The Ex (The Boss 4)

“And I don’t want to stay in whatever off-strip murder hotel Holli could put us up in with her off-Broadway paycheck,” I teased. “We’re so getting the Spa Villa suite at the Hard Rock this time. Ameé Afton said it was incredible.”

“I don’t know who that is,” Holli said, and quickly rolled on, “Is it going to be, like, a spa, or hard rock? Because you know what I prefer.”

“A healthy mix of both,” I confirmed. “Think of it: in room treatments. Private plunge pool to cool off after we come back from dancing—”

“And drowning because we’re so drunk,” Deja snorted.

Holli’s jaw dropped, and her eyebrows scrunched together. “Well, see if I’m going to ask you for money for the adult entertainment, then. I’ll just let Sophie pay for it, now.”

“Ugh, no male exotic dancers, please,” I begged her.

She tilted her head. “Male?”

I spotted Ian across the room, by himself. Which was odd, because he knew people here. Instead of mingling, he stood by the terrace doors, gazing out at the softly lit yard. His shoulders slumped in his sleek black jacket, and one hand wrapped around a glass of scotch while the other was slipped into the pocket of his trousers.

“Hey, um.” I didn’t know exactly how to break away from Holli and Deja discreetly, because they would have all kinds of questions about why I left them to go talk to one of Neil’s hot—at least by my standards—friends in a private locale. I settled on, “That’s a friend of Neil’s over there, and I haven’t said hi to him yet. Can you guys excuse me a minute?”

“Sure thing!” Holli agreed. “I’m going to go make your stepdaughter uncomfortable.”

“No, she isn’t,” Deja promised, taking Holli by the arm and leading her in the opposite direction.

I shook my head and crossed the room to Ian. He didn’t notice me until I was right next to him, and he startled.

“You look like you’re thinking about something heavy,” I tried to joke.

He smiled weakly. “I was admiring the view. But now, I’m not sure which view I like better.” He gestured to my dress. “That thing should be fucking illegal.”

I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “Well, it is Neil’s birthday, after all.”

“And what a present to unwrap.” He took a swallow from his glass. The lines at the corners of his eyes were hard.

I had to ask. “So, Gena didn’t come tonight?”

“She’s very sorry she had to miss it,” Ian apologized, grimacing as though the alcohol bothered him. I knew that wasn’t it; we could afford the damn good stuff.

The way he looked down at the glass in his hand made my Sophie sense tingle harder. “Ian…it’s not my place to pry, but…is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, but he shook his head while he said it.

“Ian?” I prompted again, and he looked up. And oh my god, his eyes were all red. On instinct, I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the kitchen, and he followed without resistance. I murmured an apology to a passing member of the catering staff as we crossed paths in the doorway.

Once we out of earshot of people who knew us, I asked, “What’s going on?”

“Gena and I have decided to separate.” He rubbed one hand down his face, dropping all pretense of happy, not-a-care-in-the-world Ian. He looked utterly miserable.

I reeled at the shock. A few weeks ago, Ian and Gena had seemed like the perfect couple. But, a few weeks ago, they’d also had sex with us, so… “It’s not because—”

He knew what I was going to ask, and cut me off. “No, no. Her lifestyle had nothing to do with it.”

That “her” was an important distinction, and it made my heart hurt. “It wasn’t your lifestyle, too?”

“Ah, fuck me. It had everything to do with it.” He took a long time to continue, his gaze canting to the window. “You’re together for a while, you get pretty fucking tired, don’t you? You have to try new things. And maybe you’re okay with some things, but not with others. Gena needs someone who fits her better.”

Panic fluttered in my chest. Was that going to happen to Neil and me? I backed up a step, like he was contagious. You can’t catch divorce, you idiot. “Oh god. Ian, I’m so sorry. I hope sleeping with me wasn’t one of those things you weren’t okay with. I would feel terrible for having put you in that position if you were.”

He laughed softly, conveying more sadness and regret than I would have ever expected to hear from him. “No. I wanted to fuck you. Believe me, at Emma’s wedding, I was having impure thoughts about you.”

“Impure thoughts?” I laughed, and he laughed with me. “I thought you were flirting a little bit. For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry to see you two breaking up.”