can’t really show up in the boardroom now and start throwing down rules and ultimatums. The time for that has passed.”
She inhaled through her nose. “Except the legacy boys might listen more to him than they do the new management team.”
Rourke leaned in to rest his lips on his wife’s hair. “I told you all this in New York.”
“I wasn’t listening. I never listen to you, Hotshot, haven’t you figured that out yet? Anyway, during that particular period, a younger man had my attention.”
A much younger man… if she was talking about Zay-Jay. With Roux and Rourke, their meaning wasn’t always clear.
“Kintyre’s gone for that kid, man, I don’t know if we’ll ever get him back.” Straightening, Rourke glanced around. “Got no business brains in the room, who the hell am I supposed to talk to?”
“I don’t remember being invited to your week of bachelorette parties, Rox,” Roux said. “Should I be offended?”
“We’re doing LA, the night before the wedding,” she said. “Nothing crazy. Every other day of my life is crazy, this one will be just the girls. No raucous, just us.”
“We’ll have strippers though, right?”
“Oh, yeah, for sure, we’ll have strippers, that goes without saying.”
“Might have to swing by myself…” Rourke’s arm went around Roux again. It wasn’t an embrace exactly. It was, but the woman was also his leaning post. “Join the party.”
“Male strippers, Hotshot.”
“Hey, if he wants to come shake his ass and take his clothes off, don’t break his spirit.”
“I live for breaking his spirit.” Without shame, Roux’s shoulders moved in a partial strut. “I’m getting really good at it.”
Rourke kissed her head. “You’ll never take me alive.”
“That’s the point, sweetheart. Imagine what I’ll do with all your money.”
“Too bad for you I’m leaving it to all my mistresses.” Rourke quickly laid faux contrition on her. “Is it too painful for me to say that, Rox?”
Though her lips curled, she just shook her head.
“He just likes to pretend he’s popular. It’s all an act. Ignore him.”
“I do as often as possible,” Roxie said in solidarity with her friend. “I don’t know how you live with him?”
“It’s a big house. I see him as little as possible. Soon as he goes limp, I am outta there.”
“You want to grill tonight?” Rourke asked without missing a beat. Roux wasn’t the only subject jumper. “We should throw on the grill. Keep things low-key.”
“Since when do you want low-key anything?”
“Since I have a week of bachelor parties coming up. Geez, pay attention, thank God you’re pretty.”
Everyone got up and moved toward the patio by the pool.
“How long is it until the big day?” Roux asked at her side. “Less than two weeks, right?”
“Ten days from tomorrow.”
“Great, that’s plenty of time to tear up the town. We should do it. Have a string of parties like them.”
“Jane won’t want to leave the baby.”
“Mommy and Daddy will have to figure out how to do it themselves eventually. Time to take off the training wheels.”
Mm, yeah, maybe she should talk to Jane about that. As much as Nanny Jane loved to help, she may not notice if Mommy and Daddy might rather be alone.
“Have your parties,” Rourke said. “You can trail around after us though, you’re not partying in our clubs the same night.”
Though Roux sucked in air, Roxie got there first. “You keep your clubs. I have a global array of them to choose from.”
“Oh my God, that’s right!” Roux gasped as both women sat at the glass patio table. “They can have America, we’ve got the whole damn world to choose from!”
“We do.”
“We should do Europe. I know a guy in London. Rourke sent him away, thinking it would slow me down. Ha, yeah, right. We should go to London.” Roux leaned sideways to stage whisper. “This guy wants in my pants and doesn’t know I’m married.”
London would be the last place Jane would want to party. Beyond that, Knox wouldn’t have it. Unless they agreed to take an army or something.
“He will by the morning.” Rourke opened the grill. “I’ll send out a companywide memo. Your pants belong to me, Babycakes. Can’t have the masses messing with the missus, I won’t be raising your little illegitimate monsters. Never forget I can tap into any camera in the world. Any camera.”
Roux shrugged. “Watch if you want, honey, maybe I’ll take Franco and Guillermo at the same time, get them drunk and take advantage.”
“I’ll fire them the next day.”
“Why would I care about their jobs?” Roux asked. “I’m only looking to get laid. I have your green for everything else.”
Snatching up a spatula, Rourke shook it at Roux. “I’m taking away your credit card.”
“You do that. I don’t use my credit card, I use your credit card.”
“What’s his is yours.”
“Exactly,” Roux said.
The women’s glasses touched in a silent toast to sisterhood.