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"I see. And how about immigration reform? Environmental causes? Education reform? Have you changed your stance on anything since we last debated?"
"I do not flip-flop. I am on the record on all of those topics."
"Oh yes, I bet you are. How about your support for the LGBT community?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, Jaxson. There’s no room in this country for sinners who choose to flaunt their queer lifestyles. Now, why on earth are you grilling me as if we were in a debate?"
"Oh I don't know,Dad. Maybe because I'm still trying to figure out who I should vote for next year."
That got a spark of agitation from the senator.
"Come sit back down. I'd like to hear more about this girlfriend your mother tells me about."
Jaxson shot his mother daggers. The whole reason he'd come solo today and planned on attending the gala the next night alone was to shield Emma from all of this kind of bullshit. Chase had met his parents enough to know to steer clear.
"You leave Emma out of this. She has nothing to do with this discussion."
"Of course she does. My campaign manager tells me that you settling down with an All-American girl like her would be good for our family image. Of course she needs to come tomorrow night."
Jaxson answered with a belly-roll laugh. "That's a good one. You actually think I'd subject her to the toxic people of DC?" Then it dawned on him to ask. "And what would you know about her anyway?"
His father finished leisurely chewing his bite of salad before answering with force. "I had the FBI run a background check on her and her family, of course."
He didn't know how he got to his father's chair so fast. His body just flew at him in a hazy rage. "How dare you! You so much as say her name in the future and I'll ruin you."
"Relax. You are too stressed out, Jax."
"Say it. You're going to stay away from Emma."
"I'm afraid it's too late for that. I sent Bonnie over to your loft this morning. If I'm not mistaken, they've already hit several boutiques. Bonnie has my gold card. Money is no object. I want her to look her best. Too bad we don't have a few more weeks to have her take a few pounds off."
Jaxson's fist connected with his father's jaw so hard the older man's chair tipped sideways, crashing to the floor and depositing his father onto the priceless Ming dynasty carpet.
"You are a piece of shit, you know that? You may have the rest of the world fooled, but I know the truth. You stay away from Emma. You stay away from Chase. You stay away from me. Got it?"
Several security guards rushed into the room. One went to assist his father up, and the second stepped between the two men, pressing Jaxson back by pushing his chest.
He could hear his mother crying behind him. He hated that he'd upset her, but in the end, her refusal to leave her father would forever hold her hostage to his bullshit.
He was about to turn again to leave when his father was on his feet, approaching him as he rubbed his jaw. Raw fury shone in the elder's eyes as he pressed the security guard aside to stand nose to nose with his son. They were the same height and build, but Jaxson's youth would always give him the edge in a fistfight.
Instead of pounding his son with his fists, his father hit him with threats instead.
"Don't think for one minute that I can't bring your modeling career to a screeching halt. A few phone calls and your life of leisure goes up in smoke, and don't forget it. I am Gregory Davidson." Jaxson always wanted to laugh when his father would announce his name, as if his son might forget it. "Now, this is how it's gonna go. You and your girlfriend are going to follow through on the promise you made me and then you can gallivant off into the sunset. Just stay out of the limelight and don't do anything that would bring negative publicity to my campaign and I couldn't care less if you sit around eating pizzas and fucking like rabbits twenty-four seven."
"You are some piece of work, you know that?" It was in that moment of clarity that Jaxson knew exactly what he needed to do. "Fine, I'll keep my promise. In fact, I'll even bring Emma to the gala for the photo op, but then I'm out of here."
"Fine by me."
The men squared off for several long seconds before Jaxson announced, "It was nice to see you, mother. My compliments to Cook. Let her know I'm sorry I couldn't stay for the next course, but I suddenly lost my appetite. I'll see you tomorrow night."
Jaxson didn't stop until he was seated behind the wheel where he took several cleansing breaths, trying to steady his pulse after the run-in with his father. He was shaking with pent up emotion.
He couldn't wait to get back to the loft and his lovers and best friends. His only shot at normalcy was with Chase and Emma. He hated putting them in danger, but he couldn't sit by idle while his father tried to bamboozle the entire nation.
Chapter 19
"Ican't believehow much money you spent today, Chase. Isn't Jaxson going to be angry?"
