Working Stiff(65)

“Girl after my own heart,” Rox said.

Cash raised one eyebrow at her.

Arthur said to him, “You’d better watch out for this one.”

Cash shrugged, seemingly unconcerned.

Maxence continued, “Flicka’s brother Wulf was two years ahead of us in school, but we saw a bit of him because my brother was her brother’s roommate for several years in primary and middle school and such. They’re the same age. So that’s how we knew Flicka, even though she’s quite a bit younger than we are. And social events, of course. We all ran with the same crowd.”

Cash told her, “Wulf asked me to look over the pre-nup when they’ve got it ready. I think I’m attorney number six to go over it, and I don’t think I’m the last one. I’ve heard that they’re writing in some draconian clauses if he cheats on her. It’s going to be painful.”

“Did he officially retain you?” Arthur asked. “Is he paying you for it?”

“God, no. Wulf saves my ass every few years by texting me two weeks before the stock market tanks. I wouldn’t dare take his money. He might lose my number.”

“I’m surprised that Flicka or Wulf haven’t caught him dicking around already,” Arthur mused, “considering that whole business debacle that Pierre left Wulf with.” His smile broadened. “Speaking of which, we’re in the Southwestern US, aren’t we?”

Maxence thumped his wine glass on the table. “You won’t. Tell me you won’t.”

“It would be unfriendly to have come all this way and not visit our old school chum,” Arthur protested.

Cash rolled his eyes. “And, I suppose, you’ll visit The Devilhouse while you’re there.”

“Now that you mention it—”

Rox ate her coq au vin, not getting involved in whatever this was.

Maxence snorted. “And now we discover your real reason for coming to the US.”

Arthur laughed. “You’ve caught me out. And you’re coming with me.”

“I will not. In any case, we’ve only just arrived, and I have no desire to board your plane again.”

Arthur leaned his head toward Rox and hung on the back of her chair to steady himself. He stage-whispered, “Again, Maxence has been mortifying his flesh. He flew commercial to New York. I picked him up there.”

She frowned at him, irritated at his snobbishness.

Maxence rolled his eyes. “You say that as if it was a lapse of judgment.”

“At least he flew premium first-class.” He fixed his silvery eyes on Maxence. “Didn’t you?”

Maxence glared at him. “Yes.”

Arthur said to Rox, “So he’s not entirely given up hedonism. He took the airline where first-class includes private rooms with beds, a lounge for those who deserve it, and a bathroom with a shower.”

She looked at Cash, her eyes wide. “I thought first class was just those pods on international flights.”

“Not on some airlines,” Cash said. “On some, first class can get quite lavish.”

Maxence frowned at him. “You know very well that there are security considerations.”

Cash turned to Maxence, and his one eyebrow dipped as if he were concerned. “Did you book one of the suites?”

“It was necessary for security.” He adjusted his napkin on his lap.

Cash pressed him, “Did you book two of the suites so the stewards could combine them and you could sleep in a queen-sized bed?”

“Security reasons,” Maxence muttered.

“Are they still strewing the sheets with rose petals?”

He flinched. “I didn’t ask them to.”

Arthur laughed out loud. “We wouldn’t want to ride in steerage and rub elbows with the commoners.”

Maxence’s eyebrows gathered in the middle. “I had been digging wells in Africa. I built a school with my own hands and taught classes until they could get a permanent teacher. I’m not complaining, but I lived in a hut with a family of eight and slept on a grass mat on the dirt floor like everyone else for six months. I lost forty pounds because there was never enough food and I kept giving mine to the two youngest children, who were even more underfed than the rest because they were girls. Yes, I flew first class to get here. And yes, I’ll be buying crates of supplies to ship ahead when I go back next week.”

Arthur laughed. “Maxence here is far too easy to tease. I should stop tormenting him.”

Maxence looked down at his plate, which had only smears of sauce remaining on it. “I am too easy to tease.”

Rox told Arthur, “Yeah, you should lay off the guy who digs wells and builds schools for children who survived civil wars.”