Page 113 of Tips and Trysts

Meet in the bathroom in ten

Me

Grow a pair and make it five

Politics Boy

You win, princess. Five.

I leave first and head through the Cunningham’s oak paneled hallways, detouring through a central lounge separating the hallway from the main bar. The lounge is bustling on a Saturday night, packed with a mix of suits and locals like so many places in the District in the summer.

I certainly wasn’t expecting to see Felix in the crowd.

From a distance, he’s absurdly attractive, like a fever dream of wealth and poise that could make even the staunchest socialist see the merits of capitalism. His posture is so relaxed that the velvet stool he occupies should thank him. Still, he’s obviously positioned to see and be seen. He smiles when I enter, and I’m certain he was expecting me.

He waves.

“What are you doing here?” I demand when I’m by his high-top table.

“When did you block my number?” is his response. He clicks off the tablet in front of him before tilting back, arms folded.

“Literally three years ago.”

“Unblock me. Get me an interview with Logan. I want to be the first.”

I part my lips to object, but Felix holds up his hand.

“Hear me out,” he urges.

“Hear this: Leave me alone.Move on. I certainly have. And I hope the rest of your life is as great as you are.”

When I move to leave, Felix reaches out and catches my wrist. “A sitting congressman dating a sex worker is right up my alley, and you know it. Get me the story. I could do wonders with it.”

“It’s not that interesting.”

Felix moves closer to whisper, “It is when you throw in the part with a storied political family and a governor’s only son falling out with his father over it. It’s television, Cora. Tell Everett to return my calls.”

…Oh.

Now that I’ve heard it, the pieces fit. Of course.Of course. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.

But then a look of surprise on Felix’s face is the only warning I get before another hand grips my bicep and whirls me around, breaking Felix’s hold. I see a flash of Everett’s cocky smirk before his lips press against mine, drawing me into a kiss that ripples out to the pads of my toes. His firm hands fix on my waist, and his tongue slips into my mouth, making me part my lips. I rise, giving myself the height I need to deepen the kiss.

The gravity of the moment isn’t lost on me: Everett and I have never kissed in public before.

When we separate, our eyes meet, and I am so ridiculously proud to be with this guy—and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he feels the same way.

His smirk fades when he acknowledges Felix, who immediately extends his hand.

“Everett—or should I say, future congressman.”

Everett glances at Felix’s outstretched hand with obvious distaste before he looks back at his face. “I know what you did,” he states evenly. “I know you go to bed at night, smug motherfucker you are, and you think you’ve got it all.”

Felix frowns. “What—”

“Do I look like I’m finished speaking? No. So shut the fuck up.” Everett glares. “You should never—and I meannever—sleep too soundly, Felix. Because one of these days, I’m going to make you pay. You won’t know how or when, but I will. And when it happens, you’re going to regret everything you’ve done.” Pausing, Everett tucks my hair behind my ear. He faces Felix again. “But I promise you this: Whatever I do will be mild compared to what she does to you.”

The smile is long gone from Felix’s face. He finally draws his hand back.

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