Private Detective: BENNINGTON P.I.: A thrilling four-novel political murder mystery private detective series...

by D. W. Ulsterman

  Colin O’Shea turned over onto Kat, his mouth covering hers. His hands moved behind her and grasped the bottom of her dress and pulled it violently upward, fully exposing the bottom half of her body.

  Kat in turn grabbed onto Colin’s pants and just as violently pulled them down from his waist, her hips arching upward, demanding he enter her. Colin and Kat’s desire collided in that moment, consuming the both of them as he increased the intensity and force of every thrust as Kat urged him on.

  Her mouth broke into a lusting, satisfied smile as she matched Colin’s intensity with even more of her own, her eyes locked with his, her hands pushing his body down into hers over and over again. Kat felt her climax quickly approaching, surprising her in both the speed and strength of its delivery.

  Colin, feeling her body around him pulsating, found himself just as quickly giving into his own release, his mouth pressed against Kat’s neck as he attempted to muffle the sound of its arrival. Kat made no such attempt to hide the effects of her own pleasure as it washed over her. She opened her mouth wide as she cried out with a guttural, primitive and triumphant shout.

  Both bodies soon fell into one another, their breathing returning to normal. Kat wrapped her arms around Colin’s neck and kissed him several times before gently nibbling the tip of his nose.

  “Now THAT was a job well done.”

  Colin smiled, though his mind already feared what might be the repercussions for his lack of self control. He looked out the window to see the now familiar outline of Ivanka Petrov’s building. The cab driver’s eyes were fixed on the street in front of him, as he sat silent and unmoving.

  “You can’t say anything to anyone, Kat. Please, I’ll be fired. We have to keep this quiet.”

  Kat grinned, looking like the cat that had just trapped the mouse.

  “Forbidden fruit always tastes the best!”

  Colin shook his head as he gently grasped each of Kat’s shoulders.

  “No Kat, this didn’t happen, do you understand? It didn’t happen, and it won’t ever happen again.”

  The young Russian again wrapped her arms around Colin’s neck and kissed him.

  “If you say so, Colin O’Shea. If you say so…”

  Colin watched Kat intently as she walked slowly up the entrance to Ivanka’s building, his eyes devouring every subtle movement of her body as his mind already acknowledged there was now simply no way he could not be with her again.

  What the hell did I just do?

  17.

  A month later…

  Frank Bennington called a staff meeting in the conference room of Congressman Latner’s office. Jolene told Colin it had been the first such meeting they had had in nearly a year, and the last one Bennington had scheduled he showed up nearly an hour late for.

  He wasn’t late today. In fact, he arrived early, appearing almost healthy, and certainly looking more focused and clear eyed than he had in months.

  Bennington took a seat at the far end of the conference table farthest from the door, and waited for the others to be seated. Colin sat on one side of the table with Christina Taylor, while both Jolene and Tracy sat on the other side. All of them were wondering what Frank wanted to discuss.

  “Here’s the deal folks, as you know the congressman is being considered as a potential running mate for Governor Mendez, should the governor actually decide to run for president. The Mendez people have done an initial review of the congressman’s legislative record, as well as met with some of the essentials back in Ohio. So far, from everything I’ve been told they like what they see. As for the congressman, he’s all in on this. He wants it – wants it badly.

  “That brings it back to us in this room then.”

  Nobody spoke, waiting instead for Bennington to continue.

  “The one thing Mendez’s people requested we could be doing now, is to have the congressman co-sponsor some kind of touchy feely, everybody loves it piece of legislation. It has to be something that can give us a bit of national attention, something that offers an effective sound bite. Any of you have some ideas what that might be?”

  Tracy’s expression had transformed from one of boredom to excitement. As odd as some might find it, he loved the legislative process, and his job description was specifically geared toward issues research.

  “There’s pending legislation stuck in committee over in Armed Services. It’s been going back and forth on it for the last year. It was introduced by Congresswoman Betty Mears. She wants to allow soldiers serving in war to have deferred mortgage payments when on combat assignment. So if they are on a 9-month tour, they would qualify for a nine-month deferment if their mortgage is backed by the V.A.”

  Bennington’s hand slapped down onto the conference table, a wide smile breaking out across his face.

  “Boom! Nice work Tracy! And Mears…she’s a Republican, right?”

  Tracy nodded.

  ‘Yes, so if the congressman were to co-sponsor the bill, it would be a bi-partisan effort, which would play out with the media even better.”

  “Why has it been stuck in committee?”

  Colin’s question remained unanswered as all eyes turned to Tracy, waiting for his response.

  “Well, uh, Congresswoman Mears wants a total deferment, meaning no interest is accruing on the mortgage during that time. Congressman Pickens, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, has told her that would be an unfair burden on both the government and the lending institutions.”

  Bennington’s face winced as if he had just been stabbed with a sharp object.

  “Shit – Pickens. Guy is a complete asshole, who also happens to hate the congressman. The two had words a few years back over backing of some other bill the congressman wanted no part of, the kind of guy who gives Democrats a bad name.”

  Another period of silence fell over the conference room as Bennington sat unmoving, his eyes once again closed. Suddenly, those eyes opened as he gave himself a satisfied nod of the head.

  “Ok, here’s what we do. Christina, you reach out to that reporter from the Post. The little guy with the glasses, uh, shit – what’s his name?”

  Christina was already writing the name down as she answered Frank.

  “Philip Zimmerman.”

  Frank’s head continued to nod.

  “Yeah, that’s it – Zimmerman. You contact him and set up an interview with the congressman and Congresswoman Mears. Make certain he understands the parameters of the interview are to be on the pending mortgage deferment legislation. Schedule it for next week, say Tuesday afternoon. I should have the congresswoman on board by then. We want an article by late next week, let Pickens stew on it over the weekend, and then by the following week, he’ll step aside and let it come to a vote.

  And speaking of the congresswoman, I also need you to set up a meeting with her by tomorrow. She’s what, on the second floor? I’ll walk there myself.

  Tracy and Jolene, I want you two to read up on every bit of that bill. I want names of supporters, and names of those opposed. Write me up a review paper – one page. Keep it simple. And I want it on my desk by tomorrow morning.”

  Colin shifted in his seat, waiting for instructions that never came.

  “What about me, Mr. Bennington?”

  Frank Bennington turned to look at Colin, his eyes staring intently at the newest member of the congressman’s staff.

  “I’ll get to that Colin back in my office. See you there in ten minutes.”

  Bennington rose from his seat both looking and feeling as confident as he had in years.

  “All right, everyone we are on the brink of making it to the big show. Let’s not blow it.”

  18.

  “Don’t lie to me, Colin. Are you messing around with that girl Kat?”

  Colin looked back across Bennington’s desk inside of his office, uncertain how he should respond.

  “No, not…not now.”

  Frank Bennington leaned back in his chair and shook his head.

  “
You just gave me a politician’s answer. Look here, I need to know what’s going on with this. I can’t protect you if I don’t know, understand? So if there’s something going on between you two that could set off the congressman and mess this whole situation up, then I have to know.”

  Colin knew Bennington was right, though his fear continued to keep him silent.

  “Why are you asking? Did you hear something?”

  Bennington crossed his arms and looked stared back at Colin.

  “Let’s just say I know how that girl is messing with the congressman’s mind. She’s made a mess of him. I also know that Mendez’s people have no clue about her and my number one priority right now is to keep it that way. They get just a whiff of concern over the congressman messing around with a nineteen year old piece of ass and we can forget being on the ticket.”

  “She’s twenty, had a birthday last week.”

  Bennington’s head tilted slightly to the right as he leaned forward in his chair.

  “What?”

  “She’s twenty now. Kat…she’s twenty.”

  Frank Bennington’s face didn’t appear to be impressed by the information of Kat now being another year older.

  “Well, that’s just great, Colin. I guess that solves everything huh? And did you and Kat go out and celebrate? Help her to blow out her candles?”

  Colin glanced toward the window of Bennington’s office.

  “I just escorted her shopping - the usual.”

  “What about that night at the club? When you dropped her off? Was that just the usual too, or did something happen?”

  Colin’s conscious battled with his sense of self preservation.

  “I made sure she got home safe like I always do.”

  Bennington’s thin smile held neither warmth nor humor.

  “Is that right? Well tonight you’re going to be taking her to a hotel, Mr. O’Shea. The room will already be reserved under the name Brown – room 445 at the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown, the staff understand discretion. You’ll take her there at 11:00 p.m. Not a minute sooner, or a minute later. Wait in the lobby for two hours, and then go get her and bring her back to Ivanka’s.”

  Colin felt his stomach tighten, a sense of impending dread creeping over him.

  “She’s seeing the congressman?”

  Bennington folded his hands on his desk as his expression became as serious as Colin could ever recall seeing it.

  “Yes, so if there’s something I should know, I’m asking you to tell me about it now. You better believe the congressman will be asking her questions, and I’ve never put much faith in a whore’s ability to keep secrets, even if they are working for someone like Ivanka.”

  Colin snapped a reply, surprised at how quickly he became angered at Bennington’s use of the term whore to describe Kat.

  “She’s not a whore, Frank. Don’t call her that.”

  Frank Bennington sat silently for nearly a minute looking at Colin O’Shea, the older man’s eyes trying to see past the younger man’s defenses.

  “You have feelings for her?”

  Colin’s jaw set firmly as he glared back at Bennington.

  “I respect her, like I do most women. Whatever else there may or may not be, is none of your business. You want me to pick her up and take her to the hotel tonight, fine. That’s what I’ll do. That’s what I’ve been doing – my job.”

  Bennington’s features softened. He didn’t want the congressman’s obsession with the young woman to become a wedge between Colin and himself.

  “Ok, Colin then that’s where I’ll leave it. I just ask that if something comes up, some information you feel I should know…anything that might endanger this office, or a future campaign, that you bring me up to speed, ok?”

  Colin nodded and then stood up from his seat.

  “So we all done here?”

  Bennington nodded.

  “Yeah – for now. Remember, your room is under the name Brown, room 445. Be there at 11:00 p.m. sharp. Make sure Kat is ready and on time.”

  Bennington watched Colin closely as the younger man turned and moved quickly toward the door, opened it, and then closed it behind him, the smell of guilt and fear following his departure.

  19.

  Colin watched as Kat emerged from Ivanka’s building and made her way to the taxi. She wore a simple pair of blue jeans, a light blue sweater, and tattered pair of Chuck Taylor Converse tennis shoes. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tale, and her skin appeared to be almost completely absent of any makeup.

  As she opened the door and sat down next to Colin in the back of the cab, her left hand crept over Colin’s right hand and squeezed it gently while she whispered softly.

  “Are you ok with this, Colin?”

  Colin wasn’t ok with it. He had been consumed with the idea of Kat being dropped off, alone, for a visit with the congressman since Bennington had instructed him earlier today that he was to do just that. While the two had not had sex together since that night returning home from the club, there was an undeniable attraction that continued to build between them. If anything, the lack of sex was making the attraction that much more intimate, more real.

  At least for Colin O’Shea.

  “I don’t like it, Kat, but…it is what it is.”

  Kat’s hand squeezed Colin’s again as she smiled softly, though her eyes seemed to retreat to some far off place within her own thoughts.

  “It won’t mean anything. It’s just…business.”

  It took them nearly twenty minutes in the slow moving D.C. traffic to reach the Georgetown Ritz Carlton. The taxi stopped under the circular covered entrance, while both Kat and Colin paused inside the backseat, neither of them wanting to get out.

  “I have to go, Colin.”

  Colin opened his door and moved quickly to the other side of the cab to open the door for Kat. As she emerged from the back of the vehicle, Colin noted how emotionless her face had become. She appeared to see nothing but what was directly in front of her. She was cold, distant, perhaps even dismissive of Colin’s presence.

  “Remember, it’s room 445.”

  Kat gave no acknowledgement of having heard Colin as she strode through the lobby and then into the elevator. Just before the elevator doors closed, Colin saw a glimpse of Kat’s face finally breaking apart. It was a look Colin had not yet seen on her.

  She looked afraid.

  As he sat down on one of the Art Deco like leather chairs that were placed in front of a large, black mantled fireplace inside of the high ceilinged lobby of the hotel, Colin’s phone rang. It was Bennington.

  “You get her there on time?”

  Colin crossed his legs and forced himself to relax in the chair.

  “Yeah – 11:00 sharp just like you told me to. She’s up there now. I’m waiting in the lobby until 1:00 per your instructions.”

  Bennington sounded pleased.

  “Good, that’s good. You took a taxi, right?”

  Colin found himself nodding, even though he was speaking to Bennington by phone.

  “Yeah.”

  “Great, then why don’t you have a few drinks if you want while you’re waiting? There’s a great little bistro bar there. Nice place to hang out, and they’re open until 1:00. I’ve logged more than a few hours in that place myself from time to time.”

  Colin could feel a headache coming on. His mind kept creating images of Kat with the congressman.

  “Ok, maybe. Is that it?”

  Bennington paused.

  “Don’t go up to the room, Colin. She’s to come down to you when it’s time to go home. The congressman doesn’t like to be bothered. So if that means you have to wait a little longer, then so be it.”

  Now it was Colin’s turn to pause as he pushed down the anger that was demanding to be let out.

  “Can I ask you a question, Frank? And can you give me a straight answer?”

  Bennington responded immediately.

  “Sure – what do you want to know?”


  “Do you intend on asking me to do this again? Bringing Kat to a hotel and waiting for her to finish? It doesn’t feel right, you know? I thought you told the congressman he had to quit seeing her, and now I’m sitting in a lobby…I’m waiting for him to finish up with her, and…it’s not right. I can’t do this kind of thing Frank. I won’t do it. Maybe you can, but not me.”