Chapter 16
Cincinnati, Ohio: October 9th
Propping her feet up on the armrest of her couch, Tess let her shoes hang from her toes, groaning as she stretched out her poor calf muscles. Her eyes drifted shut and she tilted her head back, breathing in deeply through her nose and letting the air slowly fill her lungs. "Ugh," she groaned, not bothering to move as her right shoe fell off, thudding onto the carpet. She had spent the entire day pushing papers and answering phone calls, but Robin remained in her thoughts, disrupting her concentration while she tried to work. This was the first moment she had claimed for herself all day, but she still felt unsettled. She wanted to hash things out with the Robin, but knew that she was the one who was owed an apology. She couldn't make sense of her sudden, strong desire to set things right.
The jarring sound of the landline ringing made Tess crack one eye open. Reluctantly, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and kicked off her remaining shoe. As the phone continued to ring, Tess padded towards the kitchen in her stockings. She flipped on the light, picked up the phone and checked the caller ID. Her eyes widened as she recognized the name and number. She pressed talk. "Hi, Daddy."
"Hello there, honey." Even over the phone, Senator Daubney had a nice, soothing speaking voice. "I just wanted to check in and see how my favorite daughter was doing."
Tess managed a soft smile at the familiar joke. "I'm your only daughter, Daddy." Talking to her father was always bittersweet. She cared for him deeply and had spent most of her life trying to please him, but keeping up the façade was soul-wearying.
"Are you all right?" he asked, a thread of worry in his voice. Tess was instantly suspicious.
"Did Brian call you?"
"Don't be upset with him," the Senator protested. "He just wanted to let me know that you were all right. He called me yesterday night." Tess realized that it must have taken an exercise in willpower for her father to hold off on calling until now.
"I never should have told Brian," she muttered, a frown forming on her face.
"I want to meet this reporter woman who saved your life and shake her hand."
Tess sighed. "The accident wasn't really that bad."
"Brian said the man who rear-ended you pulled out a gun. That sounds bad to me. How did the reporter subdue him?"
"Brian needs to keep his mouth shut," Tess mumbled.
"He was worried about you," Senator Daubney insisted gently. "So was I. Don't be too hard on him."
"Well, the guy that hit us is in jail now awaiting his drug trial, so he can't bother anyone anymore. The newspapers and blogs haven't picked up anything yet, and I'm hoping it stays that way."
"Tired of the attention already?" her father teased. "You'd better get used to it if you win this election."
"I know any media coverage is usually good coverage, but it's exhausting!" Tess said. "What does being in a car accident have to do with my political career?"
"Nothing, but the press is fascinated by life-or-death experiences. Normally, I would advise you to milk the attention for all it's worth, but as your father, I just want you to get some rest."
"I'm hoping the press never finds out about my life-or-death experience," Tess grumbled, relieved that her father wasn't pressuring her to give some kind of statement like Brian. "Hey, Dad, do you want to take care of telling the rest of the family about the accident for me?"
"Your mother already knows. She says to tell you hello."
Tess sighed. If her mother – technically, her stepmother – knew about the crash, the news was bound to get out sooner or later. At least they were in Washington, DC, where her 'accident' would be overshadowed by other, more important national news stories. "Tell her hello back, and my brother if you see him. I think I'm going to try and get some sleep."
Fortunately, the senator accepted the lie easily, and it only took Tess a few minutes to coax him off of the phone. She stared at the number pad, trying to decide which number to dial. Her thumb briefly hovered over Robin's phone number in her history, but eventually she settled on 'Aunt Abby'. That was actually Samantha's number. Tess was just paranoid that someone would discover their connection if she misplaced her cell.
The phone rang twice before Samantha answered. "Hey, doll baby. What's up?"
"You are never going to believe what happened to me yesterday. Can you come over? I need someone to talk to."
Samantha's smile was practically audible through the phone. "I think that's the first time you've asked for help from me as a friend." Tess and Samantha had been friends for years as well as occasional lovers, but Tess still found it difficult to ask for emotional support. She was used to handling everything on her own, and relying on a friend was still new and slightly uncomfortable.
"So, can you? Come over, I mean."
"Of course."
They didn't linger on the phone, and once Samantha hung up so that she could start on her way, Tess went in search of her cat, the only other soul in the world that she trusted enough to confide in. "Horatio, where are you?" she called out, peeking under tables and checking beneath the bed. Eventually, she found him in his own cat bed, huddled in a mess of blankets and clothes. Even though his cat bed was perfectly comfortable by itself, Horatio was in the habit of stealing lap blankets, shirts, and pillowcases from the laundry or even the linen closets in order to line his 'nest'. He reminded Tess of a large, furry bird with a squashed nose as he peered out from his lair. "Come here, you idiot," Tess said with a sigh, pulling Horatio out of his cocoon and propping him against her chest. The cat was annoyed at being disturbed, and so it took him a few moments to start purring, but once he did, the sound filled the room. For the first time that evening, Tess smiled.
Horatio permitted his owner to carry him back into the living room, but once they passed the entrance to the kitchen, he pushed out of Tess's arms and leapt onto the floor, trotting forward a few steps before turning to glance back over his shoulder. He yowled when Tess didn't immediately follow him. "Oh, please, you're fat enough already."
"I hope you weren't talking to me," came a familiar voice from behind her, and Tess almost fell as she whirled around to face the intruder.
"Can't you knock on the door like a normal person?" she hissed, the small fragments of her good mood disappearing completely. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. I never should have given you that damn key."
Samantha grinned. "I have to keep you on your toes."
Tess sighed and turned to enter the kitchen, using the cat that wound around her feet as a distraction. Calling Samantha had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was having second thoughts. "Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to come over."
"I'm not expecting sex," Samantha admitted. "I figured you just needed an ear." The politician let out a sigh of relief, deliberately choosing not to analyze why the thought of being intimate with Samantha made her so uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"That's exactly what I need."
Samantha leaned against the counter, keeping a safe distance as Tess poured two scoops of dry food into Horatio's silver dinner bowl. She and the Persian had been wary of each other ever since the nosy cat had stolen her favorite handbag. When she tried to retrieve it, Horatio startled and scratched her arm. "All right, lay it on me."
"Well, I got rear-ended driving through Over-the-Rhine, for starters."
Samantha's carefully shaped eyebrows rose several inches. "For starters? What else?"
"The guy turned out to be a drug addict and dealer, and he didn't have insurance. Thank God Robin was there, because he was ranting and raving. It was all 'fuck you' this and 'bitch' that. I'm not sure what he would have done if I had been alone."
"Wait, who is Robin?"
Suddenly, Tess realized that explaining the entire story to Samantha was going to be a lot more complicated than she had originally thought. "Robin is Nina's real name."
"The reporter?" Samantha asked.
"Well, not really. She's actually an FBI a
gent."
"Holy shit."
Tess couldn't argue with that. "It's a long story..."
Samantha grinned. "So, Butchy McFabulous saved the day, huh?"
"Don't call her that," Tess said, although she couldn't deny that Robin was kind of fabulous, and the leather jacket and short hair definitely screamed butch. Realizing that Samantha was waiting for her to continue, she snapped out of her daydream. "Anyway, Nina – Robin – mentioned something about the FBI, and the other driver totally flipped out. He reached into the back of his pants and pulled a gun on me. Robin didn't even give him the chance to aim. She took him out in less than a second."
"A tall, dark, handsome FBI agent that defends your honor by getting into fights? Wow, your girlfriend sounds hot," Samantha said, pretending to fan herself. "When do I get to meet her?"
"She's not my girlfriend," Tess tried to explain, but she knew that Samantha would just ignore her. "Anyway, we had to go down to the police station to answer questions. Robin had him tied up with my jumper cables by the time they picked him up."
"Well, that's one hell of a first date," Samantha joked, but Tess could see the concern behind her forced humor. "You're okay, right?" she asked, and the politician congratulated herself for reading her friend so well.
"I'm fine. Robin's the one stewing now. I was pretty angry that she lied to me, but she's going to bring me lunch sometime in the next few days. I'll let her kiss up to me for a little while before I forgive her."
As she told Samantha about her plans, Tess suddenly realized how intimate the words sounded. No wonder her friend kept making relationship jokes. The way Tess was going on, it really did sound like she and Robin were in one. But that could never happen. There were too many obstacles in the way; her family, her career, and her campaign manager, for starters, and on top of that, she didn't even know if Robin was interested in her. Maybe she had only arrived in Tess's life and tried to strike up a connection because of her job.
"I guess the worst part now is that I have no idea how much of the past few days was real. We seemed to get along really well. I know that I can't have a girlfriend or anything, but you’re right. I could use another friend in my life. I don't have any besides you and Horatio." The cat's ears perked up at the sound of his name, but he kept his nose buried in his food bowl.
Samantha pushed herself off of the counter and moved closer to Tess, stroking the politician's lower arms and giving her hands a friendly squeeze. She lifted her palm to smooth back Tess's hair from her forehead, but every strand was already in place. She undid the hair clip that held it back, and Tess let out a soft moan of relief as the pull on her scalp slackened. "There, you look much prettier like that. I wish you'd let your hair down more often."
"Is that supposed to be a bad metaphor or something?" Tess said dryly, slightly uncomfortable with Samantha's closeness for the first time she could remember. Normally, being near such a beautiful woman excited her and brought back pleasurable memories, but now it felt a little strange.
"No. It's the truth. I'm glad you're all right, Tess."
Tess was surprised by Samantha's use of her first name instead of doll baby or another equally horrendous nickname, but she tried not to let it show. The politician thought for a moment, and then made a decision. "Do you mind if I lie down for a while? All of this happened yesterday night, but I've been working all day and it still feels fresh."
"I don't mind. Do you want me to -"
"I don't want you to leave. I was hoping you'd stay with me for a little while."
Over the years, Samantha had stayed over at Tess's apartment several times, although it was not the norm. She usually left before the night was over, telling her that it was for the same reason that she kept her makeup on during their scenes, to prevent Tess from getting lost in some kind of romantic fantasy. She didn't feel comfortable saying yes this time for a different reason, although she couldn't articulate what that reason was. "I thought you said that you just wanted a friend tonight?"
"I changed my mind. I want you to stay with me." The sexual part of the request didn't need to be explained.
Samantha gave Tess a suspicious look. She didn't like the tone of her friend’s voice. It was seductive, but almost hollow, as though she wasn't really the one speaking. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Not what you expected me to ask?"
"I think even though you keep denying that this Robin chick is your girlfriend, you're already acting like you're from another planet."
Tess sighed. In reality, she had felt more like herself over the past several days than in the past several years combined. But what if she and Samantha weren't the only ones who noticed a change? This was the worst possible time for her to lose her mind over an attractive stranger, especially with Election Day so close. She needed to get back to her normal life as soon as possible and forget all of this nonsense. Impulsively, she let her hands settle at Samantha's hips and stepped into the younger woman's personal space. Unlike her earlier gestures, this one was clearly meant to be sexual. "I'm my own woman, Samantha," she said, her face tilted up slightly as she brought her lips close to the brunette's ear. "I make my own choices. I'm not going to let someone I barely know get in the way of my goals."
As she looked up into Samantha's darkening eyes, Tess deliberately pushed all thoughts of Robin out of her mind. She had done perfectly well for herself before this strange bump in the road, and she had worked too hard to lose it all now.
To her surprise and hurt, Samantha removed the hands resting against her and stepped back. "No, Tess. Both of us know you don't want this right now. It's bad enough watching people who are supposed to care completely ignore what you want, but it's even worse when you do it to yourself."
"I don't understand –" Tess began, but Samantha interrupted her.
"What is there to understand? Nothing's ever going to change until you stop treating your dreams like they're for shit. No, not your political goals, your dreams," she added when Tess tried to offer an explanation. "Do you even know what those are anymore?" Silence was the only answer to that question. "Well then," Samantha said, unable to hold back her frustration and pain in her voice, "as your friend, I suggest you take some time to figure it out."
"My friend wouldn't tell me off and then storm out of my apartment," Tess said as Samantha moved to leave the kitchen. She didn't reach out, but she did follow the taller woman for a few steps, unwilling to let her go so easily.
"No, that's exactly what a good friend would do. And a good friend wouldn't toss you a pity fuck to help you try and go back to the way things were when you obviously hate your life." Snatching her purse from where she had set it on the counter, Samantha didn't say goodbye as she stalked toward the front door.
Tess didn't bother chasing after her.
Chapter 17
Cincinnati, Ohio: October 10th
Robin stared down at her cell phone, trying to decide whether calling Tess was a good idea or not. She wouldn't be surprised if the politician was still angry with her, but she wanted a chance to apologize. She hadn't contacted Tess since they left the police station on the night of the accident, and the silence that had stretched between them over the past two days made her extremely uncomfortable.
"Well," she said aloud, not bothered by the fact that she was talking to herself, "she did say I could meet her for lunch..." She wasn't confident that the invitation was still extended, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Maybe an hour or so with Tess would assuage some of her guilt.
Scrolling through her call history, since she was not nearly so bold as to put Tess's phone number in her permanent contacts list yet, she selected the politician's number and waited. The call went three rings before Tess answered.
"Daubney."
Robin smiled slightly, amused and a little pleased that Tess answered the phone in the same short, brusque manner that most of the agents back in D.C. did. Even her ADIC usually just responded with his last name and nothing else.
"Hi. This is Robin. How are you doing?" Tess paused for a moment, and the FBI agent inwardly chastised herself. How are you doing? You couldn't come up with anything better to say?
"Hello. I assume you're calling about lunch." The politician's tone was neither friendly nor cold. In fact, it seemed to contain no emotion at all, and that made Robin decidedly uncomfortable.
"Yes. If you're not too mad at me for lying to you, I'd like a chance to treat you to some Thai like you mentioned. Think of it as a delicious apology. Besides, we never did make it to that restaurant."
There was another pause, and Robin shifted. Tess was deliberately keeping her hanging, but she probably deserved it. "All right. I'm free twenty minutes before one. Come bearing food, and be prepared to grovel."
"You got it," Robin said, more cheerful now that Tess seemed willing to joke with her a little. "I'll see you then."
As soon as she ended her call with Tess, the phone rang again. Robin glanced down at the number, her eyebrows lifting high when she recognized it. She answered quickly. "Louph! You never call me on the phone. Did alien visitors stick a probe in your brain, or did the CIA mind control you with satellite waves? Are you wearing your tinfoil hat?"
"Ha ha, very amusing," he drawled, obviously not amused at all. "I am calling because I checked on the tax forms of GateCard and QuikSilver."
Robin had already requested the information through legal channels, but she was interested to hear what Louph had discovered. "What did you find? You're basically doing all the work for me on this one. I feel like I should pay you."
"I do not need money," Louph said, completely missing the point.
Robin sighed and decided to express her gratitude much more bluntly. Louph was not very good at reading between the lines, as intelligent as he was. "I know you don't. I'm just saying that I owe you one, okay? I've been kind of distracted lately, and you've really helped me out on this."
"On the contrary, I think I am the one that owes you." Robin hated it when Louph brought up his supposed 'debt' to her, but years of pestering had not gotten him to stop. She considered the debt paid twenty times over, and hadn't asked for any kind of repayment in the first place, but Louph insisted, and she agreed since she understood how uncomfortable 'owing' somebody made him, even if it was all in his own head. "The C.E.O of GateCard is involved with Saunders directly. His corporate tax files indicate that he donated large amounts of money to People's Voice, and he did indeed write them off as charitable contributions.”
All The Pretty Things Page 9