Jaxson sucked in a deep breath and went to tug his hand from mine, but I held on firmly.
“Of course,” I said, dragging Jaxson along with my head held high. If I was going to burn, like hell I’d give anyone the pleasure of seeing me act guilty. I drew him to my side and firmly held him. “You’ll have to walk while you talk, Roberts, because I’m taking my boyfriend to dinner.”
Jaxon squeezed my hand so hard it hurt, but he plastered on a press-worthy smile, and I was so proud, I could kiss him, so I pressed one to his temple. He sucked in a breath, and Roberts’ eyebrows flew high, but fuck him.
13
Jax
Every time I turned to glance at Roberts, Vane tightened his hold on me and earned my attention again. He gave me a narrowed look, and I took it as his way of telling me to concentrate on him. It wasn’t that easy when we had a reporter trailing after us, searching for a career-changing story. We were exactly that if Roberts found out who I was, and the last thing I wanted was to ruin Vane’s career.Fuck. This entire circumstance was because I’d wanted to make my way up my own career ladder, but I wasn’t going to fuck him over. I was a lot of things, but I wasn’t that kind of guy.
“You’re gay?” Roberts shuffled after us as we moved down the street at a fast pace, Vane’s fingers still entwined in mine. He wasn’t a particularly handsome man, with a bushy mustache that reminded me of something from the seventies and a balding head. His phone was pointed in our direction, and it was clear he was recording us with his camera.
Vane made a sound that only I’d be able to hear and flicked a smirk over his shoulder. “I’ve never hidden that fact, Mr. Roberts.”
“But you never told the New Gothenburg people, either, Mr. Elwood.” Roberts nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk, and I secretly hoped he’d fall and smash his phone, but that was a fantasy, and he managed to right himself and continued to follow us. “Don’t you think we have the right to know that the deputy mayor is gay?”
“I didn’t realize my sexuality affected my support of the mayor’s policies, Mr. Roberts.” Vane’s smile was the same one he used in all the other press conferences I’d seen him in, and while it looked charming, I secretly knew it as theI hate you but I have to be niceone.
“We have the right to know if we’re electing a gay man,” Roberts continued, running around me to get in front of us. He pushed the camera in my face, and Vane stepped in front of me to block it, stopping us from walking.
“New Gothenburg didn’t elect me for my sexuality. The people elected the mayor and myself to do good for this city.”
“And what good is that?”
I couldn’t see Roberts’ face around Vane’s wide shoulders and muscular body, but I could hear the smarminess in his voice. He thought he had Vane in a vice, and he was planning on squeezing him tight for every last drop of desperation he could find. The problem was, he’d never get it. In the months I’d worked at city hall, I’d learned about Vane’s confidence and calmness. In the time I’d personally worked with him—and let him fuck me—I’d also learned that he didn’t let other people faze him; he took aggression in stride, and either charmed or threatened people to keep their criticism silent. Roberts was the only one I’d seen brave enough to personally attack Vane about his appearance or personality, rather than policies or his work in city hall.
I noticed the way Vane’s shoulders stiffened, though, and I reached up with my free hand to squeeze his upper arm in support.
“Mr. Roberts, if you are too blind to see what we’ve done for this city—”
“How is the motorcycle club situation going? Oh right, there was a shootout, and then we called in reinforcements. The ATF didn’t do a damn thing. They packed their stuff and left, leaving our under-trained police force to handle a situation they aren’t prepared for. We have four clubs in New Gothenburg, Deputy Mayor.Four. Not a damn thing is being done about them.” Annoyance sliced through Roberts’ voice, and it sounded very personal to him.
Staring at Vane’s back wasn’t interesting, and while I understood his need to protect me, I wanted to see what was happening. I stepped to Vane’s side and smiled at him when he flicked a concerned glance at me. I could handle a camera being shoved in my face.
“We need to be delicate about this situation, Mr. Roberts. Trying to force out four motorcycle clubs is not an easy task, no matter who’s in city hall—”
“Really? Because the opposition, Mr. Lightman, promised that if he’s voted in for the next mayoral election, he’ll drive the bikers out of our city. He’ll increase the police presence on the streets and bring down the law on these criminal organizations.”
Vane laughed, and I winced at how annoyed he sounded. “Mr. Lightman is living in a fantasy land. You must remember, Mr. Roberts, that we have budgets and limitations, and pushing at these motorcycle clubs could have dire consequences. Not to mention, their mere presence isn’t technically illegal. The last thing Mayor Midberry and I want is for innocent people to be hurt. We are working to secure a safe city for our people, but it’s not a fix that can be done overnight. It takes time. Mr. Lightman wants you to believe it’s easy when it’s not.”
“Are you calling him a liar?” Roberts narrowed a thoughtful stare on me but kept his camera on Vane. I had a feeling it would turn to me again soon, though.
“No, but I believe he may be a little naïve, seeing as he’s never had any role of leadership in the city. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a date.” Vane tried to move around Roberts, clasping my hand firmly in his, but Roberts sidestepped and blocked us again, turning that pesky phone toward me.
“And you’re gay. Is this your lover? He looks like one of those Courtesan whores.”
I forced myself to smile, but Vane grabbed Roberts’ arm, shoving the camera away from me. The phone went flying out of Roberts’ hand, and my eyes widened as it clattered against the cement sidewalk. I’d seen enough celeb stories to know that wasn’t a good thing, but when Roberts went flailing after his phone, Vane tugged me hard. All I could do was let him drag me away from the cursing reporter who promised his revenge while he whimpered about the cracked screen of his phone.
“Daddy, you can’t break his phone like that. He can sue you and smear your reputation in his articles,” I said in a rush as my legs burned in an attempt to keep up with his fast pace.
“He cantry.” Vane threw a glare over his shoulder at Roberts and tugged me down an alleyway. I followed him, not able to do much else as he led me past dumpsters that smelled like two-week-old garbage and the backdoors of shops until we reached the street behind.
“How romantic,” I mumbled, unable to stop myself from chuckling.
This was the first time I’d seen Vane look rattled and annoyed, and a part of me was thrilled at the idea that it was because someone had insulted me. He dragged me to the side of the street and raised his hand, and a taxi pulled in beside us. We hopped into the back and the driver gave us a look in the rearview mirror.
“1235 Maple Street, please. It’s a café called Cakealicious,” Vane said, and the driver nodded and directed the car back out into traffic. There weren’t many cars this time of night, or at least not as much as usual.
