Page 2 of The Senator's Secret
I turn quickly so Senator Chancellor can’t catch my eye. I know it sounds childish, but I just can’t stand the man. Actually, it’s more than I just can’t stand him. He’s never been rude or crass to me, quite the opposite actually. He is always charming and polite. He’s beyond good-looking, with a he-knows-it arrogance that speaks volumes of his confidence. He’s aware of how sexy he is, and so does every woman in a fifty-mile radius.
Maybe that’s what bothers me. My grandmother used to tell me that “no one would buy the ice-cream truck if you were handing out popsicles for free out the back.” And everyone woman in the tri-state area has had her fill of Jake Chancellor’s popsicle—that is, except for me.
I remember when Jake first came back to New York. He’d been stationed all over the world as a Navy SEAL until he suddenly popped up in New York society. His tuxedo, as always, was crisp and custom fit, the scruff that darkened his jaw gave him a forbidding look, and a darkness behind his blue eyes would tell anyone with half a brain to run for the hills. So obviously, that’s exactly what I did.
I was just beginning to build my reputation at the firm and had been asked to attend one of these events. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle, and when I turned around, there he was across the room, and he was looking at me. It had felt like he wasonlylooking at me. He exuded a dark, stand-back aura. One look at him and you could tell he was dangerous. I like to pride myself on my self-preservation instincts, so I stayed away.
Sometime over the last few years, his rough edges have softened, but I can tell it’s all an illusion to make him more palatable for mass consumption. And from what I’ve heard lately, every woman out there wants to be consumed by him. Truth be told, I would too, but I don’t have an adventurous bone in my body. So that leaves me only on the fringes, on the outside looking in.
And once again, I find myself across the room from him, wearing my best pale-pink silk dress and beaded Louboutins. My blonde hair is delicately curled, and my makeup is tasteful but darker than my daytime look thanks to my favorite stylist and friend, Cara. She’s new-ish to the city and keeps everything pretty close to the vest, but I like her. I get the sense she’s running from something, and God forbid if it’s a man, because I have decided she’s part of my circle, my tribe, and that means I will make him pay for his crimes with every fiber of my being. That is, if it even is a man.
Don’t look… don’t look… don’t look!
Senator Chancellor winks at me from across the room, and I let out a sigh of frustration as I turn away quickly. Of course Cara’s problems stem from a man.They always do.
I turn to the mayor of the city, Gordon Samuels.. I need him. Without his help, the Open Arms Project won’t even get off the ground. Whether it’s building permits or the right connections, I need the Mayor of New York on my side.
“Good evening, Grace,” he says as he notices me. “We were just talking about you.”
“All good things, I hope.” I smile as sweetly as possible.
“Of course,” the mayor agrees. “We were just discussing your new pet project.”
“Open Arms is sort of a passion project for me,” I agree.
“We love that you want to help homeless veterans in the city,” Mayor Samuels begins. “I, myself, am a Desert Storm veteran.”
“Thank you for your service, sir.”
He just winks at me. I really like Mayor Samuels.
“We were just thinking what a great opportunity it would be for you to partner with Senator Chancellor,” he says, letting the name of my arch nemesis hangs in the air for the extended amount of time it takes for me to recover.
“I would hate to impose on the senator,” I reply, swallowing back the bile that fills my throat. “He is a very busy man.”
“That he is,” the mayor agrees. “But veterans’ organizations are a key point of his platform. I’m sure he’d make an exception for you.”
“You mean he’d make an exception for Open Arms,” I correct him.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I meant.”
“Well…” I try to evade the subject politely. I just don’t want to work with Jake Chancellor. Is that so much to ask? “Our team seems to have a pretty great handle on things so far. But if we need him farther on down the road, I’ll consider it.”
The men all seem to exchange pointed looks with each other that I do not like, and worry turns my stomach to acid. I feel a nervous tingle shiver up my spine and look over my shoulder. Senator Chancellor is standing at the bar, and he’s watching…me.
The bartender passes him a highball glass filled with amber liquid. I heard he’s a whiskey drinker, only in moderation, but that he enjoys a glass of the smoky liquor from time to time. I’m mesmerized as his strong hand slowly lifts the glass to his full, sensual lips and he takes a long swallow, showing no signs of the burn. I watch his corded neck as he turns his eyes to me again and blink slowly once… twice….
But my body jerks back as if I’ve been struck when a gorgeous blonde—not just any blonde, but well-known socialite Ashley Jefferies—sidles up to him and places her hand on his arm, where it rests on the bar top. They know each other in more ways than just joining the same gym or shopping at the same Target. The way she touches him is… intimate. The way that they circle each other hints at the way that they’ve seen each other naked. And I hate it. I know that I shouldn’t. I have absolutely no claim on him—hell, I can’t even stand him, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not drawn to him.
It’s subtle, but by the look on his face, he sees my reaction. I don’t want to see a look of pity cross his handsome face and I know that it will, so, I look back to the mayor and his companions.
How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let myself be pulled into his sexual prowess again when I know this… this… alley cat in search for the next available female in heat is exactly who he is? When will I learn? Unfortunately for me, I’ll learn that lesson the hard way, with my panties on his bedroom floor and my reputation down the toilet. That is, if I’m not careful. And I will be careful.
I know that to him, I will never be anything but a number, and still, I let him. At least my saving grace is that I’ve never been pulled as far as his bed. The Senator and I may have circled this dance floor for years now, but I have still never given in.
“W-what were we talking about?” I stammer out my question.
They exchange looks again before answering me. “We just don’t feel that we can sign on to support your project, in one way or another, without the senator on board as well,” the mayor says, speaking for the group.