Conservative Affairs (4 page)

All of her nervousness had cumulated to make her hands shake in a way that they hadn’t since she had been on her first date. She followed the mayor as they entered the restaurant and found their way to a hidden back table.

They placed their orders and made small talk over coffee as they waited for their food. Madeline Stratton might be a woman of power, Jo soon realized, but she was also human. Jo’s heart had nearly settled into a normal rhythm when she turned her deep blue eyes in Jo’s direction.

“So, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? I mean, beyond the interview stuff, we haven’t really had a chance to get to know one another.”

Jo forced a smile even though her heart was once again beating like a kick drum. “Well, you know my family, so you know most of my background—where I’m from and everything like that.”

“Yes, you come from a good family, Josephine… ”

“Jo.” Jo decided this was as good a time as any. “You can call me Jo. It’s what pretty much everyone but my parents call me. Josephine just seems way too formal. I insisted on the shortened version as a kid after watching
Facts of Life
.”

Jo watched as the mayor’s eyebrow shot up in question, but then she cleared her throat, moving on from the mention of the show.

“Very well, Jo. You’re also free to call me by my first name when we’re not in the office or at a public function. Now, why don’t you tell me more about yourself—something not related to your family? What do you like to do? What are your dreams? You know, what makes you, you?”

Jo wasn’t entirely sure what to tell her. “Well, I like to write. For fun, that is. I’m not sure what my dreams are these days. They seem to change regularly.”

Madeline appeared to be taking in the words slowly and savoring every nuance, as one does when taste testing a fine wine.

“I envy that,” she responded quietly.

“Which part?”

“That you can still change your dreams.”

Jo hesitated but asked anyway. “Do you want to change yours?”

Madeline averted her eyes, as though she’d shared too much. “No, not really. I just miss being young I suppose.”

“You’re still young enough to chase another dream if you have one,” Jo pressed. “I think you should do what makes you happy. Embrace that freedom.”

“It’s not that easy. Besides, I think you might need to heed your own advice. I did find you at the office this morning as well, remember?”

“Touché,” Jo said with a wink and immediately chided herself.
You don’t just wink at the mayor, idiot!

“So, how did you like the crepes?” Madeline smiled, but something had changed. It was no longer the open smile that had allowed Jo to see briefly into her soul. It was the smile that the news cameras received. Jo’s window into the heart of Madeline Stratton had officially been closed.

Chapter Four

Gabe carried two cups of coffee from the break room. He had arrived thirty minutes early today, aware that Jo always showed up twenty minutes before she had to be at work. It was a nonetheless endearing quirk.

Hell, everything about Jo was endearing. Those long legs that were muscled and toned in all the right places, her perfect figure and her intense green eyes. Her intelligence, her quick wit and the way she could handle anything that the mayor or other staff members threw at her with grace and poise. It was all too much some days. Her voice cascaded in his mind, like a waterfall caressing every parched inch of it.

Even more intriguing was the wall she had built around herself. It was so high it seemed as if no one would ever be able to scale it. Since she had begun working in Stratton’s office, though, it had been Gabe’s goal to be the one who finally did so.

He wanted to know more about the raven-haired beauty in the corner cubicle than he had heard in the interview answers she had given. Sure, he knew all about her education, previous experience, writing for press outlets and working on various campaigns around the area and the boatloads of money her family had dumped into Stratton’s campaign fund. But he wanted—no, he
needed
—more.

He needed to know what made Jo come alive, what she feared, what she wanted. He needed to know how she liked to be kissed, how to make her smile and how to win her heart. It wasn’t the most romantic move, but he figured getting her coffee was a starting point. If nothing else, it would give him a chance to start a conversation.

Good morning. How are you?
Too generic.

Hi there, Jo. How was your night?
No, too creepy.

Hey, Jo. Did you enjoy the holiday weekend?
Maybe.

What an idiot! I mean, standing by her cubicle, rehearsing my opening lines? How dorky is that?

Deciding it was best to retreat and try again tomorrow, Gabe let out a sigh. Almost as soon as he had admitted defeat in his head, though, he heard the front door open.

Damn!

The world seemed to freeze as Jo strode into the office. It was a casual walk for her, he was sure, but somehow she managed to make it look like she was walking a runway. Quickly, before she turned to meet his stare, he looked her up and down. Her skirt hugged her in all the right places and stopped just above the knee to show off her incredible legs. As she moved, her hair fell perfectly and the light danced in her eyes.

“Morning, Gabe,” she called, heading to the break room.

“I got you coffee.”
Why do I even plan these fucking things out?

Not the opening line he wanted, but it would have to do for now.

The confusion in her eyes shook his confidence even more. They seemed to be asking, “Why?”

“I was here early and thought you might enjoy some when you got here.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and accepted the cup.

He wondered if the gesture seemed as odd and out of place to Jo as it did to him. She had never shown any interest in him, but despite the urging in his head to cut his losses and try again another day, he continued standing by her cubicle.

“So, did you have a good weekend?”

“I did,” Jo said simply, taking her seat in front of her computer.

She glanced back. “Is Stratton in yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, okay.” He thought he sensed disappointment, but then Jo added, “I had breakfast with her this weekend.”

“Really? Did I forget about an event?” The thought that Madeline Stratton would spend time with her staff outside of work hours was so preposterous it didn’t even occur to him.

Jo laughed, and the sound made him weak in the knees. “No. It was just the two of us, a casual breakfast.” Gabe wrinkled his brow and frowned slightly, and she quickly added, “But don’t mention it to anyone.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep under wraps the fact that you’re the boss’s favorite.”

They both laughed, but Jo’s laugh sounded suddenly nervous to Gabe’s ears.

“Thanks,” she offered. “And thanks for the coffee.”

With that, she turned back to her computer and focused on the screen.

Good job, man. Struck out again,
Gabe thought to himself as he sulked back to his office, defeat weighing down his slumped shoulders.

* * *

The exchange with Gabe left Jo contemplating the life she could have had. Since her first day in the office, she had felt his eyes follow her every time she moved, and she knew that the interest he showed her was far more intense than the interest he showed most new employees.

Momentarily, she allowed herself to envision the life she could have with someone like Gabe Ellison. There they were, she in the white dress, he in his black suit. Her mother would be beaming, her father proudly telling everyone how they had met while working for the esteemed mayor. What a good little conservative daughter they had produced! Mr. and Mrs. Ellison (because of course she would take his last name) would go on to have children, dazzling political careers and a fabulous house. Everyone would be happy—except Jo.

If only she were attracted to men, life would be so much easier, albeit less entertaining and certainly less fun. It would give her the chance to hold hands with someone in public, go out on dates and occasionally receive an approving glance at family holidays. No, these were not necessities in life; they would have been nice, though…

She was popped out of her dream world by the realization that getting her coffee this morning was only the beginning. Gabe was building up a head of steam and would soon be moving ahead at full speed—which really was a shame. He was a friend and one of the best co-workers she had ever had. After she turned him down, that would surely change.

Of course, she could always go out with him a few times, just to have something to report back to her mother. Maybe she’d play it cool, go out to dinner a time or two and then tell him she didn’t really have time for anything serious.

It was a game she had played a million times. She liked to refer to it in her internal monologue—as she sadly had to do with most of the details of her love life—as “throwing the family off my tracks.” If she occasionally dated a man—even casually—then it would prevent them from suspecting that she liked women. All she had to do afterward was tell them that she hadn’t found “the one” yet or that work was keeping her busy, but she was trying.

Maybe she’d agree if Gabe asked her out.

She was allowing herself to ponder living the “straight life” a little too often these days. True: It would mean that she wouldn’t spend all of her days hiding away. Actually, it would be more like wasting away.

She was still mulling this over when lunchtime came. Rounding the corner to the break room, she almost smacked into Gabe again. No doubt he had been waiting there for her. Jo forced a smile, but it did nothing to stifle the sigh that escaped her lips. He was everything she should want, but she felt nothing when she looked at him.

“How’s your day going?” Gabe’s smile stretched across his entire face.

Before Jo could answer, Jacquelyn, the communications director, burst into the break room, looking as though she might break into tears. “I need to talk to you right now!”

“Which one of us?” Gabe calmly asked, placing a steadying hand on Jacquelyn’s shoulder.

“You,” she pointed to Gabe, then glanced in Jo’s direction. “You too, I suppose.”

Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder. “But not here. We need to step out of the office for a few.”

They made a hasty exit, although it was not apparent to Jo where they were headed. Jacquelyn’s face was ashen and she seemed to be holding her breath. Jo couldn’t imagine what could have shaken her so badly. She was always so poised, professional and in control of situations.

“Here. Get in here.” Jacquelyn pointed at her SUV.

Without questioning, Gabe and Jo climbed into the vehicle. Jacquelyn locked the doors, and if the air hadn’t been so tense, Jo would have laughed at the gesture.

“What’s going on?” Gabe and Jo asked simultaneously.

“I just got a call from Channel 15 news,” Jacquelyn’s hands shook as she spit out the words. “They want a comment from Stratton about her husband. They want to know why he was out to lunch with a woman and why he had taken the same woman to a hotel room two nights ago. They are breaking the story tonight at five. I don’t know what to tell them—because I can’t just walk into Stratton’s office and break the news to her that her husband is a cheating son of a bitch.”

Gabe looked as if he had been punched in the gut. Jo figured that was a normal response. But it was so unlike the response she was experiencing. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt red-hot anger and a fierce need to protect Madeline from feeling the pain that was coming. To kick John Stratton’s sorry ass, hold Madeline in her arms and wipe away her tears.

She had to get it together. Try as she might, though, she couldn’t see any easy answer to this situation. And that had nothing to do with being new to the staff. Looking at Gabe and Jacquelyn, she saw that, despite the wealth of political experience between the two of them, they not only didn’t have a clue how to proceed, but were also deeply reluctant to be the bearer of the bad tidings.

Jacquelyn tried to call Ian, the mayor’s chief of staff for the fifth time, slamming down her phone in exasperation when she was sent to voice mail again.

“Our fearless leader picked one hell of a time to disappear off the face of the earth,” she said, her words coming out as a frustrated hiss.

Gabe’s eyebrows shot up. He reached out to touch Jacquelyn’s shoulder, then quickly pulled it back, realizing how bad an idea that would be under the circumstances. She looked like a rattlesnake, ready to strike.

“It’s not like he could plan it.” He looked at his watch. “He’s likely in the middle of the funeral service now and has his phone turned off. He’s due back tomorrow and I’m sure he’ll phone us as soon as he’s able.” Jacquelyn narrowed her eyes at him but shook her head, as if pushing the anger to its rightful recipient instead of unleashing it on Gabe and Ian.

“What do we do until then?”

Jo’s mind raced, and she wanted to close her eyes and wish the whole thing away. How could anyone break the news to Stratton?

Sure, Madeline was a bitch some days. She was intense and a little severe at times, but there was a softness in her eyes and she had a good sense of humor. And, as Jo had seen at breakfast, she was human. Jo knew that if this had happened to her—if she ever gave someone the chance to hold her heart and she betrayed her like this—she would be devastated. And, of course, she’d probably want to rip the messenger’s head clean off.

As she glanced from face to face in front of her, it was clear from Gabe’s furrowed brow that he had too many questions to be a supportive participant in the discussion Madeline might need. One look at Jacquelyn’s pursed lips signaled to Jo that she was, as always, considering her career above all else.

Her heart raced as she considered what she was about to do. Jo sighed, knowing she shouldn’t get involved but also knowing that there was no way she could walk away. “I’ll tell her.”

The puzzlement on Jacquelyn’s face was evident, as was her abject relief.