Page 55 of Nothing to Do

Zane squeezed her knee. Unfortunately, they were the only two sitting with their backs to the kitchen. To see what was going on, they had to twist, which would give Roman the audience he sought.

True enough, less than a minute later, he appeared at the other side of the kitchen, swaggering toward them.

“Oh, ye, of little faith,” he projected his voice like he was on stage.

“Ro, what—”

“I got the gig,” Roman declared to his brother. “You said I wouldn’t get it—”

“I didn’t say you wouldn’t get it,” Struan said, swinging his glass toward his lips. “I said you’d fuck it up.”

“Seems inevitable,” Roxie murmured.

It wasn’t loud but was enough to gain Roman’s focus. “You know, you’re fucking hot.”

And true to herself, Roxie didn’t falter. “I do know that.”

“The blonde hair, the tits—”

“Are real,” Roxie said, pushing her shoulders back. “Not that you’ll ever get a chance to find out.”

As he approached, her focus returned to the table. He stopped just behind her, prickling the hair at the back of her neck.

“Baby, it would blow your mind.”

Roxie just drew her unimpressed eyes away from him. “At least something would get blown.”

Tension increased with each second that passed. Maybe it was her proximity to him that heightened it, Roxie didn’t seem perturbed.

“You fucking little bitch,” he spat. “Don’t you—”

“Thank you, Ro,” Zairn said, rising to his feet. Roxie’s chin rose with him, watching his ascent. “I’ve been waiting a long fucking time for you to give me an excuse—”

“Z,” Struan said, standing up fast with Dyce not far behind.

Tripp snickered and folded his arm. “Dinner and a show. Who needs Broadway?”

“You know he’s a prick,” Dyce said, rounding her and the table to get closer to Zairn while Struan blocked the other side. “He’s not worth your time. You don’t want to do this now, not now.”

“Let him at it,” Tripp said. “No better fucking place. We’ll lose his body in the ocean. Struan will cover our asses a while.”

Roman wasn’t done with the insults. “What the fuck is a Breckenridge doing at our table anyway?”

“Our table?” Zane asked, incredulous.

Roxie took Zairn’s hand and stood up, pressing herself against him, her fingers tempting his jaw until he looked down at her. The couple needed their moment of privacy, it felt wrong to gawk. And she didn’t need to wait long for another break out.

“You’re so fucking superior—”

“Is that why you came here, Ro?” Struan asked, stepping up to get his brother’s attention. “To insult everyone? We were all fine before you appeared uninvited.”

“You think I don’t know what’s going on here? You in your little huddles, judging everyone else, so far up your own asses—”

“I think we learned that one from you,” Tripp said. “You want to make something of this? We’ll go down to the beach right now, you and me. Talk it out.”

Yeah, talking would be secondary on that agenda.

“Tripp—”

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