Page 101 of All Twerk, No Play

“So how’d you two meet?” Margot asked with curiosity, a pleasant change from Dad’s disapproval.

“She picked up a friend from my self-defense class,” Eric said, a twinkle in his eye, “but when I saw her standing there, I was completely defenseless.”

He easily transitioned into The Beatles lyrics about not wanting to dance with anybody else and offered his outstretched palm, the same gesture as the night on the dance floor when he murmured in my ear,Let’s make them all jealous.

All the eyes under the pergola watched as he guided me into a slow spin. My mouth tipped up in a smile I would normally restrain, letting it spread across my face as he finished the verse and spun me back into the conversation.

“Oh, young love,” Margot said with an affectionate tap on his smooth cheek, then turned to me. “So are you ready to recruit me? Always figured I’d work for you some day.”

“Damn, I should have packed a pitch deck,” I said. “Not that I could afford your salary.”

“Not yet, but Arthur told me how quickly your firm is growing. You’ll need a CMO in no time.” I concealed my surprise that Dad had been following my progress. “And I might be job hunting soon,” Margot muttered, and alarm buzzed down my spine. After decades of loyal service, why would she leave Sinclair Larsson?

Margot held out her wine glass to Eric. “Would you mind getting refills? The Sauvignon Blanc?”

His hand on my waist tightened, and after last night, I didn’t blame him for not wanting to leave my side. But knowing I was safe with Margot, I cradled his smooth cheek for a parting kiss. After he took her wine glass, she leaned closer. “Everything will go downhill if your ex-husband successfully convinces the board to make him CEO.”

All the lightness I’d felt from dancing with Eric drained. Spencer was staging a coup to oust Richard and lead Sinclair Larsson?

But what did I expect? That Richard would never retire? That Dad would take over, even though the employees resented his cost-cutting measures?

That suddenly Mom would come back to life and fix everything?

Dad’s criticism shot through my mind:Not all of us have the luxury of running away.

“Your father didn’t tell you?” Margot asked, brows furrowed at the shock on my face. “You’re a shareholder, right?”

“12.5 percent,” I nodded, bitterness coating my throat. Richard was the majority shareholder, with Calvin Larsson a close second. I’d inherited my mother’s shares, and for a wedding gift, Richard gifted just enough to keep this looking like a ‘family business’ … but not enough that I had any real power.

Margot threw up her hands. “That weasel has convinced people he’s the next messiah. He’s doing it all in covert meetings, trying to turn board members in his favor. He’ll probably approach you soon, to convince you to support him—or at least not block his ascent.”

My guilt at not being involved in Sinclair Larsson was pushed aside by rage. Is that why he’d apologized last night—laying the groundwork by buttering me up?

Margot’s hand tightened on my arm, pulling me farther from the nosy gossipers. “I was so fucking proud of you for dumping his ass. But I heard a rumor that you two are getting back together? Vickie, please tell me—”

“No, absolutely not,” I said quickly. “No way in hell.”

“Thank God,” she exhaled. “All of us—every woman Spencer and his father preyed upon—we’ve all been watching you, cheering you on.”

Emotion clogged my throat, leaving me momentarily dumbfounded. Margot had been one of the women in the class action lawsuit. The only word I could choke out was, “You?”

“Calvin hit on me, but that was decades ago,” she waved it off. “And karma’s a bitch. Last year, he finally got what he deserved when the IRS caught the trail of his tax evasion. They seized all the Larsson properties before throwing his ass in prison.”

I blinked at her, stunned.“I had no idea.”

“I’m excellent at my job,” she smiled smugly, clearly proud of her role in covering up the three decades of company scandals. “But your father should have told you.”

“I guess he didn’t think I needed to know,” I murmured. My chest ached at the oversight, adding another family secret to the list. Did he not trust me anymore?

What else was he keeping from me?

My mind spun with questions that Margot couldn’t answer: Had Spencer acquired Calvin’s shares before the assets were liquidated? Did he really have enough leverage to take over? Is that why he propositioned me, to butter me up in support for his little coup?

I glanced around the deck, wanting to find Dad to demand answers, but instead my attention caught on a petite woman in a breezy midi dress and crystal-embellished Manolo Blahnik mules.Like a crow seeking shiny objects, my eyes locked on the familiar seven-carat cushion-cut diamond on her left hand—the same ring that once belonged on mine.

I spun to Margot. “Find Eric. Now.”

Because my ex-husband’s new wife was storming at me, and she looked pissed.

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