“Man, that’s good.” He barely finished chewing before he rose out of his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“To get us a dozen.”
I laughed. “Do you really think we need that many?”
“Maybe you can share some with Ty.”
I rolled my eyes when Barrett made kissy noises at me and polished off the rest of my cannoli before he returned. “Want another?” he asked, dipping into the box.
“I’m pretty stuffed.”
He made quick work of the one in his hand. “Ready to head back?”
“Sure.”
I’d barely gotten out of my chair when Ty arrived at my side. “Are we going straight to the hotel, or will there be any other stops?”
“To the hotel.”
Ty nodded before heading out the front door. When he deemed it safe, he waved us on outside. Once again, he fell in step behind us. We’d barely made it up the street when Barrett’s phone dinged, and he reached into his pocket to dig it out.
“I’ll be damned.”
“What?”
“We’re already on TMZ.”
I froze on the sidewalk. “Like the gossip site TMZ?”
“Yeah.”
“How is that even possible? Did your dad go ahead and make the announcement?”
“No. He would have let us know.”
Nibbling on my bottom lip, I watched Barrett staring intently at the screen. “What are they saying?”
“See for yourself.” Barrett handed me his phone, and I gasped at the sight of several grainy pictures of our dinner at Russo’s. The one of me feeding Barrett my cannoli was the largest. It also had the caption, Bare Callahan caught out on the town in DC sampling an unknown brunette’s delights. This news will certainly have his latest flame, opera diva Evangelina Petscova, singing a different tune. The two were seen just yesterday boarding a private plane in Los Angeles.
Suddenly, the fact that I was on TMZ in my ratty Duke sweatshirt paled in comparison to the fact that I was being painted as the other woman. “You were with another woman yesterday?” I asked. I hoped it was all a lie; TMZ was a gossip site after all.
Barrett winced. “Actually, I was with her today.”
I shoved his phone back at him. “I can’t believe this.”
“Give me a break. Until eight hours ago, I didn’t even know you existed. I didn’t know Dad was going to spring this marriage business on me today any more than you did.”
“Surely you understand what I’m worried about here, Barrett. My first mention in the press is as the homewrecking other woman!”
“Not with the story the campaign is putting out about us. Evangelina was just a side piece while I was pining for you.”
“Yeah, excuse me for having a conscience about humiliating another woman,” I spat. There was that, and the fact that there was no way anyone would believe Barrett had been pining over me when he had Evangelina.
Ty stepped between us. “Guys, you have to take this discussion out of the streets. We need to get you guys back to the Jefferson,” Ty said. At what must’ve been our sullen faces, Ty added, “If TMZ has broken the story, other media outlets are picking it up. You have to sell the relationship now more than ever.”
Barrett and I didn’t argue. Instead, I allowed him to take my hand as we started back.
Turning to Barrett, I forced a smile to my face even though the question I was about to ask didn’t warrant one. “Did you care about Evangelina?”
“Not like you’re worried about.”
“What does that mean?”
“She was fun to hang out with.”
“‘Hang out with’ being code for sex?”
“Yes.”
“You’re such a disgusting pig.”
Barrett brought my hand to his lips to bestow a tender kiss. “Thank you for the judgmental compliment, sweetheart, especially since you don’t know any of the particulars.”
“Such as?”
Through a smile, Barrett replied, “Women know what they’re getting into when they’re with me. One google search eliminates any of the mystery. The content of my character is clearly laid out in all the stories about me. If they get hurt, they really only have themselves to blame.”
“Just when I think you can’t possibly out asshole yourself, you go and say something like that.”
“Hey, I’m honest and forthright with every woman I date. Wouldn’t it be worse if I was leading them on just to get them into bed?”
“It’s all equally sickening.”
“Whatever.”
When we turned the corner toward the Jefferson, I saw a gaggle of reporters waiting outside the front entrance. “Fuck,” Barrett muttered.
“Side door?” Ty suggested.
That would have worked if we hadn’t been spotted. The photographers descended on us like a swarm of locusts, and when I shielded my eyes from the flashbulbs, a murmur of shock rippled through the crowd. “She’s wearing an engagement ring!” someone shouted.
“Is Bare, the eternal bachelor, tying the knot?” a reporter questioned before sticking a microphone in Barrett’s face.
“How did you meet?”
“Do you think he’s going to be faithful?”
As we were peppered with questions, I fought to breathe. Even though I was supposed to have had the weekend to prepare, I wasn’t sure anything could have adequately prepared me for the onslaught. While my panicked gaze searched for an escape, Barrett squeezed my hand almost reassuringly. “Could you guys just back off for a minute? I will explain, but not until I know Addison is comfortable.”
Since I never expected them to actually respect Barrett’s wishes, I couldn’t believe it when it became deathly silent around us except for the clicking of cameras. My heart beat a little faster not just out of fear, but also because of the care Barrett was showing for me.
Clearing his throat, he then gazed out at the sea of cameras. “Yes, I just got engaged this afternoon.” He then repeated the story his father and Bernie had come up with. Of course, there was a wrench in the plan considering we were supposed to have the weekend to get acquainted, but damn if Barrett couldn’t perform on demand.
“After seeing Addison at a political function recently, I impulsively asked my father for my late grandmother’s ring. I carried it around with me, hoping I would run into her again. As fate would have it, I saw her today.” He smiled lovingly at me. “So, I popped the question, and she said yes.”
To seal the validity of our engagement for the virtual world, Barrett dipped his head to kiss me. Instead of a quick peck on the lips, Barrett was all about selling it. Even though reporters were shouting our names and flashbulbs were going off all around us, the world melted away. It was just the two of us. Two mouths fusing together. Two bodies molded against each other.
In the end, we were just one.
When Barrett finally pulled away, I remained as shell-shocked as after our first kiss. Bizarre didn’t even begin to describe what it was like making out with a strange guy who you sorta hated in front of an audience, but it wasn’t just the faking-the-relationship aspect. It seemed like everyone was way too close to me, like I was trapped by a wall of bodies. The circuits in my brain became so overwhelmed that they practically shut down. If I didn’t get out of there soon, I was going to lose it.
Sensing my panic, Barrett tightened his arm around me. He then flashed a megawatt smile at the reporters and photographers. “I hope that clears up the confusion. That’s all the questions we’re going to take tonight. You can contact my PR rep for any further interviews.” He then began leading me through the crowd to the front entrance of the hotel. The two bellmen at the front door were overwhelmed, and the crowd pushed past them to follow us.
Thankfully, an elevator was waiting, and Barrett rushed us inside. Ty and a member of the hotel’s security blocked the press from getting on with us. When the doors closed, my thin veil of composure snapped, and I sagged against one of the wa
lls. I started gasping for air as a full-on panic attack enveloped me—at least I assumed it was a panic attack. I’d never really had one before.
“Take some deep breaths, and don’t lock your knees,” Barrett ordered.
After inhaling and exhaling several times, my anxiety slowly began dissipating. When I pulled my gaze from the floor, I found Barrett staring expectantly at me. “Better?”
“Yes. Thank you. The cameras and the questions…it was too intense.” I shook my head sheepishly. “I’m sorry for freaking out like that.”
“Don’t apologize. It was your first time. Everyone freaks out the first time.”
“Even you?”
He grinned. “I was five years old when I had my first paparazzi onslaught.
“I guess it isn’t quite the same.”
“Actually, you did far better than me.”
“But you were a kid.”
“I was a brat. Mom had just had Caroline, and Dad was taking me and Thorn into the hospital to see them. It was mostly local media and I stuck my tongue out before kicking one of the photographers in the shin when he asked me to smile.”
“You didn’t.”
“Oh yeah I did.”
I laughed. “What did your dad do?”
“He made me stay at home with my grandparents while he took Thorn to a Yankees game.”
“Ouch.” From our getting-to-know-you homework, I had learned what a huge baseball fan Barrett was, and more importantly, how his blood bled blue and white for the Yankees.
“Yeah, it would have been easier on me if he’d beaten the crap out of me.”
The elevator dinged on our floor. When the doors opened, James and Bernie stood waiting for us. “Guess you saw the news?” Barrett questioned as we stepped into the hallway.
“Yes we did.” James placed a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Senator Callahan.”
“Please call me James.”
I nodded. “I just hope my first foray in front of the media wasn’t a total failure.”
“Now you just put that thought right out of your mind. You performed wonderfully given the circumstances.”
“Thank you.”
As he glanced between Barrett and me, James’s expression turned from one of comfort to frustration. “I do believe you both were instructed to stay here for the duration of the weekend, yet within a few hours, you already—”
“It was just dinner. It wasn’t like we were caught coming out of a bar, wasted at two in the morning,” Barrett protested.
“Something you’re more than familiar with from past experiences,” James bit back.
With a smirk, Barrett said, “Nice one, Dad.”
“Thankfully, it worked to our advantage this time, but I hope you both can now better comprehend the importance of following my instructions to the letter.”
“Yes sir, I do,” I replied while Barrett merely nodded.
The corners of James’s lips curved into a smile. “Now go to your room, and don’t come out until I tell you to.”
Barrett laughed. “Come on. I haven’t heard that line from you since I turned eighteen. Besides, the press already knows about us. What can it possibly hurt?”
“While I was just giving you two a hard time, I would like to be notified should you leave again, and make sure you do not go anywhere without Ty.”
“Got it,” Barrett replied.
“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have damage control for your premature engagement announcement to attend to,” James said. He and Bernie then got onto one of the waiting elevators. I hated the feeling that I had already disappointed Senator Callahan. Technically, it had been Barrett’s idea, but I wasn’t five. I was fully capable of saying no.
As we started to our hotel room, I smacked Barrett’s arm. “Hey, what was that for?” he demanded.
I scowled at him. “Being a bad influence. I told you it wasn’t a good idea to go out.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry for corrupting you, Miss Goody Two-Shoes,” Barrett replied playfully.
“I’m not a goody two-shoes. I just hate letting your father down.”
“Hmm, I guess that would make you a suck-up or brownnoser.”
“Excuse me for wanting to do the right thing for your father’s campaign.”
Barrett took the key card out of his pocket. “You are by agreeing to be my ball and chain for the next nine months.”
“The feeling is mutual.”
He grinned, which actually broke the ice a little. What I’d just experienced had been quite terrifying, to be honest. “What do you say we turn on the television and see what they’re saying about us? Considering that epic on-the-spot performance I gave, I’m dying to see an instant replay.”
I snatched the bag of cannolis from him, which had somehow miraculously made it back with us. “I think I’m going to need a few more of these to make it through seeing that.”
ADDISON
On Monday morning, I woke up for the last time in the Jefferson, and my wake-up call came at the ungodly hour of five AM. It was even more ungodly because of the fact that I had just gotten to sleep around two AM—I’d been too nervous about my first day on the campaign trail to sleep. The what-ifs had plagued me, my mind bombarding me with the most paranoid of scenarios.
After my trial by fire with the media, the rest of the weekend had been pretty inconsequential. I had been really worried about being called a homewrecker, but somehow, that hadn’t even been an issue. We studied the answers to our relationship homework so we wouldn’t have any slipups at future interviews. While I went through the stuff I needed to take with me verses the extra stuff I didn’t need to take with me, Barrett caught up on emails and paperwork. I had to give him credit that he really did take his work seriously, to a level of extreme perfectionism. That I could actually admire.
We even managed to break out on Saturday afternoon to go to the movies. Of course, the moment we exited the hotel, the cameras came out in full force. Although Barrett always instructed me to act natural, the moment a lens became trained on me, I overthought every move I made. “Hey, Mr. Roboto, think you could lighten up a bit?” Barrett had joked.
“I’m sorry. You seem to forget that while you’ve had cameras on you since you were a child, this is still new to me,” I had countered.
By Sunday when we went out for brunch, I had begun to look less like the Tin Man. I even managed to smile at the reporters who called my name while peppering Barrett and me with questions. Regardless of my worries, James set me at ease by texting me to say he was loving all the positive stories already floating around in the media.
After my shower, I came out of the bathroom in my new designer robe, compliments of Everett. Actually, it was one of three new robes I now had. I wasn’t sure how robes translated into campaign wear, but I wasn’t going to argue with him. The luxurious fabric put the sad, ratty bathrobe I had at home to shame.
A knock sounded at the door. While I hoped it would be room service with breakfast, I figured it was Saundra, the makeup artist and hair stylist who had been assigned to Barrett and me. She had come to the hotel yesterday to do a practice run with me, and she would be traveling around the country with us to do Barrett’s and my hair, along with my makeup. Yes, it seemed a little ridiculous that Barrett needed someone to do his hair, but apparently, it was part of the political campaign territory.
Once I’d checked the peephole, I opened the door. “Good morning, Saundra.”
“Good morning to you as well, Miss Monroe.”
Wrinkling my nose at her formality, I said, “Please, call me Addison.”
She smiled. “Okay then. Good morning to you, Addison.”
After returning her smile, I said, “Are you ready to transform me?”
“I’m ready if you are.”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
While Saundra set up in the bathroom, I slipped into the red suit Everett had picked out for me to wear. At first,
I had balked when he mentioned me wearing suits. To me, that sounded way too matronly, but thankfully, he had shown me a lot of power suits that didn’t look like I’d stepped off the set of Dynasty with killer shoulder pads and giant buttons.
The first day’s ensemble had a very youthful look. Whenever I turned left and right, the bottom of the skirt flared around my knees, giving the suit an overall fun, flirty feel. I soon became way too amused by watching my floating hemline.
“Good morning.”
As I jumped out of my skin, my hand flew to my chest to still my erratically beating heart. “You scared the hell out of me!” I threw a murderous glance at Barrett over my shoulder. “Did you ever hear of knocking?”
“I did knock, but you were too busy twirling to hear it.”
“I was not twirling.”
“Yeah, you were.”
“Whatever,” I muttered, refusing to acknowledge that he was right.
Barrett sported a crisp navy suit, a white shirt underneath, and crimson red tie. As much as I hated to admit it, he exuded a decidedly suit-porn vibe. What was it about a suit that made men look so damn delectable?
After giving me a onceover, Barrett said, “I see Everett’s gotten to you.”
“Are you trying to say I was some fashion-less hack before?”
“Easy now, it was just an observation.”
“A snarky one.”
He grinned. “I’ve never been accused of being snarky before.”
“Well, it’s the truth.”
“Look, I’m sorry if I sounded snarky, as you say. It really was just an observation. All the women in my family have had the Everett overhaul.”
“He is a very gifted stylist.”
“That he is.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry for sniping at you. I’m really nervous about today.”
“Don’t be.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Hey now, this is my first presidential campaign, too.”
“But you have all the experiences from the senatorial races,” I countered.
“You’re going to do fine, Addison.”
I was surprised by the sincerity in Barrett’s eyes. “Thank you. I hope you’re right.”