by Ella Jade
I shot up from my seat and tried to come at him, but Miles held me back. “He’s baiting you,” my brother warned. “Focus and do what needs to be done. He’ll be out of your life soon.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Conrad said. “That stunt I pulled on the boat was just the beginning. You shouldn’t have kicked me to the curb.”
“This whole thing was to prove me wrong?”
Conrad challenged me with his casual gaze. “Someone had to.”
“Let me get this straight.” I removed my suit jacket and draped it over my chair. “You inconvenienced me. Made CC mad at me and put some foreign substance into my body to show me that you have what it takes to win?” This guy was more screwed up than I thought. I’d kill him if he ever went near CC again.
“Relax.” He glanced at his watch. “It was a strong tranquilizer. Clearly not your drug of choice. If I remember correctly you liked to snort your drugs.”
“That’s uncalled for,” Miles said. “And you’re nuts if you think we’re helping you run for anything.”
“Oh, you’ll take me back.” He seemed so sure. “You’re going to make sure I win too.”
“How am I going to do that?” I asked. “I may be a miracle worker but not even I can get a fool like you to win. That’s why I dropped you.”
“You’ll get creative and sabotage my opponents. I know you’re ruthless enough for that.”
“You’re wasting my time again,” I said. “You got me the other night, I’ll give you that.”
“Thank you.” He was proud of himself. “Now you know who is in control. From now on you’ll listen to my ideas. I want that senate seat. You’re going to get it for me. If not, the next time I’ll make sure your next bender is more public. The next prostitute might take pictures. CC might not get out of this unscathed either.”
I balled my fists under my desk, fighting every urge not to punch this delusional bastard’s teeth in.
“I can be as dangerous as any other politician in this sleazy town. I just need the right person to back me. You’ll do what I say because you don’t want to disappoint your family. Not like last time.”
“Why would anyone believe anything you do to him?” Miles asked. “Especially with me right here. I know your plan?”
“It’s all about perception. Doubt... innuendo. A little blackmail goes a long way. My experiment on the yacht was just to prove a point. Even you’ll admit, Miles, you thought your brother fell off the wagon. Cindy told me how devastated CC was when she saw her come out of the bedroom. Think of the destruction I can cause the two of you next time. I can go after you too, Miles. You’re no saint.”
“Enough!” I yelled. “It’s interesting you mention blackmail. None of us are free of skeletons. While you were busy looking for ours you failed to realize we already found yours.”
“What?” He rolled his eyes. “You have nothing on me. If you did you would have used it.”
“I’m a patient man.” I took his file from my desk drawer. “You should have been a smarter man and figured I knew more than I let on. When I let you go you should have kept on walking all the way back to Boston.”
“That would have been the smart thing to do,” Miles said. “Now you’ve pissed my brother off.”
“I might have let this all go but then you had to go and upset my girl.” I opened the file and showed him a picture of a young woman. “Look familiar?”
“Where did you...” He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were a History teacher out of college, right? A popular one from what I gather.”
“It wasn’t for me,” he mumbled.
“All those pretty, young teenagers prancing around that expensive prep school you taught at proved to be too much for you especially when this one.” I pointed to the picture. “Alison Trevor ended up pregnant.”
“Shut up.” Conrad didn’t like where this conversation was headed. “You have nothing.”
“Hmm... according to her birth certificate she was only seventeen, not even a senior yet, when she had her baby. You were twenty-four. I’m going to say that’s a rather large skeleton to fall out of your closet.”
“I didn’t get her pregnant.”
“Why is it that your family deposits large sums of money into her bank account every month?”
“You can’t prove anything.”
“Doubt? Innuendo? Perception? I don’t need to prove anything. It was rather ballsy of you to even think you could run for office and not have that come out. It was buried, I’ll admit, but I can find anything. If you were my client that would have stayed buried but now...” I shook my head. “I can’t guarantee that I won’t leak it.” Who’s ruthless now?
“Leave it buried.”
“That’s entirely up to you.” I flipped through the file. “I know who she is, where she lives, how old her child is. I even know who the father of that kid is even if you swear you’re not. I’ll make this real simple. Go back to Boston. Forget about your political aspirations and leave me alone.”
“How do I know you won’t come after me?”
“You don’t.” If he held up his end of the bargain I had no intention of harming this woman and her child. According to Meg’s file she married and her new husband was raising the kid. I wouldn’t expose them but Conrad didn’t need to know that. “Stay away from CC or you’ll seal your own fate.”
“She means that much to you?” Conrad stood and headed for the door. “I’m not sure how a jerk like you managed to get her to fall for you.”
“I’m lucky, I guess.” Now I had to find a way to get her back. “Forget you know us.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “There’s nothing I could ever want from you. None of this life is worth the aggravation.”
“Welcome to Washington.” You pompous ass. “Too bad you didn’t last that long.”
He left without another word and I was confident we’d seen the last of him. I put my feet on my desk and stretched out, feeling a sense of relief. One I hadn’t experienced in days.
“I can’t believe he thought that lame scheme was going to work.” Miles checked his texts. “Weak, so weak.”
“Some people are delusional and will stop at nothing to achieve what they think they deserve. Conrad’s plan may have worked with someone other than me but he picked the wrong person to screw with especially when it comes to my sobriety.”
“You think that’s the last of him?”
“I’ll have Meg keep an eye on him but yes, Alison and their child mean something to him. I saw it in his expression. I scared him.”
“That’s probably because she wasn’t the only teenager he screwed with. Sick fuck.”
“Another day in D.C.” I got up and gazed out the window, wondering what CC was doing. I’d sent her a few texts this week but her responses were brief, dismissive. I couldn’t blame her. If I’d seen what she’d seen I wouldn’t have been so calm. I’d be very lucky if she ever spoke to me again.
“You going to call her?” Miles asked.
“Eventually.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure how to fix this.”
“She’ll believe you.”
“I’m an addict with a history of lying and hurting people. I’ve shared more with her than I ever have with anyone else. She knows what I’m capable of. What I’ve done.”
Opening up to CC was the most therapeutic thing I’d ever done but in doing so, she knew the real me. The man who could make all her dreams come true but the same one who could ruin her life with one fix. Not that I thought about relapsing but she would always have her doubts about me. How couldn’t she?
“You didn’t do anything. You were a victim the other night. Meg and I can tell her what happened. It’s a bat shit crazy story. She’d have to believe it. No one’s making that up.”
“Maybe she’s better off without me.” She was young, starting a new career. I didn’t know... maybe I wasn’t the guy for her.
“That’s bull
and you know it.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” I patted his back. “Get back to work.”
“Call her.” He headed for the door. “You need her.”
“Thanks for everything. I couldn’t have gotten through this week without your support. The faith you had in me means more than you’ll ever know.”
“I’ll always have your back. The same way you have mine.” He opened the door. “Even if you’re the biggest pain in the ass brother I know.”
“Oh, come on.” I grinned. “Max is way worse than me. He crashed your car.”
“Yeah.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I never did get over the loss of that Corvette.”
“Go to work.” I leaned against my door as he went to his office. I was lucky to have him. I gazed around, taking in all my employees. Everyone was hard at work. It was probably time for me to do the same. It was just that...
“Jameson.” I glanced in the direction of the elevator.
“Cecilia,” I whispered as she ran toward me, barreling into my arms. Holding her tight, I hugged her, breathing in her familiar vanilla scent. “What are you doing here?” I missed her.
“I was coming to see you.” She stepped back to look at me, but I continued to hold her. “I wanted to tell you... well, I saw that woman, the one who was on your boat the other day. She was in the lobby.”
“I can explain that.” Shit! Talk about timing. CC had come to see me. She initiated contact and that wretched woman who set me up was here. “Come here.” I guided her into my office. “We need to talk.”
“No.” She hugged me. “You don’t have to explain. She told me she lied and said she was sorry for the trouble she caused. She said Conrad was behind it all.”
“I told you I was complicated.”
“I was on my way here to tell you that I was sorry I didn’t trust you. I should have been there to work through this with you even if it turned out that you did have a relapse. I should have been here for you.”
I kissed the top of her head, not wanting to let her go. Ever.
Chapter Seventeen
Cecilia
When I came through the lobby and saw Cindy, she darted right for me. Meg, who introduced herself after the exchange, tried to hold her off. I wanted to hear what she had to say. I regretted not getting to Jameson before I learned the truth. I needed him to know I wanted to help him.
We sat on a chair across from his desk. He curled me into his lap and held me. I kissed his jaw, inching as close as I could to him. I missed him more than I realized. I’d been too upset to process just how much I needed his presence.
“You were on your way up before you knew the truth,” Jameson said. “I thought I’d have some convincing to do. I didn’t expect you to come to me on your own.”
“I came to a realization today. A few of them. I needed to see you.”
“I’m glad you’re here.”
“I saw Conrad today.”
“Here?” His body tensed.
“No, in the park. It was coincidental.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” He stroked my hair looking more stressed than when I arrived. “He was here a few minutes ago. He confessed to what he had done to me.”
“Voluntarily?”
“I may have helped but that’s another story.”
“I’m sorry he did that to you.” It was like something out of a movie and I couldn’t help but wonder about all the things that went on in his business. Those were stories for another day. Right now I needed him to know what I came to say. “You must have been sick over whether you had drank or used or had...” I didn’t want to go there. It turned my stomach thinking about it.
“Unprotected sex with a stranger? The thought had crossed my mind. I wanted to believe I hadn’t but the responsible part of me had to consider the possibilities. I would never do anything to put you in jeopardy.”
“Cindy told me she hung out in the bedroom all night while you slept in the recliner. I should have believed you.”
“How could you trust me when I couldn’t remember what happened? The whole thing was messed up.” He gently kissed me and I couldn’t sense any anger directed toward me for abandoning him. “As much as I wanted to trust that I wouldn’t have used that night I was scared out of my mind about what was in my system. Drugs make you do some crazy shit. I would know.” He shifted in his seat, growing more agitated as he spoke. I’d always seen him in total control. Today reminded me of the morning Miles and I found him on the boat. There was a vulnerability about him. One that certainly seemed out of character for him. “The fact that I didn’t remember anything put all kinds of thoughts into my head. I would never cheat on you but part of me was worried that because I didn’t have control over my actions that maybe I did sleep with her.”
“It wouldn’t have been your fault.”
“This whole thing made me realize why I don’t drink or use anymore. After Sam died and I began my journey to get clean, I swore I’d never lose control. I’d never black out again. I don’t ever want to feel that way ever again. It’s horrible not having any memory of what you’ve done the night before. Who you may have hurt. I don’t want to ever hurt you.”
“You won’t.” I hugged him. “Conrad had no right to make you feel that way. You worked so hard for your sobriety. No one should be that demented to make you believe you lost what you’d accomplished.”
“In some twisted way he was trying to coerce me into making him a senator. He wanted me to blackmail his opponents and stop at nothing to make sure he succeeded. He tried to gain some sort of non-existent control over me. He chose the wrong guy.”
“He sounds unstable.” I never had a good feeling about him. “You saved me from him.”
“You were too smart for him. Even if I didn’t show up that night I don’t believe for a second you would have gotten involved with him.”
“You’re right.” I smirked. “I was too busy pinning away for you.”
“You’ll never have to do that again because I’m never going to leave you.” He slipped his hand under the hem of my skirt, resting it on my thigh. “I’m never going to let you leave me either.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised. “These past few days have been pure agony. It made me very aware how much you mean to me.”
“Let’s put them behind us.”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Anything.”
“I know what happened on your boat the other day wasn’t what it appeared to be, but if it were I didn’t do a very good job of standing by your side. If you had relapsed I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to help you.” I’d struggled with that thought for days. He was always taking care of me, but was I the right woman for him?
“You’re wrong.” He turned me so I was facing him. “I’m an addict. It took me years to realize that I deserved love and happiness even when I was at my lowest point. When I met you I didn’t think I was the man for you but selfishly I needed to be around you. The more time I spent with you the more I wanted. I walked away because I thought I was doing what was best for you.”
“I told you that you were wrong about that.”
“Now I’m telling you that you’re wrong about what you’re feeling over what happened between us this week. If I had relapsed you did exactly what you should have done if you thought I was in denial. How were you supposed to know that I didn’t slip up? If I had you were right not to believe my story about not doing anything. I was there before. I used to swear to my family I wouldn’t do it again and because they thought they were helping they pretended it was all okay.” He closed his eyes but not before I saw the pain inside them. “The next time I screwed up and got high was increasingly worse than the last. I kept making mistake after mistake, excuse after excuse, promise after promise, until that last night when I lost Sam.”
“I hate that all these painful memories have been brought to the surface for you this week. You don’t deserve this.”
/>
“I’m not afraid of my past. They key is knowing I’m never going to repeat it but on the off chance that I do relapse I need to know you won’t put up with my shit. You have to be strong and not enable me. You did everything you should have done this week.” His green eyes sparkled when he continued. “Even though I was so freakin’ innocent.”
“I can be strong for you, Jameson, but I don’t ever have to leave your side. After experiencing what we went through these last few days, I know that no one or nothing can come between us. I’ll never let that happen.”
“That’s my girl.” He stretched out, holding me close. “It’s been a hell of a week.”
“No kidding.”
“I have an idea.”
“What is it?”
“Do you want to check something off that board of yours?” He grinned. “I can have us on a plane by tonight. You’ll have a tropical drink in your hand by morning and I’ll have your bikini in mine.”
“You want to go away?”
“We are going away.”
“Now?”
“I’ll make the arrangements right now. Then we’ll go home and pack.”
“Can we really do that?” Did people just jump on planes and go to islands? “Don’t you have to plan all that?”
“I have people who will take care of all the details.” He kissed me. “One phone call and we’re on our way.”
“Um... well, I...” I bit my bottom lip.
“What is it?”
“I’ve never been on a plane before.”
“Then you’re a lucky girl.” He traced his thumb along my worried lip. “I happen to have a private jet. We’ll knock off flying and having sex on a plane in one shot.”
“Wait a minute.” I tilted my head and shot him a devious smirk. “Sex on a plane isn’t on my list.”
“It will be after we do it.” He winked. “I promise you.”
“I’m in.”
“Perfect.” He trailed his tongue along my lips. “There’s something I haven’t told you today.”
“What’s that?”
“I love you.” He pressed his lips to mine, taking my breath away as he poured everything he had into that connection. “More than anyone has ever loved another.”
