Page 25 of The Senator: Raphael

Silver is the center of the attention, and she announced her presence in this room with the power of a bomb detonating. She’s no longer just a figure at my side, she is front and center, and I hope I can keep the promise I made to protect her.

I glance at Matthew standing next to the door. He smiles and winks at me. He’s looking at her with admiration, and more relaxed than before. He’s obviously impressed by Silver and I’m happy to have him in my corner.

“Not yet. I’ve tried on a few but I didn’t findThe One,” she answers, smiling, and I stand beside her watching her juggle questions about the wedding. She looks like a woman excited about her big day, and I have to wonder how many times she’s thought about it and put the idea aside because of what happened to her.

The press conference flies by, and when we finally leave the main room, we meet Matthew’s grinning face.

“We streamed the interview on your website and Silver’s official Twitter account is exploding,” he announces, and I frown.

“In a bad or a good way?” I imagine it’s good, considering he’s smiling like a maniac, but you never know.

“You were fantastic,” he tells Silver, and I can see she’s proud of herself. “Women adore the way you put that prick in his place. They are absolutely ecstatic that you didn’t get intimidated, and you defended yourself without Raphael sweeping in like a knight in a shining armor.”

I sigh in relief. It was a risky answer, but she pulled it off. We’re probably going to have to defend her from the bigot who got offended by her blatant honesty, but that’s something we can easily handle. She set a very important precedent this morning about what kind of wife she’s going to be. She could have chosen to be quiet and submissive and let me handle everything, or be a strong independent woman at my side who handles her own battles. She chose the second and I admire her for it.

***

I hit the white ball and send it flying toward the orange one that rolls into the hole. Aaron curses under his breath because this is the third time I’ve kicked his ass at pool this afternoon. After the press conference, Silver went with the movers to pack up her things at her old apartment to move in with me, and I needed some time off to relax and process the fact that my life from now on will radically change. So, I took refuge at the Hunting Club and Aaron joined me.

“Are you going to tell me the news or are we playing until our arms fall off?” he asks as soon as two other members of the club leave the room, giving us some privacy.

I smile and hit another ball sending it into the right corner. I expected this line of conversation. He’s always seen me with random women that last less than a month. Now I’m announcing my engagement with a person I’ve never even dated. He’s one of my closest friends, he knows something is up. I expected nothing less from him.

“What? Did you start reading gossip magazines?” I wink at him, and he shakes his head.

“Someone once told me I can learn a lot from reading between the lines. But I can’t figure out what’s going on.” He is studying me carefully.

I can feel his gaze on me, his frowning eyebrows tip me off that he’s puzzled over my behavior. And I get it. I would be puzzled too if a friend of mine who has never had a serious relationship suddenly announces his engagement to the world.

“He’s a wise dude.” I chuckle. “But there’s nothing to say. I will get married, and you will be invited.” I stand, waiting for him to play after my ball bounces without falling into the hole.

He grips his stick and stares at me. “She’s a bartender in a nightclub.”

“Was, but yes, that’s correct,” I point out, never diverting my eyes from his.

I can see he’s trying to figure out what my intentions are but can’t get a picture. This situation is so out of character for me that even my friends can’t figure out where I’m going with this.

“Is it a campaign stunt we don’t know about?” he asks tentatively.

I breathe in deeply and close my eyes for a second. I shouldn’t tell him much. The less people know the better. “Sort of,” I blurt out finally.

He puts down the stick and crosses his arms over his chest. “Okay. I get that you can’t tell me the details, God only knows how complicated your life is, but if I have to lie for you, I need to know more than a ‘sort of.’ I can’t blow your cover because I have no idea what is going on.”

One thing I love about Aaron is his honesty. He’s had some bad shit go down in his life in the past, and he knows exactly how these things works, how you can’t trust anyone. He’s offering me his friendship and his help. I shouldn’t be so guarded, and I definitely need someone other than my entourage to have my back in this charade.

“You know about the pictures of Silver and me at the café? Long story short, instead of trying to avoid a sexual scandal, we just went with the flow and told everyone that we’re getting married. They’re breathing down my neck because they want to vote for someone reliable with a family, so we’re giving them a wife.”

He nods like this is the most normal thing in the world. He knows what it means to sacrifice for the sake of your career. He’s been there, got burned badly because of it, and learned his lesson. He understands what I’m doing.

“She is…wasa bartender at a shady nightclub. Are you ready to explain that? Your opponents have eyes in there, they can use it against you,” he points out with a practicality that amuses me. He’s the one who owns an empire, so he knows exactly what people are willing to do to take you down. His own father stabbed him in the back.

“If they say anything, they’ll have to explain to their wives and voters why they pay girls younger than their daughters to have sex with them.”

He’s silent for a moment. I can see his brain working to put the pieces together, then he nods. That’s it. It’s enough for him to know I will be fine. He doesn’t question my decisions, the way I handle my campaign, and I appreciate that. It’s a breath of fresh air to have someone who doesn’t judge you for every decision you make.

***

When I step into the living room not even a couple of hours later, I find absolute chaos. I’ve never seen my house with so many people around, boxes scattered everywhere, and Silver on the verge of a breakdown. When she turns around her eyes widen and a smile lights up her face.

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