Page 61 of Senator

I was still waiting for the fallout on that one. I wasn’t naive enough to think I’d gotten off scot free. Edgar had a reputation for holding grudges, and sooner or later, there would be repercussions.

Tracy hung up her phone and looked at me. “Senator, we have a major problem. I suggest you check your cell.”

I set my shoulder bag on a nearby sofa and pulled out my mobile. When I opened my news app, I found at least four major news agencies reporting about the secret relationship between vice-presidential candidate and Texas Governor Veer George and Texas Senator Jacinta Camden. Articles were questioning my loyalty to the party and others calling for an investigation into the illicit affair between two high-level Texas state officials.

The article that ignited a migraine was one where a reporter asked the president about the breaking news. He’d laughed while standing next to Grey Decker on a golf course and said, “Nothing stays hidden in politics, especially our bedfellows. Well, one thing can be said, for a supposed conservative, she has poor taste in men. But what can be expected when her best friend is a liberal?” And then he posed for pictures.

He couldn’t leave it at Veer and me but had to throw Samina in the mix.

“Oh fuck.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “When did this hit the air?”

“A few minutes ago,” Terry answered. “However, we started a media lockdown about half an hour ago when I received a call from my friend atTheWashington Postto give us a heads-up.”

“Tell them thank you.”

She nodded.

I had hired Terry not only for her killer resume but her ability to make friends with the most unlikely people. She had a way of garnering loyalty, and I’d known it would be foolish not to have her on my team.

“Has anyone contacted my family or Kevin? We need to prepare them.”

Tracy set a glass of water and a bottle of my migraine medicine in front of me and said, “I called Representative Camden right after the call fromThe Post. You were in a secured session, so there wasn’t a way for us to contact you without causing unnecessary attention. Mr. Stanton agrees with our media blackout and will remain in Texas on his family’s ranch to keep any undue attention away from you.”

Boy, did I owe Kevin for his volunteer sequestering at his estate. It probably would force him to take a break from the nonstop traveling he’d done over the last few weeks. He loved the outdoors, and the 70,000-acre estate he owned in West Texas would give him the perfect excuse to spend some time doing what he loved, hunting and sleeping under the stars.

I opened the container, tapped out a tiny white pill, and then drank down the yucky-tasting meds with the cool water.

Frank came around his desk and offered me an envelope. “This is some data I was able to gather.”

Frank was probably the best analyst anyone could find. He could weed out the tiniest details within minutes of an event occurring. Samina had recommended him to me after I’d won the election. She, in all honesty, had poached him from her father’s technology company with a promise of a future where he would get to show off his skills and not be stuck in a cubicle all day.

“What about Dad?” I asked as I opened it.

“Your father is on his way to Louisiana. I have someone waiting at the airport to get him updated as soon as he lands,” Kimberly said as she hung up the phone. “I’ve also arranged for a return flight back to DC for him. Senator Camden isn’t one to sit back when anyone attacks the ones he loves.”

A vein pulsed on Kimberly’s forehead. She was the first lady’s niece and had a serious dislike for her uncle ever since his long-term affair with an assistant was revealed to the public.

“I appreciate you taking care of this.” I pulled out the contents of the envelope and groaned.

Image after image of Veer and me appeared. Some were from social gatherings, without anything salacious, but there were a few that made me cringe. There was one from the last weekend Veer and I had spent at my house in Austin with our friends. I was only wearing Veer’s shirt and was sitting on his lap. There was no doubt we were lovers.

And then there were two pictures of the morning after the drive from DC. Veer was holding me close as we said our goodbyes. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and both our faces couldn’t hide the love we felt for each other or the shadows of sadness.

My heart ached at the memory. I’d spent so many days pushing back the pain and loneliness, but now seeing the pictures, I could no longer pretend I was okay.

This was a private moment between two people whose hearts were breaking, and a fucking reporter had followed us to get the picture. At least this time, they hadn’t doctored them or made me look like a drunken whore as Decker had tried to do seven years ago.

I looked at the people in the room. The looks in their eyes told me they’d all seen what Frank had put together.

“You did nothing wrong, Senator,” Kimberly whispered. “You need to keep your head high and not feed into the media spectacle.”

“The world won’t see it that way. After all, I’m engaged to one man while having an affair with another.”

“None of the pictures show when or where this happened. For all anyone knows, it could have been years ago,” Trisha added.

I gave her a tight smile and then turned to Kimberly. “Send a message to your aunt and tell her it won’t be a good idea to meet today.”

“I’ll text her now. Aunt Amanda will understand.”

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