When Love Calls (12 page)

“As do I.”

“The question is, what kind of business?” she asked.

“Are you questioning my integrity?” he asked.

“On the contrary, everyone knows that you’re a highly respected man.”

“Apparently not everyone,” he said, gazing at her.

“Senator—”

“Call me Randolph.”

“Senator—”

“Randolph, please, I insist.”

“Fine, Randolph,” she said, then looked away. “You see, this is why you should never meet someone you admire.”

He smiled smugly. “So, you admire me?”

“Crap,” she muttered, realizing that she said that too loudly and he heard her. “Look, that’s not the point.”

“You admire me. That’s nice, I think I like that.”

“Fine, back to what I was saying. You were right, this is very dear to me, very personal. I was a geriatric nurse for years. Now I work for the foundation. But the fight is the same. This country’s seniors are suffering and no one is stepping up for them.”

“I understand your concern,” he said calmly.

“Oh, please, don’t patronize me.”

“I don’t think I am.”

“If you’re not interested in this, just say so. A pat on the head and a brush-off will do just fine.”

“You are spirited,” he said, obviously impressed. She glared at him, then looked away. He took her hand and they stopped walking. “Look, I’m not patronizing you. I just can’t give you the answer you want right now.”

“This is so simple,” she said, shaking her head, exasperated.

“Yes, it appears that way. But there’s so much more.”

“There’s that pat on the head again.”

“What can I tell you that won’t sound demeaning?”

“You can tell me the truth, how about that?”

“You’re not hearing the truth. You want to hear what you want to hear. And I can’t do that. That would be patronizing.”

She backed up to walk away, but he still held on to her hand. “Alyssa, please, I assure you, I understand everything you’re saying. But laws take time, too much time, yes. What you want and what I want won’t happen overnight. I know there are people suffering and I feel their pain, I feel your pain. You love your grandmother, that much is very obvious.”

She looked into his eyes, seeing that he really did understand. She nodded.

“Send me a proposal, give me some time to read up on this and I promise I’ll see what I can do. Fair enough?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, okay, fair enough. Thank you.”

“See, that wasn’t too hard, was it?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, it was.”

He started laughing and shaking his head. “You are a persistent woman.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“Yes, I believe it was,” he said.

She looked at him skeptically. “Well, I think I’ll decide later if you don’t mind.”

“And you’re not like most lobbyists, are you?”

“What are most lobbyists like?” she asked.

“Let’s just say that they’ve got a lot less passion and more ulterior motives.”

“Not all of them,” she corrected.

“No, you’re right. Not all of them.”

“Don’t you have this same passion when it comes to your job?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” he said without hesitation.

“Then why shouldn’t I?”

“You’re absolutely right. But as with most jobs it’s the bad ones that make it hard for those who really care and want to make a difference.”

She nodded, then conceded, “Fair enough.” She stuck her hand out again for him to shake.

He took it and pulled her close to his body, then leaned in close to her ear. “I think we’re a bit past the handshake part, don’t you?”

“What do you suggest, Senator?” she said, looking up at him, not at all shocked by the remark.

He smiled. “I have a few ideas.”

“Really? Does it have anything to do with going someplace less public? Because I think you’ve been recognized again.”

He looked around. There were several people smiling and taking photos with their cell-phone cameras. “Where are you parked?” he asked.

“On a side street in the other direction about five blocks away,” she said, turning and looking back in that direction.

“Fine, I’m right over here, we’ll take my car.”

After a few handshakes and brief conversations with pedestrians, they got into his car and quickly drove off.

Chapter 8

“W
here are we going?” she asked, recognizing familiar landmarks as they drove the circle around Union Station and headed into southeast Washington.

“I thought you’d feel more comfortable at the office.”

“My office?” she said, almost in a panic.

“Yes,” he said.

“No, no, we can’t go there. My boss is there.”

“So, I’d like to meet him.”

“No, not a good idea.”

“Okay,” he said, hearing the anxiousness in her voice. “How about breakfast?”

“Yeah, okay, that’s sounds great. Where?”

“I know a nice out-of-the-way restaurant, very exclusive, very private. We can relax and talk comfortably away from prying eyes.” He drove around the block, turning in the opposite direction. Then he drove down a side street and headed for the Capitol Building.

“Whoa, you mean, the Capitol Hill Restaurant in the Capitol Building?”

“Yes, it’s private. We won’t be interrupted.”

“No, not a good idea. I don’t think I’m ready to go there yet.”

“Okay,” he said, again not asking her why.

They continued around the Capitol Building on Independence, heading back toward the northwest section of the city. They eventually turned onto Fourteenth Street and drove across the bridge and out of the city.

“You want to tell me what all that was about?”

“All what?” she asked innocently. He looked over at her. “Oh, that, you mean. Nothing,” she said.

“You can do better than that, I’m sure.”

“All right, my boss works in the office on Sunday mornings. It’s quiet and he goes there to get away from his kids. He’s got, like, ten or twelve or twenty or—”

“Yeah, I get it. Something with the letter
T.
What about him?”

“I don’t want to disturb him.”

“Okay,” he said, obviously not completely buying the explanation. “And the Capitol Hill Restaurant?”

“One of my coworkers, Ursula Rogers, goes there all the time. One of the senators is a good friend of hers and they go there for Sunday brunch a lot.”

“And the reason you don’t want either of them to see us together is…” he asked.

“Okay,” she sighed heavily, “I need to confess something.”

“Go ahead.”

“The truth is, I’m not a lobbyist. I’m actually a staffer at the foundation. I make no decisions and I have no power. And as such I’m not supposed to actually approach members of Congress directly. I don’t have enough experience.”

“Is that right?” he said.

“Yes. No. I mean I have experience in the trenches so to speak. I was a geriatric nurse. But no experience when it comes to fighting on the political front line.”

“You make it sound like this is war.”

“It is. The foundation has no money, so we can’t influence the people we need to like those larger firms that represent tobacco, oil and big businesses. We’re just a small group of people trying to do the right thing. So when it comes to lobbying I don’t have any direct experience.”

“But you approached me.”

“Yes, I know I did. And that was different and if my boss finds out, he’ll wring my neck.”

“I certainly hope not. I kind of like your neck the way it is,” Randolph said, smiling at her as the light turned red and he stopped the car.

“You know, you do that a lot.”

“I do what a lot?” he asked.

“Flirt with me.”

“Do men flirt?” he asked, looking at her.

“You know what I mean. You say things, innuendos that are innocent enough but then not really. Not when you look at me like that.”

“Like what?” he asked as he glanced at her again.

Alyssa met his eyes and her stomach soared, then tumbled as a warm burn slivered through her body. “Like that.”

He smiled and looked away. “Does that bother you?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know, I guess not. I just didn’t expect…”

“What that a senator is a man, too?”

“No, it’s not that. Umm, I guess I expected you to be different.”

“Different how?”

“Never mind, this really isn’t an appropriate conversation. I’m supposed to be soliciting your support,” she said, deciding to end the conversation while she was ahead.

“No, tell me. Really, I’m interested. Different how?” he continued.

“This is going to sound strange…”

“That’s okay,” he prompted.

“Umm, I’ve seen you on television morning shows and doing interviews and you seem very staunch and, I don’t know, rigid.”

“Rigid?”

“Well, maybe
rigid
isn’t the right word. Maybe, umm, conservative.”

He instantly burst out laughing. “Me, conservative, that’s a first.”

“No, I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about you personally. You seem rigid and almost unapproachable.”

“And yet you approached me.”

“Yeah, ain’t that a kick in the head?”

He laughed again. “I like you, Alyssa Adia Wingate.”

“Adia is really my middle name. I didn’t tell you that, but I didn’t have to, did I?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Background check, huh?” He nodded at the inadvertent slip. She shrugged. “I expected as much.”

“In my position, Alyssa—”

“Of course, you don’t have to explain, I understand. I mean, you are a U.S. senator. I guess I forget that sometimes.”

The car fell silent. They drove into Alexandria, heading farther south to Virginia. The early morning drive was serene and the surrounding view was breathtaking. “So, tell me more about Alyssa,” he finally said.

“There’s not much to tell and I’m sure my little file has some interesting highlights in it already.”

“Not so little,” he joked.

“Really, am I that interesting?”

“Let’s just say that you quite unexpectedly kept me up the other night.”

“That’s not a good thing.”

“On the contrary, it’s a very good thing,” he said, sparing a side glance.

“There, you did it again.”

“Did I?” he asked innocently.

“Cards on the table?” she offered out of the blue.

“Of course,” he said, smiling openly.

“I’m attracted to you. I guess that’s obvious and I’m doing my best to ignore it. But you’re not making it easy.”

“Why try to ignore it?” he asked simply.

“Why? You’re a U.S. senator.”

“I realize that, so…”

“So I need to at least keep some sense of decorum, some semblance of respectability,” she said.

“Why?” he asked again.

“Because whatever is going between us can’t be going on,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Because it can’t and don’t keep asking me why.”

“I hate to state the obvious, but why not?”

“Because I said so,” she finally said, making her point. He laughed. She tried not to as she looked away. “So just ignore it, okay?”

“What if I can’t or don’t want to?”

“Try,” she said. He turned to her. “You’re looking at me that way again.”

“Was I?” he said coyly. “Cards on the table?” he offered.

“Of course,” she said.

“A few days ago, I looked down and saw a stunning woman wiping a martini from my tie and I stopped breathing. In a room filled to capacity, you were the only one I saw. Ignore it? I don’t think so.”

Alyssa smiled, blushed and looked away, not sure how to take that remark. This man was too charming. He had the perfect answer to every question and the ability to make her heartbeat stop and skip a beat. “So, Senator, where are you taking me now?”

“Home.”

Alyssa didn’t bother asking him to clarify. She knew exactly what he meant. He was taking her to his house. Mount Vernon in northern Virginia, down the winding parkway traversing along the Potomac River. On one side was the river, on the other, stately homes that had been there for nearly two centuries. They drove a few miles longer, and then he pulled into a short circular driveway off a nice residential street directly across from the water.

The house was spectacular. It was located on the corner, right across from the Potomac River. It was Georgian style, two-stories high with columned porticos, a peekaboo attic and a long, precisely trimmed front lawn, littered with colorful seasonal blooms.

“Wow, this is you,” Alyssa said, looking up at the large stone house surrounded by massive hedges and centuries-old trees. “It’s beautiful. It reminds me of Wayne Manor.”

“Wayne Manor?” he asked, pushing a button on the dash and opening one of the garage doors.

“Yeah, the stately home of Batman.”

“Wasn’t that the bat cave?” he asked, turning the engine off and looking over at her.

“Same thing, this is your Wayne Manor.”

“I don’t know about all that,” Randolph said, opening his car door.

Alyssa opened her door and stepped out, looking around. “Your secret identity is revealed here.”

“You think I have a secret identity?” he asked, leaning on the top of the car, staring at her.

“Sure, we all do. Don’t you think? One side we show to the public and the other we keep to ourselves,” she said, looking away from the intensity of his stare and walking around to the back of the car.

“Which identity are you showing me now, Alyssa?” he asked, meeting her at the rear bumper. Their eyes locked again and she instantly felt the intensity behind his. Was she crazy? Was he actually attracted to her?

She turned quickly to look out across the street. “Nice view.”

He smiled, knowing that she changed the subject on purpose. Following her line of vision, he turned and nodded. “Yes, it’s very serene and peaceful after a long hard day.”

“I can imagine.”

She walked to the garage opening and watched a jogger run by, then continue onto the jogging path across the street. She needed a few minutes to relax. Randolph came to stand right beside her.

Nervous and excited, she wasn’t sure if this was a huge mistake or just plain reckless. But either way, she was walking into this with her eyes wide-open. So now what? Here she was, standing there face-to-face in an open garage with a U.S. senator. Suddenly the situation seemed surreal. “So, what’s for breakfast?” she asked, turning to him.