Liam looked a little confused by the question. “Victor Knolls. Why?”
Ah, good ol’ Victor. Nice guy. Been in the business for years, but he was soft, which made what I was about to demand even easier to request. “Because you need to let him go.”
Liam jumped forward in his seat. His huge feet hit the ground and his hands clasped together as he rested his weight on his knees. “What? Victor’s been with me from the start. No. I won’t do that. He’s been nothing but loyal.”
“Loyalty is great and appreciated...”
“I won’t do it. I won’t fire someone on my staff because you said to. Absolutely not. You have no right to tell me who to hire.”
“You’re right, and I’m not telling you who to bring on as your chief of staff, which by the way, who is your chief?”
“My brother, Aaron,” he growled.
“Aaron Baxter. Got it.” There went another note into my phone. “Now, as I was saying, when it comes to the press we need someone who knows how to handle national campaigns with, shall we say, flare. Victor won’t be able to handle what I need him to do.”
“Who do you have in mind?” Harper asked, plopping down beside me. The warmth from the fire resonated from his skin. I placed my phone on the table and scooted in a little closer to enjoy the heat.
Liam cocked a single eyebrow. I furrowed mine, hating he could do the whole one eyebrow thing. I’d always envied people who could do that and roll their tongues.
I wonder if he can roll his tongue? I bet he has a talented tongue.
Dammit! I had to stop thinking things like that.
“Scout Whitaker,” I replied.
“Scout,” Liam balked. “Is that some sort of press nickname?”
I cocked my head and smirked. “No. That’s actually her name and she’s the best in the business. She’s a heavy hitter and that’s what we’re going to need if we’re to play hardball with the Republicans.”
“I can’t do that to Victor,” Liam stood firm.
I shrugged. “Well, then I can’t run your campaign. It’s really that simple.”
The room grew into a heavy silence. I stood up and made my way to the bar, pouring myself a club soda. I had to drive back to the city soon and needed to be sober, plus I didn’t want to be slobbering drunk in front of my client. I was a practice what you preach kind of gal, and appearances always came first.
I took a sip of my soda and watched as the man, who was the most honest person I was sure to ever meet, wrestled with what to do next.
“Listen, Liam, I know it’s a sacrifice, but if things don’t work out with Scout, you could always hire Victor back,” Harper encouraged. “And, I’ll even chip in a hefty donation so you can give him a great severance package.”
I downed the rest of my drink in a single gulp. It was probably wrong of me to make the poor man encounter such a moral crisis from the beginning, but if he couldn’t handle firing one little employee as a means to win then he wasn’t worth the office he was running for.
“Okay,” Liam finally agreed. “But I have some provisos of my own.”
The corners of my lips turned upward. This man really did have some balls. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the bar, my empty cup secured between my hands.
Liam stood up in a graceful, fluid motion. He marched over to the bar and leaned toward me. “You will not ask me to do anything that is immoral ever again.”
Immoral. Hmm. I could think of a good many immoral things I could do to this man.
“By immoral, do you mean…?” I wiggled my eyebrows.
With the best poker face I’d ever seen, he whispered, “You know exactly what I mean, Ms. McNeal.”
I swallowed hard, my skin burned as he pulled the glass from my hands. He walked around the bar and poured me another soda before pouring himself one as well. I had to respect his alcohol restraint. For me, it was a good sign that I wouldn’t have to worry about him making an ass of himself in public.
“I refuse to terminate another employee without just cause. I wouldn’t do it now, but Mr. Harper’s offer is one I don’t think I can refuse. You understand?”
The serious look in his eyes meant there was no room for debate. This wasn’t a challenge. It was a demand.
All I could do was nod.
“I will not allow you to take advantage of people. All business dealings are to be handled legitimately. Nothing under the table,” he added.
Liam slipped my glass back into my hand. His touch was like an inferno that consumed me, warming me more than the crackling fire that heated the room. He wiped the corners of his mouth with his fingertips and smiled. “Do we understand the word immoral a little more clearly now?”
I nodded again, fixated on his intense eyes and the way his lips moved as he spoke.
“Good.” He inclined his head a little closer so only I could hear. My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths at his invasion of my personal space. “Oh, and one other thing,” he murmured, his voice decadently smooth. “I keep my ties.”
Inapposite laughter rattled in my throat. The fighter in me wanted to scream out no, but the winner in me debated otherwise. I could give him something as insignificant as a tie. Besides, if they turned out worse than the one he was wearing, I could lay down the law and force him to wear one of my choosing. “Fine,” I agreed.
“Then I propose a toast.”
Harper jumped up from the sofa and met us at the bar. I lifted my shoulders, wiping away the white noise that had become my brain.
Liam lifted his glass. “To making changes.”
Harper and I lifted our glasses. “To making changes,” we chimed in. Three glasses clinked together before we all took a drink.
“So,” ─I winced, swallowing down my fizzy soda─ “does this mean we have a deal?”
“I believe it does. Welcome to Team Baxter.” Liam once again extended his hand in an offer to shake. I raked my teeth over my bottom lip and rested my glass back on the bar to accept his hand. Stronger than before came the rush of magnetism toward this man. My mind fought against the pull I felt. I told myself it had to be the unspoken challenges he blasted at me from the moment we met. It couldn’t be this polished, young man who captivated me. No. There had to be more.
I waited for the answer to strike me down where I stood, yet as his fingertips brushed along the inside of my wrist, feather light, but so enticing, I found no such answers. Liam slipped his hand from mine, lightly spreading his fingers into my palm as he released me. He had to know what he was doing to me, but he played coy.
Well played, ki...Congressman. Well played.
“Fantastic!” Harper exclaimed. “Bet, you won’t regret this.”
Out of the fog, I squeezed my eyes shut. “I hope not.”
“You won’t, Bet,” Liam teased.
My eyes flew open to find him grinning back at me. “Elizabeth,” I grumbled.
Liam laughed and finished off his drink. “Well, I for one, am calling it a night. Thank you again for your hospitality, Mr. Harper.”
“I told you before, call me Harper. Everyone does.”
Liam granted him a slight nod. With a bow of his head and a swaggering wink, Liam turned to me. “And, Elizabeth, I’ll be seeing you soon.”
Damn him and his charm. He had the charisma down pat. And while the woman in me wanted to succumb to his allure, the professional in me refused to give him the satisfaction. I stood taller and rounded my shoulders. “Count on it.”
Liam placed his glass on the bar and strolled out of the room, not even taking a glance back, though I couldn’t take my eyes off him. That suit contoured his body well, an enticing little wrapper for a woman to rip off him.
As soon as Liam was gone, I felt like I could breathe again. I took in the deepest breath imaginable and released it almost as a sigh. “Well, I guess I need to be heading out of here. I have an hour drive back into the city.” I set my glass down beside Liam’s vacated tumbler.
Harper gr
abbed my hand. “There’s no need for you to drive back. Stay here tonight.”
I squeezed Harper’s hand before releasing it. “I wish I could.” In short strides, I moved to the table and grabbed my purse and phone. “But I leave out for DC tomorrow and I still need to pack. Besides, you already have a house guest this evening.”
“As if I don’t have the room,” Harper argued.
“Okay, but I don’t have a change of clothes or any of my necessities with me.”
Harper moved toward me, taking my belongings from my hands. “We both know that’s not true. You always carry your makeup bag in your briefcase and I’d bet my fortune you have a suit in the car.”
Longtime friends should never know that much about each other. Such as the knowledge I had of a certain porn stash he hid in his office.
“That’s true, but it doesn’t change my flight plans nor the fact that I have nothing to sleep in.”
“Jordyn left some pajamas here while visiting last week. You can wear those.” Harper slipped his arm around my shoulders, walking us out of the den. “I need you to change those plans anyway. Tomorrow I’m hosting a little dinner to announce William’s intent to run. You need to be here for it.”
I stopped mid stride. “You had that much confidence that I’d say yes?”
“Yes,” he stated without hesitation. A gleam of deviltry played across his face.
“Oh, you are wicked,” I jested. “Fine. I guess I’m staying. My usual room?”
“You know where it is.”
“I need to go get my stuff from my car.” I pushed up on the tips of my toes and planted a friendly kiss to Harper’s cheek. “Thank you for saving me tonight.”
Harper tweaked my cheek. “And thank you for accepting Liam. I really think we have a shot with him.”
Movement in my peripheral vision grabbed my attention. I scanned down the hall, but saw nothing. I shrugged it off as my imagination. It had been a long night.
Sleep. That’s what I needed. And maybe a good kick in the head for the project I’d just agreed to take on.
“You know what?” I rubbed along my jaw to my chin. “Add another million to my fee. I’m gonna need it with the amount of work I have cut out for me with this one.”
Sleep was my enemy. No matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn’t find rest.
I was haunted by molten chocolate eyes, smooth lips, and an unwitting smile. Strength, not only in that masculine body of his but in his personality, burned through my thoughts. I wanted so badly to either smack him across the face or kiss him as hard as I could. Either sounded inviting but neither were possible. What bugged me the most was I couldn’t place him. Washington DC, was my domain. Anyone of importance I knew and knew well. I could tell you who they were, who their families were, and even who their mistresses were. This guy was never even a blip on my radar.
As if it mattered now.
Still, not knowing anything about him haunted me.
Frustrated, I smacked my fists down onto the soft, pillow top mattress. Cotton linens with God only knew what kind of outrageous thread count bunched beneath my balled hands. I was wasting time trying to sleep. My mind wouldn’t let me rest until I knew all there was to know about Congressman William Baxter.
Kicking off the covers, I threw my legs over the side of the mattress onto the plush rug beneath my feet. I wiggled my toes into the soft fibers and pushed myself out of the bed. The heat was on, I could hear it running, but there was no eliminating the constant draft that invaded the bedrooms of the old house.
Harper had given me a pair of Jordyn’s pajamas to sleep in. It wasn’t uncommon for Jordyn to spend time with Harper. After all, he was her godfather. He loved spoiling her. One year, Russell and I nearly killed him for buying her a mare of her own for Christmas without discussing it with us first. But that was Harper. Always giving. He loved Jordyn and I couldn’t begrudge him any opportunity to spend time with my daughter.
I stood up and tugged at the pant legs because they were far too short for my long limbs. They fit more like capris than pants.
A hiss escaped my lips as I meandered across the hardwood floors to the chair where my briefcase sat. Chill bumps multiplied over my skin with each step I took. The floors might as well have been covered with ice considering how cold it felt against my bare feet. I slipped my laptop out of my bag and rushed back to the bed where I could get warm again.
Back under the covers, I fired up my computer. The bright screen lit the room with an eerie white glow. A few keystrokes was all it took to appease my weary mind. Images of William Baxter covered my screen. A full background check would take a few days to complete, but the internet was a great place to get started.
Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, AP all covered stories on William Reid Baxter, the charming Democrat from North Texas. There was even a Wikipedia entry on him. Then again, I had a Wikipedia page, so that wasn’t saying much.
It didn’t take me long to compile a skeleton history of the man I’d be supporting in the upcoming Senate election.
William Baxter, born in Lewisville, Texas, but grew up in Grand Prairie. He played on his high school basketball team all four years. That didn’t surprise me considering his height. I had to give myself a pat on the back for recognizing him as an athlete. Then again, that rock hard body of his was a dead giveaway. Anyone with two ounces of brains would’ve figured it out.
After high school, Liam attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Philosophy, which led him to Yale Law School. Straight out of law school he clerked for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for a year. He had such a promising career in law. It shocked me to see he went into the military after one year as a clerk, yet there it was in black and white. Not only did he go JAG Corp, but he was also deployed for six months to Baghdad. Honorably discharged from the Army upon completion of his four years of service, Liam returned home where he set up a private practice until he ran for Congress a year and a half ago and won.
I sat there staring at my computer screen like I was reading the greatest literary work ever written. Every word jumped off the screen at me and explained so much about the man who stood up to me earlier in the evening. For one so young, he’d lived so much already.
While his career history intrigued me, the one thing I noticed was nowhere did it mention any kind of scandal involving him. Not even an inclination of any wrong doings. There was no smear campaign during his run for Congress, which seemed really odd since he was young and single.
Several pictures popped up with him and the same young lady – Kristin Page. That explained why he was so quick on the draw when I asked if he had someone. His last campaign manager used the same tactic. So, I dug in a little deeper on Ms. Page. Much to my surprise, there wasn’t much available on her. Every mention of her included Liam. That didn’t concern me much. I’d get full intel on her once I pulled a complete background check.
When national news didn’t provide desired results, I resorted to the lowest level possible. I scanned some of my favorite rag-mags, expecting to find loads of filth on the young Congressman.
No time for casual sex, my ass.
In all my years I’d never met a man who said sex was too intimate to be casual. That was a woman’s line and it was used to keep from screwing whatever ugly bastard she’d found herself shackled to at the time. No woman, at least not in this day and age, would ever turn down a hot man who wanted to screw her brains out. And since no woman would, I found it difficult to believe a man would.
However, the deeper I looked the less I found. Kristin’s name popped up countless times. Speculations about the true nature of their relationship, but even that fizzled to nothing. There was an obscure entry on a nameless ex-girlfriend, but the article was so vague it could’ve easily been Kristin they referenced.
“What the hell is wrong with the media? Have they forgotten how to do their jobs?” I complained to the laptop.
I scratched m
y head and stared at the handsome face with the broody, dark eyes staring back at me.
And what the hell was wrong with the American woman…and men…if they weren’t throwing themselves at this guy? Geez!
“Fine,” I snarled at the picture. “Let’s see what kind of hobbies they say you have, Mr. Too-Good-To-Be-True.”
I clicked a few links and found a site that showed pictures of Liam playing basketball with some inner city kids.
“Photo op,” I sneered and closed the site.
Worthless.
But I was relentless. I wouldn’t give up until I found what I sought.
And my stubbornness paid off.
A few more clicks and I hit the jackpot. There was Liam bundled up in a thick winter coat on a fresh-powdered mountain with a snowboard perched beside him. Another man, a couple of inches taller than him, which shocked the hell out of me because Liam was a giant, stood at his other side, also holding a board. That had to be his brother, Aaron.
Part of me felt sorry for their mother, because she had to give birth to those two. Then it got me to wondering how tall their parents were. More photo ops proved their mother to be around my height, which meant she was tall for a woman. Their dad, a rather handsome silver fox, stood as tall as Liam.
Height runs in the family.
My curiosity about his family was satisfied for the moment, I flipped back to the snowboarding picture. It had to be one of my favorite photos of him. Liam’s face, bright red from the cold, beamed from ear-to-ear. Snowboarding took courage, agility, and a lot of skill. I knew all too well how treacherous it was through all of Jordyn’s blunders over the years.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll have Jordyn’s vote after she sees this,” I chortled.
Between the cold air and the drinks from earlier, my bladder started to holler at me. Reluctantly, I closed my laptop, but not before bookmarking the page, and slithered out from under my covers.
For a house that big, I couldn’t believe there were only three bathrooms and one of them was downstairs.
Damn historic builders.
My feet hit the floor and I winced at the cold. I stood up and once again tugged at my sleepwear. Certain it was both dark enough and late enough that I wouldn’t be caught wearing Jordyn’s silky ─too small for me─ pajamas, I tiptoed to the door and turned the knob. The hinges creaked as I slowly pulled open the door, but not so loud I felt it would wake anyone. Opened just enough to slip my lanky body through, I left my room and slinked down the hall to the bathroom.
Politically Incorrect Page 4
