Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Preston
Jax tensed under my hand that found its way around her waist while I delivered a boldfaced lie to my boss. I reached for her instinctively and found myself relieved she didn’t balk at my touch the way she had in the visitors center. Beads of sweat dripped down my back as I glanced her way. Relief flooded my system to see an expression that displayed no signs of surprise at my declaration. Mitchell did not respond as graciously.
“Your fiancée? I’ve never seen you bring a partner around anywhere. I honestly thought you might be...” Jax winced next to me. “Ace or aromantic or something.”
“I just try to keep my personal life separate from my work life,” I answered. Not that there had been much personal life to speak of for the past several years. But to pull this off, he definitely didn’t need to know that.
This one exchange exemplified the man I had hooked my professional wagon to. He held very progressive and inclusive views, with absolutely no filter. I imagined Jax flinched because she assumed his next word would infer I was gay. Nope, no homophobia here, just a lack of tact that you still shouldn’t speculate, especially out loud, about someone’s orientation from their lack of significant others. At least we were in our offices this time, but the woman next to me was a reporter, after all.
“That’s usually my rule too, but Preston here makes breaking all my rules worthwhile. Jacqueline Carter, it’s nice to meet you, Senator.” Jacqueline for my boss, but Jax for me. I didn’t know what to make of the disparity, let alone the enthusiasm with which she was selling our situation. Senator Marsden returned her shake half-heartedly before pulling out his phone.
“Hmm,” the senator said, only half participating in a conversation he started. Another winning quality we hadn’t been able to break him of. “You work in politics too?” His disinterest was clear.
“Something like that,” Jax answered in a cool tone that seemed to display she too found the senator’s affect toward other humans unimpressive.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I assume we’ll be seeing you at the fundraising dinner tomorrow night?”
“Oh, well, I didn’t let Laurel know I’d be bringing a plus-one, so I’m sure the seating chart is?—”
“Laurel?” the senator bellowed, not looking up from his phone.
Laurel came around the corner a moment later. “Yes, Senator Marsden?”
Her face took on a neutral and placid expression. I knew from a drunken night during our fourth year that meant she was envisioning leaving him stranded at the airport without a ride scheduled and his phone dead. Too bad being a general asshole wasn’t enough of a reason to sabotage yourself and get fired. Plus, he got shit done.
“Make sure Preston has an extra seat at his table tomorrow night for his woman here.” The senator gestured in Jax’s general direction with his phone, not bothering to meet Laurel’s eyes. That worked in my favor because those eyes widened in shock at the sight of a woman at my side in our offices and at the declaration that she belonged to me. Laurel had, as recently as last week, been trying to convince me to go on a blind date with some cousin of hers.
“No problem. I can shuffle a few things around.” She looked between Jax and me, clearly trying to figure out what she missed.
“Great. Preston, I’ll email you about the speech updates. If you can, draft a press release response too.”
“You know, if we hired one of those Communication Director candidates you interviewed last month, they would already have something drafted for you to review...” I said, trying to keep my tone even, but I sensed a migraine coming on.
“Yeah, yeah, we’ll get to it. In the meantime, you’ve got it. You already write speeches, just write something for the press. Easy, right? Okay, I’m off to play squash with Senator Craft. Grease some wheels for that voting rights legislation and shit. Later.”
And with that, my boss turned on his heel, maneuvered around Laurel, who still stood behind him in the hallway. She, Jax, and I waited in silence until we heard the outer door shut again.
I massaged my forehead with my fingers at the bridge of my nose. “Shall we move this into the conference room, ladies?” I gestured with my arm for Jax to follow Laurel back down the hallway, avoiding the eyes of the other staffers following us curiously.
The descent into one of the swivel chairs around the table was more plop than sit. I found myself exhausted, with at least another eight hours left in this day, thanks to the press release the senator just threw onto my plate.
“So, that was Senator Marsden? I would be offended he didn’t remember me since I asked him the question about abortion rights last week that went viral, but it seems he would forget his own mother’s birthday,” Jax said, crossing her arms in front of her.
“As the person who sends his mother’s birthday presents, I can confirm,” Laurel said, laughing. She faced me and said, “I like her. But, pray tell, when the fuck did you have time to find a fiancée?” She threw herself down in one of the rolling chairs around the conference table, her face incredulous.
“Where’s the Tylenol?” I ignored her accurate and pointed barb about the lack of romance in my life as I massaged my temples, which unsurprisingly were pounding.
“Are you feeling better, Jax?” I asked, cringing immediately. God, I hoped Senator Marsden’s lack of filter wasn’t finally wearing off on me.
Jax laughed. “Yes, much. Thank you. The panic is almost as bad as the act itself, if you’re asking me. Though, I have to say, my IBS panic has never landed me a fiancé before. There’s a first time for everything.” Digging into her bag, Jax retrieved a bottle of painkillers, shaking it in my direction as if to ask a question.
Popping the pills into my mouth, I swallowed them dry before responding. “Sorry about the fiancée thing. I panicked when I heard him come in raging about unvetted people.”
“So, in your panic, you went to fiancée? What about sister, cousin, AA sponsor, Girl Scout cookie supplier... anything else?” Laurel asked from her slumped position, laughing at my pain.
“Your observation is both ... helpful and astute as always.” Sarcasm bled through my tone.
Laurel stopped laughing for a moment. “So, do I actually need to add a seat at our table for tomorrow or...”
“No, definitely not. I’ll figure something?—”
“Now, wait just a minute,” Jax interjected. “I know I’m new here, but that does not seem like a man who would take very kindly to a direct order being ignored. What happens if you show up without a fiancée to this fundraiser tomorrow? Won’t he wonder who I actually am?”
“She has a point,” Laurel added, her face entirely too gleeful at the sticky situation I found myself in. I’ll be hearing about this for weeks.
“I could do it. I could be your fiancée,” Jax declared, nodding as if she had decided something.
I groaned.
“Okay, I cannot even begin to unpack that statement or what would be in it for you. I need to apparently rewrite a speech and now draft a press release, too. I’ll be here until seven at least.”
“Well, you need to eat, right? Let’s meet for dinner tonight. Le Dip sound okay? We can talk about it all then.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll see you then,” I agreed, surprising myself. Why did I feel the need to continue contact with this woman? We can’t actually be engaged. Beyond her employer, I knew absolutely nothing about her. Laurel had a point. I really didn’t have time to date anyone. Nonetheless, I was planning to meet an almost stranger for dinner.
“Well, then,” Laurel said, pushing herself to her feet, sounding thrilled with the development. “I’m off to find one Miss Jax a seat at our table. I’m assuming you have a last name to go with that on the table card?”
“I’ll fill you in on my way out. Can I get out by myself or do I need an escort?”
I shook my head.
“If you go down the stairwell we came up, you’ll eventually hit an exit onto Constitution.”
“Well then, until tonight. Have a great day at the office, schnookums.”
Laurel shot me a smirk over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling with the promise of the third degree later on as the women exited the conference room, chattering on their way back to Laurel’s desk and the exit. Laurel kept just as busy as me, but managed to move in with her girlfriend last year. My reticence to dating went deeper than my busy schedule.
I rubbed my eyes hard, wondering if, when I opened them, the last hour would all be a dream. I could not have a fake fiancée. The idea was ridiculous and something out of the books my stepmother, Margaret, read. This was not real life. I resolved I would be firm with Jax as soon as I got to Le Diplomate tonight. At the same time, she had a point. I needed to eat. It would be good for me to have a hard stop and a reason to leave the office tonight. Seven often turned into nine, ten, eleven before I could drag myself back to my apartment.
I shook my head to clear it and forced myself to sink into ultra-focused mode, where nothing existed outside of work.
As the rest of the world disappeared, a voice inside me whispered. It wondered if I had spent too much time ignoring anything outside my job recently, and if Jax dropping into my life could be a sign.