The Gentlewoman

by Lisa Durkin

  “I’m sorry, Rory.” He was quiet for a moment, wondering how much her reaction had to do with him feeling that scarred area by her hip. “To be honest, I’m having a really strong reaction to you and I’m having a hard time resisting what I’d like to do to you.” He looked into her eyes, trying to gauge exactly how badly he had just fucked this up. Was there anything to fuck up? He thought she had been feeling it.

  “What would you like to do to me?” she whispered, heat in her eyes. She shook her head. “On second thought, don’t answer that. Some things are probably best left unexpressed.”

  She walked into the kitchen, buttoning her blouse. She opened the refrigerator and took a bottle of water. She closed her eyes and held the bottle curled against her chest, taking a breath. He watched her, feeling how lonely she seemed, obviously fighting her anxiety over his roaming hands.

  He was standing in front of her when she opened her eyes.

  “Try to get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning for a run.”

  She smiled. “I think I’ll do that. Thanks for lunch today and all the help. I really appreciate it.”

  “What are friends for, Morgan?” He smiled back at her and placed his hand on her cheek. Neither of them moved as their eyes locked and held. After a moment he left, closing the door soundly behind him.

  Jackson closed his front door and texted Agent Durand one word: “File?” He threw the phone back on the counter. He wanted to know about everything that happened in that attack on Rory. He could feel her response to him, damn it. He knew she wanted him. But she fought it. His dick was so hard he could barely stand it. As he headed to the shower, he couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to pump her harder than he’d ever had anyone in his life. His reaction to her was incredible. As he stood under the shower and grabbed his thick cock in his hand, images of Rory ran through his mind. Those lingering looks from those dark eyes, those full lips, that tasty flesh…

  Chapter Seven

  She felt the car pull onto the gravel road leading up to the farmhouse and remained still, too panicked to move. Any movement was excruciating after the continued beating. There was a loud ringing in her ears and a constant intense painful throb in her head from the repeated blows. Her lips were swollen and bleeding and her left eye was swollen shut. She was curled into a small ball in the corner of the backseat, desperately trying to put space between herself and her husband. She didn’t know what to do. She continuously wiped the blood from her nose and lips on the sleeve of her coat and prayed that she would be able to save her father and herself.

  The car pulled to a stop. Both Aidan and the assistant, Lon she believed was his name, got out. She moved as quickly as she could. She could see they were at the farmhouse. It looked deserted, no other people or cars. Maybe he had been lying about bringing her father here. She frantically glanced down and around in the car for anything she could use to defend herself. Her eyes fell to the dashboard and the magnetic pen hanging from the glove box. She threw herself forward to grab at it and thrust it into her coat pocket. The back door opened and Aidan grabbed her by the hair. She cried out in pain as he jerked her upright, walking her quickly across the large open space in front of the house.

  She heard the car start behind them and back down the gravel drive. When the car reversed and moved forward down the lane, she took a chance and clasped her hands together, raising them and swinging hard in Aidan’s direction. She made contact with his head and as he loosened his tight grip on her hair, she shot at a sprint toward the front door. Her breath came frantically and she raced to the front door, grabbing for the doorknob. As quick as she was, Aidan was on top of her in the next second, slamming into her back and pressing her harder against the door. Forcing her left hand off the doorknob, he jerked her arm behind her back. A loud primal scream escaped her throat as he twisted her balled-up fist in his hand. The sound of the bones snapping was loud and brutal. She fell to her knees, shocked and fighting to drag oxygen into her lungs. She held her left arm while doubling over and vomiting violently. When the heaving stopped, she kept her head down.

  “That’s what you get when you fuck with me, cunt.” He jerked her up by the hair. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open and shoved her in ahead of him.

  Rory woke with a jolt. Sweat poured from her body and her breathing was frantic. She looked down and immediately released her left arm. She rubbed her forehead. After a moment, she lay back on the pillow and tried to still the trembling. Tears slid down her cheeks and into her hair. Finally she let go, setting her sobs free. Her shoulders shook, her hand clasped over her mouth.

  After several minutes, she caught herself. “No…no,” she said aloud. “That’s enough.” She pounded the mattress with her fist. She sat up and wiped her eyes hard and took several steadying breaths. Steeling her spine, she turned to the clock and saw that it was four a.m. Not willing to try for more sleep, she swung her legs to the floor and got up from the bed. Still shaken, she decided to make some coffee and use the time to read for work. Put her overactive mind to better use than torturing herself by reliving the events that created her.

  The door opened as Jackson reached out to knock and Rory stepped into the hallway, ready for their run. She closed it with a heavy slam, watching to ensure it was fully latched.

  “How are you this morning?”

  “I’m fine, Dorn, how are you?” she asked halfheartedly, zipping her jacket. She seemed distracted, and Jackson’s fears that he had gone too far with her the night before surfaced with renewed vigor.

  “Fine, good,” he said, straining to study her face as he mindlessly mimicked her stretching. He didn’t want her to break off their relationship, um, friendship.

  Finally he decided to just have out with it. If this was beyond repair, he’d have to face it.

  “Rory, are you totally pissed at me for hitting on you last night?” He straightened and stood stock-still waiting for her response. Her head popped up from her knees and she looked him squarely in the eye. She was looking paler than normal, but she was so naturally pretty that she took his breath away.

  A slow smile crept across her face. “You call that hitting on me?” she said with an incredulous laugh. “Dorn, hitting on a woman is normally like, ‘hey, babe, can I get your number?’.” She said it in a pathetic attempt at a deep male voice. “What you did was a little more than hitting on me, wouldn’t you agree?” She started jogging in the direction of the university.

  “Okay, I guess I wasn’t hitting on you,” he said as he pulled up alongside her.

  “No, you were trying to fuck me.”

  He made a choked sound. “Okay, guilty. I’m sorry.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks. Jackson halted and walked the few steps back to her. She looked him dead in the eye with that steely gaze he was quickly becoming familiar with.

  “Are you sorry?” They locked eyes for a moment and Jackson waited for more, mostly because he wasn’t sure he wanted to say how he really felt. “I don’t require your apologies. As a matter of fact, I don’t want you to put your hands on me again if you’re going to be sorry about it.”

  Rory stepped forward and stretched up to her tiptoes as she put her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down and kissed him. Jackson waited a beat and deepened the kiss. It felt so good to have her in his arms and to know that because she had initiated it, she actually wanted to be there. His lips caressed hers and the feel of her made him hungry for more.

  She looked into his eyes, holding his gaze. “Don’t ever touch me if it’s something you’ll be sorry for later. And if you’re apologizing because you think you’re coercing me into something that I don’t want to do, stop that too. I don’t do what I don’t want to. I wanted your hands on me. I liked them on me.”

  He reached down and took her lips hard, crushing her beneath him. Her words gave him such raw joy and relief. She wanted him, and she was standing here on the street kissing him.

  “I am very glad to hear that, C
ongresswoman. I want to put my hands on you some more.”

  Rory returned his smile. “Well we’ll see what we can do about that. How about we have our morning run though?”

  “You’re going to have to give me a minute here, Morgan… Nope, don’t step back yet.” He laughed as she began to release him and he held firm. He needed coverage from her until he brought things back under control in his sweatpants. They both laughed as he kissed her.

  The livery car made its way up to the Hill and rounded to the entrance of the Rayburn Building. Rory and Jackson finalized their plans for the evening. They would ride home together at about six and order dinner before he would drive her to the airport. She had a ten o’clock flight to Cleveland. Rory insisted that she could take a cab to the airport but Jackson wouldn’t hear of it. If she was willing to explore the possibility of having at least a physical relationship with him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could get with her. He cringed as he realized he dreaded her flying out tonight, but he knew she had to take care of some business in her district. She would be back on Sunday and would take a cab from the airport and join him at his place, where his annual Super Bowl party would be under way. He was fully aware that his happiness over his acquired relationship, friendship, whatever this was with Rory Morgan, was not just about the business gains he was seeking. For the first time in ten years, he wanted to be with a woman for more than sex.

  As promised, Landon had arranged lunch with Rory and as they were being seated in the restaurant, Rory was re-thinking her car situation in Washington. A lot of business was done in restaurants and she thought she might feel better if she had her own vehicle. It felt as though she was under others’ constant transport: Jackson’s livery car, Nicole’s car, Landon’s car. As she mulled it over, she mused about how it all came down to control. Control kept the panic at bay, the demons in order.

  She had been successful in shaking that dream this morning. And she was following Nicole’s advice of giving things a try with Dorn. She was amazed at how good it felt to let go and not fight her desire for him. It felt good to embrace the comfort she found in being with him too, even if it was a possible minefield.

  As Landon finished ordering and they handed the menus back to the waiter they got down to business.

  “Well, my dear, the party was in full agreement with your committee appointments. You now sit on Energy and Commerce, and Health and Human Services.”

  “Good, that’s good, Uncle Landon. Thank you for your sponsorship.” She smiled and was truly pleased that had gone well.

  “Well, it’s my pleasure. After all, I know your platform. You are the right person for Ohio and the party.” The reminder of the debt to the party was not veiled. She curled her lips into a slight smile as he continued. “You have room for one more. Any ideas?”

  “I’ve given it some thought. Appropriations couldn’t hurt. I’ve recently learned it can be helpful.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Yes that’s possible.”

  “I saw Roy last night at the business meeting. We talked very briefly. I’ll seek him out next week and see what his thoughts are.”

  “That’s good.” Landon paused for a moment. “Rory, I know you’re somewhat adamant, but what about giving some thought as to the contributions you could make on Homeland Security one more time?”

  Rory’s eyes shot to Landon’s. What the fuck was this? She leaned forward in her chair and lowered her voice.

  “I’m not somewhat adamant, Landon. I’m not interested and I won’t do it. Some things I will not give in on. You tell whoever in our precious party put you up to this that I’m not helping with whatever they need on that committee.”

  “Settle down.” Landon glared back with his own steely stare. After a moment of shifting in their chairs and gaining control over their tempers, he started again. “It was a friend from the other party. They want stricter laws so Homeland can sharpen their teeth, make a bigger dent.” She noticed his irritation over her strong reaction, as if her behavior was more a betrayal than his trespassing on this topic with her. He continued in a slow, deliberate tone. “You are the daughter of a fallen police chief from a large city, one who was well known and loved. You have firsthand experience with violent crime and the impact on the United States of foreign activity on home soil. Of course it is logical they ask for your help, Rory.”

  Rory refolded the napkin in her lap and looked up. Her gaze was still hard and her hold on her anger was tenuous. She wasn’t stupid.

  “Sharpen their teeth for what? Make a bigger dent on what? What is this really about?”

  He was quiet and they both took a second to regroup, sipping from their glasses and looking around the restaurant. Rory knew she’d get an answer and could tell from the stoic silence that it wasn’t going to be one she liked.

  “As far as I can tell, they need help getting both funding and legislation passed that would allow law enforcement more flexibility when investigating and dealing with international crimes.”

  “What types of crimes?” she asked. She held his gaze. She could feel the bile rising in her throat.

  Landon had the grace to appear resigned and contrite for what he was about to say. He sighed. “Several. But among them are drug smuggling, weapons trading and human trafficking.”

  The jolt that went through her body was as though somebody had hit her with a stun gun. She mechanically turned her head and looked out over the restaurant. It was filled to capacity with people talking and laughing, enjoying their conversations over their expensive meals. She looked at their faces. She looked toward the large floor-to-ceiling windows and raised her face to feel the warm sunshine that shone through on this winter day.

  And none of that was distraction enough to keep her eyes from threatening tears and her anger from rising up in her chest so strongly that she wanted to hurl something across the beautiful room. She clutched the napkin in her lap and as the nausea rose again, she swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked at Landon across the table. Her lips pursed and released.

  “They think that I’ll gain sympathy and deliver votes. They expect me to talk about what happened.”

  Landon looked back at her calmly. “I’m not sure what they expect of you. I’m not even really sure what this legislation is about. I only know what our party will expect you to do. Don’t forget who put you here.”

  “The answer is no.”

  “Don’t be so quick to turn it down. You have to think of what our needs could be down the line. This type of request is an olive branch that’ll be useful to us.”

  “The answer is no.” She enunciated slowly. “Anything I need I’ll find a way to get ‘ussss’ without serving on that particular committee,” she hissed at him.

  “Rory, be reasonable.”

  “Reasonable? I am being reasonable. If the party who put me here cannot stop short of asking me to whore myself out more than I already am, I’ll be reasonable enough to quit.”

  “Watch yourself,” he spat back at her.

  “The answer is no. Nothing will be gained from my serving there. It won’t be useful. I won’t be any good. They’re just looking to use the ‘poor victim girl from Ohio’ routine and you know it. I draw the line there. I drew the line prior to even accepting the appointment to this seat. I won’t be pitied. I’d rather be asked to fuck the entire House and Senate.” She glared at him. “Who asked?”

  “It wasn’t Dorn if that’s where you’re headed. I notice you don’t seem too upset over his possible expectations of you.”

  “He’s a friend and is helping me immensely in gaining votes for the Trojan Japan deal. I’m going to need allies, remember? And I haven’t dropped my guard. I know I’ll be returning the favor, and I’m fine with that.” She wasn’t about to mention their newly acquired quasi-relationship status.

  “You don’t seem to be too concerned over what he may ask of you. Don’t you wonder what he’s going to want? Maybe you’re not thi
nking too much past what he looks like in his running pants.”

  Rory seethed but she knew better than to continue once Landon started getting nasty. He had always been shrewd and she knew better than to expect that he would shy away from using anyone, even family. This seemed a new low though. It was amazing, nothing about how low Landon could go should be a surprise to her anymore. But it was. Shame on her for underestimating him. It wouldn’t happen again.

  The waiter delivered their food and silence settled over the table. That suited Rory just fine. She picked at her lunch and began to feel some of her anger subside into hurt. Another lesson in trust from someone so close to her. What the fuck was wrong with her? When would she learn?

  The door to Rory’s office was open so Jackson stepped inside and looked around.

  “Anybody home?” he shouted.

  Nicole appeared from the hallway. “Hello, Congressman.”

  “Hello, Ms. Dailey, isn’t it? I was supposed to meet Rory here. We’re heading home and having dinner together before her flight to Cleveland.”

  Nicole’s smile widened. “I see. Well, she went down to a hearing. I’m sure she’ll be back any moment. You’re welcome to wait here if you like.”

  “Yes, I’d like that, thank you.”

  “I was just finishing up some work in my office.” She waved him back and offered him a drink. He refused with his polite GQ smile and took one of the chairs across from her desk. Nicole smiled slyly and sat down. Her eyes ran down his body and back up to his eyes.

  “You and Rory seem to be hitting it off.”

  “Rory is a very smart lady. I enjoy her company.” He was amused and wondered where this was heading.

  “That is an understatement. Rory is one of the best political and legislative minds I’ve ever met, Congressman Dorn.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a moment, Ms. Dailey.”

  “Please, call me Nicole. She’s more than smart, isn’t she, Congressman? She’s also a very beautiful woman.” Her eyes traveled south again and Jackson was starting to wonder if his fly was open.