by Taylor Lee
“C’mon, Tom, have pity on us women. Surely you can see that she’s not playing fair.”
“What do you mean, not fair?”
“To start with, to have legs and an ass like that, and tits twice the size of mine? What’s fair about that? Why can’t she have thighs a size that matches her tits? At least that would be fair! Hell, her tits are bigger than Sarah’s and Sarah is accustomed to taking that prize no matter who is in the room. Right, Sarah?”
“Goddamn you, Ella. First of all, hers are not bigger than mine. Even if they are, I don’t give a shit. Any guy who likes a skinny ass like that probably lusts after those cowboys as much as we do. How about it, Tom? Is that why you and Wyatt spend so much time holed up in his office?”
Tom threw back his head and roared with laughter. “My God, Sarah. You have it bad, don’t you? Okay, Ella, we better stop teasing her. No telling what the green-eyed monster will make her say next.”
At that moment, Lei knocked on the door.
“May I come in?”
“Of course, Lei, please do. Sarah here introduced herself to you earlier and this is Ella Davis. Along with Keith, whom you met out there, Ella and Sarah have been with me the longest.”
Ella smiled at her. “What did you think of the volunteer structure we have put in place?”
“I am impressed, Ella. Tom, you have done precisely what you said you would. The fact that you have done it in less than a month is unbelievable.”
“He didn’t exactly do it by himself, you know. He had a “little” help from the rest of us,” Sarah said with barely disguised scorn.
Lei turned and looked directly at Sarah. She stood silently for a moment, considering her, then said in an even tone, “That is not what I meant to imply, Sarah. Like Wyatt, Tom is an outstanding leader. As Wyatt does, Tom inspires the people who work for him to do remarkable things. I am confident he is as impressed as Wyatt and I are by your excellent work.”
Tom arched an amused eyebrow at Ella. He turned his head to cover the smile that crept to his face. It was the first time he had seen another woman take on Sarah and come out on top. He was glad that Lei had put her in her place. He just hoped Sarah wouldn’t feel compelled to hit back, but he should have known better. She was Sarah, after all.
“Actually, the work that I do is more directly with Wyatt than with the volunteers. My job is to present the best possible picture of Wyatt to the people we want to vote for him.”
Lei smiled pleasantly. “In that case, I think you may have the easiest job on the campaign, Sarah. Wyatt does a remarkable job of presenting himself. The fact that he does it without help from any of us speaks to the extraordinary man that he is.”
Sarah’s face flushed angrily. She seemed to consider what she wanted to say and then plunged on.
“You may be too close to the situation, Lei, to see the challenges we face. For example, one of the most difficult jobs I have is to describe your relationship with Wyatt, without making it seem temporary, or, somehow less than honorable.”
She smiled when Lei’s face blanched and ignored the fact that Tom had swung back to her, a threatening cloud of anger on his face.
“You have to admit that it would be easier if I could just say that you are his wife. I know Wyatt and I have discussed the situation many times. The best we have been able to come up with is that at least you are the mother of one of his children.”
Lei backed away. She stood as though frozen, staring at Sarah.
“Okay, Sarah, that’s enough,” Tom jumped in, clearly furious.
Sarah looked at them both with a satisfied smile.
“Whatever you say, Tom. I am confident that as smart as Lei is, she is aware of the challenges we face, given Wyatt’s personal life.”
With that, Sarah turned and walked out of the room, her head in the air. Her satisfied smile was even broader, if possible.
“Goddamn, Lei, I’m sorry. Sarah is used to being the top dog in my operation. Since we came here, she has been relegated to a staff position. You know how carefully Wyatt chooses the people he confides in. So far that is me, Chief, and Alono. His most important confidant, of course, is you. Sarah is unhappy with the role she has been assigned here by Wyatt, and by me. I’m afraid she is taking it out on you. I apologize for her, as I’m sure Ella does.”
Ella had stood quietly to the side, truly surprised by Sarah’s overt rudeness. She knew that all hell would break loose when Tom got Sarah alone after Lei left.
She gave Lei a comforting smile. “Sarah can be a real pain in the ass, especially if she feels dismissed. But she is committed to the success of this campaign as we all are. I want to underscore what you already know, Lei. Wyatt is an impressive man and will be an excellent governor.”
Lei nodded, but was pale. Both Tom and Ella saw that she was shaking.
“Tom, I think I will go and wait for Wyatt in his office. I want to be alone, if you don’t mind.” She left the room and walked into Wyatt’s office, closing the door behind her.
Tom was white with anger. “Goddamn her. You tell your friend that I want to see her, but not now. No telling what I would say to her as angry as I am at this moment. Go back to work, Ella. Please close my door as you leave.”
~~~
Lei stood with her back against the door. She tried to control her shaking body and the tears streaming down her face. Dear God, she couldn’t believe this. Why hadn’t Wyatt or Tom or Chief or someone, warned her? There must be twenty or thirty women in this office. From local girls fresh off the farm to sophisticated East Coast professional women. It wasn’t only angry Sarah who had to be lusting after Wyatt. As hard as Lei tried not to, she found herself giving in to her fears and what she knew was her jealousy. Even being aware of what she was doing to herself, didn’t help. Goddamn, Wyatt. Why had he let her walk into this, alone, without any warning?
She walked over to his desk and sat down, trying to regain her composure. Looking down, she saw a stack of fliers. Shocked, she realized they were meant to be pictures of her. She spent the next half hour methodically going over the pictures again and again until each one of them was firmly impressed on her psyche.
An hour later, it was getting dark. Lei made her decision. She was going back to the ranch. She started to leave, walking quickly to the front door. Tom saw her face from across the room and came up to her. He gently eased her back into Wyatt’s office.
“What are you doing, Lei? Please tell me that look on your face doesn’t mean that you are leaving? I know you are upset. You have good reason to be. But, please, understand. Wyatt has been waiting for you to come. He has thought of nothing but being with you. Please wait for him so that he can help you through this.”
Lei glared at him, her face contorted with pain and anger.
“The last thing you need around here, Tom, is another woman. Both you and Wyatt seem to be well cared for. I would have appreciated one of you telling me ahead of time about your work “associates.” Apparently, you are so accustomed to women falling all over you, neither of you thought it was important to warn me.”
She stared at him for a moment, trying unsuccessfully to fight the tears rolling down her cheeks.
In a choked whisper, she said, “Just so you know, Tom, those ugly pictures over there? The ones of me? That is exactly what I feel like. Leave it to Grant to picture me so well. He has captured the real me. An ugly whore who must enjoy being raped, or why would she stay in the situation she is in?”
“Jesus God, Lei. What are you saying? Tom was stunned. Ih glanced over at the desk and saw the stackof fliers that lei had carefully spread across the top of the desk. His fac paled with horror as the reality hit him.
“Fuck! My God! How did you see those pictures? Ho did they get there? Wyatt will go crazy!”
He reached out and grasped her arms and pulled her up next to him.
“Please, Lei. I won’t let you go like this.”
When she pulled away and continued toward the doorw
ay, he tried unsu Christ, where the hell is Wyatt? He will kill me if I let you go under these circumstances. Please, Lei, sit down. Let me get you something to drink. Anything you need to help you understand what’s going on here.”
“You don’t have to help me understand anything, Tom. I understand much better than either you or Wyatt knows. Please get out of my way.”
She pushed past him and went out to the stables. Minutes later, she rode furiously away on Stealth, as her bodyguards rushed to saddle up their horses and catch up to her.
Chapter 13
Tom waited for Wyatt in the hotel bar, drinking more bourbon, more steadily than he had in years. Try as he might, he could not get the memory of Lei’s face out of his mind. More agonizing were her words. Goddamn, he wished Wyatt was here. Someone had to get to her. Tom knew Wyatt was the only one who could. Sure as hell, he hated to be the one to tell Wyatt what happened. Wyatt was going to arrive at the hotel excited to see Lei, and then get this news. Goddamn it!
Tom struggled with what to do about Sarah. He was surprised—no, in retrospect, shocked—a at the way she attacked Lei. What the hell was that about? He knew Sarah had fucked as many men as Wyatt had fucked women. Why was she so hot for Wyatt? Was it just that he had been put off limits by Tom and by Wyatt? Or, that she wasn’t used to – what did Ella say? She didn’t like being dismissed.
He also had a horrible feeling that Sarah might have put the fliers out for Lei to see. Who else would? He knew if she did, he would fire her immediately. He had worked with her for over fifteen years. As brash and bitchy as she was, Tom still found it hard to believe that she would do something as cruel as shoving those gruesome pictures in Lei’s face. But someone did, someone on his team.
Finally, after midnight, he heard Wyatt, Chief, and Alono come into the lobby. He had told the night manager to send them to the bar when they arrived. He felt a little unsteady. He didn’t know if it was the bourbon or his angst about Lei.
Wyatt saw his face and immediately knew something was wrong.
“What, Tom? Where’s Lei?”
“She’s okay, Wyatt. Sit down. She went back to the ranch.”
“What the hell? Why?”
“Oh, Christ, Wyatt. I don’t know what we were thinking having her come here. Especially when you weren’t here.”
“Goddamn it, Tom. Tell me what the fuck happened?”
“I’m trying to. Okay, here goes. First it was all the women. She was shocked. Then Sarah got on a rant and said some unacceptable things. The worst part of it, Wyatt, is that someone put the fliers of Lei on your desk. She went there to be by herself, to wait for you after the upset with Sarah. About an hour later, I saw her leaving with a look on her face I never want to see again.”
Wyatt’s face was hard, his eyes like ice.
“Christ, Wyatt. She said one of us, you, me, or Chief, could have warned her, let her know what she was walking into. She said there were more than enough women here and you didn’t need one more. And then, oh, goddamn…
“What, Tom? Goddamn it, tell me everything!”
“At that point I didn’t know that she had seen the fliers. Then she said that she felt just like those ugly pictures. She said, leave it to Grant to capture her as what she was; an ugly whore who liked being raped or why else would she stay in the situation she was in.
“Christ, Wyatt, I am sorry as hell. I don’t know how the goddamn pictures got there. But somebody—somebody who works for me – put them there purposefully to hurt Lei. And by god, they did!”
Without saying another word, Wyatt, Chief, and Alono headed out to the stable. Minutes later, Tom heard the three of them ride off together back to the ranch.
~~~
When they arrived at the ranch, Wyatt jumped off Master and handed the reins to Alono. He headed toward the cottage first, not knowing where he would find her. It was nearly three a.m. and everyone in the household was sleeping. He went to their bedroom and saw the empty bed. He headed over to the retreat room. To his surprise, that bed was empty, too. He stopped at the dojo, but it was dark, empty. He was beginning to panic, then remembered that sometimes Nicolas Deshi would wake in the middle of the night and he or Lei went to him. He ran back to the cottage. He took the stairs to the children’s rooms in four easy steps. She wasn’t in Nicolas Deshi’s bed, but to his surprise, when he went to Elena’s room, he saw Lei lying next to Elena. He touched her shoulder softly, not wanting to frighten her. She was awake. He knew then that she had heard him come into the cottage the first time. He had a rush of anger that she was tormenting him in this way.
He reached down to pick her up and whispered, “C’mon, Lei, we’re going to our room.”
She pushed him away. “No, I’m staying here. Elena had a nightmare. I don’t want her to be scared.”
At that moment, Elena awoke. She looked up and saw Wyatt.
“Daddy, I didn’t know you were here.”
“I came home for a couple of days, honey. Lei said you had a bad dream. Are you okay now?”
Elena nodded sleepily and snuggled back under the covers.
“Okay, honey. Lei and I will be in our room if you need us. Come down if you do.”
Elena had already gone back to sleep.
“I’m staying here, Wyatt, in case she wakes up.”
“No, Lei, you’re not. You’re coming with me.”
Lei struggled away from him, but he tightened his grip on her. He lifted her up and put his hand over her mouth to stop her protests.
He whispered, “Lei, stop it. I don’t want to wake the children and upset them. Stop fighting me. Do you understand?”
By this time, they were in the hallway. Wyatt took his hand away from her mouth. He carried her into their room and put her down on the bed.
His face was tight with emotion, his eyes were hard. She refused to look at him.
“Okay, Lei, what the hell is going on? Why did you leave the hotel? Why didn’t you wait for me?”
She turned away, burying her face in the pillow, and didn’t answer him.
“Lei, I asked you a question. Please answer me.”
“Why should I?” she demanded in a muffled voice.
“Pardon me? What did you say?”
“In case there is something wrong with your hearing, I said, why the fuck should I care if you asked me one question or a hundred?”
“Lei, for god’s sake…”
Lei leapt off the bed and backed away to the door. Her face was white with rage. Wyatt couldn’t remember when he had seen her angrier. She had her hand on the doorknob and was turning to leave.
“Ask me as many questions as you wish. I don’t intend to answer any of them. I want you to leave me alone.”
She started to run through the doorway, but he caught her and pulled her back into the bedroom. He closed the door and locked it.
He held her tightly in his arms and carried her back to the bed and laid her down. She broke away from him, struggling to get free. He wrenched her tight against him with her back to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He spoke quietly. “I already know what you said. I want to know why you left.”
She refused to look at him. Her tone was sharp, caustic. “I have a better question, Wyatt, why the fuck should I have stayed?”
He ignored her question.
“Lei, Tom told me what happened.”
“Why did you ask me then?”
“Because I wanted to hear it from you.”
She tried to twist away but couldn’t break his hold. Her fury was barely controlled. “No, Wyatt, you wanted to torment me. Well, I’m done being tormented. I have a question for you. Why are you here? Go back to Cheyenne. Run for the fucking governorship. I hope you win. You will be great. But, goddamn you, leave me alone!”
“Be quiet, Lei. Now. Stop talking.” He put his hand over her mouth and held her tight against him.
She broke free and started to get up. “What are you going to do if I don’t?” She was almost to
the edge of the bed, but he pulled her back hard and held her down against the bed.
“Well, let’s see, I guess I could stuff a gag down your throat. No? Then do as I say and be quiet.
“Lei, I didn’t tell you about the fliers because I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you.” She started to answer, but he put his hand hard against her mouth, “Goddamn you, I said be quiet.
“Listen to me. I am only going to say this once and, so help me god if you speak, I will put a gag in your mouth!
“If I ever hear you say anything about yourself even close to what Tom said you said about those hideous pictures, I will spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit or stand for a week. Do you understand me? Nod if you do.
“Don’t talk!” He had his hand hard against her mouth and she was whimpering.
“It’s obvious you are unable to carry on a conversation. Since it is almost morning and I am so goddamn tired I can barely see straight, I am going to hold you like this with my hand over your mouth. Maybe by morning you will be able to act like an adult and have a civilized conversation. For the next couple of hours, I don’t want to hear a word out of you.
“Good night, Lei.”
She lay beside him and stopped trying to struggle. In a few minutes she felt his hand relax on her mouth. Carefully turning, she saw that he was sound asleep in his clothes. She saw the exhaustion on his face. For a moment, she wanted to hold him, and whisper loving words. Then she remembered the scene at the office and her rage flared again.
Carefully, quietly, she unwound herself from his arms and slipped from the room. She knew Wyatt would come back to the ranch when he discovered she left the hotel. She decided she was not going to speak to him unless she absolutely had to. She knew he had commitments that he couldn’t break. He would have to return to the campaign, in a day or two at the most. She could figure out ways to avoid him for a couple of days. She’d use the children to make her avoidance less obvious to the rest of the family. When she got back to the ranch, she had arranged with Alex to go for an early morning ride. They planned to have breakfast at the stream, something he loved to do. More important, it meant Lei would not be at the breakfast table.
