“Yeah, that was quite a story. Looks like he’s going to be censured by the Senate, and there’s talk of forcing him to resign.”
“Good. So why am I being punished? What could he be saying that would scare off potential clients?”
Ivan fiddled with the pen in his hand. “He’s claiming you tried to seduce his son and that you didn’t resign but were forced out when you attempted to blackmail him.”
I reeled, reaching back with a hand to steady myself on the chair. My knees shook, and I sank into the seat. “That son of a bitch.” A red haze fell over my eyes. “What in the fucking hell? I can’t believe he’d lie like this.”
Nothing got past those hooded, dark eyes. It was what had made Ivan an excellent detective when he was on the force. I’d never gotten the chance to work with him when he was active, but after I left the force and chose to go into private security, he was the one I wanted to work for when I heard he’d started a private protection service.
“Is he lying?” Ivan asked. “We’ve had such a good working relationship, which is why I wanted you to come in so we could speak face-to-face instead of talking about this over the phone.”
Fear trickled through me. “Go ahead.”
“I’m gonna cut through all the bullshit because of our history. You’ve always been the one I could count on for the difficult jobs. I respect you.”
Impatient, I circled my hand, motioning for him to move on. “Yeah? Thanks for the compliment, but I’d like to hear what you’re not saying. Come on, Ivan. Stop sugarcoating it. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”
Still, Ivan waited for a moment before asking, “Did you have a relationship with DJ Bridges?”
I’d never discussed my sexuality with Ivan, and I could see how uncomfortable asking me that question made him. I lifted my chin. “Yeah. We were lovers. It began about two years before he died. But DJ wasn’t out, so in deference to him, I agreed to stay in the background.”
Shock, surprise, call it what you want, but I didn’t think Ivan had expected this conversation between us. A heavy sigh escaped him. “Jesus, Gabriel. Could you have made it more difficult?”
I was never one for discussing my personal life, but I respected Ivan. Plus, he was my boss.
“I know it sounds terrible.”
“You think? I didn’t want to believe it when I heard the talk. C’mon, man. First rule you learn is never get involved with a client. It’s a huge breach of propriety.” There was no mistaking the disappointment in Ivan’s voice.
“It…ah…just happened. We didn’t plan it.”
Ivan seemed unconvinced and frustrated. “What the hell were you thinking?”
We weren’t. It had happened out of the blue when Dan and Amelia were celebrating their thirtieth anniversary with a rare weekend away. They’d given me the time off, and the weather was horrible, with a cold driving rain. I’d had no desire to leave the house. DJ was also home, and he’d asked me to have dinner with him. The staff had been dismissed for the night, so it was only us two. We’d both had too much to drink, and DJ revealed pieces of himself he’d never let anyone else see. At least that was what he’d told me.
“I trust you. And I want you so much. From the moment my father hired you, in fact. Don’t you want me too?” His sweet smile unraveled me, and I ignored all the alarm bells ringing their danger warnings in my head as he kissed me.
“It was a slip—a bad one. An error in judgment that’ll never happen again.”
“So it’s true. You got personally involved with a member of a client’s family. I can’t believe it.”
A sinking feeling hit the pit of my stomach, and I knew whatever Ivan had left to say to me wouldn’t be anything I wanted to hear. So I made the first move.
“Maybe I’ll take a little breather. Amelia paid me a year’s severance, so I have time to mull over the future.”
The relief in Ivan’s eyes hurt, but I knew he was grateful I didn’t plan to beg for a job or embarrass myself.
“I think that’s a wise move. By that time, things will have died down considerably. No one will even remember Dan Bridges’s name, and you can come back to work without a blemish on your record.”
I winced at his words, but there was no pussyfooting around the truth. I rose from the chair and stuck my hand out. “No hard feelings. I knew the risk.”
Ivan’s smile was wry as he shook my hand. “Sometimes the risks are worth it.”
Out on the street, I picked a corner coffee shop and sat in a booth to figure out my options. I could take a few months off to regroup. Maybe work security for a department store. My phone buzzed, andMomappeared on the screen. I took a quick gulp of my coffee for fortification, then answered.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, honey. How’s the job search going?”
