by K. C. Wells
Sam said nothing. He knew Curtis was right.
“But what Josh is proposing is a way out. Yes, it would be a lie, but it would have positive effects. You’d be able to live for the first time as an openly gay man. You’d probably have a lot of public sympathy after this. And yeah, you might gain more voters. We’re trying to turn a negative into a positive here, Sam.” He rubbed Sam’s shoulder. “The only thing I can think of that would prevent this from working would be if Gary doesn’t go for it.”
Sam slowly raised his head. “Then I guess we’d better get him in here and find out.”
Curtis stared. “You mean….”
Sam sat back in his chair. “I mean nothing. Let’s see what Gary has to say first, okay? Because if he says no, that blows this whole plan out of the water.”
Curtis nodded. “I’ll go see if he’s arrived yet.” He walked toward the office door, but paused as he reached it. “And Sam?”
Sam met his gaze. “Yeah?”
“Whatever happens, I’m right here with you, okay?”
Sam smiled. “I never doubted that for a second. And can I just say something? You having all those figures at your fingertips was pretty damn impressive.”
Curtis grinned. “This is what you pay me for, right?”
Sam clutched his chest. “I pay you?” When Curtis groaned, he waved him off. “Now go find my would-be fiancé.”
Curtis nodded and left the room.
Sam leaned his head against the back of his chair and closed his eyes.
This is just… nuts.
Chapter Three
Tuesday
FIVE minutes passed before Curtis returned. Five long minutes that gave Sam the opportunity to reconsider the whole preposterous idea.
What am I thinking?
It would never work. In the world of politics, secrets never got to stay secret forever. The truth always came to light in the end. And something like this? The odds on it staying a secret for long were astronomically low.
No, the best thing that could happen would be for Gary to listen to their plan and then laugh in their faces to show them just how ridiculous the whole idea was. That would leave Sam with the issue of Hartsell’s post and the resultant fallout.
Guess I’ll just have to face the music.
The door opened and Curtis walked in, with Gary behind him.
To his surprise, Gary nudged past Curtis and approached his desk, his hands clasped in front of him. His cheeks were flushed, his chin lowered to his chest. “I am so, so sorry, Senator. I can understand completely why you’re angry. A friend of mine messaged me this morning, sending me the link to that post. I had no idea there was anyone with a camera on us. Please, you have to believe me.”
Sam stared in amazement at Gary’s obvious embarrassment, then fired Curtis a look. “Did you tell Gary why he’s in here?” he demanded.
Curtis shook his head. “I just said you wanted to see him.” From his position behind Gary, Curtis held up his hands defensively, his eyes wide.
Damn it. The poor guy thought he was in trouble.
“Gary, sit down, please.” Sam indicated the chair facing his desk. “I swear, you’re not in trouble. Far from it.” His stomach churned at the thought of Gary believing Sam was angry with him.
“I… I’m not?” Gary frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Gary, can I get you a cup of coffee?” Curtis asked.
“Coffee? Yeah, sure. Thanks, Mr. Tucker.” Gary appeared confused. As an afterthought, he added, “Black, please. No sugar.”
Curtis patted his arm and disappeared into Becky’s office.
“The reason you’re here is because Josh Mapleton, who is in charge of PR, has come up with a rather unusual proposal, and it involves you.”
“Really?”
Curtis appeared, carrying a mug of coffee. “That stuff will keep you on your toes,” he said with a smile. He dragged another chair up and sat next to Gary. “Okay, Gary. We know you’ve seen Pastor Hartsell’s Facebook post.”
Gary nodded and took a sip of his coffee. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding about the coffee, were you?”
Curtis snickered but then straightened his face. “The thing is, while it’s true you and Senator Dalton aren’t… involved with each other, the pastor has accidentally hit on something that is true. I’m going to share that with you, because it will help with what comes next.”
Sam sighed. “You don’t have to sugarcoat it, Curtis.” He turned to Gary. “What my well-meaning chief of staff is trying to say is, I’m… I’m gay.”
Gary stared at him in silence for so long, the hairs stood up along Sam’s arms. “You’re gay?”
His inflection caught Sam off guard. “Yes,” he said slowly, drawing out the syllable.
“See,” Gary said after a moment’s pause, “this is why I thought I was in trouble. I thought you’d figure I was some sort of plant, put in here to entrap you.”
“Why would I think that?” Sam asked.
“Because… I’m gay too.” He looked from Sam to Curtis and back to Sam again. “You didn’t know?”
“Uh-uh.” Sam’s head was spinning. What are the odds on this?
“And the only people who know the senator is gay are in this room,” Curtis said quietly. He glanced at Sam. “Although that might be subject to change.”
Sam leaned forward, his arms on his desk. “And going back to what I said yesterday morning? I’m Sam, okay?”
Gary nodded and then took a drink of his coffee. “So, what’s this unusual proposal?”
Sam regarded Curtis, who shook his head. The ball was in Sam’s court, it appeared.
He took a moment to collect his thoughts. “The feeling around here is that we try to turn Pastor Hartsell’s little Facebook post to our advantage, thus minimizing the damage.” He paused. Gary was watching him intently, his hands wrapped around his mug. Sam sighed. “This is going to sound crazy, but the PR department had the idea that voters would be more sympathetic and less inclined to criticize me for hiding my sexuality if it was announced that you and I were… secretly engaged.”
Gary’s jaw dropped and his eyes were huge.
Sam took a deep breath and forged ahead. “We tell them we’ve been keeping a low profile because we didn’t want to deflect attention away from the election.”
Gary arched his eyebrows. “Engaged?” he said at last.
“If we do it this way, Hartsell comes across in a negative light,” Curtis added. “We make your relationship legitimate, wholesome, sweet…. We show you planning your wedding, sharing your lives, that kind of thing. You two are the injured party. You’re in a committed relationship, letting Sam focus on his job, whereas Hartsell is trying to score points off Sam by making him look sleazy and sordid.”
Gary was still staring at them open-mouthed, his coffee forgotten.
“Of course, we wouldn’t expect you to do this for nothing,” Curtis said quickly. “To show our appreciation, we would pay off all your student loans, plus we’d pay all the tuition for vet school. You could graduate free from debt.”
Gary sagged in his chair. “Whoa. My God. Seriously?”
Both Sam and Curtis nodded.
Gary put his mug on the desk and sat up straight. “Okay, a couple of points. You say ‘engaged.’ What would that entail?”
Sam gaped. Is he really thinking about this?
“We’d have to come clean about the relationship, of course, so there’d be a press conference. You’d have to be there. Plus you’d have to be seen with Sam on a regular basis. Interviews, photo ops, you accompanying him on his public engagements—that kind of thing.” Curtis fell silent, fixing Gary with a thoughtful gaze. “This would be the point where you tell us if there’d be an impediment to this plan, should we decide to go ahead with it. For example, if there was a husband or two lurking in your private life? Kids?”
“No, I’m single, and I’m not dating anyone,” Gary said absently, his forehead creased. “And
what about this wedding we’re supposed to be planning? I assume we’re talking after the election? You’d expect me to go through with it?”
Curtis nodded. “For appearance’s sake you’d need to remain married for a couple of years at least. After that….” He gave a shrug. “You’d be free to seek a divorce.”
“Married,” Gary said heavily.
“No one would be asking you to move in with me right this second,” Sam added. “We’d just be engaged. For the time being.”
“This is why you need to think carefully about this, Gary,” Curtis said gently. “It’s not just the engagement. The marriage would mean you giving up on a personal life for as many years as you’d remain married to Sam. No dating, period. Think of the scandal it would cause if the press found out you had a boyfriend.”
Gary studied his mug in silence for a moment before picking it up and draining half of its contents. “So let me get this straight. We’d tell the world, ‘Hey, you got us. Yes, we’re gay. We’re also engaged.’ And then we’d make it look good for the cameras. When the election is over, we get married.” He peered intently at Sam. “I’m assuming that’s whether you win or lose, because if you lose and the wedding is called off, someone will call bullshit. And I think we all know who that would be, right?” He smiled. “Of course, you’re not going to lose, so that won’t be an issue.”
Sam was dizzy with it all. Gary’s matter-of-fact attitude was not what he’d been expecting.
“And I’d live with you, acting out the role of husband whenever we’re in public, and foregoing any possibility of a, quote, ‘normal’ life for a couple of years at least,” Gary added.
Sam stared at him. When it was couched in those terms, Gary would be crazy to say yes, even with their financial incentive. Sam stifled a sigh. Just for a second back there, he’d been hopeful, but after Gary had told it like it really was, Sam knew it just wasn’t going to work.
“That’s basically it, yes.” Curtis pursed his lips. “Okay, we’ve covered payment, the period of time this would cover, the wedding….” He tapped his fingers on the desk and then smiled. “Oh yes: sex.”
Sam blinked. “Excuse me?” He shifted on his chair. Across from him, Gary’s mouth had fallen open once more.
Curtis snorted. “Don’t you both look at me like I’ve grown another head or something. If this goes ahead, the pair of you are basically agreeing to two to four years of celibacy. No hookups. Nada. Because living in Asheville? We’d be talking zero anonymity.”
Gary cleared his throat. “Look, my last relationship was a year ago, and there hasn’t been anyone since. Besides, my studies and setting up my future career take precedence.”
Sam nodded. “And I’ve been so busy, what with my work as senator and running the store, I’ve had little time for romance.” His heart pounded. “As far as I see it, my life would change very little—apart from the fact that I’d gain a husband.”
Gary gave a nervous laugh. “Funny how we discuss all those other things, and sex is almost forgotten.”
Curtis shrugged. “But it’s something that needed discussing.”
Sam studied Gary’s face, his stomach churning. This feels so… cold. He knew the reasoning behind it, but still, they were being so damn clinical about the whole thing. Any second now he expected Curtis to mention contracts.
“Of course, if you agree, we’d put everything in writing and you’d sign a contract,” Curtis said. “A ‘no sex with others’ clause would have to form part of the agreement, after all. You could have it checked by a lawyer before making your final decision.”
Damn. Sometimes Sam hated being right.
Curtis regarded them both. “So I take it that works for both of you?”
“Sure,” Gary murmured.
“Yes, that’s fine.” It was the last thing Sam wanted to think about right then.
Curtis gazed at Gary. “Any more questions?”
Gary nodded. “Would I carry on working the phones?”
Curtis shook his head. “We haven’t had the chance to discuss any of the details with Josh yet, but I think it would be highly unlikely. Once he sets the PR machine into motion, your life won’t be your own for a while. That’s another thing you need to consider. You’d be living your life in the media spotlight.”
“But it’d be just for the cameras,” Gary reiterated. “Once we’re married, and I assume living together, would I be able to have privacy when it’s just us?”
Sam nodded. “My house in Asheville is plenty big enough for the two of us. You’d have your own space. The only thing we’d need to share would be the kitchen.”
Gary gave Sam a speculative glance. “As I see it, if we’re going to do this, we need to move fast. Otherwise, if we delay, it might look bad, like we needed the time to put this together.”
What the fuck? Sam wasn’t sure he’d heard right. Because it sounded like Gary was considering it. “Are we going to do this?” he asked, his heartbeat racing. “If you need more time to think about it….”
Gary smiled. “No, I don’t need more time. You’re making it worth my while to do this. I can’t tell you what a weight around my neck those student loans have been.” He met Sam’s gaze head-on. “Yes. I’ll do it.”
“Be sure about this,” Curtis said in a firm tone. “I know it’s easy to be blinded by the idea of becoming debt-free, but please, consider all the salient points. We’re asking a hell of a lot of you.”
Gary regarded Curtis in silence before turning his attention to Sam. He gazed at Sam, and the careful scrutiny sent a shiver down Sam’s spine. Not an unpleasant shiver either. Those cool green eyes were appraising Sam, weighing him.
For the first time since Josh had come up with the whole absurd scheme, a tiny part of Sam found himself hoping Gary would say yes.
“Okay, I’ve thought about it, and the answer is still yes. I’ll do it.” Gary pushed back his blond hair from his forehead and gave Sam a slight smile. “Consider yourself engaged, Sam.”
There was a heavy feeling in Sam’s stomach as he took Gary’s extended hand and shook it briskly. This isn’t right. It didn’t matter what Curtis said.
Gary sat back and grinned at Curtis. “So what’s next?”
Curtis rose. “Next is we break it to Josh that his boss isn’t as straight as he thinks he is, and then we sit back and watch a whirlwind in action.” When Gary frowned, Curtis snickered. “Trust me. Josh in full flow? Grab on to something and hold on tight.” He returned Gary’s grin and met Sam’s gaze. “I’ll go fetch our wedding planners. When I last saw them, they were in the kitchen, trying to work out what they’d done to piss you off.” He chuckled. “My God, I can’t wait to see Becky’s face. She is gonna love this!” With that he left the office.
An awkward silence fell.
What is one supposed to say in a situation like this? Sam was at a loss for words.
Gary cleared his throat. “I guess the first thing on the agenda is you and I need to talk, right? Find out a little about each other?” He smiled. “Especially if your PR guy gets moving fast. I don’t want to be caught off guard if I get asked questions.”
Sam was grateful one of them was thinking clearly. “That’s a good idea. We’ll see what Josh has in mind, and then we’ll schedule in some time for us to sit down and chat.”
The door opened and Josh, Becky, and Curtis entered. Becky arched her eyebrows at the sight of Gary and gave Sam a questioning look.
Curtis closed the door behind them. “Okay, sit down. We need to talk.”
GARY closed the back door of the house and leaned against the side of the porch, fingers digging into his pockets for his pack of cigarettes. For some reason his hands were shaking.
Well, duh. It isn’t every day I get engaged to a complete stranger.
Okay, so Sam wasn’t exactly a stranger, but still…. The whole situation was seriously weird. He was finding it hard to believe he’d actually agreed to it.
Then he remembered: No
debts.
Yup, that was definitely a good enough reason right there.
Gary took his first drag on the cigarette and closed his eyes. The morning had taken a surreal turn, and he kept expecting to open his eyes and find out it had all been a dream.
He could see why Josh thought it a good idea. When Gary had read Hartsell’s post and seen himself in that photo—a totally innocent situation made somehow… dirty by the comments—he’d been sickened. Not so much for himself, but for Sam. Gary genuinely liked the senator. From everything he’d read about Sam, everything he’d heard from those who’d worked on his campaigns in the past, Sam was a really nice guy who cared about people.
The last thing Gary had expected when he arrived at work that morning was to find himself engaged shortly after. Not that it was such a bad position to find himself in. Apart from the financial aspect, there were definitely benefits to being engaged to Senator Sam Dalton.
Like the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous, for one thing.
Gary pictured Sam. He was taller than Gary, maybe five eleven, with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes. That glimpse of Sam without his jacket just then had been revealing. There were some nicely toned arms hiding under that crisp white shirt, not to mention a lean torso and broad chest. Yeah, a pleasant guy all wrapped up in a handsome package. Spending time with Sam would not be a hardship, that was for sure.
Don’t get carried away. None of this is real, remember?
That thought was a sobering one. Especially when he remembered he’d be celibate for at least two years.
Better buy shares in hand lotion, then.
Behind him, the door opened, and Gary turned. Sam stood there, his gaze lowered to Gary’s hand—and his cigarette.
“Aw, shit.” He’d completely forgotten. “Sorry, I just needed one.”
Sam snickered. “Yeah, well, that’s understandable, given the circumstances. Why do you think I’m out here?” He held up his pack. “Great minds, huh?”
