by Carly White
Chapter 2
I waited for the world to stop spinning. I couldn’t believe it and as I got ready to leave for the night, I packed up most of what was on my desk. I would not be needing it anymore, or at least not that much. Senator Johnson was from Ohio, but we would not be here that much anymore. It was coming down to the last year before elections and he would be traveling most of it, which meant, I would as well.
Trying to think of what I would wear to the formal events and fundraisers, I realized that I didn’t have much. My work clothes were all suits. The only way to be taken seriously, was to forgo showing too much skin in a world of men.
Getting home I told my roommate, Ana that I would be away for a while. She was excited about the promotion and wanted to go out to celebrate. The woman celebrated everything with a drink and I couldn’t help but go with her. It was going to be my last night of freedom for a while and going down to the pub sounded like a good idea.
“Sure Ana. Let me borrow that black dress though. I don’t have anything to wear that’s clean.’
She nodded and I thanked her. I had been gone too much and housekeeping had gone to the wayside. What I should have done was went shopping to get a few things, maybe even some laundry, but what sounded better than a night of drinking and dancing with Ana?
The bar was full of well-to-dos and I knew several people there. It was where I had once gotten job information, networking with some of my peers, but that night I didn’t need that anymore. I had the job I had aspired to and now, all I wanted to do was dance. I found a couple men that had great moves on the dance floor and one in particular was making me wish I had more time the next day. But it was two by the time I got out of there and with more packing to do, I opted to spend the night alone instead.
The next morning I felt horrible, but after a few minutes in the shower and enough makeup to hide the bags, I was ready to start out on my new stage in life. I was excited, knowing that it was going to be perfect.
There was a buzz at the door and when I asked who it was, it was the driver that the Senator had sent for me. Already, there were new perks to the job. I hollered at Ana that I was leaving and rent was on the table for the next couple of months. I didn’t know when I would be back and I looked back into the place I had called home for several years. I was going to miss it, but on to better things I told myself.
***
The morning was a blur. The car took me to a small airstrip that the Senator used from one of his big donors from Billings Technology. We were supposed to be going to his home later that evening for a private fundraiser and I used my time in the plane to reproof the speech for later that day and did a little investigation on George Billings.
Much that came up was about his love life and all of the parties that he had at his mansion. He had skyrocketed from a nobody about three years before, coming out with new technology that had the industry claiming he was the next big thing. Since his rise to fame George had branched out into many industries and it seemed only reasonable that he would be interested in politics. Big business always was, trying to change laws to help their business. Senator Johnson was a good candidate to back. He was republican and there for, a friend to big business.
I was surprised at how handsome the socialite billionaire was. He looked like he should have been a model or something of the like. Not a business savvy tech owner that was making a name for himself with virtual reality. I wondered what his angle was with the Senator, but more I worried about what his association with him would bring.
His record was not clean by any sense of the word. He had been arrested for a few minor things in his youth, stealing and fraud, but it seemed like he got his act together finally the last few years. At thirty-three, he was making a name for himself and tagging himself to the next President. That made him a very smart man.
“Doing your homework Maggie?”
I looked over at Steve and nodded. “How much do you know about this George Billings Sir?”
“Well he gives very large donations, more than anyone else.”
“He has a record, a past and his present leaves something to be desired. This man goes against all of the family values that you stand for.”
The Senator sat down next to me and took the laptop off of my lap. He positioned the screen so he could see it better. There were pictures up of George taking a shot from between a blonde woman’s naked chest. It was unseemly at best to associate himself to someone so different than what he stood for. It was dangerous at best. Disaster could strike if George decided to go off the deep end.
“I think that he is just blowing off some steam. He is actually the very principle that we are looking for. What can you find on him from ten years ago?”
I pulled up the arrest record that I had sent through and he whistled. “I knew that he had some back story. Do you know that he was born to a poor immigrant to this country and when he graduated from high school, he worked to support his ailing father? After he died, George changed his ways and became who he was. He is the American Dream in a nutshell. Something from nothing and all of that. What he does on his own time, is really none of my business.”
“How do you know so much about him Sir?”
“We grew up in the same area, my father worked with his at a coal plant. He is several years younger of course, but I remember even back then that he had drive. I know he may look a mess when the photographers get pictures like that, but the truth is that he is exactly the kind of people that we are trying to get on our side. Men like George Billings are who makes the country run Maggie. I want you to be nice to him this evening.”
“Of course Sir.”
He sighed that I wouldn’t use his name. It just seemed weird to and I didn’t want to give him any more familiarity to give him the idea that we would ever be anything more than we were then, colleagues.
The Senator got up and started to walk back up to his seat in the front. I looked at the pictures that I had been pouring over and I smiled to myself. While he may be a disaster waiting to happen, George was certainly a handsome one.
Chapter 3
The speech in D.C. went off flawlessly and there was a really good turnout. I was hoping to get some time to do more than sit on the sidelines, but the fundraiser was in Colorado and after another flight we were put in a hotel for the night. I had to get ready for the event, paying more attention to my appearance than I was used to. I would have liked to have said that it was because of what the Senator had said about the businessmen, but I knew that I had one in mind when I got dressed.
George Billings was not my type, in any sense of the word, but it was hard not to see those dark eyes and think of anything else. I had only brought two gowns with me and one was borrowed from a friend. I chose the red one because of an article I’d read about the color red and how it affected men. They were easier to deal with than the wives that would be there, so I didn’t dress for them.
There was a car out front when I got downstairs and the Senator was waiting for me. “My, my Maggie. You clean up nice.”
“Thank you Sir.”
I waited for him to slide over, but when he did, it wasn’t far enough. Our legs touched slightly, making me uncomfortable. I wonder if he did that on purpose. By the look in his eyes, I knew that it was on purpose. Instead of staying where I was, I moved to the other row of seats facing him.
“So flighty Maggie. I have to ask a favour of you.”
“Yes?” I had a feeling I was going to like the favor as much as I liked the way he was looking at me just then. He had a needy look in his eyes that I was going to have to get used to.
“I want you to pay attention to George, make him feel welcome.”
I sighed and nodded my head. He wanted me to flirt with the man in hopes of getting more money for his campaign. I knew it was part of the job, making it easier for the Senator, but I wasn’t sure if being his fluffer was part of it.
“You are okay with this, aren’t you?”
&nb
sp; “I don’t see the point of the request. By the looks of things, he has plenty of women around him that wear less and are a lot younger than I am. It seems that he wouldn’t take a second look this way.”
Steve shook his head that he didn’t agree. “You are beautiful Maggie. I don’t think anyone is going to care about the scantily-clad bimbos that come to these things. In that red dress, no one will compare.”
I thank him for his kind words, but it made me a little nervous. Had I chosen the wrong dress?
We talked about the speeches for the two stops the next day in Montana and South Dakota. There would be a different feel to the speeches because of who the audience would be. People there would not be interested in gun control or anything to do with higher taxes. What they wanted was to know how we were going to get the economy jumpstarted and I thought it was a great time to roll out the new tax plan that we’d been talking about. It streamlined the complicated tax process and although the percentage taxed would not change for most, the ease would save millions in accounting and tax fees in general.
“Are you sure that we are ready for it?”
“Yes. The economists have gone over it several times. It is a valid plan and there are no tweaks to be made. It’s time and I think Montana is the place to do it. They have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, as well as more small business owners than anywhere else. They want to make tax time easier and I think you will get a great response.”
“I’m starting to think that we need you as a strategist instead of a writer Maggie.”
“Well with what you pay me Senator, you get my opinion for free. I am here because I believe in you Sir.”
“Please call me Steve, Maggie.”
“Steve, you shouldn’t be so timid. The polls say the voters like you for your strong opinions, so I think we should keep it going. You are what America needs.”
“I wish I was what you needed.”
I ignored his comment when the car stopped. I got out and went towards the huge house in front of me. It was going to be harder than I thought to put the Senator off. He was getting emboldened and it was the first time I worried about how long I would be there as the writer.
He called to me and I waited for him. Steve slipped my hand into the crook of his arm. I tried to smile as if it were nothing, but paired with the claimed look in his eyes, I knew that I was going to have a problem on my hands with him.
“Senator Johnson, so good to see you. Welcome.”
I looked up at the deep voice and my breath stopped in my throat. It was George and he looked far better in person than he did in the pictures. His large frame towered over us both and his dark eyes swept over my body, seeming to have missed nothing.
The two men shook hands, but soon the billionaire’s gaze was locked with mine. “George, I would like you to meet my speech writer, Maggie Reynolds.”
“So you wrote the speech in D.C.?”
“Yes Sir, did you like it?”
“Like it? I loved it. It had such conviction.”
He took my arm to lead me in, leaving the Senator to himself on the stairs. “That speech was what I was thinking. Our country has turned into some kind of Socialist country and it is time to get back to what we know.”
“What we know? And what is that Sir?”
“Call me George, Maggie. Our country was founded on the idea that anyone can make it. That is capitalism and there is no room for socialist thinking.”
“Well we need some safeguards that came from that line of thinking, but yes I would agree that we have fallen to the wayside on our policies.”
“How long have you been with Steve?”
“I started working for him a month out of college, so about the time he put his name in the hat. I’d been watching him for a while and I think he will be the next one.”
“I do too. It seems we have a lot in common Maggie.” He had steered my to a bar that was set up, a young man behind it waiting for his order as he ignored the rest of the party goers. “What can I get for you Maggie?”
I wondered why he kept saying my name like that. It sounded practically seductive and I tried to ignore the way his arm held me to him. He was holding me as if I were his and though my body reacted appropriately, my mind told me to get as far away from him as possible. He was even more dangerous than the Senator.
“I don’t drink Sir, but thank you anyways.”
He looked puzzled like I had just told him that I grow horns out of my head on the weekends. “I’ve never met a college student that doesn’t drink.”
“Well I am not in college anymore and it is easier to just not drink at work events.”
“This isn’t work Maggie. We are here to have a good time, celebrate the Senators bid by the Republican party. Today is a big day and I think it deserves a little champagne, don’t you think?”
“Not really, but indulge. I have to speak to a few people. Thanks for your kind words Mr. Billings.”
I was walking away and looked back to see him still watching me. The dress was definitely doing its job, but when I turned back I ran right into another older man that I didn’t recognize. His wine spilled over the front of my dress and I cursed.
“I am sorry Sir. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
He waved me off and handed me his napkin. I was mortified and started up the stairs to find a bathroom to clean myself off. I hoped that no one else saw me run into the man, but of course George was following me up the stairs.
“Here let me take you to the bathroom up here. I think soda might take it out.”
He held up the crystal glass with the clear liquid and I thanked him, wishing he had not seen my blunder. He was definitely more dangerous than the Senator and when he looked at me in such a way, I was finding it hard to remember to breathe.
Chapter 4
“I don’t think it is going to come out. You are about an eight, yes?”
I nodded, not wanting to know how he knew that or why he asked. “Come in here and I will see if there is something in that size for you.”
The idea of wearing one of his lovers clothes was somehow a little better than walking around with a large stain on my dress, but not that much more palatable. “I am sure the women you entertain are about a size 0, so I doubt it.”
“Feisty aren’t you? Well I like that. I happen to not discriminate on size.”
“I bet.”
“What? I find all women beautiful.”
He left me in the bathroom stunned and I couldn’t help but like the way he said it. While he was gone, I tried to steady my nerves, wondering why he was having such an effect on me. I knew he was a womanizer and a man that was used to getting what he wanted. I shouldn’t have liked the idea of being something he desired, but I really did.
When he came back in the bathroom, I saw him in the mirror. I was sneaking a cigarette, blowing the smoke into the exhaust. I slid back off the marble sink and smiled. He had a dress in his hand, far nicer than the one I had on and when he held it up, it looked like it would fit.
“Would you like help with it? The back has a lot of little fasteners. If I remember correctly, you will.”
I didn’t want to think about what that meant. Probably that he had taken it off of another woman, but I didn’t want to think about it. As he got closer, I felt smaller, he really was massive.
“Thank you Sir. If you could just turn around, I will change real quick.”
His eyes tell me that he didn’t want to turn around, but he did and I was thankful for that. It was strange changing in a bathroom with a man I hardly knew. What was worse was that all I could think about was some of the pictures of him shirtless I had seen on the internet. For a business mogul, he certainly hadn’t let himself get soft and even in his suit I could see the hard lines of his muscles underneath.
“Are you finished?”
I hadn’t even started yet. “Wait a minute. I haven’t even gotten this off yet.”
“Do you need h
elp?”
I giggled a little. “So helpful, but no. I think I can handle this part.”
I pulled it up over my head and touched the white silk of the dress that he had brought to me. It was soft to the touch and I knew it would feel amazing on my skin. Looking up I saw his wide back and remembered that I was supposed to be getting dressed.
Slipping it on, I was surprised at how well it fit, hugging all of my curves. It was almost see through and while I wanted to be angry about it, I couldn’t, it felt too good on my bare skin. I said I was done, pulling the dress over my shoulders and looking down at the tile as he turned back around. I could feel him moving closer, his breath on the back of my neck as I tried not to shiver. Did he realize how good that felt? He couldn’t and my eyes looked up to meet his through the mirror.
I felt his fingers play with the expose back and I shivered, the dress not hiding the hardening of my nipples. The buttons took forever and I was breathing a little faster when he was done. Our eyes met through the mirror again and I could feel his breath on my neck. George moved a little closer till his hard body pressed against mine. I closed my eyes for a moment, loving the way he felt.
When I felt his lips on my shoulder, I realized what I was doing and how I wasn’t supposed to be up there with him. Men like him were hard to say no to, but it was necessary to keep my sanity.
“Thanks George, but I should be going.”
His lips moved to my ear. “Why don’t you stay up here with me for a while?”
I turned around and I was still pinned between him and the sink. “Thanks, but I should be getting back.”
He didn’t move and that made me nervous. George was just so big and he looked so good, I didn’t want to have to repeat myself, afraid that his nearness would change my mind. I looked down and he finally moved away. “Of course Maggie. I don’t know what came over me.”
I waved him off like it meant nothing and started towards the bathroom door. “I will have this sent back to you after this evening.”
