by James, Avery
"You're still dressed," he said. He walked over to Callie and placed his hands on her shoulders. He slid one hand over her back and grabbed the zipper to her dress. "Maybe I can help you with that."
She curled her hand tight around the flash drive. How long until he noticed what she was holding? How long until she had to figure out a way to get herself out of this room? As Gavin slid the dress off her shoulders, she tried to control her breathing. She wondered if she could get her phone out and call for help in time. She wondered if she should just hit him and run. No, there had to be a better way. Use his weaknesses against him.
Callie slid her free hand over Gavin's, and pulled the dress down off of her shoulders. This was one way of taking his mind off of everything else. As Gavin slid the dress down over her hips, Callie slipped the flash drive into her bra. Then, as the dress fell around her feet, she started to take off her heels.
"Maybe we can continue this in the other room."
"Why don't I take you right here on the floor?”
Callie panicked. Her mind was spinning out of control imagining all the ways this could go wrong. As Gavin crossed the room toward her,
"Go get a condom."
"Why not start without one?"
Callie looked over to her purse. Somewhere deep inside it, there was a small canister of pepper spray. "Go get it, and wait for me in there. I'll have a little surprise for you."
"I like surprises."
"Then you'll love this,” Callie called. “In fact, you’ll remember this for the rest of your life.” She tried to calm herself and stand still as she watched the wheels turn in Gavin’s head. Come on, come on, come on, please go.
As soon as Gavin stepped into his bedroom, Callie scooped her heels, purse and dress off the floor. No time to get dressed, she thought. This was going to be one hell of an escape. She looked back one last time as she opened the front door of the apartment and stepped into the hall.
She couldn't afford to wait for the elevator. Instead she ran to the stairs and sprinted down them as quickly as she could, almost stumbling as she raced downward. Then she reached the door to the lobby. She froze for a moment and looked for any sign of Gavin. She stepped out onto the cold marble floor of the lobby and looked straight ahead, walking right past the doorman without even blinking. As she stepped outside, she slipped herself back into the dress.
Even after she stepped out into the lobby and walked out into the warm night air, Callie couldn't relax. She just needed to get as far from Gavin as possible. Two blocks later, she stopped and held out her thumb for a cab. Instead, a black sedan pulled up to the curb.
"Get in," someone said from inside.
Callie looked up and down the street, but she saw no sign of Gavin or anyone else. She opened the car door and got inside. "Rich, I thought for sure he was going to find me."
"Do you have the drive?"
"Yup," Callie said. She belted herself into the passenger seat and leaned back as Rich sped off into the night.
"Why the hell aren't you wearing shoes?"
"Heels aren't exactly made for running."
"Well, the laptop is set up already. Load the file, and see what kind of decryption we're dealing with here."
"Sure thing," Callie said. As Rich wove through the streets of DC, making sure no one was following, Callie plugged the thumb drive into the computer. "Looks fairly standard," she said.
"Run the decryption program, and we'll know what we have before I get you home."
Two minutes later, the computer pinged. It was time to see what kind of dirt Gavin really had. There were a few other files, but she guessed that the one titled "Wyatt" would have what she was looking for. Callie clicked through the photos. The pictures were fairly standard hidden camera stuff, nothing she hadn't dealt with before. At least they now knew what they were dealing with.
"Let me check that out," Rich said. He pulled the car over and took the laptop from Callie. He shook his head as he went back through the photos. Then he went back through the files. Callie watched as Rich's eyes grew wide. "Holy shit," he said under his breath. Callie could hear his excitement. "You'll never guess who else this guy has photos of. God, there’s a video too. Your sister is going to flip."
Two
The clack of Callie's high heels against the hardwood floor echoed through the room as she paced back and forth. She had to think of the perfect way of saying this. "Amy, I know that this isn't the best time to tell you this, but I can't really see any other way. I need to take some time for myself, a few days out of DC to clear my head and just get away from all of this."
"Bravo, sounds great, now can I go back to bed?" Charlotte replied. She was curled up on the couch, the rheum of sleep still in her eyes. She didn't look too thrilled to be playing the part of Callie's older sister.
Callie frowned and handed her roommate a warm mug of coffee. "No, not until I've practiced this. You've met my sister. Every time I try to ask her for something — a vacation, a promotion, anything — she finds some way to get me to back down. And now, she's pregnant and even harder to talk to. I need to practice."
"Is there a reason why you have to practice at 6 AM? What time did you even get home last night?"
"Late. I was walking around for a while trying to clear my head."
"Date night wasn't a success?"
"It wasn't a date. I was seducing a blackmailer."
"You what?"
"It's nothing really. I stalled him while someone went through his place looking for a hard drive."
"Do you know what I did last night?" Charlotte asked. "I read a book and drank half a bottle of red wine. So, was he handsome?"
"He was a blackmailer."
"That can be kind of hot."
"He was a creep."
"Hey, I'm living vicariously through you and Jane Austen, and only one of you dragged me out of bed at 6 AM on a Saturday to role-play a vacation request."
"I also made you coffee."
"And the coffee is good. If I play along, can I go back to bed?"
"Yes."
"Try one more time. Remember, just because you're related to her doesn't mean you can't ask for your basic rights as her employee. Just walk in and say, 'Amy, I need some time off. This last case got to me, and I could use a few days to clear my head.' Callie, you'll be fine."
"That's what I said before."
"Yes, it is. Now I'm going to crawl back into bed before it's far too late."
"Or I could make breakfast, and you can help me brainstorm vacation ideas."
"Do you have use of your brother-in-law's private jet?"
"No, why?"
"Why not? That would be a vacation of its own. Let's quit our jobs, borrow the jet and fly to Paris. What do you say? Hell, I'd fly to Newark if it meant spending the day in a Gulfstream."
Callie laughed. "If I quit the job, I doubt they'll lend me their private jet. And I think I want to get a little farther away from DC than New Jersey. I was thinking somewhere with a beach, maybe a few handsome men who can rebuild my faith in human nature."
"You're not thinking of going all Eat, Pray, Love on me, are you? Callie, you're not going to find yourself by doing yoga. Besides, I happen to like the current version of you, even if it means occasionally getting dragged out of bed to role play a vacation request."
"Maybe I'm just making a big deal out of nothing. I should just forget about it."
"Callie, you deal with powerful people all the time. Why can't you ask your sister for some time off? You work insane hours, you do incredible things, just go and ask. If you don't, I'll march down there in my pajamas and do it for you."
"As much as I'd love to see that, you're right," Callie said. She grabbed her bag and turned for the door.
***
Callie paused in the doorway for a moment before stepping into Amy's office. Her palms were sweaty, and she couldn’t remember if she had put on deodorant, and every moment she waited, her confidence dwindled. It was now or never.
Callie pushed the door open and announced, "I've thought it through, and I need some time away from Washington. I need a break." Callie felt a rush of anxiety as she waited for a response. Then she looked up and realized that Amy wasn't alone.
"Good morning, little sister. I think you remember Hank Harris."
Callie felt her cheeks burn as she started to blush. She placed her hand over her mouth in surprise, and then mumbled through her fingers. "Mr. Harris.” Hank Harris stood before her, his white hair sticking out beneath his stetson. With his broad shoulders and his deeply tanned face, he looked every inch an oil man. Though that was how he made his fortune, the seventy year old billionaire had taken on a second career as an environmentalist.
Hank pulled off his hat and held it over his chest. “Ms. Haven. Do you mind if I call you Callie?”
Callie pulled her hand down from in front of her mouth and repeated herself. "Mr. Harris, good morning. I apologize for interrupting your meeting. I'll come back when you and Amy have finished your business. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
"That's quite alright, Callie." Hank said. "Come on over and have a seat. Amy and I could use your help. We were just discussing the problems we’ve encountered with a piece of legislation.”
"Your environmental bill?” Callie asked. Hank’s nonprofit had drafted the language, identified the sponsors and done the heavy lifting to move the bill through committee. Haven Communications had helped persuade a few individuals who had been on the fence. Callie had personally been twisting arms and wrangling votes for this bill for months. As far as she knew, everything was set, and the bill had support from both Democrats and Republicans. Please tell me this doesn’t have anything to do with the video.
“One of the original sponsors of the bill has gotten cold feet.”
“Right,” Callie said, “Congressman…” Her mind went blank. She could almost see his face. The Congressman was young, from a prominent political family. Oh, his name was just on the tip of her tongue.
“Jack Coburn has gone from lead on the bill to mucking it up in committee, delaying things as he contemplates his next move. He’s gearing up to run for Senate in a few years, and now he thinks this bill could be a liability.”
Tell me this doesn’t have anything to do with the video. “It seems like a natural fit for him,” Callie said. “He’s a young, unproven Congressman. This would look great on his resume when he’s running for higher office, and it would help him shake his image as a bit of a partier.”
“When the sponsor of the bill is trying to bury it, what does that tell you?”
“There’s something else going on,” Callie said. She swallowed hard. She was starting to get the feeling that Hank’s presence wasn’t a coincidence. This had to do with the sex tape Callie had unearthed the night before. There was no point in trying to avoid the discomfort of talking about it. Callie turned to Amy. “So, this has to do with the video?"
"Yes," Amy said. "Let's just say that Hank also has a vested interest in keeping that material from ever seeing the light of day."
"Understood, but what am I missing?” Callie asked.
"How much do you know about my son?" Hank replied.
"I'm sorry?" Callie said. She really didn’t understand what the misadventures of a heartthrob with a trust fund had to do with an environmental bill. "Other than the fact that he was at Amy's wedding, and that he has a bit of a reputation as a wild child, I don't know anything. As far as I can tell, he hasn't made the headlines in quite some time.” Of course there was more than that. She remembered exactly how he had looked at her from across the crowd at Amy’s wedding. Specifically, she recalled how at odds it seemed with what she had heard of him. According to Amy, he was hot-blooded, impulsive and charming. He had been arrested more than once, and he had been in the center of a fabricated sex scandal that had almost brought Amy’s career to a halt. What else did she know about him? Oh, apparently he had a sex tape. “Has he done something?”
Hank laughed a deep belly laugh and then sighed, the kind of long, weary sigh that only came after years of exasperation. ”No, until I heard from your sister this morning, I hadn’t heard a peep about him in months. He's been behaving himself for a record amount of time."
"So what's the problem?” Callie asked. “I don’t think anyone will be using that tape anytime soon.”
“It’s not that tape that we’re worried about. You see, we need your help keeping him from doing anything else that would jeopardize this legislation. We just need you to keep him from making poor decisions. Think of how much Amy was able to help Ethan."
Callie did a double take. Surely Hank wasn’t suggesting what she thought he was suggesting. Amy had entered into a marriage of convenience with billionaire and perpetual bachelor Ethan Cole in order to help Ethan clean up his image. In the process, Amy fell in love with him, and they had been blissfully married for nearly two years. Hank had even known about the whole thing. “Mr. Harris, if you think I'm going to fake marry your son, you're crazy."
"That's not what we had in mind," Amy said, shaking her head.
Hank sat up a little straighter in his chair and smiled at Callie. He took another long breath, like he was purposefully slowing the pace of the conversation. He softened his tone. “Please, Callie. Call me Hank. As much as I think that would help him find his way, it is not what we had in mind. We just want you to keep an eye on him, you know, keep him out of trouble long enough for us to pass this bill without any additional incidents. Nobody wants to associate themselves with a scandal-marred family.”
"Do you really think a few gossip columns about your son can kill a law?” Callie said.
"Callie, have you paid attention to anything I've taught you?" Amy said. "Remember what happened with Senator Clark last spring?"
"That was different. We caught him with a trunk full of —"
"We all remember the headlines, Callie," Amy continued. "And whose job was it to make sure that story leaked to the press?"
"Mine."
"And whose legislative agenda got railroaded in the process?"
"Senator Clark," Callie said softly. "But that was just one case."
"Well, how about the pictures you and Rich recovered? How do you think Gavin was planning on using them?"
"It's not like it's that common."
"I can think of a dozen cases in the last year that were exactly like it. What about Judge Howard and his affinity for women's underwear? How about the minority whip's little love nest in Columbia Heights? I can go on and on. Face it Callie, this is what we do, and this is what our opponents do. We don't have to play defense on this one. Hank is here, and he's asking us to go on the offensive. This is what you signed up for. We have a chance to help pass a great law that will help this country and protect the environment. All you have to do is say yes,” Amy said. The rhythm and rise of her words had puffed up a grand sense of importance inside Callie. She had a way of making it sound like even the lowest, most tedious work could change the fate of nations.
Callie tried to push down that feeling. She knew that it would only lead her to more stress and anxiety. She needed to stand her ground and ask for her vacation. “I already told you, I need time away from all of the insider politics."
"And that's exactly what you'll get. The bill should be up for vote in a few weeks. All we have to do is get it out of committee and up for a vote. Between now and then, you'll be in Newport, keeping an eye on Logan. Hank and I will be here working on Congressman Coburn. You’ll have the easy part. Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself. Hank has quite the guesthouse. It’s right on the water.”
"I don't know." Callie cracked a smile. "You never mentioned the private guesthouse." She was starting to realize that this was the closest thing to a vacation that she was going to get.
"You were too worked up to ask about one," Amy said.
"It's all yours, and it's right on the water," Hank added. "Whatever else you need, you'll be able to find in the house. We don�
��t carry the staff we used to, but my assistant, Donna will handle your arrangements. Your fridge will be fully stocked, and the cleaning service will come once a week, so you won’t have to worry about any of that.”
Amy pushed a few papers across her desk toward Callie. "I've already booked your flight to Providence. You'll have a rental car waiting. Callie, this is the easiest assignment you'll ever get. Spend your days relaxing; spend your nights finding some way to keep Logan out of trouble. I doubt he even gets up before noon. You’ll have mornings to yourself to explore Newport. I kind of envy you.”
"Won't he suspect something?"
"I have guests at the house all the time. One of the benefits of barely spending any time there is that I get to open my home to family and friends. He's living on my boat right now, so he won't even be at the house. I’ll let him know you’ll be in town. With any luck, he’ll be more interested in you than whatever else is going on in Newport this summer. He has a reputation, but he’ll respect your wishes. Do you think you’ll have a problem fending him off?”
“Why do I feel like I’m being set up?”
“Oh it’s nothing like that. He’s been good lately, but my son has about as much commitment and foresight as a fistful of dirt, which is to say not much. I just need insurance as I push this bill through. It would be one thing if it were just my time and reputation at stake here, but I'm working with senators and members of Congress. One wrong move could ruin all of the good work they've done over the past several months to help push this legislation forward. I'm just asking that you keep an eye on him. If there's any trouble, you can call me directly. I'll make sure you have my direct line."
"I'm sure that won't be necessary, Hank," Amy said. "Would you mind giving me a moment alone with my sister? I need to go over a few things with her."
"Of course," Hank said. "I have a few phone calls I need to make."
After Hank left the room, Amy motioned Callie closer to her. She pulled a folder out of a drawer and slid it across her desk to Callie. "This is Logan's file. It's not everything, but it's a good start on what you need to know about him before you leave for Newport. I just want to make sure that I'm very clear with you about my expectations. You need to know what you're getting yourself into.”