Chapter Twenty-Six
Jaxon
“God, I will be so happy when this election is finished,” I groaned and rubbed my eyes. “I’m so damn behind on cases it’s ridiculous.”
I hadn’t made it to the office until late in the afternoon.
It might be Sunday, but I had a trial later in the week, and consequently, tons of paper work to review.
Crime didn’t take a vacation because I had a campaign to run.
We had several assaults, a knife fight, and a drunken brawl after a minor league ball game.
I’d spoken to Maureen, the weekend receptionist, and poked my head into the offices of the ADA on call for the weekend.
Martin, bless his heart, had offered to come in and brief me on what I’d missed.
“Lila has been staying late. She, Mario, Shane, and the others, along with yours truly, pooled our resources to keep up with the filings and everything else that’s time-sensitive. You’re fine.”
My faithful paralegal and the two best ADAs on my staff. People I could count on. I might not have a family based on blood, but my work one always had my back.
“I have a great staff. What can I say?” I grimaced at the cold coffee in the cup and set it aside. My stomach had gone through the wringer from all the fund raising meals. All I wanted was a burger from Sweeny’s and a quiet night with Theo.
He smirked. “We are pretty fabulous.”
“And I appreciate you working over the weekend. You didn’t have to.”
“Of course we did.” Martin rarely lost his temper, but his eyes were flashing fire. “You can’t let that bastard Winston win by digging up crap on you. He knows he can’t win on the legal front, and God knows you’re a fucking movie star compared to him—”
“I think there’s a compliment in there somewhere.” I chuckled, and then as Martin’s words sank in, my temper flared. “And what the fuck are you talking about, ‘digging up crap’?”
Martin drew up a chair by my desk and sat. “Some reporter came by this morning, asking questions about your relationship with Theo.”
“Meaning what?”
“He insinuated that your relationship was fake. For the campaign only.”
“Why the hell would he say that? We’re living together, for God’s sake.” I shoved my keyboard out of the way and propped my elbows on the desk.
“He kept questioning me about that conference you spoke at. That one at the hotel right before you and Theo started dating?”
I remembered. That night had become the catalyst for the two most important events that had transpired afterward—my run for judgeship and my relationship with Theo. Changes I’d never seen coming.
“Yeah, I know which one. What did he want to know?”
“Why Theo was there, but you didn’t speak, and why you left the bar with Craig Millman and went upstairs, presumably to your room.”
This was getting nastier than I’d imagined. “What did you say?”
Martin wrinkled his nose, as if he’d smelled something foul. “I told him the District Attorney’s office doesn’t respond to rumor, innuendo, or gossip, and that they should be concentrating on the facts.”
But they wouldn’t, because possible scandal was sexier, more titillating. I shrugged. “Screw ’em. Nothing happened with Craig, and I think I’ve already explained the situation between Theo and myself at that time. They’re trying to stir the pot. Ignore it.”
We worked until I was satisfied I’d caught up on whatever I hadn’t gotten to, and I sent Martin home. I yawned. Another hour and I’d be done.
“Ready for an early night, Jaxon?”
ADA Mario Albertson stood at my door. A hire straight out of law school this past year, he’d impressed me with his tenacious work ethic—the kid was always in the office, head either in a case file or a lawbook.
“You know it. How about you?”
“I’ve been at it since seven this morning. I’m ready to go home.”
“Seven? You trying to show me up?” I joked, and Mario joined me.
“Well, the Malone trial is in two weeks, and I want to be ready.”
“Malone. That’s the illegal weapons charge?”
He nodded. “And searching the house, they discovered drugs.”
I sighed. “Of course. The two go hand in hand these days. I’m sure you’ve got it covered.”
“Just making sure.” He hesitated. “Can I ask you something?”
Sensing a problem, I pointed to the chair. “Sure, sit a moment.” He did as told but seemed fidgety. “Is everything okay? What’s up?”
“When you win the election—”
“If, please. Don’t jinx it.” This time, I laughed, but he didn’t join in. I knew he was more serious than most young guys his age, but this looked important. “Hey, Mario. What’s wrong?”
“I-I just want to make sure that if you do leave, the office will remain queer-friendly to hiring staff. I knew from the time I started law school that I wanted to work here with you because you’re queer.
” He cast his gaze downward for a second before meeting my eyes.
“I feel safe here. Like I finally found a place where I belong and can be myself.”
I’d been thinking so much about my future, I’d forgotten that my decisions affected other people who depended on me. I was once Mario—fearful and unsure of acceptance—and I was now in the position to be that mentor.
“I promise you will always have a direct line to me. Whoever steps into this position won’t deviate from our mission here.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I’d be leaving midterm, so I’d get to appoint my successor, and you better believe that whoever it is, they’ll follow my footsteps when it comes to the way we run this office—with fairness and equality for everyone.”
Relieved, Mario brightened. “Thank you. I hope you don’t think I’m overstepping. I love this job. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
“I think you have an amazing future. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be sitting in this chair.”
“I need a lot more experience,” Mario said, wide-eyed, but I could see my words inspired him.
“You and Shane are my top people. I’d trust either of you to run this office. Remember, the path toward the future isn’t always straight. You’re young, hungry, and smart—a killer trifecta. Good things are coming your way.”
“Thanks, Jaxon. That means so much to me. I won’t let you or the office down.”
“I know. You couldn’t.”
“I’d better get going. I promised my mom I’d be home to help her with dinner.” He loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
I smiled. “Go on, get out of here. I’m leaving in a minute as well.”
Speaking to Mario about his life path made me reflect on my own, starting with a broken childhood, a wild college life, and a decision in law school that led to a mistake that had almost torpedoed my career. I sure as hell wasn’t the poster boy for the straight and narrow.
A chuckle escaped me, thinking of where I was now. How did I manage to end up with a man so gentle and soft-hearted he refused to allow me to kill the spider that had found its way inside the house to spin a web by the fireplace?
As much as it gave me the ick, Theo’s sweet kisses made me forget what might be caught in those silken strands. He had me tangled up in his own personal web of desire, and I was his willing victim.
At that, I remembered he hadn’t called or texted me all afternoon, so I collected my phone to check on him before I headed over to Sweeny’s.
“Excuse me, Mr. Polaris?”
A young man waited at my doorway.
“Can I help you?”
“My name’s Jon. I work for my law school’s newspaper and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind answering some questions.”
All I wanted was to leave the office and be with Theo, but obviously fate had other plans. I gestured to the small conference table. “Of course. Sit.”
He sat across from me and set up a tablet with a keyboard.
“You don’t mind if I take notes as you speak?
“No, of course not. Now, what would you like to know?”
“Okay. When did you know that you wanted to be a lawyer and why?”
Surprisingly, it wasn’t a question I was asked too often.
“I was a sophomore in high school and my poli sci class was allowed to watch a murder trial. The prosecutor was so badass—polished and well-spoken—it got me thinking that I’d like to be like him.
Knowing I’d need a scholarship to college if I wanted to become a lawyer, I kept my nose clean, buckled down, and studied hard. ”
Jon took notes and grinned at me over the tablet’s screen. “So you were a bit of a wild child?”
A smile tipped up one side of my mouth. “Well, who in high school doesn’t go a little wild?”
“Mm. Do you think the fact that you lived in an unconventional home had anything to do with it?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Jon rushed to reassure me. “Just that you were raised by a single mom, so it couldn’t have been easy. And she wasn’t around much, from what you’ve said in interviews.”
“I prefer not to talk about my childhood,” I responded quietly.
“Oh sure, sure. I understand,” Jon assured me. “Now, by the time you went to college, had you come out yet?”
Glad that he’d moved on, I ran my hands through my hair.
“Yes, but not at home. It was only my grandmother, and she wouldn’t have been accepting.
Once I went away to college, I joined the gay students’ clubs as my way of coming out.
I think a lot of us queer kids were exploring our sexuality at that time. ”
“Including you? How did you go about that? I think the queer youth of today would appreciate having someone in a position of power be forthright and honest with them. It will go far in getting them to come out and vote.”
Hmmm. He might be right. Blair and I had talked about how much I needed the youth vote to show up for my candidacy.
“I think…” I started, choosing my words carefully. “If your sexuality is repressed all your life and you become free to explore, you tend to—”
“Overcompensate?” Jon offered. “Let chaos reign?”
I laughed. “Not my words, but I did have quite a few dates. I soon realized I had to put sex on the sidelines and sit my butt in the library. I studied my ass off for the LSATs, got a perfect score, and graduated top of my class. Got that scholarship to law school and kept my eye on the prize.”
“Which was what? Professor Gunther?” Jon gazed at me, looking wide-eyed and innocent while my stomach cramped.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, he’s resigned as professor, and the rumors were that he was having sex with students. You were one of the hand-picked stars who worked with him in your third year, weren’t you?”
Canny-eyed Jon no longer seemed as friendly as he did at the beginning of the interview, and I began to regret inviting him in. Blair was going to have a fit when I told him what I’d done. He’d warned me never to do anything off the cuff, and now I understood why.
“I’m not liking your insinuations.” Proud that I’d kept my temper in check, I picked up my phone.
“I’m sorry, but I have somewhere to be, so we’ll have to pick this up another day.
You can call my campaign manager, Blair Harmon, to reschedule.
” I recited his number and rose to my feet, indicating the interview was over.
“It’s fine.” Jon shut the tablet and slipped it into his bag. “I’ve got everything I need.”
I ushered him out and into the elevator, waiting for the doors to close; then I dialed Blair’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“What’s up?”
I told him what happened, and his silence lasted so long I thought we’d been disconnected.
“Blair? You still there?”
“Yeeaahhh.” His long, drawn-out sigh clued me in to how badly I’d fucked up. “I’m just trying to figure out who this person really was.”
Puzzled, I leaned against the wall. “What do you mean? He works for some law school newspaper.”
Blair snorted. “The hell he does. More likely he was sent by Winston’s people, or he works for some local paper’s political desk.
Either way, I have some contacts I’ll get in touch with and do a little digging.
” He paused. “Don’t do this again, please.
The next time someone approaches you for an interview, simply tell them to contact me and I’ll vet them. ”
Chastened, I huffed. “Yeah, I will. It was pretty foolish of me.”
“Don’t worry too much about it. I’ve handled much worse. Now let me go see if there’s any buzz about this. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll be with Theo at the bar if you need me.”
He ended the call, and I left the office. Blair had seemed annoyed but not overly concerned. He was a whiz at putting out fires.
“I’m probably worried for nothing.”