Inside, she freshened her lipstick and began to lecture herself on proper decorum.
You will not lower yourself to his level, no matter what the provocation.
You will not allow that silly girl to draw you into a catfight, even though you’d leave her bleeding on the floor without chipping a nail.
You will not—
Roz broke off the self-lecture when Cissy slipped in.
“I had to use a chainsaw to sever myself from Justine Lukes. Bless her heart, that woman can talk you deaf, dumb, and blind without having a single interesting thing come out of her mouth. I wanted to get over to your table. I swear, Roz, could you look any more glamorous?”
“I think I’ve reached the top of my game. How’d the visit with the in-laws go?”
“If I’d’ve cold-cocked her with a cast-iron skillet, she wouldn’t have been any more stunned. I tell you, honey, even she couldn’t find anything to pick at, though I did have to spill wine on my new shirt as a distraction when she asked me about one of the shrubs. The one with the arching branches and all those white flowers? Smells delicious.”
“The drooping leucothoe.”
“I suppose. Anyway, I owe you my very life on this one. Isn’t that Jan’s girl you’re with?” Cissy sidled up to the mirror to fuss with her hair.
“Yes, she’s with my date’s son, as it happens.”
“Both of whom I’m just dying to meet. I do love adding to my quota of handsome men. I suppose you saw Bryce slither in.”
She shifted her gaze from her own face in the mirror to Roz’s. “I broke away from Justine so I wouldn’t have to pretend to be civil to him. I don’t know if you’ve heard the latest, but—”
She broke off, zipping her lip when Jan came in with Mandy.
Both women stopped, but while Jan looked ready to move by quickly, Mandy marched forward and jabbed a finger at Roz.
“If you don’t stop your harassment, I’m going to get a court order and have you arrested.”
Entertained, Roz pulled out her compact. “I don’t believe attending a country club event could be considered harassment, but I’ll have my lawyer look into it in the morning.”
“You know damn well what I mean. You called my spa pretending to be me and canceled all my treatments. You’re calling me day and night and hanging up when I answer.”
Casually Roz dusted her nose. “Now why would I do any of those things?”
“You can’t stand the fact that I’m going to marry Bryce.”
“Has it come to that?” Roz closed her compact again. Part of her—that mean streak—did a little dance of joy. If Bryce had a rich one hooked, he was bound to leave her, and her family, alone. “Well, despite your rude behavior, you have all my sympathy.”
“I know what you’ve been doing to Bryce, too, and to Jan because she’s standing as my friend.”
“I haven’t done anything to any of you.” She looked over at Jan. “And couldn’t be less interested.”
“Someone called one of Quill’s top clients, pretending to be me,” Jan said stiffly. “A drunken, vicious phone call that cost Quill an important account.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jan. If you honestly believe I’d do something like that, I won’t waste my time, or yours, telling you different. Excuse me.”
She heard Cissy’s exasperated, “Jan, how can you be so slow-witted” as the door shut behind her.
She started down the corridor only to come up short when she saw Bryce leaning against the wall. In hopes of avoiding a scene, she turned and started in the opposite direction.
“Retreating?” There was a laugh in his voice as he caught up with her. “You surprise me.”
She stopped. She hadn’t finished that talking to, she thought. In her current mood, it would’ve been a waste of time. “You never surprise me.”
“Oh, I think I do and will again. I wasn’t sure you’d be here tonight.” His expression turned sly, and smug. “I heard somewhere that you’d dropped your membership.”
“That’s the thing about rumors, they’re so often lies. Tell me, Bryce, what are you getting out of all this effort? Writing letters, making phone calls, risking criminal charges by falsifying credit cards.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Nobody here for the moment but you and me.” She gestured up and down the empty corridor. “So let’s move straight to the bottom line. What do you want?”
“Everything I can get. You’ll never prove I made any calls, wrote any letters, used any credit cards. I’m very careful, and very smart.”
“Just how long do you think you can keep it up?”
“Until I’m bored. I had a lot of time and effort invested in you, Roz, and you flicked me off. I don’t like being flicked off. Now I’m back, and you won’t get through a day without remembering that. Of course, if you were to make me a private, monetary offer—”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“Your choice.” He gave a shrug. “There are things I can do to keep chipping away at you. I think you’ll come around. I know just how important your reputation, your standing in Shelby County is to you.”
“I don’t think you do.” She kept her eyes on his even when the lounge door opened several feet behind them. “You can’t touch me, either, where it counts, no matter how many lies you spread, how many people you convince to believe them. Quill isn’t a complete fool, and it won’t take long for him to realize you’re taking him for a ride. A costly one.”
“You give him too much credit. What he is, is greedy. I know how to play on greed.”
“You would, having so much of it yourself. Tell me, how much have you taken poor Mandy for so far?”
“Nothing she can’t afford to lose. I never took what you couldn’t afford, Roz.” He skimmed his fingers over her cheek, and she let him. “And I gave you good value for your money. If you hadn’t been so narrow-minded, we’d still be together.”
“If you hadn’t stolen from me, cheated on me with another woman in my own home, we might be—so I’ll have to thank you for that. Tell me, Bryce, what is it about Mandy that appeals to you?”
“She’s rich, but then so were you. After that, she’s young and you weren’t, and she’s remarkably stupid. You weren’t that, either. A little slow, but never stupid.”
“Are you really going to marry her?”
“She thinks so.” He took out a gold lighter, idly flicking the lid open and closed. “And who knows? Money, youth, malleability. She may just be the perfect wife for me.”
“It does seem small of you to be going around, making prank calls, complicating her life—oh, and screwing with Quill and Jan, losing Quill clients. I think you need more constructive work.”
“Two birds, one stone. It keeps them sympathetic to me and chips away at you.”
“And what do you think will happen when they find out the truth?”
“They won’t. As I said before, I’m careful. You’ll never prove it.”
“I don’t think I’ll have to. You always did like to boast and brag, Bryce.” This time she patted him on the cheek, and thought of it as her kill shot. “Only one of your many failings.” She gestured behind him to where Jan and Mandy stood, faces shocked, bodies still as statues.
Beside them, Cissy began to applaud lightly. Roz took a small bow, then walked away.
It was her turn to be surprised when she saw Mitch at the end of the corridor.
“Caught the show,” he said casually, and slipped his hand over hers. “I thought the female lead was exceptional.”
“Thank you.”
“You okay?”
“Probably, but I wouldn’t mind some air.”
He led her out on the terrace. “Very slick,” he said.
“Very impromptu,” she corrected, and now, after it was done, her stomach began to jump. “But there he was, just dying to nip at me and posture around, and there they were, those pitiful, annoying women. The bonus being Cissy’s presence, too. That little play will be making the rounds, word-for-word, in a New-York minute.”
On cue, there was the sound of raised female voices from inside the ballroom, an abrupt crash, hysterical
