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Tenley’s eyes widened. “Did he spit in it?”
The look on the maid’s face made Tenley’s stomach flip over. Melanie shrugged. “Spit. Sure. We’ll go with that.”
And with that, she ushered them through the foyer and disappeared without a trace.
“I know it’s not customary to tip maids who open doors for you in fancy mansions, but shit…I feel like we owe her some cash,” Tenley said.
“I can make that happen. But seriously, have I told you how amazing you look tonight?”
She slipped her arm through his. “You have. But I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
Her black, sequin-covered cocktail dress sparkled with every step she took, making her feel like a night sky full of twinkling stars. It had a neckline that dipped low enough to be interesting, but not low enough to be considered indecent by any stretch of the imagination. The skirt hit her mid-thigh and flared out from the waist. Sleeveless and backless, the only thing holding the bodice in place were two thin straps and the fact that she didn’t plan on taking any deep breaths all night.
And the best part? That was easy. It was the pockets she’d had sewn in under the skirt. She could easily lift ten wallets and a few handfuls of jewelry, stash them in her skirt, and no one would be the wiser. It was her favorite article of clothing in the world, and she never left home without it.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You’re stunning.”
“So are you. Tom Ford should hire you to model for them.”
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted—rudely—by Thadeus. Again.
“You made it,” the smug jerk said, giving them a slow clap. “I’m so glad. You’re not going to believe who’s here.” He waved them on into the formal living room where several exquisitely dressed people chatted, looking bored.
“Everyone,” he went on, “Knox is here. And this is his…lovely new bride, Tenley.”
A chorus of polite (and completely insincere) greetings echoed around the room before they all awkwardly went back to their little conversation cliques.
“Well, that was lackluster,” Tenley muttered when Thadeus wandered off to get himself a bourbon.
Knox chuckled. “It was warmer than I expected, honestly. See that guy in the gray pinstripe suit?”
Tenley followed his eyes and saw a fifty-ish man with a full head of impeccably styled salt-and-pepper hair and gold-framed glasses. “Yeah?”
“He’s on the board at Wilder Days. Name’s Waylin Foster. I went to school with his daughter. She was very…friendly. Let’s just say when he found us under the bleachers at the homecoming game, he wasn’t exactly happy to see her hand down my pants.”
Tenley had to turn her snort into a delicate cough. “Yeah, I imagine that didn’t endear you to him at all. What about the kid he’s talking to?”
Knox’s eyes narrowed slightly on the twenty-ish blonde who looked like she’d been shrink wrapped into her pink Versace minidress. “Pretty sure that’s Thadeus’s wife, Tiffany.”
Her lip curled into an involuntary snarl. “Gross! He’s old enough to be her grandfather.”
“If she’s lucky, he’ll die in a boating accident or something and she’ll get all his money. Otherwise, he’ll divorce her when someone new and shiny comes along and leave her with nothing. That’s what he did to his other five wives.”
Tenley hoped Tiffany was getting everything she wanted out of Thadeus now. The thought of the woman being blindsided by what was coming made her…sad. Which kind of pissed her off. One good dicking-down (OK, seven) and suddenly she had empathy for some trophy wife she’d never met.
Old Tenley would’ve befriended the woman and used her to skim money off Thadeus until his bank account was bled dry. Meanwhile, New Tenley was standing here with a rosy, just-fucked glow about her, wondering how she could help this stranger. Out of the kindness of her heart! A heart she’d only just realized she had.
These were strange, dark days she was living in.
But thankfully, she didn’t have too long to think about it. Because that’s when Thadeus’s intentions for this little get together strolled in wearing a Gucci sheath and glittery Alexander McQueen heels.
There weren’t too many women who could make Tenley feel short and frumpy. And this woman didn’t either…but it was a close call.
She looked like a Barbie come to life. Six feet tall in her heels, platinum blonde, so slim she probably snubbed every carb that came her way, with a pair of breasts so perfect they could only be silicone…yep. This woman was definitely here to make Tenley uncomfortable.
Or to get her to leave Knox, ruining his “settled down” appearance.
That’s when it clicked in her brain. This was Knox’s ex. The one he’d thought he was in love with.
