His Climb to Power Read online

  “We should call it a day,” I said, rubbing at a sore spot on my neck.

  Riley jumped up and helped Rachel into her jacket. “Good night,” he said. His gaze slid to Carl, and I realized he was hoping he was on his way out too. Which would make sense if he really was Rachel’s “assistant.” “You seem tired,” he said pointedly.

  But when Carl realized what was going on, he looked wide awake to me. He looked towards me, communicating volumes without saying a word. “It’s okay, Carl,” I said. “You can head out. I’m just going to clear my desk and lock up.”

  Carl was pissed, but he must have decided it wasn’t the right time to blow his “cover.” He followed Rachel out the door, shooting me a warning glance over his shoulder as he went. I was pretty sure he was going to be waiting for me in the parking lot.

  Realizing I was alone with Riley, I was suddenly unsure what to do with myself. I shuffled some papers around on the desk and pressed the button to send our phone calls to the overpriced answering service we used to maintain the illusion of having a thriving office instead of a pitiful staff of two. There was a stack of flyers sitting out on the desk that Rachel had been prepping to mail to donors. I picked them up, intending to tuck them back inside one of the boxes from the printer. The boxes that were on the shelf Riley was now standing in front of.

  “Excuse me,” I said. He shifted to one side, but he was still too close. Close enough that I got a whiff of his soap and could feel the heat radiating off his body. “Any other names that we should discuss before we call it a night?”

  “In a hurry?” he teased. “Maybe there’s a hot date waiting for you?”

  Nervous, I rubbed at my neck again and turned away from him. There was certainly no hot date waiting for me. “No, I just have a busy day tomorrow. I’ve already lost too much sleep freaking out over the loss of donors.”

  I nearly hit the ceiling when I felt Riley’s hands join my own, pressing expertly at the pressure points in my neck. Pleasure swept through me as he began moving his thumbs in slow circles, and I gasped. This wasn’t happening. I couldn’t let him touch me. Not when we were here alone in the office.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, squirming awkwardly out of the way. Whirling around, I glared at him.

  “No one ever worked out a cramp massaging their own neck,” he pointed in an amused smile as if he knew that his touch had affected me. “Relax, Blythe. You’re tense. You’ve been tense for days.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, running my hands over where he had touched me as if I could chase away the feel of him.

  “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No,” I said, hesitating a fraction too long. His hands had felt amazing, which was exactly the problem. “I mean, it’s not wrong. I just…I don’t know, I’m in a weird place.”

  “You aren’t dating Jack Drayson anymore,” Riley pointed out. “I don’t want to assume anything, but you can’t have missed the fact that I’m attracted to you.”

  Actually, I had missed it. I had assumed Riley’s flirting was just how he was. I’d assumed the attraction was all on my end, and I’d been beating myself up about it. Jack’s engagement ring felt hot where it was hidden under my shirt. Being attracted to another man didn’t mean I didn’t love Jack. It might mean I missed him right now, that I was desperate to feel desired and safe. “We work together,” I blurted out, pulling the excuse out of thin air.

  “I’m working pro bono,” Riley pointed out. “It’s hardly an inappropriate employee-employer relationship.”

  I was still holding the stack of flyers. I marched over to the desk and put them back down. “It’s really getting late.” I yawned for good measure. “I can finish all of this up tomorrow. No point cleaning up the war room when we’re still in the middle of the battle.”

  “You’re going to win this, Blythe,” said Riley. “We’ll save the art center.”

  The fervor in his voice broke through the icy exterior I was trying to build. “Thanks,” I said. I didn’t have a jacket, another consequence of avoiding my apartment. But it wasn’t all that cold. I grabbed my purse and motioned for Riley to go ahead of me down the stairs. He did so, and he didn’t try to touch me again. I took my time locking the office door, hoping he would be gone by the time I got downstairs.

  He was waiting for me in the lobby next to the darkened Sunglass Hut, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking out at the empty parking lot. I resisted the urge to scan the shadows for Carl.

  I gave him a small smile. “Thanks for your help today.”

  “Any time.” Riley held open the door for me, and as I went past, he caught my elbow and tugged me close to him, leaning down like he was going to kiss me. I wanted to throw my hands up and push him away. To race to my car. To protest. Instead, I froze in his arms, distracted by how warm he was, how sexy and uncomplicated.

  “Riley…”

  He leaned even closer, and I knew I was about to feel his lips on mine. But he spoke into my ear instead, his voice so low that it felt as intimate as a caress. “I can be patient, Blythe.”

  Then, he tucked my arm into his and walked me towards my car as if nothing had happened. He didn’t seem to even notice Carl, lurking in his car across the parking lot.

  Carl, thank god, didn’t say a word as he drove me home, and I didn’t try to explain. Riley didn’t kiss me, and even if he tried, I would have stopped him. I wasn’t going to cheat on Jack. I wasn’t.

  Alone in my apartment, I locked the door with trembling fingers and tried to calm down. My anxiety was getting the best of me.

  Taking a few deep breaths, I reached into my purse to pull out my phone and call Jack. I needed to hear his voice and remind myself that everything I was going through was worth it. Instead, I frowned when I realized that there were three missed calls from my father.

  Afraid that something might be wrong with him or my mom, I called him back immediately in spite of the late hour. “Dad? Is everything okay?”

  “No,” he growled. “Everything is not okay. Have you seen the news? Jack is endorsing Handan for the Senate spot. Has he lost his mind? Handan is the most corrupt politician Florida has seen in a long time. He’s so corrupt that he doesn’t even care who knows because he’s got money and power to protect him. If he becomes a Senator, Florida will be the laughingstock of the country.”

  My mind reeled. “Dad, slow down. I have no idea what you’re saying to me.”

  “Your ex-boyfriend has gone off the deep end, and he’s going to bring the state down with it.”

  It was the group. It had to be. One of them had finally contacted Jack and asked him to do it. There was no other explanation for why Jack would do something so dangerous. He had a plan B. He had to have a plan B, right? He promised that doing this wouldn’t change him.

  “Dad, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason for Jack’s decision, but I’m not privy to them. We’re not together anymore.”

  He paused and sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought this up with you. I didn’t mean to bring up anything painful.”

  “I know, Dad. It’s okay.” I swallowed hard. “I’m still trying to find time to come to dinner. I promise.”

  “All right, darling. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Dad.” Hanging up, I pulled up Jack’s contact information and stared at it. If the group had contacted him, why hadn’t he told me? Besides a couple of “miss you” texts and voicemails, he hadn’t discussed anything important with me.

  Doubt washed through me, and I dropped the phone back in my purse. It was late, and I was tired.

  I just wanted to go to bed.

  13 Jack

  “Hey, baby, I miss you,” I said huskily into the phone as I stared at the clock. It was early, and I was surprised that she was even up. I’d planned to just leave her a voicemail letting her know that I loved her and missed her and needed to talk to her, but she’d surprised me by answering in that sexy sleep voice of hers.
/>   “Jack. Is everything okay? It’s so early.”

  “I know, darling. You can go back to sleep if you want. I was just going to leave you a voicemail. I need to talk to you and was hoping that you might be able to make some time for me tonight.”

  There was a pause, and I heard her rustling around in the bed. Immediately, I hardened. I wanted to ask her if she was naked. I wanted to ask her if she’d touched herself last night or dreamed of me, but I needed to stay focused. I didn’t have time to deal with an erection this morning.

  “I wanted to talk to you too, actually. I don’t know that I’ll have time tonight. We’ve been so busy. Do you have time to talk now?”

  I didn’t want to start her day with this crap, but it looked like I wouldn’t have a choice. “I love you, Blythe.”

  “This is going to be bad, isn’t it,” she muttered, and I winced. Yup. I was going to ruin her day.

  “No, baby. It’s not bad. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Do you remember the PR manager I hired? Clarke Mason?” She hummed in what I thought was an affirmation. I took a deep breath. “He thought that the best way to keep the press from talking about you was if there was someone else they had to talk about.”

  “Is that why you’re supporting Handan?”

  What? Her question made me pause, and I frowned. Blythe wasn’t one to follow politics. Where had she heard that?

  “No, that doesn’t have anything to do with Clarke. It was a suggestion made by Klaus to get the group’s attention. Did the news say something?”

  “My father did. He’s furious with you. Does that mean that you haven’t been contacted yet?”

  “Sweetheart, if that happens, I promise to tell you. You won’t have to hear about it from the news.” She didn’t say anything, and my heart sank. She thought that I was keeping things from her. “Blythe, you have to trust me on this.”

  “My father says that if Handan gets elected, it will be bad. Like, really bad,” she said finally with a touch of hesitation. “Of course, Dad tends to exaggerate when it comes to politics.”

  Her parents were staunch Republicans. At first, they hated me on principle. “In this case, your father would be right. It would be bad, and we’re not going to let that happen. I would never have supported Handan if I thought for a second that he might be elected. Klaus is already taking care of it as we speak, and by tomorrow, you’ll be hearing that Handan is removing his name from the campaign.”

  She sighed in relief. “That’s good. I was worried, Jack. I don’t want you to do anything that you might regret later.”

  “I’m not, sweetheart. I promise.”

  “All right, then what did you want to talk with me about?”

  My stomach tensed. “Clarke wants to introduce another woman in my life. You might start seeing footage of the two of us together. Her name is Lila Taylor, and I swear that it’s not personal. All I’m doing with her is having meetings and letting the public wonder if something more is happening. I won’t be holding her hand or hugging her or kissing her or exchanging long lingering glances. I don’t want you to doubt me for a second.”

  She was quiet for too long, and I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall of my hotel room. I was due to leave for a meeting in a few minutes, but I would just have to be late if it meant that I could make this right.

  “Blythe? If you’re not okay with this, I’ll tell Clarke to forget it.”

  “It’s not my place to say, Jack,” Blythe said finally. “I understand where he’s coming from, and I don’t doubt you, but I feel like you’re using this woman, or at least someone is using this woman, like others used Sherry.”

  “No,” I said emphatically. “That is the first thing I asked. She’s not a whore. She’s just good at acting and stepping into the role because Clarke wants us to start immediately. She understands completely what’s happening.”

  “Okay. I know that you’re doing what you have to do even if it does make things a little messy.” She paused. “When are you coming back? It’s been two weeks, and I want to see you.”

  There was a tinge of desperation in her voice, and I ached for her. I ached for us. “I don’t know, baby. I miss you, though.”

  You’re all I think about.

  “Okay. Can you call me tonight?”

  “Count on it,” I swore. After we hung up, I gritted my teeth and grabbed my briefcase before storming out the door. Two weeks of back-to-back meetings in Jacksonville was starting to get to me, and I ached for Blythe. Our late night phone calls and terse texts weren’t doing it for me, especially when I felt like there was something that she wasn’t telling me. Now, I couldn’t help but feel like I was hurting her, and she just wasn’t voicing her pain.

  I was obsessing more about her than paying attention to the meetings, and I decided to do something about it.

  The next morning, I rented a car and drove back to Miami to surprise Blythe and spend the day with her.

  The water was running in her shower when I snuck into her apartment. I’d changed out of my suit and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. With a baseball cap on, I hoped that I was disguised enough that no one recognized me. At least there were no news vans parked outside in her parking lot.

  Moving quietly, I undressed and scattered my clothes throughout her apartment as I walked into her bathroom. Steam rose from the shower, and I took a moment to appreciate her silhouette from behind the thin shower liner. My cock hardened at the realization that she was close enough to touch, and I slid the curtain aside and stepped in behind her.

  Screaming, Blythe whirled around, and I grabbed her and pulled her up against my body as I kissed her. That sweet mouth opened for me, and her body melted as she wrapped her arms around me. The kiss ended, and she sighed. “I’m getting really good at this fantasizing thing. I was just wishing that you were here touching me, and now I can actually feel you.”

  “Oh yeah?” I teased as I whirled her around and pulled her up against my body. “Where were you fantasizing about me touching you?”

  Grabbing my hands, she pressed one against her belly and the other at the base of her throat. “Kiss me again,” she whispered as she moved her head aside to give me access to her neck. “I love the way your lips make me feel.”

  Bending my head, I obliged her as the water from the shower head splattered off the wall and landed us. Licking up the little droplets, I caressed her belly. “Do you touch yourself when you fantasize about me?” I asked as I nibbled on her earlobe.

  “Yes,” she moaned. “But it’s never the same.”

  “Why not?”

  Whirling around in my arms, she reached between us and grabbed my cock. “Your fingers are wonderful, Jack. And that mouth is sinful, but there is nothing that I can do to myself that matches how I feel when you’re inside of me.” She squeezed, and I groaned and pulsed in her hand. “Is this what you came back for, Jack?”

  “I came back for you. I came back for this, but god, Blythe, I missed you.”

  “Oh yeah?” Squeezing again, she cocked her head and studied me. “Touching me?”

  “And talking to you.”

  “Holding me?”

  “Laughing with me?”

  “And listening to you complain about how entitled some of your donors feel.” I skimmed my hand up her body until I could skim my fingers over her beautiful breasts and those sensitive nipples.”

  “Maybe right now, I’ll do a little something different with my mouth and give you another reason to miss me.” Sliding down to her knees, she wrapped those fantastic lips around my cock and hissed as hot pleasure seared through me. Closing my eyes, I dropped my head back and gritted my teeth while she played with no real intentions. A few bobs of her head turned into some teasing licks of her tongue, which led to her stroking fingers, and soon, I was going insane.

  Pushing her head back, I slid down the wall and pulled her over me. “I definitely miss that,” I grunted. “But not nearly as much as I miss this.” Holding her hip
s, I slid inside of her tight, wet pussy, and she clenched her muscles and slapped her hands on the tile above my head.

  “God, you’re really here,” she whispered fervently.

  “All flesh and blood.” Burying my head against her neck, I licked at her wet skin as she rose over me and plunged again. “I couldn’t go another day without you, Blythe.”

  “Good. Ah, good, Jack. I need you.”

  “I’m right here, now. Tomorrow—”

  “No.” Leaning down, she covered my mouth with hers as she swiveled her hips and ground against me. Milking me, she kissed me desperately. “Don’t talk about tomorrow. Just let me have you now. Please.”

  “Whatever you want, baby,” I promised.

  There was nothing left to say, so we let our bodies do the talking. She rode me slow and easy, and not even the cooling water was enough to force me to rush her. The droplet still steamed off our hot bodies as she moaned and arched against me. I kissed her everywhere that my mouth could reach and stroked my hands over her body. Her hands were just as busy, and my muscles rippled under her touch.

  “Not ready,” she muttered as we both reached our breaking point. “Jack, wait.”

  “All day, Blythe,” I promised her. “Nothing is going to keep me away from you today. Let yourself go. Now, Blythe, Fuck, now!” I roared as she shuddered around me and triggered my own orgasm. Sinking into her, I moaned her name and wondered how the hell I was going to leave her again when all I wanted to do was lock ourselves in this room, stop time, and keep her here until we were both too tired to even think about the future that awaited us.

  14 Blythe

  After we got out of the shower and dried off, I made us some lunch. I was so happy to see him. Last night, I’d tossed and turned all night and ended up cuddling with a pillow, but it wasn’t the same as having him here, and after our phone call yesterday morning, I’d felt a little sick to my stomach. Now, in addition to seeing headlines on social media about the real reason Jack and I broke up, I’d have to watch them speculate about him and this other mysterious woman.