So much for me worrying about being late, Keisha thought. She stood near the catering table with Jason, Phil’s assistant, at her side. They had rushed to get to the meeting at the community center, but, judging from how empty the room looked, it seemed that most of the Dupré campaign wasn’t there yet. Eight or so of Parker’s staffers were milling about, though, glancing at their watches or helplessly shrugging their shoulders.
“So is this thing still on or what?” Jason asked impatiently, adjusting his tie.
“I guess it’s still on,” Keisha muttered. “No one’s told me any differently.”
Keisha slowly glanced around the room. Her eyes settled on Phil, who was busily scanning his BlackBerry. At least he had calmed down a little.
Keisha had found him in the headquarters parking lot twenty minutes earlier with his head resting on the steering wheel. It had taken a few minutes to “talk him off of the ledge.” He’d said the campaign was doomed, that Parker never trusted him. He had threatened to quit. It had taken some pleading and arguing, but Keisha had finally convinced him that the campaign was not doomed and that they could not win without his help.
Her words had appeased him enough to get him to agree to come to the meeting. Hopefully, now that he had calmed down, he would no longer consider leaving the campaign. If he did that at this late date, it would make Dr. Parker look bad and the D.C. rumor mill would start whispering about the possible reasons why Phil left. The campaign didn’t need that drama.
“You want one?”
Keisha blinked as she was suddenly pulled from her thoughts. She glanced down at the bottle of water Jason was offering to her and she thanked him. Taking a sip, she glanced around the room again, hoping that the meeting would start soon. Maybe she could still catch one of the late night shows on television if they got out by 10 o’clock.
“Reggie showed up at my place yesterday,” Jason suddenly blurted out before popping a cube of Swiss cheese into his mouth.
Keisha braced herself. It looked like she was going to hear the latest installment of The Gay and the Restless, the “on again, off again” relationship of Jason and his boyfriend, Reggie, an ad executive who was still firmly in the closet. Keisha and Jason had been talking about it for months. She figured Jason thought it was cheaper to talk to her than a therapist.
She sighed. “You didn’t let him spend the night, did you, Jay?”
Jason’s pale face reddened as he gave a bashful nod.
“Jason,” she whispered, “I thought you said you wouldn’t have anything to do with him anymore. Remember how he hurt you the last time.”
“I know. I know,” he muttered. “But I was in a dry spell. It’s been two months since the last time he came over and I’ve been so busy that I haven’t met any other guys and well…” He shrugged again. “Look, I’m not proud of it. You…you just don’t understand!”
“Trust me. I understand,” Keisha said glumly. She reached for another hors d’oeuvre. If you think two months is a long dry spell, imagine twelve years, she thought.
Her eyes suddenly darted to the conference room doorway as Dupré and his campaign manager, George, walked in. They were conversing quietly. Seconds later, Will entered. The instant Keisha saw him, her heart skipped a beat. She almost forgot the pigs in a blanket hors d’oeuvre that hovered near her mouth.
The man who had haunted her dreams for months had materialized. Though she kept trying to deny it, she knew she still felt an instinctive attraction to the handsome politico. Tonight he practically oozed smoothness and self-confidence in his crisp black suit and red tie while everyone else stood about tiredly in business clothes wrinkled from the workday. She watched as he did an almost jaguar-like pace around the room, pausing only to talk to one or two of Dupré’s other staffers. Finally, his gaze settled on her. To her frustration, her legs went wobbly and her heart raced. Keisha bit her lower lip as he strode toward her. After the county fair, she had resolved to never speak to him again. He had tried to seduce her and then had the gall to accuse her of sleeping with Dr. Parker.
You hate him, she told herself as he drew closer. Remember? You hate him. You hate him. You hate him!
“Hey,” he said with an irresistible, dimpled smile.
She gave a hesitant grin and, despite her earlier declarations of hatred, started to return his greeting.
“Hey, did you just get in?” a female voice asked over her shoulder.
Keisha frowned and turned to find Gretchen, Dupré’s press secretary, loudly sucking barbeque sauce from her fingertips before taking another nibble from a chicken wing.
“Yeah. Traffic was pretty bad on the way up,” he muttered as he walked around Keisha, bumping her shoulder as he did so. He seemed to look right through her as he reached for a nearby cocktail napkin.
Can I get an ‘excuse me’? Keisha thought with exasperation.
“And this place is in the middle of nowhere,” Will continued. “I had a hard time finding it even with my dashboard navigation system.”
“I know what you mean,” the redhead said with a nod. “I got lost twice.”
“So what kind of spread do we have here?” Will frowned at a tray of Swedish meatballs.
“We didn’t pick the caterer,” Gretchen said derisively.
What were you expecting? Wolfgang Puck? Keisha thought sarcastically.
“I guess it’ll do for tonight,” Gretchen continued. “I hope they give out complimentary antacids with food like this, though.”
Keisha blinked as she watched the two continue their conversation. Had she become invisible in the past five minutes? Will was completely ignoring her, and, despite her desire not to care, it bothered her that he was acting as if she wasn’t even there.
And who does this chick think she is? Keisha frowned, suddenly hit by a pang of jealousy. Will and Gretchen were acting rather chummy, chuckling and whispering to one another. Keisha watched as Gretchen tossed her red locks over her shoulder and grinned adoringly up at Will. He smiled in return. Keisha rolled her eyes when the redhead giggled.
“I think I’m going to puke,” Keisha muttered under her breath. She guessed Tanya was right after all. Will did have a particular taste in women: all cream, no coffee.
“Are you all right?” Jason asked with a concerned frown.
Keisha turned to him and forced a smile. “I’m fine.” She popped her hors d’ oeuvre into her mouth and wiped the grease from her hands with a cocktail napkin. “It’s just getting a little crowded in here.”
Jason nodded his blond head. “Yeah, we probably could have used a bigger room, but I think Phil thought a space like this would lend itself to a sense of intimacy. You know, to make the negotiations easier.”
“Negotiations,” Keisha murmured with a sigh. “It sucks that we even have to use that word. Why do we have to do this at all? All this stuff should have been worked out two months ago.”
Jason leaned toward her. “It could turn out to be a tight race,” he whispered. “Dupré knows that. I’m sure his people,” Jason said, glancing toward Will and Gretchen at the other end of the food table, “know that, too. They want to make sure this debate works in their favor. That’s why they’re against the town hall format. It’s not to Dupré’s advantage to have random questions from the audience.”
Keisha slowly nodded. She guessed she shouldn’t be surprised. The longer the campaign progressed, the more she learned about political maneuvering: how one side always tried to outdo the other in gaining some strategically advantageous position. It could get downright ridiculous sometimes. Who got the better venue? Who got more speech time? Who was seated with the right people at a banquet? It could all be so tiresome.
“Will. Gretchen,” Dupré said with a smile, suddenly snapping Keisha out of her daze. He motioned for the two of them to come toward him.
Keisha felt herself being nudged aside again and it took all her willpower not to turn and snap at Will and tell him to learn some damn manners. She watched as he and Gretchen walked around her toward Dupré and George. Phil even made his way over to the group and shook each of their hands.
“Oh, God, it looks like they’re starting introductions,” Jason said before he took his last gulp from his water bottle. “Do I have anything in my teeth?” he asked, turning to her with bared teeth.
Keisha laughed with bemusement. “Your teeth are fine, Jay.”
“Okay, good.” He shrugged. “Well, I guess we should head over there now.”
“Fine, if we have to,” she replied. She tossed her paper napkin into a nearby trashcan and took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves as they slowly crossed the room.
“Oh, I don’t plan to stay!” Dupré loudly proclaimed. “I just wanted to come in and introduce myself to everyone and thank you for doing this. I’m sure both sides will be able to reach an agreement. I have faith in all of you,” he said, giving his usual amiable grin. He suddenly turned to Keisha and Jason. “And more staffers! Dr. Parker seems to have an ever-expanding payroll. His fundraising must be better than I thought.”
Keisha pursed her lips, ignoring the obvious sideswipe at Dr. Parker.
“Dupré, let me introduce you to Phil Levin’s executive assistant, Jason Wheeler,” Will said. “He and I met a few months ago.”
Jason smiled in surprise and shook Dupré’s hand. “We did, but only briefly in a room of nearly a hundred people.” Jason chuckled, blushing slightly. “I’m surprised you remember my name!”
Was he actually giggling? Oh, good God, she thought. It seemed that no one was immune to Will’s charms.
“And this is…is…” Will turned to Keisha and paused. “I’m so sorry but…your name escapes me,” he said, tilting his head and giving her a seemingly innocent smile.
Keisha’s own smile tightened. He knew damn well what her name was. She supposed this was his payback for when she had told him at the county fair to forget who she was. He obviously was finding it very amusing to take her words literally.
Keisha took a deep breath, ignored him, and focused all her attention on Congressman Dupré. “Keisha Reynolds, sir,” she said as she extended her hand. “I’m Parker’s deputy campaign manager. We’ve spoken a few times by conference call. It’s pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah, Keisha, good to finally meet you in person,” Dupré said as he shook her hand and smiled politely. She had expected him to move on to the next person waiting to be introduced, but Dupré’s grip on her hand suddenly tightened, making Keisha wince in pain.
Confused by the unexpected change, she followed the path of his gaze, which currently led to her breasts. Keisha fought the urge to curl her lips in disgust and to roll her eyes. So much for him being a family man, she thought sarcastically. What a pervert!
“Keisha…Reynolds,” he repeated, his eyebrows furrowing.
Keisha slowly nodded her head, wondering when he was going to finally let go of her hand. “Yes, that’s right. Keisha Reynolds.”
“That locket, Keisha,” he said slowly. “It’s a very unique antique.” His eyes suddenly flashed to her face. “Where did you happen to get it?”
She frowned. Could she have her hand back? “My mother gave to it to me. It’s an old birthday gift.”
“Your mother?” He paused for a long time, then took a deep breath and licked his lips again. “And who…who gave it to her?”
Keisha shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess she bought it somewhere, maybe a yard sale. I’ve never asked.”
“Is there…is there a...anything inside of it?”
He finally let go of her hand then. Keisha flexed her now-sore fingers and pursed her lips, wondering why Dupré was acting so strangely. Even Will frowned slightly, as if he were wondering where this conversation was leading. Keisha reached down and opened the locket’s clasp. “Nope,” she said as she held it up to Dupré. “It’s totally empty.”
Like a thunderstorm departing, Dupré’s intense expression finally softened. He nodded his head. “Th-thank you for showing it to me,” he said quietly. “It’s…very lovely.”
“Thank you for saying so,” she muttered.
“It was…nice meeting you, Keisha.”
She nodded politely, still feeling ill at ease as he gazed at her for several seconds longer, studying her features before finally turning away to face the next person waiting to shake his hand. Keisha sighed, slowly shook her head, and looked up at Will. She guessed she wasn’t invisible after all. He was staring at her openly now and causing the same pesky reaction she always felt whenever he fixed those dark eyes on her. Her pulse instantly quickened and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Annoyed, Keisha didn’t fight the urge to roll her eyes this time. Then she abruptly turned and switched to the table in the center of the room.
“All right, everyone grab a chair. Grab a chair,” Phil said. “If you haven’t introduced yourselves already to the person sitting next you, now would probably be a good time to do it before we start.”
Keisha slowly dragged one of the aluminum fold-up chairs from beneath the plywood table. She frowned. It was a long table, but there still wasn’t enough space for Dupré’s campaign to sit on one side and Parker’s campaign to sit on the other. Someone’s going to have to get really cozy with the enemy, she thought with a smirk as she sat down. Keisha pulled out a legal pad and pen and watched as a few other people did the same. She began to scan a few emails on her BlackBerry but looked up when she heard the loud squeak of metal scraping over linoleum tile. She glared at Will as he removed his suit jacket and plopped down beside her.
He cracked open a canned soda and made himself comfortable, stretching his legs and placing his laptop on the table, nudging her pad aside as he did so. “Pardon me,” he muttered. After several seconds he turned to her, meeting her glare with his own.
“Yes?” he challenged.
“Why aren’t you…”…sitting with Gretchen, she wanted to ask. But she stopped herself. Keisha gritted her teeth, deciding to ignore him. She had no desire to repeat their confrontation at the county fair here, in front of all of these people. Even if he decided to act juvenile, she wasn’t going to be baited. He was just trying to get into her head and mess with her mind. She knew his game plan.
Keisha loudly cleared her throat and crossed her legs, then returned her attention to her notes. The more she knew about Will Blake, the more she felt justified in her behavior toward him.
“Should we begin?” Phil asked. He glanced around the table as the loud talking died down to a soft murmur. “Okay, first, I think we should discuss the format of this debate since that seems to be the biggest issue of contention.”
“I wouldn’t say it was a matter of contention, Phil,” George insisted, leaning back in his chair. “I think we can have a disagreement without it being described as ‘contentious.’ ”
Phil’s face reddened noticeably. “Fine,” he said tightly. “Then let’s address our biggest non-contentious disagreement. Our campaign was under the impression that this was going to be an open town hall format with questions submitted from the audience, but…”
Keisha instantly lost her concentration as she felt the heavy weight of Will’s leg fall against her left thigh. She looked over at him only to find that he was sitting casually with his legs akimbo as he seemed to focus all his attention on his laptop screen. Will was taking up an enormous amount of space beneath the table and seemed completely oblivious to that fact.
“Do you mind?” she whispered.
Will cocked an eyebrow and looked up at her. “Do I mind what?” he whispered in return.
“Your leg,” she said as she pointed down at his knee. “Do you mind moving it over?”
She watched as he shifted his leg away from her by a few centimeters. Keisha sighed and slowly shook her head. She shifted slightly to her right to increase the distance between them and returned to her notes, trying to focus again on what Phil and George were saying. Five minutes later, she could feel Will’s leg again. Keisha grumbled and shifted even more, turning slightly sideways in her chair. It was an uncomfortable angle, but she didn’t want Will touching her. Jason gave her a worried glance. He was sitting to her right and she was nearly in his lap.
I’m not going to let Will piss me off, she thought. I’m a grown woman who knows how to ignore this childish—
When Keisha felt Will’s leg the third time, she almost lost it.
“Will!” Keisha whispered shrilly.
He glanced at her. “What?”
“Stop, please,” she mouthed, making him frown.
“Huh?”
“Please stop,” she mouthed again.
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“I said, ‘Stop!’ ” she shouted.
“Yes, Keisha?” Phil asked, frowning slightly. Everyone at the table turned to look at her. “Did you want to say something?”
Keisha’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as Will quietly snickered beside her. “Uh…ummm....I…uh,” she uttered, feeling her face redden as she tried desperately to think of something to say. She had been so preoccupied with Will that she had no idea what they had been talking about. “I…uh…just wanted you to stop…a-a-and repeat what you said,” she muttered before turning to Will, who was presently grinning from ear to ear. “I was a little distracted and didn’t catch what you guys were saying. Sorry.”
“I guess when you said holler if you don’t understand something, some of us took it more literally than others, huh, Phil?” George said with a chuckle. A few people at the table joined him and started laughing.
Keisha slumped down in her chair, now thoroughly embarrassed. She kept her eyes focused on her notepad from that point on, refusing to look up.