Filthy Rich, Wild with Lust

Chapter 29

“Excellent.” He takes the platter from me. “Everyone is out back, and the wineglasses are in the kitchen. Help yourself. I’ll put this out on the table.”

“Okay.”

“There you are,” a familiar voice says from behind me before kissing my cheek.

“Rebecca.” I smile. “Thank god, you’re here.”

She links arms with me, and we walk into the kitchen. “Of course I’m here. Had to come and watch tittsy Taryn make her move.” She gets out two wineglasses, and I open my bottle of wine.

“What do you mean?” I frown.

“Apparently she’s been tuning Henley all week.”

“Tuning... as in?”

“I don’t know, probably sucking his d**k, knowing her.”

I stare at her, horrified. “Wait, has this actually happened or speculation?”

“Speculation, of course.” She rolls her eyes. “But who knows.”

I sip my wine as my mind races.

If he’s touched a single hair on her head... then that’s it.

I’ll go postal.

There are no words to tell you how postal I am going. And I’m also murdering him and burying him in my backyard.

Jail would be worth it.

I drain my glass. “Another one?” I put my glass on the table.

Rebecca’s eyes widen. “Thirsty?”

“Extremely.”

“Hi, girls,” a sexy voice purrs from behind us. We turn, and Taryn breezes in. Hair out, wearing a full face of makeup. She’s in a tight, stretchy pale-pink dress that leaves nothing to the imagination.

Damn it. She looks amazing, and why are her boobs so good?

Huge and perky.

My tight jeans suddenly feel very mom-like.

“Where are the boys?” Taryn asks as she looks out the back door. “Is everyone here? I’ve been so looking forward to tonight.”

Rebecca crosses her eyes as she sips her wine, and I bite my lip to hide my smile.

“We’re here,” Rebecca replies.

“But what about the fun people?” she asks, distracted, as she looks into the backyard.

“Rude,” Rebecca mouths as she flips off Taryn to her back, and I drop my head to stop myself from laughing out loud.

Could she be any more obvious?

“Ladies,” Henley’s sexy voice says from behind me.

My stomach flutters at the mere sound of his voice, and I turn toward him. He gives me a slow sexy smile, and I just want to hug him.

Is it possible to miss someone you hardly know?

“Henley,” Taryn gasps in an over-the-top way. She runs toward him and hugs him, doing exactly what I wanted to do. “I’m so glad you’re here, darling. It’s not a party without you,” she coos.

Henley smiles. “Taryn.” He unfolds himself out of her arms. “I’m heading out back.”

“I’ll come.” Taryn smiles as she links her arm through his. They disappear out the back door.

“f**k you, Taryn,” Rebecca whispers. “Seriously, she’s a vulture. If he sleeps with her, I will never forgive him.”

That makes two of us.

“What’s going on there?” I ask in a whisper.

“I know she wants him. Word is that she left her husband for him.”

I stare at her, horrified. “So they have slept together?”

Rebecca shrugs. “I don’t know, surely not.”

“She is hot.” I sip my wine, distracted.

This is a disaster.

“She’s not as hot as you,” Rebecca whispers. “Make a move.”

“I already did,” I whisper back.

“What?”

“We slept together on the weekend.”

Rebecca’s eyes widen. “Oh my f**k, tell me everything.”

“Ladies,” a male voice says from behind us. We turn guiltily to see three of the military boys standing in the kitchen. Huge and overpowering the space.

“Hi,” I squeak.

“Hi, boys.” Rebecca smiles. “About time you finally came to something.”

They chuckle.

“This is Juliet. She just moved in next door,” Rebecca says as she gestures to me.

“I’m Mason. This is Austin and Scott.” He’s tall, with a buzz cut and muscles for miles. Not handsome and cultured like Henley, more like I’ll-f**k-you-through-a-brick-wall kind of hot.

“Everyone is in the backyard,” Rebecca tells them.

“Thanks.” The three giants walk out the back door as Rebecca and I stare after them.

“Carol tells me they’re gangbangers,” I whisper.

“God, I hope so,” Rebecca whispers. “Can you imagine taking the three of them at once?”

I get a vision of them using my body for their pleasure. “Don’t, it’s making me flutter,” I whisper.

Rebecca giggles. “You didn’t call me for that coffee yet.”

“I know. Let’s do it next week. Time got away from me. Did you say anything to John?”

“No, I’m hoping your car-valet theory is right.” She shrugs. “I don’t know what to think.”

“It will be okay.” I smile as I try to reassure her. “I’m sure it’s innocent.”

“Hope so. Come on, let’s go socialize.” I follow Rebecca out into the backyard. There’s a fire, and everyone is sitting around it. Some people are chatting in groups, and to the left, Henley is sitting with Taryn. She’s talking, and he’s listening intently.

Jealousy simmers in the pit of my stomach.

Rebecca begins to talk to John, and I’m standing to the side.

“So, Juliet,” Mason says as he walks over to me, “how are you liking the street?”

“I’m still settling in.” I smile. I glance up to see Henley’s eyes flick over to us. “How long have you lived here?”

“It’s been a year, but I was deployed for six months of that time.”

“Oh, really?” From my peripheral vision, I can see Henley watching us. “Where were you deployed to?”

“I’m a Navy SEAL, so I was at sea.”

“A Navy SEAL.” I smile, fascinated.

Hot.

Taryn laughs out loud like the attention seeker she is. “Oh, Henley, you’re a scream.”

Fuck off, Taryn.

Mason gestures to two chairs. “Do you want to sit down?”

I glance over to Henley, who is still talking to Taryn, and my blood boils.

“Sure thing.”

We sit down, and Mason chatters on and on. I’m not listening, of course. I’m too focused on the bimbo across the fire flirting with my man, and of course, Henley is loving every minute of her attention.

Fucker.

“Do you think we could poison her drink?” Rebecca whispers.

“Probably not.”

It’s late. The night is drawing to an end, and after we watched Taryn Titties flirt with every man at the bonfire, our patience is well and truly used up.

I’ve chatted and laughed with most everyone here, too, and had a great night. Not a single word has been spoken to a certain person, though.

“Henley, come and dance with me,” Taryn purrs as she curls her finger up to him in a come-hither gesture.

That’s it.

Enough!

I can’t take one more minute of watching her fawn all over him. If he wants her, he can f*****g have her. Good riddance to both of them.

“I’m going to get going.” I stand.

“Oh really?” Rebecca sighs. “Don’t leave me here.”

I smile. “You’re married—go talk to your husband.” We both look over to see John playing chess with Bennet, and she winces. “It looks very boring over there. I’ll come with you. Give me a second to say goodbye.” She disappears over to the chess table.

“Bye, everyone.” I smile with a wave. “I’m heading home.”

Henley glances up as if taken by surprise. “Already?”

Yes, fucker. I’ve been here for six hours, and you haven’t said a single word to me.

I give a wave and make my way out front.

“Wait up,” Rebecca calls as she runs to catch up. She links her arm through mine. “Screw Henley, I think we should set you up with Mason.”

“No.” I scrunch up my nose. “Definitely not.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like huge hot men who give you their undivided attention all night?”

I giggle. “I mean... he seems nice and all, but I don’t know.”

“Taryn’s probably making a move on my husband right now.” Rebecca rolls her eyes. “What if it’s her? What if he’s sleeping with her?”

My blood boils at just the thought.

“He wouldn’t. It’s not her. She’s shameless, though. I wouldn’t put it past her,” I huff. “Seriously, if it’s her, I’m going to bomb her house.”

“I’ll help.” We get to the middle of the street, and she gives me a hug. “Tonight was fun.”

“It was.”

“And we need to organize our coffee date.”

“I know. I’m on day shift next week. Next weekend maybe?”

“Sounds good.”

With another wave I stomp to my house and march inside. “Hi, Barry.”

Barry looks up from his bed all sleepy-like.

“Henley James is a giant f*****g dickhead,” I whisper angrily.

Barry looks at me blankly.

“He didn’t even look my way, let alone speak to me,” I tell him. “Ugh... I don’t know why I started this dumb thing with him. Chloe is completely right. I am going to end up hating his guts. I kind of do already.”

Barry sighs.

I’m now forcing my poor dog to listen to my dating-hell crap. I flick on my kettle in disgust.

“I paid all this money for these stupid jeans. Well, I shouldn’t have bothered. He wouldn’t have noticed if I was wearing a garbage bag.”

Fucking jerkface.

I make my tea, and Barry comes out into the kitchen and stands at the back door. “You want to go out?” I open the door, and with my hot tea in my hand, I sit on the back steps in the darkness as I wait for him to go to the bathroom.

Barry looks up at the fence and starts wagging his tail. I hear a noise in the darkness in the far corner.