The Senator's Daughter (4 page)

“You've obviously worked very hard, but I'm trying to raise the caliber of faculty in this school.” Kat's heart sank. He'd canceled the meeting because they weren't going to give her the promotion.

“It's hard for our little college to compete in Virginia when we have big-name universities that attract both students and faculty. We must ensure that our professors are of the highest standing.” He spoke with the kind of fake British accent that ivory-tower professors often put on. She felt like Maria in
The Sound of Music
getting a lecture from Mother Superior.

She sat on the bench next to the entryway and let her head rest on the wall behind her. The dean had obviously made up his mind.

While he droned on about his standards for faculty members, Kat's mind wandered to thoughts of the senator. After all these years of wondering which shadowy politician was her father, she finally had the truth. What was he like as a man? Would he have stood by her mother if he'd known she was pregnant? Would her mother be the same woman if he'd been in their lives? Would Kat's life have been different? Would she have picked a better man than Colin if she'd had a male role model growing up? These were all questions she'd asked herself a thousand times before, and she never came up with any answers. But maybe now...

She sat up straight. When the dean paused to take a breath, she jumped in. “Dean Gladstone, I know you don't like my newfound notoriety, but it could be a real opportunity for the school to gain a national reputation.”

That was what Colin had done, hadn't he? Turned the media attention to his benefit. So why couldn't she do the same? Though he was silent, she knew the dean was still on the line because she heard his breathing. So she continued.

“What if I do a few interviews with Senator Roberts and write some articles on this race and the impact of his defense policy?”

“That's an interesting idea,” the dean allowed. “One significant deficit in your tenure application is that you haven't written a book.”

Kat bit her lip. She hadn't written a book because her ex-fiancé had stolen years' worth of analyses and sold them as his own.

“A book would make your application more competitive, particularly one analyzing your father's policies and tracking this campaign through the election.”

That was a lot more than what Kat had in mind. Maybe she should've thought through this half-baked idea before blurting it out. She couldn't commit to being away from her mother for an extended period of time. “A book would be hard to write based on a few interviews.”

The dean wasn't listening. He talked over her. “I have a very dear friend at Harvard University Press, and if you can deliver a book in the next three months, I'll twist his arm to publish it before the election.”

She closed her mouth. A book? Published by Harvard University Press? In the academic world, that was like hitting the
New York Times
bestseller list. She might have a chance at living down this story. Other career opportunities would open up; maybe she could even return to a big-time university. But that meant spending two to three months researching with her father...and with Alex.

“Dean Gladstone, covering my father through the election is a longer proposition than what I was thinking.”

“Professor Driscoll, perhaps I haven't made myself clear, so let me be blunt. Your current application will not get you a promotion. And your newfound notoriety gives me cause to consider whether to continue your contract for next year. I'm giving you a solution—I suggest you take it.”

Kat couldn't bring herself to hit the end button despite the insistent beeps in her ear telling her the dean had hung up. She closed her eyes.
What have I done?
If he didn't renew her contract, it was too late for her to find another position. Her savings account barely held enough money to cover next month's rent. She couldn't afford to lose her position. More important, her mother needed the health insurance that came as a benefit.

“I couldn't help but overhear.”

Kat opened her eyes to see Alex kneeling in front of her. She closed her phone.

“This is none of your business.”

“Actually, it is.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose, then looked up at her. “I'm going to put my cards on the table. No bull. I have a win-win solution for both of us.”

She leaned forward, searching his eyes. He was a charmer, just like Colin. But she wasn't going to be fooled. Not again.

“The senator's going to take a hit in the polls with your mother's announcement. No matter what she said, our conservative state will see him as having abandoned you. The only way to manage the story now is to invite you into the fold. Come on the campaign trail. Take some pictures with the senator so he can show that he's getting to know his newfound daughter. Your mother said she wants him to claim you, and he's willing to do that. In return, you can spend time learning about him for your book.”

She stared at him. His eyes were pleading and she could feel herself melting. Alex was a trained liar. This whole situation was his fault. If he hadn't put pressure on them to lie, maybe her mother wouldn't have made that impulsive statement. But... She had a chance to find out once and for all why her father had left, and to get some answers to questions that had haunted her life. Maybe it was time she learned to use her situation to her advantage rather than curl up and wait for others to determine her fate.

“I can't leave my mother.”

“Our campaign headquarters are in Richmond, just an hour from here. The senator uses it as a base to travel through the state. I can situate you there.”

“Is that where you work out of?”

“I split my time between Richmond and DC.”

An unwelcome pulse of disappointment went through her. She ignored it. His not being around was a good thing.

“I have two conditions.”

He lifted a brow, his lips pressing together. “I'm not sure I can meet them.”

“Then
I
am sure I'll be slamming the door in your face in a few minutes.”

A vein bulged in his neck and she felt her nerves spark as she took in the curve of his neck and jawline.

“Let me hear it.”

She focused her attention back on the matter at hand. “First, no media. You can take some posed pictures of me and circulate them, with my approval, but I don't want to be in front of the cameras like I was just now.”

He steepled his fingers and tapped them against each other. Kat found herself getting distracted by the way his fingers moved. “It'll be faster to take the attention off you if you give a statement to the media. They hound people who avoid them.”

She shook her head. “I won't do it. That's nonnegotiable. Posed photos only.”

He looked down before meeting her gaze, and Kat had the distinct impression she was making a deal with the devil. “I think I can manage that. What's the other condition?”

“I want full access to the senator and to campaign decisions.”

He opened his mouth to protest but she held up her hand.

“I will sign a limited confidentiality clause and allow you to review my final manuscript before it goes to the publisher. Review it for factual accuracy, not to change my analysis.”

His eyes locked onto hers. She didn't blink.

“That's the only way I'll do it.”

“I guess there's no way the book can be published before the November elections.”

She bit her lip. Under normal circumstances, he'd be right. It took at least nine to twelve months to bring a book to publication, but she wasn't writing a commercial book. She should tell him about the inside track Dean Gladstone had.

“You've got yourself a deal.” He held out his hand.

She hesitated before taking it. Was she doing the right thing? Reluctantly, she grasped his hand, surprised at the roughness in his firm grip. He smiled, and she found herself staring at the way his lips moved, the way they curved, the contrast of their pinkness against his golden skin. Her body warmed from her hair to her toes.

This is going to be disastrous.

CHAPTER FOUR

K
AT
KNEW
WHAT
to expect from campaign headquarters, but no intellectual knowledge
could have prepared her for the in-your-face chaos that greeted her. Flashbulbs
exploded in her face as she stepped from her car onto the sidewalk. Alex was
there in a flash, shielding her and passing reporters with a firm “Wait for the
press briefing.”

Alex thought it best to come to headquarters right from the
house to draw the media away from her mother. They walked through a set of glass
doors and staffers from every corner of the warehouse-like space came rushing
toward her. She instinctively stepped back...and bumped right into the solid
mass that was Alex. His hands went around her shoulders, steadying her. He
lifted one arm and extended it, palm out. The rush of people stopped barely a
foot from her. Questions and introductions were hurled at breakneck speed. Alex
shooed them away and steered her over to a glass-walled office in one corner.
She sank into a guest chair as Alex waved to someone.

Kat turned to see a petite redhead with black-framed glasses
walk in.

“Kat, this is Crista Jordyn. She's—”

Crista held out her hand. “I do all the real work around here
while Alex runs around looking good.”

Alex rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Crista will introduce you
around the office and find you a computer station. I have to go to DC.”

Kat stomped on the flare of disappointment. It was a good thing
he wouldn't be around, as she had enough to worry about between meeting her
father and researching a book. The last thing she needed was to get distracted
by Alex.

“When is the senator expected back?”

Alex tapped on his BlackBerry. “He's on the ground in Cairo.
He'll video call with you at eight tonight. Crista will get you set up.”

Kat glanced at her watch. “I can only stay for two hours. I
need to get home to take care of something.”

Alex looked up. “Kat, most everyone here works well into the
evening. You want full access, you can't expect to work nine-to-five...let alone
just popping in when it suits you.” He began to study a sheaf of papers.

Crista took her elbow. “Let's leave Mr. Crankypants to deal
with his work.”

He didn't acknowledge them as they walked out, and something
pinched in Kat's chest. What did she expect? He was running a major campaign and
a ton of staff reported to him. Why should she feel entitled to special
treatment from him? She was looking for the man she'd gotten to know back at her
house, the one who rescued her mother from the talons of the reporters. Maybe
what she thought had been a glimpse of the real Alex was really an aberration.
After all, she had plenty of experience with men who could turn on the charm
when needed.

Once out of earshot, Crista whispered to her, “He'll be leaving
soon and I'll get you the senator's call information. You can take it from
home.”

From home? Where her mother was?

She shook her head. “I want to do my share. I'll go home, then
come back for the call.” Kat had to make sure her mother took her evening pills,
but she didn't want to upset her when she spoke with the senator.

Crista leaned forward. “I think it's great you take care of
your mom like that.”

Kat gave her a thin smile.
Does everyone
here know about Mom?

Crista led Kat around tables overflowing with campaign signs
and papers, introducing her to the staff. To their credit, they kept the gawking
to a minimum and welcomed her warmly. The place was packed with people bustling
about. There were only two offices, one for Alex and one for her father.
Cubicles covered most of the floor. In the center of the large space was a long
conference table littered with signs. She stole several glances at Alex. He was
almost always surrounded by people. The place was buzzing with energy.

He led her into a cube. “And this is Nathan Callahan. He works
on defense stuff.”

Nathan swiveled in his chair, pinning her with bright blue
eyes. “I hear you'll be observing.”

“I hope to do more than just observe. I'd like to participate
and be helpful. I've analyzed a lot of the senator's policies.”

Crista squeezed into the little cube. “Nathan is working on
some policy briefs for the IED bill.” She gave Nathan a meaningful look but he
avoided her gaze. “The people back in DC, they staff the Appropriations
Committee, which is really interesting work. They use Nathan's analyses to
advise the senator.”

“What do you specialize in?” Nathan asked.

Pressed between the cube wall and Crista, Kat felt
claustrophobic. Everyone seemed a little too comfortable with physical
proximity. “I keep abreast of all issues, but I have a particular interest in
military policy.”

Nathan quirked an eyebrow. “Interest, huh? Well, I have six
years of experience—” Before he could say more, Crista shot him a searing
look.

“Why don't you send Kat the briefing materials you have on the
IED bill.”

He frowned. “Those are internal. Have you checked with
Alex?”

“The senator wants her to have full access.”

Nathan opened his mouth in obvious protest, but Crista stepped
forward and put her hand on his shoulder. “Nathan, trust me—the senator wants
this.”

Nathan's face softened. Kat suppressed a smile at the puppy-dog
look in his eyes. Crista stepped out of the cube and Kat was behind her in a
flash.

“Have you spoken to my...the senator today?” Kat asked.

Crista shook her head. “Alex talked to him about the deal you
made and the senator sent me an email.” She stopped and Kat almost ran into her.
Crista pulled her to the wall as if the extra foot would give them even a
modicum of privacy. “The senator has a lot of respect for Alex,” she whispered.
“But when he wants something done without a lot of argument, he'll email me and
ask me to take care of it.”

What did that even mean? Kat wanted to ask more, but Alex was
storming toward them. He had taken off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. She
straightened and felt Crista melting into the background, her ever-present
BlackBerry back in her hands.

Alex stopped mere inches away from her, and she resisted the
urge to back away. She met his gaze evenly, waiting for whatever it was that had
him grinding his teeth.

“Did you talk to anyone on the way here this morning?” he
thundered.

Kat straightened. “You know very well I wouldn't. What's this
about?”

“The story about you writing a book on your father got
leaked.”

Kat's stomach bottomed out. He loomed over her and she sucked
in a breath, immediately regretting it. His scent assaulted her senses, a spicy
deodorant and the clean smell of soap. For some unfathomable reason, her body
seemed to welcome his closeness. After Colin, she'd wanted nothing more than to
lash out at every man that got within touching distance, so why wasn't she
pushing Alex away?

“I didn't even tell my mother about our deal. She thinks I'm
here to take care of paperwork.” Her voice was squeakier than she wanted.

His gaze flicked behind her shoulder, and then he lowered his
head and whispered, “Kat, if this is about sabotaging the senator's
campaign...”

She stepped back. “Why would I do that?”

He opened his mouth then closed it, obviously rethinking
whatever he'd been about to say. She leaned in. “I'm not a seasoned politician—I
don't play games. What you see is what you get from me.”

He stared at her, his brown eyes at once expressive and
shuttered, as if he was processing and then denying what he knew to be true.

“Then how did the media get hold of the story?”

“It must have been Dean Gladstone.”

He frowned and muttered something under his breath.

“What is it?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don't have time to deal with
this today.” For a moment, he looked weary. “I need you to fix this.”

Without thinking, she put a hand on his arm. “How?”

His eyes softened into pools of milk chocolate. They were
mesmerizing. When he spoke, his voice was warm. “Give a statement to the media
that you want to get to know your father. They're loving the fact that you're at
campaign headquarters.”

She retracted her hand. It didn't take him long, did it? “No,”
she said simply, her fury threatening to erupt like a volcano. She could sense
people surreptitiously watching them while pretending to be on their phones or
studying their computer screens.

“What? You wouldn't be lying—that's part of the reason you're
here, isn't it?”

She flinched at his harsh tone. “Alex, I told you, no media
jaunts. That was our deal,” she said quietly.

“But...”

“Right now, it's the book story. In another hour it'll be
something else. Once I step into the limelight, I'll never get out. If you can't
respect the deal we made just hours ago, then it's best I leave and we don't
speak again.”

“Why are you so afraid of the media?”

She crossed her arms. She didn't owe him anything. He tapped on
his BlackBerry then turned it toward her. His voice was soft.

“Is it because of this?”

She looked down and recoiled. It was a picture of her from
three years ago, talking to the police and paramedics. She was front and center,
holding a compress to her cheek; Colin was in the background with a bandage on
his head. A freelance photographer had come by after he heard her 911 call on
the police scanners. He sold the photo to the newspapers. The story only
appeared in the local daily, but it had been enough to get her fired. How had
Alex found it? She'd paid a lawyer to get a court order for the newspaper to
remove it from their online archives.

She put a hand to her mouth and stepped back, staring at the
incriminating caption:
Scorned professor lashes out at
boyfriend
.

“That wasn't my fault.”

He reached out and touched her hand. “Kat, CNN found this and
they're going to run it. You need to tell me your side of the story.”

Eyes wide, she squeezed his arm. “You have to stop them.
Whatever it takes, you have to stop them.” She knew her voice was too loud
because the staffers were no longer being discreet about their glances, but she
didn't care. The story couldn't get out. It had taken her over a year to live it
down enough to get her job at Hillsdale College, even after the story was
scrubbed from the internet. She suspected that Colin had called around and
gotten her blackballed at most of the major universities.

He nodded. “I'll handle it, but you need to tell me what
happened.”

She sighed. Even her mother didn't know the whole story. “I had
a fight with my then fiancé. He basically stole years' worth of my work. I
confronted him and told him that I planned to bring plagiarism charges against
him. I had proof that the work was mine, dated emails that showed the research I
did, et cetera. He didn't take the news well and got violent. I fought back
hard. He bumped his head and called 911, concocting a story about how I was
mentally unstable. He said I attacked him first.”

Alex clenched his fists. “Why would anyone believe him?”

“Earlier that day, I also found out he was having an affair
with the dean of the school. I vented to a fellow faculty member, a woman who I
thought was my friend. You know how you say things like ‘I'll kill him' in
anger? Well, later she said I was so angry, she was worried I would actually
hurt him. The dean fired me and it took months before another school would even
grant me an interview.” She touched the pendant on her neck, rolling it between
her fingers. Did Alex believe her? No one else had; the media had portrayed her
as the classic woman scorned.

“Where is he now?”

Kat reeled at the murderous look in Alex's eyes. The warmth was
gone, replaced by a smoldering darkness. She shrank back.

“He's still faculty at Wellingforth University,” she said
carefully. “Colin wanted so badly to be promoted, to be able to show his daddy
that he had amounted to something. I think he believed I wouldn't make a fuss
about him using my research, but when I threatened him, he lost control. He was
desperate not to make a fool of himself. The university said I had to drop all
claims to the book if I wanted my severance pay, which I needed at the time. If
it hadn't been for that story...” Her voice cracked and she took a breath.
“Every interview I went to, that article came up. With my mother's history
mentioned in there, they just thought I'd come unhinged, too. Even after I had
it taken down, it took a year before people stopped asking me about it. My
mother, she became so distraught, I don't think she's ever recovered. We had to
start a whole new medication regimen.”

She blinked back tears and acid burned in her stomach. What was
wrong with her? She was over it; the incident was now three years ago. She'd put
it behind her. “Those reporters never bothered to get my side. I spent all my
savings fighting with the courts to get the story taken off the internet.”

He shook his head. “It's almost impossible to erase something
that's been posted on the internet. All you did was make it a little more
difficult to find, but CNN dug it up.”

“Please, Alex...”

He nodded. “Whatever it takes, I'll kill the story. I can't
promise other outlets won't find it and harass you, but I won't put you in front
of them.”

Their eyes locked and a sense of relief washed over her. It
didn't make any sense, but somehow she knew Alex would protect her. He wouldn't
let the old story hurt her again.