“Has he come out and said so?” London asked, breaking her promise to not dabble in unsubstantiated rumor about her ex. “Or is that just speculation?”
“They’ve been going out to dinner and he bought her a pair of earrings.” Chip declared this as if it definitively proved his claim. “And the way he looked at her at his mother’s party?” Chip fanned himself even as he rolled his eyes emphatically. “There’s definitely something going on.”
“That’s all speculation,” she insisted, hoping the gossip wasn’t true. Something about Claire was off. She’d been too evasive when discussing her life before Charleston. “Plus, even if he’s sleeping with her, it’s not going to last.”
Chip looked shocked. “Well, of course not.”
As the hostess led them to a table, London shoved all thoughts of her ex to the back burner. Linc was Everly’s project and London needed to give every appearance of having moved on to avoid any backlash after Everly’s revenge plan came to fruition.
As London settled into her seat, she scrambled for a way to shift the conversation to what Chip knew about Tristan Crosby. When no smooth segue came to mind, she decided to be forthright.
“Harrison hired me to plan a surprise birthday party for his brother. What can you tell me about Tristan?”
Chip leveled a speculative look on her before answering. “Dresses well. Loves the finest money can buy. Gives to charities, but not because he cares, more so people will tell him how great he is. Several women have told me he’s a sexual predator. Don’t let yourself be alone with him or he’ll have his hands all over you.”
None of this was news, so she pushed for more. “Wasn’t he married until recently?”
“Zoe. Nice girl. She had no idea what she was getting into when she married him.”
“Girl?” London echoed, picturing the woman she’d met weeks earlier. “I thought she was in her late twenties.”
“I’m speaking figuratively. He snapped her up when she was still in college and she always seemed to have a deer-in-the-headlights look about her. She barely spoke when they were out together. Just a decorative bit of arm candy that every guy in the room wanted as their own.”
London shuddered as she pondered how it would feel to be valued for her face and figure alone. Although she’d barely met Zoe, their shared experience of personally being wronged by powerful, wealthy men had given her a sense of sisterhood that she hadn’t felt with Everly, whose beef with Ryan Dailey had to do with his treatment of her sister.
“You can do better,” Chip said, redirecting her attention. “Might I suggest Grady Edwards? Good family. Wealthy. A little obsessed with polo for my taste, but no one is perfect.”
“I’ll keep him in mind,” London replied diplomatically, struggling for a way to return the conversation to Tristan. “Although I heard Landry Beaumont has been seeing him.” This was a spurious remark. Rumor had it Landry was chasing Linc. “So what happened between Tristan Crosby and his ex-wife?”
“He dumped her. Something about her having an affair. Later I heard he fabricated the whole thing to get out of paying her anything. The man is ruthless,” Chip said, leaning forward and lowering his voice conspiratorially even though no one was close enough to hear their conversation. “Magnolia Spencer told me in confidence that Zoe got next to nothing.”
“Because of a prenup?”
“Because there’s no money.”
“How is that possible? Crosby Automotive does exceptionally well and, from what I hear, Tristan has been remodeling the Theodore Norwood house on Montague for the last five years. A client of mine has done some of the work and said Tristan has put nearly three million into the project.”
Chip shrugged as he eyed the menu. The restaurant was known for its creative cocktails and small plates all done with a Parisian flare. “What looks good?”
As much as London wanted to keep the conversation alive, she decided more digging would only make Chip suspicious. Whatever Tristan was doing, his activities weren’t spawning the sort of gossip that if it got out might harm him.
London stared at the menu, but her thoughts were far away. Finding an indirect way to take down Tristan seemed impossible.
Zoe had explained that Tristan was incredibly secretive about his finances. So much so that when her divorce lawyer had looked into his assets, it had become pretty obvious that Tristan spent far more than his annual salary from Crosby Automotive and the income he received from his investments.
“I think I’m going to have the tarte flambée,” Chip said. “Or maybe the Spanish octopus.”
D
ecisions made, London settled back and listened with half her attention as Chip filled her in on all the latest events. She let her troubling thoughts about Tristan drift to Harrison and the risky path she was following.
What had happened between them at the venue where his brother’s party would be held was a perfect example of what a mistake it was to become involved with Harrison. The man held an unexpected and compelling power over her libido. She still couldn’t believe she’d had an orgasm like that in a public place where at any moment they could be discovered.
Her cheeks went hot as she recalled how she’d rocked and writhed against him, greedily grabbing at the pleasure he’d offered. She’d never climaxed like that before, and recognized that some of her excitement had come from the danger of being caught with his hand up her skirt.
When London had shared what had happened with Maribelle, her friend had at first been shocked and then wildly encouraging. To say that London had stepped outside her comfort zone was a major understatement. What surprised her almost more than letting Harrison touch her like that was her lack of regret in the aftermath. She’d done something wicked and wanton and failed to hear her mother’s voice rain scathing recriminations down upon her head. Maybe she was making progress.
London’s phone buzzed. It was Thursday evening and Harrison had flown to Miami for the last race of the season. She was a little shocked the way her heart jumped in anticipation of hearing from him. Still, she left the phone screen down on the table.