The One: The Complete One Series Collection (24 page)

              SCANDAL: (Volume 1: The Lies We Tell)             

Monday, October 5
th

The Daily Scandal– Washington’s #1 Source for Breaking Political News and Politicians Making News

Three murders rocked the Capital over the weekend, including the death of a six-year-old girl that was shot while playing in a park. These latest gun crimes come just as the newest version of a gun-control bill hits the floor of the Senate. While it’s expected that the Senators will toe the party line, bill watchers are eager to see which way the swing votes will sway. Rumor has it that Nicholas Cooper, the independent senator from Iowa, is considering backing the bill. This move is predicted by many to be his first toe in the water of next year’s Presidential election.

Speaking of the devilishly handsome, yet scandalous, political juggernaut- Senator Cooper was spotted at the Georgetown Gala Fundraiser this weekend, showing off his latest conquest- a blond socialite wearing ridiculously high heels and just a little too much décolletage. This is the fifth different woman the senator has been spotted with since his engagement was called off just three weeks ago.

One has to wonder, is the senator as fickle with his political convictions as he is with his choice of female companionship? Perhaps his ex-fiancé can shed some light on the matter…

CHAPTER ONE

“Charley. Pay attention.”

I flinched as two hands smacked together in front of my face, a puff of air ruffling my hair.

“What?” I snapped before realizing the hands belonged to my boss, Eva Porter. I softened my tone. “What do you need, Eva? I’m trying to get this press release out the door.”

“Someone is snippy today,” she said, shaking her head in disapproval. “It seems to me like you could use some fun in your life.”

I groaned under my breath. Eva was always forcing me to participate in socially awkward events. “What now?”

She nodded as if I had proved her point. “Yep, this is exactly what you need.” She held out an ivory colored enveloped which I took reluctantly. “Fundraiser. Tonight. Be there.”

I glared at Eva and slipped the invitation from the envelope. As I read over the details, I tried to think of a good reason why I couldn’t attend the event. “I’d love to go, Eva. Honestly. But-”

“Stop.” Eva dismissed my argument with a wave of her hand. “I don’t want to hear whatever pathetic excuse you were about to give. I have a date. I have a dentist appointment.
I have to have my spleen removed. We both know you were about to make up an excuse because we both know you lead a pathetically dull and uneventful life.”

She had me. It was no secret that I spent most of my life at work and when I wasn’t working, I spent my time alone in my small, one-bedroom apartment eating takeout and watching bad television. It might be a dull and uneventful life, but I liked it that way.

“Eva, this invitation is addressed to you.” I tried to hand it back to her. “I’m not going to an event where my name isn’t even on the guest list.”

Eva’s grin was downright scary. “I guess it’s good that I called and had you added in my place. Now you have no reason not to go.”

I had played right into her hands. “Fine.” I sighed loudly. “Who do you need me to schmooze?”

Eva was the Founder and CEO of Children First, a Washington D.C. non-profit that focused on everything from literacy to gun violence. I had been working there almost a year as the event coordinator/marketing specialist/legislative advocate/whatever Eva decided I should be doing on a given day. One of my primary responsibilities at Children First was to attend any event where politicians might be and shove our cause down their throats.

“Senator Cooper is supposed to make an appearance.” Eva actually winked at me. “If you can get past whatever escort he’ll be wearing, I need you to push him on Bill 132.”

Bill 132 was Eva’s baby. It was a gun-control bill that would ban assault weapons and right now it was at least five votes shy of passing in the Senate. Senator Nicholas Cooper was an independent and by all accounts undecided on the bill.

“Are you sure you don’t want to do this instead?” I was still perfecting my lobbying skills but Eva was a veteran when it came to cornering and convincing politicians. No doubt she would have Senator Cooper voting “Yay” in a matter of minutes.

“You’ve got this,” Eva said with a stiff nod. “Just remember the advice I’ve been giving you, and don’t take no for an answer.”

I started to turn back to my neglected press release when Eva added, “Oh and if Cooper makes a pass at you,
your
answer should be yes.”

Washington social events were not my thing. I didn’t like making small talk, hated mingling with strangers and barely tolerated mediocre appetizers and supersized egos. But my job required me to play nice for the night, so that’s exactly what I did.

I discussed the weather with a Washington reporter, exchanged brownie recipes with a Senator’s wife and debated the merits of affirmative action with a legislative aide. After two hours of feigning interest in the people around me, I was exhausted. I was also relatively certain that Senator Cooper wasn’t going to make an appearance. After slamming one more glass of champagne, my fifth of the night, I teetered as confidently as possible from the ballroom.

My heels were high and I was drunk- the combination was guaranteed to lead to disaster. I made it down the long hall to the front entrance of The Capital Hotel, but a group of men blocked my exit. I tried to step around them, but the group was too large. My one recourse was to push through the middle.

“Excuse me,” I growled, annoyed that leaving had turned into such a challenge. None of the men moved. I cleared my throat and tried again, louder. “I said, excuse me.”

The man standing directly in front of me finally stepped to the side and glanced over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Miss. Gentlemen, let’s make some room.”

The face, the voice- I had found Senator Cooper. I now had a clear path to the door, but I was no longer anxious to leave. After standing there staring at the senator blankly for several seconds, he asked, “Did you need something?”

I shook away my hesitation. My mission had been to corner Senator Cooper, but now that I was standing less than two feet away I couldn’t think of a single thing to say to him. So instead I stuck with my original plan. “No. Sorry.”

The path that had been cleared was narrow, and I had to step carefully between the men. I felt the warmth of Senator Cooper’s hand on the small of my back as he helped guide me through and I tensed.  I didn’t have time to figure out why his touch made me anxious because at that moment someone yelled, “Gun!”

About
Emma
:

Emma J. King is the au
thor of The One Series. All five novellas-
One Night
,
One Mistake
,
One Regret
,
One Chance
and
One Day
are now available. She is also the author of the novellas
Broken
and
Scandal: Volume 1- The Lies We Tell
&
Scandal: Volume 2- The Secrets We Keep.

To learn more about Emma's work and to sign up for her mailing list, visit

emmajking.weebly.com