Seduced By The Candidate (The Candidate, #1) (12 page)

Charlotte’s initial pain was quickly replaced with sensations
of pleasure so extreme that she had never experienced anything quite like them.
They coursed and throbbed, pulsed and shuddered through her and she urged him
on, deeper and faster until she had accepted everything that he had to offer.
Her tight embrace gripped him hard and he knew that his orgasm wasn’t far away.
But he refused to leave this wonderful woman unsatisfied. As admirable as his
intentions were, he needn’t have
worried,
Charlotte
was approaching her own climax almost as fast as he was. Urging him on to yet
further depths, she wrapped her legs around him and gripped him with sharp
nails and unyielding heels.

The pain in his shoulders and buttocks drove him on, but
instead of merely tolerating the pain, he realized that he not only enjoyed the
sensation, that it further aroused him. With his reserves nearly spent, he
thrust into her, hard and fast; pumping her for all he was worth, encouraged by
her screams and moans as she writhed beneath him. With a last gasp, she
stiffened and gripped him hard as she spasmed beneath him. This was too much
for Goulding and he thrust once more and came deep within her.

As the couple shuddered and finally grew still, the unseeing
eyes of the crucified Jesus installation looked down at them. Neither Charlotte
nor Goulding appreciated the irony of what they had just done in the very heart
of the Evangelist movements most venerated home.
                            

Chapter Three

Once Bitten, Twice Shy?

Something was wrong, very wrong. Everyone in the office was
nervous and on edge. Goulding: the rude, arrogant and obnoxious employer that
they had all decided to back through gritted teeth and forced smiles was
being...nice! This was the second day that he had walked into the office with a
full box of Dunkin’ Doughnuts finest selection and a smile that would have
melted even the most stubborn opponent’s reserves. He addressed them all
individually by their first names, shook hands, patted shoulders and uttered
his sincere thanks for all of their hard work and despite the fact that his day
had been punctuated by frustration and complications, his smile hadn’t faltered
and his mood had remained unnervingly upbeat.
 

At first, they thought that it was some kind of a sick joke. That
he would wait for them to lower their guards, before roaring back in and
tearing into them all as usual. When this hadn’t happened, conspiracy theories
flew around the office email system at a truly impressive pace.

Had he come into some money? Perhaps
a
lottery win
? Had he had discovered something unpleasant about President
Morton that would derail the current President’s campaign completely? Had he
found God? Had he found some brainless bimbo to fuck him to within an inch of his
life?

When they gathered around the coffee machine later that
afternoon, even the most die-hard theorist had to admit that these last two
were a bit of a long shot. Despite being the Republican candidate, he was so
far removed from Godliness that it was laughable and finding a woman even more
so! He was a handsome fella and of that there was no doubt, but his usual
demeanor and attitude made for a very ugly individual indeed.

Only two people avoided the onslaught of office gossip and they
had very different reasons for being reserved and aloof. Charlotte was still
floating on a cloud of immeasurable wonder and awe, and even the day-to-day
shitstorm of the campaign run-in couldn’t bring her back down to Earth. She had
lost her virginity in the most intense, passionate and gentle way imaginable
and positively glowed with an inner satisfaction that radiated through every
aspect of her being.

She no longer walked, she floated. She didn’t merely smile, she
beamed and she would swear that her skin was more luxurious and her hair had
extra shine and luster. She also felt like a real woman and that all of the
entrapments of youth had been sloughed away with her clothes when she had
bared
all for that wonderful man.

Her colleagues had noticed the change and needled her for
answers the instant she had arrived on Monday morning. The women had seemed to
know instinctively that the change had to have been brought about by the
introduction of a man into her life, but Charlotte had refused to divulge
anything other than the most basic of information.

She was a woman, but she was not yet past the embarrassment
born from inexperience. She had spent most of that first day in a permanently
flushed state as she fended off their intimate questions and tactfully avoided
their probing demands. All she would admit to was the fact that she had met a
man and that they had spent a wonderful time together. She wasn’t sure what the
future held, but she had never felt like this before and hoped that it would
continue for as long as possible.

The women had oo’d and ah’d and remarked jealously that it was
the most romantic thing that they had ever heard and that they only wished that
their Bob, Frank, Geoff etc could be half as clued-up with regards to their own
individual needs. The men had obviously felt their own masculinities threatened
and mumbled their congratulations, before returning to their emails and
suggesting to each other that the guy was clearly gay and leading her along, or
in denial and that it would all end in tears one way or another.

John had been very quiet as this all went on around him. The
elaborate office production played itself out. He had a very bad feeling about
this particular play’s principle actors and if he was right, this was merely a
re-run of what had gone before. He had been a major player in the middle of the
original iteration and he had no intention of becoming embroiled in the
inevitable caustic fall-out that was almost guaranteed to result.

* * *

Goulding relaxed in his sumptuous leather office chair,
extended his legs and put his feet up on the edge of his desk. This was going
to be a good week. Actually, scratch that, this was going to be a damn fine
month. His speech had been an unprecedented success, not only within the
Republican Party, the Evangelical movement, or even the country itself, but all
over the world. Forty-five million people had tuned in to hear him speak via
the television, the radio, through live streaming on the internet and even as a
series of YouTube clips. There were still plenty of protagonists, but in the
majority of the world seemed excited by the prospect of having such a fresh,
forward thinking man in charge of the United States of America and as the
leader of the developed world.

As a result, he had seen his already enviable advantage soar a
further three points in the polls practically overnight. President Morton had
almost immediately called a press-conference. Without directly mentioning
Goulding’s speech directly, he had tried to inject an element of doubt in
response to Goulding’s claims…it hadn’t worked. The overall opinion had been
that the President was clearly embarrassed, bitter and unable to think of a
tangible response that actually contained something of note. In Goulding’s
opinion, he looked tired and already resigned to the inevitable loss of his
presidency.

Jake was as good as his word, wrapping up his business by two
o’clock on Monday afternoon and leaving the office with the promise that he
would be in contact as soon as he had something to report. He had also left
with five thousand dollars in his back pocket and a grin on his face.

“Fucking expenses!”
Goulding tried,
but he couldn’t keep a straight face for long. In the grand scheme of things,
if Jake could make this particular problem go away, then five grand would
merely be a drop in the ocean. Already Goulding felt as if a huge weight had
been lifted from his shoulders and for the first time in as long as he could
remember,
he was actually able to enjoy the experience of
being the country’s principle choice for President.
 

Then there was
Charlotte,
or Charlie
as she had insisted he call her when they had finally gotten up and started to
dress. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie…wow! She was smart, sexy, intelligent, funny
and unsullied. She was his and his alone, never before touched by another man,
or tainted by their inadequate embrace. What a prospect. To have something so
pure to shape and mold in whatever way he desired. She was someone he could
teach and tutor in the art of love making. Everything that he had ever wanted
to try or explore would be opened up to him as she had never had the
opportunity to develop her own individual tastes and aversions. She was a blank
canvas and he was eager to get painting as soon as he possibly could!

The knock at the door made Goulding jump and re-arrange
himself
more professionally behind the desk. He asked the
visitor to come in.

“Hi Bill…er…can I have a quick word please?” said John looking
embarrassed.

“Absolutely, John.
Please come in and
take a seat,” replied Goulding, indicating that he was genuinely pleased to see
his campaign manager.

“Er…thank you…thanks.”

The little man was clearly nervous and distracted, but Goulding
barely noticed it as he continued to enjoy his private reverie.

“The thing is Bill…well, it hasn’t gone unnoticed that you’ve
been…umm…different, since you got back from Memphis.”

“Different?” said Goulding raising an eyebrow.

“Yes different. How can I put this…let’s just say that
your
usual vociferous focus has been tempered by a
more…er….relaxed overall attitude.”

“You know what Jonathan,” said Goulding. “You really should be
a politician. You’re definitely wasted in strategic management!”

“I-I…well…er…I…”

“It’s okay John, I get what you’re saying. Basically, I’m not
the usual moody bastard I was last week. It’s making people nervous right?”

John looked mortified that Goulding had been able to cut
through all of the politically correct bullshit and get right to the point.
Goulding had to try hard not to laugh as he watched the little man squirm in
his seat.

“No…I didn’t mean that…I…”

“It’s okay John, really it is and you’re absolutely right…on
all counts.”

“What? Oh…okay. Do you mind if I ask what inspired this
particular change in mood?”

“Not at all, John.
It’s simple really.
I’ve met someone and I feel like I’m on top of the world at the minute.”

“O-kay…bearing in mind who you are and who you represent, did
you not think that it was perhaps something that you might want to discuss with
me?”

“John, to be honest, it all happened quite quickly and it
caught me completely by surprise. Besides, I had no idea that you wanted to be
my matchmaker and wingman. I really am quite touched…honored even. Had I only
known, I would definitely have asked her if she had a sister!”

“There’s no need to be facetious Bill. You know why I’m
asking.”

This time Goulding couldn’t help but laugh as John pouted and
put on what he must have thought was a stern, angry face.

“How serious is it, Bill? Have you…slept with her?”

“Not that it is any of your business John, but yes and it was
wonderful…would you like me to describe it in detail for you, or perhaps you’d
prefer me to draw you a picture?”

“Bill, for fucks sake!
Your business
IS my business. It’s my job to make sure that you get elected and in doing so I
need to oversee and manage every aspect of your life; personal, private,
public, social and secret. If it got out that the good old God-fearing
Republican candidate who had just made such an impassioned speech on the
importance of family values was secretly screwing some slut he had only just
met, it could wipe out your advantage overnight. Jesus! The loss of the
Evangelical vote alone would be enough to hand the race to Morton and that’s
before we even start to consider the effect on Joe Public.”

For the first time that week, the color flushed in Goulding’s
face and dark clouds furrowed his brow.

“Let me make this abundantly clear for you, John. She is not a
slut and I have every confidence that she respects the sensitivity of my
situation.”

“How’s that then Bill,” said John, sticking to his guns and
feeling his anger grow inside him. “Just how can you be so sure that this
little lady isn’t going to bolt to the press as soon as she can and make a nice
little bundle out of selling the story of your seedy sessions together to the
highest bidder?”

“Because she’s part of my team,” shouted Goulding before he
could stop himself.

For a few seconds both men merely stared at each other, neither
willing to give ground, both impassioned by their own sense of injustice.

“Who is it?” said John quietly, finally breaking the silence.

“Does it matter?”

“Normally…no.
But if it’s who I think
it is, then what the fuck do you think?”

Goulding said nothing and merely stared at the mug on his desk.
His anger had been replaced with humility and embarrassment. He resented the
fact that this little man had the innate ability to take something so wonderful
and tear it apart with reality and reason.

“It’s Charlie…Charlotte, bollocks…Miss Turner,” he said
quietly.

Despite having the confirmation that he had most feared, John
Lyndsey felt no sense of satisfaction and merely lowered his head into his
hands.

“John?”

“What?”

“It’ll be okay. It’ll be…different this time.”

“Really Bill, will it? WILL IT?” shouted the little man
exploding into life with a force and passion that Goulding had never seen
before. “I’ve spent far too long on this campaign for you and your fucking cock
to spoil it all now.”