The Taming of a Wild Child by Kimberly Lang Page A

Privilege entails us to responsibility. I should be setting a good example.”
    Well,
that
was a loaded statement if ever he’d heard one, but Lorelei had delivered it without bitterness or sarcasm. She sounded more resigned than anything else. He watched her closely and decided the beer in her hand was not her first one of the evening. She wasn’t drunk, but she was certainly unguarded.
    He heard a ping and Lorelei reached for her phone. A glance at the screen had her snorting. “Julie may not think to look for you here, but she’s definitely looking for you. She’s texted me to see if I know how to get in touch with you.”
    “Please say no.”
    She frowned at the screen. “I’m trying to figure out how she got
my
number.”
    “I imagine it was quite easy for her. You both know all the same people.”
    “But I actually don’t have your number, so it’s not a lieif I tell her that.” Lorelei put the phone down and leaned back again. “You know she just wants you for sex?”
    “That was made very clear, yes.”
    “And that doesn’t bother you?”
    There was a certain irony in her question, considering their situation. “Not really.” He caught her eyes and held them. “As long as both parties are clear on the rules, I don’t see the harm.”
    Lorelei seemed to think about that. “Maybe,” she said, in the most non-committal tone he’d ever heard.
    “I will admit that I’m rather surprised to be on her list, though.”
    “Why?”
    “After listening to her tirade against her low-class, social-climbing ex-husband, I would have thought she’d limit her rebound choices to someone with a better pedigree.”
    “Charming. You make us sound like we’re registered with the kennel club.”
    “Honestly, you sort of
are
. Got to protect those bloodlines.”
    Lorelei leveled a look at him. “I’ll admit there’s some of that going on.”
    “Just ‘some’?”
    Lorelei made a face. “I don’t know quite how to say this nicely … but you do know that it’s you
personally
that’s the problem, right?”
    At least she was willing to be honest about it. “There’s a problem?” he joked.
    “Oh, please. You destroyed two families—”
    “I didn’t destroy anyone or anything. I just happened to be the one who found out and exposed the whole dirty mess.”
    “Oh,
I
know that. But, say what you like about pedigrees,we are a loyal bunch. We protect and defend our own.”
    “Closed ranks?”
    “Exactly. You’re looking at families, businesses and relationships that go back generations, so we’re all tied together. I know these people—have known them my entire life. I can’t help but feel for them.”
    “It’s not that I don’t feel for those families, but Lincoln DuBois made his family vulnerable by the choices he made.”
    “No one believes that what Mr. DuBois was doing was right, but it still sent a shock wave through our community. And
you
were the cause of that shock wave.”
    “You think I did those articles with an ulterior motive?”
    She gave a half shrug, half nod that said an awful lot.
    “What motive could I possibly have?”
    “A search for glory and fame, maybe? You certainly got both of those. Then there’s the possibility of spite or jealousy? A chance to bring down people you envy?” Lorelei shrugged. “I’ll admit I thought that way for a while.”
    He didn’t know what to say to that.
    “I’m just telling you that, right or wrong, you brought this on yourself. You can’t take on the big dogs and not expect to get bitten. Like I said, the pack is loyal.”
    Just as she dropped that bomb her phone pinged again, cutting off his chance to respond as she grabbed it and read the text. Once again, her attitude changed completely as she laughed at whatever was on the screen.
    “Sorry.”
    Before he would question her apology, his own phone started to ring.
    As he fished it out of his pocket Lorelei said, “I wouldn’t answer that if I were you. Not if you want to