DC Affairs (6 page)

“Um, yeah, because you’re still my superior and we aren’t off the clock.”

“Fine. Can I pick you up tonight off the clock? You’re free to talk as much shit about me and my truck that is destroying the environment, and what ever other topic strikes your fancy.”

I shook my head. “Seriously, do you think I still fall for powerful guys?”

Russell didn’t meet my eyes immediately. “Definitely. I know for a fact four years at Harvard and two at Georgetown is a six-figure education and you only owe twenty thousand. That’s a lot of sexual favors, honey.”

I laughed out loud over the huge assumption he happened to make. “I qualified for grants and scholarships you know. The twenty grand was for a loan I had to take out because I didn’t apply for certain grants before deadline.”

“Your dad didn’t take care of that?”

“No. He wanted to but my mom wouldn’t hear of it. She said I was smart enough to take care of myself and there was no reason why she and my dad should have to take money from their retirement to pay for my education. In case you missed the memo, I can go into corporate law. My minor was in in pharmacology and I planned to be a suit at a pharmaceutical company.”

“How’s that working out?” Russell inquired with a hint of playfulness in his tone.

“Fine, as far as I know. If I’m lucky, after finishing up this whole campaign aide business, I’ll probably become a pharmaceutical lobbyist here in Washington and take the bar exam here after all.”

“Whoa, a woman with a game plan. How ambitious.”

I looked out of the window and studied the buildings of the capital as we drove past them. “Don’t think I don’t know it.”

A
fter lunch with Russell, we drove back to the campaign office in time for the arrival of Governor Coburn. It was great to see him again but I knew my fondness for him went beyond the professional level. If I wasn’t careful, I would screw everything up big time. This was not part of the plan and I couldn’t let a few moments of lust destroy everything I’d worked so hard to achieve.

I knew why I’d snapped at Russell, and part of it filled me with joy while another part of me wanted to snap myself out of it. For several weeks, I’d been in complete and utter joy at liking the Governor from afar and imagining us together sexually. However, he was married with children.

Then this new guy came on to the scene and was just as attractive but happened to be only a couple years older than me, stable and single. He obviously had poached on territory that I considered sacred between the Governor and me. I couldn’t imagine having a fling with Russell but maybe I should, if only to put my priorities in order.

A relationship with my boss was risqué but not entirely unheard of. An affair with the governor could increase my moral turpitude to an off-the-charts level, and leave me persona non grata in a town where everyone knew everyone. Did I really want my whole life reduced to a cheesy tell-all and a made-for-television film on HBO if I was lucky? However, with my lack of luck, I’d probably only get Lifetime because the executives at Home Box Office would think me too unsavory to touch.

Nope, I wouldn’t end up another D.C. cliché or punch line joke. Not after all the money, time and effort I’d sunk into achieving an education in the first place. Plus, I knew the damage an affair could do. I’d been involved with one during my time abroad and still had nightmares because of it. I wouldn’t allow my lady parts to ruin my life a second time by repeating the same stupid mistakes I’d made at nineteen.

Therefore when work ended and Russell sidled up to me to make sure we were still on for our date, I agreed and smiled, much to the Governor’s chagrin. He didn’t look too happy but at least Kylie beamed at me as I left work.

Andrea flitted around the apartment, loud music playing in the living room, as I showered and got ready for my date. She whistled and displayed two thumbs up as I walked into the kitchen for a bottle of water.

“Wow, you look amazing. Who’s the lucky fella?”

“Russell Berkeley. He’s my immediate supervisor but he’s single, attractive and funny so those are three really good signs in this town.” I sipped from my water and set the bottle on the kitchen island.

“Do you have to steal all my ideas? I told you me and my editor are fooling around. You couldn’t have run into a random guy to date?” Andrea questioned in an acerbic manner.

“Listen, single men in this town are scarce, period. Cut me some slack. At least he’s not ten plus years my senior. He’s
only
twenty-eight.”

Andrea glanced at me oddly. “My editor’s thirty-two and I’m the same age as you, honey—that
isn’t
ten years.”

“I wasn’t talking about you.” I studied my sexy red dress in the hallway mirror. “I’m talking about my wildly out of control infatuation with Peter Coburn. It’s gotta end and I have to get it through my thick skull he’s married with children therefore he’s hands off. It’s not as easy as you think it is not to go around in circles with the situation. I’m going to end up making myself crazy but it’s better to be dating a man within my reach than trying to pursue the unattainable.”

“Well, in that case, good for you. I totally thought you were going to go one of two ways—one, you’d end up making a fool out of yourself by going after a married guy or two, you’d pine after him and wish for something to happen. When nothing happened, you’d end up bitter and depressed. Neither scenario is worth mentioning since they didn’t happen. Know I’m happy for your spunky resolve, honey. You deserve to be happy too.”

“Thanks,” I replied before I applied tinted lip-gloss to my lips. “I’m really hoping this works out because he’s cute and charming and I went total bitch mode on him today.”

Andrea sighed out loud. “Oh, Sigourney, it’s true love.”

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up. I go total bitch mode on every guy I’m attracted to—”

She poured herself a glass of wine. “Nope, not every guy, only the ones with promise. I like this Russell guy already.”

“So what are you doing tonight?”

“Nothing much. Jeff is coming by and we’re gonna watch cheesy movies and drink too much wine. It’s a quiet night since we’re going to Martha’s Vineyard for Independence Day weekend,” Andrea explained as she walked past me and sat on the sofa.

“Wow. I guess it’s a good thing I found Russell. When were you going to tell me about Martha’s Vineyard?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she balanced her iPad on her knees. “When it was convenient. It’s not like we don’t spend time apart, Sigourney.”

I wanted to respond with something equally snarky as the doorbell rang.

“Have a great night out.”

“Mmm hmm,” I mumbled as I walked to the front door and answered it.

Russell looked great in a pair of black slacks and a cerulean blue dress shirt that brought out an expressive swirl of color in his blue-green eyes. His dirty blond hair was slicked back, seemingly wet from a recent shower and slightly curled beneath his ears. He could use a haircut but he still looked very sexy in post-college graduate way.

I smiled as he kissed my cheek. “Sigourney, you look lovely.”

“Thank you,” I responded demurely. “You look great as well.”

“Should I meet your roommate—”

“Nope. Let’s go.” I turned toward Andrea, and she held up her wine glass to me with a smirk on her face.

Gah!
I could only hope this freaking night would vastly improve for the better.

Chapter Six

Peter

“D
id you encourage them?”

Kylie wore a small Mona Lisa smile on her lips. “Of course not. They went to lunch together and found one another fascinating enough to want to go out. I’m not my brother’s keeper
or
a pimp, Peter.”

He paced around the campaign office and realized he wasn’t just pissed off but rather angry to the point where he clearly couldn’t control his temper. How could this nymph, this woman he barely knew arouse these kinds of emotions in him?

“No, you aren’t a pimp, but God knows you haven’t liked Sigourney from the start. Why are you so gung ho she’s with your brother? Is this some sort of petty backbiting going on?”

“For Christ’s sake, Peter, get a fucking grip! The world doesn’t revolve around you and your emotions toward some slip of a girl who happens to be your campaign aide.” Kylie poured herself a stiff whiskey and downed it in one swallow. “Listen, I have a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cake Batter and
Fast & the Furious 6
calling my name at home. What’s the
point
of this discussion, Peter?”

“The point, Kylie, is I think you are purposely undermining any sort of relationship that might result between Sigourney and I—”

“My God…have you become completely
deluded
?” she questioned in a heartless tone. “You’re
married
, you have
children
and you’re
running
for President of the United fucking States, Peter! Why the hell are you trying to screw up the whole program by trying to get into some twenty-something’s pants? Sigourney is
nothing
in the grand scheme, and you’re willing to screw up everything else just for her? Tell me, what is so special about this chick you can’t see the forest for the trees?”

He shook his head adamantly. “You’re just angry I don’t want to fuck you, Kylie. You’re a beautiful woman and you can have any man you want so why the hell are you bothering yourself with me and why do you care who I’m lusting after?”

She sat down and tried to calm her nerves. “Peter, I believe in you. I think you have what it takes to go all the way despite your youth. You could be the JFK of our time but not if you continue with your predictable shenanigans. Sigourney was—
is
—attracted to you. Russell agreed with my assessment. She’s woman enough to take a step back and decide she doesn’t want to ruin her life ambitions. She’s dating a man who’s single, stable and doesn’t have any obligations. The fact that he’s my brother is highly irrelevant to this particular situation.”

“They
had
to hook up as soon as he got back from New York?” he questioned belligerently before he threw himself into an office chair opposite from hers.

“Is Elizabeth still carrying on about not wanting to be First Lady? Is that what this whole outburst is about?”

“Not really. Everything in my life just happens to be really crappy at the moment,” Peter began in a subdued tone. “I don’t know if I want to be married to Liz any longer and everything seems to be falling apart. Hell, I don’t even know if I’m running for office because it’s what my parents want or if it’s what I truly want. I’m so fucking confused right now. Do the ends always justify the means?”

“Always.” Kylie’s expressive green eyes held his gaze before she stood and strode around to his side of the desk. “Peter, I don’t know exactly what you want from me but I can honestly tell you I didn’t set anything up. Whatever Sigourney and Russell have is organic and authentic. They became attracted to one another in the space of time I sent them out to have lunch together. Her only job was to get him caught up on what’s happening with the campaign and nothing else.”

“I know.” He covered his face with his hands in self-pity. “You’re not that vindictive, Kylie, and this is a situation where I have to blame someone for this happening. I’m sorry I’m putting the blame on you. Russell is a slippery little prick and she certainly isn’t the first woman he’s seduced in this office. I can only hope whatever it is they have will be over soon enough.”

She massaged his shoulders, working the knots out of his upper back with careful hands. “Peter, I think in this particular situation you might be wrong. Russell really likes Sigourney. Hell, she insulted his truck and he thought it was ‘cute.’ Sorry, but he loves that stupid truck and he’s left a couple women on the side of the road due to it but in this instance, he felt the female in question was charming.”

“That means
nothing
, Kylie.”