It was official. William Baxter was going to be the death of me and if I wasn’t careful, he’d also be my downfall.
“There you are. I’ve been searching all over for you. I thought you might’ve left.”
Harper plopped down in the armchair across from me. On the table, piled in neat stacks, were plans I’d started jotting down for Liam’s campaign. Mailer ideas. Polls to set up. Things steamrolled out of my head faster than I could write. I’d already called my office in DC to have the intent paperwork submitted, and contacted Scout about coming on board to Team Baxter. All of the pieces were falling into place far too easily, which worried me. Nothing smooth ever worked in my favor. I always anticipated a snag in the road, because no matter what, there always was one.
“I’ve got too much to do. Besides, my client is here, remember?” I teased.
Legs crossed out in front of him, Harper slunk down in his chair, locking his fingers behind his neck. “I figured you’d want to run home for a dress tonight.”
“Yeah, about tonight,” ─I leaned forward and flipped through a pile of papers until I found the one I wanted and handed it over to Harper─ “I don’t believe we should announce Liam’s intent to run this evening. I’ve been giving this some thought, and I think he needs to do a public announcement. We want his name out there, for people to see him. A private event won’t give us the coverage we need.”
Harper shoved forward, taking the paper. His eyes scanned over the document. “You want him to announce here?”
I smirked, snapping back the sheet. “Scout agrees with me.”
Harper smacked his lips, a wide grin growing across his face. “The Old Red Courthouse is a ballsy move.”
I shrugged, stacking my pile back on the table. “He’s young, Harper. He’s going to need a lot of gutsy moves if he’s to be recognized as a real contender.”
“This is like Obama epic. You realize that, right?”
I wiggled my brows, full of arrogance. “Why do you think I’m suggesting it?”
Harper laughed, tapping his fingertip to his lips. “Okay. So, how do you plan on procuring it?”
A few clicks on my laptop and a very important email appeared. I turned my computer for Harper to see. “Already done. I called in a favor or two. It’s set for tomorrow afternoon.”
“And Liam?”
I was about to make some offhanded comment about how he hired me to do a job and he better let me do it, when I heard, “What about Liam?”
My eyes shot up and Harper glanced over his shoulder at the lanky man strolling into the room. Dressed in black slacks and a crisp button down shirt, sans a God-awful tie or jacket, his collar unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Liam looked like any other businessman ready for a day at the office. His hands stuffed in his pockets, with a manly black watch peeking over the fabric, he strolled through the study toward us, a carefree smile lighting his face.
Damn him for wearing a watch. No one wears watches anymore. If men only realized how sexy that was.
I swallowed hard and straightened up, turning my laptop back toward me. “Good afternoon, Congressman.”
“Good afternoon, Elizabeth. Harper.” He nodded to Harper and strolled toward the sofa, taking a seat beside me. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his legs, and peered at my computer screen.
“Sleep well?” Harper questioned, stretching his own arms over his head.
His dark eyes shifted to me and a smile tweaked his lips. “My accommodations were comfortable,” he dodged. Gooseflesh formed over my skin as he scooted closer to me. “The Old Red Courthouse, huh? What are we doing there?”
I blinked several times, cutting through my memories of this man. He raised a brow, his head tilted in a way he could look between Harper and me rather easily. I tapped the computer screen with my fingernail and began to explain my plan for his candidacy announcement. Once I started talking, all thoughts of Liam naked dissipated, leaving me with nothing more than my work. Plans set in motion, as I gave him a step by step of my ideas.
“Scout’s already getting several major networks on the horn to televise it.” I took in a deep breath and beamed.
Yep. They can say it. I’m a genius.
“Okay.” Liam nodded, grazing over a few of my notes I’d thrust into his hands.
“Okay?” I replied back in shock. “Just okay?”
Liam leaned back into the sofa, crossing his leg over his knee. “I hired you for your expertise, Elizabeth. Everyone claims you’re the best and from what I’ve seen so far, they’re not far from the truth. If you believe this is the best way for me to announce my candidacy, then I’m on board.”
I’d expected a fight. Some sort of argument. Not a simple okay. “Well, alrighty then.” I reached for my pile of paperwork and sifted through it. “Next we need to go over policies and strategies. I need to know where you stand on certain issues. If Keating is running, which I have my feelers out to verify, then she’s going to come out pitching, and we need to be ready to bat.”
Liam crossed his arms over his chest. “You really love your baseball metaphors. Are you a fan?”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Nope. Never seen a game in my life. Would you prefer I start using basketball metaphors?” I jibbed.
Liam let out a good, hardy laugh. “The ball’s in your court.”
“Damn! That’s the only one I know,” I whined.
“There’s always ─ slam dunk, home court advantage, no harm, no foul, and my personal favorite, full-court press,” Harper jumped in.
Liam and I turned to look at Harper, both a little stunned that he’d pulled those out of thin air so fast, but also a little surprised he was still in the room. I scratched my jaw and chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll add those to my list and use them when necessary.”
Liam shifted his eyes back to mine, his smile cool and inviting. “You better now that you have them in your arsenal.”
I rolled my eyes and fought back a laugh, tapping my well-manicured nails on the papers sitting in my lap. “Okay, smarty pants, let’s get to work here. Policies, first.”
“Ugh. This stuff bores me,” Harper groaned. “I’ll be in the stables if you two need me for anything.” He stood up, stretching his arms over his head, his joints cracking with the movement. “And please, no bloodshed, you two. They just cleaned the carpets this morning.”
“If I must spill any of his blood, I promise to keep it off the carpets.” My eyes cut to Liam whose lips were pursed in a mocking grin.
“I’m not one to lie, so there’s no way I’ll make that promise.”
I shook my head. “You might want to grab us a tarp then, Harper. Looks like the gloves are coming off.”
“Seriously, woman? A boxing idiom?” Liam squawked.
“Make that two tarps!” I hollered at Harper who was already halfway out the door.
After Harper left and Liam was able to calm his snarky laughter, we spent the next two hours discussing strategies and policies. Debates became heated. Creative ideas flowed between us, almost as if we were one mind. I was astonished by how many good ideas he had. Good, but I made them better. By the time we were done, I was exhausted but excited. It’d been ages since I had a campaign thrill me this much.
Usually my clients simply took my word for things, always giving me and my staff carte blanche on all aspects of a campaign. Not Liam. He wanted to be hands on with everything. Compromises were made, plans slated. I felt like a kid in a candy store, or better yet, a woman who’d been thoroughly fucked.
By the end of it all, Liam and I were sitting so close our knees touched. I became immersed in the musky hints of his cologne and the heat emanating from his skin. Light touches and soft, innocent brushes of our skin left me aching for more. There were two things, however, that kept me grounded ─ his age, but more importantly, his candidacy.
“Well, I guess that covers the prelims.” I tossed the pen I’d been chewing on to the table.
Liam
slumped back into the cushions of the sofa, his size fourteens brushing against the back of my ankle. “You know, after all that, I’m a little exhausted.”
I grabbed my bag from the floor, sliding my laptop into it. “Me, too, but this was a great start, Congressman.” I tilted my head sideways and graced him with a sincere smile. “After all this,” ─I pointed toward my ever growing mound of notes─ “I have a feeling the voters are going to adore you.”
“So I’m not going to be eaten alive?”
I bit the inside of my cheek as my harsh words were thrown back at me. It wasn’t often that I had to eat crow, but with this guy I felt like that was all I ever did. “I was out of line when I said that. I was having a bad night and I took it out on you.”
His brow furrowed into deep lines. “What happened?”
I chuckled, slipping all my paperwork into my satchel. “Nothing you should worry about.”
Liam reached out, wrapping his long fingers around my wrist. “Tell me?”
My eyes dropped to where his fingers perimetered my skin. He rubbed his thumb along my pulse line, unabashed by the personal nature of his actions. A deep sigh expelled from my lungs, feeling a little embarrassed that I’d opened myself to him. I never talked about my personal life with clients. It was unprofessional, yet with Liam it felt natural. “When Harper called me last night I was on a date.”
Liam’s hand tightened, but not to the point it was uncomfortable. “A date?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. It wasn’t a good date, as you can imagine since I rushed right over after receiving his call.”
“I’m sorry.”
A derisive laugh fell from my lips. “No need to apologize. It is what it is. I really don’t expect much, if you know what I mean.”
Liam released my arm and straightened up. His face contorted into a strange, almost hard, expression. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”
With a dismissive wave of my hand, I managed a deadpanned expression. “Men want to settle down with girls like my daughter, not old women like me.”
“I beg your pardon?” Liam’s mouth set in a straight line, his face contorted in surprise. “You’re not old.” He stopped as if something struck him. “And you have a daughter? Will I get to meet her?”
I chuckled, taking a moment to close my bag and depositing it at my feet. “Yes, I have a daughter, and I’m sure you will. She’s a freshman at Georgetown.”
A little pang smacked me in the chest at the thought of her. Rare was the time I cancelled on Jordyn. I lived by the creed that my daughter came first and my job second. In times like this, nonetheless, my darling girl understood why I needed to stay. We made arrangements to get together once I returned to DC, and I wouldn’t break them again no matter what was thrown my way.
“You must be proud, but there’s no way you’re old enough to have a daughter in college.”
I got up from my seat and stretched my tense muscles. “You’re too kind, but that’s not what my date said last night.”
“Then your date deserved to be left. He’s a fool.”
I bended at the hip from side to side. “What about you? You say you don’t have time, but really, who doesn’t have time to date?”
Liam bent forward, touching his fingers to his toes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was his way to keep from looking me in the eye. “I just haven’t met the right woman, I guess.”
“C’mon. I know you fed me that line last night with Harper around, but it’s just us now. Tell the truth. Are there any women on the side taking care of the good ol’ Congressman’s needs?”
He shot back up and squared his shoulders. “I won’t say this again, Elizabeth. I don’t do casual sex. People today toss sex around like it’s a toy or a game. I don’t see it that way.”
“So are you saying you’re a virgin?”
A deep laugh thundered from his chest. “No, I’m not a virgin.” He stepped in closer to me, his lips moving near the shell of my ear. “I happen to enjoy sex a great deal.”
I became a little lightheaded at the throaty, sensual tone of his voice. “Good to know,” I choked.
Liam stepped back, his thick brows raised. “But to me, sex isn’t a toy. It has meaning and depth. Two bodies sharing a connection. I will only ever engage with a woman I have true feelings for.”
I brushed my bangs back from my face and reached for my bag. Now it was my turn to hide my face. “A very rare quality. Most men don’t think like that.”
“And most men miss out on what it feels like to make love to a woman for the first time. I assure you, there’s no greater rush.”
I draped my bag over my shoulder, chuckling a little.
Liam stretched his arms over his head. His shirt pulled against his tight stomach. A small gasp perched at the seam of my lips at the thought of that stomach, bare, wet, with just the right amount of light brown hair trailing to…
I diverted my eyes from going any further. I couldn’t allow myself to go there again, so I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. “I guess I kind of know what you mean. Until recently I didn’t date much, either. Jordyn’s the reason I started dating again. For some reason she thought I was lonely after she moved into the dorms. She said I was working too hard and needed more social interaction that didn’t include a political function.”
“It’s nice to have someone worry about you. Aaron worries about me constantly.”
“Yes, about Aaron. Will he be here tonight?”
Liam glanced down at his watch. “Actually, he should be here…”
“Hey, you two,” Harper called out, entering the room. “Look who I found.”
Aaron followed behind Harper, standing a good head and shoulders above him.
“Speak of the devil,” Liam mumbled.
Introductions were made, and I determined rather quickly Aaron belonged in the realms of politics. He was nothing like Liam. Where Liam came off as honest yet frustrating, Aaron had that smile to your face but lie behind your back vibe. He came off as a bit of a trickster, countering Liam’s seriousness. It was safe to say, I felt comfortable with Aaron Baxter and had a certain assurance he would be able to get politically dirty if I needed him to.
“Liam told me all about you last night,” Aaron stated, glancing over to his brother. A look passed between them making me wonder how much Liam had told him. “If you have a moment, there are a few things I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Aaron, can we do this later?” Liam stated. “Elizabeth and I just spent the last two hours talking policies and campaign strategies. I need a break to clear my head.” He rubbed his forehead, his long lashes fluttering. “This woman’s a tyrant.”
“I’d say, if she made you fire Victor,” Aaron noted with a grin. “I’ve been begging you to do that for a year. Besides, we don’t need you here if you don’t want to be.”
“You know I always want to be involved,” Liam growled. “And she didn’t make me fire anyone. I agreed to it. I even made the call personally this morning. It’s done.”
Aaron turned his green eyes to me and grinned. “I’m looking forward to seeing what else you can get this knucklehead to do. Lord knows he won’t listen to me.”
“I said she didn’t make me…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that.” He shrugged Liam off. “So, Ms. McNeal, I’d really like to discuss new staff arrangements, which, by the way, will we be meeting our new press secretary tonight?”
“Aaron.” Liam’s tone darkened with authority. So much, in fact, it made my girly bits quiver. What woman didn’t enjoy a man who exerted his power when necessary?
Down girl.
“What? You started without me. I can’t help it if I need to get up to speed.”
“Later,” Liam declared. “We need to let Elizabeth get ready for tonight.”
“Oh, yeah. That reminds me, Bet,” Harper interjected, “your dress arrived. I had Ivory take it upstairs to your room.”
I’d been so beguiled by the power struggle between Liam and Aaron that I’d barely noticed Harper. I patted my old friend on the back. “Thanks.” I adjusted my bag on my arm. “Aaron, to answer your question, Scout will be here tonight, but more than likely she’ll be a little late. She’s flying in from Nebraska.”
Aaron crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Nebraska? She’s not a Texas native?”
“No, is that a problem?”
Liam shook his head. “None at all. Right, Aaron?”
Aaron smirked, nodding. “Nope. Not a problem at all.”
“With that, I think I’ll bid my leave and go get ready for the evening.” I nodded to Aaron. “It’s nice to meet you and I promise we’ll go over everything I have planned for your brother’s campaign and then some. Maybe we can talk tonight after the party so you can get a feel for what Scout has in mind as well.”
Aaron nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”
Liam reached for my arm, his long fingers slinking around my wrist. “Am I allowed to be a part of this little impromptu meeting?”
I had to fight the feeling of excitement at his touch. This had to stop. I had to get myself under control. “Of course, Congressman. Although, you might be bored. I’ll only be recapping what you and I have discussed today.”
Liam lightly trailed his fingers down the inside of my palm as he released me. “I could never be bored.”
“Well,” Harper reached for my arm, “I’ll make sure everything is arranged in the den where you’ll have more room to spread out.” He tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow. “I’ll escort you upstairs, Liz.”
“I think I know where I’m going,” I slipped my hand from his arm, “but thanks.”
Liam smirked, appearing almost pleased by my interactions with Harper.
How odd.
I shuffled the thought to the back of my mind and nodded to each man. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a shower and prepare for the evening.”
Politically Incorrect Page 6
