Against the Odds: Book One; The Candidate

by Lee Taylor

  Glancing at her watch and noting that it was all of three minutes past three, the time she’d told him the meeting would start, she nodded to her breathless colleague. “I presume you’re talking about Logan Fowler.” She shrugged and asserted, “I forgot to mention that I invited him to attend our meeting.” Ignoring her team’s surprised expressions, including the disbelief straining Aiden’s face, she rose to her feet. “Please, Emma, sit down. I’ll fetch Mr. Fowler.” Striding to the door, she squelched her excitement and forced a pleasant smile to curve her lips. Seeing the tall, striking man standing in the anteroom, she almost lost her nerve. Which wasn’t surprising. As he had every time she had seen him, he took her breath away.

  Taking in his open-necked, gray-striped shirt, tailored trousers, and what she’d later learn was a two thousand dollar-plus Brunello Cucinelli travel blazer, she held her forced smile. Not knowing where she’d get the spit to allow herself to speak, she thanked her guardian angels when she said in a surprisingly calm voice, “Oh, good. I’m pleased that you could join us.” Pointing to the door to the conference room, she said, “We just started our meeting. You haven’t missed anything important.”

  He glanced at his watch, confirming that he was less than five minutes late and murmured, “Obviously, you get off to a running start.”

  She laughed, more of a rich, sexy chuckle than an outright laugh. At least that was how Logan’s overactive dick read it. Following her undulating hips into the inner sanctum, he allowed himself an important question, which was what the hell was he doing here? It took him all of five minutes to conclude that his mission was to break it to the lissome lass that her candidate was a loser of the first rank. Which left the issue of how and when he would deliver that unwelcome news. Even as he considered his challenging task, Logan knew in his gut the only person who was more aware of the conundrum she faced was the astute campaign manager.

  Gia nodded to the chair at the foot of the conference table, indicating that Logan should sit there. As he took his seat, she strode to the front of the room. Ignoring their surprise, she turned and smiled at her team. “I invited Logan Fowler to join us today. As I’m sure you are aware, Mr. Fowler was instrumental in electing Dean Pritchard to the Fourth Congressional District in Washington State. Like Aiden, Congressman Pritchard was a newcomer on the political scene. I’m confident that drawing on his wealth of experience, Mr. Fowler can give us excellent advice on the strategies that helped them win an important election.”

  Continuing to stand, she nodded to Ben Knight. “Let’s quickly introduce ourselves and then move on to our discussion.” As she’d known he would, Ben came across as knowledgeable and confident.

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Fowler. My name is Ben Knight. I’m the assistant campaign manager. This is the fourth campaign I’ve worked on with Gia but the first at the congressional level. Like Gia, I’m extremely impressed with the race Congressman Pritchard ran. As Gia has said, it was masterful.”

  Turning to Emma and Kaila, Gia said, “These two young women are organizational geniuses. Ben and I still can’t believe our luck in finding them.” Aided by her introduction, first Kaila and then Emma each introduced themselves. Clearly nervous, they nevertheless became more confident when they described the roles that they played. Gia had been most anxious how Aiden would come across to their important visitor when she glanced at Syl Reinhardt. Seeing his wildly flushed face as he stared glassy-eyed at Logan, she was concerned. Thinking that he was embarrassed and didn’t know what to say, she started to introduce him. “Sylvester Reinhardt is our newest hire. Syl understands the Internet in ways that I never knew were possible. Apparently, he came out of the gaming world—”

  Syl interrupted her and croaked, “Are . . . are . . . you . . . you really that Fowler? The head of FCJ, Inc.?”

  When Logan nodded, Syl flushed a deep maroon color, then groaned. “You . . . you are like ‘Shortround’ Chan. Or . . . ‘FoV’ Cho… I . . . I never . . . thought I’d meet you . . . like ever!”

  Logan pressed his lips together and gazed at the young man, then said carefully as though the kid didn’t look as if he was going to melt in a puddle of sweat, “I’m pleased to meet you, Syl. That’s high praise indeed. Like you, both Cho and Chan are heroes of mine.” Glancing at Gia, Logan said with a smile, “Your team is impressive, Gia. But I gotta tell you this young man is a ten-strike. Anyone who knows the gaming world at the level that Syl does is an important addition to a first-class team.”

  To Gia’s surprise, Logan turned to Aiden. He studied him for a moment and then said with a smile, “I presume you are the lucky candidate these talented young people have joined together to elect to an important office. Tell me about yourself.”

  Aiden startled seemingly unprepared for the direct overture. He glanced up at Gia as if seeking her approval. When she shot him a narrow-eyed gaze and nodded, Aiden cleared his throat, then began haltingly to introduce himself. “Um, yes, I am the candidate. My name is Aiden Martin Maxwell.” Seeming to gather his courage, he continued, “I know you are an important business man. Perhaps you know, or . . . maybe know of my father, Franklin Maxwell. He is the founder and CEO of Maxwell Enterprises. We make timing gadgets for appliances.”

  When Aiden stopped as if he had run out of gas, Logan nodded encouragingly and said, “No, I don’t know your father or his business, but I’m sure it is a profitable and well-run company. But tell me about you. What on earth made you decide to run for Congress?”

  Aiden hesitated and then shot Gia a pleading glance. When she merely met his gaze, Aiden nodded and seemed to gather himself. “To tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure. Gia convinced me that I was the perfect candidate for the race. And it appears from our polling numbers that she was correct.” Glancing again at Gia, he quickly added, “I know we have to get a lot higher in the polls, but we haven’t even won the primary yet . . . but I think my, our . . . numbers are quite respectable.” He paused. “I’m glad you came. I’d like to hear more about the man you got elected in Washington. I . . . uh . . . didn’t . . . follow that race, but it’s good to know that with the right support, a newcomer candidate can get elected.”

  In the moment of silence following Aiden’s halting introduction, Gia pasted a smile on her face, determined not to let her anger or worse, her embarrassment show. She reminded herself that the rest of the team had been spot-on. And yes, Aiden had been, in a word, horrible. But he was obviously nervous. She blamed herself that she hadn’t worked with him ahead of time. Heck, she’d essentially sprung the daunting man on the team. If only she’d taken the time to work with Aiden—but it was too late now. It was now up to her to do what she did best and that was to wow the serious-looking man studying her through narrowed eyes.

  Chapter 12

  Gia nodded at the group. Logan wasn’t surprised that she avoided looking at him or Aiden. He could almost see the calculations taking place in her mind as she decided how to overcome her candidate’s less than impressive self-introduction. Logan had purposefully turned to him, put him on the spot. To say that he hadn’t acquitted himself well was an understatement. But the rest of the team, although young and, except for Ben and Gia, inexperienced, showed genuine promise. Without commenting on any of the introductions, Gia picked up a remote and clicked it on, bringing the widescreen monitor in the front of the room to life. Over the next ten minutes, she not only demonstrated her grasp of the issues facing them but provided a blueprint for how they would meet them. He’d expected her expertise, but he was impressed with her knowledge and insights. In two jam-packed screens, she laid out everything one could possibly need to know about their opposition and possible strategies to attack them.

  Apparently finished with her overview, she turned to him. “Our team has seen most of these facts and figures before. But given your experience, Mr. Fowler, what are we missing?” She smiled. “For example, what unexpected landmines lay ahead and how can we avoid them, or at least not get blown up by th
em?”

  Logan held up his hands. “Frankly, I’m surprised and impressed at where you are at this point in the campaign. In that winning the primary appears to be a given, you are wise to focus on the general election. And while you clearly know your opponent—his strengths and weaknesses—I’m more interested in how you plan to attack him.”

  He paused, then looked around the circle and said with a smile, “We all know how smart and accomplished your campaign manager is. From my limited experience, I can tell you that’s damned important. In Pritchard’s campaign, we were lucky to have a tried-and-true manager. He was an old-timer and saw the strengths of our candidate and managed to make them shine—all the while leading the team. You are fortunate to have a campaign manager at least as good as the one we had. But I’ll be honest. We could have fallen flat on our faces if it hadn’t been for the strength of the entire team—and especially our candidate.”

  Glancing up at Gia, who was frowning slightly as if challenged by his observations, he asked, “I’d like to ask each of your team members a couple of questions, if you don’t mind.”

  Gia shrugged as she settled into her chair at the head of the table. “Why would I mind? Ask away.”

  Watching him skillfully question her team, Gia was impressed with his collegiality. He seemed to be making a point of not challenging them. Rather, he was genuinely interested in their answers. She started breathing more easily when he and Ben had a five-minute back-and-forth discussion of the issues Ben was dealing with. When Logan asked him what troubled him most about the campaign to date, she wasn’t surprised when Ben said that in his opinion, they hadn’t decided which issues were key.

  “Hmm, as you know, that’s important, Ben.”

  Before she could interject, Logan had turned to Syl and posed a number of esoteric queries that only Syl could have answered. The kid’s face was as flushed as it had been earlier, but his cogent responses cheered Gia, and she began to relax. The same thing happened with Emma and Kaila. Haltingly at first, but then as he adeptly drew them out, both young women became visibly more confident. It didn’t help that by the end of his pleasant interrogation they were gazing at him worshipfully as if Shemar Moore had walked off the screen and was sharing his insights. Shoving at her annoyance at their obvious entrancement, Gia admitted how tactful Logan was. Until she heard and saw her team’s reactions to his careful, thoughtful questions, she realized for the first time how much she controlled all of the team discussions. She always asked for their opinions but only after she was sure they understood her positions.

  Her moment of introspection came to an abrupt halt when Logan turned to Aiden. With his first query, Gia came to attention. The question he asked was so basic that nine out of ten reasonably politically active people could have answered without a moment’s hesitation. That Aiden appeared flustered was alarming. Gazing intently at Logan, she wondered if she was the only one who saw the serious intent in his eyes. Swallowing hard, she prepared to interject if necessary.

  “Tell me, Aiden, what issue concerns you the most? What gets you out of bed in the morning determined to make a dent in that important problem?”

  Aiden moved back in his chair and visibly paled. To her horror, before he answered, he looked up at her. Logan gazed at him and then said with a soft smile. “Uh-uh, I’m interested in the issue that is driving you. I’m confident your campaign manager has many.” He waited for a moment before asking, “Tell me, Aiden, why you are running for the Congress of the United States of America?”

  At that moment, Gia knew what he was doing. Obviously, Fowler had done his homework. Of course he had. He was too professional to come to a meeting like this without thoroughly understanding the dynamics of their campaign. In her research on him, she knew that he and Elliott Lockhart were long-time friends. And while she’d never worked with Lockhart, she knew him and he definitely knew her. He’d even contributed to most of her candidates and always supported her father. Clearly Elliott, and probably others, had filled Fowler in, not only on her but also her father. Why that bothered her as much as it did she would have to sort out later. At the moment, she needed to help her client.

  “Wow, Logan. If I didn’t know better, I would think that you are trying to frighten our candidate.”

  Before she could continue, Logan put up his hands and smiled at her. “Not at all, Gia. Obviously, Aiden is the one who is going to be badgered to death by a voracious media, as well as your opposition. He can have the most skillfully constructed case created for him, but people, voters, and the rest of us need to know what drives him to take on this formidable task.”

  Before Gia could respond, Aiden broke in. “Actually, I’m glad you asked. I . . . we . . . are working on that. But if I had to say one thing . . . it would be the environment. I . . . I know Gia doesn’t think that is a strong enough issue, but I think it’s really important.”

  Gia interjected softly. “It’s not that it isn’t important, Aiden, but if we take it on, we have to weave it into the larger context. Show how it affects the other issues our voters care about.”

  Logan nodded. “I agree with both of you. Tell me Aiden, what about the ‘environment’ is important to you?”

  Aiden blew out a hard sigh and glanced at Gia. When she merely shrugged, he said, “Well . . . Gia is right. We need to make it fit in the whole campaign, but I really think it is the most important issue we face. By we, I mean people my age.”

  When he came to an abrupt halt, Logan nodded in apparent agreement. “I think you are right. The polls that I’ve seen indicate that the environment is a critical issue to young people.” He pursed his lips and then asked, “How about voting rights? Or the economy? I know you are facing a number of plant closings in your district. How do you plan to reach those displaced workers who are afraid for their future? And what about union workers, who I understand are a large component of your base?”

  Glaring at Logan, a red haze filled Gia’s vision. The din in her ears was louder than a 737 jet taking off into the ether, which was what their fleeting candidacy felt like to Gia. Now fully understanding what he was doing, she was filled with a fury so intense it took her breath. It was bad enough that he’d thoroughly captured the starstruck young women on her team and the weird gamer kid—even Ben was gazing at Logan, clearly impressed. But it was more than the way that Logan had captured her people and undone Aiden that infuriated her. It was what he had done to her. He’d taken her on in front of her team and made her look like an overbearing, opinionated despot. Knowing that she couldn’t stay in the same room another minute, she rose to her feet.

  Before she could stop them, the words were out of her mouth. “We’re done.” Shoving back her chair, she rose to her feet and added curtly, “This meeting is over.” Facing her surprised team and a frowning Logan, she glanced at her phone, then turned to Ben. “Aiden and I need to meet with Chuck Bateson at the union hall.” She forced herself to address Fowler. “Thank you for coming. I appreciated your insights.” Turning back to Ben, she said, “Will you please show Mr. Fowler out?” She added scathingly, “Oh, and please be sure that you stamp his parking ticket.”

  Not willing to do more than somehow get through the door, she said over her shoulder, “Thanks all, we’ll catch up in the morning.”

  Not bothering to look at Logan, she glared at Aiden and muttered, “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” She strode through the door, her flushed candidate following her out like the obedient puppy dog he was.

  ****

  After meeting with the firefighter’s union bosses and not wanting to spend another minute with Aiden, Gia desperately wanted to go home. “Look, Aiden, I’m sorry. I should have known that Fowler was setting us up. Obviously, supercilious asshole that he is, the only reason he came today was to show us how incompetent we are.”

  Aiden shook his head. “He doesn’t think you’re incompetent, Gia. But I’m not so sure about me. I . . . I think we have to make sure I know how to answer the que
stions he was asking me. Other people are going to ask the same ones.”

  Gia knew he was right, but was so disheartened she couldn’t do more than nod in agreement. The most challenging part of the abbreviated meeting she’d slammed to an abrupt close was that she knew the chances of getting Fowler to fund their campaign were likely a hundred to one . . . against. Not willing to try to explain to Aiden how devastated she was, she said, “Honestly, I can’t talk anymore. I . . . I need to go home. Get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  ****

  Taking the stack of mail from the mailbox, Gia unlocked her door and walked inside. She was so distracted by her memory of the hideous meeting that it took her a moment to understand that something was wrong. While it obviously didn’t make sense, she realized that she smelled a cigar. Cautiously entering the living room, she backed up in shock at the unexpected sight before her. Logan was sitting in the leather armchair across the room. His pose was casual; from the distance, he seemed relaxed. Until she saw the anger lurking in his narrowed, obsidian eyes. At first, she was too shocked to do more than cling to the wall for support. Swallowing against the huge lump in her throat, she managed to ask, “How . . . how did you get in here?” She added, inanely holding up her key, “The . . . the door was locked.” When he just shrugged, she partially recovered her senses. Remembering the gossip she’d heard that he was ex-military, a special operative or some damned thing, she allowed her anger at his brazenness to flare. Who the hell did he think he was? After what he did in her office today, he thought he could track her down, break into her house? Well, fuck that!

  Her voice tight with anger, she snapped, “Fine. I’m apparently supposed to accept that locks don’t keep you out. Before I kick your ass out, do you mind telling me why you’re here?”

  His gaze narrowed further. Reaching over, he scrubbed out his cigar in the ashtray on the occasional table, next to what looked like a glass of whiskey. She was shocked and even angrier that not only did he break into her house but he’d helped himself to her whiskey. Starting to tell him to get the hell out, the heated words stuck in her throat as he slowly rose to his feet. His fierce expression shuttered her irate response. Striding toward her, he stopped in front of her, looming over her.