Page 94 of The Mayor and the Mystery Man

I gave him a wink in the crowd. He nodded his head at me, full of pride and admiration in his eyes like when I played at Applefest. There was no fear.

“Now that the truth is out there, I need to apologize to you, all of you.” I removed the microphone from its holster and walked to the foot of the stage. “I would not be the man I am today without the support of this town. Through growing up, making the leap from lawyer to mayor, becoming a father, divorce, coming out, you’ve been there for me, whether we’ve met or not. I’ve shopped at your stores, eaten at your restaurants, participated in bake sales, and run zombie 5k’s with you. You’ve contributed to the fabric of what makes this little town of ours special. And I went and lied to you. For votes. So I could present this image I thought you wanted. For that, I’m sorry.”

The pin-drop silence of the room reverberated in my head. Maria Lopez looked up at me, eyes full of hope, hanging on my words.

“I should’ve had more faith in you, faith that you would’ve continued to accept me as your mayor no matter my relationship status.” I heaved out a breath. “So why do I want to be your mayor? Because Sourwood is my home. It is my heart. Because it’s one of the few places left that feels like a real community. We may not know everyone’s name, but we’re still going to wave when they walk by.”

Another small chuckle. A few more smiles through the darkness.

“It’s a special place that doesn’t deserve to be sold to the highest bidder. It doesn’t deserve to be turned into a mini-mall filled with impersonal national chains that force our businesses to go under, or a haven for the ultra-rich who want riverfront property.” I cut my eyes to my competition. “I have countless memories of my life here, and I want to cultivate a town where those memories can flourish for new generations. It’s because of you that Sourwood is listed as one of the best places to live. Thank you for trusting me these past eight years. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. My name is Leo McCaslin, and I want to continue to be your mayor.”

Clapping spread through the room, becoming louder and louder, morphing into cheering. The volume got so high I thought I was going to blow out an eardrum.

I smiled as I choked back tears, as a town of people beamed at me. I turned to go back to my podium and took a second with my back turned to make sure I wasn’t going to cry. I dabbed at my eyes and composed myself. In the wings, Vernita was full-blown crying, not even trying to compose herself as she clapped. When I returned to my place on the podium, I found Dusty again, and my heart swelled accordingly. I wanted to keep looking at him always.

I blew him a kiss.

“I cede the rest of my time to the moderator,” I said, back to business as the applause died down.

At that moment, I stopped worrying about the polls. I stopped worrying about the election. I had the man I loved, the best kids in the world, great friends, and life in the best town. Whatever happened, I already won.

* * *

At the debate intermission,Dusty charged into my dressing room.

“Leo! You were incredible.” He pushed me against the wall and planted a huge kiss on my lips, quite literally taking my breath away.

Vernita cleared her throat to remind him we weren’t alone.

“Oh, sorry.” Dusty stepped back and smoothed out the wrinkles he’d created on my suit. “But Vernita, you have to admit, he’s been on fire tonight.”

“His head is already big enough,” she snarked with a smile. “But objectively, Mr. Mayor, this is the best debate I’ve ever seen of yours.”

“Same here. Better than any of your OG ones,” Dusty said of my college debates.

“We’ve got Rita on the ropes. When we get back out here, I’m going for the knockout.” I demolished her talking points and shot back questions that left her stumbling, exposing her for the blatant, clueless corporate shill that she was. If I were her, I’d sneak out of the Bea Arthur Center and hitchhike out of town.

“The crowd is loving it. I lost count of all the times they clapped at what you said.” Dusty was practically bouncing.

I took a sip of water, but what my mouth really wanted was more of him.

“As long as you keep doing what you’re doing, I think we’re in this,” Vernita said.

“You told me to fight, so…”

“Modesty was never your strong suit.” She patted me on the back. “I’ll see you back out there.”

She clicked the door shut on her way out. I twisted the lock shut.

Dusty got the message and licked his lips. I loved that I could openly gawk at this hot piece. Even better, I could have him.

“Seeing you up there, taking charge, has been quite a turn-on.” Dusty dragged his fingers down my suit jacket lapels until they hovered over my belt. “I can help relieve some of the mid-debate tension.” His fingers circled the belt buckle, dipping down to my quickly hardening dick.

“You could.” I placed my hand over his. “But I have a better idea.”

I moved it away. I walked to the closet in the corner of the room.

“You see, as I was crushing the debate, I’d sometimes look out at you in the crowd and think about what I wanted to do to you. I wanted to know what you wanted me to do.”

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