The Worst Best Man

Frankie and Aiden arrive at the restaurant. Aiden sees her in the red dress and feels an intense sexual desire for her. He makes sure that the photographers get a picture of him kissing her. He and Frankie then have sex in his limousine.

They arrive at the back door of the restaurant and have a wonderful dinner as they enjoy the company of Chip and Pru. Aiden is relaxed and natural. In the bathroom, Pru talks about having babies. She then shows Frankie that flattering photos of Frankie and Aiden have already been posted on various gossip blogs. Seeing these posts, Margeaux texts Pru a rude comment, but Pru reassures Frankie that she can handle the social pressure and that Aiden is worth it. Frankie wonders if she is just playing dress-up and questions whether she can survive being in both worlds.

Frankie and Aiden go to his home. She is impressed by his penthouse but wonders if he feels at home there. She looks at a photo of his family and asks about them. She also promises that she will attend a gala with him next week.

Aiden is happy that Frankie is in his house and wants to know about his family. She cries, saying that she feels guilty for treating him coldly just to prove that her life was equally as important as his. Now, she is nervous about his expectations and worries about whether they are a good fit for each other. He confesses that he doesn’t fit in his world either. He explains that his family likes to succeed at business and that he feels like he doesn’t know how to do anything else.

Aiden buys Frankie a beautiful dress and earrings for the gala. Frankie meets Aiden’s father, Ferris, and Aiden’s stepmother, Jacqueline, who immediately makes fun of her name. However, Cecily, Aiden’s mother, is friendly and welcoming. Elliot arrives sporting a broken nose, thanks to Frankie’s earlier antics at the wedding. Jacqueline says that he broke it playing polo, and everyone but her starts to laugh.

At the bar, Elliot asks Frankie when she plans to apologize for breaking his nose. She tells him that she will apologize when he apologizes for sabotaging Pru’s wedding. Ferris gets Frankie a glass of wine, and as they talk, he voices his concerns about her relationship with Aiden. She can tell that he is genuinely trying to say what he thinks is right. She urges him to trust Aiden’s judgment and treat him better. Ferris admits that he might have underestimated her. When Aiden finds them, he is concerned, but Frankie makes Aiden laugh.

Oscar, Aiden’s assistant, gives him medication for his latest migraine. Aiden has had a difficult day because he was forced to fire many high-ranking people who were creating a culture of misogyny and harassment in his company. After doing this, he was immediately thanked by multiple subordinates of the people he fired; one employee even rescinded her resignation.

Now, Elliot arrives at work after a days-long absence. Aiden tells him to start earning his salary by coming to work. However, Elliot says that if Aiden doesn’t buy him out, he will tell Frankie that Aiden was responsible for Pru and Chip’s horrible breakup years ago. Elliot gives Aiden a week to decide. Overwhelmed, Aiden goes to Frankie’s building, and her neighbors let him in. He tries to think about what to do, but his headache is too much, and he falls asleep.

Frankie gives Aiden medication and puts him to bed. While he sleeps, she realizes that although they are both different, they are also very driven individuals. She worries that she is falling in love with him and setting herself up for a painful experience.

As Frankie works at her catering job, she is horrified to see people from Aiden’s world attending the event. She runs into Aiden’s mother, Cecily, who treats her kindly, but they are interrupted by a snarky Jacqueline, who is condescending and rude. Frankie hears Jacqueline gossiping about her. Jacqueline asserts that Frankie and Cecily are both working class and reveals that Cecily was once an employee at the interior design firm that completed a project for Ferris. Frankie stifles the desire to hit Jacqueline with her serving tray and instead offers her a toothpick to get something out of her dentures, adding that Jacqueline is brave to go out after being dumped for a younger woman. Frankie is heading away when a young man blocks her, saying that he is Aiden’s biggest competition. When he solicits her, she dismisses him, and he grabs her.

Aiden is puzzled when Frankie cancels their evening plans. His mother calls and tells him about Jacqueline’s rudeness. Aiden finds Frankie at a bar; she is crying because she has been fired. She shows him a headline and a photo featuring her hitting a man with her serving tray. Aiden has never heard of the man. She plays a video of the encounter. In the video, Frankie first warns the man that he can’t touch any woman without permission. When he does it anyway, she bashes him on the head, yells threats, and then dumps a drink on him. Aiden thinks that he is lucky to have Frankie in his corner, but Frankie is upset and thinks she’ll be sued.

After watching the video, Aiden calls his public relations firm and instructs his attorney to prepare to countersue the man and file assault charges. He cites his company’s recent stance on sexual harassment and bullying. He apologizes to Frankie and promises to make it right. She is relieved that he is not angry at her. He asks if she will accept the money that comes from the lawsuit and use it to pay off her credit card. She likes that idea. He asks to watch the video again.

Frankie is now working from home due to unwanted attention from the press. Marco makes her feel better when he reports that the deli is doing record business due to the scandal. Marco reminds her that family take care of each other. Pru gives her a pep talk to convince her to come out for lunch. As they leave, they spot Elliot and Margeaux in deep conversation.

Aiden gives Frankie the money from the lawsuit. She looks so good in her event dress that he can’t keep his hands off her even while they are pulling up to his mother’s estate. They talk dirty to each other, and he pulls her into a quiet corner outside the house. They kiss until his mother texts with a reminder about the security cameras.

A blogger at the event observes that Frankie has worn the same red dress twice. Frankie is outraged, but Aiden glosses over it, saying that he has good memories of the dress and insists that she wear it often. Cecily teases them about what they were doing outside. When Aiden gets up to speak, he sees Frankie in the crowd and realizes that he loves her. After his speech, he pulls her to a remote room of the house and warns her that he doesn’t have a condom. She says she doesn’t care. They have intense orgasms together and laugh, knowing that there are people close by. She tells him that the room is now called the “secret party orgasm room” (365).