Fixer: A Bad Boy Romance

by Samantha Westlake

  "So why would anyone vote against it?"

  "Oh, there's a million reasons. Fiscal responsibility, concern about budgets, how the money will be spent, and of course there's the constant fight over pork barrel spending." Tanner saw Freddie's brow furrow, and explained. "Every senator wants to add his own little project to the bill, something for his home state, his constituents. That's usually extra, outside the scope of the bill - it's pork, alongside the meat of the bill itself. But each thing that's added further inflates the bill's total cost, and no one wants to see that another senator is getting a pork project while they aren't getting one for their own home state. It's a constant battle, trying to appease everyone without compromising too far."

  "Ah, got it. And that's how bills end up costing five times as much as they were supposed to, originally, right?" Freddie asked.

  "That's right," Tanner nodded. "And trying to balance everything, predict how ninety-nine other people are going to end up voting, is exhausting. So we're spending most of our days working on that. We've got this huge board with a list of all the senators in each camp - for, against, and on the fence - and we're constantly scrawling new information on the board or dragging individuals from one camp to another."

  "Okay," Freddie said after digesting this for a minute. "So what about outside of work?"

  Tanner sighed. He couldn't help it; Alicia really did have a hold on his brain! "It's driving me crazy! This damn woman is like a drug, Freddie! I keep on seeing her every night; when I try to take a night off, it just feels empty, somehow! We've gone out to movies, visited restaurants - but all we really want to do is get back to her place, or sometimes mine, and rip off each other's clothes and go crazy!"

  Taking a deep breath, he reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "I always tell myself that I'll resist, that I've got control over myself. And then all I have to do is catch a glimpse of her, have her crook her finger and beckon me, and I go running over like a damn dog!"

  Freddie made a noncommittal sound in his throat, but Tanner just kept on plunging forward. "And what's worst of all is that I used to be totally fine on my own, doing something like hitting a bar or club, or hanging out with you and grabbing a drink. But even now, I keep on thinking about her, wondering what she's doing! I want to text her, even right now!"

  He turned to Freddie, his eyes wide. He needed advice, help. At the beginning of the week, Tanner had been certain that he could stay on top of his feelings.

  Now, he wasn't so sure.

  Freddie just looked steadily back at him. "You know, I'm not sure that I see the problem here," he commented.

  "You don't see the problem?" Tanner repeated in shock. "Freddie, this woman is turning my entire damn life upside down! My whole career is built on not being tied to anyone, being able to do whatever's necessary! And now I can't even focus, because I keep on thinking about how much I want to tear her clothes off and take her against the nearest solid surface!"

  "Maybe it's time for a new career. You've been working as a fixer for a while now, haven't you?"

  Tanner sighed in exasperation. This talk with Freddie definitely wasn't turning out like he'd hoped. "Yes, but I've built it into my career. This isn't just some job where I can drop it and step right into another field. I've made a name for myself, and I've got all my connections, all my history - if I walk away, that's all worthless!"

  "So." Freddie downed the last of his own beer, looked around for the bartender. Somehow, he doubted that he'd get the same level of service as Tanner received. That was alright, however; he had Cristina's phone number burning a hole in his cell phone. After their first date last week, he'd seen her again, had quite a nice time with her. After she moved past her initial shyness, she proved quite witty, delightful for conversations as well as a lovely handful in bed.

  "So what?"

  "So it looks like you're currently torn between job and romance," he pointed out. "You can't have both. Time to make a choice."

  "Well, it's an easy choice, isn't it?" Tanner answered. He lapsed off into silence as Freddie waited.

  "And the easy choice is..."

  "Career, obviously." Tanner snorted, as if this answer ought to have been obvious. Freddie clearly didn't understand the importance, the value, of his job. No one else could do what he did.

  "Right. Of course." Freddie shrugged. "So you've made the choice. What's the problem with it?"

  "No problem," Tanner said. "No problem at all."

  And that should be the end of it, he thought to himself. He valued his career far more than whatever he could call the strange and unclear situation between himself and Senator Alicia Stone. Sure, he had some sort of strange attraction to her for now, but it would surely fade after time. He'd get past her. And his career would continue; he'd maintain his support as the top fixer for the RNC.

  He just had to keep on telling himself that he didn't need Alicia. He was fully happy before she entered his life. He'd be happy without her, after she was gone.

  But then again, he didn't need to worry about that for now. He could relax, enjoy his time with Alicia. Freddie did have a point - he'd always have his career, even after this thing with the woman, whatever it was, ran its course.

  But he could take in the moment, have a good time with Alicia.

  Maybe he did need to rethink his pickup game, start looking for more of a relationship, even after this ended, he considered to himself. Not with Alicia, of course. Not with a Democrat, a politician, someone who saw through all his illusions. Someone in the Republican background noise, not in the spotlight, someone more suitable for him.

  But that could come later.

  For now, he could enjoy Alicia. Especially her body, that way her ass curved when she reclined on her bed or the couch and read through a bill or white paper, those sardonic, taunting looks she sent his way to tell that she saw right through his bullshit, but wanted him anyway, the little moan that always escaped her lips when he ran his fingers over her, teasing her with what he would do, but only when she begged him for it...

  Yes, Tanner told himself. Things were good now. No need to worry about rushing too quickly to what the future would change.

  Of course, as he left the Capitol Lounge that evening to grab a ride back to his penthouse apartment, he didn't know that a crossroads lurked in his future. The bill's vote was another week away, and there was still a decision to be made:

  Betray Alicia, or betray the Republicans, the side he'd worked to support all his life.

  Tanner, a man who never shirked from anything in his life, found himself procrastinating on making this decision.

  Chapter Fifteen

  *

  "Oh my gawd, Alicia! This is crazy! We're in, like, Washington!"

  Alicia held back her wince as Jamie, an old friend from her college days back in Colorado, looked around with excitement after issuing this statement, speaking perhaps a little too loudly. Jamie had always been the life of the party back at university, and it seemed like her ebullient, energetic personality hadn't diminished in the years since then.

  "You get used to it quickly," she offered, taking a sip from her glass of wine. "After a while, it just feels like another city, like all the rest."

  Jamie, however, shook her head. "No way, girl. This is so cool - you're representing our entire state-"

  "Half of the state-"

  "-and making real laws and stuff! This is so cool!" She looked around, as if expecting the President himself to come striding into the wine bar and ask for a glass of Pinot Grigio. "Any chance that you can try and lower my taxes?"

  When Alicia picked up her phone earlier that afternoon and saw Jamie's number calling her, she almost didn't answer. What in the world could the other woman want? As it turned out, however, Jamie had been in town for an unrelated matter and decided to look up her old college friend. Tanner had already informed Alicia that he was grabbing a drink tonight with some friend of his, so she figured that it might be nice to catch up and reminisce
about old times.

  "Unfortunately, my job doesn't quite work like that," she answered Jamie. "But how's life going? I haven't heard much from you since college. What are you up to?"

  "Oh my gawd, Alicia! Like, so much!" With a big grin, Jamie burst into a long spiel about how she'd headed off to work for some pharmaceutical company as a sales rep, and ended up getting really great numbers and winning a free vacation, paid for by the company. "And I get to go and meet all these cute doctors, and oh, they're so adorable! I swear, I've fallen in love at least a dozen times since I started this job. Did you ever watch Grey's Anatomy, Alicia? You know McDreamy?"

  "Actually, I don't have a lot of time for television-"

  "Well, I swear, every third doctor is, like, that attractive. Like, they should be prescribing me some sort of meds, because I get hot flashes when I'm around them!" Beaming, Jamie theatrically fanned herself, and then paused to take another gulp of her own wine. "But actually, there's this one guy, and he's asked me out, like, six times already, so I finally broke down and decided to say yes..."

  Sitting back, Alicia let Jamie's flood of words wash comfortably over her. Jamie had the amazing ability to make little tiny issues in her life, the kind of things that no one else would consider for more than a second, into world-breaking concerns. In a way, it was rather comforting to listen to her. Knowing that someone like Jamie thought this much about whether or not to wear a pink blouse with purple capri pants made Alicia feel a little better about her own decisions.

  "...and so, since it was our third date and everything, I finally let him take me back to his house, and you won't believe what he's got there!" Jamie paused, her eyes sparkling, and Alicia suddenly realized that the other woman was waiting for her input.

  "Um, a wine cellar?"

  "Wouldn't that be amazing?" Jamie sighed, stretching out the word 'amazing' to at least four syllables. "But no, it's almost as good - he had a hot tub! And I don't want to spill, but we kind of went in. Even though I didn't think to bring a bathing suit on the date!" She giggled and pretended to look away demurely, even as her tone practically begged Alicia to ask for all the sultry details.

  Alicia was silent for a beat too long, and Jamie sighed. "So what have you been up to since college? Anything fun?" she asked, even as her eyes roamed around the room, perhaps searching for her next McDreamy, whatever that was.

  "Well, I'm a US Senator," Alicia pointed out dryly. "That's recent, and it is pretty engaging-"

  "Oh, not that. Come on, you know what I mean! Boys!" Jamie frowned. "Even back in college, you were always the quiet one, with your nose buried in a book. You never went out to any of the fun parties. I always felt bad, worried you were missing out."

  "I had boyfriends, at least!" Alicia replied, wondering why she was trying to defend herself.

  "Sure, but they always came second to all those textbooks. What about now? Are you seeing anyone?"

  Alicia paused, trying to decide whether to mention Tanner. The pause was a mistake, however, and Jamie pounced. "Aha! I knew it, you are! Come on, you need to tell me everything! I promise that I won't leak any secrets to the press, I'm not that kind of girl to kiss and tell!"

  Hah. Jamie was exactly the kind of girl who would kiss and tell - but on the other hand, Alicia knew that she had absolutely zero interest in politics. She couldn't even name the difference between a Republican and a Democrat, much less see the issues with their contrasting ideologies. On a whim, Alicia decided that she needed to tell someone, and Jamie might be the best person to choose.

  "Okay, fine, there's a guy," she broke down, and Jamie practically fell off her seat with excitement. "But it's really new, only been going on for a couple of weeks. I don't know much about where it's going-"

  "Phooey, the first couple of weeks are the best part!" Jamie insisted. "Trust me, I usually just focus on the first couple weeks. So what's he like?"

  "What's he like?" Alicia paused, considering. "Well, he's tall."

  "A good start," Jamie murmured, leaning in as if craning to catch every single detail.

  "And he's got a hell of a body - he's like a god of the gym." Despite herself, Alicia found herself really getting into talking about Tanner. "And I don't want to kiss and tell-"

  "Do, do!"

  "-but he knows what he's doing in bed, too." She sighed, smiling as she remembered their most recent date, how they spent most of the evening just fighting against their urges to rush home and rip off each other's clothes. "God, if I'd met a guy like him in college, I definitely would not have gotten nearly as good grades!"

  "Yeah, girl! Get it!" Jamie raised her wine glass, and Alicia enthusiastically clinked her own against it. "And it's new, I get it, but do you think it's going somewhere?"

  The smile slipped a little on Alicia's face. Honestly, she'd been trying not to think about the future with Tanner. It was still uncertain, to be sure, but it wasn't looking incredibly promising.

  After all, they did have the end of the truce, coming up in under a week. The bill was going to be called to a vote, and then the truce would end. Would Tanner immediately turn around and go back to trying to sabotage her, make some attempt to stab her in the back? Would he expect her to keep on sleeping with him, even as, professionally, they did their best to destroy each other?

  Somehow, Alicia couldn't see that working out as a viable dating strategy.

  But maybe he'd be willing to consider making a different choice, something that could let them continue to see each other. They hadn't discussed it - most of their dates, they barely managed to do anything more than catch up a little on each other's days before they dove into bed and ripped off each other's clothes, putting their mouths and energy to better uses. Still, Alicia saw the way that Tanner looked at her, even after they'd both finished and as they both lay in each other's arms and waited for their breathing to return to normal. That was the look of more than just simple lust.

  Maybe, just maybe, they could find some way to make a future together.

  Alicia realized that Jamie was still looking at her, still expecting an answer. "I think it's too early to say, one way or another," she remarked, lightly shrugging off the topic. "But for now, I'm enjoying things at where they are."

  "Hey, that sounds totally good with me," Jamie said, lifting her hands (which, coincidentally, also brought the wine glass up to her lips). "I mean, I'm not one to lecture anybody on their dating habits! But it's good to see that you're actually seeing someone. I can tell, you know."

  "You can?" Alicia asked, surprised.

  "Oh, sure. You're practically glowing, girl! And you haven't even looked one time at that really cute bartender who's been throwing flirty looks at our table all night."

  Now, Alicia did glance over at the bartender in question. Definitely not her type - too skinny, with sleeve tattoos on his exposed arms. He caught her looking over at him, and he raised a suggestive eyebrow, giving her a rakish grin.

  She quickly pulled her eyes away. Definitely not.

  "Well, I won't push you any further - although I can tell you that I'm still totally curious about this mystery guy of yours," Jamie said, after finishing off her glass of wine. "You don't have any pictures of him, do you?"

  "Actually, I've got a couple." Alicia drew out her phone and showed Jamie, who whistled in appreciation when she saw them.

  "Damn! And you've got him! Girl, you need to, like, tell me all your secrets!"

  Easy - just see through his bullshit and second-guess everything he says and does, Alicia thought privately to herself. This, however, was not the time to say any of that out loud. So instead, she shrugged and did her best to look demure. "Work more? That's where I meet him."

  "Well, I do meet lots of doctors at work, it's true," Jamie nodded. "But honestly, it's just so much more fun to go out on three dollar margarita night, find a cutie, and grind up on him until he gets the idea!"

  The image of Jamie out in some bar, a margarita in one hand and her butt pressed firmly aga
inst the crotch of some poor, unsuspecting man made Alicia laugh. "It's good of you to come out and see me, Jamie."

  "Hey, I'm on vacation! And even back in college, we all knew that you were going to do great. Remember when we helped make campaign posters so you could run for the student council, or something?"

  "Executive Student Board of the college. And I lost that election, remember?"

  "Yeah, but only because the girl who won had posted a topless video on her public Facebook page and everyone shared it around." Jamie cast an eye at Alicia's outfit, considering. "Although if you do ever need a boost in the re-election polls, you could always take a note out of her book..."

  "Hah. Not happening, not funny." Alicia crossed her arms across her chest, imagining the damage that a leak of some sort of inappropriate pictures would do to her reputation - and her re-election chances.

  "Just throwing it out there." Jamie nodded towards Alicia's glass, still with an ounce or so of wine left in it. "Now here, finish that off! I want to get another glass, but if I go up there without you, I'll totally just come off as a lush. And when you shoot down that poor bartender, he'll probably be super happy that I'm interested!"

  "So I'm playing wingman to you," Alicia theatrically groaned, but she gulped down the last of her wine and headed up to the bar with her friend. Briefly, she wondered if Tanner was doing all right, if he was thinking about her. She almost drew out her phone to text him, but forced herself to let it be.

  What the two of them had together was new, still in its infancy - but if things kept going as they were, didn't change, they might actually have a shot at success together.

  Chapter Sixteen

  *

  "So, this is it," Tanner said, surprised to hear the nervousness in his own voice. "What do you think?"

  He watched as Alicia entered his penthouse, slowly turned around, taking it in. Her eyes roamed over the bookshelves, the leather sofa and armchairs, the expensive Tiffany lamps and the marble gas fireplace installed against one wall. Finally, they returned back to his own, and he caught that dangerous little glint in them.