Page 75 of Hidden Gem
“Well, isn’t she keen?” Malcolm mused.
Was the big guy checking his phone? Miffed, Jason gave his hair one last rinse, turned off the tap and towelled his way out of the shower. Malcolm stood at the bathroom doorway, staring at his phone with an unmistakable gleam in his eyes.
“Are you looking at porn on my phone?”
Malcolm chuckled. “Yes. But only because it was right there. Who’s this Luna? She’s not the mystery woman, is she?”
“No.” Jason grabbed his phone and gasped. Luna had graduated from a naked yoga pose to one that involved no form of exercise and revealed more. Between her bare breasts, she’d pinned one of Jason’s campaign flyers. His brightly smiling face against Labour Party red, disappearing into her cleavage. “Where did she even get that flyer? We haven’t distributed them in months.”
Malcolm nodded appreciatively. “That’s no selfie, either. Someone’s taken that photo for her. A professional.”
Jason shivered. “Creepy.”
But Malcolm wasn’t listening. He was busy tapping his own phone, muttering something to himself. After a moment, he brought up another image of Luna, this one with clothes, on her Instagram feed. “She’s got over two hundred thousand followers.”
“Yeah?” Jason couldn’t even fake polite enthusiasm as he tied the towel around his waist, pulled another T-shirt over his head and collapsed on the unmade bed. Maybe he’d do a double dose of pills tonight and worry about his dwindling supply later. If he got some deep sleep, he’d be able to deal with all this tomorrow.
“You know what? You could do with an outing with someone like her. The public would eat it up. She’s mature, sexy, outspoken... very opinionated. A perfect distraction.”
Jason groaned, digging himself under the covers like a crab disappearing in the sand. Malcolm was usually right about these things, but he couldn’t jump through these hoops. Not now. “Have some compassion, man! I’m heartbroken. I’m beyond tired. I can’t hold it all inside. I want to come clean about the stupid law degree, everything.”
“No, you don’t,” Malcolm replied in a soothing voice. “Why would you do that now when we’re so close. Just get the new tax approved and you’ll have something to show for yourself. Then you can go smear your reputation all over town. If you still feel like it.”
Malcolm sat on the edge of the bed, causing the mattress springs to shriek. “How’s your stash? You out of pills?” He leaned in, a lion sniffing out a gazelle who could no longer run.
Jason nodded. “Almost. The doc says I need to take a break.”
“Take a break from what? Sleeping?” Malcolm shook his head in disbelief and his concern warmed Jason.
“I’m gonna die.” Jason buried his face in the pillow.
“No, you won’t. We’ll sort it out. I have connections. But you need to do something for me.”
“What?” Jason barked, even though he already knew, the churning in his stomach an excellent guide.
Without a word, Malcolm took Jason’s phone from the bed, brought up Luna’s text message and turned the screen so that he could see it as he typed a reply.
Would love to meet. 8pm tonight at Backbencher?
Jason launched for the phone. Too slow. Malcolm hit the send button and off it went, the world’s worst reply to a text message ever.
“Why Backbencher? Everyone’s going to be there,” he hissed. “I can get media attention anywhere. Why do I have to prance around the Parliament Building for everyone and their dog?”
“Because you haven’t shown your face since the Cabinet meeting, and we’re losing momentum. You need to get off your bum and act like a winner. These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum. Go out and be your charming self. Make sure everyone knows you killed it on Tuesday, and you’re confident as hell.”
“I can’t even stand up straight. My head’s all woozy.”
“It’s happy hour. You’ll fit right in!”
“Honestly, I can’t—”
“Here.” Malcolm unscrewed a small, brown bottle and shook out a tiny, white pill. He handed it over with a grave look on his face.
“What’s this?”
“Uppers,” Malcolm said vaguely.
Jason’s eyes widened in shock. “I want to sleep, not stay up all night!”
