The Secret Liaison (3 page)

Needing a Break

             
Julia Custis-Brent was still the ravishing beauty that she has always been even at sixty years young. Every hair was in place and every curve was as tight as a thirty year olds.  She still turned heads whenever she entered a room.  Her beauty was natural from her blond locks to her statuesque figure.  The relaxing massage she was receiving was helping with her stress level. It had been a week since the announcement and the tense atmosphere in her home was about to boil over “What does Jo want me to do about the situation? Our children are grown.  Austin is in love. Telling them about the past will only cause more confusion than it’s worth. And if the media gets wind of it!” Julia didn’t even won’t to dwell on what a political firestorm that would be.  She was from a long line of Virginian landowners who were very active in Virginia and D.C. politics.  Her father Harold General Custis was a lobbyist who helped pass many of the laws that were enjoyed by citizens today.  Her family was very proud and didn’t aboard scandal.  Julie was raised as a proper lady by a strong mother with strong Christian values.  But what her mother Henrietta Custis didn’t know was that her daughter had a bit of a rebellious streak in her.  Family pride reeled her in for the most part and Julia married well and raised two very fine young men; but there was the mishap thirty three years ago that has plagued her life and marriage. 

The massage allowed her time to let her memory drift back to a time where her decisions almost caused disaster for her marriage.

             
The atmosphere in the Brent home was stifling.  Julia’s admission that she was carrying another man’s child had all but destroyed the love and trust in their relationship.  It had been a week since the disclosure, Joshua was sleeping in the servants quarters; he had fired all of them.  Julia was miserable.  She felt a sense of shame, but strangely relief.  The affair with Dirk had been going on for three years and had grown from a fling to a full- fledged love affair. There were no more tears left for her to shed because what was done was done.  She was thankful that Joseph had not brought her family into the situation before they were able to talk things through themselves.  Sitting in her room on the window bench, Julia pulled her legs underneath her chin and starred out into the white snow and thought how simple it looked.  She thought about Dirk and what his response to her pregnancy was and smiled slightly.

              The St. Regis on 16th Street has been her escape from the reality of life for the last three years.  It was her piece of heaven, where she could close herself off from the world and live in the fantasy that she and Dirk created.  The St. Regis was only two blocks from The White House but a world away from the hustle and bustle of politics. 

Whenever Joseph was away on business, which was very often, Julia and Dirk would spend the entire time closed up in their 2500 square foot Presidential Suite. The suite was marvelous and had every luxury that could be dreamed of from an enormous sitting room with two fireplaces, large windows and high ceilings that let the warmth of natural light shine through to the bedroom which was her absolute favorite; it was a paradise with deep purple and gold colors accentuating the space, a huge king bed laced with Remigio Pratesi linens and plush comforters and pillows.  

              Dirk was rubbing oil on her feet after a relaxing bath that they enjoyed together “ummm that feels so good love.” She cooed.  Dirk was always pampering her and making her feel special; something Julia felt was missing in her young life.  “Baby I will do anything to see that glow that you have right now in this relaxed state.” Dirk said with that sexy smile that he only carried for her.  Julia knew the glow that he was seeing was being helped by the package that she was carrying.  Fully relaxed now and gathering her courage Julia sad “honey I have something that I need to tell you.”  Noticing the seriousness in her voice Dirk stopped kneading her feet, placing them on his lap and gave her his undivided attention.  She loved how he always did that; made the things that she had to say important to him thinking to herself “I really adore this man!”

Dirk was now rubbing up and down her legs waiting patiently for her to continue when she said “Dirk I am pregnant!”  There she had said it.  It was out in the atmosphere.  Julia had never been so scared to make a statement in her life.  Dirk felt his heart swell as he moved up Julia’s body to plant kisses all over her face saying “I am so happy!  I have always wanted children Julia, you know that!” The excitement of the news was not overshadowed by the obvious; they were both married.

              That’s how it was with Julia and Dirk, when they were together they forgot about the outside world and just enjoyed each other.  Dirk offered Julia passion and excitement.  He listened to her stories and let her cry on his shoulder.  They were both stuck in marriages that were long past overdue for retirement; but both felt obligated to their spouse. 

That snow outside was becoming comforting reminding Julia that life could get back to being that simple.   Julia knew what she had to do in order to get her life back in balance; she had to end her relationship with Dirk.  The quiet of the huge mansion was eerie.  For a home that was normally filled with laughter and love it was truly a noticeable change.  There were no maids or cooks and the lack of activity in the home was a cause for concern.  Julia crept to the servants quarters determined to bring some clarity to the situation. 

As she stood in the dark fumbling for a light switch a match was struck illuminating a gloomy looking Joshua who was sitting on a sofa chair with a bottle of Vodka in arms reach.  His eyes held a look of disgust with a back drop of sadness. 

They stared at each other for what appeared to be an eternity before he spoke up “What do you want Julia? Is there more exciting news that you want to share with me.” The sarcasm in his voice could not be mistaken, but Julia refused to be deterred as she came closer and knelt at his feet “I want to talk this out Joshua! I know I have hurt you and if you want a divorce I totally understand.  But I at least want us to talk about it first.”  The pain in his eyes was matched by the hurt in hers; Joshua hated to see her this way, but this was her doing not his “Why Julia?  Why would you do this to us?” Joshua grabbed her shoulders and before he knew it he was shaking her and crying.  Julia didn’t stop him, she felt she deserved it “I am so sorry. I I I felt alone and like I needed to feel alive and loved and instead of telling that to you I allowed myself to fall for someone who offered those things to me without me having to ask for them”  This was the first time that she admitted it to herself ; the acknowledgment of the reason for her deception caused tears to begin to leak from her eyes.  Joshua jumped up from his seat and began pacing around the room “So this is my fault?” pointing at Julia with a determined stare.

“I didn’t take care of your needs so you found someone who would! Who is it Julia, who is this man that is better for you?”  He was yelling so loud that it sounding like his voice was reverberating off of the walls.  With her legs now pulled up to her chest and sobbing Julia said just as loudly “Dirk Dublin!” The moment it came from her mouth she wished she could take it back. 

The look in Joshua’s eyes went from anger to fury in seconds “Dirty ass Dirk Dublin!  You are sleeping with a man that you know has tried to ruin my family for years. What the fuck is wrong with you Julia?”  Joshua plopped down on the couch shaking his head as the realization hit him at full speed. 

The masseuse was finishing up the relaxing massage causing Julia to push the unpleasant thoughts to the back burner. She still had to face Joshua when she returned to her life and she wasn’t sure if their marriage could survive another struggle.  She had to admit that her body was completely relaxed but her mind was running a mile a minute.  She hoped their tragic history would remain that; history.  “It appears this marriage between Jessica and Austin is going to bring back all of the bad memories rather I want it to or not.” She thought as she made her way to the mani/pedi area of the spa. 

What a Day

             
Dropping the dumbbells to the floor Justin let out a breath.  Watching as Devlin finished his reps, he noticed that they were attracting attention.  One of their admirers was bold enough to walk over.  She had the body of a goddess; breast like huge grape fruits in her hot pink stretch gym clothes.  She definitely had his attention when she said “Hi!” her voice was bubbly making her sound like an air head; his kind of girl.  “My friend says that you are Justin Brent, but I told her she was mistaken. She bet me $20 bucks. Am I a winner or a loser?”  Justin began to look her up and down as he was joined by a heavy panting Devlin who loudly slapped both of his hands together and answered for Justin “Sweet heart you are definitely a winner.”  Both men burst into laughter, but the girl said a little too happily “So you are not Justin Brent then! I told her, you don’t look much like him anyway.” Before he could answer her she turned on her heels to retrieve her money.  When Justin and Devlin noticed the other girl reach in her fanny pack and hand over money they couldn’t help but burst out laughing again. They moved towards the weight bench where they would take turns pressing in reps of ten.  Justin believed in keeping his body straight and could bench three fifty easily.  The gym was a daily routine for Justin and Devlin.  They spent the time not only getting their body in shape but strategizing the campaign. 

There were three meetings scheduled for today and a fundraising lunch with the League of Women Voters.  It was six am when they made their way from the gym ready to tackle the day’s challenges.  The two women were also leaving the gym.  The bold one approached with a new twist in her hips and got right in Justin’s space saying “I don’t care that you are not a Brent, I would love to go out with you anyway!” Justin decided not to correct her but said “Tell you what sexy, give me your number and I might treat you to a time you will never forget!”  Before he could get the last word out she produced her name and number written in lipstick on a napkin and quickly turned to leave putting an extra twist in her step. Justin shot a sly look towards Devlin as they both watched her leave saying “Dev, it’s like taking candy from a baby.”  The laughter between the two friends was always welcomed.

              The fundraiser ended well with the Brent campaign moving closer towards its goal.  Justin was mingling with constituents and listening to fond stories about their previous dealings with his father.  While making small talk he noticed his sister in law, he smiled as he thought about her that way; she was at a table full of women laughing and sipping lemonade.  He excused himself and moved with determination towards the lively group.  When they noticed him standing there they became even more animated.  He walked around the table and greeted Jessica with a short hug and kiss on the cheek. 

Looking around the table he asked “What are you ladies up to? Is it something that I shouldn’t be a party too?” his smile was so infectious that more than one woman blushed.  Jessica introduced each woman individually and explained that they were part of the Maryland chapter of League of Women Voters and are in full support of sending him to the Senate.  As Justin graciously greeting each woman expressing his thanks for them coming to the fundraiser that was $10,000 a plate; one of the members slipped her number in his hand as he shook hers.  She was stunning, a little older than what he normally liked but her dark auburn hair and twin peaks for breast were enough to grab his attention.  As the other women discussed politics among themselves she introduced herself as Sharon.  Smiling a seductive smile she told Justin that she was a surgeon from Baltimore Maryland.  Justin was impressed; it had been a long time since he witnessed a woman with both beauty and brains that was available for the picking.  Intrigued he asked Sharon to join him for dinner so that she could tell him all about her adventures.  Jessica watched the whole exchange with a slight grimace; she didn’t know what to make of her playboy brother in law thinking “He is going to be a challenge!”

              Night had fallen on the District and Justin was preparing for his date with Sharon.  Looking in the mirror he admired his black on black Armani, his dreamy eyes and movie star looks. He was ready, but was she ready for him. 

Justin noticed that something felt different about Sharon, she didn’t appear to be like the normal beautiful bimbo that he banged; he actually wanted to know what she thought.  He laughed to himself as he made his way to his Maserati thinking “could I have met my match?” the thought made him smile deeper showing off the sexy dimples that made women cream. 

              Sharon was waiting in Minibar, an exclusive thirty course restaurant in Penn Quarter.  She, like most, heard about this pioneering tasting menu only eatery but knew that booking a reservation was harder than winning the lottery.  She marveled at the exclusivity of the space, only seating six guests; and thought “This guy really has some clout.” Her attention was directed to laughter coming from the front of the room where Justin was shaking hands with Juan Andres one of the most famous chef’s today and the owner of the restaurant.  She noticed Juan point in her direction and Justin began making his way over.

              Drop dead gorgeous was what she was sitting there in a form fitting Versace outfit.  He noticed she had the prettiest eyes, they were a light shade of blue and they were shaped like diamonds.  Once at the table he greeted Sharon with a kiss on the cheek saying “I hope you found this place with no problem?” Looking around he recognized the other four guests and gave them each a head nod. “I found this place just fine.  My friends and I have always wanted to come.”