Oleander - Bucky BarnesxOC

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: IMAGINE BEING LOVED BY ME

A/N and CW: Jealous James, toxic relationship dynamics, soft and sweet James (or somewhat manipulative James depending on the way you want to look at it), smut, daddy kink, body worshipping bc our girl deserves it, inappropriate use of office supplies. I don't know where this smut came from, but I'm not sorry.

There are also intense discussions of domestic violence, toxic family dynamics, and murder in this chapter. James's story about his mother is VERY LOOSELY based on my own experiences with domestic violence and witnessing how brutal it was as a child. To clarify, my parents are still alive, and what I have written about is entirely fictional, but the emotions are similar. Just a side note because this has been coming up as I delve into darker subject matter: Some of the things that I write about are very fictionalized accounts of massive wounds that I'm still healing from. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean I'm comfortable divulging personal information. I've had a couple of people try to cross this line with me. I don't discuss my trauma with people I don't know. It's just a hard boundary for me. Thank you in advance for respecting my boundaries on this subject as well. 💜

They enter the ballroom again and Dahlia watches James glance around. Sharon is standing at the podium giving a speech. Her eyes flick toward Dahlia and James, but only briefly. Dahlia feels insecure for a moment but then she realizes that Sharon is purposely making eye contact with people in the crowd. She's heard of this before, it's a way to keep the speaker grounded and connect with your audience. She may have taken a few public speaking courses at USC to help her overcome her intense stage fright.

Sharon's speech is nothing out of the ordinary. It's typical politician speech about fighting corruption, doing what's right, and working for the people - nothing particularly original. What she does do that is insanely clever is weave in bits and pieces of her own life - not much, just enough to give the audience a taste to keep the people in the crowd interested... and so that they'll line her pockets by the time this is all over.

Dahlia wonders how corrupt Sharon is. There are rumors online that she's connected to organized crime; that two of her bodyguards are former hitmen, but it's all just that - Rumors. Nothing is actually confirmed, and Sharon never answers those questions from journalists anyway.

Other people think she's sleeping her way to the top. She's single and has never been connected to anyone. A lot of her history is spotty or just a total mystery. All Dahlia really knows about her is that she grew up in San Francisco, her father was a judge, and her mother was a corporate lawyer.

But people don't want to talk about Sharon's policies, which are a little suspect to say the least. Instead, all they're focused on is the fact that she's a "spinster."

It must be hard to be a woman in politics. This all feels like such a man's game.

Then again, so does everything.

Dahlia squeezes James's hand.

"Are we supposed to be listening?"

He smiles and kisses her temple.

"I think she's on her closing remarks."

"Oh, so you've heard this before?"

"Sharon's an old friend," James informs her. "We go way back. I've heard a lot of her speeches over the years."

Dahlia raises an eyebrow.

"So then you know everything the press says about her."

"Yep. She likes it that way. She says it gives her mystique — even the bad press."

"Some people don't appreciate how opaque she is about her personal life."

James scoffs.

"She's a politician — it's the same as anyone in the public eye. You start putting your cards on the table and people pick you apart and start to ignore the real things that you stand for. Scandal gets in the way of your goals and you lose sight of your mission. She's smart for keeping her past private. It keeps her eye on the prize. More people should take notes from her."