Seduced By The Candidate (The Candidate, #1) (22 page)

They hadn’t been sure what to expect when Goulding arrived, or
whether in fact he would arrive at the office at all, but this definitely
hadn’t been it and they were all rendered speechless by his words. This was a
very different William Goulding than the one that they had started their
journey with. They weren’t complaining! For some it would be the end of the
road, for others, it was merely a crossroads with entirely new avenues opening
up in the White House and the inevitable government machine that accompanied
the position.

Wherever their individual paths took them, they would see this
through until the end and hopefully they’d be able to tell their Grandchildren
that they had played a part in making William Goulding the President of the
United States of America. Knowing that he was used to applause, no one wanted
to cheapen his words by making them just another in a long string of public
addresses. Instead the assembled crowd nodded their thanks and ascent. That
meant more to Goulding than any of the other recent responses that he had been
subjected to.

Goulding swallowed hard to overcome the emotion that threatened
to engulf him and focused on the little man that stood awkwardly at the front
of the crowd.

“John, can I have a word please. In my office if you wouldn’t
mind.”

The little man got up from his seat and walked casually through
the sea of faces, pausing only to collect a manila envelope from the corner of
his desk, before disappearing into Goulding’s private domain. On the outside,
he was the very epitome of professional calm. Inwardly, even though he knew
that he only had positive things to report, he was a twisted bundle of nerves.

Lyndsey had played his part to the full, engaging Cristal to
seduce Brian Kennedy and lure him back to the hotel room for an evening of
shameless debauchery. He had captured the act on film and as part of nearly
three hundred photographs, but the whole act of blackmail and subterfuge made
him deeply uncomfortable. He would dearly have loved to have played no part in
it at all.

He related to Kennedy, a fellow ‘average man’ that was unlucky
in life, love and everything in between. If Kennedy could fall foul of such a
cowardly act of manipulation, what was to stop the same thing happening to him
one day? Indeed, it was his own discovery by Goulding that had led to his
involvement in the first place. If Goulding was comfortable playing these kinds
of games, what was to stop him doing the same thing to him in the future?

As Goulding followed him into the inner office, Lyndsey
considered the need to seriously review his position as part of Goulding’s
staff, whatever the result of the election.
      

“Good morning John. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you Bill.”

“Okay, I won’t beat about the bush. I have a few things that we
need to discuss. As much as the official posturing is at an end, there are
still a million things that I need to attend to before the day is done.”

“Yes Bill, of course.”

“Firstly, how did your own…er…mission go. I trust that Cristal
proved to be a temptation that was simply too good to resist?”

John said nothing and merely took out a handful of photographs
from the envelope, tossed them over to Goulding and watched with barely
disguised disdain as a smile crept across his boss’s face.

“Wow…she really did earn her money that night, didn’t she? Do
you have more like these?”

“I’ve got close to three hundred stills, as well as a high
definition digital video recording of the…session. The quality is excellent and
there is no mistaking Brian Kennedy in either the video, or the pictures.”

“No shit! John this is excellent; really, really excellent. I’m
proud of you. Yet again, you were asked to walk into a particularly shitty
situation and yet you came out of it smelling of roses.”

“Please Bill…don’t be proud of me. I’m certainly not. I’d much rather
I had no part in this at all. It’s seedy, underhanded and wrong.”

Goulding considered the words carefully before he responded.

“You’re right
John,
it is all of those
things. But it is also completely necessary. You know how hard we’ve worked to
stand on the very brink of greatness. Do you really want to throw all of that
away just so you could look at yourself more comfortably in the mirror? Brian
Kennedy is a good man, of that I have no doubt, but he was getting dangerously
close to the truth and he had to be stopped.”

“With respect, Bill, it was a truth that we would never have
had to face if it hadn’t been for the fact that yet again, nothing and no one
mattered in your endless pursuit of glory and the next great challenge.”

“John, that’s hardly fair. It was a long time ago.”

“Yes Bill, it was, but can you honestly say that if you had
your time over again, you wouldn’t do exactly the same thing?”

Goulding glared at his campaign manager, needled by his words.
He wasn’t upset because of what the little man had said, but because he knew
that it was true and the realization left him feeling embarrassed and ashamed.

“John, you’re right. At the time, I felt hopeless and desperate
and I took the easy option to guarantee my continued advancement, but that was
then and this is now. I can’t change the past, but I can learn from it and I
can ensure that I never make the same stupid mistake twice. I’m not perfect and
I’ve done a lot of shitty things in my life, but I am a better adjusted, better
developed and entirely more accomplished person as a result of them. I know
without a shadow of a doubt that I am the right person to lead this country
into a new age of advancement, development, recognition and respect. All I need
is to leave the past in the past and look towards the future.”

Lyndsey nodded. He too believed that Goulding was the right man
for the job and although he had always felt that his drive and ambition would
make him a thoroughly competent and professional President. He had also noticed
a change in him over the last few weeks, culminating in his recent visit to
Oklahoma. He seemed to care more, to feel more. Instead of merely focusing on
the personal and political gain of his actions, he was concerned with the
individual human element. It could very well be a passing fancy, but Lyndsey
doubted it.

William Goulding was not a man easily subject to whims and what
he saw of him lately had all the trademarks of a man who had seen the light and
changed for the better. It also struck him that with the power, focus AND a
very real concern for his fellow American, Goulding could not only prove to be
a competent President—he could very well prove to be an exceptional one.
    

As if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders,
Lyndsey relaxed and eased himself back into the chair.

“Okay Bill, we’ll ensure that the past stays in the past and
that we continue to look forward to a bright future for all those concerned. I
guess that one…less than savory act is worth it when you consider the future
happiness and prosperity of millions of American men and women. I guess it’s
just a shame that we have to utterly break Brian Kennedy in the process.”

Goulding said nothing, but after a few seconds broke into a
broad grin.

“Bill, I know we’re now singing from the same hymn sheet, but
do you really think that the smile is appropriate considering what we’ve just
discussed?”

When Goulding continued to grin at him, Lyndsey began to get
annoyed.

“Bill…honestly!”

“John, John, John. Calm yourself, I have no intention of
ruining Brian Kennedy’s life, quite the contrary. I plan to do just the
opposite and make him a household name.
For a few weeks at
least.”

“What? I-I…I don’t understand, are you saying that you aren’t
going to blackmail him?”

“No, I’m still going to confront him with the pictures and I’m
still going to get him to drop the research into my previous…dealings. What I
am going to do though, is give him enough dirt to sink one of the rising stars
in American business.”

As the full enormity of what Goulding was planning sank in.
John Lyndsey finally appreciated the wider picture, he too began to smile.

“Bill, you really are a sly fucker, aren’t you? Regardless of
where we all end up after today, remind me never to go up against you won’t
you? I’m good, but I’m not sure I’m that good!”

For a few minutes they shared the moment and even reminisced
about some of the good times they’d shared on the long and tiring journey that
had led them to this point in time. With some reluctance, Goulding waited for
the next break in their conversation and decided that it was time to discuss
the other matter that had the potential to shape his future.

“John…there’s something else.”

“Okay, Bill. What is it?”

“It’s Charlotte. Things have changed.”

All of the blood and good humor instantly drained from
Lyndsey’s face and he choked out a response.

“She’s…she’s not going to go to the press is she?” he
whispered. “I know it’s late in the day, but a political scandal like that is
hardly the best way to start a term in office. Not exactly something that fills
your loyal public with confidence!”

Seeing such heartfelt concern in the little man’s face and
knowing how wide of the mark he was, Goulding struggled not to laugh out loud.

“No, John. She’s not going to the press.
Quite
the opposite in fact.
I love her and she loves me. This is the real deal
John: holding hands, whispered words, romantic letters, starring aimlessly into
each other’s eyes, not wanting to be anywhere else, or with anyone else ever
again.”

Lyndsey’s relief was palpable and his concern was replaced with
confusion.

“That’s wonderful, Bill. It really is, but I don’t see what
difference it actually makes in the grand scheme of things, you’ll just…”

Then the realization dawned on him and he sighed deeply.

“You don’t want to keep her hidden anymore do you?”

Goulding shook his head.

“No, John. I’m sick of having to hide something so good and so
pure. I want the world to know that even though I’m the President and a
Republican, I can uphold their values and still demonstrate that a happy,
healthy, faithful partnership can be a force for good and not something to be
shunned and dismissed.”

“They’ll never buy it, Bill. You’re talking about undoing
centuries of belief and conditioning. As good as you are and as honorable your
intentions, I’m not sure we can ever hope to swing that kind of message in our
favor.”

Goulding shook his head again.

“No, John. I don’t want a spin put on it. This isn’t something
that should be subjected to the usual political bullshit, spin and planning. I
intend to announce our relationship to the nation, be open and honest in the
same way that I intend to conduct myself as President and leave it up to them
to make up their minds about how they feel. I’ll win some and I’ll lose some,
but my conscience will be clear and they’ll know that they’re getting a man
that they can trust, regardless of how good, bad or uncomfortable the information
I have to impart to them is.”

Lyndsey nodded.

“Fair enough, Bill. But there is one thing that concerns me.”

“What’s that?”

“That there’s actually such a thing as a politician with a
conscience!”

* * *

Bill had two more visitors that morning and although they were
far from being planned, they were more than welcome distractions from the
pressures of the day. The first person to visit him was his father. Although
they hadn’t met in person for several months, or even spoken on the telephone
for the best part of three weeks, the initial period of awkwardness was
short-lived and they soon fell back into the comfortable air of companionship
that had been developing ever since that fateful night so many years ago.
  

The emotion and pride glistened in his father’s eyes. Despite
the fact that his son stood on the very brink of legend, Goulding Senior knew
that his son had achieved greatness many years previously. He would be stood
watching as he rose to make his acceptance speech and he would display a
typical father’s pride for the entire world to see, but what really made him
proud was his son’s drive.
His commitment to live again and
to rise from his depression and overcome the considerable obstacles that had
been placed before him.

Despite being a well-seasoned and experienced figurehead,
Goulding wasn’t impervious to his father’s naked emotion. The lump in his
throat and the tears that pricked at his eyes were very real. As they talked
and reminisced, he couldn’t help but think how lucky he had been that his
father had been there in his time of need. If not for his father’s love and
concern, he could have led a very different life and it would have been all too
easy for him to drift into a state of desolation and misery.

Goulding shuddered and considered the fact that there had been
no guarantee that he would ever have managed to win and triumph in that
particular battle. It wasn’t too grand a statement to suggest that his father
had saved his life. Something Goulding would never forget. Regardless of his
career and personal successes, Goulding knew that if he ever managed to be half
the man that his father was, he would be a great man indeed.

All too soon, it was time for his father to leave. They shook
hands and then after an awkward few seconds embraced each other warmly,
promising to see each other again soon and make time for a proper catch-up,
regardless of how busy their respective schedules became. Watching the
distinguished old man walk back through the office, Goulding felt a great sense
of loss, but he barely had time to reconcile the emotion before Jake Armstrong
walked through the door.

Jake had given Goulding a brief précis of the mission as soon
as he was back on the road. It had been enough to make Goulding laugh out loud
with relief. He had also seen the ‘piece de resistance’ highlighted in the
local newspaper and at the end of the day’s local news round-up on the
television. While they had obviously not captured the explosion itself, the
roaring fire that engulfed the building had lit up the sky and was blazing
merrily by the time that the news crews and fire brigade had turned up on the
scene. Although it was still early in the investigation, everything pointed to
a dodgy gas appliance as the cause of the fire. Goulding again considered that
there must have been some higher power looking down on him when he ran into
Jake in the alley.