by Donna Hill
“Soon, babe. I promise,” he answered shortly. “But in the meantime, I need to speak to Lucus. Is he in?”
Trini tried to hide her disappointment behind a tone of impassivity. But underneath, she was hurt. She’d come to care a great deal about David Cain. So much so that she fed him private information about Congressman Stone. She would do just about anything for David. He was the first man she’d ever been with. She’s grown accustomed to making wild love to him when the house was empty. It gave the whole act a sense of danger, which only heightened her desire for him. But if he wanted to play this silly waiting game, she could play, too.
“Hold the line,” she said in a stiff voice. Without giving him a chance to respond, she went in search of her employer. He’d be sorry, she thought again, as her hips swayed in tune to an inner rhythm.
Moments later Lucus’s deep voice filled the line.
Quickly, David sketched out the details of his new association with Vaughn’s chief of staff, leaving out names.
“Excellent,” Lucus said at David’s conclusion. “Keep a close eye on things and keep me informed as details develop,” he said, as though discussing a business transaction. That was a cardinal rule with Lucus. No names were ever to be mentioned over the phone, and anything that could be construed as “shady” was to be discussed in abstract terms—as a precaution.
“Get back to me on Monday,” Lucus added. “We can discuss the particulars then.”
“Sure thing.”
Lucus broke the connection without saying another word. For several moments he stood with his hand resting on the phone. A slow smile crept across his lips, lifting them a fraction at the corners. Maybe David Cain really was worth all the money he paid him.
Melissa Overton stepped into her boss’s office. “Excuse me, Elaine.”
Elaine Carlyle looked up. Her sky blue eyes sparkled with warmth against her deep tan.
“Yes, Melissa, come in.”
Melissa stepped into the small but functional office and took a seat opposite her.
“What’s up? You have that look.”
“We just got another one,” Melissa said on a heavy sigh.
Elaine smiled benevolently at her newest recruit. “That’s what we’re here for, Mel.”
“I know, I know. It’s just that it’s so painful to hear the desperation and hurt in their voices.”
“You get used to it after a while.”
Melissa sat further back in her chair and flipped her long, pale blond hair behind her ear. “It’s just that I feel like I want to help everyone.”
“Of course you do,” assured Elaine. “We all feel that way. But it’s not possible. All we can do is our best.”
Melissa nodded in agreement. But somewhere deep inside she had sensed that with Simone Rivers it would be different. Very different.
Vaughn swiped the perspiration from her forehead with the back of her wristband. Like a Wimbledon champion, Vaughn leaned back in a perfect arc, tossed the white ball up into the air with her left hand, and sent it spinning at lightning speed with a fierce serve across the net.
Justin thought he was prepared. He’d braced himself He was poised on the balls of his sneakered feet, ready to dart in any direction. But nothing could have prepared him for the spinning tornado that whizzed past him as he leaped to his left, nearly hurling himself into the fence in the process.
Justin braced the mesh fence with both hands, bowing his head. He pushed his body out from the fence while still holding on, stretching his overworked muscles. He shook his head in disbelief. He would laugh, but hell, it wasn’t funny. Vaughn Hamilton had whipped his tail. He still couldn’t believe it.
He angled his head to the right in time to see her coming around the net, towel draped around her neck, long legs flexing and unflexing with each step. He felt himself harden just by looking at her. She may have won on this battlefield, he thought wryly. She drew closer. But he intended to the win tonight. She wasn’t even breathing hard, he noticed with annoyance. But at least she wasn’t gloating.
“Great game,” she said with just the right amount of enthusiasm. She pecked him lightly on the lips.
Justin cut his eyes at her but remained ominously silent. It took all her willpower not to burst out laughing. But that would be mean, she thought merrily. Yet having him think that he’d been beaten by your garden-variety tennis player was meaner.
She slid her arm around his waist and eased up close. “I have a confession to make,” she said innocently.
He looked down at her, suspicion simmering in his eyes. “What might that be? You’re really Wilma Rudolph in disguise?”
“Not quite,” she hedged. “Actually, I was an alternate for the Olympic team my senior year in high school. I’m also a part-time tennis instructor at the Racquet Club in Richmond.” Her face crinkled into a sheepish, half-apologetic smile.
Justin’s eyes were reduced to two dark slits of incredulity. Then suddenly he threw his head back and laughed so hard he almost choked.
“Now I feel better,” he sputtered. “I was truly beginning to think that I’d lost it. I haven’t played that bad since—since before I started playing.”
Slowly he sobered and took a deep breath. He frowned. “Hey, wait a minute.” He took her chin between his fingers and peered down into her eyes. “You agreed to this deal of ours under false pretenses.”
“Oh, don’t even feel it, Counselor,” she tossed back. Mischief danced like a chorus line in her eyes. “There was nothing in the deal that said we had to say anything about our…skills. Anyway,” she added smugly, “You were actin’ so full of yourself that…”
“You felt it was your civic duty to bring me down a notch,” he said, cutting her off.
“Exactly,” she nodded. “After all, I am a public servant.”
“What else is there about you that I should know?” he asked, pulling her fully against his burning muscles.
For just an instant, her heart stuttered at the question. Then, quickly realizing the innocence of it, she shook off the unsettling feeling.
“Now, that’s up to you to discover, Counselor,” she said coyly. Yet even as she said the words, a sense of dread spread through her.
Chapter 12
“You know what I think?” Justin asked, as they pulled into Vaughn’s driveway.
“That I’m wonderful, irresistible, delightful to be with, and you can’t stay away from me?” Vaughn quizzed demurely.
Justin looked at her from the corner of his eye and put the car in park. “Very amusing,” he replied drolly. “But true. Unfortunately, that’s not what I was thinking.” Vaughn pouted.
“I was thinking we’d make a good con team.”
She frowned in confusion.
“You know, like the pool sharks,” he explained. “We could pretend not to be able to play tennis. Lose a couple of sets and then, bam!” He slammed his fist into his palm for emphasis, turned to her, and smiled brightly. “Brilliant, right?”
“Yeah. About as bright as a five-watt bulb!” She playfully punched him in the arm.
“Just a thought,” he chuckled, rubbing his arm. “You pack a pretty good wallop. Maybe we could get into the boxing game.”
Vaughn cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. “One more bright idea from you, and I’ll be forced to knock your lights out. If you get my drift.”
“Oh, better yet,” he continued unperturbed. “The Enforcers. We could hire ourselves out…”
“Justin!”
“All right. All right,” he said, laughing heartily. By degrees he sobered and grew serious. His dark eyes lovingly caressed her face. He leaned across the seat and gathered her close. He nuzzled her neck. “How ‘bout if we just play house instead?” he breathed in her ear. “I come home to you,” he whispered. “You come home to me—every night—and we see what happens.”
Vaughn’s heart was beating so fast, she could barely hear over the noise. House? Us? Did she hear correctly? She co
uldn’t speak. She was too afraid.
He felt her hesitation in the tenseness that seeped through her body. He understood it. He knew he was pushing this relationship in a new direction. Was he even ready for the challenge? His own heart was racing at breakneck speed. Yet holding her, hearing her laughter, seeing her smile, made him know that this was what he wanted. He held his breath.
Myriad thoughts raced through her head. She was elated, frightened, confused, eager. She was a breath away from saying yes—when her defenses kicked in. Didn’t he realize that anything she did could easily become public knowledge? The fact that she was “living” with someone would definitely work against her, even if this was the nineties. Stone would have a field day decrying her morals. She was certain Justin was aware of this. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself. Yet he’d asked her anyway. Why? Did he hope that in the heat of afterglow she would forget her dream? Her father’s words filtered through her head. “Everyone wants something. That’s our lot.” But what did Justin really want?
Slowly, she eased out of his arms. She kept her eyes focused on her lap. She couldn’t see the anxiety hovering in his gaze.
“I don’t understand how you could ask me something like that,” she stated, in a tone that concealed her inner turmoil. Her voice rose to a harsh note. “You know the kind of pressure I’m up against.” She raised her eyes, but her vision was clouded by her own oratory, letting her swirling emotions give way to an irrational anger. “Yet you ask me to live with you and possibly ruin my chances at the election! That doesn’t sound like someone who professes to love me, who—who has my best interests at heart.” She clenched her hands into tight fists.
Justin felt as if he’d been slapped. He physically recoiled from the sting of her accusation. His nostrils flared with brewing anger. But his voice was tinged with the hurt that twisted his heart. “Do you think so little of me, Vaughn? What I asked came from my heart. Not from some ulterior motive to ruin your campaign,” he ground out. He turned away from her and stared out the window. He gripped the steering wheel to keep himself from pulling her into his arms to make her understand the depth of his feelings. He wouldn’t do that. Not anymore. “I guess you’d better be going. I’m sure you have some campaign strategy to map out.” He pressed the button on the driver’s side panel and released the lock.
Vaughn bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. Maybe she was wrong. Could she have been? She turned to him, afraid to touch him, afraid to cross the invisible line she had drawn. Words escaped her as she witnessed his hurt. He held himself as still as if he’d been cast in cement. Yet she didn’t reach out across that barrier. She couldn’t. Instead, she opened the door and closed it gently behind her.
Before she reached the steps of her townhouse, she heard the squeal of tires as the BMW sped out of the driveway and onto the street. Suddenly, she felt the enormous well of emptiness fill her until the tears were forced from her eyes.
The next few days were like walking down a dark tunnel—endless, with no light at the end. Vaughn was on auto-pilot, going through the functions of her office and her daily routine from pure memory. She seemed to have lost her enthusiasm, her sparkle. She hardly raised an eyebrow when Crystal bubbled over with details about the new man in her life. She went through the ritual of having lunch with her mother and listened, with one ear, to her concerns about her father. She hadn’t heard a word from Justin, although she didn’t expect to. More times than she cared to count she’d reached for the phone to call him. Each time she’d backed out. She still couldn’t come to grips with her fears.
The entire office noticed the dramatic change in their boss, but Crystal was hell-bent on ousting this impostor who claimed to be Vaughn Hamilton.
It was about a week after her blow-up with Justin that Crystal had had just about enough of one-word conversations, with the high point being a nod of Vaughn’s head.
“Tess,” Crystal said, stepping up to the secretary’s desk. “I’ll be in Ms. Hamilton’s office for a while. Hold all her calls.”
Tess gave her a look that said, “Good luck.” She’d long since given up on getting Vaughn back to normal.
Crystal knocked once on the door but didn’t wait for an answer. She closed it solidly behind her and stepped in to find Vaughn staring pensively out the window, apparently unaware that Crystal had come in.
Crystal crossed the room and stood on the opposite side of the desk. She was startled when Vaughn spoke first.
“So you’ve come to talk,” she stated matter-of-factly. Slowly she turned around. Her eyes seemed empty, her famous smile was gone. Whatever had turned her inside out was evident from the strain on her face.
Crystal stepped closer and took a deep breath. “What’s going on with you, Vaughn? Everyone is worried about you. I’ve waited about as long as I intend to. You’re gonna tell me something.”
“I’ve just been taking a hard look at my life lately,” she said in a flat voice. “I don’t like what I see.”
Crystal sat down and crossed her legs. “It wouldn’t be the first time, Vaughn. It must be more than that. What is it? Is it Justin? Did something happen?”
Vaughn actually laughed, a hollow, empty laugh that chilled Crystal. “You could say that.” She looked into Crystal’s eyes. “I fell in love with a wonderful man. He asked me to move in with him and I pretty much told him to go to hell.”
Crystal opened her mouth, then shut it. Her eyes widened. “What?” she finally sputtered.
“Justin asked me to move in with him. I accused him of trying to sabotage my campaign.”
Crystal slowly shook her head in disbelief. “And of course, you’ve since realized that it’s not true, but you haven’t got the guts to call and tell him what a fool you really are?”
Vaughn pursed her lips and looked sheepish. “That about sums it up,” she responded.
“You just don’t know a good thing when it runs you over, do you? Damn girl, what’s wrong with you? The man actually told you he loves you, wants to live with you, and you tell him to take a walk in traffic! You are a real piece of work. I…”
Vaughn held up one hand, the other on her hip. “Look, girl, I don’t need this from you, okay? I already know that I have idiot written all over my face. I can’t even remember the last time I felt this lousy.” Suddenly her voice broke. She lowered her head to hide the tears. “I miss him, Crystal. I can barely breathe just thinking about him. But I’m so scared.” She wrapped her arms around her waist to still the trembling.
Crystal came around the desk and put her arm around Vaughn’s shoulders. “You’ve got to learn to trust again, Vaughn. Every man isn’t like Paul. Go with your heart.” She paused, then began again. “If you’re not ready for a live-in thing, then just tell him. Don’t cut him off at the knees.”
“I know. That’s what I’ve decided. Finally. I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do. At least, not now.”
Crystal nodded in agreement. “So when are you going to stop torturing yourself and tell him how you really feel?”
Vaughn looked up. “Today. If he’ll listen.”
“That’s more like it. Maybe now things can get back to normal.”
Vaughn grinned. “I know I’ve been a real bitch lately. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
Vaughn sat down with a sigh, then smiled up at her. She cocked her head to the side. “Now, what was this you were telling me about some guy you met?” she grinned.
The car was waiting at the airport, just as promised. Simone was whisked from the airport and into Richmond in no time. Her pulse quickened as they approached their destination. She desperately wanted to make a good impression. She’d had her nails done, purchased a new suit, and had her shoulder-length hair professionally styled for the first time in years.
“Here we are,” the driver said, pulling up in front of the Chaney Building. He came around and opened the door.
Simone stepped out int
o the warm afternoon breeze and took a deep, calming breath. She took her briefcase and purse from the car and smoothed her pale peach linen suit. “Thank you. Will you wait, or should I take up my bags?”
“My instructions were for me to wait until your interview was concluded and then to take you to your hotel.”
Simone swallowed. This was the life, she thought wistfully. “Well, I guess we’ll see each other shortly,” she smiled. She walked through the revolving doors.
Simone stepped off the elevator and walked toward the office. Barbara looked up and was pleased by the young woman who stood before her.
“Good afternoon. I’m Simone Rivers. I have an appointment with Mr. Montgomery.”
Barbara stood up and extended her hand. “Ms. Rivers. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Barbara Crenshaw. We spoke on the phone.”
“Oh, yes.” Simone beamed, shaking Barbara’s hand. “It’s good to finally meet you.”
Both Simone and Barbara turned in the direction of the opening hallway door. Instantly Simone knew that the lean, unquestionably handsome man was the image behind the voice.
Chad nearly halted in mid-step when his eyes locked with her shimmering brown ones. If this was Simone, then truly there was a heaven. He strode purposefully across the room, taking rapid-fire pictures of Simone in his mind’s eye. She was taller than he’d envisioned. Her hair was longer. Her complexion richer, her figure curvier. She exceeded each and every one of his expectations. Jackpot!
“Good afternoon, ladies.” His greeting included both women, but his gaze was on Simone. “You must be Ms. Rivers.” He extended his hand and she slipped hers into his firm grasp.
“And you’re Chad Rushmore,” she said softly in return. “I’d know that voice anywhere.” Her smile radiated the warmth she felt inside as she appraised him openly, gently unnerving him.
“I’m glad to see that you arrived safely.”
“Thank you, Mr. Rushmore. Mr. Montgomery seemed to have taken care of everything.”