Chapter 24 Violet
Chapter Twenty-Four
VIOLET
Cade’s hovering and reminders to be careful are both annoying as hell and cute. Annoying because he’s treating me like I’m a child, and cute because I know he doesn’t think I’m stupid, but he loves me and is being protective.
I subtly check the time. I’ve finished my work. The congressman is in Washington DC today, so there isn’t a lot of work to do. Not important last minute crisis mode work as I like to call it when he’s got things on here in New York.
Like with any politician there’s a lot that goes into any and all public outings, from speeches down to topics to talk about to remembering names or even outfit choices.
It’s a wild amount of work and while I don’t do a lot of that, or I won’t down the road when I get a job in the field, knowing all the things that need to go on are important.
So, when I have a minute here or there, I watch or observe or even do what I’m doing now, which is looking at the list of preparations laid out for Walsh in Washington.
The key team members are there. The rest of us are keeping the machine running here. Emails, phone calls, and so on.
And I’m taking the late afternoon time to go over the preparations.
At least, I’m trying to.
My brain’s half on the talk at the wine bar I’ve set up with Macy, and the rest is on last night.
I shiver. Last night was…
Spectacular.
Erotic.
About ten different fantasies rolled into one. I never told him my movie theater fantasy. At least I don’t think so. I might have, but it’s so…dirty that it’s something I could never have asked for.
Sometimes, it’s an old school porn theater. Other times, it’s like what he did.
And though he never fucked me in that space, it was beyond my wildest dreams.
Add the bathroom…the public bathroom where anyone could walk in, and…
I smile. He found my panties.
I wore them. Of course, I did.
He told me to.
But I couldn’t resist taking them off. There was a thrill in that, too.
“Focus…”
I read over everything again, carefully keeping my thoughts veering back in that direction. I’m wearing light colored pants today. I really don’t want to get a wet patch, and Cade seems to make me wet all the time.
Macy crosses the room and darts me a look. I smile. Hers is hesitant. I know she’s trying to find a way out of this drink.
And that’s how I mainly framed it, as a drink, so we could get to know each other, considering we have such similar interests.
I’m aware that the way I said it to her had a slight connotation of a threat in it. I wasn’t threatening her, but she went stiff when I said ‘similar interests’.
She knew this would be coming.
And even if I wasn’t trying to find out what she knows, I’d definitely be wanting to meet and talk with her outside of work, especially after running into her at the club. That kind of club. And how she tried not to know me there.
There’s a story, I can feel it.
My phone buzzes, and I glance down.
Cade. Again.
Cade: Where are you going?
Me: You can track me and you know it.
But I grin.
Cade: Don’t make me punish you later.
My heart starts to thump.
Me: Maybe I like how you punish.
Cade: Are you going to tell me?
I could. There’s no reason not to.
But there is, isn’t there?
If he tracks me, it’s hotter, somehow, like I’ve got my own stalker.
I can track him, too, but I smile at my phone and text him back.
Me: I think I’ll make you work for it.
Cade: Be careful.
I sigh, trying to get my heart under control.
He can set it fluttering in moments and the ‘be careful’ is a soft type of love language, his caring, his tracking me, all of it love language. All of it an I love you without those words.
And I know I’ve got it bad.
Finally, I start to close down my computer and finish stamping the letters I need to post. These are ones Walsh wants sent with an actual stamp, because, he says, it’s a subtle way of showing a personal touch to these people.
“Are you ready?” Macy asks.
“Sure. I’m one hundred percent ready to grab a drink and get to know you.”
We walk together to the wine bar. There are business people in there, but it’s early enough that the after-work crowd hasn’t descended en masse. So, it’s easy for us to find a table.
Macy orders a white Burgundy. “It’s delicious, you should have one.”
It’s also twenty dollars a glass. I shake my head.
“I’m good with the Pinot Grigio.” I stick to white wine with her. “I’m not really knowledgeable on wine so pricy stuff is lost on me.”
She just shakes her head and says to the waitress. “Make it two. On me.”
We sit and wait for our wine, making small talk as we dance around the elephant in the wine bar.
I tell her about my studies and my dreams and how I’m excited to work for the congressman.
“It’s a good job.” She puts her card down as the waitress comes back with the wine.
I take a sip when Macy does.
“Great, isn’t it?”
“Delicious.” Honestly, it just tastes like nice wine to me, but I want to put her at ease.
“It’s my favorite.” She pauses. “I think this is a good place to learn a lot about the business of politics, with the congressman. I don’t even mean him.
Politicians are politicians. But I mean his staff.
You have no idea how many other politicians try to poach them.
Some move on but talk with them and most will say it’s about finding the right fit for you, not the one who’ll climb the ladder the fastest or highest.”
“I’ve heard that’s what most of the best say, though they usually get to the top.”
“Because they’re behind it.”
Macy takes a swallow of her drink and turns the glass a little, looking for all the world like I’m about to out her.
“Hey. It’s okay, you know? The club, it’s okay.”
Her eyes go big. “You’re not going to mention it at work, are you?”
“No, why would I do that?”
She swallows, “Please, please promise me you’ll keep the fact you saw me there a secret.”
“Of course, I will.” I lean forward. “I was there, too. And I’m not about to go around telling people I saw you at one of the most secretive and exclusive sex clubs in New York.”
“I don’t want to get fired.”
“If you get fired, so do I. But, Macy, I’m not about to tell a soul. It’s no one’s business what either of us like.”
She nods and seems to relax a little. “It just shocked me. You don’t look the type, and I haven’t seen you there before.”
I force a small laugh. “Well, you don’t look the type, either. And you’re right, I haven’t been there before. I got invited as a guest, a guy I see…”
I choose my words carefully. I don’t want to say boyfriend, but I don’t want to lie because lies in these situations can backfire. Like if Cade comes into work or she sees us together. I don’t want to make it sound like it was a one off, and I don’t want to announce we’re together.
But the word ‘see’ can mean anything from sex with benefits, casual date, or hookup to something more. So, I leave the interpretation in her court.
“Thing is now I’ve been in there and know you know it, I’m intrigued about the club. It was my first time.”
She looks at me. “Did you like it?”
“I loved it. And I’d love to know more.”
It’s the wrong thing to say, and Macy frowns. “Why? What about the guy? He’d be able to tell you more.”
“Well…” I shrug as I try to find the right ambiguous words when Macy speaks again.
“A guy might be able to help you find what you like.”
Shit, I’m losing her. “It’s not that. I know what I like. It’s just…asking isn’t exactly easy. Not him, anyway. Not the things I want to know.”
“Oh, my god. You’re interested in working there, aren’t you?”
I want to hug her for giving me the perfect in. A job, or an interest in a job gives me leeway to poke and prod and find out everything I want to know. I hope.
So, I nod slowly, looking down into my wine. “Yes, exactly. How…how could you tell?” I flick my gaze back up at her. “Am I that obvious?”
Macy smiles, a little more relaxed. “No, not really, not to most, anyway. Not to me, even. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. I just don’t expect to see people I know there, so I was thrown, but thinking about it…it gets more obvious.”
“How do you get a job there?” I shift so I’m on the edge of my seat. “How did you get involved with the place? It’s super exclusive, so it must be almost impossible to get into for a job, too, at least that’s what I’ve been led to believe.”
My breath catches as I wait for her response, and I force myself to sit back and relax as much as possible. I take a sip of my wine. Then I add, “Is the money good?”
“Better than good.” She frowns a little. “Are you sure this is something you want to do? Your career?”
“I’ve no intentions of doing anything in the public eye, and…” I look down into the pale golden liquid as I shrug. “And I also want to indulge in my desires somewhere safe.”
I glance up at her. “I figured one of the most secretive and exclusive clubs in the city offers that.”
“It does.”
“I guess after being there, I thought…”
“How do you get in for a job?” Macy nods. “That’s how I was, too. I—I actually got involved through someone else at work.”
“Really?” I lean in. “Who?”
But she holds up a hand. “One of the things about exclusive and secretive is you don’t give up such details.”
Shit. It’s so obvious I didn’t even think. And I’m so eager to find out something—anything—to help Gianna that I just pushed ahead like a steamroller. Exactly in the way that Cade told me not to. Subtle, not loud.
I blow out a silent, slow breath. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
But then I decide since I’m already a bit gauche about it, I might as well go for it. “I just can’t picture anyone else working there, other than you, because you’re so pretty.”
She blushes, but doesn’t offer me more information.
“Was it Gianna?”
Macy sits up straight, actively recoiling back from me, and she takes a big swallow of her wine, sets down her glass, and crosses her arms. “The congressman’s daughter? His missing daughter?”