Scandalous: The Senator's Secret Bride (8 page)

“Champagne, miss? I hear Reynolds is about to make his speech and have the first dance with his new girlfriend.” A stabbing pain hit my gut, and I grabbed a glass of champagne.
 

“Thanks,” I said, taking a sip. The alcohol tasted strange and metallic in my mouth. I swallowed, but my stomach lurched again.
 

Great. I can’t even enjoy alcohol.
I walked over to the bar and sat the glass down. It seemed like food even tasted strange these days, but it was quite likely because I couldn’t keep John from my mind.
Like a silly schoolgirl crush
.
 

I walked into the main ballroom to a hubbub, tables set with perfectly arranged green salads and
hors-d’oeuvres
I didn’t recognize. Some of the constituents were already eating, nibbling at stuffed mushrooms and seared scallops. Just as I took a seat at one of the empty back tables, John’s voice boomed across the room. I trembled, that warmth shooting through me again. I was coming to this fundraiser not as the hardworking woman I’d always been—but as the toy that a man had requested. And even worse, I was
turned on
thinking about John using me, throwing me up against a wall and fucking me. My body nearly went slack at the sound of his voice, and I had to hold myself up from falling against the table.
 

“Welcome, welcome. It looks like we have a lot of supporters who are showing their interest in a third party having something to say.”

Cheers from the crowd
.
 

“And for that I thank you. But most of all, I’d like to extend my thanks to the leadership of my campaign team, Kelly Hernandez and Sonia Mills. These women have been keeping me in line, and they’ve planned the whole damn thing from start to finish.” My mouth went dry, and I sipped at my water, the condensation cool against my fingers. I saw John pull a woman to his side, and my body went uncomfortably tight. She was tall, blond, and looked like she was clearly from one of Virginia’s big families. Just like John.
 

And so unlike me.
 

“And to the newest addition to our campaign family, Sabrina Madden. She’s actually been keeping me company for some of these events, and yes, the rumors are true. We
are
dating.” I nibbled at some of the green salad, trying to drown out his words. There were cheers and laughter from the audience. I cringed. What if this woman really was someone that he cared about? What if she really wanted to be with him? I finished my salad, barely paying attention to John’s voice. I felt the vibrations of his speech where I sat. Though I didn’t hear his words, his presence wound its way through my body. I shifted in my chair, glancing up at him, uncomfortable with desire. His blue eyes seemed to come to me from across the room, and in that moment, my consciousness narrowed in on him and only him. Looking at him felt like stepping into the great divide, taking a dive over a cliff. He held onto the woman’s hand and raised their clasped hands high above their heads. The audience went wild, and I felt that stabbing pain again.

I pulled my eyes away and grabbed my purse.
 

I have to go. I have to not be here
. I got up and ran from the room, my heart pounding. Tears stung my eyes, and I collapsed onto one of the benches in the hallway.
If you’re smart, you won’t stay. You’ll walk away. No need to be here. Kelly’s got it under control
.
 

I rose to my feet and started walking out of the lobby, my skirts swishing around me. My phone beeped, startling me and sending a visceral pulse through my body. I yanked it out of my purse.
 

I have an hour. Meet me in room 405
. I froze. How could he stand there with that lovely woman and then go backstage to text me? I’d known he would be here with someone else, but only then did it sink in. Even if she were just an image, he was using us both. Heat prickled at my eyes, threatening to become fully formed tears.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “Damn that man.” I froze for a moment and then walked for the revolving door that lead outside. The phone beeped in my hand, the buzz sending a vibration up my arm.

Please. I need you
. My heart pounded, and I turned, walking toward the elevators.
 

***

I gulped as the elevator opened on the fourth floor. Of course, John had gotten the same room he’d had when I’d stayed with him before. I quaked with anticipation, stepping across the plush carpet and walking up to the door marked 405. For a moment, I paused, wondering if I could slip away. I raised my hand to knock, trembling and then dropping my hand down to my side. I stepped back for a moment, willing myself to turn back toward the elevator. But just as I started to turn, the door swung open. On the other side was John, smiling and holding a glass of champagne. He reached out and took my hand, pulling me into the room and letting the door slam shut.
 

“We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“That’s just the point,” he said, sitting the champagne down and pulling me into his arms. The warmth spread through my legs, reaching that center I’d left untouched for so long. But oh yes, John had accessed that part of me. And that’s what had led me to his room, had led me into his arms. He crushed his lips to mine, the sharp, dry taste of champagne on his lips. “It makes it a thousand times better,” he whispered, leaning in to bite gently on my earlobe, his breath hot and heavy against my skin. I moaned, every hair standing on end, gooseflesh taking my body over. Every moment spent waiting… every day spent on the road. This
want
had been bundled up inside of me, and here, in this room, I was a creature of desire. The
shouldn’ts
all disappeared, and we stood together, man and woman, a tangle of limbs. He ran his fingers over the sensitive hollow of my neck, tracing the lines of my body.

“And haven’t you wanted this?” He trailed one finger over the neckline of my dress, down to the thin orange and red silk that covered my breasts.
 

“I’d be lying,” I said, gasping for air as his thumb brushed across my nipple, “If I said no.” He took down his trousers, exposing his stiff cock. I reached out and ran my fingers over the head and down the thick, hot shaft.

“Christ, Sonia,” he said. He grabbed me, fingers digging into the flesh of my arms, and kissed me again. I opened my mouth, tasting him, wanting him inside of me more than I’d ever wanted anything.
 

 
I groaned. His hands found my hips and gripped them hard. Bolder now, I pushed him back to the bed and knelt before him. He put his hands to my hair and pulled slightly, groaning as I began to stroke him. I reached the tip of my tongue out to the head of his cock, licking around the tip and taking it gently between my lips. I ran my palm over his shaft, stroking in a steady rhythm as I tasted him. His musk, the saltiness of his skin… drove me to near-insanity. My sex pulsed, slick and waiting, the flesh there ready to be filled. I took in as much of his shaft as I could, his skin hot against my tongue. His hands caressed the curls of my tousled hair, his touch gentle and sure. Moaning with a masculine, throaty rasp, he pulled my hair and pumped into my face. I brought my hand down to the base of his shaft, gripping it tight and relishing the feeling of him filling my mouth and then my throat.
 

He let out a groan and pulled me away, lifting me up and throwing me on the bed. In a flurry of movement, he unzipped my dress and cast it to the floor. His hands ran over my trembling body and up to my breasts, cupping them and twirling my nipples with his fingers. I lay before him again, completely vulnerable and exposed. Arousal sung through my body, each nerve ending set on fire, each cell filled with longing. In avoiding him over and over, I’d only let my desire for him build up to the point where I was like a kettle, about to boil over. I lifted my hips and pulled down my panties, throwing them aside and bringing one hand to my pussy. I moved two fingers over my clit, creating small circles. I groaned, and another rush of wetness came to me. John stroked himself and stepped out of his discarded pants, moving to kneel on the bed between my legs. I pulled him into me with my legs, his body falling against mine. Lifting my hands to unbutton my shirt, I sought out the rippling hardness muscles.
 

“For an older man, you’re certainly pretty fine.”

“For an older man?” He laughed and cupped my breasts, shrugging out of his shirt and throwing off his red tie. “I’m in better shape than I was when I was twenty. And you’re so damn gorgeous you make me
feel
like I’m twenty again. Like I could dive into you and go all night long.” He thrust his cock against the slick flesh of my pussy, hitting against my clit and sending vibrations deep into my center. “Tell me I’m old again,” he said, pushing the hot, searching head of his cock against my clit. I whimpered, reaching up and digging my nails into the back of his neck. He thrust again, and I wrapped my legs around him.

“Older. Just slightly older,” I said, sighing and pulling him into me. He reached for a condom on the bedside table, opening with his teeth and pulling away from me to slip it on. He pressed into me again, this time moving the tip of his cock to my slippery cleft, entering me with agonizing slowness. A pulse of desire ran through my body, and I cried out as he took me by the waist, entering me all at once and stretching me open fully. He pumped into me, grinding his hips into mine, making the pressure inside of my body build, all of my muscles tensing at once. A hot flush filled my body, the ripples of pleasure trilling through my center.
 

“You, you are most beautiful,” he whispered, grabbing one of my thighs and thrusting hard. He pulled me on top, and I cried out, pushing myself down hard and angling myself so that my clit hit against the base of his cock. I rode him slowly at first, grabbing onto the bed frame for leverage. With every movement, my slick, sensitive flesh hit his, the fire growing inside of me. The flames worked their way up my thighs, and into my belly. I moaned and arched my back, clutching at the bed with one hand and gripping his arm with the other. My body began to tremble, shocks traveling through my core and out into each cell of my body. John pounded into me from below, taking me over the edge of sanity, fucking me hard so that there was nothing of me left… only the need for pleasure, the desire to give myself to this man, and this man only. I cried out, and my orgasm washed through me, like fire catching, like a wave hitting shore… timeless and powerful and primal. My legs shook, and I fell against him. Letting go of the bed, I took John into an embrace, kissing him hard. I lifted myself again, and he brought his hands to my waist, watching me as I thrust my body against his.
 

“Most beautiful,” he panted. He lifted me and pumped into me from below, but slower this time, his rhythm more controlled. I closed my eyes, sighing as he pushed his cock inside of me, filling me to the hilt again and again. He let out a mighty groan, his fingers gripping the flesh of my ass. The room around us went blank, and another climax swept through me, longer and slower than the first. At the same moment, John’s muscles tensed and his thrusts became more insistent, pounding into me. He rammed into me one final time, growling as he met his own climax. I fell against him, and this time, I stayed there, my legs wrapped around his, our bodies a sweaty tangle. Slowly, I came back to myself, my thoughts reorganizing again and leaving the intoxicated haze of pleasure behind.

“Then why wasn’t I on that stage with you?” I whispered. He rolled me to my side and kissed me.
 

“Would you want to be?” His lips found mine, strong and insistent. “Would you want all that comes with it?” I paused for a moment.
Would
I want that? The senator’s younger girlfriend, one of his employees. I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent, his closeness. If it meant being with him, then maybe I’d learn to deal with it.
Maybe.

For once, I let myself drift off in a man’s arms, denying caution, denying responsibility. I slept as John went downstairs again to make the rounds with his supporters. And when he came back to me after midnight, he held me in his arms, kissing me tenderly. And there was love, softer and sweeter, when we woke near five in the morning. He entered me, filling me while I was still half sleeping, making me cry out and clutch him with need. I cried out, coming hard with my legs wrapped around his perfectly sculpted body. Afterwards, I stole out of bed, determined to get back to my apartment and rest for once.
 

“See you Monday,” he said. “And maybe some other time?”

“Probably all the days after that too. I am helping run your campaign,” I said, fumbling back into the formal dress. It felt tight in all of the wrong places, my breasts uncommonly sore.

“No, I mean, like this. You and me, together.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “But what’s fun for us might not be the best thing for your campaign.” He nodded, his face somber. I picked up my bag and waved awkwardly as I made my way over to the door.
 

“Even still. Maybe what’s fun for us... well, maybe it’ll keep me going. Give me a reason to win.” My heart pounded for a moment, and I looked at him, considering a world where a real relationship between us might be possible. It was a nice thought.

“We can talk about that some other time, John.”
 

“Okay,” he said, falling back onto his pillow and watching me as I left.

I walked out of the hotel into the cool air of the morning, starting my second walk of shame from the Four Seasons back to my apartment. Well, the taxi ride of shame, anyway. My body buzzed from the attention John had paid to each curve… each soft spot where my skin met his. Last night, and again this morning. I paused at the curb, looking behind me.
 

Did anyone see me going up to his room? Did they notice when I didn’t come back down? Did Kelly?

My stomach roiled again, and I brought my hands to my belly. I swayed a bit, clenching my hands as another wave of nausea hit.