DC Affairs (15 page)

He set his iPad down on the bedside table and turned off the light. “I suppose you’re right but…I can’t help feel like there’s something wrong. My dad gets high with me and is sleeping with my mother’s sister. You have to admit it’s not a conventional situation.”

I lay my head on his chest and breathed in his fresh scent. “It might not be but it’s the only family you’ve got, babe. What can you do?”

“Why do you always know what to say to me?” His hands wandered through my hair and caressed my scalp. “Just when I think I might scare you away, you prove yet again how tough you are. I have to say I got lucky with you. You keep doin’ what you do so well and I may end up falling in love with you.”

I smiled in the darkness and kissed his chest. “Listen, I don’t believe in insta-love, and I’m not perfect. Believe me, I still do stupid things even now.”

“Like what?”

Like telling my best friend
—
who is a reporter
—
about the dinner date between Elizabeth Coburn and Elaine Riley.

Gah! I wouldn’t dare tell him that, not when he reacted the way he did after I’d merely suggested it. Russell would have a shit fit and now I found myself attracted to him, I wasn’t sure I wanted to face his wrath. The last thing I wanted was for him to be mad at me. It would be bad enough when the fallout happened but I still had plausible deniability.

“Nothing, honey. I’m drunk and high and tired…I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Unfortunately, the secret would stay safe with me. I hated lying but I wasn’t opposed to it when my own self-interest was at stake. Elizabeth had handlers and her husband behind her. I had no one except Russell and I didn’t have any intention of making an enemy out of him, not now and not ever. I couldn’t profess to know much of anything about him but I had a feeling he wasn’t someone I wanted to cross.

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

I looked into his pale eyes in the dim light and kissed his lips softly. “Goodnight, sweetie.”

Chapter Fourteen

Peter

P
eter couldn’t wait until the Independence Day weekend was over. The fighting between Liz and him had progressed, in fact it was worse than ever. His mother acted even more combative toward his wife, and her daughter-in-law. He didn’t understand what either woman in his life was doing because he intrinsically needed Liz if he ever wanted to make a bid for the White House seat. No conservative voter—and plenty of the people who were part of his political base—would vote for a candidate who was divorced. Unfortunately, that was a way of life whether he wanted it to be or not.

The weekend buzzed along and he was almost glad to see the tail end of it as Saturday afternoon approached. His family would be going back to Baltimore Sunday evening, and then he planned to travel to Washington D.C. for a couple of days before he settled back into Annapolis again.

Peter had plenty of his political base in his home state and he wanted to make sure Maryland would be a state he could easily win. That would only happen if he actually paid attention to the citizens he was supposed to govern.

Liz had hit a dangerous nerve inside of him when she accused him of being a great politician but a lousy governor. It hurt him more than he would ever let on but thoughts of Sigourney kept most of the pain at bay. He knew why his wife was lashing out. She didn’t like him spending so much time away from home and of course she probably worried whether he would want her after he was exposed to all the high-class pussy in Washington.

Didn’t she know regardless what he did, whatever sins he committed, he would never leave his family? The only woman who’d tempted him—albeit briefly—had been Sigourney and he had a snowball’s chance in hell of ever ending up with her.

That son of a bitch, Russell, had staked his claim and he wouldn’t let go of her, ever. If he’d had a chance before now, he no longer did and the window of opportunity had firmly closed.

The thought depressed the hell out him because he couldn’t believe how he’d fallen for her hook, line and sinker only for another man to sweep in and take her from him. He was a chump, plain and simple. Although, if he was a smart man, he would have never been looking at another woman who wasn’t his wife. He certainly wouldn’t have been fool enough to believe he could actually pursue her with what was going on in his life now.

Peter wandered down the beach behind his parents’ palatial mansion and glanced toward the waves crashing against the sandy beach. The weather was mild although the sun shined in a washed-out sky dotted with puffy white clouds. It was peaceful on this side of the island reserved for the obscenely wealthy families who were fortunate to own vacation homes here. He’d never been more grateful for the privacy until now.

The scenery, completely romantic in an over-the-top Nicholas Sparks’ novel way, provided little solace to him and he was left wondering what he’d done wrong. He knew it had to do with never loving Elizabeth the way she needed to be loved. He’d been very fond of her and affectionate enough; after all, she was the mother of his children. However, a soul-encompassing passion had never existed between the two of them.

Peter and Elizabeth had both come from the right kind of families and it was decided the two would make a good match. They had little say in their world wind romance once their parents found out about it and before they knew it, they were engaged and an elaborate wedding was in the middle of being planned.

There was nothing wrong with the scenario at all if he’d stayed on the right track and accepted his fate. In return for never truly experiencing love, his life had been planned out in the most meticulous way and soon he could become a serious contender for President of the United States. Who wouldn’t want that kind of destiny?

Peter convinced himself he’d wanted it for so long, the sudden monkey wrench in his plan never registered. He could be content with Elizabeth but only if she played the game his way. Unfortunately, she no longer wanted to play nice. Her bait and switch tactics bothered him more than he would ever let on to a single soul.

He looked up while continuing his leisurely walk down the beach as an attractive blonde jogged toward him. Her yoga pants and sports bra were a little too sexy for a day that was mild in temperature. He immediately looked away from her, not wanting to give her the wrong idea. The last thing he needed was a story that hinted at him not being faithful to his wife or worst, a scandal concerning him and a young anonymous woman.

Stopping in his spot, he gazed at a few interesting seashells he spotted on the beach and decided to take them back to the twins. Anna and Andrew would get a kick out of them to say the least.

Peter was startled out of his exploration as a stray hand touched his shoulder. He turned around to see the very same blonde but this time she was only mere inches away from him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he questioned a tad too forcefully with cold gray eyes. “I don’t appreciate strange women coming up to me when I’m minding my own business.”

She smiled although it never reached her calculating sky blue eyes. “My name is Andrea Magnussen and I’m a reporter for
The Capital Post
. Do you have time to chit-chat? It won’t take more than five minutes, Governor Coburn.”

Peter smiled ingratiatingly. “Get on with it, Ms. Magnussen. I know all the big time reporters at the
Post
and I’ve never heard of you. What department do you work in if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She looked him up and down before she pursed her lips. “Listen, we’re going to run a story and we only need a comment from you. Elizabeth Coburn was spotted dining at Plume on Friday, June twenty-seventh. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, however, all the insiders in DC know you plan to throw your hat in the ring for the 2016 Democrat ticket. Does it bother you the least bit Elaine Riley and your wife were seen by various wait-staff having an
intimate
dinner?”

Peter knew he needed to weigh his words very carefully. He couldn’t deny his wife had been there since he hadn’t known where she’d been that evening but at the same time, he wouldn’t give these vultures the slightest bit of ammunition. It was a very tight rope to walk, unfortunately for him.

“At this time, I can only speculate my wife and Mrs. Riley were merely having dinner, Ms. Magnussen. There isn’t anything wrong with two women meeting and enjoying food at one of the top restaurants in DC. You implying anything else is short of slander. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to be left alone.” Peter turned away from her and began to walk toward his parents’ house.

“Can I quote you on that?” the blonde twit yelled from behind him.

“You can do whatever you want,” he said over his shoulder but never broke his stride.

His anger couldn’t be underestimated. He was not only livid but surprised he’d been caught unawares at all. A phone call to Kylie was in order pronto. This would be a shit-storm once it hit the press and the last thing he needed was a goddamn scandal.

Chapter Fifteen

Sigourney

S
aturday started like any other day for Russell and I except we had nowhere to go and that was just fine with me.

I liked spending time with him and getting to know him more and more. What could I say? It wasn’t insta-love but we had an amazing attraction to one another and could I help it if I wanted a repeat of Thursday night?

Russell wasn’t exactly playing coy with me but he certainly didn’t want me to get the wrong idea and I had to guess that sex between us would always be considered something that was best kept at a minimum. At least until he believed we knew one another better.

It was the mature kind of relationship I’d always sworn I wanted and craved but now I had it, I wished he would want to do the horizontal shuffle with me a bit more.

Would I ever be happy or forever one of those girls who claimed they wanted something until they got it and realized they’d never wanted it in the first place? Was that how my life was doomed to turn out?

Russell and I sat next to one another in the warm California sun, working on our tans while drinking beer and smoking a joint we passed back and forth to each other. Hugh and Kristen weren’t around and although I missed them, it was nice to be alone with my boyfriend. We were still so new there wasn’t anything about him that could possibly annoy me yet.

“Sorry about being such a dick yesterday,” he said before swigging from his open bottle of imported beer. “I get a little riled up when my dad and I debate. Then when you took his side, I gotta admit I was surprised. It was stupid and petty the way I acted.”

I turned toward him, my eyes shielded by the harsh rays of the sun with a pair of blacker-than-black Ray-Bans. “No worries, it’s all good. It’s nice to debate with anyone at all about fun topics. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Is this you or the Chronic talking?” He reached over and slid my sunglasses off my face. “Believe me, I’m a big boy—I can take it.”

“Face it, Berkeley, you can’t handle the truth.” I laughed out loud then. “Seriously, it was all in good fun. I think your dad is great but that’s only because I didn’t have to grow up with him. I’m sure you would say something entirely different about him but that’s your right. You’re his son.”

Russell touched my face with a warm hand that smelled faintly of coconut-scented sun block and Chronic. It was refreshing on my skin but his touch also sent electric chills up my spine. Was this what it felt like to fall over the edge of your mind?

I snickered again and lay out on the sun lounge.

“What’s got you in such a good mood?” He closed his eyes and threw his head back while I leaned up and studied his profile closely.

“Have you ever heard the album
Blackout
?”

“Britney Spears during her chunky era in a really bad wig that’s almost as bad as her fake blonde hair? I’ve heard
of
it but no, I can’t say that cheesy pop has ever been high on my list of music I
like
to listen to. Give me Lana Del Rey or hell, even Rihanna, any day. At least their shit makes some kind of sense and they aren’t afraid to own up to their unique sexuality, not what society deems attractive.”