Filthy Rich, Wild with Lust

Chapter 63

“I feel like a shitty failure of a person.” Rebecca sighs.

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Bec. You know that, don’t you?”

“I put a tracker in his car. That’s not okay. I’m not innocent in all of this. I was spying on my own husband. I still am.”

“Because he was sleeping with somebody else,” Chloe gasps. “Give yourself a f*****g break. What were you supposed to do, just believe the lies and stay married to an adulterer for all of your life? And as far as not telling him now, you’re damn lucky you didn’t. You would have forgiven him only to have your heart broken again when you caught him out. He’s never stopped. He’s been seeing her the entire time. Sure he’s fired her from work, but he’s still going around there every night. It’s not just s*x—they obviously have some kind of relationship going on here.”

“I know. I can’t believe after all this... he’s still lying.” Rebecca’s eyes fill with tears. “I just never saw myself as a divorcée kind of person, you know?”

“I know, honey.” I smile sadly. “I don’t think anyone ever does. But the good thing is, this is a great lesson as to what you don’t want in life.”

Rebecca widens her eyes. “You got that right.”

Chloe charges her glass in the air. “No more sleazebags.”

“None.” I smile over at Rebecca, so beautiful even when she’s so broken.

“That’s it... I’m done with men, so done.”

Chloe scrunches up her nose. “I wish I could be done... problem is, I like dicks.”

We all giggle.

“What’s with Henley having the street party tonight?” Rebecca frowns. “It’s so unlike him to play host.”

“I know, I thought the same thing.” I shrug and glance at my watch. “We should go over soon.”

“One more drink.” Chloe refills our wineglasses.

“You’re going to be okay, Bec,” I tell her.

“Am I?” Rebecca smiles hopefully.

“We’ll make sure of it.”

Henley

“Okay.” I look around my living room. “Cocktails are done, canapés are out.” I rub my hands together. “I think we’re all set.”

Blake looks around as he sips his drink. “Where are the girls?”

“Juliet’s. They’re having drinks before they come over.”

“Rebecca is still coming, right?”

Antony’s and my eyes meet, and I give a subtle shake of my head. “Yes. But you’re not allowed to talk to her.”

“I can talk to her if I want,” he snaps, indignant.

I fake a smile and then drop it immediately. “Go for Taryn.”

“I don’t want f*****g Taryn.”

“Rebecca doesn’t like you.” Antony rolls his eyes into his drink.

“That’s half the fun of it,” Blake says matter-of-factly as he looks around.

“Knock, knock,” says a voice from the front door.

“Come in, Winston,” I call.

The door opens, and he saunters in. I roll my lips to hide my smile. Winston is at least eighty and super skinny with gray hair that he combs over in a very bad attempt to hide his bald patch. He’s in tight blue jeans and a white polo shirt. “You’re looking spiffy tonight, Winston.” I smile.

“Thanks.” He smiles proudly as he looks down at himself. “Thought I’d dress up for the occasion.”

“Good for you,” I reply.

“Wait.” Blake frowns. “There’s an occasion?”

“Yes, there’s an occasion.” I widen my eyes. “Do you listen to me at all?”

“Clearly not.” He frowns. “What the f**k is the occasion?” His eyes dart to Antony. “Wait a minute, this isn’t your wedding, is it? Like... you’re not doing that dumb surprise thing, are you?”

“Oh my god.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Nobody even knows Juliet and I are together,” I whisper angrily. “How could this be a f*****g wedding, you idiot.”

He puts his hand over his heart. “Thank god for that. I thought you’d really lost it for a second there.”

“Hello, boys,” Carol calls as she walks through the door holding a tray of quiches. “This is so lovely of you, Henley. I’ve made your favorite, dear.”

“Hello, Carol.” I kiss her cheek and take the tray from her. “Thank you. I’ll put this on the table out back.”

“Hey, Dr. Grayson,” Winston says as he comes over. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Call me Blake,” he replies.

Winston’s eyes flick to us. “In private.”

Blake frowns. “O... kay.” They step to the side, and Winston begins to whisper in his ear.

“What’s that about?” Antony says as he watches them.

“I have no idea.” I take out my phone and text Juliet.

Where’s my girl?

“Henley,” Taryn gushes as she walks over and hugs me. “Oh, I love coming to your house. It’s like coming home. This house is just so me.”

Hard no.

Antony tips his head back to sip his beer with a subtle scrunch of his nose.

I peel Taryn’s arms from around me. “You should get a drink, Taryn.”

“Are you coming?” She bats her eyelashes. Why she thinks that is attractive is beyond me.

“Sure, give me a minute, and I’ll be over.”

She toddles off, and Blake returns to us.

“What was that about?” Antony asks him.

Blake leans in close so that nobody can hear us. “Turns out Winston is a freak in the sheets.”

“What?”

“He wants a script for Viagra.”

“You’re shitting me,” I reply, fascinated. “Who the hell is Winston f*****g?”

“No idea, he said he has a lot of options.” He taps his beer bottle with mine and then Antony’s. “Goals.”

Antony’s eyes are locked on Winston as he talks to people. “What kind of options?”

Blake looks around casually. “I don’t know. He’s pulling granny fanny left, right, and center, apparently.”

I snort my beer up my nose, and Antony bursts out laughing. “There’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear.”

“So did you give it to him?” I ask.

“What?”

“The script.”

“I have to examine him first. Don’t want the fucker to die of a heart attack in the middle of the deed.”

“Good point.”

Mason appears at the door. “Hey,” he hollers as he makes a grand entrance.

“Hi, Mason,” everyone calls in reply.

“f**k me,” Blake mutters under his breath. “Why does he talk so f*****g loud? We’re not deaf, you idiot.”

“Hadn’t noticed that before, but...” I shrug. “You’re right, he does.”

“Just be grateful that he doesn’t have his shirt off,” Antony mutters as he looks him up and down.

I chuckle. “Feeling inferior, Ant?”

“Nope.” He sips his beer. “Just skinny.”

“Who’s that?” Blake frowns over to the door as someone walks in. My eyes roam over to the good-looking guy who just arrived.

“Oh, that’s Liam, Juliet’s brother. Remember the one I thought she was engaged to? Turns out he’s not a bad guy.”

“Where’s his girlfriend?”

“She died.”

Blake curls his lip in disgust as he looks him up and down. “What did you invite him for?”

“Because he’s Juliet’s brother.” I widen my eyes. “Behave.”

“If he tries to pick up Rebecca, you are so f*****g dead,” he whispers angrily. “Girls love that grieving bullshit.”

“You are so f*****g dumb I can’t even stand it,” I whisper. “She doesn’t like you.”

“Give me time.” He rolls his lips as he looks around the room.

“f**k me.” Ant rolls his eyes. “I’ve just had to live through Henley’s shitshow with his neighbor.” He gestures to me. “If you want to date Rebecca, I’m moving out of the street. I can’t deal with the drama.”

“Good. f**k off,” Blake replies. “You’re boring anyway.”

“What do you mean my shitshow?” I snap, affronted.

“Oh, let me think... y ou can’t stop thinking about her, but you don’t want her. You don’t want her, but you keep jumping the fence. Her dog thinks he lives at your house. You hate her, but she’s the best s*x of your life—do I need to go on and on and on?” He rolls his eyes in a dramatic fashion.

I smile. It was a bit like that, actually. “Well... now I love her. So my shitshow turned out exactly how it was meant to.”

“You got lucky,” Ant fires back. “I don’t know how she put up with you for so long.”

I smirk. “I know. Me neither.”

“Speak of the devil,” Blake whispers.

We turn to see Juliet walk through the door. She’s wearing a flowing white dress, her hair is up in a messy bun, and she’s wearing big gold hoop earrings. She laughs and kisses Winston as she greets him.

And it’s the best laugh; happiness is just oozing out of her every cell. I can feel it all the way to my bones.

As I watch her, my heart nearly beats out of my chest. It’s like she has this pink glowing aura around her, so filled with love and tenderness. I’ve never met someone who is as beautiful on the inside as they are on the out.

She glances over, and our eyes meet. She breaks into a big, broad smile, and time stops. “She’s so f*****g perfect I can’t stand it,” I whisper to my friends.

“Oh god.” Blake rolls his eyes. “Don’t put me through it. Who are you, and what have you done with Henley? I think I liked you more when you were f****d up.”

I chuckle.

“You’re f*****g pathetic, man. Get a grip on yourself.” Ant winces.

Where Juliet is concerned, I am totally pathetic. I can’t deny it.

Nor would I want to.

“p***y whipped,” Blake mutters under his breath.