Page 131 of Nothing to Tell

“You think I should go to a Grand?”

“All I’m saying is, we have an account with the Grand.You can stay in any of them and use our accounts.Check in under a pseudo name if you want.Bastian will never know.”

The point wasn’t to shut him out, but she also didn’t want to go too full on.

“I’m not good at this.At reading people and figuring out when it’s too much or not enough.”

“And you have no space to breathe right now, I get that.Why do you think I told you to get on a plane?We’re all breathing over here.We’re hogging the oxygen.Trust me.You can work from anywhere, just like me once upon a time.You can do in-person stuff by video call.We have all the tech you’ll need.”

“I can’t.How can—”

“We have all kinds of people in LA, capable of anything.If there’s something that requires a physical presence—”

“I can’t afford staff.And that’s a bureaucratic nightmare I don’t have time for right now.”

Her whole body hurt without him.She’d got him back only to wreck it all over again.

“We have staff,” Roxie said.“I have staff.”

“In LA?”

“Everywhere.Believe me when I say, anything you want accomplished on this earth is entirely plausible.Trust me.You wouldn’t believe some of the shit I’ve seen pulled off.If we can get a plane full of cherry blossom shipped from Japan to the Bahamas in the blink of an eye, anything is possible.Besides, people are on payroll anyway.They might as well earn their keep.”

Someone else said that.

The dinner party.Bastian.The night they broke up.The walk away… And the angst that followed.Why was walking away from him akin to trauma?Explained why her insides ached.There was too much.Inside her.Whatever was crammed in there wanted to get out, yet it stayed pent up, pressurized, ready to blow only… nothing came out.

“I don’t know…”

“It’s that or I get on a plane,” Roxie said with such conviction, there was no doubting her.“Is that what you want?I’ll get on a plane.Don’t believe I won’t, Ms.Scott.I’ll do it.No problem.No hesitation.I’ll bring an entourage like you wouldn’t believe.The ground will shake.And you won’t be our first stop, honey, no, my first stop will be at your Mr.Hunt’s office.”

“No—”

“I want to know why he thought it was okay to take advantage of you when you’re vulnerable.”

“It wasn’t like that.It was mutual, I could’ve said no.We were crazy, it wasn’t smart, but… Have you never had a moment like that?When you didn’t need words, the moment was just perfect.Everything lined up and it was just… irresistible?”

“I’m married to Zairn Lomond, honey, absolutely every minute I have with him is like that.”She sighed.“You can take care of yourself, I get that.But does he?You better figure out what comes next because I guarantee Bastian will track you down.When he does, you have to be ready to stand your ground.”

Ground for what?“You just said he’d give me space.”

“If that’s what you want, tell him.You have to tell him.Demand it.Say the words.Articulate what you want in no uncertain terms.Don’t let him drive.Be forceful and sure or he’ll walk all over you.Be sure, honey.”

She was anything but that.“I’m not ready to talk to him.”

“Then get on a plane,” Roxie droned.“Just do it.You’ll be protected here, you’ll get your work done, and no man will seduce you in rapturous silent moments of carnal communication.Although Tripp’s always on call if you do need a smidge of that.”

“I don’t know Tripp.”

Which kind of wasn’t the point.The words came out before comprehension kicked in.

“Or, hey, go join Zairn,” Roxie said.“I don’t know exactly where he is or what he’s doing, but if you need a hot guy to hold you with no pressure of anything else…”

She laughed.Yeah, it was kind of pathetic, but only Roxie could make something like that possible.

“You’re lucky to have a guy you can…”

“Trust that much?”Roxie asked.“No prenup, I get what I want.I’ll screw him hard in the divorce if we get one.And not in the way he begs for every night.We’re here for whatever you need.My guy’ll feel you up if you want that too.”