Overworked

by Dark Angel

  If I want to keep my job, continuing to serve the public, I’m going to have to deal with people like her.

  "I'm sure it can wait another day," I say with irritation.

  "She says it's can't wait, Mr. Andrews."

  I let out a sigh. "If it's that urgent, send her in," I say with reluctance.

  Tina Ling walks in. She’s got on a tight back pencil skit, and a white blouse. She struts in, her hips and ass sashaying across my office. I'll give her credit. She's a woman with confidence. She has black hair cropped in an A-line bob, and maybe it's her five-inch heels, or maybe it's her red lipstick, but she now has my full attention.

  "You aren't an easy man to meet with, apparently. Do you always make it this hard for visitors?"

  "Ms. Ling, it's a pleasure," I say, standing up. I straighten my tie and reach out to shake her hand once I realize who she is. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

  "Let's drop the formalities from the other night, Carter. You can call me Tina," she says with a smile. I watch as she leans on my desk, just enough to reveal the deep crevice between her breasts. I can't help but think about how great her breasts look.

  "Have you ever visited Shanghai?"

  I think for a moment before responding. "Yes, actually, I was there for a conference once. Beautiful city, Mayor. Very beautiful."

  "Then you can picture the Huangpu River, and the unrivaled, futuristic skyline of our Pudong district—a true testament to innovation and industry if you ask me—the Shanghai Tower, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, standing tall and massively erect, poking into those pink spheres. I know I can appreciate a stiff pole when I see one." I watch as her eyes glance down at my crotch and I take a quick gulp of air. Is she looking for my cock? I cough a bit to clear my throat.

  "Ms. Ling—Tina—while I'm flattered that you've stopped in for a visit today, I get the feeling that there's something you're not saying."

  "Smart man," she purrs, walking closer to me. I catch a look at her eyes and notice the intensity of her gaze. This is a woman on a mission. "Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world, and as I'm sure you are aware, it is a financial and cultural epicenter."

  "Yes, of course. There's no denying Shanghai's importance."

  "And I am aware of the conflict brewing between you and Liam Jeffries."

  "Well, I wouldn't necessarily call it—"

  She cuts me off. "No need to hedge the fact that Mr. Jeffries is a thorn in your side—in both of our sides—and I think I can help."

  When she says this, I sit up straight in my chair, giving her my focused attention.

  "What are you proposing?" I ask.

  "You're a wealthy man, but I can make you wealthier. I can help you raise more money than you ever thought possible, and together we can take down Liam Jeffries. You can't allow him to run wild in the streets of New Kingston—it's criminal. The law should be respected, don't you agree?"

  She steps in closer, closing the gap between us. Her hand is now on my arm. It's a soft and unassuming touch, but I can't help but look down at her perfectly manicured nails and delicate hand. She rubs her hand up my arm and rests it on my shoulder, and continues, "Why's a strong, powerhouse of a man such as yourself letting Liam Jeffries step all over you?"

  "He's far from stepping on me. He's impulsive, yes. He's an imprudent Mayor who thinks he can get his way—regardless of the law—by simply winning the hearts of the people."

  "And can he?"

  "Not if I can help it."

  "Good, that's what I like to hear Mr. Andrews," she purrs, moving her hand to my tie now and loosening the knot. It falls apart under her skillful touch and I get the feeling she's done this before. My mind is telling me that I should usher her out. I quickly move my body out of her reach even though there's a part of me that wants to see how this will play out.

  "You keep control of Liam," she purrs, "And I'll find your money."

  "And why would I need your help, Ms. Ling?" I say, trying to bring a hardened edge to my voice.

  I’m going to be honest with you, okay? If that were Vivian Hawthorne standing in front of me, this wouldn’t even be a question right now. My cock would already be out, throbbing, and ready to go.

  But this isn’t Vivian.

  She approaches me again and this time she has my tie completely loose now; she pulls it off slowly from around my neck. The silk brushes against my face and as she leans in, one of her breasts presses against my cheek. I can smell a hint of her perfume—seductive, spicy, mysterious, and dominant. I think back to the newspaper article, and again, my mind tells me I shouldn't be doing this. I don't need help from Shanghai. I can take this on myself. Besides, I need to find Vivian Hawthorne. I need to talk to her, if it isn't too late. I gently nudge Tina away from me and say, "It won't be easy. It looks like he might have the help of Senator Hawthorne now, but I'm sure I can manage. Thank you anyways."

  This only brings her closer. If it's one thing I know, this woman is persistent. She isn't letting me off the hook. She unbuttons her blouse and I get a look at her perfect breasts cupped in a red lace bra. How is this even happening? She has one hand on my pants and leans in, whispering into my ear, "Nice pants. Do you mind if I test the zipper out?”

  "I—uh—I don't think that's—"

  But before I can finish, I feel her pulling my belt from its buckle and she grabs the zipper of my pants, pulling it down in one metallic whizzing sound. My pulse is racing. I can feel my heart hammering through my chest. It's as if she can sense it now because she unbuttons my shirt and places one hand on my bare chest.

  "I do like a strong, chiseled, man," she purrs, moving her other hand back down to my exposed zipper.

  I try to say something but the words are caught in my throat. "Tina, I—"

  "Sshh, there's no need to say anything, Carter" she says, placing one delicate finger across my lips and I sit there, immobilized until I can wrap my head around the severity of the situation. The thrill of feeling her in such close proximity to me makes my heart leap into my throat, and I quickly step away from her.

  This isn’t Vivian Hawthorne.

  She’s probably sleeping with Liam; he has that effect on people, but until I know for sure, I’m not going to jump in bed with the first woman who comes knocking. And she literally came knocking.

  "You’re not Vivian," I say out loud. I don’t know why I goddamn said it out loud, okay? Don’t look at me.

  But Tina’s looking. She’s giving me a strange sort of look.

  "No, I’m not the Senator," she says to me, flashing a lascivious smile. "I’m better."

  I stand there silently, wondering why I’m so incapable of movement. I’ve killed men with my bare hands before in the desert. I’ve made hundreds of millions on my own. When I’ve taken a break from work, I’ve pleased countless women and left them begging for more.

  "Face it Governor," Tina says narrowing the distance between us. "You’re going to need me as a friend in the coming fight, more than as a foe. I know it would be a very beneficial…alliance."

  Just then, I hear a familiar voice at the door.

  "What's going on in here?"

  I look up and see Vivian Hawthorne standing in the doorway, her blonde hair framing the concerned look etched into her face.

  "This isn't what it looks like," I say, waving one hand into the air. "Nothing is happening." But just as I say this, my mind registers the compromising look of the room—the Mayor of Shanghai with her shirt unbuttoned, and to top it all off, I'm standing there with my pants partially unzipped.

  Who's going to believe me?

  Vivian

  "What's going on?" I ask. It feels like I've lost my bottom jaw on the floor.

  I can't help it. I probably should've closed the door and walked away, but the words tumble from my mouth instinctually. I mean, when you walk into your Governor's office, you aren't expecting to walk in on something like this. Of all the things that Carter could be caught doing right now, this tops
them all. Not after…you know what? Never mind.

  I blink a few times just to make sure the scene in front of me is real.

  I mean, Carter Andrews of all people—am I really seeing Tina Ling's shirt unbuttoned? Are Carter's pants unbuttoned? And what is Tina Ling doing here anyways? I don't know what Carter and Tina have got going on between each other, but whatever it is, I don't like it. And honestly, the media would have a field day with this if it got out.

  Yes, that’s right. The media, hun. Not me. Don’t give me that look.

  I’m only here to get this situation between these two men sorted so I can go back to DC. I don’t care what Carter does with his personal life, okay?

  Just because he’s as handsome as Apollo, with his Greek god body. His rugged exterior. That feeling of safety I get around him, as if the world could throw everything at me and he would just shrug and tell it to get lost. Anyways, just because of all that doesn’t mean that he’s not free to see whoever he wants, okay?

  And before you say anything about Liam, let me just tell you that Liam Jeffries is different. The sex is amazing. But it’s a different feeling I get with him.

  Liam is risky and fun. Carter seems like a solid oak.

  I mean…you know what, hun? Stop it. I didn’t mean anything by any of that.

  It’s just the situation.

  You got me at a bit of a surprise, and I just blurted. I don’t really feel anything at all.

  Really.

  Anyways, I know I've caught him off guard because I watch as he jumps up, waving a hand in the air as if to shrug the whole thing off. How stupid does he think I am?

  "This isn't what it looks like," he says, nearly stumbling on his words and stupidly trying to button his shirt and pants. Yeah, right. Sure it isn't. I feel my eyes practically rolling around in their sockets. Give me a break. But then I catch myself gazing at his exposed chest. I never knew he was so muscular under that suit.

  "Nothing is happening," he maintains.

  My eyes go from Tina's open blouse, which she's now quickly buttoning, to Carter's unzipped pants.

  "Sure, Carter. Are you telling me this is just some casual Friday at the office?"

  "I should be going," Tina says, straightening her skirt and grabbing her shoulder bag. “I have a meeting with my superiors."

  I narrow my eyes and ask her, "Just who are your superiors, Ms. Ling?"

  She gives me a sly smile.

  "I’m a member of the Communist Party of the Central Region of the People’s Republic of China, Senator," she says. "I wouldn’t expect you as a Westerner to understand the concepts I live for—community over self, dedication, hard work…"

  I can’t take any more.

  "Right, because you’re standing in the office of someone who started and made successful several technology companies through hard work, and dedication, Ms. Ling," I say rolling my eyes. "You may not agree with our Western ideas of individuality and self-worth, but you sure do know how to copy the good things we come up with and then try to undercut us."

  Tina says nothing to me, just stares.

  "Women should know when to speak in society, Ms. Hawthorne," she says icily. I can see she’s mad. "Even Senators."

  "Or what?" I ask, my nostrils flaring. Who does this bitch think she is?

  "Or else the world might start to take notice of their…peculiarities," she says simply, staring me in the eyes.

  Is she threatening me? My peculiarities?

  "If you mean the fact that I’m as strong as any man and I enjoy sex," I say to her smiling sweetly. "Take a number and get in line, because others have tried to take me down for a long time. You’re not the first, hun."

  "But I’ll be the last," she says and turns away. I honestly don’t know how to respond and I decide to hold my tongue.

  I watch as she gives Carter a knowing nod and exists the room.

  "What the hell was that all about?" I ask Carter as soon as Tina is gone. Once the Mayor of Shanghai is gone, I feel like I can speak candidly.

  "I told you, it's nothing," he says looking away.

  "That was certainly something."

  "You're overacting. It was just a misunderstanding," he shrugs and then turns to me. "And what was that with you two? Like watching two predators circle over each other."

  "Just protecting you, Governor," I say, trying to get off the topic.

  "I don’t need protecting, Senator," Carter answers back, puffing out his chest. Just looking at his broad shoulders and the way he fills out that suit gets me a little wet.

  "Bullshit. It's not a misunderstanding if you saw something with your own two eyes. Give me a break. I never thought you were so gullible."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Did you see the way she was looking at you? Like a tiger eyeing her prey. And don't look surprised. Be honest with me. What's really going on?"

  I watch as Carter replaces his tie and straightens it back into place. He now looks completely different from how I found him. It really is as if nothing happened, and I'm taken aback by how striking his frame looks in that tailored suit. Why am I just now noticing this?

  "Listen, Tina Ling is just trying to help."

  "By taking her shirt off for you?" I smirk.

  "No, with Liam Jeffries."

  Now I'm really intrigued. "What's Liam got to do with this?" I ask.

  "You know as well as I do that he's gone rogue."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I mean that he's making brash and impulsive decisions with no regard to environmental legislature. Sure, he's winning over the hearts and minds of the people, but what about the environmental impact? We need to stop thinking simply about the present. I know that we are talking about 10,000 jobs and I'm not trying to minimize the importance of that, but just think about the environmental impact of those five factories that he's proposing—air and water pollution worse than anything the city of New Kingston has ever known. With those five factories being built in close proximity to New York City—homes and schools—the people of New Kingston will be subjected to unhealthy levels of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Have you ever seen kids get sick because their water was poisoned? Or elderly people with asthma and lung cancer that doesn’t happen from smoking?"

  "And so what does Tina Ling have to do with any of this?"

  "Bottom line? She agrees with me. She doesn't believe that Liam should be running wild with no regard for the law," Carter says. "And she’s at least offering me some help."

  "Because Liam told the papers that you could go fuck yourself?" I ask, unable to help myself.

  Carter bristles. "I guess you just used him to do that, didn’t you?" he asks. The moment he says it, I know what the problem is.

  There’s a silence.

  I decide to let it go.

  "Have you ever thought that Mayor Ling is coming from a selfish place?" I ask him. "That maybe she has a hidden agenda. Judging by her body language, it looked pretty personal."

  "Right now, everyone has an agenda Vivian," Carter says. "The question becomes, how important are the lives of the people who can’t afford allies?"

  "Come on, Carter. She's thinking about her own economy. Her own country. She’s not in it to help you save lives. If the jobs go back to Shanghai, she wins."

  "Correction, we both win."

  "I suppose so."

  "I know so, and she promises that she can help raise the money."

  I wonder for a moment what Carter means by raising money? Isn’t it too early to start thinking about re-election?

  "Don't looks so dubious," he says, noticing my pensive gaze. "Although, you look awfully cute when you're deep in thought." He flashes a disarming smile.

  "Very funny."

  "No, I mean it."

  I watch as Carter takes a few steps toward me and I notice the distance between us is shrinking. He's so close now that I can practically feel the warmth emanating from his body. The look on his face has changed, and a pregna
nt silence fills the air.

  He clears his throat. "Can I be honest with you?"

  "Of course. You can always be honest with me."

  He brushes his hand up against my own. I immediately recognize how big and strong it is. "It's women like you who cause global warming."

  "Oh yeah? What's that suppose to mean?" I smirk and roll my eyes. But inside, my heart starts beating faster. It’s like I want to believe him and fall into his arms, you know? I want to see where this is going.

  "You're so hot you've raised the temperature of this room at least 20 degrees."

  "Is that the best you've got?" I roll my eyes and sigh again. But I’m smiling. Ear to ear.

  "What's going on between you and Liam?"

  Oh. My. God.

  The question catches me off guard. "What do you mean?"

  "Come on. Don't think I haven't noticed. What are the secret meetings about?"

  "It's nothing. Honestly."

  "Sex?" he asks me.

  I bristle. "Listen, to me, Carter Andrews," I say, taking a step forward and placing my index finger on his lips. "If I didn’t tell that Communist bitch Tina about my sex life, what makes you think I’m going to tell you?"

  "Because you’re going to be having sex with me in about five minutes," he says, his eyes boring down into me.

  He thinks I can’t hold out five minutes?

  OK, babe, I know I can hold out for three. I think we should try and do six.

  He's standing so close to me that his cologne is clouding my judgment. The smell is classically masculine, and confident, with a hint of spice and the airiness of the Mediterranean—Sandalwood, juniper, sea salt, and citrus. In other words, it's the kind of scent that makes you want to lean right in. I look at the computer on his desk and notice his open browser. I touch his arm softly and say, "You still use Internet Explorer?"

  "Observant. Do you always look on people's computers?"

  "I guess that means you like things nice and slow, huh?"

  "Sometimes, I'd say so." He leans in and drags his fingertips across my cheek. Our eyes are locked on each other and my pulse quickens.

  "I suppose," I say, "But sometimes you need to think outside of the box."