Page 13 of Velvet Corruption

For a moment, we just lay there, our bodies intertwined and hearts pounding in unison.

I smiled at her, kissing the tip of her nose. “See? I told you I was good at that.”

She slapped my arm playfully. “Don’t ruin this for me.”

I collapsed beside her, pulling her into my arms. We lay in silence, our breathing slowly returning to normal. I could feel the sweat cooling on my skin, mingling with the warmth of her body.

“Kieran,” she said softly, breaking the silence. “What are we doing?”

“I don’t know. But I know you think we should stop.”

“We should stop,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze darting to the her clothes. “This is untenable.”

“So we should definitely not do this again next weekend at 7 o’clock and we should definitely not get Chinese food and we should definitely not do a movie marathon.”

Ruby sighed, her breath a soft caress against my chest. “You’re impossible.”

“I prefer the term ‘optimistic,’” I said, running a hand through her dark hair. It was getting longer, the curls starting to take on a life of their own. She usually kept it straight for work, but I liked it better like this—wild and untamed, like her when she let her guard down.

She traced slow circles on my chest, absentmindedly, like her body hadn’t gotten the memo that she was trying to end this. And for one selfish, fleeting second, I let myself believe it. That maybe this could be our life. That maybe I could come home to her every night, kiss her shoulder while she cooked, complain about the news, fight about what to watch on TV. That maybe I was allowed to want that.

“Kieran,” she started, and I braced myself. “I can’t afford to lose my job. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“And if anyone finds out about us…”

“Nobody ever has to know,” I said. “And I’m just saying — the offer’s there if you don’t have any other plans. If you do, I won’t get mad. I just hope tonight wasn’t the last time I’ll ever see you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic—I’ll see you next weekend,” she said. “But I get to pick the movies.”

She smiled when she said it. Like it was already a memory.

But…she was lying.

Because I didn’t see her next weekend. We didn’t catch a movie, we didn’t get Chinese food.

No…I didn’t see her at all.

I didn’t see her again foreight years.

8 Years Later

Chapter Three: Ruby

My mom had always said to set my sights high.

I don’t think she had ever expected this.

I stepped into the fundraiser, the sharp click of my heels on the polished floor announcing my arrival before the applause even began. It swelled around me like a wave I rode with a grin plastered on my face and my spine steel-straight. I really hadn’t expected there to be so many people so incredibly enthusiastic about a District Attorney election, but I had been wrong.

Boston was stagnant at best, but more like deteriorating. DA Lenta had been a good enough mentor, but he had to make compromises.

In his thirty years of service, he’d made peace with the corruption that ran through the city’s veins like poison. I wasn’t willing to do the same. This crowd knew that. They believed in me.

When Lenta died two weeks ago, the city went into damage control mode. Instead of appointing a replacement, the mayor pushed for a snap election—emergency measures to restore public trust,or so they claimed. Personally, I think they just didn’t want to get their hands dirty choosing someone.

Or maybe they didn’t expect me to step forward.