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I nod, squinting off into the distance. “All of a sudden, things just mattered less because no one was going to count how many times I missed services. My parents decided that James had a much better shot at being elected, although he was not married. And I was sort of shoved aside.” I screw my face up. “Luckily, my grandfather, that is my mother’s father, passed NewsCorp on to me.”
I glance down at my hands again, nodding slightly.
“It sounds like a lot of changes in a very short time.”
Glancing up at Ella, I find her expression kind, but otherwise unreadable.
“Yeah. I feel a tremendous responsibility to my grandfather. When I took the reins of the media empire, I worked like a dog to ensure that the companies made at least what they made when he ran things. Everybody in the family makes their money from the board of directors or company stock. So there were a lot of voices, a lot of very wealthy people to please.”
Ella tilts her head. “It sounds like you have grown the company, though. Right?”
I give a low chuckle. “Aye. But it took a lot of blood and sweat and long nights. The first three years I had the reins, I worked all fucking day and most nights.”
“I’m having trouble imagining the alternate reality. You know, the one where your brother ran the family business and you ran for office instead.”
I shrug. “I didn’t have much of a choice either way. But I think that I’m more content with things as they are. Plus, I don’t know if Granddad would have passed the family business down if James was in charge.” I heave a sigh. “There was talk of it being passed to my friend Deacon instead.”
“Wait, what now?”
I nod. “Deacon Masters. He’s running a multinational law firm now, based out of Los Angeles. But when I was a boy, his family was best friends with mine. We were childhood best friends.” I smile. “He’s a fucking workaholic. And a player, too.”
“He must be something for you to talk about him like he’s a god or something.”
I roll my eyes. “Deacon is really something, all right.”
She scrunches up half her face, looking thoughtful. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Isn’t that what we are doing right now?”
She sticks her tongue out at me.
“I’m serious. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but… do you think that James will make a good prime minister? He’s kind of… I guess childish, sometimes.”
A guffaw escapes my throat and I don’t even try to disguise it.
“Fuck!” I say, laughing. “That’s awfully blunt. But… my answer is, yes and no. Yes, he is amazingly good at being engaging and disarming and even deceptive when he wants to be. But no, I don’t think that he’s ready at all.” I straighten my tie, my lips curling. “My opinions on the matter are not welcome. My parents keep explaining my objections away as me being jealous.”
Ella chews her bottom lip, those brown eyes burning into my soul. “What if you didn’t back him?”
“That’s… not even a real possibility. For a variety of reasons. To start with, it would give my Mum an apoplectic fit. And my Dad would probably have a stroke from the stress. So…” I gesture, sweeping my hand. “It’s not really worth considering.”
She rolls a shoulder, a half shrug.
“It was just a question.” She stands up, brushing off the back of her dress. My eyes catch on what I am sure is the hint of a thong as she lifts and plucks at the back of her short cotton skirt.
Suddenly, my brain switches modes. I’m hungry for touch. Specifically, for her touch, for the inhale of her breath, for the feeling of her small body pressed against mine.
Luckily, an idea pops into my head. “Come on.”
I shade my eyes as I head around the building.
“Where are we going?” Ella asks. I am not looking at her but I can hear the frown in her voice.
“I’ve been to this museum half a dozen times already. The next room takes about twenty minutes. And then they head into a projection room where a film reel is shown for another thirty. We’ve still got time.”
I come around the building to a small courtyard with a small hedge maze. At the center of a couple of rows of tall greenery, there is a statue of a mostly nude man. Beside the statue is a bench that I sat on during a previous visit.
Mostly, I enjoy that the statue is completely private and the bench was vacant both times I’ve sought it out.
