5. Spencer

CHAPTER 5

SPENCER

I woke the second time to the smell of bacon and quickly realized I was ravenous. Vani and I had only eaten a few appetizers at the party the previous night, so it was no wonder we'd gotten completely wasted. The night was mostly a blur, but I remembered speaking to Sean at some point and then being snubbed by several of the attendees when we tried to say hello. If that was the new normal, I'd pack up the truck and move on down the road.

I dressed in my clothes from the previous night, knowing how mortified Vani would be at doing the walk of shame in her party dress, so I skipped the tie, shoving it in the pocket of my suit coat before I opened the door to the bedroom. I should have felt the need to call my office and check in, but I found I didn't give a shit. LDS—lame-duck syndrome—had taken hold, and I planned to fully embrace it.

As I headed down the hallway, I heard my wife chattering away. "…and really, it's nobody's business. We are consenting adults, and hell, I suggested they go away before campaign season officially kicked off because they weren't going to get to see each other until after the election."

Who the fuck is she spilling her guts to on a cloudy Tuesday morning?

"Until this morning, I didn't know it was Blaire Conner. How will the senator take it that the man's name was leaked?" It was the guy Fitzpatrick had assigned to take care of us—a guy we knew nothing about. Who knew if the guy was a reporter, and my wife was giving an exclusive in the dining room of the suite? When would the bleeding stop?

I walked in to see Vani dressed in a tracksuit with the local baseball team's logo on the front of the jacket. It looked stylish with her black stilettos, as I could see through the glass-topped dining table.

"Vani, why bore the young man with our personal business?" I raised an eyebrow in her direction. Her beautiful face flushed, which highlighted how well rested she appeared to be, unlike me, who looked as if I'd just been released from the drunk tank.

"Oh, Spence, you're so pessimistic. Nash is fine. He's not the enemy. Sit. He ordered lots of food, and it's all on Fitzpatrick." Vanessa released a quick giggle.

I wanted to laugh, because my wife loved food and had a hearty appetite, sometimes eating me under the table. She never gained a damn pound, god love her.

Nash, our new caretaker, grabbed a plate and began filling it for me. Once it was sufficiently piled up, he placed it in front of me before going to the cart to grab a coffee cup and saucer.

It all smelled delicious and looked tasty, but the food was no match for Nash's ass… assets... which were on display in the black chinos he was wearing. I glanced up to see Vanessa smirking at me before she took a delicate bite of toast and winked. I was more than a little leery of that look.

"So, Nash, tell me about yourself." He poured me a cup of coffee from the carafe resting on the table near Vani.

"Uh, well, I've got a vagabond heart. I don't like to stay in one place too long." He passed the sugar and creamer to me for my coffee.

"Spencer, Nash is new to town. He works part-time as an escort for the men and women in town when they attend events, and his other job is working for Naomi Chu when she has a catering job. Remember? Naomi catered Judge Dean and Rett Beaumont's wedding in New York. We were supposed to attend, but it snowed, and the airport closed. It was on Christmas Eve a couple of years ago. Anyway, Nash knows Georgia Symington." Vanessa spilled every one of the man's secrets and spilled them in a hot minute.

I glanced at Nash to see he was smiling at Vani, which made me wonder if he wanted in my wife's panties. "Where'd you get the tracksuit. Not your usual style," I pointed out.

"Nash went downstairs and picked it up for me from the gift shop, so I don't have to walk out in my cocktail dress. He brought you a sweatshirt and a baseball cap as well. Oh, NBS had no problem outing Blaire. His name was released early this morning. He was unable to be reached for comment. Have you been contacted?" Vani scrolled through her phone.

I reached for my shirt pocket to retrieve mine, only to find it dead. I flipped it around to show the blank screen to Vani just as her phone rang. She looked at it before handing it to Nash. "Answer it and say the Senator and his wife have no comment, please. Otherwise, they'll keep calling, and I don't want to turn it off in case Jay needs us."

I started to grab her ringing phone when Vani slapped my hand. "Leave it alone, Spence. Nash, go ahead, please."

The man cleared his throat. "Hello? Senator and Mrs. Brady have no comment. No, you can't have my name. Don't you people use a source or a spokesperson when you make shit up? You're welcome." Nash ended the call and handed the phone back to Vani with a sexy smirk.

"That should take care of things, at least for a while. So, Senator?—"

I held up a hand to stop him. "Spencer, please."

He smiled. "Right. Spencer. So, we need to figure out how to sneak the two of you out of here and get you home, sir." Nash glanced between the two of us.

I nodded as I poured syrup over my hotcakes, not ready to face reality. We ate until the food was gone, and I was as stuffed as a tick.

Vani rose from the table and began to clear when Nash stopped her. "I've got it, Vani. Finish your coffee." He stacked the plates and platters before moving everything into the kitchen.

" Vani , what the fuck are you doing? He might be a reporter in disguise," I hissed at her.

Of course, she giggled, as she shook her head at my paranoia. When one lived in the shadows, it was hard not to jump to conclusions.

"Now, Spencer, he's not a reporter. He's a gorgeous young man who has a compassionate heart, I just know it. He mentioned he'd read about everything in the free paper they give out at the metro, and he asked if we were okay. We got to talking, and I find him quite charming." Vani smiled at me, which made me wonder if she was attracted to him.

I cocked my eyebrow again, and she rolled her eyes. "Not for me, Spence. For you. He's bisexual. I think the two of you would make a very attractive couple." Vani's mind was clearly made up on the matter.

"Oh, bullshit. He's, what? Twenty-three? You think he'd be interested in these crow's feet?" I pointed to the lines around my eyes that had become more prominent in the last three months.

Vanessa rose from her seat and walked around the table, pulling out the chair next to me before sitting and taking my hand. "I love you, Spencer. You have been my best friend since we met, and I have loved you like a brother for longer than I can remember not loving you. I've been very happy with the life we've built together, but it's got to feel good to finally have your truth out there, even if it wasn't the way you'd have preferred it to be told.

"For twenty years, you've been my rock, and you've sacrificed so much for Jay and me. We got through my PTSD, and all the counseling I had to endure because of the rape and the feelings I had surrounding the miscarriage. You were there for me, supporting me every step of the way, for which I will always be grateful. Hell, you married me to salvage my honor, Spencer. You've lived your life for everyone else, even down to running for the Senate."

I stared at Vani. "Vanessa, you don't owe me anything."

She smiled. "You're wrong, Spence. Running for office wasn't your choice, was it? Your parents, the bastards, they pushed you into it! Hell, I guess I pushed as well. I thought it would be glamorous to be a senator's wife, and you hated practicing real estate law, remember? I was selfish not to consider how much you denied yourself to help me find my happiness. I'm sorry I haven't thanked you before now."

"Now, here we are. We have the chance to start over and for both of us to find our happiness, not just me. Jay is going to come around, Spence. He's in shock right now, and it can't be easy to be the son of a tarnished senator on a large college campus, but he's making the best of it. How about you and I make the best of it as well?" Clearly, my wife was up on her soapbox.

As per usual, Vanessa hit the bullseye. No, I'd never wanted to be a lawyer, but my father, Ronald Brady, who was a retired circuit court judge in Norfolk, had insisted law school, and then Congress, was the right path for me.

It was the only way he and my mother, Hillary, would attempt to accept Vanessa, and back then, she needed that acceptance. Considering they'd abandoned us after I became front-page news, maybe Vanessa was right? Maybe we should worry about ourselves for a change?

"So, what? I should take him back in the bedroom and?—"

"Aw, now. I'm not quite that easy unless I'm being paid five-hundred bucks an hour. Mr. Fitzpatrick called to say he's going to send a car for you. The driver will be on the third level of the parking garage next to the freight elevator. He'll be here in half an hour, hardly enough time for me to show either of you a good time." Nash had a sexy smirk and a healthy amount of humor in his voice.

Vani giggled. "Not me but thank you. I'm ace, which means I?—"

"You're not sexually attracted to anyone. Yes, I know what it means." Nash glanced in my direction. "Based on the papers, I'd say you're a man's man all the way, huh? I swing either way. What a fine group we make."

The three of us chuckled at his comment. He was spot on.

"Anyway, I'll get you to the parking garage and leave you to it. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. I need to speak to my boss to see that I still have a job." Nash left the suite, phone in hand.

Vani hissed to get my attention, wagging a well-manicured finger at me. "At least get his number. If nothing else, he's not judgmental, and we really don't have any friends left. If they turned their backs on you, they're dead to me." Vani kissed my cheek and stood, pushing in the chair and heading toward the bedroom where she'd slept.

I sat at the table, trying to figure out what to do about the latest disaster, and I came to one conclusion—I wanted to corner Mario and force him to tell me what happened, and then Vani and I needed to get out of town for a while. I needed to check my calendar for the rest of the year to see if any important votes were coming up and begin to plan what was next for the two of us—if Vanessa still wanted to be a part of my life. That was a giant hurdle to jump.

I tossed a fifty over the front seat to the sedan driver as I hopped out of the car on our driveway. I reached in to pull Vani across the seat and help her out. There was patchy snow that must have fallen overnight, and she was wearing heels, so I didn't want her to fall. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a news van roll up, blocking the driveway, which wasn't going to be a good thing. A woman hopped out with a cameraman in tow, shoving a microphone in my face before I could react.

"Senator Brady! Senator Brady! Would you follow up on your statement from earlier disclosing that Blaire Conner was your guest in Antigua. Will you comment on why you and Mr. Conner were engaging in sexual relations during the day on a public beach?" Yeah, it was time to get the hell out of Dodge.

I started to give the party line— "No comment!"—when Vani stopped dead in her tracks and wheeled on the reporter, Bree McCoy, who worked for the local NBS affiliate where Blaire had worked before he got promoted to the network.

"You! You have a lot of nerve coming to my home and attempting to humiliate a good man. Get off my property. You're trespassing, and I'll call Fairfax County Police and have you prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if you don't get off my driveway immediately." The way Vani was pointing that finger, I knew it was a threat she would see through.

I grabbed her arm and pulled her along with me, hoping her sense of self-preservation kicked in. That would be something to look forward to on the five o'clock news, her losing her shit and dignity with a snippy up-and-comer in local media.

Once we were in the house, we both kicked off our shoes and headed for the kitchen. I plugged in my private cell and placed it on the counter, before sliding off the ball cap Nash had provided, though clearly, it didn't protect me from the vultures who were circling to pick at my carcass on my own driveway.

Vani let down the high ponytail she'd swept her long blonde mane into and flopped into a chair at the table, releasing a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry."

I walked over behind her and bent to kiss the top of her head. "You didn't do anything wrong, love. You're frustrated with this situation, and that one deserved a dressing down."

My phone—the burner phone—began dinging with texts, so I walked over and picked it up from the counter, seeing messages from Blaire.

"Fuck." I was not ready for another battle to come my way.

"Blaire?"

"Yeah, and—" I trailed off before I opened the first of several messages from Blaire.

How the fuck could you? Call me!

Spencer, you put out a statement? You bastard!

I'll never forgive you for this!

I ran upstairs to my office to retrieve my official cell, checking the messages to see a text from Mario.

Senator—In accordance with your instructions of yesterday afternoon, I have issued a statement on your behalf, confirming that Blaire Conner was the man in the picture you were having sex with on your vacation in Antigua. I agree, it's better to get everything out in the open. I'll be in touch—Mario

I read the message three times and checked back through my emails and the other texts on my phone, seeing nothing from me instructing anyone to do anything of the sort. I called Mario's cell, and it went directly to voicemail. The fucking coward refused to talk to me? No fucking way was I letting that fly.

I hung up and called my director of communications, Mitchell Flora. Anything released from my office went through him first, and if he knew nothing about it, then someone was fucking with me, yet again.

The phone rang three times before it was answered. "Communications. This is Tammy," I heard.

"This is Senator Brady. Where's Mitch? I need to speak with him immediately." I shouldn't yell at her, but I couldn't help it. What a clusterfuck!

"Sir, he's in a meeting with Mr. Fernandez. Should I interrupt them? I was told not to, but for you, I will," the young woman offered.

"Transfer me to the conference room, but don't announce me. Just put the call through." I sounded so hateful, but something had to fucking give before I bashed my head against the nearest brick wall.

The phone rang four times before it was picked up. "I said we weren't to be disturbed!" It was Mario, and I was so beyond pissed I could barely hold my temper.

"Yes, well, you didn't answer when I called," I snapped in return.

"Oh, Senator, I'm sorry. My cell is charging in my office," was Mario's response. If not answering a call from me was all the fucker thought he should be sorry about, he was sadly mistaken.

"You need to come out to the house. We need to talk about the statement you and Flora released today. I didn't authorize it."

"Uh, what? I… I got a… got an…" Mario was stammering, which only served to piss me off worse.

"I don't know or care what you got, but you didn't get it from me. You need to come out to the house ASAP." I hung up.

I dialed Blaire's number, hearing the phone answered on the first ring. " What ?"

"Blaire, it's me, Spence. I promise you, I didn't give permission for a press release, and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it right now. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. I never meant to hurt you."

The sniffle I heard was behind me. I turned to see Vanessa standing in the doorway. She stepped forward and reached out her hand, so I gave her the phone, not seeing that any further damage could be done.

"Blaire? This is Vanessa Brady. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I was the one who suggested Spencer should take you away for a few days before the campaign kicked into overdrive. I've known the two of you had seen each other since that party in January where you met. I approved completely."

I couldn't hear what Blaire said, but I could hear Vani's response.

"It's not a game, Blaire. Your feelings matter. I'm guessing Spencer didn't tell you we have an open marriage, did he? We live separate lives together, which is what we've always done. I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire. Goodbye."

Based on the turn of events—and the look on Vani's face—the relationship with Blaire was definitely over. I knew it in my gut, but it seemed as if my wonderful wife was trying to help me tie up loose ends. I would forever be grateful.