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The one who’d abandoned him when he went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
That’s when Tenley’s confidence returned in full force. It didn’t matter how tall and beautiful she was, or how fabulous her shoes were.
This bitch was no match for her.
So, she leaned into Knox’s side and watched the woman glide up to her husband like she had the right to even breathe his air.
The audacity was astounding.
She didn’t even bother reminding herself that Knox wasn’t really her husband. That totally wasn’t the point.
Knox’s arm tightened around her as the Charlize Theron-clone stopped in front of them. “Knox,” she let out on a breathy whisper.
“Rebecca,” he said, sounding a little tense. “Good to see you.”
Tenley swallowed a snort. His tone made it abundantly clear that it was not good to see Rebecca. But Rebecca was clueless as she stared up at Knox like a starving woman eyeing a lobster dinner.
Yeah, between Little Miss Awestruck here and Mr. Grumpy Pants, this slice of awkward pie would last forever. So Tenley stuck out her hand and offered Rebecca her brightest smile. “Nice to meet you, Reva. I’m Tenley. Knox’s wife.”
Rebecca shifted her gaze down as if she’d only just realized Tenley was even standing there, glued to Knox’s side. After blinking her big blue doe eyes a few times, she took Tenley’s hand and said, “It’s Rebecca.”
Tenley tightened her hand around Rebecca’s until she felt the delicate bones shift. “Oh, I’m so sorry, honey. I’m just awful with names. Are you an old friend of Knox’s?”
She wasn’t sure what horrified the woman more—her surprisingly strong Kung Fu grip, or her emphasis on the word old. Either way, Tenley had to resist purring like a satisfied kitten at the way Rebecca’s features twisted. “We dated through college and after graduation,” she said defensively.
Tenley glanced up at Knox and saw a muscle tic in his jaw. “Oh, is this who broke up with you after you were sentenced?” she asked sweetly, knowing the answer all too well.
“Before actually,” he confirmed. “I don’t believe you were at the sentencing, were you, Rebecca?”
Tears rose to her eyes and if Tenley had one, she would’ve handed the girl an Oscar. That’s how convincing her performance was. “Oh, Knox,” she said on a pained whisper. “I know you must hate me. I made a mistake by not being there for you. I never believed you were guilty, though. Not for a minute. And I’ve missed you so much. Do you think there’s any chance we could be…friends again?”
It all sounded sincere. To an untrained ear, that is. But Tenley had worked with some of the best con artists in the world, and what this woman was selling was an illusion. She didn’t really care about Knox. If he was still in prison, he wouldn’t have crossed her mind at all. But because he was here, looking fine as hell in Tom Ford, about to receive a giant check from his trust, now Miss Rebecca was sweet and regretful.
Yeah, not gonna happen, sister.
Tenley stepped out of Knox’s arms and laid a hand on Rebecca’s forearm. “Look, I’m going to be straight with you, Roxanne.”
“It’s Rebecca,” she snarled.
“Whatever. The thing is, Knox is a nice person. So, I’m 100% certain he forgives you for abandoning him when he had no one else on his side.” She turned to Knox. “Am I right?”
He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Sure. It was a long time ago.”
“Great,” Tenley said, then turned back to Rebecca with a crazy-eyed smile. “There you go. All forgiven. But as far as you and my husband being friends goes? That’s not going to happen. He’s a nice person, but, honey…I gotta tell you. I’m a stone-cold bitch. And if, after we’ve had this talk, I see you eye-fuck him again, I’m going to snatch that pretty blonde weave off your head by the roots and cram it down your throat. We clear?”
Rebecca’s skin went ashen and her eyes widened comically. “I…I…w-well…”
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Tenley made a shooing motion with her hand. “Off you go now, pumpkin. You have a good night, and it was lovely to meet you.”
Rebecca took off like Usain Bolt off the line. It was actually impressive that she could move that fast in designer heels. Tenley knew from experience that Alexander McQueen shoes had zero tread. The fact that the woman didn’t face-plant on the imported marble was a testament to her balance. Maybe she’d done ballet as a kid or something.
But again, that wasn’t the point.
Tenley glanced up at Knox, who was looking down at her with an expression she couldn’t read. She sighed. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you? I was rude.”
He cocked his head to one side. “Mad isn’t the word I’d use. And yes, you were.”
She swallowed a pout. “I didn’t like the way she was looking at you.”
