Losing Control(52)

Orphaned boys.

My character was set at the age of fifteen.

I look toward the rear of the room where Ian exited. This Howe thing was personal to him. It wasn’t just about some “friend.” Someone closer to Ian got hurt by Howe. And now he is struggling between his feelings for me and his desire for revenge.

“Some say that the elder Howe’s candidacy rests on Richard keeping his nose clean for the three months until the primary voting is closed. His primary voters want to see an intact family because that’s part of Howe’s platform. In the general election, it won’t matter as much.”

“I don’t see how a cheating scandal is going to make a big difference.”

“It might not to a lot of people, but it would matter to Richard Howe’s father. Ian wants to separate Richard from everyone else.”

I frown. “I’m supposed to attract Howe? I’m too old.”

“You’re with Ian. That’s enough.”

“What do you mean?”

Kaga crosses his arms and stares out the viewing glass. “Rich is intensely jealous of Ian. Believes that Ian is standing in his place in the sun. Whatever Ian has, Rich wants,” he explains. “Ian needs only to show you some attention and Rich will be right over to see if he can peel you away.”

“I don’t get how Rich could possibly lure someone away from Ian,” I grumble.

At this, Kaga shouts out a laugh and drops his arms to his side. “Loyal. I like that. Or deluded.” Sobering, he replies, “Ian wasn’t always this well-situated and Rich comes from an old Dutch family whose roots can be traced back to the Knickerbockers. For some, that’s worth more than all the money in the world.”

“But can’t Ian just ruin him financially? He said that Howe was spending money faster than the Treasury can print it.”

“If Ian ruins Richard financially, all the Howes suffer. Papa Howe believes the mayoral position will right the sinking ship. They’ve poured millions into the campaign and convinced all their wealthy society friends to contribute as well. If Papa Howe doesn’t win, the Howes will have to leave the city. They’ll be disgraced, and it would be easy for Ian to tip that ship over and have it sink like the Titanic.”

“But?” There’s more to this; something Ian doesn’t want to share but Kaga feels compelled to reveal.

He smiles in approval. “But when a ship goes down, a lot of innocents are harmed, and Ian feels strongly only Howe should suffer. Publicizing his indiscretions will humiliate Cecilia, but she’ll divorce him. Once Howe is isolated, Ian can bring all the influence he has to crush Howe. But not until all those bystanders are safe from harm.

In New York society, you can exist if you have either status or money. Lose one and you can still belong. If Howe is ruined financially, it would affect his entire family. They are teetering on the brink of financial insolvency. But if Richard Howe becomes a liability, his family will cut ties with him and he’ll be left without status or money.”

Not yet, Ian had said in the car ride over. He isn’t prepared to take out the bystanders. I could respect that in a weird way.

“Why me? Why not the other women that Malcolm sent?”

“They were too hard. Ian would never have dated them. He’s always had much quieter tastes. Richard would have known right away something was up. But you?” Kaga looks me over. “You’re exactly what Ian’s always wanted.”

I flush profusely at this.

“Ian needs you, and I can tell that asking you to do this for him has been an enormous struggle.”

He needs me.

This thing with Howe isn’t a job; it’s a gift. He’s bought me clothes, upgraded my apartment, and provided for my mother. Not because of any job but because he genuinely cared. And I can do this for him even if he doesn’t want me to.

Straightening my shoulders, I turn to Kaga. “So what do I do?”

With admiration in his eyes, Kaga replies, “Go over to the VIP lounge and have a drink. Rich will inevitably approach as soon as Ian leaves you alone for a moment. Play it by ear from there.”

“How do I act?”

“Be yourself.”



IAN IS STANDING BY THE back door of the club where we first entered.

“He talked you into it?”

I nod.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he warns.

“Like what?”

Turning away, he curses. “I’ve tried to keep the two of you separate in my head. At first, I turned you down because I wanted to sleep with you. Then I convinced myself that I could sleep with you and have you ensnare Howe. Compartmentalize, I told myself.” He shoves an agitated hand through his hair. “Now my Tiny boxes are scattered in every corner of my head. I think of you non-stop. When I get up in the morning, I wonder if you’ll like the smell of the soap I used. When lunch rolls around, I wonder if you’ve eaten enough. By mid-afternoon, I’m so hungry for your body I have to go to the bathroom and stroke myself until I’m spent—only to find that I’m hard thirty minutes later when I think of your pink pussy convulsing under my tongue. But I wanted to delay making love to you until I was completely sure you were with me—mind, body and soul—because yes, Tiny, you are mine. And this isn’t for show.”