20. Spencer

CHAPTER 20

SPENCER

"How do I look?" I asked Nash as I tightened the knot of my silver and navy tie while he sat on the side of the bed, watching me finish dressing after our shared shower.

I was more relaxed than I'd been in a long time, thanks to Nash. He was perfect at a shower blow job, and I'd admire his skills as often as he'd let me.

When I tried to return the favor, I nearly drowned myself! He laughed as I sputtered under the spray, but when we got out, I sucked him down my throat, and he wasn't laughing any longer.

I had a meeting that morning, and I'd been nervous before the shower. Sean had summoned me to meet with him at his office on the Hill to discuss his job offer. After that, I had the annual Christmas luncheon with my staffers, my last official act as a Senator in the United States Congress. I had been nervous about both functions until Nash sucked the nerves out of me.

It was ridiculous to be worried about any of it, but in his beautiful way, Nash eased my concerns so I could get my head on straight. I'd been a member of the Senate for twelve years, but I felt like Sean knew shit I didn't, and I kept waiting for the "gotcha" I was sure would come. It was pessimistic, of course, but show me an optimist in DC, and I'll show you a damn fool.

"You look like a Senator," Nash joked as he rose from the bed and walked behind me having already dressed. He tugged at the back of my suitcoat and dusted off my shoulders.

It was a move Vani had taught him when I went to buy a new suit after I ripped a pair of suit pants when I bent over to retrieve a nickel from the street while I was downtown for lunch with Mario so we could tie up loose ends. The middle-age spread had definitely caught up to me, and I was embarrassed to hell that I'd gained about ten pounds.

That night after shopping, Nash made passionate love to me, and I felt like a million bucks.

He'd offered to bottom several times, but I was coming to like being claimed by him. It helped me realize he didn't pity me for being a man looking down the barrel of fifty. He loved me, and he loved me for who I was and how I looked. It was a shot to my ego, for sure.

"What are you guys doing today?" I asked him as I turned around and kissed his lips.

"Vanessa has roped me into taking her Christmas shopping. I'll be carrying a lot of bags and nodding at her choices, I fear. Being her arm candy is tiresome." Nash laughed.

He and Vani were very close, even more so since she'd returned from her overnight trip to New York. She had found an apartment, and I'd wired her the money to put a deposit on it. I was pleased Nash and Vani got along because there was no way she wasn't going to remain one of my best friends.

It was incredible how at ease the three of us were together, and I'd even asked Vani if she was sure moving to Manhattan was the best idea for her. Of course, she'd laughed at me. I realized she was ready to move on, and I couldn't have been happier for her.

"Oh, enjoy that! Please, remind her I don't really have a job right now before she goes overboard." I grabbed my wallet and watch from the valet on top of my dresser.

Nash's things were in Vani's old dresser, and I loved to see him pulling his clothes out of the drawers. It was a reminder that we were a couple, and I relished the feeling of not being alone.

"I should be home by four. The Christmas luncheon is usually followed by drinks at O'Tooles, but I'll keep it short. I doubt many people will want to spend a lot of time with me." I knew the lay of the land. It was a tradition to take the staff out. I had no illusions that most of them would rather take a stick in the eye than attend.

"Boys, we need to go!" Vani's impatience made me smile.

"I'll be down in a minute." Nash went into the ensuite to style his hair since I'd hogged the bathroom with my primping that morning.

It was an odd setup, the three of us living together, but we were working it out as we went along. It would only be a few weeks before Vani moved, and Jay was coming home for Christmas, bringing his boyfriend before the two of them went to Cole's parents' home for New Year's. It would be our last Christmas as a nuclear family—more or less—and I wasn't sure how to feel about it. Too much change, too fast? Probably.

"Coming Mom." I rushed downstairs with Nash behind me.

Vani and Nash were dropping me off at the metro in Tyson's so I could take the silver line to the Capitol South Metro stop, which was about two blocks from the Capitol building. I was planning to take the car service home that evening for the last time, but I wanted the memory of taking the metro that morning, just as I used to do when I was a shiny new Senator on my first day that January after I'd won the November election in 2008.

Maybe I'd gotten too big for my britches when it came to my private life, thinking I was above discretion regarding who I spent time with and what we did. I'd have never done anything so stupid when I was beginning my career, so when had I let my guard down and become so damn careless as to get caught, literally , with my pants down?

I walked into the kitchen to see Vani with a cup of coffee in her hand. There were two cups on the island, and she had a smile on her face. "You look handsome," she offered before she handed me a cup.

I kissed her forehead and stepped back, hearing Nash on the stairs behind me. He walked into the kitchen, and Vani picked up his mug, handing it to him. He kissed her cheek and the three of us stared at each other as we sipped our coffee.

"You know, there are a lot of poly couples out there." My gaze flicked between the pair as I spoke. Vani cackled, which wasn't really a surprise. Nash looked at me with concern, so I stepped over to him, kissing his lips before we both turned to look at her.

"That sense of humor will take you far, Spencer Aaron Brady. It's a beautiful idea, but I'm not interested. I love you both, but I don't see us being a big, happy trailblazing family. I'm looking forward to a new start and knowing that I'm always welcome with the two of you makes me so happy. The three of us being together that way wouldn't ever work for me but thank you for the half-assed invitation."

Nash and I both laughed as the three of us had a group hug before Nash collected the empty mugs and put them in the dishwasher. The three of us left the house, and when they dropped me off at the metro, I could see we had a bright future as a family—just not as a poly family.

Vani was on her new path, and I would be happy for her—eventually. I was worried about losing her friendship, but I should know better. Vani would never let that happen.

I exited the metro station, pulling my topcoat closed and sliding my hands in my leather gloves. The train had been hot, so I'd unbuttoned my coat and shed my gloves, but when I arrived above ground, it was like the fucking wind could cut me in half.

As I walked toward Sean's office off Seward Square, I ran all the questions through my mind that he might ask. I couldn't officially start working for him until after the first of the year, but he wanted to meet that morning, and I wasn't one to stand up my potential boss.

I walked into the former row house on North Carolina Avenue where Sean had his offices, seeing the atmosphere was very casual. What had been the dining room was now the waiting room, so I approached the ornate desk where a handsome young man was sitting with a headset, listening intently as he made notes on a laptop. When he saw me, he hit a button on the earpiece. "Good morning, Senator. Sean will be with you in a moment. Can I get you something? Coffee or water?"

"No, I'm fine."

He rose from the desk and offered to take my coat, so I gave it to him before I went to sit down on an antique sofa that faced a gorgeous fireplace which was blazing brightly. It was a gas log set, but it looked authentic enough, and the stockings with everyone's name embroidered on the cuff were a nice touch.

I reached for the current copy of The Hill , the newspaper that focused on all the events that happened on Capitol Hill and scanned the cover. It was a comprehensive list of everything that would be taken up after the holiday break, and I wasn't sorry I wouldn't be returning to that bullshit in January.

Not a minute later, I heard the distinct sound of Sean's voice, the volume becoming louder as he descended the stairs. "Thank you, Megan. Have a wonderful holiday and give my best to your mother. Goodbye."

Sean ended his call and walked over to where I sat. I folded the paper and placed it on the table before rising to address the man.

"Good to see you, Senator," Sean greeted.

"Glad to be here." We shared a strong handshake.

"Let's go to my office. Byron, I'm not to be disturbed for the next hour, please. Take messages. No exceptions."

The handsome young guy nodded at Sean's barked orders before he turned toward the stairs, and I followed him to the second floor.

There were four offices from what I could see as I stepped onto the second-floor landing where there was another staircase to a third floor. Two of the offices were occupied. One was empty, and one—the biggest one—was decorated with elegant French provincial furniture, the walls a calming grey and the ceilings and trim a stark white. That was where Sean led me, closing the door when I was inside.

"Please, take a seat. Can I get you some coffee or perhaps, an espresso?" Sean offered, refilling his demitasse cup from a small French press.

"No, thank you. So, if I were to take the job with you, I wouldn't be available to officially start until the end of May. I could offer consulting assistance behind the scenes, but nothing forward facing until then. Is there anything in particular?—?"

"What have you found out about your unceremonious outing?" Sean asked abruptly. I was taken aback for a moment but recovered quickly.

"Uh, accusations have been made about a member of my staff as you know, but thus far, I have nothing concrete to back them up. I've engaged someone who is trying to track the photographer."

Sean sat down in a large chair across from me, sipping his espresso for a moment before he placed the saucer and cup on the glass table next to him and sat forward. "I've always admired you, Spencer. My boyfriend, back then, thought you were incredible, and as a small-time stringer at the Washington Post , he tried like hell to get time on your schedule for an interview. Oh, he was damn sure it would put him in the big time because you were a new mover and shaker in DC, and I guess he thought he could ride your coattails to fame.

"I helped set him up with powerful people to build his resume, but for some reason, I refused to set him up with you. Something told me it was a bad idea, so I kept telling him it wasn't going to happen. You were a busy man and didn't have time to sit with a reporter wannabe for an interview. That was when he started blowing me off for our dates, telling me he was busy."

That was all very interesting. However, it didn't hint at why Sean wanted to hire me. Nothing in his comment gave me any indication how he believed I could benefit his lobbying firm.

"He landed a more prestigious job, leaving me behind, but then, I was right about him, wasn't I? Next thing I know, I'm hearing through the grapevine that you're taking meetings with him and granting him access to your reelection campaign. You two met at a party, didn't you?" Sean trailed off.

My heart pounded in my chest, not sure what to say to him. I was certain he'd just set me up, and hell, maybe he was behind the whole outing thing, just to humiliate me in retaliation for some perceived transgression? Fuck!

"Obviously, you're talking about Blaire. I had no idea he was interested in me at the time, nor did I know he was dating you. We met at a fundraiser and started talking." I wasn't sure where the conversation was going.

"Spencer, let me be clear. I'm not out to further smear your reputation. I want to fuck Blaire over any way I can, but not at any cost to you. He was out to prove to me that he was worthy of getting the big fish, even if he had to fuck them, and it became his mission to put me in my place. Have you ever heard of Gregor Jablonowski?" Sean asked.

I'd heard that name recently. Where? "Should I?"

"Seems we were both fooled when it came to Blaire. I hope you used a condom because Blaire was fucking your comms guy—Mitchell Flora—behind both of our backs. Mitchell's former assistant, Lori Warren, married a photographer named Gregor Jablonowski. If you've found money going into Mitchell's account, you might want to look for some of it going out. I was able to get a friend from the State Department to confirm that Gregor Jablonowski's passport was used to fly to Antigua, going to the island on the same flight as Blaire, and returning on your flight back to the States after the pictures hit the papers." Sean's accusation shocked me.

Bile rose in my throat, and Sean must have seen what was happening because he rushed over to a hidden door in the room to reveal a bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before all the coffee I'd had that morning returned.

A wet cloth was handed to me before a glass of water was presented. I quickly flushed the toilet and stood upright, sad to see my favorite tie hadn't been spared.

I wiped my mouth and accepted the water, rinsing my mouth and spitting into the sink, I moved my hand around to clean the mess before turning to Sean, who held out a hand towel.

I pulled at the tie, tightening the fucking knot to the point my shaking hands couldn't loosen it. Surprisingly, Sean slapped at my hands and quickly helped me rid myself of the offending noose before tossing it into a trash can.

"I, uh, I'm sor…"

"No, Spencer, you don't owe me an apology. I wanted to tell you what a sneaky bastard Blaire was, but I had no concrete proof of his actions. I had someone follow him and found out he was fucking Mitch Flora while he was fucking me and you, and I became suspicious. He and Flora took a lot of trips together, and Mitch only makes a shitty government salary. That's when I had someone look into Blaire's finances—not exactly legally, but I'd been stupid enough to fall in love with him.

"You see, I'd been supporting him for the three years we were together before he got the job with the NBS local affiliate. Someone helped him buy that nice house in Alexandria, but it wasn't me, and I doubt it was you either," Sean surmised.

I stepped out of the bathroom, my head swimming, and I stared at Sean, trying to see if he was fucking me over, or if he was honest. "Why did you think Mario was the leak in my office?"

"I'm not the one to tell anyone they've got a rat in their organization. I knew you and Mario were close pals, but I hoped maybe you'd start checking into your staff and find out about Mitch, his assistant—oh, she quit because she's threatening to blackmail Mitch to pay her and her husband off or they'll go to the press and implicate Mitch's unknown partner. She's a money whore, and she sang like a songbird when my guy waved five grand in front of her nose.

"You, my friend, have too much faith in the people with whom you surround yourself. Thankfully, I'm one of the good guys." Sean offered me a bottle of water from a hidden fridge that looked like a filing cabinet.

He walked to his desk and hit the buzzer on his phone. "Yes, Mr. Fitzpatrick?"

"Byron be a doll and run to Vineyard Vines and pick up a silver and navy tie for the Senator. He accidentally spilled coffee on his, and he has a meeting after we're finished. Put it on my card, please."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Fitzpatrick." Sean ended the call and returned to where the two of us had been sitting before I had to puke.

"So, uh, is this job offer just a bullshit ploy to get me to help you seek revenge?" I asked, trying to hide my humiliation, though I was sure I was failing.

Sean shook his head. "No, Senator, not at all. Your charisma and grace under pressure makes you a hot commodity in my world, and let's face it, only a few of the old pricks up the street would hold this shit against you. God knows, many a man has been taken down by a sex scandal. No, I want you to work with me because you're a good salesman, which is what all members of Congress really are.

"I just want you to see if you can get to the bottom of this mess before all the proof is erased. I've done all I can to trace it to Flora and Conner. Someone with deep pockets started this ball rolling, and you have my word, Spence, it wasn't me. Trace the money, and you'll find your enemy."

I nodded before there was a knock on the door. "In," Sean called. The handsome young Byron walked in with a maroon bag with a whale on the front of it.

"This was the only one that vaguely matched the description, Mr. Fitzpatrick." Byron opened the bag and retrieved a slender box before popping the lid to show a silver tie with navy whales on it. Sean made a motion, and Byron stepped over to me.

"Is this to your liking, sir? I can exchange it for a plain silver one if you'd prefer," the young man offered. I stood and reached for it, retrieving it from the box.

"This will do. How much…"

"It's a business expense. Byron, love, charge it against Senator Brady's expense account. Oh, get us a reservation at The W for lunch, will you?" Sean asked.

I started to protest, but I saw the look in Sean's eyes as he watched young Byron walk away, and I knew he wasn't talking about me at all. "You'll be in touch?" I asked Sean as I set about tying the silk around my neck.

"Be here on January 4 at seven to begin your first gig as a paid consultant. We'll have a breakfast meeting to get you up to speed. Your official start date will be June 2 as the Director of Political Affairs. Oh—Spencer, you didn't ask me about salary." He smirked.

I chuckled. "I'm sure it'll be fair. You know all about me, so you probably know how much I made on the Hill. Vanessa and I will be divorcing and selling the house, so my expenses will decrease. She's relocating to New York for a job in Manhattan, and it will be an amicable split, so no headlines, I hope." I owed it to Sean to be up front about the changes in my life. If he was willing to take a chance on me, then we had to develop trust.

"And, what of young Nash?" Sean asked.

In for a penny—in for a pound. "We're together, but discreetly for now. Once the divorce is final, then we'll make it public. Will our relationship prohibit him from working for your party planner?" I was unsure of Nash's plans, but I prayed they included me.

"I think we can do better than that for him. Let me make some calls, but don't say anything yet. I assume he's done with Caroline Bering-Turner, now that she's run off?" Sean asked.

I chuckled. "Yes, he told me he's done with it, and I'm more than happy. Happy holidays, Sean. I'll see you on the fourth." I shook his hand and turned to leave.

I walked out of the office and down the stairs where Byron stood at his desk with a mirror, checking his face. I stopped and smiled. "You look perfect. Have a great lunch."

I winked and grabbed my topcoat before heading out onto the street. Ah, Washington, DC would be nowhere without its scandals. Some were more shocking than others, but everyone had a secret. Some just kept them better than others.