Page 46 of Dirty Politics

The day had flown by as Liv had moved from meeting to meeting. She’d spent half the day thinking about her awful housing situation.

At least there’s a couch.She reminded herself, sitting down and closing her eyes.

The door jiggled and Liv jumped back to her feet. Senator Sterling walked through.

“Hi,” she said, softly.

“Hi,” he answered, staying on the opposite side of the room.

“I’m so sorry about this,” she said. “If it’s a problem, I can leave.”

“And sleep on the subway?” he said.

She shrugged.

“It’s fine,” he said. “The couch pulls out; I can sleep on it. You can take the bed.”

Liv’s eyes widened.

“No...no...” she stammered. “It’s your hotel room. I’m not taking the bed.”

He shrugged. Liv stared at him a bit too long. She averted her eyes. God, he was handsome - like empirically handsome in a tall, dark, and handsome/leading man sort of way. He and his brother got a lot of Kennedy comparisons. She thought he was much sexier than any Kennedy.

She cleared her throat and stood up.

“I guess I will get ready for bed,” she said. “Is it alright if I use the bathroom for a bit? You can go ...”

“Go,” he said. “Do whatever you need.”

He sat down on one of the plush chairs near the couch while she gathered her things.

“Is this...” she started to say and then snapped her mouth shut.

“What?”

“It’s just...um...will Ellen mind?” she blurted out.

He stared at her blankly.

“Will Ellen mind that I’m staying in your room?”

He furrowed his brow.

“Ellen...” he said, slowly like he’d never heard the name.

“Ellen...your girlfriend,” Liv said, her face growing red.

“My girlfriend?” Senator Sterling said, the creasing deepening between his brows. “Oh, Ellen - from DOT.”

He started laughing.

She just stared silently.

“She isn’t...we aren’t. We never...” he stammered. “She isn’t my girlfriend.”

“Oh.”

“What about your boyfriend?” he asked.

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