The Perfect Candidate (34 page)

“Oh no!” Ashley gasped, leaping off Michael’
s lap and frantically picking up her clothes from off the floor.

“Oh no?” Michael grunted, trying not to show his acute disappointment.  He might not be a coward, but he wasn’
t sure if he would reach such an extreme level of recklessness again!

“Chinese!” Ashley snapped at him, as if this one word explained everything. 

The doorbell rang and he was forced to drag himself away from Ashley
’
s side, leaving her to fish out one of her shoes from under the sofa.  Ashley paused in the endeavor once Michael had left the room.  She couldn
’
t quite put her finger on it, but there was something different about him this evening
.

Michael was always attentive, but there had been some subtle difference tonight, some extra layer of meaning to Michael
’
s caresses that she hadn
’
t been able to decipher. 

It just wasn
’
t fair!  Michael was the only man that she had ever been able to see herself spending the rest of her life with
…
and she wasn
’
t allowed to have him!  If only there was some way to remain in his life!

27

The final push toward the election began the following Monday.  The first three days were such a hectic bustle of speeches and rallies that Michael and Ashley hardly got to exchange two words!  There were moments when Michael was alone though, alone with his own private musings at least, when his thoughts scared him a little.  He found himself wondering what would happen if he lost the overall election.  He and Ashley could be together then
.

“Michael, are you paying attention?” Norm muttered, giving Michael’
s shin a sharp kick. 

Michael swallowed a yelp of pain and glared at his campaign manager, but he also forced his thoughts to stop wondering.  He dragged his attention back to the present, and realized that the current speech was winding down to a close.

Ashley would have her turn next.  Michael tried to dampen the flutter of nervous excitement that pooled in the pit of his stomach.  He didn
’
t know what she was going to say exactly
…
and he hated to admit how eager he was to find out.  It might not mean anything, she might only say what she thought everyone wanted to hear, but somehow Michael believed that he would be able to read her face, and pick out the truth from the lies.

He clapped politely with everyone else, even though he was only watching from backstage, as the speaker wrapped things up and left the floor.  Michael looked around, trying to spot Ashley before she walked out and took her place in the spotlight, his eyes caught hers from across the other side of the stage just been she stepped out onto the stage. 

Michael smiled at her, wishing her could instil some last minute confidence into her.  Ashley looked a little pale and nervous-and
beautiful
.  She had given hundreds of speeches before, but perhaps not quite to an audience of this scale?  He wanted to give her one last kiss for good luck, he wanted to tell her how proud he was of her, but of course, he couldn
’
t
…
he could only watch along with everyone else, as Ashley took her place at the podium.

Ashley looked out a sea of faces and fixed a smile on her lips. 
Smile, that was the first and most important thing that she had to remember
, she told herself, as she gave thanks for her introduction and addressed all the people that were waiting to listen to her talk.  Then, she took a deep breath, and got under way,

“I am so grateful to have this opportunity to stand in front of you all and say a few words about my fiancé, Michael Reese, and why I firmly believe that he should be the next President of the United States.

“Long before I fell in love with Michael my fiancé, I was captivated by Michael the politician.  I was so drawn to the energy and passion that he brought to his politics and campaigns that I determined to pack up my old job and come and work for him.  If he would have me, and luckily enough, he decided that he would.”

There was a small ripple of laugher, which Ashley paused to allow.  She hoped that the ardent tone of her voice was doing its job convincing the party and the public of Michael
’
s merits, and
not
making Michael question where such passion was coming from
.

“You see, that’
s what Michael Reese is like,
”
Ashley continued,
“
he makes people want to change, he makes them want to do things for the better.  He cares about people and causes, and he has the drive to get things done, because the people who work for him believe in him!
”

Michael tried to keep himself grounded- tried not to let Ashley
’
s words touch him too deeply, but he feared that he was losing that battle! 
There had to be some truth in what she was saying,
he told himself hopefully, and was immediately disgusted by his weakness.

But, she
couldn
’
t
be making it all up
…
could she?  Surely what she had said had
some
basis in truth?  Michael kept listening to Ashley talk, but she had turned her attention to certain policies of his campaign, things that he had heard and spoken about many times before, and so he was momentarily more interested in replaying what Ashley had said about being in love with him
…
until his attention was recaptured by a new section of Ashley
’
s speech.

“…and what is more, Michael is a fighter!  He earned his medals the old-fashioned way, by putting his life on the line for his country.  No one will defend this nation more vigorously than he will —
he will always, always be first in the line of fire.
”

Michael felt himself grinning.  What man
wouldn
’
t
be smiling after being given an address like that?  He hadn
’
t really talked to Ashley about his life in the army.  He wondered if she had researched into it or she was just speaking from a general sort of knowledge she had of his history?

He wondered which he preferred
…
but didn
’
t get very much chance to dwell on it, because Ashley was rounding up her speech, and it was almost time for him to join her on stage.

“…and so, now I ask you to join me in welcoming the next President of the United States, Mr. Michael Reese!”

Michael squared his shoulders (was poked in the back rather pointlessly by Norman) and then stepped out in the general applause that had erupted.  He walked up to Ashley, who was beaming up at him and clapping harder than anyone else, and then- he hadn
’
t planned to do it, it just seemed the most natural thing in the world- he swept her into his arms and kissed her until she lost her breath!

Cameras flashed and people whooped, but for the few delicious seconds in which Michael
’
s lips were locked with Ashley
’
s everything else faded into the background.

“Thank you,” he whispered, but he didn’
t give Ashley a chance to ask him what she was being thanked for; he immediately started to address his audience.  Besides, Ashley looked rather too dazed to form a coherent question, Michael thought to himself smugly.

She stood next to him as he spoke, and Michael steadily became even more aware that this was where she belonged- by his side! 

They were parted somehow in the rush of people that wanted to speak to Michael after he left the stage, and he felt bereft.  He didn
’
t have a moment free to look for Ashley until the celebrations had got well under way however.  Concerned that he hadn
’
t caught a glimpse of his lover for well over an hour, Michael drew Norman to one side and asked the other man if he knew where Ashley had gone.

“Miss Kendall?  She’
s gone back to Chicago,
”
Norm said with a shrug of his shoulders. 
“
She left to catch her plane about an hour ago I think,
”
he added, glancing at his wristwatch.

Michael hoped he didn
’
t
look
as though he had just been punched in the stomach, because that was certainly how he
felt. 
Ashley had left him!  Tonight of all nights- she had gone, didn
’
t she know that she was needed here, by his side?

“Do you know
why
she rushed back?
”
Michael managed to croak.

“I think she
said she had to deal with some of the wedding arrangements,
”
Norm replied.

“And it couldn’
t wait?
”
Michael demanded angrily, his face was black, his features thunderous.  What a fool he had been!  He had been completely sucked into the stirring little speech that Ashley had given earlier that afternoon- when she obviously felt nothing for him!

Norman was staring at him oddly. 
“
Apparently no, it couldn
’
t wait.
”
  He glanced around to make sure that no one was listening to them.  When Norm spoke next he had lowered his voice considerably. 
“
We need to discuss exactly what
’
s going to happen, Michael.
”

Michael groaned, and picked up a glass of something (he hoped it was strong and alcoholic), that was passing on a waiter
’
s tray.  It didn
’
t take a genius to figure out that Norm wanted to start planning out the details of the wedding- or rather, the sham wedding that wasn
’
t really going to happen
.

“Do we have to talk about this
now
, Norman?
”
Michael hissed, in a tone of voice that didn
’
t really brook opposition. 
“
Let
’
s just enjoy today
’
s victory, shall we?
”
he suggested, even though he knew that he was no longer in the mood to do any celebrating.