Page 47 of The Senator

That was all very interesting. However, it didn’t hint at why Sean wanted to hire me. Nothing in his comment gave me any indication how he believed I could benefit his lobbying firm.

“He landed a more prestigious job, leaving me behind, but then, I was right about him, wasn’t I? Next thing I know, I’m hearing through the grapevine that you’re taking meetings with him and granting him access to your reelection campaign. You two met at a party, didn’t you?” Sean trailed off.

My heart pounded in my chest, not sure what to say to him. I was certain he’d just set me up, and hell, maybe he was behind the whole outing thing, just to humiliate me in retaliation for some perceived transgression? Fuck!

“Obviously, you’re talking about Blaire. I had no idea he was interested in me at the time, nor did I know he was dating you. We met at a fundraiser and started talking.” I wasn’t sure where the conversation was going.

“Spencer, let me be clear. I’m not out to further smear your reputation. I want to fuck Blaire over any way I can, but not at any cost to you. He was out to prove to me that he was worthy of getting the big fish, even if he had to fuck them, and it became his mission to put me in my place. Have you ever heard of Gregor Jablonowski?” Sean asked.

I’d heard that name recently. Where? “Should I?”

“Seems we were both fooled when it came to Blaire. I hope you used a condom because Blaire was fucking your comms guy—Mitchell Flora—behind both of our backs. Mitchell’s former assistant, Lori Warren, married a photographer named Gregor Jablonowski. If you’ve found money going into Mitchell’s account, you might want to look for some of it going out. I was able to get a friend from the State Department to confirm that Gregor Jablonowski’s passport was used to fly to Antigua, going to the island on the same flight as Blaire, and returning on your flight back to the States after the pictures hit the papers.” Sean’s accusation shocked me.

Bile rose in my throat, and Sean must have seen what was happening because he rushed over to a hidden door in the room to reveal a bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before all the coffee I’d had that morning returned.

A wet cloth was handed to me before a glass of water was presented. I quickly flushed the toilet and stood upright, sad to see my favorite tie hadn’t been spared.

I wiped my mouth and accepted the water, rinsing my mouth and spitting into the sink, I moved my hand around to clean the mess before turning to Sean, who held out a hand towel.

I pulled at the tie, tightening the fucking knot to the point my shaking hands couldn’t loosen it. Surprisingly, Sean slapped at my hands and quickly helped me rid myself of the offending noose before tossing it into a trash can.

“I, uh, I’m sor…”

“No, Spencer, you don’t owe me an apology. I wanted to tell you what a sneaky bastard Blaire was, but I had no concrete proof of his actions. I had someone follow him and found out he was fucking Mitch Flora while he was fucking me and you, and I became suspicious. He and Flora took a lot of trips together, and Mitch only makes a shitty government salary. That’s when I had someone look into Blaire’s finances—not exactly legally, but I’d been stupid enough to fall in love with him.

“You see, I’d been supporting him for the three years we were together before he got the job with the NBS local affiliate. Someone helped him buy that nice house in Alexandria, but it wasn’t me, and I doubt it was you either,” Sean surmised.

I stepped out of the bathroom, my head swimming, and I stared at Sean, trying to see if he was fucking me over, or if he was honest. “Why did you think Mario was the leak in my office?”

“I’m not the one to tell anyone they’ve got a rat in their organization. I knew you and Mario were close pals, but I hoped maybe you’d start checking into your staff and find out about Mitch, his assistant—oh, she quit because she’s threatening to blackmail Mitch to pay her and her husband off or they’ll go to the press and implicate Mitch’s unknown partner. She’s a money whore, and she sang like a songbird when my guy waved five grand in front of her nose.

“You, my friend, have too much faith in the people with whom you surround yourself. Thankfully, I’m one of the good guys.” Sean offered me a bottle of water from a hidden fridge that looked like a filing cabinet.

He walked to his desk and hit the buzzer on his phone. “Yes, Mr. Fitzpatrick?”

“Byron be a doll and run to Vineyard Vines and pick up a silver and navy tie for the Senator. He accidentally spilled coffee on his, and he has a meeting after we’re finished. Put it on my card, please.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Fitzpatrick.” Sean ended the call and returned to where the two of us had been sitting before I had to puke.

“So, uh, is this job offer just a bullshit ploy to get me to help you seek revenge?” I asked, trying to hide my humiliation, though I was sure I was failing.

Sean shook his head. “No, Senator, not at all. Your charisma and grace under pressure makes you a hot commodity in my world, and let’s face it, only a few of the old pricks up the street would hold this shit against you. God knows, many a man has been taken down by a sex scandal. No, I want you to work with me because you’re a good salesman, which is what all members of Congress really are.

“I just want you to see if you can get to the bottom of this mess before all the proof is erased. I’ve done all I can to trace it to Flora and Conner. Someone with deep pockets started this ball rolling, and you have my word, Spence, it wasn’t me. Trace the money, and you’ll find your enemy.”

I nodded before there was a knock on the door. “In,” Sean called. The handsome young Byron walked in with a maroon bag with a whale on the front of it.

“This was the only one that vaguely matched the description, Mr. Fitzpatrick.” Byron opened the bag and retrieved a slender box before popping the lid to show a silver tie with navy whales on it. Sean made a motion, and Byron stepped over to me.

“Is this to your liking, sir? I can exchange it for a plain silver one if you’d prefer,” the young man offered. I stood and reached for it, retrieving it from the box.

“This will do. How much…”

“It’s a business expense. Byron, love, charge it against Senator Brady’s expense account. Oh, get us a reservation at The W for lunch, will you?” Sean asked.

I started to protest, but I saw the look in Sean’s eyes as he watched young Byron walk away, and I knew he wasn’t talking about me at all. “You’ll be in touch?” I asked Sean as I set about tying the silk around my neck.

“Be here on January 4 at seven to begin your first gig as a paid consultant. We’ll have a breakfast meeting to get you up to speed. Your official start date will be June 2 as the Director of Political Affairs. Oh—Spencer, you didn’t ask me about salary.” He smirked.

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