Dutch and Gina: The Power of Love (5 page)

LaLa looked at him.
 
At his brownish-blond hair, at the way his milky blue eyes stared at her in such a longing way.
 
He was so handsome, and so strong, such a wonderful man in so many ways.
 
But he broke her heart even after she had alerted him to the possibility.
 
And now he felt too risky, too much of a bad bet, because her heart wasn’t equipped to take another break.
 

“I doubt it,” she answered honesty and was about to turn to take Walter to his nursery.

But Crader, a sudden and pained expression on his face, reached for the baby, instead.
 
“I’ll take him,” he said.
 

His heart was hammering, not because of her response, but because of that look of repulsion he saw in her eyes.
 
As if she was repulsed by the notion of going anywhere with him.
 
And he couldn’t take that.
 
Not from the woman he loved.
 
He was so pained that he was afraid he could break down and cry right in front of LaLa.
 
That was why he grabbed Little Walt, and fled from the room.

LaLa could see the embarrassment on Crader’s face as he left with the baby.
 
He was a proud man, she knew, who wasn’t accustomed to being turned down.
 
But what did he expect from her?
 
Her ex-beau Dempsey was a good man too, and she had given him chance after chance, only to have her heart broken so completely that she was still piecing it back together.
 
Then Crader came along, and she was convinced she had found another good one, but that he would be far more faithful than Dempsey could ever be.
 
Only to catch him that night, completely caught up in lust, as he allowed Liz Sinclair to suck on his big dick as if she was sucking on a lollipop.
 
And that wasn’t the kind of memory she was ever likely to forget.
  

She looked back out of the window as Dutch and Gina started swimming again, this time toward the shore.
 
Gina was the first to reach the beach, laughing uproariously.
 
LaLa smiled too.
 
She loved to see Gina cut loose and have some fun.
 
About time, in her estimation.

But just as LaLa was about to turn away from the window again, she saw, from the corner of her eye, a male figure approaching the couple.
 
She quickly looked, amazed that Secret Service was allowing this approach.
 

But when the president raised his hand in acknowledgement of the man, and the man, once upon them, shook the president’s hand, LaLa relaxed again.
 
After witnessing that craziness with Little Walt’s botched kidnapping, and how it nearly destroyed Dutch and Gina, she didn’t take any chances when a new face hit the scene.

The man appeared to be a little younger than Dutch, maybe in his late thirties, and he wore a light blue seersucker suit and sandals, with the coat flapped across his shoulder.
 
He had a thick wad of brown hair that blew wildly in the Caribbean breeze, and his tall, athletic frame was even more muscular than Dutch’s.
 
He was smiling, even from where LaLa stood she could tell he was an affable man, as he reared back in laughter.

For the longest time LaLa just stood there, unable to take her eyes off of the animated man laughing and talking with the First Couple.
 
Until Crader returned and interrupted her trance.

“Little Walt is now lying down,” Crader said as he made his way back to LaLa’s side.
 
He was determined to pretend his hurt feelings never occurred.
 
“That little fellar is going to be a ladies man just as sure as I’m standing here.”

“Who’s that?” LaLa asked, unable to hide her interest.

Crader looked from LaLa to the man standing on the beach with Dutch and Gina.
 
He looked back at LaLa.
 
“Why?”

“Who is it, Crader?” LaLa asked, her eyes still transfixed on the stranger.

“That’s Robert,” Crader said.

LaLa looked at Crader snidely.
 
“Thanks a lot, Cray, you really answered my question.
 
That’s Robert.
 
Oh, okay.”
 
Then she frowned.
 
“Who is he, Cray, not what is his name.
 
Who is he?”

Crader’s heart dropped.
 
Here he was literally begging to get back with her and she had already moved on.
 
She was so over him it wasn’t funny, he thought.
 
“He’s a friend of the president’s.
 
Why?
 
You interested?”

“It’s not even like that.
 
I just don’t want any more drama like that foolishness we had in Florida.
 
And since I’ve never seen that man before in my life, I’m asking questions.”
 

“He’s Robert Rand.
 
He owns this little piece of tropical paradise we have the good fortune of visiting right this very moment.”

“He owns it?
 
You’re lying!
 
I thought the president owned this place.”

“Dutch could own it, he’s rich enough.
 
But no.
 
Robert Rand owns this.”

“So that’s Mr. Rand,” LaLa said, looking once again at Robert.
 

“That’s right,” Crader replied slowly, almost cautiously, as he stared at LaLa.

THREE

Robert Rand sat behind his office desk within his beachfront mansion, and leaned back in his executive chair.
 
He was on a conference call with the Vice President of the United States, Shelton Pratt, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Jed Brightman.
 
Both men wanted an update.

“All going according to plan,” Robert said, his phone on speaker, his hand tossing a golf ball in the air.

“What about Loretta King?” the Vice President asked.
 
“Have you met her yet?”

“Not yet, Shelly.
 
I just got here, remember?
 
But we’re all assembling for dinner in a few.
 
I suspect I’ll be meeting her then.”

“And you’re so certain she’ll fall for you?”

“Will you stop worrying for two seconds?
 
I know how to handle women.
 
If she’s as love-starved as our investigation indicates, I’ll have her eating out of my hands in no time.
 
She’ll position me perfectly.”

Shelly sighed.
 
“I don’t know,” he began.
 

“It’s not for you to know.
 
Just trust that I know what I’m doing.
 
Miss King has the total confidence of the First Lady, and the First Lady, after all, is our focus here.
 
Not Loretta King.
 
She’s just a means to an end.
 
She’ll just be that extra nugget that won’t make it look strange when I decide to pop up at the White House.
 
And when I show up uninvited, they will both welcome me with open arms.”

“But what makes you so certain, that’s what I want to know?”

“Because of the charm offensive, Shelly.
 
Something you know nothing about.”

Jed Brightman laughed.

“Don’t be disrespectful,” the vice president asserted.
 
“I know a little something about
 
charm, thank-you.
 
But that Regina Harber, that’s a smart lady.
 
A lady like that isn’t going to fall for any charm offensive.”

“He doesn’t have to charm her,” Jed Brightman said, tired of the VP’s lack of understanding.
 
They’d been over the plan several times, but he still didn’t seem to get it.
 
“He has to charm Loretta King.”

“And that’s the point,” Robert agreed.
 
“The First Lady cares about her friend’s well-being, that’s a fact in every report we looked at.
 
Dutch’s wife will see me as a great catch for her friend and I’ll make certain that her friend agrees.”

“But why would she view you as such a catch?” Shelly asked.
 
“You aren’t even all that great looking.
 
You’re no Dutch Harber or Crader McKenzie or nobody like that.”

Robert smiled.
 
“But I have twice the charm of both those guys.
 
And twice the cash.
 
Women think they’re doing me a favor by dating me, by falling for me.
 
Falling for me and my billions, that is,” Robert added with a chuckle.
 

“That’s what they’re really charmed about,” Shelly interjected.

Robert went on.
 
“Just trust me, Shell, all right?
 
This Loretta King person will be eating out of my hand before the night is through.
 
And then, when they’re back in DC, I’ll go see the First Lady, give her my song and dance, and our plan will have officially begun.”

Shelly Pratt, however, was still unconvinced.
 
“But there are so many variables in this plan of yours.”

Speaker Brightman disagreed.
 
“It’s a good plan,” he said.
 
“You have just got to be patient.
 
If we remain patient, and let it play itself out naturally, we can’t fail.”

“Jed is right,” Robert said.
 
“If we rush things, it could blow up in our faces.
 
But if we do it right, which I have every intention of doing, it will work like a charm.”
 
Robert smiled.
 
“Like my charm.
 
They will think I’m coming at them in direction A, then direction B, when I’m really coming in direction C.
 
It’ll be a misdirection of a misdirection.
 
But they’ll be so focused on A and B that they won’t even realize C was on the radar screen.
 
Until it’s too late.”

“And Dutch Harber will be destroyed forever,” Shelly said, which was really his goal.

“I can’t guarantee his destruction,” Robert said, “but I can certainly guarantee that he’ll resign.
 
That’s the least he will do.
 
He and that black family of his will leave Washington with their tails between their legs.
 
And that’s all I’m after anyway.”

“You want him to go down because he has a black wife?” Shelly asked as if he found the mere thought disgusting.

“Of course not!
 
I don’t care if the bitch was blue.
 
I want to be the top guy, and Dutch Harber stands in my way.
 
He has got to go.
 
That’s all there is to it.”

“It’s all about the power with you,” Shelly said.
 
“Isn’t it?
 
Even if it means backstabbing your own friend.”

Robert smiled.
 
What a loser, he thought.
 
“Of course it’s about power.
 
That’s what it’s always about.
 
Money or power or both.
 
I’m already rich.
 
Why else would I bother?”

“Pay Shelly no attention,” Jed urged Robert.
 
“He wants more power too, which we will all have if we stick to the plan.
 
He’s just not courageous enough to admit it.”

“Well I am, gentlemen,” Robert said with a booming laugh that the Speaker shared.
 
“I am.”