Page 86 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
‘She’s not getting off scot-free.’ With an expulsion of air, he walked away. When he came back, his lungs were working harder. ‘I’m just trying to keep things quiet for you, the senator and Luxxor.’
‘You chose her over me.’
‘No.Never.’
The kitchen was suddenly too small. Genieve walked past him and turned on a lamp in the living room. The sun had gone down all the way, and only trailing rays of light were on the horizon. She walked around the room snapping curtains closed. Rehoboth Beach was a happy place. People came here to get away from their problems, but hers had followed her home.
She planted herself in front of the Papasan chair and crossed her arms. His gaze dropped to her breasts, and her skin warmed. She concentrated on the breeze coming from the ceiling fan. ‘Why do you do the things you do, Brody? Why do you help people get away with bad things?’
His chin came up. ‘That’s ironic.’
‘I know.’ He’d helped her. ‘Explain it to me.’
She deserved to know. She’d gone along with his machinations with barely a peep. Of course, she’d been wrapped up in the lie they were leading, but for once she wanted to understand why. How did he justify moving the chess pieces like he did? Did he care that he might hurt the pawns in his game?
His fingers ticked against his thigh. ‘Will it make a difference if it’s not a sob story?’
‘Maybe.’ She hoped it would. If she knew what drove him, she might understand him. And she wanted there to be a reason.
‘But don’t you dare spin me,’ she warned.
Suddenly, he was the one who couldn’t stand still. He paced in front of the mantelpiece and bumped against one of the candlesticks she’d had fashioned out of driftwood she’d found on the beach. He caught it before it fell and set it back down with a firm hand.
When he finally turned on her, his lavender eyes were bright. ‘You want honesty? Here it is. I’ve never understood why people think they should get a gold star if they follow an imaginary set of rules. That old cliché about hard work will get you anywhere? It’s bullshit. It’s all about who you know and how much power you have.’
She heard the edge in his voice. He’d learned that lesson the hard way.
‘So you broke the rules?’ she asked.
‘I made my own. With no name or money, I had to find another way.’ He jabbed a finger at the window. ‘All those drunk college kids? They were stupid, and they had cash. I made connections and earned a reputation for being a guy who could get them out of messes. I got further along doing that than trying to play catchup when their daddies gave them a leg up first.’
So he’d pulled himself up by his bootstraps, using his brain and his wit. Genieve toyed with the knot of her sarong. She could relate to that. She used her assets, too.
‘You’ve made it to the top of the heap, but how far will you go to stay there? Do you hurt people? What if one of your clients does something truly horrible?’
He shrugged. ‘It depends on what it is.’
Judge and jury?
‘Samuel hired me, an escort.’
His voice went flat. ‘That didn’t hurt anybody.’
Her weight shifted. It looked like it might have hurt him.
‘He’s caused you a lot of headaches,’ she said, pressing the issue.
‘He’s also paid me to get rid of them. That’s what I do. On the scale of things, he’s harmless.’
Yes, but the man was a politician. He was judged by a higher set of standards. Being harmless wasn’t something that should be rewarded, in most people’s minds. ‘He also doesn’t do his job. What if his competitor tried to hire you?’
‘Kevin Murphy is another story.’
‘Not harmless?’
‘No.’
She lifted an eyebrow. How did he know the things he did? She bit her lip. She knew things about Luxxor’s clients that they didn’t suspect. Were the two of them really that different?
