The Senator's Secret (A Presidential Affair Book 1)

by Jennifer Rebecca

  I hustle back into the chair we’ve pulled into the bathroom and sit back while Cara transforms my face into magic. I love the feel of her brushes on my face as she dusts shimmers and powders here and there.

  “I forgot my bowtie,” Jake says as he tumbles into the bathroom to see me in my undies with my hair in rollers and Cara applying my makeup. “Holy fuck.”

  His expletive makes Cara laugh, and I decide to introduce them. “Jake, this is Cara. Cara, this is Jake.”

  “Hi, Cara,” he says, but he never takes his eyes off me, which makes her giggle even harder.

  “Can I see you in the closet for a moment?” he asks me, but it’s Cara who answers him.

  “Absolutely not,” she practically shouts, making him jump a little. “If she goes with you, you’re going to fuck her and then you’ll ruin all my hard work. Fuck her later.”

  “You don’t know that,” Jake says. “I could be careful.”

  “I don’t think so, Senator Chancellor.” She gives him a sweet smile.

  “Jake,” he corrects her.

  “Jake,” she repeats. “I’ve had a man look at me like that before. I know the look of one who is at the end of his patience.”

  “Better get that bowtie and run,” I say before I bust out laughing.

  “Don’t think there won’t be retribution, Ms. Sanders,” he tells me with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

  “I would expect nothing less, Senator.”

  And then he moves to his closet, and Cara and I wait quietly until he gets the accessories he needs and takes them to the spare room where he’s dressing.

  “Holy shit,” Cara says as she fans herself. “Have fun tonight.”

  “You know I can’t stand these things,” I tell her as I roll my eyes. The dog and pony shows were never my favorite thing.

  “No. I meant after,” she corrects with a look to the doorway where Jake just left. “That man clearly has plans for you.”

  “We’ll see.”

  When she’s done with my makeup, she carefully unrolls each of my curls and brushes them this way and that before pinning one side back with a gold barrette. I roll stockings up my legs, and then Cara holds my dress out for me to step into and zips me up.

  “Here,” she says, handing me the deep-pink lipstick she slicked on my lips, and I drop it into my beaded clutch. “Oh! Your shoes!”

  “Right here, Cinderella,” Jake says as he holds them out in his hand. I move to reach for them, but instead, he drops to one knee and takes my foot in his hands and slips the heel on me before setting it back on the ground, tapping my other foot to let me know to lift it to his ministrations.

  “Thank you.”

  “And this,” he says after he stands and pulls a long velvet box from his coat pocket. He snaps open the box and plucks a gorgeous diamond tennis bracelet from the silk pillow. He unceremoniously chucks the box onto the counter, making me smile and Cara laugh. Jake wraps the bauble around my wrist and then lets me go. “I saw it and thought of you.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” I tell him honestly.

  “You don’t have to say anything at all.”

  We stare at each other for moments before the spell is broken by Rick shouting the house down.

  “Is this some kind of a joke?” he roars.

  “What?” I look to Jake, who looks just as confused as I do, but it’s when I look at Cara and see her features frozen in fear that the puzzle pieces all start to click into place. “Oh no.”

  Unfortunately, Rachel chooses that moment to slide into the room on two wheels, totally unaware that you could cut the tension in the room with a knife.

  “Hey, Mom!” she calls out happily. She has big headphones over her ears and probably can’t hear anything. “Can I have a new game on my phone?”

  Cara just stands there stunned.

  “Mom?” Rick parrots. I can see the wheels ticking behind his eyes.

  Oh fuck, this is not good. This is so not fucking good. Rick and I are on a shaky truce, Jake is feeling very territorial, and Cara is my friend. In my mind I can’t rationalize sweet Cara with the brute force of Rick Donnovan.

  “I can explain,” Cara says, her voice quiet. “But not now.”

  “Mom?” Rachel asks, suddenly realizing the room is not a friendly one.

  “You have got to be shitting me,” he bites out. “How could you? Is this some kind of a sick joke?”

  “No,” she says adamantly. “No, you know me. I would never do that.”

  “I don’t think I know you at all,” Rick hisses before turning on his heels. “This is fucking bullshit.”

  And then he’s gone.

  “That was…” Jake trails off as we all think the same thing.

  “My husband,” Cara says before turning to me. “I think we should be going. I’m so sorry, Grace.”

  “Don’t worry,” I tell her. “We’ll talk later. It’ll be okay.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she says before she chews on her thumbnail.

  “Why don’t you both go to dinner and a movie on me,” Jake says. “I think you’ll feel better after some fun.”

  Cara’s face goes soft. “That’s very kind of you, but I don’t know—”

  “It’s nothing,” he assures. “Joe will take you.” It’s not lost on me that he’s assigning a security officer to make sure Rick doesn’t lose his ever-loving mind. I don’t think he would hurt her, but I’m guessing he’s feeling like his whole life is a lie right about now, and I can certainly relate to that. Jake taking care of my friend even though it might be in direct opposite of what his friend would want or need goes a long way to show how good of a man he really is.

  And God, I could love him for it.

  “Well, shall we?” He holds out his hand to me. Quietly, he leads me to the car. Instead of the usual black SUV that transports us all over town, a black limo waits in its place.

  Outside, the press waits to snap pictures of us, and I smile and wave like I’m a princess. I let Jake play my handsome prince as he presses a kiss to my cheek and then leads me to the limo. And all the while, I can’t stop thinking that it is fake, fake, fake. Even if it was becoming more, Cara and Rick are a harsh reminder that when it goes bad, it goes very, very bad.

  “I have one more thing for you,” Jake says with a cheeky grin. His happy mood is contagious, and I think for a second that all my worry was in my head. We’re going to be just fine.

  And then I look to see another jewelry box sitting in the palm of his upturned hand. But this one is much smaller.

  “What’s this?” I ask as I stare at the velvet box.

  “Go ahead and take it,” he says. “It won’t bite.”

  I pluck it out of his hand and snap open the lid. The most gorgeous engagement ring sits nestled in the soft silk pillows. My breath seizes in my lungs, because if I could ever have chosen a ring for me, it would be this one. It has a large Ascher-cut diamond set in platinum, and tiny diamonds of various sizes make up the halo.

  Jake takes the ring from the box and slides it onto my finger. It’s a perfect fit.

  I sit there staring at it on my finger, thinking it’s the loveliest thing I have ever seen and that while he didn’t actually ask me to marry him, his proposal is very Jake. I think I’ll remember this night for the rest of my life. The night a man I am falling in love with hard and fast gave me the most beautiful engagement ring while on our way to a gala. And I’m dressed like Cinder-freaking-ella. If this isn’t a fairytale, I don’t know what is.

  “Rick said the new Gallup polls are showing we’ve been living together too long for the evangelicals. It was time to put a ring on it.” He laughs.

  I was wrong. This isn’t a fairytale; it’s a nightmare.

  I’m in love with a man who doesn’t love me, and worse yet, I have to marry him.

  I smile at him. It feels a little brittle on my face, but that’s to be expected. Jake doesn’t seem to notice anyway. I can pretend to be the loving fianc
ée tonight. And tomorrow too. I’ll just take it one day at a time.

  I guess sometimes you just have to fake it till you make it.

  Or at least I’ll die trying.

  “A princess fit for the senator.”

  Chapter 14

  I just want you

  “It’ll never last,” the hateful words are whispered in my ear and I hate that part of me knows it’s true, while the other half bristles at the idea of ever not belonging with Jake. And above all else, I should have known that this reckoning was coming. How could I have been so distracted?

  Jake and I stepped out of the limo to our names being called and camera flashes popping left and right like I had never seen before. And that’s saying something, because the crowd that followed us around was growing to a small army’s size by leaps and bounds every day.

  Jake made sure to always be touching me in some way as we slowly progressed up a step and repeat toward the entrance to the gala. And each move, each brush of his hand on the small of my back or the way he holds me close to him with a strong grip on my hip, each swish of my skirt as it rustles against his tuxedo pants, causes another fissure to tear in my heart, because it was never real, and it was never going to be real. And nothing really slams that point home like the twenty-pound rock weighing down my left hand.

  Reporters asked him about the charity we were here to support, and he spoke openly about what his time in the Navy meant to him and how his time in service makes him able to understand what our military goes through every day. It was a great segue into his campaign platforms. I was even drawn into his spell.

  Finally, we make it to the door, and Jake is drawn into conversation. He’s a popular man, and everyone wants an audience with him. I’m going to use that as an excuse to put a little much-needed distance between us.

  “Oh,” I say excitedly. “I see an old friend. You’ll be all right, won’t you, darling?”

  Jake narrows his eyes on me like he doesn’t quite believe me. I smile a little brighter and hope it doesn’t look like a grimace. If ever there was a time I needed him to not see through me, it’s now. I’m not ready to admit how I feel about him, not now, and maybe not ever.

  “Sure, sweetheart,” he says adoringly. He’s really laying it on kind of thick, and I want to throw up. He leans into me, and his lips brush the shell of my ear. “Don’t be long.”

  “I won’t,” I promise, and I’m pretty sure we both know I’m lying through my teeth. And then I excuse myself and make my way to the complete opposite side of the room. I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  Too bad it doesn’t last long.

  • • •

  “DANCE WITH ME,” JAKE says from behind me. I look over my shoulder and feel my heart pang painfully against my chest at the sight of him. He’s too damn handsome for his own good—or mine.

  “Sure,” I answer him. “If you gentlemen will excuse me…”

  I reach for Jake’s outstretched hand and let him lead me onto the dance floor. He pulls me close into his arms and surprises me with sure footsteps as he waltzes me around the floor.

  “Why are you avoiding me?” he growls low in his throat.

  “I’m not avoiding you,” I answer his question. I look over his shoulder and paste a smile on my face. Everyone is watching. I feel like I’m living in a fish bowl. “I’m doing my job and trying to help you win an election.”

  “Really?” He raises an eyebrow. I mean, not really. I did talk to our mutual acquaintances about his campaign but really, I was just keeping a little distance between us. Still, I’m not going to admit that out loud. “Grace?”

  “Oh, shut up a twirl me, Senator.” Jake throws his head back and laughs. He is so beautiful when he allows himself to be free like that. If we had the attention of the room before, now every eye in a twenty mile radius is turn to us and I couldn’t care less because as his spins and twirls me around the floor with a gracefulness that I have never expected, Jake makes me feel like we’re the only two people in the world.

  • • •

  WHY AM I AVOIDING him again? Oh right, because I love him and he doesn’t love me.

  Jake has spent the evening dancing with me, making sure I have a glass of champagne when I want one, and holding me close when he has to rub elbows with the who’s who of New York. I stay quietly by his side in my role as arm candy. Every now and then, he shoots me a weird look, but I can’t decipher it. He should be happy. This is what we were supposed to do.

  “I’m going to powder my nose,” I whisper in his ear. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t be long,” he says as he nuzzles the side of my neck.

  “I won’t,” I whisper before I float off to the ladies’ room.

  Jake has this way about him where he makes me feel cherished and loved. I have to remind myself of what is real and what isn’t. By the time I see to my needs and wash my hands, I have decided to just enjoy what I have while I have it. I pop open my clutch and pull out my lipstick tube. So what if he doesn’t feel the same way I do? He’s great in bed and makes me feel amazing. Jake is attentive and caring. What more could I want?

  I have my mouth open in that weird O-shape women do when they apply lipstick, when a snide voice shakes me from my thoughts.

  “It’ll never last,” Ashley Jeffries sneers as she steps up to the mirror beside me. I blot my lips together and drop my lipstick back in my clutch. “I mean, what could he possibly see in you?”

  I don’t bother answering. Jakes former lover knows exactly how she feels about the situation, and nothing I do will change that. It’s ironic that the second I decide to settle for what he’s willing to give me during this fake engagement, she shows up and throws her real relationship with him in my face.

  Maybe I should thank her for the reminder.

  “Like I said—” She shrugs. “—it won’t last long, so don’t get too comfortable in my house.”

  I pull my compact out of my clutch and pop it open, pulling the little pad out to blot my nose. My giant ring glints in the fluorescent lights of the restroom, and our eyes lock in the mirror when she sees it. Ashley grabs my hand and yanks hard.

  “What the fuck is that?” she screeches, and I feel an awful sense of triumph that it’s my finger Jake’s ring sits on right now.

  I snatch my hand back and look away as I drop my compact into my bag and snap it closed. If I was hoping to exit the ladies’ room without another word from her, I was sorely disappointed. Unfortunately for me, I know exactly the kind of woman Ashley Jeffries is.

  “Like I said, don’t get too comfortable,” she repeats as she looks me up and down and clearly finds me lacking. “I’ll be fucking him by the end of the week.”

  “Tell him I said hi when you do.” I wink and then walk out of the room.

  By the time I make it back to Jake, I’m over this evening and my head is pounding. Maybe I should just publish the photos myself and let the chips fall where they may. Then I can walk away from this farce, and Jake can go back to Ashley and all the other women in his life who want to be in his bed regardless of who was there the night before. All I know is I can’t be one of them.

  “Everything all right?” he asks softly when I make my way to his side.

  “I have a headache,” I respond. “Champagne always gets to me, but I love it so.”

  “Well, it was a night to celebrate. It is getting pretty late,” he says as he pulls out his phone and sends a text to his driver that we’re ready to go. “I should get you home.”

  “I’d hate to turn into a pumpkin at midnight,” I try to joke, but by the look on his face, Jake isn’t buying it.

  Cameras flash again as we make our way outside to the car. Fuck, I just need a minute. This is ridiculous. Panic claws up my throat at the thought of always being watched—by the media, by my blackmailer, by strangers. People I don’t even know having a vested interest in my life. How many of them will cheer like Ashley Jeffries when Jake casts me aside for another? I f
eel like I’m spinning out of control.

  Jake helps me into the dark limo before sliding in beside me. We sit in silence as the car pulls away from the curb. When we’re finally a few blocks away, Jake turns to me.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” I shrug. “I just have a bit of a headache. It was a long night.”

  “It was,” he agrees. And then he cups my face in his hands and gently forces me to look at him. “But now tell me what’s really wrong.”

  “What are we doing here?” I sigh. “Should we really be faking this relationship any longer?”

  “It didn’t feel so fake when you were begging for my cock this morning,” he says, and I flinch. “Don’t do this.”

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  “Don’t pull away from me.” And then he crushes his mouth to mine, and like I always do, my body caves to his demands.

  I grip his hair in between my fingers and pull as he thrusts his tongue into my mouth. Jake drops down to the floor to sit on his knees in front of me and pushes down the top of my beautiful dress, my breasts popping free. He kisses and licks and nips his way down my throat and sucks a pink tip into his mouth, and I moan.

  I arch my body, desperate for some kind of friction to put out the flames, and he answers me by bunching the skirt of my dress up over my thighs and higher still until he exposes my panties. The ripping sound tears through the air around us, and my panties are gone. Jake shoves them in his coat pocket along with his discarded bowtie.

  “You can’t deny what we have together,” he growls as he runs a fingertip through the moisture at my slit. “You’re so wet for me.”

  “Yes,” I admit as he slowly penetrates me with a finger. It’s so much and yet not enough. And even sooner, Jake takes it away.

  The clank of his belt sounds over our breathing as he unbuckles it and unzips his slacks, freeing his hard cock. Otherwise, he is still completely dressed, and there is something so forbidden, so erotic about that, and it makes me desperate for him.

  Jake grips his hard length at the base and closes his eyes. It’s the only sign he is as out of control right now as I am.