by Donna Hill
She smiled shyly. Then, methodically, she took him back with her eighteen years, to when she was a young, impressionable girl hungry for love and affection. She’d found it in Brian Willis’s arms. “He was my first love.” She took a deep breath and her gaze drifted off as she was swept away with her memories. “Brian was killed in a car accident a month before graduation.” Her eyes filled, and a single tear slid down her prominent cheek. “He was Senator Willis’s son, you see,” her voice catching in her throat. “And it wouldn’t have been…right.” She hesitated for so long that Justin thought she wouldn’t continue.
The memories overwhelmed her, choked her like noxious fumes. She felt the endless sense of loss carve a hole in her stomach.
Justin wanted to reach out and take her in his arms and make her hurt go away. At the same time, he wanted to ask her what was the significance of Brian being the senator’s son. What wouldn’t have been right? he wanted to know. But witnessing this metamorphosis of buried pain transform her, he realized that she’d been right all along. Some things were better left unsaid. Guilt pounded at him. “Vaughn, baby, you don’t have to say more.”
“Simone looks so much like him,” she blurted out suddenly. Justin’s eyes widened in astonishment. She covered her mouth to stifle the sob that bubbled up from her throat.
The corners of her mouth trembled when she tried to smile. She wiped the tears away with the back of her hand and sniffed. “You couldn’t have known. It was just—such a shock when I first saw her.” She swallowed hard. “All the memories just came rushing back when I saw her tonight.” She sniffed again. Her eyes shimmered with tears. She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I guess it will just take some getting used to. They say we all have a twin somewhere.”
Justin studied her and knew instantly that there was more to this than she was telling. He inhaled deeply and let out a long breath. This was not the end of it he determined. No more questions, no more prying, at least for now. He’d told her once at the start of their relationship that their pasts were behind them, and he wanted them to start new lives, with new memories. And still he tried to get her to talk about things from her past that she couldn’t handle. Whatever it was obviously was too painful for her to deal with. The entire evening, from Vaughn’s uncharacteristic behavior to her last revelation, left him with some disturbing questions. The pieces all had jagged edges, but somehow they fit together.
“They also say we all look alike,” he chuckled lightly, pushing away his unsettling thoughts. Justin pushed up from his spot on the loveseat, rounded the table, and sat next to her on the couch. Without words they were in each other’s arms. Justin lightly caressed her hair and placed tiny kisses on her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have pushed the issue. We’re all entitled to a degree of privacy about our lives. I guess I was in my gang buster mode.” He felt her laughter ripple against his chest.
She tapped him playfully on the nose with the tip of her finger. “You definitely haven’t lost your touch.” She pressed her head against his chest and threaded her fingers through his. The steady beat of his heart against her ear was like a soothing balm to her spirit.
“Let’s see what else I haven’t lost,” he uttered in a low rumble.
The sun was barely up in the sky when Justin eased from beneath Vaughn’s heavenly scented quilt. They’d made plans to spend the rest of the weekend at Virginia Beach, and he wanted to get an early start. He still had to return to his house and toss a few things in a bag. He’d let Vaughn sleep until he returned.
Lovingly, he studied her sleeping form. This was what he wanted, he knew, watching the steady rise and fall of her breathing. He wanted to be able to come home to her every night and wake up with her every morning. He wanted her at his side.
Silently he eased down and placed a kiss on her smooth ebony forehead. She stirred in her sleep and he swore she whispered his name. Justin smiled at the possible reasons as he vividly recalled the torrid night of passion they’d shared. His groin throbbed just thinking of it. Who would ever believe this woman, who came across to the public as a level-headed, conservative, hard-nosed politician, was actually the most erotic, insatiable woman he’d ever met? He shook his head in amazement and padded off to the bathroom.
Vaughn slowly pushed herself up through the final veils of sleep. Her heart thumped suddenly as the misty notion of something unsettling enveloped her. The first thought that materialized was Simone. Images of the young woman stood before her unfocused eyes. Her stomach dipped as if she were racing downward on a rollercoaster ride. The sound of running water invaded her senses. Slowly a feeling of security replaced the uneasiness as it retreated to the recesses of her mind and was soon forgotten. “Justin.” She sighed contentedly and stretched, then slid out from beneath the cover. A trail of goosebumps broke out over her nude flesh. She gasped as the cool morning air brushed against her skin as she ran toward what she knew would be the heat of the bathroom.
She giggled like a scheming teenager as she turned the knob on the door. Maybe, if she worked it right, which she was confident she could, she’d convince Justin to take a quick jog with her before they set off for the day. And perhaps she’d convince him of a few other things in the meantime.
By the time Vaughn returned to her office on Monday, her whole attitude regarding the blow-up with Crystal was behind her. After talking it out with Justin and turning it over in her own head, she knew what she had to do. She was in no position to cast aspersions. What Crystal did in her private life was her own affair. If Crystal wanted her advice, then that’s when she would give it. She and Justin had spent a wonderful weekend at his cottage in Virginia Beach, and she had no intention of coming down from the cloud she was on.
Her happiness was like a beacon as she walked quickly down the hallway, greeting the staff as she headed to her office. She felt like she could take on the world and silently giggled, wondering if that’s what good lovin’ did to you.
She pushed open her office door, swung it closed behind her, and nearly choked on her own smile when she spotted Crystal sitting in her favorite spot in the little alcove behind the door.
“Crystal,” she sputtered. Her pulse raced off at a fast trot, then settled. “You scared me right outta my pantyhose,” she said, reciting the chant that was a longstanding ritual between them.
She waited for Crystal’s practiced response but it didn’t come. Instead Vaughn’s gaze was met with uncertainty. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched Crystal’s shoulder in a gesture of peace. “I just hope that you keep right on sittin’ there, giving me a reality check every morning.” Her throat tightened and she swallowed back the lump. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t.”
Crystal blinked to keep the tears from spilling. Then suddenly they both spoke at once.
“Vaughn, I just…”
“No, I jumped…”
They both erupted into infectious cleansing laughter and found themselves hugging. “Listen to us,” Vaughn said after several long breaths, gaining a semblance of composure. “Two perfectly intelligent women, babbling like idiots.”
Crystal stood back and took Vaughn’s hands in hers. “I know you just had my best interests at heart.” She lowered her lids, then met Vaughn’s steady gaze. “I can handle it,” she said with quiet conviction.
Vaughn gently squeezed Crystal’s hand and smiled reassuringly. “I know you can.”
Crystal let out a breath and released Vaughn’s hands. “Now that we have all the mushy stuff out of the way, I have some news, girl.” She maneuvered around to the small work table and sat down. Vaughn took a seat opposite her. Crystal slapped her palms down on the table and broke out in a sunshine grin. “The Lucus Stone camp wants to go head-to-head on television!”
Vaughn’s eyes widened. “Why all of a sudden? That seemed like the last thing Stone wanted to do.”
“Apparently, he feels you’re getting too much press. You know my opinion—I think he’s starting
to feel the pressure.”
Vaughn slowly nodded in agreement. Her expression grew serious. “I don’t think we should give in right away. We set the parameters for the debate, we set the when and where.”
“Exactly.”
The wheels began to turn in Vaughn’s head. She felt energized, like she always did when confronted with a challenge. “I need a synopsis on every bill Stone has voted on or against, and a recap of all of the polls.” Her eyes grew pensive as she planned her strategy. “We need to get Imani Angoza, the image consultant. I want to make sure that the camera picks up the differences between us—not just color—not just male-female.” She pursed her lips as she continued to think. “I want to lose that hard-edged image that I’ve been known to have. But I don’t want to come across as a fluffy female, either. Getting the assembly seat was a whole different ballgame. We’re in the big time now.”
Crystal jotted everything down and nodded in agreement as Vaughn continued to map out their plan. She looked up and saw the same fire in Vaughn’s eyes that had won her the assembly seat four years earlier. Just being in her presence at times like this was awe-inspiring. You couldn’t help but catch the energy, Crystal thought in admiration. Vaughn was like the sun, radiating strength, determination, and power to everyone who came under her influence. This was the winning team, and she was happy to be a part of it.
Vaughn paced rhythmically across the hardwood floor, the heels of her blue suede pumps clicking a steady beat. “We’ll need at least a month to prepare.”
“Do you want Imani to do the mock interviews on video?”
“Perfect,” Vaughn concurred. “Oh, and another thing,” her finger cut through the air as she spoke. “We need to pull out our best slogans and put together two thirty-second commercials.”
“That’s going to dig real deep into the campaign funds.”
Vaughn shrugged. “That’s what it’s there for. So let’s use it.”
“It’s your call. But you may want to think about replenishing the pot with another fundraiser.” Vaughn nodded. “I’ll start working on the details and put together a schedule of when we set each step into motion and I’ll start contacting all the players. We’re going to need a top-of-the-line film crew and a producer.”
“Check in the Big Black Book. I’m sure we can find a black-owned film company that can do the work and would jump at the opportunity. I really don’t want to use the crew that’s attached to this office. After a while, all their stuff looks the same.”
“I know what you mean. We need a fresh approach.”
“Exactly.” Vaughn took a long, deep breath and let it out with a smile. “Well, girlfriend,” she said, easing out of overdrive, “looks like we’re in there!”
Crystal smiled brightly and held her hand up for a high-five. “You damned right!” They slapped palms and laughed like the friends they were.
Lucus Stone glared at the man who stood on the safe side of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back. “What’s Hamilton’s answer about the television appearance?” He cracked the knuckles of his right hand while he tapped cigarette ashes with his left.
Winston McGee pressed his lips together before he spoke. “I’ve spoken with her chief of staff. She said she’d get back to me in a few days with an answer.”
Lucus squinted in disbelief. He was sure they’d have jumped at the chance. “Stay on top of it. If we don’t get a positive response by the end of the week, set up a meeting with our friends from the press. We’ll peg her as afraid to meet me head-on—that she’s worried that her record won’t stand up to mine—that she has something to hide.” He leaned back.
“I have a feeling we’ll be hearing from her,” Winston offered. “I can’t see her backing down.”
“You’re probably right. But I want to keep all my bases covered. She has until noon on Friday.”
Crystal returned to her desk after her meeting with Vaughn just as her phone began to ring. “Assemblywoman Hamilton’s office. Crystal Porter speaking,” she answered crisply. She deposited her notes on the desk and hugged the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she sat down.
“Hey, baby. I’m back in town.”
“David.” For an instant, the suspicions raised by Vaughn reared their ugly heads, but she quickly discarded them. She got comfortable in her seat. “How are you? When did you get in?” she asked in one rushed breath. They hadn’t seen each other in two days. To Crystal, it felt like a week. He’d left late Friday night for business in D.C. They hadn’t spoken since.
“In answer to your first question, I’ll be doing better when I see you. And to your second question, about ten minutes ago.”
Crystal grinned. “When can we get together?”
“I was hoping tonight.” He thought about the phone call he’d just received from Lucus and knew that he’d better get some new information, and quick.
Crystal’s heart sank. She had so much work to do. She couldn’t see getting out of the office before midnight. “Oh, David, I wish I could, but I’m swamped. We’re right in the thick of things for the campaign.”
David thought quickly. He needed to know what she knew. “Tell you what—why don’t you bring your excess work home and leave at a reasonable hour, and I’ll help you out at your place. You have a computer, that’s half the battle.”
She mulled it over for a minute. It could probably work, she thought, growing excited over the prospect of seeing him. She could make all her business calls from the office, set up the agenda on her office computer, and put the information on a disk. Then she’d just pop the disk into her PC at home and finish up her paperwork there. If she mapped it out right, she’d have plenty of time to spend an intimate evening with David. The reality was, there were so many distractions and interruptions at the office that it would take until midnight to get finished.
“Sounds like a plan,” she said finally. “But I’m holding you to your offer to help.”
David let out a long held breath. “I’ll even pick up dinner and bring it over,” he added solicitously.
“Great. So I’ll see you about eight?”
“I’ll be there. ‘Bye, babe.”
David hung up the phone and laughed out loud. This was going to be easier than he’d thought. All he had to do was put his own disk in Crystal’s computer and copy her information.
Chapter 17
“It was just great,” Simone said to Jean over the phone. “Everyone was wonderful, and Ms. Hamilton was as nice as I thought she would be.”
Jean stretched out on Simone’s bed. “Looks like you really lucked out,” she said. “But what I want to hear about is this Chad Rushmore.”
“Mmmm,” Simone sighed dreamily. “He’s fine, intelligent, fun to be with…”
“Sounds almost too good to be true.”
“Don’t I know it. But we got along so great together. I can’t wait to get back. He promised to take me around to see some of the sights in Richmond.”
“Well, find out if he has a brother, or at least a friend. My love life could sure use a boost.”
“Girl, if you’d get your nose out of those science books for a minute, you might be able to find somebody.”
“Some of us have to study,” she said wearily.
“Anyway,” Simone continued, taking the barb in good humor. “I have to get my final approval from my professor and take the letter back with me next Monday.”
“When are you heading out?”
“Late Friday afternoon. I need to call my folks and let them know, and I need to make travel arrangements. Mr. Montgomery said he’d arrange for me to stay at the Ramada Inn. It’s not too far from the office, and I can take the train to work.”
“How are you going to pay for all of this?”
Simone hesitated, deciding whether or not she should tell Jean about her involvement with Child-Link and the money that would be hers in a little over a week. Instead she said, “I think he and Ms. Hamilton have something going on,”
she said, sidestepping Jean’s question.
“Get outta here!”
“That’s what I think. But they’re real cool with it.”
“I wouldn’t go spreading that around if I were you.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course I wouldn’t. But suppose they are. Wouldn’t that be something? I think they’d make such a fabulous couple.” Simone slid her hands in her jean pockets, shuffled her feet for a second, then looked at Jean. “Listen,” she said finally. “There’s something I need to talk with you about. But you have to swear that you won’t tell anyone.”
Vaughn lay stretched out on Justin’s couch with her feet propped up on his lap. “Oooh, that feels good,” she sighed heavily as Justin expertly massaged her stockinged feet. “I feel like I walked a million miles today.”
“How is everything going?”
“Well, Crystal is working out the details. Things are really beginning to heat up with Stone. This television debate is going to be crucial.”
“What’s your plan of attack?” He moved his hands up from her feet to massage her calves. Vaughn closed her eyes and let herself float with the soothing sensations.
“Lucus is weak in the areas of housing revitalization and making a difference with the small-business owners and minorities. He may have a track record on some of the bigger issues, like foreign affairs, but I have him beaten hands down when it comes to direct contact with my constituents.”
Justin nodded in agreement. “So that’s going to be your platform,” he stated more than asked.
“Umm-mmm, ‘Vaughn Hamilton, a woman of the people, by the people, and for the people.’”
“I like it. It sounds hokey enough to be believable,” he chortled.
Vaughn sat up and popped him on the top of his head. “Not funny. This is serious, Counselor.”
Justin rubbed the spot on his head and grimaced. “I know, I know. Can’t you take a joke?” he chuckled. He adjusted his position and slid up on the couch until he was lying next to her, then took one of his legs and locked it across her body to get comfortable. “If there’s anything that I can do, let me know,” he said earnestly. “I’m willing to help.”