It’s Sabrina. I recognize that voice, even though right now she sounds less like a political shark and more like a petulant child.
“You were never getting married,” Erin says.
“It’s been the plan since I was a child. He’s mine.”
“That was a fantasy you concocted in your pretty little head,” Erin says. “And I’m beyond sick of catering to it.”
“Who asked you to cater to anything?” Sabrina says. I peek through the crack in the door and can see one side of Sabrina’s face. She looks pissed. Like, scary, she-devil pissed. “You want me to let the press in on the truth about that video?”
“I’m done letting you manipulate me with that threat, Sabrina. You got what you wanted. We leaked the tape, cut the footage of your mother’s face, and made it look like it was you. If you tell the world that now, I’ll let them know where it came from to begin with. You’re the one who will look like the fool. And God help you if your mother found out.”
“It will still destroy her.” Her voice shakes.
“I’m not convinced there’s any path but destruction for anyone tied to you.”
Sabrina sighs heavily. “I won’t say anything about the video. Don’t worry. I have other plans.”
“Please don’t tell me. Plausible deniability and all that.”
“If it weren’t for Liz, I know this would have worked. He’s addicted to her. It’s ridiculous. What does she have that I don’t?”
“A soul?” Erin says, but instead of snapping, Sabrina just laughs. “Whatever your plan is, understand that you can’t win the heart of a man who hates you.”
“He doesn’t hate me. He has no idea what I’ve done.”
“Soon enough, he’ll find out you were behind paying Asia off. He’ll find out that Connor was working as your little errand boy. You think he’s going to want to marry you then?”
Sabrina slams her hands onto her desk. “What was I supposed to do? Let her move in with him and raise the baby like a happy little family? He’s supposed to be mine. And he’d be lucky to have me.”
“You think so? You, the woman who slipped him a roofie in New York? You drugged him, and you’re lucky the press couldn’t tell. I’m just glad I showed up when I did. I shudder to think what you had planned for when you got him back to your room. They call that rape, Sabrina, and I never thought of you as a rapist.”
I throw my hand over my mouth to cover my gasp. That’s why Sam can’t remember.
“I am not. You saw him that night. He was all over me until you got there and pulled us apart.”
“You drugged him.”
“He was mine,” she growls.
“Well, I think you’ve screwed the pooch on that one,” Erin says.
“You underestimate me. I always win.”
* * *
Sam
“There you are!”
The bartender hands me my beer, and I take a long pull as I turn to the person tugging on my sleeve.
I nearly cough the liquid up when I see that it’s Liz. “I’ve been looking for you,” I say quietly. I scan the crowd quickly, looking for Sabrina, who’d flip to see me talking to Liz. It seems like everyone is here tonight—my father, Della, Connor, and all of Guy’s volunteers and staffers. Sabrina thinks I’m here for her, but the truth is I’m done letting her hold my balls in a vise. It ends tonight.
“We need to talk,” Liz says.
“Yes.” It’s hard to speak. I just want to hold her. God, everything is so fucked up. “I’m going to do it tonight.”
“Do what?” Her brow creases in confusion.
“I’m going to tell everyone that Sabrina and I aren’t getting married,” I say softly. “Because I’m in love with someone else.”
Her lips part and she squeezes her eyes shut. “Shit. You can’t do that. She’s too dangerous.”
“I know. She threatened to leak the transcripts of you and Riverrat to the press. I’ve been trying to protect you, but I think I’ve figured out a way to protect you from that and still get away from the charade.”
She squeezes my wrist. “She drugged you, Sam. That’s why you can’t remember that night. I overheard her talking with Erin, and Erin said Sabrina slipped you a roofie. She’s crazy. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Liz!” A girl with spiky black hair grabs her arm and tugs her toward the stage. “We have to get the slideshow ready.”
“Be careful!” Liz says.
I nod. She could ask me to lie across a path of hot coals so she could cross, and I’d do it. Anything to have her talking to me again. Anything to see that hurt wiped from her eyes.
The numbers are rolling in and looking good for Christine. There’s little doubt now that she’ll have a spot on the presidential ballot in November. I won’t let Sabrina manipulate me for another six months. I don’t know why I didn’t think of turning her tricks back on her sooner.
Suddenly, the room erupts with cheers, and I turn toward the big TVs behind the stage to see what’s going on.
“Roe is giving his concession speech!” someone squeals next to me. “Guy won the primaries!”
The cheers die down as Sabrina takes the stage, mic in hand. Christine’s at the satellite HQ in South Dakota, so Sabrina will give the speeches to this group tonight. “This is all because of you!” she calls into the mic, and the crowd roars. “Can I have my handsome fiancé join me on the stage, please?”
“You were never getting married,” Erin says.
“It’s been the plan since I was a child. He’s mine.”
“That was a fantasy you concocted in your pretty little head,” Erin says. “And I’m beyond sick of catering to it.”
“Who asked you to cater to anything?” Sabrina says. I peek through the crack in the door and can see one side of Sabrina’s face. She looks pissed. Like, scary, she-devil pissed. “You want me to let the press in on the truth about that video?”
“I’m done letting you manipulate me with that threat, Sabrina. You got what you wanted. We leaked the tape, cut the footage of your mother’s face, and made it look like it was you. If you tell the world that now, I’ll let them know where it came from to begin with. You’re the one who will look like the fool. And God help you if your mother found out.”
“It will still destroy her.” Her voice shakes.
“I’m not convinced there’s any path but destruction for anyone tied to you.”
Sabrina sighs heavily. “I won’t say anything about the video. Don’t worry. I have other plans.”
“Please don’t tell me. Plausible deniability and all that.”
“If it weren’t for Liz, I know this would have worked. He’s addicted to her. It’s ridiculous. What does she have that I don’t?”
“A soul?” Erin says, but instead of snapping, Sabrina just laughs. “Whatever your plan is, understand that you can’t win the heart of a man who hates you.”
“He doesn’t hate me. He has no idea what I’ve done.”
“Soon enough, he’ll find out you were behind paying Asia off. He’ll find out that Connor was working as your little errand boy. You think he’s going to want to marry you then?”
Sabrina slams her hands onto her desk. “What was I supposed to do? Let her move in with him and raise the baby like a happy little family? He’s supposed to be mine. And he’d be lucky to have me.”
“You think so? You, the woman who slipped him a roofie in New York? You drugged him, and you’re lucky the press couldn’t tell. I’m just glad I showed up when I did. I shudder to think what you had planned for when you got him back to your room. They call that rape, Sabrina, and I never thought of you as a rapist.”
I throw my hand over my mouth to cover my gasp. That’s why Sam can’t remember.
“I am not. You saw him that night. He was all over me until you got there and pulled us apart.”
“You drugged him.”
“He was mine,” she growls.
“Well, I think you’ve screwed the pooch on that one,” Erin says.
“You underestimate me. I always win.”
* * *
Sam
“There you are!”
The bartender hands me my beer, and I take a long pull as I turn to the person tugging on my sleeve.
I nearly cough the liquid up when I see that it’s Liz. “I’ve been looking for you,” I say quietly. I scan the crowd quickly, looking for Sabrina, who’d flip to see me talking to Liz. It seems like everyone is here tonight—my father, Della, Connor, and all of Guy’s volunteers and staffers. Sabrina thinks I’m here for her, but the truth is I’m done letting her hold my balls in a vise. It ends tonight.
“We need to talk,” Liz says.
“Yes.” It’s hard to speak. I just want to hold her. God, everything is so fucked up. “I’m going to do it tonight.”
“Do what?” Her brow creases in confusion.
“I’m going to tell everyone that Sabrina and I aren’t getting married,” I say softly. “Because I’m in love with someone else.”
Her lips part and she squeezes her eyes shut. “Shit. You can’t do that. She’s too dangerous.”
“I know. She threatened to leak the transcripts of you and Riverrat to the press. I’ve been trying to protect you, but I think I’ve figured out a way to protect you from that and still get away from the charade.”
She squeezes my wrist. “She drugged you, Sam. That’s why you can’t remember that night. I overheard her talking with Erin, and Erin said Sabrina slipped you a roofie. She’s crazy. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Liz!” A girl with spiky black hair grabs her arm and tugs her toward the stage. “We have to get the slideshow ready.”
“Be careful!” Liz says.
I nod. She could ask me to lie across a path of hot coals so she could cross, and I’d do it. Anything to have her talking to me again. Anything to see that hurt wiped from her eyes.
The numbers are rolling in and looking good for Christine. There’s little doubt now that she’ll have a spot on the presidential ballot in November. I won’t let Sabrina manipulate me for another six months. I don’t know why I didn’t think of turning her tricks back on her sooner.
Suddenly, the room erupts with cheers, and I turn toward the big TVs behind the stage to see what’s going on.
“Roe is giving his concession speech!” someone squeals next to me. “Guy won the primaries!”
The cheers die down as Sabrina takes the stage, mic in hand. Christine’s at the satellite HQ in South Dakota, so Sabrina will give the speeches to this group tonight. “This is all because of you!” she calls into the mic, and the crowd roars. “Can I have my handsome fiancé join me on the stage, please?”
