Page 59 of Presidential Bargain
“Where the fuck did these come from?” he demanded, his voice an angrygrowl.
“I don’t know. It was in the pile of mail.” I slid the empty envelope across the counter and watched it flutter to the ground with the rest of the photographs. Jameson knelt to pick it up, along with the note and the copiedarticle.
Jameson was quiet as he read through both and then he slammed them down on the counter. I jumped, and the tears that would have fallen out of happiness now fell out ofdespair.
“Shit, Georgie. I need toexplain.”
“Do you know thosewomen?”
“Yes,Ido.”
“Are those womenprostitutes?”
“Yes,theyare.”
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply before opening them again. I grabbed the closest thing, a ceramic canister, and sent it hurling across the room where it smashed into hundreds of tinypieces.
“Get the fuck out!” I roared. I didn’t want to know any more. I didn’t want to know what kinds of sordid affairs Jameson engaged in before me. I shouldn’t care who he dated, who he fucked before me, because he was supposed to be mine now. But seeing him with these women, with prostitutes, tore my heart into a hundred broken pieces. I looked at the remnants of the canister on the floor andthought,Same.
The shoutingof the reporterswas deafening. And my own anger at the entire fucked up situation had me seeing red, unable to focus on anything other than the fact that Georgie was gone.Fuckinggone.
“Senator, where is Ms.Washington?”
One question that I was able to hear clearly. I scanned the pool of reporters, looking for the asshole who asked that question. No one made eyecontact.
“She left.” My voice was hollow and empty, exactly howIfelt.
“Senator, can youelaborate?”
I looked up at the pool and scowled.Are you fucking kidding me? Did they really expect me to elaborate on my fiancéeleavingme?
“Okay. She fucking left.” That certainly got their attention. I didn’t give a shit anymore. The Oval didn’t matter if she wasn’t there with me. She had changed everything about me, made me want something other than to be the president. She showed me that it was possible to have both her and the presidency. Now she was gone, and she took my heart with her. I found it very hard to blame her for leaving. Even though she refused to talk to me, to let explain, she was right to leave. I was shocked she hadn’t left the moment Russell Atlee laid his filthy handsonher.
I felt hands tugging me away from the podium. A familiar blond head stepped in front of me. Sean was here to save my ass. I stood back, defeated, and listened as he eloquently said what Icouldnot.
“Ladies and gentleman of the press, I apologize for the senator’s remarks. Understandably, Senator Martin and Ms. Washington are upset by these disgusting and unfounded allegations. Additionally, Senator Martin is very protective of Ms. Washington and does not wish to subject her to any unfair criticism. She has already faced so much in such a short time. Ms. Washington is currently taking some time away from the campaign while we deal with this issue. She will begin making limited appearances in a few days because she firmly believes that Senator Martin is the only person qualified to be the next president. That is all we have to say atthistime.”
Sean stepped away from the podium, leaving the reporters shouting questions. They were all shit out of luck because we were done. I was done. He gestured for me to leave and I followed him off the dais, through the back of the campaign office, to a back door. An SUV sat idling in the alley, waiting to take us back to mycondo.
After Georgie demanded that I leave, I gave in when I realized she wasn’t going to talk to me. I left her there, in a home I’d hoped to share with her, and told the driver to take me right to the airport. I waited in a parking garage while Sean arranged for a private jet to take me back to D.C., to my condo, because it was the only place Georgie hadn’ttouched.
“Where is she?” I demanded. I arranged to have Secret Service stay with her, to keep the gluttonous wolves awayfromher.
“She went to her parents’cabin.”
“I want to talktoher.”
“Are you sure that’s agoodidea?”
I raised my eyebrows and held out my hand expectantly. “I want to talk toher.Now.”
Sean handed me his phone and I scrolled through his contacts until I found the number to thecabin.
“Alone.” I shot Sean and the driver a look that had them scrambling to exit. I hit “SEND” and my heart literally stopped while I waited for her topickup.
“Hello,” she answered, and my heart started once more. I could live again. Her voice was raspy, like she was sick or had beencrying.
“Georgie.”
