Breathless Secrets (Rose Garden Apartments Book 3) Read online

  Molly smiled as the crowd chuckled at James’ humor.

  “I’m not going to talk about immigration or abortion today. Nor about my foreign policy ideas. I have a number of solutions that I believe could ease the tensions for these hot topic issues, but today, I’m going to offer my goals for my term in office.” Molly loved the fact that he was speaking as if he were already in office. Instantly, she felt electricity light up the room. Interest? She wasn’t sure, but Molly was waiting, almost breathless, and James had barely gotten started!

  “In fact, if I’m successful in accomplishing these three goals, I’ll probably be voted out of office.” There was a ring of startled laughter that Molly didn’t understand. “I know that I’m going to lose some of you on these items, so just bear with me. Number one – I want to change the US Supreme Court justice’s terms from lifetime appointments to eighteen year terms. With that change, every president would have two Supreme Court appointments, one during his,” he paused and looked right at Molly, “or her first year in office and a second during his or her third year in office.” There was a smattering of comments, but after a moment, the crowd seemed to nod. Yeah, that made sense. “When the lifetime appointments were set, over two hundred years ago, a ‘lifetime’ didn’t last as long as it does today.” More laughter. “Whenever a justice is appointed, they influence the course of the Court for potentially a generation. But generations change, the world changes. And I believe that the Supreme Court of the United States should change with it. The Constitution is a living document. It evolves with the needs of each generation. The Supreme Court Justices should also change and evolve.” He paused again, allowing everyone to ponder that.

  “The next goal would be to shift the Electoral College, so electoral votes for each state to go to the winner of the national popular vote.”

  Molly smiled, nodding her head. She completely agreed with that.

  “The reason the Electoral College was originally established was because the founding fathers didn’t believe that the US population would have enough information to vote intelligently. The population was more rural, their lives focused on getting their crops harvested and to the market. Often, the only way someone heard about various candidates was during their visits to the markets. And most of that information was gossip, not accurate information on a candidate’s positions, such as what we’re doing here today.”

  That was news to Molly, but it made sense.

  “I propose to change that rule. The population has more than enough ways to find accurate information now.” He grinned. “Of course, there’s still gossip and misinformation.” The crowd laughed and Molly beamed, feeling so proud of him!

  “The third, and this is the one that’s potentially going to limit me to a single term in office, but I also think this is the worst rule.” The crowd waited, anticipation hanging in the air. “We need to get rid of political gerrymandering.” There was a rustle of protest. James lifted a hand. “Hear me out.” The crowd quieted as he stepped out from behind the podium, walking along the stage, making eye contact as he moved. “The manipulation of political districts is egregious on both sides of the political spectrum. This would be a bipartisan effort to eliminate gerrymandering so the districts are created based on population. Right now, the districts are created in order to ensure one political party gains the upper hand. It isn’t fair and more importantly, it isn’t right.” He paused. “If we eliminate political gerrymandering, the voters would have the powerful voice they need and deserve. Politicians would have to be reactive to their needs, as they should be.”

  Molly listened intently as James continued with his speech. She was transfixed. Awed! The man had some innovative ideas that some might call crazy. But the more he spoke, the more he explained, the more she realized that he was right. None of those points were partisan; they wouldn’t help or hinder either party. But they felt…right.

  Was she being naïve? Yes, there were plenty of inflammatory issues that might come up. There would be arguments for and against each proposal. But…well, she had to give James major kudos. He was willing to start the debate. He was willing to sacrifice a long and potentially lucrative career in office by proposing issues that, on the surface at least, were right.

  As James’ speech came to a conclusion, the crowd leapt to their feet, applauding wildly and Molly was right there with them, her hands stinging with the effort to show her approval. Not necessarily for his goals, but for the man.

  Right then and there, she felt herself falling. Her heart shuddered in her chest and that falling sensation went right along with her enthusiastic applause.

  She wanted to cry, because she knew that her love for him was pointless. He was charming and sophisticated. He was ambitious and had plans for a better world. Better than anything she could do in her community center. He was going places and…Molly looked around, noticing that several other women in the room seemed to be struggling with similar emotions.

  But they didn’t know James the way she did.

  At least, she hoped they didn’t! Goodness, the searing fury that hit her at the possibility that James had touched any other woman the way he’d touched her last night made her knees go weak.

  Shaking that sensation off, because Molly knew she didn’t have the right, she didn’t have any claim to James other than the bittersweet memories of their nights together.

  Then he looked at her! Those wonderful blue eyes looked directly at her and she felt the earth shift under her feet. The applause died out, the people in the auditorium vanished. It was just her and James, standing there, looking at each other. Two people, alone in the world.

  Was it just her imagination, or did his eyes convey that her opinion mattered to him?

  Yes, it was only her imagination, she told herself, and lifted her hands, clapping harder. He grinned and tilted his head slightly. Towards her?

  Her heart pounded harder. Were her ribs strong enough to protect her heart? She wasn’t sure, and at this moment, she didn’t care. Her heart wasn’t hers any more. It belonged to James now.

  Bryan whispered in his ear and James nodded. A moment later, the stage was flooded with people from the audience who wanted a comment, to shake his hand, or to have their picture taken with him. He went through the motions, smiled and memorized each person’s name. For the people he knew, he asked about their families, their children and, in some cases, he was even able to remember their pets’ names. It was a trick he’d learned in high school with his teachers. Learn about the person, know them and realize that they were individuals, and they’d remember him as well.

  And yet, all he wanted to do was to go to Molly, to find her in the crowd and ask her what she thought. Did she approve? Did she think he was completely off the mark? Some of his ideas were pretty radical and people either completely agreed with him or hated him. At this moment, Molly’s approval was all he needed.

  He paused for a moment, stunned by that realization. How was that possible? How had Molly’s approval become so important? He’d been with plenty of women over the years. Many of them strikingly beautiful. But none were as lovely, as caring and sweet as Molly. She had touched his heart, he thought. And he wanted to touch hers too.

  The whole speech, he’d been talking to her, hoping and willing her to approve. The crowd mattered, but not nearly as much as Molly. She was his world now. He’d been hoping and praying that she’d show up today, but until he’d walked out on that stage and found her in the back, he hadn’t realized how important it was that she be here. The controversial goals he’d discussed meant nothing without Molly’s approval.

  She mattered. She grounded him. And suddenly, in that moment, as yet another person asked for a picture with him, he realized that it was all about Molly.

  He loved her! Damn, how had that happened? He’d never felt this stunning sensation with any other woman before. He’d cared about some of his lovers from his past. He’d even thought one or two might have been “the one”. But no
one he’d dated in the past made him feel the intensity and connection that Molly made him feel.

  He loved her. After less than a month with her, he knew without a doubt that she was “the one”. Her opinion was tantamount to everything he wanted to accomplish and her presence lit up his world. She was it.

  Several reporters closed in and he forced his thoughts back to the present as he smiled into the cameras, answering the questions from the reporters. The questions were softball questions. Later, once the mud-slinging started, the questions would become more difficult, more in-depth. Right now, the reporters and voters didn’t know much about him. They hadn’t taken him seriously as a candidate until this moment.

  But Molly did. At least, she did now.

  From the look in her eyes, she believed in him. She believed in his vision.

  Damn, he loved her!

  When the crowd finally cleared out, James looked around, but Molly was gone. He understood, especially after this morning’s chaotic and impromptu press conference. She’d been inundated with reporters. So, it made sense that she’d leave as quickly as possible.

  Still, he’d love to talk to her, hear her take on all this.

  Then he remembered that he would be picking her up for dinner in…he checked his watch…two hours! Just one hundred and twenty minutes until he could see her again.

  “We need to go over the–”

  “Not now, Bryan,” James interrupted. “I have something important to do.”

  Bryan sputtered for a moment. “You just gave a resoundingly successful speech and raised about a million dollars for your campaign. What the hell is more important than following up on that?” he demanded.

  James slapped his campaign manager on the shoulder. “I need to go grocery shopping.”

  Bryan’s mouth fell open. “Now?”

  James chuckled. “You’re the one who keeps telling me I need to get married.”

  Bryan’s stunned and confused expression slowly morphed into a huge grin. “Molly?” he asked, nodding with approval.

  James smiled. “Molly.” There was nothing more to say.

  “Go!” Bryan said, waving his hands into the air dismissively. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

  “Make that tomorrow afternoon,” James called back over his shoulder, mentally listing groceries he’d need for tonight’s dinner. With Molly!

  Chapter 12

  Eleanor tapped an elegantly manicured fingernail on the polished table as she contemplated the picture in front of her. She hadn’t read the article, too livid to focus that hard.

  “Would you like more coffee, ma’am?” one of the maids asked.

  Eleanor turned her head and forced her lips into a polite smile. “No. Thank you very much.”

  She walked out of the dining room. Her husband of five years had already left for his office in downtown Manhattan and Eleanor knew that she had a full schedule of social activities today. Still, this latest insult couldn’t go unpunished.

  Eleanor had been quite clear the other day. She’d set down the rules and, if there was one thing she simply couldn’t stand, it was for someone to disobey her. Yes, she was fully aware that her animosity towards people who ignored her was caused by a childhood of living in a trailer that could have toppled over in a spring wind. The people of the small town had looked down on her for her poor upbringing. She’d hated every moment of living in that trailer park, where there was more rust than metal holding those trailers together.

  But now, she was a woman to be feared. Since leaving that horrible trailer, she’d punished anyone who disobeyed her. She’d even been quite strict with her son until he’d grown up and left the house. No, that wasn’t quite true. James had ignored her even before he’d become an adult. The horrible boy had disobeyed her since he turned five years old. Then he’d hide from her, knowing how terrible her wrath could be.

  Even so, the boy had managed to grow into a respectable adult. One she was proud to call her son. For a while there, Eleanor had been concerned, even to the point of telling her suitors that she didn’t have children. It wasn’t until James had won his first multi-million dollar lawsuit that she’d found him acceptable.

  Thankfully, she’d been in between marriages when that had occurred.

  Eleanor sat down at her antique desk and flipped through the contacts on her computer. She’d done an excellent job of networking over the years. But it took her several minutes to find what she needed.

  When she’d figured out all of the pros and cons, Eleanor considered the details, the traps and issues that might cause her plan to fail, then worked on ways to ensure that her plan would succeed.

  When all of the details were fixed in her mind, she started working. A certain person with less than enviable scruples was her first phone call. Once that was in place, she worked on her computer for over an hour, setting up the details that would need to be in place before her plan could work.

  Then she called her favorite reporter. She liked him because he didn’t have an ethical code. Ethics could be a stumbling block in the way of a good story, Eleanor thought with a tight smile.

  “Mike!” Eleanor gushed. “How are you today?”

  Mike Daines ended the call, looking out the window of his one bedroom apartment as he contemplated this new information. It was probably a lie, but…hell, what a great lie! He could get back onto the major news agencies with this story, if he spun it right. By the time the rest of the world discovered that it wasn’t fully accurate, he’d be a national name, someone that others would take seriously.

  Leaning back in his cracked, faux-leather chair, he tapped his pen against his nose, ironing out the details. Eleanor Morgan was a handful, and then some, but she’d given him a few good stories over the years. Mike also knew it was worth his life to stay away from her bad side. So it was better to just do as she’d instructed and figure out a way to cover his ass through innuendo versus accuracy.

  Decision made, he sat up and started typing on his laptop. Within minutes, he’d already sketched out a rough draft of the story that he’d submit to his editor, once he had a few more…“facts” of course.

  With a sigh, he snapped his laptop shut and stuffed it into the cross-body bag that he carried everywhere, grabbed a few more pens and his cell phone, on which he’d get snippets of conversation. He suspected that any recorded conversations he obtained would need a great deal of editing, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d manipulated a recording. He suspected that it wouldn’t be the last, either. It was almost comical how easy it was to edit interviews so that only the words he needed the interviewees to say were heard by the pansies surfing the internet for juicy stories.

  With a chuckle, he grabbed his car keys and headed out, eager to get to work.

  Forty-five minutes later, he parked his car across the street from his target and pulled out the camera already fitted with the long range lens. He’d been here several times over the past month and had already gotten several excellent shots of the couple.

  Sitting back, he pulled a caffeine drink out of the bag that he kept in the back of his car. Of course, the back seat was filled with trash and debris from previous “stake outs”, so the first can he grabbed was empty. He had to fish around to find one that was full. He really should clean out his car, Mike thought. It was getting pretty bad.

  But not today, he told himself and slouched into a more comfortable position to wait.

  Chapter 13

  Molly heard the doorbell ring and wiped her hands on her slacks. “Be cool,” she whispered to herself. “Be cool and sophisticated. Don’t do anything stupid or rash.”

  She rested her hand on the doorknob, and paused to take a deep breath, steadying herself. Latching onto a relaxation technique she’d read about, Molly opened her eyes, slowly letting the air out of her lungs. “Be cool.”

  Pasting a welcoming smile on her features, she opened the door.

  For a long moment, Molly just stared at James. He was dresse
d casually in a pair of khaki slacks and a white, collared shirt. But there was nothing casual about the way her heart pounded at the sight of him.

  “James!” she whispered, and grabbed the front of his shirt and literally dragged him into her apartment. The door was barely closed before she was on her toes, kissing him as if he were her next breath.

  James didn’t miss a beat. He switched to the aggressor and pulled her against him, lifting her into his arms then swinging her around so that she was pinned against the door. “Damn, Molly, I need you right now!” he swore, kissing his way from her lips to her throat. He wrapped her legs around his waist and he pressed that throbbing erection against her core, making her whimper as desperate need filled her.

  She’d pulled her hair back into a sophisticated twist, but James immediately began pulling at the pins until her curls tangled in his hands.

  With one arm under her bottom and the other still in her hair, he carried her down the hallway to her bedroom. “I need you now!” he growled, releasing her legs so that her feet touched the ground. A moment later, her shirt and bra vanished, then he was kneeling in front of her, sliding her slacks down, tossing her shoes away. He didn’t bother with her socks, but simply lifted her up and placed her in the center of her bed.

  Molly’s mind spun as James explored her body, ravenously kissing her mouth, her neck, her breasts. When his mouth moved lower, his hands continued to cradle her breasts, his thumbs rubbing over the hard peaks, until she writhed for him. Before she realized what was happening, his mouth encircled that throbbing, desperate nub and he was sucking. Hard! His tongue teasingly circled that nub, sucking until he got a real scream out of her.

  “No more teasing!” she practically shrieked.

  And then his mouth was there, sucking harder this time and she shattered as the pleasure took over. Her climax rocked her world as she arched her back and screaming her pleasure to the heavens.