The Privileged and the Damned

by Kimberly Lang

  This was inviting disaster. “Ethan, I appreciate the invitation, but I can’t.”

  “You have other plans?”

  “No,” she admitted.

  “Then, please? We won’t stay all night—just a couple of hours.”

  She was so torn. And not just because Ethan looked so adorable, either. Going to a fancy D.C. fundraising party was definitely crossing into Cinderella territory, and what girl didn’t want to be Cinderella for one night? But she could make a huge fool of herself in front of all those important people, and that would embarrass Ethan and the entire Marshall family as well. She sighed. “So that’s an appropriate dress?”

  Ethan grinned at her indirect answer. “Dresses, plural. I’ve never done the fairy godmother thing before, so I called my cousin and had her pick a few options. You can wear whichever one you like best.”

  “What if they don’t fit?”

  “They will.” He seemed so sure that Lily didn’t doubt they would.

  There were so many ways this could go horribly wrong. There was also a pretty good chance she or Ethan would really come to regret this. But she knew she’d regret it if she didn’t go. She had enough regrets for the things she’d done. She didn’t want any for the things she hadn’t.

  “What time should I be ready?”

  “Fundraiser” was really a misnomer. If people really only wanted to support a candidate or platform they believed in, they could simply send a check. The purpose of a fundraiser wasn’t to raise funds; it was to provide access for the donors, give them face-time to explain what they actually expected in return for their money. It was the oldest game in D.C., and Ethan didn’t like to play it.

  That was partly the reason he’d asked Lily to come. Escorting her gave him something to do—a reason to mingle away from those he didn’t really want to mingle with. And she seemed to be having a good time. Her knowledge and love of horses had given her common ground with several people, and she was currently deep in conversation with two women her own age.

  Of course Lily didn’t know yet that one of them was the Vice-President’s niece…

  Brady came to stand beside him. Brady had been working the room when he arrived, so beyond a general greeting they hadn’t had a chance to talk. “You brought Lily?”

  “You already know the answer to that question. Is that a problem?”

  “Not if you don’t mind that the whole room is now buzzing with the news you’re sleeping with one of the stablegirls.”

  “I simply brought a friend to an event. So what if she works for the Grands? Spin it properly, and suddenly we’re ‘in touch with the common man.’”

  “The ‘in touch’ part is what I’m worried about. Surely you know how many promising careers have been killed by improper sexual relations with employees?”

  Ethan laughed. “One, I don’t want a political career, and two, she’s not my employee.”

  “Splitting hairs is my job.”

  “As is overreacting, it seems.”

  Brady sighed. “Someone has to look at the bigger picture.”

  Not that again. “There is no picture, big or small. There’s nothing to see here, and it’s really no one else’s business. End of story.”

  “You should know by now that’s never the end of the story.”

  Good Lord. Brady had been sucked deep into the political machine. “You really need to get out of D.C., Bray. You’re getting paranoid.”

  Brady shook his head. “It’s not paranoia if they really are out to get you. This is politics. You know that.”

  This was a case in point why it sucked to be from a political family. The press believed everything was newsworthy and campaign fodder. “No, this is not politics. This is a private relationship between two consenting adults. The only person who might be allowed to get their panties in a twist is Nana, and that’s only because she’s Nana.”

  Brady took another sip of his drink. “Nana knows that best-case scenario is that we lose a good employee when it’s all over.”

  “And worst-case?”

  “I refuse to believe you’re that naïve, Ethan. And if you are, five minutes of any cable news network should burst your bubble.”

  Brady had a point; he was blowing it all out of proportion, but it was a valid point. “There’s so much going on with this campaign I don’t think Lily and I will even pop on the radar.”

  “And you’re absolutely sure Lily wants you only for your strong chin and sweet words?”

  “What? You think I can’t impress a woman on just my own merits?”

  “Your ‘merits’ also include a sizable fortune and a powerful family. Hers don’t.”

  Ethan shook his head. “When did you become such a classist snob?”

  “It’s not snobbery. When you date—”

  “We’re not sixteen, Bray. It’s not dating.”

  “Whatever you’re doing, when you do it outside your social circle you run the risk of gold-diggers and social climbers. Not to mention tabloid coverage and potential lawsuits… It’s a sad fact of life, but it’s the number one reason why you don’t get physically involved with random employees or people not in your same tax bracket. These things can come back to bite you on the ass.”

  “That’s not untrue,” Ethan conceded. “But, as you said, I’m not that naïve. I’m also not so naïve that I don’t see Nana all over this conversation. She set you on me, didn’t she?” He’d seen the look on Nana’s face earlier.

  Brady didn’t even try to deny it. “There’s a lot more here to consider than just your love-life. You have responsibilities, and—”

  “Spare me, Bray. I wasn’t born yesterday. I fully understand where Nana—via you—is coming from. But you’re jumping way ahead here.”

  “If you say so.” Brady was a master of the scoff.

  “I do. Lily and I are… Well, we’re…”

  “Oh, that’s illuminating. I’m sure the press will quote you verbatim and the whole thing will blow right over.”

  “There’s no need for sarcasm. It is what it is. Nothing more.”

  Brady met his eyes evenly. “Is Lily aware of that?”

  “Yes.”

  “And this is not part of some plan to get a jab in at Dad?”

  “I don’t know. Is it working?”

  “Be serious, Ethan.”

  “I can seriously tell you that Dad has nothing to do with any decision I made tonight. Or any decision I ever make, for that matter. I’m here because the Grands want me here. I brought Lily because I wanted to. I’ll smile if the photo op appears, but you’ll notice I’ve stayed on this side of the room.”

  “So has everyone else.”

  Ethan froze at the new voice and his fingers tightened around his glass. Mindful of Granddad’s lecture, Ethan forced his face into a neutral smile for the sake of their audience, and greeted his father with a nod.

  Douglas Marshall’s hair was slightly darker, and streaked with gray, but Ethan felt like he was looking at himself twenty-five years from now. That didn’t help his mood any. “You have a lot of people here you need to speak to. There’s no need for me to take up any of that time.”

  “Just showing up isn’t enough, Ethan.”

  “Oh, I’m very aware of that, and I’ve gone above and beyond to make sure I’ve spoken to all the right people. I’ve done my duty by my family.”

  His father bristled slightly at the insult. “I expected better from you.”

  “Why? I’m just following your example.”

  Douglas sucked in his breath, puffing up indignantly, and Brady stepped between them. “Don’t start this here. Remember that you have an audience.”

  Ethan forced his shoulders down. “Of course. Don’t want to cause embarrassment for the family.”

  “It’s a little late for that, Ethan.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Your date. What did you think you’d accomplish by bringing her?” The disdain in his voice wasn’t just about Lily, Ethan knew,
but it had him seeing red anyway.

  Ever the diplomat, Brady put his hand on Douglas’s shoulder. “Lily’s a lovely girl—very bright and interested in politics. I’m sure Ethan thought she’d enjoy seeing behind the scenes a little.”

  “No, I brought Lily because I wanted to. The fact it pisses you off is just a bonus.”

  “If you wanted to embarrass me by grabbing the tabloid headlines with your current flavor-of-the-week, you could have at least have found someone more appropriate, instead of some low-class—”

  Brady cleared his throat sharply, cutting Douglas off. Ethan followed Brady’s stare to see Lily standing a few feet away, her face pale. Under the gaze of all three men, a flush began to rise up her neck. She’d heard his father’s braying.

  Damn it. “Nice move, Senator. I think you just lost a couple of votes.” He pushed past Brady and grabbed Lily’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “I— It’s all right.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  “You can’t just leave.”

  Damn straight he could. But hauling Lily out of here would only embarrass her more. “You’re obviously not feeling well, so let’s get you out of here.” He looked at Brady, who nodded. Brady would handle it, making sure everyone got the official story of Lily’s sudden illness.

  His father just shrugged and walked away. Not that Ethan expected anything different.

  The valet went to fetch his car as Ethan seethed and Lily looked uncomfortable. Unfortunately his condo still wasn’t ready for habitation, so he had no choice but to make the drive back out to Hill Chase.

  In the privacy of the car, he took Lily’s hand. “I’m very sorry about that.”

  “Don’t apologize. It’s not untrue, or anything I’m not already aware of. I appreciate you taking me to night, and all things considered I’m still not sorry I went.” She smiled weakly. “But we both know I didn’t belong there.”

  “That wasn’t actually about you at all. That was my father taking cheap shots at me. You were just a handy weapon.”

  Lily nodded and was quiet. As the lights of D.C. faded behind them, she looked out the window and chewed on her lip. “My father’s not a nice person either. At all.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, and the words carried a heavy weight that hinted there was a lot more to that story. And that it was a painful story. “That’s why I don’t talk about him much. He’s also part of the reason I left Mississippi.”

  No wonder she’d shut down and gotten angry when he asked her even simple questions about her past.

  “I got away from it, though—came here and started over. I hate it because you can’t do that. You can’t get away from it. It’s unfair.” She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. “Some people just suck, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

  His family was full of PhDs and MDs and every other degree available from the finest schools, and none of them got it. But Lily did. She didn’t even know the full story and she got it. And she didn’t try to analyze it or gloss it over with platitudes or flippant advice.

  Ethan slammed on the brakes and pulled to the shoulder.

  Surprised, Lily looked around. “What’s wrong? Is everything—”

  That was as far as she got before he stopped her words with a kiss.

  “What was that for?” she asked with a small smile, several minutes later.

  “Because people suck.”

  “Not all of them. Just some of them.” She put a hand on his cheek. “You don’t suck.”

  That felt like really high praise.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ETHAN’S condo was finished five days later. Ethan would be moving back to the city today. Lily had known it was coming, but general denial had been an easier route. Oh, Ethan hadn’t said anything about the change in their situation, but Lily knew the happy interlude was coming to an end. Ethan had a life in D.C., an office that really needed him there more than just part-time… His visits to Hill Chase would be regulated back to the weekends.

  Honestly, when she looked at their relationship critically it was really one built on convenience more than anything else.

  Once she was no longer convenient, though…

  She sighed as she ran the brush over Duke’s shiny black coat. Ethan would find something—or someone—else to occupy his time and attention.

  It just sucked. And it hurt a little too. But she was a big girl; she’d handled far worse than this and survived. She just needed to be happy she’d had the experience at all.

  “There you are.”

  Lily jumped at the sound of Ethan’s voice and nearly dropped the brush. He entered the stall, and in that relative privacy gave her a quick kiss.

  “I’m about to head out.”

  What to say? “Drive carefully.”

  Ethan looked at her strangely, then shook his head. “I’m going to be covered up in meetings all day tomorrow, so I probably won’t make it out here for Finn’s birthday dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Depending on what time you’re done on Saturday, and what time Finn can get away, you can either ride in with him or drive yourself.”

  Huh? “To where?”

  There was that strange look again. “My place. Finn’s birthday party is Saturday night, remember? The limos will pick us up there.”

  Her insides did a little happy dance. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. I kinda got the days confused.”

  “So I’ll see you Saturday?”

  “Yeah.”

  Ethan gave her another quick kiss. “Bye.” Outside Duke’s stall, he stopped. “Oh, here.” He tossed something at her, and she dropped Duke’s brush to catch it. “What’s this?” Stupid question.

  “It’s a phone. You said you knew how they worked. I assumed you would recognize one.” He grinned. “In respect to your objections, though, it’s very basic—just voice and text. My numbers are programmed in already.”

  A warm glow spread through her insides. “Thanks.”

  “Now I can honestly say I’ll call you later. Bye.”

  He left her standing there in Duke’s stall, savoring that warm, happy feeling, even though she knew it had put a dopey smile on her face. Duke finally butted her to get her attention.

  “Okay, okay.” She put the phone in her pocket and retrieved Duke’s brush. She’d been wrong. It wasn’t the first time, but never had she been so glad to be so wrong.

  At the same time, this meant she and Ethan were moving in to the unfamiliar territory of Something Else. She didn’t know what that something was, but it meant she had to come to a decision. She’d been wrestling with it, but there weren’t a lot of good options. Tell Ethan her whole dirty story and hope he understood? Would he hate her for who she used to be? He would be mad she hadn’t told him already, but would he understand why she hadn’t? Of course until this moment she’d been running on the assumption this wasn’t going to last much longer anyway, so there wasn’t really a reason to dig it up. But now…

  It was a hell of a Catch-22.

  He’d given her a phone. So he could call her.

  As far as gifts went, it wasn’t exactly the kind of present that others would call romantic. Not that she wanted chocolates or flowers. The atypical practicality of it only made it more… She sighed. There was that giddy feeling again. This time, though, there was something else underneath it—an unfamiliar feeling that made her both a little nauseous and slightly wobbly at the same time it made her happy.

  This was new. And scary. And it had Ethan written all over it.

  “Did Lily say how long she’d be?”

  Finn shook his head as he stretched out and propped his feet on Ethan’s new coffee table. “No, just that she was waiting on the vet to look at Biscuit’s leg, and she’d leave as soon as she could.” He paused to take a drink of his beer. “I hear he had a little fit when you showed up at the fundraiser with Lily?”

  Ethan didn’t need to ask who “he” was. “Oh, yeah.”

&nbs
p; Finn smirked. “Good.”

  “You two need to grow up.” Brady came out of the kitchen carrying two beers and handed Ethan one.

  Finn lifted his bottle in a mock toast. “Isn’t that the purpose of birthdays? Proof of growing up?”

  “You are living proof that calendar years mean nothing when it comes to actual maturity.”

  “Maturity has nothing to do with it. I get my kicks where I can.” Finn held up a hand. “And don’t start your ‘greater good’ lecture. I don’t care.”

  Since Brady was obviously about to do just that, Ethan couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I don’t owe that SOB anything. He’s ignored me most of my life, so I’m just returning the favor.”

  “Consider yourself lucky,” Ethan grumbled.

  “I do,” Finn said. “And if Lily irritates him, it just makes me like her all that much more. You know, if it wouldn’t kill the Grands, I’d spill the whole story to anyone who would listen.”

  “And he knows it, too,” Ethan said. “He’s one lucky bastard.”

  “Tempting, though, isn’t it?” Finn asked.

  “But it wouldn’t serve any real purpose,” Brady cautioned. “Twenty-five-year-old gossip makes interesting internet chatter, but it won’t move poll numbers or affect voters. Plenty of people are in unhappy and unfaithful marriages, and they don’t drink themselves to death, so that looks more like Mom’s weakness instead of some thing Dad did. There’s no way to spin that into anything else. He’s a popular politician—outside of this room, at least,” Brady qualified, “and his supporters will attack her. Do you really want that to be how folks remember Mom?”

  Ethan hated it when Brady got all reasonable. Finn stared into his drink.

  But Brady wasn’t done. “And, since we turned out pretty well, folks will assume he has to have done something right in the parenting department.” Brady shrugged. “If you want to go whining to the press about what a horrible childhood you had because of him, that’s all it will look like—poor little rich kids crying about how tough they had it. You won’t find sympathy among the masses because your daddy didn’t love you enough or pay enough attention to you. The backlash will land on you—and us,” he added. “We’re the ones who will have to wade through it over and over again for the rest of our lives. And, as you just said, it will kill the Grands. Do you really want that on your conscience?”