The Perfect Candidate (21 page)

Letting Ashley go was so hard
…
and it shouldn
’
t have been!  Michael didn
’
t know what was happening to him.  He almost didn
’
t recognize himself anymore.  Ashley had such a strange- such a very strange effect on him.  He wanted to tell himself that it was just about the sex, but he had
had
her body now
…
and yet he still wanted her around!  That just wasn
’
t
…
normal!

Fortunately, Norm returned to take Michael
’
s mind off his lover.  The campaign manager reminded Michael of a dog loyal that had just been kicked and beaten.  It was impossible for Michael not to feel guilty.  Both men muttered apologies, and then they got on with the work that was still waiting to be done in New York.

Of course, word of Michael
’
s
“
engagement
”
to Ashley spread like wildfire, and that was all anyone seemed to want to talk about for the last few days of the campaign trip.  Most of the time Michael was able to direct the conversation back to politics and to his  Party's agenda, but it wasn
’
t helping him to keep Ashley out of his mind.

At least everyone was buying the story!  The Vance Campaign was naturally claiming that the timing of the Reese-Kendall engagement had been planned in an attempt to have an impact on approval ratings, but no one was suggesting that the relationship itself wasn
’
t one hundred percent genuine.

Perhaps that was that problem
, Michael mused, as he flew back to Chicago.  Perhaps he was starting to believe the lie too?

He shifted uneasily in his seat and loosened his tie.  It was hard to keep track of exactly what his real relationship with Ashley was though!  How much of what they did together was an act and how much of it was genuine?  It certainly felt real when she was in his arms
.

Michael rubbed a hand across his eyes.  He was too tired to think straight.  It would all look clearer after a good night
’
s sleep- a good night
’
s sleep in his own bed.  The thought alone was heavenly!  Now, to make it truly perfect he just needed
.

“Stop it!” he growled at himself.

“Hmm?  What?  Where?” Norm grunted, waking himself up.  He had been dozing in the seat next to Michael, and quickly settled back down again to sleep when Michael didn’
t say anything else.

He didn
’
t have
real
feelings for Ashley
…
did he? 
Michael groaned.  She was a sexy, intelligent woman, who he got on with and just happened to lust after around the clock
…
what did that say? 

“Fuck,” Michael swore, careful to keep his voice lowered this time.

This was a nightmare.  He was trying to become the next President of the United States of America.  He couldn
’
t afford distractions
…
however luscious and lovely they might be. 

It was all well and good telling himself that
…
but the trouble was the whole country thought he was engaged to Ashley now.  There was no way to undo what was already done.  Michael just had to figure out a better coping mechanism for being around her all the time, that was all.

Unfortunately, that coping mechanism didn
’
t occur to him before they landed in Chicago, where it turned out Ashley was waiting to meet them.  She looked a little flushed and uncertain when she saw Michael, and was greeted only with a chaste peck on the cheek.

“I’
m sorry,
”
she murmured apologetically. 
“
I didn
’
t know whether I should come or not
…
and then I thought that, well- if you were my real fiancé I would be here,
”
she whispered. 
“
So I came.  Are you mad?
”

“Mad?” Michael frowned, following her out of the airport to the car that was waiting outside.  “Why would I be mad?”

Ashley gave her shoulders an uncertain little shrug. 
“
You just- you seem different,
”
she confessed, climbing into the back seat of the car with Michael, while Norm jumped in the front.

“Different?” Michael frowned, aware that he was trying to create a distance between them that hadn’
t been there before.  It was torture, and he already hated it, but he was not
…
he was not about to fall in love with this woman, which was what he feared was happening to him.

“Yes, different…” Ashley mused.  “You seem… distant.”

“I’
m just tired,
”
he murmured, yawning as if he was trying to prove it. 
“
We haven
’
t stopped for days.  Isn
’
t that right, Norm?
”
he called, but was answered only with a gentle snore from the front of the car. 
“
See?
”
he chuckled.

Ashley smiled, but she was looking a little wary again.  Michael had to fight the urge to drag her into his arms and soothe away whatever it was that she was worrying about. 
“
You and Norm,
”
she said at length. 
“
You ugh- made up then?
”

Michael snorted. 
“
We did.
”

Ashley nodded, and then she fell silent again.  Michael didn’t push her to make conversation.  He
was
exhausted, and he was still trying to figure out exactly how he felt about his speech writer “fiancé”.  He was unnerved to find that simply being with her brought him pleasure. 

He leant back in his seat, and watched her through half-closed eyes.  She took his breath away every time he saw her.  He didn
’
t understand how she had been working for him for several months and he had never before realized that she was
gorgeous
.  He must have been blind, or stupid, or both!  It was a miracle no one else had snapped her up.

They dropped Norman off at his house first, and then Michael surprised himself by asking if Ashley was coming home with him.  It seemed that he really wasn
’
t able to control himself when she was near.

“I will, if you want me to come with you?” she said shyly.  “I was rather under the impression that you wanted to be on your own.”

“No!” Michael barked, and before he had stopped to think she was in his arms.  “How can you say that?” he whispered, stroking his fingers over her face.  Instead of answering, Ashley inclined her head slightly and brushed her lips against his mouth.

The shivers always caught Ashley by surprise.  She would have thought that they would have stopped by now, either that or she would be used to it, but they hadn
’
t and she wasn
’
t
…
every time Michael kissed her it felt like the first time.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled against him, but he pulled back before she had had her fill.

“Easy,” he whispered, glancing towards the front of the car where the driver was sitting.

Ashley flushed guiltily. 
“
Sorry,
”
she murmured, sidling across the seat away from him.  Michael followed her. 

“Don’
t be sorry,
”
he murmured kissing the tip of her nose.  He glanced out of the window. 
“
We
’
re almost home.
”

“Home?” Ashley frowned, also looking out of the window; she wasn’
t anywhere near her neighborhood.

“You
are
coming home with me, aren’t
’
t you?
”
Michael asked, casting a hungry glance in her direction.

Ashley squirmed guiltily on her seat. 
“
Do you really think that
’
s a good idea?
”
she asked, chewing her bottom lip. 
“
I mean- if anyone finds out-?
”

“We’
re engaged,
”
Michael shrugged, smiling broadly. 
“
What can anyone possibly say about you coming over to have dinner at my place?
”
he asked innocently.

Ashley giggled. 
“
Nothing, nothing at all,
”
she smiled.  She allowed herself to wrap her arms around his waist and lean her head on his shoulder.  Michael eased his own arm around her, and held her close.  It was such a
nice
feeling, being pressed up against his body like this, sort of comfortable and easy. 

The remainder of the journey passed in silence.  Ashley got the feeling that Michael was a good deal more tired than he let on.  He could hardly keep his eyes open.  She reached up and brushed a few stray strands of hair off his face, and kissed his cheek.

“You want me to really fix you dinner when we get you home?” she giggled, thinking that he wasn’
t going to be fit for much more that dinner and bed- and not in the way that she wanted!

“Mrs. Martin is sure to have left me something to heat up,” Michael yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Mrs. Martin?” Ashley murmured, while assuring herself that what she was feeling at the mention of another woman’
s name on Michael
’
s lips was
not
jealously. 
“
She
’
s your-?
”