As I started out of the room, Liam called out, “Be careful. The door on the guest bathroom upstairs has a faulty lock. I’d hate for someone to walk in on you while showering.”
I stopped for a moment, feeling heat rise up my neck.
Dammit! He made me blush again.
“Thank you, Congressman,” I managed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I rushed out of the room without so much as a glance over the shoulder. He’d won that round, and he knew it.
Liam 1 - Elizabeth zip.
You picked on the wrong girl, buddy. Just wait. I’ll own your ass.
I trampled up the stairs, chuckling to myself at the thought. One way or another, I’d get him back. All I had to do was wait for the perfect moment. And I was patient. I could wait.
Excitement, the thrill of the hunt, purred inside my chest. My hand brushed along the smooth bannister as I sashayed downstairs. In the distance, I could hear soft music playing and the warm chatter of voices mingling. Lone Star Ranch was alive with wealth and intrigue.
Over the years, I’d become the master of working a crowd. In my younger years, I was intimidated by mingling with the rich. My old boss and mentor, John Beckman, use to tell me that private donors were like puppies. They would piddle all over your floor, but as long as you showed them the right amount of love, you could train them to eat from the palm of your hand. He was right, of course, which was why he was the best in the business until the day he retired and passed that torch on to me.
The house was fragrant with the aroma of barbeque and of course, money. Bright lights glistened throughout the room adding elegance to an already exquisite decor. The women were beautiful in their evening best laced with diamonds, and the men were dashing in their five thousand dollar suits and elegant ties. As for me, I wore a black tea length cocktail dress I’d ordered from my favorite Dallas boutique. To finish my classic look, I pulled my hair back in a loose ponytail at the nape of my neck and finished my ensemble with the pumps I’d worn on my date the night before.
I flattened my hands over my stomach, glancing around the room for my first target. Okay, more like my first victim. Hell, they should’ve smelled me coming a mile away, and if they didn’t it was because they were rookies and I was about to pop their political cherries. Not to mention their oversized pocketbooks.
“You look beautiful.” Harper stepped up behind me, resting his hands on my satin covered shoulders.
I turned around and gave him the once over. “You look pretty sharp yourself.”
He tugged on the hem of his jacket. He hated suits but understood this world as well as I did and wore them when necessary. That didn’t mean he was going to wear a tie, however. Instead he finished his outfit with a gold bolo tie bearing the Lone Star of Texas. Very typical of Harper. “Well, what do you think of our little turn out?”
I shifted back around to view the room. It was packed with the who’s who of Democratic Texans and some of DC’s finest. “Not too shabby, but I have to know, how on earth did you get Gerald Samford here?”
Gerald Samford was a money man from way back. We’re talking, he was around when Plato wrote the Republic, kind of way back. While he might’ve been the oldest son-of-a-bitch alive, every Democratic candidate would give up their first born child to garner Samford’s support. His name spun gold in Washington. To have him in attendance was an honor, more so because his feeble body didn’t usually allow for travel. Hell, a good strong Texas wind would topple the poor bastard over. Probably a good thing we weren’t in Lubbock. He wouldn’t have made it out of the limo.
“He called me,” Harper admitted.
I glanced up at my friend. “Really?”
“Yeah. Apparently the word’s out that Liam’s preparing to announce his candidacy.”
I huffed, blowing my bangs from my eyes. “Dammit. I was hoping it’d stay quiet until tomorrow, but oh well.” I jerked my shoulder in a jagged shrug. “I should’ve known once the paperwork was filed there’d be no secrets.”
“Meh. You’ll still have your epic announcement.”
I laughed, patting Harper on the back. “We both know I always get what I want. No one’s taking that away from me. So, where’s our golden boy anyway? I expected him to be down here by now.”
Harper grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. He handed one to me. I took a sip of the bubbly liquid, but nothing more. I needed to be clear, sharp, and on point tonight. My job was to get Liam in front of the right people at the right time. These folks were ready with checkbooks in hand. They simply needed me to supply them a pen.
“He said something about a call to his office regarding a bill or something. He and Aaron were going on about it. I kinda zoned out.”
I glanced up at Harper, swirling the rim of my glass with my fingertip. “For someone who puts as much money into politics as you do, you really are clueless about the on goings.”
Harper shrugged, downing his drink. “That’s what I have you for.”
“My, oh, my,” I chortled, handing him my glass. “We better get out there.”
Harper sucked down what remained in my glass in one gulp and grinned. “I’m already out there, my dear. They’re in my house. That’s all I need to do.”
I rolled my eyes. “Suit yourself. I have some fundraising to do.” With a wink, I left Harper shaking his head and laughing.
I made my way around the room, hobnobbing with the best of them. At one point, Gerald Samford latched onto my arm. I didn’t complain, because the more I could talk up Liam to him, the better chance we had of gaining his support.
Amidst all of the hustling, because let’s face it, that was my job, I caught sight of Liam near the staircase with Aaron. My eyes grazed over him, stopping at his neck. Yet another hideous tie dangled there like an electric blue beacon.
Was there an ugly tie store I was unaware of?
I forced my gaze to move downward, assessing the rest of the attire. He’d matched his terrible tie with a slim-fit, double-breasted blue-grey suit. Had it not been for that God-awful tie, he would’ve been quite dashing.
A deep breath in and a hard exhale out, I plastered a smile to my face and started toward the young Congressman and his taller, more appropriately dressed, older brother with the good ol’ Samford still dangling on my arm.
At the sight of me glaring at his distracting tie, Liam’s face exploded in a smile. He slipped his fingers around it, slowly running down the length. Annoyance simmered under my skin. Again he was taunting me. I clenched my fist into a ball, digging my nails deep into my skin to maintain a semblance of control.
“Congressman Baxter.” I tried to force my voice to sound pleasant. It wasn’t. To make things worse, Liam’s dark eyes danced with amusement. Oh how I ached to slap that smirk right off his face.
I extended a hand out to Liam in introduction. “I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Gerald Samford of Samford Innovations.” Tilting my head slightly, I gave Samford my most polished grin. “Mr. Samford, this is Congressman William Baxter and his chief of staff, Aaron Baxter.”
Liam accepted Samford’s outstretched hand for an awkward handshake. Like a true politician, Liam’s smile never faltered, but his attention never left me either. The way he looked at me was almost a dare for me to say something, anything that he could taunt me with.
“Mr. Samford, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Liam quipped.
The old man released me, latching on to Liam. “Congressman,” he gruffed, “the pleasure’s all mine.” He returned to my arm before I could give him the slip. Such was my luck. “This pretty lady’s been telling me all about you.”
Liam raised a brow and his teeth grazed over his bottom lip. “All good I hope.”
There he went with that single eyebrow bit. Aggravation pulsed through me from his silent taunts, but no matter what, he would never get the better of me. This was my domain and I would rule supreme.
“Representative Baxter, I’m shocked you�
��d think otherwise. As I told Mr. Samford–“
“Gerald,” the old man interjected.
I gave him my grin and continued, “Ah, yes, Gerald. As I was saying, Texas needs strong, young Democrats, like yourself, in office.”
“She’s right. And, son, it’s impolite to question the integrity of a beautiful woman,” Samford scolded.
Liam laughed, good and hard. He patted Samford on the shoulder, his gaze locked on mine. “You’re absolutely right. I wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”
I fluttered my eyelashes. “Why, thank you, Gerald, but I can assure you, Congressman Baxter is the epitome of honesty and serenity,” I drawled.
By the look on Liam’s face, he had a million rebuttals, but none could be said in the presence of Samford.
Take that, Baxter!
As the three men chatted, I checked out of the conversation and perused the crowd for Harper. I located him, trapped by a group of people to whom I knew he couldn’t stand in the least, but like me, he’d mastered the art of the rueful grin. A slight nod and wink told me he was ecstatic to see Samford and Liam talking. If Samford approved of the young Congressman, we had a fighting chance against the Republicans.
Off in the corner, another sight captured my attention. In the back, where he thought no one could see him, stood Victor Knolls. Standing at least a foot shorter than me, he almost succeeded in his desire to be masked by the crowd. Gray, thinning hair puffed around his head in a sort of halo effect. Even from a distance, dark age marks were visible on his forehead. In his heyday, he was a handsome man, but time had not been kind to him. Drink in hand, he stared at me in the most menacing of ways.
It occurred to me then why Aaron asked about Scout’s origins. Victor was a native Texan. It seemed that the Congressman had enjoyed employing Texans in his office.
Nice plug, kid, but diversity is the name of the game.
Samford patted the top of my hand, giving it a shake. I dropped my gaze to the hunched man and smiled. In turn, his wide, toothy grin lifted up to Liam as he said, “I like you. You can count on my support. It’s nice to see young men with a sense of chivalry today. So many forget the practices of a true gentleman.”
What the hell did I just miss?
I made a note to ask Liam later. For now, I was more interested in why a former employee was shooting daggers at me from across the room. Not that he frightened me. Victor was more of a nuisance than anything. My biggest concern was his presence and how it might cause trouble for Liam’s campaign.
Liam rested his hand on Samford’s shoulder. “I appreciate your support, Mr. Samford.”
Victor downed the rest of his drink. I slipped my hand from Samford’s arm, about to take my leave in order to extract the party crasher when Liam excused himself. Samford gushed about Liam after he walked off. I nodded and smiled, pretending to be engaged in the conversation, all the while I watched as Liam approached Victor and disappeared from the room.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out Victor was pissed. When the opportunity presented itself, I excused myself from Samford, leaving him in Aaron’s capable hands and slinked off to help Liam defuse the situation. Liam had been smart in taking Victor out of earshot. I had to admit, the Congressman was quick-witted, which would take him far.
As inconspicuous as I could be, I slipped into the dark hallway, prepared to bring security in, if necessary. I stopped at the sound of my name being mentioned.
“This is not how you want to run your campaign, Liam,” Victor yelled. “That woman would steal blood from a dying man if it meant getting what she wanted.”
“Victor, I know you’re upset, and I don’t blame you, but Ms. McNeal has nothing to do with my decision. Your irrational behavior right now is a good example as to why I released you. This is not how I want my staff to…”
“No!” Victor hissed. “I’m not being irrational. I’m being protective. I’ve put a lot of time in creating your persona. I don’t want some snake of a woman destroying everything you’ve worked for.”
“And I appreciate your concerns, but I feel…”
“Did you know that she left her husband for that oil guy? What’s his name?” I heard the snap of fingers. “Guy Harper. Yeah. She left her husband and kid to run off with him.”
Seriously? That was the best he could do? Some made up shit? I rolled my eyes in disgust. It was obvious this guy couldn’t find sand in the Sahara. A good press secretary would’ve built his story and been ready to make it come to life. What an idiot.
There was a long pause and a heavy sigh. “This is beneath you, Victor.”
“You’re blinded by a pretty face and campaign promises.”
Everything inside me wanted to jump in and rip Victor to shreds. Not because he was tearing me apart. I thought nothing of that. People spat on my name daily. Especially if they lost a race to me. What pissed me off was the crass nature of Victor’s argument. I’d known Liam all of twenty-four hours, and in that short time, I’d come to understand that he wasn’t the type to jump into any situation without careful consideration. Victor’s accusations were that of a scorned man.
“That’s enough,” Liam growled.
Oh, how I wanted to round the corner to see Liam in action. I could imagine the stern expression on his face and his towering figure looming over Victor.
“You know me better than that, and I will not allow you to talk about a woman like that, no matter how much you dislike her policies. I find Elizabeth to be a smart, creative, and empowering woman. Her tactics are exactly what I’m going to need if I want to get that Senate seat, and believe me, I intend to get it. Now, as I told you this morning, if things don’t work out with the other press secretary, I’ll consider reinstating you, but after tonight, those chances are slim and none.”
“Liam…”
“Let me finish,” Liam commanded, his voice steady but stern.
A moment of silence surrounded me. I sucked in my bottom lip waiting to hear what he had to say next.
“I want you back in DC tonight. You will remove your belongings from my office and we will not speak another word of this again. I respect you, Victor, and I appreciate all you’ve done for me, but I will not tolerate being treated this way.”
“Fine,” Victor spat. “But you’ll regret this. Mark my words.”
Great. A threat. That never bode well in my book.
“You don’t mean that. We’re friends. That’s not changed and it won’t. But I need to do this. You understand that, right?”
“No! I don’t understand. You don’t need her and her bullshit.”
“Look, my mind is set and you can’t change it.”
As their conversation came to a close, I slinked into the kitchen. I didn’t want to take any chances Liam might see me as he returned to the party. What I’d heard would remain my little secret.
Inside my chest a little ember burned. Liam defended me. Not many people would’ve done that. They would’ve simply agreed with Victor, because he did speak the truth. I was unscrupulous when it came to winning, but what he failed to understand was Liam needed my lack of conscience in order to succeed.
Time moved slowly as I waited for Liam to have a chance to return to the party. So, I replayed the conversation over in my mind. Each word, each nuance, I analyzed. If only I’d been able to see his face when he spoke to Victor. The command in his voice and the manner in which he defended me and his campaign left a mark on my soul.
Once I was certain Liam and Victor had moved on, I slipped back into the main room, but not before I dared to glance around the corner where Liam had taken Victor. It was empty as I expected, and maybe it was my imagination, but I swore I could smell the faint scent of Liam’s cologne lingering in the air ─ a composition of spice and lavender, but most of all, Liam ─ as I walked past.
I laughed at myself for being silly and slinked back into the crowd, doing what I’d been hired to do ─ sell the idea of William Baxter as the new United States Senator f
rom Texas.
I stretched my arms over my head. The sound of my joints popping echoed through my body. Every muscle inside me ached from being on my feet all night. My throat burned and my jaws hurt from constant smiles. The event had been a success. Now, what I wanted more than anything was to kick off my shoes and soak in a hot bath. Instead I was stuck in Harper’s den listening to two hot heads squabbling over nothing.
“That’s not how Victor and Bridget handled things before and it worked great for us,” Aaron snapped.
And there he went bringing up Bridget Malone again. Bridget had a reputation for running a “clean” campaign, which was great for a state or local election, but when it came to national, you had to be ruthless. And by my count, she’d lost nearly every national campaign she ever ran. Liam was one of her rare wins.
“I don’t care what Victor or Bridget did before,” Scout sneered. Piled in a messy bun, her bright red hair matched the color of her temper. She was over caffeinated and running on very little sleep. Her flight had been delayed due to some extreme weather up north, so while the rest of us were dressed to impress, she was still attired in her traveling clothes of jeans and an oversized cashmere sweater that swallowed her slender body whole. “This campaign is going to be different from last time. The Republicans are expecting us to go out there with guns a blazin’,” she drawled, “as you Texans like to say. They won’t expect an inspirational speech from him.”
Aaron, perched next to the fireplace, shook his head with vigor. “I get that, but Liam needs to get his message out there from the start. I think it’s important he highlights his platform tomorrow. The public needs to know he means business.”
Eyes snapped shut, I rubbed my temples. Lack of sleep and the incessant squawking between Scout and Aaron caused me to feel nauseous. Though my body was tired, I couldn’t sit still. I’d shifted every which way in my seat and when I couldn’t take it any longer, I stood up and meandered to the bar where I poured myself a seltzer to ease my stomach.
“Yes. I agree. His platform’s important, but it’s too much too soon. If you want, include hints in his speech, but nothing more.”
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