Read On His Terms Online

Authors: Rachel Masters

On His Terms (2 page)

BOOK: On His Terms
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And as she looked around the room she could tell that she wasn’t the only one captivated
by his aura.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Martha was chomping at the bit, dying to get in there for her very own personal handshake
with the politician, and maybe even a picture in the paper with him.

As Martha grew more and more impatient to make her way towards the governor, she failed
to notice the puddle of spilled coffee on the floor. And she failed to notice her
co-worker, Ally, standing in front of that slippery puddle.

“Mr. Westbrook! Mr. Westbrook!” Martha called out, determined to meet the potential
governor. Martha inched
closer,
waving her arms and literally shoving Ally aside so that she could accomplish her
goal.

Ally’s foot had nowhere to go except right into the pool of coffee. Her right leg
flew into the air, then her left. Then her entire body went back, hard, as she crashed
onto the cold diner floor.

She was frozen. Stunned from the crash. She laid flat on her back, not able to really
see or hear anything for what seemed like forever. The flashes from the cameras didn’t
help matters.

As her vision came to, there
he
was, down on his knees and staring right into her eyes.

Ally had never been so happy to
have fallen
in her life.

“You okay, ma’am?” Hale asked. His voice was even more penetrating up close. And his
eyes even more piercing.

He took her hand in his. Her entire body melted from this alone.

“Can somebody get me some napkins?” he asked.

As he wiped the coffee off her arm, she studied his face. She was a natural skeptic,
especially after all she’d been through in life,
so
she was caught off guard by his sincerity.

This isn’t a politician posing for the cameras. This is real.

“You fell pretty hard. You okay?” he asked, sporting a smile that Ally was convinced
was customized just for her.

“I’m fine. Thank you, sir.” Ally never called anyone sir in her life, but with all
eyes watching, she thought it best to speak formally to the man who might soon be
governor of her state.

Hale paused, probably for longer than he should have, holding her wrist. She felt
a charge from his simple touch. And she was sure it was real, and not just because
he was a celebrity.

As he helped her to her feet, it began to hit her just how much the two of them were
being watched by the crowd around her.

“You got a photo in you?” he asked, but didn’t wait for her reply. “Look ready, kid,”
he said out of the side of his mouth, and then put on a big smile.

Before she could adjust her skirt or her hair or anything, the billionaire reached
around her side and gently pulled her in closer for a picture. She was completely
rattled, not sure what to make of her ten seconds of fame.

“I think you know my name,” he said, finally offering her his official handshake.
 
“But I haven’t made the pleasure of your acquaintance yet.”

“I’m Ally. Ally Shore,” she said as his hand enveloped hers. In that quick moment,
she felt the heat from his skin, the pressure of his touch, and everything inside
of her seemed to come alive.
 
Her heart was suddenly racing.

But then, just as quickly as he’d come, Hale Westbrook left, taking his massive entourage
with him.

Ally felt a pit form in the depths of her stomach. She wasn’t even sure why. She was
relieved to be out of the spotlight. She’d always hated having any sort of special
attention paid to her.
 

Then why do I feel so sad all of a sudden?

She knew the answer, even she if she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

He’s gone. Gone forever.

 

* * *

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me about
this
?” Ally’s older sister, Julie, threw a copy of the San Diego Tribune onto the breakfast
table.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally’s eyes widened as the front page of the morning paper came into focus. There
she was, for millions of Southern Californians to see, posing with the most powerful
human being on the west coast.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Oh, that.
 
I don’t know.”
 
She shrugged, pretending not to care about the picture, even though she desperately
wanted to stare at it—under a magnifying glass if possible.
 
More than anything, she wanted to look at
him
.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Ally, stop acting like a freak.
 
You know this is a big deal.
 
This is crazy.”

Ally was dying to change the subject. She brought her empty coffee cup to the kitchen
sink, anything to avoid eye contact with her sis. But she could feel Julie’s unrelenting
eyes follow her every move, demanding an answer of sorts.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“I kind of forgot all about it,” Ally said. “Yesterday was so crazy at the diner.
I think that whole thing happened like right when I first started my shift.”
Not bad
, Ally thought, as she rinsed her mug and set it in the dishwasher.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Her sister nodded, eyeing Ally as a detective would eye a crime suspect upon the first
interrogation, leaving it unclear as to whether or not she’d actually bought Ally’s
bogus story.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The apartment was small, a two bedroom pad in a quiet suburb just east of San Diego.
There was no way Ally could get her own place right now, not for a lot of reasons.
And normally she was fine with her living situation. But for this moment more than
ever, she wished she lived alone.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The photo,
Ally thought. It brought back the rush that she felt when he squeezed her into his
side. She would kill to feel that rush again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“So, how did he smell?” asked her big sister, bringing Ally back from her trance.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“What’s the matter with you?” Ally returned, all the while blushing like a high school
senior.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“C’mon sis, you got that close to
Hale Westbrook
, the king of California, and you act like it was just another day at the diner. If
I shared a cab with Brad Pitt, do you think I would just not mention it to you? And
your guy is bigger than Brad
Pitt,
he’s got more pull in this country than thirty governors. You
gotta
give me something, anything.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally just shook her head, as if utterly disgusted with her sister’s line of questioning.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Julie picked up the paper, still in shock that her little sister made the front page
in this fashion. “That’s a great picture of you sis,” she said, and then paused.
 
“Your breasts even look bigger.” Julie walked up to Ally, and gave her a look as if
comparing her real boobs to the ones in the paper.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Knock it off, Julie. Don’t you have laundry to fold?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Suddenly, the creaky bedroom door swung wildly open.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Baby! You slept so good sweetheart!” Julie cried out.

 
Seven year-old Gracie came running out in her Dora the Explorer footy pajamas, diving
into Julie’s arms.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Hey little Ms. Munchkin, where’s my hug?” The little girl turned, with sleep still
in her eyes, to see Ally waiting patiently with open arms.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gracie ran to her as well.

“Oh I could just eat you up,” said Ally, squeezing everything she could out of Gracie.
She loved her more than she thought possible, and little Gracie was pretty much the
only person on the planet who could take her mind off her chance encounter with the
governor for a moment or two.

“Okay, little one,” Julie said.
 
“It’s time to wash up and brush our teeth.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally laced up her sneakers and headed for the door.
 
“I’ll be back guys, I got to get in a run before work.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Be careful sis. Do you have your cell phone with you?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally rolled her eyes, reaching for her IPod that lay next to an old photo of her parents.
 
Then she headed out of the apartment and slowly began to remember what was gnawing
at her soul.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We looked… good together.
 
I know it wasn’t just my imagination.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

* * *

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ally loved to go for runs. It was her time to unwind and let go of everything that
plagued her mind. And she had a lot on her mind, especially given all that she’d been
trying to accomplish for the last couple of years. But today’s run was different.

BOOK: On His Terms
7.52Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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