Scandalous

by Donna Hill

  Vaughn didn’t bother to disguise her concern. “Are you sure everything is up front with this guy? I mean, I can understand comfy-cozy and all that, but don’t you think this is taking it a bit too far?”

  Crystal knew that Vaughn was right, but she would never admit it. Though in the still hours of the night, she wondered why David wanted to be so secretive. Most nights, when they did see each other, it was at her apartment. They generally went to out-of-the-way restaurants—when they did go out—David said it was so they wouldn’t be disturbed by the tons of friends and politicians she was sure to run into.

  “Why can’t you just be happy for me?” Crystal snapped. “When you get all gooey over Justin, do I tell you that something funny must be going on?” She knew she was screeching, but she couldn’t seem to stop. “No. I tell you to go for it. Be happy. But no, not you. Not cynical, suspicious-about-every-man Vaughn Hamilton,” she railed. “Every guy is guilty until proved innocent in your book.” Crystal’s nostrils flared and she knew that she’d gone over the limits.

  Vaughn swallowed hard. Her eyes burned. Her face remained unreadable. “I think we’d better be going,” Vaughn said in a tight voice, barely under control. She snatched up her briefcase and tossed her trenchcoat over her arm. “Please shut the door on your way out,” she said over her shoulder. “I’ll be taking my own car. You can meet me there in yours.”

  Crystal squeezed her eyes shut as Vaughn stepped out of her office. She expelled a tremulous breath. What had she done? She’d hurt her friend for the sake of a man. She’d said horrible things, things Vaughn did not deserve.

  She walked out of the office. This whole relationship thing was making her crazy. But she couldn’t jeopardize her job and her best friend because of it. She’d apologize as soon as she and Vaughn had a moment together.

  That moment never came. Vaughn kept an icy distance from Crystal for the balance of the day. She steered clear of her during the meeting with the city council, addressing her only when necessary. She pointedly told Crystal that she didn’t have time to talk when they returned to the office. “Quite frankly, I don’t give a damn what you have to say,” she’d said, as calmly as if she were ordering lunch.

  The only relief from the tension that coiled between them was that Vaughn left two hours early. She barely looked in Crystal’s direction as she waved her goodbyes to her staff. The slight, noticed only by Crystal, set her teeth on edge. If that’s the way she wanted it, then that’s the way it would be, Crystal concluded, as she packed up for the day. If Vaughn didn’t want to hear it, then she had nothing else to say.

  Vaughn finally released the breath that she seemed to have held the entire day. She was still reeling from Crystal’s stinging comments. How could Crystal say those things about her? she fretted, as she drove toward Justin’s office. Didn’t she realize that she had her best interests at heart? She and Crystal had been friends for so long, more like sisters. Nothing could have hurt her more.

  She sighed heavily as she made her turn onto the highway. What she needed to concentrate on now was her evening with Justin and meeting Simone. Maybe when she calmed down and put things into perspective she’d be willing to listen to Crystal’s explanation. Whatever that might be, she thought angrily. In the meantime, she needed to get home and change before meeting her dinner date.

  “The forensic evidence is beginning to come in,” Khendra said to the group sitting at the table. “I’m going to need your help here, Rush,” she continued. “I’ll sound like a babbling idiot if you can’t turn this medicalese into layman’s language.”

  Chad laughed heartily. “No problem, Khen, all that scientific stuff is right up my alley. Makes me feel like Quincy.” He turned toward Simone and grinned. He spoke low enough so that only she could hear. “This is the kind of stuff you’ll be working on while you’re interning. I hope you have the stomach for it. It can get kind of grisly. But it’s really fascinating.”

  Simone swallowed and gave a good imitation of a smile. “I’m sure it is.”

  “What have you turned up, Sean?” Justin asked his partner.

  Sean leaned back in his seat and visualized the volumes of notes that he’d compiled over the past few weeks. “You know my specialty is appeals.” He looked around the table and his eyes settled on his wife. “And although I have the greatest confidence in Khen’s abilities, we have to be prepared for the possibility of a conviction.”

  Justin nodded in agreement and the trial team concurred.

  “So what I’ve done is made a thorough search of every trial that was even remotely similar to the Harrison case.” He passed out folders containing the information. “Just to summarize,” he continued, “there have been thirty-six capital murders tried in Virginia. Only two have won on appeal.”

  Groans filled the room. “But, we could very well be number three.”

  “If we work it right, we won’t have to worry about an appeal,” Khendra cut in confidently.

  Sean grinned. “Touché.”

  “Well, troops, we still have a lot of work to do,” Justin concluded. “So dig in. We’ll meet again next week, and I’ll expect updates from everyone.” He rose and everyone at the table began collecting his notes.

  Sean eased up beside Justin. “So we finally get to meet your mystery woman, eh?” He nudged Justin in the ribs.

  Justin chuckled. “Yeah, finally. Are you happy now? And I know your wife is about ready to burst.” He winked in Khendra’s direction.

  “We’ve just been kind of worried about you lately. Especially after you said you wanted to sell the practice.”

  “I know. I know,” Justin conceded, as they walked toward the door. “But I really want to devote more of my time to my own life now. I want to have time to pursue my investments and put more of a personal touch into the foundations that I’ve set up.” They strolled down the hallway in the direction of Sean’s office.

  “And how does the mystery lady fit into all this?”

  Justin slanted him a look. “Right next to me…all the way.”

  “This is getting better by the minute. You’re really that serious?”

  Justin nodded. “I can’t believe it myself. I thought after Janice, it was over for me in that department. I mean, there have been women in my life, but no one important enough for me to look past tomorrow with.”

  “She must be some kind of lady,” Sean hedged.

  “And more.” He checked his watch. It was twenty to six. Vaughn would be arriving shortly. He wanted to change his shirt and tie before they left for dinner. “Hey, why don’t you and Khendra join us? It was just supposed to be my lady, myself, and Simone, but I’ve already invited Rush so that Simone wouldn’t get bored. Two more at the table shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Sounds good to me. Let me check with Khen, and see if she feels like going. But I’m sure, knowing my wife, she wouldn’t miss a chance to get your lady up close and personal, for a little interrogation in the powder room.”

  Both men laughed heartily, knowing that the ever-vigilant Khendra would never let anything get past her. She’d been just short of ruthless when it had come to the women that flitted in and out of Justin’s life. No area of their lives was sacred to Khendra. But Justin’s humor ran deeper. Just wait until Khen sees who the mystery lady is, he thought. He wondered how many test questions Khendra would be willing to spring on Vaughn.

  “So…what do you think so far?” Chad asked Simone, as he opened the door to the lounge.

  “I think I’m going to love working here. Except maybe for the forensic part.”

  Chad smiled. “Believe me, that’s a small part of it. There’s just so much more that goes into putting a case together.”

  Simone took a deep breath. “It’s definitely not like television,” she remarked.

  They stepped into the lounge and sat on a long sofa. “I wonder where Mr. Montgomery is taking us to dinner tonight,” Simone asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. He said
it was a surprise. I’m just glad he asked me to tag along.”

  Simone looked at him for a long moment. “So am I,” she said softly.

  Chad felt his chest tighten. “I was glad because…I could spend more time with you,” he replied, not knowing where the words had come from.

  Simone’s eyes widened. But before she could respond, Barbara poked her head in.

  “There you are. Justin was looking for you both.”

  Vaughn felt like a celebrity as she was introduced to Justin’s staff. They rounded a corner.

  “Here are Sean and Khendra’s offices.”

  Justin knocked once on the door and stepped in. Sean and Khendra were huddled over a stack of briefs. They both looked up simultaneously when Justin and Vaughn entered. Vaughn was momentarily stunned by the intense power that was projected from their gaze. They would definitely make a formidable team.

  Justin stretched out his hand toward Sean and Khendra as he made introductions. “Khendra, Sean, I’d like you to meet the Honorable Assembly woman Vaughn Hamilton, the next congresswoman from the state of Virginia,” he said in grandiose tones. He gave a sweeping bow to Vaughn and she felt as if she should be hearing trumpets.

  Vaughn rolled her eyes to the ceiling and playfully pushed Justin to the side so she could walk around him. “Ignore him,” she said, stepping into the room. “Sometimes he just has no control over his behavior.” She gave him a conspiratorial wink.

  Sean and Khendra gave each other a quick look. His was one of surprise; hers said, “I told you there was a woman behind his behavior.”

  Vaughn extended her hand to Khendra and then to Sean. “Please call me Vaughn,” she said. “I get enough of ‘Ms. this’ and ‘Honorable that’ to send me into sugar shock.” She smiled warmly.

  “Now, that’s more like it,” Khendra stated, hopping down off the edge of the desk.

  “Whatever the lady says,” Sean added.

  All three turned toward Justin, who stood innocently by the door.

  “Hey, listen.” He held his hands up. “Don’t look at me. I was trying to be politically correct,” he grinned.

  Groans filled the room.

  “Good to finally meet you. Justin’s been so secretive lately.” Khendra cut Justin a nasty look.

  “Maybe everybody doesn’t always want to tell you everything all the time,” Sean teased, emphasizing every word.

  Khendra laughed. “That’s where my extraordinary powers of drawing conclusions come into full swing,” she pointed out.

  “Don’t get them started,” Justin warned Vaughn. “I’ve taken the liberty of inviting these two charming individuals to join us for dinner. Hopefully, they’ll be able to behave themselves.”

  “The more the merrier,” Vaughn grinned, truly pleased. This would finally give her a chance to get to know the people Justin thought so highly of.

  Justin checked his watch. “So, we’ll meet out front in about twenty minutes?”

  “That should give us enough time to finish up,” Sean said.

  “I’ve been following your career for a few years now,” Khendra was saying. “You’ve been doing extraordinary work in your district. It’s just a damn shame that all our elected officials don’t have the same agenda,” she said vehemently.

  “I know what you mean,” Vaughn stated solemnly. “Politics has a way of turning you away from your objectives. There are so many special interest groups, it’s a miracle anything ever gets accomplished in government.”

  “Enough talk about business,” Justin cut in, taking Vaughn’s hand. “See you both in a bit,” he added, ushering Vaughn out of the office.

  “Right this way, Assemblywoman Hamilton,” he breathed in her ear. The sensation sent up a flurry of tingles that thrilled her down to her toes.

  “Very funny, Counselor,” she said in a husky whisper.

  “If it were up to me,” he continued, as they made their way down the hall, “everyone I introduced you to would be required to bow.”

  She angled her head to look quizzically up at him.

  His look grew warm and serious. “Because you are without a doubt a queen. More specifically, my queen.”

  Vaughn’s heart did a hard knock against her chest. Warmth spread through her as if heated water had been injected into her veins.

  “You make me feel like a queen,” she said softly.

  “And I intend to keep doing just that—for as long as you let me.” He took a deep breath. “Now, before I just pull you into one of these empty offices and ravish that luscious body, let’s go find Rush and Simone.”

  Justin pushed open the swinging door that led to the reception area. “Did you find Rush and Simone, Barbara?”

  “Yes,” she smiled. “They should be in Chad’s office.”

  Vaughn looked inquiringly from one to the other. “How come you call Chad ‘Rush’?”

  Justin chuckled. “I started calling him Rush when he first arrived about—hmmm—four years ago. His last name is Rushmore and he always reminded me of someone who was in a hurry to get ahead.” Justin grinned wistfully as the early memories of Chad rumbled through his head.

  “Well, that explains it,” Vaughn grinned “I was beginning to get confused.”

  They turned to leave the way they’d come in.

  “Oh, Mr. Montgomery,” Barbara called. “You have messages.”

  “Thanks, Barb. If it’s not urgent, just leave them on my desk. I’ll have to return the calls on Monday.”

  “Sure thing, Mr. M.” Barbara skimmed the notes again. Both of them were from Stan Waters. It was his third call in a little over a week, Barbara noted. According to Mr. Waters, Mr. Montgomery had not returned his call and had insinuated that he hadn’t received his messages. Maybe he had no intention of returning the calls, Barbara had wanted to say. If there was one thing she was confident of, it was her ability as a top-rate legal secretary. Not giving messages was something that wasn’t in the realm of possibility for Barbara Crenshaw. She got up from her seat, took the messages to Justin’s office, and she left them dutifully on his desk.

  Justin and Vaughn turned down the corridor toward Chad’s office. Justin lowered his head to speak to Vaughn in an intimate whisper. “Did I tell you that you look delicious in that outfit?” He ran his hand lightly up her back.

  Vaughn’s eyes sparkled when she looked up at him. “As a matter of fact, you didn’t,” she answered coyly.

  “Well, you do. You should wear red more often. It brings out the richness of that beautiful skin of yours.”

  From his reaction, Vaughn was glad she’d taken the time to change out of her business suit and into the red cotton jersey. The dress was totally simple. It had a short mock turtleneck and long sleeves and was cut in such a way that it defined every curve without being obvious. She added a wide gold bracelet, strappy red leather pumps, and sheer hose, held up by a fire-engine red garter belt.

  “Keep up the sweet talk, Counselor, and we really may not make it to dinner.” She gave him a quick wink just as they arrived at Chad’s office.

  The office door was open and Vaughn assumed that the young man behind the desk was Chad. A young woman with shoulder-length black hair had her back to them as they approached.

  Justin stood in the open doorway partially blocking Simone’s view. Justin stepped in as Chad got up from his seat. At the very moment Vaughn crossed the threshold, Simone turned around in her seat. Their eyes met and for a never-ending moment, Vaughn felt as if all the air had been sucked from her lungs. Her head began to spin when Simone got up and smiled an unforgettable smile.

  Vaughn was certain that she must be trapped in some sort of bizarre episode of Twilight Zone. Her body became infused with heat. A thin line of perspiration trickled down her back. Voices were humming around her. She was sure it must be introductions taking place, but she couldn’t hear anything over the buzzing in her ears.

  “Vaughn…Vaughn,” Justin was saying. “Are you all right?” He put his arm around h
er waist.

  She took several gulps of air and laughed nervously. “I’m…so sorry. I felt so lightheaded all of a sudden.” She forced a wavering smile. “I guess it’s because I didn’t eat today,” she offered weakly.

  “That’s understandable,” Simone answered in response.

  Vaughn laughed in embarrassment. “What a way to make an entrance, huh?” she smiled.

  “It could never be said that you don’t know how to get an audiences’ attention,” Justin joked. But his eyes darkened with concern as he looked down at her.

  Vaughn cleared her throat. She extended her hand to Simone and then to Chad. “I’ve heard so much about the two of you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both. I’m looking forward to dinner so I can hear the uncut version,” she teased with a genuine smile.

  Chad and Simone grinned at the implication.

  Slowly Vaughn was beginning to regain her composure, but the lingering effects of seeing Simone still had her nerves on edge.

  “Are you two about ready?” Justin asked.

  “My stomach says I’m on overtime,” Chad grumbled good-naturedly.

  The group chuckled as they filed out of the office. “My stomach is agreeing one hundred percent,” Simone chimed in, “and I didn’t even work today.”

  “A girl after my own heart,” Vaughn said, smiling, looking at Simone over her shoulder.

  “This meal isn’t going to tap into my retirement account, is it?” Justin asked in mock concern.

  “It just might,” Vaughn said, only loudly enough for him to hear. “You know how hungry I can get.” Slowly she moistened her lips with a flick of her tongue and Justin instantly felt his groin tighten. He was definitely going to have to tell her she was going to have to cut that out when they were in public. It could prove very embarrassing for him.

  The two-hour dinner was a success. The soul food restaurant had some of the best fare in Richmond. The conversation was both stimulating and humorous.