ALL IN: Race for the White House (28 page)

“You never told me who she is, and I didn’t really want to bring her up when I was with you in Florida. Is she a model, an actress?”
 

I wouldn’t have gotten away with it face to face, but over the phone, she couldn’t see me smiling. The Daphne thing was working the way I had hoped. I would never admit to the real reason she was there. Anyway, it was right in front of Lexi’s nose and she even hit on it once or twice. Daphne had a natural talent for deflating egos and that was the condition I wanted the press in when they schlepped onto the bus to meet with me. Daphne was hired to intimidate even though she didn’t know she was doing it.
 

The day she met me at the Bookstore all I told her was she would be my appointment keeper, doing the same thing she did at the salon. She said, “I don’t know if I can handle such an important position.”
 

I told her not to worry, everything she did by being herself was perfect.
 

I gave her my other gift card. “If you want to join us, spend this on some kick ass outfits, you’ve got to be on every day.”

“What if I don’t?”
 

“Good question,” I even liked the bitchy way she said it, “If you don’t, then
 
mail it back to me.”
 

I couldn’t have been happier; the press were marching in like wounded dogs. The women came in needy like damaged goods starving for male attention. I would sooth them with compliments and send them back to file their stories. The men were worse, even the married guys came in begging for a handout. “Hey, Jack, could you introduce me.” I’d say it like I was their wingman.

“If you can save it for after the campaign, I don’t want her distracted. She’s got a job to do.”
 

The third bus would be the spawning pool. Reporters who filed positive stories would graduate to the second armed with mid-level staffers and occasionally Bud riding along to serve the Kool-Aid. True believers would have assigned seats and perks like early interviews so they could make deadline. We made their lives as easy as possible with prepared notes, selected quotes and reserved seats at rallies.
 

Daphne would ride up front with me to keep her unfamiliar as long as possible. I didn’t want her power to fade.
 

Lexi was waiting on the phone for an answer.
 

“No, I met her when I took Lisa to get her hair done.”

“You’re playing with me now.
You
took Lisa to get her hair done?”

“Why is it so hard to believe?”

“Well, that explains the transformation. They’re calling it your little harem, Jack. Lisa does look fantastic, though. Ever thought of giving me some advice. Like what would do you think, I mean what would you suggest
I
do?”

“You’re perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

“No, Jack, really - give me two suggestions. Please, I promise I won’t be mad. On the contrary, I would love the help.”

“Wow, Daphne has really gotten to you, huh babe?”
 

What Lexi didn’t know is too much of anyone even Daphne can get on my nerves. She looked so amazing when we met; at first glance, I understood her power.
 

I wasn’t easily shaken, but Daphne’s Rare Beauty had intimidated me. Spending time with her I was finding the more familiar we got, the less enamored I was. It’s almost like she was getting less pretty. I told her to limit her time with the Press and not to get friendly with anyone. My goal was to keep her as intimidating as possible for as long as I could.
 

The reporters coming in to see me had to pass through Daphne and get their egos deflated. That two-minute edge was all we needed to knock them down a peg. The men would question their prowess, the woman their beauty, prima donnas all, confidence a little shaken. When I built them up again, they linked feeling good with me, it’s as if they couldn’t separate the man from the message.
 

No one knew better than me what it felt like to walk up to this girl and get nothing. Deep down, I knew that when I was just another guy coming into the salon she wouldn’t give me the time of day.
 

Fame is funny. It changes the way people interact with you. The hangers on, the roar of the crowd, the way up is exhilarating. I was slowly getting used to it, but as any once really famous person will tell you; it doesn’t last forever, for some the way down can be pretty ugly.
 

Once at a charity event I watched a new starlet being interviewed accompanied by her famous Hollywood agent. In mid-sentence, one of his former clients, a woman that was once really famous crashed the interview. She was a little loud and pushy and seemed frazzled. They tolerated her, but I could see the strain on their faces, it was really sad. It was obvious she still liked to come out to events and appeared to crave attention, but her star once bright had faded.
 

Daphne was star struck and craved my attention. She even confessed to having a crush on me and told me she had dreamed we were together. I couldn’t burst her bubble so I had to play along a little, or risk damaging her confidence. I was getting to know the real Daphne and with her guard down, she was a sweetheart. She needed what she had to play her part with the press, and the poor thing wasn’t acting. She couldn’t make this stuff up, to those who didn’t know her, she appeared to be an aloof condescending bitch that happened to be a stone cold fox. I had no other choice but to keep her close with me so we could maintain the mystery.
 

I was the only one who had seen Daphne without her makeup. It happened one day at a campaign stop in Venice, Florida when she told me she had a terrible headache. While I got out to shake hands with some seniors, I told her to lie down on the bed and try to relax. I hoped she would feel better if she took a nap for a couple of hours. She took a couple of pills and lay down and I left. A few hours later when I returned Daphne was still sleeping. There was no need to wake her and with us scheduled to leave for our next stop north of Tampa, I told the driver to head out. We arrived in Tampa and all got out and did our dog and pony show while Daphne stayed on the bus. An hour later, I went back by myself to check on her. I walked to the back of the bus and lightly tapped on the door, “Daphne are you okay? How are you feeling?” She opened the door and I was a little surprised to see her standing there wrapped in only a towel, “I feel better, I had to take a shower to freshen up, Jack, I hope you don’t mind.” Her voice was the same, but somehow the quiet direct manner of her speech was childlike. What we were all trained to hear, as a quiet detachment in this context was her sweetness. I told her of course I didn’t mind, but I hardly recognized her. Gone were the exotic smoky eyes and in their place were plain lids over pale blue. Maybe not even blue, more of a milky white washed Robin’s Egg blue. Daphne noticed me looking at her eyes, she explained apologetically, “I take my contacts out to sleep, I hate my eyes, my real color is gross, so I chose the deepest blue I could find.” Her hair was up in a new white towel and her normally hot pink glossy lips, her sultry trademark, were washed off. Her stilettos were slung beside the bed, and the clothes she wore so well were spewn all across the floor. Daphne the exotic beauty my Intimidator, wrapped in only a towel seemed almost plain. I felt pangs of tenderness run through me like a shiver and realized how vulnerable she was, “Take all the time you need to get ready, I’ll give you some privacy.” I felt like Toto had pulled back the curtain on the Wizard of Oz. Before me half naked innocence, vulnerable, lacking guile, I wished she would speak the words.

“I get the whole thing, Jack, I understand.” She really didn’t though, this wasn’t the first time I’d met a woman and a girl popped out. Poor Daphne was a blank canvas; we all projected our insecurities upon.
 

“Lock the bus door after me when I leave, Daphne.”

I had to protect her image and be careful not to simply use her and throw her away once the campaign was over. I thought we could place her in a token job or send her to school or better yet, she could stay with me and greet appointments waiting to see me in the oval. That would be the plan - I’ll keep her with me.
 

While I was lost in thought, Lexi was still on the phone.
 

“She
has
gotten to me, Jack. I’m surprised Sarah puts up with her.”

“Lexi, my wife knows I like blondes, and that’s why I picked Daphne in the first place. She flew right under the radar. Sarah’s forgiven me, but I’ve made an ass of myself several times gushing over blondes. Don’t tell this to a soul, but you do more for me than she does, and unlike Daphne you get prettier every time I see you.”
 

“It’s a good thing we’re on the phone, Jack; I’m blushing and smiling so hard I can barely talk.”
 

“See, Lexi, that’s what I love about you. You’re smart and funny, you make me laugh. You’ve got it all and you’re a knockout.”
 

“I’m serious, Jack, you have made me a happy girl, even if it’s not true. Damn, you’re good.”
 

“You said you had a favor to ask?”
 

“Yes, everybody at the Network thinks it would be a great idea for us to film you all access while you’re up in Maine. Sort of like reality TV. We’d get film of everything, it would mean hours of television. I told them I didn’t think you’d go for it, Jack.”

“Do you want to do it, Lexi”?
 

“Of course, what reporter wouldn’t want hours of film in the station’s archives with the next President of the United States? My face would be much more visible and it would bring my career to the next level.”
 

“What about the ribbing you’ll get from the press core?”
 

“Let them talk, Jack. In this business, if they’re not talking about you, you’re dead. Besides, I don’t really have a choice; this request came right from the top.”
 

“Lexi, in
any
business if they’re not talking about you, you’re dead.
 

“I guess we could do it, with one condition.”

“That’s great, Jack, anything.”
 

“Nothing gets through without Bud looking at it first or we pull the plug.”
 

“Sure, you know I’d never try to hurt you guys.”

“That’s the only way I’ll get him on board, and he’s gotta be okay with it or it won’t fly, Bud is one guy you don’t want to force.”
 

“It’s all set then. We’ll join you in Maine. I can’t wait to spend that much time with you.”
 

“Be careful what you wish for, Lexi.”
 

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Hey, I forgot to mention we’re getting Secret Service starting with Maine, so it may not be any picnic for your people. They’re a paranoid bunch you know.”
 

“How did you manage that, Jack? Usually, the protection only comes into play the last 120 days before the election.”
 

“Lex, we didn’t ask for it. They came to us, something about the crowds getting too large. They’re right, it was getting hard to get in and out of places because we couldn’t control the traffic. The Secret Service will change all that. Besides, we were spending a fortune on all the guys Tip had working, let Uncle Sam foot the bill. Anyway, we jumped on it.”
 

“We’ll work around it, Jack, I’m sure once they get used to the film crew it will be okay.”
 

“Whatever, I’m looking forward to seeing you, Lex.”

“Jack, you said you were going to tell me about Griffin. What has gotten into her?”
 

“I couldn’t believe it myself. I thought she must want to make a deal to shelve the negative ads or some other nonsense.”

“But she was playing two negatives to every one of yours.”
 

“Well, my curiosity was piqued. I figured she’d probably spent herself into the poor house trying to stop us…”
 

“I get it, Jack, and when it wasn’t helping her, she came to you with a deal…”

“Lexi, I was as excited as a five-year-old the night before Christmas… I got to the office early… and opened the door so I could have a straight view of the elevator door. I arranged the way I was sitting, the angle of my head, should I have a phone in my hand, should I be writing. I was trying to play it cool…”

“Then she arrived, walking down our hallway, flanked by four tall, black haired clones in suits. I hadn’t slept the night before because I could hardly wait to hear what she wanted to talk to me about.”
 

“She’s a powerhouse.”
 

“You’re right, Lexi, but there she was, her majesty the Governor of Texas, all covered up in a vanilla overcoat, matching ‘kerchief, and big dark glasses.”
 

“That sounds like Anne Griffin, marching in there like she owned the place.”
 

“Sandy had taken a call from the Governor’s Chief of Staff Ron Bean earlier that week.”

“Ron Bean is a political dynamo.”

“You’re telling me, Lexi. Bud hates the guy, and Bud wouldn’t give him a thought if he wasn’t good.”

“Well, Sandy took the message. The governor would like to meet with the senator to discuss areas of mutual interest. She didn’t mind coming to our offices and ‘would Friday afternoon be good for us?’ Bud couldn’t believe she would be caught dead walking in here, and that’s when he spilled an old secret he was carrying. She’s a real cougar, Lexi; and true to her reputation, she shows up with four 30-something guys that look like she got them from central casting.”
 

“She’s married to a man ten years her junior, some said he was kept. Did you know that, Jack?”

“Please, Lexi. Tip has given me the straight skinny on everyone who comes into contact with us in a meaningful way.
 

“Even me?”

“Of course, you. Especially you. He was worried you and I would end up… Well anyway, here she was, the Governor of Texas, underlings in toe, as big as Billy-be-damned in our offices, in person, hand stretched out. I greeted her, ‘Good afternoon, Anne,’ and I reached to shake her hand.