I strip out of my sheer wrap dress and kick off my flip-flops. The blue bikini Josephine sent is sexy without being too revealing. The exposed portion of my skin is about a shade darker than the one covered by the stretchy fabric. I sit back in the lounger and relax, occasionally ogling Elliot. Okay, frequently ogling him.
I almost don’t notice when another woman claims the chair next to me.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
I stiffen at the familiar purring voice.
Annabelle Underhill is seated, water beading on her toned body. She’s clad in one of the tiniest bikinis I’ve ever seen in my life. She must’ve been here for a few days judging by the dark shade of her golden, flawless skin. The sand on her feet says she’s been at the beach. Huge sunglasses hide her eyes, but her flushed lips are curved as though she’s secretly amused.
How in the world is she at the same resort as me and Elliot? If it’s a coincidence, then fate is a cruel, cruel thing.
“Vacation?” she asks.
“Honeymoon,” I say.
“Ah.” She lies back in her lounger. “You clean up well.”
Her condescending tone raises my hackles, but I ignore her. I don’t want to get into a public argument with Elliot’s ex. Now I wish we’d locked ourselves in our villa.
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
“What is?” I say, almost unable to help myself and knowing that she won’t leave me alone until I talk to her.
“You and him. You aren’t his type.”
“True. I’m not a backstabbing bitch.”
The smile starts to turn into a sneer, but she catches herself. “So he told you? It seemed like the right choice at the
time.” She speaks as though what she’s done is simply fashionable, the kind of thing an unsophisticated girl like me couldn’t possibly grasp.
“Even if he hadn’t, I could’ve looked it up. Who the hell screws both son and father at the same time? Eww.” That may be a juvenile attitude in her world, but I don’t care. Survey anybody off the street, they’d have the same reaction.
“You really think you’re that much better than me?” She tilts her head. “Do you know why he married you?”
“For all the usual reasons men marry, I imagine.” Elliot wouldn’t want his traitorous ex-girlfriend-slash-ex-stepmom to know about his father’s messed up proposition.
“He wants to humiliate his father with you, my dear. The Reeds may be new money, but they’re a good family, respected in high society.”
The memory of the huge scene at the family dinner floods me, and I can’t help but stiffen. I don’t think I did anything too out of line, given what Julian’s wife pulled, but I’m sure my behavior was embarrassing.
On the other hand, Elliot couldn’t have known I’d react like that or make things awkward with his father. He may be a billionaire prodigy, but he isn’t prescient.
“Trust me. Who you are won’t stay a secret for long.” She smiles, her nose wrinkling.
Normally I would dismiss a vague threat like that as empty talk, but she’s entirely too confident. With a sinking heart, I realize she must’ve looked me up and gotten the whole Ponzi scheme story. “What my father did has nothing to do with me,” I recite the familiar line.
“Your father?” She bursts out laughing. “Who said anything about your father? It’s one thing to embarrass Julian, but what about your sister? She’ll die of humiliation, I imagine.”
An older man in navy blue bathing trunks comes over. “What’s so funny, dear?” he asks. I can feel his speculative gaze even through the reflective shades on his face.
“Nothing, my love.” She puts a hand on his thick forearm, and he sits down beside her.
“Who’s this?”
“My former stepson’s wife. They recently got married.” She gestures in no particular direction. “This is my husband Stanton.”
I take a good look at the man. He’s got to be in his late fifties or early sixties. Silver threads his dark hair, cut expensively and precisely. He’s tall, but he doesn’t look as tall as he could because of an exceptionally thick build. Despite a hint of softening, his body is still hard, with the kind of muscles that say he works out. The haughty tilt of his head and the smooth diction of his voice all indicate he’s a man of wealth, used to being listened to.