Page 24 of Senator

“Ashu, please. Leave me alone.”

“Don’t call me that. You don’t ever get to call me that again. The nickname is for my lover, and you’re not her. The fact that I popped your cherry means nothing.”

Tara flinched, and her shoulders sagged as her grip on the counter intensified.

“Why would you get Veer to contact me if you can’t stand the sight of me?” Tara asked as she focused on something outside the windows.

Ashur leaned his hip against the counter behind Tara, staring at the back of her head. “Because you owe me.”

“I owe you shit.” Tara’s voice quivered.

Ashur clenched his fists. “What about the rich lover whose family pulled strings to get you into Harvard?”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I earned my place there, just like you did. I was fucking valedictorian.”

“Answer me something, Commander Zain. Did you sleep with your mystery man as payment that first night in Boston or did you wait a whole week out of respect for our relationship?”

Okay, this had gone on long enough. Whatever happened in their past, I couldn’t let Ashur treat Tara like this. She was one of the best people I had ever known.

“I don’t have to defend myself to you. You think everyone is like you. The majority of the world wasn’t blessed to have parents who could buy their way into things. You should talk to your father about what actually happened instead of making accusations without facts.” She took a deep breath and turned, ready to storm out of the room. But she came to an abrupt stop when she saw me.

Her face changed from sadness to emotionless calm. She had it down better than I did. Locking up our feelings was the best way to survive the careers we’d both chosen.

“Ash, leave her alone,” I said. “I could hear you up the stairs.”

“Stay out of this, Jacinta.” He stared at Tara, who held his gaze. “I’m going to get my answers one way or the other. I have too much riding on this.”

“You have no idea what I’ve had to go through or the sacrifices I’ve had to make to reach the position I have. You can pretend to be the victim of my manipulative plans all you want, but you know the truth, and you refuse to admit you got it wrong.

“What could I have expected? You’re just like the man you try so hard not to be like, wanting to use me as a way to achieve your goals. Well, I won’t have it. I’ll never let another Kumar destroy me again. And believe me, if I agreed to your proposal, you would destroy the little part of me that survived your father.”

“So, the answer is no?” Ashur’s voice was cold.

“My answer is hell no. You’re a bastard, Ashur Kumar. I can’t believe I ever thought I loved you.” Tara turned and walked out the door with her head held high.

I waited for the sound of footsteps to quiet and I was sure Tara was at a distance away before turning to Ashur.

“I never thought you’d be the asshole you like the world to believe you are. Tara didn’t deserve what you just said.”

“What do you know about it, Jacinta? I’m not the one juggling two men who love you. When you get your relationships in order, I’ll listen to you. God, I hope you aren’t sleeping with both of them.”

I narrowed my eyes but kept my cool.

“I love you as my own brother, Ashur. And I get you are hurting, but don’t ever take your anger out on me. Whatever happened between the two of you is history, you need to leave it there. Tara is a good person who does the right thing even when it costs her dearly. She isn’t the whore you accused her of being.”

“I don’t know what to believe. Why would my father do this?”

“That man wants to control every aspect of his children’s lives. He lost his hold on Samina when she chose Devin over her inheritance. You were the only one he could still manipulate.”

“No, he is a lot of things but he wouldn’t do that to me. He would never ruin a woman’s reputation like that.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I cocked a hand on my hip. “You know it as well as I do that Minesh Kumar would lie and alter facts to make a situation look the way he wanted. If you hadn’t intervened last year, don’t you think he would have used his connections to make Samina lose the election? Your father is the type of man who would help Decker in his campaign against Samina if it meant he would win his battle against his own children.”

Ashur remained quiet for a few minutes, digesting my words. He closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sky.

My heart ached for him. With the exception of Tara, Ash was the type of man who always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt, even when all evidence said he shouldn’t. For years, Samina had been the same way. It had taken her father kicking her out of the house to make her see what a bastard the man who had raised her was. Now, Ashur was faced with accepting the truth of his father’s nature and the mistakes he’d made with Tara.

“God, I hate that man. All his money and polish, and he destroyed my one chance at happiness.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jacinta. I didn’t think seeing her would bring back so many painful feelings. She’s more beautiful now than she ever was.”

---