Mandy was standing next to the front passenger door of the SUV, digging through her purse for her lipstick when a long black car pulled up next to her in the CTW lot. The driver, an older man with gray hair wearing dark sunglasses, rolled down his window. “Miss McCarthy?”
She squinted at the man. “I’m sorry, can I help you?”
He opened the door and stepped out. He reached for her elbow.
She drew back.
“Miss McCarthy, if you’d join the governor in the vehicle, you’d do him a great boon.”
She took another step backward. “The governor? I’m sorry, if you want to speak with Aaron,” she hooked her thumb in the direction of CTW’s back door, “he’s inside the building. He’ll be out here shortly.”
One of the rear passenger windows motored down. Rick’s face appeared in the opening. “We don’t want to talk to Aaron. We want to talk to you.”
“You can set an appointment with Jasmine in the office. I’m very busy.”
A second head appeared in the window, this time one that made her feel like her heart stopped beating.
“Yes, I’m sure you are, Miss McCarthy, but certainly you understand that I am as well?”
She looked to the back door and saw no one darkening the hall. Where was Aaron? What had held him up? She wrapped her fingers around her phone inside her purse and toggled up the speed dial screen to Aaron’s number. She let it ring without putting it to her ear.
“I don’t think I need to get inside that car to have a conversation with you, sir.”
“No, no. Of course not, but certainly you understand how valuable privacy is?”
She cut her gaze to Rick. “That’s rich coming from you.”
“I’m truly sorry for causing you any embarrassment, Miss McCarthy. It wasn’t my intention to intrude on anything so … ” Rick waved a hand around while he fumbled for the words. “Personal.”
“Do you regularly make a habit of barging in on other businesses that have nothing to do with you and manhandling the staff?”
“Well, manhandling’s a strong word. We’d just like to discuss some things with you.”
“You’re not going to discuss anything with her.”
Finally, Aaron to the rescue. He used the remote clicker to unlock the doors of the SUV and helped Mandy up into her seat. He offered his father, Rick, and the driver a rude gesture just before shutting her door.
The limo was still idling there when Aaron climbed up into the driver’s seat and started the ignition. He turned to her and gave her a winning smile. “So, lunch? I know a great little vegetarian place downtown. Best flatbread you’ll ever sink your teeth into.”
“Are you taking me out on a date?”
“Yes, I am. Later, we can move your things back into my apartment. My toothbrush has been really lonely in its little cup without yours.”
“Uh, hold up a minute here.” Mandy watched the limo following them in the side mirror. “What is this sudden change of heart?”
“My heart’s always been the same. It’s my degree of courage that’s changed. Do you like falafel?”
“I’d prefer chicken nuggets.”
Aaron blanched. “Ugh.”
“You don’t eat meat?” She had to think back on it. All those nights at his apartment he’d let her order what she wanted, and when pizza came he always picked his pepperoni off without complaint. Why hadn’t he just asked her to order cheese?
“No, except under duress. I haven’t eaten a chicken nugget or a hot dog since seventh grade. I’ll tell you that story one day when it’s not lunchtime.”
“How do you get that big not eating meat?”
He wiggled his brows.
“Ugh! Not what I meant.” She slumped in her seat and covered her face with her hands as the limo pulled up in the lane beside them. She peeked through her fingers at the driver. “Aaron?”
“Yeah, I see ’em.”
“Is this about to turn into a Lady Di and Dodi Fayed situation?”
“Nah.” He swung a hard U-turn, cut across a couple of lanes of traffic, and steered the SUV onto I-40 West. “Let’s see ’em keep up with that. Pretty sure I get better gas mileage.”
“What difference does your gas mileage make?”
He cocked a brow up at her over the top of his mirrored sunglasses. He didn’t explain, but two and a half hours later they were burning rubber into Chowan County and the limo finally stopped for gas.
“Heh heh.”
“Aaron, of all the places you could have driven, why here? You could have driven in circles around Durham.”
He shrugged and motored on toward the rural county. “I guess I was feeling nostalgic.”
She studied the countryside around whipping past through her window. “Are we — ?”
“Yes. I actually have a blanket this time. Figured you’d like to make love horizontally.”
She felt a hot blaze behind her cheeks and crossed her legs in the other direction. She checked the mirror on her side. No one behind them.
He pulled into that secret driveway.
She waited there in her seat until he got out on his side, fetched something from the cargo area, and walked around to her door to assist her.
“What’s that expression on your face all about?” he asked, smirking as he unfastened her seatbelt.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you planned this.”
“No, sweetheart. I just know an opportunity when I see one. I am the offspring of a politician, after all.”
His phone rang and he pulled it out of his pant’s pocket, glanced at the display, and then shoved it into the glove compartment without answering. He held his elbow out to her. “Come on, sweetheart. Old time’s sake? You’ll never know when we’ll ever have a chance to come back out this way.”
Now her phone rang. She held up a finger to still him and regarded the number flashing on the screen. “It’s my mother. She never calls me.”
“Think it’s important?”
She muted the phone and shrugged. “If it is, she’ll leave a message. Maybe Archie’s bad karma finally caught up to him and he needs bail money or a blood donation or something.” She stuffed her phone into the glove compartment to join Aaron’s.
“Miranda, you’re the most compassionate woman I’ve ever met. Your generosity makes me want to strive to be a better man. Marry me.” His face was very serious. She stared at him for a full minute then both burst into laughter.
He spread a large beach blanket on the overgrown grass and used his feet to mash down the ridges. He smiled at her as he unbuttoned his shirt and heeled off his brogues. “You know, sweetheart, there’s a vegetarian festival in Moore Square this weekend. We should go.”
She took a step forward and relieved him of his belt. “That sounds interesting.” Actually, it didn’t sound interesting at all. She loved meat. Especially meat that had once oinked. She did, however, like the idea of flitting around town on the arm of arguably the sexiest man in the state. Hell, country.
“Or if it’s more your thing, there’s a muscadine celebration Mom was going to drag me to by my ear. She’s got to make a speech. We could all go together.”
She raised one brow at him as he peeled her light sweater over her head. “Your mother?”
“Yeah. She knows.” He drew her in close and pressed hot lips against the crook of her neck. “And Elly.”
Mandy tipped her head back to let him access the erogenous area over her throat. He handily released the clasp of her bra and flicked the offensive undergarment away. “And your father, obviously.”
“Yeah, he’s not so important.”
“I’m sure millions of people would disagree.”
He pushed her skirt down to her ankles along with her panties before giving her ass an appreciative caress. “I’m only worried about the person in front of me right now.” He kicked his pants along with his briefs to the side and pulled her down to the ground with him. He laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her close, searching her mouth her tongue as he leaned back against the blanket.
She edged backward down his torso until his erection nudged her swollen clit. He lifted her up and eased her slowly down onto his shaft.
“I love how you’re always ready.”
“Hard not to be given the cause of my arousal,” she said, bracing her knees at his sides and planting her hands on his chest for leverage.
“God, you’re perfect.” He skimmed his hands up her sides from her waist to her breasts, pausing there to apply the pads of this thumbs to her perked nipples.
She let a grin span her face as she bent down to reach his lips. “Save it for when I’m dressed.”
“I’ll tell you again and again, Miranda.” He tucked her bottom lip between his teeth and drew it out, scraping it gently as she pulled back. He tightened his grip on her ass, forcing more of himself into her sex, increasing the pace of their joining.
She closed her eyes and let herself go at the same time he rolled her to her side and pulled out to aim the product of their coupling into the grass.
“I appreciate that,” she said, panting as she stared up into the Carolina blue sky.
He lay back with her, scooping her in close to his side and studying the few fluffy white clouds along with her. “Long ride back to Durham. Wanted you to be comfortable.”
• • •
As Mandy dexterously fastened the buttons of Aaron’s shirt there in the open door of the SUV, he checked his voicemails. He listened once, groaned, and replayed the message on speaker. He held it out for her.
“Aaron, this is your father. Rick and I are at A-1 Autos. We’ll be waiting here for you as long as necessary. If I were you I wouldn’t try passing us by.” He tucked his shirt in and fastened his belt while Mandy retrieved her own phone from the glove box.
He watched her blanch, and then blush as she listened to her own messages. She requeued it and held it out to him. It was her mother.
“Mandy, the governor is here. We need to talk. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. There are other men.”
Her hands shook as she ended the call and tucked her phone away. Her face was set with shock, even a sort of revulsion he didn’t understand.
“So, what do we do?” Mandy scraped her bangs back from her eyes and held them in place with her sunglasses.
Aaron helped her up into the passenger seat and laid a kiss on her lips before shutting her door. “I’m not going to be bullied.” He growled as he walked around the front of the SUV, getting the vitriol out of his system so that by the time he climbed into the driver’s seat, he was all smiles and charm.
They rode to AA1A in silence. When he noticed her wringing her hands, he wrapped his right hand around hers and squeezed. “Sweetheart, everything will be fine.”
“Aaron, if this is going to — ”
“Shh.” He parked right in front of the trailer steps and killed the engine. “Stop it.”
• • •
Adriana watched them from the door of the hospitality lounge, a scowl marring her pretty face.
“Shall we?” he asked, hitting the door lock switch.
Mandy sighed then shrugged. “Might as well get it over with.”
They walked hand-in-hand up the concrete block steps and through the door Mom held open.
Archie was sitting at the end of one of the Naugahyde sofas with his arms folded over his distended belly. “I knew that little bitch would get me in trouble eventually. No better than her father.”
Aaron took a step forward seemingly impulsively, but Mandy yanked him back.
“Don’t.”
“Now, now, Mr. Leonard,” Rick said from his perch on the adjacent sofa. “As we’ve said, Miss McCarthy is quite lovely. It’s just this is a delicate situation for the governor.”
“I’m having a hard time understanding how my and Mandy’s relationship merits this conference.”
The governor stood and pushed his shirtsleeves up his forearms as he strolled over to his son. “Aaron, understand I always know more than you.”
“Meaning what?”
“I’m not saying Miss McCarthy has been withholding information from you, but there are things you don’t know that can mar my reputation. She probably doesn’t know herself.”
“This is getting tedious,” Mandy said, shrugging out from Aaron’s hold. “All parties in attendance — spit it out.”
“I like a woman who shoots straight from the hip,” Rick said.
“Yeah, me too,” Aaron said, letting his brows knit.
“Fine, fine. Let’s lay it all out here so Mr. Leonard can get back to the business of managing his car lot.” The governor walked over to Mandy and put a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t draw back. Of all the things she had to be afraid of, he wasn’t one of them.
“Mandy, my dear, are you aware your father — your biological father, I mean — has several wives?”
She looked from Charles to her mother, eyes narrowed. Mom shrugged. “We were never legally married. I didn’t know it at the time. He always kept us separate. When I didn’t agree to join the bunch, he left.”
There was her confirmation. She suspected as much after listening to that voicemail. If her mother thought one man was interchangeable for the next, she had never been in love. The realization had hit Mandy like a ton of bricks, but now she was just pissed. Mom didn’t even care that he’d left. He was just a means to an end.
“Well, there you go,” Mandy said, voice low and flat. “I haven’t seen my father since I was seven. We don’t communicate.”
“Ah,” the governor reached out a hand to give her a pat, but she backed up a step.
“Well, Mandy, he doesn’t try so hard to hide it nowadays. Gets around that sticky legal issue by being married on paper to one of the women. The rest live in his household quite comfortably. I’m sure you can see how this would muddle people’s understanding of the values espoused by my campaign.”
She shook her head. “No, actually I can’t. It’s a tenuous association at best. A man I don’t speak to engages in a practice you find distasteful? So what?”
“Ah, but you see — it’s easy for information like that to become twisted once it becomes public knowledge. The next thing you know, people will think Aaron appreciates that lifestyle, and by extension,” he put up his shoulders in a shrug, “me.”
Aaron cracked his knuckles and shoved his fists into the pockets of his slacks. “So, what am I supposed to do? Not love her?” He turned to Mom. “Adriana, don’t you want Mandy to be happy?”
“I don’t want her involved in a scandal, do you? That wouldn’t be good for any of us. What’s the point of letting all those skeletons out of the closet? Let them lie.”
Aaron shook his head and made a brisk walk across the room to take Mandy’s hand. “Listen to yourselves. Maybe Elly had it right all along.”
Rick scoffed and stretched his arms over his head, yawning. “Right. The girl with the IQ of a ladybug, now procreating. We should all follow her lead.”
Aaron took another involuntary step forward. Mandy shoved her hand into the waistband of his slacks and gave him a yank. It was enough.
“Dad, too far.”
Charles put up his hands. “You’re right. Rick, please.”
Rick shrugged.
Mom put her hands on Mandy’s shoulder and gave her a pleading look. “Miranda, please. The governor has done a lot of good for the people of North Carolina. Just think about it, will you? Can you put your desires aside for a little while? Until after the election?”
Aaron pulled Mandy back to him and held her against his chest, but for some reason she didn’t feel comforted.
“No. The election is next fall. Then what? You tell us to toe the line another three years while Dad gets his shit together for national office? I don’t think so. Come on, Miranda.”
“If you go without resolving this to my satisfaction,” Charles said, sinking into the seat beside Rick on the sofa, “there’s your funding.”
“You’re not welcome back here, Mandy, so you better make sure he takes care of you,” Archie barked.
Aaron’s hand squeezed tighter around hers as he pulled her toward the door.
Mom trailed them out and watched as Aaron helped Mandy into his SUV. She grabbed the door handle before he could push the door closed.
“Mandy, please. Think about what this is going to do to Archie.”
Mandy laughed, sounding somewhat hysterical and not caring. “Archie? Who gives a shit about Archie? Not me. Not anymore. What kind of deals has he been cutting with the governor in the past hour, huh? Gonna funnel some money his way somehow? Overlook his tax filings? Get him some permits?”
Mom shook her head and clucked her tongue. “Mandy, Archie took care of us when there was no one. The least you could do is help out.”
“What are you talking about? There was always Abi.”
Mom mumbled something low and gutteral in Spanish, the gist of which was about Abi stifling her freedom, which Mandy found ironic given her situation.
“She wouldn’t understand. Because of Archie, we didn’t have to move back to Spain after your father left. He made it so we could stay here.”
“You’re full of sh — ”
Aaron closed the door on Mandy’s commentary.
Adriana, blank-faced on the other side of the glass, had nothing further to say.