WASHINGTON, DC. OCTOBER 17.
5 P.M. EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
“Can we just drop it?”
Jake still felt hungover. Combine that with rush-hour traffic and a particularly maddening version of Divya and out came one of the rudest things he’d said in a while. He didn’t apologize, though, because he knew she could take it. And she deserved it.
“Of course we can.” Her hand on his wrist again and a smile. “I was just curious as to your understanding of why things between us fizzled out.”
Jake dodged the question.
“Your conference room there is rigged, you know.” Jake changed the subject.
“Rigged?” Divya bit on the new topic. Jake was relieved.
“Rigged, yeah. There’s some kind of recording device under or inside your table. It interfered with your computer there.”
“Bugged, right. I know, darling.”
“I figured you did; you moved your computer. What’s the deal?”
Jake could see that Divya was enthralled by playing spy, and even more enthralled that she had somehow piqued his interest.
“Nothing, really. Our backers are keeping tabs on us, that’s all.”
“Backers?”
“Backers, supporters, yeah. Agriculture, tech companies . . . hell—even BigMart.”
It’s a goddamned lobby! “BigMart? What about the Fourth Amendment? ‘The house of every one is to him as his castle and fortress, as well for his defence against injury and violence as for his repose,’ that whole thing? I thought this was a human rights campaign. It’s called For a Free America, for God’s sake.”
“It is, yes,” she said, looking at him, thrilled to have his attention. “But this is DC; you know that people with similar interests tend to align. American business needs foreign workers. We need their money to further our cause.”
“You’re getting paid?”
“I said it was support. Our costs are being covered. You thought I was paying for all this?”
“You said it wasn’t a lobby.” Jake scowled at her.
“Can we just drop it?” Divya said, mocking him. She bent forward in the town car and directed an air vent at herself. Then she took off her silk scarf and unbuttoned her blouse so that the tops of her laced bra cups were exposed.
“This heat is awful.”
Jake shook his head and looked out the window. The avoidance maneuver made her more aggressive. She motioned for the driver to put the divider up.
“You really mean to tell me that if I propositioned you to make love to me on my cool satin sheets like old times, you would reject me?”
She was leaning over him with both hands on his thigh.
“You lied to me,” Jake grumbled.
“No. I care about this as much as anyone else. My parents were immigrants. Sometimes you have to make compromises.”
“You played me, then.” Jake looked back out the window.
After a few seconds passed, Divya pulled back.
“When did you become such a gentleman?”
Jake shook his head more noticeably now and looked her in the eyes.
“And what have you become?”
The rest of the ride back to Georgetown was silent, except for the hum of the AC.
* * *
“We have dinner in two hours,” Divya said flatly as she dropped her keys into a porcelain dish in the entryway. She looked momentarily dejected, not a mask that suited her.
“Might just skip it.” Jake was already headed upstairs to change out of his dress clothes. “Stomach is still bothering me.”
“It’s Karma!” She was agitated.
“I don’t know what that means, Divya.”
A smirk. “It’s only the best restaurant in DC. Come on, I’ll make you a gin and tonic right now. It will help. Hair of the dog.” She was turning her mood around, just like that. Turning on the charm.
“Let me lie down for a bit.”
* * *
Jake stirred awake at the clinking of ice cubes on crystal, but didn’t open his eyes.
How long was I out?
He felt breath on his neck, but his senses hadn’t awoken enough to register what was happening. When he opened his eyes he was facing the window. It was dark outside. He must have overslept.
“Shit,” he said aloud.
“It’s okay. I moved Karma back.”
This jogged his memory.
He turned to face the voice and let his eyes focus. There was Divya, perched atop him, gin and tonic in hand. She wore a daisy-yellow chemise and her hair was up, out of the way.
She took a sip of the drink and started kissing his chest. Jake let his eyes close.
“Jake!” She said his name as she kissed her way down to his navel.
“Hey! Jake!”
His eyes snapped open. He was facing the window again. It was daylight.
Divya was standing next to the bed, fully clothed, which was more than Jake could say for himself. He had kicked off his clothes before crashing.
“You stayed in pretty good shape.” Divya was looking at his stomach and chest. She glanced lower. “Good dream?” She laughed. “You really wear boxers with fish on them these days?”
“Shit!” Jake tried to cover up with the duvet.
“Seen it before.” Divya walked toward the door, still laughing. “You have ten minutes.”
Jesus Christ.
Jake hopped out of bed, got dressed, and went to wash his face.
I’ve gotta get out of here.