“You turned off the main system. We have a backup that continues to record when we’re not home.”
“How many cameras do you have on that system?” Ash whispered, his grip on my hand so tight it hurt.
I bit back the pain and held my breath, my heart racing.
His dad had other cameras in the house? How much had he seen?
“Enough,” his dad bit out. “I should have known you’d be the bitch. You couldn’t even be the man in the relationship. You let that boy mount you like an animal.”
“You put a camera in my bedroom?”
“It’s my guest room.”
“But—”
“And I know who he is. Do you want me to tell your mother about this? That you’re letting the son of the man she cheated with fuck you?”
“She knows.”
“What?”
“She knows.”
“And of course she accepts it.” His dad let out an angry sound that was half growl, half grunt and totally intimidating.
“She accepts it because I’m an adult, and being with him isn’t hurting anyone.”
“Why? Why are you with him? Is it to get back at me? To fuck with my plans—”
“Newsflash, Dad. Not everything is about you. I’m with Jules because I love him.”
His dad made a disgusted noise. “If you choose to be like this. To live likethat,then you’re no longer my son. I’ll finish my legal obligations to you, but that’s it. I will not have you around my children.”
Ash’s eyes filled with tears and his entire body slumped forward.
Fuck that. I wasn’t about to let that asshole break my boyfriend.
I poked Ash in the side gently and nodded to the phone, silently asking if I could speak.
He nodded and blinked rapidly like he was trying to stop his tears.
“Hello, sir,” I said cheerfully.
“Who is this?”
“It’s the guy who fucked your son’s brains out in your house.”
Ash widened his eyes but kept quiet.
The silence on the other end of the phone sent a little thrill through me. Good. It was time for him to stop talking and listen.
“Anyhoo, I just wanted to ask you a question. What do you think the news of you disowning your firstborn son because of his sexuality will do to your image? You’re planning on running for office, right? And your wife, she’s got a pretty big following. What do you think will happen to her if you do this? You both project the image of being liberal minded and publicly support LGBT rights because it makes you look good. Do you seriously think either of you will survive the scandal unscathed?”
“Are youthreatening me?” his dad boomed through the phone speaker.
“Nope. Just asking you to think about things carefully.”
Silence dragged, and I checked the counter to make sure the call was still connected.