Sins of the Flesh

by J. Margot Critch

  “Jessie, I heard something break.” Ben came up behind her from his room. He looked her over. “Oh, my God, what’s wrong?” He went to her and wrapped his arms around her.

  She could barely speak, so she just shook her head, buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and cried. He asked nothing of her, apparently willing to wait until she told him what was wrong.

  When she finally felt cried out, Jessica pulled back and picked up her phone. The notifications had more than tripled. People were still trying to reach her. But a quick look told her that none of them was Rafael. She opened her internet browser and, with no trouble, she found a link to the video and showed her friend.

  He took her phone and watched the screen. “Is that you? And Rafael? Oh, my God, where did this come from? Who leaked it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Did he?”

  “I don’t know. I wouldn’t have thought so, but we were in his room, in his club. He had to have known that camera was there. I know he’d do anything to win.” It dawned on her. That was exactly what he’d said to Alex that night she’d overheard him at Di Terrestres.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  It all started to make sense. He must be in on this with Tanya. This must be why nothing had ever come of finding out how Tanya had gotten into the masquerade party. It was why he’d let her dance at his club. He’d set her up, recorded her. Then fucked her and leaked the tape so she’d drop out of the race. She felt stupid, betrayed. He’d earned her trust, and then he’d broken it. She’d loved him. But she had to pull herself back together. She had work to do.

  “Why don’t you call him?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t have time. I’ve got to meet with my team. I’ve got to get ahead of this.”

  * * *

  The next morning, Rafael had to fight his way through the throngs of reporters outside of the BH before he entered the office building that evening. “What do you have to say about your relationship with Jessica Morgan?”

  Rafael paused but didn’t fully stop. He didn’t need the press to see him falter. He knew that the story was out, but he had no idea how exactly to respond to it. He pushed through the doors and saw Alex and Jillian waiting for him, pacing, looking none too happy. “Well, that didn’t take long.” The story had exploded overnight.

  “I’ve been trying to call you,” Alex said, striding over to him.

  “I was stuck in traffic and I left my phone at home. I forgot it in my rush to get here.”

  “You should have just stayed home. Any press camping out outside your place?” Alex asked.

  “Of course there was,” he said.

  “Have you been talking to Jessica?”

  He shook his head. “She won’t answer any of my calls. And I went by her place last night. She wasn’t home.” He straightened, he had to get back into business mode. He had work to do. “How bad is it?”

  “It’s bad. There’s a video of you guys in your suite. It cuts off before it gets too scandalous. But there aren’t any questions what happened next,” Alex said, passing over his phone. The screen showed a news website. His picture was profiled along with Jessica’s. The headline screamed Las Vegas Mayoral Candidates’ Steamy Romp in Sex Club.

  He pushed Play and saw a video of him sitting on a couch and Jessica dancing for him. He didn’t have to keep watching to know that it was from Friday, right before they’d had sex in his suite at Di Terrestres. “Oh, God. Where the fuck did the tape come from?”

  “I have no fucking idea.”

  “How can we stop this?” He looked between Alex and Jillian, who hadn’t spoken yet and wouldn’t maintain eye contact.

  “It’s going to be tough,” Alex told him. “We’ll call Gabe, see if we can get an injunction against the websites to take it down. But that doesn’t mean it hasn’t already been downloaded and seen by God knows how many people. It’s already been retweeted, reblogged and shared thousands of times on Facebook.”

  “Fuck,” he muttered. “This happened at Di Terrestres. We need to find out who put a camera in my room, and when we do, we take them down.” He leaned in to the group. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if Tanya Roberts set up this video herself, just to give credit to her story.”

  “That’s not possible, is it?” Jillian asked. “Di Terrestres has impeccable security.”

  “She somehow got into the masquerade. Gabe’s been looking into it, but Tanya likely saw us together, then somehow got into my room and left the camera.” He raked a hand through his hair. “How could I be so stupid? Jessica knew that this was a bad idea. I should have listened.”

  Alex nodded. “You guys are the victims here. If it was her, we’ll get her, find out how she got into your suite.” Rafael sent his friend a look of thanks.

  “This could work for you, Rafael,” Jillian finally spoke up. “Sex scandals hardly ever have negative blowback on the man involved. This could be enough to drive Jessica from the race.”

  Rafael shook his head. “I can’t do that to Jess.” As the other two headed for the elevators, he hung back. “I’ve got to see her.”

  “Now?” Jillian asked him. “We’ve got to talk about this.”

  “Later,” he snapped at her. Heading for the doors, he called over his shoulder, “I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  He left the lobby and pushed again through the reporters, dodging their questions and providing them with a simple “No comment,” before getting into his SUV and driving off.

  * * *

  Rafael arrived at Jessica’s place in record time. But he hadn’t gotten there first. Several reporters had set up shop on the sidewalk outside the boundaries of her property. He parked in the driveway, next to her car, and jogged to her door. He stood on her front porch, ignoring the calls of the reporters at his back for less than a minute, though it felt like an eternity, before Ben opened the door.

  “Hey.”

  “Is Jessica home?”

  “She is.”

  Rafael took that as a sign to enter and tried to move around Ben, who didn’t budge. He stopped and rolled his eyes. “Can I come in?”

  “I don’t think so. She’s pretty upset.”

  Rafael drove his fingers through his hair. “I know she is. That’s why I’m here. I have to talk to her.”

  “You should leave.”

  “It’s fine,” he heard her say. He looked over Ben’s shoulder and saw her standing just beyond the foyer. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her lips were pulled down in a frown. He knew she’d seen the tape. “He can come in.”

  Ben turned to her. “Are you sure? I didn’t think you wanted to see anyone.”

  “Let him in.”

  Ben moved out of the way, and Rafael entered the house, immediately reaching for her. But she moved out of his grasp and walked into the living room. Rafael followed.

  “Jessie, I’ll be in my room, if you need me,” Ben said, coming up behind her and placing his hand on her shoulder. Rafael wanted to touch her, but he didn’t dare try.

  When they were alone, Rafael stepped closer. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and make it all disappear. “I came by last night. You weren’t here.”

  “I stayed in a hotel. There were too many reporters.”

  “Are you okay?”

  Her laugh was hollow. “No. I’m not okay. I’ve been fielding questions from reporters all morning, and not just the ones camping outside my home. And not to mention the heat I’m taking online. People questioning my morals, my feminism, religious groups calling for my resignation from the campaign.”

  Rafael had had a rough morning, but it had been nothing compared to the vitriol that Jessica must have seen. “Jesus, I’m sorry, Jessica. I really don’t know how this happened.”

  “Who leaked it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Was i
t you?”

  He recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “What? That’s ridiculous. Why would I do that?”

  “To make me drop out of the campaign. All of this has been a ploy to get me to trust you, to love you, all so you could just get rid of me. You’d do anything to win, right?”

  “No. That isn’t what happened.” He paused. “You love me?”

  “No,” she answered quickly, although he didn’t quite believe her. “And let me tell you this, I’m not dropping out. I’m not a quitter. I will put up with the trolls and the abuse. I’ll see it through and I will beat your ass.”

  “Good. I don’t want you to drop out.”

  She ignored him and spoke over him. “And then you and your friends made that big show of getting me to perform at the club. It all makes sense now. You wanted to make sure I could be recorded. I was so stupid.”

  “Jess, no, I promise you. I didn’t do this.” He tried to meet her eyes, but she averted them. “I do want to be straight with you, though. Tanya Roberts came to see me yesterday, apparently just before the story broke. I had Gabe and the rest of the legal team on it as fast as I could. I’m sorry.”

  “You knew? Why didn’t you tell me? A heads-up would have been nice.”

  “I tried. I didn’t have time. And by the time she left my office it was too late. I didn’t know about the video until this morning. She showed me some still photos.”

  “You should go.” She turned away from him and he reached out and grasped her arm.

  “I’m not going anywhere. You said you loved me. Whatever you were feeling for me, I was feeling it for you, am still feeling it for you, as well. I love you.”

  She said nothing. Her silence went on, making him desperate, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He didn’t want to lose Jessica. He couldn’t.

  “Jess, believe me. I wouldn’t leak it. I’m in the video, too.”

  “Yeah, but you’re a man, it’s different for you. I’m the whore that let you touch me, you’re the man filling a biological need.”

  He grasped her forearms and forced her to look at him. “That’s not how it was with us, and you know it. Certainly not that night, not any night we were together.”

  “This was never anything real, Rafael. You tracked me down, made me vulnerable and seduced me. Sure, it led to some pretty serious feelings, and I liked you. But how could we start a relationship like that? How could we trust each other?”

  Frustrated, Rafael turned away from her. “I’m sorry about the way things started. But if you think I voluntarily seduced you as a means to an end, you’re wrong. I’m just as helpless to these feelings as you are. But I don’t regret anything else when it comes to us. We had fun.”

  “It was fun,” she said wistfully and paused. “But now you should leave.”

  “Jess,” he said, not making any movement to leave.

  She turned away from him. “Get out.”

  “Jess, don’t do this.”

  “Get out!”

  Rafael looked up and saw Ben standing at the banister, ready to come to Jessica’s side. But Rafael didn’t want any more trouble.

  “Fine,” he said. “I’ll leave. But we aren’t done.” He would be back, every day, if that’s what it took for her to believe him.

  “We are, Rafael. It’s over. Please leave me alone. I’ve got work to do. The election is in a couple of days. I’ll see you at the polls.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  RAFAEL SAT AT his desk. He didn’t know how things had gotten so royally fucked-up. His phone rang, and he saw that it was Alana. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

  “Well I’ve certainly felt better,” he responded, and gestured to the newspapers that were stacked on his desk. “I was caught having sex on camera with my opponent, who was outed as a stripper, on a leaked tape, and my own ties to an erotic club have also been discovered, all a few days before the election, so, I’m not doing too well.”

  “Come on, it’s going to be okay. You aren’t the only person in the public eye to have something like this get out.”

  He wasn’t worried about himself. He’d let down a lot of people around him, and he didn’t know how he would make it right again. “I saw that Di Terrestres was identified in the reports. The club doesn’t need this type of press, either. How’s the blowback from that?”

  “Nothing yet. I just wanted to tell you that we discovered how the camera ended up in your room.”

  “How?”

  “One of our servers came clean. He says that a contact who works for LVTV News paid him to do it. He gained access with a duplicated swipe card, and later that night, he snuck Tanya Roberts into the party.”

  “Motherfucker.”

  “Yeah, but he’s fired and we’re pressing charges. He broke the nondisclosure agreement, and we’re combing the rest of the club to make sure there aren’t any other cameras.”

  “Okay. I’m sorry all of this came down on the club.”

  “Don’t be sorry. It’s a storm we’ll weather together. We always do. I’ve got to go. Let me know if you need anything.”

  He hung up, and when he was alone again, he glanced at the muted television, where Jessica’s face appeared. He reached for the remote to hear her statement.

  “...you’ve all seen the footage that I regret has gotten out. But I just want to tell you that I’m not ashamed. I’m not embarrassed. We live in a time when women are expected to be both sexual objects dressed and made-up to please the male gaze, but the minute we act out on our sexuality, dress how we want, behave how we want, we’re called vile names. Sometimes women just can’t win. There is absolutely nothing wrong with consensual sex between two adults. I just regret that I put my trust in a person and a situation that I thought was safe. I am not withdrawing from the mayoral race. I’m here until the bitter end, and I intend to win.”

  “What is the nature of your relationship with Councilman Martinez?” an off-camera reporter asked her.

  “Councilman Martinez and I have no relationship,” she answered, her voice cold and robotic. “We are competitors in the mayoral race, and we both pledge to do what we believe is best for the people of Las Vegas. Thank you.”

  * * *

  Later that evening, Rafael stood on the front steps of the BH and addressed the press.

  “Councilman Martinez, do you plan to drop out of the mayoral race, given the video of you that’s come to light.”

  “No, of course not. What happened was a huge invasion of my privacy, and that of Councillor Morgan. There’s no way I’m going to abandon my plans to be mayor. I have a job to do.”

  “Do you agree with the calls for Jessica Morgan to withdraw from hers?”

  “Absolutely not,” he said. “Ms. Morgan is an excellent candidate and a formidable opponent. It wouldn’t be fair to her, me or the city for her to drop out now, this close to Election Day.”

  “Are you just saying that because you’re romantically involved with her?”

  “I’m not here to discuss my personal life. That’s completely private.”

  “Yeah, not anymore,” some nameless voice heckled from somewhere in the back.

  Rafael ignored the comment, then pushed his way inside. Alex, Brett, Gabe and Alana met him in the lobby, all frowning at the scene outside behind him. His friends closed ranks around him, blocking him from view. He was grateful for them. They protected each other.

  He looked at Alex. “So, campaign manager, do you think this is a distraction from my campaign?”

  “You always go big or go home, right? But it’s not anything we can’t handle. We’re here for you.”

  “Thanks. Guys, I really appreciate it. I’m just upset that it could blow back on you all. Shit,” he muttered. Now that the press had a taste of what went on at the club, what was to stop them from digging for more of its erotic sec
rets? “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Brett told him, slapping a hand on his back as they all walked to the elevator. “It isn’t your fault.”

  “But on the upside, there has been a huge influx in people looking to join the club,” Alana informed the group.

  “What? Really?” Rafael asked.

  She nodded. “It’s true. Our concierge’s office has been inundated with requests—big shots, athletes, celebrities. Your little video has put us on the map. We’re working overtime to vet particular people, but it looks like our club is going to get bigger.”

  “Well, how about that?” Gabe said.

  “And there are a lot of requests to see Jessica perform again. She was incredible.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”

  “What did she say when you spoke to her?” Brett asked.

  “She never wants to see me again.”

  “But now that her secret’s out, people know that she performed here, at least she isn’t a social pariah.”

  The group entered Rafael’s office, and they sat around the large conference table. “Gabe, give me some good news.”

  “I have some. You can press charges against LVTV. If the video is online, it’s pretty much there forever. Just trying to get some of those websites to take down a video where there isn’t any illegal activity taking place is almost impossible.”

  “Just great.”

  “But how about you, Raf?” Alana asked. “How are you doing?”

  “I’ve been better.” He put his face in his hands, finally allowing himself to relax, to let go in front of his friends. “Everything is just so fucked-up. I embarrassed myself, Jessica, The Brotherhood, the club, my family, everything.”

  Alex put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about us. Raf, your trust was violated just as much as Jessica’s was. You didn’t do anything wrong.”