Chapter 11
I’ll Stand by You
Sasha Ramirez
Ithrew my napkin on the table and stood towering over the man sitting at my side. The man who’d been leaning too close for comfort since we’d sat down.
“Mr. Walker,” I began with as much ice as I could muster, “you are a cruel, vulgar, horrible person!” He gaped at me, clearly too astonished to reply immediately. I carried on quickly, before he could get his wits about him. “I’ve sat here the whole evening listening to you saying terrible things about the man I care about. I will not tolerate another second of it!” Across the table, I could see Eleanor and Prince – my Alec – staring open-mouthed.
“Sure, I may have had to date men – men likeyou, I’ll add – to pay my bills at one time. But that does not mean you have the right to turn that into a weapon against your son. And I’ll say that again, Mr. Walker. Yourson!” I glanced at him now. He was sitting as still as a statue, his eyes on me.
“My son is an idiot! A lazy reprobate who…” Drew began.
“Your son is the most amazing man I’ve ever met!” I almost yelled at him, feeling tears prickling at his unfairness. “He’s generous, he’s hard-working, and he’s probably the smartest human being I’ve ever encountered!” I wanted to stamp my foot but that may have been too much. Eleanor was speechless, but I had a feeling she was enjoying the show.
“Bullshit!” Drew burst out, his eyes glittering with rage. It was unbelievable that those emerald eyes were so similar to my lover’s and yet so very different. “He’s a fucking degenerate!”
“Really? I’ll tell you who’s a degenerate! You are! You’ve been feeling my thigh since we first sat down, you filthy old man!” I raged. Prince shot furious eyes at his father, who didn’t bother acknowledging him. “And I’ll tell you something else…I’ve met men like you before. Men who are so insecure that they prey on those who care about them to fulfil their black hearts.” I didn’t know where the words were coming from, but they were pouring out like lava.
“Your thigh…?” he spluttered, angling a look at Eleanor, who was openly smirking. She knew exactly what her husband was capable of and was loving watching him squirm.
“Don’t bother denying it,” I interrupted. “You like feeling up young girls. I could be your daughter. Fuck, I bet your daughter is older than I am! But that wouldn’t stop you, would it? Oh no! Because you’re so determined to show your son that your balls are bigger than his, you’ll behave like a pig in front of your own wife! A woman who is too good for you, I might add. Just like your son.” I looked at Eleanor with sympathy, but was pretty sure she could hold her own against this man. In fact, the grin spreading over her face was beginning to reach Cheshire Cat proportions. Prince, on the other hand, still looked shellshocked.
“I don’t know where this is coming from, young woman, but—” he began.
“I’ll tell you where it’s coming from. It’s coming from a place of having enough! Enough of your bad attitude. Enough of people making wrong assumptions. Enough of being bullied! Because that’s what you are, Drew Walker. A bully! A bully who preys on loved ones and young girls.” I was panting with fury and the words I’d just spewed out. As I stared down at that cold, hard face, it occurred to me that many of those words were not just aimed at this man. They were about my own grief. The bullies I’d fought over the years. It was time to fight back.
I looked across the table and attempted a small smile at the silent woman sitting there.
“I’m so sorry, Eleanor,” I said hoarsely, my voice giving out now that the emotion had sapped the strength from it. She shook her head. I turned to Prince, who was beginning to rise from his seat. “I’d like to go.” Without a word, he nodded and stepped away from his chair.
“Darling, I understand completely,” Eleanor replied. The look she aimed at her husband warned of a rocky night ahead for the man. Prince was at my side, handing my purse to me.
“Thank you…Alec,” I said pointedly. I turned and marched to the entrance hall, feeling Drew’s eyes on my shoulders. He still hadn’t moved from his place at the table.
“Thanks for dinner, Mom,” Prince was saying behind me.
“That’s quite alright, darling,” she murmured. “We know how he can be. I’m sorry she had to see that, though. Be sure you bring her back soon. I’ll keep him under control.” Prince chuckled, and then I felt his hand at my back as he guided me to the stairs.
“Goodbye, Sasha,” Eleanor said as I turned to say farewell. I was suddenly mortified at my outburst. “It was an absolute treat to meet you, darling. You’re going to fit right into our family.” She winked. “I mean that sincerely.” I nodded again, still not trusting my voice.
By the time we were back in the car and moving off down the wide drive out of the estate, adrenalin was still buzzing through my veins.
“You okay?” Prince asked, taking my hand in his and setting it on his thigh. I was sure my fingers were icy to the touch.
“Yes,” I managed to get out. As the anger ebbed, panic replaced it.What have I done?I’d just been introduced to one of the most powerful men in the city, the father of my fiancé, and I’d screamed insults at him.
“You were fucking incredible back there,” he said softly, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of us. I looked at him in surprise.
“You’re not upset with me?”
“Oh, Sweetness, I couldn’t be prouder.” He dropped his hand over mine and squeezed gently. We drove in silence for a time, lost in our thoughts, and then he went on. “Nobody’s ever stood up for me like that before.” I felt my brow furrow. “Not even my mother,” he added.
That surprised me even more. “But she…she obviously loves you.”
“Sure she does,” he agreed. “But I guess she’s always assumed we’d settle our differences on our own.”
I gave a small snort. “He’s not the kind of man who’d ever do that,” I said. I’d barely spent an hour with the man, and I knew that much.
