When Passion Flares (The Dark Horse Trilogy Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 4

One day, Hunter mused, he would be able to walk around with his girlfriend like other couples did. Out in the open, holding hands and making kissy faces at each other whenever they stopped at a crosswalk.

Today was not that day. Most likely it wouldn’t be tomorrow either. Maybe after the election they could let their fathers know. Well, Hunter might let
his
father know. He was somewhat disturbed by the idea of Raymond Mitchell finding out what such a young buck was doing to his daughter.
I’ll have to relocate entirely.
Maybe he could take Kerri with him.

“What are you thinking about, huh?” Kerri sat across from him in a private restaurant. Private in the sense that no prying eyes could see them behind a curtain while they ate lunch and flirted with their feet beneath the table. This was as good as it got with dates. The night before, Hunter called his girlfriend and asked if she would like to go out. Of course Kerri wanted to go out. The mere thought made her so giddy that Hunter had to laugh at her high-pitched voice coming through the phone. But it was another day of sunglasses and hats. Hunter even went so far as to drop Kerri off on an empty road a few streets away from their intended destination. The fewer chances there were of someone seeing them in such intimate proximity, the better.

“I’m thinking that I would love to go outside and hold your hand,” he said.
I don’t know if it’s sad that it’s true.
“Make the men jealous that you’re with me.”

“That’s funny, because I was thinking of how many women would be jealous if they knew I was with you.” Kerri’s foot slipped out of her heel and rubbed against Hunter’s leg. “Just last night there was another spot on the news talking about how you’re the region’s most eligible bachelor. That’s funny, you know.” Her foot traveled up to Hunter’s knee and rested there. “Because last I checked you were spoken for.”

“And what did this news report say?” Hunter heard that he was often called such a thing. His mother liked to put the articles in his face and proclaim herself the luckiest mother in the world for raising such a stud.
Then she would ask me why I am single.
Ronnie had a heart attack for more than one reason the other day.

Kerri curled her toes around Hunter’s knee.
Make love to me, beautiful.
Today she wore a mauve silk blouse that hung on her frame like an elegant sheet. Her jeans hugged the curves of her hips and ass, and by the Lord, she was more beautiful than the radiant goddesses of old. Kerri’s understated makeup was especially lovely in the low lights of the restaurant. Hunter thought he smelled a hint of jasmine on his girlfriend’s body. New perfume. He liked it.

“They say that you’re young, hot, and rich. Know what the best thing is?” Kerri raised one of her eyebrows. “Even if your father doesn’t win the election, that still will be true.” This time Kerri’s smile turned mischievous on her bright face. “Wanna know a secret? Well, it’s not really a secret. But I would’ve voted for your father in the last election if I lived in the right district. Good thing he didn’t need my vote.”

“Why, that’s the most political thing you’ve ever said to me.” Hunter could not say that he ever voted for Raymond for governor. In fact he was still debating whether or not family loyalty would win out that November.
Depends on how well Payne is doing in the polls.

“Not that political. As usual, it came down to a popularity contest. It’s not that I loved your father, though. It’s that I knew his opponent through my father, of course, and that man is gross in so many ways.”

Hunter vaguely recalled him. “How so?”

Kerri shrugged. “So many skeletons in his closet. Not only that, but he used to flirt with me whenever my father or mother weren’t in the room. The man is forty years older than me and married! Every time I saw one of his commercials I felt ill. So I would’ve voted for your father simply because he wasn’t the other guy.”

“Isn’t that how most elections are? Let’s face it, nobody will vote
for
our fathers. They’ll be voting
against
them.” Hunter learned that political lesson much earlier than most people. When people came to suck up to Terrence, it was usually in the guise of how much they hated the other guy, not how much they loved him. In politics, that was as good as saying “I love you.”

“I’m okay with people voting against my father.”

“But are you okay with them voting for mine?”

Kerri shrugged. She always gave vague answers like that. Sometimes it annoyed Hunter.
I know she has a great mind.
Opinionated, too. He didn’t know if she kept mum because she had been conditioned by her parents over the years, or if because she had long given up trying to have debates about politics. As a woman, it was probably both.
At least people pretend to take me seriously.
Somehow Hunter doubted most of that was genuine.

“Have you decided who you’re going to vote for?”

Kerri snapped her foot off her boyfriend’s knee.
Touché.
“No. I’m trying not to think about it. I hate this time of year. I mean, I’ll vote of course, but…”

“I’m undecided as well. I don’t know whether to vote for my father or for Joshua Payne.”

For some reason Kerri grimaced. “That guy…”

“What? You got stories about him too?” Hunter didn’t recall Joshua ever sharing a party with Raymond Mitchell. “Don’t break my heart, Kerri.”

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics. “Did you see the news the other night about my father at the animal shelter?”

“Only that he is a magnanimous human being because he wiped up dog piss. Really, give him humanitarian of the year.”

“That’s all you saw? Why am I not surprised? Whatever channel you saw must not be a Joshua Payne fan, because he was there as well. He adopted a dog for his kids that day.”

How sweet.
Hunter didn’t doubt that it was a calculated move on Joshua’s part too. Though there were worse ways to get one’s face on TV whilst campaigning. “From what I’ve heard him talking about, he really loves his family.”

“Uh huh. Well, that’s not all that he was up to. While I was taking a break, he came and talked to me. Personally.”

“That so…”

“Yes, and it was quite uncomfortable. He implied that he knew you and I were dating.”

Hunter’s body went rigid, his brain scouting for memories that may have been related to mentioning Kerri in front of the other candidate.
I was careful about that.
He was always careful. He didn’t even bring Kerri up to his mother, although sometimes Ronnie would open her mouth and then shut it again. “What did he say, exactly?”

Kerri told him. As she spoke, her visage contorted into a scowl, then a mere frown, and then back again into disgust. Hunter had to force himself to listen to her – it was too easy to get caught up in her beauty when she was being so expressive. “And then he left. How was I supposed to respond to that?”

“I wouldn’t read too much into it.” That was all Hunter could think to say to keep his girlfriend placated. “He may have wanted to keep you on your toes. It’s a common tactic, sadly.” Not that he wanted to imply he condoned his favorite candidate’s behavior.
That’s what makes it weird, though.
Joshua didn’t seem like the type of man to pull that sort of mind game with an opponent’s daughter.
He must know something.
“But on the other hand… we should be even more careful.”

“So you think there may be merit to what he suggested?”

“That’s not what I said at all.” Hunter cleared his throat. He wished Kerri was flirty again, but he understood why she wasn’t. “Best case scenario, he’s merely warning you because he doesn’t want you to get hurt. Worst case scenario, he knows, and he may do something about it.”

Kerri grumbled something unintelligible.
I can guess what she’s saying though.

“You have to understand, my dear, that Joshua Payne intends to be a dark horse this election.”

She looked up at him, still agitated. “A dark horse?”

“You don’t know what that is?” Hunter tried his best to not sound condescending, but who knew how it really came through – aside from Kerri, of course. From the way she wrinkled her nose, her boyfriend must have said it wrong.

“I’ve heard of it before, but you know me… I don’t pay attention if I can help it.”

There was a bottle of wine still on the table. Hunter tipped some into his girlfriend’s glass before filling his own again. He waited until Kerri had her fill before explaining. “A dark horse is a candidate in any race or contest that comes in from behind and wins, shocking everyone. Usually the biggest underdog. If Joshua Payne wins this election, then he’ll be a dark horse. Probably the biggest one in the state’s history. Third party candidates know they don’t stand much of a chance in these environments. Maybe in a less populated state, but here…”

“So his tactic is to take down both of his opponents through us?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Kerri was still on the defensive side. “Then what else could he be intending? He has to know. And he’s going to use that information to scandalize our parents and dump their positions in the polls… oh damn…”

“Don’t fret about it.” Hunter put a gentle hand on hers. Their fingers entwined on the table. “Worrying about it will only make things worse in your head. We need to enjoy the time we get together. Let’s not… well, yeah. Dark horse or not, Payne is probably up to something. I don’t know what, though. He knows that I support him so I don’t think he would go out of his way to alienate me like that. Maybe it’s a warning that he knows, but he doesn’t want other people finding out. I like to think he has a good heart…”

Kerri snorted. “Then you have a lot more faith in politicians than I do. He may have a ‘good heart,’ but that doesn’t mean he won’t play dirty. You said so yourself, a would-be dark horse will have to pull out all of the stops in order to win. God, I hate politics. No matter what form they take, they are the freakin’ worst. You know what I want in life?” She squeezed her boyfriend’s hand. “I want to get as far away from politics as possible. My dream is to live my adult life without having to worry about this business. Because that’s what it is. Being in politics is running a business. A brand. You sell yourself so you can get power and authority, but what do you do with it? Do you actually make changes? Change policies for the better? What is the better? Just because you think something is good for the people, doesn’t mean you’re right or that they’ll want it. You could be doing the right thing, but if the public hates it, they’ll spit you out before they can feel any positive effects. Take my father for instance. I don’t agree with him most of the time, but he
has
had good ideas. Like when he tried to get preschool funding throughout the state. You know, he fought tooth and nail to make it happen. But the voters threw a fit because it meant raising taxes. So he gave up after two years of fighting. He’s not even using it as a platform this year. I was so ashamed in him, but I understand why he did it. I saw it firsthand. God, sorry. I’m so burned up, if you couldn’t tell.”

Hunter released the tension in their handholding. “I see your point. I don’t know if I have a lot of faith in him, but I don’t think he wants to hurt us. Say what you will about him, but I trust him more than I do either of our fathers, no offense.”

“None taken.”

With their wine now depleted, Hunter called in their private server and had him bring in dessert. “It’s on me,” Hunter said, as Kerri began to object. “Let me spoil my Juliet for a little while longer. Let’s forget about Joshua Payne, the election, and what happens in our families.”

Kerri snorted. “You call me your Juliet and then talk about our families.”

“It’s very topical.”

“Too true. Did you know that there is a famous French musical based on that play? It’s beautiful. I had the opportunity to see it in its original version when I studied abroad in France for a semester. It was breathtaking. I’d love to see it again someday.”

Their dessert arrived, and the two of them picked up their tiny dessert forks so they could enjoy the flavors. “I’ll take you. Italy, France, wherever you want to go. When this is over, I’ll take you away somewhere.”

Kerri smiled at him, but it was not with good humor or vigor.
What I would give to make her happy.
Rarely in his life had Hunter ever felt the need to cheer up such a woman. With his previous girlfriends, all he had to do was throw some money their way or show them the lavish life of a politician’s son. Sometimes being Hunter Hall was enough for those women. But Kerri was not impressed with any of that. What she needed went deeper than trinkets, dinners, and even lovemaking. She needed freedom. She needed to no longer be a prisoner of her family’s.

After their time in the restaurant was over, Hunter took his girlfriend to a hotel on the far side of town. At first he wasn’t sure if she would be open to sex – Kerri looked out the window of their hotel room, her frown lines deep and her pondering eyes searching for an answer to her problems. Hunter did not concern himself with her problems unless she wanted it that way. While Kerri sat in deep thought, he flipped open a newspaper and tried to find anything but local politics to read.
Impossible.
Everything was laced in politics.