ROMANCE: SPORTS ROMANCE: The Playmaker (Bad Boy College Football Romance) (New Adult College Alpha Male Sports Romance) (35 page)

Chapter 5

“Professor Kathrine, I can’t believe you are here.”

“Maggie! I should have known that D.C. speech was yours. It sounded like you, full of hope.”

I tried not to blush. She was the best teacher I had in college and she was the one that had steered me into politics. Kathy had convinced me that although writing in general could change things, politics could change the world. I had been fresh out of high school and I was looking for my niche in the world. I had thought it would be journalism, to make a difference, but Kathy was the one that made me see I could make more of a difference in politics.

“Why would you write about what happened, when you can change the future. The past is the past, but the future is going to be shaped by someone’s words.”

It had stuck with me and I couldn’t believe she was there. “I hope you liked it. Why are you here?”

She nodded towards a wealthy business man that I didn’t recognize. “Here with the boyfriend. Me and Jack have been dating for a while now.”

The name reminded me that it was Jack Finnigan. He was an old oil tycoon and it seemed that the Professor was moving up in the world as well. “You look amazing Kathy.”

“You too. Where did you get such a dress?”

I knew I was still a little red-faced from before and thinking about George only made it worse. “Well I had a red dress on earlier, but I got something on it so the host was kind enough to give me something to wear.

“Ahh George is quite the host isn’t he?”

“Yes, yes he is.”

“I was wondering why he kept looking over here. I was hoping it was because of me, but now I see that he has his eye on something else.”

I waved her off like she didn’t know what she was talking about. “He went upstairs with a couple of the bimbos, so I don’t think you are guessing right.”

Glancing to our left, she smiled when she looked back at me. “Yet there he is, looking right at you.”

I didn’t dare look, but I felt my face getting redder. Why did he have such an effect on me?

***

Montana was the next stop and we left early in the morning for the flight. The Senator was still hung over from the night before and he was not too easy to talk to. He was blurry eyed at best and I wasn’t the only one who noticed it. One of his aides was putting powder on his face to cover up the dark circles under his eyes. I felt refreshed and watching him try to wake up reminded me why I didn’t drink or at least not before a big day. If nothing else, at least he was sidetracked on trying to get in my pants. He couldn’t even look out the window without squinting his eyes at the brightness. We needed to talk about the speech that I had given him that morning, but he wasn’t ready for much more than what he was handling now.

“Maggie, I trust that the speech is ready?”

“I gave it to you when we boarded the plane Sir.”

He shook his head like he was trying to clear it. “I think you put it in your pocket Sir.”

“Steve, Maggie, please just call me Steve.”

“It’s in your pocket.”

He took it out and unfolded the wrinkles. After a few minutes he smiled back. “Perfect. It sounds even better than the last one. You make me look good.”

“I just use your ideas and make it sound better. If you want to go over anything, just let me know.”

“No, it’s perfect as always. I knew that you were the right one for the job.”

“Thank you Si...I mean Steve.”

“Good, you are learning. So how did it go with George last night?”

I didn’t know who he was talking about for a minute. “Oh Mr. Billings. It went fine and he was talking about making another donation to the campaign. From what Alice was telling me, you made a tidy sum while we were there last night so I would think it was a success.”

“Yes, I think so.”

I walked back to my seat and tried to ignore the looks that some people were giving me. I had to admit that I had become close with the Senator, but it was not in the way that most of them would think. It was hard to be a woman in these kinds of situations, especially when everyone looked at me like the only reason I was there was to perform sexual favours. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn’t there for any other reason than my writing. No matter what the others thought or how Steve looked at me.

The plane landed not long after and I was happy to get back on the ground. It was not my favorite form of travel, but I figured I would have to get used to it. I would have to get used to seeing George around as well because I noticed that it was his name on the side of the plane. Steve caught me looking at it and he smiled. “I think he must have liked you Maggie. He gave me one of his planes to use the rest of the campaign. I can’t tell you how much that is going to save us in the long run.”

“Yes, he seems to be full of surprises.”

“Can I ask what you two talked about?”

“Well you of course.” I walked away and moved to the waiting cars, making sure I took the one that the Senator was not traveling in.

Chapter 6

I was exhausted by the end of the day. There had been two stops and two speeches, with another three planned for the next day. Which meant that even though I was tired, I still had to write. It was almost two in the morning before I was finished and I was finally able to get some sleep. There was a knock on the door as I laid down and I checked through the peephole. It was the Senator and instead of opening the door, I figured there was nothing good going to come of seeing him that late at night. I crept back to the bed and after a couple more tries, he went away. The Senator was becoming harder to put off and I knew that it was going to come to a head soon. I just hoped that I would have a job by the time it was all said and done.

The next day was up early and much of a blur. By the end of it we were in California and since there was actually going to be a couple of days there, I got a hotel room with a kitchenette. While the rest of the staff took in the beaches, I was in the room trying to write a couple of speeches out. I had a friend from college that lived nearby that I planned to meet up with later, but I still had some work to get done.

Another knock at the door had me looking at the door and hoping that it wasn’t Steve coming back. The only thing good about all of the work was that we hadn’t had time to talk and when we did, I still wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him.

Going to the door with a hint of trepidation, I was relieved to see that it was someone from the hotel. When I opened the door, I saw that he had a couple covered hangars in his hand. “Miss Reynolds?”

“Yes, can I help you?”

“Yes Ma’am, I was told to deliver these to you, with a note.”

He handed me a small envelope, as well as the two dresses. I could tell from the color coming out of one that it was my red dress and the other I wasn’t sure of. It meant that the letter was from George and I couldn’t help my heart beating a little quicker in my chest.

“Thank you.” I tipped him and went back in with the dresses. The note stayed in my hand as I sat on the bed. I knew that I shouldn’t want to read it so bad, want to see him so bad, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. There was something about the man that drew me in, much like all of the other women I reminded myself. I should be used to men with a silver tongue, but not a man like George. There was something deeper in his dark eyes than most. It wasn’t just lust, but something else.

I opened the sleeves covering my dress and then another one. It was beautiful and gold. I had never worn something so beautiful and the label told me why. I could never afford the French designer and it was almost worth it. It was far too much, far too expensive of a gift, but the last thing I wanted to do was give it back. It could be seen as a slight and I didn’t want to do that, seem ungrateful. But I had to wonder, what strings were attached to the beautiful garment. There were always strings attached to a gift such as this.

The phone rang and it made me jump slightly, not prepared for the sound. I laughed to myself, knowing I was being silly, but it was hard to deny how the man made me feel, even the thought of him made me jumpy.

“Maggie.”

“Yes?”

“Did you get my gift?”

“Uh, yes, I just did. Thank you for bringing back my red one and the gold one, well I don’t know where I will wear such a dress, but I thank you nonetheless.”

“So I take it you did not read the note?”

“No, I will now if you want me to.”

“That won’t be necessary. It is just an invitation to another fundraiser I am having at the house. The Senator will be there and as his voice, I figured you should be as well.”

“Oh, well I have some speeches to write. When was it for?”

“Tonight Maggie and I really wish you could make it.”

I bit my lips, toying with the idea. “I will see what I can do George. I have a lot of work to take care of first.”

I heard a sound on the other line and I figured that he wasn’t used to hearing the word no. “Just come if you can Maggie. It won’t be a party without you. I just want someone pretty that can have a conversation. You know how stuffy these things can be.”

“You aren’t bringing the bimbos I take it?”

He chuckled loud. “Yes well, those are for the men, not for me. I have my eyes on only one nowadays.”

I could feel myself blushing and I knew that I was going to say yes. “I will try Mr. Billings.”

“Please call me George. I really like to hear my name on your lips.”

“I will try George.”

“That is all I can ask. Hope to see you this evening.”

***

I hung up and looked out at the city. I realized it was almost time to meet up with Dana. Instead of sitting there wondering what I should do, I figured a drink with an old friend would help me along. My work was done for the day and I needed to get out of that hotel room.

Calling her on my cellphone, I had her meet me at one of the bars locally. It was nice to see her and after a couple of drinks in the middle of the day, it was feeling like we were right back in college.

“So Senator Johnson huh? Congratulations on the job Maggie.”

“Thanks Dana. What have you been up to?”

“Just working for Billings Industries PR department.”

“Wait, you work for George?”

“George? You mean Mr. Billings?”

“Yeah.”

“How do you know him?”

“I was at a fundraiser a couple of days ago at his house.”

“So what’s he like? I hear all of the rumors, but I’ve never met him.”

“He’s actually kind of great.” I told her what happened and about the dress and the invitation for that night.

“You have to go Maggie. I mean, a lot of girls would love to be in that situation.”

I knew she was right, but that was part of the problem. There were many girls and I didn’t want to compete or become one of the string of girls that he wouldn’t remember in the morning. I didn’t want to just be another one.

“I think many girls have been in my position Dana. I don’t know, it just sounds like a bad idea.”

“Bad idea to go to a billionaire’s house and wear a pretty dress? I don’t know Maggie, sounds like a good idea to me. You’ve changed since college.”

She was right. It was just a party and just a dress. I would have jumped at the chance before. Maybe I was just looking into it too much. Or maybe I saw him for what he was, dangerous.

As the sky grew dark and after a few drinks, I was reconsidering going and I went back to the hotel to change. I knew that the plane was leaving in an hour, which didn’t give me much time to get ready. Fingering the gold dress, I knew that it might be the only time I had somewhere to wear it and it did seem ungrateful to let such a pretty dress go to waste. When I put it on, it fit me like a glove.

I couldn’t wear a bra in the dress, so I wore a pair of pasties instead. There was a hint of the swell and cleavage, but at least that time around my nipples weren’t showing. Keeping my hair down and putting on very little makeup, I looked at myself in the mirror. My green eyes were sparkling and I knew then that all I could think about was what happened when I got there. Would it be like last time, keeping our distance or would it be something else? I wasn’t sure, but after talking to Dana, I really wanted to know.  She was right when she said there was something about George. Not only was he nice to look at, but he had a great wit about him that made me want to know more.

Chapter 7

I just made it on the plane and I almost second-guessed my decision when I saw the look on Senator Johnson’s face. It was pure need and it made me look away. “Maggie, that dress.”

I looked down at it and smiled. “Do you like it Sir?”

“Yes. I am starting to think there is a whole other side of you.”

I took my seat, making sure that it was away from his. He was looking at me like he was a starving man and I was the last morsel of food. It made me more aware of what I was wearing and who had given it to me. Steve came and sat down with me.

“So I want to talk to you about tonight Maggie.”

“Yes Sir?”

He shook his head. “You are still calling me that. It’s Steve. I want us to get to know each other better Maggie, especially if we are going to be working together so much.”

“Sorry Steve. So what did you want to talk about?”

“It’s about the party.”

I could tell he was stalling. It probably meant that I was not going to like what he was going to say. I had a feeling it was going to upset me, but I waited, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“I was hoping that you could mingle a bit more with the business men. They are all there to get away from their wives and a woman like you, dressed like that, could easily bring in all the funds that we need for the rest of the year. I saw the way George was looking at you. He has taken a liking to you, which is unusual for him and I am just asking you to capitalize on it.”

There it was. It was worse than his ‘be nice to him’ speech and it made me nervous. I didn’t mind mingling and talking to people, but by the way he said it, I didn’t think that that was what he was talking about. I was a writer after all, not one of the hired bimbos to make the men feel young again. He must have seen something on my face because when he looked at me, his eyes had softened.

“Sorry if that came out the wrong way. You are just so beautiful tonight Maggie and with a face like that, no man could tell you no.”

It wasn’t much better, but it was as good as it was going to get. I kept reminding myself that he was going to be a great President, even if he was just another sexist man in a business suit. Sometimes I just had to shut my mouth, knowing that everyone had their faults. I couldn’t blame him for wanting to use everything in his arsenal to get ahead, even if one of those things was me.

“I will try to get some mingling in tonight Senator.”

He thanked me, but all I wanted to do was punch him.

***

We got to the party and like before, there were tons of people there. I started to feel strange being there after a few minutes. I didn’t see George anywhere and I figured that he had found something else to occupy his time. Instead I did what the boss asked and did the rounds with the business men. Many of them I had looked into when they were making such large contributions and most had their eyes on my chest most of the time. It was disheartening, but I knew that a few of them were there for the right reasons. He was meant to be President and he was going to make most of the men in the room a lot of money.

“Maggie. How long have you been here?”

I turned around to his voice, forgetting the old man I had been talking to about public policies on taxes. “Mr. Billings. Nice to see you again Sir.”

“The dress Maggie, oh my. I knew that it would be perfect for you, but my word woman.”

He made me smile and then I looked down a bit embarrassed. I still had a bit of a buzz and with the glass in my hand, he made a gesture. “I thought you didn’t drink?”

“Well I guess I have changed my mind. Which is just as well with the looks I am getting in this dress.”

“I have been thinking about you Maggie. It’s strange that you have been on my mind so much. I never think about a woman for this long.”

“That’s kind of sad Mr. Billings, because it has only been a few days. But a man like you has many options to keep your mind off of things I would assume.”

“There is that fire again. Let me get you another drink and you can tell me about my options.”

“With me? There are none.”

“I don’t hear no very often.”

“I bet you don’t, but now you have.”

“Are you always this hostile with the donors?”

I turned red. I wasn’t trying to be hostile, but he had turned my brain to mush and it felt like I should say something about it. Did he know how much I had thought about him or wished that I had done more that night in the bathroom? Maybe just a kiss would let me get him off of my mind.

“I’m sorry Sir. I don’t know what has gotten into me. Maybe I shouldn’t have another drink. The Senator thanks you for your contribution.”

“So what is it with you two?”

“What do you mean?”

He gestured over to Steve who was looking at me in such a way again. I told him it was the dresses fault and he just kind of chuckled.

“I bet that you could walk around here in a potato sack and still make the same impression.”

I laughed with him from the mental image. “You are too kind Sir. Thank you for the drink.”

I started to walk away and he stopped me with a hand on my arm. “Say my name Maggie.”

“George. Thank you George for the dress and helping me out the other night.”

He shivered visibly and I had a moment of naughtiness run through me. Moving closer to him, I put my ear to his lips and said his name low and like I would in the midst of passion. When I pulled away, he was slack-jawed and I laughed at the face he made. Taking the drink from me, he took a sip. “You’re right not to drink at these things because you are dangerous.”

I giggled and took the drink back, walking away. I didn’t look back, even though I wanted to very badly. There was no way that I wouldn’t regret it in the morning, but he wasn’t even on my radar. He was so far above it, it really didn’t matter.

The Senator called me over to a group of men and I moved to say hello as he introduced them. They were all very nice, but I still caught myself looking for George in the crowd. Excusing myself from the men, I went upstairs to the bathroom and dabbed my face with water. I was overheated from the champagne and I just needed a few minutes to myself.

There was a knock and for a moment I just knew that it was George. I opened the door, but it was the Senator instead.

“Sir, did you need something?”

He pushed his way into the room and shut the door hard behind him. He had been drinking again, I could tell from the look in his eyes and he didn’t say anything as he advanced towards me. “Sir?”

“It’s Steve that I want to hear you calling out Maggie, Steve.”

Calling out? The hairs went up on the back of my neck and his intentions became clear as he took in the rise and fall of my breasts. He was practically licking his lips and I felt coldness run through my body. The last thing I had been expecting was to deal with him like that.

“Senator, I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

He moved closer and I backed up until I felt the marble sink behind me. He kept advancing and I cried out when he grabbed my arm. He was stronger than I could have imagined and it hurt, the grip he had on me. “Stop Steve, you are hurting me.”

“This is what you want, it has to be. Look at the way you are dressed.”

It all came back to the dress and I wanted to curse it. I pushed back, my hands feeling tiny on his chest and when his lips moved to mine, I couldn’t stop him. His lips felt cold against me and I bit his lip to get him away. He pulled back and slapped me across the face. “You stupid little bitch.”

He came back towards me and I screamed as loud as I could. I wasn’t trying to get anyone to help me, but to scare him long enough to get away. It didn’t happen that way. He actually seemed to like me yelling and he just laughed as he came closer. I had been so wrong about the man and I knew then that I had messed up badly.

“Steve, stop. You’re drunk and you are not thinking clearly.”

As he came closer I started to yell, but he just yelled with me. “No one can hear you Maggie, no matter how loud you scream. They are all down there having a good time and that is what we should be doing. You work too hard.”

I started to cry, the tears burning my face as he came closer. The sink was hard against my back and then he hauled me up on the sink. I tried one last time to get away, kicking him as hard as I could in his stomach. It only seemed to make him madder and his arm came back to strike me again.

“Touch her again Senator and there will be hell to pay.”

Steve squinted at the tall man in the doorway. As he moved back, I ran towards the door and then passed the man standing there. George was there with flashing dark eyes and I didn’t want him to see me crying. I wanted to thank him, but no words came out. I was stuck, no wanting to go downstairs in front of all those people. Steve was yelling that I was fired and it literally couldn’t get any worse. I didn’t want to break down, but I knew I was going to. It had been too much and my mind needed time to think of it all.

“Maggie? Here let me help you.”

I was sitting at the top of the steps. The dress was ripped and I couldn’t go downstairs without showing off more of my body than I wanted to. There was nothing I could do and I didn’t know where the Senator was.

Looking up at George, his pity made it even worse. “I’m fine George. Why don’t you go back to your party? I called a cab. Do you have a back exit so that I can get out of here without everyone seeing me like this? Please.”

He bent down and touched my cheek. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up Maggie. I won’t have you taking a cab. When you are ready to go, I will take you wherever you want to go.”

I kind of laughed bitterly. I needed to go back to Ohio and find another job. It was going to be close to impossible by the way things had ended with my first job. But at the moment, I really just wanted to wash the feel of him off of my skin and cover myself up better.

I let him help me up and followed him further down the hallway to his room.