Blondie looked at me and then back to Mason as if she was trying to figure out why he was with me. “Let me know if you change your mind,” she said with a sniff, and left the tab on the table. This time when she walked away, there was a little less sass in her sashay.
Grinning at Mason, I said, “I don’t know why you don’t go for one of the women who come on to you. Don’t worry about me; you should go out and have a good time. Lord knows your pickings aren’t slim.”
“So, the senator . . .” Completely dismissing what I’d said, Mason pinned his gaze on me as I swirled the little plastic stirrer in my drink.
Averting my eyes, I said, “He asked me to dinner.” I took a sip of my cocktail before slowly looking up at him.
“And? What did you say?” Mason asked, his voice laced with concern.
I knew why, of course, but I also knew he’d be happy that I’d decided to take a chance.
“I said yes.”
CHAPTER 2
Drake
The little black dress that had hugged Lucy’s curvy body made me thankful I wasn’t a student in her class. If I were, there was no way I would have been able to maintain good grades; my concentration would have flown right out the window. Or down to my pants.
I sat in the passenger seat of my BMW M5, going through e-mails on my phone as Ben navigated DC traffic, headed back to my office. His face was twisted in a scowl, and he cleared his throat.
Looking up from my phone, I drawled, “Is there something you’d like to say?”
The way his hands wrapped around the steering wheel, almost wringing it like a wet towel, I knew he had something rattling around in his brain. If he weren’t such a good campaign manager, I would have found someone else long ago. Ben was blunt and abrasive, which could be incredibly annoying.
“You shouldn’t have asked her out,” he said as he brought the car to a stop in front of the Senate Office Building. Frowning at me, he added, “Someday you’ll understand that you aren’t just an ordinary person. There are people who can bring down your career in an instant.”
“Ben, do you honestly think a high school teacher is high risk? Shit, look at some of the women you’ve set me up with.” I shook my head in disbelief.
“The difference is, I’ve vetted them before you’ve gone out, and most are just women I’ve come to know who understand why they’re with you. It isn’t their first time in the political rodeo. They know the score.”
I chuckled. “Yes, a political rodeo, and I’m sure they’ve ridden their share of politicians.” Sobering, I said, “Do me a favor and don’t dig into Ms. Washburn’s past. I want to find out about her on my own.”
His lips formed a tight line. “I advise against that, Drake.”
As we exited the car and took the steps up to the office, I tossed over my shoulder, “Noted.”
Once I was in my office and behind closed doors, I pulled out my phone again. Not wanting to appear too forward—or even worse, hard up—I sent Lucy an innocent message, hoping it would spark a conversation.
No, that wasn’t completely true. I wanted her to be thinking of me just as I thought of her.
DRAKE: Thank you for having me in your class today.
I had an event I needed to attend tonight, but I knew my mind would be elsewhere—on a particular teacher with a body that could stop even DC traffic.
? ? ?
Three hours later, I walked into the lobby of the hotel hosting the event. Typical for our nation’s capital, tonight was a formal event, which meant tuxedos and evening gowns. I’d much rather be wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but that wasn’t my reality. At least, not tonight.
Contrary to what people might believe, politicians didn’t spend the majority of their time sitting in Congress or meeting with constituents. The reality of politics was that the moment you won an election, you set your sights on the next one, and that meant fundraising. Tonight’s event was primed to raise a lot of money for our party, and I had to be there. With the primary coming up in a couple of months, I needed to be front and center, shaking hands and wooing donors. And events like this was how it was done.