CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #2
“Not much,” I said. “I think it’s ridiculous.
I do whatever I think is best for West Bay.
Do my policies benefit the Salazar family?
Sure. But they also benefit anyone doing business in our town.
And they benefit anyone who buys the products they produce or frequents the establishments they run.
That’s not even mentioning the people these businesses employ.
Salazar Enterprises is the second largest employer in our city.
“If we want the children who are born here and grow up here to stay in West Bay, we have to offer a plethora of jobs for them, from manufacturing and industrial to technological and specialized. West Bay started doing that decades ago, we’re doing it now, and, thanks to economic friendly policies I’ve made, we’ll continue to do it in the future. ”
People cheered in the audience, Jacie had an impressed look on her face, and my heart was pounding. I had gotten a little carried away. But I had such powerful feelings about what I was saying. I wanted it to show through to my supporters, and I think it had.
“That’s great, Mr. Mayor. I think you make some excellent points.” She looked at the camera. “We’ll be right back for more with Mayor Reynolds Taylor.”
When a production assistant gave the thumbs up, a makeup person came running out to apply powder to Jacie’s face. Someone offered me some water, and I drank gratefully.
Normally when I was invited to be on West Bay Today, Jacie spoke to me during commercial breaks. This time she avoided my eyes and tried to look busy. I swallowed hard. I took that as a sign that harder questions were coming.
I was right.
“Welcome back to West Bay Today. We’re here with Mayor Taylor as he answers some serious questions about his policies leading up to the mayoral election in November.
” She turned to me. “Reynolds, it’s only August, but it seems as if this election has already begun to heat up. Is that a fair assessment?”
“It is,” I said with a smile. “This election shows signs of being a little more heated than our last one.”
I wondered if that was the wrong thing to say, but it was true.
“It does,” Jacie nodded, laughing a little. She seemed relieved to break the tension. “Well,” she cleared her throat, “on that line of thinking, I was wondering what you thought about what Mr. Hill says about your personal life?”
God. Which thing?
I paused, and she seemed to understand I wanted clarification.
“Mr. Hill has made multiple assertions that you are too concerned with your dating life. He suggests that your playboy ways get in the way of running the city, specifically regarding crime.”
I forced a smile. “Actually, Jacie, almost everything I do is with West Bay in mind. I’m not sure how my dating life relates to my stance on crime. The two aren’t connected at all. It would be strange if they were.”
The audience and Jacie laughed, as I’d intended.
“And as far as being a playboy?” I grinned and gestured towards Whitney in the front row. “I’ve been with this intelligent and beautiful woman for months now, so I’m not sure to what you’re referring.”
“Really?” Jacie asked. “Then who was the brunette you were seen leaving Bahia Del Sol with a couple of weeks ago? There are reports that the two of you got very cozy in a private dining room at the restaurant.”
Jacie gestured towards a screen. I tried to mask my horror when I realized it showed a picture of Nadine and me leaving the restaurant.
We were staring at each in a way that left no doubt that we were together.
And damn if the camera hadn’t focused on her cleavage.
It made her look almost like a prostitute, and that’s not how she’d looked that night at all. I scrubbed a hand over my face.
Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, shit. I turned in time to see the devastation on Whitney’s face. Even though I’d told her I was seeing other women, she was obviously hurt by having it thrown in her face. Why the actual fuck had I taken Nadine out of the condo? I was a goddamned idiot.
“Actually, um, while I’ve been dating Whitney Masters for several months, we are not on exclusive terms. Ms. Masters is aware of that fact.”
It was an incredibly weak comeback. There was a displeased murmur in the audience as the cameras worked to catch Whitney’s reaction and my obvious discomfort.
Jacie tried to hide her slight grimace, but was unsuccessful. “Mr. Mayor, I think most of West Bay knows you love the ladies. But does it affect how tough you are on crime or how you’re able to do your job?”
I love women. I love to fuck. I don’t like to restrict myself to one woman. Those things don’t make me different from a lot of politicians. But I couldn’t say that, and the silence was growing.
“Jacie, I’m glad you asked,” I said. “Crime grows alongside the population in cities and towns everywhere. While the crime rate has grown over the past decade, so have the arrest and conviction rates. In fact, our city has far less violent crime than other cities of a similar size in the South. I think Sheriff Miller, the city and county police departments, and the prosecutor’s office have proved that they have a handle on crime in West Bay.
And I’ve worked alongside them every step of the way.
It’s why I’ve worked diligently to get initiatives that are tough on crime funded, such as the cross departmental crime force that includes campus police from West Bay University, the beach patrol from the tourist area, the county police department, the sheriff’s department, and the city police force.
” I paused and looked into the camera for effect.
“Who I’m dating has nothing to do with my stance on crime or whether I’m able to perform my job well. Nothing at all.”
It was a sound answer, and the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
Jacie smiled at me, and the approval, whether it was real or not, made me feel good.
“We’re almost out of time, Mr. Mayor. When Jasper Hill was on last week, he discussed what he perceived to be your weaknesses. Would you like to address Mr. Hill’s weaknesses?”
“Sure, I’ll give my thoughts on that. I’m not only experienced as a mayor while Jasper Hill isn’t, but my business degree is incredibly useful to understanding how to run the city. He has a degree in computer science. He might understand how to update the servers in city hall, but that’s about it.
“I’ve spent the past four years as mayor of this town.
During that time, we’ve experienced some of the most profitable years in the history of our great city.
” I leaned forward in my chair. “I know what I’m doing.
There will be no learning curve when I’m elected again in November.
I’ll hit the ground running—striving to make West Bay better and better.
That’s what I’m all about. I still know little about Jasper Hill or why he wants to run for mayor.
What I do know is that he doesn’t have a clue of how to be a mayor.
Certainly not in a city the size of West Bay.
My constituents believe in me. They know I have their best interests at heart.
They know how much I love West Bay, and that it is my greatest wish to serve this town to the best of my ability.
They know I’m experienced, and that I’m growing as a mayor while West Bay grows as a city. ”
The crowd went wild, and I smiled at them as I stood to walk across the stage. I grabbed Whitney’s hand and gestured for her and my parents to join me on stage. I waved to the crowd and shook the hands of people I could reach in the first row.
The cameras cut back to Jacie as she gave the closing for the segment, but I kept shaking hands until the producers intervened to lead me backstage and let the show continue.
Byron, who’d been standing to the side of the stage and eyeing the crowd, ushered Whitney, my parents, and I into the Rolls Royce. I gave him a head nod when we made eye contact in the rearview mirror. He knew we’d talk about how bad that picture of Nadine and me had been later.
No one said a word as we got settled in the luxurious leather seats. I stared out the window as I clenched my jaw. Maybe I finished strong, but the damage had been done. I couldn’t believe someone had taken that picture outside Bahia Del Sol. I also couldn’t believe they’d sat on it until now.
My mouth settled into a grim line. This was my fault.
God. I couldn’t help but think of how I’d thought I could have it all.
I could pretend to date a beautiful, appropriate woman, buy a stripper in a sex auction, and frequent a sex club all while running for mayor and it wouldn’t hurt me. What the fuck was I thinking?
While I had been clear about my stance on crime, population growth, and other areas of concern for West Bay, I’d done nothing to dispel the thought that I was a frivolous playboy who cared more about getting my dick wet than the feelings of my supposed girlfriend.
It wasn’t a good look. And that was a severe understatement.
Things weren’t great. I had a lot of work to do before the election.
Why the hell had I taken Nadine out in public?
After we’d dropped my parents and an understandably quiet Whitney off, Byron decided I need to drive around for a while so I could cool off before I went back to city hall.
He was right. The two of us discussed things for a while before we lapsed into silence. There wasn’t much to say. Instead I focused on breathing and calming down before going back to work.
Melda Rogers cornered me, but I begged off citing a headache. I wasn’t lying. I took some medicine and lost myself in work for hours. By the time I looked back up, it was dark. I needed to get some food, but I wasn’t hungry.
I wanted to blow off steam.
***
I got in the car with Byron and sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do, where to go.
“Reynolds, why don’t you go to Salazar Heights?”