Page 57 of The Senator

“Stigma? The stigma of finding a handsome man and falling in love? There's no stigma to that. Goddammit, Nash. I need you. I’ll accept all your secrets and mistakes and successes, and I want you to do the same for me. I was a US Senator. Do you think I don’t have skeletons in my closet? Please don’t walk away from me.” Now I was begging, but what the hell else could I do?

I’d crawl across broken glass to keep Nash Lincoln. He was the key to my future, and I was sure of it.

CHAPTER 25

NASH

As much as I believed it was best if I walked away from Spencer Brady, I was struggling not to cave when he begged me not to leave. “I don’t want to be a problem for you, Spencer. It’s not like I’m not known around town. I can’t get a fucking job because I have no skills. I’m a whore, and that’s all I’ll ever be.”

Spencer got up from the bed and stepped in front of me to stop my pacing. He took my face in his hands. “No. No you’re not, Nash. You’re a beautiful person who was trying to get by the best way he could. Sex work is nothing to be ashamed of. You had a good that was highly marketable, and you sold it. Hell, I was no different in my job as a senator. Your business with Caroline Bering-Turner was the same shit I was dealing with on Capitol Hill when it came to her husband. I had a vote that he wanted desperately, and I used it to get what I wanted from him. Please don’t walk away from me because of what I did.” My chest pounded at his heartfelt plea.

“You have a chance at a new life, Spence. You have a family who loves you, and a real opportunity to make something great working for Sean Fitzpatrick.”

“None of that matters if you leave me. I love you.” He was so fucking sincere I wanted to drop to my knees in front of him because I worshiped the ground where he stood. I’d never loved another person the way I loved Spencer Brady.

There was a knock on the door, which brought our conversation to a halt. “Jay heard us having sex this morning. I hope he’s not hearing this conversation.”

Spence opened the door to reveal Vanessa standing there in her robe. She came inside and closed the door.

“I’m here on behalf of Jay and Cole. Can you two keep it down? What’s going on? You’re obviously not in the throes of passion.” She had a smirk on her face.

I ran my hands through my hair because it was too damn surreal. Why the fuck couldn’t I find a regular guy to fall in love with?

“I wish to hell that’s what’s going on. Now, I’m begging Nash not to leave me. Ron and Hillary are the ones who had me outed. They funded the whole thing. Nash, show her what you showed me.”

I pulled up the documents Pacman had sent me and handed the phone to Vani. She flipped through the charts and when she landed on the most telling, I thought she was going to throw the phone. Considering I was giving Spencer back the Christmas gifts he’d given me—except the nice robe because that would always remind me of him—I had to snatch the phone away from Vani.

“That’s fucking twisted, Spencer. I knew they were bottom-feeders, but this is low, even for them.” She pulled him to sit on the side of the bed with her.

I went into the closet and grabbed the first shirt I found, which happened to be his, and I left the room. It was yet another example of me not fitting into their close-knit lives. They would never be able to let each other go. I could see it clearly, even if they couldn’t.

“Hey, sorry for ratting you guys out last night. Did she put you in a time out?” I opened my eyes to see Jay standing by the couch in the den where I’d fallen asleep. My neck was killing me because of the odd angle.

I sat up, placing my feet on the floor, and gently rolled my head until I heard the expected pop. “It wasn’t what you think it was. You’ll need to talk to your folks about it.”

Before I’d dozed off, I’d made up my mind to call Caroline Bering-Turner to see if I could get a referral from her to another escort business. I’d decided maybe Atlanta was a good place to start over, and considering Caroline had contacts everywhere, I hoped she’d help me out.

“Jay, Dad wants to talk to you. Where’s Cole?” Vani stepped into the room, her eyes red and swollen.

Jay turned to her. “Damn, Mom. You look like hell.”

The lifted eyebrow she gave him made me grin. “Where’s Cole?” She meant business, that was for sure.

“He’s in the shower. What’s going on?” He glanced in my direction, but I wasn’t saying anything. It wasn’t my news to share.

“Your grandparents were behind my public outing. They gave money to Blaire and Mitch Flora to get evidence that I was gay, and then they leaked it to the press.” I glanced toward the door to see Spencer had walked into the room.

He sat down next to me on the couch. “Why didn’t you come back to our room? This affects you too.”

“I’m going to Atlanta. You deserve a fresh start, and you can’t have it with me as a millstone around your neck.” I stood and left the room without waiting for comments.

I went to the bedroom and placed the Christmas gifts Spence and the family had given me on the dresser. I emptied the dresser of my clothes and shoved everything into my duffel. I dressed and went to the ensuite to get my toiletries.

Once I had everything, I grabbed my coat. I’d given no thought to where I would go, but there was an all-night diner two miles away. It would be a cold walk, but it was best for everyone involved.

I opened the bedroom door and listened, hearing Jay, Vani, and Spencer down the hall having a heated discussion, so I put on my coat and grabbed my bag and shoes. I quietly walked down the stairs and stopped at the door to slip on my boots.

“Where are you sneaking off to?” Spencer’s voice didn’t sound happy.

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