by Ivy Nelson
“Leggy?” he questioned with one eyebrow raised. “I take it you're not a fan of Miss Jacobs?” He couldn't keep the smirk off his face anymore. She looked like she wanted to crawl under the table, so he did his best to make her feel better. “I'm clearly not a fan either. This was supposed to be a break-up breakfast after all. She does have fantastic legs though.”
“I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me,” she finally stuttered.
He waved his hand and said, “Think nothing of it, really. It’s amusing. I hope none of this makes you too uncomfortable. I apologize for inadvertently bringing you into my personal drama. And I should clarify my poor choice of words. I wouldn’t call it a break-up. More like a realigning of boundaries. But to explain that would bring you even further into my drama than you probably want to be.”
“It’s fine, really. I’m just embarrassed for having petty thoughts about someone I’ve met twice. It’s not my usual style.”
The waiter arrived to bring them coffee and take their orders. Bradley watched Darci take a deep breath, and a determined look came over her face as he finished giving his food order.
“So, Mr. Givens,” Darci began once the waiter left. “Why did you want to see me?”
“I know you’re trying to get a meeting with the senator. I would like to hear why.” He mentally high-fived himself as he saw the surprise in her eyes. She wasn't expecting him to jump straight to the point.
“Why, so you can have something to laugh at in the office?” Her tone was mild, but her words stung.
“Not at all. I would never do that, Darci. I have to protect my boss’s interests. You work for an organization that opposes his proposed legislation, but we can be reasonable enough to at least sit down and talk about it. It’s important to screen his meetings. I hope you understand that.”
She nodded as the waiter returned with food. Bradley changed tactics.
“Look, it’s way too early to talk shop, and I didn’t give you any time to prepare. What do you say we enjoy breakfast and talk about something that isn't work related? I promise to schedule a proper meeting with you soon. In the meantime, I would love to know more about you.” She flashed him a broad smile, and relief washed over him.
He had won her back.
“What would you like to know?” she asked.
They spent the rest of breakfast talking about how they got into their respective careers. It surprised him to learn she had a degree in political science. If he’d had to guess, he would have gone with philosophy or creative writing.
Interesting, he mused to himself. Maybe she could be more useful than he thought. He asked her to tell him more about her college days, and the way she tensed up as soon as he asked the question did not go unnoticed.
When there was a lull in the conversation, she changed the topic.
“If this question is inappropriate tell me, but how long have you been a member of Exposure?” she asked in a low voice.
He raised an eyebrow at her question but answered.
“Almost a year. I’ve been in the lifestyle for much longer, but one of Peggy’s friends was already a member when we began experimenting with our dynamic, so we decided to try it out.”
“Do you ever worry that someone will out you?”
He nodded. “All the time but the security protocols seem to be thorough and that gives me some peace of mind. Unlike some of the other clubs. Like the ones Marlie attended. I’m sorry about her death by the way. I know you two were close. Why haven’t I seen you there before the other night? It seems like you’re well known and liked there.”
Something flashed across her face that Bradley recognized as pain, and he started to tell her she didn’t have to answer his invasive question, but she spoke before he could.
“Not long before you joined, I went through a rough break-up with a popular Dom. I wore his collar, but it turns out we had… fundamental differences of opinion about certain things, and he released me. I had a hard time with the idea of being in the same room as him and Damion doesn’t miss a weekend.”
“Damion? You were collared to that bastard?” Her eyes shot up in surprise at his outburst. “Sorry, I know you’re submissive, but he takes controlling to a whole different level. You seem way too sassy for him.”
She laughed. “Let’s just say I spent a lot of my time with him, not able to sit.” She looked down at her plate and shifted the food around with her fork. He could tell this conversation was making her uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry. We can change the subject if you want.”
Darci smiled and did exactly that. They were laughing again a few minutes later. When she asked why he didn’t support his father, he steered her away from that topic. He wasn't ready to get into something that heavy with her. Her carefree laughter was too enjoyable to sour the mood. This girl was beautiful and intelligent, and he was again glad for Adara’s mistake.
Now that they had talked about their respective interests in BDSM, he wondered if they could ever pursue something together involving kink. Considering how open she was about her lifestyle, dating her was out of the question—at least while he was running a presidential campaign. He mentally slapped himself. This line of thinking was the opposite of taking a step back from the kink world. That’s why he was ending things with Peggy.
Shaking the thoughts off, he offered his breakfast companion a smile as he picked up his phone to check for alerts. The curse of being chief of staff—it was impossible to be free of technology. The number of notifications was alarming. There were texts from four of his top-level staffers and his Twitter feed was blowing up.
Shit. What had happened?
“Pardon me for a moment, it looks like something might be on fire at my office.”
Darci smiled and waved her hand.
“By all means, I completely understand. I can feel my phone buzzing like crazy.” As she spoke, she pulled the device from her bag.
Bradley groaned as he read the excerpt from an article his press secretary had sent him.
In an impromptu interview this morning, Senator Atleigh had this to say about the tragic event: “While the death of Mrs. Dixon is tragic, the truth is she was known for her affiliation with a group that condones violence toward women. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened.”
He felt the temperature in the room shift as he glanced at Darci who was likely reading the same headline on her phone. If her face was any indication, she was not happy.
“Are you fucking kidding me Bradley? A group that condones violence toward women?”
Yep, definitely not happy. She wasn’t finished either.
“How the hell can you work for this ass hat?” He closed his eyes. Her anger wasn’t entirely unwarranted, but there really wasn’t a need for name calling.
“Don't be angry at me, Darci. I'm not happy with him right now either. I swear the press got to him without his handlers being present.”
“Does this country want a president that needs babysitters?” Her tone was bitter, but she had a point. Sort of.
“Come on Darci all candidates have handlers,” he pointed out trying to calm her down.
“Well you guys need to do a better job,” she hissed.
He sighed. “And we were having such a nice breakfast.”
Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she stood. “I’m sorry Mr. Givens, I have to leave. Thank you for breakfast. Let me know if you decide on letting me meet with your boss. Not today though. If I talk to him today, I might punch him.”
Turning, she stalked away. Bradley jumped up to follow her.
“Darci wait.” He caught up to her and touched her elbow. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t understand how I can work for him, but I promise you he isn’t all bad. I’m going to clean this up, but I might need your help.”
Red hair went flying as she whirled to face him. “Why the fuck would I want to help him?”
“I know it sounds crazy but
hear me out. Share my car. I’ll drop you at your office. If I remember right, it’s on the way.”
“Fine. But I’m not agreeing to anything.”
He smiled. “Just listen. That’s all I ask.”
The car ride to Darci’s office was tense. Bradley had to first make a few calls before he could hash out his plan with her. While he was on the phone, he could feel the daggers boring into him as she glared, tapping away at the screen on her own phone.
“Adara, cancel the morning briefing and clear my schedule for the next couple hours. I’m on my way. Tell the other department heads to clear their mornings too. I may need them. And cancel my afternoon meeting with Peggy.” He winced and changed his mind. “No, wait. Don’t cancel. Just move it to a restaurant near the office. One last thing. Get the senator in my office at two-thirty this afternoon. My office. Not his.” He ended his final call and turned his attention to Darci.
“Not going to tell her about the mix up?” she asked in a sweet voice, but her eyes were still icy.
“I don’t like dealing with things like that in front of others,” he responded. “I’ll talk to her privately.”
He changed subjects.
“There’s a benefit Marlie was hosting in two weeks. I wasn’t going to attend because of obligations with the senator. If you can get me six tickets, I can clear those obligations. I heard they are already sold out, but I know you can pull some strings for me.”
She tapped on her screen again.
“I could do it, but it will cost you a lot of dough. It’s sold out, but we can always squeeze in a few VIP guests. I don’t know how I feel about Sean Atleigh being a VIP at her benefit though.”
He sighed. “I know it feels ugly. I do. I’ll make you a deal though. You get me the tickets, price doesn’t matter, and I’ll arrange a meeting with you and Atleigh.”
“Alone. No handlers.”
“You know I can’t do that. I mean look what happened when he talked to the press.”
“No tickets then.”
He glared. Stubborn girl. “Fine. Fifteen minutes, unsupervised at the benefit.”
After an awkward moment of silence, she turned to stare out the window and said, “OK. Deal.”
They said a tense goodbye at her building, and Bradley continued on to his own. The day had started out so well.
At his office he stopped at Adara’s desk.
“I need everything you can find on the senator’s press conference. Give me some uninterrupted time and then I’m going to want meetings with Cassie, Sandra, and Charlie.”
“Yes, boss. And I moved your lunch with Peggy to Union Pub.”
“Bless you. I’ll be in here banging my head against the wall if you need me.”
The assistant grinned and shooed him away from her desk. “I’ll send everything I find to your printer.”
As soon as he walked into his office his printer started whirring and spitting out pages. He grabbed the first of the articles that came out and settled in at his desk. A glance at his monitor told him that Adara had found video of the conference and sent that to him as well.
As he was finishing up the first article, Sandra and Charlie busted through his door. He could hear Adara yelling after them not to go in.
“What the fuck is Atleigh thinking?” Charlie asked.
“Clearly he wasn't, Charles,” Sandra said in an icy tone. “So much for gaining favorability with women.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
“Calm down people,” Bradley said hoping to reign things in before they got out of hand. “And stop running over Adara.” They both rolled their eyes but nodded obediently when Bradley pinned them with an angry glare. Once they relaxed, he said, “It's our job to fix this so let's get on it.”
Bradley spent the rest of the morning with his team formulating a plan that involved a detailed statement to the press and an appearance at the event Darci would hopefully be getting him tickets for. Next came the fun part of getting the senator to see the error of his ways.
At twelve-thirty, he wrapped up and sent the staff to put the rest of the plan in motion. One crisis on its way to being handled, one more in the form of a leggy blonde to handle. He stopped at Adara’s desk,
“If I'm not in the office by two o’clock call me and tell me I have an urgent meeting to get to.” Adara smirked at him but politely agreed and went back to her computer. On his way to the pub he messaged Darci to let her know his plan was in motion and he just needed tickets. On a whim he sent a second text asking if she was free for dinner.
Chapter Nine
Darci slammed the door to her office. It was early still, and she was the only one here, so she had some time to reflect on what had just happened. How in the world was she supposed to do what Bradley was asking? Atleigh had always been outspoken about issues that involved women, and he wasn’t usually on the right side of the argument.
He was anti-abortion, supported legislation that made it harder for women to get justice for rape and had given speeches that blamed the victims of domestic violence for staying in a dangerous situation. He also had it out for the adult industry and anything that wasn't sex within the confines of a heterosexual marriage. Since meeting him, Darci often wondered how Bradley justified his support for the man when he didn’t hold the same convictions.
Now, the man was saying Marlie deserved to die. No, there was no way in hell she wanted to help that man. It didn't matter how charming and convincing Bradley Givens was. Sure, she wanted the face-to-face with Atleigh but was it going to change anything? Probably not. It was time to move on to the other senators co-sponsoring his ridiculous legislation and forget Bradley Givens existed. Her phone dinged.
Seriously? He has the nerve to ask me to dinner?
Ignoring Bradley’s text, she sat at her desk and began to draft a blog entry berating the senator from Arizona. Her fingers flew across the keys with too much force as she let her emotions flow onto the screen.
Before she could hit publish, her conscience got the better of her. It was a rule that she never posted anything while angry. She hit save draft instead and promised herself she would come back to it after she calmed down.
Jim—her boss and the organizations founder—knocked on her door as she was closing her browser.
“Hey Jim, I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Used the back door into my office. Did you read what Atleigh said this morning?” He held his phone out to her as he perched on the corner of her desk.
“Saw it. Guess who I was having breakfast with when it happened?”
“Who?” Her boss looked puzzled.
“Bradley Givens. His chief of staff. As a result, I might have an in on that face-to-face with Atleigh.”
“How the hell did you manage that, girl?” he asked with a whistle.
She grinned. It’s a long story but let’s just say Givens owed me. Don’t worry, I didn’t promise not to go after Atleigh with everything we have, but I am doing him a huge favor and getting a lot of money out of him in the process.” At her bosses even more puzzled expression, she explained what Bradley had asked her to do.
Jim shifted off her desk and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m gonna let you handle all the press on this one, Darci. I know you have… connections to the BDSM community and will probably be better at it than I am.”
She tried not to smirk at his discomfort. Her boss knew she was kinky and was even close to several leaders in the kink community, but it wasn’t something he was into himself, so he sometimes got uncomfortable discussing it with her. He never judged though, and he was a strong ally of the community.
There had been several abuse cases and murders that had been attributed to involvement in the lifestyle. However, the organization worked hard to make sure the media understood these were posers and fakes. The legitimate BDSM community did not condone violence toward anyone, especially against women. Safe, sane, and consensual was the motto, and the community shunned anyone who did not adhere to
those three tenets.
Darci wanted to give Senator Atleigh a non-consensual flogging. A giggle escaped at the thought of the uptight bastard strapped to a cross with a ball gag. She banished the disturbing thought as soon as it appeared and smiled at Jim who was still standing in her office.
“I’m going to bring it up tonight on Jake Holt. One of Atleigh’s people is on the panel with me.”
“Don’t start a fight on national television Darci. If the topic comes up, you can defend our position but don’t go starting something on purpose.” Darci scowled at her boss but nodded in agreement. He was right. Arguing with someone who would never change their opinion wasn’t productive, neither was berating Atleigh on her blog.
When Jim left, she went back to her saved entry and read it again. After changing the harshest language, she included a memorial to Marlie and a donation button encouraging readers to give to her organization. She ended by saying;
Let me be clear, the death of Marlie Dixon had nothing to do with her involvement in the BDSM lifestyle. The people in this community are loving and supportive. There isn't a club in town that wouldn't hesitate to shun and have arrested anyone who raised a hand to a woman in anger or without consent. Instead of focusing on the fact that she was involved in kink, let’s try to solve her murder.
She hit publish and turned her attention to a plan of attack for the day. It was a challenge to keep her thoughts off Atleigh and his seeming hatred of sex. Darci had never been quiet about the fact that she advocated for the rights of sex-workers. Decriminalizing prostitution was also on her list of things to tackle. It would go a long way to helping many people. First, she had to make sure the legislation on pornography never got to a vote and hit back where Atleigh’s statement was concerned.
When she was in college, she used to dream of running for Congress and maybe even the presidency. Since then, she had worked with enough elected officials to know she was much happier working here with the American Coalition for Sexual Liberty. It afforded her the opportunity to make a difference without the parading around begging for votes part.
It did mean going on cable news shows though. The clock on her desktop screen told her if she was going to make it to the studio on time, she would need to leave soon.