Page 70 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
I see her. Georgina. Her slim figure barely fills out the electric blue dress she’s wearing, held up by two metallic straps. Her tanned legs seem to go on for days. Her hair is slicked back into a ponytail, not a single strand out of place. She’s got an arm around a tall man in a pricey suit.
“What the hell is she doing here?” I ask Penny.
Penny’s smile widens. “I know, right?”
“Is that why you wanted to come to this place? Because Georgina would be here?”
“With her next victim, no less.”
“Victim?” I ask, confused, then pause to check out the guy again. He’s good looking. Dark-skinned, curly black hair, big brown eyes, and a carefully trimmed goatee. He doesn’t look like he’s from around here, I soon realize. “Who is he?”
Penny shrugs. “I forgot his name. Theo would know. He’s a friend of his.”
“Wait, what?”
“It’s a honey trap,” she informs me with a laugh. “The guy’s a wealthy businessman from Dubai. No, scratch that, wealthy doesn’t even begin to cover it. He’s filthy rich. He’s got a summer place in the Hamptons, right next door to Theo’s. They’ve been buddies for years, but the dude never met Georgina until earlier this week.”
I give her a startled look. “Penny, what is going on here? What do you mean, a ‘honey trap?’”
“Little slow on the uptake there. But I’ll forgive you, because you’re a kind-hearted woman with a pure soul, and you’d never partake in such dirty games. However, your boyfriends and I most definitely did, and it looks like Georgina caught the bait with great enthusiasm.”
I glance at the bar again. Georgina is smiling and giggling, caressing his arm. Leaning in. Whispering in his ear. And he seems to enjoy it. He’s smiling back. Whispering words of hisown in her ear. He lingers for a second longer to breathe her in, and she loves it, her eyes sparkling like diamonds.
“It dawned on me that I haven’t seen Georgina on a runway in over a year. She brags about being a designer’s darling, but I checked. She’s been out of work for a while,” Penny says. “So, the guys and I had her followed, and we noticed a pattern. We weren’t sure at first, but now we are. And Theo’s buddy will probably confirm before midnight.”
“Confirm what?”
“Georgina hooks rich guys with her beauty, her supposed fame, and her charm. Whatever works. They meet for drinks, they hang out, they get close—and then she pulls them into some kind of compromising situation—because none of these guys should be seen in public with her. They’re all married.”
“Including Dubai guy?”
“Especially Dubai guy. He could lose his entire business. His reputation would be crushed if word were to get out about this affair.”
A flash catches my eye. It’s subtle, barely noticeable in the middle of the club madness, but I still spot it. I trace it back to a man with a camera snapping countless photos from across the bar. He’s trying to be discreet about it, at least until the bartender sees him and shoos him away.
“So, Georgina seduces married guys,” I conclude.
“Or otherwise engaged, yes. She gets them drunk or high or both, and then she gets close enough for her paparazzi buddies to snap some compromising images,” Penny replies.
“And then blackmails them.”
“For tons of money. There are rumors that the bribes they’re paying are considered monthly subscriptions meant to preserve discretion, or so that’s what Georgina likes to call it, anyway.”
“Holy cow. And the Dubai guy is aware?”
“Oh, yeah. This whole thing will blow up in her face soon enough. Trust me.”
My stomach churns, nausea working its way up to my throat. My whole life, I saw Georgina as some kind of untouchable beauty standard. The goddess all the boys ran to. It didn’t excuse her mean character, but I figured she got away with it because she’s pretty. Seeing her now, however, I realize just how ugly she is on the inside, and it saturates to the outside.
“She pulled the same stunt with Theo, didn’t she?” I ask Penny.
“Absolutely. We’re this close to proving it, too. That’s why Theo’s buddy is doing this tonight, setting a trap for the photographer. It’s the same guy who took the photos at the lingerie store. He and Georgina are in cahoots.”
“Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick. The way I reacted was?—”
“Hey, you had every reason to feel the way you did,” Penny interrupts. “You didn’t know. And trust me, none of the guys are going to hold it against you.”
“I should’ve known better.”
