His Climb to Power Page 2

I could say the words, but if my mother could see my face right now, she would know that I was lying. Pulling out the ring that was nestled between my breasts, I clutched it between my fingers to remind myself that our public separation was necessary.

  “Oh, honey, I am so sorry. I just don’t understand. I know that man loves you, and I know that you love him. Have you asked him to step down after his term?”

  How easy it would be if Jack just walked away, but he wasn’t that kind of man. I knew how I would feel if he asked me to give up the charity. We both had our passions. “I can’t ask him to do that, Mom. Jack is a wonderful man. He’s going to do great things.” I quickly switched tracks. “Not that I think that the media will try to interview you, but even if your friends and neighbors ask, I’d like you to just brush it off. I’m hoping that this will all die down soon.”

  Not to mention that if even one small rumor started circulating that we weren’t together, Jack and I could find ourselves back in danger again.

  “Whatever you want, sweetheart. Your father is going to insist on seeing you soon. Please come over for dinner.”

  “Sure thing, Mom. I’ve got a lot going on right now, but I’ll be sure to make some time. I’ll call you back when I know more. Promise me that you won’t worry about me. I’m fine. I promise.”

  Her silence told me that she doubted me, but she let it go as she told me that she loved me and hung up. Seeped in silence again, I replaced the phone on the cradle and leaned back in my office chair as I closed my eyes. My parents and Rachel were the most important people that I was going to have to lie to. Here on out, it would just be people attached to the charity, and most of them would just be looking for dirt.

  Funny how guilt could make me realize that I didn’t have much of a social life.

  Turning on my computer, I checked my emails. One was from the contractor working on the warehouse for the arts center who had some questions for me. A few were volunteers who had questions about their schedule at the sports center.

  And one was a donor who wanted to inform me that they would no longer be supporting a charity like Humane Miami.

  It didn’t overly concern me when a donor pulled out of monthly or yearly donations. Life happened, and if things changed for them, then we had to adjust, but there was something about the wording that made me uneasy.

  A charity like Humane Miami? What did that mean?

  With a shrug, I tried to brush it off. After writing them a quick reply letting them know that I was sorry to see them go but I understood, I busied myself with work. It was nice to keep my mind off things for a while and not have to worry about the web of lies that was building around me.

  I had too much on my plate as it was. The youth sports center I’d built on top of the corrupt youth center that had burned in a fire a couple of years ago was still going strong, and I would need to hire someone else to watch its day-to-day activities while I planned on its growth. I was in the middle of building an arts center for the youth as well, a place for them to learn music, art, theatre, writing, whatever sang to their soul. It was the second phase of my vision for Humane Miami, and now I had government backing.

  It was everything that I dreamed of, and I just needed to stow the personal crap so I could focus on it.

  Leaning back, I opened the rest of my emails and sighed. Paperwork. The least exciting part of my job. Today was going to drag.

  * * *

  That night, I snuck into Jack’s condo. As the elevator doors opened, relief swept through me when I saw him relaxing on the couch and flipping through the television channels.

  “Wow,” I said as I stepped through the open doors with a smile. “I didn’t even think that you knew what channel surfing was! The only time I’ve ever seen the TV on is when you’re glued to the evening news.”

  He looked up and flashed me a small smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. “What is it? What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” With a sigh, he clicked off the television and held his arms out.

  I immediately dropped my purse on the chair and curled up as close as I could. Slipping my legs over his, I put my hand on his chest and looked up at him. “What happened?”

  “Nothing that wasn’t supposed to.” Gently, he kissed my forehead and dropped his hand around my waist. “The first step was to make it seem like you and I weren’t a thing anymore. The second step is to separate me from my father. Today, he released a statement saying that he was no longer going to support my political career. He gave plenty of reasons why, and while I know that they aren’t true, it still hurt to see them.”

  Seeing the pain in his eyes struck me in the heart, and I reached up and traced his lips with my fingers. “Jack, maybe we haven’t thought this through. I know that identifying Sherry’s killer is important and so is dismantling what might turn out to be a dangerous group, but it’s not worth it if it’s going to ruin you.”

  Jack ran his thumb across my wrist, giving me a small thrill as he kissed my fingers. “When this is all over, I’ll be able to come clean with the public about everything and win back their support.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He was always thinking about his career. How could he not see what this might do to him? “I meant the fact that you’re having to tell people that I don’t love you anymore, and you’re reading all of these terrible things that your father is publishing, even if he really doesn’t mean it. We’re just getting started, Jack.”

  “It’s worth it.”

  Pulling back, I gritted my teeth and stared at him. “Is it? When does it stop being worth it, Jack? What happens when this group asks you to abuse your position? What happens when you really have to do something dangerous or corruptive? Will it be worth it then?”

  “Blythe,” he muttered, but I didn’t want to hear him make more excuses about how it was his job or how it was for the good of the city. He seemed to care about everyone but himself.

  Instead, I lifted my body to straddle him and leaned down to kiss him. In that kiss, I wanted to show him everything I feared. I wanted him to realize that I was scared of losing him, not just his life, but also losing what I loved about him. His passion and strength for doing the right thing.

  Ending the kiss, I slowly eased back and stared at him. “What if, when this is all over with, you aren’t you anymore?”

  “I will be,” he promised huskily as he flipped me over and pushed me back into the couch cushions. “You’re not going to lose me, and I’m not going to lose you. Forever, remember?”

  I searched his face, his eyes, willing him to tell me the truth. “Is forever always going to be like this?”

  “No. God, no, Blythe. When this is all over with, I swear that I’ll be the boyfriend that you deserve. It’s going to be nothing but romance and sex.”

  Despite myself, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I don’t think that we can live off romance and sex forever, but I’m more than happy to try.”

  “Let me give you a preview of what that might look like.” Sneaking his fingers under my shirt, he smoothed them over my bare skin while he kissed me until he chased all my fears away. Dizzy from his kiss and nearly melting into the couch, I pulled at his clothes since he was undressing me too slowly.

  “Jack,” I moaned when he broke away the kiss. “Want you naked.”

  “And I want to taste you.” Sliding down my body, he unhooked my slacks and pulled them down my hips. My shoes fell with them as he flung them to the floor and lifted my leg to kiss my ankle. I reached for my panties, but he grabbed my hands to stop me. “I want you to keep them on. For now.”

  Reaching between my legs, he pressed a hand against the dampening blue fabric and searched for that spot that made me scream. “Unbutton your shirt,” he whispered as he slowly moved his finger in circles over me.

  Gasping, I moved my hips against him to increase the pressure. It was impossible to think when he was touching me like that, but when he stopped
and raised his eyebrows, I reached for my shirt. His caresses continued, and with each button that came loose, he touched me harder.

  “That’s it, baby. Fuck, you are so beautiful.” Grabbing one leg and hooking it over his shoulder, he leaned down and pressed his mouth right at my center. As his tongue slid over me, I bucked my hips and screamed as the orgasm hit me hard and fast. He licked me through it, a torture and a pleasure, until the need for another was back, stronger than ever.

  “Now, the bra,” he demanded as he looked up.

  Quickly, I felt for the clasp between my breasts and unhooked it. He groaned heavily when my breasts spilled out and leaned over to kiss me. “I need you, Blythe,” he muttered. “Don’t ever forget that. Right now, I need you hard and fast. Can you take me?”

  It was exactly what I was thinking. Pushing him away, I sat up and shucked off my shirt and bra. Giving him a wicked smile, I turned on my knees and gripped the arm of the couch. “Hard and fast,” I whispered as I looked over my shoulder.

  His eyes were dark and stormy with desire as he reared up and unzipped his pants. “Rub your clit, baby, because I want to hold those gorgeous tits of yours.”

  Pushing the crotch of my panties aside, I waited breathlessly before his cock probed at my entrance. When he paused, I inhaled sharply and pushed back to impale myself on him. We both grunted at the pressure, and he circled his arms around me. Splaying one hand on my abdomen and the other cupping my breast and fondling my nipple, he started to move.

  “Oh god,” I whimpered as I reached in my panties and touched myself. “Jack. Jack.”

  “That’s it, baby. Stay with me.” Hissing, he slammed into me harder, clutching at me. Torn between pleasure and pain, I realized that he shared my fears. He was worried about what we were going to be when this was over with, and he needed me now.

  I was more than willing to give him whatever he needed.

  His ring swung around my neck as he pounded into me, and his cock moved over that sweet spot until I was panting for him. Rolling my nipple between his fingers, he leaned down and kissed my spine. I swiveled my hips and muttered incoherently. I was going to come soon, but I didn’t have the breath to tell him.

  It didn’t matter. He knew. He knew my body better than I did. With a growl, he bit my shoulder and slammed into me. Holding me upright, he continued to fuck me even as I fell apart around him. “Shit, Blythe,” he moaned. “God, it feels incredible when you do that.”

  Moaning, he pulled me over his body as he fell back and pushed his hips up, taking me with him. Laughing hoarsely, I stayed awkwardly sprawled out on top of him as he kissed my neck and trembled beneath me.

  “Hold on,” he whispered softly. Suddenly, I was up in the air again as he planted my butt on the cushions next to him and pulled my legs over his. Curling up against his chest, I closed my eyes and listened to his heartbeat. “Don’t worry about me,” he whispered. “I won’t let anything come between me and what I could have with you. Trust that I’m always going to choose you.”

  “I can’t help but be afraid,” I admitted. “To them, you’re just a chess piece in their game.”

  “Three months,” he whispered. “Give me three months to do this, to protect you. After that, I’ll stop, no matter what.”

  Three months. I could handle that, surely.

  “Sweetheart?” He moved his hands between my legs and stroked my inner thigh. “Say something.”

  “Three months,” I agreed as my legs fell open to give him more access. He dipped his fingers into my pussy and slowly stroked me. Lost in his touch, I closed my eyes and fell back.

  I wanted to just enjoy him while I had the chance. Tomorrow, I knew that all the worries would come back.

  3 Jack

  Three months. What had I been thinking to give myself a deadline like that?

  I knew exactly what I’d been thinking. The fear of losing Blythe was real, and it was burrowing deeper and deeper in my gut. Even though she kept putting on a brave face, I could see the turmoil inside of her, and I knew how she felt. It was driving me mad that I couldn’t take her out to dinner and romance her like she deserved to be romanced.

  She might say that it didn’t matter, but it mattered to me.

  David popped his head in the door of my office and cleared his throat. As my chief-of-staff and closest friend since college, he’d been my only confidant in this whole mess, but now I was lying to him, and he knew it. I wanted to protect him. He thought I was turning into a dick.

  Lately, he’d been avoiding me, and I knew why. He thought I was treating Blythe shabbily, and I couldn’t really correct him without telling him the whole truth. He was my closest friend, and it didn’t feel right that I was lying to him, but the more people who knew that Blythe was still in my bed at night, the more risk there was to her safety.

  “I had to add a meeting to your schedule first thing tomorrow because there was nowhere else to put it,” he said in a flat voice. “The Coral Reef Conservation Committee is throwing their support behind you, and they want to meet. It’s at ten o’clock. I’m still compiling information, but if we can get together a couple of hours before, I should be able to brief you.”

  I winced. The last time David had spoken to me like that, I’d told him that he had to curb his drinking if he wanted to work with me. That was years ago. “Thanks. Can you come in for a moment and close the door?”

  His eyes met mine, and they were full of anger, but he stepped in and shut the door behind him. Clearing my throat, I pushed a couple of files his way. “I had to fire Carl as my bodyguard, and I need to hire a new one. Can you get someone to run a background check on these individuals and let me know which one you think will suit?”

  “You fired Carl? For fuck’s sake, Jack, why?” David nearly shouted. “What the hell is wrong with you? First Blythe and now Carl?”

  Before he could get into a full rant, I held up my hand and gave him my blankest stare. He instantly quieted. “If you must know, I fired Carl because he had the same issue that you do regarding Blythe. Now that he’s a free agent, and with the generous severance package that I’ve offered him, he’ll be free to guard someone else.”

  David cocked his head and studied me. “I don’t understand. He’s going to be Blythe’s bodyguard now?”

  “As I said, he’s free to guard someone else. Who he chooses is completely up to him and has nothing to do with me.”

  After a brief moment, David relaxed and walked forward to gather the files. “I’ve known you for a long time, Jack, and I’ve never known you to do anything stupid. I’m going to trust that you aren’t doing anything stupid now.”

  “I appreciate that.” As he turned to leave, I cleared my throat to stop him. “And David? One other thing. I know that you and Blythe grew close while you were coaching her dealing with the press. I would like for you to cease all communication with her. It’s important to me that it appears that my office and I have cut all ties with her. Cleaner that way.”

  Turning, David set his jaw and finally nodded. “All right.”

  “Thanks. I want this to fall out of the media’s purview as soon as possible.”

  Hoping that David understood that I was trying to protect Blythe, I went back to going through the numerous emails waiting for me.

  I was more than a little nervous because the detectives were supposed to meet with me today, and they wouldn’t be alone. Federal agents coming in and out of the building wouldn’t be suspicious. Just because I was off the suspect list didn’t mean that I still wasn’t involved in the investigation, and in light of the new information that had come in about Sherry, it made sense that the federal government would take over.

  Before they got there, my mother arrived, looking around nervously as if she expected someone to jump out at her and accuse her of treachery.

  God, I hoped that I could trust her. If, when all was said and done, she turned out not to be on our side, I would make her regret the day she ever re-entered my life.


  “Donna,” I greeted with annoyance as I pushed a pack of paperwork aside. “When I said that I was meeting with the agents today, that didn’t mean for you to join us.”

  Removing the wide-brimmed tan hat that matched her long skirt and pale yellow blouse, she sat at the edge of the table and began tapping her toe against the carpet. “I’m sorry, darling. I’ve been thinking about it all morning, and I wanted to be involved with this meeting. I want everyone to know that I’m an asset.”

  Right now, she was being a pain in my ass. I wanted to ask her if this meeting was a chance for her to spy on us for the other side, but I held my tongue. My father’s reservations about trusting Donna were starting to get to me, and I desperately wanted to believe that my mother wouldn’t betray us. “I don’t think this is a strategy session. I want to make sure that the agents know what I’m doing so that they don’t try and arrest me for treason for conspiring with an unknown group that relies on murder and blackmail.”

  Startled, she gasped and put a hand to her chest. “You don’t really think they would do that, do you?”

  There was the mother that everyone wanted. The protective nature to shield her children from harm. I wondered where that protective nature was when she cheated on my father and then fled from our family.

  “So, have you spoken to Blythe yet?”

  I looked away furtively. “Yes.” I didn’t want to tell my parents just yet that I hadn’t made a clean break from Blythe, but I needed them to know my deadline. “And if I can’t get this cleared up in three months and convince her to come back, then I’m done with all of this.”

  “Three months!” Donna gasped. “That’ll never be enough time, Jack. You’re going to have to prove you are fully on board. This is not something we can rush.”

  “I don’t have a choice. Blythe is not going to hang around, and I wouldn’t expect her to. It’s unfair to her. And weren’t you the one telling me a few days ago to let all of this go and marry her?”