“There are escorts in there?” Chase gasped, his mouth falling open as he stared at me.
“Yes. Without question,” I assured him, glancing at Dallas, who had made sure to stay right with us, evidently not into what was on offer behind the doors to that den of iniquity.
“How could you?” he demanded of Digby.
“Listen, Chase,” he began, giving him a wolfish grin, and I wondered if he thought it was sexy or dangerous. I could assure him he was neither, given that Dallas was standing there looking like both without even trying. Digby was just a toxic asshole. “Buddy, I would never––”
“What are you playing at?” Chase was insistent, taking a step forward and causing Digby to fall back. “Is this a game to you? Did you think that just because Astor went back to the room early, it was a good time for Brig to screw around on her?”
“What are you––”
“Why would you expose any of us to something like this? What the hell is wrong with you? We’re not in college anymore. Some of us grew up.”
I saw it then, the ruthless litigator. When Chase Baldwin saw the opening, Digby’s exposed jugular, he went in for the kill.
“Chase, buddy, you’re making a mountain out of a––”
“Wait,” Chase barked out, holding up his hand, looking over at me, searching my face even as I gave him a slight nod of encouragement. Whatever he wanted to accuse Digby of was fine by me. “Are you—is your plan to blackmail us?”
“What?” Digby said, his voice rising three octaves, easily.
Brig grabbed Digby and knocked him back into the wall, one hand pinning him there, the other in his face, pointing.
“You sonofabitch, what the hell is going on?”
“Nothing. Jesus, Brig, I just wanted you guys to have some fun is all.”
He shook his head, yanked Digby forward only to bang him into the wall again, and then ordered me into the room to pull the others out.
“I can’t do that,” I told him, glancing at Dallas.
“I can,” Dallas offered helpfully, smiling at Brig before gesturing at Digby. “I had no idea this was where we were coming, so please don’t paint me with his idiocy.”
“No, no, of course not,” Brig allowed, turning to Chase. “I’m so sorry. I would have never had you come up here if I’d known that––”
“Of course,” Chase scoffed, tipping his head at me as Dallas bolted back inside the suite. “I’m just so glad that––and I’ve been—” He took a breath and stepped in front of me, extending his hand. “Thank you for being so observant, Croy. I’ve been terse with you, and it’s all because things didn’t go…well, as I thought they would.”
I knew they hadn’t.
“But I appreciate your vigilance, because God help us if anyone had recognized us in there, or if the party was raided for drugs or prostitution or––”
“You’re making a big deal out of nothing,” Digby tried to interject.
“No,” Chase yelled at him, angry for himself, I was sure, but even more so for Brig. “You don’t get to talk anymore.”
“No, you don’t,” Brig agreed, beginning to pace as we waited for the others. “Your friend, who I barely know, is a much better man than you.”
And I saw it then, the acceptance and resignation on Digby’s face, and since I couldn’t imagine a true friend of Brig’s behaving this way, I was instantly suspicious.
What the hell was going on?
Once Dallas came back out, with Trey and Kent and the others in tow, they each had similarly harsh words for Digby.
“It’s not that big a deal,” he lamented, throwing up his hands in protest, gesturing at the door. “There are a lot of people in there. No one gives a damn!”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Aiden snarled at him as we made our way back to the elevators. “Just because we work for our fathers doesn’t give us carte blanche to fuck up, you prick.”
Both Quentin and Todd looked like they hadn’t decided whether they wanted to beat the crap out of Digby or walk away and never look back. He had gone from fraternity brother to pariah in seconds flat.
“Listen––”
“No, you listen,” Trey told him, indicating everyone, including me and Dallas. “We all have to work with the public; we each have an image to uphold; we have people who trust and rely on us. Sex scandals don’t play well, or haven’t you been paying fuckin’ attention?”
“I plan to run for office at some point,” Todd announced, his hand clasping my shoulder. “Nice catch on the party, Croy. I won’t forget this.”
I gave him a quick nod.
“Same for me,” Kent chimed in, his gaze heavy on mine. “I have big plans that do not include hookers and STDs and fuckin’ illegal drugs,” he finished with a growl, charging at Digby only to have Trey and Brig grab him.