The Gentlewoman (21 page)

Rory welcomed his lips and roving tongue. It was the
distraction she needed. He picked her up and laid her back on the counter.
“You’re my favorite entertainment, Congresswoman,” he breathed as he opened her
robe wide
.

Rory dropped her bags and walked around her condo, closing
every blind. The paparazzi had been following them since Tuesday morning and
she was becoming seriously pissed off. Apparently the
Entertainment Tonight
footage had piqued the interest of every gossip outlet in the area and they
were all looking to cash in. Currently there were ten people milling about the
outside of the building and she’d had to work her way through. Questions had
been shouted, cameras had flashed furiously, but she had kept her calm demeanor
and ignored it all. It reminded her of the attack that led to the last time she
was hounded by the media. One upside, she was a lot safer with so many
witnesses around. She hadn’t heard back from the FBI and it weighed on her
mind.

She had taken the livery car home alone. Jackson had
committee meetings. She headed for the refrigerator to grab water and leftover
Chinese. They seemed to always have leftover Chinese. She smiled at the “they”.
No matter how stressed, pissed, busy, or whatever emotion she was feeling at
the time, she could always smile if she thought of Jackson. She was feeling
very happy that she had taken her friends’ advice to go with this.

Her cell phone rang. “Did you get home okay?” Jackson asked.

“Yes, there’s a gathering outside, but I didn’t have any
trouble.”

“Damn, they really are persistent. What are you going to do
tonight?”

“Sounds like you won’t be here until late then?”

“Yeah, it’s going to be a long one. I’ll probably be in
around midnight or so.” He didn’t sound happy.

“I’m just going to hang out. Maybe I’ll use your treadmill
since our friendly neighborhood reporters are keeping me from running. Not that
I care if they tag along, but I don’t want to be sued. Several of them don’t
look too far from a coronary.” Jackson was silent. “Hey, are you okay?”

He breathed out quickly. “My mom’s in the hospital. I got a
call about an hour ago.”

“Oh no. I’m so sorry, Jackson. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes. You can come with me to Maine in the morning.”

Rory was silent.

“I’ve already booked a flight into Portland. I need to make
sure she’s okay and help with the decision making. My dad isn’t great at this
and my brothers and sister don’t really man up.”

Rory’s heart went out to him. “Jackson, I’m so sorry, but I
can’t really leave right now. I have committee meetings I can’t miss.” He was
quiet. “I’m sorry. If it were any other time but right now, especially before
the vote next Monday. I really don’t feel comfortable going.” She and Nicole
were having lunch with several people and she wanted to triple check her votes
for the shipyard. There was no way she could get away. Besides, she hadn’t met
his family. It would be awkward with his mother in the hospital.

He spoke after several tense moments. “I just thought I’d
try. I know it’s not a good time to leave, for me either.” He sounded worried
and depressed. His mother must not be doing very well at all, Rory thought.

“Jackson, tell me what they’re saying about your mother’s
condition.”

His mother had been taken to the hospital after having
sudden and severe memory lapses and loss of equilibrium. They had been worried
she would fall. Once she was there, they admitted her to treat her for a
relapse of her MS, which included drug therapy.

“I’ve booked a flight for tomorrow morning and heading back
here Saturday morning, so I shouldn’t be gone too long. I guess I would just
feel better if you were with me rather than home alone with the magically
unlocking door.”

“I’m so sorry, baby,” Rory said gently.

She could hear Jackson’s quick intake of breath. “That’s the
first time you’ve called me baby.”

“Really?” Maybe she could raise his spirits. “It’s better
than a lot of names I’ve called people. What do I normally call you?”

“Jackson. You always call me Jackson. Which I guess is
better than Dorn, which is what you called me before we…”

“I called you Dorn before we started fucking, right?” She
laughed, trying to make him feel better.

“Became involved is what I was going to say,” he said dryly.

“Oh yes, I guess that sounds better.”

He was quiet again. It concerned her, she hadn’t experienced
him like this. “Did you like it that I called you baby?”

“Oh yes,” he said. “It makes me very happy to be your baby.”

“I’m glad,” she said, and her heart fluttered.

“I have to go to my meeting now.”

“Wake me when you get home.”

“No, it’ll be late.”

“I don’t care. Better yet, I’ll wait up for you,” she said
in a low voice, trying to sound seductive.

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to. Tell you what, I’m going to wait up for you, but
if you find that I’ve fallen asleep, I want you to wake me in the most creative
way you can think of.”

She could tell he smiled a little just by the lift in his
voice. “Oh yeah? I can think of some very creative ways, Congresswoman.”

“That’s what I’m counting on, baby.” She stressed the
endearment.

“Deal,” he said, sounding a tad better now. “I’ll see you
tonight, Rory.”

“See you then, Jackson.”

Jackson hung up the phone and scrubbed his face with his
hands. He leaned back in his chair and stared across the room. This fucking
sucked. He had intended to spend Thursday through Sunday preparing Rory for the
reality of what would go down at that committee vote on Monday. He was planning
to ease her into what he had to do, only after spending some serious time
cementing a more permanent arrangement concerning their relationship. He needed
them to be rock solid before that vote came. Now he had to fly out early in the
morning.

His mom’s situation wasn’t good. The older she got, the
harder it was for her to come back from these lapses. His mom was probably the
most important woman in his life and he wasn’t ready to lose her. And now he
had Rory, and she had become equally important. He sure as hell didn’t want to
lose her either.

Waiting to broach the vote topic with Rory hadn’t been his
greatest move. He had just wanted to be with her and not worry about this shit.
Now the walls were caving in. He was concerned about her safety, he was afraid
she wouldn’t take kindly to his deal on the vote, and his mother’s health was
failing. He hadn’t counted on this. He had planned to make sure she knew that
vote had nothing to do with their relationship. But now he was fucked. Well,
he’d get home Saturday and spend a day and a half convincing her of his love
before he completely turned her life upside down.

Jackson had come and gone in the wee hours of the night and
she wondered if it had really happened. If she didn’t have the handcuff marks
and sore ass to prove it, she would swear she had just had the best dream ever.
She sat at her desk, sipping her coffee and trying to clear her head. She
leaned back in her chair and rolled her shoulders, remembering the look on his
face as he had restrained her, so full of lust and awe, so dominant and hard.
She smiled to herself; he sure wasn’t boring in the sack.

She also remembered him leaving at four a.m. to catch his
flight to Maine. He had woken her and lay down next to her, fully dressed,
holding her tightly, kissing her and whispering in her ear how much he would
miss her. He was so sweet. Rory could tell his mother’s condition had him very
upset and her heart went out to him.

Jill tapped timidly on her door. “Congresswoman, there’s a
Special Agent Sutton here to see you.”

Her mood deflated entirely. “Show him in,” she said,
standing and mentally girding herself to come face-to-face with a part of her
terrible past.

Shane Sutton was a handsome man, in a cute, boyish sort of
way. His smooth features were well rounded and he always looked fresh faced.
Shane had been on the team Agent Tagg had headed against her husband and he was
the one left behind to protect her after it had all gone down and Aidan’s
family was rumored to be a threat.

It’s too bad their paths had crossed when they did. Another
time and place and it might have been different. He had never stood a chance
with her, and he had wanted one. He had been upset when she cut him out of her
life, as she had the rest of the FBI. It had been a major mistake for her to
sleep with him. He had been nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, a panicked
attempt to feel like a normal person. She still felt pangs of guilt over using
and dumping him as she had, but she hadn’t been in a fit state. And he had
never really seemed to accept it. He hadn’t been happy when she told him they
wouldn’t be continuing to have sex, and they weren’t going to be developing a
relationship. Both Rory and Devon knew that was why he still hung around Devon
and the kids from time to time.

Three years hadn’t made a difference; he still looked
exactly the same. And he still looked at her the same way, with a mix of longing
and hunger.

“Congresswoman, how are you?” He took her outstretched hand
and smiled intently into her eyes. “It’s been a long time.”

“It’s still Rory, please. It’s been awhile, Shane. How have
you been?”

They both sat down; Rory behind her desk, as if it were a
shield. This was awkward. She could already tell that if she said go, he would
be on her in a flash. His gaze was that intense. They exchanged pleasantries
for a few minutes. Rory learned that Shane had just recently been transferred
back to DC from the Cleveland office. Interesting timing.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” As if she
didn’t know. She didn’t want to be rude, but she didn’t want to linger here
with him.

She knew she wasn’t going to like it when he sat forward in
his seat and his expression became more compassionate. “Rory, I’m going to give
it to you straight. There’s been activity on a passport that we know is one of
Roan Sullivan’s aliases.”

Rory looked into his eyes thoughtfully while her heart
plummeted to her knees. “What exactly does that mean?”

“It means that if it’s Roan, he’s in the country. We’re
continuing to investigate, but we wanted to let you know, especially
considering the information you shared with Tagg.” Rory felt as if he was
holding something back. She gave him her steely glare, waiting for him to offer
more.

“We’ve shared this information with the Secret Service. Now
that you’re a member of Congress, this is a question of national security. Of
course, Homeland Security is always involved, since the Sullivan rings stretch
internationally.”

Her head began to pound as her blood pressure surged. Just
what she needed. Now she would be the Congress’s problem child. She continued
to gaze at him. She had learned three years ago that you needed dental instruments
to extract information from these FBI bastards.

“Is that all?” she asked.

“We’re also going to start doing drive-bys of your home.
It’s just a precaution at this point, but we feel we should increase presence.”

Rory blanched and sat back in her chair, her eyes traveling
across the room before coming back to focus on Shane. “Son of a bitch,” she
muttered. “Do you think Roan is seeking me out?”

“We don’t know yet. Don’t jump to conclusions, Rory, it
won’t help anything. At this point we are just being cautious.”

“Yeah, like before.” She closed her eyes, shaking her head.
This was too familiar, the FBI coming in and telling her she was in danger. It
felt as though she was right back at the beginning, three years ago, in that
office in the Federal Building with her father.

“Hey, come on.” She opened her eyes and Shane was crouched
beside her chair, taking her hand. Instinctually, she pulled back but he snaked
an arm around her shoulders before she could pull away. “I’m here for you.”

“Thanks, I’m fine.” She stood and held her palms up to ward
him off. He straightened and leaned back on her desk, studying her. She backed
up to the credenza.

“Do you ever think about me, Rory? Do you ever think about
it?” He searched her eyes.

“I’m not going to do this, Shane. I’m not going there with
you again. It wasn’t meant to be with us, and I’m sorry about that.”

“But it is with him?”

She blanched. “That’s none of your business.”

Shane stepped into her space again. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean
to upset you.” He placed his hand on her cheek. “I’ve really missed you.” He
swayed into her body, trying to hold her. She could feel his hard, tense
muscles as he tried to embrace her. His hips rubbed up against her, and she
could feel his erection.

Her whole body went rigid. “Take your hands off me, Shane.”
She stared into his eyes, pissed off and ready to strike out. When he didn’t
move, she placed her hands on his chest and gave him a push that didn’t budge
him. Finally he stepped back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

She didn’t hear conviction in his words. “Thanks for
bringing me the news, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave now.”

He stared at her for what seemed an eternity. “Fine. Good
seeing you, Rory,” he stated icily.

Rory stood exactly where she was. When he was gone, she let
out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding. She looked down at her
shaking hands.

“Was that Shane?” Nicole came in several seconds later as
Rory collapsed in her chair. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Rory covered her face with
her hands as she leaned her elbows on her desk.

“That was Shane.”

“What’s going on?” Nicole asked, hyper-alert as she took a
seat in front of the desk.

Rory rubbed her upper arms. “Shane was being Shane.”

“Still no white flag, huh? Well, he’s harmless; we know
that,” Nicole assured her. Rory just looked at her.

“There’s some bad news. The FBI is going to watch the house
because there’s been activity on a passport they believe belongs to Roan.”

“What? Oh God, what does that mean?”

“I don’t know, maybe nothing.”

“Is that why Shane’s in town?” Nicole asked

Rory breathed in deeply and looked at Nicole. “Apparently he
was transferred here a couple weeks ago.”

Nicole held Rory’s gaze. “Do you want to come and stay with
us? At least while Jackson’s away?”

“No. I’ll be fine. I’m sure it’s nothing. Look, let’s just
get going. We have Energy and Commerce first thing today. I don’t want to think
about this anymore.” Rory moved to gather her things, dismissing the subject
entirely.

She moved through her day trying to ignore thoughts of both
Shane’s visit and the news he’d imparted. She felt disconcerted and off
balance. She went through the motions in her meetings. She could feel the
tremors of anxiety in her body and was doing her best to hold it at bay. She
thought of Jackson. She unashamedly admitted to herself that she missed him
terribly and longed for the comfort he gave her. She remembered Shane’s hands
pulling at her and wished she could replace those thoughts with the feel of
Jackson.

Rory looked out the window of the livery car on her way home
and wondered how Jackson’s mother was. She hadn’t heard from him all day.
Delicious memories of the night before played through her mind again. She
smiled and looked down at her hands. She was caressing her left wrist again.
Jackson was right, she thought as she grabbed her bags on the approach to the
building.

She looked around as she exited the vehicle and thanked the
driver. She was feeling paranoid but the street looked clear. Even the
paparazzi had decided to give it a rest. She smirked as she thought about the
fact that Jackson and she were already old news. She shivered at the cold
evening as she unlocked the front door.

She approached her condo and was relieved to see that the
door was still closed and locked. She let herself in and made her way to her
bedroom to change. She was feeling melancholy without Jackson and wanted
whatever comfort she could find.

The phone rang as she examined the sparse contents of the
refrigerator. Excitement and relief flooded her system at the sound of Jackson’s
voice.

“How’s your mom?”

“Well, it could be better. She’s not reacting as well to the
drug regimen as they would like, so they’re trying another cocktail to see if
it’ll help.”

“I’m so sorry, baby,” she whispered.

“Just hearing you call me that makes me feel better.” He
sighed. “How was your day?”

Rory took a deep breath and fought the impulse to hold back
on him. “It was fine.”

He was silent for a moment. “What’s going on? You sound
down. Spill it.”

“It’s really nothing. I don’t want to worry you while you
need to be focusing on your mom. Concentrate on what’s important.”

“You’re my girl. If there’s something wrong, I need to know.
You’re
important.”

Her heart soared, but she was wary of telling him. He
already had so much to worry about. She wanted to ease him, as he did her.

“Rory, tell me.”

“Okay… I got a visit from the Bureau today. They’re doing
drive-bys of the building and alerted the Secret Service and Homeland.” She
paused and he was quiet. “They discovered activity on a passport that may be an
alias for my former brother-in-law.”

“I see.” He was quiet again.

“They said it might be nothing.” She needed to hear him
concur.

“Yes, they’re right. It could be nothing. But I want you to
be careful. Is your door locked?”

She strode over and turned the lock. “Yes sir, it is.”

“I’m not joking, Rory. I want you to be safe. Damn it, I
wish I was there with you. Who came to see you from the Bureau?”

She cringed. “Shane Sutton. He was on my case in Cleveland.”

“I don’t know him. Is he any good?”

Not as good as you
. “I guess. I don’t know. I’m
sorry, Jackson. I don’t want you worrying about this while you’re dealing with
your mom. Please, just forget about it.”

“I’m not going to forget about it… Damn, the doctor’s here.
I’ll call you back, okay?”

“Are you there in your mother’s room?” she asked, surprised.

“Yes, let me talk to the docs and I’ll call you back.”

Rory hoped that Jackson’s mother improved quickly; he seemed
so worried. She knew what he was going through with a parent in the hospital,
dealing with a life-threatening disease. It wasn’t something she’d wish on
anyone. She wanted to wrap her arms around him.

She spent the rest of the evening watching the cable news
networks and working at the coffee table. She had plenty of reading to keep
current with. Committee reports and legislative updates seemed endless. At ten
o’clock she finished reviewing the agenda and notes for the vote of the
Appropriations Committee for Monday and started packing up the paperwork for
the night.

She looked around the condo pensively and glanced at the
door. She thought about when she first moved in. It had felt so empty and
lonely. She didn’t feel so alone anymore, and it was because of Jackson. She
had a sense of home.

She smiled and stacked her things on the kitchen bar.
Jackson’s keys lay next to her bag. He had left her the keys “just in case”.
She suspected because he wanted her to stay at his place, believing it was
safer. She thought about his big bathtub and decided to help herself.

Jackson sat back in the chair next to his mother’s hospital
bed and watched the nurse adjust the medication in the IV tubing. He thanked
her as she left the room. He leaned forward and looked at his sleeping mother.
She looked so frail. Her white-blonde hair was brushed out smoothly and her
pale skin looked almost translucent it was becoming so thin and aged. The
doctors hadn’t offered better news.

His brothers and sister had come and gone, as well as his
useless father. Thomas Patrick Dorn had been at his wife’s bedside for about
half an hour, then back to the office. Quite like the hit-and-run method he had
employed with his kids.

He wished Rory had come with him. The thought of her alone
was driving him batshit crazy. More than once he had recalled the photos and
report in her FBI file. The situation was so damn frustrating.

More frustrating was his need to talk to her about Monday’s
vote. He needed to explain that he had to trade, and he needed to make her
understand why. It really wasn’t as bad as it seemed. That was what he was
hoping he could convince her of, anyway. He rubbed his forehead. He understood
her stress at dealing with her past. He had Saturday and Sunday to work it out
with her. He wasn’t broaching that over the phone.